What Is your World
View?
By
Gene Lawley
Like a telescope
with an automatic
focusing mechanism,
current events are
bringing into sharp
display the
contrasting world
views that are
seeking to dominate
this globe we live
on.
These
end-time entities
have long been
evident, but never
have they jockeyed
into position so
clearly as they are
today.
There appear to be
three opposing world
views that seek to
capture the
allegiance of
mankind in these
last days:
The secular
world view; the
religious world
view; and the
biblical world view.
The Secular World
View
This secular view is
both economic and
political and is
determined to
accomplish its
purpose without
admission of God or
submission to God.
It is almost
as old as time,
itself, at least
reaching back to the Tower of Babel, when mankind was clearly engaged
in an effort to
“reach the heavens”
without the
assistance of the
Almighty.
God said, in
Genesis 11:5-8,
“But the LORD came
down to see the city
and the tower which
the sons of men had
built.
And the LORD
said, ‘Indeed the
people are
one and they all
have one language,
and this is what
they begin to do;
now nothing that
they propose to do
will be withheld
from them.
Come, let Us
go down and there
confuse their
language, that they
may not understand
one another's
speech.’
So the LORD
scattered them
abroad from there
over the face of all
the earth, and they
ceased building the
city.”
Secular history
confirms the
forward-looking
prophecy of Daniel
that describes the
four
world-dominating
kingdoms he saw in
his visions.
The Apostle
John, looking back
beyond Daniel and
forward to his day,
and further, to our
day, sees a series
of seven
world-dominating
kingdoms (Revelation
13:1).
The one
existing in John’s
era was the kingdom of Rome,
and he envisioned
that it would die,
then rise again in
the latter days as
ten united entities
encompassing the
whole world.
(Those prior
to
Rome were Assyria, Egypt,
Babylon, Medo-Persian, and Greece.)
One might wonder
where the global
presence of the
British Empire fits
into the scenario,
having extended its
colonial expansion
to the extent that
it claimed that “the
sun never sets on
the
British Empire”.
Out of that British
outreach came the
American colonies,
and then, the United States of America.
Where does it
fit into the world
view?
These have their
roots in the Roman
domination and
expansion, and it is
becoming evident
that they are
continuing to be an
integral part of
that original entity
and its current
restoration.
While John
identified with
Daniel the kingdoms,
he also identified
the driving force
inherent in these
dominating world
powers over the
expanse of their
respective
existences.
In Revelation
12 he describes
Satan as a fiery red
dragon, having
seven heads and ten
horns on his heads.
It is
practically the same
description as John
gives in Chapter 13
when he sees the
beast rise up out of
the sea.
Therefore, it
appears that this
secular world view’s
driving force in its
effort to control
mankind by economic
and political means
is Satanic.
The cruelty
and disregard of
human life that has
been displayed in
secondary splinter
philosophies, such
as the Nazi,
Communist and
Japanese Imperial
forces in recent
years, and others
over the centuries,
have revealed
Satan’s control of
the secular world
view.
Where is the secular
world view now, in
its progress to
world dominance?
Its
proponents are
busier than ever,
destroying the
sovereignty of
nations and their
economies, toppling
dictatorships,
arranging peace
treaty discussions
between Israel and
the Palestinians,
and working on a
plan to establish a
ten region
confederacy of
nations without
individual
sovereignty—a one
world government.
Its major “burr
under its saddle
blanket”, apart from
the seemingly
reluctant downfall
of
United States sovereignty, is
that constant
harassment of
unsettled
relationships in the
Middle East,
the senseless,
ongoing
Israeli-Palestinian
squabble.
What a pity
it is that the
world’s great utopia
must wait while
tempers flare with
age-old hatreds that
make no sense, in
light of the coming
glorious reformation
of the world social
order.
(I write
facetiously, of
course.)
Without a doubt it
is a sure thing that
a shadow group of
elite financiers
have been promoting
this secular world
view for many years,
and it appears their
deepest desires are
no longer as secret
as they have been in
the past.
Dr. Henry
Kissinger is on
record announcing
that “Barack Obama
has been primed to
create a new world
order”.
It may be
surprising that
Kissinger, a former
Secretary of State
in the Nixon
administration and
not generally
thought of as one
aligned with liberal
political views,
would have had
anything to do with
the Obama
presidency, but
those who are
planning for a one
world government
have no other
political
loyalties—including
that of national
heritage.
The Religious World
View
Another segment of
the world population
has its eyes set on
dominating all
people, one way or
another, is that of
the Islamic
faith—the Muslims.
They are
gradually
out-numbering the
non-Muslims in
physical
reproduction by
about 4 to 1.
The figure is
over eight children
per Muslim family,
compared to two or
less per non-Muslim
family.
Major
European nations are
now experiencing
Muslim population
explosions (no pun
intended) and America is certainly in its
cross-hairs.
Studies have shown
that as the
percentage of a
population is
increasingly Muslim,
the demands for
rulings that favor
their doctrines are
advanced amid
terrorism and
violence.
The outcry is
essentially, “become
Muslim or die”.
Thus, the
whole world is
viewed as
conquerable in the
name of Allah, and
the Islamic goal is
toward that end.
How is it that this
view can co-exist
with the secular
world view?
The seculars
think they can use
the radical Muslims
to break down the
sovereignty of
nations, just as is
the goal of that
religious viewpoint,
and come out on the
final end as the
only just and right
victor.
