A remarkable scientific discovery announced this week reveals that ancient plagues devastated civilizations far earlier than previously understood, even as modern debates over digital surveillance and financial control reach fever pitch in Washington. The convergence of these stories—one looking millennia into the past, the other shaping our immediate future—offers a sobering reminder that humanity's struggles with catastrophe and power remain constant across the ages.
Researchers have identified evidence of Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the Black Death, in Bronze Age sheep remains, demonstrating that a strain of plague swept across Eurasia some two thousand years before the medieval pandemic that killed nearly half of Europe's population. The discovery, published this week, suggests the pathogen infected populations across the region and persisted for centuries before mysteriously disappearing. For students of biblical history, such findings illuminate the ancient world's vulnerability to pestilence—a theme woven throughout Scripture from the plagues of Egypt to the prophetic warnings in Revelation. The Bronze Age collapse, which saw the simultaneous fall of multiple advanced civilizations around 1200 BC, has long puzzled historians; this new evidence suggests disease may have played a larger role than previously recognized.
Meanwhile, on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, a fierce battle erupted over digital currency policy. Representative Keith Self of Texas publicly accused House leadership of breaking a promise to include his 'Anti-CBDC Surveillance State' amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment would have prohibited the Federal Reserve from developing a central bank digital currency without explicit congressional authorization. Self's frustration reflects growing concern among lawmakers that programmable money could enable unprecedented government surveillance of citizens' financial lives. The NDAA ultimately passed 312-112 with its $900 billion price tag, but the CBDC provision was notably absent.
The digital identity landscape continues expanding on multiple fronts. Clear, the biometric verification company, announced a major contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide online identity verification for Medicare beneficiaries—a development affecting tens of millions of Americans. Across the Atlantic, the UK's GOV.UK app has surpassed 250,000 downloads since its public beta launch, with government officials celebrating what they call 'strong organic growth.' And in the private sector, World ID is now being deployed to prevent scalpers and bots from purchasing concert tickets, with the company reporting that automated traffic comprised 86.5 percent of ticket requests for Latin music star Ricardo Arjona's shows.
In the Middle East, ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain fragile. Hamas officials demand an end to what they characterize as Israeli violations before proceeding to a second phase of the agreement, while a Gazan activist has accused the terrorist organization of hoarding and hiding tons of baby formula over the past six months—supplies desperately needed by civilians. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told The Jerusalem Post conference in Washington that Israel-Syria security talks have stalled after Damascus raised new demands, leaving prospects for regional stability dimmer than weeks ago. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman 'will get killed' politically if any Saudi-Israel normalization deal fails to deliver meaningful outcomes for Palestinians.
Germany's parliament has passed amendments granting authorities sweeping new powers to use artificial intelligence for real-time population monitoring, including provisions allowing forced entry into private homes to access personal data. The legislation represents what civil liberties advocates call a dramatic expansion of the surveillance state in Europe's largest economy.
The prophet Daniel spoke of a time when knowledge would increase and many would run to and fro across the earth. We live in such an age—when ancient plagues yield their secrets to modern science even as new systems of control emerge with breathtaking speed. Whether examining Bronze Age pathogens or blockchain-based identity systems, the careful observer recognizes that human nature and the spiritual forces at work in history remain unchanged. The coming weeks will reveal whether congressional resistance to digital currency surveillance gains momentum, and whether fragile Middle East agreements can hold against mounting pressures from all sides.