WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

 

WHAT IN THIS WORLD IS GOING ON?

There is a convergence of events and prophecies as never before.  Alarming events have, from time to time, caused people to wonder if the End of Days as spoken of in the Bible had arrived.  But, never, have events coincided with prophetic fulfillment as we now see.

When people read the Bible about eschatology, the matters about the End Times and the Tribulation period (specifically, the book of Matthew chapter 24 and the book of The Revelation), most tend to read it as one would read a ‘story’ or a novel.  Most assume it is written in chronological order, a sequence of events, one event beginning as the previous event is ending.  THIS IS NOT CORRECT. The reader must discover and place events in their correct order if he or she is to get an understanding.

Furthermore, when a Tribulation Seal is broken, an event or a series of events occur and will last for certain periods of time.  Most events will continue until the “Consummation of the Age”.

Secondly, it is important to know that the book of Revelation is not written in chronological order.  Description of events and timelines are repeated in various chapters and are not in a linear order.  For example, Revelation chapters six and seven tell us about the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal, cosmic disturbances, great earthquakes, the Rapture and the Sealing of the 144,000 from the Tribes of Israel.  THEN, in Revelation chapters 12, 13 and 14 we read the details and outcomes of these events.

Another example is the Second Coming of Jesus. There are those who say He comes back at least twice, once at the rapture and again at the Battle of Armageddon. This is a misunderstanding of Jesus’ return. Jesus’ return is one continuous event and He will accomplish both the rapture of the saints and defeat His enemies as “the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords” during His second and only return.

Revelation 1:7 tells us, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Matthew 24:19-31 tells us, “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

Then, Revelation 19:11-16 tells us, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Once a Tribulation event begins, it may continue for days, weeks, months,  years or decades.  Then, as a second or third event occurs, events will overlap and occur simultaneously.

Revelation 1:8, informs us that Jesus transcends time as we know it when He says, “I Am The Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come”.  This means that ACCORDING TO BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY, WHAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED; AND IS NOW HAPPENING; AND IS YET TO (will continue to) HAPPEN. (Just as a powerful storm such as a hurricane, will appear to be many different storms by those who must endure it from a ground based perspective, as it progresses across the earth to its conclusion; from a heavenly perspective it is seen as one continuous storm, unfolding, changing and concluding.)

Rather than a ‘news report’ or an ‘op-ed’ on the condition of the world, consider the larger picture, and the “larger picture” is that the condition of the world is nothing more than the condition of collective humankind. More precisely, it is the condition of the mind or the psyche of collective humankind, also referred to as “collective intelligence” or “group intelligence” which are ideas or the “idealism” that emerges from the collaboration, collective efforts, and competition of many individuals and appears in “consensus decision making“.

Broadly speaking, “collective intelligence idealism” holds that ideas constitute the only or the most perfect reality, depending on the type of idealism adhered to. At the same time, it is only the mind (and in some cases the spirit) that has access to this unique and true reality.

From an epistemological standpoint, it presupposes the existence of a mentally-constructed world, independent of the ideal one. The difference lies in the fact that we can only know it through the intellect.

Another common trait to all forms of idealism is the view that ideas, consciousness, spirit or the intellect are higher forms of perfection than the physical world. In some cases, it is considered a mere projection or mental construct (the idea or concept that helps individuals understand and interpret their experiences and observations. These constructs are shaped by personal experiences and can influence how people perceive the world and interact with others).

In order to simplify this matter, (and to get to the point) there has always been, at its most basic level, two major streams of thought or idealism. Humanism and Christianity.

Christianity emphasizes the transcendence of One God and the salvation of all willing human beings from estrangement from God through the bodily death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is both fully human and fully divine. In contrast, many gnostic groups developed mythologies that differentiate between an inferior creator of the world, called a demiurge, and a higher god.

The natural progression away from or the downward spiral from Christianity is through Gnosticism which invariably leads to Humanism, secularism, agnosticism and atheism. (Again, this is an extreme simplification).

The Bible, in various ways describes the difference between the presence of God (Christianity) and the absence of God (Humanism) using the contrasting metaphor of Light and Darkness. (For example, John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Again, Matthew 6:22-23 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

The word “Light” as used in these verses comes from the Greek word “phós” which primarily denotes light in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Literally, it refers to natural light, such as daylight or the light of a lamp. Metaphorically, it is used to describe spiritual illumination, truth, and the divine presence of God. It often symbolizes purity, holiness, and the revelation of God’s truth to humanity. In the ancient world, light was a powerful symbol of life, knowledge, and divine presence. In Jewish tradition, light was associated with God’s creation and His guidance, as seen in the pillar of fire that led the Israelites. In Greco-Roman culture, light was also a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment. The New Testament writers, particularly John, use “phós” to convey the transformative power of Christ as the “Light of the World,” bringing spiritual enlightenment and salvation. (see Biblehub.com).

