The world is up for grabs. Is China the next superpower? Will international cartels run the show? Maybe the machines will take over!

Despots have always dreamed of worldwide conquest. The Assyrians under Nebuchadnezzar, the first true military superpower, stretched from Egypt to the Persian Gulf.

Then came the Medo-Persians under Cyrus, his empire encompassing about 45% of the world’s population.

After Alexander inherited Macedonia’s throne, his armies marched from Egypt to India. His death at 33 brought an abrupt end to his ambitions.

The Romans were next, eventually controlling an area of 1.7 million square miles. The eastern half of the realm, known as the Byzantine Empire, persisted until 1453.

The Muslim Caliphates also ruled much of North Africa and Eurasia from the 7th to the early 20th century.

Soon Genghis Khan and the Mongols began amassing the largest contiguous empire in history, from the Pacific to Eastern Europe.

After that, European nations like Spain, France and Britain colonized much of the world. It could be said during Victoria’s reign that the sun never set on the British Empire.

But it did, of course, as it does with every attempt to rule the world. Only our Lord Jesus will have that right.

As a boy raised in Canada, I learned to sing, “Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves.” But I watched as its vast holdings were torn from its grasp, one by one.

The song reminds me of a line from the Bible’s oldest book. “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!” said the Lord. (Job 38:11)

The apostle Paul told the Athenians how God “decided beforehand when [the nations] should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries.” (Acts 17:26, NLT)

Is the West past its zenith? Is the sun of God’s grace setting into darkness across our lands?

Like flowers plucked from our Bible roots, wilting in the shadows, how can we hope to retain our vigor without seeking and serving the God who has made and blessed us?

Years ago, my father, who was born in Scotland and had returned for a visit, was stranded with rotating airport strikes. Several times he made it right to the gate before the airport was closed.

As he waited for a connector to get home, a BBC TV crew arrived to interview would-be travelers. When they approached him, he said he’d left the country many years before and wouldn’t comment on the political situation. He would just note that Britain had abandoned God, and so God had left them to their own resources. I doubt they aired the quote.

America is the most blessed nation in history. But are we a happy nation? The 2026 World Happiness Report says the U.S. ranks No. 23 out of 30 nations. Canada comes in at 25, Britain a meager 28.

What gives? “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 144:15) I’m convinced the most unhappy people are those who once had the light of the gospel but have chosen to embrace the darkness.

It’s not too late for anyone willing to turn around. But, Jesus warned, there’s a time limit: “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” (John 12:35)

It will make a world of difference.

Jabe Nicholson of Starkville knows the world may be falling apart but God’s plan is falling in place. Reach him at [email protected] or www.uplook.tv