Chapter 2: The Four Winds Of The Earth:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea of the trees, until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:1-3).

A "paradigm" is a model that we use for perceiving, understanding and interpreting the world. For the Christian there is no other paradigm but the Bible. The Bible gives us all of the general knowledge that we need for understanding history, the present, and the future. Understanding the four primary sources of power, or the biblical "winds of the earth" that effect foundational shifts in civilization, can provide a "grid" or "paradigm" for understanding the general flow of both history, the present and the future. In Scripture winds often represent forces of change. There are four great "winds" of the earth that have set the course of history, which are the foundational power bases of RELIGION, POLITICS, ECONOMICS and the MILITARY. Each of these power bases has been able to fundamentally impact world affairs. The dominance of any one of these for an extended period of time has provided such a significant shift in civilization that it has resulted in a new historical epoch. Viewing history and biblical prophecy in the light of these gives an important understanding to world events. The period preceding the advent of Christ was dominated by Military power. This was the age of the conquerors. Christianity became the first religion to actually sweep across the world and begin to rival the Military power base for influencing civilization. By the fourth century A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine rightly discerned that the power base of Religion would actually eclipse the Military power base in influence. Perceiving that he could not beat it, he joined it, and began to subject the empire to the authority of the church. (In the context of this chapter, the "Religious power base" is related to the institutions of Religion as distinguished from personal religious faith.) As Religion asserted itself as the dominant power base during the Middle Ages, the Military became more a servant of Religion, both in the Christian West and Moslem East. With the rise of Politics as a main source of power in the 18th century, both the Military and Religious power bases became servants of the Political forces. With the rise of Economics as the main source of influence during the twentieth century, with the polarities of communism and capitalism vying for the dominant role, the Military, Religious and Political power bases all became servants of the Economic power base. This is not a comment on what is right, but what has in fact happened. History is not quite as clean and fluid as the above paragraph might infer. There are always some exceptions, but it does reflect the general course of history. There have been periods when the Military power base would reassert its influence and become dominant for a short period during the time of the Religious, Political or Economic eras, at least in certain regions of the world. We can also see the Religious power base reasserting itself as the primary source of influence at times and in specific places, such as the recent Islamic fundamentalist revolution in Iran. In the former Soviet Union we have an interesting clash of the Political, Economic and Military power bases all seeking a dominant role, with the Religious influence also growing dramatically through a grassroots revival. It is useless just to know what happened in history if we do not understand it, including how it affects us today and will affect us tomorrow. The church is called to be the primary source of this understanding—the Lord had a good reason for telling His people history in advance with prophecies that are filled with all of the keys to understanding. Our understanding of our present place in prophecy, and the unfolding of the future, must be built on a solid foundation of knowing what has already been fulfilled, and why.

The Two Sources Of Winds:

That the above power bases are called the "winds of the earth" and not winds of heaven indicate that these forces are of human origin, not divine. It is obvious that the Lord has also projected His own influence in history. Therefore, a true understanding of history requires that we be able to recognize and distinguish both the "winds of the earth" and "the winds of heaven." The very word "history" is derived from combining the words "His" with "story" (i.e. the Lord's story). When John was given the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos, he was told that what he was about to be shown were "the things which must shortly take place" (Revelation 1:1).

True to this statement, the events prophetically described in the vision immediately began to unfold and have continued to this day. The failure of the church to understand history has been one of the fundamental reasons why she has also failed to properly understand the Book of Revelation. Even more importantly, this is a primary reason why the church has ceased to be a major factor in setting the course of history—but this is about to change. The church is called to be the vehicle of God's influence on earth in the last days, and to stand resolutely against the powers of this age. However, "we must box so as not to beat the air," which means we must know what we are fighting against.

