The Last Days Are Coming Into Focus

Posted by Planet In Distress on January 7, 2025 in bible prophecies, Economic Impacts, refugees, Scott Christiansen, Uncategorized, Wars and Rumors of Wars, Watching for Christ | 2 Comments

Whether we like it or not, and whether we are ready or not, we live in extraordinary times. We live, in fact, in end times – the last days of this earth. For millennia Christians have anticipated these very last days. Or more accurately, they have keenly anticipated the return of Jesus and have acknowledged that the persecution, the pursuit of evil and hollowed-out spirituality, the catastrophes, and the world-wide tumult prophesied in Daniel, Revelation, and by Christ (Matthew 24:6-8) will precede His return. But in every generation that has read and pondered these prophecies, there have been many who wondered how on earth they could come to fruition. What Christ and John describe, respectively, is so extraordinary that it has been impossible not to wonder how we get from here to there.

I was one of those who wondered. When I was a young man (this would be the 70’s and early 80’s), and I studied prophecies in Daniel and Revelation from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective, I just didn’t see how the United States would turn from being a nation that stoutly defended freedom of conscience into a nation that promoted one type of religious observance (specifically, favoring Christianity and passing laws encouraging the observance of a Sunday Sabbath in contradiction to the fourth commandment in Exodus 20:8-11). The America I grew up in believed in the separation of church and state. It was even enshrined in the constitution. And of course, there was the fact that it wasn’t just about America; the end-times are a global phenomenon and no corner of the earth will escape. Thus, my expectation was for a government-endorsed global push for observance of Sunday, a false Sabbath, with the US leading the charge. If you are not familiar with the current confluence of history and prophecy and how the battle between Christ and Satan is culminating on our watch, then I suggest you take in the excellent (and in-depth – 22 episodes!) Which Way, America? series on YouTube by It Is Written. You can find the first episode here.

So as I say, I just couldn’t see how it would all happen. The US would have to be a very different country from what it always has been, a country where the constitution is ignored or bypassed, a country where people are filled with hate and violence. But very recently the world order -and the US- has begun to dramatically change and the pulse of everything has quickened. Now I can see a fairly clear path for the fruition of all that is prophesied.  I cannot overemphasize how big a deal this is if in fact we follow this increasingly clear path.  So, this is a very big and critically important subject, and tackling it will require a bit of doing, but let’s start with the changing world order. Stick with me for a few paragraphs and after I lay the groundwork we’ll get back to the momentous events at hand.

World orders do not change very often. The vast number of people who have lived and died in recorded history have only lived under one world order. But people the age of my parents, who are in their late 80’s, now have the extraordinary experience of living under three world orders. The last time the world order changed was during and just after World War II. The old Euro-centric order had of course broken down during the war and what replaced it was the Liberal World Order (LWO). The LWO came about as a result of the twin goals of preventing the spread of communism and preventing the conditions that led to great inequalities and eventually to World War II. The US designed the underpinnings of the LWO and pushed for their implementation. Basically, what was put in place through a multitude of agreements and institutions was a world where the US patrolled the seas of the world and guaranteed safe passage and freedom of trade. The US also financed the recovery of the world from from the war, at least for countries that would commit to democracy and free trade. The liberal world order was characterized by individual freedoms, economic and security partnerships and interdependence, and an emphasis on advancements in democracy, health and education across the developing world.  The US helped nations across the world pursue these goals in an effort to avoid conflicts, famines, and inequality (a major point of this effort was the USAID organization, which the Trump administration has recently killed.  The destruction of this organization is another clear signal that the world order has changed).

