Inevitable Global Conflict
 We
have all seen it before. The scene: the final five of
an international “beauty” contest have their
last chance to impress the judges. While the others
are sequestered each contestant is asked in turn what
would be the primary goal of her reign should she win
the crown. You have a sneaking suspicion you already
know the answer and, sure enough, the young woman says,
“I will do all I can to work toward world peace.”
The host smiles broadly as the audience responds with
heavy applause and shrill whistles. The only thing that
overshadows the absurdity of the answer is its predictability.
What makes all this sadly humorous
is not the sincerity of the young candidate. It is not
even that her words about world peace fall flat for
lack of credibility, for ignorance and naivety are to
be expected in youth. The obvious, but unspoken truth
is the fact that world peace is not going to happen
no matter what she, or anyone else does. Maybe even
she suspects that is the truth of the matter. The host
knows it is, the sponsors know it is, the owners of
the pageant know it is and certainly at least most in
the audience also know it is. But, with the world in
turmoil such uninformed answers sound good and assuages
fear in the hearts of some, even if they know it is
all a crock of politically-correct hogwash.
Two things need to be faced head-on.
First is the fact that world peace is not going to happen
in this dispensation. Period. Second is the fact that
no body wants to admit it, at least no body who ever
wants to be considered as a person with political or
social credentials. Feel-good-about-the-world protocol
demands that people must address alternatives to coming
global warfare and to summarily dismiss discussions
of its inevitability as the unsophisticated ravings
of religious lunatics living out there on the fringe
of society.
What is this illusive commodity so
many are talking about? Trying to define peace is like
trying to define love. We all have some idea about it,
but specific agreement is impossible to reach. Forget
lexicographers and their long-winded definitions. In
general conversation among normal people peace is often
defined as “absence of conflict”. It can
have physical and emotional applications, etc., but
you get the general idea. Further, “peace”
cannot be equated with “freedom”, for a
castaway on a small deserted island might not be at
risk for robbery or assault, but he is not really free.
The truth is that no human has ever
been able to construct a political system that guarantees
freedom from any and all threats of bodily harm, loss
of property, government expropriation of private property,
murder, assault, etc. Further, no humanly constructed
political system can guarantee your country will not
be attacked by belligerent neighbors, or some despot
on the other side of the world who might use the money
you spend on gasoline to buy a single missile with a
single warhead with your name on it.
It is amazing that so many allegedly
smart people cannot understand that just because they
personally mean no harm to anyone, the enemy does not
live according to that same standard. I am reminded
of a totally absurd comment the foolish former British
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said late in his
life about WW II. He said everything would have been
alright, “If only Hitler hadn’t lied.”
Don’t laugh — there are many Chamberlains
in leadership positions in our country this very moment
and some of them want you to elect them president.
Well, what about religion? Surely,
peace can be found in religion, can’t it? Tell
that to the multitudes killed by the Moslem hordes in
their crusades to subjugate the world to Islam (both
early and modern), and also to those other multitudes
killed in the Roman Catholic crusades in their efforts
to subjugate the Middle East to the popes. The fact
of the matter is no man-made religion, from a tribal
level to one international in scope, has ever brought
genuine peace to humanity, and none ever will. If that
is true there must be a reason. And, there is, indeed,
a reason.
The operative word is “man-made”,
for therein lies the problem. Humanly inspired religions
begin in the hearts of men and women who believe they
have a better idea about who or what to worship as “god”
and how to live in harmony with each other. It is a
very bad start because the human heart, the seat of
thought, will and emotion is terribly wicked, and hence
anything springing from it is naturally tainted. Though
we do not like to admit it, that is the truth. God said,
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and
is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah
17:9).
What about a consortium of efforts?
Suppose a political entity like the UN would join forces
with a church of some kind? Wouldn’t that work?
Such an effort is in the hopper this very moment, but
no, it will not work, either. It will have its result,
but it will not be global peace.
In 1993 Bishop William Swing of the
California Diocese of the Episcopal Church was asked
to formulate some sort of interfaith service to help
mark the 50th anniversary of the UN. Not only did he
come up with an interfaith service, but an interfaith
religion to promote tolerance among all people of faith
around the world; a religion that would become the spiritual
side of the United Nations. It is called the United
Religions Initiative (URI) and it became an official
non-governmental organization (NGO) connected with the
UN in 2001.
