The Beginning at the End – Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/the-beginning-at-the-end What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. T.S. Eliot As I have said in the past, Christianity, by definition, is apocalyptic in nature. I don't just mean apocalyptic in the original sense that it is revelatory (it is), but also in the sense, as most people assume it means- the end of the world. Hebrews 1:1-2 states, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds...(emphasis mine). If we were in the last days nearly two-thousand years ago, by that same standard of measure, must be at the very final seconds of the final moments, of the last days. We are literally at the end of this dispensation of both the Church Age and the Age of Human Government. Not to rehash dispensational theology all over again, but while certain dispensations came to a definitive end (e.g., Dispensation of Innocence), others (e.g., Dispensation of Human Government and Law) continue running in the background so to speak or are put on pause until certain other events come to their ultimate fruition. In regards to the Age of the Law, we understand that Christ's death on the cross temporarily postponed the Kingdom Age, as well as Israel's fulfillment as a covenant nation (Dan. 9:24-27). As the Apostle Paul alluded to in Romans 9-11, God is not done with Israel. In fact, Jeremiah 30:7-11 states that the entire purpose for the 70th Week of Daniel (aka...the Tribulation) is to discipline Jacob (Israel) and make an end of all the nations in the world. At the end of that seven-year Tribulation, Israel (what is left) will cry out and finally recognize that Jesus is the Christ (Zech. 12:10-14). With that, God will effectively put an end to fallen man's (secular) governance forever. Assessment Originally, Human Government was intended by God to be a stabilizing force in the world, and has, to varying degrees, been just that. As bad as the world has been and currently is, it would have been a whole lot worse if anarchy reigned. Thus, while the Dispensation of Human Government began shortly after Noah's Flood (Gen. 9) and has continued until this day. The government's role in world affairs is only in how God has predetermined their paths and outcomes so that His will would be accomplished...namely, in setting up Israel as the head of nations, and Jesus Christ seated at the head of Israel on the throne of David. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33 At present, we are coming up on the two thousandth-year anniversary of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Given the other two thousandth-year mile-markers in history (Adam- Abraham, Abraham-Jesus), we are confidently expecting a soon change to our present reality. Evidence for this confidence largely lay with all the converging prophesied signs of the end we see coming to fruition today; this includes the aggressive demands for global government, global currency, and global religion. Aiding and abetting the very long list of signs is the rapid development of information, economic, and military technology all of which make absolute global governance possible for the first time in human history. This begs the question though, if there are so many signs of the end, why are so many Christians reluctant or outright refusing to study the prophetic word? Part of the problem most have with fully trusting Bible prophecy (aside from falling under false teachings) is in the way prophecy is delivered. The Bible mostly gives prophetic summations of where things and world events will be in the last days, but rarely, if ever, states how we get there, only that we will. The Old Testament, for example, states that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), but would hail from the land of Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-3). Furthermore, the Messiah would come out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1), and be called a Nazarene (Matt. 2:23). Now, the Old Testament does not state how all of this would transpire, only that it would. As confusing as that must have appeared at the time regarding the identity of the Messiah, we are, however, given the missing details in the New Testament. Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth, Galilee down to Bethlehem, Judea to be counted in the Roman census set forth by Caesar Augustus (Luke 1:26-27, 2:1-7). Jesus was born shortly after arriving at Bethlehem. They were then visited by the shepherds and Gentile Wise Men (presumably Parthians). After this, Joseph was told to flee Bethlehem for Egypt on account of King Herod's command to kill all boys two years of age and younger. Herod gave this command both out of anger for being deceived by the Wise Men (who were warned not to report back to him) and out of fear of the one born King of the Jews (Matt. 2). That's all well and good because most Christians today have zero issue believing in already fulfilled prophecies. It's the prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled, they become skeptical about. An example of this is where the Bible states that at or near the middle of the 70th Week, the Two Witnesses will stand in the streets of Jerusalem and prophesy for 1,260 days. During this time, they will call down fantastical, supernatural judgment on those who oppose them and shoot fire from their mouths to devour their enemies. At the end of the 1,260 days, these two are allowed to be killed by the beast who ascends from the pit, and