In 1970, Hal Lindsey published The Late Great Planet Earth. The book sold millions of copies and introduced a generation to the miraculous fulfillment of end times bible prophecies in our day and time. Coming on the heels of World War II, the rebirth of Israel, the Six Day War, and widespread societal upheaval, many were convinced the rapture would take place before the end of the decade. But the 1970’s came and went, and Jesus did not return. Then, in the 1980’s and 1990’s, numerous bible prophecy books with titles like “Countdown to Armageddon” and “Final Warning” sold all over the world. Again, many people were convinced Jesus would return before the end of the century. Yet Jesus didn’t come. Then the world experienced Y2K, the September 11^th terrorist attacks, and the phenomenal success of the Left Behind series. Once again, it seemed as though Jesus would return at any moment. But once again, he didn’t. And then something happened. Complacency set it.

End Times Burnout

Because Jesus hadn’t come, many Christians began to openly doubt whether He ever would. Why? I believe there are at least two reasons. First, we live in a culture that demands instant gratification. We don’t like to wait as little as two minutes for a microwave to cook a meal it took our grandparents half a day to prepare. We’re impatient, and we’re used to getting what we want when we want.

The second reason is the errant predictions of date setters. False prophets such as Harold Camping and Edgar Whisenant told the world Jesus would return on specific dates – even though Jesus said “no one knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36). The media gives widespread attention to these predictions. When these days come and go, the false prophets are exposed. This leads to ridicule of bible prophecy, and in some cases, even Christian leaders publicly dismiss bible prophecy as a playground for crackpots and the ignorant. But these critics forget false prophets made these claims, not the Bible. The Bible’s track record remains perfect. In fact, the Bible predicted this complacency long ago.

The Bible Said This Would Happen

Almost two thousand years ago, Peter issued a warning. He said in the last days people will deny the signs we see today. He said they’ll mock the idea of Jesus returning. They’ll make fun of those who believe in the Second Coming and say the exact things we hear today – things like, “I thought Jesus was coming back? What happened to His promise? Generation after generation has said He’s coming. Yet, since the beginning of the world, everything has remained the same!” (2 Peter 3:3‐4). You’ve probably heard variations of this complaint yourself. Maybe you’ve heard it in church. But is it true? No. It’s not. Nothing could further from the truth.

Are Things The Same As They’ve Always Been?

To say the world is the same today as in years past – that we don’t live in unique times – is just not true. More than any other generation, ours has reason to expect the Second Coming. Jesus and the prophets said to look for specific signs heralding the end times. For over 1,800 years, you couldn’t find one of the signs they said to look for. Today, in one form or another, you can find all of them. Here are just a few examples:

The Jewish People Back in the Land – God promised to bring the Jewish people back into the land of Israel before He returned (Jeremiah 23:7-8). He said He would call them from “among the nations” (Ezekiel 39:28), from “the farthest corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12), and from “north, south, east, and west” (Psalm 107:3). He promised to welcome them home from the lands where they were scattered (Ezekiel 20:34). When they did, He promised to return and establish His everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 11:11-12). For 1,878 years (A.D. 70 to A.D. 1948), the Jewish people lived in exile. On May 14, 1948, they reestablished the nation of Israel, fulfilling God’s promise to bring them back into the land.

The Jewish People Back in Jerusalem – Jesus prophesied armies would surround Jerusalem, destroy the city, and enslave its citizens. In A.D. 70, the Roman legions fulfilled this prophecy. In the days that followed, Jesus said Gentiles would control Jerusalem until “the times of the Gentiles are over.” Then, the Jewish people would once again take control of Jerusalem. When they did, Jesus promised to return (Luke 21:24-28). In June 1967, the Jewish people retook control of Jerusalem.

The Gospel Preached Throughout the World – When the disciples asked about the end of the age and the signs of His coming, Jesus told them to look for a very specific sign. He said the Gospel will be preached throughout the entire world. Every nation will hear it. Then, the end will come (Matthew 24:14). For centuries after the crucifixion, the Gospel mostly reached a small area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. But in the past two centuries, Christians carried the Gospel to every country on earth. Today, missionaries live in every nation. The Bible is translated in hundreds of languages, and the message of Jesus is sent around the world by radio, TV, satellite, and the Internet. Our generation is the first one on the verge of spreading the Gospel to every last person on earth.

