The once mighty Russia is on the brink again. It is on the brink of a tremendous crash in its financial markets which will render it weak and humbled. The danger of this precarious situation is that the popular sentiment will demand a leader who promises them a restoration of their past glory. We examine the danger of this situation in Russia and determine that God’s mighty hand is at work in this region of the world.
The aspirations
As is the case with most countries, or most organizations, dreams exist in Russia of grandeur, growth and prosperity. This desire is particularly prevalent in Russia where the citizens remember how, only recently, their nation was feared as a great power. That time is linked with having an authoritarian leader as noted in the New York Times, June 17, 1998: “The most recent poll of Russian public opinion seems to bear out the assessment that Russia is heading in an authoritarian direction, thus raising fears that a nationalist dictator could come to power in the next two years. When asked, What leader of the territory of the former USSR do you believe in? Russians picked the proto-fascist dictator of neighboring Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, and the authoritarian leader of Kazakhstan. Each was mentioned by 20% of those polled. When asked, What idea could unify Russian society? More Russians endorsed the idea of Russia as a mighty world power (35%) than the combined total of Communism, socialism, democracy, capitalism, Russian uniqueness and religion combined (32%).”
The newly elected leader of the Ukraine province predicted that a new Russian leader would have to be more like “Ivan the Terrible” than “Peter the Great” if Russian sentiment is followed. He was referring to Ivan IV, who ruled over the Russian Empire with a deep-seated paranoia and ruthlessness during the 1500’s.
The reality
During the weeks leading up to mid-July, Russia was in intense discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), seeking funds to prop up a Russian economy near collapse. The New York Times reported July 12, 1998: “In May 1998, investors began fleeing Russia’s financial markets in droves, spooked by several factors: a sharp drop in the prices of Russia’s oil exports, a wave of labor protests, and general skittishness left over from the Asian financial crisis. All together, the stock market has lost about half its value since the beginning of the year, and the Central Bank has been spending down its reserves to support the ruble. So far the crisis has not affected ordinary consumers, but a ruble devaluation would raise prices across the board and could stir social unrest.”
Russian officials have publicly stated that they need $10 billion to $15 billion in assistance from the fund and other lenders to remedy their current difficulties. Yet the IMF has indicated they may be willing to provide only $5-6 billion in new loans, forcing Russia to look elsewhere for additional monies.
Selling anything she can
In addition to appeals to the IMF, the Russian government has proceeded with arms sales and nuclear projects in some of the world’s most volatile regions. The Associated Press on July 5, 1998, indicated: “Russia has been providing missile technology to India, Iran and Iraq. It’s selling an anti-aircraft missile system to Cyprus and fighter planes to China and is building a nuclear power plant in Iran. It is true Russia has spoken out against arms proliferation — including nuclear ones, but at the same time, Moscow is attracted to the money and the opportunity to regain some of the influence the Soviet Union wielded as a superpower.”
In 1998 alone, Russia expects to export $3.5 billion worth of weapons to 58 countries, an increase of 40% over 1997.
The danger
The danger of this critical situation is not that Russia could or would restore communism, but that some new leader, feeling the popular resentment, would end up playing a role akin to that of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia. This possible scenario was suggested in the New York Times on June 17, 1998: “The leader of Russia, however, could be brandishing or distributing weapons of mass destruction in the midst of a meltdown of order in Eurasia. Having barely contained chaos in the former Yugoslavia, a relatively small country in the heart of Europe, the West would be unlikely to do much of anything at all about a larger mess in an even more remote region. Other former Soviet republics would feel threatened, and some currently moderate Islamic states might be driven to Iranian-type authoritarianism.”
Although the scriptures remain silent on how God’s plan may be fulfilled and we do not know the time nor the date of its fulfillment, all signs seem to indicate the time is near. The particular situation we witness today is the Russian nation with a people who have aspirations of grandeur, yet are forced to seek help from the international community in a most humiliating manner. This combined with their arms sales and current dangerous situation presents us with a very unsteady giant — a giant which can easily be used to fulfill a portion of God’s great plan and purpose.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One