Do Not Fear the End Times Part 58: When Things Look Bad, Look up

So Do Not Fear the End Times. Don’t be afraid of the antiChrist or his evil New World Order system. When we’re worried, when we’re depressed about the End, all we have to do is pray.

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Hello Readers, hope all’s well. Time for another End Times post.

Today I’m going to briefly touch on a few topics. I won’t go into detail on them though. Today I want to share with you about what my church has been talking about lately. My church, like many others, believes that we have reached the End of the End Times. That we are truly in the last of the final days, and that the antiChrist and his evil New World Order system will soon appear. And I agree.

Sometimes thinking about the antiChrist, the New World Order, and the End of this world gets me down. I’m sad to think about all the death, chaos, suffering, enslavement, and evil that’s coming our way. But a comment from a fellow Christian reminded me why we have no reason to fear any of these evil things. And that’s all because of our Faith in Jesus. With Jesus, we have nothing to fear, not even death itself! So while we must acknowledge that the pieces are in place for the antiChrist and his evil system to be revealed, we must also remember the promises of God’s Word, stand strong in our Faith, and never fear.

So that’s the topic for today. Let’s get right into it.

Pray for all Persecuted Christians

Last night at my church’s Bible study, there was a presentation on the New World Order. On the coming of the antiChrist, the age of the antiChrist. We heard about topics like the end of the current monetary system, the mark of the beast, and other things like that. The main thing we heard about was the foretold persecution of the church, which will happen in the future.

To see examples of what this will look like, we only need to look at how Christians in some countries are persecuted today. Because in some places in this world, Christians and the church already face harsh persecution. We learned about that during this Bible study presentation.

First, before anything else I’d like to say that I’m grateful for the blessing of living in a place where I’m able to practice my Christian Faith. I’m grateful for the blessing of living in a place where we can gather as Christians for our church service. I’m grateful not to be persecuted for my Faith. I know other Christians around the world aren’t so lucky, and we must pray for them.

I’m grateful I don’t have to face horrible violence, imprisonment, intimidation, or even murder for practicing my Faith or going to church.

Even in countries where Christianity is legal, there can still be persecution of Christians. Persecution against Christians is high in India and China, we were told. In China, for example, even though Christianity is legal, there’s an agent of the Chinese communist party at every church service. That agent is there to make sure the pastor or anyone else doesn’t say anything against the communist party of China. The party wants to make sure the state and the communist party are always revered more than God.

As you can imagine, this would place severe limits on what the pastor can say. Christianity is not compatible with worship of the state. Our loyalty is to Jesus first, above all else. But if a pastor in China wants to give an authentic sermon, with an authentic Christian message, he could be risking prison or worse. He might even be putting his congregation at risk, if he chooses to give an authentic sermon. So what should he do, as a pastor? He has a responsibility to be a Spiritual leader for his people, but he also doesn’t want to cause them harm. So what’s the answer?

I’ll only say that I’m grateful to God this isn’t a question I’m forced to deal with. I don’t have to balance these options in my head. I dread having to do so.

I’m in awe of the strong Faith that Christians who face persecution have. I’ve never lived in a country where going to church could make me the target of violence, or put me in prison. But there are Christians around the world who face all this and more because of their desire to worship and praise our LORD.

Those of us in countries where we don’t face persecution must learn from the example of Christians who face persecution every day. We need to have strong Faith like they do. We need to have Faith that’s so strong, we can go to church and face persecution with a calm heart like they do, because we trust everything to God, we believe His Word, and we know that everything will be alright no matter what happens to us on earth. We need to have Faith like theirs.

Rest assured this will become relevant to all Christians one day soon enough. In the age of the antiChrist, all Christians and churches will be persecuted. This might seem far-fetched to some, but Scripture tells us this will happen. The church will face worsening persecution worldwide as we get closer to the End. That persecution is coming soon, our pastors say.

The Pieces Are in Place

I’m not going to go into detail about the antiChrist and his system right now. I’m only going to summarize some points to be aware of as his appearance and rise draws closer.

The rise of the antiChrist is inevitable. If we read all the way through Revelation, we see nothing in there about God stopping it from happening, much less any group of humans. It’s going to happen because it’s all part of God’s Plan. There is no stopping this. There’s no human on earth who has the power to stop this. And that’s because God does not Will that this should be stopped.

Remember, Jesus told us that these things must happen. He also told us that the persecution we’re going to face is a part of these tribulations. He warned us that all peoples and nations will hate us on account of His name. He warned us. But He didn’t warn us because there’s anything we can do to stop this or avoid it. No, He warned us so we can get ready in our hearts. So we can get ready for this Spiritually. He warned us so we can prepare to suffer and “die,” physically, so that we may have eternal life for staying Faithful to Him.

