Every election season in America brings the same troubling thought: “This is the most critical election this nation has faced.” The declaration can be validated as true in the case of each, because the world moves ever deeper into the end of days, and humanity’s future becomes more precarious with each decision made within the political process.

Powerful dynamics impact our present time, and are forcefully shaping our future in ways that can’t be fully anticipated. End-times politics are upon this generation, as is understood by those with spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear. But, to senses caught up in the ephemeral forces that gush society and culture along at breakneck speed, such matters of eternal consequence are beyond comprehension.

Internal politics of each nation of the world move this generation of earth-dwellers inexorably toward the final seven years of human history that will culminate with the return of Jesus Christ. Yet the politicians and the self-iconizing politics the majority of them practice generates hubris that prevents them from thinking in terms other than those that flow from humanistic pridefulness.

Love of Money the Common Thread
Proof of the man-centered governance that runs throughout the nation-states is evident in the accumulation of personal wealth almost every head of state, whether dictator or legitimately elected leader, garners to himself. Whether considering the Saddam Husseins of the world who build billion-dollar bank accounts for themselves simply by raiding their national treasuries at will, or congressmen in the United States who vote themselves pay increases and special perks in late-hour sessions away from the glare of public scrutiny, the avarice is there, pulsing with greed that validates the Word of God: “For the love of money is the root of all evil…” (1 Tim. 6:10a).

This will be viewed by some as cynicism of the first order. But, the cynicism is based upon well-known common practices by the politicians of all stripes, although the robbery is for the most part accepted without opposition by the victim-citizenries throughout Planet Earth. Government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” has never truly been the case. The concept is impossible to achieve because of the very nature of both those who govern and those who are governed.

Governing the Heathen
Perfect governance was established by the Creator of all things upon a pristine planet. Man has struggled to remove God’s tether of restraint since the first man chose to do what was right in his own eyes. The planet itself suffers as a result. Prophecy  from God’s Word foretells the final actions by the rebellious politicians and their politics, and spells out the tragic result:

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure” (Psa. 2:10-5).

First Political Superstar
The earliest attempts by human governors and government to conduct human affairs apart from God’s authority was recorded by the inspired writer of Genesis. Nimrod was the first superstar of politics upon Planet Earth following the great flood of Noah’s day:

“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar” (Gen. 10:8-10).

Key Ingredient to Empire Building
Genesis 11:1-9 tells the story of this first king who established a powerful kingdom following the flood. It is more than merely interesting that the same basic material that gave Nimrod and his government the ability to build the tower, which was the primary manifestation of his kingdom and its attempts to usurp God’s authority, is the same material that is so important today to the building of power bases of governments within nation-states.

“And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:3-4).

“Slime” is the word in the King James Version of the Bible to consider here. Oily pitch bubbled up from the ground in the region even then, and this material was used in firing the bricks for the construction of that infamous tower of Babel. God scattered the people who wanted to, in effect, cast off the bands of the Almighty and build a tower of great height that would, symbolically, at least, reach into heaven so those rebels could shake their fists in the face of the Creator. The Lord confused their language, breaking apart even the continents, apparently, during the time of Peleg (read subsequent passages in Genesis).

Ancient/Modern Ties to Mid-East Petroleum
One can’t help but make the analogy to, and draw the parallels of, those times to this end-times era. The great industrial nations of the West and new, burgeoning industrial nations of the Middle East and Far East have and are creating power bases for governments that seek to put off the bands of the heavenly authority. This same material–the thing the KJV terms “slime”–is the geophysical building block that has been used to build these massive political entities. It is almost certainly this basic element that we call petroleum today that God will use to bring all of these anti-God politicians and their kingdoms to man’s final battle: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Rev. 16:16).

God Intervenes
God scattered the people, who were of one mind and one language. Technologies such as ever-advancing computers, linked with satellites to bridge continents and oceans, are swiftly circumventing the Lord’s earliest scattering, as recorded in those passages just mentioned. There is an effort to go back to Babel–to again build one world. Antichrist’s kingdom, as forecast in Daniel, chapters 2, 7, 9, 11, and in Revelation, chapter 13, will be as close as man will be able to come to rebuilding such a geopolitical structure as Nimrod attempted to construct.

Return to Babel
We see that drive to return to the spirit of Babel-building during the present hour. Most every governing asset wielded by those at the heads of the nation-states of the world are aimed at globalization.

