Revelation in Our Generation
Part 2 – Prophecy Unfolding Before Our Eyes
The Emerging Church
You might not be aware of this and perhaps the term is meaningless to you. If this is the case it won’t be for long. Bible believing Christians are facing an onslaught of ideas and experiences, redefining the meaning of Christianity in this post-modern world. The Word of God is under attack. There is great emphasis in the church today on uniting all professing Christians of all denominations and beliefs. This new wave that is sweeping the world is powerful. The present emerging church wave is a tsunami that has the potential of reshaping the very foundation of the Christian faith, the gospel of Jesus. No denomination or church affiliation is immune to the changes. Here are just a few samples:
- The centrality of the gospel of Jesus is being replaced by humanistic methods that promote church growth and a social gospel.
- The churches are being told that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
- While the authority of the Word of God is being undermined, images and sensual experiences are being promoted as a key to experiencing and knowing God. These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, the sacrament of the Eucharist, etc.
- There is a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace that claims there are many ways to God.
- We all believe in God and were not so different after all. Let’s all get together and work together, setting aside our theological differences, so we can help each other in the things we all agree upon. And if the doctrine causes division, it should be avoided for the sake of love and unity among the brethren.
The Bible clearly teaches that following the Rapture, this Ecumenical Church will be the church of the Antichrist, the church of the end time Tribulation and totally apostate. Everything today is pointing in this direction. The world will have it’s One World Government and it’s One World Religion, which we can see in the United Nations and the coming World Parliament of Religions. So-called Christian denominations and church groups will unite first, which we see happening in front of our eyes. The sad part is that many cannot or will not see what is happening in the present day. There are spiritual forces at work within the Christian church that run counter to the revealed Word of God. By divine revelation the apostle Paul declares that conditions in Christendom would get worse. “Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). They would become more subtle in their methods and more bold in their attacks. Not only would they deceive others, but they themselves would be ensnared by the very false teachings with which they sought to trap their hearers. After having peddled their lies for so long, they would actually come to believe them personally.
The Scriptures clearly show that the professing church, or what is called Christendom, will steadily increase in departure from God and His Word, by inward corruption and outward conformity to the world. The apostasy cannot reach its height until after the Rapture. Why? The restraining power of the Holy Spirit continues, and the full apostasy of the Ecumenical Church and the manifestations of the Antichrist cannot take place until He, the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit), has been taken out of the way at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:7).
The last picture that the Bible gives of Apostate Christianity is found in Revelation chapters 13 to 18. In these chapters we find a merger of all religions under one great end time religious leader called the “False Prophet.”
The Ecumenical Church is clearly shown in Revelation, chapter 17, as religious Babylon. After the rapture of God’s children from earth, the professing churches on earth unite to form one large apostate body. This religious entity of the last days is called: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth (17:5).” The Bible clearly teaches that, following the Rapture, this Ecumenical Church will be the church of the Antichrist, the church of the Tribulation period. It will be a totally apostate church; a church that calls itself Christian and yet courts alliance with the godless systems of this world, committing spiritual adultery (see James 4:4).
When One Man Rules the World – The Antichrist
Fifty-seven years ago, after leaving high school, I could not have imagined how one individual could rise to such a place of prominence and power as the Bible ascribes to the coming Antichrist. We didn’t think of the world as a “global village” at that time in history. But today the world is shrinking – travel, TV, internet. We are connected by money, commerce, trade, communications, high-tech, travel, etc. as never before. Today, the idea of a one world ruler seems totally possible and becomes more so every day. Today we have governments actively seeking to sabotage their own economies in pursuit of the WEF’s Great Reset objectives and bringing in a One World Government, a New World Order and calling for a digital one world currency. After some 40 years these global elites have their people running the IMF, WHO, UN and most other major international agencies. Just this past week we saw WHO’s (World Health Organization) grand play for world power asking the US and other countries to hand over their nations sovereignty to the WHO in signing the Pandemic Treaty. Western governments destroying their economies so they can deliver the world into the hands of the Great Reset adapting its term “Build Back Better,” after they have destroyed the world’s financial system. Fast-checkers once dismissed the “Great Reset conspiracy theory,” but Schwab made it clear as early as June 2020 that the Covid 19 pandemic should be exploited as an opportunity to advance the globalist agenda promoted by his Davos conferences, which have pushed for numerous proposals such as a worldwide carbon tax, to re-distribute wealth and shift sovereignty from nation states to global entities (WHO, UN, IMF, etc.). Schwab’s Great Reset scheme is that the United States will surrender all its military power to the United Nations. We even have Pope Francis calling for a “new world order” in a recent book titled “God And The World To Come.”
