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The Church of Jesus Christ on the Last Part of the Way - Part I
by Marcel Malgo (c) copyright 2009
What awaits us in these last days? What should Christians expect? These are a few of the important questions this article will address.
In his first letter, the Apostle John wrote these words to the believing brethren: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18). When we consider that the apostle wrote these words about 1,950 years ago, how applicable must they be today! In other words, today more than ever we are living in the “last time.”
What is so characteristic of the last time? Is it so peaceful so that we can sit down with our hands in our laps and wait for things to happen? On the contrary. Battles and unrest characterize the last time, because many antichrists have come and there can be no talk of peace. That is why we must take heed when people speak of a time of peace. Even the Apostle Paul warned of this: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Paul is speaking here of the final returnof the Lord and warns us of being lulled to sleep in the expectation of this event. There can be no rest for those of us who believe in Jesus, for this last time is the hour of the Antichrist.
John wasn’t the only one who wroteabout this negative aspect of the endtimes. Paul wrote these inspired words to Timothy: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). How do we know Paul was referring to anti-Christians here, and not simply to unbelievers? He characterized these people as “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” These people will give the impression that they are on the side of Jesus Christ, but they will not act in accordance with His words, which is exactly how the anti-Christian spirit will be manifested. The Antichrist will give the impression of being Christ, the Messiah, by appearing to be a benefactor and bringing peace. But soon he will reveal himself as the son of the devil.
Our present day is a very restless time, because many antichrists are in our midst, but this also has a very comforting side for born-again Christians.
Encouragement for Children of God
The Lord Jesus encouraged His own with the words, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We may hold up the banner of this glorious truth as a sign of victory, even if we know of the troubles and battles of this time. We must realize continually that our troubles are never greater than our Helper. We are in this evil world, but we have the Victor of Calvary at our side. This is why it says in John’s first epistle, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 1:4).
Although we feel the spirit from below like a breath from hell and we often fear, especially in this last hour, we may look up to Jesus in the midst of even the greatest storms and hear Him say, “I have overcome the world.” If you are miserable now, you must encourage yourself and say aloud, “Jesus is Victor! He has overcome the world!” This does not disregard the fact that we really are living in the last hour and that the evening began, from a spiritual point of view, long ago. The sun has gone down, the night has not yet come, but the Church stands before the Rapture and the judgment upon this world is very near. What will thisevening, this last hour, bring? What can we expect?
In order to answer these sometimes frightening questions, it is helpful to consider some of the events in the lives of Jesus’ disciples that teach us to trust our wonderful Lord Jesus completely in every situation.
A Prophetic Vision for Our Time
In John 6:16-18 we read, “When even was now come, his disciples went down into the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.” It was already evening when the disciples got into a boat and sailed across the sea towards Capernaum. This is a clear prophetic picture for our time, which has already produced many antichrists. Spiritual darkness and uncertainty have filled many people with fear and trembling — even driving some to commit suicide.
Those who have not yet become children of God through faith in the Son of God always have reason to be afraid, for we are living in a demonic time, a time of confusion in which evil has already taken on enormous proportions, and uncertainty is our main problem. When the Lord Jesus spoke of His coming in great power and glory (not about the Rapture) He said something else had to happen first: “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). We can already feel this fear Jesus spoke about today. It has come upon mankind like a paralysis. Even creation is subject to it, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in Rome: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19).
We who have become children of God cannot escape this. We are not subject to the spirit of fear, but we are still in the world, and we are often surrounded on all sides by a breath from hell. Jesus did not say that His own did not need to fear, but, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” If we abide in Him, however, the world cannot touch us, then we will be “more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). That is the difference between the children of this world who are so full of fear and the children of God who can overcome it in the name of Jesus.
