Civil Unrest is in the Air: Russia, Brazil, and California

Civil Unrest and Geopolitical Instability

Hey everyone, welcome to the Conversations That Matter podcast travel edition. Walk edition, I guess I'm taking another walk today. I'm in The valley in San Fernando Valley in California. I actually lived here for about a year around in 2010 2011 and I was actually born in Van Nuys.

So not far from where I am right now in Panorama City and My dad moved out when I was two years old. So growing up most of my life in upstate, New York I've spent four years or a little more than that actually spent four and a half years in North Carolina and Virginia and Now I'm back though visiting and there is a part of me that just does feel comfortable here that Feels like I'm home.

Although things change over time and When you visit somewhere and you don't see it for a while. You miss the progressive changes. So you you see the changes all at once and certainly things have changed politically socially.

They have there's certainly a homeless problem. There's just a lot of things actually that have changed but one some of the things that haven't changed are the weather. Although we do have a drought, but the you know, I still smell the same kinds of flowers.

The Weather's just so nice. Honestly, it's it's amazing. I understand why people live in California. Because in the winter you can have a short-sleeved shirt on and you're not sweating either it's dry heat.

It's awesome but the weather and and the plants don't seem to change so anyway, I'm enjoying it and Just wanted to talk today a little bit about geopolitics John. Why would we talk about geopolitics? I mean you usually talk about evangelicalism and social justice and sure.

Yeah, I do. But I think it's I Think this will give you a leg up because we may have some real instability soon on the global stage. I Actually happen to think we're already in a soft kind of World War three a Cold War of sorts.

But things could get hot things could get really Just in state unstable and dicey and it could happen fast and I think you're gonna have a leg up in understanding it if you know a little bit about what's going on and I don't claim to be a geopolitical expert, but I do know a little bit.

So I'm gonna share with you the little bit I know I've been reading this morning on the situation in Brazil and then Russia and the West and I'm gonna inform you about what's happening in both these situations and they're developing pretty quick.

Before I do though, I just need to let everyone know that. Because I because people have emailed me about the men's retreat and I need to let everyone know that it is still open the cutoff date was October 1st, but I think I'm gonna still have opening so you're gonna want to sign up as soon as you can just to make sure that you can guarantee you have a spot but That this is the men's retreat October 28th through 30th with dr Russell Fuller if you're a man and you can come you definitely should it's gonna be fun.

It's not gonna be like a g3 or a Shepherds conference like this will be an intimate gathering no more than a hundred people will be there and you'll be able to speak to me and Russell Fuller and 80 Robles and I've actually I talked to Russell Fuller and he told me he said look My goal is to make sure that I get as much face time with the people who come.

Which is just that's his heart. And so I'm looking forward to that I will be answering questions though next week Lord willing on travel arrangements carpooling. Whatever else I know I have a number of emails to get to in that regard I'll have a schedule.

So just stay tuned. I've been waiting to get closer to the date before I start locking some things in there. You know that being said I think that's all I had. I just want to Start talking about the geopolitical things I guess now that I was looking at.

Brazil’s Election, Lula, and Bolsonaro

So this morning I checked out what was happening in Brazil and There's not a lot of American media covering this which I find fascinating because it's super important at least it is in Brazil and this You know South American countries.

They're not inconsequential especially Brazil and And I mean we had this understanding I think more during the Cold War because of the domino effect and I mean we used to kind of the United States took somewhat of an ownership of Countries in Central and South America but That's maybe that's changing.

I don't know. It's odd to me that even on the Epoch Times website, they only had one recent article about this, but this is the situation that's happening there right now and This could either be a victory or a defeat for the globalist agenda and It's it's coming down to what feels like a replay of the 2020 presidential election in the United States.

Only it's in Brazil. You have Lula who is Brazil was Brazil's president from 2003 to 2011 notoriously corrupt employed thousands of members of the Workers Party in The administration, it's a communist party.

I mean they make no secret about their communist connections and identity even using communist symbols. His foreign affairs director was Marco Garcia who was a communist. He had served at the forum de Sao Paulo's First chairman, which is a communist organization and it was attended by delegates from terrorist organizations across the world.

Colombia's FARC guerrillas, Peru's Tupac Amaru guerrillas, Chile's revolutionary left movement Spain's Separatist movement the Irish Republic that all these movements kind of came together in that forum and this was something that Lula was Facilitating.

