The present times we are living in are very intriguing. We cannot say for certain that we are in the very last days (or can we?), but we can at least recognize the signs that precede them, the signs that Jesus spoke about in the Gospels.
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matthew 24:32-35).
He was speaking about the signs through which we will see if the end times are approaching. He never spoke of the exact day or hour, nor am I referring to that. However, let’s reflect on certain passages of the Bible related to prophecies and compare them with today’s time and ideologies.
We also need to keep in mind that the events of the end times don’t occupy a short period of time, but most probably a much longer period. God measures and looks at time from a different perspective. For us, fifty years is a long period of time, but for Him, it is obviously not. When we see, for example, that certain events written in the Bible concerning the end times happen, we quickly think that the end is about to come. We even start pointing to dates and times, and when it doesn’t happen, we get discouraged, and some people start asking in the same way as people from old asked: “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).
It’s not the way we think most of the time. We are just being impatient as this is a topic that most people find interesting, new, and intriguing, especially if they think it is about to happen. Many people focus more on the event than what is essential, which is what Jesus wants to teach us while pointing us to the events of the end times. That is to be ready, to be watchful, and to be saved.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).
The main thing He was teaching when telling people about the end times’ events was the need to watch, to be aware of the false teachings in these times, and not to be like Lot’s wife who set her sight in the wrong direction. All these things have to do with our spiritual condition and the way we live.
If we do not focus on being alert and watching for Him, it will be pointless to keep trying to figure out and inquire about the end times. The main thing to do is to be ready for them. How do we get ready? By having a relationship with our Lord.
Speaking about signs, however, in these past decades that have been so rushed and innovative, there are indeed some signs that point to what could happen in the end times. We see the direction this world has taken. All this globalization and putting God always on one side confirms that the end times are approaching. I am speaking about the very end times, as we know that the end times began the moment Jesus died for us and was resurrected. Since then, the Bible addresses the times in which we live as “last times” (1 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:18).
“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20-21).
This verse mentions “last times” as something that occurred since Christ died and was resurrected. It says that He was manifested in “these last times.” The Bible calls the period of time since Jesus “last times” because it is the last hope and opportunity for humankind to repent and find a solution. There is a difference between “the last times” and “the very last times.” More specifically, some events discussed in the book of Revelation are also referred to as “the great tribulation,” as mentioned in the Gospels.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).
He first speaks about wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:4-7). He said that these are the beginning of sorrows. We see these signs unfolding right now in front of us, in an accelerated manner, even though He also mentioned that we shouldn’t be terrified when we hear of events such as wars and upheavals, as they must occur first, but the end won’t come immediately (Luke 21:9).
The question is, was He referring perhaps to the First and Second World Wars or the wars and commotion happening now? We can assume that He was including the two world wars, which in this way could also be a part of the end times prophesies. We don’t know this for sure; we just need to be ready.
Then, He continues to mention certain signs that accompany the great tribulation, such as the abomination of desolation mentioned in the book of Daniel. Immediately after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the stars of heaven will fall (which might indicate meteorites), and the powers of heaven will be shaken (Matthew 24:29).
I am not saying that we live in those times or that they will come tomorrow, as God measures the times differently. What He considers as “soon” or a short period of time might be much longer for us. Some of the signs probably happened even a while ago. What happens is that when we see a sign or something letting us know that we are close, we quickly think that Christ will come back tomorrow, and when it doesn’t happen, we get discouraged and lose confidence. But for God, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day. He looks differently at time. Many people think that those times should come quickly, not considering that if fifty or a hundred years is a lot for us, for Him, it is not so, and He is patient and waits for people to repent.
Two major books deal more precisely with this topic—the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel. In the book of Daniel, we read:
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; 6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. 9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:1-18, emphasis added)
Here, we see a situation that happened in Babylon, the greatest empire of that time, around 580 BCE. To better understand the book of Daniel, we need to know what Babylon actually represents. The book of Daniel is full of prophecies concerning the end times. Daniel interpreted the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar (the king of Babylon). One was about the end times. Daniel himself had visions and dreams about the end times, the coming of the Messiah, that is, Jesus Christ, and His return (Daniel chapters 7, 8, 10, 11, 12). Therefore, we can conclude that this book has to do with prophecies that have been accomplished and the times about to come.
