• About Dr. Steven Anderson

TruthOnlyBible

~ About the Bible, Christianity, and current events

TruthOnlyBible

Category Archives: Current events

Bible prophecy and current events in January 2025: Part 4 – Technology

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

2025 prophecy update, mark of the beast, prophecy and AI, prophecy and CBDC, prophecy and crypto

This post is the fourth and final part in a four-part series on how Bible prophecy relates to current events in January 2025. The subject of this article is how some recent technological developments relate to Bible prophecy. While technological advances are usually viewed as a positive thing, any optimism that comes with technological advances should be tempered with the realization that the world lies in spiritual darkness. Thus, while there are aspects of technology that make the world a better place, on balance technological advances result in greater prevalence of wickedness because sinful men will always leverage technology to do greater evils.

Digital currency

Cryptocurrency, especially Bitcoin, continued to rise in value in 2024. President Trump campaigned on the promise of a crypto-friendly administration, though he disappointed cryptocurrency industry leaders at a pre-inauguration party by blindsiding them with the launch of a meme coin for the sole purpose of making a small fortune overnight. That was in addition to Trump launching a cryptocurrency business this past September with shady and inexperienced business partners. Trump issued an executive order on cryptocurrency shortly after his inauguration, but it “did not go nearly as far as many in the crypto industry had hoped.”

I would suggest that what fits best with Bible prophecy is not the continued proliferation of cryptocurrencies, but rather the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by the United States. While Trump is currently opposed to the creation of a CBDC, his views on digital currency are changeable—he used to deride Bitcoin as a “scam.” Perhaps Trump or his Treasury Secretary will come to see how a CBDC backed by the U.S. government could be a powerful tool to enrich the United States and control the world. It is also possible that other countries will launch CBDCs that begin to have success, and the United States will feel compelled to launch its own CBDC in order to compete. Or perhaps this will not happen under Trump, but under a future president. In any case, I believe that a CBDC backed by the U.S. government will eventually become the world’s new standard currency, replacing both cryptocurrencies and national currencies.

First, it should be noted that the term “cryptocurrency” is not synonymous with the term “digital currency.” A cryptocurrency, which is one type of digital currency, relies on a decentralized network of computers to verify transactions using encryption and blockchain technology. There is no central bank or third party that processes Bitcoin transactions, and there is no single entity that issues Bitcoin, which has made Bitcoin very difficult to regulate. Some of the weaknesses of Bitcoin are: (1) the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is far more volatile than the U.S. dollar, making cryptocurrencies impractical for a regular savings account, or for business contracts; (2) Bitcoin is often stored in cryptocurrency exchanges and digital wallets, which have been hacked many times, resulting in significant thefts of Bitcoin; (3) one-fifth of all Bitcoin (about $350 billion, based on a value of Bitcoin at $100,000) has been permanently lost through the loss of passwords or the use of incorrect sending addresses. Unlike credit card purchases or bank transfers, there is no way to reverse or cancel a bad Bitcoin transaction, with the result that large numbers of people are continually losing Bitcoin through user errors. Since Bitcoin is not stored in a central bank, it cannot be recovered once lost.

Unlike cryptocurrencies, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) would be issued by a central bank, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, and the central bank would process all the transactions. Depending on how the CBDC is structured, people might be able to hold the digital currency and send and receive money without a traditional bank account. A CBDC issued by the United States’ central bank would be very attractive worldwide, and people in foreign countries would be able to buy CBDC money without the legal restrictions placed on U.S.-dollar bank accounts. A U.S. government-backed CBDC would likely be widely accepted worldwide for payment, with no need for currency conversions. Many people will have much greater confidence in the value and stability of the U.S. CBDC than in the value and stability of their own country’s currency, and could move their savings to a CBDC account, which they could manage on their phones without dealing with a bank. This would result in a sharp rise of the CBDC and a corresponding weakening of national currencies, creating a self-reinforcing cycle in which everyone who can moves his money to the CBDC in a mad rush. Eventually governments around the world would deem it necessary to replace their national currencies with the U.S. CBDC—not just due to the decline of national currencies, but likely due to threats from Trump or his successor of being cut off from the whole financial and economic system if they do not eliminate their national currencies. Thus, once a CBDC is issued by the United States’ central bank it could quickly become the world’s primary currency.

Returning to prophecy, when the CBDC issued by the U.S. government becomes the world’s sole currency, this will enable the implementation of the mark of the beast, without which no one can buy or sell (Rev 13:16-18). Well before the mark of the beast is implemented, the United States will control the universal currency—the CBDC—which will give it considerable control over the entire world (Rev 17:18; cf. Zech 5:5-11). After the destruction of the United States by the antichrist (Rev 17:16-17), the antichrist and/or the false prophet will gain control of the CBDC and begin to plan for the implementation of the mark of the beast, which is likely a tattoo accompanied by a tiny implant or imprint through which one’s CBDC account can be accessed. (Israel may have an arrangement with the U.S. government to administer the CBDC if the U.S. government collapses, and the false prophet will apparently be the Israeli head of state [cf. Rev 13:11] who signs a treaty with the antichrist [Dan 9:27].)

One of the major problems that would result from the creation of a CBDC by the U.S. government is that the United States would then have two official currencies—the U.S. dollar and the CBDC. (This would also be a problem for other countries that start using the CBDC.) Legal and financial contracts in the U.S. are based on the dollar, and it is not clear whether payments could somehow be made with the CBDC instead of with the dollar. (Since the U.S. government’s national debt was issued for repayment in dollars, perhaps the digital currency will help with the government’s debt problem by lowering the value of the dollar.) Perhaps the government will rapidly eliminate the dollar after launching the CBDC. It is also not clear what will happen to banks if people move their money to a digital account administrated by the Federal Reserve; perhaps money will still be held in private bank accounts, but transactions will be processed by the Federal Reserve. Credit cards might also become a thing of the past, since credit cards are mainly used to facilitate electronic payments; the CBDC would be an inherent electronic-only system. The U.S. government has prepared various options for a CBDC, but it remains to be seen which options will be chosen.

Many seemingly good reasons can be put forth for the use of a CBDC: digital money cannot be counterfeited, burned, or misplaced; criminal activity can be tracked and thwarted much more easily if all transactions are processed digitally by a central bank; global commerce and travel will become much smoother without the need for currency conversion; currency value will remain stable worldwide; and people will be able to send and receive money easily without bank accounts. However the argument that the government needs to be able to monitor and control all transactions to prevent criminal activity has a fatal flaw: the government could abuse this control and could itself engage in highly unethical and oppressive activity.

A CBDC would dovetail perfectly with Trump’s America First agenda and desire for world domination, as it would give the U.S. government direct control over the global economy and global financial system, and it would give the United States a means of reaping huge profits from this system. It would also give the U.S. government significant power to repress dissent and opposition (both internal and external). Since all CBDC transactions must be processed by the central bank, the U.S. government (which oversees the central bank) could instantly freeze the account of any U.S. individual or foreign entity, blocking all transactions. This power could be used not just to stop actual criminal activity, but also to cut off dissidents from the whole financial system—as will be done during the tribulation period with the mark of the beast. The power to monitor all transactions can be used to track criminal activity and identify suspicious behaviors, but can also be used to identify networks of dissidents and their supporters. Further, when the central bank process transactions (e.g., anytime money is sent from one account to another), it will levy a transaction fee similar to those currently charged by credit card companies. If the U.S. government levies a 2-4% tax on all the financial transactions (not just purchases) that are made worldwide, this may well be sufficient to eliminate the income tax in the United States, further enriching Americans and providing a means to eliminate budget deficits. The United States would also profit by having the sole power to digitally “print” new money. While such a system might sound like a dream come true for Trump and his supporters, in fact it would be nothing less than the diabolical oppression of all the peoples of the world, motivated by the greed of the richest country that has ever existed.

Many other potential abuses of a CBDC have been suggested, though it is as yet uncertain exactly how the CBDC would work, and what guardrails would be built into the system. If the U.S. government has a record of all money transfers, financial transactions, and account balances of everyone in the world, it could use this information to disrupt the lives of those it wants to persecute. Possibly the IRS could automatically take taxes and fines directly out of CBDC accounts, without the consent of account holders. Then people who can legitimately claim certain income as tax-exempt, or who can take legal tax deductions, might have to go to court to try to prove that they do not owe what the IRS said they owed.

There has also been some discussion of making the CBDC programmable in order to shape social and economic behavior and to give the central bank a more effective tool of responding to economic crises. For example, rather than cutting interest rates to encourage consumer spending the Federal Reserve might put an expiration date on 10 percent of all the money in everyone’s CBDC accounts, meaning that the money would be reclaimed by the Federal Reserve or “deleted” if it is not spent by a certain date. The Federal Reserve might also be able to restrict the use of a certain amount of CBDC money to specific retailers or economic sectors, in order to encourage spending in those sectors. Alternatively, if there is a repeat of the situation during the pandemic when hoarding of goods resulted in shortages, the Federal Reserve could limit the amount of each person’s CBDC money that could be spent on those goods each month. It should be noted, however, that while it is possible to create a programmable CBDC, it is not yet known whether the actual CBDC that will be issued by the Federal Reserve will be programmable in this way.

Once the entire world starts using the CBDC and the U.S. government begins to abuse its control of the CBDC, it will be too late for the rest of the world to go back to using cash. The use of physical currency depends on a large and complex physical infrastructure that will be nearly impossible to rebuild once governments, banks, and retailers dismantle this infrastructure and begin to exclusively use the CBDC. (Retailers are already discouraging the use of cash and checks.) The U.S. government could also threaten to freeze CBDC transactions in any country that attempts to continue using another currency, or that attempts to launch a competing currency. The U.S. government could also threaten a full trade blockade, sanctions, a travel ban, or even military action. Normally such threats would be considered an act of war, but other countries have no hope of winning a war against the United States and so will have to comply.

Prophecy teachers have long spoken about a transition to a cashless society and a one-world currency in association with the mark of the beast. In the secular world, financial and technology experts have long advocated going cashless. Now at last the theories and proposals are on the verge of becoming reality. This will occur when the United States launches its CBDC and the new digital currency quickly becomes the world’s standard currency, replacing all physical currency. (Cryptocurrencies will apparently fail or be banned.) It must be recognized that this is an extremely dangerous and ominous development. While the mark of the beast will cause great trouble for Christians during the final 3½ years before Christ’s second coming, the United States will certainly use the CBDC system to persecute Christians before the tribulation period as well (cf. Rev 17:6, 18; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

Also connected with the mark of the beast, some tech-savvy people have been experimenting for years with computer chips implanted in their hands, which they use to open doors, make payments, and so forth. To date these implants have not been widely adopted, outside of Sweden. However, one of the major weaknesses of e-commerce and digital platforms is their susceptibility to fraud and hacking, caused both by mistakes on the part of users and mistakes on the part of software engineers. The processing of CBDC payments by means of a chip implant could be promoted as more convenient and secure than phone apps or a CBDC card. While the mark of the beast will not be implemented until the midpoint of the tribulation period, it could take advantage of an existing system of imprints or implants, and simply expand this system to make it a universal requirement for accessing CBDC accounts while creating a new imprint or implant that couples each person’s ID with a permanent tattooing or branding of the antichrist’s name or number. In any case, for the CBDC system to be made truly universal and accessible to the poor, one’s CBDC account must be accessible through a card or an implanted chip, and not merely through a smartphone app. The use of a card or chip will also give the U.S. central bank sole power over the CBDC, as tech companies and credit card companies will not be able to block access to CBDC accounts.

Energy and communications

A curious feature of the tribulation period is that, despite all the wars and calamities and plagues which occur, the electronic payment system that is connected with the mark of the beast never goes down—the mark continues to be the only means of buying and selling all the way until the second coming of Christ. In today’s world, even a minor disaster such as severe weather results in widespread power outages. Many parts of the world also have unreliable electricity and problems with power generation. Internet and cell phone outages are also common. How is it that a digital payment system could continue to function in spite of the great plagues that come upon the earth during the tribulation period?

One problem in today’s world is that there is no ideal method of generating electricity; every method currently in use has drawbacks and must be supplemented by other methods. However, great progress has been made recently on a new form of power generation, which is nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion has the potential to cheaply generate almost unlimited amounts of electricity with no chance of a major radiation leak. This could potentially provide the power to fully electrify all the countries of the world, replacing older, costlier, and less reliable forms of power generation. Other advances in power generation, such as better solar panels, are also likely.

As for why the electronic payment system never goes down, one possibility is that there will be great breakthroughs in battery technology, to such an extent that homes and businesses might be able to run on battery power for months. Perhaps someday power lines will be taken down, and the electric company will simply replace a building’s batteries periodically. Or perhaps buildings themselves may no longer be wired for electricity some day in the future, with all electrical devices powered by batteries, and various methods of replacing or recharging the batteries.

As for why internet connectivity appears to remain stable throughout the tribulation period, this must be due to redundancies in the system—a vast network of fiber optic cables, wireless transmitters, and tens of thousands of satellites. The construction of internet infrastructure in space has already begun with Starlink, and various other companies are planning to launch their own satellite constellations soon. Satellite internet and satellite cell phone coverage means that the network will cover even the most remote and underdeveloped parts of the planet. If there is a disaster in space, possibly a network of drones powered by advanced batteries could keep internet signals functioning.

The internet

The internet is the most transformative technological innovation of the past 50 years, and there is no doubt that it has greatly increased sin, evil, and temptation in the world. One thing that about the internet and cell phones that has changed significantly over the past 5-10 years is that their use is no longer optional. The tech companies have set up a satanic system in which everyone has to (or will have to) use devices connected to the internet in order to function in society.

Internet-connected devices give people 24/7 access to all forms of pornography, which has made sexual temptation, sin, and perversion more pervasive than ever before in human history. The internet is also full of violent content, occultic content, satanic music, and slanderous lies against Christianity and the Bible. Video games, which are played via the internet, are usually full of explicit violence, sex, satanism, and satanic music. Online gambling and sports betting have become pervasive. Online forums and encrypted messaging apps are also commonly used for sinful or criminal purposes, such as meetups for immoral purposes, buying and selling drugs, buying and selling guns, sharing designs of 3D printed guns, hiring hit men, and so forth. The internet is also inherently addictive and is a huge distraction from useful work, as people spend large amounts of their free time watching movies, following sports, reading social media, and messaging friends. When Christians seek to use the internet for good purposes, such as to find news or useful information, they are generally directed to anti-Christian sources and exposed to all sorts of evil content. For all the conveniences created by the internet, it can be said that the internet is probably the single most destructive force in the history of the world, both spiritually and politically (by enabling totalitarianism).

Sinful music has also become pervasive through the internet and electronic devices. Such music is played incessantly in nearly every public space, and most people have this music playing incessantly in private—in their homes, their cars, and their headphones. Modern forms of sinful music are themselves enabled through technology—through electric guitars and amps, huge speaker systems, microphones, and video productions.

Technology and the internet have also largely destroyed privacy and freedom of speech. All of one’s movements and activities are now tracked, and in many cases people’s conversations are continuously being recorded. Many people have internet-connected cameras inside and outside their homes. All new cars are equipped with camera systems and tracking systems, with the potential for cars to be able to be controlled remotely (e.g., for cars to be repossessed by automatically driving themselves back to the dealership). “Smart” homes give tech companies control over one’s thermostat, doorbells, door locks, televisions, lights, and many other devices. The result is a looming totalitarianism like nothing ever before seen or imagined—there can be no private conversations or activities, no hiding from the authorities, and no ability to survive if the tech companies (primarily American tech companies) cut one’s access to their platforms. Further, this totalitarianism can for the first time be truly global in scope, since the internet is a global communications network.

The worldwide extent of the internet presents another problem, which is the reuniting of the human race. In Genesis 11:1-9, only 100 years after God destroyed the world by means of a global Flood, mankind was on the fast track to another all-out rebellion. They had defiantly built a city and a temple-tower to exalt themselves instead of God. If God did not interpose to check man’s activity and divide man’s unity, it would not be long before He would be compelled to wipe out the entire human race once again. Mercifully, God intervened by destroying the linguistic unity of the human race, resulting in the scattering of peoples far and wide across the globe, and the emergence of hundreds of distinct nations which competed with each other instead of working together. Today we are witnessing a reversal of the judgment at Babel—a reuniting of the human race. Global trade and travel, a global financial system, and a global communications system are all breaking down the barriers between peoples and nations that have been in place since Babel. A key component of this is linguistic unity. Already English has become the world’s lingua franca, as it is the language most needed for success in business and education, and much of the internet is in English. In addition, AI-powered automatic translation, while far from perfect, is improving rapidly and is already allowing at least limited communication and understanding across languages. While this is usually presented as a positive development, in fact world unity will always result in mankind working together to oppose God and the people of God, and to give the fullest possible expression to their sinful desires (cf. Gen 6:5; 8:21; Ps 2:1-3). World unity means collective apostasy, though it does also present the opportunity for worldwide revival (cf. Rev 7:9-17).