Yet we may not rest in a false sense of security, for we also, as children of God, have to deal with this deceitful anti-Christian spirit. In John 6:16-17 we read, “And when even was come, his disciples went down unto the sea, and entered into a ship, and went over the sea towards Capernaum.” They were not just any people, but disciples of Jesus who wanted to go to Capernaum. Of course Jesus knew that a storm would arise on the sea, but He did not prevent His disciples from embarking on this dangerous journ e y. It is just the same with us who believe in Him today. Jesus didn’t promise a little heaven on earth to His own, to which we can withdraw to wait until He comes. No, He put us in this demonic world to spread the Gospel in word and deed to people who are not yet believers. He did, however, give us a letter of safe conduct: His victory over this world. And through this letter of safe conduct we will arrive safely, even if we are often in uncertainty, or even fear, when the waves of the sea often threaten to cover us and drown us. We may even look forward to the day when we meet Jesus, because the goal before us is infinitely glorious. Jesus’ disciples on the Sea of Galilee rowed into the dark night and the arising storm brought them into great uncertainty, but they had a glorious goal before their eyes: Capernaum.
Capernaum: Only a Little Fishing Village?
What was so special about Capernaum, which means “village of Nahum”? Although Capernaum was an ordinary fishing village, it had something special about it. We read in Mark 2:1, “And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and in was noised that he was in the house.” The New International Version of the Bible translates the verse this way: “the people heard that he had come home.” Certainly Capernaum was Jesus’ home during His life on earth, or, as Matthew 9:1 says, “his own city.” That is why it says also in Matthew 4:13, “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast.”
Although the disciples were in a boat in the dark night, and their unrest increased as the waters of the Sea of Galilee were suddenly troubled by a strong wind, they were still on the way to the city of Jesus and His home, Capernaum. What a glorious goal they had before them! It is the same for us today. Darkness and uncertainty are the characteristics of our time, which is already very demonized and full of heresies. The evil in the world has increased alarmingly. In spite of this, those who belong to the Church of Jesus are on their way to the eternal Father’s house, the heavenly Jerusalem. You may also find yourself on this way to your heavenly homeland, which sometimes seems to be almost too difficult, child of God. It is good to enter through the straight gate and to walk on the narrow way, for only this leads to Jesus, who is life (Matthew 7:14). There is room for many on the broad way; many things are tolerated, even if they are diametrically opposed to the Word of God. The broad way does not lead to Jesus in the Father’s house, however, but to a completely different place: “Broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13). The narrow way has room for only two people: you and Jesus. Fight the good fight of faith, because this way holds many trials and temptations.
But we can overcome all our fears and troubles by knowing that Jesus, the conqueror, is with us, by proclaiming His victory, and by turning our eyes continually upon the goal, “Capernaum,” the heavenly city, our homeland.
How moving Jesus’ words are concerning the homeland of the believers, the heavenly “Capernaum,” the eternal house: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” Why shouldn’t we be troubled? “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3). Here also the caring, protecting love of the Savior is revealed, which we have already seen in John 16:33: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
The victory of Jesus not only enables us to say with confidence that “He helps me in trouble,” but also assures us that, “In these troubles I am on the way to His city, the eternal homeland, where Jesus Christ, as the heavenly architect, is building homes.” What wonderful grace, what a wonderful hope!
Deception of the Last Times: Self-Satisfaction
In John 6:16-17 we saw prophetically, in the picture of the disciples in the darkness on the stormy Sea of Galilee, the Church of Jesus Christ on the last part of the way. What took place, however, just before this? The disciples had been in the midst of a crowd when the five thousand people had just been fed (John 6:1-15). Then suddenly they had been taken out of the security of the throngs of people to the solitude of being in a boat alone in the dark night.
This also seems to point to the situation of the Church of Jesus Christ on the last part of the way, on which the Lord is beginning to prepare the believers for His soon coming.
