When I gave the sermon on the Approaching End Times in February, which was prepared back in January, the current coronavirus pandemic was not on my radar, and what ensued was certainly not in my imagination. Of the four horsemen in Revelation chapter 6, Death was the last and most perplexing one because the two common causes of death — War and Famine — were the second and third horsemen, respectively. So what could be the cause of mass deaths? Not since the Spanish flu of 1918 have we seen such a massive pandemic and the societal disruption that we only see in science fiction movies. As of the time of this writing which was just a few months after the virus hit the U.S., U.S. death count has surpassed its total from WWI (116,500) and is projected to surpass the count from WWI, Vietnam war (58,200), and Korean War (36,600) combined by early fall. We have seen mass graves in New York that we did not imagine to ever happen in the U.S. And it’s not over yet.
The socioeconomic disruption from the pandemic and social turmoil may yet lead to massive unemployment and decline in food production across the world. This may lead to the third horseman — famine. With climate change already affecting food production, this scenario is not far-fetched.
China’s expansion in military capabilities and its exertion in South China Sea, the Indian border, and threats over Taiwan may trigger a military conflict between large powers. The collapse in oil prices may further worsen both internal and external tensions in the Middle East and Russia. Could there be a military conflict, and how big would it be? That’s the second horseman, by the way.
So the question is, are there signs of the first horseman — the Anti-Christ. He will likely be a capable global leader, perhaps one who settles the military conflicts among the nations temporarily, and maybe even one who leads a successful effort to end the pandemic and famine. I don’t see how any of the current “leaders” could be the Anti-Christ. It sure ain’t Trump nor Biden. Putin and Xi are unlikely also since they are the causes of some of these tensions.
And who is the False Prophet that assists the Anti-Christ? It actually looks more like a powerful computer/AI system with extensive knowledge and access to all information than a single individual. We are approaching the day when we have AI that can achieve what’s described in the Book of Revelation. The AI-based SkyNet in the Terminator series is undoubtedly being developed already.
No matter who it is, the signs pointing to the end times are clearer than ever before. Christians, are you prepared? Are you living for God? Do you know the meaning of life? Are you ready to face the Lord if you die today or Jesus returns today?
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