About the new world order

              I’ll be just expressing myself in this sermon on what my thought might be on this topic and I will try to back it as much as I can with scriptures. This is a delicate topic, I mean the one on the so called “new world order”. In mean time when I mention this phrase “new world order” I am not referring to any group or organization in particularly, but on how the general idea and movement in which this world goes and in how it can be in the coming future. Many people have expressed themselves on this topic and have speculated about how things could be in this world. I am not saying they are wrong, but on the contrary I think that some of them were right. I am not saying either that all the things I am saying will occur exactly as I think. This is just a reflection on the present situation through the light of the scriptures.

      We mustn’t only look at what could or will happen, in order to see how things can be going in the future with this world, but rather we have to see what is already happening in this world. How its system works. Things definitely have changed in the past years and decades, not only with the progressing and development of technology, but also with the idea and philosophy of this world. We are speaking about a world that in the past years is putting God more and more away from the scene and this is where the problem lies. It is not in the development or the progress we are making, but it mainly sits on this – that we are intentionally turning away from God. I am saying this in general, about how the world is going. I know anyway that there are still people that love and believe in God.
In past times, maybe even a couple of decades ago, God was much more involved in the educational system and the standard values of life. A child was educated in a way to know about God’s existence. Now, I am not saying that everything the people from that time were doing was right, because surely there were men that didn’t walk in the right way with God and taught His values and virtues in an incorrect way. All of that probably let the devil take more space and influence people with his destructive ideas. Because not announcing the gospel in the right way, leaves a space to the devil to give more reasons to people not to believe.

       But anyway, we can say that the culture in general was more God orientated. Then slowly the idea that all of this was old fashioned came to the people and they started to put the name and the values of God aside. All of this obviously was influenced by the devil, as we know that this world is under his rule. Obviously everything is under God’s rule, but I mean that the devil is the one standing behind the ideas and movements of this world. We know that his purpose is to take God out of the throne. We know also that he will never be able to do that, but in his mind he is convinced and in general wants to turn away the human kind from God.

       Obviously the people from the past were not all saints and also have done many bad and wrong things, but I am saying that the culture and the education stood more behind God’s values. Beyond the matter if the people believed or not, they knew clearly what was wrong and what was good. They knew clearly what pleased God and what not.

       Look at something. If we take away the One who defines what is wrong and what not, then slowly but surely, we will also lose the sense and the meaning of doing what is right. I am speaking about the society in general. What happens in today’s society is that things which for a long time have been considered as something wrong and uncommon, are now considered as something normal. We still know that these things hurt obviously, but now is more like a kind of a choice that each one has to make. It is like each person is free to do whatever suits him without being judged by anyone, because if someone tells him that he might be wrong or warns him about something, it means that he is entering into his space and violating his rights. For whose rights are we talking about and which rights are the most important? There is one way set already that is good for everyone, not just as an idea, but for the life itself. This is God’s way and even if we don’t want to admit it, we are supposed to be part of God and His kingdom, we are created by Him.

     Each person today can do most of the things that were considered as taboo before, but the problem is that no one is warning them, I mean to tell them that this will damage them, because it is something wrong. We need to know that God didn’t invent the commandments because He wanted to invent some rules just for the sake of it. I mean that He didn’t do that just to enjoy something, but for our own good. Because each wrong that we do, is actually damaging us, it is hurting us. And He doesn’t want us to get hurt. He knows that better than anyone and that’s why He wants to save us and give us the best.

     In today’s days the world is moving in one direction. There is this oneness and unity and as soon as something new is accepted by someone or by some country, it gets soon accepted by everyone else. Now we see that some drugs for example have been legalized. Prostitution is also legal in some countries. Things that have been obviously done always since the beginnings, but the difference is that people before at least knew that those things were wrong. I mean that they knew clearly that they were in the wrong while doing those things.

      Doing these things today is nothing more than just a part of the choice of life everyone can make. The difference is that when you know something is wrong, you at least can somehow acknowledge it as a sin, as something wrong and repent. That’s why the law is needed as also the Bible tells us.

