Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ!
With all that is happening in the world these days, I think a prophecy update is in order. Early on in 2020, I wrote about how we were looking at a reset of the global chessboard. As we have seen, not only in 2020 but over the past few years and moving forward, that is precisely what is taking place. The topic on everyone’s mind right now is the tariffs. Needless to say, finance is not my wheelhouse, but even among those I look to for guidance in such matters, there is no consensus. Conservatives are for the most part putting a positive spin on what is happening and saying it will work out for the better. At the same time, libertarians tend to be among those saying the tariffs are a wrecking ball that is going to destroy the world economy. I tend to take the middle ground in cases like these, as Jesus is usually in the middle. (Matt 18:20; Luke 2:46; 4:30; 24:36; John 19:18) From my layman’s perspective, right or wrong, our grandparents’ values of hard work and being frugal are always right and will help get us through whatever may be coming. That being said, our focus should not be on the economy or politics. We need to keep our eyes, our minds, and our hearts on Christ. (Matt 14:29-31) Like the north star, Jesus is a steady Guide. Jesus is a sure Anchor in a storm. Jesus is a bright Light that always remains fixed while pointing the way. One day, when everything that can be shaken is shaken, Jesus will still be in the same place He always was, unfazed and unmoved — a Rock that we can stand on for a firm foundation. If we are grounded in his word, we will be unmoved and unfazed too; like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Jesus tells us if we are wise and do as He says, when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon our houses, they will not fall, because they were founded on a rock. (Matt 7:24f)
Therefore, while we should not make the events taking place on the world stage our focus, what are we to make of them in terms of Bible prophecy? One pundit that caught my eye called what is happening ‘the end of globalization’. It never ceases to amaze me how misguided the world is when looking to the future. Back in the 90s, I was struck by how Rush Limbaugh would make fun of people who said that we were moving towards globalization. Of course, now it is plain to see Rush was dead wrong about that. (And we silly Christians were right!) In 2025, we are still moving in that direction and the tariffs are not going to change the course we are on. We are witnessing the rise of the new world order. That was the title of a book I published in 2014, and virtually everything I wrote in that tome has been vindicated in spades. A few of the more crucial topics included the dangers of vaccines (Chapter IV), the importance of taking control of your own health (Chapter VII), the authority of the church — eg why the churches should not have let the government shut them down in 2020 (Chapter XIII), government entrapment (Chapter XV), mind control (Chapter XV), and the attack on the American soldier (Chapter XVI). I could mention many others. Eleven years later, we are still witnessing the rise of the new world order. Nothing is going to stop that train.
Just as we began to see a reset of the global chessboard in 2020, what I see now is a resetting of the global financial system. Before the new system that John saw in Revelation 13 is phased in, however, the old one needs to be phased out. Of course, how this comes about exactly is anyone’s guess. For example, a few years ago it looked like CBDCs were going to be foisted upon us. Now it is looking more like it may not be a government-issued digital currency that replaces our federal reserve notes, but something similar that is privately run. (Ie, something that is not only digital like our current system but more sophisticated in its ability to track and control us.) The way I see it, the ‘how’ is not the important part, but the ‘what’. What John saw in Revelation 13 is coming, one way or the other. Whether or not the tariff turmoil nudges us in that direction — by say, causing a crash that necessitates a new system for example — remains yet to be seen. I am old enough to remember when banking across state lines was green-lighted (the Siegle-Neal Act). In 1994, that was a big change from what we were used to. Now more than 30 years later, the changes keep on coming. The important thing is not to be trapped in the system that is being created by the globalists. That is the focus of this post. How to be ready and not get trapped. Father, give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daniel 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3
So, we have a familiar story here. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refuse to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, which is clearly supposed to represent the image of the beast in Revelation 13:
The image was 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide, and 6 instruments played. (Rev 13:18)
The image was made of gold, which is what the world worships. (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13)
Just as the idol was made of gold, the image of the beast is connected to buying and selling. (Rev 13:17)
The worship is worldwide; everyone is invited from afar for the dedication of the idol. (Rev 13:16)
All the leaders in government are on board with the dedication of the image. (Rev 17:12)
The worshipers of God are persecuted for not going along with the crowd. (Rev 13:15)
First of all, notice that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were in the world but not of the world (John 17:15f). Ie, they were not running to the hills or looking for a place to hide. Like Daniel, they served in government. They even went by their Babylonian names. They were no doubt acting as salt and light where God placed them, working as public servants for the people of Babylon. But when it came time to worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar set up, they humbly engaged in civil disobedience. This took courage, but their strong witness led to the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar — and others too, no doubt. (Dan 4:37)
What else can we learn from this passage? For one thing, Daniel’s absence is conspicuous. Daniel represents the church, which will not be present when the image of the beast is set up. If you are in Christ, you will have already been raptured. (Daniel’s three friends represent how Israel will be protected in the furnace of the great tribulation period, when the image of the beast is set up.) But what if you are found sleeping when Jesus comes back for his church (Mark 13:36)? What if you do not have oil in your lamp (Matt 25)? What if you are trusting in something other than Christ and his finished work on the cross (Luke 21:36)? God in his mercy will give you another chance to receive his Son as your personal Saviour, but like Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, your faith will be put to the ultimate test. (Rev 20:4) Our passage shows that God will spare those who refuse to worship the image of the beast or take his mark in their right hands or foreheads, the same way He spared Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They stayed focused on their relationship with God. They followed Him at all costs. They did not let themselves get distracted.
This brings us back to the tariffs. There are indeed shockwaves rocking the world. Trillions in equity are being wiped out virtually overnight. This includes retirement accounts wrapped up in things like 401Ks. There is no doubt that these things are going to cause suffering and pain for many people throughout the world. If you are suffering, remember that Jesus is with you just as He was with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The fourth Man in the fire was Jesus Christ. (Dan 3:25) If you are going through the fire, Jesus is with you too. Keep your mind stayed on Him and He will keep you in perfect peace. (Isa 26:3) If you have been distracted, Jesus is able to get you back on track. Thank God, because He is coming soon.
What should we do in the meantime? We need to tell people about Jesus. I have made my book Where Did All the People GO? available to my friends and family and tried to share it with as many people as possible. Amazon clearly hates this book and hides it unless you type in the full title along with my full name, but the link will take you to it. This book covers every topic somebody who gets left behind will need to know about. What about you? How is your walk? If you need a spiritual boost I suggest you go to the downloads tab and download my Genesis commentary for free. Out of everything I have ever written, my Genesis commentary is by far my favorite. I trust that after reading it you will be more focused on Christ. Then maybe try one of the other free commentaries.
Father, thank You for giving us pictures in your word to warn us about what is coming and to tell us how to prepare. Thank You for the precious promises that we are saved by grace through faith and that all of us are welcome, whatever we may have done if we repent. Thank You most of all for giving us your Son. Help us to make ourselves ready for Him. Help us to be strong witnesses wherever You have placed us. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
