PROPHETIC PROFILE
The Intent Of Biblical Prophecy!
Chapter 2 The Realignment Of The Nations:

By Ken Humphries

The second of those wonderful themes mentioned in the introduction is what I have called the realignment of the nations. Here we have, if you like, a visual aid at which we may gaze in wonder and amazement. To make my meaning clear let me backtrack just a little ways, which I hope will clarify where I am coming from.

Over the years that have gone as we are reminded in Hebrews Chapter 1vv1-2 God has spoken to human kind in many different ways and at many different times. An understanding of those time periods or dare I say it, of those “dispensations” would help us in some small way get inside the mind and heart of God that we might better comprehend God’s dealings with peoples and nations. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself clearly understood those dispensational divides in God’s workings with human affairs in His reading of that wonderful Scripture I mentioned in the first chapter, Isaiah Chapter 61vv1-2. You will read in Luke Chapter 4vv16-21 when in the synagogue in Nazareth He stood up to read the Scriptures and turned to that amazing portion in Isaiah and read the first verse and only part of the second verse and closed the book. Looking at the congregation He said, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Why stop in the middle of the sentence? There is absolutely no indication in the Hebrew text of a natural break. The Lord Jesus finished His reading with the words, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” but completely left out the next follow on statement, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Now the reason for breaking into the text there is not contextual, but in fact is dispensational. The acceptable year of the Lord had come; the day of the vengeance of our God had not come. We now more fully understand that two thousand years plus of the age of grace comes in between the two statements. The Lord Jesus Christ fully accepted and understood that and therefore closed the book at that point in His reading.

Now, think with me about some of those different ways God chose to handle the affairs of the nations. May I say just here, a clear understanding of these administrative changes is a good grounding upon which we will come to a clear and true knowledge of prophetic Scripture, if we simply ignore or dismiss them it will only add to confusion. Instead of they’re being a clear marker between Israel and the Church we will find our thinking muddled attributing to the one what should be associated with the other. Instead of Christ coming to reign in millennial glory, we will have complete portions of prophetic truth explained away by mythical spiritualizing.

First of all came the age we know as the age of innocence. Here was a time marked by wonderful perfection stretching from the creation to the fall and eventual expulsion of our fore parents, Adam and Eve, from that delightful place called Eden.

Man was created a perfect, rational, moral and spiritual being. The land, into which he was placed, called Eden, was a perfect place with everything he needed for his well being, he was blessed with a wife created especially for him. I have often pictured Adam and Eve sitting under a great tree in that beautiful garden and Adam saying, “Eve, do you really love me?” and Eve responding with the words, “well Adam, who else?” This man Adam was given authority to rule over the works of God’s hands, he was crowned with glory and honour, he enjoyed the most wonderful fellowship, on a daily basis, with the Great God of all wonders. Wow! Everything in that garden was his to partake off and fully enjoy, well, almost everything! No sin dwelt there; there was therefore no curse, nothing in that wide world of his to spoil his daily joy and comfort. There was but one small no, no, he must refrain from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, surely a small price to pay for such harmony and bliss.

Now, we are not told just how long Adam and Eve spent in that beautiful and precious place enjoying that entire provision God had placed there for their satisfaction, but we soon become aware when reading through the book of Genesis that all was not well. Can you imagine the scene? Eve, obviously sitting alone one day in the Garden of God, a reptile of the most horrible kind, as far as we are concerned, appeared beside her, yet it did not phase Eve one little bit. Was she used to animals or creatures coming alongside and sitting with her? And what about when that thing began to speak with her, enough, in our day and age to scare us silly but not Eve, was this not the most amazing place in which one could live? We of course, now know this was none other than Satan; come to tempt Eve in order to have her do exactly what God had expressly said not to do. And do you know what? She fell foul of the Devil’s dastardly plan and went on to tempt her husband to do as she did, disobey God. And what shock waves reverberated through the whole world that day! Because of this terrible and dreadful act of disobedience, “sin entered…and death by sin” (Romans Ch.5v12). Which of course resulted in both Adam and Eve being cast out of that beautiful place forever. Now we discover cherubim with a flaming sword mounting guard to prevent them from making things worse by eating of the now-forbidden fruit of the tree of life.

Secondly, we discover what has been called the age of conscience. Please remember, a conscience (knowledge of right and wrong) was the only thing Adam and Eve were allowed to bring out of that garden with them. Sadly though, we cannot help, when we read of this age, to see it is an age marred by permissiveness. No restraints are levied on mankind from then on since every man’s conscience was to be his sole directive.

Well, with that kind of thinking it does not take a very vivid imagination to know what is going to happen next? As the population grows the culture becomes vile and violent and the thoughts of men’s hearts become only evil continually bringing a Holy God to a point where he had to intervene and bring the most amazing judgment upon this world. This age ran for about five hundred years bringing in its wake lawlessness, wickedness and a move to such depraved thinking that destruction reigned upon them in the form of a flood.

Thirdly, came the age of human government. This was an age marked by protection. The individual’s right to “do his own thing” was subordinated to the general good of society as a whole. The magistrate was appointed in Noah and he had to ensure that the lawlessness of the past age would be blotted out. A penalty for death was imposed (Genesis Ch.9v6). Capital punishment was imposed; everyone was made answerable to a higher authority. By the way, capital punishment is a truth taught throughout the Scriptures Romans Ch.13vv1-4 for example and that because human life in God’s sight is a sacred thing. Other crimes would have to be paid by other kinds of punishment, that old statement comes into play here; the punishment should fit the crime. “It was not long, however, before the sword of the magistrate was converted into the sword of the conqueror by Nimrod (his name means “we will rebel”), who set out to unite the world under a godless central government. Plans for political unity were symbolized by a city to be built at Babel; a sky-scraping tower symbolized plans for religious unity; plans for cultural unity were based on a universal language. The repeated expression “let us” shows that a secular man-centered society was the goal. Their materials, methods, and motives make it clear that this first “united nations organization” was planned in opposition to God and was intended to glorify the human race. This ambitious scheme bears the marks of the last federation of nations to be organized by the beast, the final lawless one. He, too, will seek to unify the human race in defiance of God, and the center of human interest will again be Babylon (Revelation Ch.18). Before the lawless plans of Nimrod could be consummated, God came down and overthrew the entire project by confounding human speech and scattering the nations.”

