WorldWatch
Anglo-America
President Donald Trump has warned that the United States dollar is losing its reserve currency status. During a Fox Business interview on August 17, he stated, “We have power, but it’s waning. In fact, it’s waning in terms of our currency. And I’m not just talking about the value of our currency, I’m talking about our currency being used throughout the world.” He also noted that if many more nations abandoned the dollar as their currency for international trade, the overall damage to America would be “bigger than losing any war.”
The late Herbert W. Armstrong predicted that a financial crisis in America would likely be the catalyst prompting 10 nations in Europe to unite (Revelation 17:10-13). The fact that Fitch Ratings recently downgraded America’s foreign-currency issuer default rating shows this crisis is approaching rapidly.
Americans’ belief in the spirit world is declining. Fewer people than ever believe in God, Satan and other spirit beings. According to a July 20 Gallup poll, 74 percent of Americans believe in God, 69 percent believe in angels, and 58 percent believe in the devil. Since Gallup began collecting this data 22 years ago, belief in God has dropped 16 percentage points, while belief in angels and in the devil have both dropped 10 points.
Belief in the devil is declining while evidence of his existence is everywhere. One example is revelations of adults raping children. Millions of Americans have watched Sound of Freedom following its July 4 release. This film depicts the real-life exploits of Tim Ballard, who quit his job as a national security agent to dedicate himself to saving children in Colombia from enslavement and rape. An estimated 1 million children are suffering this torment every year, including about 100,000 in America. Half of the human trafficking in America is child sex trafficking. This nation is a top destination for these victims.
This monstrous evil inside America is finally being exposed to the general public. Yet there is evidence of an intelligent evil being even in the distribution of this film. Disney withheld the completed movie for years, eventually selling it to a comparatively tiny distributor late last year that finally succeeded in releasing it this summer. These actions are consistent with allegations of pedophilia being common in moviemaking circles, including LGBTQ-friendly Disney. Then, in a number of cinemas across the country, people reported unusual problems, such as air conditioner failures, that affected only the viewing of this particular film, suggesting sabotage by theater owners.
But the response from American media was even more unsettling. Mainstream outlets broadcast and published a consistent message: The movie overdramatizes child exploitation and is only popular with people “addled” by the QAnon conspiracy theory that elite satanic liberals are kidnapping and raping children. This is a bizarre way to cover a film sharing a true story about saving children from torment. Revelations about billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, who engaged in and helped other elites engage in raping children, show that corporate media executives may be acting to protect themselves.
The Bible reveals that Satan has been cast down (Revelation 12:9-12) and that he is actively attacking America, a nation descended from ancient Israel. While leaders like Trump warn about financial calamity, the same media that is covering for child-sex traffickers blast the fact that Trump has been indicted for the fourth time this year, this time for “criminal attempts to interfere in Georgia’s presidential election.”
The media do not want election fraud exposed, nor sex trafficking, the corruption of the Biden family and the fact that America is nearing bankruptcy. An unflinching look at America today proves that to deny the existence of an intelligent evil spirit being is to deny tragic reality.
Europe
The European Union Digital Services Act went into force on August 25, introducing a new era of Internet censorship. The act combats advertising designed to mislead children, makes it easier to combat child abuse online, and has other helpful provisions. But it also compels social media platforms to implement more censorship, both in Europe and worldwide. The law bans “disinformation” and “hate speech” and imposes enormous fines for large social media companies that fail to comply. Examples like the COVID-19 scare exposed the fact that governments and tech executives are willing and able to ban factual news posts simply by arbitrarily labeling them “misinformation.” (Facebook, for example, when forced to defend itself in a U.S. court, admitted that its “fact checking” is actually just its subjective opinion.) This new law drastically empowers elites in technology and in European government to impose their opinions and agenda. Read “Germany Is Taking Control of the Internet.”
In Germany, a record 70 percent of people are unhappy with the work of their chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and 64 percent are unhappy with their government according to an August 17-18 poll by insa for Bild, Europe’s most-read newspaper. At the same time, Germans are looking to the government to solve their problems. A study published in July, titled “Unusual Times—Unusual Measures?”, revealed that 4 out of 5 Germans favor government price controls to tackle rising inflation. More than a third of Germans say companies that did not generate a profit because of inflation should be taken over by the government.
