Why Does It Seem Everyone Is Talking About Global Governance?

     When I first became interested in Biblical prophecy, I always took comfort that those cataclysmic things the Bible said would happen were so far off into the distant future because there would be no global government in my lifetime. If you don’t watch the news, and you don’t live in Europe, it would be hard to even imagine it as a reality today. In fact, I really don’t even feel comfortable writing about such things as a global government because it just seems way too sci-fi and conspiratorial to be taken seriously.

     However, all one has to do is pay a little attention to the news or even to the modern history of Europe, and you will get the distinct feeling that you are turning into a conspiracy theory “new world order” nut! Well, I hate to admit it, but I’ve become one of those loons myself. Several times a week, I see news stories from reputable agencies and organizations discussing the economic, security or environmental need for a global governmental system. We have also seen it in Europe. Over the past couple of decades, Europe has morphed from a continent of nations to an amalgamation of united nations, which now since November 2009 with the Lisbon Treaty has its own political president. See Europa: Treaty of Lisbon, The Treaty at a Glance, http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/glance/index_en.htm (giving an overview of the Treaty of Lisbon and its goals of creating a single European voice on the global stage).

     Now, even though many presumably reputable media and governmental agencies around the world are currently talking very serious about this issue, I do completely understand that it still sounds crazy. Furthermore, there is absolutely no way possible to truly know that we are at this moment in time heading into the global governmental system described in Scripture.  Even Jesus, God in the flesh, said concerning the end of our history, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”  Matthew 24:36 (NKJV). 

     Let me show you what I know to be true future reality from Scripture. Then I want you to consider the fact that there is a spiritual war pushing for the time when Satan will be released to control the entire world in a physical way through Antichrist. I believe that the world has always been moving in that direction, but I also believe that it is rapidly moving closer and closer towards a global government today. I believe it will first take shape around trying to stabilize our economy. Then it will be expanded to save our world from climate change. Then it will be used to suppress “hateful” elements of society, such as Bible believing Christians who disagree with the socially liberal agendas much of the world adheres to.

     We in the United States of America don’t think it could ever happen because we are so used to the freedoms our great country has afforded us, but we have already lost so much of our freedoms at the hands of both Republicans and Democrats. I believe confidently because of the word of God that one day the freedoms we enjoy will absolutely not exist. And on that point, please let me warn you not to ever take my word for what I think is happening. Be confident only on what the word of God says, and not on what I say on this blog. Always compare things you see and hear with Scripture, which is the only word that can be trusted for absolute accuracy.

     I cannot say with certainty when these things will happen, but the Bible unequivocally states that there is coming a time when the entire world will be under one single global government. We first see a depiction of this human world power system through its different stages in the Book of Daniel, and his prophecy regarding the famous dream of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar:

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:31—35 (NKJV).

     We later learn from both Scripture as well as history what these four sections of the statue represent. See Daniel 7—9. They are the four nations that would dominate the Jewish People from the time of Daniel forward. See Zechariah 1:18—21. The gold section is the Babylonian Empire, followed by Medo-Persia, followed by Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire, and ending with Rome. These man-made kingdoms are then completely destroyed by a God-made kingdom through the Lord Jesus Christ, the stone cut out without hands. See also Revelation 19 (providing a clear description of the stone, Jesus Christ, coming with power to destroy man and Satan’s final rebellion against Him).

     It’s important to notice that Rome is divided up into subsections. There are the two legs, which represent the way ancient Rome divided into Eastern and Western halves. Then there are the ten toes mixed with clay, which we learn from the Apostle John are ten future kings appointed to rule the world, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.” Revelation 17:12, 13 (NKJV). Those same ten toes spoken of by Daniel are described by John as ten horns on the great beast, which itself represents all of the global governments that have dominated the Jews throughout history.

     Because these iron and clay toes are part of the same section of King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, they must be part of the same Roman Empire that replaced Greece over 2,000 years ago. However, they must also still be future because Rome was never ruled by a united ten king government. Very interestingly, we see the precise borders of ancient Rome forming together again through the Union for the Mediterranean, a mega conglomerate of nations largely created and controlled by the European Union (hereafter “EU”). See Centre for Research on Globalization, The Mediterranean Union: Dividing the Middle East and North Africa, http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6879 (explaining the history and goals of this mega Union). I firmly believe that this Union for the Mediterranean, with the EU at the lead, will in fact become the basis for what will someday be the revival of that final form of Rome described by Daniel and the Apostle John.

     Regarding these ten kings, however, we cannot now know who they are or where they are precisely from. Nevertheless, we do see the basis for their “thrones” slowly coming into focus. Many international and global organizations, like the EU and the Club of Rome (a very influential global governance think-tank), have in fact divided the globe up into ten regions of political, economic and environmental influence. See Europa: European Commission: EU in the World, Where, http://ec.europa.eu/world/where/index_en.htm; Club of Rome Report: Regionalized and Adaptive Model of the Global World System, http://oneheartbooks.com/resources/revealed/club_of_rome.pdf (purporting to be the actual Club of Rome report, though I have to admit that I cannot verify its authenticity on the Club of Rome website, regardless of its authenticity however, it does appear well established from other sources that the Club of Rome did in fact divide the globe into the ten regions discussed in the document).