The LWO effort worked and the world changed from one dominated by Europe to one dominated overwhelmingly by the US. More to the point, communism was defeated and societies around the world made great strides against poverty, poor health and poor education. But, though the LWO existed to defeat communism, the LWO kept going well after the fall of communism. Perhaps it was sheer momentum, or perhaps it was the wide array of societal benefits that the world reaped, but probably the world continued on in this fashion because the US was paying for most of it. The US was the world’s navy, the world’s policeman, and the worlds banker. The US, in the meantime, slow to adjust to the changed world, accumulated a crippling deficit as it continued to underwrite the development of the world (the USAID budget was but a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of the US military and  bilateral finance agreements put in place by various administrations). 

US voters may be slow, but they are not stupid. They could see that the system wasn’t really working. But though we voters are able to eventually see the problems at hand, we have a bad track record of solving those problems based on the promises of politicians. So though the US has made a radical change in leadership with the election of President Trump and ended an era of where the US was the global guardian, there is probably no basis for optimism regarding the solving of our common problems in this country or in this world.  But then, these are the last days and we progress not to a greater society but to an earth formed more fully in the character of Satan.  So, yeah, not much to be optimistic about in that regard.  

Right now the last bits of the Liberal World Order are coming crashing down around us. The US simply isn’t interested any longer in assuring the safety and prosperity of the rest of the world. Nor is it interested in advancing democracy around the world. Nor is it interested in advancing health and education around the world, as evidenced by the US beginning to withdraw from the World Health Organization via a presidential executive order on day one of the Trump administration (full withdrawal subject to congressional approval but that approval is a given from the Republican-majority congress).  The US is turning inward and the current administration is keenly interested in tearing down things that it doesn’t like or that stand in its way.  It also has no interest in letting norms or laws stand in its way, which is a feature for its supporters, not a bug.   In doing this, the current administration is revealing itself to be quite authoritarian – organized around the directions of one man more than around laws and norms.  And by becoming authoritarian, the US is not leading the world.  It is in fact being a follower, because as the LWO has been coming to an end, countries around the world have embraced authoritarian leaders.  Currently, more than half the world’s population lives under authoritarian regimes and the trend remains strongly toward such “strong man” government models.  Authoritarianism is the new world order.  RIP LWO.  

There are a few things you need to know about authoritarianism.  First, people living under authoritarian governments always (always) have less rights – less freedom.  For Christians dedicated to the work Christ commissioned them to do, this may mean that the golden age of evangelism has come and gone and that any work done for the Lord from here on out will be more difficult (but also very likely more fruitful – more on that later).  Second, authoritarian regimes always foster corruption across societies.  Corporations rush to flatter and charm authoritarian leaders because suddenly government functions (and contracts) hinge on how close companies are to the leader.  Think of it as policy by proximity.  Royal courts worked on this model, and not well.  This “proximity” model flows through authoritarian societies.  People who are perceived as loyal to the leader have permission to get away with more (see the pardon of the Jan 6 insurrectionists), or be otherwise rewarded for their loyalty with privileges unavailable to others.  Thus it is that people who have strived to be in positions of authority across society rush to carry out the will of the leader, even if it means doing things that were heretofore illegal or immoral or unethical.  Third, and perhaps most important for our purposes, authoritarian governments always – always – end up favoring one religion over others and support that favor through legislation (or executive order).  It might come early in their arc of power or it might come late, but it always comes.  

So here we are, living in the last days of this earth, and we should ask if there is any evidence of the major problems and waymarks that prophecy has told us will come in these last days.  Specifically: 

1. Wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6)
2. Famines and societal upheavals (Matthew 24:7)
3. Widespread diseases and epidemics (Matthew 24:7)
4. Persecution of the faithful and accelerating evil in the world (Matthew 24:9-12)
5. False prophets and the use of civil power to enforce religious decrees (page 608, The Great Controversy)
6. The promotion of a Sunday Sabbath through the cooperation of Protestants and Catholics (ibid, pages 563-634)
7. A marked increase of Catholic influence in the highest reaches of the US government in support of a Sunday Sabbath (ibid, pages 563-634)

The short answer is “yes” or at least “yesish” for all of the above.  But there are a lot of details behind that “yes”, so stay with me.  