Increased Travel and Knowledge – Six hundred years before Jesus, an angel gave Daniel a special message. He said “travel and knowledge” will increase in the end times (Daniel 12:4). For centuries of human history, dramatic gains in travel and knowledge did NOT take place. Yet the last two hundred years have seen explosions in the speed and frequency of travel as well as the amount and availability of knowledge. For example, up until around two hundred years ago, a man could travel no faster than a horse could carry him. Today, we can travel faster than the speed of sound. Many consider the Library of Alexandria to be the greatest collection of written knowledge in the ancient world. While we don’t know for sure how much knowledge was housed there, some estimates say it was as many 500,000 papyrus scrolls. Two thousand years ago, this was the height of human knowledge. Today, you probably have a bigger library in your pocket. Your smartphone can download almost any book that’s ever been written in a matter of seconds. Our generation is experiencing an exponential increase in travel and knowledge.

Israel Surrounded by Enemies – According to the Bible, enemies will surround Israel in the end times. Those enemies will say “Come, let us wipe away the nation of Israel. Let’s destroy the memory of its existence” (Psalm 83:4) and “Let us take for ourselves these pasturelands of God” (Psalm 83:12). Ezekiel said Israel’s neighbors will say “God has given their land to us” (Ezekiel 11:14‐17), and “Israel and Judah are ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care if their God is there?” (Ezekiel 35:10). Ever since the rebirth of Israel in 1948, the daily headlines have included these exact sentiments. Israel’s Muslim neighbors claim the land of Israel for themselves, and they have no regard for the God of Israel.

Israel’s Exceedingly Great Army – Ezekiel said, in the last days, Israel will field “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Zechariah said Israel will be like a fire among sheaves of grain, burning up the neighboring nations (Zechariah 12:6) and even the weakest Israeli soldier will be like David (Zechariah 12:8). Since 1948, Israel has fought no less than four conventional wars against its neighbors. Despite being outnumbered more than 50 to 1, Israel has achieved overwhelming victory every time.

Rise of the Gog of Magog Alliance – The Bible says a military alliance that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and a number of Muslim nations will attack Israel “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8) when God brings His people home from among the enemy nations (Ezekiel 39:27). Today, we see those exact nations coming together. The alliance they form today is an alliance that has never existed in world history.

Rise of a United Europe – The Bible says a revived Roman Empire will come to power in the end times (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 17). According to Daniel, it will be a ten nation alliance of weak and strong nations. Some parts will be as strong as iron, while other parts will be as weak as clay (Daniel 2:42). We see the initial stages of this alliance in the European Union – the legal and culture inheritor of the Roman Empire’s legacy. The EU today is a coalition of both weak and strong nations. A volatile alliance, it struggles to stay together.

The Rise of Global Government – The Bible says a single government will rule the world politically (Revelation 13:7), religiously (Revelation 13:8), and economically (Revelation 13:16‐17) in the last days. It will rule over “all people, tribes, and languages” on the face of the earth (Revelation 13:7). Its authority will be so complete no one will be able to buy or sell anything without its permission (Revelation 13:16‐17). For centuries, a true global government was impossible. Today, world leaders openly discuss it, and the technology exists to implement and rule such a government.

Alone, each of these signs indicate the end times are near. Together, they prove ours is the end times generation. Jesus Himself said to look for these signs. He said when you see them, you can know His return is near (Matthew 24:33). In fact, He said the generation that sees these signs will not pass away before He returns (Matthew 24:34). This convergence of signs is the #1 reason to believe our generation is on the verge of witnessing the Second Coming. But instead of getting excited and ramping up our efforts to spread the Gospel, the Christian church is mostly silent on the issue. A large part of the church is complacent, and the Bible warned about this as well.

It’s Time to Stay Awake

The night before the crucifixion, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went to be alone and pray. But before He did, Jesus asked the apostles to stay up and pray with Him. He warned them not to fall asleep. Nevertheless, they did. They were finally awakened when soldiers arrived to arrest Jesus.

In a similar way, Jesus warned us not to be caught sleeping when He returns (Mark 13:36). To illustrate, He told a story of ten bridesmaids. Of the ten bridesmaids, five were foolish and five were wise. The five foolish bridesmaids didn’t take enough oil for their lamps when they went to wait for the bridegroom. When they left to buy more oil, the bridegroom came and they missed out on the marriage feast. Jesus warned us not to be like the foolish bridesmaids. He said, “You, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return” (Matthew 25:1-13).

In another parable, Jesus once again commanded us to watch: “You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return. It could be evening, midnight, dawn, or daybreak. Don’t let the master find you sleeping when he arrives without warning” (Mark 13:35-37).

