The Kingdom of The World
Signs in World Politics
By Tim Moore
“The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.”
— Revelation 11:15
Since early in America’s history as a Republic, politics has been a source of ongoing frustration and bemusement. Will Rogers once observed, “Congress is so strange; a man gets up to speak and says nothing, nobody listens, and then everybody disagrees.” That might be slightly better than another humorist who reported that his own brother had run for office. Asked what his brother did after the election, the insightful man said, “Nothing—he got elected!”
As a recovering politician (I served in the Kentucky legislature for 13 years), I understand both the idealism that draws some into “public service” and the disappointment most people feel about our own government. Following my first election to serve as a Representative, people would ask what I thought about serving in the legislature. I’d tell them it was everything I thought it would be—and less!
Aggravation with elected officials and ever-multiplying bureaucrats is one thing, but Americans are losing faith in the system itself, and with each other. One observer rightly says 100% of Americans think 50% of Americans have lost their minds. I’d up that percentage several points, because it seems that election after election, the wheels are coming off.
Politics is not just a playground for fanatics or a parlor game to pass the time. It is a realm of human activity that is woven throughout God’s prophetic Word.
Prophets as Political Pronouncers
I find it quite ironic when people claim that God has no interest in the affairs of mankind in general, or the political infighting that happens within and between nations. Many Old Testament prophecies had to do with the behavior of kings and kingdoms—forthtelling God’s pronouncement of judgment based on several factors, including personal conduct, administration of justice, adherence to His laws, and treatment of His people.
Most of the original prophets (including Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Joshua) were raised up to deliver messages to the chosen offspring of Israel. When a man of God said, “Thus saith the LORD…” people listened—or, to their great discredit and regret, did not.
Once Israel demanded and was granted a king, prophets were sent by God to intercede on His behalf. Samuel anointed both Saul and David. Nathan was raised up to chastise David in a dramatic rebuke from the Lord, and then was instrumental in Solomon ascending to the throne as his chosen heir. Ahijah pronounced the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah (1 Kings 11:28-38). Unnamed prophets, such as the man of God who came from Judah, decried the false religion Jeroboam had introduced in Israel.
Later, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Joel denounced the widespread apostasy and rebellion of the Jewish people—calling them to repent and turn back to God. At other times, they and others like Amos and Zephaniah and Zechariah spoke to the nations surrounding Judah and Israel. Jonah and Nahum were sent specifically to prophesy to Israel’s mortal enemy, Nineveh.
The Lord’s pronouncement of blessings and curses were not just for the Jews. David foretold a great curse on those who opposed the Lord’s anointed (Psalm 40:14-15). Ezekiel prophesied vindication to the mountains of Israel against the enemy nations that had spoken against God’s promises. Ezekiel spoke condemnation on Ammon, Moab, and Tyre—for gloating while Israel was being punished (saying “Aha!” as Ezekiel put it) or dismissively assuming that “the house of Judah is like all the nations” (Ezekiel 25:2-4, 8-11; 25:2-5).
Is God uninterested in the affairs of men or the sordid sphere of human endeavor we call politics? Absolutely not. If anything, much of His prophetic Word that points to the return of Jesus Christ is intertwined with His proclamations regarding world politics.
Nations Of The World As Prophetic Beacons
In addition to the other categories of signs, there are clear indications of Jesus’ imminent return in the alignment of nations today. But because we exist in the moment—aware of the present but forgetful of the past and uncertain of the future—we sometimes miss the forest for the trees.
To gain understanding, we must start and end with the Word of God. On top of that, it is much easier to recognize patterns looking at the past and then extrapolate them to the future. What do I mean by that? Consider Daniel’s prophecies of a succession of kingdoms in Daniel 2 and 7. Envisioned by Nebuchadezzar as a mighty statue but by Daniel as a series of four beasts, the vision is clearly understood now to refer to Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The editors of my NASB Bible have even inserted helpful sub-headings within those chapters to explain the accepted prophetic meaning of the passage. The Lord revealed that Medo-Persia and Greece would succeed Babylon (Daniel 8:20-21). Yet even Daniel did not understand all he was foreseeing.