Another prophetic book in the Bible is the book of Revelation. Obviously, we can find prophetic passages in the Gospels, as well as in other books in the Bible. Still, particularly these two, the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel, are more centered on this topic. We can see how these two go hand in hand, completing and confirming each other. What is interesting is that in Revelation, the name Babylon appears again (Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:1, 2, 18:21), and this is obviously after the end of this empire as it was written after that and concerns times to come. It means that some place or country in the future will have many similarities with that empire. I personally don’t believe that it will be literally called Babylon, but it is just compared to it for its similarities.
“And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8, emphasis added).
This name has been used since ancient times when the people united and wanted to build the tower of Babel, which was supposed to reach heaven so they could make a name for themselves.
“And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth’ ” (Genesis 11:4, emphasis added).
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Babel and Babylon are written similarly in Hebrew. The people of that period started building the tower of Babel (which means confusion, as their languages were confused there) in the same place where the Babylonian empire appeared later.
They wanted to do something, but they wanted to do it apart from God. Clearly, this did not please Him, and He confused their languages because they came together to make a name for themselves by building that tower. He did not want them to do that, as it would lead them further away from Him. It would bring them pride, something God really cannot bear. In His nature, He cannot accept it. So, to prevent them from sinning further, He confused their languages for their own good (Genesis 11:7-8).
This is very similar to what is happening today. People and nations desire to be united, and there’s nothing wrong with it if it is done with the right purpose, but they are doing it in their own name to bring glory to themselves. This is what is actually happening. The people are putting God more and more aside, and the idea of getting strong and together, not in His name but in the name of humanity, is increasing.
Why is this wrong if, at first sight, it seems good? It is because rejecting God is not good for us. We are meant to be with God. To be together with Him. We are His creation, and we are part of Him. We cannot exist without Him. What is keeping us alive now in this world is His mercy, giving us a chance to repent and accept Him. Unfortunately for some people, this mercy and opportunity will eventually end, and they will find themselves definitely separated from Him. Then, they will see what that really means. We must make the most of this time of mercy to accept Him. However, the people are uniting and putting God aside, unaware of what they are doing.
Looking at the situation in the empire of Babylon in the time of Daniel, we see that it was an empire with various nations under its rule. Amongst those nations were also God’s people (the nation of Israel). Why do we compare, or better said, why does the Bible compare this empire (Babylon) with what will happen in the end times, as it mentions it again in the book of Revelation?
We see that exactly in this empire—Babylon—is where Daniel received the visions and revelations of the prophecies concerning the end times, likely because there were many nations united under one rule, in this case, the empire of Babylon. In the same way, nations will be united under one rule in the future. The book of Revelation speaks about a ruler figuratively called the beast. It says that all the world marveled and followed the beast (Revelation 13:3-4), so we can assume that it will be a ruler.
The book of Daniel also speaks about a ruler who will come in the end times, make war against the saints, speak against the Most High, and intend to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25). A large part of the book of Daniel deals with prophecies about the future. It includes prophecies concerning the first coming of Jesus, His second coming, and the very end times (Daniel 12:4-9). For these reasons, we can conclude that this book is prophetic in many aspects and even in its story in general. That’s why Babylon is also mentioned in the book of Revelation. There will be many similarities between what will happen in the future and what Babylon was in the past.
It was not by chance that God gave these prophetic revelations to Daniel when he was in Babylon. He could’ve given them to any other prophet at any other time, but He chose this time and place, and we know God never does things by chance but with a purpose instead. We can see, in general, how the kingdom of Babylon can be compared to the future one that is about to come.