The internet and the new emerging unity of the human race behind the leadership of the United States/Babylon the Great and its corporations is ushering in the great eschatological rebellion of the last days. The last days will feature unprecedented opposition to God in the unbelieving world (2 Thess 2:3; 2 Tim 3:1-9, 13; 2 Pet 3:3-6; Jude 17-19; Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2), and also a falling away within the church (Rom 11:19-22; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 4:3-4; Rev 3:14-22). When the entire unbelieving world worships the antichrist and takes his mark in the face of extraordinary signs from heaven, this will be the result and culmination of an unprecedented worldwide rebellion against God that began well before the start of the tribulation period.

Once systems are moved online, it becomes virtually impossible to go back to old ways of doing things before the existence of the internet—the old infrastructure has been dismantled. The internet is now necessary for financial transactions (using credit cards), government systems, medical and insurance systems, educational systems, and most other things. This has led to yet another evil associated with the internet—now that there is no alternative to using technology, the tech companies are charging ever-increasing amounts for their products. Online services that used to be free increasingly require payment and come with ads and the sale of user data. Software products that used to be a one-time purchase now require a paid subscription. Most recently, software companies have justified another significant price hike for their products by integrating AI features, which are underwhelming. Technology is one of the main driving factors behind the increased cost of living in recent years, and forms an especially large part of people’s budgets in low-income countries. No longer can people simply “live off the land” or be self-sufficient; all are dependent on the tech companies, and all need money in order to live. The tech companies charge far more than would be necessary to break even, and their handsome profits go to enrich the wealthiest people on the planet, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and hedge fund investors. It is a sinful system through and through. Technology, which is heralded as man’s greatest servant, has become man’s most dreadful master.

Artificial intelligence

The year 2024 also saw breakthroughs in so-called artificial intelligence (AI), which immediately opened up a Pandora’s box of misinformation. In the coming years and decades it will be increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction, and to find reliable and truthful sources. AI is already writing books and articles, creating videos, and guiding the decision-making of judges, politicians, investors, and corporate executives. AI is being integrated with traditional software to such an extent that from now on most of the things that most people write or create will be largely written or created by AI, and people’s way of thinking will be guided by AI. Companies and governments are replacing customer service agents with AI-powered bots, and the past summer’s Olympics featured some AI announcers for recaps of the day’s events. People ask AI-powered bots such as Alexa for answers to their questions, and can now even converse with these bots. “Deepfake” videos generated by AI, in which people appear to be saying and doing things that they never said or did, are very difficult to distinguish from authentic recordings.

Social media is exacerbating the problem of unreliable sources by spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation. Popular non-experts with social media talents spread fake news and half-baked ideas supported by faulty research, now often with the aid of AI. “Official” sources and academic experts, on the other hand, tend to reflect anti-biblical presuppositions and may also be using AI to do some of their writing and research. Compounding the problem further, a small number of antichristian tech companies control and filter the information people see online, and censorship will only increase in the years ahead. Even publishers of print books, including most Christian publishers, are hostile to certain aspects of biblical truth (e.g., the literal interpretation of prophecy and the use of the generic masculine [cf. Gen 5:2]). As forgeries and deceits become ever more prevalent and convincing, spiritual warfare in the coming decades will increasingly become focused on a battle for truth and clarity. What can we trust? Where can we find truth? Only the Word of God (the Bible) is one hundred percent trustworthy; it has passed all tests and is still standing after thousands of years of attacks and after all the scientific and archaeological discoveries of the modern era. The world is literally covered by evidence of God’s past judgment of the world by a global Flood, which puts the lie to atheism and uniformitarianism and verifies the Bible’s promise that Jesus Christ will soon return to judge the world a second time (2 Peter 3). Thus, we must judge all things by God’s Word—anything that contradicts a biblical affirmation or principle cannot be true, no matter how convincing the forgeries may appear. Conversely, we must believe in everything the Bible says, even if we may not understand everything or be able to explain everything. All we need to do to prove that something is false is to show that it contradicts the Bible.

When evaluating competing truth-claims, it is also important to evaluate the character of those making the claims, as a court of law would do with witnesses. The character of those who attack the Bible is always bad—the Bible’s critics manifest the sin nature and the character of Satan. Due to their character problems, we should not believe everything they tell us. AI, though impersonal, is trained on sources which are largely anti-Christian, and it is usually programmed to reflect secular beliefs and assumptions. On the other hand, the character of God as revealed in the Bible is perfectly righteous, and therefore the claims made in the Bible are completely trustworthy—God cannot lie or deceive (Num 23:19; Tit 1:2).

The need for quality Bible scholarship will become acute as pastors, publishing houses, and seminary professors continue to adopt secular values and increasingly rely on AI—and as official persecution of Christians develops and intensifies, resulting in the elimination of many good pastors, seminaries, and Bible teachers. Also, while AI translation is much-improved, it is not, and never will be, good enough to produce a high-quality translation of complex works in the area of biblical studies. Thus, I continue to do my own original research for my commentary on Revelation and other writings, and I continue to work with human translators for the Spanish version of my interpretive guide to the Bible. This is time-consuming and expensive, but is the only way to produce a high-quality end product. AI is no substitute for human scholarship in the humanities, especially in the realm of biblical studies.

Healthcare

With low birthrates in most of the world (outside of Africa), demographers currently project that world population will peak at 10 billion in the year 2085, and will subsequently crash. However, Revelation 9:13-21 describes a major war in which a fully mechanized army of 200 million men originating in the east (East/Southeast/South Asia) launches a massive invasion of Russia and the countries allied with Russia. This seems to imply a large population increase, along with an economic boom in order to finance such a large military buildup. The main driving factor behind this population increase is likely a sharply declining death rate, rather than increasing birthrates.

Medical breakthroughs are likely on the near horizon which will enable people to live much longer and healthier lives. We know from Genesis 5 and 11 that it is possible for men to live nearly 1,000 years—the genes are there but need to be identified and activated. Noah begat children as late as his 500th year of life, and if people’s childbearing years can be extended this will significantly increase birthrates. AI could possibly identify the now-dormant genes for longevity, and gene editing techniques could activate these genes in adults. It is also likely, though unfortunate, that many babies of the future will be “designer babies” whose genes are edited in a laboratory (after in vitro fertilization) in order to produce supposedly ideal physical traits and sharp minds. Conversely, the rate of babies with birth defects and conditions such as Down Syndrome has fallen sharply due to the ability to identify these conditions during pregnancy, and the choice of most mothers to abort “defective” babies. With more babies and young children who have perfect health, this will further decrease death rates. It will also result in many more healthy young and middle-aged people who are fit for military service.

A decline in death rates also seems to imply better access to healthcare worldwide, apparently prompted by economic growth and development. Healthcare may become less expensive if cures arise for conditions that currently require long and expensive treatments or unending medications, therapy, and caregiving. Gene editing is already curing congenital disorders. Also, more governments may provide universal healthcare coverage for their citizens. Better sanitation, cleaner air, and safer tap water would also contribute to improved health and longer lives.

Conclusion

This article is the fourth and final one in a series on prophecy and current events in January 2025. Unlike most prophecy teachers, while I believe in the pretribulational rapture I do not hold to the doctrine of the imminence of the rapture, nor do I believe that the Bible prophesies a specific date for the rapture. However, I do believe that the Bible prophesies specific events that will occur before the rapture. Thus, I am not predicting the return of Christ in 2025 or even within the next decade; too many prophesied events must occur first. However, enough prophesied events are now in process so that we can know with certainty that we are living close in time to the end of the age.

In spite of the fact that we are living in the end times, it is rare that a Bible teacher can accurately connect contemporary events with Bible prophecy. Within academia, making such connections is essentially prohibited and ridiculed. Yet large sections of the Bible are prophetic, and those who are living in the last days ought to be able to connect Bible prophecy with the state of the world around them. As time passes and more is fulfilled, these connections will become more obvious and more widely accepted among believers—especially the identification of the United States with Babylon the Great.

Many of the events which will unfold in the world in 2025 and in the decades beyond will be extremely troubling for Bible-believing Christians. The world is entering a period of profound spiritual darkness, with fierce persecution coming for those Christians who refuse to bow the knee to Baal (or Babylon the Great). However, these events also contain great hope, because they imply that God’s program is driving toward its conclusion, and the return of Christ is drawing nearer. As Satan’s fury rages, knowing his time is short, Christians will have the opportunity to shine as brighter lights, proclaiming the truth of God’s Word to a world full of lies and darkness.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or make a donation to Truth Only Bible Ministries.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Bible prophecy and current events in January 2025: Part 3 – Babylon the Great

23 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

2025 prophecy update, America and prophecy, the United States and prophecy, Trump and prophecy

This post is the third in a four-part series on how Bible prophecy relates to current events in January 2025. The subject of this article is how the election of Donald Trump and other recent events in the United States relate to biblical prophecies of Babylon the Great.

Babylon the Great

Revelation 17:1–19:5 describes an entity called Babylon the Great which is a superpower that dominates the world of the end times. Babylon the Great is the greatest country the world has ever seen; not only are its wealth and military power unparalleled, its economic and moral/cultural powers are also unparalleled. Babylon the Great is especially noted for corrupting the entire earth through its materialism, which has both economic and spiritual aspects. It is also clear that Babylon the Great exerts a degree of control over the other countries of the world through a financial regimen—evidently a universal digital currency (Rev 17:18). Babylon the Great shapes the economy, financial system, culture, and spirituality of the world of the end times, and God holds it responsible for the state of extreme spiritual corruption in which the world exists at the start of the tribulation period—including a global campaign of savage martyrdom of Christians (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2). God judges Babylon the Great, ironically, through the antichrist, who cannot become preeminent in the world while Babylon the Great exists. The antichrist will destroy Babylon the Great in a massive nuclear strike very early in the tribulation period (Rev 17:16-17; 18:8). Control of the global digital currency will subsequently pass to the antichrist or his henchman, the false prophet, who will require all to receive a mark without which they cannot buy or sell (Rev 13:16-18).

The nature and scope of Babylon the Great’s dominance is such that only one entity of its kind could ever exist in the history of the world, and there is no doubt that the United States of America is this entity, or is in the process of becoming this entity. The United States is already the world’s only true superpower, and its economic and military power are far beyond that of any other country. As the engine of the global economy and possessor of the world’s primary reserve currency, it is and will continue to be responsible for the great era of wealth creation among the nations in the last days (Rev 18:3, 9). It also is uniquely imposing sinful aspects of its culture—especially a materialistic worldview—on all the nations of the world. While some aspects of the prophecy remain to be fulfilled—most notably the prophecies of Babylon the Great’s attempts to put Christians to death worldwide—enough aspects already match so as to leave no doubt as to the fulfillment of the rest. For more information about Babylon the Great, see this post.

The second term of Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s reelection to the presidency only four years after seeking to overturn an election result is the most startling political resurrection in the long history of American politics, perhaps comparable to Adolf Hitler’s election following his imprisonment for leading the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. While there are some important policy differences between Trump and Hitler, it is interesting that in both instances their political resurgence was fueled by a personality cult, a new nationalism, economic malaise, conspiracy theories, and big rallies that included spectacular shows and grandiose speeches. Trump appears to be aiming for something close to dictatorial control of both the United States and the world—in contradiction of both the United States Constitution and the UN Charter.

Trump’s first term was largely a recovery from the Obama presidency, guided and constrained by such steady hands such as Mike Pence, John Kelly, Bill Barr, and John Bolton. Trump was also constrained by fierce establishment opposition, both in the government and in corporate America. Trump’s attitude changed dramatically with his loss of the 2020 election and his ensuing legal problems. He became angry, vindictive, dismissive of legal restraints, and demanding of absolute personal loyalty. Trump also moved to the left on the key issues of abortion and homosexual rights. Conversely, opposition to Trump has weakened greatly because (1) the opposition is exhausted and diminished; (2) Trump’s leftward shift has made him more palatable to the establishment; (3) business executives and politicians fear Trump’s wrath if they oppose him; and (4) Trump is only appointing sycophants who are personally loyal to him. In short, there are far fewer checks on Trump’s powers now than there were during his first term, and Trump has adopted a much more strident attitude and a radical agenda.

There is nothing specifically about Donald Trump in prophecy, and it remains to be seen exactly what Trump will do in his second term. (This post was published a few days after Trump’s inauguration.) However, there is no doubt that Trump’s return to the presidency is an extraordinary event in the history of both the United States and the world. My purpose in this post is to highlight connections between actions that Trump has indicated that he will or might take, and biblical prophecies of the end times.

Making America Greater

The slogans Trump used in his campaigns and rallies fit very well with the prophecies of Babylon the Great: “Make America Great Again,” “Make America Rich Again,” and “Make America greater than ever before.” Although America already is the greatest superpower the world has ever seen, I believe that Trump and his successors will succeed in making it much greater. America will become a much richer country, and will exert greater control over the world economic and financial system. Trump has a history of personally abusing power and flouting rules and regulations, and it is likely that he will direct the U.S. government to do the same, in order to enrich the United States. Trump and his supporters also believe they should glorify America as much as possible (cf. Rev 18:7); Trump has announced his intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America,” among other things. While there are some people who think that China will replace the United States as the world’s greatest superpower, this is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that in the era of world history leading up to the tribulation period the United States will dominate the world economically and culturally (spiritually), and Trump’s second term should go a long way toward making this happen.

Trump and his supporters place great emphasis on patriotism, and this is an area where Christians must be cautious. While the New Testament commands obedience to governmental authorities, it does not glorify Rome. Christians have a heavenly citizenship and allegiance (Acts 5:29; Phil 3:20), and should never put country ahead of God or swear absolute allegiance to a country or its ruler. Also, Americans are not intrinsically better than anyone else by virtue of being citizens of the greatest superpower the world has ever seen. In fact, American Christians who have resources have a moral obligation to use these resources to help poor Christians in other countries (cf. Acts 11:29-30; Rom 15:25-27; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8:1-15; Gal 2:10).

Trump and many of his supporters have a prosperity theology, in which they talk about God blessing them and blessing the United States, with the material prosperity of the United States presented as evidence that the country is specially favored by God. Trump also points to his physical protection as proof that he is specially favored by God. However, Trump is completely unwilling to accept biblical rebukes and submit to God. In fact, most of the rich and powerful countries and men throughout history have been wicked, while many of the best have been poor. The mere fact that God has brought Donald Trump to power does not mean that Trump is a good man or that he will govern in accordance with biblical principles, nor does the material prosperity of the United States mean that it is a just nation. It should be remembered that God raised up Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire, who destroyed Jerusalem and burned the temple.

Materialism

Trump’s second term can be expected to inaugurate a new era of materialism in the United States. This will include not just unparalleled wealth, but also unparalleled covetousness, arrogance, selfishness, and self-sufficiency. Material things will increasingly be viewed as the substance of life (against Luke 12:15); covetous Americans will be godless idolators (Col 3:5), and will continue to spread this idolatry throughout the world. The things of God and eternal things will be despised, since they hinder the pursuit of the material and the temporal. Attitudes such as “greed is good,” “the ends justify the means,” and “friends and allies are disposable” will become more commonplace as materialism is exalted as a virtue.

Many people who read Genesis 19 assume that Sodom was destroyed because of rampant homosexuality (sodomy). However, this is what Ezekiel 16:49-50 says: Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; and she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away when I saw it. The greatest sins of Sodom were pride and materialism; sexual immorality (“abomination”) was a secondary cause of God’s judgment. Likewise, Babylon the Great’s foremost sin is identified as materialism (Rev 17:2, 4; 18:3, 9, 23; 19:2), which it spreads throughout the world through economic intercourse (“prostitution”). Sexual immorality and perversion only constitute one aspect of a materialistic value system that puts man in place of God and sees the accumulation of material things and physical pleasure as the substance and goal of life. Trump and his followers (including many professing Christians) consider both materialism and self-promotion to be virtues (against 1 Tim 6:6-10). Where the world looks to America and sees a great economic success story, God sees a spiritually corrupt system—a self-sufficiency and self-worship that is intended to replace God. No wonder, then, that the persecution of Christians is the other major cause of God’s judgment of the country called “Babylon the Great” in the book of Revelation (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

Assisted suicide, euthanasia

Another aspect of Trump’s materialism is that he only sees value in people who are healthy, beautiful, and strong. He does not see value in disabled people, since he does not value the spiritual. It seems that Trump would prefer not to have any seriously disabled people around, as (1) he does not enjoy seeing them; (2) he (wrongly) thinks they are unhappy; and (3) he sees them as a financial drain to the economy. He does not see the moral and spiritual value of disabled people. Trump has already ended federal hiring preferences for people with disabilities, who often struggle to find employment, and his associates have announced their intention to make cuts to Medicaid. Trump’s America will give preference to the rich and the strong.

Trump has suggested various times in the past that disabled people would be better off if they were euthanized. This correlates with a general shift in public opinion, as Trump was the people’s choice. Society in general has a much harsher view toward death than before; the majority of Americans are cremated when they die, many with no funeral service. Some U.S. states have already legalized assisted suicide, and it seems inevitable that this will become national policy. Nearly five percent of all deaths in Canada last year were caused by assisted suicide, and that number will greatly increase in 2027, when Canada will legalize assisted suicide for depression. (Depressed people often wish to die, but are glad years later that they did not.) Assisted suicide is already legal in many countries for non-terminal conditions, such as chronic pain. It is likely that involuntary euthanasia (killing a person without his consent for supposed medical or financial reasons) will eventually become legal. When a person becomes too bothersome or costly to society, he will be executed without a trial.