Technological wonders, again involving the computer-satellite linkages around the globe, makes this effort at one world a possibility in one aspect in particular: economics. It is the trading in one specific commodity that binds all together…you guessed it: petroleum.

Oil has brought the Middle East into the world as a major center for global economic interaction. The riches beneath the sands of that vast region has made Dubai the wealth center of the world. The money powers-that-be gravitate to that newly born metropolis as to no other place on earth at present, including New York, London, and Paris. It shouldn’t go without due notice that the tallest tower in the world is being constructed there, with an even taller one planned. Some are talking in terms of a building one mile high. Shades of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel!

Islamic Plague
No matter which direction one looks in consideration of where the love of money is driving mankind, the spokes from every financial center on earth lead back to the Middle East hub. The oil sheiks are rapidly becoming the holders of American assets, as well as holders of the wealth of many other western nations. Politicians and their politics, therefore, must more and more pay homage to Middle Eastern realities. Great Britain, for example, is moving toward becoming steeped in Mid-East Islamic cultural and religious demands. Church buildings and massive cathedrals that were once the homes to Christian worship now are turned into mosques.

Increasingly, Europe moves toward Islamic domination while the politicians and politics of the continent and England seek to appear friendly to the oil-rich monarchs of Saudi Arabia and other Arabian potentates. Even the United States’ local, state, and national politicians in some cases seem to want to placate Islam, for example–in the name of cultural assimilation– by allowing Islamic studies within some public schools, where Bible reading and prayer in the name of Christ are held as illegal.

End-Times Politics Dominate
End-times politics pervade every aspect of life in the United States today. We are all aware of the commercialism that drives the American psyche. Media, whether news or entertainment, hold up the wealthy and the glitzy before the bedazzled eyes of the celebrity-worshiping segments of our citizenry.

Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and many other of the youthful celebs of the hour are the focus of the young, while sports heroes and entertainment celebrities hold the attention of many of the older viewers. We are a nation that is entertainment mad. This is, itself, a form of strange politics because we vote with our remotes on the celebrities we worship, giving the networks the ratings that make them commercially viable. The more votes, the higher they can charge for advertisements aired during commercial breaks.

Politics of the Church
However, as worrisome as politics of the hedonistic entertainment industry is, it is thepolitics of the churches within Christianity in America today that is most troubling…and, at the same time, most indicative of where this generation likely stands on the end-times timeline.

Deadly Politics
Politics of a dangerous sort now runs rampant throughout Christianity. The danger comes from  the fact that the politics involve poking God himself in the “apple” of his eye: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8).

The Almighty speaks somberly about any dealings with the “Daughter of Zion”–Jerusalem in particular, and Israel in general. The Lord God will not tolerate those who would try to force His chosen into molds that don’t conform to His plan for Israel. And, Israel is the whole house of Israel, the progeny of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Pressuring Israel
We witness the daily reports of American and European efforts to pressure the leaders of modern Israel into giving up land in order to convince its Islamic neighbors to live peaceably. And, presently, we see concerted pressure to get the Israeli leaders to allow the dividing of Jerusalem, thus permitting the eastern part of that city to become the capital of the new Palestinian state they plan to create.

America is in a most precarious position, because of the Bush administration’s part in all of this. And those of the Democrat Party are, in some cases, even more culpable. It would behoove America’s leaders to read carefully God’s Word on matters involving the people He calls His chosen.

Those through history who have failed to take into account the Lord’s will concerning Israel–the Jews—lie scattered in the desolation of the dark past. As serious as is the matter of human governmental politics being played against Israel, there is a more egregious such political sword jabbing and slicing at the apple of God’s eye. The political doctrine is also theological in its constituency. “Replacement theology” is the term. Much of  “Christianity” today holds to the luciferic doctrine that the Church, Christians, have now replaced Israel –the physical progeny of Israel’s patriarchs. The politics of the false belief system comes into play when human governing bodies infer from church leaders’ holding to replacement theology that there is nothing  biblically prophetic about this tiny, though powerfully “disruptive to world peace” nation. Modern Israel has nothing to do with ancient Israel, thus Bible prophecy isn’t to be considered in dealing with the dangerous problems swirling around Jerusalem.

