How Evangelicals are Dooming Us

How Evangelicals are Dooming Us

Looking at the bigger picture

In my last piece I talked about how we may have been misled regarding socialism. The vast majority of people in our country have historically, at least since WW2, had an instantaneous look of repulsion upon hearing the term socialism used. In fact lawmakers are so aware of this they often use the term socialist as a slur towards any candidates that would dare propose any type of policy that would be in the realm of a collective good.

Growing up as an Evangelical I’d regularly hear criticism of any policy that may connect with “End Times” prophecies.

Anyone who doesn’t subscribe to this doctrine would likely tell you that the idea of a unified humanity would be a good thing. A world with open communication, no war, humanity helping each other to advance rather than wasting so much of our resources on destroying each other. A more fair world where rather than some having gold plated Lamborghinis while children starved we’d at least have everyone’s basic needs met.

This is essentially the world depicted in the shows and movies of the Star Trek series. It envisions humanity how it could be, where everyone is treated as equals and money isn’t even a thing anymore.

Humanity just strives to do better for the sake of doing better.

This is in stark contrast to what Evangelicals seem to want.

Any mention of humanity unifying brings up talk about it being a sign of the end times. What I find interesting about this is that they seem to be afraid and in opposition to these events occurring while simultaneously also desiring the end times to happen so they can be raptured away.

Part of this I think is due to the Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel, where humanity was working together on a project and God came down and confused their languages, some interpret this as it being a sin for mankind to come together as one, rather than it just being a myth about the origin of languages.

But really they base this particular belief on the following verses:

”And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is 666.”- Revelation 13:16–18 — NASB

They take this as a prophecy of a future central authority forcing humans to receive some sort of mark to be able to do commerce. This has been used to fearmonger concepts such as a social security number which at that time some claimed was citizens having to show allegiance to the state rather than God. There were even those who attempted to refuse to get a social security number, but the courts sided against them. (Bowden v. Social Security Board, 1943)

This trope has shown up again for things like Real-ID, RFID chips, vaccine passports, and even the COVID-19 vaccines themselves, which were thought by some to contain microchips inside of them and be the actual Mark of the Beast.

Central Bank Digital Currencies or CBDCs have caused fear in many of these believers as well due to the line in the above verse “no one will be able to buy or sell”. They see the advent of these digital currencies as a sign, of course some believed this about credit cards too.

”The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.”-Revelation 17:12–13 — NASB

These folk interpret these verses as talking about the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Economic Forum….or possibly even the Paris Climate Accords. You know essentially any organization that has people from numerous nations working together for a common goal.

I will however admit that the WEF is the creepiest of this group by far, but I don’t think that it’s connected with this verse. I see the WEF as an evil organization of oligarchs, not some evil of the world working together.

”Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will humble three kings.’”-Daniel 7:23–24 — NASB

They interpret these verses as talking about some sort of future European or global superstate, a form of a revived Roman Empire.

So things like NAFTA scared some, while the formation of the EU really raised their hackles.

”No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”-2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 — NASB

They interpret this verse as talking about the anti-Christ, saying he will rise and be the ruler of the entire world. So more fear-mongering of the world ever unifying as one in a common goal.

”And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence… These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.”-Revelation 19:19–20 — NASB

This is sort of a callback to the story of the Tower of Babel, these verses talk about the armies of the world coming together to fight against a common enemy, though in this case that enemy is Jesus sitting on the throne of heaven I presume. They see this as a statement of humans having one last act of rebellion against God.

So as you guessed, one more verse to fear-monger humans ever unifying as one in a common goal.