Daniel asked the Lord about the very revelations he was recording but did not understand. He was told, “Go your way Daniel, for these words are sealed up until the end time” (Daniel 12:4, 9). God said many would be purged, purified, and refined, but “those who have understanding will understand” (Daniel 12:10).
Hindsight, and the fact that much of what Daniel recorded was sealed up “until the end of time,” has allowed us to gain understanding that even the great prophet Daniel lacked over 2,500 years ago.
Regarding the nations of the world, Jesus said that among the signs preceding His coming and the end of the age, nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6-8). The prophesied end-time state of the nations—or what we call the Sign of World Politics—is coming into alignment. Here are six indicators:
01. The Roman Empire has been resurrected in the form of the European Union
Daniel prophesied a sequence of empires that would end with the Roman Empire. Daniel was also clear that the final mortal empire would remain on the world scene, diminished in overarching power for a long period and brittle compared to the monolith that was Rome in Christ’s day.
For the past 2000 years, the nations within the territory that once constituted the Roman Empire have been in near constant conflict. Ostensibly united in Christian faith since before the Middle Ages, they still have been divided by language, culture, geography, and nationalistic aspirations.
Following the devastating wars of the last century, European politicians clamored for a unified European government. Through fits and starts, the European Union (EU) is comprised of 27 nations that represent most of the western Roman Empire.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the EU has a single currency, a united military, and a homogenized identity. But, it still lacks a strong central leader—resulting in periodic economic and diplomatic tension. That reality is a fulfillment of Daniel’s End Times prophecy of a kingdom combining iron with clay—simultaneously strong and brittle (Daniel 2:41-43).
Daniel also foretold that this final kingdom will eventually be led by a single strong leader—the man who will emerge as the Antichrist (Daniel 7:7-8; 8:9-14, 23-25; and 9:26-27).
Shockingly, many European leaders are actually clamoring for just such a man. Paul-Henri Spaak, who once served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, said this:
We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.
At all times and in all seasons, Satan has had just such a man poised and ready to go.
02. Russia will re-emerge as a major threat
In the 2012 Presidential campaign, Republican Mitt Romney asserted that in spite of the subsided Cold War, Russia was a rising threat to America and the world. President Barak Obama scoffed at him, responding, “the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because the Cold War has been over for 20 years.” Just four years later, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton would claim that Donald Trump was colluding with America’s most formidable foe: Russia.
Clearly, rumors of the Russian Bear’s demise were premature.
Of late, Russia has again been denounced as a pariah state led by an unmitigated despot. The scorn heaped on Russia is greater than anything Ronald Reagan voiced—and he is the one that labeled the Soviet Union an “evil empire.”
Students of Bible prophecy knew in the early 1990s that declarations of Russia’s pacification were premature. While it was nice to hope that American and Soviet militaries were reducing their hair-trigger nuclear forces, the perestroika and glasnost (Russian for reform and openness) that broke out was short-lived.
Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 describe an end-time configuration of nations that participate in what he calls the “Gog-Magog War.” Gog is the name or title of a leader from a nation located “in the remotest parts of the north” named Rosh. That nation was populated by ancient Scythians and is known today as Russia.
Ezekiel 38:12 describes the motive that will compel Gog: he will come down from Russia leading a coalition of nations to plunder Israel’s wealth. This axis of evil will include Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah (Ezekiel 38:3-6). The modern nations that comprise the ancient territory of Magog likely includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and possibly Afghanistan. Turkey, along with Azerbaijan and Armenia lie where Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah once lay. Persia obviously became modern Iran, ancient Ethiopia now includes Sudan, and Put has become Libya and possibly Algeria and Tunisia.
The unifying feature of the nations that will align with Russia is that they are Muslim. What Israeli wealth might motivate this motley crew? Today it could be energy in the form of massive quantities of natural gas or cutting edge technology—both of which Israel has become well-known to possess. Ezekiel is very clear. The invasion will be thwarted by a supernatural intervention by God. On the mountains of Israel, He will personally defeat this massive army, humiliating Israel’s antagonists and making His Holy Name known in the midst of Israel and the nations of the world (Ezekiel 38:1-7).
