Revelation 17-18 shows there are three components to the one world system of the Last Days. There's a one world religion, a one world government, and a one world commercial system. All have been developing for longer than most people suspect and are rapidly coming to fulfillment. As this happens they're becoming more and more obvious to the public. No longer just the realm of the fanatical conspiracy theorists, today only those who refuse to see are unaware of their existence.
One World Religion
Islam is the most influential religious force in the world today and the goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It's also the world's fastest growing religion, and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Nearly one out of every four inhabitants of the world is a follower of Islam . After the rapture Islam will be the largest, strongest, best organized, and fastest growing religion in the world by a wide margin. No other group or combination of groups will be in a position to challenge it. And since Islam is not an ecumenically minded religion, all others will have to join it.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that Islam will no longer be a viable religious force after the Battle of Ezekiel 38 either. According to The Pew Forum report, the countries who will unite against Israel and be defeated there make up a small percentage of the total Islamic population. For example, the four largest Islamic countries by population are Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. They won't even be involved. In fact, two thirds of all the world's Moslems live in 10 countries and of those only Turkey (5) and Iran (6) are named by Ezekiel. Rough estimates indicate that as little as 15% of the Islamic world will be represented by the forces aligned against Israel, and remember it's only their soldiers who die in battle, not their total populations.
I don't think the Islamic world will be permanently demoralized by their defeat either. After all Israel has defeated them several times already and each time they've come back to try again. End times prophecy shows that Ezekiel 38 won't be any different.
One World Government
For as long as I've been a believer, I've heard talk of the coming One World Government, but recently this has become a lot more than just talk. There's an obvious effort underway to eliminate both national borders and to create a world governmental system that would have authority over all nations.
As just one example, a little while ago our family enrolled in something called the Trusted Traveler Program. It consists of a special pass issued to qualifying applicants from Canada, the USA, and Mexico that allows us to pass through any of the border check points between the 3 countries with out showing a passport or going through customs. With this pass we can cross from Mexico, where we serve as missionaries, into the US in about 10-15 minutes. Previously it took about an hour on regular days and more on weekends and holidays. Airline passengers from Canada or Mexico can go to special kiosks in designated US airports and receive the same expedited service. Homeland Security expects about 84 million Mexican citizens to enroll in this program.
I see this as a great convenience since we enter the US about once a week at the world's busiest border crossing. But as I was looking at my pass the other day I noticed on the cover a representation of North America with no national borders and I realized this is only one step toward the goal of merging these three countries into a North American Union.
The EU already has such a program allowing residents from any EU country to cross into any other one with out passports. Other similar programs are underway in South East Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Mediterranean. In my opinion the Bible says a total of 10 of these multi-national regions will someday exist, and they'll be involved in a lot more than tourism.
And beyond that, there's talk of a single world government that will exercise authority over these 10 regions, with a single figure at its head, the President of the World. On that note, here's an interesting quote I read this week:
“There’s not a single political figure today with the global reach and influence of Bill Clinton—a former U.S. President turned humanitarian and diplomat extraordinaire. No one else in today’s political arena has the ability to command the attention of world leaders and organizations everywhere quite like he does” (Chris Matthews from the MSNBC documentary, “President of the World – The Bill Clinton Phenomenon”).
I'm not saying that Bill Clinton is the anti-Christ. But I find it very interesting that our national media is openly talking about a President of the World, and even suggesting a candidate.
Many feel there's a need for an entity with political power that supersedes national or even regional interests. There's too much inequality in the world, and the rich nations will have to be forced to help the poor ones.
Energy and food are two critical areas where supply and demand are out of balance. As the various Middle Eastern producers become less stable there is growing concern that oil supplies will be less reliable. Prices at the pump are increasing again at a time when no economy in the world can afford it.
The same is true with food. There's plenty of production capacity to feed everyone, but the conflicting policies of individual nations prevents this. As a result, prices are increasing and shortages are becoming obvious. The poorest nations suffer the most and are already beginning to rise up in rebellion.
