When addressing the subject of the end of the world, it is vital to understand why it must end? The simple reason is that this world (not the planet) has been created by Satan, he is the god of this world, and God being Satan’s exact opposite hates this present world. God does not hate the earth or the sky or the seas or the mountains or the birds or the animals, nor the humans but He hates the systems that constitute life on earth. The day that Jesus gave the Olivet discourse as recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, He rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in very strong language, going as far as to state that it would be impossible for them to escape the damnation of hell. The word He used for them repeatedly to describe them was the word ‘Hypocrite’.
In Matthew 24 alone, Jesus addressed them as HYPOCRITES 7 times in just one chapter (v 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27 and 29.)
- Hypocrite definition: A hypocrite, one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character.
In Greek culture, actors wore a mask that portrayed the character they were playing, but hid their real character behind the mask. In society as a rule everyone wears a mask, pretends to be someone he is not. Hypocrisy is the defining condition of mankind but this condition becomes progressively worse the higher up a person rises on the societal ladder. People in positions of power, in government, in business, in academia, in religion are the biggest hypocrites of all and that really is no surprise because worldly power comes from Satan. When the Lord Jesus was tempted by the devil before the beginning of His ministry, He was offered worldly power that Satan claimed was his to give to those who bowed before him, and worshipped him. Jesus did not contest the devil’s claim, so it is true that the devil does empower people to do his bidding.
- Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Since the devil himself is a counterfeit, in his world, wearing masks and pretending to be someone you comes naturally to people. God is the creator of all things material but the devil is the creator of many things spiritual, the world as defined in the Bible is not just a material place, a place made out of matter, but it is a spiritual condition of thoughts and beliefs that guide people in their everyday life. The devil’s world or the systems of this world are hypocritical because they are pretend systems; the chief among them is the Economic system. In a very literal sense, actors, politicians and even religious leaders are hypocrites, which is why they are worshipped in this world because Satan is the biggest hypocrite of them all, and he is their god.
When a person does not believe in the living God, the creator of all things, by whom are all things, and by whom are all things, then by default he is a Satan worshipper and therefore a hypocrite (Colossians 1:16). So it is no wonder that Jesus repeated seven times in just one chapter that the scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites. Whether in this world or the next what people desire are treasures; in God’s world to come the treasures are love, faith, hope, joy, gentleness, meekness, forbearance, peace, goodness, temperance and such. Citizens of that world have no thought or desire for earthly treasures like gold and silver, which is the reason why their God will create for them a world in which even the streets will be paved with gold. However the world that has been created by the god of this world, namely Satan, is run on money. People call the $dollar almighty, not the ALMIGHTY GOD, who has created them. Their love of money is based on the false Satan inspired belief that all there is to their existence is this life. Therefore, like hamsters on a wheel, they run to and fro looking to make as much money as possible, which they hope to enjoy some day when they have enough. Little do they realize that once they become willing victims of the rat race, greed takes over their life, and they will never be satisfied no matter how much money they have; and they certainly will not be able to buy time with that money to enjoy their earthly wealth. The following parable that the Lord Jesus taught his disciples illustrates the point that placing faith in things rather than God is foolish eternally damning.
- Luke 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Peace and contentment are far greater treasures than all the gold and silver in the world, and the good news is that one needs no gold and silver for such spiritual treasures; all one needs is the Holy Spirit, and He is given without charge by our Heavenly Father to all who seek His face. Getting back to the timing and events that must accompany the end of the world, the background to the Olivet discourse which was Jesus’ longest prophetic discourse in the gospels was his severe rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. The scribes and Pharisees were the ‘elite’ of the society in Jesus’ day. They would be the equivalent of the movers and shakers of society in the present day. As is apparent from the following scriptures, their god in that day was money and not Jehovah.
