Final Events
Introduction
When we talk about final events on this earth, let’s get one thing straight right from the start. The mark of the beast is about false worship, not mistakenly keeping the wrong day. The seal of God is about a heart of worship in Spirit and truth—not about whether one can tell the seventh day from the first day of the week.
We fear that many Sabbatarians will wind up with the mark of the beast, like their ancient progenitors, the Pharisees, who crucified the Lord of the Sabbath and then hurried home before sundown to keep the Sabbath. They missed the meaning of Sabbath rest—which is the heartbeat of true worship.
Having said that, let’s ask the question: Is it irrational to believe that a final test between true and false worship will have something to do with worship days? Remember that Sunday keeping arose in the context of apostasy within the early church. It wasn’t about faith. No, instead it represented a compromise with paganism and legalism. (If you missed that history, please access the chapter: “Benjamin’s New Knife,” by clicking “Issues” and then “Sabbath.”)
Granted that most of God’s people keep Sunday today. But is it impossible to conceive that there will be a test of loyalty in the last days, in which the truth about Sabbath rest in Jesus becomes fully and universally obvious? For all who have a heart to love and obey God, is it plausible at that time that Sabbath keeping will represent a final seal in our relationship with the Creator—whose work is memorialized in Sabbath rest?
Remember, Sunday—so named because it was the day set apart for ancient worship of the sun—has a tarnished history of forced worship. Even here in America! Back in the 1600s, there were Sunday laws in Colonial America that really packed a punch. Believe it or not, in old Virginia, violation of Sunday on the third offense called for the execution of the death penalty. Three strikes and you’re out! There is no record of anyone being so demised—we may assume that between the first and third offense, fear would kick in for the offender and induce his willingness to show up in church the next Sunday.
This would be fear, not faith. Force, not freedom.
Remember 911. People were afraid and started praying again. Some were sincere, and their faith has stood the test of time. For most Americans, it seems, new-found religiosity might have been more fear than faith—since the spiritual revival of America didn’t last. Before long we were back into sin with a vengeance: Greed, Hollywood, porn, gay sex.
If you recall, after 911 America had a national day of prayer set aside for its terror-stricken citizens. Now, suppose there will be another 911 (we are warned it’s really not a matter of “if” but “when”). And then, what if there is yet another U. S. city struck by Islamic terrorists? Then a few shopping malls and buses. And God forbid, all of this is followed with some weapon of mass destruction, whether biological, chemical or nuclear. Is it too much to envision that there will be more national days of prayer—maybe even a weekly day of prayer? As in every Sunday?
Well, this would be our long-awaited Sunday law, intended to get America back again in God’s favor to regain peace, safety and prosperity. Here’s specifically what I’m suggesting—that radical Islam will reawaken radical Christianity, 17th century style—not faith-based obedience but fear-based compliance. All this will quickly chase America back to God to save our country from the awful scourge of terrorism. Something of a Crusade, you might say, or a Christian jihad to have us all calling out to God in unified fear.If all of that still seems far-fetched, please read Martin’s two chapters here, “A Grave New World” and “Death On a Sunday.” He wrote them in 1999 for his book Millennimania, two years before 911. A number of phone calls came to him after the terrorist attack from people who read the book, saying that what they read seemed now to be coming true. If so, it wasn’t about our predictive instincts. No, it was about the prophecy of Daniel 11 working with those of Revelation.
In case you haven’t noticed, America has been slowly losing its freedoms lately. Thoughtful observers see us heading for a crisis of such magnitude that only God can save us. In such a potential crisis, people may be getting very religious again, very quickly. Shortly America might become more of a theocracy (again, as in the Colonies) than a democracy.
Just keep your mind open, will you, as you ponder the following prophetic scenario. The core issue: What may be the role of militant Islam in the earth’s final events, and what would be militant Christianity’s reaction to it?
Martin has been teaching for the past 20 years or so that a coalition of Islamic and leftover Communist powers constitutes Daniel 11's King of the South (KoS), versus the western Christian alliance, which he sees as the King of the North (KoN). Basically what it boils down to, in the scenario Martin anticipates, is that earth’s final crisis will see God's remnant caught in the middle of a pincer movement caused by the clashing of the world's two colossal civilizations: apostate Christianity (KoN) versus forces opposed to the very concept of Jesus as Savior and Lord. In other words, counterfeit Christian faith (KoN) versus open antagonism to Christianity (KoS).
This scenario reflects somewhat the religious situation five centuries ago when Roman Catholicism (KoN) was diverted by the Islamic Turks in the south (KoS) from wiping out the nascent Protestant movement in northern Europe. As one historian said, "Had it not been for the Turks, there would not be a Protestant."
How could a fervently theocratic Islam (the militant version of it) find common cause with atheistic Communism? Because of their common hatred of western “Christian” culture. As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Nuclear Pakistan and other Islamic powers share weapons and technology with North Korea, China, and neo-Soviet Russia. On the other hand, non-Christian India and Israel are aligned politically and militarily with the western Christian alliance because they share common enemies of the West in Pakistan and Hamas/Iran/Hezbollah, respectively.
Suppose fundamentalist Islam in our day will intensify its attacks (not only additional 911s but lesser attacks as London's 7/7 and the Madrid transit attacks) until Western nations will finally resurrect their Christian heritage in a militant fundamentalist form. This could fulfill Dan 11’s predicted KoN/KoS clash, a tremendous movement to get our culture back to God so we can counter the fierce religiosity of militant Islam.
Right wing sentiments to this end are already stirring in European nations such as Germany, England, France and even the Netherlands. Martin wonders whether in the United States, perhaps by the time of the next presidential election campaign, terrorist attacks combined with deepening economic crisis will cause a massive backlash against the current liberal-oriented government and sweep in a rejuvenated “Christian” movement to save our nation. The Catholic pontiff could be expected to emerge as a major player in unifying Western Christendom.And there you would have it—persecution again. A scared and scary theocracy in American culture, including a national day of prayer each week. It won’t take much to happen, really. Militant Islamic jihadists are said to be slipping out of the mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan and infiltrating Europe and perhaps America. Could attacks from fundamentalist Islam eventually become so frequent and intense that Western society will make a big move to revive and enforce its traditional weekly day of prayer—Sunday?
God’s Sabbatarian remnant will not be able to join in with fundamentalist neo-Christendom—a religion by force. Sabbath faithfulness will stand up against both the KoN Sunday revival--as well as Islamic Friday fervency in the KoS culture. This will mark Sabbath keepers for persecution, which will alert true Christians everywhere to discover God’s remnant truth.
Since the deceptions of apostate Christianity will constitute the antichrist power, perhaps the King of the North is equivalent to the beast of Revelation 13. Further, it seems that according to Revelation 16, just before the coming of Jesus the world’s clashing civilizations will unite under one banner, headed by the miracle-working KoN antichrist. Only God’s faithful remnant—comprised of true believers of every religious background who are faithful to God—will resist false worship. At that point, the world powers will strike against them with a death decree. But at the crisis hour, Jesus will return to this earth and rescue His people.
Anyway, this is the general scenario we envision. What do you think? Please read the chapters here before you form an opinion one way or another.
Articles
The Medieval Antichrist
The Antichrist in Christian history - from Martin Weber's 1999 book: Millennimania
How the East Was Won
Fall of Euro-Communism paved the way for final events - from Martin Weber's 1999 book: Millennimania
Grave New World
Radical Islamic terrorism in the U.S.--written 2 years before 911 - from Martin Weber's 1999 book: Millennimania
Death on a Sunday
Research or Rehash?
Earth's Final Conflict
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