1984 Has Arrived

Modern technology has totally transformed our lives in the last few years, and much of it has been beneficial. We can now keep in touch with loved ones and friends on the other side of the world in a way that couldn't have been dreamt of just decades ago. We can access the internet for information on just about every subject under the sun. But, like so many of man's inventions, it has become a Pandora's box in a myriad of ways, bringing curses rather than benefits.

For example, at the beginning of this month, a new bill called the Hate Crime Act was passed in Scotland by the SNP, the Scottish National Party, whose current leader is Humza Yousaf, a Pakistani immigrant and a Muslim. From the news article in the Daily Mail, April 3rd:

And this interference in our everyday lives will not be restrained to Scotland, by any means:

I remember reading a comment made about the current state of affairs here in the UK in regard to the book '1984' by George Orwell. They pointed out that '1984' was meant as, "a cautionary tale – not a how-to manual or textbook!" And yet, when you read what is coming from the beast power, you can see how we do indeed find ourselves – right now – sinking steadily "into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science" as Winston Churchill cautioned. For God warns us in Daniel that the beast is indeed to be, "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet" (Daniel 7:7)

No longer is "an Englishman's home his castle"! Nowhere are we free from being followed by government spying of one type or another. We're encouraged to buy into "Smart" technology ... meters, phones, cars etc; not always understanding it's an acronym for "self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology." Every cell phone mast we pass, every journey that we make, every "friend" on social media we have contact with, every email that we send, every article that we read, and every website that we visit – these everyday activities of ours are now undoubtedly monitored by surveillance systems whose reach appears unlimited, but whose safeguards are not. Knowing what prophetically is about to be unleashed at the end of this age, such a prospect appears unnerving to say the least. But rather than make us despondent – even fearful – this should in fact encourage us greatly ... if we look at the subject in the right way. For if puny man can have such awesome surveillance, how much more does the Almighty – the Eternal Creator and sustainer of all that exists, the all-seeing God, and our Eternal Father!

So the more positive way to approach this creeping surveillance – whether it's cameras, supercomputers, reconnaissance drones etc, – is to keep in mind that every piece of Internet software, every analyst, every programmer, every government official – the whole of creation rests on the words and commands of Jesus Christ, as directed by the Almighty. And as the Eternal maintains His ultimate control over the very basis of reality itself, what can puny man really do? Come to that matter, what can even a mighty spirit being like Satan do? Mr. Armstrong has often commented that Satan can do nothing that God does not allow. God reigns supreme and every creature and every being stands subject to His will.

The Basis of our Confidence

Whichever human government we may care to mention, both now and in the future, every facet of their surveillance apparatus ultimately rests on, and is entirely dependent upon what God has made. So if God wants to lessen a government's investigative might, He can do so with a word, as this account clearly shows:

If He wants to make one of His people literally invisible – let alone digitally invisible – He can. There is absolutely nothing that mere man can do to counteract this power as the Eternal is working at a level totally inaccessible to mankind. God can turn off the enemy's "eyes" at will while His own view remains crystal clear at all times. As we move into the future God's people are undoubtedly going to have to depend on such facts for their very survival.

I remember hearing a very moving account from a church member in Nigeria of just one such deliverance. Although he refused to take sides in the Biafran conflict in Nigeria in the late 1960s, being a member of the Igbo tribe he was automatically drafted into the Biafran army at the beginning of the Civil War. As a punishment for refusing to carry a weapon, they forced him ahead of the front-line troops as they advanced towards the nationalist army. Eventually the two sides clashed and as they did so he told me he seemed to be invisible to the opposing side. They looked right through him, he said, and he walked on – totally unscathed – through the battlefield, with people dying on all sides, and passed unhindered through the opposing enemy lines to freedom. If God can do this, how much less of a challenge to change a few bytes in a satellite system, surveillance camera or computer?

Heavenly Surveillance

But the fact that God creates and sustains reality itself does not only mean that He is fully aware of and can control the opposition's intelligence gathering at will – but also that He very much has a surveillance system of His own! Built into the very fabric of the reality in which we find ourselves is a spiritual "Smart" surveillance system that is second to none, and in no way dependent on any physical power source whatsoever.

The holy angels – as part of the "eyes of the Eternal" above – seem to have been drafted into the job of taking care of God's people throughout the ages. Psalm 34 records that "the angel of the LORD encamps all around those that fear him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:9 ) , that they are ministering spirits to the church, as recorded in Hebrews 1:14, and Christ informs us regarding the "little ones" of His church ..."that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven". (Matthew 18:10)

Do the angels report back to HQ? It would seem so from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and Job, but exactly how this angelic "reporting technology" works and how God could analyse the inconceivable amount of data coming in from all quarters of the universe, we humanly have no idea.