“But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,” 1 Timothy 1:8
“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”              Galatians 3:24

     This is the purpose of the law – to show our reality of sin, to reveal our sin, so that we can know that we’ve broken His laws and to repent. But how someone can do that today, if many of the things that are wrong in God’s eyes are considered as something right. Who is going to be brave enough to reveal to people their wrong deeds showing them that they are wrong? It can not be done easy in our days as it means that you are entering in someone’s private space and judging his rights. These are today’s greatest values – the human rights. And this is produced obviously, because of those rights being abused in the past. Along with the other reasons for that, there were also people doing things in the name of God in an incorrect way, with the wrong concept and understanding. This obviously has produced this turning away from the truth and placing human rights at first place. This happens when the truth is not exposed in the right way.

      All of this legalization of what before was considered as something wrong, such as the prostitution and the drugs can in part make the things easier for the governments as they will start to control all of this activity and you won’t get anymore people hiding and performing other criminal activity in order to do that. Also the income of all these activities will go directly in the pockets of the governments and not only certain people will get rich, but the whole system. It looks much more controlled and monitored and that’s why the whole system is pushing to impose this system all over and as the globalization is in its march, it soon will get everywhere, I mean that many countries will follow up what the others are doing as well. All of this looks good, but as we said, the wrong side of this, is that we won’t know anymore what is wrong and what not.

      And this is the problem. Just think about it. I don’t want to be pessimist, but if what was considered as taboo 30 years ago and now is normal, what will happen in the future with what now is considered as taboo? Will it get legalized as well or it will be accepted as something normal? Will it become just a matter of choice? Things that now are considered as something unthinkable and unacceptable. This is a scary thought, but it might happen if the most important now are the human rights that are founded on human concepts and feelings. As Matthew 24:12 says that in the last times the lawlessness will increase.

     “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”    Matthew 24:12-14

     I believe this is the lawlessness we are talking about. The lawlessness in front of God. The way He sees it. The right way. Not in front of a human tribunal. It won’t probably consist of people just not respecting the authorities, but not respecting God’s law. And why? Because this will be the way and direction the world will go. Something that we already see now. Totally against the God’s law.
We can add to this the same-sex marriages also. Something against our nature and how God has established the things to be, are now considered as something normal, as a matter of choice, a human choice. I am not saying that God doesn’t love the homosexuals or that we need to reject them. On the contrary we need to show them God’s love and show them that there is still opportunity for them to repent. They need that as much as anyone else on this planet, because everyone is a sinner and needs to repent and accept the truth.

     There is nothing wrong with being united, because also the Bible speaks about getting united, but in the right cause, in the name of Jesus. People do that, but in the name of the humanity, in the name of man and rejecting and leaving God aside. Something similar happened a long time ago when the people were trying to build the tower of Babel.

     “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”     Genesis 11:1-4

     We know that after this in the following verses God confused their language and they couldn’t understand anymore each other. All of this because they were not united in the right way and with the right purpose. The Bible says that they wanted to make a name for themselves, meaning that they wanted to do it for their glory and wanted to be like God. Something very similar to what is happening now. People are getting united. There is this sense of unity. We see it and we hear about it everywhere. It is not yet, but it is like the whole humanity has set this goal in front of them. Apparently there is nothing wrong in being united and I am not saying anything against it. I am just discussing about the reason for which the human kind is getting united. People indeed will be united one day, where no nation and no color will be important and all of them will be one in the name of the Lord, but this is heaven and there they will be together in the name of the Lord. What is wrong is when people are getting united in their own name and excluding the Lord. When the general movement of this unity is excluding the Lord and in a way is compelling for whoever belongs to this movement to do the same.

     The problem is that this movement goes to the opposite direction of the Lord’s principles and teachings. So if someone would like to believe in God, will be suppressed and if all the direction and everyone goes into that way, then it will be difficult for someone to hear the word and believe. Because how is that someone believes? When he hears the word transmitted to him, when he hears about this God who is mighty to save. The gospel is meant to be shared. The culture in which we live is of huge importance. If our culture has christian values and the gospel is been shared then obviously people will hear about God and will believe. But if the culture or the educational system in which we live, doesn’t allow this to happen, then obviously less and less people will accept and believe. Cultural influence regarding Christianity is not everything, as on one side people can get used to it and take it as something granted, but it is obviously important as if we don’t have it, then the risk is that less people will hear clearly about the truth and few can consider it as something important.

