I remember the day my son came home from youth group, eyes wide with fear. "Dad, the youth pastor said the Antichrist is alive and the mark of the beast is coming. Is it true? Are we in the end times?"
I scoffed at the time, brushing it off as youthful hysteria. But now, I can no longer deny the unsettling truth. The darkness is descending, and the signs of the times are all around us.
The Daniel Prophecy
The prophet Daniel foretold a global leader who would "speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people." This tyrannical figure, the Antichrist, would seek to control the world through a sinister cashless system. "He will cause all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they cannot buy or sell unless they have the mark."
Does that not describe our current trajectory with digital currency and invasive surveillance technology? The tools to implement the "mark of the beast" are already here. The world is inching ever closer to the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy.
The Isaiah Warning
The book of Isaiah paints an even more ominous picture. The prophet warns of a time when "darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples." He foretells a global rebellion against God, where "everyone is godless and wicked" and "justice is driven back."
Look around. Doesn't that sound eerily familiar? Rampant immorality, eroding values, and a culture that rejects the very notion of truth. We are witnessing the unraveling of society right before our eyes.
The Tribulation Looms
And what of the book of Revelation? The apostle John's apocalyptic vision describes a period of unparalleled suffering - war, famine, pestilence, and cosmic upheaval - known as the Great Tribulation. This time of unprecedented global calamity will precede the return of Christ and the establishment of his eternal kingdom.
My friends, the tribulation is no longer a distant possibility. It is knocking at our door. The stage is set, the players are in position, and the countdown to the end has begun.
As a father, I am gripped by a sense of urgency. We must wake up and heed the warnings of Scripture before it's too late. The darkness is descending, and we must be ready.
"The truth doesn't hide. It waits for those brave enough to look."
The Wise Wolf