In all of what you have just read, you may be wondering, "Where is God?" We are told that the Creator of the Universe speaks in a "still small voice."
I remember when I was in San Francisco for the United Nations 50th Anniversary. The various planners of the affair had planned numerous workshops, conferences, commemorations, etc. In fact there were so many that I put together a rather intricate chart to keep track. On Sunday, the final day of the events, the United Nations Association had an "interfaith" service at Grace Cathedral which is across from the Masonic Temple on one side and the Fairmont Hotel where the United Nations was birthed.
I attended the service which required a special ticket for journalists. Dignitaries attending included Catholic Archbishop Renato Martin, UN Ambassadors, and Britain's Princess Margaret. The participants of this celebration included many different kinds of religions. There were priests of several different types, Indian chiefs, holy men from Tibet, etc. The rituals performed were very weird - "holy" water from some mountain, incense, songs to Mother Earth, etc. As I watched this out pouring of paganism I asked myself where God was. He the Creator of the Universe certainly was not being worshipped in this service. I was rather sickened by the whole thing and as I was walking down the multitude of steps leading to the sidewalk from the Cathedral which sits high on a hill, I heard the lone voice of a street preacher condemning the homosexual practices at Grace Cathedral. He talked about God's purity and holiness as he came against all forms of ungodliness and wickedness. It was then that I started to laugh for all of the various world dignitaries, the UN ambassadors, the planners of this event, Princess Margaret in all her "royalty," were subject to the voice of this man and what he was saying as they walked down the stairs which took a good three to four minutes to descend!!! Isn't God awesome, it only took one man.
Most recently I have been reading the book of Daniel. You will recall that Daniel was a prince of Israel. It was the mighty Nebuchadnezzar, conqueror of Israel, who took the finest, most attractive and brightest of Israel's princes and made them serve as courtiers in his court. The Torah says that God gave them "knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom." Daniel had a special understanding in all visions and dreams. Several times in the book of Daniel, he interpreted visions and dreams for Nebuchadnezzar and his grandson, Belshazzar.
In the life of Nebuchadnezzar, and as a result of his pride, he was struck with a rare disease call Lycanthropy in which the person imagines himself to be a wolf, bear, or some other animal (Dakes King James Bible, p.861). Daniel records that "Nebuchadnezzar was driven from men and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws" (Daniel 4:33). The King lived in this state for seven years. Daniel further records, "And at the end of the days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation" (Daniel 4:34). WOW--what a confession!!!!
His grandson Belshazzar should have known better. He heard the stories of his grandfather but did not pay heed. At the end of his reign, he made a great feast for a thousand of his lords. During the party he decided to take the holy vessels of gold and silver which his grandfather had taken from the temple in Israel and drink out of them. Something strange happened. Daniel 5:5 says, "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace." This great world ruler who assumed he ruled both heaven and earth, who used his position and majesty for evil instead of good, was rendered incapacitated-- "the king's countenance was changed, and this thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against the other." He then did exactly what his grandfather did, he called on all of the magicians and astrologers to interpret the writing on the wall. They could not. Finally the king's wife remembered Daniel and had him brought in. Do you see the picture--only God has the answers--only God has the timing. Daniel told the king the interpretation, "This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL: Thou are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting. PERES: Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 5:26-28). That night Belshazzar was murdered and his kingdom taken over by the Medes.
Darius, King of the Medes, respected Daniel and set him over the whole realm. As a result of jealousy by the presidents and princes, they sought to destroy Daniel by having the king issue an edict, "Whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save thee, O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions." Daniel continued to do what he had always done--he prayed in his room on his knees with the window open. When his enemies saw it, they hauled him before the king to accuse him. Daniel was thrown in the lion's den where God shut up the lion's mouth. In his righteousness, the king delivered Daniel out of the den and threw his conspirators in. Darius then made a decree: "That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivered and rescued and he works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions" (Daniel 6:25-27).
Both of these stories are about ONE MAN. There is no doubt that we are living in very wicked days. We are and have been in world government (officially) since 1945 when the UN Charter was ratified by our Senate. What has been happening in 1998 is a complete empowerment of the global infrastructure. While this report has concentrated on the economic, this infrastructure has been strengthened through the expansion of NATO, the evolving addition of a People's Parliament at the United Nations, and the International Criminal Court. It is your stand which will be required in the days ahead. Pray for boldness, courage, wisdom, strength, and discernment. The God who delivered Daniel can deliver us. Pray for those in global positions, they need to know and experience the LOVE of God.