One World Predicted
(A Message by Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo at True Life BPC on November 16, 2008)
Text: Revelation 13
Globalisation is the talk of the world. There is a relentless push today towards One World. The recent Beijing Olympics 2008 highlighted this agenda; it had this slogan—“One World One Dream.” Dear friends, it is no dream; it will be reality! The Bible says so.
Two thousand years ago, the Apostle John wrote these divinely inspired words of prophecy: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. … and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev 13:1, 2, 7). God Himself has preserved these inspired words of prophecy for us so that we might know what is coming. And by knowing what is going to happen, we would seek to live wisely and not foolishly. Know for sure that a new world order is coming. A world that will be controlled by one man—a global dictator—moved by none other than the devil himself (Rev 13:2, 4)
This One World dictator is known by many names. He is called the Antichrist (1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3), the little horn (Dan 7:8), the wilful king (Dan 11:36), the man of sin (2 Thess 2:2), the son of perdition (2 Thess 2:13), the wicked one (2 Thess 2:8), and here in Revelation, the beast (Rev 13:1). He will set up a One World Order. What will this One World System be like? Revelation 13 tells us that the One World that is coming will have the following characteristics:
One World Government
One day, one man will have power over the whole world. In Revelation 13:3, we are told that the “dragon” namely the devil himself will give to such a man “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” By God’s permission, Satan is right now “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). He is given the power to confer worldly authority and power to anyone who would bow down and worship him. This can be seen when Satan tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness. Remember how Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and there showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and said to Him, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matt 4:9)? Satan wanted to make Christ into an Antichrist. How did our Saviour respond? Jesus told the devil, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt 4:10). The Lord Jesus Christ did not succumb to the temptations of the devil. But the coming Antichrist, he will kowtow to the devil and the devil will give to him all the kingdoms of the world.
When we look at the world today, we are seeing the grouping of nations into political or economic blocs. Such regional unions will ultimately lead to a One World union. Already you have the European Union. Will we see an American Union, an African Union, and an Asian Union in the foreseeable future? The nations of the world are already talking about such unions because they are desirable for peace and prosperity.
In order to hold the world together, there must come a man who will command the respect and admiration of the whole world. The Antichrist who will arise one day will be such a man. He will be a great orator. He will speak persuasively and powerfully, “speaking great things and blasphemies” (Rev 13:5). He will move the hearts of men with his words, and will speak proudly against God. Revelation 13:6 tells us, “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” He would blame God for all the ills of the world, and promise to heal the world that he claims God has made sick. Those who oppose him he will crush and no earthly power will be able to defeat him, and everyone will be amazed at him saying, “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Rev 13:4). None of course! Satan will make sure of that.
Now, with absolute power to rule will come the sinful desire to be worshipped. For this to happen, he will form a
One World Religion
Revelation 13:8 tells us that all who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will worship the Antichrist: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Now the Antichrist will be assisted by a False Prophet. This false teacher of religion is described in Revelation 13:11, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, … And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.” This second beast—the False Prophet—will be able to perform Satanic miracles which will mesmerise the world into worshipping the first beast—the Antichrist. And those who refuse to worship the Antichrist he will kill (Rev 13:12, 15).
This False Prophet is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, for he is described as looking like a lamb but speaking like a dragon (Rev 13:10). Jesus warns, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt 7:15). As Christians, we had better learn to discern the true from the false. Do not judge a person by his looks. Do not go by the rule of Hollywood: the good man or the hero is the tall, dark, and handsome guy. Go by the rule of God’s Holy Word, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:54), and that means not looking at the face but the heart. This was what the Lord told Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Sam 16:7).
How can we see or know the heart? Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt 7:16- 23). The test is in their speech and their deeds; do they square with the Word of God. The end-time False Prophet will perform miracles to deceive and destroy. He looks like a lamb, gentle and innocent, but speaks like the dragon, speaking lies and blaspheming God. He seeks not the glory of God, but the glory of man. The motto of the False Prophet is “I must increase and Christ must decrease” (cf John 3:30).
A One World Religion is taking shape. Already the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) statements of 1994 and 1997 have succeeded in uniting the Protestant Church with the Roman Catholic Church, undoing the 16th Century Protestant Reformation. Already, the Lutheran World Federation on October 31, 1999, had declared the Reformation to be a mistake and is now joined with the Catholic Church. Now the work of uniting all religions has begun, and it is done through the United Religions Initiative (URI) which was founded in the year 2000 in San Francisco. The coming False Prophet will use this One World Religion to usher in the worship of the Antichrist.
That is why True Life BPC and all other faithful BP and non-BP churches have taken a separatist stand in obedience to God’s command not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers … Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, … and touch not the unclean thing” (2 Cor 6:14, 17).
Not only will there be a One World Religion, there will also be a
One World Economy
A One World Economy is predicted in Revelation 13:16-18, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
One day everyone living on planet earth will be required to receive the mark of the beast in order to survive or subsist. Without this mark, you will not be able to buy or sell unless you have this mark. This will invariably involve the banking system. Everything will be made to conform to the One World standards set by the coming One World ruler. A One World currency and a cashless society will one day emerge. Gone will be the days of bankbooks and safe deposit boxes. A microchip can be easily implanted into one’s right hand or forehead, and in it will contain all of one’s personal and financial data. All transactions will be done electronically and wirelessly. No need for paper or for cash. No more forms to fill. No numbers or passwords to remember. No need for credit cards, debit cards or identity cards. No need for passports either. All this high-tech stuff which makes our life very convenient and comfortable would also mean giving up our privacy and freedom to one man who will have the right to decide whether we eat or starve, whether we live or die.
The current global economic recession (described as a “tsunami”) provides the impetus for such a One World Economy with a One World currency and banking system. One day, there will be a common PIN (Personal Identification Number) for everyone and it is the number of the Antichrist, namely, 666. Those who will follow the False Prophet, worship the Antichrist and receive his number will finally be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20). Already there exists a device that can make this happen, the RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) chip. Could this be the mark of the Antichrist?
Be Warned
In such perilous times, what should we do? Let us make sure we are born again and saved from our sins and from the wrath of God to come. Those who have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit, will be protected by God the Father, and will not receive the mark of the beast.
A One World Order is coming—One World Government, One World Religion, One World Economy—masterminded by the unholy Trinity—the Devil, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Be warned, beware, be wise!
For further study, read Pastor Timothy Tow’s commentaries on Daniel—Visions of the Princely Prophet, and on Revelation— Coming World Events Unveiled. Get them from FEBC Bookroom, 9A Gilstead Road (http://www.febc.edu.sg/bookroom.htm).
