by Don McGee

No man, Bible prophecy teacher or not, can specifically predict what will happen in the future.  But, we have not been left in the dark about what is on the near horizon.  We can make some fairly good guesses by noting the past, seeing where we are presently and putting it all in perspective with the template of Bible prophecy.  And, the key to getting the clearest picture possible is the avoidance of both sensationalism and secular bias, for the former skews the truth and the latter denies it.  Said another way, to see what is coming simply examine what God has said then look at what is happening before your very eyes.

The world is falling down around us with no hope in sight from the secular viewpoint.  Yet, this fact is denied daily by those who believe in the power and determination of the human race.  They portray their secular hopes in movies, TV sitcoms, newspaper op-eds and by any other means possible.  The mantra goes something like this:  Yes, things are bad, but they’ve been bad before.  And, just as we’ve solved serious problems before, we will do it again.  All we need to do is to come together, pool our resources, choose a real leader, get rid of nationalism and borders, restrict personal liberty for the good of the planet, focus on the godhood that is in all of us and we will most certainly overcome. This is the kind of claptrap that comes from politicians and cultured secularists who are clueless about what God has said.  Reminds me of President Obama when he said Tiger Woods has in himself what he needs to overcome his rampant infidelity.

Consider several things that might be on the future’s short list.

Increasing trend toward Globalism

Globalism is officially defined as a national geopolitical policy in which the entire world is regarded as the appropriate sphere for a state’s influence.  In plain language it means the world becomes a single state.  To add more clarity I would add that it emphasizes the centralization of political, economic and military power along with a singular, inclusive religion.  The European Union is a good example of evolving globalism in that EU member states have essentially given up sovereignty in order to be part of it.  The United States is more deeply involved in the globalist effort than many might think.  This is seen, among many ways, in our judicial system where any number of judges, including some members of the U.S. Supreme Court, advocate taking foreign law into consideration when establishing legal precedent.

The effort of globalizing the planet is not limited to money and pure politics.  Globalists understand they must necessarily destroy the very foundation of biblical order, and that is the family.  We might expect continued pressure on the U.S. Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  This global directive has been ratified by every member of the UN except Somalia and the United States, and Somalia has said they will ratify it.  All signatories are required to “act in the best interest of the child”, with the world-state deciding what is best.  Basically, the eventual result will be American legal sovereignty being trumped, and especially the rights of parents.  Is the United States ready for world bureaucrats to dictate to parents how to raise their children?

Globalization will produce a legal system wherein parents who teach their children the biblical worldview will be charged with child abuse, or reckless endangerment, or some other indictment requiring state custody of their children.

Growing Islamic Influence and Belligerence

On the Temple Mount in Jerusalem there are water faucets where Moslems wash their feet before going into the mosques to pray to Allah.  America, however, does not provide public foot-washing faucets.  So, at the Indianapolis airport in 2007 Moslem taxi drivers decided to wash their feet in the sinks in the traveler’s restrooms before praying, something found to be disgusting to travelers.  Since political correctness requires Moslems be appeased at any cost to everybody else, the new addition to the airport buildings included floor-level sinks for the dirty feet.

Moslems in some areas of America are wanting to be governed by Islamic sharia law instead of American law.  The thing about Islamic law is it is not merely part of their religion, it is the basis for life; a 7th century pagan lifestyle to be exact.  What most people do not understand is Islam is not simply about going to a mosque, but it is about what you eat, what school you attend, how you dress, who you hate, how many wives a man has, etc.

And, Moslems are now being welcomed into our government.  President Hussein Obama has appointed two Moslems to very important and sensitive positions in the U.S. government.  Arif Alikhan is now Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the Dept. of Homeland Security, and Kareem Shora (born in Syria) is now a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.  Both are referred to by the Obama administration as “devout Moslems”.

In the same vein, watch for Iran to increase her animosity toward all things Christian and Jewish.  The threats from the ayatollahs and Ahmadinejad will not likely go away.  Especially as they near the completion of an atomic weapon and its delivery system.

Ongoing dilution of Christianity

Sectarianism based upon opinion is not only not good, but is unbiblical (Romans 14).  Equally true is the fact that taking a strong stand for biblical truth is not only good, but is biblical (Jude 3,4).  Yet, modern religionists do not agree, for they seem to really enjoy their pompous smiles and pursed lips as they label “fundamentalists” as unsophisticated religious morons.  Religious inclusiveness will persist in being the new god of the religiously sophisticated crowd, and it will continue to happen in direct proportion to the dilution of biblical truth.

Sadly, many of those people are at least somewhat biblically literate.  That is, they were biblically sound at some point in their lives.  Though they know the truth, yet they place themselves in that crowd for social and business reasons justifying it all by pointing to what they call narrow-minded parents, and closed-minded churches.  Truth becomes no longer important as long as they are lauded and labeled as “progressive” by modern emergent church leaders and friends.