The political entities dealing with the problems of the Middle East thus cannot see, or won’t acknowledge where forcing man-made peace on Israel and dividing Jerusalem is leading.

Here is God’s Word on where it is leading: “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).

Human Government Forewarned!
No matter the outcome of the presidential elections, let the American president and the leaders of other nation-states who deal with Israel take heed. God, because of the touching of the apple of His eye, Jerusalem and Israel, will banish the perpetrators to shame and desolation. End-times politics was predicted to bring–and is in the process of bringing–all offenders to Armageddon.

End-of-days indicators assault the sensitivity meter of every Christian attuned to the Holy Spirit’s siren of alarm. The signals are not hidden on the back pages of newspapers or relegated as fillers to the last 60 seconds of newscasts. The headlines glare; the stories are above the fold of the front pages.

The end of something is upon us. The beginning of something the politicians like to call “change” is on the way. Even those of the non-religious, non-Christian world sense a coming tidal shift of some kind.

Mayan 2012 Prophecy
While secular media entertainment and news will rarely give attention to Bible prophecy, particularly from a pretribulation rapture viewpoint, they wholeheartedly promote and publicize predictions such as those supposedly given by Nostradamus, Edgar Casey, and others of mystical ilk. The Mayan Calendar’s “prophecy” for the year 2012 is the non-biblical foretelling most in view today.

With that date just around the corner, we can expect an increasing drumbeat of media promotion for what that long-extinct group of shamans predicted fordays just ahead.

Like I have stated in previous writings on the subject of the Mayan predictions, I have a quite limited understanding. This lack of in-depth knowledge is deliberate refusal to study the “prophecy.” I prefer to concentrate upon Bible prophecy, as this is my commission, I believe. And, Bible prophecy is truth, not mystical hyperbole.

That said, here is a sketchy look at the Mayan 2012 “prophecy,” from a blog site for which the subject holds considerable fascination.

“December 21, 2012 marks the end of the Long Count and Precession Cycle. A fascinating astronomical occurrence will take place that day. The sun will be seen in a conjunction with the crossing point of the galactic equator and the ecliptic which is referred by the Mayans as the Sacred Tree. Since this is due to take place on the winter solstice, this should provide clear evidence that the proper end day of the Mayan calendar is December 21, 2012. Some sayDecember 22nd, 23rd or even other dates. However, the solstice was an important day to the Mayans and it is logical to think that they would conclude their calendar cycle on this day, coupled with the fact of the rare astronomical occurrence set to take place that day…”(2012endofdays.org)

Now, I’m sure that clears up everything for you!

It is a dumbfounding matter to consider.  Many who name the name of Christ think of Bible prophecy as unintelligible, frightening, and otherwise something to shun. These, at the same time, readily fall for the false prophets and prophesies, apparently primarily because news and entertainment media extol the foretelling abilities of the ancient and modern, non-Biblical soothsayers. This inability to discern between Truth and false prophecy is due, in my view, thanks to the seminaries and pastors of their churches, who see Bible prophecy as either already fulfilled, or as to be spiritualized, allegorized, or otherwise something meant as a good story-line of some literary sort.

All the while the signals that we are at the end of the dispensation of the age of grace (church age,) continue to pile up in every direction we look.

End-Times Signs
As stated at the top of this article, the news headlines alert spiritually attuned senses to where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.

Geopolitics
The signs under this category are ubiquitous and prolific. Israel stands at the center of the world stage, with all nations in the process of gathering against the modern Jewish state.

Zechariah 12:1-3 flares from the pages of newspapers and hourly TV and Internet news updates. All focus is on that tiny nation-state. Iran’s leaders threaten to erase Israel from the Middle East and from off the planet. Syria’s dictator, Bashar Al-Assad, feigns desiring making a treaty with its much-hated neighbor, all the while romancing and being romanced by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who wants a better foothold in the region.

The Arab conglomerate, led by fanatic Islamic terrorist organizations, wage never-ending jihad.

The West looks at Israel with consternation aimed at Israel, while silently approving America’s acting unilaterally to pressure that nation to accept a “Roadmap to Peace” plan at the expense of dividing Jerusalem and the tiny amount of land they possess.

The European Union (EU) continues to use its time to develop a system of control over territories that formerly comprised the Roman Empire–all within line with prophecies given by Daniel, in chapter 9 and elsewhere.