However, when we read the story in Daniel 3 when King Nebuchadnezzar erected a golden statue and all the people of all the nations and languages were compelled to bow down and worship that statue, we see a similarity with what is going on in Revelation 13 when again people of all nations and languages will be compelled to bear the mark of the beast and worship the beast. That is something that will not please God, and He will oppose it. We see how these two situations, the one in Daniel 3 and the one in Revelation 13, are very similar and confirm how things will happen. Babylon is also mentioned in the book of Revelation.
What the world aims at today is unity and peace. It doesn’t sound bad at all, and it is something right to do. The problem, as we said before, is that they are trying to achieve it without God. Jesus said:
“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30).
Even though there are still conflicts and separations in the world today, this is what they desire. This is the vision they have for peace. We know that the only prince of peace is Jesus Christ, and one day, He will bring ultimate peace. The problem is that even having good desires, man cannot achieve them till he surrenders to God. The enemy is aware of people’s desire for peace and will come one day to offer a solution they will accept. This will obviously be a deceit that will cause many nations and almost the whole world to fall. Many nations will probably be gathered as one, but not for the right cause. It is the same as there were many nations united together in the time of the Babylonian empire.
“Then a herald cried aloud, ‘To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up” (Daniel 3:4-5).
“He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15).
These are two passages found in two different books, Daniel and Revelation. They are similar events, and one has already happened, but the way it happened is similar to how it should happen one day. We read that in both situations, people were compelled to worship someone, and doing otherwise would cost them their lives. That’s why we are comparing the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation. That’s why, not by chance, Daniel received the visions at that time while he was in the Babylonian empire, and that’s why this book has a prophetic character. What happened in ancient Babylon could be just a shadow of what will happen in the new one that, we repeat, might not bear the same name, but spiritually could be similar.
There will be a time when it won’t be important who you are, where you are from, or which religion you follow, as long as you do what you are told to do and go with the flow. The freedom often spoken of today refers to the right to be whoever or whatever you desire. We are speaking about those so-called human rights that are above everything in today’s society and rule our governments and the decisions they make. We are not talking of genuine human rights that really look for everyone’s good in the right way. Everyone seeks their rights today, but these demands are often rooted in selfishness, disregarding others. This stems from our fallen nature. Without this flaw, we wouldn’t face problems, and people wouldn’t suffer due to someone else’s interests. Our human nature is governed by sin and, as a result, is leading us toward self-destruction. Why is that? Because we lack God in our lives. When we are without Him, we are driven by our instincts and passions, which are influenced by sin.
For these reasons, we can conclude that it is not good to be led by human rights only as we see how they constantly change, we can’t find peace in our hearts, and we want more of everything. Obviously, there are good human rights and people who fight for freedom. However, freedom to pursue genuine happiness and live peacefully differs from freedom, which basically allows us to do anything that hides itself behind “human rights.” Human rights are supposed to be good for men. It is a human right for people to know about their Creator and be reconciled with Him. Why? Because this is in their favor.
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Nevertheless, there will be times (and already are) when not the good and profitable rights will be exalted, but the rights and freedom to express ourselves in a sinful way. This decay will, nevertheless, come with a price. People will be required to submit to ungodliness and do things against God’s principles. I have to be clear that the Bible requires believers to submit to the authorities, but there will be a time when what we are told to do will be against God’s principles, just as the people of Babylon were compelled to bow down and worship someone and something that were not God (Daniel 3:4-6). Those with discernment will know that these things are wrong.
In the Babylonian empire, it wasn’t a matter of whether you were a Jew, an Assyrian, or something else. Daniel’s friends were thrown into the fire, not because of their religion or because they were called Jews, but because they actually listened to what God commanded. They obeyed God and did His will by not bowing to the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. This is what makes the difference in us as believers, not that we are merely called Christians, but because we actually obey and listen to what God says.
There might not be an issue in the future if you are called a Christian, but if you actually obey and do God’s will and follow His principles, there will be trouble. Many people will likely be deceived by this matter, as many believe that simply being called a Christian or a believer is sufficient. They may think that everything is fine since the authority (the system) allows them to be called Christians.
From the beginning, we see that God’s people got in trouble not only because they bore the name of a particular religion but also because they followed and obeyed God. Even if after they were persecuted for the sake of that name, for being called Christians, it was because someone who came before followed God’s will and principles under that name and made a difference.
