The Introduction To The Book:
A good historian will eventually ask the question, “What shapes our world?”
Although the answer to that question may be complicated, I discovered that when we distill down historical events, what emerges are four major forces at work that are constantly bringing about change. We will discuss these ominous forces as the focus of this book.
The British Statesman Sir Winston Churchill wrote, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”1
We often look at history as a linear progression of people and events, national powers that exist for a time and then mysteriously disappear or fade into the past. Yet history is more cyclical than linear. Patterns begin to appear over years, decades, or even centuries. The world map constantly changes, and great leaders rise and fall, but the story seems vaguely similar in the passing of each great civilization.
There are various but similar patterns observed over time. For example, when a society has become weakened by famine or pestilence, Empirical forces will often seek to invade and conquer new territories.
A quote from an article by History.com talks about the devastation that took place because of the Black Plague of the Middle Ages.
“Even before the ‘death ships’ pulled into port at Messina, many Europeans had heard rumors about a ‘Great Pestilence’ that was carving a deadly path across the trade routes of the Near and Far East. Indeed, in the early 1340s, the disease had struck China, India, Persia, Syria, and Egypt.”2
By the end of what was known as the Decade of Plague, one-third of the population of Europe was wiped out. We saw the beginning of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) between France and England and the disastrous Byzantine Civil War (1341-1347), resulting in shifts of political power in Europe, Africa, and China. These changes ultimately weakened the Roman Papal control over Europe, giving way to freedom of Christian thought and expression. This movement formed modern Protestantism and eventually a new era called the Age of Enlightenment.
Another example is how religious wars fuel the subjugation of neighboring cities, states, and even regions. The arrival of Islam in the 7th century led to the rise of the Ottoman Empire, which held power over the Middle East for centuries. During this time, there were many wars fought over Jerusalem and the Jewish homeland, but the strong arm of the Ottomans remained firm. The Jewish people would not return to their land for more than 1200 years, not until after WWI in 1917 CE.
The question to ask is, was there a reason the nation of Israel was prevented from rising again until these latter days? Does this suggest that supernatural forces were at work preventing their return, and was the realignment of the nations used to accomplish that outcome? We will shed light on the answers to these questions in the chapters to come.
Some of our bloodiest wars have been fought because of deeply held religious ideologies. War and conflict bring change; some changes improve the human condition, while others cause oppression and hardship. What can we learn from these patterns?
In an address made by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the Parliament of South Africa on February 3, 1960, in Cape Town, Macmillan states the following:
“The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”3
Mr. Macmillan uses the metaphor of wind to describe these types of changes. Although scientifically, we can define the properties of winds, they are still perceived as unseen forces that shape our natural world. The power of wind changes the world’s climate. Forces of wind, such as hurricanes and tornados, can decimate populations. They can bring with them scorching heat or bitter cold.
Are there supernatural forces, just like the winds, responsible for shaping the landscape of human history…or even about to change our future?
Did you know that the bible talks about the Four Winds of Heaven, Four Horns, Four Craftsmen, and the Four Horsemen? In the pages that follow, we will explore the meaning of these biblical figures, these supernatural off-world forces that have existed from the beginning of civilization.