(6) You will hear about wars and reports of wars. Don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. (7) Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in all sorts of places. (8) But all these things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. (9) They will arrest you, abuse you, and they will kill you. All nations will hate you on account of my name.

Matthew 24:6-9 (CEB)

Now the age of the antiChrist truly seems like it’s here. Most of the pieces appear to be in place now, from what we know. So we really need to be ready now for our coming persecution and suffering.

Remember: We can’t stop this. There’s nothing in Revelation that says we can stop it. It’s not God’s Will that we stop it. But what we can do is stay strong in our Faith, and endure. We can endure the suffering and never renounce our Faith in Jesus. That’s all we can do here. And it’s going to take all we’ve got.

Most Christians understand the mark of the beast to be an RFID microchip implant or something like that, which all people will be forced to put in their hand or on their forehead. The technology now exists to give the mark of the beast to the whole world. This is one piece that hasn’t been in place before the 21st century. But it can be deployed anytime now.

In Revelation 13, we learn about the beast, and the mark of the beast. We learn once the beast arises and gains its temporary authority, it will force everyone to have a mark put on their right hand or forehead. Anyone who doesn’t have this mark will not be allowed to buy or sell anything. So anyone without the mark of the beast will be completely shut out from the economy.

(16) It [the second beast] forces everyone—the small and great, the rich and poor, the free and slaves—to have a mark put on their right hand or on their forehead. (17) It will not allow anyone to make a purchase or sell anything unless the person has the mark with the beast’s name or the number of its name. (18) This calls for wisdom. Let the one who understands calculate the beast’s number, for it’s a human being’s number. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.

Revelation 13:16-18 (CEB)

Our pastors are warning us about this now, because conditions are ripe around the world for introducing this mark of the beast. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc with the global economy. Every country is facing a financial emergency, or already wrestling with it. Many people are already experiencing homelessness and destitution, which many more facing the threat of it. The world’s economy appears ready to collapse at any moment. When it does, the time is ripe to bring about the “Great Reset.”

The “Great Reset” is a total reset of the world’s economy. Surely, an economy with this much inequality and this many people in poverty is unsustainable. We can all agree on that. If only there were a Godly “Great Reset” incoming, that would be a good thing. But the problem is this coming “Great Reset” could be used to introduce the mark of the beast. The “Great Reset” could be an opportunity to end our current economic system, and put an end to money altogether.

The end of all money appears to be an important part of the antiChrist’s system, because it’s an opportunity to deploy the mark of the beast to replace money. That’s one more reason why the economic crises around the world are so troubling. The situation is dire right now … but it could be about to get worse. Much worse.

Again, I’m not going to go into detail about the antiChrist and his New World Order system. That’s a topic for another time. I only wrote this to tell you what we’re hearing about it in church. This is what my church is talking about. I agree it definitely appears that the age of the antiChrist is almost here. Many pieces are now in place, like I said. They can launch their endgame whenever they like.

But here’s what I think is more important for us to understand, as Christians. The rise of the antiChrist is inevitable. It’s foretold in Scripture, and all part of God’s Plan. There is no stopping it. And this is good news, because … it doesn’t matter, in the End. The antiChrist will be destroyed, along with the rest of this fallen world. As long as we stand firm in our Faith in Jesus, none of this will matter.

This Is what We’ve Been Waiting for!

All this talk of the rise of the antiChrist, the New World Order, it can really bring our mood down. It’s kind of depressing to talk about, and even I feel depressed about it sometimes. But why, though? Of course I don’t want to see all the suffering, death, and enslavement of the world. But even though that will happen, there still is actually no reason to feel depressed, anxious, or fearful for the rise of the antiChrist and the NWO. Let’s think about it.

Let’s start with the obvious: The end of this fallen world is a good thing! The end of this fallen world is something we want!

I wrote about this all the way back in Part 7 and Part 12. Revelation 21 and 22 tell us that God will destroy this fallen world. It won’t be a metaphorical or symbolic destruction. No, he will actually destroy this planet and everything we know. He will do this because the world has been corrupted. Ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden, ever since the original sin, this world has deviated from God’s Design. And everyone on earth is well familiar with the consequences of this. We live them every day. Allow me to explain.

If we look through the Old Testament, we see that life has always been painful here in this fallen world. There has always been sin. Greed, poverty, inequality, injustice, hatred, murder, racism, persecution, and so much more. Every evil we suffer in our world today, it has been a problem since the earliest days. Since the time of the Old Testament. These evils are a fact of life here in our sinful, fallen world.

And this is all thanks to the devil and how he corrupted mankind with sin in the Garden of Eden. Satan is the one responsible for all these social evils and injustices. He is the one responsible for all the hatred. He is the one to blame for everything that’s gone wrong in this world. For now, this world is in his power. There are a few mentions of this in the New Testament. The most blunt and straightforward is 1 John 5:19.

