Watching the headlines, I'm awed by God and how He faithful He is to draw close to us if only we just turn to Him! I hope you'll come away with a desire to do that, especially now. It will help you understand it all from a spiritual standpoint.
I've been reading the books of Ezekiel, Acts, and Revelation since January. I didn't orchestrate it; it wasn't strategic, and nobody recommended it. I was gently led to read them concurrently during my morning quiet time with God.
Please know I'm not reading these like a pious, mega-nerd scholar daily, as nerdy as I can be. I don't understand everything I'm reading. Sometimes, I don't understand anything I'm reading. At times, I'm highly motivated, mystically led to parallel passages, and get lost in bunny trails that fill me with wonder, faith, and peace. Other days, I force myself to read a chapter, plodding; the words are just words on a page. Either way, here's why it dazzles:
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel was a prophet who wrote about Israel in the mid-500s AD. We can see Israel as modern Israel and/or, more broadly, as God's people today. Others say contemporary empires like America. Regardless, the descriptions of our societies and the evolving real-time conflicts are uncanny, timeless, and very real.
ACTS
The Book of Acts in the New Testament was written by the apostle Luke between 63 and 70 AD and describes the early Christian church and the initial spread of the Gospel. I find it a really striking benchmark for evaluating our contemporary churches and ourselves.
I urge you to read it for yourself and see how you and your church compare to the Christian ideal established by Jesus's first followers, including Peter--Yes, that Peter, appointed by Jesus as the rock on which His church would be built.
REVELATION
Written by John the Revelator around AD 95, Revelation is John's vision, revealing Jesus Christ in the end times, getting a lot of buzz these turbulent days. It deals with Christ's critique of seven churches that are so similar to our own and events leading to Jesus' second-coming and beyond.
I've been in a Zoom study with a faraway church for about a year, and this "just happened to be" the book we started studying in January. Parts of it are extremely abstract, scary, and seemingly woo-woo, while concurrently terrifyingly accurate and relatable. The hope-filled promise of an ultimate resolution for believers more than redeems the preceding horrors.
My point is, just read The Book for a few days. Don't worry about what you don't get, don't believe, or don't like. Just see what happens.
For help understanding, I highly recommend the short and clear BibleProject YouTube videos. I also recommend reading one of The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).