With the
seculars, there is
no God who figures
into the mix.
God is a
non-entity to these
modern
Tower
of
Babel
descendents, and
therefore, in the
final analysis and
coming
enlightenment, that
issue will
disappear.
Revelation 13 tells
us that a false
prophet will appear
alongside the
Anti-Christ and work
in tandem with his
dominating moves to
conquer the world.
Current
headlines tell us
that inter-faith
movements are being
pushed by political
figures, even, while
leading church
clergy are
abandoning their
evangelical roots to
embrace the
“politically
correct” pressure to
compromise the
gospel message of
Christ only, always.
A
Nigerian-originated
combination of
Christianity and
Islamic doctrines,
called “Chrislam”,
has surfaced in
recent days.
How will this merge
into the end-time
religious system
described in the
Apostle John’s
Revelation now
appears unclear,
since that prophetic
picture seems to
point to Rome, the city on seven
hills
(Revelation
17).
That same
chapter ties
together the beast,
the Anti-Christ, the
one-world
government, the
religious system and
the woman in one
giant package.
It also
reveals the total
rejection of the
religious system by
the Anti-Christ, for
he will declare
himself God and
demand total
submission of all
mankind.
Reality, however,
has a better offer,
and the God of
eternity stands
behind the scenes as
they unfold before
the eyes of the
world.
The Biblical World
View
The God of the Bible
is described in
these terms in Psalm
90:2:
“Before the
mountains were
brought forth, or
ever You had formed
the earth and the
world, even from
everlasting to
everlasting, You are
God.”
Considering
the meaning of these
words, not a lot
more needs to be
said of those lesser
world views.
They are the
ones being used to
accomplish a totally
different world
view, one that has
been in place
eternally.
Paul writes to Titus
these words:
“…in hope of
eternal life which
God, who cannot lie,
promised before
time began”
(Titus 1:2).
Is there any
other world view
that gives such
long-standing hope
and assurance?
The biblical world
view now has on its
doorstep welcome mat
a barrage of
predictions becoming
realities—geophysical
upheavals, economic
crises, warring
factions and
political
uncertainties.
Looming on
the horizon are
several predicted
events that will
lead up to the
seemingly successful
secular world view,
interwoven with
threads of the
religious world
view, although
perhaps not so
consistent with the
intent of today’s
view of that
faction.
What are those
events waiting in
the wings?
The circle of
enemies around
Israel’s very
borders, filled with
hatred and a burning
desire to see Israel
no more existing,
their anguish for a
Palestinian state
and the demise of
Israel will likely
result in the
confrontation
described in Psalm
83.
God’s miraculous
delivery of
Israel
from the intended
destruction and
demise will result
in serious
considerations for a
peace agreement that
favors Israel and its even newer borders.
As this
discussion begins to
take shape, a very
strange event may
well be next on the
schedule, and that
is the sudden
disappearance of
millions of people
from off the face of
the earth, in the
twinkling of an eye.
Reading Paul’s
account of the
occurrence and the
connecting context,
the flow of the
events seems to give
an idea of their
timing and
relationships (I
Thess-alonians
4:16-5:4):
“For the Lord
Himself will descend
from heaven with a
shout, with the
voice of an
archangel, and with
the trumpet of God,
and the dead in
Christ will rise
first.
Then we who
are alive and remain
shall be caught up
together with them
in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the
air.
And thus we
shall always be with
the Lord.
Therefore,
comfort one another
with these words.
“But
concerning the times
and the seasons,
brethren, you have
no need that I
should write to you,
for you know
perfectly that
the day of the Lord
so comes as a thief
in the night.
For when they
say, “Peace and
safety!”, then
sudden destruction
comes upon them, as
labor pains upon a
pregnant woman, and
they shall not
escape.
But you,
brethren, are not in
darkness, so that
this Day should
overtake you as a
thief.”
This Day of the Lord
seems to be the
beginning of the
“time of Jacob’s
trouble”, (Jeremiah
30:7) the seven-year
period of judgment
on the world and the
Jewish recognition
of their true
Messiah.
The details
of the rapture of
believers is
identified as that
Day of the Lord, and
it is in the “times
and seasons” when a
certain covenant is
confirmed (Daniel
9:27) for seven
years, acknowledged
by a cry of “Peace
and safety”.
Within the
timing of these
events is when all
true believers will
hear that trumpet
blast and will be
transformed from
mortal to immortal,
in the twinkling of
an eye.
This will
occur before that
man of sin, the
Anti-Christ, will
confirm that
covenant, for he
will not be revealed
until the believers
are taken out of the
way (II
Thessalonians
2:7-8).
All of the events of
the final 70th
year of Daniel’s
prophecy then will
begin to play out,
as described in
Revelation 6 and
following, including
the Gog-Magog
invasion from the
far north—Russia,
Persia (Iran), and
others.
When are the “times
and seasons”?
It is
apparent that they
are now, for what
other “covenant for
peace” could one
envision than the
one now being
considered?
How soon will
the burning anger
and hatred for Israel, worldwide, boil over into
the Psalm 83
scenario?
How much
longer will the
secular world view
proponents’ patience
hold in place?
The reshaping
of Middle East
political entities
portends an awesome
immediate future of
deep trouble for Israel.
The fire is
hot and the pot is
boiling.
Is it not
even at the door?