    And obviously I am speaking of what might happen in the future, but the way things are going it looks like this time is close to be. The influence and the environment in which we live is playing an important part. It is not obviously everything, but it’s important. The Christian education and influence are important. Obviously it is not everything, but how are the people going to look or consider the love of God if the belief in these present times is to be more selfish and to look out only for yourself. Obviously they will not always plainly tell you that you need to be selfish, but you will receive an answer like: “you can be whatever you want, you only need to pursue your idea and your dreams”. There is not always wrong with having an ambitions and dreams, but the fact here is that someone can be whatever he wants or do whatever he wants, but without considering much his neighbor, without considering if that might hurt or offend the other person. In this way this idea is selfish, the idea of being and doing only what we like. Obviously God doesn’t want us only to suffer and not to feel pleasure at all. The pleasure is included in His will. We feel the real pleasure when we please Him with our life. But this pleasure that the world promises us by following its ideas, is not good. We feel much better when we feel the pleasure of being with God and serving and pleasing Him. He is the missing part in us humans.

     I don’t want to be expecting too much, but that’s why Christian persons in the politics are needed sometimes, even though some people don’t agree that Christians must be involved in politics, but this is needed in order to bring these values to the system and to a place where they can influence a lot more, because to this is what God has called us to – to influence in a positive way the other people in our environment toward the gospel. To influence this society. So in any way we influence it, that’s good, not using obviously ungodly and unlawful methods. That’s why the believers are called the salt and the light of this world. Obviously in times in which we are living this can happen with difficulties as now the political and the governing systems are not autonomous as before, as they depend on what this world movement is doing. If everyone else is going to that direction, so they also have to. So if in the past some Christians had the opportunity to hold important roles and places in the society in order to influence the people in a positive and Christian way, now is much harder for this to happen.

     From the other side we can see also that because of people understanding the religion in the wrong way and acting in a wrong way, the religion has become a reason for wars and violence. Something that God is against, because He obviously offers forgiveness through Jesus. Nevertheless what happens gives a reason for people to think that a religion is the main reason for conflicts to happen and that’s why in these new times to come, they want to remove it. This will definitely be a problem for the human kind. Not only a problem in their lifestyle, but in front of God.
Seeing all of this, we can conclude that the end is approaching. We can not say when exactly and maybe it won’t happen tomorrow, maybe there will be still couple of generations or maybe not, we don’t know, but the way things are going we can see this event approaching. The end will come when there will be complete ungodliness and when the lawlessness will be at its peak. This is the direction the world is going to. I say again that by lawlessness I don’t mean only havoc and criminal activity, but something going against the law of God in everything and in its entire system. What is evil has become good for us and what good – evil. These are the signs that define that the end times are approaching, not only the new viruses and wars coming into the scene. We know that these things will also happen at the end and have been always happening, but the greatest evidence is the way and the reasoning with which this world is going. When the virus came first, many people thought that this is an evidence for the end, but this is something else and these sort of things will also accompany the end times. What really shows us that the end is approaching is the way the human race reasons and the general idea of the world today. They’ve been always having this idea and the man obviously is been always a sinner, but this idea, the one that excludes God, is now being promoted by the society and by the law. That makes the difference.

     “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”     2 Timothy 3:1-5

     Here we see a description of apostle Paul of how the people will be in the last days. Something so common to what the society in general is today. I am not saying that all the people are in this way, but that this is the general idea of how the people behave today. This is a sign of end times. The way the culture and the idea of the world is going.