So he's presented as a moderate just like Biden was but he's really not and then you have Bolsonaro Bolsonaro was presented as a a fascist even people in the United States who taught themselves as conservatives like Glenn Beck Parrot this kind of thing about Bolsonaro and I'm not an expert on the guy.

So I've been reluctant to really weigh in on that. I'll just say this. I'm a little suspicious I'm a little suspicious about those charges and Part of it is because It doesn't seem like the concern even reading an article on Breitbart.

I could see a slant the journalists in Brazil if they're anything like the journalists in the United States. They're leftist and the information that's initially being reported about what's happening.

There is gonna have a slant on it because of that and I don't see American journalists from conservative Organizations, they're so few going down there to get primary data. So that's that's one of the things that I think drives a suspicion on my part is I can't really find sources on That it's all the sources that I find are Coming from the left and then I think it's conservative commentators who are using those sources, but I'm open to it either way, though whatever the policies are and whatever the rhetoric is because there's a lot of rhetoric that uh just like Trump had there's a lot of rhetoric that um Bolsonaro has where he says things like he wants to punch reporters in the face.

And I mean it's it's it's stuff that I think his audience like Trump's probably understands in a more humorous way, but the media that's my suspicion at least the media takes it very literally and so that's Stuff like that is factoring into I think the perception that even some conservatives in the United States have a Bolsonaro.

But his motto Let me know if this sounds like another motto that you've heard of recently his motto his slogan his tagline for his campaign is Brazil Above everything God above everyone Brazil above everything God above everyone.

That's a translation. Sounds a little bit like make America great again. It's it's a I mean, it sounds Christian nationalist. Oh my goodness, right? He wants to reduce the size of an inefficient and corrupt state and dramatically reduce the tax burden in Brazil.

That's what he's running on but he's also tapping into widespread outrage. He went on a landslide in 2018 voters who were fed up and the what they call the Bible's bullets and beef coalition, which is evangelical Christians security hardliners and agribusiness is.

That's the coalition that got him elected now one of the issues coming up in this election is that Bolsonaro downplayed the Well, I see even that's a slanted phrase I got that got that from Breitbart.

He I don't want to say he downplayed because that's not even a neutral way to look at it. He he did not take his seriously the claims about kovat 19 and Being that being Or I should you know, here's the best way to put it he did not take the Cures or solutions that were promoted for kovat 19 like mass social distancing and vaccines.

He didn't take that those those things as seriously as others Did including Lula so that's becoming a big issue because the health health organizations have reported that there there were more deaths in Brazil than any other country beside the United States and There some people are blaming him for this now at events.

See if this sounds familiar to you Bolsonaro is getting thousands of people showing up and Guess who's not getting people showing up? That's right. Lula, but guess who's ahead in the polls Lula? How is it possible?

How is it that? Bolsonaro's attracting massive crowds and Lula's not so. It's it there's so many parallels to the 2020 election and because they saw what was happening here. They're ready for it. And there's some thought that the military might even intervene on behalf of Bolsonaro and if that happens or if there's Evidence that comes out.

The suspicion is already there that fraud is taking place we may very well see a lot of instability perhaps I don't want to say war because I'm just not down there to see the circumstances, but definitely instability and What will the United States do?

In that kind of a situation Brazil is a big country is huge. Look on a map. It is the largest country in South America and What happens in Brazil is going to be important for the entire continent? So anyway.

That's what's going on right now in Brazil and the election is on Sunday. So this Sunday as early as this Sunday, we could see some Headlines starting to make their way to the top. About that situation now while this is happening simultaneously We also have what's happening in Europe and Putin wants to.

Russia, Ukraine, and Putin’s Anti-Western Speech

Well today I should say this is a new development. Ukraine wants to join NATO. They've submitted an application. Supposedly, this is taking the Pentagon by surprise. I don't know if I buy that but like really.

And this is right. This comes on the heels of the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline being blown up which it's so funny to me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. My biases are gonna come out right now, but Russia destroyed it.

That's that's one of the thing the Theories being tossed around out there. Mostly by leftists that Russia destroyed the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. All they have to do is cut it off. Why would they have to blow it up?

All they have to do is cut it off if they don't want to supply Europe with. If they wanted to negotiate that way, let's not supply Germany with fuel. But it makes no sense and the longer this this goes on the more and more it looks bad for the United States like the United States was the one that actually blew this thing up and Russia at the same time that this is going on with Ukraine.

