“Watchman, watchman, what time of the night? What time of the night?” The watchman says, “Morning comes, and also the night.”

You and I live at the grand climax of history. The promise and the plea of the church is about to be answered, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” The Lord Jesus will  come to take His bride home for the wedding feast. For the world, it will be the grand climax as it joins together to offer a substitute Messiah for the nations to worship. This will bring, in rising fury, the wrath of God on the nations.

Jesus said there will be a fulfillment of signs indicating this climax is about to happen. Jesus gave two key signs: the rebirth of Israel as a nation with Jerusalem as its capital and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God proclaimed to all nations.

The Lord Jesus made the last generation so easy to recognize He said in Luke 21 even a child could recognize it. He gave the key sign in Luke 21:24. Watch Jerusalem, when the day comes when a reborn Israel brings Jerusalem under its sovereignty, know the climax of the ages is at hand. This happened in 1967.

There are many supporting signs to this climax of God’s plans. Even the positioning of Russia and Iran in Syria is part of the strategic last steps as prophesied in Ezekiel 38. One of the key parts of the puzzle is now coming into clear view.

Where is the USA in end times prophecy? How could a nation that is the biggest economic and military power in the world not be part of the great climax? With political and religious leadership coming in the final rebellion led by the Antichrist, where is the USA? We now see how this is not only possible, it is happening.

The organizing of the world in rebellion against God is all done in the spirit of Babylon. Going back to the Tower of Babel, man’s efforts were to reach to the heavens and take the place of God in ruling the earth. God confused the languages because when men with evil hearts unite, it is always against the rule of God.

In the last days this effort to unite globally against the rule of God through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ will be led by three Babylons: political, religious, and economic.  It has been clear to recognize the political and religious Babylons as they are both centered in Rome (Revelation 17:9). Many have been distracted by the danger of Islam and terrorism as the source of a coming Antichrist. But the Bible clearly states it will be centered in Rome. It is the leader of the church in Rome who joins the world religions in support of a new world order established by a Man of Peace, who is actually the Antichrist. The danger of radical Islamic terrorism in fact has led to momentum for a new global order with the religions of the world in support.  We will come back to this idea in a future blog post.

But who is economic Babylon? I have long advocated that Revelation 18, with the support of Jeremiah 50-51, describes the USA as economic Babylon. Revelation 18:23 establishes that it was the merchants, business leader of the USA, who laid the foundation for the coming new order. In my book, The Morning Comes and Also the Night, I detail how in the 1950s, the plan of a new global economic world order was set in motion. There would be three key economic centers to the new world economic order: the USA, a revived and unified Europe, and Japan. China rising has been a surprise.

To make this new order happen, people need to see themselves as global citizens with a diminishing of nationalism and religious division. A stable global economy would enable the maximizing of business profits.

As we are now in the last stages of this organizing of rebellion against God, we see why the USA is not the dominant power in the climax of man’s rebellion. The current administration in the USA has called for Making America Great Again, but the only definition given to greatness is prosperity. Everything is measured by the strength of the economy of the USA. It is clearly America first. The dangers in this thinking have been seen as bad trade deals, and a perceived invasion from south of the border. The agenda has been simple: maximize profits by an aggressive stance in trade and build a wall to the South.

So the only value the USA brings to foreign relations is what is best for the USA economy. The change in world relations has been startling and fast. European leaders have come to realize they must figure things out alone because the USA has no concern except its economy. The only value offered to other nations is the opportunity for them to build a great economy. The leader of North Korea is told denuclearizing is good as with all its coast they can build some great resorts. A peace plan is offered to the Palestinians that they should embrace because it will create jobs. The only value the USA works for in international relations is what will prosper its economy. The only value offered to other nations is do what is best for your economy. Money is the sole standard for value.

Thus, the USA’s great military power is no longer about world order and strategic defense alliances. It is only about protecting USA interests. Leaders in the world have lost confidence that the USA will use its military power to support defense alliances. For years, the USA has worked behind the scenes to restrain the conflict between India and Pakistan, particularly over Kashmir. With both having nuclear weapons, conflict is too dangerous. But a casual comment about the Kashmir issue by the President of the USA seems to have emboldened India.

In Hong Kong, protestors have taken to the street to keep some independence from China. They have looked to the USA for support as we have always stood for the principles of freedom. But the President of the USA in commented on it as if this is a side issue in China trade talks. The value of the American dollar is the only value the USA brings anymore to international relations.

All of this is incredibly sad, yet it is exactly as the prophets have declared. Part of the reason the Bible warned His church is so that we as Christians in the USA don’t get caught in the lie that the economy is the measure of health. The Lord Jesus said never does life consist of the abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15).

It is important for remnant Christians and the remnant church to focus on our mission. Our lives and resources must be devoted to completing the mission to take the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to all nations. We must stand firm against the rising apostasy in the church. We must guard against the anxieties of this life distracting us from the focus and energy it takes to walk by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must watch and pray.

Be ready church, the Lord Jesus is coming soon!