The Scope of God's Mind

It's estimated that there are 1000 billion trillion stars in the universe. That's 1 followed by 24 zeros – a number we can't really comprehend, yet we are told God knows each one and calls them by name! (Psalm 147) And that's around the same number of molecules found in two tablespoons of water. And within each molecule of water are atoms, and each atom appears to be a sub-atomic universe on its own. And it is the same God who created both ... the vast expanse of the universe above and the nanoscopic "universe" of the atom beneath.

Is there any dilemma or worry we have that we feel is beyond God's power to sort out for us? This was a major problem with ancient Israel; "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel." (Psalm 147:41) Or at the other end of the scale, a problem that is giving us sleepless nights, but we feel would be too insignificant to bring to His attention? Not if we consider Him a Father, concerned about His children, and for whom He created the universe;

And as Christ's mother Mary and her cousin Elizabeth found out ... "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:36) So if we take time to examine what God has created physically – grasping the incredible sophistication and complexity involved, coupled with a painstaking attention to detail, then we should be encouraged to trust Him with every aspect of our lives. big or small, major or minor ..."Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you". (I Peter 5:7)

Hiding from God?

Those who hold to blind evolutionary theories obviously are not concerned that a Higher Power is seeing – and judging – their actions. But even many who claim to believe in God today also seem to lack the concept of this all-seeing Creator – who most definitely has not left His creation to its own ends, and "gone off somewhere"! Their mindset is prophesied in II Timothy of merely "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (II Timothy 3:5): As the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 94:

No matter how diligently men may try and hide their actions, God is able to read even their very thoughts and intents of the heart. This is true both of those in the world and also of ourselves who are currently being judged by our works (I Peter 1:17) – both seen and unseen – during this current age:

Biblical Examples

Hagar and Ishmael

The best part of 6000 years ago now, we've had recorded for us the account of Abram's pregnant handmaid. It appears Hagar was flaunting her pregnancy before Sarai, who resented her and made her life very difficult. Hagar fled into the wilderness, where "the angel of the LORD found her". It would appear this "angel" was none other than Christ Himself, as verse 10 records "I will multiply thy seed ... " and continues:

Esther and Purim

Typically, the carnal mind being enmity to the things of God, some self-professed biblical "experts" have done their best to turn the story of Esther, Mordecai and Haman into some sort of myth:

Notice ... "The divine name is never mentioned" and according to Britannica's researches, that makes it suspect. Whereas to us, we can take heart from the story of Esther, Mordecai and Haman insomuch as that it is impossible for anyone to hide their thoughts and actions from God. Even though the Eternal is not specifically referred to by name, as the words "God", "Lord", or "Almighty" are nowhere to be found within the book, His presence is always clearly there in an unseen but central role as Haman plots and ducks and dives with his various nefarious and murderous schemes, which ultimately lead to his own execution. And that greater Power is not restricted by chains, prison walls, soldiers or any other methods of incarceration that man can dream up ...

The Apostles

Gathering Israel

We can also see God's surveillance system in action in a clear end-time prophetic context: Just before the trumpet plagues begin, Christ will return with the heavens parting as a scroll, this being the sign of the Son of man (Matthew 24:30). At that time a large swathe of humanity will attempt to hide. This is described in Revelation 6 and also in the book of Isaiah:

Undoubtedly, many of these people are going to be Israelites – and scripture indicates that one of the first things Christ will do is to gather them – initially as if with a dragnet, but then very much on an individual basis. Undoubtedly, God's surveillance system – and database; "For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth" (Amos 9:9) – will be very much in use!

End-time Promises

We are moving into a time that is unparalleled. A time of trouble greater than anything that has existed before or ever will again. Already we see systems being laid down that will enable the beast power when it arises to have the technical ability to fulfil the prophetic passage, "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:17) But as these surveillance systems are surreptitiously put in place – leading unsuspecting people into financial captivity, even depriving them of a living, so too God knows who it is leading such people captive. And we can have absolute assurance that in due time another passage – based on His superior surveillance system – will come to fruition:

To trust that God is all-seeing is part of the very bedrock of our faith. We should continually take great encouragement in knowing that God's people are always on His radar, and our intimate, personal details are faithfully recorded in His "database"! As Christ emphasises to us:

David's Confidence

David, in his close personal relationship with God, had a strong confidence in knowing that God was fully aware of all that transpired in his life:

Psalm 139 most vividly records David's understanding of the omnipresence of the Creator God – from pre-birth and throughout his turbulent day-to-day life. We probably feel we are nowhere as important as king David was, but like him, we too have been personally chosen to be kings and priests, so this applies to us also;

Building Faith and Character

As our Eternal Father progressively moulds our character, watching over us continually to make us more like Himself, He uses systems of surveillance that makes mere man's current attempts laughable in comparison. As we move forward into more and more intrusive governmental control we must remember this, and allow Him to build His spiritual character in us in the process, just as His astounding systems once constructed us physically in our mother's womb all those years ago.