Russia is annexing Regions that were formerly part of Ukraine that have now voted to Not be part of Ukraine and they want to be part of Russia the Donetsk Luhansk Kerr Kursan and Zaporizhia regions and Of course the legitimacy of those referendums are all being called into question as well.

And so so it's like There's there's just not a lot of neutral ground or common ground by which to negotiate between The the West and Russia at this point on this particular issue. Putin is actually doing though.

What he did is very similar what he did in Georgia. He invades the country and then he pulls back to what he wants the regions that he wanted. He's done the same thing in Ukraine now twice and What does the United States do the United States supplies Ukraine with?

Millions of dollars. Weapons. We Possibly it at least the accusation is blow up their their their Nord Stream 2 and. And we just keep threatening more and more sanctions on them. Well Putin recently made a speech and I don't speak Russian.

So I'm relying on translations, which is always dangerous. Hopefully these are accurate translations, but they seem to be Accurate as far as they're consistent with other things Putin has said. Putin said that he is going to remember those who died for the right in their native tongue to preserve their cultures traditions and their faith for their right to live.

That's how he views this annexation. And he called on Ukraine to cease military action, which has been Putin's from the beginning has tried to get Ukraine to the negotiating table and it just Hasn't really happened at least that's that's his rhetoric at least okay, you don't have to trust him at all with that.

But but that's that's it. What he keeps saying is he wants to negotiate. Well, he gives a speech and he says I'm not gonna read the whole thing. But here's some Excerpts or at least some takeaways from it he is.

He I don't think the West is really listening to what he's saying. His view of the West is Actually fairly similar it there's some commonalities with social justice warriors. But it's actually fairly fairly similar to what conservative evangelical Christians are saying about the West.

It's actually fascinating to me. So just recently He said that the West is greedy and seeks to enslave and colonize other nations and. Well, how are they doing that? The West destabilizes countries creates terrorist enclaves and most of all seeks to deprive other countries of sovereignty according to Putin.

He goes after the globalist agenda he goes after what he calls rigged rules and. And That the West has no moral authority to challenge the referendums that Just took place because it has violated the borders of other countries.

Western elites he says are totalitarian despotic and apartheid istik. That's a direct quote. They are he says they're racist against Russia and other countries. He says Russia phobia is racism. They discriminate by calling themselves the civilized world.

But yet they're the same. This is where he kind of lines up with social justice thinkers. They colonized started the global slave trade. Genocided Native Americans pillaged India and Africa. Forced China to buy opium through war.

He says we on the other hand are proud that we led the anti-colonial movement that helped countries develop to reduce poverty and inequality. Now here's here's the interesting thing to me. You can see them a bit of that Soviet era stuff coming out here.

The the Soviets weren't maybe they said that but when they went into other countries to destabilize them and to take them over. You don't call that colonization you don't call what China is doing night right now to the entire world colonization, please, right?

So that's that's the part of Putin's speech that it's kind of like, you know, it's it's the West really bad and Russia really good. But He he starts to have some points that that are like, oh man when you read them.

You know, this sounds a lot like what conservatives in the United States think about what's the direction that the United States is going? He Says the West claims to bring freedom, right? So I just said that you know, the Soviet Union claimed to bring Equality, but they didn't that's the thing and Putin gives them kind of a pass.

But the West claims he says to bring freedom and democracy to other countries. But it's the exact opposite of the truth. The unipolar world is anti-democratic by its very nature. It is a lie. They use nuclear weapons creating a precedent.

They flattened German cities without any military need to do. There was no need for this except to scare us and the rest of the world Korea Vietnam to this day day. They occupied Japan South Korea and Germany and other countries while cynically calling them allies.

The West has surveillance over the leaders of these nations who swallow these insults like the slaves they are. Then he talks about bioweapon research and Human experiments in Ukraine. I talked about this.

I told you about this as soon as Putin went into Ukraine I said we had these bioweapon Labs in Ukraine, why do we have them there? What's the purpose of that? This is right after the kovat thing. He says the u .s. Rules the world by the power of the fist any country which seeks to challenge them becomes an enemy.

Their neo-colonialism is cloaked in the lies like containment of Russia China and Iran. The concept of truth has been destroyed with fakes and extreme propaganda and He even gets into the whole Gender anarchy.

I mean, I'm gonna skip a bunch here, but He talks about That the the US and the Western world are Getting rid of Concepts like gender and saying men can be women and women can be men. He says they are crazy.