Fourthly, comes the age of the patriarchs. Now this age is characterized by promise.

The nations now scattered, God chooses an individual called Abraham; to him He gives some wonderful promises and plans to make of him a great nation and people.

And as already stated in chapter one, God gives the deeds of a piece of real estate in The Middle East that would become known as Israel, to Abraham. This is a patch of land the Bible says stretches from “the river of Egypt” (probably the Nile) to the river Euphrates. Not only was this piece of land promised, there was also a promise given that the “seed” (Christ) would come from the line and linage of Abraham.

This is a promise that did not die with Abraham but in fact was confirmed also to his son Isaac and then to Jacob as well. Through Jacob began the formation of the twelve tribes, otherwise known as the children of Israel, and each tribe would be ruled by one of Jacobs’s sons. Its most interesting that none of the three patriarchs actually inherited the land, God had instructed Abraham that some four hundred years would run their course before the promise would be fulfilled, nevertheless, they had a firm belief in the promises of God and were not easily shaken although all these years would pass before claiming their inheritance. But it is interesting to note that this elected and chosen family ended up, not in this wonderfully new Promised Land but in Egypt and indeed stayed there for several centuries. Nevertheless, while living in Egypt this very blessed family grew larger and larger and were amazingly blessed of God not only in numbers but with prosperity, sadly though, they lost sight of the word of promise with respect to themselves and the land given. They began to be idolatrous in their ways and would you believe it, eventually fell into slavery to this great Egyptian people. Soon the Egyptians began to hate the Jewish settlers and brought great persecution upon them and indeed wanted to totally wipe this people known as Israel out completely. Could this promise given by God to Abraham earlier be a great hoax, would it ever happen or was this the end for Israel?

Ah! But then fifthly came the age of Law! Remember? This was an age that God introduced to His people by the hand of the meek and mild Moses who became their liberator. By this time we are told that the family of Abraham had grown to some three million souls dwelling in the land of Egypt. Moses of course, how could we ever forget, was firstly hidden from the wrath of Pharaoh and by the wisdom and work of God eventually brought up in the house of Pharaoh as one of Pharaoh’s own family, then sent to Sinai for some forty years only to be brought back under the Sovereign will of God to be the one whom God would use to set His people free from the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh.

Can we ever forget how God used this meekest of men to humble this great land of Egypt and its leaders and also be the one who would lead the people of God into this wilderness for forty years, which remember was just on the borders of the land of promise, so near yet so far, but there was much yet to do with the people of God to ready them for blessing. For example, the law had to be introduced which of course was Moses’ greatest work, that is the moral law and the ceremonial law. In all, the law contained 613 separate commandments encompassing every facet of life.

Where there was failure under the moral law, fitting punishments were meted out. For example, for the offence of murder; adultery; bestiality; sodomy; witchcraft; kidnapping; sacrilege; and indeed defiance of parents, capital punishment was appropriate.

The ceremonial law embraced matters of religion and made temporary provision for covering sin until such time as proper provision could be made for all human sin at Calvary. The basic emphasis of the Mosaic Law was “This do and thou shalt live.” Now, that period of The Law carried on for some fifteen hundred years, in actual fact from Moses until the time of Christ. Here is something worth taking note of, the Law was given to Israel as a nation; the keeping of the Sabbath was particular to Israel; the blessings and cursing were something peculiar to this particular people. All who followed Moses, the prophets, the priests, the judges and the kings all upheld the Law of Moses. The Apostle Paul in Romans Ch.7v12 describes it, as “holy, and just, and good” keeping it of course, was the big problem, as was mentioned in Acts Ch.15v10.

By the way; this amazing law, which God gave Moses for the people, in a very remarkable way, set Israel apart from the nations of the world, and yet this law has become the basis or foundation for every other nation in the world to formulate their individual sets of law. Many of the gentile peoples were attracted to the Law of Moses, or the Mosaic Law, as it is often called, but the demands of some of the rites was a deterrent to a large scale conversion to the Jewish faith. Its interesting to note also, by the time the Lord Jesus Christ had appeared on this earth as a baby in Bethlehem’s manger, the Jewish people had loaded that law with numerous traditions which indeed over time became just as authoritative as the original law itself. For that reason therefore, the Jewish people and Jewish authorities immediately began to resent the way Jesus was interpreting the Scriptures. They soon began to see Jesus as a rebel and worked hard to rid this world of Him (Matthew Ch.27v25). Which in fact introduces to the world at large what we know so well today as the age of grace.

So sixthly comes the age of grace that, of course, is the very age we all now live in, known as the age of the Church of Jesus Christ or sometimes, the age of the Holy Spirit and is an age marked by patience during which time God is speaking through His Son Hebrews Ch.1v2 and calling to himself a people for eternity (Acts 15v14).

The mark of this wonderful age is the convicting and converting work of the Holy Ghost in the lives of both Jew and Gentile, baptizing them into the mystical body of Christ known as the Church (1 Corinthians Ch.12v13). The Church was powerfully and supernaturally introduced into this world on the day of Pentecost and is made up of a body of people transformed by the power of God and made uniquely for the glory of God and to be used for the worship, witness and work of God. For the whole of the age of grace God’s plan for the Jewish people and the Jewish nation as a whole has been suspended but as we will see later, God is not yet finished with the Jew, be assured this amazing nation will yet play a powerful part in God’s plans and His future story.

