Globalization & Human Destiny

The world is changing and demanding changes in the way in which we do things. We have to live, raise families, develop systems for the future, and secure the future of our seed in the present changing world in which we live. But the most important changes are occurring in the way in which we think, in the structures of our mentality and the ways in which we educate ourselves. This shift in the structure of our internal intangible environment will cause significant and far-reaching changes in our external physical environment. Proverbs 23: 7As a man thinks in his heart so is he. The key principle here is that the internal environment determines the outer environment. The totality of the vast changes occurring in the planet, removing borders to human imagination, thinking and human activity and endeavor is called collectively by the term: Globalization. Globalization is driven by economic issues and by the need to expand markets to the ultimate limit. The core reality of all Babylonian expansionism is lust for money and the power over men that it brings. This lust is rooted deep within the satanic systems of the economic dimension of the spirit realm. Rev 18:9-13 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come. "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. (NKJ) Ultimate expansion means the obliteration of all barriers to movement outwards or the destruction of all preserved values that oppose the free flow of commerce, business, trade, finance and the control of the lives of men. Whether these values are national boundaries, cultures, trade practices, government controls, national values or language differentiations all must be weakened and removed to facilitate the free flow of the market without hindrance. Globalization has become a movement, but movements in the earth are not explained in terms of economic principles, or graphs or statistical analysis. They become expressed in terms of intangible

human experience. Thus Globalization, which is a massive force of human thinking, attitudes and realizations, has at its core spiritual roots which deeply affect the outcomes of the human mind and spirit. Let us consider the impact of Globalization at the human and personal level.
Impact of globalization in human terms

One of the major impacts of this movement is the loss of the integrity of community. The lifestyles, cultures and the generational future of entire communities are being traded for the favor of the great god of economic gain. The small island of Dominica in the Caribbean is a prime example of a nation facing the danger of extermination as the forces of globalization take hold of the earth. This small nation depends for its survival on the production of bananas. The USA in its efforts to regularize trade practices across the earth has been pressing for the removal of all subsidies and for the removal of preferential pricing in the banana market. The preferential price offered by the United Kingdom to Dominica for its bananas was the result of a sense of responsibility of the past colonial power to its ex-colonies. It was paternalistic as opposed to the present let the strong survive attitude driven by the mentality of the market. Another severe impact is the destruction of the identity of the individual: as cultures fragment under the pressure of cultural invasion by the stronger forces of the market. Markets are bound up in cultural values the globally recognized symbol of the unique shape of the Coca Cola bottle represents much more than a tasty and refreshing drink. It communicates the connection with the values and material benefits of a powerful culture. The mile-long lines outside a newly opened McDonalds restaurant in Moscow represent much more than a yearning for a good hamburger. In India the invasion of foreign cultures under the umbrella of globalization has resulted in a new generation that does not hold to the strongly held beliefs of their forefathers as is seen in the rise of slaughterhouses in India and the consumption of the flesh of cows. In Japan severe identity violation is taking place as a formerly disciplined culture fragments under the earthquake of globalized value systems and young girls forsake school in favor of sexual prostitution for money to purchase designer sneakers and brand-name handbags. The philosophy of capitalism upon which the globalization movement is built transmits values that are corrosive to the human spirit competitiveness, character assassination, one-upsmanship, individualism, with accompanying human stress, uncertainty, demand for personal wealth, consumerism and all the degenerative human attitudes and values that go along with it. The values of former community based systems - individual contentment, mutual support,

regard for environment, communal production, community ownership, strong personal identity have long since been eroded.
Destruction of coherent moral standards to behavior

Moral values are dismantled as the power of the enterprising individual (read this as: the break all the rules individual) is lifted high on the scale. Adherence to value systems that require personal government, and respect for established codes carried down through generations is now regarded as archaic and a threat to individual pursuit of unfettered self-expression. Even the restraints of the moral law of God as indicated in the Word of God are regarded as culturally ancient and totally irrelevant to the mentality and development of the modern man. Horror of horrors there goes God! These unclean prevailing concepts express themselves through the forms of popular culture: movies, songs, written literature, videos etc. and the mind of a formless modern generation is shaped into conformity with the corrupt principles of a global Babylonian lifestyle in societies as distant as China is from Brazil.
The Global demand for Change

Globalization preaches change but that change is not a requirement to align oneself with an accepted divine code. It is change that calls for the loosening of all moorings, the breaking of all fetters and the dismantling of all things that restrain the individual from full selfish pursuit. In the midst of all this the family unit is dismantled, sexual codes are absolutely loosened so that now we see the legitimizing of homosexual marriages and sinful unions, the lowering of the age of consensual sex and the legal age for alcohol consumption to a new ridiculous low in nations across the earth. The Vine of the Earth; Rev 14:14-19 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe."

