Is this the end of the world? / Part 4

Why must the world end?

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• Matthew 24:3 / And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

In part 1, part 2 and part 3 of this series I drew the following conclusions based on the prophetic teachings of Jesus, and of His prophets and apostles throughout the Bible. The following facts emerge from the questions that the disciples asked Jesus in the above quoted scripture.

1.       THE WORLD IS GOING TO END / The disciples took for granted the fact that the world was going to end, what they inquired from Jesus was to clarify the following points regarding the end of the world:

2.       THE TIMING / ‘When shall these things be’ was the question that was posed to Jesus? In response to that question Jesus gave a whole series of signs that will be listed and detailed throughout this series.

3.       THE SIGNS OF THE END / The signs that the disciples desired of Jesus were meant first of all to show us that the return of Jesus was near, which in turn would indicate that the end of the world was also near.

So the return of Jesus to this Earth is intricately connected to the end of the world. The world must end before Jesus will return; this old system must give way to the new, so it can be surmised that the very fact that Jesus will be returning soon is the same cause for which the world will come to an end. As proven in previous segments the term, ‘the end of the world’ does not mean the end of the planet Earth. However the fact remains that there will be catastrophic destruction of much of the planet itself, and loss of human life on an unprecedented scale as the prophesied events begin to happen in earnest. As concluded in previous segments the events that comprise the end of the world may last up to 40 years and will occur in phases of ever increasing magnitude and severity. From one phase to the next the world will hardly have time to catch its breath when the next phase will be upon them. As an aside the end of the world does not mean the end of all human life on the planet either; mankind does indeed have an expiry date but that is yet in the future. Adamic flesh and blood was not destined for eternal existence from the very beginning. The reign of Adam and his children on Earth has a fixed amount of time allotted to it, and it seems that we are close to the end of the age of Adam and his children. Therefore the end of the world also means the end of the age of man, and ultimately of man himself for it is written that ‘flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50)

In part 3 I wrote that the catastrophes that will befall this world during the times may be divided into three categories:

·         Manmade catastrophes – Economic collapse leading to warfare, which in turn would lead to famine and pestilential diseases such as the Spanish flu after WW1.

·         Natural catastrophes – Earthquakes, volcanoes, powerful storms, tsunamis, and asteroid or meteor impacts.

·         Supernatural catastrophes – This category presently resides on the fringes of society in Ufology and those who believe in the Alien / ET phenomenon. The fact is that non – human intelligences occupy dimensions that occupy the same space that man occupies. The veil that separates the various dimensions will be removed to reveal the hidden masters of history; in turn these ‘entities’ will interact openly with man and will bring about much destruction and loss of life on Earth.

From believers’ point of view, the end of the world is a fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to return to Earth to complete their redemption, to transform them from corrupt, mortal beings into incorruptible and immortal children of the Living God. While in this body a believer’s faith is his guarantee that the promise of eternal life will indeed be fulfilled in the coming age, upon the return of Jesus and the end of the corrupt age of man (Romans 8:23). The purpose of the signs of the end of the world found throughout the Bible is to make believers aware of where the world stands on the prophetic timetable. By accurately reading the signs of the times, God’s people will not be deceived into expecting a premature end based on false expectations promoted by many in the church today. Doctrines such as the pre – tribulation rapture, and a seven year time span for all prophesied events to be fulfilled are pernicious because they make people complacent, not ready and watching as they have been admonished to do throughout scripture. Keeping in mind that Jesus ‘told us before’ what will transpire, not just in cryptic signs but in great detail, we ought to have a very good idea of where things stand in regards to the days of the Apocalypse. And it is for this reason that I am attempting to categorize the signs and the phases that lead to the end, so we can have a checklist that would serve as a reference for us as each phase begins and ends. We can then be reasonably sure of how close the return of Jesus will be so that that day does not catch us unawares, and neither do we despair because we were expecting the end when it was not yet time for the end.