The Man Of Sin:

History really is "His-story." Also included in the Revelation, which was a history book written in advance, is a revelation of "the man of sin," or the "antichrist." This "man of sin" is a personification of the "sin of man." The man of sin is a revelation of what the fallen race of man is without Christ. A primary description of the man of sin's character is given by the apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 2:4: "... he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." Self-worship, as personified in the "man of sin," is a fundamental characteristic of fallen mankind. The fall was caused by our wanting to be like God. Here we also see that the "man of sin" is not just against Christ, but is a substitute for Christ. This temple where he takes his seat is not a physical building, in Jerusalem or anywhere else—the temple of God is no longer one made with hands—it is the church! This prophecy that the man of sin takes his seat in the temple of God represents the fact that the most base representation of fallen man, or the sin of man, will actually sit in the church for a time and usurp Christ's rightful place. Jesus is the only true Head of the church. The attention given to this man of sin in this vision of John's, which was given as "a revelation of Jesus Christ," is so that we can see the degree to which this terrible propensity toward self-worship has worked in man, and even in the church. This represents the ultimate apostasy. This is not to imply that the "man of sin" will not be a literal man, but if we are to be free of his deception we must recognize the degree to which the same spirit may be working in us as individuals and as the church. However, it also gives us a greater revelation of the grace of God that is revealed in Christ to deliver man from this terrible delusion. There will yet be a church without spot of wrinkle, which will be the pure, chaste bride of Christ.

The Root Of Apostasy:

It is possible for us to trace most of the significant failures of the church and her leaders to this tendency to try to sit in the Lord's seat as the head of the church. Certainly the Lord has given authority for His ministries to exercise in the church, and in the world, but we have been tragically prone to fail to recognize the limits of the authority delegated to us. The presumption of going beyond our commission can be seen as the root cause of many, if not most, of the significant failures of the church. The rest are usually the result of overreacting to the failures of going too far and failing to walk in the authority given to us. As we approach the end it is imperative that we get this right and understand the limits of our authority. This is so that we will not continue to fall to the presumption that always leads to self-worship, selfseeking and self-preservation in ministry, but also so that we can fully exercise all of the authority that we have been given with confidence. Understanding the "four winds of the earth" can help us to understand the fundamental forces that have led to the significant events of human history, which are unfolding to bring this age to a conclusion. We may also begin to comprehend how they have influenced the church, and how, at times, they sought to eclipse Christ as the primary influence in the church. The Book of Revelation shows the parallels of human, satanic and divine influences in history to reveal sin, folly and the ultimate triumph of God over them. We must understand and be able to recognize all three of these influences in history, the present and the future, along with our own commission and destiny.

The Four Epochs Of History:

Each of the four "winds of the earth" has dominated an important age in world history. The Empire Age, which dated basically from the beginning of recorded history until about the fourth century A.D., was essentially a Military age. During this period Military power as a primary tool of influence was developed and used. From that point until the Renaissance the world was mostly controlled by the Religious power base, with institutional Christianity rising in the West and Islam in the East. Having already been developed, the Military was used as a tool of those seeking religious dominance. Both Politics and Economics were being developed during this time, but could not rival the influence of the Military or Religious power bases. During the 17th century Politics began to emerge as a dominant force in world affairs. The Military and Religious power centers continued to operate, but mostly for exerting their influence for Political interests. Politics, having developed gradually as a main power center, became a the primary power base in the 18th century, with alliances and political intrigue beginning to share, and then exert influence over the other developed bases of power. During this period Politics created the major impetus for wars, conflicts and conquests. At this time, new and sweeping changes in governments took place, such as the formation of democracy and socialism. During the late 19th century Economics began to assert itself as the most powerful force in world affairs, and gradually gained dominion over the other three main power bases. Now Economics has become the primary power base and the primary power behind world affairs.