The Bible prophesies of a coming leader who will once again captivate the German people and use his charisma not only to take dictatorial control of Germany but also to rally core European nations behind his leadership. Read what the Bible says about how this will come about and what will follow in A Strong German Leader Is Imminent.
Asia
The Chinese Communist Party is continuing to push against the global order in the South China Sea and beyond.
Satellite imagery published by the Drive on August 15 shows that China has built an airstrip on Triton Island in part of the South China Sea that lies in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
China built harbors and a helipad on Triton previously. The new construction began in June and has military implications. Though too short for most fighter jets, the 2,000-foot airstrip could accommodate drones and turboprop aircraft, helping China project more power into this mineral- and energy-rich region that is also crisscrossed by key maritime trade routes.
As the Chinese were illegally militarizing Triton, Chinese Coast Guard vessels further east maneuvered dangerously close to a Philippines’-owned boat near the Second Thomas Shoal and illegally fired a water cannon at it. The August 5 incident occurred as the boat attempted to deliver provisions to a unit of Filipino marines stationed there. The shoal lies well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as defined by international law, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and reinforced by a 2016 International Court of Justice ruling. But China rejects international law and claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, including sections belonging to the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
In “China Is Steering the World Toward War,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote, “Now that U.S. military presence in the area has been drastically reduced, China is claiming the entire South China Sea as its own!” (Trumpet, July 2016).
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on July 29 that Chinese hackers have spent years secretly inserting malicious computer code deep within networks that control America’s power grids, water supplies and military communications. The hackers use code called “web shell” that can grant remote access to targeted servers. The Times cited United States officials who said hackers with access to these servers could disrupt U.S. military deployments and resupply operations at will.
“China is steadfast and determined to penetrate our governments, our companies, our critical infrastructure,” said George Barnes, deputy director of the National Security Agency. “In the earlier days, China’s cyberoperations activities were very noisy and very rudimentary. They have continued to bring resources, sophistication and mass to their game. So the sophistication continues to increase” (ibid).
As our booklet Russia and China in Prophecy says, “America’s status as the world’s lone superpower is rapidly fading. Other nations and groups of nations are angling to fill the void.”
Middle East
Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin of Belarus signed a memorandum of understanding with Iranian Defense Minister Mohammed Reza Ashtiani on July 31. Critical Threats Project claimed that the agreement may involve the construction of Shahed “suicide drone” factories in Belarus. On August 1, Khrenin met with Iran’s Armed Forces General Chief of Staff Mohammed Bagheri and discussed establishing joint military exercises, military attachés and a military cooperation commission.
Belarus is little more than a Russian satellite state. Iran has become a principal backer of Russia in the Ukraine war, particularly with Shahed drones and other military technology. Iran’s stake in the war is minimal: It appears to be using its allies, including its relationship with Belarus, to attack the West. The European Union is taking notice.
Daniel 11:40 describes a major clash that begins with “the king of the south” pushing against “the king of the north,” representing Iran-led Islam and German-led Europe, respectively. “Iran has a foreign policy with a lot of ‘PUSH,’” Gerald Flurry writes in his booklet The King of the South. “Soon they will push at the king of the north, the so-called ‘Holy’ Roman Empire.” Iran’s activities in places like Belarus may constitute a part of that push.
Domestically, Iran is also making intriguing moves. On August 11, the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Iran has diluted a small amount of 50 percent enriched uranium in recent weeks and slowed the rate at which it is accumulating new material.” For years, Iran has been ramping up its nuclear program to acquire a nuclear weapon. Slowing down its program may seem counterintuitive. But as our September Trumpet issue reported, Iran and the United States are adhering to an under-the-table nuclear deal. Part of the deal involves Iran scaling back its nuclear enrichment, and it appears that Iran is doing just that.
Meanwhile, on August 17, the United States approved Israel’s sale of the advanced Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany. The system is a joint U.S.-Israel project, and its sale to Germany represents Israel’s largest defense deal. Less than a century ago, Germans tried to annihilate the Jewish race. Now Israel is trusting them with advanced military technology. This represents the latest example of German-Israeli military cooperation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the deal as “a historic turning point,” but even he may not realize how true that is.
Ezekiel 23 is a prophecy of the Jews trusting the Assyrians, or modern Germany, militarily. God expects His people to trust in Him rather than foreign allies. Ezekiel prophesies that the Assyrians will commit a heinous double cross. Request your free copy of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