The name “Christian” means a follower of Christ and was given for the first time in Antioch to the believers there (Acts 11:26). With time, this name kind of lost its true meaning as the persecution ended in part, and today, many people are called Christians just because of the geographical area where they live or because they might like some of the ideas Christianity represents.
With time, the meaning of the name “Christian” has faded away, and future persecution may not result from the name of the denomination one belongs to but will be based on whether you are actually following Christ’s ways. If we really follow Him, we know that there are things we mustn’t do because they are sinful and don’t fit with our nature anymore.
With the purported unity and freedom proclaimed in the end times, there will probably be freedom of belief (as it is already today), many religions will be promoted, and surely, Christianity will be among them. The problem will be with those who truly follow the principles of God and refuse to submit to the system enforced by the beast. Those Christians will be true believers. Also, today, we see that many people go to church and belong to the Christian religion, but how many of them truly believe?
Because the enemy has always been crafty, he will find a way to blind and deceive people. He will persecute the people who follow God in truth. Many others will probably bear the name of Christians but will not be persecuted because they will not do the will of God (that will be the problem) and will follow the beast. What will be the problem in front of God in that time is that people will not be following God’s will and observing His word. Still, they might even think that all is fine with them in front of Him, as they will still follow their traditions and be called Christians. Many people will be deceived by that in those days.
But we must not be deceived because we are called to follow in His footsteps and His way rather than just bearing His name outwardly. The enemy (the devil) is smart and knows best how to deceive people. There are many Christian denominations today, and we cannot say they all truly follow Christ’s way. Speaking about denominations, I am also referring to individuals, as we know that it is not always a matter of the denomination but of the believer belonging to that denomination if he personally walks the right path with God. The enemy has found a new way to blind us. The Word of God also says there will be many false Christs in the end times, and they will probably come with partial truths to deceive people.
In the Babylonian empire, some Jews actually did what God said by not bowing down to the golden statue, while others might have done so. Only those who actually did what God said by not bowing down to the golden statue made the difference, and only they were persecuted. The Scripture confirms that in the end times, people will be forced to put a mark on themselves, and the real believers, those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb, will not put it on. There will probably be people in that time called believers—Christians but who will not do what God commands.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-22).
I am not exalting here the works someone can do. Obviously, we are saved by faith, but if that faith is in us, it will cause us to follow and obey God’s will. In this passage from Matthew, we see that what really matters is to do God’s will. When someone is a true believer, they will act on that because it is a part of them, as God resides within them. In ancient Babylon, it wasn’t any problem where you were from or to which nation you belonged but whether you obeyed what you were told to do. “There is no problem with what you want to be or what you want to believe; you are free to choose; just do what we tell you to do, and at the moment we tell you.” This is how the situation with the authorities probably looked like at the times of ancient Babylon, and they probably held this opinion. This is how it could be also in the times to come.
Christians obviously obey the law, but when they are told to do something that is clearly against God’s will, they won’t do it. This behavior will distinguish them. Many people will probably be deceived in the end times because they will be given the freedom to be called Christians or whatever else, but when they are told to do something according to the laws and the system at the time, that will be wrong in God’s eyes, they will have to do it. I just think that it will be this way.
Christians will not be persecuted only because of the name they bear but because of doing God’s will. They will do God’s will by not following the system of the world. People nowadays are already doing this, but in the time to come, the way and system of the world will be compulsory to follow. I am not trying to suggest what the exact cause for the believers not to obey the system will be or what the mark of the beast will represent. There will be some specific reason for which they will not place it on themselves. I am just trying to point out what stands behind it. It will have to do with worship, as in both cases, in the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, people were required to bow down and worship something else rather than God. That’s why they refused to do it.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up’ ” (Daniel 3:16-18).
They were firm in their decision because they clearly knew the One they served. Nevertheless, when they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace, they encountered Jesus there and were delivered (Daniel 3:23-25). The fire did not deter them as they told King Nebuchadnezzar that even if they were not delivered, they would still be firm in their decision not to bow down to any other god but God whom they served.