The result is two-fold: First, people go where they will hear what they want to hear about themselves.  Nothing is said from the pulpit about sin, righteousness and coming judgment.  Those subjects are too passé and uninspiring, you see.  Second, the shell of the modern church appears clean and polished from the outside, but the inside is putrefied with spiritual rot as seen by the growing attitude that God is no longer to be honored and respected, but rather He becomes everybody’s home-boy/good-buddy.  Add to that, if you will, a cavalier, if not down-right militant, opinion regarding prophecy.  The slope becomes so slippery that the truth is soon unrecognizable.  Quickly, the slide becomes so steep and the ride becomes so exhilarating that people do not see the destructive end.

Harassment of Christians

It is not only coming, it is here!  In Santa Rosa County, California “communication with a deity” is prohibited, school officials cannot bow their heads if someone else is praying and they cannot reply to any email that contains religious language.  Nurse Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo has sued Mt. Sinai Hospital for forcing her to participate in an abortion, or face disciplinary action.  Toni Lemly won her court case in Louisiana when she was fired for refusing to administer the “morning after pill”.  A Christian photographer in New Mexico was found guilty of discrimination when he refused to photograph a homosexual “wedding”.  Julea Ward is suing Eastern Michigan University because they dismissed her from a counseling program because she refused to affirm homosexual behavior.  (All cases cited above are from World, 16 January 2010, p. 48).

Expect such cases to increase in number.  Christians are going to be stripped of their “right of conscience” at every opportunity.  And, in the near future this will not only apply to public jobs and private enterprise as we understand those terms, but we can look for freedom of conscience to be attacked should a member of the U.S. military refuse to take part in future martial-law operations against what Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano calls those right-wing, religious, military-veterans who are against homosexual rights and abortion.

Think it can’t happen?  History students remember Union General Benjamin “The Beast” Butler and his infamous Order # 28 for women in New Orleans in 1862.  It stated, Any woman who might “By word, gesture, or movement show contempt for any officer or soldier” could be used as a “woman of the town plying her vocation.” Could be used as a prostitute. In essence rape was legalized under martial law, and it was not just the suspension of civil liberty that was so egregious, but the vindictive, in-your-face attitude of the U.S. government.

The use of the military in civilian law enforcement duties is prohibited by the “Posse Comitatus Act” (Latin: force, or power, of the county).  However, this prohibition is suspended during times of insurrection or national disaster.  Hence when a U.S. president declares martial-law a number of constitutional liberties are ignored.  The logical question is what defines insurrection or national disaster?  The answer is it depends on who is president and what is his agenda.  You see how far this can go.  You might wish to read the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act which went into effect 17 October 2006, particularly Section 1076 regarding use of the Armed Forces during emergencies.

What will happen when an Army MP platoon shows up at someone’s home or church with orders to arrest and detain a private citizen for speaking out against the government during an incident some president has declared as a “public insurrection or national disaster”?  It is not easy to think about it, but it appears these matters are presently being discussed at numerous coffee klatches and other gatherings.  As one national reporter said last year, such fear and distrust of government has not been seen since 1860.

And, this kind of distrust is not owned solely by Americans, but essentially by the whole world.  What is happening in America has already happened in Europe, Asia, Russia, South America, etc.  The careful observer will see something coming together on a worldwide scale that is unprecedented.  Further, that “something” is not so much a visible plan-by-the-numbers, but more of an ebbing and flowing process that has no definite form, at least at this point.  Yet, like a shapeless flow of lava, it slowly, but surely captures and consumes all resistance.  The result of this process will be chaos and fear, and will thus solidify to become the stage upon which anti-Christ will appear.  He will appease the masses, and replace chaos and fear with stability.  And, by that time the world will be so tired of terror and turmoil it will welcome him with open arms and at any cost.

Is the world re-living the 1930s?  Though not entirely the same, yet there are some parallels.  In 1938 Mao Zedong, the late and bloody Chinese Communist dictator, said, “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”  Adolf Hitler had the same philosophy.  His SS and Gestapo henchmen were fond of saying to those who opposed Nazism based upon the rule of German law:  “You have your law and I have my gun.  Who do you think will win?”

So, what is the bottom line?  Things will not get any better.  The U.S. Constitution cannot hold back a demonically inspired agenda when it has the backing of powerful political figures.  But, do not fear.  God told us it would be this way.  As we race toward socialism and totalitarianism (national and international) we fight those battles we can, but our real hope is not in human government because even the best is tainted.  Actually, our hope is in the imminent rapture of the church.  And regarding the liberty-robbing agendas of puny human demagogues, do not worry — Jesus will not only pour out His wrath on their fiefdoms for seven years, but during the ensuing millennium He will smash every dictator-want-to-be into submission and make them like it.  Thank God there is more to the kind of life we were created by God to live than what can be found on this present earth.

And, those around us need to hear this message of hope.  They do not know the truth, and thus live in fear and anxiety.  What a joy it is to see despair become hope in the lives of those who were formerly called “earth dwellers”.