     Also an interesting thing to look at is that the Western European Union (hereafter “WEU”), which is the defense organization within the EU, is led by only ten nations. See Western European Union, Delegations, http://www.weu.int/Delegations.htm (listing the ten full membership nations that make up the WEU). There are good arguments for the ten horns quoted above from Revelation 17 actually being ten military leaders, because the horn has traditionally been a symbol of military power. What really caught my attention about this theory is that the document establishing the WEU’s ten nation military alliance as the independent military wing of the entire EU was an agreement entitled Recommendation 666. See European Security and Defence Assembly:  Assembly of WEU, Recommendation 666, http://www.assembly-weu.org/en/documents/sessions_ordinaires/txt/2000/jun00_txts_adopted.php#P51_3072; see also Fulfilled Prophecy, The Ten Nations, http://www.fulfilledprophecy.com/page/the-10-nations/ (explaining their theory of the WEU serving the basis for the ten kings).

     However, I must point out that the WEU announced in early 2010 that it would turn over all authority to the entire EU governing body by June 2011. See Western European Union, Statement of the Presidency of WEU of 31.03.2010, http://www.weu.int/Declaration_E.pdf.  Regardless, the coincidence of the ten nation military alliance being created as the defense for the EU under a document entitled “666” calls for making it something to watch. In case you don’t know the significance to that number, the Bible says that the number “666” will be the clue to identifying Antichrist, the meaning of which will be truly knowable only to those alive when he comes, “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” Revelation 13:18 (NKJV). I know it sounds like I just made this up, but it is real. I gave you the site above to look it up and read it yourself.

     Whoever these ten kings are and wherever they come from, they are clearly ten real people who are appointed as some sort of governors having influence over the entire globe, and somehow representing different nation-states and their individual agendas. The angel speaking to Daniel described this when he explained the strange mixture of iron and clay:

And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 2:42—44 (NKJV).

     To add another layer of complexity to this revived Roman Empire, the Apostle John explained that it would eventually form into a separate global government controlled totally by Antichrist alone. John saw a vision in which all the powerful nations that have dominated the Jewish People were represented on a monstrous beast which rose up out of the sea:

     Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

Revelation 13:1—4 (NKJV).

     The beast itself represents the satanic nature of all the nations that ruled over the Jewish People throughout all of history. The seven heads are the specific nations: Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Ancient Rome, and Revived Rome controlled by ten leaders (represented by the horns and crowns). We know that the last two are Rome because of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as well as the explanation John received later in the book (the woman represents the false religion that will deceive the unrepentant world during the last days of our history – that’s a subject for another day):

     But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

     “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

     “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.”

Revelation 17:7—13 (NKJV).

     The description of the beast that was, and is not, and yet is, could have two separate meanings, both of which could be true simultaneously. In the quote from Chapter 13 of Revelation above, we see that the beast received some sort of mortal wound. It very well could be that Antichrist suffers some sort of wound that appears to be fatal, and then appears to resurrect from that wound, all in an attempt by Satan to claim this man to the world as messiah. Satan has always wanted to be worshiped, and in fact to replace God. It would make perfect sense that he tries to imitate the true God, and the true Messiah.

     I believe though that this also refers to the resurrection of Rome, and how the world is in absolute awe of this empire that is coming to save us from economic, social, political, and environmental collapse. I think there is no question that these heads represent separate empires that have been controlled by Satan himself to dominate God’s people in an attempt to stop God’s plan for redemption from being fulfilled. The angel speaking to John explains that of the seven kings, five have fallen. Those five kingdoms, which no longer had power at the time John received his vision, were Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia and Greece. The angel continued to say that one is, and the other has not yet come, which meant that the sixth was in power at the moment, Ancient Rome, and the seventh was still to come, the Revived Roman Empire.

     Notice that no single power has ever ruled over the entire Jewish Nation since the Romans dispersed the Jews from Israel in 70 A.D., and thus there is no mention of countries like Nazi Germany. Jews have lived across the world without a nation ever since then and until 1948 with the reemergence of the nation Israel. However, Israel is today a member of the Union for the Mediterranean. See Europa: Euromed, The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, http://eeas.europa.eu/euromed/index_en.htm. If the Union for the Mediterranean does in fact form the basis of the Revived Roman Empire, the Jewish Nation would easily be dominated by that future governmental body.

     Very interesting and often overlooked, however, is that this new Rome does not appear to be the final world power. The angel interpreting things for John said that the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven. I firmly believe that this reference is to Antichrist, who is part of the seven world empires because he is uniquely possessed by Satan himself, having been “fatally wounded” and then falsely “resurrected.” When the ten kings of the Revived Roman Empire give their power and authority to the beast, they will be allowing Antichrist, who has mesmerized the world by his charisma and having supposedly defeated death, to create the eighth world empire that will be a true global government, and will embody the full strength of Satan himself.

