April 9, 2025
Disclaimer: The writings in this series discuss the destructive forces which I label as the “serpent spirit” - a metaphor for systemic wickedness, envy, jealousy, deceit, idolatry, bondage and oppression. It is directed at the serpent spirit, not at nations or ethnicities. I write from a spiritual perspective, seeking to understand how these forces manifest and how communities might break free of them. I categorically reject racism, xenophobia, or any narrative that devalues human dignity. If my analysis appears to do so, please read it as a fault in my expression, not in my intent, and you are welcomed to join the conversation to sharpen our collective insight.
On April 4, Trump imposed tariffs on the whole world, which simple maths has shown, is the rate of what the US has imported in excess of what they exported in the previous year. It was not taking back what was stolen from the US, as he claimed, but basically like a man going to a restaurant to eat a great meal but demanding a huge discount at the end of the meal because he does not have enough money in his wallet to pay for it!
He attacked China, the fire-breathing dragon, thinking he can bully her to submit to his unreasonable tariffs when President Xi, a dictator like him, will never cave in as a matter of face and will not allow this to jeopardise his own political survival. The result – China is now walloped with a punitive tariff of another 50% for counter imposing the same tariff of 34%, taking its total import tariff to 104%!
The world watched anxiously what is going to happen next in the clash of these two Titans. One thing for sure, consumers everywhere will have to pay a lot more for their everyday goods and countries brace themselves for a possible recession.
At this juncture, the writing became too difficult and laboured and V tells me to resume only after my health retreat in China; to seek treatment for my injuries and to rest my brain and my soul.
April 24, 2025
During my quiet time and bible study after the trip, I suddenly thought of the green serpent while I was reading the Book of Acts chapter 17, where the Jews were envious and jealous of Paul.
The phrase came to mind: “Green with envy”
Then V started a discourse on how to identify the serpent spirit.
V: The serpent represents the spirit of jealousy and envy.
According to my Malay Muslim friend, this is typical among their race and religion. She says the reason why most of their business undertakings fail is because they do not want their friends or relatives to succeed, as they will get consumed with jealousy. She noticed that while the Chinese will generally go all out to support their family and friends in any business start-up, their own will seek to undermine or put each other down.
I recall something I read in a book years ago on my trip to Israel. The author says that Israel can exist because the countries in the Middle East are very tribal-centric and will never come to any agreement on anything, attacking each other at every opportunity. And now as I write, I also recall the book “The Green Prince”, where Mosab Yousef, son of the one of the founders of Hamas, shared that the torture they endured under the different Muslim factions were far crueller and a lot more brutal than with the prison guards in Israel.
No wonder then why none of these Muslim countries would take in the Palestinian refugees from Gaza, or Yemen, or anywhere else, for that matter.
I suddenly remembered the news last night reporting on JD Vance, the Vice President of the US, visiting India with his family. It is a no-brainer that Vance’s trip was to forge an alliance with India in this tariff war against China. Vance’s wife, a practising Hindu, is born in the US of Indian immigrants. Their wedding was blessed by a Hindu priest while a friend of his read from the Bible.
I felt a shiver in my spirit.
Being Asian, we are familiar with the many idols and gods of Hinduism.
From Google AI: In Hindu mythology, snakes and serpents, particularly Nagas, hold significant symbolic and spiritual importance, representing cosmic balance, fertility, renewal, and the duality of creation and destruction. They are often associated with water, hidden treasures, and spiritual knowledge, and are worshipped as semi-divine beings.
This is somewhat disturbing. If JD is in the wings to run for the next presidency when Trump’s term ends, will the US take the mixture again?
The enmity between the serpent and women is set in stone in the Book of Genesis by God.
In Muslim countries, women have little rights under Shariah laws, with religious police taking action, often violently, against those who do not comply with their dress code, who go out without male supervision and so on. UNICEF reports that every year, 700,000 girls, some as young as ten years old, are forced into marriage in the MENA (Middle east, North Africa) region; marrying adult men way older than them. In 2012, 15-year old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen because she spoke up for the right of girls to be educated in Pakistan.
On our first business trip to India about twenty years ago, I had a horrible dream on my first night in a fancy hotel in New Delhi. In it, a mob of men came off a truck and attacked my husband and me. He watched helplessly while they tried to rape me. I fought so hard in the spirit the whole night and thank God, nothing evil happened to me. My husband, who hardly dreams, woke up very shaken. He had a similar dream too! We have travelled extensively around the world and this is the only place we have encountered such a terrifying dream.