In previous parts to this series I proved that according to Jesus from the ‘beginning of the end’ to the ‘end of the end’ will be a period of roughly 40 years. In this time period ‘all these things’ that have been prophesied will be fulfilled. What are all these things that Jesus spoke of in the gospels? Jesus began His Olivet discourse by commenting that there would not be one stone left upon another in the Temple that then existed in Jerusalem. In a manner of speaking that Temple was symbolic of the present day world since it represented a system that was destined to be abolished. The rituals and ceremonies performed in that temple were instituted on a temporary basis until the time of reformation or RE – FORMATION of the old into the new. This was accomplished by the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus for all mankind, and by His resurrection from the dead which made Him the author of eternal salvation for all who believe in Him. This is the reason why the Bible is divided into two major divisions, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Under the Old Testament or Covenant, eternal salvation was not possible, which necessitated the bringing in of the New Covenant. This is how God planned it from the very beginning for which reason Jesus was said to have been sacrificed from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). All things have happened the way God planned for them to happen since the beginning; God is the author of history. Just as the end of the Old Covenant was destined even before there was any covenant, so too the end of this present world was destined before there was any world. So as Jesus prophesied that not one stone would be left upon another in the Jerusalem Temple, so too would this world be torn down stone by stone over a given period of time, a period lasting roughly 40 years.

Money is the foundation of all systems that control people’s life on Earth, be they political, religious, informational or any other type of social system. Our world is based on money; there is a great deal of truth in the saying that ‘money makes the world go round’, in other words, money is what makes this world function. The Economy of the whole world is therefore the money based system that controls banking, trade, merchandising, and basically the system of buying and selling that almost everyone in the world is forced to participate in, in order to survive. So the ‘World’ itself becomes synonymous with the ‘Economy’ of the world. Therefore the end of the world or the end of the system entails a complete dismantling, stone by stone, of the world’s Economy, much like the Romans tore down, stone by stone, the Temple in Jerusalem back in 70 A.D. This tearing down is an ongoing process that seems to have started gathering steam back is 2007 when this current Economic crisis began. Those who have been following this crisis closely are well aware that more and stones keep getting chipped from the edifice of the world’s economy even though our politicians keep assuring us that a recovery is upon the horizon. I am of the strong belief that far from being a normal market cycle, the current ongoing and even increasing economic problems worldwide are the beginnings of the complete and total destruction of the money based system that has brought immeasurable misery to the people on this Earth for thousands of years. And I say Amen to it, let it be so!

But if this truly is the end of the world, then this temple built on the love of money as symbolized by global banking institutions must surely collapse so that eventually there will not be one stone left upon another, the time will come as prophesied when “the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more”…(Revelation 18:11). The Bible calls this system ‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (Revelation 17:5). Babylon, where this current economic system was devised back a few thousand years ago is symbolized in the Bible by a woman known as the whore of Babylon. This woman portrayed as being drunk on the blood of the saints, and it is in her city, the economic capital of the world that the blood of ALL that slain upon the Earth is said to have been found. The moneychangers of today, the merchant bankers are the agents of the whore who must fill her cup with the blood of innocents in order to maintain their Rottweiler like grips on the monetary and economic systems of the whole world. Satan tempted Jesus with money and power but instead of being tempted by these things Jesus commanded Satan to take a hike (in modern vernacular). Just because Jesus refused the devil’s offer does not mean that the devil ever has a problem finding other men who would gladly sell their soul for money and power. There have been none more faithful servants of Satan in any time than the moneychangers (the merchant bankers) in any age. It is no wonder that the only time Jesus reacted with physical force in the days of His flesh was the time when He drove the moneychangers from the Temple (John 2:13 – 16).