19So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. The vine of the earth represents the abundant fruit of all the evil in the systems of Babylon. They are ordained by prophetic decree to come to full ripeness and manifestation in the earth before the end. We must note that the ripeness of the earths vine and the coming to full expression of all Babylonian values in this system of mortality is also associated with the expression of the rulership of God and His ability to express Himself in final and utter judgment. Without these prophetic guidelines or signposts we would be lost in our ability to discern correctly in the earth. A ripened vine of the earth is a signal of the proximity of the judgment of God. The time has come to reap, the angel cried. Gods time frames for divine action are still locked on and accurate no matter how desperate the seasons of the earth become. In order to function in correct discernment of the times we must function from the level of prophetic truth about the nature of the world in which we live and not operate from the lower level of natural and rational observation. From this perspective globalization and all its shaping power is part of the prophesied development of the vine of the earth! The True Vine: Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches that live in Him. John 15:1-5 1"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Thus the expression of the accurate vine of the earth is the lifestyle of the Kingdom lived through our mortal lives in the earth by the divine power of the Spirit that flows from Christ the Vine. The attachment of our lives to His (the branches joined to the Vine) expressed in powerful lifestyles in the earth shaped by the principles of the Kingdom are the literal manifestation of the true Vine in its fullness. He is the vine and we are the branches. Both vines are coming into full growth in the earth as we head to a divine climax of the ages. So in a sense there are two aspects of globalization. There is on one hand a globalization that is seen of men, described by economists, discussed by scholars, impacting the natural systems of the earth that is the manifestation of the corrupt fullness of the vine of the earth. But there is another globalization that of the Kingdom of God, seen clearly by those who possess eyes of the Spirit and the discernment of

God. It also impacts all the systems of the earth but it is not powered by economic indicators or social concerns. It is powered by the apostolic/prophetic purposes of God which are breaking barriers, smashing all limitations that seek to hinder the advance of the Kingdom and spreading into the open hearts of men all across the earth. This is the true globalization that is of the Spirit not of the flesh. We are part of that move of the Lord. The global dimension of Gods eternal purpose grows first within our hearts removing all inner limitation to the fulfillment of Gods ordained purposes within us. Then it externalizes in powerful acts of creativity and obedience as we go forth in a conquering spirit to enforce the will of God on a disobedient earth.

Understanding the Present Crisis

A Prophetic Perspective
The crisis precipitated by the Asian Tsunami gripped the earth as we all sat with our eyes glued to our television sets and with horror in our hearts. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan referred to it as the darkest hour of our lifetime. All around the world hearts are crying out in despair and confusion. There is an uninformed and ignorant cry against God as people lift their voices in complete futility against His sovereign power. Many believers are confused and full of questions. The events of Sunday 26 December 2004 were significant beyond the tragic loss of human life and physical destruction. The Agence France Presse (AFP) reported in an article on December 28 that US geophysicists stated that the 9.0 magnitude earthquake was so powerful that it made the Earth wobble on its axis and permanently altered the regional map. It went on to report that small islands may have moved as much as 20 metres. Another article released by Reuters News Agency on Dec 28th reported scientists as indicating that the rotation of the earth may have speeded up, shortening the length of days by a fraction of a second. What we saw on our televisions as a moment of tragedy in human history is in fact an indicator of permanent planetary changes. Our belief in the sovereignty of God forces us to accept that these events did not escape Gods awareness. In Isaiah 24, the prophet Isaiah delivers a prophecy thousands of years ago that seems to describe events similar to those that have recently unfolded upon the earth. We can identify several highlights from this passage that will help us formulate a perspective on the present crisis. 1) There is a relationship between physical horrors and events on the earth and spiritual reality. We see this in verse 1 where it states that the Lord distorts the surface of the earth. 2) These events impact and affect all men. In verse 23 it clearly states that none will be exempt no nation or class of human; master nations or servant nations; lender nations or borrower nations. This calamitous event is the disastrous equalizer of all humanity. Nothing will make nations immune to the impact of the movement of God. Neither a powerful military-industrial complex, massive economic power, historical might, political strength nor large population centers will defend the systems of the earth from the unfolding of the prophetic purposes of God. 3) The defiling of the physical earth has to do with the load of human sin that lies upon it. In verse 5 we see that the laws of God have been broken and as a result a process of physical destruction begins to set in on the planet. The original Hebrew word for defile that is used in the verse means to be godless, soiled, polluted or corrupt. Because the boundaries established by God for human existence have

