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| Did the prophet Daniel see this 2,600 years ago? |
Many folks who don't believe in the Bible and thus reject its specific prophecies concerning the end times, do believe that the world is in very bad shape these days and is getting much worse.
But how, for example? Certainly, crime, violence and moral depravity have increased since the beginning of the 20th century. In fact, since the 1960s, crime and violence have exploded throughout the western world. What's caused that? Very simply, mankind's rejection of God, the Bible and the Judeo-Christian worldview.
While that sounds like an oversimplified explanation, it isn't. When human beings don't believe that they're held accountable by God for their actions, they become morally corrupt.
The apostle Paul explained it perfectly: "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)
Paul's description of what happens to human beings who reject God leads to a prophecy he revealed in his second of two letters to fellow apostle Timothy. Paul's prophecy concerns the end times, and it sounds much like the time we're now living in: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
When a civilization suffers moral decay, it implodes. While the collapse of western civilization can be attributed to the west's increasing rejection of the Judeo-Christian worldview for a godless, secular worldview, that collapse didn't happen overnight. It can be traced to two factors: (1) The church's abdication of the Bible as the inspired word of God that began as early as the 18th century, and (2) the advent of Darwinism (evolution) in the 19th century that dismissed God by attempting to provide a naturalistic explanation for the existence of life.
While Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was just that; a theory and a terrible one, it went unchallenged by the Christian church. As a result, Darwin's theory is taught today as scientific truth in schools, colleges and universities throughout the world, despite the fact that it's never been proven or observed. Thus, the seeds of modern moral depravity were sown by an apostate church that turned away from God and refused to defend the faith against "godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge..." (1 Timothy 6:20)
With the decline of the west comes the resurgence of the east. China, India and South Korea are becoming the new economic and industrial powerhouses in the world while Russia is determined to build a formidable military that will be second to none.
And a major part of Russia's military will include nuclear weapons that can bring swift and massive destruction to any destination on the planet. With the United States determined to reduce its nuclear arsenal and emasculate its military, it's only a matter of time before the Russians begin threatening the U.S. and other nations with nuclear blackmail.
Nearly 2,600 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel received a vision from God concerning the last days on earth. The vision so terrified Daniel that it made him physically ill. Certainly, Daniel was overwhelmed by what he saw. In the ancient time that lived, he had no comprehension of fighter jets, ICBMs or nuclear weapons that he witnessed in the vision.
Concerning the dreaded Antichrist who will eventually become the leader of the coming end-time global government, Daniel wrote this: "He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does." (Daniel 8:24) Astounding devastation sounds like the destruction that occurs via nuclear weapons.
An so, how close are we to the Apocalypse? Very close. We don't have a world government as yet. But it's coming. We don't have the Antichrist as yet. But he's coming. With all the trouble in the world, millions of people are looking for a messianic figure who will seemingly bring peace and order to a planet mired in chaos.
In fact, if such a man appeared today who said all the right things and possessed a charismatic, hypnotic personality, millions of people would embrace him, even if he possessed a dark and troubling past. If you don't believe that such a person could fool that many people, then you've probably never heard of Barack Obama.
Certainly Barack Obama isn't the Antichrist. Rather, he's an antichrist. And he's a pretty good facsimile of the one who's yet to come.
With the decline of the west comes the resurgence of the east. China, India and South Korea are becoming the new economic and industrial powerhouses in the world while Russia is determined to build a formidable military that will be second to none.
And a major part of Russia's military will include nuclear weapons that can bring swift and massive destruction to any destination on the planet. With the United States determined to reduce its nuclear arsenal and emasculate its military, it's only a matter of time before the Russians begin threatening the U.S. and other nations with nuclear blackmail.
Nearly 2,600 years ago, the ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel received a vision from God concerning the last days on earth. The vision so terrified Daniel that it made him physically ill. Certainly, Daniel was overwhelmed by what he saw. In the ancient time that lived, he had no comprehension of fighter jets, ICBMs or nuclear weapons that he witnessed in the vision.
Concerning the dreaded Antichrist who will eventually become the leader of the coming end-time global government, Daniel wrote this: "He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does." (Daniel 8:24) Astounding devastation sounds like the destruction that occurs via nuclear weapons.
An so, how close are we to the Apocalypse? Very close. We don't have a world government as yet. But it's coming. We don't have the Antichrist as yet. But he's coming. With all the trouble in the world, millions of people are looking for a messianic figure who will seemingly bring peace and order to a planet mired in chaos.
In fact, if such a man appeared today who said all the right things and possessed a charismatic, hypnotic personality, millions of people would embrace him, even if he possessed a dark and troubling past. If you don't believe that such a person could fool that many people, then you've probably never heard of Barack Obama.
Certainly Barack Obama isn't the Antichrist. Rather, he's an antichrist. And he's a pretty good facsimile of the one who's yet to come.
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