What is the World Coming To?

Many people are feeling overwhelmed and fearful these days, and no wonder . . . the COVID-19 virus has been spreading like wildfire, many people are sick and/or dying, economies are stagnant, businesses and the stock market are crashing, money and supplies are scarce.  What normal person wouldn’t be fearful in seeing these things that are impacting us on a global scale?

Sure, it’s easy to be terrified when seeing these things through our physical eyes.  So I want to try to change your perspective and see these things through a spiritual, or biblical, lens – to try to get a much wider bird’s-eye view, God’s perspective if you will, in the hope that we will gain a greater understanding as to what is really going on.

Many Christians knowledgeable of biblical prophesy concerning the End Times believe we are on the cusp of the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth. But before that happens, terrible times ensue through what is called the Great Tribulation. The Bible tells us there is a great spiritual battle taking place behind the scenes of our reality, and whether or not you believe this is really beside the point, you are a participant whether you choose to be or not.  But we are also told that God knows the end from the beginning, and although things will get very dark we know how the story will ultimately end because gives us specifics through biblical prophecy.

So, what is the purpose of prophesy, you might ask?  Why does it matter what the Bible says about the future of earth and mankind?  Simply put, God tells us what will happen in the future so that when we see those things happen we will know that he is God and we will be able to trust him more.  This is the purpose of biblical prophesy.  It increases our faith in God and helps to give us a sense of peace that, despite what we see happening around us, God is still in control.

Following are certain End Time events that are prophesied in the Bible, and I believe we are beginning to see them converging and all beginning to happen at once.  Jesus tells us the significance of this convergence: “When you see all these things you will know that it is near, right at the door.” Matthew 24:33

• Many false prophets will come in Jesus’ name, and will deceive many people
• Wars and rumors of war around the world
• Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (includes people groups)
• Famines in various places (food shortages)
• Earthquakes in various places
• Believers handed over for persecution and death (hated by all nations because of their belief in Jesus as the Messiah) – Christianity has been all but wiped out in the Middle Eastern Muslim nations due to persecution/execution by Islam
  
  • Many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate one another
  • Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people = other ways to get to heaven apart from Jesus
  • Increase of wickedness → love of many will grow cold (toward one another), BUT we are told in the Bible that the one who stands firm to the end will be saved

We are told by Jesus in Matthew 24 that all these things are the beginning of birth pains.  Those of you who have been through childbirth know how this process works. First you start getting a couple sporadic contractions.  Nothing too strong, intermittent, but enough to get your attention.  As the birth progresses, the contractions get stronger and stronger and closer together until you reach the point where the body takes over and you no longer have control of the situation.

We have been seeing things like wars, famines and earthquakes for thousands of years, and many others before us have believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime as well.  But I believe we are seeing a convergence of these things like never before – and now we are seeing signs, or what I like to call foreshadows, of things that are prophesied to come to pass during the Tribulation period as described in the book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible (covering a period of 7-years) before Jesus Christ returns to judge the Earth:

• A one-world government will be established
  • A secular politician will rise to take control of the whole earth and head up this one-world gov’t (known by many as the Antichrist, the Bible calls it “the beast out of the sea”)
  • The dragon (Satan) gives this beast his power and his throne and great authority
  • The whole earth is “filled with wonder” and follows the beast
  • People will worship the dragon (Satan) because he gives authority to this beast and he appears to be indefeatable
  • The beast is boastful, proud and speaks blasphemies against God (slandering his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven)
  • The beast will exercise his authority for 42 months (3.5 years) – the first half of the Great Tribulation
  • He is given power to wage war against Christians and to conquer them – he will kill those who don’t swear allegiance to him – the beast will pour out his wrath on believers in the Earth
  • “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” Revelation 13:8
• A one-world religion will be established
  • There will be a religious leader over the one-world religion (known by many as the False Prophet, the Bible calls it “the beast out of the earth”)
  • It will appear humble like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon (Satan)
  • It will exercise all the authority of the first beast/Antichrist on its behalf, and will make the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast/Antichrist
  • It will perform miraculous signs (even causing fire to come down from heaven)
  • Because of its ability to perform miraculous signs, it will deceive many people on earth (known by many as the great deception)
  • • It will cause an image of the Antichrist to be set up in his honor in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and he will “be given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.  It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Revelation 13:15-17
• There will be a one-world currency (most likely digital)
• The Temple will be resurrected in Israel (the Jews will believe, for a time, that the Antichrist is their Messiah returned to earth – many Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah) and the Jews will be allow to perform animal sacrifices again in the Temple
  • Once the Temple is rebuilt, the Antichrist will cause the sacrifices to cease, and he will declare himself to be god and will demand that he be worshipped in the Temple (the Bible calls this the “abomination that causes desolation”)
• The Antichrist will require that everyone receive a mark on the hand or forehead as a sign of allegiance to him – required in order to buy or sell anything
  • If you don’t receive it, you will be killed
  • The Bible says if you willingly receive the mark, then your salvation is lost with no hope of redemption. “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.  They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.  There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” Revelation 14:9-12

Following are recent interviews, teachings and news articles you might find interesting:

J.D. Farag – Urgent Prophecy Update (3.29.20)

J.D. Farag – Bible Prophecy Update (4.5.20)

Bible Prophecy Happening Now (April 2020)

ID2020

ID2020 Alliance Unveils Digital ID Program

Bill Gates ID2020 Vaccine Implant COVID-19 Digital Certificates

ID2020 Summit 2016

Pope Francis Worlds Religious Leaders Build Future Together

Interfaith Harmony Week

What is the coming one world religion? (Greg Laurie)

The Mark of the Beast (Greg Laurie)

I’m sure you may have many questions about the topic of this post, among other topics as well.  Please check out my Resources page for links to numerous reliable resources that I use for study and research.

I believe with all my heart that time is running out, and that no one is promised a tomorrow.  If you die without Jesus then it is too late. There is no Pergatory – your choice for eternal life must happen before you die.  If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and you’ve never asked him into your heart it is really very easy.  Your salvation is not based on the good things you do or being more good than bad. It does not matter if you are a good person. What matters is the condition of your heart and whether you have accepted the free gift of salvation that Jesus obtained for you on the cross.  Your eternal salvation is really as easy as A-B-C:

• A = Acknowledge that you are a sinner and need a savior.  The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.
• B – Believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, that he came to earth and died on the cross to take your sin upon himself so that you can be reconciled to God.
• C – Call upon the name of the Lord (Jesus) and ask him to save you. Confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.