The Time of the End

There was a time not long ago when this deli was buzzing with the sound of happy customers sharing a meal together, and I’m sure one day soon it will be again, but in the meantime I sit alone in an empty deli sipping some yerba maté, listening to Old Time Gathering, and writing this short article for you. It’s currently a pleasant way to spend some time, riding out the wave of social upheaval brought on by the recent spread of corona virus worldwide.

It’s not actually full social lock-down, at least not yet, but it sure feels like it, as few people are to be seen anywhere in public at this point, let alone anywhere near our little Yellow Deli. It’s possible that this whole event would pass and we would all look back and hardly remember how strange the whole world felt at this time. But as the days pass, it seems increasingly more likely that actually, the world will never be the same again after this ongoing pandemic is finally over.

Of the few customers who have dared step foot outside of their home to come pick up a carry-out order at our deli, most have lost jobs, as so many companies have shut down at this time. How long will those businesses be closed? Will they ever recover? How long will all these people be without a job? Will they receive any compensation for lost wages? How will they pay their bills? Can the economy handle such a fierce blow? What will the government do in response, and as a result what will society look like in just a few years? Are we on the brink of catastrophe, or a great rebound?

There are many puzzling questions that one could be mulling over endlessly at a time like this, but we’re not so much focusing on any of these things right now. That’s because we know something of far greater concern than COVID-19.

It’s quite possible that what we are seeing is actually part of a great maneuver to introduce a whole new global paradigm on the face of the earth at this time. Whether it’s part of an intentional agenda or not is debatable, but it certainly seems like the inevitable direction that the world has been heading toward for a long time now.

What will that new global society look like? There are so many opinions and guesses, but we’re not really into speculating very much. Certainly a new global society could be introduced, and it could be very oppressive. But not necessarily. It could just as well come in the form of a solution to all the world’s problems and save the day, so to speak. Either way, that’s not our concern. The world will do what the world will do, and in the end we know the world is perishing and will fade away.

In the midst of it all, however, we are encouraged because we know there is a Creator, and that He is actually at work doing something on the earth in these days. He’s not sitting idly by, watching events unfold without concern. In fact, He’s foreknown this time and has been looking forward to it also.

It is for these days that He has been waiting, to raise up a whole new society of His own on the earth, to stand in the stark contrast to the new global society that is also coming into form at this time. We know we are in these days because that time, the time of the end, is described in Daniel 12:4, where the prophet Daniel is told to “conceal the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

So that’s what society will look like in the time of the end; and that is certainly what we see on the face of the earth today. People travel to and fro like never before. With air travel, you can fly anywhere in the world and arrive within 24 hours. At the time the Bible was written, and even all the way up to just 150 years ago, such world travel was unimaginable, and with continually increasing technology, who knows what kind of advancements still lie ahead even in the near future.

The other factor that marks the time of the end is an increase in knowledge. Never before has such an exchange of information and global communication been possible, all from a device that you simply hold in your hand. This technology too is developing rapidly and will certainly surpass anything we could have previously imagined in just a short time longer.

Truly, the world is connected in a way it’s never been before, and perfectly fits the description of the end times according to Daniel. So that means also that we are approaching the times in which the words of Daniel’s prophecies will be revealed and unsealed. The end could not have come any earlier, for we’ve never been in times of such great communication and transportation until now.

Daniel 2¹“Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided… and as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile… they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” – Daniel 2:41-44 speaks of a time when ten kings will come to power to form a whole new society that the world has never seen before. The ten kings are described as ten toes, and are referenced also in Revelation 17²“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” – Revelation 17:12-14 as ten horns, as they wage war against the people of God in the time of the end.

Simultaneous to the ten kings taking power as the heads of a new global society, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom of His own on the earth to stand in stark contrast to the kingdoms of this world. Two kingdoms raised up alongside each other, in direct opposition; the kingdom of God, and the kingdoms of this world.

One of those kingdoms, the kingdom of God, is one that the world actually has seen once before, however for but a brief and shining moment. It is the kingdom that Yahshua, the Son of God, taught His disciples to pray for³“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10 and for which He offered His own life in order to purchase from death⁴“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’” – Rev 5:9-10 as the ultimate ransom⁵ “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28.

This kingdom is the first work that He engaged in on the day the Holy Spirit was first given on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2⁶“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah) for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them…  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” – Acts 2:38-45.

Yahshua had commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that they themselves had been commanded⁷“And Jesus (Yahshua) came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” – Matthew 28:18-20.

As a result, on the day of Pentecost, His disciples (the apostles) communicated the terms of the Gospel just as they too had received it. They taught the 3,000 people that responded on that day that they must leave everything behind⁸“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” – Luke 14:33 in order to follow Yahshua ⁹“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” – Matthew 4:19-20, just as they themselves had done also¹⁰“Then Peter answered and said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’” – Matthew 19:27.

Just as this command from Yahshua brought the disciples together to follow Him before He was crucified, the same command from the apostles brought about the same response from thousands who all left everything behind as a response to the Gospel¹¹“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” – Acts 2:44,45.

This formed a whole new society in which they all lived together communally in many different places throughout the region¹²“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.  And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all…  Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” – Acts 4:32-35.  The apostle Paul traveled to many of the communities in that time to exhort them to stay on the pattern they had received at first, as there was a natural drifting coming in to compromise their special new society.

He commends the Thessalonians for keeping the pattern as it was first established in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost¹³“For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus (Yahshua the Messiah)…” – 1 Thessalonians 2:14.  But in many of his letters, he writes to warn various churches¹⁴“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus (whose name was Yahshua) whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” – 2 Cor 11:3-4 that they are drifting from the original pattern and don’t even realize it¹⁵“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel… As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” – Galatians 1:6,9.  He even makes it clear that he anticipates a great falling away to occur once his life is over¹⁶“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” – Acts 20:29.

The whole new Testament is an account of the rise and collapse of this new society which was supposed to bring an end to the kingdoms of this world.  Surely they must have thought they were the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven; the Stone Kingdom of Daniel 2:44¹⁷And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. – Daniel 2:44, on course to bring an end to this wicked age. They were a beacon of light¹⁸“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” – Matthew 5:14 for the world to see what the Love of God, poured out into the hearts of a people, actually looks like, but they could not endure until the end¹⁹“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”– Matthew 24:13.

Perhaps it wasn’t meant to happen at that time. After all, only now are we beginning to see conditions on the earth that appear to match up with Daniel’s description of the end times.  So now, 2,000 years later, we anticipate the formation of a new society of ten world powers in an alliance to rule the world.  Meanwhile, right along with it, we look on as we see the God of heaven establishing His kingdom on the earth once again at this time.

So when we look out and see global crisis brought right to our front door, we are of course concerned about those we love.  The recent pandemic has effected us, and especially the older ones in our midst, much like it has the rest of the world.  How confusing and scary these times would be if not for the great hope that comes with it; understanding that there actually is a God who is at work doing something of tremendous importance on the earth. 

As I write this I consider our Community²⁰www.TwelveTribes.org, which has been developing in places all over the earth for the last fifty years.  We truly aspire to be part of the Stone that rolls down the mountain in these last days to bring an end to all the confusion that now fills the earth. We invite you to contact us or continue reading. We would love to hear from you!