19 Aug 2024

Restraint, Derision, then Catastrophism

A number of reports coming across my research in the sudden seeming collapse of US and world economic conditions make it clear that, now, the long-feared disaster has begun. There would be no stopping the total collapse from happening, although it might take some time coming.

This continues to be the conclusion by even some folks who look at such matters through the prism of Bible prophecy. This collapse will bring on the globalists’ desire to begin instituting the Great Reset that’s been long desired by Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum (WEF) sorts. This means the Tribulation is about to begin, or maybe has begun.

We can next expect the beginning of the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy. That includes the Antichrist’s rise to power and Israel being assaulted. This will result in the catastrophes outlined throughout the book of Revelation.

Agreed. When the Tribulation begins, the severity of God’s judgment and wrath will increase in intensity, and the planet will reel from the resulting carnage. Antichrist will more or less rule for a time, and Israel will become the object of Satan’s full-scale wickedness as he strives to destroy God’s chosen nation.

We see developments toward the rise of Satan’s man of sin each and every news cycle. The WEF and others of that organization’s ilk are making great strides toward constructing the New World Order long advocated by one-world architects such as the now-deceased David Rockefeller. As a matter of fact, that progress was so aggressively pursued that I believe they were getting ahead of God’s governance. That is, they exceeded their allowed evil progression—at least time-wise.

And that’s why I titled this commentary “Restraint, Derision, then Catastrophism.”

My thinking on all this involves the American political left. That is the ideology–perhaps better stated, the “theology”—of the extreme left on the political spectrum of America and the world.

It is indeed a theological drive toward removing God’s supremacy and installing the Luciferian authority embraced by these people and their activities. Each political nuance pursued by that fanatic element is focused on evil continually. That is, the adherents to the woke insanity, for example, accept every form of wickedness God’s Word says goes against His holiness and His will for humankind. God has thus given them over to the “reprobate mind” of Romans 1:28.

I maintain that the evil coming from the leftist ideology/theology has just been handed an astounding restraint by the backhand of the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Rather than the sudden downward plunge by the stock markets of America, Japan, and the world being used by the WEF to create conditions to further their Great Reset ambitions (as I’m convinced was intended), God used that contrived event to heap derision upon, in particular, those on the American political left. The stock market’s dramatic fall starkly pointed out the abysmal way the current presidential administration has detrimentally afflicted this nation—and thereby the entire world, because the rest of the world economies are so intricately linked to that of the US.

This, and the chaos created within the party of the anti-God left by apparently choosing totally woke candidates for the 2024 presidential election, in my opinion, is God’s hand of restraint and fulfillment of His Psalm chapter 2 promise of “laughing to derision” those who would put their power above the supremacy of God. That was the huge mistake Lucifer made when he looked into that mirror of iniquity and said his “I wills” (Isaiah 14:14).

And this is to in no way say I believe this means one party will prevail over another in the upcoming election. We should pray and vote as God gives light to the believing mind–the spirit within.

With everything that’s happening in every direction on the end-times landscape, our primary focus should be as Jesus Himself commanded:

“And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). 

God’s restraining hand will be on this world as long as believers of this age are on the earth. When Jesus calls all of God’s family to be with Him upon the clouds of Glory, all will come crashing down–including the economy that has been miraculously kept from total collapse, as predicted for two decades or more.

Catastrophism—the complete disruption of things as usual upon the earth—will then be the result of humanity’s rebellion and the embrace of Satan’s Antichrist counterfeit. That rejection of God will bring judgment and wrath the likes of which Jesus said will be the worst of all human history (Matthew 24:21).

You don’t want to be here when Antichrist rules and God’s judgment and wrath begin to fall on the rebels of this world. Here is how to go to the safety found only in Jesus Christ when He calls all believers to Himself in the Rapture:

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

What Can the Righteous Do?

Long ago, David asked a question that’s on the minds of many believers today. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). In other words, what do we do as the political and moral supports of society fall to ruins around us?

Does this not sum up what we see today?

