I
am gone this week but wanted to post this excellent article by Pete Garcia of
the Omega Letter, whose work I respect greatly and have posted before on this
site. Enjoy, and I will return next
week.
Is
the US in Bible Prophecy?
Prophecy
- Signs
Monday,
October 16, 2017
Pete
Garcia
There
has been much discussion as of late on whether or not the United States is
found in Bible prophecy. How does the world’s most powerful, Christian, and
Israel-friendly nation not warrant a mention as a key player in the last days?
If the US is in Bible prophecy, what role does she play? If she is not, then
why not? What happens to her vast natural resources, advanced technology,
military arsenal, and able-bodied citizens? Considering these questions, there
are biblically sound and astute teachers on both sides of the issue who either
believe that the US is Mystery Babylon, or that we are not in the picture at
all.
Those
in the camp of us being Babylon (mystery or otherwise), seem to make good
points for that case (see here). Probably the strongest reason why we could be
is that the Jews are told to come out of her. As of 2017, the largest
concentration of Jewish people outside of Israel is in the United States. While
at the same time, there are practically no Jews in what was traditional Babylon
(Iraq) thanks to the likes of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other militant Islamic
groups. So how could they come out of her (Babylon), if they are not in there,
to begin with?
Those
in the camp who believe we are not in the prophetic picture at all (see here)
believe so for a variety of reasons. The most obvious reason for saying the US
is not in Bible prophecy is that there is no explicit mention of any nation (in
the geopolitical sense) that matches our description in the prophetic texts
concerning the last days. While a number of doomsday scenarios could pose an
existential threat to the United States, none (in my opinion) threaten to so suddenly
upend the traditional global order as the Rapture of the Church. The threat has
been gravely underestimated in books like the “Left Behind” series and other
popular eschatological material.
Underestimated
not because of the percentage of how many Americans are raptured up, but by
what immediately follows.
Assessment
Speculation
abounds as to what the percentage will be for those believers who will be
caught up. Some think as low as one percent while others think as high as
twenty-five percent. The percentage then has become sort of a measuring stick
by which we could determine whether or not the US survives the Rapture event
and go on to play a major role in the 70th Week of Daniel. I tend to think
around ten percent of the US population will be raptured, but even then that
means around thirty million Americans (by current population standards) would
instantaneously disappear. But regardless, the how is less important than the
why in regards to our potential role in the Tribulation.
What
is of utmost importance is realizing that once the Rapture does occur, the
restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit is also removed (2 Thess. 2:6-8).
This
does not mean that the Holy Spirit disappears from the earth altogether. The
Holy Spirit is omnipresent and cannot, not be everywhere. The Holy Spirit was
on the earth prior to the day of Pentecost and He will be here after the
Rapture event. What it means is that the mystery of iniquity (or lawlessness)
that is active in the world today, is at the same time actively being hindered
by God’s power through His people. We are salt and light to a world that will
quickly be engulfed in darkness once the Rapture occurs. But after the Rapture,
lawlessness will no longer be hindered. Lawlessness will go unchecked and the
world will quickly move in one accord under the direction of Satan who will
rapidly form that final world system.
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high
mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the
devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for
this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if
You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” Luke 4:5-7
The
idea that the world first experiences the Rapture then sees the unleashing of
the four horsemen matches perfectly with what Paul is shown concerning the
order of events. The man of sin cannot be revealed until we (the body of
Christ) is removed. This is why we see John record the Revelation in the manner
which he does (Rev. 1:19):
the vision-the things John has seen
the seven letters to the seven churches-the
things which are in John’s day until now
the heavenly throne room and subsequent
events-the things after this (after the churches)
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the
seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like
thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on
it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to
conquer. Revelation 6:1-2
The
first horse out of the gate is the man of sin riding the white horse. He
seemingly takes advantage of a crisis already in progress. How long the crisis
lasts between the Rapture and his arrival is unknown. We know that the actual
70th Week does not start at the Rapture, but with a covenant that is signed
between Israel and the nations (Dan. 9:27) which he will ultimately violate
halfway through. The man of sin will then become the son of perdition once
Satan physically possesses him at the midway point. At present time, it is
impossible for us to know who this man will be. We only know what the Bible
says about him. However, his arrival likely comes at a point of great turmoil.
So if the world’s agenda is currently being hindered by God the Holy Spirit
through the body of Christ on the earth, what does our removal then signify?
A
total lack of restraint. Unchecked restraint will result in turmoil and
conflict and crisis.
It
should mean that the floodgates of hell are opened and there will be a short
period of chaos immediately following the removal of the body of Christ (the
Church) from the earth. This will force the power structures of the former
world-order (pre-rapture) to realign themselves post-rapture. The old saying is
that nature abhors a vacuum, and will fill itself with anything to avoid a
vacuum. If the church’s removal provides this vacuum, you can guarantee that
something will fill this void. This is where I believe the spirit of antichrist
becomes the strong delusion that sweeps over the world.