The Source Of The Beast's Power:

It is important that we understand the ascension of these power bases and their present influence. Understanding that Economics is the primary driving force of world affairs at the end of the age helps us to understand how the beast seeks to gain dominance through commerce by controlling the "buying, selling and trading." Revelation 13:16-17 teaches that the beast has a mark which he tries to place upon us. In chapter 14:9- 10, we see that terrible wrath comes upon all who take the mark. Christians have striven to understand the manner in which this beast would place his mark on them so that they would know what to refuse and be free of the wrath foretold. However, understanding how he places the mark is not as important as understanding the spiritual power behind the mark. Many of those who are frantically trying to understand how the beast will try to place his mark on them are already partaking of the spirit of the beast everyday! Will we be free of the curse of the mark if we refuse a physical mark but are, ourselves, of the very nature of the beast? Just as the seal (literal "mark") that the Lord places upon His bondservants is not a physical mark, the mark of the beast is probably far more subtle than we have been led to believe. But regardless of the form in which the mark comes, or has come, those who have partaken of the nature of the beast, the spirit of the world, will not be able to resist the mark, or anything else from the beast. Our only deliverance from the wrath of God is to be found in Christ. Taking the mark is not a sin; the sin is found in worshiping the beast. The mark is merely the evidence of that worship. As the world has generally been moving deeper into the period dominated by the Economic power base, we can observe that now most of the world-changing conflicts are economic in nature. The Cold War was a very real war, but it was an economic war not a military war. An Economic world war is now raging across the earth, changing Political and even Religious boundaries as much as any Military war ever did. Clausewitz defined war as the Political extension of one nation's will over another. Clausewitz was a German officer during the Napoleonic wars and his book, On War interpreted war just as Machivalli's book The Prince had interpreted politics. Clausewitz lived during the time when the Political power base was preeminent, when human governments were being redefined and changed. In Clausewitz' time war truly was an extension of Politics. However, if Clausewitz were writing his classic book today he would almost certainly write that wars are basically extensions of Economic interests.

Understanding Economic War:

The great clash between communism and capitalism was an Economic clash even more than it was a Political clash. The former Soviet Union was beaten Economically, not Militarily, or Politically. Just as religious power struggles often degenerated into Military wars during the Middle Ages, this could have happened during the Cold War, but by God's grace it did not. Even so, the Political and Economic changes that were accomplished by the Cold War were as sweeping and deep as have ever been accomplished during a Military war, including World War II. The 1992 monetary crisis in Europe was the Economic equivalent of a significant military battle, only this battle was fought with banks and currencies instead of infantry and artillery. The long term effects of that monetary conflict promise to be as far reaching in their impact on the course of Europe as many of the great military battles fought between those same nations. In the U.S. elections of 1992, President George Bush had the greatest backing of the Military, Religious, and even the major Political forces, but Bill Clinton beat him by perceiving that the Economic power base now has more influence than all of those combined. Again, this is not to imply what is right, or righteous, but what is in fact true. Economic power is now the greatest source of influence in the world, and the gap between this power and the others grows daily.

The War With Japan:

It has been said often that the United States won the war against Japan but Japan has been winning the peace. The fact is that what we have been considering "peace" has been a very real war with every bit as much strategic significance as the World War fought with armies and navies. Japan may have surrendered the Military war, but it quickly declared Economic war on the United States. It will one day be understood that Japan has never been the friend of the United States, and it will try to pull economic strings that are designed to bring about the Economic ruin of the United States. Many think that Japan would never try to do this because they now have too much invested in the U.S., but that is precisely why they now have so much invested in this country. Japan will one day drop major "Economic nuclear bombs" on the United States that are designed to bring about our surrender to their Economic powers. Japan does understandably have a great deal of resentment toward the U.S. because of the nuclear bombs we dropped on them. However, they also greatly appreciate the grace with which the U.S. helped restore their nation. For the Japanese to supplant the U.S. as the world's greatest Economic power is not so much rooted in resentment, but in contempt for U.S. business leadership, coupled with their own fierce nationalism. This is but one strategy through which Economic interests are seeking increasing dominion over the world. Understanding the present nature of this conflict is crucial for any nation that expects to field a successful "army" in this battle. The most important "generals" in this world war are corporate presidents, bankers and other economic leaders. The most important army is now composed of workers, small business owners, accountants and other business oriented professionals. Economic resources are now more important than bombs or bullets. Economic spying is now emphasized even more than military spying (It is interesting to note that the Soviets actually considered the IRS as the true counterparts of the KGB).