     None of these other empires actually controlled the entire world. When Antichrist comes, we are told that every person on the face of the earth whom God knows will never repent from sin and put their trust in Christ alone will be sadly devoted to him, “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:7b, 8 (NKJV).

     This final world empire will in effect be a resurrection of the first world empire at the Land of Shinar surrounding the Tower of Babel, which was in or near the modern day Iraqi city of Babylon, for the purpose of God destroying man’s government-based rebellion where it began. See Genesis 11:1—9. When this empire is in its final stage of destruction by the stone cut out without hands, John tells us:

     After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!”

Revelation 18:1, 2 (NKJV); see also Daniel 2:34, 35 (regarding the stone cut out without hands quoted above at the beginning).

     Some people believe that this only refers to the satanic universalist religion that will be embraced by the world at that time. Babylon does in fact refer to that wicked idolatrous religion. See Revelation 17; see also Zechariah 5:5—11. However, it also clearly refers to an actual city. After it is destroyed by God, we are told that the leaders of the world under Antichrist are lamenting over the destruction of their great city Babylon:

The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, “Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.”

Revelation 18:9, 10 (NKJV).

     I don’t know whether this city will be located where the ancient Tower of Babel was, and I don’t know whether we will wake up one day to see ten EU kings handing over control to a single European leader forming a new Babylonia. It certainly does seem though that we are indeed racing towards a global economic governing system. Notice that the European Economic Community began as a united market system, but the EU today is far more than that. It really is an easy leap to go from economic governance to governing everything in the name of economic security. The EU is about to start imposing its own tax on the European nations, it is seeking its own voting rights seat in the United Nations, it is increasingly becoming more active in the Middle East crisis regarding Israel, and there is a major push within the EU to build its own military.

     We are without a doubt seeing the emergence of a global market system that will one day allow Antichrist to control the economic activity of every person alive, “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17 (NKJV). Just as happened in Europe, that global market will evolve into a single governing power over all things, not just finances. We know this will happen because Scripture says it will. Furthermore, we are seeing it begin to form.

     Back in April 2009, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said, “that those [nations] who had recognised the scale of today's crisis were calling for new global governance regimes.” The Financial Express, Growth to Slow Down Hitting Hard the Poor Countries (April 1, 2009), http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/search_index.php?page=detail_news&news_id=62661. Zoellick went on to say something truly startling, “If leaders are serious about creating new global responsibilities or governance, let them start by modernising multilateralism to empower the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank Group to monitor national policies.” Id. If you didn’t catch it, he’s saying that if a nation wants to have a voice in the upcoming global governing body, that nation must allow the global banks to have a say in that nation’s policies. For us, this would mean that these banks could affect the decisions of the United States of America, concerning ourselves! See also Prison Planet, World Bank President Admits Agenda for Global Government (April 1, 2009), http://www.prisonplanet.com/world-bank-president-admits-agenda-for-global-government.html (commenting on Zoellick’s statements).

     Well, you might dismiss this because that’s a radical statement from only one person at only one major global financial institution. Hold on, there’s more. Speaking of global economic governance, “The Jewish President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, told Forbes that global governance is extremely necessary if we want to prevent another financial crisis.” The European Union Times, European Central Bank Calls for One World Government to Prevent Another Crisis (May 3, 2010), http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/european-central-bank-calls-for-one-world-government-to-prevent-another-crisis/. I have no idea why they needed to point out that he’s Jewish.

     There is also a current push to create a global democratic parliament within the United Nations. The organization is called the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly or “UNPA,” and seeks to solve the world’s problems through global government:

The great problems of our times – such as war, disease, poverty and climate change – cannot be solved by individual nations acting alone. Direct citizen representation could help the world develop a greater understanding of itself as a global community. At the highest levels of the United Nations, a UNPA could function as a world conscience and watchdog, and a catalyst for further reforms.

Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, About the UNPA Proposal, http://en.unpacampaign.org/about/unpa/index.php.

     In March 2009, they announced:

A global research programme facilitated and coordinated through a convening group of ten persons based in ten world regions was established last year with core funding from the Ford Foundation. … The BGD Programme brings together academic researchers, civil society activists, entrepreneurs, journalists and officials to “explore how ‘rule by and for the people’ can be understood and practiced in relation to global issues”. One of the programme's lead questions is how affected people can participate in and control the governance of global concerns.

Campaign for a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, New Research Programme on Global Democracy Established (March 11, 2009), http://en.unpacampaign.org/news/354.php?PHPSESSID=ef201b4c234f45b52cca29d10646b119 (underlined emphasis added).

     The Club of Rome has indicated its goal when it described their history saying, “Building on the work of the eighties, the Club of Rome continued its work in the nineties by focusing on major issues such as the Digital Divide between North and South, global governance and cultural diversity.” The Club of Rome, The Story of the Club of Rome, http://www.clubofrome.org/eng/about/4/. If that’s not clear enough for you, during a Club of Rome meeting in April 2009, it was posited, “The world needs a better global governance system, rule-based: a global contract, aimed at a global eco social market economy, climate justice, the perspective of worldwide citizen rights and a worldwide democracy.” The Club of Rome, How to Deal with the Global Crisis (April 2009), Page 2, http://www.clubofrome.org/eng/meetings/vienna_2009/presentations/Franz.Josef.Radermacher.Vienna.Apr09.pdf. They are saying that we need a global government to police the world, according to their agenda.

