In the Gospel of Luke, while describing the signs which would precede the   
   destruction of Jerusalem, and His own Return, one of the things which Jesus   
   said to His Disciples was the following:   
      
   "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and   
   upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves   
   roaring;"   
   Luke 21:25, KJV   
      
   As some of you will know, in the Book of Revelation, we are told that   
   sometimes waters are used to symbolized people and nations. Consider this   
   verse:   
      
   "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore   
   sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."   
   Revelation 17:15, KJV   
      
   Thus, I believe that in the previous verse that is found in the Gospel of   
   Luke, Jesus may actually be referring to the great unrest which will occur   
   amongst the peoples of the world in the years preceding His Return. Can   
   anyone deny that we have already begun to witness this phenomena at our   
   current time?   
      
   While I haven't said much lately in my blog regarding the situation around   
   the world, anyone who has been keeping abreast of global news can quickly   
   determine that the sea and the waves -- the masses -- have indeed been   
   roaring, and roaring quite loudly in protest, as we experience this time of   
   political and economic uncertainty all around the world.   
      
   From the economic downturn in the USA, to serious financial trouble in   
   Europe, to massive protests against Vladimir Putin in Russia, to Bashar   
   al-Assad's oppression of his people in Syria, to ongoing unrest in Egypt, to   
   the rapid deterioration of the situation in Iraq, to political uncertainty   
   in North Korea, to tensions growing between India and Pakistan, it seems   
   that one crisis after another is shaking up the world, and this may just be   
   the beginning of a period of great social upheaval.   
      
   Furthermore, while the affluent and the elite of the world enjoy their lives   
   of luxury in their ivory towers, the gap between the haves and the have nots   
   continues to grow wider with each passing year, as the poor continue to   
   become poorer, with no relief in sight.   
      
   To add to this atmosphere of uncertainty, scientists have recognized that   
   during the past few years, the Earth has experienced some record-breaking   
   meteorological extremes, and Global Warming is being embraced as a reality   
   by more and more people, including by previously skeptical politicians.   
      
   However, with recent events, it seems that we may have reached a point where   
   the common people are no longer willing to tolerate the excesses of Big   
   Business, the corruption of politicians, the greed of bankers, and the   
   oppression of dictatorial leaders. They seem to be saying that enough is   
   enough, and that they want real change, and not just deceptive, empty   
   rhetoric. From the so-called Arab Spring, to unrest in Syria, to protests in   
   Russia, to Occupy Wall Street, to the protests which have recently occurred   
   in many other cities around the world, the desire for real change appears to   
   be growing.   
      
   The problem is that the old guard -- the current power brokers of the world   
   -- are very much entrenched in their ways, and they do not easily embrace   
   change. For some of them, it seems to be easier to oppress their critics and   
   opponents, rather than to embrace change, and this is worrisome.   
      
   While it would be nice to believe that national governments are going to   
   have a change of heart, and are going to more earnestly dedicate themselves   
   to the betterment of their people -- particularly the common people --   
   reality and history suggest a very different scenario. When people rise up   
   in protest, national governments seem to have a propensity for resorting to   
   oppression in one form or another, sooner or later. This oppression can   
   manifest itself in the form of economic oppression -- so that people are   
   kept busy just trying to figure out how to survive -- in the deterioration   
   of civil rights and personal freedoms, and in other ways.   
      
   So if this current wave of global dissatisfaction continues to grow and   
   expand, what can we expect? How will national governments react? Perhaps the   
   real question that should be asked is how the behind-the-scenes power   
   brokers will react, because they are the true power behind national   
   governments and leaders who only serve as puppets at their whim.   
      
   It seems to me that these power brokers have already formulated their   
   response, and that they devised a plan of action a long time ago. They have   
   a vision for the world which can be spelled out in three simple words: One   
   World Government, or New World Order. As such, I suspect that they will only   
   allow the current social unrest to go so far, before they will begin to   
   clamp down and take action. After all, control is the name of their game.   
      
   In fact, I believe that they have already begun preparing for that day. If   
   we consider how much personal data is currently being collected by national   
   governments, and being stored in databases who-knows-where, it is a bit   
   unsettling, and we must ponder what they intend to do with all of this   
   information. Think about it. If they know who you are, where you are, what   
   you are doing, what your personal habits are, what your personal weaknesses   
   are, etc., you will be a lot easier to control when the time arrives and it   
   becomes necessary. Resistance will be futile.   
      
   As I explain in a number of my articles, the Bible seems to predict that a   
   time will arrive when just such an oppressive government will temporarily   
   take over the world, and everyone -- rich and poor -- will be affected by   
   it. Everyone will be forced to accede to its demands, if they expect to   
   survive. Of course, we will be told by our Orwellian Big Brother that such   
   stringent measures are necessary if we want the world to survive, and not   
   spin totally out of control. Their reasoning will seem so logical, and many   
   people will acquiesce to their oppressive system of identification and   
   economic control, to their own damnation.   
      
   So the sea and the waves are indeed roaring now, and there is clearly   
   "distress of nations", exactly as Jesus predicted would occur, and this   
   anguish will only continue to grow worse, as God's Judgments begin to fall   
   more heavily upon a world which has in large part rejected His Son.   
      
   While many people are becoming discontent with the current status quo and   
   are demanding social and political change, the day may arrive when the   
   situation will become so bad, and so oppressive, that they may actually look   
   back at this current period of world history as "the good times".   
      
   Regardless of what happens here on the Earth in the affairs of men, as   
   Bible-believing Christians, we need to remember that we are truly not of   
   this world, and our Kingdom is not of this world. We are pilgrims in a   
   strange land, and like our spiritual forefathers, we seek a much better   
   place, a Heavenly Place, "wherein dwelleth righteousness". Consider the   
   following verses:   
      
   "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen   
   them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed   
   that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such   
   things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been   
   mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had   
   opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is,   
   an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he   
   hath prepared for them a city."   
   Hebrews 11:13-16, KJV   
      
   "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new   
   earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."   
   2 Peter 3:13, KJV   
      
   "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In   
   my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told   
   you. I go to prepare a place for you."   
   John 14:1-2, KJV   
      
   "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have   
   entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them   
   that love him."   
   1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV   
      
   So keep the Heavenly Vision, and don't become too perturbed by what you see   
   happening in the world. Everything serves a purpose, and in the end:   
      
   ". . . we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,   
   to them who are the called according to his purpose."   
   Romans 8:28, KJV   
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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