How does this preparation take place? The Lord Jesus is taking individual Christians out of the masses and beginning to work on them personally. Why is He doing this? Because the spirit of Laodicea is at work in the Church today. Spiritually speaking, we are living in the time of the church of Laodicea, and this is one of the signs that we really are living in the last times. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). What is the deception of the latter times? At the time of the church of Laodicea it was self-satisfaction: “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17). Today many churches are boasting, “We are doing well. Look how many people are coming to our meetings. We know what we’re doing and how to do it!” How does such a superficial judgment come about? I believe it comes about through the suggestive power of the masses. What do I mean by this? Many Christians are in great danger of falling prey to the so-called herd instinct. In other words, they only feel at home in the masses. This was never God’s intention, however. No, He wants to have a completely personal relationship with each of His children. Because only few Christians, however, attain inner peace and intimatefellowship with the Father and the Son through reading the Bible and prayer, this fateful herd instinct has developed. Many believers only feel at home when they are in the midst of hundreds or even thousands of otherChristians and can warm themselves in their company. But true life and warmth can only be found in Jesus Christ.
Many Christians run from one Christian event to another and from one conference to another. And some of them are proud of being able to say that they have not missed any of them. I am not against meetings where many people hear the Wo rd of God; I pray for these and am glad for them. But in the midst of thousands of Christians and the feeling of belonging to them, individual believers are often no longer conscious of the fact that they are on a spiritual decline. They may no longer be able to judge the standard of their own spiritual life. Under the mass effect they think that everything is in perfect order. This is often the trouble today: people think they have everything, whereas in reality they have nothing left, as it once was with Laodicea.
Beware of “Strange” Fire
The many activities in the church at Laodicea were well organized, but the believers there did not do what God actually wanted. This is why, in His eyes, they actually had nothing, and He had to reproach them: “and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
This is the case in many places today as well. Christians are perfectly organized, but they are not an organism, i.e., they are not an entity in Christ. This is why we have so much “strange fire” in the churches. What do I mean by this? Everything appears to be in order and so-called manifestations of the Spirit seem to be present, but much of it is fake: fake blessings, fake experiences, fake revelations, fake works. Worst of all, however, is that fake activities are present in many churches today.
This was already a great evil under the Old Covenant, when two sons of the high priest of that time thought they should engage in special activities. It seems that it was not enough for them to bring the burnt offerings that the Lord had ordered. No, in their eyes, something special had to be done for the Lord, not just by anyone, but by them. But in God’s eyes this was sheer disobedience, which is why His punishment was not long in coming. We read of this in Leviticus 10:1-2: “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron , took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” Strange fire, or false activity, resulted in the death of two of the sons of Aaron .
Strange fire also brought down Laodicea, and it will also cause our spiritual death if we do not turn away from it and do what God wants us to do. Why, in spite of your intensive Christian activity, do you no longer have the joy of the Lord in your heart, but you sense only emptiness, discontent and sadness? Why is your prayer life so meager? Why do you have no real fellowship with the Lord? Because God says “no” to discipleship, which is made up of self-appointed works and activities, through which your spiritual life is consumed by this strange fire.
Religious self-satisfaction reveals itself today in that people think they have to plan as many activities as possible, whereby Jesus Christ is often “organized out” or “planned out.” And false means is a direct result of such self-appointed false activities. We often hear the expression, “the end justifies the means,” but it should rather be, “the means change the end.” Under the Old Covenant, the Lord lamented, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). The Israelites employed false means to nourish their spiritual lives, but the Lord wanted no part in this. And He does not want any part in it today.
Who rejoices when we have no or only a half-hearted “yes” to God’s acting in and with our lives? Satan: the enemy of God and man. James wrote in his letter, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). In other words, Satan and the demons never tremble on account of us, however much we do. But the powers of darkness tremble when He has His rightful place in a person’s life.
How Does God Accomplish His Purpose for Your Life?
God accomplishes His purpose for your life by taking you out of the masses, as He did with the disciples in order to have a personal encounter with them. This was also His offer to Laodicea: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). I with Him and He with me; nobody else is present. Applied to you personally, this means Jesus is with you and you are with Him. He wants to have this personal relationship with each of His children in our time when the spirit of Laodicea, the spirit of self-satisfaction, is so much at work. For this reason, the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 have never been so pertinent as they are today, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” The Lord is concerned with individuals. Of course He wants to prepare every believer in the world, but not every believer is willing to be called out of the masses to walk with Jesus alone. Many rebel, and many believers think God has set them aside because they failed here and there, and that is why they are now forsaken by God and man. But when God calls one of His children out of the masses, He wants to prepare that person for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. Every born-again person wants to be there when Jesus comes, but not all are willing to let the Lord prepare them for it, and they resist being called out of the masses by Him.
