We Are On Our Own Now

 

The real reason the US is going to war with Venezuela is simple, it's global power is ending, really it has ended, and now it is returning to the Monroe Doctrine, of dominating it's region. Because that is the only real effective reach it still has. If it even still has that.

-        Hamas outlasted US intervention.

-        Yemen outlasted US intervention.

-        Russia outlasted US intervention.

-        Afghanistan outlasted US intervention.

-        China is successful resisting US intervention.  

Etc, etc.

The ability for the united states to project its power around the world and actually effect change is declining. It is even possible their power will fail in South America. But not before they try to use it.

Look, I should note that I have no problem with the US military taking out drug boats. The military's job is supposed to be making borders secure. Returning to that honourable role is just and good. Borders should be patrolled by effective soldiers stopping people coming across. For too long western nations have abandoned this basic use of the military, preferring to send our soldiers far away for reasons of imperial extension. That is clearly now changing.

But we should also note that Venezuela has oil, rare earth minerals, and it is weak enough that the US thinks it can take it or at least force it to bow to its will. So, that is what it is trying. Effectively it is doing to Venezuela what Russia did to Ukraine, except with less actual justification. But it is basically doing the same thing: a dominant power is seeking to dictate to a much less powerful country.

I suspect there is also a recognition in the Trump administration that if the US is going to remain a dominant power in its region, it needs to turn its attention there. What appears to be happening in the US is that different elites with different visions over how the United States should project its power are in a political clash, and currently the faction that believes they should turn their attention to their own region is dominant. I think this faction will become more dominant over time as the reality of the United States relative weakness in the world becomes more evident.

But the lesson for us here in Australia is this: we are now on our own. Britain has no effective power, and the US's power is shrinking back to the Americas. They may still seek to exert influence from time to time outside their own region, but this will diminish over time as the new multipolar world becomes more entrenched. We are, therefore, now on our own. This will become more clear in coming years.

I say the only path to prosperity and peace for Australia is repentance and faith in God from the Prime Minister down. Others say the way forward is through a complicated series of alliances with countries that oppose China and counterbalance her power. If we go that second route, we guarantee that we will lose our sovereignty in this country. Because we will lose such a battle.

Australia got proud. We were lucky and squandered it. Prepare for a whole different world now guys.

 

Transgender Insurance Bonus

 

The thing which will eventually put an end to liberal democracy quicker than anything else in western nations, is when a significant amount of ordinary people become so sick of subsidizing nonsense, that they refuse to vote for anyone except the parliamentarians who are going to just say no; no to feminism, no to welfare programs, no to DEI, no to minority programs and much more. Of course, this might also happen simply because western societies collapse under the weight of all their social programs and personal debt, but that is just an extension of the same problem.

This is a key example of something that which will just tick off the ordinary person, because it shows that they really are just taking the piss[1] now,

“Aussie drivers can save hundreds on their car insurance by declaring their gender as non-binary.

A male driver called into Radio 2GB in Sydney on Monday to explain that they discovered a lucrative loophole in the insurance system.

The listener, a man named Ben, told Ben Fordham his car insurance quote dropped by $800 when he ticked a gender-neutral box when applying for comprehensive coverage.

“I found the box on there and thought I’m just going to give it a tick and see what it comes out with, it might be a bit of a joke,” he said.

“A joke is right, I was absolutely stunned with what I found … I’d like to see the evidence behind it.”

Fordham said “I can’t believe it”.

“The best deal goes to the non-binary driver … just tick the non-binary box, because no-one is going to be able to disprove how you are identify, you’re going to get a better deal.”

We put it to the test, getting three quotes from NRMA insurance for a middle-aged Sydney driver behind the wheel of an electric Kia EV3, and found the price varied significantly.

Changing only the driver’s stated gender, we found the male driver was quoted $2236 per year, the female driver $2061, and the non-binary driver $1955.”[2]

This is just another insulting and degrading mockery of our whole way of life. Giving an insurance bonus to people who are confused about their gender, or simply unwilling to tick a box. It is just another insult piled on top of a host of ongoing insults, that seek to place standard roles for men and women at the bottom of the rung of society.

The West became more and more open because of the idea of liberalism, and the accompanying concept that most decent people will seek to do what is best, in general, for themselves, those they love and society. Our system was not conceived to hold up to people who cared about none of the principles of decency, honesty, and honour that our nations were founded on. And this is why we see across the world that people are voting more and more for governments which lean to the right. People are sick of being taken advantage of, and we see in many ways how it literally is costing people money to be productive members of society.

We opened up society to a wide variety of perspectives and ways of life, and people abused it. Societies in the future are far less likely to be so open.

List of References

---

[1] This is a blunt Aussie saying meaning, “being taken advantage of.” Forgive the bluntness, but this insurance policy is just wrong.

[2] David McCowen, 2025, https://www.news.com.au/technology/motoring/motoring-news/nonbinary-drivers-benefit-from-cheaper-car-insurance/news-story/4b41ff7a488d500ac45c2db986b50a3a

Episode 30 – Come Lord Jesus. Come (Rev. 22)

 

You can watch the video of this sermon here at 8pm AEST.

Introduction

Tonight, we are going to look at the last chapter of the book of Revelation. This is episode 30 of my Revelation study and the final episode before we move onto another book of the Bible. I hope you have found this study encouraging, helpful, informative, and also I hope you have seen more clearly how this book magnifies our Lord Jesus.

My goal with this study was not to create an exhaustive analysis of the book of Revelation. If you want that there are more academic resources you can turn to, commentaries and exegesis courses for instance. My goal was to create an accessible study that helps demystify this book without pretending to have all the answers. On top of this my goal was to show that this book has great and powerful application for our everyday lives.

