Spirit of Discernment

The Coming One World Government – Part 1 February 23, 2010

The events that have been prophesied of, particularly in the book of the Apocalypse (Revelations), which marks the beginning of the end of the age is both terrifying and intriguing for most people. One of the reasons for this is that throughout history many people believed that at least some of these events would occur in their own lifetime and the prospect of this fills one with fear and dread. This is no exception in our day. Imagine having to live under the rule of the anti-christ and at a time when the mark of the beast is being issued? Of course pre-tribulation rapture proponents believe they will not be in the world to witness the rise of the anti-christ. There are also others however who will argue as a way of escape that these events are not likely to occur until years into the future when they are long passed from this world into death. As Christians however, what can we learn from scripture in regards to the signs of the end? Are there any discernable signs today from what we see on the geo-political landscape? In Mark 13:33, after outlining the signs of His coming, Jesus warned us to watch and pray for we know not when the time is. Jesus emphasised this point again in verse 35 through to verse 37 of the passage to demonstrate how crucial it is to watch. Jesus used the illustration of the fig tree in Matt 24:32 to say that when we see the twigs get tender and the leaves come out we know it is summer. If we are watching therefore we should be able to discern some of the signs that precede Jesus’ return, not least the signs leading up to the revelation of the anti-christ and the system of the beast. This article therefore attempts to look at some of the events that are presently happening on the world stage and how they might relate to Bible prophesy concerning the end times.

 As aforementioned the Book of Revelations contains some profound prophesies concerning the events leading up to the end of the age, which the Apostle John received whilst exiled on the island of Patmos. However, many theories abound as to what these prophesies mean and indeed concerning the timing of these prophesies. One theory for example suggests that the events outlined in the book have already occurred. This of course is implausible since Christians are still awaiting the return of Jesus Christ and there are prophesies that are yet to be fulfilled prior to Jesus’ return. As Christians who are watching therefore, what can we discern from the Book of Revelations concerning the end? It would be beyond the scope of this article to look at the whole of Revelations so this article will concentrate on namely Revelations 13 but more precisely verses 15 to18, which says:

 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

 In the preceding verses John started out by relating a vision of a beast rising up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns.  John also saw another beast which rose up out of the earth having two horns like a lamb but which spoke like a dragon. These beasts however aren’t literal beasts but symbolic beasts and it is not until we go to the book of Revelations 17 and 19 that we learn what these symbols mean. The seven heads of the first beast represents seven kings but also seven hills on which a woman sits but more about that later. The ten horns also represent ten kings who are yet to come and haven’t been given a kingdom yet. Once these kings, who are of one mind, have been given their authority they will give their power to the first beast. The sea that the beast comes up out of represents the nations, kindred and tongues of the world. The beast with the two horns represents a false prophet which exercised the power of the first beast and caused those whose names were not written in the book of Life to worship the first beast, and he was able to achieve this by performing deceitful miracles such as bringing down fire from heaven (see Rev 19:20 for the identity of the second beast).

 The implication of the verses of Revelations 13:15-18 outlined above therefore is that towards the end of the age a universal world power will rise up and its main characteristic is that it will be both a pseudo-religious and political power. It should be clear from the scriptures that this will be a unified world power because the 10 kings for example, who are of one mind formed an alliance with the beast by giving their power to it. We also know that the beast will be a pseudo-religious power because the second beast, the false prophet, caused many to worship the image of the first beast and put to death those that will not worship it. A second implication here is that within this universal world system there will be a system of monetary union (or a world single currency) which will be governed through the issue of the mark of the beast. This implication is clear because none will be able to buy or sell without the mark, name or number of the name of the beast. Money as we know it today will therefore not be of value and unless one accepts the mark one will not be able to function as a member of society. The third implication here therefore is that in conjunction with the one world power of the first beast, there will also be a one world religion which is being promoted by the false prophet through his lying signs and wonders. This single world religion is characterised by the woman who is a prostitute and who rides the beast having the seven heads and ten horns, as alluded to earlier. This woman represents an apostate church that fornicated with the kings of the world and who is drunk with the blood of the saints (see Rev 16).  The false prophet therefore represents this apostate church. Another scripture which lends support here is 2 Thess 2:3 which says the Lord cannot return until there is first a falling away (into religious apostasy) and that the man of sin, the son of perdition is revealed.

 It is interesting to note that there are individuals in our day who are not necessarily Christians but who recognise that there is a certain “force” enveloping the globe even at this present time. This force which is being driven by globalisation they call the New World Order. The NWO got its name from world leaders like Sir Winston Churchill, a former British Prime Minister, who uttered the words in a speech following the end of Word War Two.  Perhaps it could be argued that this force has been with us since the dawning of humanity but in more recent times it has manifested itself in the formation of the League of Nations after the First World War and which later became the United Nations after the Second World War. The stated goals of these organisations were to facilitate peace and global corporation amongst nations to ensure stability and prevent wars such as the two Word Wars. In conjunction with these organisations there was also a global monetary system governed by Bretton Woods which eventually became the IMF and World Bank. Although these organisations seem quite benevolent NWO sceptics see them as morphing into what will eventually become a fascist one world government lead by a tyrannical leader. To this end such sceptics are branded as conspiracy theorists and whose voices are largely drowned out from mainstream media. What should be clear for a Christian however is that the NWO is synonymous with the one world government under the anti-christ’s rule. What then are the evidence which points to a future world government, monetary union and one world religion?

 Watch out for Part 2