The Light And Salt:

If the church is going to speak prophetically to her generation she must understand the signs of the times, which means that we must understand the times. These four great "winds of the earth" were biblically anticipated and, to some degree, were shaped by divine intervention at strategic times. Great revivals and reformational influences certainly put their imprint on each of the great sociological shifts in foundational powers, and will have their greatest impact on the present and impending sociological shifts. Christians obviously had an important influence in the development of the Religious epoch of human history. Christianity was also a primary factor in the development of Democracy, the greatest contribution of the Political period's dominance of history. Christianity also had a significant contribution to the development of free enterprise, the greatest contribution of the Economic period of history. We can likewise observe satanic influences countering the Christian influence in each of these periods. Even the best examples of democracy and free enterprise still have doors that are open to evil influences, and they will probably remain open until the King of Kings returns to establish His dominion on the earth. Even so, as the light of the world and salt of the earth, the church has made great contributions to the development of human affairs, and we must continue to do so. The evil one is obviously just as intent on establishing his agenda for this period. Neither the United States, nor any other country, is presently the kingdom of God on earth. Revelation 11:15 states: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord."' This phrase "has become" implies that the kingdom of the world will make a transition to become the kingdom of God. It is obvious that the second coming of the Lord will be the climax of this change. Even so, this verse in Revelation, in its context, implies that there will be a transformation of the kingdom of the world prior to the second coming of the Lord, which has not yet come in the text of the Revelation. The world will not be totally evil when the Lord returns to set up His kingdom—there is actually a transformation now taking place that is laying the foundation for this change. We must also note that, in this text, the change comes after terrible cataclysmic events. The great turmoil coming will represent the greatest time of trouble the world has ever known. By God's great grace, as we read in the opening text, He is going to give us a period of time in which He is going to hold back these "four great winds of the earth" so that His bondservants can be sealed. There will be a time of peace before the winds are released in the greatest conflicts of all. Then the winds of human power are going to blow like never before to sift the whole earth and all that man has built. That which is built upon the Rock, the ways of the Lord, will remain; everything else will be swept away.

How Should We Then Live:

We see that it is before this that the four angels are sent to hold back the "four winds of the earth" "...until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:3).

We are in a time when the "four great winds of the earth" are in relative abeyance. There will be relative peace until the Lord has sealed His bondservants. This is how we keep from receiving "the mark of the beast, " by being sealed as a bondservant of God. Satan cannot put his seal over God's seal. How are we sealed as a bondservant? First we must understand that not all believers are bondservants. Many who claim the redemption of the blood of Christ go on living their lives for themselves. A bondservant is a slave of Christ. A slave has nothing of his own, including time, money, resources, even his family. We become bondservants when we have given everything to Him and hold nothing back. We were bought with a price and we are not our own. The only way not to take the mark of the beast and become the devil's is to be the Lord's. Not a single one can be plucked from the Lord's hand. Money has always possessed the power to reveal who we really worship. It is fitting that the beast is an Economic power; at the end of the age Economics will be a major factor determining who we really belong to. How we handle our money and the assets entrusted to our stewardship is becoming more important every day. An idol was not just something that the heathen worshiped, but it represented what they trusted in. Money has a way of revealing who we actually put our trust in, and who we are really serving—the world, the devil, ourselves, or the Lord. We must use the coming time of relative peace to get our houses in order in every way, but foremost we must learn to put our faith in God alone, in every area of our lives. There will be a time on this earth when true Christians will not be allowed to buy, sell or trade—now is the time for us to come to know the Lord as our Source of provision.

As the psalmist wisely exhorted:

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him (Psalm 32:6).