Personally, I’ve written about the nearness of the Second Coming for over 13 years. Obviously Jesus didn’t return in those 13 years, but none of the reasons to expect His return have gone away. In fact, the opposite is true. The reasons to expect Jesus to return at any moment have markedly increased. Yet to great amazement, many Christians seem more complacent and ignorant of the signs than ever. Why? I don’t know. But I’ll continue to sound the alarm, and you should too. The Bible says if we recognize the signs and don’t tell others about them, we’re no different than a watchman who sees an invading army and doesn’t sound the alarm. If we fail in our role as watchmen, God says He will hold us accountable for all those who perish (Ezekiel 33:1-6).

All the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for are present right now. For almost 2,000 years, no Christian could say that. Our generation is an eyewitness to signs previous Christians could only dream about. If the signs are telling us the Tribulation and the Second Coming are near, then it means the rapture is even closer. Don’t fall asleep, and don’t let anyone around you fall asleep. It’s never been more important to stay awake. Jesus is coming!

Britt Gillette is author of the free ebook Coming to Jesus as well as the books Signs of the Second Coming and Racing Toward Armageddon. Receive his book 7 Signs of the End Times for free when you sign up for his monthly newsletter.

 

Over the past few years, voters all over the world rejected globalism in favor of nationalism. In the United States, Donald Trump ran on an “America First” agenda and became president. He promised to stop illegal immigration, pull America out of bad international agreements, and change “free trade” deals to “fair trade” deals. Months earlier, voters in the United Kingdom opted to leave the European Union. Known as “Brexit,” to this day their decision remains a thorn in the side of the global elite.

In 2019, not much has changed. Recent elections indicate nationalism remains popular.

In India, Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi won another term. Running on a pro-Hindu, nationalist platform, India re-elected him in a landslide.

In Britain, the Brexit Party (formed just months ago), finished first with 30% of the vote. With 29 seats, it’s now the single biggest party in the European Parliament.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron saw his party lose ground in the European elections to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. Just two years ago, Macron handily defeated Le Pen in the presidential election. This time, her party won 23% of the vote versus 22% for Macron’s party.

In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s nationalist party, known as the League, finished first with 34% of the vote.

Throughout the EU, the same story played out over and over. Nationalist politicians scored stunning victories. Does all this mean the world is reversing its trend toward globalism? Will traditional nationalist policies become the norm? Probably not. Recent events significantly slowed the transformation, but the world is still trending toward globalism. Despite recent setbacks, the globalist agenda is in a better position than it’s ever been. Why? Because young people embrace it, and young people are the future.

The Global Citizen Movement

Current voters may reject the globalist agenda, but according to several surveys, future voters don’t. Globally, the Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) outnumber both the Baby Boomers and Generation X, and they believe the concept of being a citizen of a single country is outdated. To them, global citizenship is the way of the future. In 2017, Western Union surveyed more than 10,000 millennials from 15 countries, including the United States, India, and Russia. What they found provides a glimpse of where we’re heading in the years to come. Here are just a few of the results:

79% believe limitless movement around the world will empower them.

29% believe a single global currency will “foster great global unity.”

61% believe global institutions like the United Nations are more representative of them versus national (48%) or local governments (44%).

In the 2016 Global Shapers Annual Survey, more than 26,000 millennials from 181 countries gave their opinions on world issues. Results included:

48% of millennials see climate change as the most serious issue the world faces.

When it comes to solving global problems, respondents say they trust international organizations (26%) more than they trust themselves (20%).

36% of respondents view themselves as global citizens. This is a higher number than those who view themselves as national citizens (22%) or members of a religion (9%).

Many young people see themselves as global citizens first. They think borders should be open. They believe climate change is the world’s top problem, and they look to global political institutions for answers. This gives us a glimpse of what the world will look like in the future. Why? Because millennial opinions will shape the world in the coming decades.

Adolph Hitler once said, “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already. You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time, they will know nothing else but this new community.”

The globalists don’t need to win today’s elections because they’ve already won a generation of children.

The Trend Toward Globalism

Because of their attitudes, millennials will ensure three issues stay at the forefront of the political agenda. These include:

1) Freedom of Movement – Freedom of movement is another way of saying “open borders.” Most people reject open borders because they understand a nation with open borders is no longer a nation. So advocates of global government use the phrase “freedom of movement.” After all, who could be against freedom? But we can see firsthand how “freedom of movement” destroyed national sovereignty in the EU.

The Schengen agreement allows anyone to freely travel between EU member states without a passport or the need to stop at a border checkpoint. In 2015, images of Syrian refugees overwhelming the borders of Greece and other EU countries dominated the news. Once these refugees illegally crossed the border into an EU country, they were free to go wherever they wanted – London, Paris, Berlin, or any other city or town in Western Europe. No border checkpoint could stop them, and the EU had no way to track them.