Some people will be persecuted and killed in the end times. Not all will probably end up this way, but all will go through fire, which represents trials. Even today, when we choose not to bow down to the world, we go through fiery trials. Moments like this strengthen our faith as well. This is where we also meet Jesus. Perhaps the idea of global persecution of Christianity might sound awkward today, but we see another event taking place today, which is the return of paganism and idol worshiping, which becomes more popular by the day. There are people from Greece worshiping Zeus, people from Nordic countries - Thor and Odin - and many others returning to their ancient deities or witchcraft, which is also quite popular today. What does this mean? The real believers and followers of Christ have always been few and will be few in the future but with all these events happening, like people returning to their former beliefs and paganism, Christianity will slowly lose ground and popularity with time. At least real and pure Christianity as we know it. There will probably be certain water-washed Christian doctrines and people called Christians, but real Christianity based on sound biblical doctrine will lose popularity. These events might open the door and pave the way for a future persecution of Christianity. No one wants to go against something popular and acknowledged by the majority, but when there is a small minority left of it, same as the beginning of the Christian faith in the times of ancient Rome, it will happen. This is where this will lead in time, with the rise of all other old pagan beliefs today.
We also see that today’s world is oriented toward a socialistic movement. It is probably not socialism as we knew it in the past, but we can clearly see this idea advancing in our society as we see that this movement supports all these ideas—unity amongst all and a system that controls all under one rule. There are also some good sides of socialism (or communism), such as that this political idea doesn’t support racism and is for equity. This has been a sensitive topic in recent years because of the errors committed in the past. I am not against communism, and I am not supporting any other political idea. I am just saying that this idea, with the wrong spirit behind it and the intention to take God out of the scene, can be the perfect environment to bring in this new world order. Communism has some positive aspects because it promotes unity and equity, which are often discussed in the book of Acts (Acts 2:46-47 and Acts 4:34-35). It sounds like a very good idea with good principles. As people crave unity, peace, and one world government, I believe that the government and rule will be left-orientated in the future. It might not be called “communism”, but I think it will support some of its ideas. This is just a theory, though; we or the next generations will see what will happen.
The problem is that God is excluded from this idea. If He was in it, it could work and be really good and practical, but nevertheless, it is not. And here is where the deceit comes in. It comes when, apparently, there are good ideas and sound principles, but without God. This is how the enemy operates. He imitates and presents seemingly good ideas based on God's principles and ways but excludes God. Let's consider humanism as an example. It replaces God's love. We also see human wisdom instead of God's wisdom. These ideas may appear good, but they exclude God, who is obviously the most important and makes all these ideas practical. There are many good ideas and principles that humanity has set up, but they don’t work. This is because the real problem that causes them to fail lies in the human heart. The human heart is the issue, the heart without God. We often hear of peace, unity, love, etc., but how many of these things really happen? This is not because the intention was bad but because the One who can make it possible has been excluded.
In the past, in communist-governed countries, religious belief wasn’t supported, but the communists left a reduced number of churches controlled and governed by them. They were allowed to preach only what the government was letting them, and, in this way, the true gospel wasn’t preached. Those who rebelled were thrown into prison and tortured. This is what might happen in the future. Religion will be allowed, but the true gospel and belief in God will not be. Today, we are also witnessing the avid promotion of the idea of the separation of church and state in the places where the church was somehow involved in the governing system. This causes the church to not have cultural and moral influence in our society, and over time, it may become completely disconnected from its social values. That’s why the legal system we live in is slowly but surely moving away from the principles of God’s law.
I am not saying either that other political ideas or movements include God or glorify Him. They don’t do that because man, by himself in his natural state, is a sinner and is separated from God, and unfortunately, man is the one who stands behind politics. That’s why these ideas, which are manmade, don’t glorify God, no matter what. Yes, some of them might be better than others, but in general, our hope must be placed in Jesus and not in any man.