     These are only a few random quotes. I could never keep up if I were to post every quote I hear through the week. All of these things are indeed coming. Listen to God’s last plea for repentance to a rebellious mankind, right before He comes to utterly destroy the final world government system:

     And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”

Revelation 18:4—8 (NKJV) (underlined emphasis added).

     If you have never repented from your sin by humbling yourself before almighty God and grieving over your own rebellion against Him, and turned to God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, please do so before it’s too late. These things are coming. Nothing we could ever do can stop them from coming. This is God’s plan to finally put an end to all rebellion against Him. You may die long before it comes, but either way, you will face Him.

     The question is, will you face Him as a rebel, and receive an eternal punishment worse than that which is coming upon the final world government? Or will you be embraced by Him as a forgiven sinner? Don’t go to sleep tonight before answering that question. No matter what sins you have committed in your life, God will forgive you if you repent from rebellion and turn to the Savior in faith. Turn to Him today. If you hear His voice, do as Jesus commanded, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15b (NKJV).

Will Israel Ever Recognize Jesus as Messiah?

     The short answer is yes! However, the way in which that comes to pass requires taking a deeper look at Scripture.

     Israelis and Jews around the world annually observe a day of mourning called Tisha B’Av. This is the day that primarily commemorates the two single most tragic days in Israel’s history. The two separate times when their Temple was completely destroyed, first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., and again by the Romans in 70 A.D.

     The Temple was the absolute most sacred place in all of Israel. It was the place where God would meet with the high priest, and the symbol of God’s love and presence in Israel.

     To understand why the Temple was destroyed, we must go all the back to the time of Moses, to the early promises and warnings God gave Israel. God promised through Moses, “[] the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments.” Deuteronomy 26:18 (NKJV). However, He also warned that should they turn away from God and fail to keep His commandments:

The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth ... And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you.

Deuteronomy 28:25, 37 (NKJV). This has no doubt come true, effects of which we have even seen as recently as the last century.

     By the time of the Prophet Jeremiah, approximately 600 years before Christ’s birth, Israel had largely turned away from God, and had begun to worship the false gods of their neighbors, such as the “queen of heaven.” See Jeremiah 44:17. Through Jeremiah, God expressed that the judgments He warned about all the way back to the time of Moses would in fact come to Israel:   

          I will utter My judgments

     Against them concerning all their wickedness,

     Because they have forsaken Me,

     Burned incense to other gods,

     And worshiped the works of their own hands.

Jeremiah 1:16 (NKJV).

     In 586 B.C., the Temple built by King Solomon was in fact destroyed by the Babylonians and the Jews were largely slaughtered or carried off to Babylon into captivity. Exactly as Jeremiah predicted.

     When their chastisement was over, God brought a remnant of the faithful back from captivity to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. You can read the historical background of that process in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, as well as First and Second Chronicles. However, the most exciting books regarding the rebuilding process are Haggai and Zechariah. They were the prophets sent to encourage Israel to keep building, and to comfort Israel that their future was filled with blessings. More than just about rebuilding the Temple, however, Zechariah is entirely about the restoration of Israel through Jesus Christ.

     During the time that Zechariah came with his message from God, the Jews who had returned to their land were struggling to rebuild in the face of neighbors who hated them. Not very much different from today. Zechariah, whose very name has connotations of God’s comfort, brought a message of comfort to the people. He told of the Angel of the Lord, the Old Testament name for none other than Jesus Christ!, standing among them as their protector in the hollow outside their old city walls. See Zechariah 1.

     Through Zechariah, God compared the people of Israel to being like Myrtle trees. These were small, common trees, found all over the land of Israel. However, when grown in an area that is protected from the intense Mediterranean sun, they can grow tall and strong with beautiful flowers that give off a very fragrant aroma when bruised. Interestingly, the Hebrew name for the Myrtle tree is Hadassah, which was the Jewish name of Queen Esther, a perfect image of one who though she was weak, grew to an extreme position of strength under the protection by God.

     I believe that it’s clear in Zechariah that the imagery of the Myrtle trees was to convey the truth that although the people were neither strong nor particularly desirable, but common actually, and in a very humble position outside their broken city, they were in fact like a pleasant aroma to God. The Apostle Peter echoed this truth when he said, “God resists the proud, [b]ut gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV) (quoting Proverbs 3:34).

     Zechariah brought further comfort when he told of the Angel of the Lord, the second member of the Trinity, petitioning God the Father on Israel’s behalf, saying, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?” Zechariah 1:12b (NKJV). This seventy year period was the period in which Jeremiah foretold that the Jews would be exiled during their punishment. See Jeremiah 25:11, 12, 29:10. Then God the Father responds to the pre-incarnate Christ, “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it … The LORD will again comfort Zion, [a]nd will again choose Jerusalem.” Zechariah 1:16b, 17b (NKJV).