It became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic that governments have considerable emergency powers, and Trump has already declared two (fake) national emergencies—one at the southern border, and another in the energy sector. It is not hard to see how this could be applied at some point in the future to biblical Christianity. Certain Christian beliefs could be classified as a mental illness, a public health emergency could be declared, and Christians could be subjected to forced euthanasia due to their supposedly incurable mental illness.

Trump’s depreciation of human life is also seen in his love of violence, as he regularly attends UFC fights and suggests that torture is okay. Perhaps America will someday hold Roman-style gladiator fights again. It is also possible that police violence, torture, and arbitrary detention of the type seen in many authoritarian countries will be seen in the United States someday. Legal forms of slavery could also expand in the United States, in accord with Trump’s concept of American privilege and superiority and his desire to punish his opponents (cf. Rev 6:15; 13:16; 18:13).

The Bible teaches that human life has intrinsic value because man is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9). In addition, 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The true church consists mainly of those who are weak, poor, and lowly in this world (1 Cor 1:26-31). Christians should not be impressed with people’s wealth, health, good looks, or noble birth; we should value character and fidelity to God’s Word.

The Constitution

Though it remains to be seen exactly what actions Trump will take, some of his supporters have been calling for a new constitutional convention in order to rewrite the Constitution according to current right-wing priorities. Trump is frustrated by many of the Constitution’s restrictions on what he can do, and if Trump’s agenda is blocked by the courts and Congress, he may well seek to call a constitutional convention.

Article V of the Constitution states that a constitutional convention can be called by two-thirds of the states, but says little about how the convention would be run. Some people think that enough states have already proposed constitutional conventions for various purposes so that the President could legally convene one at any time. A constitutional convention would quickly become a runaway train in the hands of the President who runs it, who would decide the rules (e.g., one vote per state, with a representative appointed by the governor of each state in consultation with the President). The convention would have the power not just to approve new amendments to the Constitution, but to gut the Constitution in its entirety and promulgate a new Constitution. Unlike in other countries, there would be no popular vote on the resulting document before it comes into effect. Constitutional scholar Peter Prindiville calls a constitutional convention “the ultimate high-risk gathering,” due to the uncertainties surrounding what might happen at the convention. However, if Trump is sure of his ability to control the convention, for him the risk would be low and the potential for power would be great.

Far from solving the country’s problems, calling a new constitutional convention would very likely result in the end of freedom of religion, free speech, and freedom of the press. For example, the new Constitution could allow the President to suspend certain freedoms and could prohibit “unpatriotic” speech. (Trump’s nominee for head of the FCC has pledged to revoke the broadcast licenses of anti-Trump television channels.) Many of the checks and balances on presidential power might be eliminated. Trump could also include in a constitutional rewrite a requirement that every U.S. citizen must swear an oath of loyalty to the United States or take the pledge of allegiance. Whatever might be in the final document, a new Constitution would mean the end of America as we have known it and the beginning of a new country which will look increasingly like the Babylon the Great described in Revelation 17:1–19:4.

Religious freedom and moral issues

With regard to religious freedom, a Trump administration will likely be better in the short term than Biden-Harris, though this is not certain; Trump has shifted both himself and the Republican Party away from strong opposition to abortion and homosexuality. Trump is against transgender, but supports homosexual rights and homosexual “marriage,” and transgendering is a form of homosexuality. The weakening of the Republican Party on moral/spiritual issues is of great concern, as until now only the Republican Party has stood in the way of the radical LGBTQ+ agenda. Trump and many of his associates also believe that life should be lived for one’s personal pleasure, with little or no regard for sexual mores. What it means to be “conservative” or “right wing” now, on a wide range of issues, is far different than what it meant to be conservative in the 1990s, or even in 2016.

The Trump administration will likely be the most corrupt administration in history, since Trump believes the ends justify the means—and the ends that he wishes to achieve are materialistic and self-interested. Trump is using his position as president to enrich himself, shamelessly marketing Bibles, guitars, and other Trump-branded items, along with his social media platform and cryptocurrency. The family business is eagerly pursuing lucrative deals in foreign countries. Many of his appointees have a history of legal, ethical, and moral problems, of which they have not repented. Wealthy donors and supporters are openly granted special access and privileges. Federal employees and military leaders are fired or promoted on the basis of loyalty to the president and his agenda. Trump is pledging to punish his political opponents, and has already cowered tech companies and billionaires into supporting him. Conversely, he has issued mass pardons to his cronies, and he could potentially use groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as private militias to intimidate or eliminate opponents. Trump has little regard for either the United States Constitution or international law, and intends to abuse power to get what he wants. Time will tell exactly what he does, but he cannot be trusted to preserve civil and religious liberties.

Too many evangelical Christians who used to say “character counts” now say that Trump’s character flaws don’t matter—only his policy positions matter. Nothing could be further from the truth—the personal character of the President of the United States matters a great deal. If the president is selfish, egoistic, and greedy, these vices will be reflected in the president’s official actions, policies, and appointees. The influence of Trump’s materialistic, self-interested attitude on American evangelicals is particularly concerning, as these are the main sins of Babylon the Great enumerated in Revelation 17–18.

Foreign policy

Trump’s foreign policy is based on his America First principle, which could also be said to be a “money first” principle, or just plain selfishness. Trump’s foreign policy is neither isolationist nor internationalist—it is imperialist. Essentially, Trump believes in using other countries for the material benefit of the United States, with little regard for treaties, traditional allies, human rights, or the freedom of other peoples.

Trump believes that defense alliances are financially disadvantageous to the United States, and are unnecessary for national security because the United States has the strength to defend itself on its own. If the United States does deploy forces to another country, it should demand repayment in full. The plight of oppressed or threatened peoples in other countries is of no concern. One of Trump’s first acts as president was to freeze all foreign aid, which many poor countries depend on. It is likely that Trump will withdraw from NATO and will close many U.S. military bases overseas. He may also cancel mutual defense agreements with countries such as the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea; in any case, he cannot be relied upon to uphold such agreements in the event of a war. Trump also intends to use tariffs to financially benefit the United States at the expense of other countries.

Not only will Trump likely withdraw from friendly defense alliances, he has threatened to invade friendly countries for the financial benefit of the United States. Trump has threatened to seize Greenland and Panama by force for economic exploitation of key resources. Panama is virtually defenseless, as it has no army, and no other country would attempt to fight off the United States military on Panama’s behalf. Greenland, by contrast, is a territory of a NATO member (Denmark), but is too far away from the European mainland to be effectively defended from a U.S. invasion force. While the United States certainly has the military power to seize control of Greenland, or the economic power to force Denmark to part with it, such an act would have severe repercussions for relations between the United States and Europe. Henceforth, Europe will view the United States as a threat, rather than as a protector. The United States would almost certainly have to leave NATO, and relations between the U.S. and the EU would sour. (For these reasons and/or others, deep resentment toward the U.S. will build over time in Europe and will lead to the destruction of the U.S. by the EU, as described in Revelation 17:16-17). If Trump seizes control of the Panama Canal by force and raises the price for ships to pass through, this will also have serious consequences for the way in which foreign governments view the United States. Doubtless many world leaders will feel compelled to maintain good relations with the U.S. and profess loyalty to Trump in order to protect their countries economically and politically, but the United States will be viewed as a bully, not as a friend.

For Americans like myself who have grown up proud of the fact that our country is the defender of the free world, it will be a great shock if we wake up one day with the realization that we are now living in an aggressor state, with our own personal freedoms slipping away fast.

Trump has also declared his intention to pressure Canada into becoming part of the United States, since Canada is a wealthy and majority-white country. Regardless of whether that happens, the world appears to be entering a new era of imperialism or rule by the strong, in which the United States, Russia, and possibly China seek to conquer or control weaker countries for the benefit of their own countries or to settle vendettas. According to Revelation 17:18, the United States will successfully establish an economic regimen that controls the entire world to a certain degree—probably a digital currency controlled by the U.S. government. There are also strong indications that at some point in the future the United States will pressure other countries into a systematic campaign of persecution against Christians (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

As for the world’s other great powers, according to Ezekiel 38, Russia will be the leader of a coalition of countries which seem to include nearly the entire former Soviet Union, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and most of the rest of Africa (outside of Egypt, which is not named in Ezekiel 38:5). (For details, see this post.) The European powers have now largely withdrawn from Africa, and Trump does not see much value in Africa for both racial and economic reasons. A coalition of east/south/southeast Asian countries that is presumably led by China and India is spoken of in Daniel 11:44, Revelation 9:13-16, and Revelation 16:12. This indicates Trump’s America First foreign policy will open the door for big, aggressive countries such as Russia and China to solidify their authoritarianism and to dominate alliances in Eurasia and Africa, where many free peoples will fall under the oppressive rule of harsh regimes.

It is interesting that although Hindus comprise less than one percent of the U.S. population, Trump has elevated a number of Hindus to positions of prominence: Kash Patel, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard, Sriram Krishnan, and the second lady (Usha Vance). He has also nominated Harmeet Dhillon (a Sikh originally from India) and Jay Bhattacharya (a Christian originally from India) for prominent positions. This points to Trump possibly being sympathetic toward the Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Modi of India as a counterweight to China.

Trump has pledged to be pro-Israel (though he just pressured Israel into accepting a ceasefire that seems advantageous to Hamas) and to work toward peace in the Middle East, which will also fulfill prophecy, as described in this post.

Takeaways

There are many questions as to what exactly Trump will do in his second term, and how successful he will be in doing these things. What is certain is that Christians who believe that the United States is God’s chosen nation and that Trump will save it have a worldview that is squarely at odds with the Bible. Just as Democrats have made the United States more like Babylon the Great through secularization and the enactment of an explicitly anti-Christian LGBTQ+ agenda (among other things), the new Republican president will also make the United States look more like the prophesied Babylon the Great. He will do so through an aggressive, materialistic America First agenda, and he may even promulgate a new Constitution that will mark a clear division between the era in which America was a free country and the era of Babylon the Great.

Let me make these suggestions to Christians: give your time, talents, and treasure to God’s work, not to the work of a political party and an earthly hope. If you are working for God, not only are you doing something that will make a profound and eternal difference in the world, you are working for the side which is certain to triumph in the end. If you work to turn America around morally and spiritually through politics, you will surely lose in the long term, and you may become spiritually compromised in the process; but work for God, and you will surely march onward, forward, and upward to victory. Also, do not invest all of your time and energy in America—lift up your eyes, and look to the rest of the world. Remember that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20), and our call is to make disciples of Jesus throughout the whole world (Acts 1:8). Given the clear direction that America is heading, it is foolish for Christians and Christian organizations not to be thinking about moving to some other country which will offer greater religious freedom for Christians whenever such freedom is lost in the United States. After all, America was originally founded by Christians who left their European homelands in search of greater freedom to serve God according to their conscience. Pursuit of the American dream, by contrast, reflects the deceptiveness of materialism and is untenable for Christians who are realistic about the prophetic future of the United States.

As mentioned above, it is possible that the Trump administration may replace the dollar with a digital currency that allows the U.S. government to control all financial transactions in the world, eventually leading to the mark of the beast. More about this in the next post.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or make a donation to Truth Only Bible Ministries.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Bible prophecy and current events in January 2025: Part 2 – Gog from the land of Magog

08 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

2025 prophecy update, Gog and Magog, Russia and prophecy, Ukraine and prophecy

This post is the second in a four-part series on how Bible prophecy relates to current events in January 2025. The subject of this article is how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine relates to the prophecy of Ezekiel 38–39.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, shortly after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russia launched a massive invasion of Ukraine in response to Ukraine’s attempt to break free of Russian control. This invasion was envisioned as the opening phase of a campaign of conquest, by means of which Vladimir Putin would reconquer the countries of the former Soviet Union, and then go beyond it as far as possible, seeking to install pro-Russia regimes around the world in order to make Russia the world’s dominant superpower. Although the Russian invasion force was sizable, it was unprepared for a major war; the Russian plan was to quickly occupy Ukraine while encountering only minimal resistance. This was to be accomplished by moving long columns of armored vehicles toward Ukraine’s major cities, accompanied by missile strikes and airborne assaults. Russia was surprised by the scale and determination of Ukrainian resistance, which also exposed the vulnerability of armored vehicles to new weapons systems. Though Russia swiftly occupied large swaths of Ukrainian territory, the Russian army had to withdraw from northern Ukraine in early April 2022 due to heavy losses and logistical failures; in November 2022, Russia had to withdraw from territory occupied west of the Dnipro (Dnieper) River for the same reason.

The momentum and character of the war have changed many times since the initial invasion, with Ukraine deploying advanced weaponry from Western countries and their own drones, while Russia has tried to counter these developments and has used missiles, drones, artillery, glide bombs, mines, chemical weapons, conscription, and suicidal attacks to maintain pressure on Ukraine. Both sides have suffered tremendous losses, though Russia’s have been disproportionately larger. With greater U.S. support, Ukraine could have already won the war, and in fact could have turned back the initial Russian invasion in 2014. However, successive American administrations have only offered enough support to keep Ukraine from losing the war, rather than providing the support needed to win a decisive victory and overthrow the Putin regime. At present, Russia is running low on resources and is weaker than is commonly believed, but is trying to maintain pressure and project strength.

At the time of the publication of this post, just before the accession of Donald Trump, it can be said that the conflict is about to change dramatically. While President Zelensky of Ukraine and his advisors are skillfully seeking to win the continued support of the United States during the upcoming Trump administration, in fact Trump and many of his supporters (including J. D. Vance) have been largely pro-Russia (pro-Putin) in their rhetoric. Trump’s pro-Russia stance is rooted in his American nationalism and his penchant for authoritarianism, though his position is not just principled but also personal, as a reaction to Democratic opposition to Russia for Russia’s support of Trump in 2016. Trump no longer sees America as the defender of the free world, and in fact seems to admire the brutality and authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin. Trump believes that national interests should take precedence over international law and the rights of other peoples, and therefore he regards it as “smart” to forcibly seize strategically important countries and territories, even at the cost of hundreds of thousands of human lives. Some American conservatives welcome Russian expansionism, as they oppose European progressivism and view Russia as representing similar right-wing values. Of course, most of these conservatives are quite ignorant of the true character of the Russian regime and the superficiality of its state church. The attitude of the American public toward Russia has also changed significantly since the end of the Cold War; most Americans no longer feel threatened by Russia and do not feel the need to protect other countries from Russian expansionism. Indeed, most Americans would strongly oppose American participation in a major war to defend Europe or Africa from a Russian attack. Trump and many Americans view NATO as an alliance that solely benefits Europe at the cost of the United States, and they do not think Europe is worth defending.

Ukraine is reliant on support from the United States to sustain its war efforts; without American support it is likely that Russia will eventually take all of Ukraine, if Ukraine cannot produce or acquire nuclear weapons. If a country as large and powerful as Ukraine falls to Russia, smaller or more isolated countries will have no chance—Moldova, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, to name a few. Russia will certainly need time to rebuild and modernize its forces after the war, and to recover economically and socially, but with the lifting of U.S. sanctions Russia may be able to make significant strides quickly. As for where Russia may seek to expand next, after the collapse of the Assad regime Russia has shifted military assets to Libya and Sudan, and Russian forces are also heavily involved in conflicts elsewhere in Africa, with the goal of controlling most or all of Africa (outside of Egypt) through Russian-backed regimes. With the African continent’s vast resources and the population of Africa projected to reach 25 percent of the world’s population by 2050, Russian control of Africa would have significant geopolitical implications.

Ezekiel 38–39

Ezekiel 38–39 prophesies the invasion of the land of Israel, along with the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Kuwait (Ezek 38:13), by the well-equipped armies of a large coalition of countries led by “Gog from the land of Magog.” This is one of the best-known prophecies in the Bible, and many Christians have long identified Gog as Russia. Given the fact that we are currently living in the end times, as shown by the reestablishment of the state of Israel and the rise of Babylon the Great, this identification seems virtually certain. (See the discussion below.)