The tumultuous events of the end times; not the least of which will be the instantaneous disappearance of millions upon millions of believers around the world in the Rapture. This will create an environment ripe for a charismatic individual to step forward and lead the world to a place of economic and monetary stability – Mr. Fix-It. That man will be the Antichrist – Satan’s superman. Instead of saving the world, he will lead it to the final battle, the battle of Armageddon, where he and his forces will be defeated by the returning King of kings, Christ Jesus. But prior to that time, he will demonstrate superhuman powers such as the world has never seen, except in Jesus.
The Bible does not tell us who the Antichrist will be; his name, or what nation he comes from. In fact, Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that this coming world leader will not be revealed until after the Rapture when the Church is taken to heaven (v.3). From a biblical perspective we are looking at a one world government – a totalitarian system. A final world ruler, Antichrist, will come on the scene and onto the world stage. The world will be in such a mess that people the world over will actually follow this persuasive, very smart end time ruler who will have the answers to the world’s problems. I call him Mr. Fix- It as he will have all the answers to fixing the world’s problems (climate change, starvation, etc.).
The Antichrist will make his debut in history at the beginning of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:24-27) just after the Rapture when every believer is taken to heaven. The Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer, will by default “be taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:6-7).” In the Tribulation, the Antichrist will seek to be a substitute for Christ. Since Christ is the “the Messiah,” or “Anointed One,” the Antichrist will claim to be the Messiah – a pseudo-Christ, if you will. The Antichrist will be an attractive and charismatic figure, a genius, a demon controlled, devil taught charmer of men. He will have answers to the horrendous problems mankind will face in the end times going into the Tribulation. He will be all things to all men: a political statesman, a social lion, financial wizard, and intellectual giant, a religious deceiver, a masterful orator, and a gifted organizer. He will be Satan’s masterpiece of deception, the world’s false messiah. With boundless enthusiasm the world’s masses will follow him and readily enthrone him in their hearts as this world’s savior and god.
The Personality of the Coming World Leader
We may not know who this world leader will be, but we do know from Scripture what he will be like: charismatic, cunning, cultish and cruel. From Revelation 13:5, we do know that he will be one of the most powerful orators the world has ever known and will use that skill to sway masses of people in the direction he wants them to go. Whereas Hitler had the power to captivate a nation, the Antichrist will have the power to captivate the whole world. Hitler will seem like a choir boy in comparison to him. He will demonstrate a religious like fervor to attract followers to himself and away from God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He will spare no one in his quest for world domination. He will persecute those who seek to follow Christ during the Tribulation and many who become believers during the Tribulation will be martyred for their faith.
The Antichrist does not burst on the scene. He rises slowly out of the revived Roman Empire in Europe, and gradually assumes power. His charisma and cunning allow him to forge political treaties with anyone. The world is going to be looking for someone who can bring peace and stability to the Middle East. The Antichrist will come on the scene and be the savior. He forges a peace treaty with Israel and the Jewish people (Daniel 9:27) on behalf of the nations at the start of the seven-year tribulation period. For 3 1/2 years there will be peace in the Middle East until the Antichrist breaks the treaty and begins to persecute Israel.
The Antichrist will set himself up as the one to be worshiped in the temple of the Jews in Jerusalem, thus beginning his full-fledged attack upon Israel. Before the Antichrist’s armies of the world can carry out the destruction of Israel, Christ Jesus returns from heaven and destroys his armies (battle of Armageddon). The Antichrist is defeated, the Jewish people are saved, unbelievers are judged, and the Kingdom of God is established upon earth with Christ Jesus reigning for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6).
The book of Revelation is not about the revelation (appearing) of the Antichrist, but the Christ (Rev. 1:1). Knees may bow temporarily to the Antichrist, but when he becomes a defeated foe, the prophecy of Philippians 2:10-11 will be fulfilled: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Today, those who do not willingly bow their knee to Him will one day be compelled to do so. Those who will not be reconciled during this age of grace will be subjected to His judgment. How much better to bow before Him now in praise and adoration!
