The believer who holds to the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ constantly lives in a tension of truths. One set of those truths involves the statements of the Lord Himself. He said we cannot know the exact time of end time events, yet He also stated that we should be observant to the events around us, which signal the end of days. So when dealing with prophecy and current events we feel this tension so much of the time. Probably many believing people had this experience at the time of the first coming of Jesus. Luke’s gospel reveals that there were some people (probably because of Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks) who were expecting their Messiah to arrive very shortly in Israel. And sure enough, at just the right moment, God sent forth His Son into the world born of the Virgin Mary.
So, as we contemplate the world around us, we do see movements and events which, like storm clouds, are growing dark and ominous. They definitely could be indicating end time events. But like the believers at the time of Jesus’ first coming, they didn’t know for sure until “at just the right moment, God sent for His Son.” We live in such a time of the tension of truth. Some points for us to consider.
(1) THE RUSH TOWARDS GLOBALISM. Most of those connected with Scofield Ministries know that Revelation 13 is crystal clear that the end game for Satan is to rule the world and be worshiped. This he will accomplish through the Beast (a.k.a. the Antichrist) and the False Prophet. A one world society is not what God desired but it is what the Evil One wants. God’s idea was to have nations, and Satan is always against God’s ways and plans. Globalists today want to create a one world order, apparently not knowing (or caring) that this is a demonic idea. Just a few weeks ago President Biden stated: “Things are shifting. There is a New World Order forming and we have to lead it.” Now, I don’t know if this is his idea or one of his handlers, but whatever the human source, it is a demonic philosophy which will fully mature in the Tribulation period. This openness to a one world order will materialize, whether sooner or later. But it is with us today and is growing.
The Covid pandemic revealed and brought about some amazing realities. We saw how fragile “strong” people were, and the willingness to submit to most anything an authoritarian government required. This attitude is what will be true in the end times of the Tribulation. The globalists saw how the global economy could be manipulated and how it brought about the largest transference of wealth in the history of the world. The pandemic excited them. Now, as never before, we too can imagine how the world could be economically controlled by the Antichrist and the False Prophet, and the infamous “666”. More world crises will accelerate the move towards globalism and especially if a person arises who can grab hold of the reins and bring some order from the chaos. And believers know who that will be. (Read Revelation 13)
(2) THE DISINTEGRATING OF MORALITY IN WESTERN CULTURE. It is the west where the Antichrist arises and where, along with the nation of Israel, end time events are focused. Western culture is important in the end times. Satan’s purpose of pushing for gay marriage, rampant immorality, trangenderism, homosexual and lesbian lifestyles is to destroy the family as God created it. When one looks carefully at the Mosaic Law code given to Israel, it becomes clear that the family was essential to the health of that nation. So for example, kidnapping and adultery (which struck at the heart of a family) were capital crimes. The kidnapper and the adulterer were put to death. The destruction of the God-ordained family is a huge step forward for this one world, new world order. Families, which are central to nations, need to be muted in their influence. So we should not be surprised when the Disney Corporation states that ideas of gay marriage and transgenderism will be a central part of their stories. We should not be surprised when school boards approve and push for so many family destroying ideas. Who would have thought that having drag queens read stories to kindergarteners was a great idea. Who would have thought that encouraging first graders to contemplate whether or not they would like to change their sexual orientation was healthy? All of it comes from the Evil One, and it does support Satan’s purpose in bringing about the end game.
(3) THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR. We wrote a little about this last month as we thought about the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Because of Russia’s mounting war crimes and their growing isolation from the nations of the world, this seems to be a war with long-term consequences, no matter how the hot war ends. As we noted, if this war morphs into the middle-east (Syria, Iran, etc.) then that hot war of Ezekiel could be on the immediate horizon. This would bring the world into the event of the end times. But there are other matters that this current war influences as well. For example, Ukraine is a breadbasket for Europe and many other nations. Just last week a Ukrainian farmer said that at least 30% of their fields will not be planted. This is part of the reason why predictions of the coming scarcity of food is being talked about by many. Famine does become a significant component of life in the Tribulation period.
For the first time in a long time NATO sees its need to be far stronger militarily. The empire of the Antichrist emerges in Europe with his eleven nation confederacy. And at that time, the world at large recognizes that the Antichrist is a man of war and one who likely cannot be defeated. We, of course, don’t know what the outcome will be of the present war in Ukraine, but it appears that this war will have continuing worldwide effects on a number of fronts. The ripple effect could continue into the Tribulation period.
This is not Grampa’s world nor is it his culture. We cannot go back to those days. We know that God is truth and He is sovereign. What He says will come to pass and He is not impressed or intimidated by Putin, Biden, Xi, or anyone else. (Read Psalm 2 and Isaiah 40). We know this. But these theological realities do not set aside what His people might be doing.
WHAT SHOULD FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST DO?
Be bold and proactive in sharing the gospel. Life has changed and it seems very unlikely that we will ever return to “normal.” We as believers in the coming King, need to look in the mirror and probably make some changes. This is no time for us to be “silent witnesses”. If you are nervous and a bit stressed by world events, can you imagine what an unbelieving person with no real hope feels like. We know because of the rising suicide rate, the increasing use of alcohol and drugs to mute life and just the general despair out there. We need to be asking the Spirit of God daily to help us speak up for Jesus and communicate the gospel. The “great commission” is not just for pastors and church workers. These folks need the Savior and witnessing “by our lives”, though important, is not enough. This is the great need.
Be bold and proactive in our personal worlds. Being active in doing what we can to support that which is right and good. We are not called to clean up the culture, but where issues of God’s truth and righteousness are involved, then isn’t it a righteous thing to be proactive? Encourage the men and women who are directly in this culture war with support. Vote for those who support the standards of God. If the local school board needs to be rebuked for its demonic ideas, speak up. Boycott Disney, and let them know. There are numerous avenues we can follow.
I am not advocating “bringing in the kingdom” by our efforts. But just like Daniel and Joseph impacted the pagan world of their day and pleased God in doing so, we probably could do as well.
We need to become fearless. If a person fears God, they will not fear men. For some of us, we are afraid of what men could do to us and so we fail to look for and expect opportunities to represent Christ in our public worlds. What are we willing to set aside or give up to represent Christ in a public way?
You remember that Mordecai reminded Esther that she was in her position for “such a time as this.” You and I are here in America at such a time as this because that is where the Lord has sovereignly placed us. World events and cultural trends say this could be the final days. God is sovereign and His plans will not be thwarted. But this does not set aside our need to represent our Lord Jesus Christ in such a time as this.
