The geopolitical landscape shifted dramatically overnight as U.S. forces executed Operation Absolute Resolve, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a series of precision strikes that sent shockwaves through authoritarian capitals from Caracas to Tehran. President Donald Trump announced the operation's success via social media in the early hours of January 4th, declaring that the United States would 'run Venezuela' until a safe democratic transition can be established.
The operation's implications extend far beyond the Caribbean. As Michael Starr's analysis for Prophecy Update notes, whether intentional or not, the capture represents a stark warning to the Iranian regime. Islamic Republic officials will almost certainly interpret this bold military action as a demonstration of American willingness to pursue regime adversaries with decisive force. The message to Tehran is unmistakable: geographic distance and authoritarian entrenchment offer no sanctuary.
Trump's subsequent press conference added an economic dimension to the intervention. The President accused Venezuela of 'stealing' U.S. oil and announced plans to place the nation's $17.3 trillion oil reserves under American control. 'American companies will take over operations,' Trump stated, confirming that the existing oil embargo remains in place while pivoting toward a strategy that would see U.S.-controlled Venezuelan oil sold globally—including, remarkably, to China, Russia, and Iran. Chevron currently stands as the only American company operating in Venezuela, but Trump's vision involves 'many more and billions in investment.'
The international community has responded with alarm. World leaders are calling for United Nations intervention, with multiple nations demanding emergency Security Council sessions to address what some characterize as an unprecedented violation of sovereignty. Russia and China have issued sharp condemnations, while regional allies express concern about the precedent such unilateral action establishes.
As diplomatic cables flew between capitals, the earth itself seemed restless. A powerful earthquake struck southern and central Mexico on January 3rd, killing at least two people and injuring more than a dozen others. The tremor was strong enough to halt President Claudia Sheinbaum's first press conference of the year—a jarring interruption that underscored nature's indifference to human agendas. Meanwhile, seismic monitors recorded significant activity across the Pacific Rim: a magnitude 5.1 quake struck 126 kilometers south of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea; a 4.9 magnitude event shook the waters 117 kilometers southeast of Vilyuchinsk, Russia; and tremors rippled through the Philippines, Fiji, Taiwan, Chile, and Peru within a 24-hour window.
For students of prophetic literature, the convergence of geopolitical upheaval and terrestrial instability carries particular resonance. The prophet Joel spoke of a time when 'the earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble.' Jesus himself, in the Olivet Discourse, identified 'earthquakes in various places' alongside 'wars and rumors of wars' as characteristic of the age preceding his return—not as signs of imminent conclusion, but as 'the beginning of birth pains.' What we witness today fits this pattern with uncomfortable precision: a superpower projecting force to reshape hemispheric order while the ground literally shakes beneath multiple nations.
Amid these dramatic developments, a quieter milestone passed largely unnoticed. U.S. spot cryptocurrency ETFs have now exceeded $2 trillion in cumulative trading volume, achieving this threshold less than two years after their January 2024 introduction. The maturation of digital financial infrastructure continues apace, building alternative economic architectures even as traditional geopolitical structures face unprecedented stress.
The days ahead demand careful attention. Watch for Iran's response—both rhetorical and operational—to the Maduro capture. Monitor whether the UN Security Council can mount any meaningful response given Russian and Chinese veto power. And note the seismic patterns: the Pacific Ring of Fire has been unusually active, and geological stress tends to release in clusters rather than isolation. We stand at a moment when the old order trembles, both figuratively and literally, and the shape of what emerges remains profoundly uncertain.