     What an incredible picture of how the same Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, petitions and intercedes on our behalf before God the Father today, on behalf of those who love Him! The Apostle Paul tells us that this same Intercessor pleads with God the Father on our behalf saying, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV). The writer of Hebrews further elaborated on this teaching:

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:13—15 (NKJV); see also Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:27, 34.

     More incredibly, Zechariah sees a vision of not only God’s mercy and compassion for His people, but also His grace, giving His people what they do not deserve, salvation! Zechariah saw a vision of Israel’s high priest Joshua, standing before both the Angel of the Lord and Satan, who the Apostle John said was “the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:10b (NKJV). Satan was accusing Joshua, as a representation of the faithful, of being filthy from sin and not worthy of God’s affection. Yet the Lord, in His unbelievable grace, would remove Israel’s sin Himself, and make those who would repent and return to Him clean:

     Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

     Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

     Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

Zechariah 3:1—4 (NKJV).

     This act of grace was also foretold through the Prophet Isaiah, when God said:

     Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18b (NKJV).

     And again through Isaiah with more specificity:

     But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

     All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

     He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

     He was taken from prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

     And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

     Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

     He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:5—11 (NKJV). 

     Jesus never contested either the Jews or the Romans. He laid His life down voluntarily, and offers to be the atonement for all those who would repent from sin and trust that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would be their individual substitute for God’s wrath that is pending against their sin.

     This was repeated by the risen Christ when, just as He had warned apostate Israel through the prophets, He warned the apostate churches to repent and return to Him, saying, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5 (NKJV). And again, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:19, 20 (NKJV).

     As the risen Christ declared to John, repentance is essential to God’s favor. Before all these visions of comfort that Zechariah was given, God explained to Israel the need for repentance, “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.’” Zechariah 1:2, 3 (NKJV). Therefore, we see a clear condition to God’s provision and protection over Israel. We must repent and trust God in order to receive His blessings.

     In fact, Zechariah also told of a time when despite all that Israel had seen and been through, they would eventually turn their backs on God. In an amazing prediction of things to come, Zechariah tells of the coming Messiah who will deliver His people from sin, His rejection by Israel, and His second coming, when the Jewish people will finally receive Him.

     Zechariah predicted not only the atonement, as described in the vision of Joshua, but also Christ’s first coming as a triumphant moment in time:

     Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you;

He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9 (NKJV).

     The Apostle Matthew, an eyewitness to the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy, described the event like this:

     Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

     “Tell the daughter of Zion,
     ‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
     Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
     A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

     So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

     “Hosanna to the Son of David!


     ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’
     Hosanna in the highest!”

Matthew 21:1—9 (NKJV) (quoting Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 118:26).

     Zechariah saw this wonderful time, yet also saw when Israel would again reject God and His Messiah, even that Jesus would be sold for the price of a slave, “So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.” Zechariah 11:12b (NKJV). Through Zechariah, God said that when Israel rejects God again, they will return to following false teachers and again be judged by God, “‘For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,’ says the LORD. ‘But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.’” Zechariah 11:6 (NKJV).

     Jesus spoke to these precise false teachers whom Zechariah said would lead Israel back into judgment from God. Jesus scolded them in the Temple courtyard saying:

Blind guides … Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Mathew 23:24a, 27, 28 (NKJV).

     Jesus even spoke of the time when Israel rejected Zechariah himself, the one who had brought such comfort from the Lord to an earlier Israel in their time of distress, as well as Israel’s rejection of Christ’s Apostles and other witnesses. After scolding the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, He said:

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:34, 35 (NKJV).

     Jesus also declared both His love for Israel, as well as Israel’s coming judgment for rejecting Him, when He lamented:

     O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

Matthew 23:37—39 (NKJV).

     Based on testimony from the eyewitnesses he interviewed, and of course the moving of the Holy Spirit, Luke added that as Jesus was lamenting over Israel’s stubbornness, He prophesied their coming destruction:

     Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41—44 (NKJV).

     This exact destruction occurred in 70 A.D., when the Romans utterly destroyed Jerusalem for their rebellion against Rome. God allowed it, however, because of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah. During the siege against Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers set the city on fire, which burned so intensely that it melted the gold covered walls of the Temple. After it cooled, the soldiers were ordered to tear every brick and stone apart in order to retrieve that gold. Just as Jesus had predicted, not one stone was left upon another.

     After the Babylonians destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem the first time, the Prophet Jeremiah cried:

          Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored;

     Renew our days as of old,

          Unless You have utterly rejected us,

     And are very angry with us!

Lamentations 5:21, 22 (NKJV).

     The amazing prophecy of Zechariah concludes with a vision of a restored Jerusalem. God will answer Jeremiah’s lament. He did it when they repented after the Babylonian captivity, and He will do it again. He will turn Israel back when they repent and recognize that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the very same Angel of the Lord who in their own past has protected those who returned to Him in repentance and faith, and removes sin for all those who are willing, “As far as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12a (NKJV).

