(Author’s note. This article is a theological or spiritual perspective of the author.)
Deus ex Machina simply means “the Hand of God,” or God’s intervention in the affairs of Man.
Throughout history, we see how God sometimes intervenes to carve the destinies of men and of nations. The events in the Old Testament, for example, are nothing but a series of Deus ex Machina affairs. God freed the Israelites from slavery (Exodus); God punished the Israelites for turning their backs on Him (Babylonian Exile and the Towers of Babel), etc.
A modern example is 9/11. God permitted the enemies of America to destroy the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the heart of the US empire, a repeat of the Twin Towers of Babel. Both were punished for their sins of pride, by abandoning God, or putting priority on the material over the spiritual. At least, that is the author’s view. In 9/11, it was not just the Americans who were targets of God’s wrath, but the whole world led by American capitalism. Thus, the people who died in the World Center were also Brazilians, Japanese, Germans, namely, non-Americans.
Let us jump to current global events. Is the US-Israel war against Iran a Deus ex Machina event, God permitting the slow death of the USA to punish her for her sins, in the hands of a smaller nation, Iran, which has the capability to challenge the superpower and is winning at every turn?
In five days, the US fired 800 Patriot missiles costing about $2.4 billion, which Lockheed can produce in about five months. Iran employs effective “asymmetric warfare” against the superpower — thousands of cheap $100,000 to $300,000 killer drones taking out a handful of $4 million Patriots.
The US keeps secret how many Patriots they have left, especially after the recent Iran response to the war the US and Israel started. Analysts can just guess from social media reports that the Patriots are secretly totally depleted and that the 27 US bases in the Gulf hosted by rich oil exporting Arabs nations, including Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain and UAE, are virtually defenseless. At every turn, Iran has taken out embassies, commercial hubs, and key strategic buildings.
But perhaps God is merciful, as the Hormuz crisis triggered by Trump’s reckless belligerence, has somewhat dissipated. Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as it was closed. The oil is flowing once again, except for the ban on US oil tankers. Stock prices and oil prices have instantly stabilized. It was an ingenious strategy that made Iran an ally of every nation with ships passing through Hormuz, except the US, of course.
For those who believe in God’s intervention or Deus ex Machina, He can send a violent hurricane as fast as He can make it vanish in the blink of an eye. We just have to do our part in terms of being in touch with Him always during these hard times, and praying to Him. The global campaign for evening rosaries helps a lot — billions of Hail Marys to the Queen of Peace. God listens, but we have to talk to Him. I can guess that the rosary campaign pleased the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who blessed Iran for reopening Hormuz. She also loves the Islamic nations.
The God of Mercy is also the God of Wrath. He forgives our sins at the slightest whisper of a prayer, but there are things He cannot stand, such as abortion or the murder of unborn babies, of which America is on top of the list.
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