Next, or seventh comes the age of judgment, an age which will be absolutely marked by punishment. In the age of grace, God has allowed the people of the nations to increase in wickedness and sin. The sin that used to embarrass the whole world and would slip down our back alley’s today, parades itself down the high street and knows nothing of embarrassment in fact, the sin and sinner of the age of grace flaunts itself and themselves so proudly before all, thinking themselves to be the generation to have wiped the smile of God’s face or indeed hidden His face from view altogether until there are few who believe there ever was a God. Something they did also in the days of Noah and in the days of Nimrod nevertheless, judgment came and powerfully so, to the degree that many perished and many were scattered to the four corners of the earth by way of judgment. Alerting us to the fact that the age of judgment will come, perhaps being much nearer than we can imagine. Satan is right now working on his master plan of deception, the beast, which will unite the world, set himself up as messiah and god, bringing humankind to a point where millions will worship him. At this point the church will have been taken in the rapture and the Holy Spirit will once again work amongst humankind as He did in Old Testament days.

This coming age of judgement will be an age of amazing persecution of God’s people. And we should remember that it would be a time when God will unleash powerful judgement upon the nations, coming to a head with the outpouring of the vials of His wrath in the great battle of Armageddon. Then, of course, the Second Coming of Christ to this earth will take place and this world will rapidly be brought under new management, what judgement will take place in the valley of Jehoshaphat.

Then follows, number eight, the millennium age, an age that is a demonstration of great power and wonder. This will be the age in which the Lord Jesus rules as King of kings and Lord Of lords. This will be a time not only of great power but a time of peace and wonderful prosperity as was foretold by many a prophecy in the past. The promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David will be completely fulfilled. For one thousand years, as the name “millennium” infers, there will be a miraculous change in every area of living and being, that will astound the world at large. Satan will be bound and cast aside for that thousand-year period making planet earth a most marvelous place in which to live. Then at the end of that thousand-year period of time Satan will be let loose and once again display his mighty power by drawing countless thousands to follow after his wicked ways. He will gather together the unregenerate and march on Jerusalem but just then the Lord will explode the universe and many shall be hurled into eternity to stand stripped of everything as they stand shivering at the great white throne of judgement, what an awful moment!

Finally, or number nine, we will have what is called the eternal age, this is an age marked by permanence of which little is said in God’s Word. This much we do know, as revealed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15v24 “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.” And as Dr. John Phillips of the wonderful “Exploring Series” says in his book ‘Exploring the Future’ on page 25 “And the endless ages will roll their waters into the shoreless ocean of eternity. The lost will spend those ages in eternal anguish, the redeemed in bliss beyond words to describe. The book of the Revelation points repeatedly toward eternity with its recurring refrain, ‘forever and ever, forever and ever’. The best-kept secret in the universe is what God has in store for us in that new heaven and new earth He plans to create. Peter told us that we have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven.” We can savor it now in that “joy unspeakable and full of glory” that is ours in Christ” (1 Peter 1vv4-8).

say all of this simply to remind us at this juncture that as Corrie Ten Boom said many years ago, “there is no panic in heaven only plans, the Holy Trinity never needs to meet in emergency session” So nothing ever takes God by surprise. When I talk about the Realignment of the Nations; while the concept may be new to some of us, its not new to God, for He has know all the while that this is something that would come to pass because its all in the plan of the End Times Scenario.

You see during the 1900's, there was a desire to eliminate wars. Three major organisations were brought into existence in an attempt to achieve that goal. These are the League of Nations, the United Nations and the European Union.

League of Nations

League of Nations was an international association of countries created to maintain peace among the nations of the world. The victors of World War I (1914-1918) including Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States -- drew up a covenant (constitution) for the League in 1919. President Woodrow Wilson of the United States was the chief planner of the League of Nations. The League was established in January 1920, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation ceased to function after World War II began in 1939. It was formally dissolved in April 1946, and the United Nations took its place.

President Wilson had believed that world wars would continue to occur as long as each nation was responsible for its own defence. Under this condition, nations would form competing groups, each arming against the other. President Wilson wanted the nations of the world to join together in the League of Nations, and pledge to defend the territory and

independence of any member attacked by another nation. He believed that even a powerful nation, knowing it would face the united opposition of all other powerful nations, would not go to war.

Wilson got other countries to agree to his plans for the League, but he and members of the U.S. Senate differed over the terms on which the United States would join. In March 1920, the U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles, which would have made the United States a member. Within a few years, most Americans decided there was no need to concern themselves with conflicts overseas, and the United States never did join the League of Nations.

United Nations

As all of us know, the United States was drawn into the Second World War when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in 1940. Following that war, in 1945 another attempt at world co-operation began, which resulted in the formation of the present day United Nations. Unfortunately, the UN could not prevent war either. Although many nations are members, the group has not been able to eliminate conflict. In fact there has been more war and ethnic conflict in the 55-year existence of the UN than any other period of history. The United Nations has two main goals: peace and human dignity. If fighting between two or more countries breaks out anywhere, the UN may be asked to try to stop it. After the fighting stops, the UN may help work out ways to keep it from starting again. But the UN tries above all to deal with problems and disputes before they lead to fighting. It seeks the causes of war and tries to find ways to eliminate them.

The United Nations has met with both success and failure in its work. It has been able to keep some disputes from developing into major wars. The organisation has also helped people in numerous parts of the world gain their freedom and better their way of life. For many years, however, disagreements among UN member nations prevented the organisation from operating effectively. Since the mid1980's, greater co-operation among members has enabled the UN to attempt missions in more and more countries. But these missions have added to the UN's financial troubles.