Mark of the Beast Technology
The book of Revelation describes the end of cash and the creation of a cashless society in the last days where the possession of a certain mark on your hand or forehead will be essential to enable you to buy or sell. All private and public transactions will require that the parties involved have this mark. The mark will identify those who worship and follow the Antichrist. This was an astonishing prophecy when John proclaimed it 1900 years ago and is only possible with today’s technology. How could the apostle John have known that the future would hold such incredible technology unless God inspired him to write the words recorded in Revelation 13:16-18.
Today such technology exists and is in use. In July 2004, Mexico’s attorney general had a RFID microchip inserted under the skin of his arm to give him access to a new crime database and also enable him to be traced if he was ever abducted. Also, the VIP Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain, is chipping its customers. Customers who have a chip implanted do not have to show identification to enter, and all their purchases are made by scanning their chip. A chip, the size of a grain of rice, will hold as much information as contained in 30 complete sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Your complete financial and medical records could be held by such a chip which could be read from a distance by electronic scanners.
Implantable computer chips with Global Positioning Satellite tracking technology will become commonplace in the near future – known as GPS Tracking Chips. In London 31,000 Metropolitan police officers have been “microchipped” so their movements can be monitored.
The goal of the “New World Order Gang” is to implant a computer chip or similar device on everyone on earth to replace all forms of identification, credit cards and cash. These “chips” will become commonplace before the start of the Tribulation period giving governments incredible influence over the lives of the people.
We are moving towards a cashless society and a regimentation of society by the computer. When this time comes, it will seem so reasonable, so quick, so necessary. When people are required to receive the mark, they will be able to walk out of any store and simply wave their hand to debit their account. At that moment, the store will know how much money you have in the bank and whether or not your transaction is approved. There will not be any need for checks, credit cards or cash – no need to show any identification.
Like I said, there are many benefits for having chip identification and governments will say it will help them prevent terrorist attacks, tax evaders, money laundering and crime. This is true, but this information can also be used to manipulate people or control them and their freedom. According to Scripture, this will be used by the end time dictator, the Antichrist, to give him absolute control over everyone on earth during the Tribulation period. Isn’t this amazing that nearly 2000 years ago, it was prophesied in the book of Revelation and today this technology is in the grasp of our hands. Unbelievable! Only God knows the future and inspired John to write about this new technology that we see today, in our generation, unfolding before our eyes. Every person needs to know that there is a beast called the Antichrist, who is lurking in the shadows and getting ready to come onto the world stage. We need to prepare our family and loved ones for the things that are coming – things are going to get much, much worse before the rapture takes place. We cannot afford to be ignorant. Some people may think that things are coming apart today, but everything is fitting into the sockets of prophecy.
World Television Communication
Another incredible prophecy relating to our era is found in the book of Revelation that describes worldwide television communications. The prophet John prophesied that in the Tribulation period the Antichrist will kill two of God’s witnesses who had stopped rain from falling worldwide for 3 1/2 years. The prophet John declares that the people living around the world will see their deaths (God’s two witnesses) and observe their bodies lying unburied for 3 1/2 days in the streets of Jerusalem. The whole world will hold a party, exchanging gifts in their relief that their tormentors are dead. Then these people will watch with astonishment as God resurrects His two witnesses to heaven (Rev. 11:9-10). How could the news that these men were killed travel instantaneously around the world in any other generation than today? Even 130 years ago it would have taken a week for the news to travel from Israel to Japan or New York. However, today CNN and other networks instantly transmit pictures and sounds about any important event worldwide. Over 6 billion people around the world can simultaneously watch the Olympic events every four years if they so desired. For the first time in history, this prophecy about the whole world watching an event in the streets of Jerusalem could only be fulfilled in our generation.
Gospel of the Kingdom Shall be Preached Into all the World
Here is one of the most wonderful of the prophecies concerning the prediction of Jesus Christ return: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).” The Bible has now been translated into more than 3300 languages in every nation, tribe, and dialect on this planet. Electronic communication transmits the message of hope in Christ Jesus through the airwaves worldwide. According to researchers on evangelism, many thousands of people accept Jesus as their personal Savior every day. We have never witnessed such an explosion of the Gospel from the first days following the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem until today. There were only 1 million Christians in China in 1949 but after a century of faithful missionary work, the Church in China has grown astronomically despite tremendous persecution and the killing of untold millions of believers. Today, the lowest estimates calculate that there are more than 100 million true followers of Christ in China.
