The antichrist only has seven years in which to accomplish all that the Bible outlines. That doesn’t leave enough time for him to construct all the necessary religious, economic and political infrastructure the Bible says will be necessary.
So for the antichrist to be able to assume the reins of global government, somebody must have already hitched the horses to the wagon.
The UN is trying to insinuate itself into position as a functional global government. As it stands today, the UN is too feckless to be trusted with that kind of power, but the world is well-aware of the need for some kind of global system of governance.
The UN has already created the essential infrastructure, such as the World Bank, World Trade Organization, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFOR, etc., all of which are now too well-entrenched to abandon.
The UN itself is destined to join the League of Nations on the trash heap of history. But the existing infrastructure must survive.
The EU recognizes that fact, and is well on the way to constructing a parallel organization capable of assuming control of existing programs when the UN’s bloated and corrupt administration implodes.
Daniel clearly identifies a revived form of the Roman Empire as the seat of the antichrist’s political government. So it is no coincidence that the EU is already constructed as a global government-in-waiting.
What has yet to be fully developed is a centralized global religious system that meets John’s specifications. But even that eventuality is under construction.
The United Nations has established a World Council of Religious Leaders. Under the umbrella of the “Millennium Peace Summit’s” slogan of “Building an Integrated Framework for Peace” it claims:
“The objective of this Council is to serve as a resource to the United Nations and its agencies around the world, nation states and other international organizations, offering the collective wisdom and resources of the faith traditions toward the resolution of critical global problems.”
The Council has identified “religious fundamentalism” as the principle obstacle to peace and is actively working towards a kinder, gentler, more inclusive global religious system that can accommodate all the world’s religions under one banner.
The world is currently embroiled in a conflict that pits fundamentalist Islam against fundamentalist Judaism and fundamentalist Christianity. The operative word here is “fundamentalist.”
One of Islam’s fundamental doctrines holds that any part of “Dar al Islam” (the Zone of Islam) is a permanent condition. Once an area has been conquered by Islam, any loss is only temporary, and it becomes the religious duty of the worldwide Muslim umma (community) to restore that which was lost.
And at the core of the global fundamentalist religious war is the issue of ownership of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
Jewish fundamentalism holds that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (once part of Dar al Islam) is Israel’s eternal capital by Divine Decree. And fundamentalist Christian theology supports Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as Divine.
Fundamentalist Islam cannot recognize Israel’s existence without admitting the Koran is false. Fundamentalist Judaism cannot countenance the surrender of Jerusalem or the Temple without conceding the Bible is not true.
(Neither can fundamentalist Christianity).
Mainstream Christianity, Judaism and Islam combined, represent about half of the world’s population. But of that number, only a fraction are genuine fundamentalists.
The outbreak of a nuclear conflict over such religious fundamentals would result in an immediate and global call for the abolition of religious fundamentalism — a call that would be loudly echoed by the ‘mainstream’ from all three faiths.
To accomplish that, all religions would have to be brought under a central authority — some kind of global council that could serve as both watchdog and moral authority. As we’ve seen, such a council already exists — what remains unfulfilled is the global will to cede authority over to it.
For the time being.
Assessment
As I’ve noted on plenty of previous occasions, the Church Age draws to a close with the Rapture at some point before the onset of the Tribulation Period.
It is not the role of Christians to be looking for the antichrist. It is our job to be looking for the return of Jesus Christ, and using that information to lead others to Christ while there is still time.
Admittedly, the Omega Letter spends at least as much time examining current events, in particular, political events, as it does on Bible doctrine. I get a lot of grief over that.
“Why don’t you stick to the Bible and leave politics alone?” is a common refrain, especially from non-Christians, not to mention from liberals of all religious persuasions.
The Bible’s outline of the Tribulation is all about politics. The antichrist is a political leader. The signs pointing to the nearness of the Tribulation Period are far more political than they are doctrinal.
The politics of government. The politics of economics. The politics of religion. It takes injecting all three into the Big Picture in order to see it coming together.
The Bible examines the political, religious and religious worldviews as they will exist during a single generation, somewhere in time, to the exclusion of all previous generations. Those ARE the signs of the times.
I am not looking for the coming of the antichrist. When it comes to his identity, I am both ignorant and apathetic — I don’t know and I don’t care. I don’t expect to be here when he comes on the scene.
Instead, I am looking for the signs of the return of Christ for His Church. It is much like looking at a calendar. If the calendar says tomorrow is Thanksgiving, then one knows that Christmas is just around the corner.
Jesus said; “When these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
I get as tired of politics as anybody else does. I often get as discouraged and depressed by all the bad news as you do. But Jesus outlined these signs for a different reason.
The fact that He said this is how things would be and that, today, this is how things are, proves that He is indeed God, He is still in control, and all things continue according to His Plan. If we trust Jesus, we have nothing to fear.
In a nutshell, what it means is this: at some point before the last puzzle piece falls into place,
“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17).
The signs of the times are indeed disturbing. To an unbeliever, they are undoubtedly terrifying.
But the message all this chaos and confusion sends to the Church is not one of fear. It is intended as a source of comfort. As Paul wrote in conclusion to the “Rapture Chapter”;
“Wherefore, comfort one another with these words” (1st Thessalonians 4:18).
Written by the late Jack Kinsella on September 12, 2011.