The manipulation of politics in the U.S. has recently become front and center for all to see. Despite receiving no votes in the primaries, the delegates to the Democratic convention had no choice but to select Kamila Harris as their nominee for president during a binding preconvention tally.

The subsequent selection of Tim Walz as her running mate highlights the deplorable moral depravity of America. As Minnesota’s governor, he not only signed legislation permitting abortion up to the time of birth but also approved a law that permits the killing of babies that survive it, infanticide. Walz also made his state a safe haven for children seeking horrific and wicked transgenderism procedures, which are destroying the lives of so many kids today. How is it possible that such a morally depraved and vile man is on the ticket for the highest office in America?

The woeful state of society today is the result of Satan’s prolonged attacks, which the Psalmist described in the preceding verse, “For behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart” (Psalm 11:2). The image is that of the wicked lurking in dark shadows waiting for an opportunity to ambush the righteous.

Today, the devil’s minions no longer hide; they fire their deadly arrows in broad daylight. How are we to respond to the perilous times in which we live?

Resist the Temptation to Hide from Reality

If you are like me, there are times when you just want to run away from it all and pretend that the horrors of our day simply don’t exist. David expressed that same impulse in Psalm 11:1.

“In the Lord I take refuge,
how can you say to my soul,
‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.'”

As David considered the turmoil of his day with King Saul in charge and the constant threat to his life, he considered the option of completely running far away from the danger. Most commentators believe that this counsel came from his advisors, although some regard this as an inward discussion.

Does this option not seem appealing today? We feel the lure of allowing entertainment, sports, travel, smartphones, and other pleasures to distract us from the real world and the dangers that threaten our livelihood. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things as long as we do not let them dull our senses to dangers afoot in our world and the lateness of the hour in which we live.

Run to the Lord

Rather than ignore the evil of his day, David ran to the Lord. He filled his mind with truths regarding His sovereignty, His all-knowing and all-seeing characteristics. He could face the perils of life because his hope rested in the One who controls all things.

“The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (Psalm 11:4).

The One who loves justice (see Psalm 37:28) sees all the wickedness, deception, and violence that we do and so much more! David could face the threats to his life because he remained confident that the Lord “hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (v. 5). Of course, David took steps to protect himself from Saul, but he resisted the temptation to flee far away. Instead, he ran to the Lord.

A realistic look at our world generates fears within us. Those seeking to enslave the people under a tyrannical world government talk openly of drastically reducing the world’s population. I understand the desire to flee to the distractions around us rather than believe the elite of our world actually desire to kill most of us and are actively working toward that goal.

But is it not better to run to the Lord and rest in His promises? For us, that signifies eagerly awaiting Jesus’ appearing (Philippians 3:20-21).

Trust the Lord to Deal with the Wicked

Not only does the Lord provide a safe haven to which we can run, but we also have the assurance that He most certainly will judge the wicked. In verse 6, David prayed:

“Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.”

Although David’s request sounds harsh to modern ears, it rightly portrays the fate of the wicked who persist in rejecting the Lord. Yes, there will be a day of reckoning before God for all the unsaved of all the ages (Revelation 20:11-15). However, David asks God to judge the wicked in real-time, such as what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Someday, perhaps quite soon, the Lord will exact a horrible price on the wicked for the evil and deception that they impose upon the world (read Psalm 75:6-8). Those killing and destroying children will forever regret their actions. They will watch as Jesus destroys their kingdom in real-time (Revelation chapters 6-18), and later, He will sentence them to the lake of fire.

Do we not, at times, feel helpless as we watch evil and deception grow in our world? In Psalm 37:1-20, David tells us not to let these things fill us with anger but rather to trust our Lord, the righteous judge, to deal with the wicked of our day.

Psalm 11 speaks to the day in which we live. We do face the temptation to flee to the distractions of our day rather than face the perils that loom on the horizon. When we do gaze upon the perils of our day, do we not feel anger rising within us? This Psalm reminds us that God is surely in control, and He will do all that He promises us in His word. Someday, we will “behold his face” (Psalm 11:7); we will surely meet Him in the air.

Maranatha!!!!

-Jonathan

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