Ezekiel 38–39 is a lengthy passage, and deserving of a more detailed exposition than what can be achieved in the present article. One of the key interpretive issues is the time when this prophesied invasion will take place (see the comments in my Interpretive Guide to the Major Prophets for other views). Through an analysis of Ezekiel 38–39 and a comparison with other prophetic passages, it is clear that the invasion takes place at the midpoint of the tribulation period, at the conclusion of the sixth trumpet judgment that is described in Revelation 9:13-21. The sixth trumpet judgment is a major war in which a fully mechanized army of 200 million originating in the east (East/Southeast/South Asia) launches a massive invasion of Russia and countries allied with Russia, after which the Russian coalition responds with a powerful counterattack. During this war, which likely lasts between six months and a year, a full third of mankind is killed (Rev 9:18). This can only mean that Russia and its allies will brutally slaughter billions of civilians in the population centers of Asia. At the same time, the Asian countries will respond by massacring the civilian populations of the Russian-allied territories they are able to attack. When both sides decide that the war is too costly, a truce is agreed, and the armies led by Russia withdraw from Asia. On their way back, as the armies of Russia and its allies pass through Iran, rather than taking the highways north toward Russia they make a sudden detour into the Middle East in order to loot the prosperous but now-undefended countries of the Arabian Peninsula as well as Israel. Since the antichrist is treaty-bound to protect Israel (Dan 9:27), this invasion is described in Daniel 11:40 as an attack on the antichrist, though the antichrist reneges on his treaty obligations by refusing to protect Israel. Yahweh then shows Himself to be Israel’s true God and Savior by raining down fire from heaven on the invaders while they are in the land of Israel. The Jewish people respond by believing in Jesus as their Messiah and rejecting the antichrist and the false prophet (Ezek 39:22, 28-29). The antichrist responds by invading Israel, setting up the abomination of desolation in the temple, and savagely persecuting the Jewish people. He proceeds to invade the African countries in Russia’s coalition, since Russia is too weakened to protect them (Dan 11:40-43).

It is clear from Ezekiel 38–39 that Russia will become a great world power once again, and that it will build a strong alliance that is capable of fighting effectively against the China-India alliance, as well as posing a substantial threat to Europe. As for the countries named in Ezekiel 38:2-6, “Gog” is the largest and most powerful country in the coalition, and therefore must be Russia. Gog is also described as a country at the northernmost extremity of the Eurasian landmass (Ezek 38:15; 39:2), which also corresponds to Russia. “North” in the prophecy means “north of Israel,” and Moscow is almost exactly due north of Jerusalem; there is no other country north of Israel that could be considered a superpower. “The land of Magog” (Ezek 38:2) appears to be a reference to territory of Russian-speaking or Russian-influenced peoples. The word “Magog” is related to the word “Gog,” and its prophetic reference may be “Russians” or “Russian-speakers.” Thus, “Gog, from the land of Magog” likely means “Russia, from the region of Russian-speakers,” which indicates that Gog has cultural control over an area much more extensive than its own borders. (It is generally agreed that in Ezekiel’s day “Gog” and “Magog” referred to peoples or regions to the north of Israel, though their exact identities are disputed. However, Ezekiel is prophesying of a day in the far future, so these ancient names really stand as fillers for the names of eschatological entities which will exist in the general vicinity or direction of the earlier entities, or which will consist of their descendants.)

“Rosh,” which appears in some English Bible versions in Ezekiel 38:2-3 and 39:1, is likely a mistranslation. This word (רֹאשׁ) occurs nearly 600 times in the Old Testament and means “head” or “chief.” A nation called “Rosh” is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament, which makes a reference to it in Ezekiel 38–39 dubious. Also, the other nations named in Ezekiel 38:2-3 are mentioned in the table of nations (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5), but Rosh is not. Certainly “Rosh” is not a reference to Russia—Russia is to be identified with Gog, which is the strongest nation of the invading coalition.

Meshech and Tubal (Ezek 38:3) are powerful countries that are closely aligned with Russia. In Ezekiel’s day these countries were located in the mountainous region to the southeast of the Black Sea, but also represented the northern extremity of the world then known. As prophetic entities, they may refer collectively to the Caucasian states (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and possibly Abkhazia and South Ossetia) and the Central Asian Republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan).

Persia, Cush, and Put (Ezek 38:5) correspond to Iran, Sudan, and Libya, respectively, which are countries in which Russia currently has heavy involvement. Cush and Put were the most distant African countries known in Israel or Babylon in the sixth century BC, so they could actually stand for most of the African continent. Since Daniel 11:40 mentions “the king (kingdom/coalition) of the south” as allied with “the king (kingdom/coalition) of the north” in the invasion of Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation period, it appears that Russia will subjugate much of the African continent, with the exception of Egypt (assuming that Egypt is not included with Cush in Ezekiel 38:5). Possibly Egypt will demilitarize with international treaty protection, or possibly Egypt will continue to possess the most powerful military in Africa and so will be able to resist Russian control. It is possible, but less likely, that “Persia” also stands for lands beyond itself, specifically Pakistan and/or Afghanistan.

Gomer and Beth-togarmah (Ezek 38:6) are currently the two most ambiguous references in the prophecy. Possibilities include Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus. Gomer can be identified with the ancient Cimmerian people on the north shore of the Black Sea, though by Ezekiel’s day the Cimmerians were in Asia Minor (western Turkey). If Russia annexes Ukraine, perhaps Gomer is Turkey and Beth-togarmah “in the far reaches of the north” is Belarus. Alternatively, Ukraine could be Beth-togarmah. The role of Turkey in the tribulation period is unclear, but Turkey is likely part of the coalition led by Russia, rather than the antichrist’s European coalition.

Thus, it is clear from Ezekiel 38:2-6 that Russia will eventually control a large coalition of countries from the former USSR, parts of the Middle East, and Africa. This coalition is already taking shape through Russia’s war in Ukraine and its aggressive foreign policy elsewhere, though the militaries of Russia and its allies are far from being the fearsome force that they will become by the time of the tribulation period. The population of Russia and its allies will also likely greatly increase before the tribulation period, so that the hosts of Gog and the “many peoples” with it will come upon Israel “like a cloud to cover the land” (Ezek 38:9).

How prophecy is being fulfilled

The invasion described in Ezekiel 38–39 will not take place until the midpoint of the tribulation period, which is some distance in the future. However, present events are setting the stage for what will happen during the tribulation period. In the time leading up to the tribulation period, Russia will become the leader of a large and powerful coalition of antisemitic Eurasian and African countries whose expansion is checked in the west by the European Union or its successor body, in the east by China and India, and in the Americas by the United States. The central part of the Middle East will become a partly demilitarized zone whose security is guaranteed by international agreements.

The election of Donald Trump is highly relevant to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38–39. First and foremost, with the outcome of the war hanging in the balance, Trump is likely to curtail or end support for Ukraine and enable Russia to win the war and continue its imperialistic campaign of conquest. Alternatively, Trump may force Ukraine into a peace agreement that is favorable to Russia, that will eventually force Ukraine back into Russia’s orbit and away from Europe. Trump’s view of NATO is similar to Putin’s; he is likely to pull out of NATO and may even invade Greenland, which is a territory of a NATO country and is much larger in land area than Ukraine. All of this will generate deep resentment between Europe and the United States, eventually leading to the destruction of the United States by the European Union or its successor body (Rev 17:16).

Trump also intends to negotiate a comprehensive Middle East peace that will eventually lead to Israeli disarmament (Ezek 38:8, 11), rendering the Middle East defenseless when Russia attacks it.

Trump appears to view Africa as a continent of little value, and will likely enable Russia’s ongoing attempts to bring the African continent under its sway. Trump may also view Russia as a useful counterweight to Chinese imperialism in Africa. Most African countries lack powerful militaries and do not have their security guaranteed by an alliance with a great power, leaving them vulnerable to Russian-backed militias, strongmen, and insurgencies.

Russia’s campaign of conquest is already touching off parallel campaigns of alliance-building, starting with Sweden and Finland joining NATO and Moldova and Ukraine seeking membership in the EU and NATO. If the United States and Turkey (and possibly Canada, which Trump wants to annex) withdraw from NATO, it is likely that NATO would merge with the EU and become a joint European defense force. Additionally, with Russia behaving very aggressively toward the Baltic states and other smaller countries on its border, European countries may consolidate into the ten political entities which become the ten component parts of the antichrist’s kingdom, as larger countries can present a stronger deterrant to attack than smaller ones (Dan 7:7-8, 24; Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 9-14).

It is clear from prophetic passages that the antichrist’s Europe is at odds with the Russian-led coalition at the time of the tribulation period (Dan 11:40, 44). Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, his threats against Europe, Russian espionage, and European sanctions are driving a wedge between Europe and Russia, forcing Europe to strongly defend its border with Russia and to treat Russia as a hostile adversary.

Though China is currently a wary ally of Russia, the competing nationalistic ideologies of these two great powers will ultimately conflict, as they already are in North Korea. Russia’s campaign of conquest will likely infuriate China, which is competing with Russia for power and influence in the world. When Russia takes control (via proxies) of countries in Africa where China has made heavy investments, this is likely to drive a permanent wedge between Russia and China. The countries of Asia will also realize that they need to band together to protect themselves from Russian aggression and expansion, and some countries could be coerced into an alliance with China. This will eventually lead to the devastating war of the sixth trumpet judgment, in which a third of the world’s population is killed.

Another effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a great increase in military spending worldwide. Russia has transformed itself into a militarized state with a war economy, and the scale of the war in Ukraine has shown that most other countries lack the industry and munitions storage to sustain an all-out war for long. In addition, new weapons systems are rendering old ones obsolete. An arms race will ensue (and has already begun) that is financed by an unparalleled worldwide economic boom and unparalleled technological advancements, with the result that during the tribulation period the world will experience the most devastating wars in all of human history.

Conclusion and response

Russia has already begun the military buildup and campaign of conquest that will result in the large coalition of countries whose armies invade the land of Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation period (Ezekiel 38–39). While this campaign of conquest is extremely destructive and demonically motivated, Christians can nevertheless be encouraged by the fulfillment of prophecy, which shows that God is in complete control, and His plan is driving toward a conclusion—the second coming of Christ. The fulfillment of prophecy also gives believers assurance that the Bible is the Word of God and is worthy of our complete confidence. Also, the way in which events line up with a literal interpretation of prophecy shows that the literal hermeneutic is the correct way to interpret the Bible—the literal meaning is not an allegory meant to teach spiritual principles. As the world in which we live looks more and more like the world described in prophecies of the tribulation period, we can have confidence that the return of Christ is drawing nearer (the second coming will be preceded by the rapture, which occurs seven years earlier).

Some evangelical Christians are pro-Russia, and may view the prophecies of Russia’s expansion as an indicator of God’s blessing on Russia. In fact, however, the Bible also prophesies the rise of the antichrist and his empire, and God has historically raised up wicked rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar and the Pharaoh of the exodus in order to serve a greater purpose or to bring judgment. The fact that Russia is prophesied to greatly expand its military power and political influence does not mean that Russia is doing what is right, or that Russia will be a safe haven for born-again Christians. In fact, the spiritual evaluations of Russia in Ezekiel 38–39 are entirely negative. God is “against” Gog (Ezek 38:3; 39:1) and He will destroy the armies of Gog in His fury, because Gog is “against” God’s people Israel (Ezek 38:12-22). Even apart from that passage, it should be obvious to any Christian who views the reports of the atrocities that the Russian regime commits on a daily basis—both against Ukrainians and against the Russian people themselves—that the Russian regime is wicked and is driven/deluded by a strong Satanic influence. No one should make the mistake of thinking that the Russian government is righteous, or that it is fighting for the cause of Christ, simply because some of Putin’s political viewpoints align with right-wing political viewpoints in the United States and Europe. The book of Revelation describes two times in which major wars were provoked by demons (Rev 9:14-15; 16:13-14; cf. 1 Kgs 22:19-23; 2 Chr 18:18-22; Rev 20:7-10), and Vladimir Putin appears to have launched the invasion of Ukraine under the influence of demons on his mind, deluding him into thinking that victory would come quickly and easily. The way in which Russia continues to throw men and matériel headlong into Ukrainian lines also appears to reflect a destructive Satanic impulse and an irrational compulsion to win the war at all costs.

Aside from these general applications, Christians should also have a biblical understanding of how events in the world will unfold going forward, in order to plan for the changes that will occur. Christians in countries of the former Soviet Union and Africa should be aware that Russia will come to dominate most of the former Soviet Union (with the likely exception of the Baltic states) and large parts of the African continent and may seek to overthrow the governments of non-aligned countries. When and how this will happen and the exact boundaries of the future Russian alliance is not stated in Ezekiel 38; it is not yet known, for example, whether all of Ukraine will fall to Russia or whether part of it might be preserved and integrated into the European Union. Nor is it yet known whether there will be a ceasefire in the current war or whether the fighting will continue unabated. Also, geopolitical events tend to have ups and downs, so it is possible that Russia’s campaign of conquest will include a mixture of failures and successes rather than a straight run of victories. Finally, it is not known to what extent Russia will control the internal policies of the countries in its confederation with regard to evangelical Christianity.

Looking at the larger picture, it is apparent that most countries in the world depend on the goodwill of superpowers to maintain their sovereignty and independence. Increasingly, the superpowers appear inclined to meddle in other countries’ internal affairs and even to disregard the UN Charter by launching invasions of other countries. While Russia is currently the only major power in the world that is using military force to conquer other countries, it should be recognized that the world’s other major powers have imperialistic ambitions. China wants to conquer Taiwan and pull all the countries of Asia into its orbit, while expelling the United States from the region. Europe wants to make other countries adopt its political and economic system and moral values—an effort that will culminate in the antichrist’s demand that the whole world worship him as a god. The left wing in the United States is antichristian and wants to “cancel,” punish, and destroy all who oppose their radical LGBTQ+ agenda. The incoming president, Donald Trump, though center-right, is authoritarian and aggressively nationalistic. While he wishes to avoid major wars due to their financial cost, he is not averse to military operations against smaller countries and also wants to set up the world’s economic and financial system to further enrich the United States. At the start of the tribulation period, there will be four major superpowers/alliances—the United States (Babylon the Great, Dan 11:39; Rev 17:1–19:4), the European Union (the ten horns of the beast/latter-day form of the Roman Empire, Dan 7:7-8, 23-24), the Russian-led confederation (the king of the north + the king of the south, Ezek 38:1-6; Dan 11:40, 43-44), and the Asian confederation (the kings of the east, Dan 11:44; Rev 9:13-16; 16:12), presumably led by China and India. All four of these superpowers/alliances are given a very negative spiritual evaluation in prophecy. The central part of the Middle East appears to be a neutral region which lies between the great powers (Ezek 38:10-13; Dan 11:41-42), and so may be the place in the world where countries have the greatest degree of sovereignty and independence.

While governments in Europe and (currently) the United States are right to oppose Russia’s invasion as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty, Western countries do not represent the cause of righteousness in a more general sense. At the start of the tribulation period, it appears that nearly the entire world is very wicked and very hostile to evangelical Christianity. Currently evangelical Christians in Russia experience a degree of persecution but the majority of evangelical churches still operate openly and legally. However, life under the rule of a brutal, repressive regime is unpredictable; unsuspecting, innocent people can be conscripted, jailed, or executed at any time. Nationalistic governments and autocratic rulers demand absolute loyalty to the state, which inevitably conflicts with Bible-believing Christians’ absolute loyalty to God.

As a concluding application, Christians should remember that our warfare is not against flesh and blood (Eph 6:12), and Christ’s kingdom does not arise from the kingdoms of this world (John 18:36). While Christians in Ukraine and other countries that are attacked by Russia certainly have the right to defend their countries and fight for their freedom, they should not make the mistake of thinking that they will prevail simply because their cause is just; evil and injustice will increasingly prevail in the world until the second coming of Christ. In general, the church should direct its energies toward proclaiming the gospel and the truth of God’s Word, rather than attempting to transform governments and countries through politics and warfare. It is inevitable that Russia’s imperialistic expansion will continue for awhile, within limits; yet this expansion should not be viewed as a positive development, for it is a violent expansion of a regime of violence and lies, whose god is itself.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or make a donation to Truth Only Bible Ministries.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Bible prophecy and current events in January 2025: Part 1 – Israel

01 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2025 prophecy update, israel, Israel and prophecy, prophecy

Many Christians have a sense that recent events in the world are related to Bible prophecy, but are not sure exactly how they are related or what will happen next. Events of particular prophetic importance in 2024 include (1) Israel’s spectacular victories over its enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran; (2) the continuation of brutal Russian aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere; (3) the election of a newly-emboldened Donald Trump; and (4) continued technological innovations, including breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI). The present article will deal with the first of these themes, which is Israel.

The clearest proof that we are living in the end times is the regathering of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and the success of the modern state of Israel. Ezekiel 34–37 describes how there will be a physical restoration of the nation of Israel at the end of the age—a national renewal—that prepares the Jews for spiritual restoration—national acceptance of Jesus as their King. (For details, see my Interpretive Guide to the Major Prophets and this post.) Israel’s national renewal began with the Zionist movement in the nineteenth century, which itself was a surprising byproduct of the European Enlightenment, rationalism, higher criticism, and liberal theology. The Pharisees, who represented rabbinic Judaism, came to dominate Judaism after the destruction of the temple in AD 70, and all the Jewish communities of the Middle Ages practiced Orthodox (rabbinic/Pharisaical) Judaism. The power of the rabbis, who kept the Jews in spiritual darkness, finally began to be broken with the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah), which led to Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. Free-thinking Jews from these groups founded the Zionist movement and have shown greater openness to Christianity while still preserving their Jewish identity. The modern state of Israel officially came into existence, paradoxically, shortly after the Holocaust, when Western countries finally realized that the Jewish people needed a homeland. In spite of the entire Arab world immediately declaring war on the vulnerable new nation, God has miraculously protected and prospered the Jews.

The attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent attacks on Israel by Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran, defy logic but have a clear spiritual explanation. Satan is trying to prevent the coming of Christ’s kingdom by killing the Jews and/or driving them out of their land—he does not want a peace deal that allows the state of Israel to continue to exist or that allows Jews to continue to live in the land of Israel. If Satan could wipe out all the Jews, God’s kingdom could never come. Jesus came to reign as King of the Jews, and His kingdom will be an Israelite kingdom (Matt 2:2; Acts 1:6). Likewise, all the Bible’s prophecies of the tribulation period reveal a focus on the Jewish people and the land of Israel at the end of history. The rapture could not happen and the tribulation period could not begin without a stable and strong Jewish state in the land of Israel and a rebuilt temple.

Israel’s dramatic victories over Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran in the face of significant regional and global opposition can only be explained by the hand of Almighty God supernaturally protecting and prospering His people. God’s plans and purposes cannot be frustrated. Ironically, the unending attacks on Israel by its enemies have given the Israelis a new resolve to do whatever it takes to eliminate their enemies, ignoring international and regional opposition, while demonstrating in full their impressive military capabilities.

As for what comes next, Ezekiel 34–37 repeatedly describes the Jews as reoccupying “the mountains of Israel,” which includes the West Bank. The October 7 attacks and the ongoing intransigence of the Palestinians has shifted Israeli public opinion from support for a Palestinian state to support for the annexation of part or all of the West Bank, possibly with the expulsion of the Palestinian population, as Israelis have realized that the Palestinians will never cease to seek their destruction. It is quite possible that Donald Trump and members of his incoming administration would support the Israeli government in these efforts. Indeed, it is likely that one of the reasons why God caused Donald Trump to win the election was because he will be much more favorable to Israel than Kamala Harris would have been.

Trump has also declared his intention to make a concerted effort to negotiate a comprehensive Middle East peace. This fits with Ezekiel 38:8, 11, which describes Israel living without defenses, without walls, and without a military at the time of the tribulation period (see also this post). Clearly some extraordinary change must take place in the Middle East to convince the Israelis that they no longer need a military and can tear down all their border walls and fences. It is possible that Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and possibly the countries of the Arabian peninsula will also disarm as part of a regional peace deal, as there is no mention of them making war during the tribulation period. (Jordan appears to have a strong military at the time of the tribulation period, but is favorable to Israel [Dan 11:41; Rev 12:6, 14].) After the Palestinian issue is definitively resolved, presumably through the annexation of the West Bank and the expulsion of the Palestinian population from Israel, and very likely through the collapse of the Iranian theocracy and/or the collapse of Islam in general, the Middle East will change its character from being a place of violence to being a place of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood. There must be some strong international agreements in place, perhaps guaranteed by the United States, that will prevent an external invasion of the Middle East prior to the midpoint of the tribulation period.

The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem must also come about at the conclusion of the current conflict, as there clearly is such a temple in existence during the tribulation period (Dan 9:27; Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thess 2:4). Again, due to the intransigence of the Palestinians, Jews increasingly view the Temple Mount as an exclusively Jewish sacred space, and they (rightly) view Gentile Muslims as intruders. Israeli leaders have shown an unprecedented boldness in the past year, and this must be leading up to the time when they will at last take possession of the Temple Mount.

In light of Ezekiel’s prophecies, I expect to see Israel continue to win victories over its enemies (possibly with some temporary setbacks) until it has won complete and total victory. I expect this victory to include annexation of the West Bank and the settlement of the West Bank by Jews. Perhaps Israel will find a way to expel most of the Palestinians. This may be followed by a new wave of immigration to Israel, which will become very peaceful and prosperous. I expect Israel to tear down the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and to build the Third Temple where the Dome of the Rock now stands. I expect the countries around Israel to continue making peace with Israel, and I expect the conflicts that have consumed the region for the past 75 years to finally come to an end (prior to the midpoint of the tribulation period). I expect both regional and world opinion of Israel to become much more favorable, enabling a peace that is not merely political but also social. Finally, I expect Israel to draw closer to Europe over time, as the tribulation period begins with the ratification of a treaty between the state of Israel and the antichrist, who is an Italian who leads the European Union or its successor body. This treaty apparently makes Israel a member of the EU and guarantees its protection by the antichrist during a planned seven-year period of integration.

Teaching on the relationship between Bible prophecy and current events in Israel is seldom heard from pulpits today, and is almost never heard in seminary classrooms or published in academic publications. This is because the view of Israel that is currently held by a large majority of professing Christians, including most of those who control publishing houses, seminaries, and other Christian institutions, is called “replacement theology.” Replacement theology is the anti-Semitic false doctrine that God has forever washed His hands of the Jewish people due to their rejection of Jesus, and therefore all of the eschatological blessings promised to Israel have been transferred in a “spiritual” or allegorical sense to the church. This false teaching is rooted in the allegorical hermeneutic, as the only way to explain away the Bible’s prophecies about Israel is to say that the text does not mean what it literally says. However, replacement theology also had a pragmatic aspect, as it was developed in a historical context in which it appeared from a human point of view as if the Jews would never reestablish a state in the land of Israel or accept Jesus as their Messiah; interpreters who did not believe that God would ever restore Israel attempted to find an alternate explanation of the Bible’s prophecies about Israel’s eschatological restoration. It is incredible that scholars who should know better continue to strenuously insist on this view in the context of contemporary events. Even many scholars from traditions that historically rejected replacement theology have recently tried to incorporate replacement theology into their eschatology (“progressive dispensationalism”) and/or have sought to downplay the significance of the modern state of Israel by appealing to a strong view of the doctrine of imminence.

While it is often claimed that prophecy is an unimportant side issue, many churches that hold to replacement theology have a long history of anti-Semitism, and continue to oppose Israel to the present day—in part, perhaps, because they are irked by the way in which dispensationalists point to the success of the modern state of Israel as proof of the error of replacement theology. In spite of the current popularity of replacement theology in both nominal Christianity (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, liberal Protestantism) and among Reformed-leaning or liberal-leaning evangelicals, this view is no longer tenable not only on biblical grounds but also on practical grounds—Israel is too big to ignore, and churches which oppose God’s people cannot expect to receive God’s blessing. As events in the world continue to unfold in a way that clearly matches biblical prophecy, I expect to see a resurgence of “classic” dispensationalism, which makes a clear distinction between Israel and the church.

Returning to Ezekiel’s prophecies of Israel’s eschatological restoration, Ezekiel 38–39 describes the moment when the vast majority of the nation of Israel will finally believe in Jesus as their promised Messiah. That prophecy will be the theme of the next article in this series.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or make a donation to Truth Only Bible Ministries.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Are we living in the end times?

19 Wednesday May 2021

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ 7 Comments

This post is the third in a series on how biblical prophecy relates to the United States of America in 2021. The first post described how the election of a Democratic president and Congress will further the implementation of a radical leftist agenda that is diametrically opposed to biblical Christianity. The second post provided a basic introduction to biblical prophecy, which is necessary due to the lack of teaching on biblical prophecy in churches today. There is still one more background issue to address before addressing directly the subject of the United States in biblical prophecy. This is the question of whether we are living in the end times today, that is, whether we are living in a period relatively close in time to the second coming of Jesus Christ, and to the seven-year tribulation period which will precede His coming. The tribulation period begins with the rapture of the church, an event in which Christian believers will be removed from the earth. While there is no calendar date for the rapture in Bible prophecy, the Bible does provide enough specificity about the world of the end times to allow us to know when we are living in the end times, i.e., when the rapture and the tribulation period are relatively close in time. In fact, world events are indeed beginning to line up with the Bible’s description of the end times, with prophecies that have already been fulfilled or that are in the process of being fulfilled, although the world still has not reached the state in which it is found during the tribulation period.

The most salient feature of the world of the end times is the regathering of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and the reestablishment of the state of Israel. The reestablishment of the state of Israel is a critical stage in the development of God’s prophetic plan, because redemptive history is centered around the nation of Israel (the Jews). Jesus originally came to offer the messianic kingdom to the Jewish people, but the vast majority of Jews rejected Jesus as their promised Messiah and King, crucifying Him and persecuting His church. Jerusalem was destroyed in judgment in AD 70, and most of the Jewish people were dispersed from their land. The church, which is a non-national entity, is an interim stage in God’s plan until Israel again becomes the people of God spiritually as well as physically (Romans 11).

The Bible is very clear that at the end of the Church Age and during the tribulation period, the Jews will be living in the land of Israel. During the first half of the tribulation period, Moses and Elijah will return to earth and prophesy in Jerusalem, in order to call the nation of Israel to repentance and to belief in Jesus as the Messiah (Rev 11:1-13; cf. Mal 4:4-6; Matt 17:11; Mark 9:12). An Israeli state makes a seven-year pact with the antichrist at the start of the tribulation period, as described in Daniel 9:27. That verse also states that the antichrist will break his pact with Israel at the midpoint of the seven years, and will turn against the Jews. A number of passages describe how the antichrist will invade the land of Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation, with many Jews fleeing to a place of refuge east of Israel at that time (Dan 11:41; Matt 24:15-16; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20-21; Rev 11:7-8; 12:6, 13-17). Daniel 9:27 describes the system of sacrifices functioning in a Jewish temple in Jerusalem until the midpoint of the tribulation period, at which point the antichrist will set up his own image in the Holy of Holies and will demand to be worshiped as God (Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thess 2:4; Rev 13:14-15). At the very end of the tribulation period, all the armies of the world will be gathered together in the land of Israel, in a desperate attempt by Satan and the antichrist to kill all the Jews before Jesus returns; however, Jesus will return and wipe out these armies before they can accomplish their purpose (cf. Mic 4:11; Zech 12:2-3, 9; 14:1-3; Rev 14:20; 16:16; 19:19-21).

The return of Israel to their land at the end of the age is not just an accident of history; rather, God has promised to bring Israel back to their land in the end. The Bible is clear that there is an eschatological regathering of Israel while the Jews are still in a state of unbelief, to prepare the nation for its spiritual restoration. Various passages describe this, all of them disputed yet no less authoritative for this reason; probably the clearest are Ezekiel 34–37 and Hosea 3:4-5. (For details, see the comments in my Interpretive Guide to the Bible on these passages.) It is important to emphasize that God has restored Israel to the land for His own name’s sake, rather than because of their obedience. God’s plan is for the Jewish people to be firmly established in the land with their own state before the tribulation period begins; then for the nation of Israel to turn to the Lord and be purified during the tribulation period, and for the Lord to return and set up His kingdom at the end of this period. The restoration of Israel to the land is necessary as a precursor to the nation’s spiritual restoration. For the Jews to be reached and converted en masse, it is necessary for Jewish culture and settlement to be concentrated in the land promised by God to Israel’s patriarchs, coupled with a renewed passion for Jewish identity and nationalism. Large numbers of secular Jews would probably lose their Jewish identity were it not for the state of Israel. The restoration of a Jewish state is also necessary to set up the events of the tribulation period, including the pact between the antichrist and the Jewish state, and the abomination of desolation in the temple. The modern state of Israel recently celebrated its 73rd anniversary. It has also now been more than 50 years since Israel gained full control over the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In spite of Satan’s ongoing efforts to foil the fulfillment of prophecy by driving Israel out of the land, the state of Israel has continually grown stronger and more deeply rooted.

Several aspects of biblical prophecy regarding Israel remain to be fulfilled in this age. First, Ezekiel 34–36 describes the Jews living in the mountains of Israel and taking vengeance on “Edom,” which is apparently a reference to the Palestinians. This indicates that after Israel finally subdues its enemies, the West Bank will be fully annexed to the state of Israel and will be filled with Jewish-majority cities. Second, biblical prophecy is clear that there will be a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem, presumably where the Dome of the Rock now stands. This temple functions as a place of (illegitimate) Jewish sacrifice throughout the first half of the tribulation period (Dan 9:27), while throughout the second half it will be the place where the antichrist sets up his throne and his image to be worshiped as a god (2 Thess 2:4; Rev 13:14-15; 16:10). While some Jews have made serious plans for the construction of the third temple, they have not yet had the opportunity to begin construction work. Third, while Ezekiel 37 portrayed the restored nation of Israel as a mighty army, Ezekiel 38:8, 11-13 prophesies that by the time of the tribulation period Israel will dwell securely, without walls and apparently without a military. While Israel has recently made peace with several Arab countries, it still faces severe security challenges. The coming of peace between Israel and the Arab world is also indicated by prophecies which state that when the antichrist invades Israel at the midpoint of the tribulation period, many Jews will find refuge in modern-day Jordan, which the antichrist will be unable to conquer (Daniel 11:41; Matt 24:15-16; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20-21; Rev 12:6, 13-17). Fourth, since the antichrist will make a treaty with Israel at the start of the tribulation period, this indicates that Israel will develop closer ties to the European Union over time, with a long-term goal of joining the EU.

A second key feature of the world of the end times that Bible teachers have long recognized is the universal use of an electronic payment system, and very likely a universal digital currency, all controlled by a central authority. The main indicator of this is the description of the mark of the beast (antichrist) in Revelation 13:16-18 (see also Zechariah 5:5-11). The mark of the beast which is imposed globally at the midpoint of the tribulation period is not just an externally visible tattoo or brand with the antichrist’s name or number. It also contains the personal identifier of each individual who has the mark, so as to identify that person as a worshiper of the antichrist. This identifier or computer chip is connected to the electronic payment system that is used for all financial transactions, so that those who do not have the mark are completely excluded from the global financial system and cannot buy or sell. The mark is imposed throughout the entire world, excluding no one except those who refuse to worship the antichrist. This necessitates global economic development, with even the poorest parts of the world possessing the necessary infrastructure to make and receive electronic payments. Already cell phones and the internet are available in the remotest and poorest parts of the world, though many people still lack access to technology. The world is also on track to develop a universal method of electronic financial transactions, replacing paper money and coinage. Notably, the United States is making plans to release a digital currency, by which means all financial transactions will be processed directly by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank. This will give the U.S. government a record of every financial transaction—there will be no private transactions—and, much more significantly, will give the government the power to block financial transactions. However, these things are still in the planning stages; there is not as yet a single global currency or a global standard of financial transactions. Thus, while it is obvious that the world is being prepared for the mark of the beast, the mark could not be implemented at the present time.

Third, pretribulationists have long recognized that the antichrist’s base of power consists of a confederation of ten countries and their rulers (Dan 2:42; 7:7-8, 24; Rev 13:1; 17:3, 12-13), in which the antichrist emerges as an eleventh ruler (he is probably the commander of the joint military force), though he will overthrow three rulers during the first half of the tribulation period and will seize power over the entire confederation. The book of Daniel presents the antichrist’s empire as an eschatological form of the Roman Empire (Dan 2:40-44; 7:7-8, 23-24), and Daniel 9:26 specifically identifies the Romans as the antichrist’s ancestral people. The major opponents of the antichrist from the midpoint of the tribulation period onward are armies from the north, south, and east (Dan 11:40-44), so it is apparent that the antichrist’s base of power is in the west (in relation to Israel), i.e., in Europe. The establishment of the European Union as a confederation of the countries of Europe is therefore a step toward the establishment of the antichrist’s kingdom. From the collapse of the Roman Empire until the collapse of the Soviet Union, Europe was politically fractured. However, the European Union has successfully joined together nearly all the countries of Europe from the Atlantic Ocean to the border of the old Soviet Union. Even after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (which is likely temporary), the EU still contains about 440 million people, making it a significant world power. However, while the EU is a precursor to the antichrist’s kingdom, it has not yet taken the form in which the antichrist’s kingdom is described in prophecies of the tribulation period. In accordance with biblical prophecy, we can expect that in the future the countries of the EU will (1) develop stronger ties, including a military alliance; and (2) consolidate into a confederation of ten countries or administrative units.

Prophecies of the tribulation period also imply that there will be a new arms race and a great expansion of the world’s militaries in the runup to the tribulation period. The world’s political entities and military forces will also be grouped into distinct regional alliances. Ezekiel 38–39 describes the invasion of Israel by a huge, fully-mechanized military force led by Russia but also including the armies of other countries of the former Soviet Union, Iran, and some African countries. Revelation 9:16 describes a fully mechanized army from South, East, and Southeast Asia numbering 200 million. The antichrist’s European armies are clearly very substantial as well. Even at the end of the tribulation period, after seven years of severe plagues and deadly wars, there are still so many soldiers gathered for the final battle that they fill the entire land of Israel from north to south and west to east, for a length of 184 miles (Rev 14:20). At present, Russia, China, and India are aggressively modernizing and expanding their militaries, and many smaller countries are doing the same. However, prophecy shows that this is still just the beginning stages of what will be an unprecedented buildup of the world’s military forces.