2) Climate Change – As previously stated, 48% of millennials view climate change as the top threat to humanity. Despite the lack of evidence to show mankind has anything to do with climate change, people still clamor for global solutions to the “climate change crisis.” These solutions typically involve massive tax hikes, loss of national sovereignty, and a massive transfer of wealth and power to new global institutions.

This “crisis” is how the globalists hope to get nations (and the United States in particular) to cede power to them. As former U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon said, “Climate change does not respect borders. It does not respect who you are – rich and poor, small and big. Therefore, this is what we call ‘global challenges,’ which require global solidarity.”

Panic over manmade global warming and climate change is the perfect crisis for those calling for global government. Since it impacts the entire planet, no nation can solve it alone. Therefore, it requires “global solidarity.” What does “global solidarity” mean? It means going along with whatever it is the globalists want. And what do they want? Power. Give power to an almighty global government, and the globalists believe they can solve all the world’s problems. This is a long-held dream of kings and despots, but it’s also the dream of the millennial generation.

3) Global Government – Remember, when it comes to solving problems, millennials trust international organizations more than they trust themselves. So it makes sense the next generation will embrace global government. Not only is it seen as a solution for climate change, but for decades it’s been seen as the only way to promote peace and end war. Albert Einstein said, “Humankind’s desire for peace can be realized only by the creation of a world government.” Winston Churchill said, “Unless we establish some form of world government, it will not be possible for us to avert a World War III in the future.”

Many people believe this, and today, they’re actively working to form a single global government. The greatest challenge they face is convincing nations to give up their own power to a new global community. Each year, they come closer to realizing their dream, and advanced technology only accelerates the process.

Advanced Technology

The exponential advance of technology has advanced the globalist agenda in almost every area of life.

In finance, electronic banking has replaced currency in almost every business transaction. In North America, only 30% of consumer purchases are made with cash. It’s only a matter of time before paper currency disappears. When it does, global transactions will become even more efficient.

In business, free trade has led to global corporations and multinational conglomerates that span the globe. Their products and employees can be found in some of the most remote corners of the planet. With tools like Skype and Facetime, workers can engage in real-time video conferencing from anywhere in the world. Face-to-face meetings are no longer necessary.

Also, in the future, language will no longer divide us. The barriers are already eroding. Programs such as Google Translate allow people who speak different languages to exchange emails and research papers, and it’s only a matter of time before wearable devices offer instant translation of the spoken word. You’ll talk to someone in English, and they’ll hear you in Japanese. They’ll respond in Japanese, and you’ll hear them in English. When this happens, national and cultural barriers will erode even further.

When it comes to policing, governments can now compile large databases and easily share information with other nations. Tracking of terrorists and other international criminals has never been easier. Spying on citizens has also never been easier. The spread of cameras and listening devices, such as Amazon Echo and Google Home (many of them willingly placed throughout people’s homes), mean governments can easily spy on almost anyone they want. With the aid of artificial intelligence, cameras, and microphones, a global government could monitor and track every person on earth. All these advancements make global government viable for the first time in history.

While recent political developments show a backlash against globalism, all they’ve done is slow the inevitable march toward global government.

Why All This Matters

So why should you care? You should care because we’re on the cusp of a new era. Ever since the Tower of Babel, tribes and nation states have governed the world. Nations meant well-defined borders, language, and culture. Many people dreamed of global government, but that’s all it was – a dream. Such a government would never work in reality. Local interests and values would triumph, and administering a global government would be an expensive, bureaucratic nightmare. But this generation is tearing down all the obstacles to global government.

To the next generation, devotion to “the global community” is preferred over allegiance to one’s home country. Concern over climate change trumps concern over the local interest. They want national borders to be open or erased all together. Advanced technology is making all this happen. It’s creating a global marketplace, eroding language barriers, and eliminating the need for geographical proximity. The globalist vision is becoming reality.

None of this should surprise us. This is exactly what the Bible said will happen in the end times. A powerful global government will dominate the world (Daniel 7:23). It will rule over every people, nation, tribe, and language (Revelation 13:7). Its power will be so immense, it will control every economic transaction on earth. No one will be able to buy or sell without its permission (Revelation 13:17).

In the almost two thousand years since John wrote the Book of Revelation, such a government was impossible. In fact, in John’s time, people had no concept of the world outside of the Roman Empire. But today? Today, not only is such a government possible, it may prove inevitable. No other generation of Christians could say this. Ours is the first to live in a world where global government is possible. It’s just one more sign Jesus is about to return.

Britt Gillette is author of the free ebook Coming to Jesus as well as the books Signs of the Second Coming and Racing Toward Armageddon. Receive his book 7 Signs of the End Times for free when you sign up for his monthly newsletter.