November 2 2022
THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD.
Early last month “THE ECONOMIST”, Great Britain’s celebrated weekly, had a cover, shoutingTHE PRINCE, in fat letters, showing a picture of China’s President Xi Jinping, whom this magazine called, “the world’s most powerful man.”
The occasion for this feature article was the latest Chinese congress gathering, which happens every 5 years to appoint or reappoint its president. Mr. Xi received an unprecedented third term and dictatorial powers, with ‘China First’ ambitions, which bodes ill for the world and China itself.
The Economist called him “The Prince”, probably unaware that Jesus too used that designation, expanding it to: “The Prince of this World”. 1John 5: 19, explained it more precisely: “The entire world is under the control of the Evil One”, rather to the devil’s dismay, because “The devil’s best trick is to convince you that he doesn’t exist”.
This makes me wonder: President Xi rules 1.3 billion people in China. How many are ruled by the Evil One, the True Prince of the world?
It is no coincidence that Matthew 23 precedes Matthew 24: in that first chapter Jesus broadly condemns the religious teachers of his day, and in the next one he outlines what the future holds. That future is now.
Religion, false religion, dominates society. Three leaders, President Xi, President Putin, former President Trump constitute a triumvirate that features the forces of evil in this world. What will happen in Brazil is still unclear: the party of Bolsonaro of Brazil, the destroyer of the Amazon rain forests, still has major political power there.
What these evil men – yes, all men! – will accomplish is the total collapse of the world order. Take Putin: The war in Ukraine has already led to the near-destruction of the professional Russian army. His conscription of untrained people will lead to greater Russian domestic instability, as Russia itself has a history of sudden collapse. Poorly disciplined soldiers may trigger a mutiny or worse. When that happens, when Mr. Putin loses his war, he may, in his distorted mind, use the nuclear option on his own people.
Johan Herman Bavinck, in his book on Revelation, comments on Chapter 18 verse 8. He writes: “The world will be consumed by fire in one day.” As Mr. Putin continues to escalate his war in a futile search for victory in Ukraine, anything unimaginable yesterday may become inevitable tomorrow. The moment he loses his grip on power, the horrible consequences of another Russian collapse may well cause him to annihilate his own people in a spate of evil intent, through unleashing the ‘Bomb’ on them.
Jesus and “Prince of the world”.
What we experience today is the culmination of a war that had its origin in heaven, of all places. It all started with, “And there was war in the heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels fought back” (Revelation 12:7-8). The Evil one was defeated and landed feet first on earth, where he became The Prince of the World.
This ‘Prince of the world’ has infected all facets of history: God continually had to make new beginnings: with Adam and Eve, with Noah, with Abraham, with Moses, with David, and finally with his Son. Now we again are at an end, as the Destroyer of the world is trying to pull down every pillar of the universal palace.
In 12th chapter of the Revelation of John, Satan is called “he who seduces the entire world” (verse 9). Jesus depicts him as the ultimate deceiver, the “father of lies” (John 8: 44). He twists human thought in the web of delusion, he conjures before the human eye the mirage of salvation and grandeur and, caught in the grip of falsehoods, as an easy prey, pulls the people to their perdition. He is the king of conceit, the royal champion in mind bewilderment, and the three men I mentioned are champion deceivers, faithful followers of the “Prince of this world.”
“Revelation” has it all.
The basic message of Revelation, the final Bible book, is: “Everything becomes what it is”. Evil is plainly visible in the Ukraine war; evil is seen in Putin’s refusal to allow grain shipments; evil is evident in our continuous use of Carbon Fuels; evil is observed in the rapid disintegration of organized religion; evil is lurking in limitless economic growth in a Finite World.
But the good also emerges, in the fight against racial discrimination, in equal rights for women, especially in Iran and elsewhere, in trying to live in tune with creation.
It is now clear that “The Prince of the World”, sees that he is at the point of defeat – The Lord’s Second Coming – and is redoubling his efforts.
The worst and the best is yet to come.