A Way We Do Not Like
What does it mean when the Lord calls individuals out of the masses? It can mean that this way becomes very lonely, very difficult, a way that we would not have chosen. The disciples at that time would never have undertaken that journey on the Sea of Galilee of their own accord, but it says, “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away” (Matthew 14:22). It does not say that any of the disciples disobeyed Jesus’ instructions to get on the boat. Instead, “his disciples… entered into a ship, and wentover the sea” (John 6:16-17).
What about you, my dear friend? Will you go the way that Jesus tells you to, even if it seems very difficult? Believe me, it is a great privilege when the Lord takes you aside because it means He wants to prepare you for His return. It may well be that you find such a way very hard, because you often have the feeling the Lord is not with you and you are completely alone.
The feeling of abandonment must have come over the disciples at that time on the stormy Sea of Galilee. Jesus had told them to get into the boat, but He was not with them Himself. Where was He then, when His disciples were in such a plight? He was on a mountain: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23). Doesn’t this suggest that Jesus was praying, among other things, for His disciples, who felt so alone? Certainly He was concerned about them and brought them in
prayer before His heavenly Father.
My dear child of God, do you also think the Lord has forsaken you and that you are all on your own? This is not so. Hear the following three glorious testimonies of the Scriptures:
* “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
* “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).
* “ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Do you believe now that the Lord Jesus means well with you and that you are never really alone? Or do you need further confirmation that He has not left you alone? When you came to believe in Jesus Christ, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, who is God just as the Father and the Son, “that he may abide with you for ever…for he dwelleth in you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).
Preparation “In the Depths”
Because the Almighty God wants to prepare you for the coming of His Son and only wants the best for you, you may say to Him in complete trust, “Yes, Your will is good, Lord.” If He goes with you into the depths, do not be afraid, for there you will experience the necessary and best preparation, because there are many truths that you can only grasp in the depths. The Psalmist also had this experience when he was in the depths, and therefore he prayed, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord” (Psalm 130:1). Why did the Lord lead His servant into such depths? Because He could only bring him to realize seven special truths in this way:
1. Conviction of sin: “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” (verse 3).
2. Forgiveness: “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (verse 4).
3. Waiting: “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait…my soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning” (verses 5-6).
4. The Word: “In his word do I hope” (verse 5).
5. Hope: “Let Israel hope in the Lord” (verse 7).
6. Mercy: “For with the Lord there is mercy” (verse 7).
7. Redemption: “And with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (verses 7-8).
Won’t you say “yes,” then, to God’s dealings with you in this last hour, even if He leads you into the depths? Such a “yes” on our part to all His ways will bring an eternal reward, because through them God is preparing us for the soon coming of His Son, Jesus Christ.
(to be continued…)
Fatal Attraction: One-World Order Theories - Part II
One-World Order conspiracies seem to be a popular view with many people. In the first of this three-part series, we concluded that quite a bit of misinformation and misdirection is swallowed up in some of the more extreme versions. We are referring here mainly to such ideas that a sinister group of people — mostly the rich elites of the world, or possibly “international bankers” or Jews — are taking over the world rank and file.
In this installment, we now look to Scripture to discover why this emphasis upon so-called evil elites is a distraction to Christians. They lure us to divert our gaze from what should be the true object of our faith — the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dangerously, rampant OWO theories risk making us vulnerable to critical deceptions.