This demonstration of the providence and protection of the God of Israel will further discredit Islam, likely pushing it aside as a threat to the world.
03. What about American power?
Throughout the previous discussion of Gog and Magog, there was no mention of the United States. At present, America is Israel’s strongest ally (although that relationship is quite strained under the current Biden administration). So, where is the USA as Israel faces an existential threat from the north? Absent from the scene.
Many people are surprised to hear that America does not play an apparent role in Bible prophecy. Given our superpower status for the past 75 years, they wonder how we could disappear so quickly or be so inconsequential to end times events. Some people even assert that when Revelation 12:14 tells of the woman (Israel) fleeing from the dragon on “two wings of the great eagle,” that must refer to America because the bald eagle is our national bird. I simply point out that 26 nations have an eagle as their national symbol, including Albania, Mexico, Poland, and Zimbabwe. No, John’s prophetic reference to a great eagle ties back to Deuteronomy 32:11, where Moses poetically describes God “like an eagle…that hovers over its young” and spreads its wings to catch, carry, and guide them.
I absolutely believe the United States is in a state of decline. The dramatic degradation of our power may come over a period of time like the Roman Empire and so many others that have risen and fallen before us. Or, it may come very quickly following the Rapture of the Church from the world.
Either way, the other nations of the world will sit idly by as Gog-Magog descends on Israel—perhaps motivated by growing antisemitism. And, as the power of the United States ebbs away, there is another predator nation poised to ascend to world dominance.
04. China rises in the East
Revelation 16 describes a mighty army marching toward Jerusalem from the East. John records, “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings of the East.” In another passage, an army of “200 million horsemen” is described (Revelation 9:16). Only two nations in the world have the population to field an army that large: China and India–both to the East.
Although India and China represent ancient civilizations, throughout most of the past 2,000 years they have been relatively weak compared to western nations. Indeed, until the 20th Century, both were subjected to colonialization by other great powers. While possessing tremendous natural resources and human potential, neither were considered great powers themselves until very recently.
Then, in 1972, President Richard Nixon went to China. He alone recognized the potential benefit of opening China as both a supplier and a market—even if he failed to appreciate the danger of catching a tiger by the tail. India also emerged from several hundred years of British rule to quickly rise as a developing nation. Today, both China and India possess nuclear weapons and are significant players on the geo-political scene.
The Bible describes the kingdom of the Antichrist coming apart at the seams near the end of the Tribulation. While putting down a rebellion in the south, he learns that eastern kings are about to attack his flank. The unprecedented mass of men and equipment converges in the Valley of Jezreel in northern Israel—what most people call the Valley of Armageddon. Although the rebellion is directed against the Antichrist, all of these nations are in ultimate rebellion against Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:20 says that the slaughter will be horrific. John describes God’s wrath as a wine press and says that blood will flow “up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.” And all that carnage will be unleashed by a word from the Lord.
In terms of a sign of world politics, it is important to understand that it would have been impossible for any nation—or coalition of nations—to field a 200-million-man army until just the past century. John foresaw the rise of China and other eastern nations in both population and power—something even Richard Nixon did not discern 50 years ago.
Today, many Westerners are growing alarmed by Communist China’s rapid rise and global aspirations. Certainly, there is reason for concern. But those of us who are looking for Jesus Christ should have our eye on another much smaller nation.
05. Israel is back
One of the most frequent prophetic themes in the Old Testament is God’s promise to protect the Jewish people, regather them in the End Times, and reestablish their nation once again.
Jews and Gentiles alike sometimes wondered if God’s promise for protection was a back-handed blessing, because persecution has been the typical Jewish experience. And yet protect them He did. No other ancient people group is identifiable today. The Canaanites, Philistines, Babylonians, and Romans have all faded into history. Only the Israelites have persevered.
