A Brief Interlude

I would like to pause from my posting on the economy and politics to give voice to a topic that has been taking more of my time in recent days. I trust that you will indulge me in this moment of reflection.

The question I’ve been puzzling over is, “Why do I have the arrogance to believe that we are living in the last days?” It is certainly true that believers throughout the centuries have felt that their circumstances have been so dire that surely the Lord must come. So far, each believer has gone to the dust unsatisfied in that desire. It is also clear from history that whole civilizations have from time to time been subjected to pressures and distresses, from within and without, that have resulted in their reduction, destruction and extinction. It is easy in the midst of our own present difficulties to think that “it has never been this bad before” when in truth it has been very much worse for many people before. We, at least, have roofs over our heads and food to eat, and nobody is pounding on our doors so that they can cut us open and pin our hides to the city wall as a declaration to the world that we have been utterly defeated. The “times that try men’s souls” have come and gone without bringing about the last days.

So these days, while seeming to be bad, are not nearly as bad as they could be and are certainly not unique. What is it about these days that causes me to believe that they are the last days? Here are a few of my reasons for believing this to be true.

1. The western world, the “Christian” world, has become a secular society.
This has all sorts of ramifications, of course, but I’ll focus on those which pertain to my conclusion. First of all, what do I mean by secular. A dictionary definition might simply be “non-religious”. My Webster’s has it as “of or relating to worldly things… temporal”. What do I mean by the “western world”? Generally, I speak of North and South America and Europe. These are the societies that have derived from the Roman empire, which is a key element of the end time prophecies. So why would a secular society be a precursor to the last days? I’ve often pondered over the question of how the world could accept a single ruler, given the prophecies about the Antichrist. Well, if the world was dominated by secular thinking it would be easy to reject the “crackpot” label of Antichrist applied to the “distinguished” world leader.

A secular society also allows an accelerated acceptance of anti-Biblical ethics and morality. Whatever else that may be said of the end times, they will be characterized by a collapse of biblical morality in all areas of society. Therefore, the secularization of our society supports my belief that these are the last days.

2. The “West” is descending and the “East” is ascending.
I’ve already defined the “West”. The “East” is dominated by China and Japan, but also includes Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, among others. There has been much talk of late about the Middle Eastern countries forming an economic bloc similar to the European one. I’ve also seen commentary on a similar move occurring in the Asian zone. In a way it makes sense. The era of the nation-state is passing by. Global economic and resource realities make it far more practical to align along broader cultural and regional lines that transcend arbitrary geo-political boundaries.

As I’ve already mentioned, the end time prophecies have a relationship with the old Roman empire. It is difficult to imagine a scenario where a world ruler could arise from a bankrupt and powerless “West”, yet this is exactly the direction we are headed. Therefore, the descent of the “West” acts as a “timer” in support of my belief that these are the last days.

3. Radical Islam will not go away.
The secular West would like to believe that Islam is a religion of peace. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard our politicians speak those words. Words which are so obviously false. To say, “Not all Muslims are terrorists” may be a true statement, but to say “All terrorists are Muslims” is far closer to being true than false. Radical Islamists are in a holy war against us, whether we care to acknowledge it or not. Additionally, the “moderate” and “peace-loving” Islamic world is effectively silent in their condemnation of their radical brethren. This silent support of the jihad indicates to me that we don’t have time on our side. The Islamisation of Europe is an untold story, but it is very real. The population growth of the Islamic world outstrips the rest of the world, in all regions. Without intervention the world will become Islamic.

I turn again to my expectation that the world ruler to come will arise from the old Roman empire. I do not believe he will be Islamic because he will befriend Israel and it won’t be possible for a Muslim to achieve that goal. I also do not believe he will be Islamic because Israel will have cause to believe in his credentials as a possible Messiah. Therefore, the rise of radical Islam supports my belief that these are the last days.

4. The Nation of Israel exists.
This is a key point, since it was not possible to say for most of the past 2,000 years. In 70 AD the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem, and with that destruction the Nation of Israel effectively ceased to exist on the world stage until it was recreated by United Nations decree in 1948. For most of Church history it was necessary to rationalize the end time prophecies with the absence of Israel by assuming that the Church supplanted Israel in the plan of God. This approach was flawed in a couple of ways in that it presumed that God was caught by surprise by the disappearance of the Nation of Israel (He wouldn’t have said all those things about Israel’s future otherwise) and it forces an uneasy fit of the Church into the space reserved for Israel. Thankfully God was “rescued” from this unfortunate circumstance by the UN vote in 1948. I speak, of course, with tongue in cheek.

The presence of Israel is a catalyst for global events. Daily news headlines tell us of how important this nation has become to the unfolding events of our times. Can anyone honestly believe that Israel will be able to peacefully coexist in the Middle East for an indeterminate amount of time? One has only to consider the threats of Iran (ancient Persia) to know that things are coming to a head. Coupled with the decline of western power and influence in the world and the rise of radical Islam it doesn’t take a prophet to foresee this future. Therefore, the presence of the Nation of Israel supports my belief that these are the last days.

5. Never before have we had the capability to destroy all life on this planet. Therefore, it really has never been this bad before.
This is my final point. With the invention of weapons of mass destruction we are now able to destroy ourselves. And I believe that as our society moves further away from the anchor of biblical morality it becomes more likely that we’d actually pull that trigger, so to speak. When you realize that Iran claims to desire the extermination of Israel (and is working diligently to obtain the means to accomplish this end), and Israel declares that it will do whatever it believes is necessary to defend its existence it becomes easy to believe in the last days. The prophecies of Ezekiel are tantalizing in their applicability to current events.

So there you have it. I realize that I’ve only touched briefly on each of my stated reasons. My hope is that in combination they present a plausible rationale for my belief that these are the last days. A follow-up question would be, “So what?” That will have to be another post.