The solution is not for all Christians to isolate themselves from the world and try to build selfsufficient communities. In the time to come we will not be able to trust in ourselves either. Self-sufficiency can be just as much an idol as any other source that we depend on. We must know the Lord as our Source and keep our trust in Him. He may direct some to build internally sufficient communities, but if we fall to putting our trust in the community we will still fall. The key to our survival in this time is being a bondslave. Every master is obligated to provide for his slaves, and we have the most dependable Master of all. He will take care of His own. Being a bondservant of the Lord is to become His slave, but it also brings the greatest freedom we can ever know in this life. We are called to be dead to this world; when we are truly dead to the world there is nothing the world can do to us. It is impossible for a dead man to fear, to be offended, or to feel remorse because he loses some of his possessions. If we allow the fear of losing our possessions, or positions to control us, that is an indication they are still idols in our hearts. We are called to be dead to this world but alive to Christ. When we have Him all of the treasures of this earth seem petty and insignificant. When Christ is our Life, our Trust, and the true desire of our heart, He can then trust us with earthly possessions and positions. But if He is not our Life, our Trust and the desire of our heart, our possessions and positions will inevitably rule over us. Whoever or whatever rules over us is in fact our lord. We are entering a time when the Lordship of Jesus must be more than a doctrine—it must be a profound and continuing reality in our life.

The Call:

The kingdom of God is not built upon Military, Religious, Political or Economic foundations—it is built upon the Lordship of Jesus and His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

The kingdom of God transcends the earthly realms of power; the Lord Himself made clear: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting,...but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm" (John 18:36).

If we are going to preach the kingdom of God, as His ambassadors representing His interests, if we are to exert its influence over the kingdoms of this earth, we must understand the difference between these realms of power. During each of the great transitional phases of the earthly power bases, the church has been severely tested and shaken in relation to her own power base. In each case much of the church went the way of the world and lost her spiritual relevance. In each case there were some who stood against the evil influence over the "winds of the earth" in such a way that they were then able to help direct them. During the time of the shift from Military to Religious power bases, the greatest overall test of the hearts of men was in relation to their religious faith. During the next shift to the Political power base, it seemed that the energies of both heaven and hell were focused on redefining human governments and this also became a great test of human character. As we are now basically in the time of the Economic dominance of human affairs, finding the heart of God in dealing with Economic issues is crucial to our lives, our faith and our ministries. In a sense, the forces of evil have been able to put their "mark" on men through the Military, Political or even the Religious power bases when men chose the way of evil over the way of the Lord. Even so, there is something particularly climactic and ultimate about the way that the "beast" uses the Economic power base in the last days. How the church continues to relate to all of the power bases is important, but how we relate to the world Economy must now be a priority. Let us not waste the time that the Lord gives us by just trying to hold back the winds of the earth; instead we must give ourselves to serving the winds of heaven. There is a kingdom that cannot be shaken—let us build our lives entirely upon it—the time is coming when everything else will be shaken. It is important that we not just know what the signs of the times are, but that we understand them and are prepared to take the action demanded by our Lord's own mandate to us.

Christian Economics:

Christian economics will and should become a popular emphasis in the church. This is simply the emphasis of good stewardship. We have usually interpreted the Lord's parable of the talents in terms of how we should properly use either our natural talents or spiritual gifts (see Matthew 25:14-30).

We should certainly seek to use everything that the Lord has entrusted to us in the most profitable way. We must understand that our spiritual gifts are more important than our natural resources. However, what is often overlooked is that in this parable the talents that the Lord referred to were money. In biblical times "talents" were a form of currency. Certainly we must not exclude the literal interpretation of this parable as well.

Luke 16:9-13 records another important exhortation from the Lord:

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. That we cannot serve God and mammon obviously means that we cannot combine the motive of serving God with the motive of making money. There is abundant evidence in both ancient and contemporary history that the love of money can quickly corrupt ministries. But we must not exclude the first part of the Lord's exhortation in this text, that we need to "make friends with unrighteous mammon." In this He is not telling us to be friends with the mammon, but to use mammon to make friends with. We must learn to be faithful with worldly goods before we can be entrusted with the true riches of the kingdom. Learning to properly handle unrighteous mammon while maintaining a right spirit is important for every Christian. Learning to do this now, as the ultimate conflict between the spirit of this world and the kingdom of God begins to revolve around economics and the ability to "buy, sell and trade," makes this exhortation even more critical and timely.