The book of Revelation paints a grim picture of life on earth during the period immediately preceding the return of Christ. Two figures (besides Jesus Christ) figure large in this narrative: the beast, and the harlot. The beast is shown in chapter 13 as a political figure who controls the economy of the world and also controls the lives of his subjects. The harlot is described in chapter 17 as immoral, reveling in wealth, and thirsty for the blood of the saints. Many additional details are provided, and over the ages innumerable commentators have attempted to identify contemporaneous events, individuals, and institutions with these details.
The important features of these passages are the attributes and characteristics of human behavior and society that demonstrate rebellion against God. Through the ages there have been some aspects of society like these. Whether any particular age will be the fulfillment of the second coming of Christ will probably only be obvious in retrospect. But the judgment of God falling on society for its rebellion is not reserved for the end times, except in its terminal severity. In fact, the consequence of sin is death, unless a person goes to the cross of Christ and seeks forgiveness from Him. In many cases these cause and effect threads are purely natural, such as fornication, violence, theft, drug and alcohol abuse, and so on. It is therefore the mercy of God that His intervention crushes these sins in society, to preserve the possibility of human life at all. Simply put, humans are designed to live in a society that operates according to God's principles, and any society that rebels against them is unlivable.
We have the spectacle today of the emergence of social norms that tolerate almost every sin except murder and theft. And even though not considered normative, these last two occur far too frequently. Consider that the death rate from the use of opioids now exceeds that of traffic accidents in the United States. In times past drugs were used to induce wildly divergent behaviors (such as the cult of the Assassins, who were reportedly named for their use of hashish to get individuals to allow themselves to commit murder in a drugged stupor.) Nowadays these drugs serve initially as pain relievers, but quickly become addictive masters and ultimately murderers of their users.
The complete abandon with which young people engage in sexual activity probably dates to the 1960's. The unavoidable consequences of this lifestyle choice were manifested recently when the father of an accused rapist said his son shouldn't have to go to jail for twenty minutes of "action". But that is only one manifestation of today's culture. Whether one examines the illegitimate birth rate, STD's, or the divorce rate in the West, it is hard to see how a society such as ours can escape God's judgment. He doesn't even have to manifest Himself, but simply let cause and effect run its course.
A discussion of the ramifications of current economic practices might start with the business practices born of greed and envy, but let judgment fall evenly. Unless one chooses to follow the advice of Paul in I Timothy 6:6-10, anyone in any economic circumstance can envy those with more, or seek to gain more by taking advantage of others. Whether one practices false advertising or writes exploitive contracts, or simply shirks promises made, the principle is unchanged. Neither government regulation nor government ownership and operation of industry or agriculture will remedy it.
The bottom line on all this is the paradox that after a lengthy and hard fought primary season, we have two Presidential candidates that most people don't want to vote for. One promises to fix things by more government regulation, more taxation, more redistribution. The other promises to fix things by less government regulation, less taxation, less redistribution. A stark contrast! But the problem is that neither can deliver because these are not problems the government can fix. If we persist in rebellion against God and His ways, we will reap what we sow, and no politician or government program can save us from that. Jesus may not return to earth any time soon, but we will have tribulation in this world.
There is one more point, after the bottom line has been calculated. Apocalypse means unveiling. In the book of Revelation, it refers explicitly to the unveiling the of Jesus Christ. In the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus specifically mentioned His kingdom twice. Where is His kingdom on earth?
God's kingdom on earth is being built invisibly right under our noses. There are ministries, present in every major city in the U.S., not part of any human government, that minister to the poor and those who are dealing with the consequences of sin. These ministries do not promise worldly success to those that the devil has chewed up and spit out, but they offer peace with God. This kingdom that is being built is invisible to the world because, as Jesus said, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) God's kingdom is unveiled to those who seek Him. When the world system has failed, crashed, and burned, what remains will be visible.
The important features of these passages are the attributes and characteristics of human behavior and society that demonstrate rebellion against God. Through the ages there have been some aspects of society like these. Whether any particular age will be the fulfillment of the second coming of Christ will probably only be obvious in retrospect. But the judgment of God falling on society for its rebellion is not reserved for the end times, except in its terminal severity. In fact, the consequence of sin is death, unless a person goes to the cross of Christ and seeks forgiveness from Him. In many cases these cause and effect threads are purely natural, such as fornication, violence, theft, drug and alcohol abuse, and so on. It is therefore the mercy of God that His intervention crushes these sins in society, to preserve the possibility of human life at all. Simply put, humans are designed to live in a society that operates according to God's principles, and any society that rebels against them is unlivable.
We have the spectacle today of the emergence of social norms that tolerate almost every sin except murder and theft. And even though not considered normative, these last two occur far too frequently. Consider that the death rate from the use of opioids now exceeds that of traffic accidents in the United States. In times past drugs were used to induce wildly divergent behaviors (such as the cult of the Assassins, who were reportedly named for their use of hashish to get individuals to allow themselves to commit murder in a drugged stupor.) Nowadays these drugs serve initially as pain relievers, but quickly become addictive masters and ultimately murderers of their users.
The complete abandon with which young people engage in sexual activity probably dates to the 1960's. The unavoidable consequences of this lifestyle choice were manifested recently when the father of an accused rapist said his son shouldn't have to go to jail for twenty minutes of "action". But that is only one manifestation of today's culture. Whether one examines the illegitimate birth rate, STD's, or the divorce rate in the West, it is hard to see how a society such as ours can escape God's judgment. He doesn't even have to manifest Himself, but simply let cause and effect run its course.
A discussion of the ramifications of current economic practices might start with the business practices born of greed and envy, but let judgment fall evenly. Unless one chooses to follow the advice of Paul in I Timothy 6:6-10, anyone in any economic circumstance can envy those with more, or seek to gain more by taking advantage of others. Whether one practices false advertising or writes exploitive contracts, or simply shirks promises made, the principle is unchanged. Neither government regulation nor government ownership and operation of industry or agriculture will remedy it.
The bottom line on all this is the paradox that after a lengthy and hard fought primary season, we have two Presidential candidates that most people don't want to vote for. One promises to fix things by more government regulation, more taxation, more redistribution. The other promises to fix things by less government regulation, less taxation, less redistribution. A stark contrast! But the problem is that neither can deliver because these are not problems the government can fix. If we persist in rebellion against God and His ways, we will reap what we sow, and no politician or government program can save us from that. Jesus may not return to earth any time soon, but we will have tribulation in this world.
There is one more point, after the bottom line has been calculated. Apocalypse means unveiling. In the book of Revelation, it refers explicitly to the unveiling the of Jesus Christ. In the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus specifically mentioned His kingdom twice. Where is His kingdom on earth?
God's kingdom on earth is being built invisibly right under our noses. There are ministries, present in every major city in the U.S., not part of any human government, that minister to the poor and those who are dealing with the consequences of sin. These ministries do not promise worldly success to those that the devil has chewed up and spit out, but they offer peace with God. This kingdom that is being built is invisible to the world because, as Jesus said, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3) God's kingdom is unveiled to those who seek Him. When the world system has failed, crashed, and burned, what remains will be visible.