been broken and have replaced them with our own, progressive decay and destruction have been set in motion. The many problems facing the globe today is an indicator that we are at a similar position a depleted ozone layer, the destruction of life-giving forests, the creation of new diseases, plagues and epidemics, economic systems that destroy the soul of man. The result of all this is that the earth is groaning in pain (Romans 8: 22). The whole of creation is groaning as in pain of childbirth desiring to be delivered from the bondage of corruption. 4) The core issue is the issue of joy. Joy here refers to the necessary perspectives and internal spiritual positions that make human life bearable in the earth. In Verse 7 13 it is indicated that the mirth of the land is gone indicating that the human spirit is broken by the onslaught of disastrous conditions afflicting the earth. But in the midst of this deficit of joy in the earth, there is another people who sing (verse 14-16). The clear issue being pointed out here is the need to maintain and to exist in the joy of the Kingdom while in the midst of the crisis. This people lift up their voice and seem to have no problem proclaiming their vision of God in the midst of circumstances that seem to indicate the opposite. They are motivated by revelation in their hearts and not by circumstances. We, as the Church, cannot live by logic. We cannot develop a perspective of life that is based on simple cause and effect. In the critical ending seasons of the earth only those who can see God will triumphantly survive. The proclamation by this people is not done in secret. It is a global commentary and it comes from the ends of the earth (from the islands of the sea) to the entire earth. 5) Violent earthquakes are destroying the earth. Verses 19-20 state that violent earthquakes will cause the earth to reel and stagger like a drunkard. It is an amazing prophetic image that describes an earth that wobbles in its orbit just as it did a few weeks ago. The act of wobbling is a prophetic indication of the weight of transgressions which causes it to lose its balance in trying to bear it up. 6) Judgment occurs both in the heavens and on the earth. In verse 21, it states that in the day that these events occur God will be punishing the host of the exalted ones on high and also on the kings of the earth. The phrase host of the high ones refers to satanic ruling powers that have jurisdiction over the systems of the earth.These natural events point to a much more cosmic activity by God as Judge over the heavens and the earth. 7) All this indicates the expression of the reigning of the Lord on Mount Zion in the presence of His elders (verse 23). There is a movement in the chapter from verse 1 to verse 21 from physical disasters in the earth to the establishment of the visible ruler-ship of God over all that He has made. Behind the natural events it is necessary to discern the process of establishing the Kingdom of God in the earth. Based on what we have seen here in Isaiah 24, what can we say? 1) The current events of the earth picture or pre-figure events that have been prophetically mandated to occur. We may be literally seeing the emphatic movement to the ultimate conclusion before our very eyes. No one can say, and I am not saying, that these present events are literally the events prophesied by Isaiah. Doing this can draw us into serious interpretational error. But certainly they function in the general prophetic pattern of what has been prophesied and thus serve to radically force our eyes open to the reality of where we are in the current flow of the end-time purposes of the Lord. 2) Let us look at the quality and content of our experience with a fresh dimension of appreciation. The wisdom of God is displayed in bringing a Reformation of the Church with emphasis on: a new sighting and realization of the Kingdom of God that emphasizes the reality of God in all dimensions of life rather than just simply a church service based religious experience a new emphasis on shared life and the power of community

a fresh apostolic release with the capacity to actually build and advance the purposes of God globally in the earth a fresh thrust to personal strength and victory in all areas of our life a new strengthening of the inner man so that we can endure and prevail in the midst of the crisis new prophetic capacity to hear the voice of God and be directed in our thinking and actions by the commands that come from heaven

3) Let us gaze at the nations with a new level of responsibility and an elevated level of understanding. We must desire to obey the prophetic purposes of God and labor to fulfill His purposes in the earth. Isaiah 2: 2- 3 decrees powerful interaction between the house of God and the nations of the earth. The house of God will be elevated above the mountains and all nations will flow to it. They will come and they will say Teach us your ways!. 4) We must increasingly separate ourselves from the corrupt values, the godless mentalities and the Babylonian principles of the earth. We must be increasingly clear representatives and demonstrators of the pristine laws and principles of the Kingdom of God . We must be light in the midst of the darkness (Isa 60:1-3). 5) We must increasingly lift up our eyes to the heavens and celebrate the quality of life offered us in this great salvation. We must set our minds on things above not on things of the earth. We must value greatly the kingdom community of believers, the spiritual work and come together in supportive life as never before. This is the hour of the true Church and this is the season of our unveiling!