No Privileged Fate for the Elites The OWO theories all mostly center on issues of money and economy — globalization and globalism, in other words. Though it is true that religious ecumenical ovements can be thought of as a “globalization” phenomenon as well, the general OWO theories are basically about money and economic power. A globalizing world is indeed gradually capturing people’s freedoms and forcing them into conditions of economic oppression, ideally setting the stage for the Antichrist to finally appear. Surely, the rich get richer and more powerful, and the poor ever more desperate. Assuredly, the schemes of globalists, world industrialists and financiers work to set up the global financial and economic architecture that will play a role in the prophetic future. But yet, something else rings false in the OWO theories. Yes, Scripture documents globalization and globalism in the last days but it certainly does not idolize the elites and kings of the world that are in the forefront of installing Mammon as the ruling order for the world. While they may be presently luxuriating in five-star hotels and traveling in first-class, they in no way have a privileged future.
Consider this text: “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17). We see here a glaring point. The “rich” and the “great” are included among those who are subject to the global command economy that will be brought about at this point in the Great Tribulation. We see here that the elites and whatever other conspirators are there will “get theirs” too. The OWO theorists suggest that they will be the privileged ones who will earn a final pay-off. But, this is not so.
“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17). Here again, we see the elites get no special dispensation or privileges. Elites of all kinds — kings, princes, generals, the rich and the mighty — all suffer wrath, too. Moreover, they suffer wrath in the same measure as will anyone else during that time.
World’s Wealthy Power Brokers: Broken First
Revelation 14 clearly shows that late in the Tribulation Period, after the 144,000 elect (probably Jewish evangelists to the world) have already been redeemed and are standing before the heavenly throne of the Lamb, three angels go out. The first one gives the last altar call for repentance, exclaiming that the judgment will shortly start. The second angel follows and says, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries” (Revelation 14:8). Then comes the third angel. What does he say? He “[…] said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:9-10).
Did you catch the significance of that sequence? We see here that it is only after the great economic trading colossus (and perhaps also including a city center) has fallen that the “mark of the beast” (representing a worldwide control system) are instituted to the extent that people cannot “buy or sell.” What that means is that the globalized currency and trading systems supposedly built by the wealth of the so called rich elites, ship captains and nefarious conspirators come to naught first. The very edifice that Christian OWO theorists depict as leading the world to the Antichrist’s control gets its judgment from God. It is a financial bust.
The people OWO theorists decry and loathe are on the losing end. They don’t even get a chance to give over the worldwide system that they have built to the Antichrist, who by then embodies the Great Dragon. All that work, toil and conspiracy to take over the world in supposed selfless sacrifice to Satan, and there is no reward for them. Indeed their outcome is just as written in Proverbs: “When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing” (Proverbs 11:6-7).
Global Elites Are Not the Enemies
Here is a most important reason not to become too distracted with the OWO hysteria. Yes, economic suppression and control are a central hallmark of the Tribulation conditions. If that were not so, why would buying and selling be controlled? This measure certainly falls into an economic frame. But we have not the global elites to blame for this. It will not be the rich mavens of the world, but rather a religious figure who will bring about these conditions.
It is the False Prophet — not the Antichrist or the rich elites — who forces this condition upon the world. Most people think the Antichrist enforces this system. No. It is the second beast that comes out of the earth, the False Prophet (Revelation 13:11), who imposes this oppressive device of economic sanction in order to direct worship to the Antichrist. But what a surprise! What does this “re-
ligious leader,” the False Prophet, have to do with the global economy? Wasn’t that supposed to be the domain of the rich and the elites? The False Prophet brings this about.
Here we see one of the greatest dangers of the OWO theories. Even though we may not be present in the Tribulation Period (though there certainly will be Christians at that time), if we follow the emphasis of the popular OWO ideas, our heads will be turned in the wrong direction. We’ll be looking at the globalists, the business leaders, the ultra-rich and elite conspirators.
But, from out of left field comes the False Prophet.
Conclusion? It is the religious arena, not the players in the economic or commercial domain, that will deceive the world into a globalist and economic trap. No wonder Revelation 17 and 18 are often misunderstood. Why is it that the great harlot of Revelation 17 is so indistinguishable from the world trading system that is profiled in Revelation 18?
