It seems to me that we were in a similar situation a few months back. Our lives were in an upward routine, we saw progress in our churches, and we were rejoicing about the wonderful missionary campaigns we were planning. Who could predict that a few months later would find us in a time of crisis such as this one?

This is now the hour of the devil.

“Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:52, 53).

“As the Son of God bowed in the attitude of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the agony of His spirit forced from His pores sweat like great drops of blood. It was here that the horror of great darkness surrounded Him. The sins of the world were upon Him. He was suffering in man’s stead as a transgressor of His Father’s law. Here was the scene of temptation. The divine light of God was receding from His vision, and He was passing into the hands of the powers of darkness. In His soul anguish He lay prostrate on the cold earth. He was realizing His Father’s frown. He had taken the cup of suffering from the lips of guilty man, and proposed to drink it Himself, and in its place give to man the cup of blessing. The wrath that would have fallen upon man was now falling upon Christ. It was here that the mysterious cup trembled in His hand.”1

We have seen the recent elections in the United States and how much passion surrounds these times of transition. ‘And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed’ (Revelation 13:11, 12). Three additional supreme court justices have recently been appointed at the highest level of the United States court system. From these nine justices, seven are Roman Catholics, one was raised Roman Catholic and later became Episcopalian and one is of the Jewish faith. Episcopalians are a more liberal division of the Anglican church in the United States.

The first beast (Roman Catholic church) is being worshipped by the greatest nations of the earth. The second beast coming up out of the earth (the United States) is not any more a country that protests against papal rule.

Following the Council of Trent between 1545 and 1563, the Catholic Church was in the hands of newly established religious orders, above all the one known as the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits—founded in 1534 by the Basque noble Ignatius of Loyola, and officially established by the papacy in 1540. Unlike the Benedictine monks or the Franciscan and Dominican friars, the Jesuits swore special obedience to the pope and were specifically dedicated to the task of reconstructing church life and teaching in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation. Thus, they came to be called the “shock troops of the Counter-Reformation.” In pursuit of that mission they became especially active in scholarship and education—and above all in the education of the nobility; through their pupils they sometimes wielded as great an influence in affairs of state as they did in affairs of the church.

On October 15, 2020, Pope Francis appealed to every sector of society across the globe to subscribe to and support the Global Compact on Education. The initiative “promotes the values of care for others, peace, justice, goodness, beauty, acceptance, and fraternity in order to build hope, solidarity and harmony everywhere.” The Pope called for “a new cultural and development model that respects and protects human dignity, while creating a global interdependence to bring communities and peoples together to care for our common home and to foster peace.”2

In the United States and many other countries in the world, there is a clear decline of Christianity. A lack of religious affiliation is quite prevalent among 18-to 29-year-olds; in fact, 35 percent are in this category compared to 13 percent among those age 50 and older. It’s also higher among men than women (25 vs. 17 percent), and among college graduates vs. those without a degree (25 vs. 20 percent).3

The result of years of education in Jesuit-based universities and schools, is seen in the lack of faith that is found in the new generation.

“Romanism is now regarded by Protestants with far greater favor than in former years. In those countries where Catholicism is not in the ascendancy, and the papists are taking a conciliatory course in order to gain influence, there is an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy; the opinion is gaining ground that, after all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed, and that a little concession on our part will bring us into a better understanding with Rome. The time was when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience which had been so dearly purchased. They taught their children to abhor popery and held that to seek harmony with Rome would be disloyalty to God. But how widely different are the sentiments now expressed!”4

Ever since the papal encyclical, Laudato Si, was released, final events have occurred in rapid succession. The Pope took a position on ecology and received the support of the majority of governments. In fact, anyone that would suggest that a day of rest for our “common home” should not be enforced by governments is immediately discarded as promoting propaganda against the earth and the common good. A day of rest (on Sunday) is the Pope’s solution to bringing peace and safety to this world.

Sunday observance has one major consequence seen in many places today: bringing atheism as the number one religion.

