The world now, as it has been through most of recorded history, is ruled by empires – and empires clash as they compete for dominance.

I spent 30 years of my life – how time flies when you’re having fun – in my nation’s uniform defending our territory against the Soviet Empire and my miniscule contribution, along with the contributions of millions of other brothers-in-arms, lead to the downfall of that empire. I say this to let you know I’m not against the American Empire. As Lee Greenwood would say, “I love this land!”

On this date, 16 Jun 2021, three major empires, and a few rising ones, are contending for the right to rule the world. The most dominant empire right now is the new kid on the block, The American Empire which rose to power in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. With our client or vassal states in Europe, Asia, the South Seas, Africa, and Latin America, we have ruled the world since 1945. The US dollar is the world’s currency and some of our vassal states have even monetized their ecomony to the dollar.

The other major empires right now are China and Russia.

The Russian Empire exercised control over Eastern Europe and large parts of Asia (Even the defining of continents is an expression of empire by the way. Where does Europe end and Asia begin?) and into North America for almost 300 years before it collapsed in the Communist Revolution at the beginning of the 20th Century. The Soviet Empire can be seen as a hiccup in Russian history – it held brief sway – less than 50 years – from the end of the 2nd World War until its demise and replacement by Russia in 1992. Today the Russian Empire under its new Tsar, Vladimir Putin, is reestablishing its dominion at that junction between Europe and Asia where it has always been the major power.

The Chinese Empire is far older. The Chinese ideogram (written language character) for itself is a square with a dot in the middle. Since forever, more or less, thay have called themselves, “The Middle Kingdom,” as in The-Center-of-The-World Kingdom. Americans love to talk about “American Exceptionalism.” Well the Chinese have seen themselves as the exceptional civilization since long before we were a twinkle in our founders’ eyes. From the view of the Chinese Empire, the American presence in places like Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and even Japan is seen as an encroachment by a contending empire into their territory. And as the Chinese Empire experiences a rebirth it will do all in its power to restore its dominion over what once were its vassal states.

You can see what’s going on. When the American Empire sends its military or extends its economic reach into regions of the world the other empires see as their own, conflict is certain. Mr. Biden’s recent visit to our vassal states in Europe can be seen as the American Empire strengthening its grip on its clients and doing a little swordrattling in the process. But of this I can be certain, our empire will be opposed by the others, and nations not currently dominated by the great powers will continue to resist their control.

History and empire building are interesting, but what is a biblical view of it all? Jesus made it clear that there would be conflicts between peoples, ethnicities, nation states, empires until the kingdoms of this age are consumed by the kingdom to come. It’s what Christians pray for everytime they repeat The Lord’s Prayer – “thy kingdom come.” When we pray that we are praying for the Battle of Armagedon and the end of this Age of Empires. As much as I love my country, I recognize it is evil and corrupt, and I want to see its reign ended in the reign of Christ.

I don’t know, nor does anyone else, how God is bringing about the end of everything we know and love. Will The American Empire be anything but a memory when Christ returns? Or will the American Empire have been replaced by a people more fierce than ourselves when that Day comes? It all depends on when God has determined for The Return of The King. If it is within the brief time yet remaining for me and my children and grandchildren, then, yes, the American Empire will yet be here to oppose the coming kingdom. If centuries are yet to pass – O Lord, may it no be so! – before Christ returns to end all earthly powers forevermore, then this empire may well have faded onto the pages of a yet to be written history.