(19) We know we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 5:19 (CEB)

So this world is under Satan’s control for now, and that’s the reason for all the evil and injustice. That’s the reason for all our pain. Then why would we ever feel sad about the end of this sinful, fallen world that has deviated from God’s Design?

The End of this fallen world is nothing to be sad about! It’s cause for joy! The End of this fallen world means the end of Satan’s evil reign, and the beginning of God’s new world! This is what we’ve been waiting for, this is what we want!!

It’s a good thing this fallen world will soon come to an end. Remember, God won’t create His new world without destroying this one first. And His new world will be His true Vision for humanity and the world. Before we can have that, we need to first allow what we have now to die. Don’t be afraid of the End of this world. Something infinitely better is coming! Something that won’t be corrupted by Satan.

As for Satan, he knows this is happening and he hates it. Revelation 10 explains that Satan will rage harder than ever before in the End Times, knowing his time is up. He will cause as much chaos and suffering as possible, in the hope of deceiving as many Christians as he can. The chaos of the world in these final days shows how desperately Satan is raging and thrashing about. It will get worse before it gets better, but it will also be over soon. Satan’s time is up. Jesus is Victorious, and the devil will be thrown down.

(10) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,
“Now the salvation and power and kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ have come.
The accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them day and night before our God,
has been thrown down.
(11) They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb
and the word of their witness.
Love for their own lives didn’t make them afraid to die.
(12) Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them.
But oh! The horror for the earth and sea!
The devil has come down to you with great rage,
for he knows that he only has a short time.”

Revelation 12:10-12 (CEB)

So we have nothing to fear. There will be great chaos, there will be the antiChrist and his evil New World Order, there will be suffering and death and persecution. But don’t let love for our own lives make us afraid to die, like verse 11 says! If we’re saved Christians, none of this suffering will matter in the end.

When Things Look Bad … Look up

So during this presentation at Bible study, someone got up and made a comment that I wanted to make. He said it much better, and much shorter than I could have though. His message was: Don’t worry, trust in God, everything will be alright.

First he talked about someone he knows who needs insulin to live. If we can’t buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast in the antiChrist’s New World Order system, then this person won’t be able to pay for their insulin. Without their insulin, they’re going to suffer a painful death. And yet, he said, we need to trust in God that He will take care of us. And if we die, so be it. If we’re saved Christians, we don’t have anything to worry about when we die. When we die we will go to be with Jesus, and all our problems will be over.

Death holds no more sting, no more power over us. We have no need to fear death. And although we may suffer before we die, our suffering is nothing compared to Christ’s. Beyond that, our suffering, as bad as it might be, will only last for a short time. Our eternal life will last forever.

So he finished by saying something that sums it all up much better than I ever could. This says it all:

When things look bad, look up.

Amen. What more do we need to say? If we’re worried, pray to Jesus. That’s the only answer. Jesus is on our side, He is always with us, until the End.

(20) teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.

Matthew 28:20 (CEB)

We have no reason to fear—the King of Kings is on our side! The Son of God, who conquered death itself! The one with the power and authority to forgive us our sins, and to destroy the demons that plague this world on His return! With this ultimate ally on our side, who can be against us? Everything will be alright!

(31) So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Romans 8:31 (CEB)

We will suffer for a short time and die. But this would be true no matter what, because our bodies age, decay, and die. Whether the antiChrist is responsible is irrelevant to that. But our suffering is so temporary, and our true life of rest and companionship with God is eternal. Never forget that! Everything will be OK, because Jesus Christ will protect us and take care of us. He is always with us.

What’s going to happen will happen. There’s nothing we can do to stop it. There’s no political candidate we can vote for who will stop it. Jesus said these things must happen, so we know they will. But we also know which side claims the ultimate Victory, in the End!

The end of this world means the beginning of God’s new world! And we can’t have God’s new world until this one is destroyed. Read Revelation 21 and 22, and understand the paradise that is coming with God’s new world. Understand, and that will take away all your fear. Never be afraid to change or move to something new. Have Faith. What God has in store for those who love Him is infinitely better than anything we can imagine now, today. We have no idea of it, because we’ve never seen anything like it before.

So Do Not Fear the End Times. Don’t be afraid of the antiChrist or his evil New World Order system. Rejoice that we’re one step closer to the end of this fallen world, and the beginning of God’s new world. Rejoice that we’re one step closer to the return of our LORD and Savior. He is always with us to the End. He is with us in our suffering and trials, and He will save us from the true death. When we have our eternal life with Him in Heaven, nothing that happened to us on earth will matter at all.

So when we’re worried, when we’re depressed about the End, all we have to do is pray. When things look bad, look up.

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Until next time, be strong and do good!

Your new best friend in Christ,

99:9

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