Wars and rumors of wars: Christ told us there would be dramatically increased conflict in the last days.  We are also told by Paul that when our leaders proclaim “peace and safety” in these last days that “sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.”  1 Thessalonians 5:3.  Authoritarian governments – strong man governments – achieve things through bullying and threats of force.  They are catalysts for conflict and violence in a world that is already filled with simmering tensions, threats, and ongoing war.  The spread of authoritarian governments around the world moves us several steps closer to the fulfillment of this prophecy.  Add to this the US shrugging off its role as global policeman and peace-keeper, and the stage really is set for an explosion of conflicts globally.  Or perhaps the US may lead in the explosion of conflicts.  After all, it is the new US president that has threatened military action against its allies Denmark and Panama and has hinted at conflict with Canada.

Famines and social upheavals:  In my book Planet In Distress, published some 12 years ago now, I described the link between food price spikes and social unrest such as riots and ethnic conflicts.  I also described the link between energy prices and food prices.  Left unexplored was the link between conflict and food prices, where food price spikes give way to rioting and wars and this upsets supply chains resulting in more food price spikes which causes more violence.  Over the past decade we have seen numerous examples of all of the above and in a world of increased violence are set to see much more.  

Widespread diseases and epidemics:  For about fifty years, from the 1950’s to the early aughts, we might have seen the golden age of health in the modern world.  Widespread diseases such as mumps and rubella and whooping cough and polio were all but conquered while other diseases such as tuberculosis and various infections were definitely on the wane.  But then, in the late ’90s microbes became more and more drug resistant due to wide spread (global) antibiotic abuse.  Now, infections have once again become life-threatening in many places (not least in Ukraine during the war) and the diseases the world thought it had conquered are making a comeback, in no small part thanks to vaccine backlash and rapidly dropping herd immunity.  In Matthew 24, where Christ speaks of pestilences, it has not been clear if it is new diseases or a resurgence of diseases we know.  Now that we are closer to the end, it seems to be that it is both.  Covid, of course, being an example of a new disease.  Expect continued increases in both.

Persecution of the faithful and accelerating evil in the world:  We have certainly seen accelerating evil in the world in sufficient quantity that it does not need to be recounted here. We can check that prophetic box.  The persecution of the faithful is also on the increase.  We have seen persecution in places that are hostile to Christianity such as Islamic countries, North Korea, some Buddhist countries, etc. as well as increased persecution in Africa and Asia.  For a deep dive into this subject see the Open Doors website. As appalling as this persecution is, there is much more on the way.  Soon enough we will see the persecution of faithful, commandment-keeping Christians by unfaithful Christians.  This  is coming soon enough and will likely be related to the subjects covered in the next three paragraphs, so lets move on to those. 

False prophets and the perversion of religion for political purposes:  Let’s define “false prophets” as religious leaders who urge their followers to do or say that which is in opposition to the Bible, or to uphold and exalt means and methods which are antithetical to Christ’s example and teachings.  In other words, leaders who speak for the Lord but are not filled by His Spirit.  The clearest example of this are the legion of evangelical leaders in the US who exhort their followers to engage in politics as a primary expression of spirituality.  The problem with this approach is that coupling religion and politics does not win people to Christ, nor does it uplift and inform politics; it only demeans and dirties the religious people and the religious institutions that engage with it.  By employing what can only be called propaganda techniques and through endless repetition of the message, people become convinced that other people who are actually quite similar to them are their sworn enemies.  The result is hate, which is the opposite of Christ’s character and the opposite end point of the relationship he told us to have with our fellow man.  Because of the pursuit of political power, followers of Christ are being led in a direction that is opposite of the one Christ instructed.  People who are thus conditioned will accept and engage in all manner of wrongs and outrages that are equally in opposition to the character of Christ, which all brings us much closer to fulfilling the persecution expectation in the paragraph above.  