Russia courts Iran –ancient Persia—in ways that look to be setting up the coalition prophesied by Ezekiel to invade over the mountains of Israel.

China is becoming a world power that almost certainly is preparing it to be the king of the “kings of the East” foretold to invade the Middle East over the dried-up Euphrates in Revelation chapters 9 and 16.

Socioeconomics
The Apostle Paul’s forewarnings of “perilous times,” found in 2 Timothy, chapter 3, are coming alive in our daily lives today.

Politicians and people within every other category of societal interaction are increasingly self-centered. They are boasters, proud, blasphemers. They exhibit, through abortion, homosexuality, and general anger with their fellow humankind, that they are without natural affection.

More and more of the human race is fierce, incontinent (out of control with addictions), and in general lovers of themselves more than lovers of God ortheir fellow man.

Religion
Within nominal Christianity and ecumenical circles of world religion, the siren song of deluding spirits and doctrines of devils lure people to the reefs of false belief systems, where their souls are dashed to pieces. The social gospel they espouse is filled with feel-good and do-good religiosity. The man-centered system, rather than bring the proponents of and adherents to the humanistic, save-the-planet ideology to account to the Creator, injects the luciferian delusion that they are doing good, thus will attain heaven–wherever and whatever that is-when moving to the next life.

Tragically, many Christians in the ultra-comfortable theater seats are bedazzled by the humanistic ministers who appear highly successful, in terms of numbers in the pews, dollars gathered, and national and world spotlights trained on them. The Bible, however, terms them “ravening wolves,” because they feed on the flocks that seek the riches the false teachers claim God provides, based upon a formula of “give to get.”

Some among the “Christian” churches seek to make alliances with those who collectively turn Christ’s words of John 14: 6 upside down. They agree with the likes of Oprah that there are many ways to God, like spokes on a wheel lead to the axle. In that sense, the apostasia (falling away) of 2 Thessalonians,chapter 2, is well underway–a major signal of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.

Closet Christians
And, this brings us to the crux of the article’s title. This is an era of “closet” Christianity. It is a time when, it seems, there is too high a price to be paid for standing for Christ in the public place.

The attitude is so pervasive that the legislators of the American political processes have allowed liberal-minded judges to legislate God out of classrooms and practically every other public place.

It is more comfortable to simply say to one’s self –to anyone who would question the silence—“I believe a person’s religious beliefs should be held in private. We shouldn’t impose our beliefs on others.”

But those who oppose God DO seek to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. Proof is in the fact that it is deemed perfectly okay for judges to overrule the majority opinions of the voters and, by judicial fiat, install the godless activity of, for major example, murdering nearly 50 million children in their mothers’ wombs since the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade in 1973.

The overwhelmingly liberal news media in America, along with the entertainment industry, promotes and lauds the freedom to use abortion as after-the-fact birth control, without very much opposition by a majority of the “Christian” churches. It is simply easier to take the path of least resistance –to not rock the societal boat, to not appear to be out of step with the contemporary, “if-it-feels-good-do-it” culture.

Those in this category who call themselves “Christians” stay in their closets of expediency and anonymity. They are caught up in the pleasures this life has to offer, and don’t intend to have those things threatened by a world hostile to the gospel message and true Bible doctrine. Their privacy is their comfort zone, and their “Christianity” stays locked behind the closet doors of their right to keep their thoughts on religion to themselves.

Jesus said this about that view of Christianity: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”(Luke 21:34-36).

Closet Christianity Commended
There is another type of closet Christianity, of course, that the Lord commends in the most glowing of terms. Jesus’ own words gives the heavenly Father’s view of this type of being a “closet Christian”: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt. 6:6).

Christians are to use the prayer closet for communing with the heavenly Father through His Son Jesus, who, through the Holy Spirit, makes intercession for God’s children. Great and mighty things are the result of prayer warriors –those who bring petitions and supplications before the throne.

But, once the prayers are finished, it is time to leave the closet. It is time to lift Christ up so the whole world will see and recognize Him, and will, through the call of the Holy Spirit, come to the Savior for redemption and reconciliation with the Father.

Again, Jesus said: “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they whichcome in may see the light” (Luke 11:33).

Christ is coming to take His church home to be with the heavenly Father (John 14: 1-3). His shout “Come up here!” could happen at any moment! Meanwhile, let us strive to be the right kind of closet Christians.