     Speaking directly to the people of Israel, centuries before the birth of Jesus, the Angel of the Lord said of a time that is still future for us, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV) (underlined emphasis added). In that day, Israel will be broken hearted over the fact that they had rejected the Messiah promised by their very own prophets. Yet, they will be restored to a greatness like they have never seen.

     After this, Israel will become the center of the world, as God has always intended, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Zechariah 14:16 (NKJV). God promised that this blessing through the Messiah would come when He said to Abraham, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3b (NKJV).

     The Apostle Paul also foretold of this time when he said:

And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

          “The Deliverer will come out of Zion,

     And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

          For this is My covenant with them,

     When I take away their sins.”

Romans 11:26, 27 (NKJV) (quoting Isaiah 59:20, 21).

     Let us learn from this wonderful ancient vision given to Zechariah. Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Lord, protects all those who have repented and returned to Him, no matter how dismal our circumstances seem. He washes clean from iniquity all those who repent and turn to Him, through the atonement when He was pierced on the cross 2,000 years ago. He pleads with God the Father on our behalf, that God will have mercy on us. And He is coming again to be worshiped as Savior and King!

     David foretold of the Messiah’s coming as well, and gave the following warning:

Serve the LORD with fear,

     And rejoice with trembling.

     Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,

     And you perish in the way,

     When His wrath is kindled but a little.

     Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2:11, 12 (NKJV).

     Please listen to this message, and if you have never repented and turned to the Lord, do it today! If anyone dies unrepentant, they will die in their sins, and as the writer of Hebrews said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31 (NKJV). That was precisely David’s point about fearing the Lord. You don’t know whether you will have another day to repent, so do it now while you still can. Listen again to the writer of Hebrews, who implored, “Today, if you will hear His voice, [d]o not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:15, 4:7b (NKJV) (see also Psalm 95:7—8). If you hear His voice, do as Jesus commanded, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15b (NKJV).

What If We Really Are Nearing The End?

     So many people today, both religious and secular, are obsessed with contemplating whether we are living in the era of the world’s end. Just look at how popular all the disaster movies and end times books are. Between Christian novels like the Left Behind series based on the Rapture and the Great Tribulation, to movies like 2012 presumably based on the Mayan prophecies of the world’s end, society seems to be caught in the grips of disaster speculation. Even the scientific and political communities are totally consumed with the notion that if global warming is not stopped and reversed, we will cause the world’s demise.

     I have to admit, it consumes me all too often as well. Not the global warming part though. The world will not come to an end because of man. God Himself will destroy the world at His appointed time, when His plan for this world is finished. The Apostle Peter wrote of that day saying, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV).

     The Mayans don’t necessarily have it right either. The end could come in 2012, but not because the Mayans had some revelation about it. Jesus said very clearly, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matthew 24:36 (NKJV). As a side note, I actually believe that this verse is speaking of the return of Christ for His Church in the event we refer to as the Rapture. However, whether or not that’s the correct inference, Jesus was definitely talking about the end, or at least the beginning of the series of events that lead in short order to the actual end.

     So as much as you want to be carried away with the Mayans, or some other unbiblical “prophet” (like the ever popular false prophet Nostradamus), keep your eyes on what Scripture has to say about it. Understand that the end of the world is coming in a dramatic and horrific manner, but not in the hap hazard way described by the numerous unbiblical predictions out there. Rather, it will come exactly as God has warned it would through Scripture, culminating in the return of Christ.

     Regarding the timing of His return, Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:42—44 (NKJV). In one of the last verses in all of Scripture, Jesus said, “And behold, I am coming quickly … .” Revelation 22:12a (NKJV). It certainly sounds to me like Jesus wants us to be ready!

     Now although we cannot know the hour, God has given us various warning signs that will precede the return of our Lord. Thus, we will know when we are at the threshold of the final days of world history. Some of those events have already occurred in recent history. Other events are right now coming into focus.

     One of the most incredible signs that has happened since Jesus left this world concerns the miracle of the Jewish Nation. Israel has miraculously been regathered from the countries where God scattered them. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, God explained that because of Israel’s disobedience:

Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

Ezekiel 36:18—20 (NKJV). During Ezekiel’s time, the sins of Israel had to do with rejecting God in favor of the false gods of their neighbors. The Jews were allowed to come back into their land under occupation, however, they were scattered again by God (through the Romans) when they failed to recognize the Messiah had come. Jesus predicted this when He said, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24 (NKJV).

     No nation in the history of the world has ever survived after 2,000 years of being scattered across the globe. Many nations have been conquered and dispersed from their land, yet they are always absorbed by whatever culture or nation they went to. This didn’t happen with the Jews. After living in various countries and cultures throughout the world for 2,000 years, the Jews retained their national, religious and cultural identity. That’s impossible, but because Israel plays such a central role in end times prophecy and because God has promised to prove to unbelieving Israel first and then to the unbelieving world that Jesus is the promised Messiah, Israel’s preservation and reunification were inevitable.