Much could be said about this religious
monster, but it is sufficient presently only to say
it could very well become an important part of the coming
harlot church of the tribulation. In fact, its global
assembly this year will be 30 November through 5 December
in Mayapur, West Bengal, India with a theme of Pilgrims
of Peace — Many Paths, One Purpose (very ecumenical
sounding!). The URI will also be involved in the UN
International Day of Peace in September. The bottom
line, though, is that the political UN and its religious
consort, the URI, will never eradicate war and discord
from the face of the earth. Both entities are corrupt
and rotten to their cores because both are absolutely
void of fundamental Christian doctrine and the biblical
worldview. Further, they are saturated with global feel-good-tolerance
for every form of paganism you might imagine. All of
which, by the way, will soon feel the blast of God’s
righteous indignation and wrath.
If, then, it is impossible for humanity
to prevent global conflict, what is being done about
the situation? The first thing the world is doing is
ignoring God in the matter. God has said quite clearly
this planet is going to come under a world ruler whose
ruthlessness is unprecedented. God calls him the anti-Christ,
the son of perdition, etc. He will be energized by Satan
and will kill anyone who gets in his way. During the
very first part of the seven-year period in which he
will operate untold multitudes will die because of war,
famine, disease and wild animals (Revelation 6:1-8).
God has said the only way of escaping this world-wide
catastrophe is through faith in Jesus Christ, and His
coming for His church in what is commonly called the
rapture.
Now, since all that is ignored by the
majority of human beings, what is humanity doing to
deal with what they readily admit is the inevitable?
Some are wringing their hands, in deep distress about
their powerlessness over their own lives and futures.
Some are supporting political candidates who are saying
they have the solution, and it has to do with change,
redistribution of the earth’s wealth, political
and religious toleration, loving everybody, etc. Others
are moving to remote areas where they believe they will
be able to live off the land and defend themselves when
total lawlessness becomes the norm. Still others are
trusting in science and technology to ward off universal
catastrophe. A good example of this is the “doomsday”
seed vault in Svalbard, Norway built to protect food
crops from war, climate changes, etc.
The vault opened on 26 February 2008
and is called, “...our insurance policy.”
by Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. He
also referred to it as “Noah’s Ark”.
The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso
called it “...a frozen Garden of Eden.”
(foxnews.com story 26 Feb 08, Norway Formally Opens
Arctic Doomsday Seed Vault). At .4°F they expect
the seeds to last 1000 years.
In a way, all this global/social fear
has been a financial boon for some. News companies are
cashing in on humanity’s fearful and somewhat
morbid interest in the demise of the race by publishing
stories similar to those usually found in smut-sheets,
the super market tabloids. On the same day, and on the
same web site as the seed story was another headline,
“Scientist Predict When World Will End”
(foxnews.com 26 Feb 08). Now, who would not click on
that one?!
Scientists (?) now say life has been
around on earth for 3.7 billion years (during the first
3 billion we were pond scum), that the earth will be
pulled into the sun in 7.6 billion years and vaporized,
but that life on earth will end long before then. However,
another brilliant scientist says the answer is in “taming”
an asteroid to do a low pass over the earth every couple
thousand years or so in order to nudge the planet into
a higher orbit in order to escape the sun’s pull.
Can you believe the idiocy of some of those people?
Yet, it is those same people who are saying we Christians
are the ones who are nuts for believing in God!!
The bottom line is actually quite simple.
Social unrest and worldwide political turmoil will continue
to escalate. Jesus will return for His church (an imminent
event!) and remove her to heaven before He pours out
His blistering wrath on a world that seethes in its
hatred of Him and His people. Things will become so
bad people will actually desire death, but will be unable
to kill themselves. At the end of that seven years the
world will literally and totally be in a state of dismal
ruin as a result of humanity’s bitter rebellion
against God. Along with the resulting righteous wrath
of God will probably be the use of every known weapon
of destruction in the coexisting global conflict along
with the natural result of world war — the gut-wrenching
impact of famine and every disease pathogen imaginable.
URI or no URI.
At the end of that seven years Jesus
will return to this earth, specifically to the Mt. of
Olives just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem,
and will inaugurate 1000 years of Theocracy. The saved
of the ages will reign with Him as His coheirs, and
all human rebellion will be smashed like a clay jar
is smashed with a heavy piece of re-bar. Finally, there
will be peace on earth...and not before then. Yes, its
all in the Bible...the only book with 100% accuracy
100% of the time.
So, what should we do? Exactly what
God has been saying for millennia. Be ready for the
next event on the calendar — the rapture of the
church. It is my deepest conviction that in these closing
days of this dispensation God is raising up a caste
of men whose major responsibility is to declare these
things, to warn people of “the wrath to come”
(1 Thessalonians 1:10) and to do so even at the risk
of being labeled reactionary.
Peace...? The UN...? The URI...? The
ecumenical movement…? A seed vault…??!!
Don’t be foolish. DLM
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