Just A Thought

As a child I had the great privilege of sitting in church and listening to knowledgeable speakers from all over the world give rousing speeches on what was going to happen in the future, as predicted by the Bible. I heard about: a one-world government, a one-world religion that was tolerant of everything but Christianity, a one-world currency, and a coming financial system that would require everyone to be “marked” in order to by or sell. The latter prediction went something like this: One of these days the whole world will be led by a man who will be able to control everyone by refusing to let them do business without being a part of the world system of government.” This teaching was based on Scripture passages such as the one below:

• “He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.” (Revelation 13:16-18 NLT)

Many people dismissed the above theories as paranoia. It was all so Orwellian. I remember the scorn and skepticism encountered by those like my parents who dared believe such “nonsense”. Skeptics would query, “How in the world could a single government be able to keep track of every single person on the planet, and how would they get countries like Russia to get on board?” Others wondered, “If we can’t even get Pentecostals and Lutherans to agree on things, how would it be possible to get Hindus, Muslims and Christian to agree on anything?”

Today, however, the once-predicted developments are almost universally accepted as inevitable. U.S. presidents talk about a “New World Order”, or being a “citizen of the world.” At every turn one can see the world predicted in scripture coming into view. Below are three prime examples.

• In a matter of months, Americans have watched the stock market crash and the U.S. government take unprecedented steps toward ownership of major companies and banks. The whole world is in financial turmoil, causing some to call for a world bank that controls all funds. There is also serious talk of a one-world currency. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25173126-12377,00.html)
• Recently, in Hartford CT, an anti-family group spearheaded a legal attack against the Catholic Church. They recommended that the state dictate who controls the spending of charitable contributions; in other words, they recommended a state-controlled religion. That is as ridiculous as giving congress the right to spend funds raised by the Lion’s Club or Toastmasters, but waters are brazenly being tested.
• Recent technological developments such as cell phones, bank cards, retinal scanners, implantable microchips, etc. have paved the way for a cashless society and greater government control. I recently talked to a parent from Woodstock CT who told me grade-school children now use their fingerprint to pay for hot lunches.

It turns out those “crazy preachers” weren’t paranoid - they were spot on! A world system is unfolding just as they predicted. That scares some folks, but maybe there is a bright side to all of this. If the Bible has been proven true in these matters, then we can be confident in the rest of its message. The same Bible that predicted a one-world government predicted that many people would become believers during this period of time. True believers have no need to be paranoid, because they are living by the Book that keeps getting proved right -- a Book that tells of God’s great love. And “perfect love casteth out fear:” (1 John 4:18 KJV)