Actually, there really shouldn’t be a break between these chapters. When all the things mentioned in those chapters take place, the religious sphere will be in bed with Mammon. This syncretism is already clearly developing today. Under this tent, we find a whole host of new doctrines, from “prosperity teaching” to Dominion theology.
Fatal Attraction: One-World Order Theories – Part I
The September 2006 issue of Midnight Call carried an article entitled, “One-World Order: Waiting for Godot?” This article likely ruffled up more than a few feathers. Why? It appeared to refute the One-World Order theories (OWO), which after all, are well entrenched in North America. In fact, views of this nature are almost folkloric.
We are referring here mainly to the notions that a sinister group of people — mostly the rich elite of the world, or possibly “international bankers” or Jews — is taking over the world rank and file. In many quarters, “global conspiracy” views are accepted with rabid fervor.
Having read countless similar theories over the years and studied Scriptures on this question, I believe they are a needless distraction to Christians. In fact, if anything, these views are dangerous. They lure us to divert our gaze from what should be the true object of our faith — the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Crucially, rampant
OWO theories risk making us vulnerable to possible fatal deceptions.
One-World Order Theories Described
Before going any further, let’s first clear up some possible misconceptions. OWO perspectives include, but are not limited to, the belief that globalism and globalization are sweeping the world. There is no danger in holding such views, as it can be factually documented and is also prophesied in the Bible. Sometimes, the term “New World Order” (NWO) is used interchangeably with OWO. Therefore, to talk of a NWO or OWO in the sense of today’s globalization trends is not harmful.
The problems with many OWO theories arise with their additional allegations and heavy, misdirected focus upon certain evil, rich people, their motivations and the conspiracies they are hatching upon the world. Please understand that to warn about the excesses of some OWO theories is not to deny the reality of what is happening
globally today.
In the earlier mentioned article, a main argument was that the OWO is not a scripturally documented “pinpoint” sign for Christians. It may indeed be a broad “sign of the times” but not a specific time point. As we observe, the globalization and globalism phenomena that are deeply intertwined with OWO theories, are not trends that one can measure to say that they have been completed. They are ongoing processes to be sure. But even so, the question remains: How much further must these developments proceed before one can conclude that conditions are sufficient for the Tribulation to arrive? Or, can one validly state that much of their impact still lies in the future? Indeed, these trends are definitely symbols of the endtime “season,” but they are not “pinpoints” in time.
A further point argued was that even though we cannot know the endpoint of the “fullness of the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), at the same time, globalization and globalism are a lot farther along than most people think. Their indicators are not as clear-cut and obvious as many commentators suggest — for example, the arrival of a one-world currency or a unified global government structure. Satan knows Scripture, too. And, as he is the author of lies and deception — in fact, he is the very personification of these traits — we must be wary of falling prey to anything that seems obvious at face value.
Endtime conditions are probably much more advanced than many might think. After all, our enemy has no interest in deceiving us into thinking that the time is shorter than it really is. If anything, he would rather delude us into thinking that the return of our Master, who is away on a far journey (Matthew 24:48), is yet farther in the future.
Yet, much more is unscriptural or dangerous about the emphasis of the popular OWO theories. But before we tackle these aspects, first a point of awareness: It is in the exaggerations and the misdirections of the grandiose OWO theories that we find the path to danger. Here, we may be sometimes dealing in subtleties, but these are crucial ones. As with any interpretation or view, whether it is of Scripture or even a gossip story, it only requires one degree of inaccuracy or error for the whole peck of apples to go bad.
Conspiracies R’ Us
A main thrust of all OWO theories is their focus on elites — rich people or persons of great influence. It is a fixation similar to the worship of media and sports stars. Much of society is captured by the deeds and trapping of the rich and famous. Only in this case, many of the OWO alarums cause us to focus upon the evil of these nefarious people and their ensnaring conspiracies. If movie and rock stars are the “good guys” of people’s adulation, then the “elites” and their grand conspiracies fill the emotional void of having “bad guys” that we can justifiably hate.
