1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
The conditions are right for two things to happen, as Scripture teaches: 1) for the Antichrist to be revealed, and certainly the pieces are falling into place for that to happen, and 2) the coming of our Lord to take His Church out of this world. This is according to God's plan, as He has laid it out in His Word, in Bible prophecy that was written thousands of years ago. And, as verse 7 in the same chapter says: "...the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." We can have confidence in God's plan and rely on His power.
She continues: "America — move over. Stop all this silly free market nonsense...Get with the U.N. global government movement and toe the socialist-slash-Marxist line. There’s a 'Great Reset' going on, dontcha know. It’s also called the One World Order. It’s also called the New World Order. It’s also called the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. It’s also called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s also called Build Back Better — which is the tour this current White House is taking through key states, by the way. Whatever name it goes by — and the names do change; when one becomes too politically hot, the globalists trot out another — but whatever the name used, the end goal is always the same: mass, worldwide collectivism. Power concentrated in the hands of a very few."
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In Revelation 13, we read about a series of two beasts - one with expansive authority territory, the other, according to verse 12, causing people to "worship" the first one. These entities, one of which is referred to in Scripture as the "Antichrist," implements an economic system centered around a "mark" that is to be placed on each resident of the planet, the mark of a vast global government that is designed to control economic and religious activity. Here is a telling passage regarding this global leader:
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.16 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,
17 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.
17 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.
Sound familiar? Remember what the mayor of New York said recently that citizens who wish to have full participation in the life of the city would need to have a COVID-19 vaccination card? In other words, in some instances, people could not buy food in restaurants or buy concert or Broadway tickets without their "pass," or, as it's been called, a "vaccine passport."
While I believe it's a stretch to say that the COVID vaccine is the Mark of the Beast, one could see how governmental tyrants who exceed their Biblical authority could easily force people to submit to overreaching regulations, especially in a time of worldwide crisis during the period of Great Tribulation described in the book of Revelation.
David Closson of Family Research Council has written about the vaccine mandates, such as those that have been announced by the White House. He explores the concept of "sphere sovereignty," embraced by Abraham Kuyper. Closson writes:
According to Kuyper, life is divided into distinct, autonomous jurisdictions such as the state, family, church, and the individual. Although these spheres interact and may even overlap at points, there are clear lines of demarcation related to sovereignty that should not be crossed. For Kuyper, the state is empowered with limited oversight responsibility over the other spheres. However, the state’s authority is derivative, and dependent on God. Thus, the state must never attempt to monopolize power.
Closson goes on to say:
Applying the logic of sphere sovereignty to the vaccine mandate, the government does not have the authority to force us to inject a substance into our bodies that we do not consent to. This is outside the government’s jurisdiction, so it is appropriate for individuals to be wary about forced vaccination. The issue of bodily integrity is important, and Christians should be very concerned when the government oversteps its jurisdiction into the realm of the family and individual.Obviously, the reign of the Antichrist and his one-world, globalist government, will not subscribe to this point of view.
One of our Faith Radio programmers, a recent guest on The Meeting House was featured in a recent article at USA Today. The article states:
Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie said COVID-19 vaccines are not "the mark of the beast," but many Christians may believe they are, thinking the world is in what the Bible calls "the last days."The article says that Laurie describes the Mark as a "pledge of loyalty," and quotes him as saying, "In Revelation 14, we learn that those who take the mark are doomed," adding, "God will not doom people for taking something unwittingly."
"The Bible speaks of someone identified as the 'Antichrist' and he will require people have a 'mark' that people will receive to buy and sell," Laurie told USA TODAY in an email. "The COVID-19 vaccine – or any vaccines – have nothing to do with any of this."
David Jeremiah, heard on Turning Point on Faith Radio does point out, though, that what we are seeing now could in fact be a harbinger of things to come, stating: "What we are seeing now is an example of how the Antichrist could operate during the Tribulation period. This does not mean the COVID–19 vaccine has anything to do with the Antichrist—it merely provides an illustration of how his mark might be applied after the Lord comes for His Church."
And, you could make the case that the framework for a last days, globalist government is already being set. Consider what the World Economic Forum, which has brought us the template for the so-called "Great Reset," designed to bring order out of the chaos of COVID and climate change, has to say about "vaccine passports:"
...the World Health Organization (WHO) has been looking into the use of technology in the COVID-19 response, and how it can work with member states toward an e-vaccination certificate.
This provides a framework that monitors one's vaccination status as he or she travels from country to country. Check this out:
The Common Trust Network, supported by the Forum, is combining the set of registries that are going to enrol all participating labs. Separately from that, it provides an up-to-date database of all prevailing border entry rules (which fluctuate and differ from country to country).Remember, Forum head Klaus Schwab said, "The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world..." That is there on the front page of the World Economic Forum website's section called, "The Great Reset." But, when this concept is entrusted to people who skew toward tyranny, well, imagine the implications...
Combining these two datasets provides a QR code that border entry authorities can trust. It doesn’t reveal any personal health data – it tells you about compliance of results versus border entry requirements for a particular country.
Cheryl Chumley over at The Washington Times certainly has. In tongue-in-cheek fashion, she wrote recently: "The secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, a man who’s also the former president of Socialist International, said in a set of maniacally madcap-toned remarks that the world is falling, the world is breaking, the world is blowing up in our faces and...he’s just the guy 'to fix' it all."
Unfortunately, people will buy into this concentrated power, this worldwide collectivism because of fear of what has come and what will come on the earth. But, Jesus said, be not afraid. Just last night, I came across an article from The Christian Post featuring a message from California pastor Jack Hibbs, who was lamenting what he sees, regarding people's response as "an unexplainable, unreasonable reaction to it that has not come from the virus," describing the agenda as "spiritual." And, I would add, not in a good way.
But, there is hope - as Pastor Hibbs points out, Jesus is coming for His Church. And, in the meantime, the pastor says:
“Don’t give up. Don’t lose your confidence. I want you to keep your eyes on Jesus. He’s way out there on the horizon. Don’t look too near or you’ll get all messed up, you’ll get too consumed with all the worry and all the threat and all the fear,” Hibbs warned as he concluded his talk. “Navigate toward Jesus. Get your armor on every day … because Jesus has set before you an open door. Do not deny His name. Keep His Word. And you’re going to do fine. You will not fail.”
The fear peddlers want to place us in bondage - if it's fear of COVID or fear of climate change that will wreck this earth. Oh, by the way, God does promise that there will certainly be a new heavens and a new earth that He will usher in, but we shouldn't be afraid of that. But, when faced with fear-producing stimuli, we can have confidence in the Lord. We should be wise and make good decisions, and God's Word enables us to to that. His Spirit produces the capability to be discerning about the messages we receive and how we respond.
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