“Had the Sabbath always been sacredly observed, there could never have been an atheist or an idolater. The Sabbath institution, which originated in Eden, is as old as the world itself. It was observed by all the patriarchs, from creation down. . . . In order to obliterate God from the minds of men, Satan aimed to tear down this great memorial. If men could be led to forget their Creator, they would make no effort to resist the power of evil, and Satan would be sure of his prey.”5

There is a clear acceleration of the actions that will bring about the end. The world is changing. Every country has been affected by the pandemic and by the decisions being taken in trying to control the spread of the virus. Now is an ideal time to test on a large scale the anti-libertarian measures that will be widely used in the near future.

God had promised: “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26).

“Atheists, infidels, and apostates oppose and denounce God’s law; but the results of their influence prove that the well-being of man is bound up with his obedience of the divine statutes. Those who will not read the lesson from the book of God are bidden to read it in the history of nations.”6

Egypt is a symbol of atheism. God has allowed this current pandemic to develop as a reminder of the consequences that affect transgressors of His law.

“This is atheism, and the nation represented by Egypt would give voice to a similar denial of the claims of the living God and would manifest a like spirit of unbelief and defiance. ‘The great city’ is also compared, ‘spiritually,’ to Sodom. The corruption of Sodom in breaking the law of God was especially manifested in licentiousness. And this sin was also to be a pre-eminent characteristic of the nation that should fulfill the specifications of this scripture.”7

Never before the rejection of God’s moral law have been so strong. Licentiousness is defined by Merriam Webster dictionary as “lacking legal or moral restraints, especially: disregarding sexual restraints.”

This is a time of great darkness and not many people see it. To the contrary, they say, we have never had so much light as now! Jesus accurately describes the condition of His time “they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

On the contrary, some people are trying to stay updated on world events. Particularly in view of the pandemic and the development of a vaccine, we see lots of information that seems contradictory. Some political and religious lobbies push for vaccines while many videos from anarchists or conspiracy theorists plant doubts in people’s minds. Where is the truth? Is it coming from governments that have lied to us in the past; or from anti-everything groups that publish makeshift pseudoscience videos? How can we discern facts over fiction?

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:8–12).

The love of truth will make the difference between those that will believe Satan’s lies and those that don’t. The whole world is in darkness and loves lies, fake news, and spreading rumors. As it says in 1 John 5:19, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”

The enemy tries to distort the light and bring darkness instead. “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). There is a state of constant fear. People know that they are manipulated from both sides and instead of choosing the safe path of the truth found in the word of God, they prefer transferring videos that are also full of lies.

What should be the position of a child of God? “In their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelation 14:5).

The greatest danger for the church in our current stage is described in the words of the Apostle John: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

Is it possible for those who have had great light to be judged with greater harshness than atheists who reject God? When the light and truth comes to the heart of many that have prejudices, it has no effect.

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Matthew 10:14, 15).

The Lord has warned us of our need to prepare for the hostile times that are coming before us. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:16–22).

As we see the day approaching and as we see the power of darkness surrounding us, our attitude must be a courageous one. Unflinchingly, we need to stand for the right. With renewed energy, we must meet the enemy on safe ground. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:11–13).

We have been accused, at times, of being passive. Facing the surge of evil powers that surround the world, we need to fight against the flow. As Christians, what should our attitude be? Should we demonstrate in the street for social justice? Should we march en masse for our freedom and justice? Should we unite people into groups that may pressure governments? These were the hopes of the disciples when the tyrannical government was imposing them conditions that were against their values. They were hoping that Jesus would react and put an end to the abuses of their times. They could not understand Jesus’s plan. When His own countrymen heard His plan, they refused to believe this was the best solution.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:18–21).

This simple idea had power to transform the whole world. The plan was not pointing fingers at those who were in the world. It was showing the professed people of God how they were the problem. They were the poor, brokenhearted, captives, blind and bruised.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:17, 18).

Confronting the flow of Satan’s snares was the meek Jesus. Was He passive? Certainly not. He was setting an example that would be passed down from generation to generation as an example of what our attitude should be in a time of chaos.

Our mission is not to denounce the mistakes of the world. Our mission is to call out sin by its right name among God’s people. Read Isaiah 58 and see how darkness can be turned into light. May the Lord help us see what the real solution is to this world of oppression, misery and sin: a blameless people that can stand on the see of glass, a people that have been transformed by the blood of a seemingly weak person on a cross.