The United Nations was established on Oct. 24, 1945, shortly after the Second World War. As the war drew to an end, the nations that opposed Germany, Italy, and Japan decided that such a war must never happen again. Representatives of these nations met in San Francisco in April 1945 and worked out a plan for an organisation to help keep world peace. This plan was described in a document called the Charter of the United Nations. In June 1945, 50 nations signed it. They were the first UN members. Since then, over 100 other nations have joined.

In some ways, the UN resembles the League of Nations, which was organised after World War I. many of the nations that founded the UN had also founded the League. Like the League, the UN was established to help keep peace between nations. The main organs of the UN are much like those of the League. But the UN differs from the League in two main ways. First, all the great military powers except Communist China were UN members from the beginning, and Communist China gained membership in 1971. By contrast, several powerful countries, including the United States, either did not join the League or withdrew from it. Second, the UN's concern with economic and social problems gives it broader responsibilities than the League had. The six major organs of the United Nations carry on the work of the organisation. These organs are (1) General Assembly, (2) Security Council, (3) Secretariat, (4) Economic and Social Council, (5) International Court of Justice, and (6) Trusteeship Council. A variety of specialised agencies related to the UN deal with such problems as communications, food and agriculture, health, and labour.

European Union

The European Union, also called the EU, is now since May 2004, an organisation of 25 Western European countries that promotes co-operation among its members. The members co-operate in many areas, including politics and economics. They have achieved the most success in creating a single economic market without internal barriers to trade and investment. The union's members are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and United Kingdom. Headquarters of the union are in Brussels, Belgium.

The European Union has evolved from economic co-operation that began among Western European countries in the early 1950's. These countries eventually co-operated in economic affairs as members of the European Community (EC). In 1993, the EC members -- which at that time included all the then current EU members except Austria, Finland, and Sweden -- extended their co-operation into the areas of Justice and Home Affairs and a Common Foreign and Security Policy. Justice and Home Affairs concerns co-operation in such areas as law enforcement and immigration. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the nations deal with military and other foreign policy matters.

The European Union was officially created when co-operation was extended to these two new areas. The three areas of co-operation are sometimes referred to as the union's three "pillars." The European Union is a major economic unit. Together, its members have more people than the United States. In addition, the total value of the goods and services produced by its members exceeds that of the goods and services produced by the United States. The combined value of the union's imports and exports is greater than that of any single country in the world. The United States is the union's main trading partner. The common currency is the Euro, and competes effectively with the US Dollar in world markets. In fact, on January 1, 2001 Greece abandoned the "drachma" which had been the Greek currency for over 2000 years, and incorporated the Euro. Passports are no longer required to travel among the EU countries. Tariffs between member countries no longer exist. The EU has a Prime Minister, a Parliament, and many other government functions similar to the United Kingdom.

Global Progression

As each of the groups has been formed, they exert greater influence than the predecessor, and engender a stronger tendency toward Global Government. For example, much of the sovereignty over the National Parks in the United States has been given over to UN control under the Clinton government - all this done under the guise of better global control of the environment. The UN continues to have more and more control over member nations. I believe it may well be this organisation, which implements the final world power of the Antichrist.

During the Persian Gulf War, the then President Bush spoke much about a "New World Order". He pulled together a spectacular array of nations, each with their own interest, religion and politics. Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union heads an organisation called “Green Cross International” based in San Francisco, dedicated to the establishment of one world government. The recent war in Kosovo involved the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and an alliance of 21 nations against the Milosevich regime in Serbia. As you can see, many of the current events of today's news centre around numerous alliances formed to perpetuate a common goal.

Not until the last half of the past century could such alliances have readily worked. Today, we have global communication at almost the speed of light. We can see what is happening around the world through CNN, CNBC, FOX, BBC. ITN. Or indeed, any national Television Network news! During the Kosovo conflict, some of the bombers involved in the attack on Serbia operated from their bases in the U.S. Thus, globalisation has become possible due to fantastic advanced speed in communication and transportation. Not until this generation has "globalisation" or the “Realignment of Nations” been possible. This begs the question "Are we the terminal generation"?

I will leave the answer of that question to those who are greater men by far then me.

The Four Pillars of Globalism!

The Word of God points out four things, which Antichrist will control in the "Last Days".

A.World Religion
B.World Government
C.World Economy
D. World Military

Organised efforts have been underway in all these areas.

A. The First Pillar Is World Religion:

A number of groups exist, or are now forming which promote worldwide ecumenism and/or a "world religion". These are described below, but not necessarily in any order. Some are closely aligned with the UN and UNESCO, and are patterned after the UN. Organisationally.

1. World Council of Churches (WCC).
2.United Religions Initiative (URI).
3. Parliament of World Religions.
4. New Age.

1. World Council of Churches (WCC)

The World Council of Churches is a worldwide organisation of about 300 Protestant, Anglican, Old Catholic, and Orthodox churches. The council works to promote co-operation and unity among all the churches of the world. The churches that belong to the council have about 400 million members in more than 100 countries.

The Roman Catholic Church, though not a member of the council, works with the organisation in a number of programs. The World Council of Churches has also opened discussions with such non-Christian groups as Buddhists and Muslims.

The activities of the World Council of Churches include education; worldwide missionary and so-called, evangelical work; aid to refugees, the sick, and underprivileged; and the promotion of world peace and social and interracial justice. It has sponsored studies on the future of human society in an age of scientific and technical progress. It has also studied the role Christians should play in improving government, courts, prisons, and other social institutions.

The World Council of Churches was founded in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Member churches elect six presidents and a 145-member central committee. This group meets annually to set council policies. The council has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and an office in New York City.

You can find much more information on WCC official web site if you wish to investigate further.

2. United Religions Institute (URI)

Shown below are excerpts of the organisation’s introduction and purpose statement. If you wish to investigate further on your own, you may look into their web site.