Not to be denied is that conspiracies exist or that certain elites might have inordinate powers in domestic or world affairs today. Not at all. What we can and do counter, however, is the popular hysteria that is dragging many Christians into unscriptural and vulnerable perspectives. As we will show, this fixation with the elite and their apparent global conspiracies cause our eyes to be averted from what Scripture actually emphasizes.
To begin, let’s first deal with the general topic of conspiracies. Yes, they are indeed playing out across the world stage today to a lesser or greater degree. However, it is one thing to agree that there are conspiracies and quite another to fear-monger, or to use them as a “pinpoint” sign or to indict a special group of advantaged people as particularly evil.
The Bible has much to say about conspiracies and the manipulations of the rich and powerful. To begin, it counsels to not get carried away with conspiracy fears.
“Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary” (Isaiah 8:12-14).
Before we put grand global conspiracies up on a pedestal to fear, it is comforting to know that God is in control. In the first place, He is the One to fear and respect, not globalists or “money-trust” conspirators, or even smaller conspirators who live down the street. Let’s rest assured that God sees what the conspirators are doing. Not only that, He assures us that their plans will come to naught: “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” (Psalm 37:12-13).
Also, we realize that the conspiracies of the wicked — people in preferred positions — have always existed. In that respect, not much is diff e rent today but only in one key respect. The means and opportunities for deceit and conspiracy today are simply bigger. It’s a global world in which some of the wicked now have worldwide influence.
The Bible records an ancient history of elite seizing the upper hand, oppre s sing the poor, and entrapping the unsuspecting and the disadvantaged. God sent many prophets to register His displeasure with such conditions. Consider just a few of such warnings that depict the nature of those similar times.
“ Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance” (Micah 2:1-2).
“The scoundre l ’s methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just” (Isaiah 32:7).
“…that noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see them?” They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning” (Psalm 64: 2- 6).
“Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare bird s and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor” (Jeremiah 5:26-28).
These are just a few of the many testimonies that the Old Testament records providing vivid descriptions of the conspiracies of wicked elite. Perhaps the most illuminating account of such conditions of evil plotting of the rich and powerful is found in Ezekiel 22. The entire chapter concerns itself with this topic. All in all, we see that conspiracies existed thousands of years ago, always have and will continue to do so until the time of the millennial reign of Christ on earth. However, included in this and all
other pictures of evil plotting and manipulation is also the prophesied outcome for these elite and their plans.
“Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?” (Jeremiah 5:29). God declares that the wicked and the rebellious nations will not escape: “But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn” (Psalm 64:7-8). While we may consider the elite of this world in privileged positions — living sumptuously and in conditions of ease and prosperity — it is, however, a very shortsighted perspective. Their outcome is clear: “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken” (Psalm 37:14).
Follow the Evil Rich People
Let’s next turn to our modern day. Is there really a mythological group of men and women who are bound by blood across the centuries to sacrifice their lives to Satan in the selfless aim to bring about a New World Order? Moreover, could they be part of some secret cult or a certain “chosen” people who have been conscripted into an organized plan to deliver the world to the future Antichrist? Are they a tight-knit compact, dedicated to help bring about the world conditions that lead to the final Armageddon? If so, who are these people?
There are literally thousands of books that claim to identify them. Names such as John D. Rockefeller, W. Averill Harriman and hundreds of others are painstakingly documented in many of these accounts. Various groups are said to be part of this evil world plan, including the Bilderbergers, Skull and Bones, the Illuminati, the Elders of Zion and countless others. Do all these groups exist? Are many of the people cited guilty of some forms of collusion? There is probably much truth to these accounts.