Logically
what comes with turmoil and change, is conflict. If we look back at World War 1
or World War 2, we see that the geopolitical realities changed significantly
before and after each of these events. After the Rapture will be no different.
The world will be forced to realign itself. IF the US is not impacted at all by
the Rapture, then the current power structure (or the world order) will not
need to change. But we do see great change coming because the next horse
unleashed is the rider on the red horse.
When He opened the second seal, I heard the
second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went
out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth,
and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great
sword. Rev. 6:3-4
As
I’ve stated in a previous briefs, that any belief system outside of true,
orthodox Christianity, is from Satan. While the varying religions and worldviews
may have different angles, forms of worship, terminology, etc., they are all
varying corruptions of the truth. The reality then is that there is only one
God, who is expressed in three Persons, who are all of the same divine essence
and being, co-equal in power, and willingly submitting to each other to
eternally be in one accord, according to Scripture. Anything that deviates from
that is from Satan.
In
other words, it could have just as easily been Hinduism or Shintoism that was
violently rampaging across the Middle East and Europe as it is Islam. Any view
that is not true biblical Christianity, is fiercely (when confronted) opposed
to the truth because of what it reveals about its corrupted nature. Without the
Holy Spirit to keep the world at bay, the world will tear itself apart trying
to establish a new dominant religious position.
When He opened the third seal, I heard the
third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black
horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a
voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a
denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil
and the wine. Rev. 6:5-6
When
peace is taken from the earth, what naturally follows is economic disparity and
starvation. The rich and powerful have the means to keep their wealth and
sustenance, while the rest do not. With starvation comes death and pestilence.
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and
behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades
followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to
kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Rev.
6:7-8
The
world population is currently at 7.5 billion people. While we can’t know the
percentage of those taken up at the Rapture of the Church, we can know
(roughly) how many perish during the first four Seal judgments. A fourth of
that is around 1.875B people. This is an unprecedented number and aside from
the Noahic flood, we don’t have anything else that can really compare to a
number that large perishing in such a short period of time. That number alone
will force major geopolitical alignments that will bring about the final world
system headed by the Antichrist.
Conclusion
I
think that the biblically reasonable answer to the question of whether the
United States is in Bible prophecy is that we are, but not in the way we hoped
or expected. Although we are not Mystery Babylon, we will be essential to its
creation. Every gentile power that has come about ultimately befriends and then
betrays either the nation of Israel (and Judah) or the Jewish people. The
nations will have to answer for this as well (Matt. 25:31-46). After the
Rapture, the US will cease to look or be anything of like what it is today. I
expect the US to become exceedingly anti-Semitic much the same way Europe
rapidly became anti-Semitic in the early 20th century.
The
Jews will have to flee the United States back to Israel just as they did Europe
between WWI and WWII. This is because the antichrist spirit will feed that
supernatural hatred to a people who have been given over to a strong delusion.
Satan’s intent then is to gather the Jews into one place so to set a snare for
destruction (Matt. 24:15-21, 2 Thess. 2:3-4). If Satan can destroy Israel,
Jerusalem, the temple, and kill the Jews, then God’s prophetic word will fail
thus nullifying God’s plan for Satan. At least, that is his plan it seems.
Likewise,
if the US ceases to be the world superpower, some other nation(s) will rise up
to fill that void such as the revived Roman Empire. What’s left of the US will
be incorporated into that final world system. Without the constraints of the
Judeo-Christian constitution, the US will dissolve relatively quickly. It would
seem that either some catastrophic event occurs before Gog and Magog (Ezekiel
38-39), or after the Rapture, the US sees no intrinsic need to come to the aid
of Israel. Either way, we are not willing to come to her aid.
The
antichrist and the false prophet simply do not have enough time left to build
the world forces it needs to dominate the planet in only seven years. They will
have to rely on taking from what’s left of the major world powers through some
advanced digital system (AI perhaps) to impose its iron-fisted will over the
entire planet. Granted, even that time will be very brief as the forces from
the east will eventually rise up to challenge his (antichrist’s) authority
(Rev. 16:12).
Unfortunately,
the US will be amongst the nations who finally assemble at the Valley of
Megiddo and try to challenge the physical return of Jesus to the earth (Zech.
12:3). They nations armies are quickly and effortlessly destroyed as Jesus
brings His armies from heaven to watch Him single-handedly destroy the world’s
system (Dan. 2:44-45). Unlike earthly empires and kingdoms, Jesus does not have
any weaknesses. He is the infinite source of all wealth, all power, and does
not rely on consensus to conduct His will, because He and the Father, and the
Spirit are One in purpose. To this, Revelation 19:15-16 states-
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword,
that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a
rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
Even
so, Maranatha!
