Beloved, the end is nearer than ever now; yet many remain unaware. At such a time as this, we must apply to ourselves, more of spiritual discipline no matter how challenging and demanding. For several days now, I have been looking at the book of 2 Thessalonians 2, which discusses the end times: and I discovered some of the things God has been using to restrain the revealing of the lawless one (man of sin). These restraining forces include,
- Human government
- Preaching of the gospel
- Providence of God
- The Jewish state
- The Church
- The Holy Spirit
- the archangel Michael
Today, the human government which God once separated by confusing their language (Genesis 11: 1-7) are determinedly coming together to form a new world order. Indeed, they are coming close to the establishment of one world, one government, one economy and lastly, one religion. Today, we have each continent having United Unions (African Union, European Union etc.) and pushing for one currency: which Europe has achieved already. The Africa Union is moving towards the same, as are other continental unions. God’s ideal is that world affairs be coordinated efficiently – in righteousness. Thus, He told Ezra to appoint governors, judges and set up law courts for government of equity (see Ezra 7: 26,27). This is where the ideal of United Nations, World Health Organization, and all the international institutions is askew. The devil has taken advantage of the vacuum created by believers, whom God has tasked with leadership, to enforce his own diabolical agenda. The Bible says the heaven of heavens is mine and the earth I gave to the sons of men (see Psalm 115: 15), and in Genesis 1, dominion was conferred on the man God had made in His own image. Though man lost this right to satan when he sinned, by believing in the death and resurrection of Christ, who recovered this dominion and delegated it to the church, man can regain his rightful place as ruler over the earth by God’s sovereign mandate. Unfortunately, the church has hitherto, neglected the process of assuming office to lead, that is, politics.
Looking at the COVID-19 pandemic, every government shutdown almost all operations. Businesses and all worship centers were closed: making this the first time the entire world has taken a common stand in response to a dire situation. This has all the telltale signs or characteristics of a one world order that will lead to one economy, and one religion. We need not be fooled into believing a one world economy will be difficult to achieve: because an economy is all about purchases and sales which are done via exchange of currency. If each continent has a common currency, and the United Nations moves such a motion to make trade across the globe easy, what will stop it? Seeing as the world powers are all working towards one agenda, for their master, the devil.
After this phase, the second force that yet restrains the full revealing of the man of sin will be withdrawn gradually. This is the preaching of the true gospel of Christ; because even if some nations permit preaching, it will nevertheless, be subject to regulation (to permit only watered-down, falsified preaching) from the one world government – who will manipulate them with possible sanctions. Thus, governments will require that preachers be licensed by the state before they can preach the gospel as prescribed, and not the true gospel. This will ease the restraint currently placed on Satan’s activities by the preaching of God’s word, and make way for the man of sin. Many people will forsake the assembly of the saints and shortly, the rapture of the Saints (i.e. the church) will occur. When the church of Christ leaves, the Holy Spirit’s operations would be redefined, likewise for the archangel Michael; and death will be withdrawn from the earth. Then the man of sin will be revealed to reign for 7 years.
Friends, in these first three and a half years, those church-goers who weren’t raptured, and most other people might not know that the new world order is in place. They might have the slightest inkling of the the implications of the easy lifestyle, easy ways of doing business, travelling round the world without visas, shopping, operating your bank accounts with little stress, and so on, since all identification would have been done worldwide on a unified database. Do not forget that, at this time, the churches will still be open, but mostly run by false prophets under supervision of the anti-christ, and the man of sin will openly be of great support to religious bodies, especially, the false churches.
After this first three and a half years, the man of sin will be fully revealed and move to receive worship in temples, declaring himself to be God and demanding the allegiance of the world. When this happens, there will be great tribulation under his reign which will give way to the day of the LORD, the judgment of the world.