"Since it’s beginning, the URI has been a vision and an invitation. The vision has been of unprecedented co-operation for global good among the people of the world's religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions. The invitation has been to all people all over the world to act together to make this vision real."

"The core of the Charter is its Preamble, Purpose and Principles which form the unifying mission for URI to work for a better world. Whether that work is to end religious violence in a conflict zone, or to create new models of religious education for children, it is guided by the Preamble, Purpose and Principles, and supported by a global community of prayer, meditation, and active hope."

The following is an excerpt from one of their Internet Pages URI Guide:
The United Religions Initiative is made up of people from dozens of religious groups and denominations. We invite you to learn more about each of the religions represented by clicking on the symbols below. (This of course come from their own web site) Sikhism ... Christianity ... Hinduism ... Buddhism ... Islam ... Shinto ... Judaism ... Bahá'í Faith ... Taoism ... Unitarianism ... Native Traditions ... Wicca ... Zoroastrianism ... Jainism ... Other Religions It should be very clear that the organisation is a basis for a One-World Religion, embracing all religious faiths as being equal.

3. Parliament of World Religions

This is apparently an old organisation, which has global hopes. Its last Parliament meeting record stated the following: Held in Chicago in 1993 exactly a century after the watershed gathering held there in 1893, the Parliament of the World's Religions brought together for a week in the Victorian opulence of the Palmer House Hilton - swamis, sadhus, rinpoches, monks, arhats, avatars, priests, priestesses, ministers, witches, shamans, saints, and seekers - a kaleidoscope of religious worthies upon which the watchful Gods muse on the ceiling and beams approvingly.

The Parliament itself became, in the words of a friend and colleague, "an occasion for serious interfaith dialogue (and its inevitably attendant geo-political strategizing), a consciousness-raising session, a public relations opportunity for grandstanding religious celebrities, a multicultural carnival, and a time for good old-fashioned spiritual schmoozing." It was a once-in-a-century gestalt of the unfolding realignment of spiritual forces that has occurred over the last century. In an atmosphere both respectful and celebratory - and interspersed with several real - world conflicts - the Parliament was an unparalleled showcase of religious vitality and diversity. It can easily be seen that it embraces all beliefs, and could easily be brought into an organised World Religion such as will be instituted by the Antichrist. You can investigate for yourself further at CPWR web site.

4. New Age

The "New Age Religion" is not new at all. Rather it is an ancient pagan pantheistic religion repackaged into a noble sounding movement. Since the dawning of the "Aquarius" age, the younger generation is being turned on by the New Age theology off "man is god and with each reincarnation man will become better and better". Also man and the creation "are one". It is based on a mix of Goddess worship (the earth), eastern mysticism, evolution and reincarnation. Although one may not see a pattern of "Globalism" in the name, its organisation and objectives are certainly global, as signified by their favourite song "We Are the World" written by Harry Belefonte. The basis of much of the New Age teaching is drawn from the occult.

The four pillars of New Age, which are drawn from Tibetan masters through the writings of Alice Bailey, are evolution, reincarnation, astrology and occult meditation. Such notables as Ted Turner and Shirley Maclaine ascribe to the New Age beliefs. We have all heard the term "Mother Nature"; likewise "Mother Earth". Both these terms have their roots in pantheism, and are frequently used by New Agers to refer to the Earth Goddess "Gaia". Even Ex Vice President Al Gore has some tendency toward pantheism in his personal dedication to environmental issues. In some of his writings, he has praised the idea of pantheism with respect to its elevation of the earth to be equal to mankind.

Gaia was a Greek goddess of the earth. Clearly, when one worships such a "being", it is clearly pagan worship. I did a search on "New Age" on the Internet. It identified over 1 million sites as being associated with the term "New Age". This is not to suggest all are associated with the new age religion, but it certainly indicates the pervasiveness of the term. I suspect advertising new age books; magazines and music “religiously” relate most.

A woman named Alice Bailey (1880-1949) was probably the most instrumental in getting the New Age movement going. She had formed several organisations by 1949. Two of these are the Lucis Trust and World Goodwill and Parliament. Lucis Trust founded in 1922, under the Name of Lucifer Publishing Company. Today it has about 6,000 members, among the well-known names now or once associated with the movement are Robert McNamara, Donald Regan, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, Paul Volker, and George Schultz. All have been prominent in the U. S. Government and world banking. This is the same group of people who run the Council on Foreign Relations. I could cite a number of connections between New Age and persons involved in Globalism, but I will not bore you. Suffice it to say the concepts of the New Age fit closely with many organisations interested in a one-world religion. However, it is completely "mankind" oriented, not God oriented. It embraces witchcraft, channelling, evolution, reincarnation, and “man is god" concepts. Clearly from a Biblical standpoint, this is the epitome of paganism.

Other Miscellaneous Religious Organizations!

United Communities of Spirit

Quote: "United Communities of Spirit is a global interfaith network, linking people of diverse faiths and beliefs who want to work with others to build a better world. As of 29/12//99 we have 3740 members”.

Institute for World Spirituality

Quote: The Institute for World Spirituality (IWS) promotes inter-religious collaborations able to foster compassion and justice by developing innovative, practical models for global social change.

World Religion Summary

This is perhaps just a sampling of what is transpiring in the world today. I realise there are some readers who may be attracted to these organisations. That is not my intent, and I urge you not to become ensnared in these groups. I cite them to raise awareness both within the Christian community and non-Christians that Bible Prophecy concerning the appearance on the world stage of the Antichrist and his associate, the Apostate Church, is coming very close.