I want to speak to all the Russian citizens. Do we want to replace mom and dad with parents one and two? They invented genders and claim you can transition. Do we want this for our country we have a different vision.

They have abandoned religion and embrace Satanism. That's a direct quote now. Look when you start saying that another country Has abandoned religion and embrace Satanism. You are going That I don't know.

How where does it go from there? What how can you find stronger rhetoric? That is about as strong as it gets and This is also the week that Putin He now I'm blanking on the guy's name. He gave citizenship To man, this is on the tip of my tongue Edward Snowden that was Finally remembered it was Snowden.

Yeah, so Snowden is now a member or a citizen of Russia so He couches this whole Conflict as not this isn't just a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia. Putin sees this as God and Satan he sees this as it is Russia verse the United States.

I mean talking about the American Indians and stuff. He's not talking about the entire West. He is going to the heart of who he thinks the power is controlling the West and that's the United States. Guys, this is the kind of stuff you say when you're at war with an enemy.

This isn't the kind of stuff you say when you want to ally. Putin said very critical things about the United States, especially on that whole gender front while Trump was president. I don't remember anything like this.

I didn't read all the speeches, but you know, I tried to keep myself fairly informed and I Think that the rhetoric is getting amped up so Now While that's happening internationally and I mean, it's California dry season and the matches are lit.

Gavin Newsom, Abortion, and John MacArthur’s Open Letter

You have in California itself governor Newsom. We have we have our own domestic disputes. Passing a bunch of measures signing a bunch of measures that have been passed to increase abortion access and funding and I mean, I have a whole list of them.

I'm not gonna go through all of them. It is Insane though to what extent Newsom is going to make California the most abortion friendly state in the entire country and it's a business it really is. He is has a aggressive campaign to get people to come to California to have their abortion and the adults in the room.

Well, I'm very grateful for especially this last week. I've seen some immature behavior, unfortunately among some evangelicals and MacArthur is still an adult and I just so appreciate that about him he decided to zero in on a true threat that we should all be United against and that's not just governor Newsom.

But it's the kind of thinking that governor Newsom embodies and he wrote an open letter and I'll read part of it sir here. He says sir, so he doesn't even say he says sir. To governor Newsom Almighty God says in his word righteousness exalts a nation.

But sin is their disgrace to any people. Scripture also teaches that it is a chief duty of any civic leader to reward those who do well and to punish evildoers. You have not only failed in that responsibility.

He routine turn it teen Lee turn it on its head rewarding evildoers and punishing the righteous. The Word of God pronounces judgment on those who call evil good and good evil and yet many of your policies reflect this unholy Upside-down view of honor and morality.

The diabolical effects of your worldview are evident in the statistics of California's epidemics of crime homelessness sexual perversions and other Malignant expressions of human misery that stem directly from corrupt public policy.

I don't need to itemize or elaborate on the many immoral decisions You have perpetuated against God and the people of our state which have exacerbated these problems. Nevertheless, my goal in writing is not to Content content with your politics.

But rather to plead with you to hear and heed what the Word of God says to men in your position. Let all kings bow down before him all the nations serve him but he let he who rules over men righteously who rules in the fear of God is as the light of the morning when the Sun rises is An abomination for kings to commit wicked acts for a throne to be established in on unrighteousness.

What God said to Cyrus is it is a truth you should have taken to heart. I am the Lord. There is no other beside me. There is no God. I will gird you though. You have not known me that men may know from the rising to the setting of the Sun.

There is no one besides me. I'm the Lord and there is no other and he keeps quoting scripture it's just so much scripture and then after he's done quoting more scripture, he says. It would be hard to imagine a greater sacrilege.

You chose the words from the lips of Jesus, this is true governor. Newsom did this. That you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind and strength. To advertise abortion.

He did that that's true. You cannot love God as he commands while aiding in the murder of his image bearers though MacArthur says He gives more scripture. It's it's mostly just scripture. Strung together you will stand the presence of the Holy God.

MacArthur says who created you who is your judge and he will demand that you give an account for. How you have flouted his authority in your governing and how you have twisted His whole own holy words to rationalize it as you look over the precipice of eternity.

What will your answer be? Will you look ahead of you and see that nothing awaits you but eternal misery? The just punishment for your sins. What will all the clever rationalizations and political talking points avail you then and.