In these times, though, people are desperately looking for answers. They are in need of a leader. Someone who can give them the answers and the solutions they need. People don’t want to believe in something they cannot see, such as the man from Galilee who lived two thousand years ago and still lives today, but faith is needed to see Him. Instead, they want a leader they can see and touch.
“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them’ ” (1 Samuel 8:6-7).
Here, we see how the nation of Israel wanted to have its own king, as the other nations had. What we see from this passage is that they were rejecting God with this kind of petition. They preferred to have a man over them rather than God. This is because men generally don’t want to be submitted to someone they don’t see. It is difficult for us and our human nature to believe. We would always like to see and touch. That’s why, especially in these times to come, it will be much easier for people to submit and believe the promises of a man whom they see. This will be the antichrist who will apparently come up with answers and solutions for the people.
We see how the heart of men is in general from this passage in 1 Samuel. They wanted a king and a ruler they could see and touch, rather than God, whom they must believe in without seeing. Jesus also came as a man, but His purpose was not actually to establish His kingdom at that moment with Him as a man, but He rather came with the main purpose to sacrifice Himself for us, for our salvation. After that, He ascended and sent His Holy Spirit. His kingdom was not meant to be established in that way and at that time. His kingdom will be eternal, and it will not be in this world but in the one to come.
This leader (the antichrist) will apparently satisfy people as he will provide them with some answers and solutions they are looking for and will fill part of the void they have as they will be able to see him. Still, it will not be able to fill the void in their souls. This is the beast, the so-called antichrist. He will come and attract many persons to him and deceive them as he gives them answers and solutions for this life only and not for eternity, which only Christ can give.
There is another interesting fact that we can notice in the idea of socialism and communism. Besides putting God aside and persecuting those with real faith in Him, they also exalt their leaders as gods. In nearly every important institution, they have a picture of their leader, and they are quoted in a way that makes them seem much more than ordinary people. All of these make me think that, in one way or another, the idea of communism will be back, even though in another form, because it perfectly supports the ideas this world is pursuing now—the idea of unity, having one world system, social justice, and one leader uniting the people. That’s why my personal theory is that in the future, the world will be governed by a left-wing orientated movement, not necessarily called communism, but it will be from the left because of the ideas it promotes. This is just a theory and a personal opinion, though.
I am saying again that there is nothing wrong with some of these ideas if God isn’t excluded. I am speaking about the real God and His principles because, in the end, some kind of liberty in worship may be allowed, the same as in the Babylonian empire, where many nations gathered together and were allowed to have their own faith and worship but were also compelled to participate in certain beliefs such as having the king from that time as deity. This was and is against God’s standards because it is not good to have other gods beside Him and because that ruler will bring and promote sin and everything that is against God’s precepts, and whoever worships him will approve those things and probably have to partake of them.
We don’t know yet when all of these things will happen. As I said before, this is just a thought of what might happen at the end, an idea that is based on what we see in the scripture and what we see happening now in this world. We don’t know if things will happen exactly in this way, but one thing is sure: God is faithful to His Word and will fulfill what He said He would do.
It is a matter of time. A time that will not pass how we think it will. Even if some of these events occur, it might not mean that the end will come quickly. We don’t know for sure, as He said that no one knows that hour. All these things are like an alarm that should always remind us of what Jesus said in Matthew 24:42:
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
We must always do this no matter in what time we live. This is done by praying, seeking His presence, and being a light in this world, giving a daily example of how a believer should walk in God’s ways and live for others.
We live in perilous times, but what are the signs of the end times? How do we get ready for them and what are the things God requires from us in these times? Am I going to be ready? This book deals with the cultural movement that humanity is undertaking and some of the Biblical scriptures concerning the topic, giving a sober and practical view of what could happen in the coming days. No one knows the day or the hour but Jesus left us indications about the last times through which we can be guided and not remain in the dark. These indications through which we can see the signs of the times are found in God’s word, (the Bible) which is composed by the Old and the New Testament. This is the word to which now more than ever before we need to pay attention.
We can say together with apostle Peter:
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;” (NKJV, 2 Peter 1:19)
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