A final often-noted characteristic of the last days is that they are a time of great spiritual darkness and a great worldwide rebellion against God. There are numerous passages in the New Testament that refer to a time of apostasy in the last days that was still future at the time when the New Testament was written, and therefore cannot be understood as a reference to the entire Church Age (2 Thess 2:3; 2 Tim 3:1-9, 13; 2 Pet 3:3-6; Jude 17-19). The last days will feature not just unprecedented opposition to God in the unbelieving world, but also a falling away within the church (Rom 11:19-22; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 4:3-4; Rev 3:14-22). When the entire unbelieving world worships the antichrist and takes his mark in the face of extraordinary signs from heaven, this is the result and culmination of an unprecedented worldwide rebellion against God that began well before the start of the tribulation period.

Christians who believe in the pretribulational rapture of the church have long recognized parallels between the modern world and the world of the tribulation period described in biblical prophecy. However, some pretribulationists reject out of hand the very possibility of recognizing these parallels, on the basis of a misleadingly-named doctrine called “imminence,” referring to the imminence of the rapture. The rapture of the church is an event which occurs at the start of the tribulation period (concurrent with the start of the antichrist’s pact with Israel), and is a distinct event from the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation period. Although the word “imminent” means “about to happen,” the theological doctrine of imminence strongly asserts that the rapture may not be about to happen—the rapture could still be thousands of years away. The doctrine of imminence asserts that it is impossible to know whether we are living close in time to the rapture. Imminence is thus a common objection to the literal interpretation of Bible prophecy, since a literal interpretation of prophecy reveals clear parallels between the world of the end times and the world in which we live. It should be noted that imminence is a theological objection, not an exegetical objection, which puts the cart before the horse—theology ought to be derived from exegesis, and not vice versa. It is easy to show that the Bible contains prophecies of many events in the Church Age, which implies that the rapture could not occur or have been considered imminent before the fulfillment of these prophecies (see Dan 9:26; Matt 13:24-43; 22:7; 24:2; Mark 4:26-29; Luke 19:11-27, 43-44; John 21:18-19; Acts 1:8; 9:15-16; 11:28; 16:9-10; 18:9-11; 20:22-23; 21:11; 22:21; 23:11; 1 Cor 4:9; Phil 1:20-26; 2 Tim 4:6-7; 2 Pet 1:14; Revelation 2–3). It is also easy to show that passages which state that no one can know the day or hour of the Lord’s coming are, in context, references to the second coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation period, and are not references to the rapture of the church (Matt 24:36–25:13; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-48; 21:34-36; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 16:15). However, the doctrine of imminence deserves a more extended discussion, and so will be the subject of a future post.

This post has described how various events and entities of the modern world are beginning to line up with biblical descriptions of the tribulation period. The world in which we live is still different in some ways from the world described in the tribulation period, but there are elements of our world that are unmistakable elements of the last days. One of these elements is the rise of a great superpower that dominates the world of the end times in every respect—a cultural and economic superpower unlike any the world has ever seen before, which becomes responsible for the moral and spiritual corruption of the entire world. In my next post, I will make a case for identifying the entity called Babylon the Great in Revelation 17:1–19:5 with the United States of America. Like the other prophecies of the end times noted in this post, the Untied States already has many key characteristics of this prophesied entity which make the identification unmistakable, but there are also some key aspects of the Bible’s description of Babylon the Great that have yet to be fulfilled—especially a murderous worldwide campaign of persecution against Christians which is driven by Babylon the Great (Rev 17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2).

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

The war against Christians in America

19 Tuesday Jan 2021

Posted by Steven Anderson in Current events

≈ 2 Comments

This is the first of a series of posts related to the November 2020 elections in the United States. The first post will give an overview of what the election of a Democratic president and Congress means for the persecution of Christians in the United States. The following posts will analyze what is happening from a biblical viewpoint, answering the crucial questions of how to understand these events within the framework of biblical prophecy, and how American Christians should respond. It is my conviction that the American church has failed to understand these events and respond properly to them because it does not understand or accept biblical prophecy, which is the key to making sense of the events of our time. Too many Christians are shocked by what is happening because they do not understand what the Bible says about the world becoming dramatically worse before the return of Christ, and they do not believe that the United States—the dominant country in the world of the end times—is even mentioned in biblical prophecy. In fact, difficult days are ahead, though in the end it will all work out for good as part of God’s plan to wind up the affairs of this world and replace the kingdoms of this world with His own eternal kingdom.

The narrow and disputed election victory of the Democrats in November 2020 and January 2021 appears to be a watershed moment in the history of both the United States and of the entire world. It signifies not just a change of agenda, but a takeover of the world’s most powerful country by a party that intends to prosecute its ideological opponents for alleged political and religious “crimes.” This represents a radical departure from traditional party politics in the United States, which sought to preserve freedom of speech and the democratic system of government by allowing the free expression of opposing views. While the more “political” issues get the headlines, I would like to point out how the Democratic Party has shifted radically to the left on religious issues over the past few decades, and what the current threats to religious liberty are.

  1. In 1993, Congressman Chuck Schumer and Senator Ted Kennedy cosponsored the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which specified that the enforcement of government laws and regulations must allow broad latitude for religious objections, in order to prevent unintentional restrictions on religious freedom. The RFRA passed Congress nearly unanimously, and President Bill Clinton enthusiastically signed it into law.
    • Now, Chuck Schumer has vowed to pass the Equality Act immediately after Democrats regain control of the Senate, and Joe Biden has promised to sign the Equality Act into law. The Equality Act essentially seeks to make sexual liberties override religious liberties. It stipulates that all people must be allowed to use the bathroom or locker room of their choice, without any exemption for Christian organizations or parental religious beliefs. In fact, it specifically states that the RFRA cannot be used to provide “any claim, defense, or basis” for challenging the requirements of the Equality Act. When the Equality Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019, all the Democrats voted for it, but only eight Republicans joined them. The Senate never voted on the Equality Act due to Republican opposition, and President Trump also issued an official statement opposing it.
    • If the Equality Act is passed in the Senate without a successful Republican filibuster, it will create immediate legal problems for Christian institutions, resulting in a court battle. One obvious area of contention will be whether Christian organizations can expel or refuse to admit students, staff, or faculty who are active homosexuals or who undergo a “gender transition.” Probably state and federal governments will deny student loans and other financial aid to schools that refuse to comply, accreditation agencies will revoke accreditation, the IRS will revoke tax-exempt status, and some states may revoke Christian schools’ licenses to operate. Some individual school presidents or pastors may be charged with criminal offenses. The current Supreme Court would almost certainly rule in favor of Christian institutions, but some lower courts would not. Also, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court could be lost by packing the court or by deaths and retirements. More disconcertingly, the Equal Rights Amendment is very close to passage by the states and by Congress, and not even a conservative Supreme Court could overturn a constitutional amendment. (Some liberals even want to rewrite the entire Constitution.) Once the Equality Act is passed, it will be nearly impossible to overturn, as there is not enough popular support, and certainly not enough establishment support, for the protection of Christian churches and schools which have policies that exclude homosexuals.
    • Another bill that has been proposed in the U.S. House, the Do No Harm Act, also specifically annuls provisions of RFRA and redefines statutory harm to include the supposed emotional harm that is inflicted on homosexuals by Christians organizations with lifestyle standards that refuse membership to practicing homosexuals.
  2. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Communications Decency Act in order to restrict internet pornography. This act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 414-16, and the Senate by a vote of 91-5.
    • Now, mainstream opinion journalists and the big tech companies openly advocate pornography as something positive and healthy, and pornography illustrating all sorts of sexual perversion has been added to the sex ed curriculum of some public schools. (In some states sex ed is K-12, with a heavy emphasis on presenting homosexuality and transgenderism in a positive light, and warning that abstinence is harmful.) The Democrats are also mandating sexual abuse in schools by requiring schools to allow students and teachers to use the locker room or restroom of their choice, and it seems likely that they will soon pass laws that erase all legal distinctions between male and female toplessness. Even worse things are likely on the horizon. Unfortunately, a growing number of Republicans are also in favor of such indecency, although nearly all political opposition to sexual immorality is to be found within the Republican Party.
  3. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman, prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages, and declared that states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. This act passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 342-67, and the Senate by a vote of 85-14. In 2000 and 2008, the people of California voted in favor of propositions that banned gay marriage. In his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama stated repeatedly that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman, and that he is opposed to gay marriage.
    • In 2012, Obama completely reversed his position, violating his oath of office by refusing to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act without the law being repealed by Congress. (This began a trend; Democratic executives at all levels of government have since stopped enforcing laws which they dislike, usurping legislative power.) Pressure from Obama and the federal government led to the 2015 Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court that made same-sex “marriage” the law of the land, as liberal justices usurped the power of Congress and read into the Constitution a right that was clearly never intended by those who passed the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868. Immediately afterward, the Obama administration launched a global campaign of persecution against all those who advocate the very position that Obama himself advocated only a few years earlier. There was great celebration by Leftists and the mainstream media when Kim Davis, a Christian county clerk in Kentucky who declined to place her signature on marriage licenses for same-sex couples, was imprisoned. The depth of hatred that Democrats have for those who hold a different ideology—especially those who espouse biblical Christian values—seems to know no bounds.
  4. In the 1990s, liberal Democrats led an anti-smoking crusade, winning class-action lawsuits against the big tobacco companies, increasing cigarette taxes, banning smoking indoors, and educating people about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Senator Joe Biden coined the term “drug czar” in 1982 and led the effort to establish the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in 1988. Senator Biden and President Clinton supported the reauthorization of the ONDCP in 1996 as part of the “War on Drugs.” The 1996 reauthorization bill specifically prohibited the use of federal funds for research related to the medical use or legalization of marijuana.
    • Today, Biden and the Democrats have pledged to legalize marijuana nationwide. Several liberal states and municipalities have already legalized (decriminalized) hard drugs, and the Democrats will legalize these nationally sooner or later. It is unfortunate that some Republicans also favor the legalization of marijuana, although there is far more opposition to drug legalization within the Republican Party than within the Democratic Party.
    • While at this point Christians are not being punished for opposing drugs, it is possible that such persecution could come. Simply living in a society where drugs are openly sold and consumed is spiritually and physically oppressive.

The following is a list of other assaults on Christian religious liberty that are likely to come in the United States soon.

  • An expansion of “hate speech” laws that will require the recognition of the legitimacy of transgenderism by punishing those who refer to transgender persons using the pronoun of their birth (physical) gender. This has already begun as a workplace rule and a requirement by media companies, but will expand to include fines or imprisonment for all violators in all contexts.
  • It is possible that an anti-Christian “doctrinal statement” may be introduced into workplaces and/or made a requirement for holding public office, which would require people to recognize the legitimacy of homosexuality, homosexual “marriage,” transgenderism, and so forth. In authoritarian countries that have a façade of democracy, it is common for only those candidates approved by the ruling class to be allowed to run in elections. This removes all possibility of a future change in the ruling party’s core policies. Already it seems likely that conservative Congressmen who anger the left-wing establishment will be expelled from Congress by Democratic Congressional leaders, overturning elections.
  • There will be a continuing expansion of the types of sexual perversion that are not merely recognized as legitimate, but that are celebrated, protected, and aggressively advocated. “Homosexual” became “LGBT,” which has become “LGBTIQ+”, and this will likely be expanded to include pedophilia, incest, bestiality, and who knows what else.
  • There may be some sort of regulations imposed on Christian schools and homeschools that will require all students to be indoctrinated with the leftist worldview, especially on the homosexual issue.
  • There will be a continuation and acceleration of the purge of cultural symbols of the past from museums, parks, government buildings, and history books.
  • Big tech, publishers, and the rest of corporate America have already begun aggressive ideological purges of books, articles, videos, websites, merchandise, and advertising that are deemed “offensive” or “contaminated” due to association with a conservative “sinner.” Some sort of ideological purges will likely be made official U.S. government policy at some point, as in many other countries. I fully expect that the day will come when Amazon removes my books and WordPress removes my blog, if I do not first migrate elsewhere.
  • Services may be denied to individuals who are known to be part of a hated class of people (i.e., conservative Christians) by companies that fear even the slightest association with ideological opponents of the Left. Eventually this will likely mean exclusion from basic services, such as air travel, hotel, cell phone, banking, internet shopping, and even insurance. This is a more radical form of the discriminatory policies that were once imposed on blacks in parts of the U.S., which is now being done under the false pretense of “inclusion” and “anti-discrimination.”
  • Joe Biden has stated that he may ask Congress to pass a “domestic terrorism” law and to create a special office in the White House to fight “ideological extremists.” Such a law would likely allow the president to suspend the civil liberties of conservative groups or individuals that he deems “ideological extremists” and would allow Biden to use federal funds to promulgate propaganda for liberal “values” in the media and schools.
  • In spite of this past summer’s “cancel culture” assault on Senator Tom Cotton and President Trump for proposing the use of the military to control leftist rioters, and Trump’s toleration of the vast left-wing protests at his own inauguration, the military is already being deployed to deter conservatives from protesting the Leftist ascent to power. This shows that the Democrats are willing to use military force to crush opposition to their agenda. Any resistance to the crackdown will provide an excuse for stronger measures.
  • The homosexual agenda will be imposed on other countries through strongarm tactics by corporate America and as part of the official foreign policy of the United States. Foreign companies, political leaders, and governments that oppose homosexual “marriages” or other aspects of the liberal agenda will face a devastating boycott.

How did we get to this place? The United States has been decaying spiritually for quite some time. By the late 1990s, it had became clear that the homosexual rights movement, which was an outgrowth of the feminist movement, was a polarizing “wedge” issue because it forced everyone to take a stance on one side or the other, with no middle ground (in spite of the talk at the time of moral relativism, tolerance, and multiculturalism). Further, militant homosexuals made clear that they were not just seeking toleration, but also a ban on all criticism of homosexuality and the opportunity to “proselytize” children and teenagers by presenting the homosexual lifestyle as normal, healthy, and even superior. Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s, homosexual rights continued to be expanded at all levels of government in the United States, and the movement even began to make inroads in the church. However, it was the Obama presidency that radicalized and hardened the Left—and not just on the homosexual issue—making Leftists unwilling to compromise or take a conciliatory posture towards conservatives. Beginning towards the end of the George W. Bush presidency, but accelerating at a feverish pace since the end of the Obama presidency, left-wing Democrats have waged an unrelenting war on conservatives, with no desire to “turn down the temperature,” compromise, or be amicable.

Too many Christians and pastors view the conflict in America as purely political, rather than spiritual. In fact, Daniel 10–12 teaches that visible political conflicts are merely a manifestation of an invisible spiritual conflict between God and His agents and Satan and his agents. The real conflict is spiritual, and the spiritual drives the political (see this post). This does not imply that political activism is the best way to fight the spiritual battle, or that the Republican Party is always right. But it does mean that political events are not without spiritual significance, and are not always secondary issues or matters on which pastors and churches should remain silent or refuse to take sides. In the United States today, it is clear that the Democratic Party has a thoroughly satanic agenda and attitude. While I recognize that there are many problems in the Republican Party, only the Republican Party still has many advocates for biblical morality on key issues, and President Trump was a very strong defender of Christian religious liberty. Political activism will not save America, but it sure is important not to be supporting the side that is persecuting God’s people. One’s Christian faith should not be separated from any area of one’s life, and certainly not from contemporary politics, where Americans are literally voting on whether to persecute Christians. Shame on evangelical Christians who voted Democratic in the last election. Shame on Christian leaders who steered people away from voting Republican.

American political “Leftism” is looking increasingly like a religious system. Leftism holds to a dogmatic system of beliefs, seeks to impose them on others, and seeks to identify and eliminate heretics. Leftism is in many ways a political religion, because it uses politics as a means of spreading its values and forcing conversions. Homosexual rights is one of its core tenets; some others currently include more general sexual openness, abortion, assisted suicide/euthanasia, legalized drugs, Darwinian evolution, global warming, and economic socialism. Christianity, in its traditional and biblical form, is viewed as the greatest threat to the religion of Leftism and its ideological opposite. The fervor of Leftists in America is also characteristic religious fervor, which can be seen in Leftists from top to bottom—from the corporate executives who eagerly cut all ties with anyone who is deemed a “sinner,” to the opinion journalists who ceaselessly rail against conservatives without any attempt to be nice or fair or unhypocritical, to the many people in my own neighborhood who aggressively post atheistic and Democratic Party signs in their front yards year-round. It is clear that there is a satanic energy behind the religious fervor of Leftism, as Satan makes a final great push to wipe out Christians and Jews before Jesus returns.

Even before the Democratic Party takeover of Congress and the White House, the Left found a way to exercise political control over American institutions without formally being invested with political power, by a near-total takeover of the elite establishment. If a corporate executive is heard saying something as innocuous as, “I do not believe a man should marry another man”—a moral principle so fundamental to human civilization that it has been taken for granted by virtually everyone in world history before just the last few decades—that executive will be fired and will not be able to find another job. Teachers, government workers, and even many private employees could also be fired for making such a statement. As for big tech companies, they have shown that they do not just have the power to censor content on their own platforms—they also have the power to censor competitors’ platforms. Essentially they have considerable power to control content across the entire internet, at least in the United States. Virtually any website or cell phone app can be censored by leftist American tech giants. Without passing a constitutional amendment to annul freedom of speech, the Left now strictly controls what may and may not be said. When the leftist establishment acts in concert to censor and purge conservatives, they are carrying out extrajudicial punishments without legal due process or legislative action. Without respect for the Constitution, for due process, and for free exchange of ideas, true democracy cannot exist, since debates, campaigns, and elections cannot be truly free. There can be no effective political opposition to leftist ideology, particularly on the all-important moral and spiritual issues.

There is some uncertainty at present as to what the Democrats might do in the short term to attack Christian individuals and institutions that oppose homosexuality and that in general espouse a biblical worldview. It is clear that strong repressive measures are coming, including not just restrictions on Christians but also the legalization of more sinful practices. Some of the coming measures are doubtless ones that very few people are currently talking about. I do not personally know exactly when or how all of these measures will come. Perhaps the worst will not come until the Republican Party also shifts more fully to the left on moral and spiritual issues. However, I can say with confidence that the day will come when not only will Bible-believing institutions and churches in America be closed, but the United States will actually lead a worldwide campaign to persecute and kill Christians wherever they may be found. The United States will never be turned around spiritually and politically, and efforts to save America are futile. Ultimately, American Christians will need to follow the steps of their forebears and peacefully leave their country in search of religious freedom elsewhere. How do I know these things? From biblical prophecy, which will be the subject of my next post.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Should churches comply with COVID-19 closure orders?

03 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by Steven Anderson in Current events, Practical theology

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

church and state, civil disobedience, persecution

John MacArthur has been one the best known and most respected pastors in American evangelicalism for many decades. Recently he has been in the news for defying an order by California governor Gavin Newsom that requires churches to temporarily refrain from holding normal services within their buildings in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. At the time of this post’s publication, MacArthur is currently being threatened with arrest and fines, and is garnering support in a polarized political environment from Franklin Graham and leading conservative political activists. Many Christians assume that MacArthur is being persecuted for his Christian faith. While Governor Newsom does have a long track record of hostility towards biblical Christianity, his order mandates a broad but temporary closure of establishments that also includes churches. In any case, Peter commanded Christians to submit to the very worst of all the Roman emperors—Nero (1 Pet 2:13-17)—so we must ask whether Pastor MacArthur has a legitimate biblical basis for defying Governor Newsom’s order.

In an article posted on the website of Grace Community Church, MacArthur argues from the Bible that the government does not have the right to ban churches from meeting for services, or to limit the number of people who can gather at one time, or to ban singing in church services. While some of MacArthur’s supporting arguments are problematic, I don’t know of any pastors who would disagree with the major points listed above, as applied in generic circumstances. However, the main article does not address the issue of the context in which the closure orders have been issued, which is the COVID-19 pandemic. An Addendum by the elders of Grace Community Church states, “It is, of course, legitimate for Christians to abstain from the assembly of saints temporarily in the face of illness or an imminent threat to public health.” However, they go on to assert, “the virus is nowhere near as dangerous as originally feared,” and it is this evaluation of the danger posed by COVID-19 that led the church to reopen. This is a reversal of the church’s earlier policy; in an article published on May 23, the church leadership wrote in response to a court ruling that kept churches in California closed, “the Ninth Circuit decision is sadly the law of the land in California, and we gladly submit to the sovereign purposes of God. . . . the elders of Grace Community Church desire to delay our reopening and leave it in the hands of God.”

First of all, it must be stated that MacArthur and the leadership of Grace Community Church are mistaken in their scientific and political evaluation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they ought to know better. The overwhelming consensus of medical experts is that COVID-19 is a deadly disease, and wherever there have been outbreaks of COVID-19 the intensive care units of hospitals have quickly filled to capacity with critically ill patients—something that does not happen with influenza outbreaks. Patients who recover often do not recover fully—they can have long-term or even permanent damage from the disease, which affects the body differently than the flu. Further, COVID-19 is so contagious that even asymptomatic carriers who do not wear masks will spread it to virtually everyone who spends time in proximity to them. Contrary to the conspiracy theories, government leaders around the world would not shut down large sectors of their economies unless they were convinced it is absolutely necessary to do so. Further, churches meetings are being prohibited as part of a general ban on indoor gatherings for public health reasons; the government is not targeting churches for their religious beliefs. Very liberal governors have also closed bars, theaters, sports arenas, and gyms—establishments that they surely do not want to drive out of business. These closings are intended to be temporary, not recurring or permanent.

Is compliance with an order for churches to temporarily stop meeting because of a pandemic contrary to Scripture? Before addressing that question, it should be noted that the government order only prohibits large gatherings of people indoors. As Jonathan Leeman notes on the 9Marks blog, some other large churches have chosen to hold outdoor services, or even to split into dozens of house congregations until the pandemic is over. (See also this CT article.) Most churches are using technology to livestream preaching online and to hold interactive Sunday School classes or small group discipleship via a video conference tool such as Zoom or Skype. MacArthur’s presentation of the issue as an either/or choice between holding regular services inside the church building or not meeting at all presents a false dichotomy (“Christ or Caesar”). MacArthur has rejected the other options, not because he believes they are unbiblical as temporary measures to help contain a pandemic, but because he disagrees with the government’s assessment that large indoor gatherings pose a serious public health risk, calling it “lies and deception.” Apparently if MacArthur was convinced that COVID-19 is a deadly disease, he would have complied with the governor’s order to refrain from holding church services. Here MacArthur is usurping the prerogatives of the state, as it is the role of government officials to decide how deadly a disease is, and what measures should be taken to stop its spread; if every man could decide for himself what should be done, the result would be anarchy and a public health disaster. The government of course makes mistakes, but Christians are still called to obey the government as long as the government does not require Christians to act contrary to Scripture. In this case, the government is allowing for alternatives to meeting inside a church building. (It should be remembered that a church is people, not a building.) MacArthur’s congregation is also defying the government’s requirement to wear face masks indoors because, in MacArthur’s view, “they understand the reality” of the risk posed by COVID-19. This is simple rebellion against the government.

MacArthur argues that the state does not have authority over the church or family, but that these are three spheres of separate authority. However, the New Testament teaches that churches and families are to submit to the state (Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-17), except in those rare cases where the government commands believers to disobey God (Acts 5:29)—and even then, Christians are to follow Christ’s example of nonresistance (1 Pet 2:21-25). In reality, churches comply with government regulations and requirements all the time—building codes, occupancy codes, blight ordinances, and so forth. In addition, it is the job of the government to intervene when criminal activity or activity that adversely affects public health and safety is occurring within churches or families; thus, the government has some legitimate oversight of churches and families. I would argue that the government is within its biblical rights to temporarily order church buildings to close during a pandemic, or even to order “non-essential workers” to quarantine at home. Disputes over whether the government is acting within its constitutional rights should be resolved through legal processes, without civil disobedience.

MacArthur has stated that pastors who are keeping their church buildings closed are not “shepherding their people,” and that the pandemic will “reveal the true church,” in spite of the fact that his own church only recently reversed its closure policy. By “shepherding their people,” MacArthur is apparently referring to preaching to thousands of people in a giant auditorium, as he does on Sundays. However, it is hard to understand how people who watch MacArthur preach on live video are being fed any differently than those who are sitting in the auditorium. One could also argue that a small group or Sunday School class that meets via Zoom or Skype and actually interacts on a personal level is being shepherded in a way that a pastor preaching to thousands of people cannot do. Of course the New Testament directs churches to assemble in person, as there was no way to meet via video conferencing in the first century AD. Under normal circumstances, believers should assemble physically in the same place and meet face to face in order to do such things as corporate singing and communion, which are difficult or impossible to do remotely. However, often circumstances are not normal, and when technology is used well it can come close to replicating many aspects of in-person church. In addition, in other countries and cultures where churches face strong government persecution, Christians often gather in small house churches or even meet in secret locations in order to avoid arrest, and this is not unbiblical compromise.

It is ironic that the article on the Grace Community Church website lists one of the reasons for reopening as: “The unity and influence of the church has been threatened.” Yet the article also contains such polarizing affirmations as: “pastors who cede their Christ-delegated authority in the church to a civil ruler have abdicated their responsibility before their Lord” and “our prayer is that every faithful congregation will stand with us in obedience to our Lord.” The truth is that the pressure MacArthur is placing on other pastors and churches to reopen is likely to cause church splits, as congregations divide between those who believe that COVID-19 is a serious threat and those who think it isn’t. Some pastors are preaching that the Bible requires everyone to physically attend church every time there is a service, regardless of the risk, and that merely watching the service online is disobeying God. This sort of legalistic preaching is likely to kill many people physically, as well as causing great spiritual damage to congregations and to the church’s reputation.

Quarantines provide great opportunities for spiritual growth that are being missed by those who insist on business as usual. (See the excellent Quarantine Blessings video by Rick Griffith.) Many Americans ran out of patience after only a few weeks of staying at home and began to resume their normal activities as much as possible, ignoring the risks posed by COVID-19. However, being in quarantine is a great way to learn such virtues as patience and discipline, and to rest from one’s regular business while engaging in quieter activities. Pastors and churches would do well to take advantage of this change in circumstances to grow in new ways, rather than insisting on unbiblical defiance of government orders to temporarily stop meeting indoors.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Israel, the Bible, and current events

29 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by Steven Anderson in Bible prophecy, Current events

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

prophecies about Israel, regathering of Israel

It is impossible to read the Bible without being struck by the centrality of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people in the plan of God. Beginning with the call of Abraham in Genesis 12, virtually the entire Old Testament is about God’s dealings with the nation of Israel. The hope of future salvation and blessing for believers is channeled through God’s covenants with Israel. Nearly all of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the national language of the Jewish people. Nearly every book of the Old Testament was written by Israelites.

References to Israel abound in the New Testament, as well. Christianity began in the Jewish world, and all but two books of the New Testament (Luke and Acts) were written by Jews. The early Christians identified themselves as the sect of true Judaism, which recognized Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Jesus and the twelve apostles were observant Jews who lived in Israel’s land (Galilee and Judea), and Jesus came specifically to offer the promised kingdom to Israel. When Peter preached the gospel in Acts 3, he proclaimed that Jesus would return and restore the kingdom to Israel whenever the Jewish nation repented and accepted Him as their Messiah (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:19-21). The New Testament epistles are filled with references to Israel, as early Christians struggled with the relation of Jews to Gentiles in the church. Jesus and the apostles taught that all the promises to Israel are still valid and will be fulfilled to the Jewish people at the end of the age, but that there is an interim period in which the church exists as a non-national (primarily Gentile) entity.

Although many early church fathers interpreted prophecy literally, the allegorical interpretation of prophecy came to dominate Christian theology by late antiquity. The church was asserted to have replaced Israel in God’s program, and the Jewish people were considered no longer to be special in any way. The hatred of Christians by Jews which dates back to the crucifixion of Jesus was matched at times by the persecution of Jews on the part of professing Christians. The church’s hostility toward Jews began gradually to change after the Protestant Reformation, when Christians sought to return to Scripture as the source of their beliefs. In 18th century England and America, the study of Hebrew and renewed scholarly interest in the Old Testament led to the recovery of premillennial theology and the literal interpretation of prophecy among some Protestant groups. Prophecy scholars in the 19th century often spoke at length about God’s miraculous preservation of the Jewish people through the ages and asserted that God would yet bring the Jews back to their land and fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. At about the same time, biblical faith on the European continent was being swept away by a wave of liberal theology, higher criticism, and rationalism. The Bible’s teachings were not merely disbelieved, but were vigorously opposed. Since those who hate God also hate His chosen people, higher criticism led to a marked rise in anti-Semitism and violent acts against the Jews across Europe. This persecution forged a new nationalist spirit among the Jews, leading to the adoption of the shield (star) of David as the symbol of Judaism, and to the revival of Hebrew as a spoken language. It also gave rise to the modern Zionist movement, which sought to establish a homeland for the Jews where they would be protected from persecution. Paradoxically, higher criticism and rationalism made great inroads into Judaism as well as Christianity in the 19th century, leading to the abandonment of Orthodox Judaism by the majority of Jews and the rise of Reform and Conservative Judaism. While in Christianity higher criticism had the effect of undermining the gospel, in Judaism it removed longstanding theological barriers to the acceptance of the gospel.

While there have always been small numbers of Jews who have converted to Christianity, the 20th century saw a dramatic increase in Christian missionary efforts to the Jews. The number of Jews who became Christians also increased greatly. However, because Christianity remained stigmatized among the general population of Jews, a “Messianic” Jewish movement arose in which Jews professed faith in Jesus as their Messiah but did not call themselves Christians or join churches. Instead, they formed separate “messianic synagogues” which met on Saturday and were led by rabbis, not pastors. Many aspects of Jewish tradition and the Mosaic Law continued to be observed by these groups, in blatant contradiction of the book of Hebrews and other New Testament writings. These movements continue in great strength to the present day.

Since the late 1800s, Jews began returning in increasing numbers to their historic homeland (then known by the name “Palestine,” which the Roman emperor Hadrian gave to it), and the modern state of Israel was finally founded in 1948, following the Nazi Holocaust. Although the majority of modern Israelis are secular (non-observant) Jews, they have maintained a strong Jewish identity through their national struggle for survival. Since the 1960s, Israel’s greatest foreign supporter has been the United States of America. For decades, the base of support for Israel in the United States was a bipartisan coalition of American Jews and evangelical Christians. In recent years, however, the American left has taken a radical stance against the values of biblical Christianity, and this has resulted in increasing hostility toward Israel, even among many liberal American Jews. Mainline Christian denominations have also consistently opposed Israel. The main base of support for Israel in the United States is now a large segment of evangelical Christians, who believe that those who bless Abraham are still blessed, and those who curse Abraham are still cursed (Gen 12:1-3). Recognizing this fact, the current Israeli government has very directly courted American evangelicals, tossing aside the traditional Jewish hostility toward Christians for preaching Jesus as the Messiah.

The new friendliness of Jews with evangelical Christians is a great sign. Israeli Jews are now beginning to understand that evangelical, dispensational Christians love them and are their most reliable friends, in contrast to nominal Christians. More importantly, Jews at the highest levels of leadership in Israel now realize that there is nothing inherently anti-Semitic about Christianity or the Christian gospel. This is significant because the Bible is clear that Israel will accept Jesus as the promised Messiah before He returns (and as a condition for His return). A shift in Jewish attitudes toward Christians is a sign that Israel’s partial hardening (Rom 11:25) is finally beginning to lift.

The Bible clearly describes a regathering of the Jewish people to their historic homeland at the end of history. It describes how they overcome their ancient adversaries, repossess their ancient homeland, and become incredibly prosperous once again. By the time of the tribulation period, they are living in great peace with their neighbors, to the point of having no walls or army. Yet this physical restoration of the Jewish people is merely a precursor to their spiritual restoration, as Israel’s acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah is the main event which must occur prior to the second coming of Jesus. (For more details on this, see the comments on Ezekiel 34–39 in vol. 4 of my Interpretive Guide to the Bible.)

Satan seeks three things with regard to Israel in order to prevent the fulfillment of God’s promises: (1) The genocide of the Jewish people. (2) Driving the Jewish people out of the land of Israel. (3) Preventing the spiritual conversion of the Jewish people. While Satan has always sought these things, his efforts have greatly intensified in the last 250 years, as God’s program for Israel draws closer to its final consummation. Yet God’s program continues to move forward in the face of Satan’s opposition, resulting in a great conflict.

When events happen in the Middle East, and especially in the land of Israel, a common question Christians ask is whether that event was prophesied. While some specific events are indeed prophesied, such as the end-time regathering of Israel and the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, most events in the news today are not specifically mentioned in biblical prophecy. The recent opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is an example of this type of event. Of course there is nothing in the Bible specifically about the U.S. embassy. But everything that happens in Israel has its part in God’s plan, and the embassy move was a significant event. It could fairly be said that the U.S. embassy move occurred as part of a prophesied process of Israel’s increasing rootedness in their land. We must avoid the extreme of allegorizing Scripture to make it appear as if specific events in the news were prophesied, but we must also avoid the much more common extreme of allegorizing Scripture in order to claim that biblical prophecy has nothing to say at all about the modern state of Israel. The history of nation of Israel holds a central place in redemptive history, because God is unfolding His plan of redemption through His covenants with Israel. The various stages through which the history of the Jews has passed are coterminous with the central events in the development of God’s plan of redemption, which are the events of real significance in the history of the entire human race. Seen in this light, the present regathering of the Jewish people to the Promised Land is of great significance in the plan of God and in the history of the world—God is in the process of winding up human history.

Some people say that Christians should only focus on the gospel and should avoid discussing Israel because it is divisive. But the apostles preached the second coming of Jesus to establish His kingdom as the main hope of Christians, and the kingdom which Jesus will establish is the kingdom of Israel on the earth, fulfilling God’s promises to David and Abraham. Christians who oppose Israel not only fail to understand the plan of God as revealed in the Bible, but are actually opposing the work of God in our day.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

My experience viewing the total solar eclipse

23 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by Steven Anderson in Current events

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

21 August 2017

Two days ago I watched a total solar eclipse for the first time in my life. This was, in fact, the first total solar eclipse visible in any part of the lower 48 states since before I was born. The last total solar eclipse visible in the lower 48 was on February 26, 1979, and it was only visible in parts of the Northwest. This time, the path of the total eclipse cut right through the heart of the United States, with the point of greatest eclipse very close to Hopkinsville, Kentucky—where I viewed the event. A photo of the total eclipse taken from Hopkinsville is featured at the top of this post (credit: NASA).