    “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”    Proverbs 14:34

    “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”

    He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”    Psalms 2:1-12

      This is what the nations have always desired to do and in today’s days more than ever – to stray from the Lord and to be independent from Him. To be as far as they can be. Even if they actually don’t fully realize it, the spirit in them is against Him and is continuously straying form the Lord. This is what our flesh wants to do – to live for itself and not to believe and submit to the Lord. It is the spirit of this world and the evil coming form the devil, but it is also our own being and flesh that strays from the Lord. Looking at each person singularly to the whole nation, they all want to stray from the Lord. Because a nation is composed by persons, so the spirit and the ideology of these persons will define that nation. The purpose is that He can reach each one of those nations. And this is what will happen. He will bring justice to those who have been against His laws and statutes, but will bring eternal peace to those who have believed in His name and honored Him.

     “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bondservants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”   Revelation 11:18

     One day every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Lord and each knee will bow down and will acknowledge Him. What will remain from these nations will be those who have acknowledged Him.
 “Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all the nations shall serve Him.”   Psalm 72:11

 “His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.”    Psalm 72:17

   When I speak about a new world order, I am not referring to any particular group or society that is bringing that in. Even if there are groups or societies that want to do that, it is not actually them doing it, but the spirit of this world who lives in the sons of disobedience who do not know God as Ephesians 2:2 states:

  “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,”

    And this in general is everyone who doesn’t know God and doesn’t have His Spirit in his heart. Someone might be thinking that the present condition we are in, is a fault of some group or a persons or a country or society and if they were not there, then things were going to be in a better way. Our battle though, as Ephesians 6:12 describes it, is not against flesh or blood, meaning that it is not against persons and it is not their fault. It is the spirit of this world, the spirit of the air that moves all of these persons and world rulers and also other common persons to take the decisions they are taking. If they were not there, then surely someone else was going to do it. This new world movement however wants to exclude God from the society and from the culture in general.

   More than any other religion, the Christianity is been restricted and suffers assaults in today’s days. We are not speaking about places where evidently the Christianity is persecuted, but even places where the Christianity was the main belief. Everyone is having rights, but often it is not so when it comes to the Christian faith.

    In today’s days we can also see something else coming on the political scene. Obviously as we said, it is not just political parties or ideology we are talking about here, but the spirit behind those events. We see that the world is busy directing itself into a socialistic orientated movement. Why am I saying that? Because we see this kind of unity and desire for a social justice and equality coming up. Look, there is nothing wrong with that and there are some very good values we can find in the socialism. I am not expressing myself against it, I am against the spirit standing behind it. The problem, as we said, is when you exclude God from all this movement. It was God who started this kind of unity and equality as we read it in the book of Acts. There we see the first believers breaking together the bread and sharing all of their possessions amongst them. (Acts 4:34)

   “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack – that there may be equality. As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”   2 Corinthians 8:13-15

    People after took this idea and created communism and socialism, but without placing God in its center. On the contrary they excluded Him. And when you don’t place Him in the center, then problems and confusion come. Then it is built just on a human ideology. Many of the political parties are having good ideas, the problem is that God is been left aside. This kind of idea however in the past was always against the belief in God and the Christian faith. Now is about to happen the same and this ideology of communism and socialism is coming back. Why? Because everyone is craving for unity and this is the way to accomplish it. The desire of people for the future is to subject everything under one system. This is just a theory and I am not saying that it will be exactly in this way, but I am just observing the present situation. As the people can not control everything, they prefer this kind of idea that place everything under one rule, exactly as the Bible describes that it will happen. It says in the book of Revelation that everyone (who doesn’t follow God) will follow the beast.

   “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”   Revelation 13:3

   “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation”    Revelation 13:7

    This is the world getting united but under the wrong rule and person. We anyway see in these days this kind of idea being planted and promoted. No one obviously knows and understands the consequences of it. Nothing wrong with coming together, but when God is been excluded, then yes, it is not a good way.

   Speaking about this kind of ideologies and movements, I am not saying either that any other human rule or idea is better. We mustn’t place our trust in men when it comes to this. The best way is the God’s way and His rule is the best one. We need to place our trust in Him in each circumstance. All the human kingdoms and rules will fall, but His kingdom will endure forever. (Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:13,14)