People around the world are kept in the dark about the true cost of the system, of the cost in human lives that can be directly attributed to the policies of those who control the purse strings of the whole world. ‘Globalization’ and ‘Free Trade’ are buzz words that have created an economic system that has integrated all nations of the world so that financial interests of the ruling elites in each nation supersede the interests of the citizens of those nations. I understand that the suffering of the poorest of the world is not just a tragic consequence of the money based system; it is a direct result of it. It is also not an accidental consequence, the money loving autocrats who enforce financial policies, much like Mafia thugs enforcing gang policies, know exactly that such policies will further impoverish and even kill, by starvation, malnourishment, and by diseases to which weakened bodies are easily susceptible. The system robs the labor of the weakest people in the world and enriches the few who sit at the head of global banks and financial institutions, of multinational corporations, and political leaders of respective countries, especially the ones where the people are exploited for their labor and given a pittance in return. God hates such merciless exploitation and has appointed a time to judge and pour out His wrath upon the rich men of the earth.

James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

The system will end, and thankfully so, but it will continue to the very end, to the very day that Jesus returns to this Earth. Incidentally the middle class all around the world should also take heed that they do not partake of this judgment that will surely come upon the rich men of the earth. Most middle class people, especially in wealthy countries do not consider themselves amongst the rich of this world. However when compared to majority of people in this world they are rich, even the poorest in America or Canada lead the lifestyle of the rich in most of the rest of the world. The middle class in wealthy nations are the beneficiaries of the labor of the poor in producing and manufacturing nations such as China and India. Factory workers in China, India, Cambodia, Vietnam etc. do not become wealthy, they barely survive on the wages that are paid them because the wages that they should be paid are kept back by the rich men by fraud, a fact that is not lost upon God but is most definitely lost upon the middle class who pay no heed to these things. A part of the wages that are kept back by fraud subsidize the low price paid by the middle class for goods manufactured in China, India etc. If the TV that costs them $1000 were to be manufactured in the USA or Canada, it would cost at least $2000, and therefore the people would not be able to afford as many TVS, computers, IPods etc. Since the middle class has been conditioned to buy, buy, buy….to consume, consume, consume….they have come to believe that the very purpose of their existence is to be ‘consumers’, no matter how the goods they consume are manufactured and at what human cost. The following stories reveal a great deal about the human cost of cheap goods:

·         Internet discussion in China on the exploitation of workers / By John Chan 9 June 2010 / The recent strike by Chinese Honda workers and the wave of suicides at the giant electronics sweatshop operated by Foxconn in southern China have led to online discussions in Chinese about seeking alternatives to the brutal capitalist exploitation enforced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)....

·         Globalization – The Human Cost / this page has a lot of links and other information on the topic of exploitation of labor, a subject that is Biblical and relevant to all true ‘Christians’ who should not partake of the ‘abundance of her delicacies’; the delicacies of the whore of Babylon are not for us when the people manufacturing these delicacies are crying out day and night to the Lord of Sabaoth.

·         Workers in Bangladesh attacked for demanding a living wage / A living wage in third world countries is simply a wage that is enough for them to buy subsistence level food and shelter, not something that is going to make them rich.

·         Videos of exploitation of third world workers / Capitalism is exploitation and consumerism (I would recommend turning speakers off when playing this video since the information is the text not the background music.)

·         What would Jesus buy?

Lest people think that I am closet socialist or of some other political ilk, I want to clarify that I have no political affiliations of any sort. I understand that this world’s systems, predominantly the MONEY – ECONOMIC system has been created by the god of this world, namely Satan. All political power comes from Satan, whether democratic, socialist, communist or of any other variety. However it is a fact that the exploitation of workers for profit is a Biblical subject, and ought not to be ignored by Christians. The topic of this series is ‘The End of the World’, and most people would be very keen to know what events are about to transpire yet few will take the time to understand why these catastrophes must befall our world. As previously mentioned the very foundation of our world system is the system of commerce, of trading, buying and selling; anything and everything is for sale in this world. The Bible tells us that even the bodies and souls of people are traded, bought and sold in the world markets. It pains our God, it grieves Him in His Heart to see His children, and I mean children from 3 years old to pre – teen kids exploited, used, abused, and killed for economic reasons, for profit. No wonder the Bible tells us that the whore of Babylon (the system) is drunk with blood. It is for this reason that judgment must come, and has already begun, in this world. People who confess to be Christians yet donate money to shysters like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland in hopes of getting rich are partakers in the shedding of this innocent blood, and will likewise not escape the judgment and wrath of God.