By tradition, it was on the last day of Unleavened Bread that ancient Israel was finally free of their persecutors and Egyptian taskmasters – by the miracle of the opening of the Red Sea. Often we can feel that we have a Pharaoh behind and a Red Sea in front of us ... an impossible situation, but as God encouraged Moses to tell the people then, and us today: "...Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever". (Exodus 14:13)

And as we stand on the brink of entering into a new age, when the Kingdom of God will be established on the earth – our Promised Land – we can have total confidence in the all-seeing, all-knowing loving God who will walk us through the dangerous times just ahead, and bring us safely into our inheritance. The ancient kingdoms might have had their "gods of the hills" and "gods of the plain", but OUR all-seeing and all-powerful God is not restricted to any physical parameters whatsoever!

Would mankind start a worldwide nuclear war and totally destroy life on earth? With all the knowledge we have about the effects on the earth, could mankind be so stupid?

The short answer is - YES! And this is confirmed in the Bible.

UNLESS CHRIST INTERVENES TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, ALL FLESH WILL PERISH!

Looking at the end of this age, God warned us what the world would be like:

That sounds very much like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb!

The Reality Of The World In Which We Live

The following article gives us some idea what the effect of just one nuclear bomb would be. It shows us what will happen to cities all over the world - near instant total utter destruction!

Nowhere To Hide

The Six Minute Decision

Will Man Use The Ultimate Weapon?

Back in 1982, Mr Armstrong explained:

Future News Events

Mr Armstrong gave this warning back in 1979!

Prophecy points to the possible limited use of nuclear weapons - as Mr Armstrong warned:

The World View Of Nuclear War

“…No matter how nuclear war starts, it ends with everyone dead.”

“…The end of civilisation as we know it.”

“…No matter how it starts, it ends with everyone dead.”

This is the world view of the result of a worldwide nuclear war - total utter destruction.

Grand Deception

It would appear that World War III IS now inevitable. However, the danger to the West is not from Russia, China, or even the Middle East - the real danger will come from Europe!

America’s proxy war with Russia in Ukraine has alerted the Europeans to the fact that the USA might not protect them from a Russian attack… and Europe fears Russia!

Europe is going flat out to increase their military might to protect themselves, building up a powerful military force about which the Bible asks the following question:

There Is A Very Different Ending To The Story

There is a very different ending to the story, but it will take the direct intervention of Jesus Christ to stop nuclear Armageddon.. and it’s a close call.

Jesus makes this very clear in Mark 14. Describing the events at the time of the end of this age, He said:

We Have To Understand…
God Has A Master Plan For Mankind

As Mr Armstrong explained:

“THE MOST STUPENDOUS CREATION OF ALL
– THAT OF REPRODUCING HIMSELF!”

God’s Plan Is ON Track

Throughout the ages, God has kept His plan on track.

When He rescued His people from Egypt, He hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that He could show His power and control over all of the gods of Egypt.

He used great gentile kings, King Cyrus of Persia and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to fulfil His purpose.

Right into our time today, He still controls nations so that His plan can be fulfilled. He causes the disunited nations of Europe to finally unite under the Beast - to fulfil His plan.

He also tells us that if He doesn’t intervene and stop a global nuclear war - ALL flesh WOULD die.

But There IS Good News

Man has always used the weapons he has created. From spear to sword, then bow and arrows - right up to today’s weapons - missiles, drones, and the ultimate destroyer - nuclear weapons.

Who will be the first nation to use the bomb in anger? India, North Korea, Israel, Iran or will Mr Putin of Russia start the ball rolling as he has threatened? It would be absolute madness - but it is almost certain to happen.

During this period of the Great Tribulation, billions of people will die - as God warned through the prophet, Isaiah: “…and few men left!” (Isaiah 24:6)

We are a privileged people to understand God's Plan – glad that the end of this 6000 year reign of Satan is very close, but simultaneously appalled at the devastation, death and misery that will be unleashed before too long. Christ Himself wept over Jerusalem, because He knew the prophecies about its imminent destruction (Luke 19:41-44).

Although we have been promised protection in this coming time of trouble, that should not be our focus! This coming new Holy Day season should renew in us a commitment and desire to assist in the true solution … and bring lasting peace to this war-torn world: