And So, It Begins?

The Horsemen Are Being Released!

This document is a solemn call for the church to awaken, discern the times, and return to steadfast faith as the world moves through deepening upheaval. It contends that the spreading signs of famine, disease, disorder, deception, and spiritual decline may reflect the early unfolding of the judgments described in Revelation, and it urges believers not to respond with fear or idle argument, but with repentance, prayer, endurance, mutual care, and readiness for the difficult days that may lie ahead before the return of Christ.

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Introduction

Many believers feel we are approaching the end, where the signs foreshadowed in the book of Revelation begin. Some feel all the prophecies in the book have already been fulfilled or are only allegorical images with no bearing on the here and now. Yet things are happening that are incredibly significant (see link). What makes the article accessed through the link significant is the level of detail that combines multiple factors, including climate and global geopolitical policies, which may lead to increasing famine, rapidly rising food costs, and limited supply. These forces combine to create further chaos and erratic human responses, opening the gateway for the rise of tyranny as desperate people seek a savior to rescue them.

These forces are currently at work now, which helps explain some of the poorer judgments being made that are forcing divisions and splits even within the church of our Lord Jesus. As the churches continue to lose their validity in society, the rise of the final beast is assured.

Famine, Pestilence, and Death

There have been many famines and epidemics over the past two millennia since our Lord departed this world for heaven. It is effortless to assume any such reference is something that has already occurred in the past. Indeed, this is true, but one thing that makes all past occurrences different is that the potential for a global event at any one time was never possible before. Today, there are a number of events that, when triggered together in succession, threaten humanity’s global survival. I have written that the Spirit of our Lord has warned us through the words of Jesus and the blessed apostles that perilous times would come before the end and the Lord’s return. Revelation 6 describes the release of world-changing events triggered by the Lamb breaking the first of seven seals, releasing what is commonly called “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” I do agree the things released by the horsemen are common events, just as I am also assured that many past antichrists have risen and fallen, as John proclaims in his epistle (1 John 2:18).

What we as believers must learn to do is listen to the Spirit as we read the words and discern the inner message. If you really read 1 John 2:18, you will note that John is not denying the rise of the Antichrist. He admits that those to whom he was writing had heard this would occur. What he was saying is that the signs of the end were already at play, as many antichrists had risen in his time and afterward. As our Lord would say, these are the birth pangs, but the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6–9). The gospel must first be preached to the entire world before that time is reached.

The events of the end are cumulative and build over a lengthy period of time, but when they reach the point of delivery, as in childbirth, the real labor pains reach a peak far worse than those before. Revelation 6 provides a window into a portion of the process that triggers global panic and uprisings—lawlessness in the midst of growing economic uncertainty, pandemics, and geopolitical unrest. All of this unfolds in a world that turns hostile toward humanity, with rising heat, changes in ocean currents, threatening weather patterns, and signs in the heavens (yes—outer space is in the heavens).

If the weather phenomenon called “El Niño” occurs at the magnitude of early predictions, we are in for significant heating, loss of drinkable water, and failure in food production. Costs will spike rapidly upward, and supply will diminish. Given the current effort to further segregate people by class and race, these efforts will accelerate, cutting many off from available supply. Rising disease contagions and untreated sickness will further strain failing national and global healthcare systems. The current lack of faith in American healthcare and science-based evidence will further accelerate the collapse of the public health system, creating greater gaps and isolation. We are already seeing the rapid rise of technology contributing to increasing social isolation, which, if unabated, will only get worse.

The love of people for one another is growing increasingly cold, and the effort to separate society into a rigid caste system is growing increasingly strong, using terms like “equality” and “fairness” to justify the complete opposite. Deceit, craftiness, and subterfuge are becoming the norm, and truth is becoming much harder to find or discern.

What does all of this mean?

For true believers, if these trends continue—and I am always open to the fact that I may be mistaken, as nothing is set for certain until it happens—wisdom will be justified or rebuked in time. Provided this is a message and urging of the Spirit, believers will need to prepare. While some will assume immediate rescue by spiritual means, we have to be prepared to remain in this world as well. As when prophets of old predicted famine, the people had to store up supplies. In the book of Acts, the early churches held all things in common and practiced such radical generosity that no one among them had unmet needs (Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–35). Perhaps that pattern was far more than a charitable deed; it was a survival requirement for the church under duress. I can say that, if correct, we are going to see things get much worse in an abbreviated period of time.

Conclusion

It is time to put away childish debates and arguments. There is no more time to question whether Jesus was born in Bethlehem or Nazareth, whether the history books prove there was a real Jesus, or whether He was man or God. The true believer must come to accept the Scriptures as they are written—if the Gospels say Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was born in Bethlehem. If Scripture is inspired by people moved by the Holy Spirit, then Scripture is inspired and thus true today, just as it was yesterday.

There is so much trash in Christianity that has built up over the many centuries that finding true faith is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is more like joining a social club nowadays than undergoing transformation into a “new person” under the power of the Spirit. All of this is contingent on a true confession of sins and total submission to Christ. This is much more than the right hand of fellowship.

The time to prepare is now. We must become prepared to meet our Lord and assure our election as true believers steadfast in faith (2 Peter 1:5–11). And yes, Peter is the author of both First and Second Peter. There may be more that did not make it into modern times. We have everything we need for salvation, as the Holy Spirit assured us that we did. I do not argue against the possibility of more, as I am open to the idea that more was said and done than what survives in societal circulation, and, indeed, more may yet be revealed—but time is indeed running out.