All the cataclysmic signs happening in the world today are signs foretelling the soon return of the Lord in His Second coming, (and not the rapture, which has no preceding sign). The bible declares that during the final generation which will witness the Lord’s coming, not only will the signs be increasing in intensity and frequency, but they will all be happening concurrently, very much like we are witnessing today. How are we to respond as believers!
First of all, we must know what the bible says will happen in the earth prior to his Second coming so that these events do not take us by surprise. If we do not, these events will not only destabilise us and destroy our very faith, they will make us afraid and vulnerable. That is what they are designed to do in the first place to the inhabitants of the world. These events will destroy whatever hope people have in themselves and their national political and economic institutions to the degree that in the near future it would only be a matter of course for the mass of humanity to put their collective hope in a charismatic global leader who will promise global peace and stability.
So yes, the world is moving unstoppably towards a global government and a global cashless economy and one world religion with a big-brother surveillance of the minutiae of peoples’ lives. The accompanying pandemics and epidemics, natural disasters, worldwide security concerns, famine, internecine wars, and the refugee crisis are all sensitising the word’s populations to what is soon coming along the horizon. Their collective end result is to engender fear and make people vulnerable and insecure. All these are being engineered by what the bible calls the spirit of lawlessness or the spirit of antichrist which is one and the same thing.
This spirit is different from the Antichrist who is a man. This spirit goes ahead to prepare the way for the coming of the human Antichrist 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 (1 John 4:3; 2:18, 22)
For the [a]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only [b]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
But as believers we are commanded to look for and expect the coming of Christ to take us home according to John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [a]mansions; if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
We are commanded to look up in confident expectation of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Yes, we are naturally concerned about events happening on earth all around us, some of which could affect even our loved ones and family and potentially ourselves.
But on the other hand, we can clinch our fists and punch the air with a shout of joy and expectation that ‘alas the wait would soon be over’ because the Lord is coming soon. We are to look in expectation of Jesus’ soon coming instead of all the talk about the antichrist and his mark and politico economic systems. Yes, all that is happening in the world today are indicating that the world is getting ready for their false messiah, the antichrist, but that should tell us that the coming of our Glorious Lord and Saviour is even closer and therefore cause us to take heart and rejoice. We will be out of here before all hell breaks out.
When you see all that is predicted in the bible unfolding right before your eyes daily, why should that make you afraid instead of proving that the bible is reliable and that Jesus is the only Saviour as it says. Why are you not rejoicing that your decision to trust Jesus with your life and destiny is the right one and let it cause you to draw even closer to him and to know him even more. Why do you not rather let what is happening cause you to dig even deeper into the mysteries of this strange but wonderful book, the bible.
As a believer, you have no business looking for the Antichrist and his system and buying into all the fear this is engendering in the lives of multitudes of people. Perhaps we all need to watch our addiction to social media as they are fast becoming the purveyors of fear and endless conspiracy theories. Looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]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 12:2
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28; We are to remain watchful and alert and live in readiness and expectation of his soon return. It means we must ensure that there is no hindrance between us and him, by confessing every known sin, maintaining an ongoing fellowship and devotion with him in prayer and the word.
It also means we keep busy in his kingdom especially in our evangelism, to bring in as much souls into the kingdom as he will grace us to do. This is not the time to allow ourselves to be distracted with worldly pursuits as we shall soon be leaving it all behind, anyway. And even if he does not come in our lifetime, we are going to go home to be with him sooner or later, one way or the other. Look at how 2020 has turned out for many thousands of people of all ages and colours the world over, many of whom had made great plans for the future just a few months back. But as a believer in Christ Jesus, whichever way the dice turns, you win.