Knowledge and Travel Shall Increase in the Last Days
I just love this sign of our times because it is clearly pointing to our day today, and it cannot be refuted by anyone. Throughout history we have had slow and little increases in knowledge. But take a look at the explosion of knowledge over the past 150 years! Up until recently in history, the fastest form of transportation was a horse. Now man can travel at hundreds and even thousands of miles per hour, even travelling to the moon. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, which has led to great improvements in computer power, scientific discoveries, medicine, medical advances, etc. Just look at how much we have learned about the human body with things like DNA and cellular structures, etc. And, how about “running to and fro?” Scripture here is pointing specifically to our day with planes, trains, automobiles, and the busyness of our modern-day lifestyle. We are definitely running to and fro and have knowledge like no other generation before us.
Twenty-five centuries ago, the Book of Daniel predicted that there would be an explosion of knowledge and a huge increase in travel in the last days. Daniel wrote these words: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Throughout thousands of years of history the level of knowledge only increased incrementally. In some generations the level of general knowledge actually decreased. Yet, in the last century and a half, there has been an explosion of knowledge beyond anything ever experienced in human history. There are more scientists alive today than have lived in all the rest of history. Recently it was calculated that the total level of human knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every 5 to 10 years. This is staggering in light of Daniel’s inspired prediction from the ancient past. In addition, Daniel stated that a characteristic of the last days would be an awesome increase in mobility as “many shall run to and fro.” The speed of transportation has also exploded in the last century. Throughout history most people have never travelled faster than a galloping horse. Today men have travelled at over 18,000 miles an hour – US space shuttle Discovery. In addition, while most people in past centuries never travelled more than 20 miles from the place they were born, hundreds of millions of people now travel the globe as part of their normal course of daily business or annual vacation. Look, even nineteen years ago Facebook, Twitter or YouTube didn’t even exist (’04/’05).
Was the New Technology “Holoporation” Described in
Revelation?
Any sufficiently advanced technology can seem indistinguishable from magic, especially way back in, say, A.D. 95 when the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation. Remember, John was instructed by Jesus to write down the things “that he saw (Rev. 1:2)” and most of what he saw was nearly 2000 years in the future. Talk about mind blowing future shock. How would a first century prophet describe things like:
- Advanced attack helicopters
- armored vehicles
- biological and chemical weapons
- fighter jets
- nuclear warfare
Imagine the difficulty a non-technical man from the first century would have trying to make sense of modern advances and warfare; never mind trying to put it all in writing. We take today’s technology advances for granted, but back in John’s Day they must have seemed like magic. In Revelation 13, John describes a statue (image), that comes to life and is able to speak. Some believe John is using symbolic language. I believe he’s probably describing something like the new technology called “holoportation.” Holoportation is a new type of 3D capture technology that allows high quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed, and transmitted anywhere in the world in real time. When combined with mixed reality they are actually present in the same physical space.
Communicating and interacting with remote users becomes as natural as face-to-face communication. Simply, this technology allows users to see, hear, and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they are actually present in the same physical space. What John described 2000 years ago is much like this new technology that is just being developed. In Revelation chapter 13 we read about this man, the Antichrist’s lieutenant, that will enforce the worship of the Antichrist by performing great signs and miracles like making fire come down from heaven to earth (v.13). The purpose of his miracles, of course, is to deceive the people into worshiping a man as God. We then read in verse 15 that the Antichrist’s lieutenant, “was granted power to give life to this image (statute) of the beast so that it could speak. Then the image (statue) commanded that anyone refusing to worship the beast (Antichrist) must die.” What John is writing about here nearly 2000 years ago is very similar to today’s new technology “holoportation.” You can check this out by typing into your computer’s webpage or search engine (google): http://youtu.be/7d59O6cfaM0 then click on the video and see for yourself this amazing new technology.
The book of Revelation is totally amazing. Here we have John who was catapulted by God from one time period to another so that his extensive “visions” would have the authority of an eyewitness. The prophet then unknowingly encoded a warning for the generation in which these things would happen with conviction, accuracy, and authority. That generation and the start of the Tribulation period I honestly believe is very near. We, the Church (body of believers), will be taken to heaven in the Rapture just prior to the start of the Tribulation period and watching everything on earth unfold just as the book of Revelation describes.
I’m going to stop here for now and finish this off in the next posting titled “Genesis to Rev elation – Book Ends of the Bible”
Oscar
>Oscar Leske / F/B – Signs Of Our Times