Sexual violence against women in India is prevalent even today – rape, child sex trafficking, forced prostitution, marital abuse and so on. Wiki reports that India is one of the most dangerous places for women in the world. Last year, one female doctor was raped and murdered in the hospital she worked in. In poor villages, young boys and girls from the lower class are waylaid and gang raped as they make their way to school. The wealthy and the wicked lived like kings, lining the pockets of the politicians and the police, so there is little or judicial protection for the disadvantaged or the poor. Or for foreign investors, for that matter.
Again, let me emphasise that this is not about targeting any country or race but I am speaking from a spiritual perspective about the serpent spirit of envy and jealousy, trickiness, idolatry and oppression that is holding people in these countries hostage.
I hold great admiration for missionaries, local pastors and believers, some of whom I personally support, who hold onto the faith and continue to spread the good news, while churches are burned and pastors killed over and over, without protection from the government or the police. Actually, zealous Hindus also destroy mosques and massacre Muslims too, as the country constantly war with their Muslim neighbour, Pakistan.
One organisation in the Middle East reports recently of an exponential increase of Jews and Muslims seeking God and Truth. Besides prayers, they need much more resources and venues for the overflowing bible study classes, with Bible downloads increasing by tens of thousands and gospel messages viewed in the millions every month. Some of them have reportedly seen visions of Jesus. Many are touched by the love of God, leading them to heal, forgive and reconcile.
But Western leaders with little understanding of the spiritual dynamics of Asia, the largest continent on earth, diverse, culturally rich and beautiful, have to be careful whom they choose to align with, lest they unwittingly lead their countries into the arms of the great serpent.
Remember what V said in the post “The Dragon, The Eagle and the Serpent” just before this series:
“There is going to be a ferocious battle waged against the Great Serpent and his baby snakes. And if the Eagle and the Dragon would join forces instead of fighting each other, they would have a chance to defeat this Great Serpent and save everyone from the fire and the water.”
I am not naïve about China. She can be a friend with benefits but she can also be ruthless and unreasonable, looking out for her self-interest, like her illegal exploits in the South China Sea, infringing on the rights of Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, totally disregarding international maritime laws and the rulings of the International Arbitration Court.
But then, so is the US.
While the Dragon is a fearsome and dangerous creature, I believe that only the majestic Eagle has the power and anointing to tame it, especially with Trump in charge, equally unreasonable and arrogant, and a tough negotiator to beat.
While there is this difficulty for these two powerful nations to come to the table but therein also lies the possibilities and opportunities.
Cbn.com published an article that China will be the “world’s most Christian nation in 15 years according to the London Sunday Telegraph, hitting 247 million by 2030, surpassing the US, Mexico and Brazil.
Many business owners and entrepreneurs run underground churches even as President Xi went hard on them in the past few years, demolishing churches and putting pastors into jail. Many are thankful for the missionaries and Christian materials they had received from the US but with Trump’s tariff war against China devaluing their yuan and threatening their businesses, they are now equally disenchanted with both men.
My personal opinion is that both the Eagle and the Dragon are much easier to read than the serpent nations who tend to work in darkness. Both want to make their country great and in general, want a better life for their people. Both have a good proportion of Christians business owners and entrepreneurs. If, God willing, they can work together to resolve their debt issues reasonably and fairly, there is potential for greater stability for the whole world and for possibly the greatest revival the world has ever seen.
And perhaps, this may be the will of God.
During our worship meeting on 20 Jan 2025, I had journalled right after the above:
“After that, I saw the serpent and the snakes burned with fire – the liars, the cunning, the haughty, with poison in their tongues. And then I saw the sun shining brightly, and these words came:
The Son will rise with righteousness in His wings, like the Sun.
And I saw the sun start to shine brightly in the sky.
No more fighting. No more turbulence and chaos.”
Thank you Lord for this wonderful and blessed assurance. Indeed, these two biggest economies of the world have the means and potential to stop the chaos, to slay the serpent and do a lot of good for the world.
The Dragon or the Serpent?
Indeed there is no easy choice as both come with its challenges and intrigue. Certainly, there is a need for caution before aligning with either. I pray for wisdom and discernment for Christian nations and for our country’s leaders to choose the right alliances and to take necessary precautions and fall back when working with either.
But most importantly, I pray they choose only who and what is right with God, with no room for wickedness, idolatry or compromise or with the Antichrist.
In Jesus’ holy name I pray. Amen.
You May Also Like:
50% Complete
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.