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, and obscures the sun during the daytime. While partial solar eclipses are a relatively common occurrence, a total eclipse is a rare event for any one place on the earth. While a lunar eclipse is visible to an entire half of the earth, a total solar eclipse is visible only along a narrow path. Solar eclipses are also short-lived events; the maximum duration of the totality portion of this year’s eclipse in any one spot was 2 minutes, 41.6 seconds, although totality—when the moon completely covers the sun—can last as long as seven and a half minutes during an eclipse. The reason why total solar eclipses happen has to do with God’s design in creation: the moon is 400 times smaller in diameter than the sun, but the sun is 400 times more distant from the earth than the moon, which means that the two disks occupy the same visual space in our sky. When the moon passes between the earth and the sun, it can completely cover the sun’s disk and completely block the sun’s light. Although the moon orbits the earth every 28-29 days, and it always casts a shadow, only rarely does this shadow (umbra) pass over the earth’s surface, since the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees off the plane of the earth’s orbit around the sun. If the moon’s plane of orbit were exactly the same as the earth’s, the moon would block out the sun every month (every new moon), with totality lasting about 7 minutes in the tropics, while other regions would experience a partial eclipse. Also, a lunar eclipse would be seen every full moon. If the moon’s orbital plane were only slightly different from the earth’s, a total solar eclipse would still be seen every new moon, but at higher latitudes. At 5 degrees of difference in the plane of orbit, the earth still experiences total solar eclipses, but only about every 18 months.

Seeing a total solar eclipse is a far different experience than seeing a partial eclipse. A partial eclipse may just seem like an overcast day, perhaps a bit eerie, with the sun not shining as brightly. In a total eclipse, however, twilight suddenly descends during the middle of the day. Bright stars and planets become visible, and birds stop chirping. Animals bed down, thinking it is night. And one can look directly at the sun and see the solar corona (the sun’s atmosphere) streaming out from behind the moon’s black disk.

Hotels within the total eclipse path were fully booked from coast to coast, usually far in advance and at exorbitant prices. If I had to do it over again, I would have booked a hotel room at least a year in advance, or as early as possible. As it was, I booked a hotel two months before the eclipse. I couldn’t find any Midwest hotels in the actual eclipse zone that had rooms available, other than a couple of high-end hotels in Nashville. The closest hotel I could find in Illinois was a La Quinta Inn in Effingham (about 2 hours north of the eclipse) for $259/night, and the drive from back to Effingham from the eclipse zone on the evening of August 21 was horrendous. Even Amtrak did not have round-trip tickets left for the train from Effingham to Carbondale on August 21, although as it turns out Carbondale was partly cloudy. Fortunately, there were hotel rooms available in Evansville, Indiana at their regular rate. Evansville is only 80 miles north of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where I determined to view the eclipse. All the reservations were prepaid and non-refundable—otherwise many people would cancel their reservations if the weather forecast called for clouds or storms. I booked a two-night hotel stay. If I did it again, I would book a longer stay in order to avoid traffic problems, and I would stay in the town where I plan to view the eclipse.

I began checking the weather forecast for Hopkinsville as soon as it was available, fourteen days in advance. The forecast changed frequently, from thunderstorms to partly cloudy to sunny. The last two days, the forecast was “partly cloudy.” As it turned out, the sky was clear throughout the eclipse, and we had a great view of the sun. Many other locations in the Midwest had clouds. I believe Hopkinsville was the best place in the world to watch this eclipse; certainly it was the place where totality was seen the longest.

You don’t just need a hotel room to view the eclipse—unless you are camping at the spot where you plan to watch, you also need to reserve space at a viewing site, and you need to make these reservations far in advance. Usually you need to bring your own chairs, blankets, umbrellas/canopies, food, eclipse glasses, and a pinhole projector (a colander can be used to create a similar effect against a white background) or a special projecting telescope. Space on a farm within the exact point of greatest eclipse (Orchardale Farm in Cerulean, KY) was sold out when I checked for tickets. We viewed the eclipse at Hopkinsville Community College, which was only a couple of blocks from the exact center of the eclipse path, and very close to the point of greatest eclipse. It turned out to be the perfect spot. We chose to sit just inside the large glass entryway of a building on campus in order to enjoy the air conditioning on a very hot day. Every few minutes during the eclipse we would walk outside to take another look at the sun and shadows, before staying outside for about ten minutes immediately before, during, and after totality. The college also had indoor and outdoor food service, plenty of indoor restrooms, plenty of wide open outdoor spaces, a medical tent, and a series of lectures and events before, during, and after the eclipse.

I set a watch to the exact time, and wrote down the exact start and end times for the eclipse, and the exact start and end times for the total eclipse, from our exact location at the community college. As the eclipse progressed toward totality for an hour and a half, one of the things we noticed was that shadows became very crisp and well-defined. The air turned noticeably cooler (actually, less hot) as the sun’s light decreased. A few minutes before totality, all of us put on our eclipse glasses and watched the sun disappear. The “diamond ring” just before totality was impressive; we did not notice “Bailey’s beads,” however. The eclipse glasses are so dark that nothing but the sun can be seen through them; thus, as soon as totality began we could see nothing at all, and we took off our glasses. People were cheering all around us, especially at the beginning and end of totality. Some people lit off fireworks. Children loved it. No one exhibited adverse reactions or psychological shock. The solar corona was a unique and impressive sight, well worth the trip. I kept checking my watch, and was surprised at how slowly the 2 minutes, 40 seconds of totality passed. About ten seconds before totality was over, we put our eclipse glasses back on and watched the sun reappear, this time with the “diamond ring” and crescent on the opposite side of the moon. The second half of the eclipse was like the first half in reverse, and thus not as exciting. You can watch NASA’s live coverage of the total solar eclipse from Hopkinsville, starting at 2:52:23 on this video.

Watching the eclipse through a pinhole projector
Watching the eclipse through a pinhole projector
Watching the eclipse through a pinhole projector
Watching the eclipse through a pinhole projector
Looking at the sun through eclipse glasses a few minutes before totality
Looking at the sun through eclipse glasses a few minutes before totality
A local Denny's special
A local Denny’s special

Some things that impressed me about the eclipse:

  1. The brightness of the sun—I found it difficult to look at the sun through eclipse glasses until most of the sun was covered. I was also impressed by the fact that as soon as the first sliver of the sun reappeared, it immediately became much lighter around us.
  2. The length of totality—2 minutes, 40 seconds seemed like a long time, much longer than I needed to take in the sight of the corona, the 360 degree sunset, and the twilight.
  3. It was not as dark during the total eclipse as I thought it would be—it was like dusk, but not night.
  4. We had the ideal situation for viewing the eclipse, on a campus with open buildings, food, bathrooms, and plenty of space. I felt sorry for all the people who were camped out across the street in the August heat.

Our drive to Evansville on the day before the eclipse was uneventful, with no traffic problems. The next day we left at 4 am and easily beat the traffic going to Hopkinsville. We left the college at 3 pm, soon after the eclipse ended. The traffic was the worst I have ever seen—imagine several big football games all letting out at once. It took us 6 hours to drive the 80 miles from Hopkinsville to our hotel in Evansville. But the next day, driving north from Evansville back to Michigan, there were no traffic problems at all.

The next solar eclipse visible in the mainland U.S. will occur on Monday, April 8, 2024, although unfortunately that is a time of year when clouds are likely and storms are frequent. The point of greatest eclipse on that day will be in Durango, Mexico, where totality will last nearly four and a half minutes. The eclipse path through the U.S. will include Dallas, Little Rock, and Cleveland. For those who don’t want to wait that long, there will be two total solar eclipses in the next three years which will be visible from southern South America—one on July 2, 2019 and one on December 14, 2020. If you want to see those eclipses, start booking your travel arrangements as soon as possible. Also, check one of the interactive maps on this site for details on exactly when and for how long the eclipse will last at your precise location. Besides visiting Chile or Argentina, these eclipses can also be viewed from eclipse cruises or an eclipse flight. A cruise ship has the advantage of being able to adjust its course based on the cloud cover forecast. A plane has the double advantage of going over cloud cover and using the speed of the plane to extend the length of totality. Some people are known as “eclipse travelers,” and go to see every total solar eclipse. For me, personally, now that I have seen a total solar eclipse, I don’t feel like I have to see another one; but perhaps that feeling will change in a few years.

Viewing a total solar eclipse was a unique and possibly once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of the reasons I went was to try to understand why these events were such a big deal to people in ancient times. To see the sun suddenly go dark in the middle of the day could certainly be a frightening experience, as if the world were coming to an end. Also, the appearance of the sun’s corona is a strange and other-worldly sight. This would especially be a big deal to peoples who worshiped the sun, as nearly all pagan cultures did. A total solar eclipse was usually viewed as a bad omen. Both solar and lunar eclipses are frequently mentioned in ancient literature, outside of the Bible. (For biblical studies, eclipses are helpful as chronological markers when they are mentioned in extrabiblical literature—see this article by my friend Roger Young.) Some people may have feared that the world was coming to an end when the sun went dark. Even today, some people consider the viewing of a total solar eclipse to be psychologically shocking, although it did not have any adverse psychological effects on me or on the people around me. Unlike ancient man, we knew the eclipse was coming and we understood why. But there is a sense in which a total solar eclipse is a preview-in-miniature of the end of the world. If the sun dies, then the earth and everything in it will also die, and quickly. Indeed, the Bible tells us that just before Jesus Christ returns to the earth, the sun will be blackened as part of a general disintegration of the universe, causing great panic among men (Matt 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke 21:25-27; Acts 2:20; Rev 6:12; cf. Isa 24:23; Amos 8:9). In that day, the sun will not reappear after it is darkened, and each of us will have to give an account of ourselves to our Creator.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...

Legal pressures on American Christians and the church’s response

27 Thursday Jul 2017

Posted by Steven Anderson in Current events

≈ Leave a comment

In my previous post, I discussed a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court this fall regarding the refusal of a Christian to actively support homosexual “marriage.” Given the Court’s current makeup and the rulings of lower courts, it is almost certain that SCOTUS will rule against the Christian in this case, which will have far-reaching legal implications for other Christians in the United States. Now another troubling case seems certain to head to the Supreme Court, following President Trump’s ban on “transgender” individuals from service in the U.S. military. In spite of the fact that this ban was in place without a legal challenge up until October of last year, it seems possible that the Supreme Court will rule that discrimination against people who identify as “transgender” is somehow unconstitutional. Such a ruling would have a wide-ranging effect that would surely put greater legal pressure on churches and other Christian institutions to compromise. Perhaps the only thing that could weaken the Court’s position is the fact that allowing the participation of men in women’s sports as “transgender women” would make it impossible for female athletes to compete.

While there is still some uncertainty regarding these rulings and their effects, it has been apparent for decades that American culture is becoming progressively more anti-Christian, leading to increasing legal and cultural pressures on Christians. It has become increasingly apparent that a large number of people on the American political Left believe that those who hold opposing viewpoints should not be tolerated and should not even have a legal right to exist. These Leftists control much of academia, the media, and the corporate world. Their agenda is increasingly coming into the church, which means that the church does not present unified opposition to the Leftist agenda. A recent poll showed that 47 percent of young white American evangelicals believe that homosexual “marriage” should be legal; the question of whether homosexual acts should be legal does not even get asked because it is assumed that nearly everyone would say they should be. It is evident that at some point Leftists will gain enough power to fully implement their agenda, which is particularly aimed at destroying conservative, biblical Christianity for its moral values and theological dogma. Exactly when and how this will happen is not known, but in general the Left only needs control of a single branch of government to advance its agenda.

Perhaps the crisis will hit this fall, after the Court’s ruling against Masterpiece Cakeshop (if that is indeed what happens). Or perhaps it will come more gradually, given that there is now a Republican president, a Republican Congress, and Republican control of most state governments. Perhaps the crisis will hit at different times for Christians who live in different states or who engage in different occupations. But the fact that only one Christian was imprisoned for refusing to sign marriage licenses for homosexual couples should be of no comfort, since the rest of us who hold the same convictions would also have been imprisoned if we had been in the same situation. It should be remembered that Kim Davis’ imprisonment was actually celebrated by then-President Obama, the mainstream media, technology executives, and large numbers of their supporters on the political Left. They made it clear that they want all who hold opposing views to be forced to recant, or to be removed from society if they refuse to renounce their beliefs. When it comes to the issue of homosexuality, in particular, no opposing viewpoints are tolerated. The fact that this attitude is considered the politically correct attitude should certainly give pause to Christians in the United States.

Given the clear direction of the political and religious situation in the United States, it is completely befuddling that American Christians, their churches, and other Christian institutions have made no plans whatsoever for what to do when the crisis hits. There is no biblical justification for lack of foresight or preparation. Of course Christians should pray and speak out, but the Bible does not promise the church protection from persecution. So far, the church’s response has been (1) to pray that the U.S. would get “turned around”; (2) to be socially and politically active in order to “take the culture back”; or (3) “they’ll just have to put us in jail.” There really has been no forward thinking or facing of the facts. American churches have also done little or nothing to enable persecuted Christians in other countries to migrate to safer places.

In the book of Acts, we find that when Christians were forced to leave their comfort zone in Jerusalem due to persecution, the subsequent scattering of Christians throughout the world turned out to be good for the growth of the church (Acts 8:4). It forced Christians to spread out to the world when they would not go voluntarily to do missionary work. In the American context, ministries which have an overseas arm could potentially transfer their assets to their foreign headquarters before they are seized by the U.S. government or lost in lawsuits. There are ample historical examples of Christians fleeing persecution as a group and establishing new Christian communities in foreign countries. Church historians tell us that all the Christians in Jerusalem fled the city together just before the outbreak of the Jewish War in AD 66; they survived the war by relocating their community to the Gentile city of Pella. Many of the early settlers in the United States itself were fleeing persecution in Europe and were searching for a place where they could worship God freely according to their conscience.

I believe it is time for the American church to start making serious plans to move their institutions, their money, and ultimately their people, overseas in anticipation of the inevitable outlawing of biblical Christianity in the United States. Churches should also prepare to move from one country to another as the world changes. The solution is not political activism, which will not reverse the long-term cultural trend, or revolution, which is both futile and unbiblical. Seeing as we have been given a legal reprieve through the election of a Republican president, Christian organizations and seminaries should start establishing overseas headquarters or campuses, and they should make plans to move all their assets overseas if necessary before they are confiscated. While such projects as new buildings on a seminary or church campus, the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, and the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. are worthy and valuable, it is very questionable how long these institutions will be able to operate before the government institutes requirements with which they cannot comply. Why not invest overseas? Christians should especially look to invest in the Middle East, which the Bible reveals is the focus of end time events. Africa is another place in which the church is under-invested, in spite of containing many Christian-friendly countries. Latin America is an easier and closer place for Americans to go, although the level of religious freedom in Latin American countries varies and has been decreasing.

A parallel could be drawn between the situation of Christians in present-day America and the situation of Jews in Germany in the 1930s. As the Nazi party rose to power, their intentions to persecute and kill Jews became ever clearer, yet only some Jews fled, or were able to flee, and some waited until it was very late in the game. Those who remained suffered terribly. Hitler would have killed every last Jew in Europe had the Allies not liberated his concentration camps (in God’s providence). Overall, one could say that the Jewish community in Germany, and in Europe as a whole, lacked any sort of master plan to enable them all to flee before Hitler’s pogrom began. Nor is it disingenuous to make a comparison to the Holocaust: there have been many times and places from the first century up to the present day in which governments have attempted to exterminate all Bible-believing Christians and churches using the most horrific imaginable means of torture and mass murder. The Bible makes clear that Christians will again be terribly persecuted at the end of the present age (Rev 17:6; 18:24; 19:2).

The problem for the church in the United States is not just legal pressure, but also cultural assimilation. The church has for a long time been losing its young people to the allures of American culture, while those who have stayed in the church have adopted many of the culture’s beliefs and practices in contradiction of biblical teaching. On the other hand, it could be argued that Christians are still having a significant restraining influence in American culture and politics, and that they should largely stay put while they are still able to have this influence. While there is room for debate regarding when it will be appropriate or necessary for Christians to make the uncomfortable decision to migrate from the United States, it should be apparent that that day will come, and it is therefore wise to prepare for it.

Enjoy this content? Buy me a coffee, or support this blog via a PayPal donation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Like Loading...
← Older posts
Follow TruthOnlyBible on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 306 other subscribers

Categories

  • Apologetics
  • Archaeology
  • Bible
  • Bible prophecy
  • Bible scholarship
  • Biblical languages
  • Books
  • Christmas
  • Church history
  • Creation
  • Current events
  • Easter
  • Ecclesiology
  • Evangelism
  • History
  • Missions
  • Practical theology
  • Theology

RSS links

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • TruthOnlyBible
    • Join 306 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • TruthOnlyBible
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    %d