The promotion of a Sunday Sabbath through the cooperation of Protestants and Catholics:  For some years now, there have been conferences held by evangelicals across the country promoting a vision of a society and government run by Christians with policy that favored evangelical Christians, and supported evangelical priorities through policy and legislation.  This approach is called Christian Nationalism, who see the US as a Christian nation that should be for and governed by Christians.  There is also, of course, a strong racist vein that runs through Christian nationalism, but that is not our primary focus here.  Evangelical groups, through their conferences and other long-term projects, have done all they can to advance the idea of Christian Nationalism, and their model more and more explicitly includes a Sunday Sabbath.  The Project 2025 document put together by the Heritage Foundation specifically calls for supporting a Sunday Sabbath through legislation (by, for instance, promoting a “rest” on Sunday and requiring employers to pay overtime to anyone who must work on Sunday).  More and more these evangelical efforts have been supported and adopted by Catholics.   Catholic attendance at evangelical conferences has steadily increased and more and more Catholics have been speakers at such conferences.  There is an increasing confluence of view, at least among some protestants and Catholics, that the US government must advance and support specific Christian priorities, including a Sunday Sabbath.  

There is a key point here which is not to be missed, which is the expectation that “Protestants” will stop “protesting”.  In other words, in rejoining efforts with Catholic counterparts, they will paper over the 500 years of protest against a papal system that started when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door.  In writing on this topic, I need to be clear that the problem is not with individual Catholics, many of whom are sincere and Christ-loving Christians.  The problem is with the institution and its historical propensity to persecute and trample on freedom of conscience.  Where the Catholic church is aligning with Protestants to achieve influence and power with and within the most powerful nation on earth, those who understand prophecy will see the many red flags that are triggered.

A marked increase of Catholic influence in the highest reaches of the US government in support of a Sunday Sabbath:  There is no doubt that Catholics are represented at the highest reaches of US government in significant disproportion to their number in the population.  Seven and a half of nine Supreme Court justices are Catholic (how do you get 7.5 Catholic justices?  One justice says he was raised an Anglican but was educated almost entirely in Jesuit institutions and so he considers himself half-and-half).  For decades the intensely Catholic (Opus Dei) Federalist Society has waged an unrelenting campaign to advance arch-conservative (and Catholic where possible) justices at all levels of federal justice.  They have effectively re-made the US judicial system and nowhere is it more obvious than with the Supreme Court, which has bent over backwards to give the Trump administration unprecedented power and latitude.  But if I were to point at one very high government official who is Catholic and who backs a Christian Nationalist agenda of converting the US government into a backer and facilitator of policy that supports a Christian agenda (including a Sunday Sabbath), I’d have to point at a guy who was a very frequent speaker at the evangelical conferences referenced in the preceding paragraph.  I’d have to point at a guy who firmly believes that the government should support Christianity through policy and force.  I’d have to point to our vice-president, JD Vance.  For a careful look at Vance’s involvement in this area, read this article.

For my own part, I have no doubt that the last days are here.  But then, Ellen White said in the 1880’s that the last days were already underway, so that is not a hard call.  What is far more striking is that I now think I can see how America, a bastion of free speech and the separation of church and state, will become an enforcement tool in the societal remaking efforts of authoritarian Christians.  And a big part of that will be favor shown to a Sunday Sabbath, followed by a mandated Sunday Sabbath, followed by persecution of those who insist on observing the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.  

I think we’ll see all of that very soon.  The good news in all of this is that the forced religious observances and societal disruptions (and economic disruptions, and war, and famine, and plagues) will result in an opening of minds.  While it might be true that witnessing will become harder and harder and even perilous, it is also true that it will become more effective as people more and more seek truth.  And so it is that we see the task before us in these last days:  To faithfully and persistently proclaim through words, deeds and character Christ and His love, and the commandments that are the foundation of His kingdom.  That is our job in these last days.  Let us prayerfully be about it.