China, Russia, and Iran—The Axis of Apocalypse?
Why this Unholy Alliance poses an exponential threat to the United States and the world!
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, diseases, and earthquakes in various places. -Matthew 24:6-7
When Jesus Christ spoke these prophetic words to the Twelve, little did they know that by 70 A.D., one hundred thousand Jews would parish to the slaughtering Roman Army, and the temple in Jerusalem would be wiped off the face of the earth. Indeed, those in Jerusalem at the time believed they were close to the rapture. As Jesus warned, there will always be wars and rumors of wars until that glorious day He returns. We, as mere Christians, don’t get to plan the rapture, despite our many attempts to link wars and rumors of wars to the tribulation. China and Russia’s recent summit has stemmed the fears of the Ezekiel prophecy coming to life. The prophecies in Ezekiel 38 and 39 show the world’s last war with God and the complete overthrow of Satan. Written 2,600 years ago, Ezekiel predicts a great power to the far North of Israel and a coalition of nations will invade and attack the restored land of Israel. While I do not intend to demonstrate the Ezekiel Prophecy, a China, Russia, and Iran Axis can have an Apocalypse effect on America and the world.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a prophetic alliance of China, Russia, and Iran is starting to merge. While the blending of this “Unholy Axis” is coming to fruition, the motivations behind the merger are not what you think. These trilateral strategic partnerships are out of necessity for survival and pose a grave danger to the world and America. The Book "The Landmark Thucydides," is an excellent account of the wars of Athens and Sparta. The Greek Historian Thucydides demonstrates time after time that wars, rumors of wars, and alliances are built around fear, honor, and interest. Indeed, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin live by Honor! Or as former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster describes in his book Battleground “Ambition.” The American press may convince you that it’s all about honor, ego, and ambition—In reality, the alliances are sheer desperation. China, Russia, and Iran are collapsing. So, the Axis in Thucydides' circles centers on fear and interest, and it’s not even close. America must understand that a dying rattlesnake backed into a corner is dangerous, but three rattlesnakes with nuclear weapons backed into a corner are apocalyptic!
Let’s start with Russia. Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the Russian population was in full-scale collapse. Yes! Marxism will eventually collapse your society. According to The Foreign Policy, the demographic decline started decades ago through low birth rates, anarchy created by Russia’s Marxist central economy, mass unemployment, and alcoholism, all “combined to briefly give Russia one of the world’s lowest male life expectancies.” The most lasting effect, though, was the downfall in birth rates. From 1993 to 2007, the fertility rate (defined as the number of children a woman can be expected to have over her lifetime) fell below 1.5, far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to keep a population steady. Russia does not have the manpower to fight a sustained long-term conflict with Ukraine. Putin’s calculation was simple. After the Biden Administration Afghanistan fiasco, he knew he had a small window to control the black sea and put some geography between Russia and an expanding NATO. Putin’s calculation has turned into a bloody quagmire. And since Putin killed off all his political and military rivals inside the Kremlin, he can’t see the world from where he sits. Putin is playing yes-man chess, and his middle class is collapsing. Since the invasion last winter, Russia has lost, in some estimations, up to two-hundred thousand dead in Ukraine. A total loss in Ukraine for Russia is strategically dangerous for America. Why? The snake may be almost dead, but he still has venom.
Putin has nukes, lots of them, aimed at America. While Russia cannot close the deal in Ukraine, they have some strategic wins by controlling the ports and taking control of the Black Sea. The Black Sea has strategic consequences because Ukraine was one of the world’s most significant suppliers of food and fertilizer. And the only way to move is through the Black Sea. Russia recently approved a grain deal with Turkey and Ukraine, which is only negotiated for 60 days. Putin knows sustaining his gains in the long term will not be possible without the assistance of other nations—China and Iran. Despite Russia’s middle-class collapse and disaster in Ukraine, they still have two vital resources the world needs—food and fuel. China is in desperate need of both. If you think Russia has a population collapse coming or a middle-class problem, it pales in comparison to China.
The reality for China their population is also aging and collapsing at an unstainable rate worse than Russia’s. The One Child China policy since the days of Marxist Mao will bring China to its knees in the next ten years, maybe sooner. How is that whole Marxist Ideology working out for you? Beijing and the Communist leaders recognized this seven years ago when they increased the birth rate to two children per family. But it was too little too late. The revenge of basic math will kill China root and branch. According to conservative U.N. estimates, China will shrink by 109 million in 2050. It’s closer to 200 million.
Nonetheless, the U.N. estimate is more than triple the regression of their earlier forecast in 2019. In simple terms, China needs more workforce to sustain the millions of people over 50. President Xi is in a tough spot because famine will happen in China sooner rather than later—millions will starve! When Jesus said: “And there will be famines, diseases...” He didn’t use those words lightly. We have seen firsthand how China deals with disease from their Wuhan labs and COVID-19. The famine in China will be of Biblical proportions. President Xi needs two commodities to buy time—food to feed his aging population and fuel for his Army and Navy. A Chinese-Russian Alliance buys Xi time before the Chinese collapse, and simultaneously, it gives Russia and Putin a trade route and some economic stability. Win-Win for both!
What About Taiwan?
President Xi’s sights are set on Taiwan. Recently in a rebellious speech to start his third term, Xi vowed to reinforce his military and take steps toward "reunification" with Taiwan after years of tensions with America over the autonomy of Taiwan. Russia’s recent fiasco in Ukraine must have Xi wondering if China could sustain the worldwide sanctions that would come with the invasion of Taiwan. Does Xi see a unified western world on the Russian Sanctions? As previously noted, Russia has a vast food and fuel supply, but China does not. While the sanctions have crippled Russia from an economic standpoint, their population can still eat, and they can fuel and feed their Army. Similar sanctions would devastate China and only accelerate China’s coming famine and collapse. The question becomes does President Xi see this from where he sits? Like Putin, Xi is also notorious for playing yes-man chess, and yes, man chess can get you in a quagmire mess. Just ask Putin! But Xi must also see the lack of strategic sophistication of the Biden Administration and know that if Biden and the Democrats lose the 2024 election, he won’t be dealing with a bumbling Joe Biden or his yes-men military leaders General Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He may face a United States military that doesn’t make their main effort climate change and gender transition surgeries.
Why is Iran the third leg of the stool?
While Iran has the least to offer China or Russia, they keep the U.S. military occupied. China and Russia realize that the U.S. military can’t be in every corner of the world. Hence the billions of dollars and weaponry the U.S. has given Ukraine in the last year are staggering and unsustainable. Iranian engagement in the Middle East still influences America despite U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran. At the same time, the U.S. dealt Iran a massive blow when President Trump ordered the assignation via drone strike of an Iranian General in Iraq, Qasem Soleimani. Influence-wise, Soleimani may have been a more lucrative target than Osam Bin Ladin.
Nonetheless, the size and capacities of terrorists supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen are increasing. Evident by a recent Iranian drone strike that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five U.S. service members this week. Iran has indeed teetered on a Revolution over the last several years. Unlike China and Russia, the uncommon denominator is that Iran is not on the verge of a population collapse. However, the younger generation of Iranians is getting tired of the Shiite ruling Anarchs, which makes Iran's involvement on the world stage dicey!
Why are China, Russia, and Iran—The Axis of Apocalypse? Fear—Honor—Interest! It’s that simple and that hard. All three of these nations’ leaders are evil and compromise all forms of decency. With this alliance, America is one Joe Biden blunder away from a potential Apocalypse. Keeping this evil axis at bay will require incredibly bold strategic Christian leadership and lots of prayers. Go Bold, Friends!