By then it will be too late for any remedy of redemption. And I mean he just goes on he proclaims judgment. He says our church and countless Christians nationwide are praying for your full repentance.

Please respond to the gospel forsake the path of wickedness. You pursued all your life. Turn to Christ ask for forgiveness and use your office to advance the cause of righteousness. He says that's his duty and.

So I just want to say this. Russell Moore has talked an awful lot about being prophetic and His idea of prophetic is writing a piece for the New York Times or the Washington Post. Tim Keller does the same thing and then then chiding the church chiding conservative Christians.

Being prophetic against them by taking a stand the world approves of big whoop. There's no risk there. The people who have the levers of power Aren't going to threaten you. In fact, they might think well of you when you do that.

What MacArthur just did is actually prophetic. This is actually what the church should do and and you know, I There's nothing personal against post Millennials post millennialists here at all at all. But I have noticed some some not all some post millennialists Have made some critiques some of them to be honest with you.

You don't even have to be a post millennialist to see yeah, you know. Separating the church from politics or or making it too much of a distinction between biblical morality and politics. Creates a vacuum and the secularists just take advantage of that and and we we need to be More involved in the political sphere.

I agree with that, but I have heard of a few post millennialists Raised the charge lately. This is actually within like the last two weeks that it's the entire fault. The reason the church isn't invested at all in politics or being prophetic in these ways.

The entire problem is because of pre-millennialism. And I just want to point out I point out to other people that look. You know, you can have a beef with that. You can try to say that that Thinking has maybe compromised.

I don't have a huge problem. But you can't attribute the whole problem to that when you got Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and the whole religious, right? Was people who would mainly be dispensational pre-millennialists and here again in this context.

When a lot of evangelicalism is at each other's throats. What was evangelicalism? MacArthur, I think just set the template. For what? It looks like to be prophetic and yep. He's kind of a decent dispensational pre-millennial this guy and The real issue at the heart of all this though is ethical more than anything else it's it's not eschatological as much as it is ethical and MacArthur still has a conscience and I think the big thing That has is missing from most of the people who call themselves pastors is a conscience.

There is just a lot of wanting to Be safe avoid pain. Climb the ladder if there's a ladder there to climb make sure that you're not on the radar of enemies. And MacArthur just doesn't care. He just he sees evil.

He's gonna say something he's gonna say it in the strongest possible terms and I just remember what he said in 2020 that he'd started jail ministry. He's not trying to take over the government, but he recognizes clearly that the government is responsible that there Jesus is going to judge even the rulers and that attitude can transcend eschatology and it can do so quite well as long as the person.

That the prophetic voice has a conscience and Is willing to take risks for the sake of the Lord? And so I just have so much respect and gratitude actually to John MacArthur for doing this. Setting the tone setting an example.

And I just hope others follow. There's definitely it's not just John MacArthur. He's the only good pastor. I'm not saying that at all and everyone else is compromised. But I I definitely see a Strength at the upper levels in John MacArthur that I do not see in other pastors at those same levels there's a few but that those ranks are thin and So anyway, some it's good news.

It's something to be grateful for. But hopefully you are now a little more updated. You are apprised about what's happening geopolitically and hopefully you're ready for it. Please be praying about this stuff.

I think it's often at least for me. It's Not something I think about Regularly what's happening in other places in the world? I think I think about what's happening in my country an awful lot but there is a lot happening and And this could also be affecting us really soon many of these things.

So be prepared be in prayer the Lord knows He's his timings perfect. He sees exactly what's happening out there. He's planned it in the sense that it's part of his decree and it's under his sovereignty and He will judge those who Go against his perfect will.

So that's that I don't really have much more to share but hopefully You're enjoying These little walk podcasts. I get two things done I get to get a little exercise and share with you at the same time and you get a little scenery In the background and get to see where I am.

I'm at so If you want more of this stuff, let me know in the info section I'm still looking forward to getting back to my desk and doing some more research. Type podcasts and giving you some good info, but I thought it'd be good to have a day where we're not focused on SBC stuff or evangelical stuff and I know there's stuff I haven't talked about Brent Leatherwood at the URLC, you know.

That's not a great thing Adam Greenway, you know, basically fired. It seems like from a Southwestern and yeah, I mean I'm seeing that stuff, but I want to give you a big picture. There's stuff happening in the world way way that's gonna change our lives in some ways way more than the inner workings of the SBC or TIFs people might have online in evangelicalism so God bless and More coming by now.