The Fierce Society: Part 5

The New World Order and Persecution of Christians
“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation, and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ was on the Island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” -Revelation 1:9

“Why does the world hate Christians?” Many will consider this topic irrelevant because America has historically been favorable to Christianity. But the subject is appropriate now because the atmosphere in our nation is changing. There are forces at work that seek to silence Christianity and remove the Bible and Judeo-Christian values as predominant influences in our culture. As these forces capture the minds and hearts of people, they gain control and power in government. The result will be an increase in their attempts to suppress Christianity, even to the point of persecution by means of law.
Many citizens of our nation do not recognize the depth of the evil and the disastrous consequences that are hidden beneath the surface of the many confluent streams of anti-Biblical values and norms that are growing and being accepted in our national culture today. There is the potential for great persecution against the church of Jesus Christ.

As the Apostle John noted in the verse quoted above, the two things that are offensive to the world system are the testimony of Jesus Christ and the word of God (its authoritative presentation of moral standards and values as commanded by God the Sovereign Creator and Lord to whom mankind is accountable, and to whom mankind owes love and obedience).

Back To Babel
The tower of Babel represented Satan’s attempt to unite the world into one organization under himself and apart from God. A world united apart from God would be unrestrained in its potential for evil and in its assault upon God’s people. Satan and his principalities would be the unseen spiritual powers sitting in the halls of government controlling rulers and law. Satan has always attempted to control governments and conquer the world in order to eventually take us “back to Babel.” I believe this has been the dark spiritual motivation behind rulers who have attempted world conquest throughout history.
Satan’s objective, starting with the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), has been to unite the world under one government with one universally accepted religion that denies Jesus Christ. That religion will be a syncretistic fusion of differing religions tolerant of all beliefs except Christianity. It will be very convincing to those who reject Jesus and who do not believe the Bible. The emerging “new age” spiritual trends of today capture people with good “feelings” and “warm fuzzies” brought on by soul power posing as spirit, and with demonic supernatural posing as from God. But they reject Jesus. That’s why the Bible calls the end time “man of sin” the anti-Christ. The “great harlot” of Revelation 17:1 may refer to the apostate church that turns its back on Jesus Christ and the Bible, and commits spiritual adultery (idolatry) with the political forces of the world.

As society becomes Biblically illiterate, as new age spiritualism becomes more pervasive in our land, as globalism replaces nationalism, and as various flavors of all-inclusive universalism becomes the accepted religion, professing that everybody is saved and all ways lead to God, the stage is being set for an attempt to create a world-unity apart from the God of the Bible. This means that Christians will become the “odd man out,” and will experience the contempt and hatred of those who will see the true church of Jesus Christ as an impediment and hindrance to the new world order. There is already a spirit in the halls of academia and universities that blatantly and subtly sows contempt toward Christians and the church into the minds of our young people.
During the Roman persecutions Christians were called “haters of mankind” because of their disapproval of and refusal to participate in various cultural immoralities prevalent at the time. There are forces in our culture now moving in that direction. Just as the devil has historically created an irrational and unreasonable hatred toward the Jews, he will also stir up and fuel an unreasonable and intense hatred toward those who follow Jesus. The irony is that they will hate Christians while accusing Christians of hate.

Jesus prepared His disciples

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15: 19-20

Jesus warned his disciples that the world would hate them. This warning was not intended to produce paranoia or a hostile attitude in His followers. He did not want them to be discouraged and fearful. Neither did He want them to become angry and bitter. In the face of persecution they were to love and pray for those who mistreated them. They were to stand in faith and boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. He wanted them to understand that they were in a spiritual battle that must be fought with spiritual weapons.
His warning was not meant to create a defeatist attitude in His followers. This is evident in the fact that the early Christians rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name. Even in the face of severe persecution they saw multitudes turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.