Clinton Chisholm | The one-world government heresy

THERE IS a video clip going around in which a preacher presents live excerpts from business and governmental leaders allegedly sharing how near we are to a necessary one-world government. The preacher then proceeds to argue that this is prophesied in Revelation 11 and 13 as the emergence of the coming antichrist as leader of the one-world government!

This is flawed on several levels. Even if the word ‘antichrist’ appeared in the book of Revelation (it does not) with implied fulfilment only in the 21st century, it would have made no sense to its primary first-century audience!

The way John describes himself in Revelation, suggests something about the situation in life of the people to whom his book was addressed. He says in 1. 9, “I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

This suggests that he and his addressees were undergoing persecution, because of his use of the expression “companion in tribulation and patience of Jesus Christ”. Patience translates a Greek word that means ‘to hold up under pressure, it is endurance or active resistance’.

Additionally, when you read that last part of v.9 “for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” do not think that John was on Patmos so that he might receive the revelation which he wrote. The ‘for’ there means ‘on account of’ or ‘as a consequence of’. Though the idea is contested by some scholars, John seemed to have been serving time on Patmos as punishment for his faithfulness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The word ‘testimony’ means a declaration of truth regardless of cost. The Greek word is marturia from which we get the English word martyr. So ‘the testimony of Jesus’ meant “the fearless declaration of truth from and about Jesus, regardless.”

John was imprisoned on Patmos and his Christian brethren were suffering and some were martyred because of the word of God and their boldness in declaring that word in the Roman Empire where the ruling Emperor saw himself as Lord and God.

The compound theme of suffering and martyrdom is clear in Revelation (12.17; 13.7; 17.6; 20.4)

Comforting such addressees was an urgent first century priority.

The central message in both Daniel and Revelation is always “despite what appears in your context now, God is the ruler yet. The powers that be, however powerful and even overbearing, will not always be.”

It should be borne in mind too that the word ‘antichrist[s]’ appears ONLY IN THE EPISTLES OF John as any concordance will verify. The word is neither in Daniel nor in Revelation!

It is heresy to preach/teach that a coming antichrist is mentioned in Revelation and linked to a coming world government.

The hype involved here is based on forgetfulness or ignorance that all of the toppled empires in history were veritable one-world governments – Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greco-Roman and European.

Further, no matter how seemingly ready things are for a one-world government, if God does not permit its emergence it can never be and he can dismantle it when he sovereignly chooses. The Jamaican adage is apt: ‘Man a write but Gaad a wipe out’.