If so, what then are we to do with this information? That, it turns out, is the key question. Should we be judging such conspiracies, seeking to expose them and to
condemn the elite that might be fomenting such disagreeable and difficult conditions on the rest of the world’s populations? Surely, we can expose such plots in the sense that we should not be unaware of such schemes. However, what is to be our response to these misguided people? Should we ourselves be concerned with their punishment and conviction? Should we now slavishly follow their every move and action, allowing ourselves to become captured by their money-making plotting? Just how should we respond to these people? It is here that we find one of the most critical points of departure from scriptural mandate in the histrionic bashing that we see by the OWO theorists.
However, before we seek the Bible’s answer as to how we are to respond, let’s focus upon just one of these types of elitists. No doubt, everyone has heard of the mythical “international banker.” He is a common kingpin in many OWO theories.
Money and Bankers
International bankers of conspiracy lore are caricatured as wearing a bespoke, pin-striped blue suit, working somewhere in unnamed international locations. Apparently, they are the evil force behind much of the world’s troubles. They are so evil that we are to assume that they are hell-bent upon handing the world over to the Antichrist at the end of days. They are devious and cunning, and perhaps even pray to Satan for their next set of directions to help in the take-over of the world.
Just who are these so-called international bankers? Allow me to share a personal perspective. For well over two decades, I was a globetrotting international financial executive. During that time, I can honestly say I rarely met any person I thought could fit this description. I surely did encounter all kinds of financial elite, from global corporate captains, central bankers, mega-billionaire investors, leading economists and strategists, and most certainly, individuals that might well be called “international bankers.” I met some very greedy people — some even psychopathic — but rarely anyone that qualified as an international banker of popular folklore. I certainly did not find any smoky upper meeting rooms filled with cigar-chomping elite who were plotting to take the world hostage for an apocalyptic, evil end. We see that only in the movies.
That said, there surely are many power brokers in the world today — whether rich in money or political or positional power — who are indeed bent upon evil, whose minds have been seared of all consequences of their actions. But we must repeat the question: Just who are these global elite that are taking over the world? Are they a special breed of people, chosen from the dawn of time? Or are they just ordinary humans who have gone astray, or have been deceived? Is their real intent and preferred choice to work for the losing side and to end up in eternal damnation? No, that is not likely.
These so-called elite are not extremist Muslims who want to sacrifice their lives for such an idea. They are not interested in the promise of 72 virgins in the afterlife, but rather are mostly motivated by self interest and greed in the “here and now” as well as in the ways that might appear right to godless men. Why? The answer is not surprising. These are impulses inherent to all people, though some indeed are consumed with these characteristics. These are the same flawed penchants that reside in the heart of all humanity. So said John: “For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).
Most “international bankers” (in real life, rather than the mythological ones of lore) that I met didn’t have a clue as to what was expected of them according to OWO theory. For the most part, they were quite ignorant of the big conspiracy in which they were supposedly playing a role. Rather, the aspects that motivated them all to some extent, were much more pedestrian. The desire of many of them was for riches, power and glory. And, if not those pursuits, they were surely motivated by the fear of losing their jobs, poverty, lack of means, or professional failure. Robert South, the colorful 17thentury English churchman, couldn’t have pinpointed this motivation any more succinctly, saying: “There are not a few who believe in no God but Mammon, no devil but the absence of gold, no damnation but being poor, and no hell but an empty purse; and not a few of their descendants are living still.”
What are we to do with such people? As already proposed, should we condemn them, hound them, and convict them? No. We are to pray for them. Whenever I have encountered such people who are consumed by power or the love of money, rather than feeling loathing, I have felt compassion. Often, they are lonely, imbalanced people, sometimes even bordering on the psychopathic. At some point in their lives, they became vulnerable to the lust and ambition for riches and gain at any price. These are not people who have signed a blood pact with Satan. They are lost. They are heading for a horrible fate. They are hardly different from us, “for we were saved while we were yet sinners.”
In Part II we will turn to several Scriptures that clearly lay out strong reasons we are not to allow ourselves to be carried away with extreme OWO conspiracy theories. Most crucially, we learn that these lure us to watch in the exact opposite direction to which we are commanded. Doing so, humanity will have been set up to fall prey to a great religious deception that comes to its final crescendo in the Tribulation Period.
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