The world is hungering for an answer to the problems of potential global nuclear war, ecological devastation, and rise in crime and hate. These groups may sound very attractive, especially to idealistic young people who are searching for a noble cause to support. The conditions are ripe for mankind to think that the answer is in "Globalism" or a “Realignment of the Nations”, and that through man's efforts and organisations the problems can be conquered. Some persons have gone so far as to recommend a "world Dictator" that will impose certain solutions on the world. This is exactly what the Antichrist will do, even to proclaiming to be God. However, all these schemes will ultimately fail because they all rely on man's efforts and not on the one true God for solution. If you think the global problems are going to be solved through man's efforts, you are in for a fall!

B. The Second Pillar Is World Government

If one watches the current events happening around the world, it is clear we are hurtling toward Global Government. It is an attractive proposition that all mankind should live under one set of laws, government, common currency, and the promise of eradication of war and hunger. That is a utopian goal and is exactly what Globalist teaches. Outgoing President Clinton committed the US to be a part of the World Bank. He has in the past granted a great deal of U.S. sovereignty over National Parks to the UN all under the rationale of ecology. He has committed 6,000 U.S. troops to the UN Security Force as indeed have the United Kingdom committed troops and finance. All These troops will take orders from non-US and UK commanders.

Author Peter Lalonde states in his book ‘One World under Antichrist’: “Minor details aside, all agree that the New Europe will be the hub of the New World Order. Likewise, no one envisages a world where all borders and nationalities have completely vanished and the world has truly become one global nation. Instead in the New World Order one powerful government will rule over various regional groupings (maybe ten such regions) of nations and alliances. This regional concept, with each region defined by the distinct cultural and religious histories of the area, is to be the cornerstone of the New World Order. Although each region will maintain it's cultural diversity, there will be overall unity in the name of saving the earth."

The idea of global regions, each a grouping of nations, is a perfect fit with the way the Bible describes this last-days kingdom. What makes this logical solution so incredible is that this is exactly what the Bible tells us will happen in the last days. According to the prophecies in the Bible, the Antichrist (along with a council of 10 rulers) will rule over the earth. It is absolutely astounding that Daniel's prophecies made some 2500 years ago are coming to pass before our eyes exactly as prophesied!

Arno Froese, in the book "Foreshocks of Antichrist", suggests that the following regions might make a rational division of the world under ”One World Government". In general, this arrangement would place people’s in-groups that shared common cultural backgrounds. Each of these regions would rule as a puppet under Antichrist.

1. Europe
2. Far East
3. Mid East
4. North America
5. South America
6. South Asia
7. Central Asia
8. Australia and New Zealand
9. Southern Africa
10. Central Africa

Actually, we already have gone a long way toward a global world. We drive cars made in many other countries. We wear clothing from China, Mexico and other nations. Our banking and investments are international. Many now work for major global companies where they are discovering countries from every corner of the world actually design and supplied parts and material for those home based companies. In other words whatever it is we are producing, we are producing with parts and materials made in foreign parts when once we produced every item used.

SPECIALIZED AGENCIES Allied with UN
Autonomous organisations joined to the UN through special agreements:

ILO (International Labour Organisation)
Formulates policies and programmes to improve working conditions and employment opportunities, and sets labour standards used by countries around the world.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN)
Works to improve agricultural productivity and food security, and to better the living standards of rural populations.

UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)
Promotes education for all, cultural development, protection of the world's natural and cultural heritage, international co-operation in science, press freedom and communication.

WHO (World Health Organisation)
Co-ordinates programmes aimed at solving health problems and the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health. It works in areas such as immunisation, health education and the provision of essential drugs.

World Bank group
Provides loans and technical assistance to developing countries to reduce poverty and advance sustainable economic growth. Giving this particular group absolutely amazing power and authority over all nations and bodies who partake in their monetary schemes, its as though they have a passion for world monetary control.

IMF (International Monetary Fund)
Facilitates international monetary co-operation and financial stability and provides a permanent forum for consultation, advice and assistance on financial issues.

ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation)
Sets international standards for the safety, security and efficiency of air transport and serves as the co-ordinator for international co-operation in all areas of civil aviation.

UPU (Universal Postal Union)
Establishes international regulations for postal services, provides technical assistance and promotes co-operation in postal matters.

ITU (International Telecommunication Union)
Fosters international co-operation to improve telecommunications of all kinds, co-ordinates usage of radio and TV frequencies, promotes safety measures and conducts research.

WMO (World Meteorological Organisation)
Promotes scientific research on the Earth's atmosphere and on climate change and facilitates the global exchange of meteorological data.

IMO (International Maritime Organisation)
Works to improve international shipping procedures, raise standards in marine safety and reduce marine pollution by ships.

WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation)
Promotes international protection of intellectual property and fosters co-operation on copyrights, trademarks, industrial designs and patents.

IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)
Mobilises financial resources to raise food production and nutrition levels among the poor in developing countries.

UNIDO (UN Industrial Development Organisation)
Promotes the industrial advancement of developing countries through technical assistance, advisory services and training.

IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
An autonomous intergovernmental organisation under the aegis of the UN works for the safe and peaceful uses of atomic energy.

Even though these agencies are not a direct arm of the UN, it demonstrates how many areas of life that "globalism" pervades. It would be only a short jump for a world dictator to control and set the policies of these organisations. No one knows when the Antichrist will come on the scene, but I personally believe it may not be long off. All that is required is for some natural disaster, war or other worldwide trauma to trigger the world to embrace any charismatic leader who appears to have a global solution. The world communities have become so accustomed to global organisations; it does not take a great leap of faith for the world citizens to accept a "one world government".

C. The Third Pillar Is World Economy

When I was younger, nations participated in a system of tariffs designed to add a tax to imported goods to protect their own national industries. This was intended to increase the market price of foreign made goods over locally produced goods. Today, the concept of tariffs is on the way out. In fact, one of the driving forces behind formation of the European Union was the formation of the European Economic Community. This was formed as a trade alliance among European countries in order to allow free trade (non-tariff goods) to flow between the member countries.