their bodies will lie in the streets for 3 1/2 days. During this time, the whole world will be able to see their dead bodies and celebrate. John was given this prophecy over two thousand years ago, and since, theologians, skeptics, and the average layperson have labored over this seemingly impossible prophetic conundrum. How can the whole world see two bodies lying dead on a particular street, in a particular city, and in a particular country, all at the same time? That was a puzzle no one seemed to be able to solve for millennia, that was, until the advent of satellite television and the Internet. Notice, the Bible nowhere declares that satellite televisions will be invented in the 20th century, or that mankind would become progressively smarter and smarter until they develop a global information-sharing network called the Internet. The Bible only gives us the end state. The whole world will see their dead bodies lying in the streets for three and a half days, and will likewise watch them be raptured up to heaven as well (Rev. 11:1-13) because we now have the technology to do that. While John was given this vision two thousand years ago, the world had to wait until technology caught up with the prophetic revelation. Thus, the technology necessary to fulfill the specific demands of the prophetic text serves us as evidence of the lateness of the hour we find ourselves. Conclusion Our generation is both the first and last to witness all of the final prophetic developments necessary for the arrival of the Beast's one-world kingdom. From the resurrection of a dead nation (Israel) to the revival of Satan's greatest pagan empire (the revived Roman Empire/ EU), we are that final generation. This is not my opinion; the geopolitical, economic, technological, and ecumenical realities are all pointing toward the rise of a tyrannical, antichristian/antichrist, anti-Semitic, debased, powerfully wicked kingdom. Still don't believe me? Turn on the news. Whether we are talking about the global embracement of climate change theory, LGBTQIA agendas, human secularism, satanism, paganism, socialism, communism, digital currency, singularity, political corruption, and governance by crisis, the current world leaders are all seemingly of the same mind. This collective agreeance, in my personal opinion, is the mystery of lawlessness. Most of what is required for the Beast one-world kingdom doesn't even need to be invented or created (i.e., artificial intelligence, digital currencies, global surveillance and data gathering systems, weapons of mass destruction, etc.) because it is already being used against us in our everyday life. Just as we are witnessing the government and corporate implementation of rigid segregation policies via pandemic mandates, the Beast system will make these pale in comparison. You don't need a Ph.D. in International Relations or Political Science to see where the world leaders and powerbrokers, want to take the world. Those in power, aside from wanting to keep their power, are aggressively advocating for a one-world system. They earnestly believe this is the only way to save the planet. This is what the Bible says the world will one day become- an imperial authority under the direction of ten leaders, who, being of one mind, give their authority to one man. At present, the prophetic stage is already set. Although we do not know who these ten leaders are, or the identity of the one whom they will cede their authority, we can see them lining up and rehearsing their parts. Those who reject Christ in this generation will first suffer the wrath of abandonment (Romans 1:18-31), then the very literal act of abandonment by being left behind at the Rapture of the Church (1 Thess. 5:3, 2 Thess. 2:9-10). Then, God the Father will give Jesus the Son full authority to execute His wrath against the world (Rev. 5). He begins by opening the First Seal Judgment, which unleashes the Antichrist. He will be the most vicious and evil dictator the world has ever seen. However, it doesn't end there. God's wrath continues to unfold through another twenty divine judgments, concluding with the Second Coming. Christ returns with His Church and the armies of heaven (Rev. 19:11-21) and personally casts the Antichrist and the False Prophet alive into the Lake of Fire. He then allows an angel to take hold of the Devil and cast him alive and bound in chains into the abyss for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). The reality is we are at the bitter end of one reality, and at the cusp of a new beginning. It means that the rightful ruler of this universe is getting ready to take back His rightful throne and rule amongst His people with a new heaven and a new earth. It means that however painful our lives here and now might seem, this time will seem absolutely infinitesimal compared to what lies ahead. Eternity future lay before us. For the redeemed, we have the most glorious future ahead of us. For the redeemed, it is a grand and glorious beginning. For those unredeemed, the world will quite literally become, hell on earth. To make matters worse, those who take the mark of the beast will trade hell on earth, for eternity in the Lake of Fire. For the unredeemed, its horror is beyond horror without end. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, do not put off the most important decision of your life and of all eternity, you are not guaranteed tomorrow- today is the day of salvation. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:10-13