- Matthew 23:14 – 17 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
The Pharisees and societal elite in the first century were worshipers of money (same as today), and Jesus accused them of as much when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. The spiritual principle of serving God or serving mammon does not allow the possibility of serving both. Therefore the truth of scripture becomes evident that tells us that the whole world lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19). When the whole world is busy chasing mammon rather than seeking their Creator, then it is no surprise that the whole world lies in wickedness. It is a world (the system, not the planet) created by the wicked one and therefore selfishness and greed run rampant in this world as everyone, or almost everyone, tries to accumulate more than their neighbour with little or no concern for those who lack and suffer. It is this world that God hates and must therefore destroy before His Only Begotten Son can take His rightful place as King of kings and Lord of lords on Earth and in all of Creation.
- John 2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
The process of the end of the world will involve handing over the world to the god of this world almost completely. Satan has a great deal of restrictions placed upon Him by God, and is therefore limited in what he can and cannot do in this world. If there is a semblance of sanity in this world, it is only due to the mercy of God, and for no other reason. In the days ahead when the end of the world will come about, God will no longer restrain Satan but will allow him near free reign on the Earth. All hell will literally break loose on Earth and then man will find out what their god, Satan, the one that they ignorantly or willing worship is truly like. Hell on earth is an expression that will soon take a whole new meaning for the entire world, and though it will catch the majority by surprise, the fact of the matter is that none of us should be surprised for the script for this end was written some 2000 years ago, all one had to do was to read it. So what form will the end take, and how bad will things get? According to Jesus the tribulation that this world will soon experience will be on a scale never witnessed before in history, so things will get worse than any of us can imagine. There is no historical precedent for us to look back at and compare these times to; therefore we are headed for truly uncharted territory.
- Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
What form will the end take? Since mammon is the ruling spirit for most people on the planet, their world can be summed up in one word: ECONOMY. Not every person on Earth is involved in a political activity or a social activity or even a religious activity but almost everyone is involved in an economic activity. For some it is a matter of existence, for others it is the purpose of existence. The world cannot end without an end of the world’s economy. For the first time in history, from Russia to Argentina, from Alaska to New Zealand, almost all economic activity on the planet has become interwoven. Therefore for the very first time in history, the economies of all countries are like a pile of dominoes that stand or fall together. This recent development in history leads me to believe that we have now almost arrived at that point in time where the days of the last generation will soon begin. The days of this one generation that will not pass till all these things be fulfilled are being foreshadowed by the ongoing and ever escalating economic crisis, by wars and rumors of war, by major natural disasters and warnings of pending deadly and highly infectious diseases that are predicted to cause much loss of life. So the stage seems to have been set, and the play will soon begin, possibly within the next year or two but almost certainly within this decade.
- Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
As also proven in previous segments the end will take places in phases, which may be divided into the following major categories, with many sub – categories. Each one of these stages may be expected to last several years, so once the days of the last generation have begun in earnest, the world will come to a complete end, some 30 years after the beginning of the end. At this point in time, it is not possible to calculate the exact length of time each phase will last, the first stage may last 5 years, the second 7 years, and the last one 10 years, or they may all be of equal length, we will find out when we get there. What are the stages and what major events will transpire in each one?
Phase 1 | |
Short gap | |
Phase 2 | The Escalation of sorrows / the blowing of the trumpets (Revelation 8 – 11) |
Phase 3 | The arrival of the beast and the false prophet, the mark of the beast, the reaping of the harvest Revelation 13 – 14 |
Short gap | |
Phase 4 | More sorrows, woes and plagues / the pouring out of the vials / Revelation 16 |
Phase 5 | The judgment of the Great Whore – Mystery Babylon / Revelation 17 – 18 |
Phase 6 | |
Phase 7 | Return of The King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ to Earth – END OF THE PRESENT WORLD! / Revelation 19 – 20 |
Day of Judgment | |
The New World | 1000 year reign of Jesus on this present Earth / Revelation 20 |
Into Eternity | The New Heaven and the New Earth / Revelation 21 – 22 |
In future segments I will discuss in detail each one of these phases, particularly the ‘Beginning of Sorrows’ phase which I believe will be soon upon us.
To be continued…
No comments:
Post a Comment