We are probably all familiar with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S, Canada and Mexico. There are many other alliances around the world built around similar principles. The European Union now has greater wealth, production of goods, and population than the U.S. They are becoming the dominant economic nation in the world. Although it consists of only 25 countries today, others are clamouring to join, because people see the advantageous economic advantage of unification as opposed to separation.

For years now many people do not have to handle their paycheque and retirement cheque. No money ever passes hands, yet people are able to support themselves and family without a pound note, a euro or even a dollar bill crossing their hands. Ah! Enter the computer and communications capability. Today, I can log on to a chat room and communicate with persons from The Netherlands, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Tel Aviv, Japan, Hawaii; the list goes on. Some time ago, I downloaded a program I wanted to buy from America, much of this transmission happening almost at the speed of light (seemingly).

We have entered into a fantastic world, where I can carry a small cell phone and speak to places around the world. Due to the computer and communication technology explosion, and the ability to exchange information, the growth of total knowledge of the earth's population doubles every 22 months! Thus enters the cashless society and World Banking and Commerce. However, along with this technology, we have experienced a vast loss of privacy. There are highly secret organisations and technology agents that know almost everything about you and me, even to profiling my habits, what I eat and what I wear. Although the United Kingdom Social Security Number was never intended to be a National ID, for all practical purposes, see how far you can get in life today without one!

As we sink deeper into the "cashless society", Big Brother has the ability to exercise more and more control over our lives and our privacy. I have a friend in Kentucky who spends his life designing computers; he is one of the culprits. The technology is so attractive. I can transfer money into my grandson’s bank account and never leave my study. Many pay their bills and file their taxes from the living room. Governments would like to have a totally computerised society to foil the drug trade. Without cash, the dealer cannot deal. The major way that the final World Dictator, the Antichrist, will control the entire world population is through banking and commerce. Revelation 13vv16-18 states: "He (the false prophet) also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666". All will be forced to worship the Antichrist in order to receive a unique world ID. One will not be able to buy or sell without having become subservient to the Antichrist (the Beast). Anyone refusing the mark will also be subject to be killed. You can see there will be very strong incentive to receive the mark!

What is this mark? Some type of branding mark? Like cattle? No, it will be much more sophisticated; it will probably contain a unique ID number just for you, and will be placed on the forehead or right hand. It probably will be a microchip implanted under the skin so that you will always have it and it cannot be lost or misused. This mark or chip will be absolutely necessary for you to trade, have a job, or perform any type public function. It probably will contain your banking information and balance.

This type chip exists today! I have in my possession details of a sophisticated chip, which can be planted under the skin of a human being and will keep a complete record of all your details and movements. Chips of this nature have been and are now being implanted in animals to identify them and keep track of their movements. Instead of my dog wearing an owner tag, I could have the same information implanted in her ear. Just this month, someone has somehow managed to use a credit card from Northern Ireland to remove a large sum of money, which was not even in the account in the first place. Everyone is mystified how such transactions could be carried through against this account without the person physically presenting the card - yet it occurred! (If you have web link log on to) Mondex_1.pps (0.54 MB)

How attractive an implanted smart chip would be. No cash or credit cards to loose or be lost through robbery. I could buy all my groceries and necessities by having my chip scanned. I could pay all my monthly bills from my computer by attaching a small scanner to the computer and have the bill paid, the sellers account credited, and my checking account debited, all with the stroke of a scanning wand. You can imagine how the masses will buy into this under the Antichrist's economic system. They will coo "Ah, what convenience".

However, there is a major problem with the system. In order to get the implant (mark), you must "worship the Antichrist as God". This act will however doom one to an eternal life in the lake of fire, and forever be separated from God!

If you happen to be around at that time, it is FAR, FAR better to be martyred and spend eternity in the glory of Heaven that eternal torment in Hell! After all, being martyred is a matter of seconds, but eternity in the lake of fire with the Antichrist is forever!

D. The Fourth Pillar Is Global Military

During the Persian Gulf War, President Bush No.1 pulled together, through the auspices of the UN a unique military force. It was comprised of a mixture of national identities, cultures, and religions. All the troops took orders ultimately from General Colin Powell and General Norman Swartscoff. The then President Bush referred to the "New World Order" over 100 times. It clearly was a strange assemblage of military power. Then came the campaign in Kosovo. In this case, the military force was the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It was created in 1948 principally to provide a wall to prevent Soviet expansion into Europe. It was designed to be strictly a deterrent force, and until Kosovo had never been called into action. Since Soviet expansion into Europe is no longer a threat, what then is the purpose of a defensive force against a threat that no longer exists? May I hasten to add a warning here, don’t be so sure we are threat free from what seems a weakened Soviet force.

In 1999, a new Strategic Doctrine was defined for NATO. It declares "the essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means". The added word "political" adds a broad range of activities, which can be encompassed by military espionage, exerting political pressures, etc. It appears the barrier of acting only in defence of a member nation has been lifted. The UN also has a "Peace Keeping" force for many years. It is not intended to be a "fighting force", but nevertheless has certain military for defensive purposes. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has repeatedly called for creation of a rapid deployment military force of sufficient size to defeat foreseeable potential opponents. He wants member states to provided trained military personnel, equipment and necessary funding to sustain the force on a permanent basis. The creation of such a UN quick reaction force will be one of the key milestones toward a one-world government. It is my understanding that outgoing President Clinton signed such a treaty in the last 2 weeks of his office. There will therefore as mentioned earlier, be some 6,000 sovereign US troops permanently assigned to such a force, operating under non-US commanders, and likewise, a contingent of troops from United Kingdom and other countries.