The Bible tells us that to whom much is given, much is required, and therefore the people of the wealthier countries ought to have given more heed to the source of their wealth, and the purpose for which the wealth was given to them (Luke 12:47-48). Because of the diseased condition of the human heart, even the middle class people live with the desire to become rich, and they really do not concern themselves to find out how it is that the rich truly become rich. In my estimation the judgment of the middle class has already begun since they greedily followed the money rather than righteousness and Godliness. Therefore the very money that they so greedily desired, instead of desiring knowledge and understanding, is being taken away from them. More and more of the middle class is being impoverished in the US on a daily basis, this trend will continue on a worldwide basis over the coming years. The destruction of the middle class is a major stone that is being removed from the temple of the World Economy in fulfillment of ‘all these things’ that Jesus prophesied must happen before His return. Lest readers think that I am too harsh in my assessments, they should look around and even today as the system collapses in slow motion, how many people are looking towards God who gave them these things in the first place? Given half a chance to get their old well paying jobs back, would they honor God with their wealth or would they go back to living the good life, drinking beer and watching football? Enjoying holidays in the Caribbean, completely oblivious of the exploitation of the very people that serve them to make their holidays enjoyable? Buying more TVs, and I Pads, and bigger homes, and more cars trying to keep up with the Joneses? Like the people who were delivered from slavery in Egypt by Moses longed to go back to Egypt because they missed their cucumbers and leeks, people today would gladly remain slaves to the system, hamsters on the never stopping wheel of the rat race just so they can live the ‘good life’ for a few short years. Little do they realize that the ‘good life’ of the ‘good old days’ that lasts only a few short years will lead to eternal (forever and ever) damnation!

Therefore the middle class will partake in the judgment that will befall the rich men of the earth, the people that control world finances, world trade, world leaders, in short the people that control the system. We are now beginning to see the end of the Economic System, and I believe that over time these problems will keep on getting exacerbated instead of being resolved. Those who still have their jobs and lives intact should begin to prepare, first of all by turning to God with their whole heart, and secondly by downsizing, by cutting down their expenses to the barebones in anticipation of the days of famine that will surely come upon the land in the not too distant future. The following stories that are even now beginning to be reported will soon be front page news, the wise among the people who foresee the evil coming should not wait until the evil has arrived before beginning to prepare, the time to do that is now. In future segments I will offer some suggestions as to what one can do in the natural to prepare for hard times, even as Joseph prepared in Egypt having been forewarned of God. In this part of the series I have addressed the WHY of the end more than the HOW. In future segments I will expound in detail on how the things we expect to happen will happen.

Once the end has begun it will not stop until all prophesied things have been fulfilled. Based on the prophetic portions of scripture, mainly Matthew chapters 24 & 25, and the book of Revelation the time period of the last generation may be divided into a few major phases,  each one lasting a number of years. Though many teach that many of the prophesied events have already been fulfilled I would disagree. According to Jesus ‘all these things’ which I will list in the next part must begin to commence simultaneously on a global scale, and must continue to happen globally till they are all fulfilled. Though we have seen many such catastrophic events come to pass regionally, never in history have they all been fulfilled simultaneously on a planetary scale. Keeping these things in mind we can infer with reasonable assurance when the end will have begun, which in turn will indicate to us that the fulfillment of all the end time prophesies would be no more than 40 years away.  In part 5 of this series I will list the phases of the end and the events that we can expect to occur in each phase.

To be continued