Unless someone forces the rich nations to help, there will be chaos on a scale no one has ever seen. Global Warming (aka Climate Change) Carbon Tax, Cap and Trade are the names of wealth transfer programs designed to take money from the rich countries to help the poor countries of the world. All that's lacking is the power to enforce them. A One World Government would have that power.
One World Commercial System
Since 2009, UN experts have been calling for a new currency, something to stabilize world financial markets and make international commerce easier, safer, and more inclusive. They also said an organization should be created to manage exchange rates between countries to reduce market volatility caused by currency speculation.
The world is very nervous about the current version of Mutually Assured Destruction being practiced by the US and China. What it boils down to is the Chinese have to keep loaning the US money so Americans can buy the mountains of goods the Chinese have to produce to keep their economy growing. As one example 91% of the items on Walmart's shelves now originate in China. A small fleet of the world's largest container ships makes continuous round trips between China and the US to keeps those shelves stocked. If either country stops what it's doing, both countries' economies will implode.
This system keeps the US dollar artificially high and the Chinese Yuan artificially low. It cannot survive long term and everyone knows it. Something has to be done to allow other countries better access to both the buying and selling sides of the equation. Many national economies simply can't recover from the so-called Great Recession without receiving some kind of help. A new currency that's impervious to both speculation and the selfish interests of individual nations is being viewed as the best solution to the problem.
What's Coming?
Left to their own devices nations go to war over things like this. The situation is not improving. The current cycle of public unrest in the Middle East is just beginning. We can expect it to get worse, not better. Western leaders and their media mouthpieces would have you believe these are popular uprisings against autocratic leaders and are motivated by the desire for democratic freedoms. But others say that's not the case. Look around you, they say. When has an Islamic population ever chosen democracy? What's at issue here is the demand for basic economic security like a job that pays a living wage and a steady supply of food people can afford to buy.
People will always choose repression over anarchy. History shows that revolutionary governments always wind up being more repressive than the the ones they overthrew. They come to power by promising to meet the basic needs of their subjects. They stay in power by suppressing individual rights.
The one world system will impose these conditions on a world wide scale. It will come to power by promising peace and safety in a time of chaos (Daniel 8:25). It will stay in power by suppressing freedom. It will not tolerate religious freedom. It will not tolerate democracy. It will not tolerate a free market economy. And for a time it will appear to have succeeded (Rev. 13:4).
But the man at the head of this one world system will have an agenda of his own, and that's to be worshiped as God (2 Thes. 2:4). The One who is God will have none of that and will respond decisively to this challenge (Matt. 24:15-21).
Before then, there are just a few obstacles standing in the way of this one world system. The first is the United States which with all its flaws has really been the antithesis of the one world system. It was founded upon the principle of religious freedom, it's the closest thing to a democracy the world has ever seen, and its power was built with a free market economy. It became too powerful to be defeated so it had to be destroyed from within. For nearly a century, powers behind the scene have been working diligently to accomplish that. Today they're so close to success they no longer bother to hide.
The second obstacle is the Church. But soon God will have had a belly full of this world and will take us out of harm's way in preparation for His judgment (1 Thes. 1:10). For a time it will look to the world as if their desired utopia has finally arrived, but just as they're saying peace and safety destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape (1 Thes. 5:3).
The one world system's final obstacle will be Israel, the people of the God they're so desperate to be free of. Thinking to prevent the Lord's return by destroying His people, the world will unite in their common goal to wipe Israel off the map (Zech 12:3).
But the Lord has never left His people, always remaining close enough to hear their cry for help (Hosea 5:15). As soon as they ask He'll come to their rescue, destroying the one world system and capturing its leaders (Rev. 19:19-21). He'll return to Earth to set up the kingdom He promised them, one that will never be destroyed or given to another (Daniel 2:44). Finally, the world will have peace (Isaiah 9:7). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 02-26-11