Now that the European Union has become more cohesive, it has actually become a super state. The laws of the EU supersede any member nation law, which conflicts with the EU laws. According to Dr. Grant Jeffrey, the EU laws are not made by a parliament or a congress such as we have; rather the EU laws are made by the European Commission comprised of 21 persons. The EU’s executive in Brussels appoints them. That is certainly not a democracy! Rather, it is an authoritarian government. There are also plans for an International Criminal Court. If such a court is ever implemented, it is possible that a UK/US Serviceman, serving on a peacekeeping mission could be unilaterally charged and convicted under the ICC without the benefit of UK/US Council or UK/US Civil Rights.

In order to gather this all together, there are a number of military organisations in place and it has been proposed that it would be a short step to amalgamate them all into one supranational-armed force. Revelation 13vv6-8 states: The beast (Antichrist) was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints (Israel) and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. Although the Antichrist's organisation is not in place as yet, globalism or what I have called “The Realignment of the Nations” fever is rapidly growing; many of the component organisations are in place or are now forming. There is a group of "globalist people and organisations" that are the driving force for a "One World Government". Their driving force is money power and authority. These groups are said to control about 60 - 65% of the world's wealth. Their objective is to dominate the world commerce and politics for their own purposes. I will call them the elite.

One group is the Trilateral Commission started by banker David Rockefeller, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and others. This group concerns itself with trade and banking between the U.S., Canada and Japan. The Council on Foreign Relations and the TC are comprised of international banking and manufacturing corporations, high military positions, powerful State Department officials and White House Cabinet positions.

There is another group called the Bilderberger group. Many members of the other groups belong also to this group. Their meetings are so secret that no notes or minutes are kept. Their initial purpose was to build a "United States of Europe" -- that is a reality today in the European Union. Also, Mikhail Gorbachev is very instrumental in working for globalism. They know that they cannot march into a country like the UK or US and demand them to give up their national sovereignty. Rather, the UN subtly chips away at nations through treaty arrangements wherein we loose our sovereignty a piece at a time. They have also created Non Governmental Organisations (NGO's), which are citizen groups all over the world designed to sell the programs and objectives of the UN to the world populace. So their strategy is a gradual inching toward globalism so as not to awaken too many people as to what is going on.

It is clear that when the Antichrist, the World Dictator, comes onto the scene, he will be hailed as a great charismatic leader who appears to have all the answers to the world's ills. He will be greeted with open arms. He will be the one to insure a 7-year peace treaty between Israel and the entire world. He will be revered as the Great Peacemaker! But three and one half years into the treaty, he will break the agreement, declare himself as god, and will attempt to exterminate all Jews and most certainly he will have the backing of an amazing alignment of nations.

I have often been asked if it is possible to say whether or not the Antichrist is alive on planet earth at this very moment, well, I don’t believe any man would be so foolish as to give an answer in the affirmative to such a question. One thing though I believe is sure; Satan always has a man in the wings waiting for the moment he is needed. Satan is mighty that’s for sure but he is not almighty, he does not know God’s calendar, like many humans he knows the Bible but does not have an insight into the secrets known only to God therefore, at all times he must be prepared for the moment God’s prophetic clocks shows the final countdown has started. Though positive identification of the Antichrist is never possible during this present age, much data is given in the Prophetic Word, which will enable us to define the person and the mission of the Antichrist with some degree of accuracy. Even the abortive attempts that have been made during the last two thousand years to identify the Antichrist are helpful, for they have kept the Bible doctrine of the Antichrist alive in the minds hearts of believers therefore, making eschatology a relevant issue during every era of the church age for behind the appearance of some potential Antichrist is the “Blessed Hope” the wonderful anticipation of the wonderful coming again of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We are not there yet, but I am convinced that day is not far off!

In October, 1987, British Television weatherman Michael Fish told viewers he'd received a telephone call from a viewer who said she'd heard a hurricane was on the way. He told his viewers not to worry. He brushed aside amateur weather forecasts with a laugh and predicted nothing more than sea breezes. Shortly after he finished, Britain was hit by 120 mile per hour winds that blacked out half the country.

Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).

It really is interesting how many predications by others we can lightly laugh off for one reason or another and perhaps rightly so. When we come to Scriptural truth may I encourage you, never take the Word of God lightly The Scriptures are God’s final word to humankind and should be read with the deepest of interest. All God’s predictions to date have come to pass, with a record like that should we not be sitting up and taking seriously the wonderful Word of the Living God and giving to it our best attention that we in turn may instruct our families, friends and neighbours.

I quote this from Dr. Dave Reagan’s excellent book “Living for Christ in the End Times” (New Leaf press) Page no. 109 Gallup says “America Has a Shallow Faith.” (A truth, which could be attributed to most western countries today) (In brackets mine) Those were the headlines of a newspaper article that contained the results of Gallup’s latest polls on faith in America. “We’ve become a more churched nation but not necessarily a more Christian one,” reported Gallup. He added that in America today “God is important but not primary in people’s lives.” Despite religion’s continuing and widespread appeal, Gallup reported that Americans are ignorant about doctrine, inconsistent in their beliefs, superficially faithful, and lacking trust in God. “So many Americans say they believe in God,” said Gallup, “but far fewer are willing to trust Him, to be obedient and to follow His will.”

Dr. Reagan continues on page 110, “Paul knew how to practice tough faith. Unlike most of us, the quality of his faith did not depend upon circumstances. It is so easy to walk in faith when the circumstances of life are all very positive. It is when the circumstances go sour that our faith is tested.” All the more reason we need to know and understand God’s precious Word. That Word needs to be engrained into our very heart and soul because its on the foundation of God’s wonderful Word we can build a sure and certain hope which will not be soon shaken whatever the future holds for us. Sadly, so many of our precious young people today seem unable to stay the course. Yes, they start well and get excited and enthused about the meetings, the music, the mime and much more, but when faith is tested with the reality of living they fall.