The miracle of their preservation cannot be overstated. Historical records claim that two different advisors to great rulers were asked to prove the existence of God. Their two-word answer was, “the Jews.”
The prophets also foretold that God would regather the Jews after scattering them, and then restore them as one nation on the mountains of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-8; Ezekiel 36-37; and Zechariah 12:1-6; among many other passages). That promise remained unfulfilled for 1,897 years.
Faithful Christian scholars and writers as late as the early 20th Century could not fathom how God would orchestrate history to motivate the Diaspora to return to Israel, or provide them a home there. While Christians accepted His promises by faith, the fulfillment of them seemed inconceivable.
Beginning in the late 1800s, God raised up Jewish and Christian Zionists—like Theodor Herzl and William Blackstone. Through cataclysmic upheavals and horrors throughout the 1900s, He motivated Jews from around the world to go back to their ancient homeland. And, on May 14, 1948, He saw to it that Israel came to life. The dry bones of Ezekiel 37 stood up and became a nation once again—for His Holy Name’s sake.
Over the past 75 years, other Bible prophecies have been fulfilled. Israel has become the focus of all the nations of the world, with control of Jerusalem the central question. In spite of rising satanically-inspired antagonism toward Israel, God has promised provision and protection for the Jewish people regathered to their ancient Promised Land (Amos 9:15).
Israel is the greatest sign that Jesus is coming soon. Like a prophetic billboard, Israel’s existence tells us that we are in the End Times. But the rest of the world is pursuing one more aspiration that will prepare the way for the coming Antichrist.
06. Clamor for a one-world government
I’ve already cited the foolish longing of Belgian Prime Minister Paul-Henri Spaak. He merely gave voice to an aspiration of mankind since it first began to organize into a larger society.
As Noah’s descendants multiplied upon the earth, they decided to disobey God. They chose to build a city and a tower, making a name for themselves lest they be scattered over the earth (Genesis 11:4). That first attempt at a one-world government did not work out so well. God confused their language and scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Since then, countless dictators and despots have attempted to expand their power. Geography, distance, and language and cultural differences made it difficult to establish and sustain an empire. Today, technology and hubris in the heart of man is giving rise to hope/fear that a one-world government is coming soon.
Bible prophecy makes clear that a future leader will emerge from the revived Roman Empire to conquer the whole world (Revelation 13, along with Daniel 9:26-27 and Revelation 6:1-2). He will ascend to power quickly through smooth words and deception, and then unleash a reign of terror toward any who oppose him. We do not know who he is because he will not be revealed to the world until the start of the Tribulation. That is why I said Satan has always had a man poised and ready to go—because he does not know when the Rapture will occur, leading to the Tribulation.
This particular indicator tells us the world is poised to embrace the man Scripture calls the Antichrist. The Great Reset is just the latest attempt to push this globalist agenda. Like a lion waiting to pounce, Satan is biding his time but preparing to launch his final assault. He will succeed for a season—seven years to be precise.
If you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, you will not have to witness or endure that horrific period of Tribulation when the wrath of God is poured out on the earth. Those who come to trust in Christ after the Rapture can take comfort in knowing that the Tribulation will not endure forever. The global rule of the Antichrist will come to an end—with nations rebelling against him and Jesus Christ returning to annihilate the armies of the earth and usher in His 1000-year reign of peace, righteousness, and justice.
Recognize The Signs, Keep Focused On Jesus
Like the other categories of signs, the Signs of World Politics alert those with eyes to see that we are living on borrowed time. Jesus is coming soon.
So, while we recognize the signs and study their implications as foretold in the Word of God, we keep looking for our Blessed Hope. In other words, we don’t fixate on the road sign, or stop to gaze upon it, or have a roadside picnic. Instead, we continue to our destination.
We are blessed to live in a time when the Signs of the Times are multiplying like never before. We have seen Bible prophecy fulfilled in recent years that faithful Christians could only imagine (or found inconceivable).
Like stars in the heavens that pour forth speech without words (Psalm 19:1-3), the signs are coming into prophetic alignment and proclaiming the soon return of Jesus Christ. Are you ready?
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