     Again through the Prophet Ezekiel, God said:

Therefore say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.’”

Ezekiel 36:24 (NKJV).

     Despite the impossibility of this happening, and despite the constant threat against Israel’s continued existence, this prophecy started its fulfillment when Israel regained its statehood in 1948 after more than 2,500 years of captivity, occupation or dispersion. One day the rest of Ezekiel’s prophecy will be fulfilled when God pours out His Holy Spirit on Israel and proves to them that Jesus is their Messiah, just as God promised through the Prophet Zechariah more than 500 years before Christ’s birth and crucifixion, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV).

     Almost as implausible as the prophecies surrounding Israel’s reunification is the reemergence of the Roman Empire as predicted by Daniel, who was a contemporary of Ezekiel. Through the Prophet Daniel, God told exactly how He would send the Jewish People into captivity through four dominating empires, Babylon and Medo-Perisa (both of which happened during Daniel’s lifetime), then Greece through Alexander the Great and the four rulers that split off when he died, and then finally Rome. Daniel also described that the Roman Empire would again be in existence in the end times, “And shall devour the whole earth, [t]rample it and break it in pieces.” Daniel 7:23b (NKJV). The Apostle John was given the details of how the revived Roman Empire, throughout the last seven years of the history of this age, would make a final but failed attempt to destroy the Jewish People and all those who trust in Jesus. See Revelation 6—19.

     I believe we are witnessing this revived Roman Empire come into formation through the European Union, which originally formed to create a common European market and community of nations. However, in November 2009 the European Union essentially formed a new world power when it ratified the Lisbon Treaty, which is actually a national constitution among united European states. This new united Europe will no doubt become a dominating force throughout the entire world, especially since the United States of America is clearly losing its position of global influence.

     I also believe that since the reality of the economic collapse in the Fall of 2008 became evident to all, the world has moved much closer to creating some sort of world monetary system, just as the Bible predicted would be in place during the end times. The Apostle John made it clear that the leader of the revived Roman Empire, whom Scripture calls Antichrist, would control the global monetary system by forcing everyone to swear allegiance to him. The Apostle John said, “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17 (NKJV). Now it’s impossible to see at this point in time exactly what that mark, name or number is, but it certainly appears that we are seeing the conditions for a one world currency to become a reality.

     There are also many other things happening in our world that appear to fit Biblical prophecy, such as an increase in natural disasters and disease, mockers of Christianity, and in fact an absolute hatred of Biblical Christianity even among churches that claim to be Christian. See Luke 21:11, 2 Peter 3:3, 4, Jude 1:17, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.

     However, it has now been almost 2,000 years since Jesus said He was coming quickly. What’s going on here? Are we to expect the return of Christ is imminent, like being on watch for a thief coming in the night, or does coming quickly mean some sort of code for thousands of years? Furthermore, what if we really are nearing the end of time, what are we supposed to do about it? In short answer, God wants us to live as if those days would come upon us at any minute, and we are to constantly work at spreading the Gospel message until we either die, or the Lord returns.

     Nevertheless, God clearly wants us to know when the end is at hand or He would not have given us so many warning signs of that time in Scripture. I believe that there are two main reasons why prophecy is not always super clear before and until it unfolds. First of all, prophetic Scripture has definitely been more understandable at different times throughout history. However, I don’t believe any of Scripture was written in code. All of Scripture is written to all people alive since each book of Scripture has been handed down to us through the prophets, yet it is intended to become clearer beginning with and for the people who are alive at the time it unfolds. This helps the people alive in the midst of the prophetic event understand what’s happening, and proves to those who come later that God’s word is true since it was able to foretell the future.

     Consider this, Jesus was first predicted in Genesis when God said, “And I will put enmity [b]etween you and the woman, [a]nd between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, [a]nd you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NKJV). Adam and Eve could not have understood that this promise meant God in human form would crush the curse of death by taking the punishment we deserve upon Himself and eventually putting an end to evil. However, more than 3,000 years later, the Prophet Isaiah gave a description of the Messiah that was quite a bit clearer, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; [t]he chastisement for our peace was upon Him, [a]nd by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV). By the time Jesus was born into this world, there were enough prophecies of His first coming, that the people who were alive at the time have no excuse for failing to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah.

     Similar to the example of Adam and Eve, the Apostles could not have imagined that 2,000 years (and maybe much more) would pass before Christ would set Himself up on Earth as King. On what we know as Palm Sunday, when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (just as prophesied by Zechariah and on the exact date prophesied by Daniel, both more than five hundred years before the time of Christ), the crowd proclaimed, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!” Luke 19:38b (NKJV) (quoting Psalm 118:26); see also Zechariah 9:9, Daniel 9:24—26. They clearly thought that Jesus was coming to be their King and rescue them from the Romans. Even after the resurrection, immediately prior to Christ’s ascension into Heaven, the Apostles still did not understand that there would be a second coming of Christ when they asked, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6b (NKJV). To which Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Acts 1:7b (NKJV).