One of the things I have found in teaching this book over the years, is that if we take the approach of “what” it is saying and leave the “when and the how” up in the air, the book becomes far more approachable and far more accessible for many people.

Over the years this book has been neglected by many Bible teachers and this has allowed sensationalist readings to take centre stage, and the book has been turned into everything from a justification to support Israeli foreign policy, through to a guide to understand Middle Eastern affairs, through to a justification for seeing Russia as the big bad guy in the world, and so many other things. I grew up under these readings of this text, and the core thing they all have in common is that they disconnect the book from its literary and textual context and turn the imagery of Revelation into a series of choose your own adventure tracts. This does a disservice to the handling this book.

That is not to say that everyone who seeks to handle this book in a more measured way will agree on everything. This would be too bold a claim to make. But I have found much more general agreement when a more grounded approach is taken, applying this book to the experience of everyday life. I hope I have been able to communicate this effectively.

But now we must turn to the last chapter of this awesome and fearsome book. Something I am going to focus on today is that this passage appears to have something of a now but not yet quality to. This is because we live in a time where heaven is breaking into earth, to some degree, through the Church, and therefore aspects of the fulfilment of God’s plan are active in our lives and world today, though not yet in their fullness. I think you will see this as we go through the passage tonight.

But first let’s turn to our Old and New Testament imagery behind this passage and then we shall do the study questions.

Old Testament Background:

• The River and the Tree of Life (v. 1-2): The scene directly echoes and fulfills the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9-10). Where access to the tree of life was lost due to sin (Genesis 3:22-24), it is now restored and amplified, offering perpetual fruit and healing. The river also recalls the life-giving water flowing from the Temple in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 47:1-12), which itself is a prophetic picture of restoration.
• Cursed No More (v. 3): This is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise that God would undo the curse pronounced in Genesis 3:17. Zechariah 14:11 also prophesies a future where "there shall be no more curse."
• Seeing God's Face (v. 4): This was an impossibility for fallen humanity (Exodus 33:20), but becomes the ultimate privilege of the redeemed, indicating full intimacy and restored relationship.
• The Alpha and Omega (v. 13): This title for God, used in Isaiah 44:6 ("I am the first and I am the last"), is here applied directly to Jesus, affirming His full divinity.

New Testament Background:

• The Throne of God and the Lamb (v. 1, 3): The entire vision is Christocentric. The throne belongs to both God and the Lamb, a powerful New Testament revelation of Jesus' co-equality with the Father (John 1:1, 14).
• The Water of Life (v. 17): This invitation fulfills Jesus' own proclamation in John 7:37-38, where He offers "rivers of living water" to those who believe in Him.
• The Bright Morning Star (v. 16): This title for Jesus connects to the promise given to the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:28) and echoes messianic prophecy (Numbers 24:17). It symbolizes hope and the dawn of a new, eternal day.

The "Now But Not Yet" Application

This passage powerfully embodies the "now but not yet" tension of Christian eschatology.

• The "Now": The blessings of the New Covenant are presently available. The invitation to "come" and take the "water of life without price" is extended now (v. 17). Through the Spirit, believers experience a foretaste of God's presence and the healing of the gospel. We are now called to "wash our robes" (v. 14) through faith in Christ's atoning work and to live righteously in anticipation of His return.
• The "Not Yet": The full reality described—the physical river, the tree of life, the abolition of night, and the direct, unmediated vision of God's face—is still future. We still live in a world where evil exists (v. 11), and we await the final coming of Christ to fully establish this perfect order. The repeated cry, "I am coming soon" (vv. 7, 12, 20), creates a posture of active and hopeful waiting.

Study Questions

1. Compare the "river of the water of life" (Rev. 22:1) with the river in Eden (Genesis 2:10) and Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 47:1-9). What does this progression tell us about God's plan for restoration?
2. The "tree of life" offers healing for the nations. How does this universal scope of salvation contrast with the exclusive nature of Old Testament Israel and align with God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3?
3. Why do nations need healing in heaven, if there is no curse anymore? (c.f. vv. 2-3).
4. What is the significance of God's servants seeing His face (Rev. 22:4), especially in light of Exodus 33:20-23 and Matthew 5:8? How does this speak to the ultimate goal of redemption?
5. In Revelation 22:11, the angel makes a startling statement about letting people continue in their state. How does this relate to the concept of hardened hearts in Exodus (e.g., Pharaoh) and Paul's teaching in Romans 1:24-28?
6. Jesus identifies Himself as "the Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 22:13). How does this claim, paired with His title "the first and the last" in Revelation 1:17, establish His divine authority and eternality?
7. Revelation 22:14-15 presents a clear distinction between those inside and outside the city. How does this final judgment reflect the teachings of Jesus in, for example, Matthew 25:31-46?
8. What does Jesus mean in verse 16 that he is the root and descendant of David?
9. The invitation in Revelation 22:17 is extended by the Spirit, the Bride (the Church), and "the one who hears." How does this model evangelism, and how does it connect to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20?
10. The warning against adding to or taking away from the prophecy (Rev. 22:18-19) is severe. What does this tell us about the gravity and finality of God's revealed Word? Compare this to Deuteronomy 4:2 and Proverbs 30:6.
11. The plea "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20) is the cry of the early church (1 Corinthians 16:22). What is the relationship between this eager expectation and the call to holy living found in 2 Peter 3:11-14?
12. The final verse (Rev. 22:21) ends the entire Bible with a focus on "grace." How does this conclusion serve as a perfect bookend to the message of the New Testament, particularly the teachings of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9?