Still toward the End of the First Millennium
After the Spanish Flu that occurred in 1918 where 50 million people were killed, the Russian Revolution (between 1918 and 1922) and subsequent purges by Stalin occurred where about 20 million people were killed and WWII (mainly triggered by Nazis) occurred between 1939 and 1945 where about 80 million people were killed. In addition after WWII, the Chinese Communist Party got hegemony over China through the civil war between 1946 and 1950 and subsequent rule by Mao Tse-tung, causing 60 million deaths.
Indeed, after the 1918 Spanish Flu, the Russian Revolution, WWII, the Chinese Revolution occurred in the 20th century, causing death to approximately 200 million people.
In this context, the 1918 Spanish Flu was the ill omen for tragedies of the world in the 20th century. But after WWII, the Spanish Flu was forgotten, although the Cold War started where the U.S. and the Soviet Union came to compete with each other with nuclear weapons in the amounts enough to destroy the whole earth.
So, when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended around 1990, the world became somewhat peace. However, Islamic extremists got into a war against the US, which has continued up to the early 21st century. What's more while the US set off the financial crisis around 2008, China started to exercise its economic power and have influence on the global economy, as the US and Japan had helped China develop its economy all through 1980s to 2000s.
And in 2020, the corona-virus pandemic was set off from Wuhan, China, while the Chinese Communist Party came not to hide its hegemonic ambition over the world and Russia further started to strengthen its military capacity. The U.S., after the era of President Obama as the first African American president, got into a kind of political crisis due to President Trump who abused racial split in the American society for his interest and ambitions.
Therefore like 100 years ago, the world has still two dangerous factors: Russia and China. And another pandemic has also occurred as an ill-omen. In this context, the early 21st century is an extension of the 20th century.
In the 20th century, despite ominous existence of communist Russia and China, the war between the Western democratic camps (namely, the U.S. and Western Europe) and the despotic axis powers (namely, Germany, Imperial Japan, etc.) was more critical for the human kind. Consequently, Germany, Imperial Japan, etc. were defeated in WWII to be democratic economic powers. This fate might have been foretold by the 1918 Spanish Flu.
In this 21st century, despite existence of Islamic extremists and racial disputes in the U.S., the potential war between the Western democratic camps, now including Germany and Japan, and despotic and militarist Russia and China seems to be more critical. And this fate may be really warned by the 2020 corona-pandemic.
Therefore, the early 21st century must be an extension of the 20th century like the early first century was an extension of the 1st century B.C. where Caesar and Alexander the Great had played some important roles.
So, it is symbolic that the 2020 pandemic was generated in China, while according to a theory, even the 1918 Spanish Flu was brought to Europe by Chinese laborers who were mobilized to WWI in the European fronts. In this sense, we are still living in the world progressing to the end of the first millennium.
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Luke 7 King James Version (KJV)
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.