The word “Darkness” as used in these verses comes from the Greek word “skotia” which is used metaphorically to describe spiritual or moral darkness, ignorance, and the absence of Divine Light. It often contrasts with “phos” (light), symbolizing the presence of God, truth, and righteousness. “Skotia” can refer to the state of those who are separated from God and living in sin. In the Greco-Roman world, darkness was commonly associated with chaos, evil, and the unknown. The biblical authors used this cultural understanding to convey spiritual truths. In Jewish thought, darkness often symbolized judgment and separation from God’s presence. The New Testament writers, drawing from these traditions, used “skotia” to illustrate the spiritual condition of humanity without Christ. (see Biblehub.com).

Finally, in the scriptures and literature in general, the idea of Light and Darkness are also often metaphors for life and death. Which brings us to our point.

There have been surges and retreats of both Light and Darkness in the world since the beginning of recorded Biblical and secular historical time. The Light seems to be fading from our world and it is growing darker. And the two competing forces behind the Light and the spreading Darkness are Christianity versus Humanism. Christianity is largely visible through the existence of the Church, which springs from the teaching and works of Jesus Christ, versus humanism which is promulgated through the various forms of Marxism, Leninism, Socialism and Communism.

THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD TODAY

Jesus (and several of His Apostles and disciples) warned about this coming darkness as early as A.D. 30 through A.D. 98.

Jesus specifically warned that, “many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains (phase of the tribulation period). (Matthew 24:5-9)

“Then, (after the beginning of the birth pains phase of the tribulation period), they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. And at that time many will fall away (which is known as the great apostasy), and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold. But the one who endures (continues to faithfully follow and obey Jesus) to the end (of this age) is the one who will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end (of this age) will come. (Matthew 24:10-14).

(Jesus, in these verses, is describing the breaking of the first five tribulation seals, which He calls “the beginning of the birth pains”, which I am dubbing “the beginning of the birth pains phase of the tribulation”.  And, THAT IS WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD TODAY.)

And for our information, what comes next in Matthew’s narrative – chapter 24, verses 15 through 20 – are both past and future events. Jesus is announcing to the inhabitants of Israel that the day of the prophesied “Abomination of Desolation” is coming. A day is coming when they must prepare to flee from the coming destruction of Jerusalem and their Temple, just as they did in the second century and again in 70 A.D.

This is both a reference to the Book of Daniel describing the pagan sacrifices with which the second century B.C., the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced the twice-daily offering in the Jewish temple, or alternatively the altar on which such offerings were made, and to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the year A.D. 70. (from Widipedia).

The former was a harbinger, a foreshadowing of something greater that was to come and the latter is a reference to a future event. Both, however, point to an End of Days or an End Time event, which will occur with the breaking of the prophesied Sixth Tribulation Seal, which marks the beginning of the final SEVEN YEARS of GREAT TRIBULATION, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb.

(There is further corroboration of this timeline of these events, the Great and Terrible day of the Lord and the coming Wrath of the Lamb which is marked by the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal. through the testimonies, teachings and instructions of Jesus, the Apostles Peter, Paul, John and Timothy the disciple of Jesus. (see “Did Jesus Really Say?”).

This Darkness is also described as the apostasy. There have been wars and rumors of war, famines and earthquakes since the birth of  Jesus, and they have been increasing in their frequency and intensity since that day.  2 Timothy 3:1-8 also warned that “In these last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith.”

Finally, in Galatians 5:19-21, the Apostle Paul describes the manifestation of this spreading Darkness as the outward signs of humanity’s inward condition, saying “The deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

As I have already said, there have been surges and retreats of both Light and Darkness in the world since the beginning of recorded Biblical and secular historical time.

These are the driving forces behind the Global tensions we have seen at play over the last two thousand plus years. These are the two worldviews, the two idealisms creating the dichotomy and the divisions in our world today.

But now, Jesus has drawn a line. A line of demarcation. There is now appearing a convergence and a concurrence of prophesied events leading to the End of The Age such as the world has never seen before. They began at or around the time of the Birth of Christ and have continued, are overlapping and intensifying to this day. The world is on the brink of the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal and the BEGINNING OF the final SEVEN YEARS of the Great Tribualion which is marked by the breaking of the Sixth Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun

• The Trumpet,
• The Rapture,
• Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God,,
• Sealing of the 144,000,
• God’s final judgements on all of humankind, the earth and the entire cosmos.

And, THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD TODAY.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

NEXT: (coming soon) “WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE HEADED?”

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