     Why was it not for them to know the times or seasons? Isn’t that what prophecy is for? Yes and no. I don’t believe it was for them to know because God’s Kingdom on Earth would not come for at least 2,000 more years. However, I do believe that God gave us the prophecies of Christ’s return so that those who are alive just prior to that event would not only be more prepared to expect Him, but also so that they will be encouraged in the face of the dismal outlook they will see around them. Just as the people alive at His first coming should have expected Him, we will know to expect Him too.

     When Daniel was given his apocalyptic vision, he was told, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4 (NKJV). As a side note, that description alone sounds much like today, doesn’t it? Although Daniel was given many prophetic details of the future, God obviously felt it was necessary to only allow Daniel to record a portion of what he saw concerning the end times. By the time that the final revelation was given to the Apostle John, nearly 600 years after Daniel, John was told, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” Revelation 22:10b (NKJV).

     Therefore the prophecies contained in Revelation are intended for people alive since then to be aware of. In fact, Revelation begins saying, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 (NKJV). By that statement, it’s clear that God wants us to be aware of prophecy, and in fact those who hear it and do the things Jesus commands in it are blessed.

     This brings me to the second reason why I believe prophecy is not always clear before it unfolds. We are to live the Christian life as if we are running in a race, because if we stop and get too comfortable in this world, we will take our eyes off of the world to come, causing us to fall into sin more often than we already do and to neglect the work that Christ commanded, which is to spread the Gospel message. The writer of Hebrews explained:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 Hebrews 12:1—2 (NKJV). The Apostle Matthew’s Gospel concludes with the command regarding what we are supposed to be doing as we run this race, which is what we call the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 Matthew 28:18—20 (NKJV).

     The Great Commission is a command to all Christians, that we spread the Gospel message, which is that although we deserve God’s wrath for all the wrong we have done, Jesus, God’s Messiah, came to take our sins upon Himself, and if we would only repent and put our trust in Him, God will transfer all of our sins upon Christ and in exchange give us Christ’s righteousness. God uses faithful witnesses to spread His message throughout the world, so as Jesus said to God the Father while praying, “that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:21b (NKJV).

     The Bible gives some incredible promises to those who have been saved from the penalty they deserve over their sin. However, when we become complacent in those promises, and fail to engage the non-believing world to repent from sin and trust in Christ alone before it’s too late, we become not only disobedient to the Great Commission, but we also become far more susceptible to falling into sin ourselves. The way to avoid becoming complacent is to keep our focus on the prize in Heaven that awaits us at the end of this race in life. The Apostle Paul explained it like this:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12—14 (NKJV).

     Jesus wants us to run this race of life as if His return is about to happen any second. At the conclusion of what we call the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus told His disciples specific signs that would precede the end, Jesus warned, “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning — lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.” Mark 13:35—36 (NKJV). Therefore, we are not to be found asleep, but awake doing the work that Jesus commanded.

     After all, regardless of whether we are alive when Christ returns, or we die before that time, one way or the other we are all living within a lifetime of being confronted face to face by God. That thought alone should be enough to keep you awake! Therefore, whether we are nearing that time or not, there are only two things to ultimately be consumed with. First, you must get saved by repenting from sin and trusting in Christ alone for salvation; and secondly, you must run the race of a Christian life doing the work that Christ commanded, sharing the good news of the Gospel to those who have not yet been saved from the just penalty they deserve.

     We are all no doubt going to stand before God Himself one day and give an account of our lives. We will be judged for every single thing we have ever done, and every motive of our heart. Because all of us have fallen short of God’s holy and perfect standard, every single one of us will be found guilty of violating God’s law. You will not be able to argue that you didn’t know, because God gave you His creation to know that He exists, and put a conscience in your heart to alarm you every time you violated His law. However, because God loves His sinful and rebellious creation so much, He sent His only begotten Son to this earth so that He would live a perfect life and die an undeserved sinner’s death; and that if we would reject sin through repentance and trust Jesus through faith that He was our substitute, God will pass over our sins on that day, cloaking us in Christ’s perfect righteousness and letting us enter eternal life in His presence.

     These things are coming to pass. It seems to me that in fact we are the generation that is seeing the beginning signs of the end times. As Jesus said in His own words, “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near — at the doors!” Mark 13:29 (NKJV). Jesus wants us to know when these things are coming so that we will be prepared. Do not doubt they are coming just because they were predicted so long ago. The Apostle Peter warned, “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8, 9 (NKJV).

     Are you ready to stand face to face before Christ? I fear that some people I know and love will have to live during that great and terrible time called the Great Tribulation. Nevertheless, even if I’m wrong, all of us will stand before God at the very moment we exit this life. Don’t be caught sleeping! Without the righteousness of Christ applied to your soul, God will not pass over you, He will judge you for your sins! We don’t deserve Heaven, we deserve judgment. Jesus is the only One who deserves Heaven, but in His incredible kindness, He offers you what you do not deserve, His righteousness! The writer of Hebrews asked, “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation[?]” Hebrews 2:2, 3a (NKJV). Don’t neglect this great offer of salvation. If you hear His voice, do as Jesus commanded, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:15b (NKJV).