http://endtimes.dyndns.org

I would like to explore what scripture says about the subject, so if you have a few minutes to spare, let us step through what the Bible actually records about it.

Globalisation can be regarded as the establishment of no barriers between nations of different ethnic origins (often incorrectly called races - because there is only one race, the human race) and different languages (also known as tongues). Instead of "race" maybe the word "nations" should be used. Let's also leave skin pigment out of it altogether - to remove any suggestion that this is a racist page. It is not.

Up to the time of the great global catastrophe often referred to as Noah's flood, there was just the one lot of human beings, the one "nation" as it were, all the immediate descendants of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.

Yes, I do believe in the Flood and the Genesis account of creation. Please don't let either prevent you from reading on.

Genesis 10:25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

Genesis 10:30-32 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations. These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 11:1-3 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

Genesis 11:4 And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."

Genesis 11:5-7 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

Genesis 11:8-9 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

You know, it could not be much clearer, that God formed the different nations with their own languages at that point, out of the one nation with no language communication difficulties.

Let us examine what led up to this. We read in verse 1 that the whole world spoke the same language, and then in verse 4 they started to build a tower to reach up to where God is - the heavens - and decided to create for themselves a new identity more to their liking than the Name which God had given them.

We then read that this was all "in case God decided to scatter them"... Hang on a bit :) ummm, one has to wonder what hope a puny arrogant group of humans has when confronting the Creator with a view to forcing their own views on Him.

The rest of that block of scriptures describes the view that God took, and perhaps we could paraphrase it as "Oh dear, we'll have to discipline them again; they must surely be hard of understanding... which part of the word "NO" don't you understand?" That's a joke, by the way, a bit of light relief in what is turning out to be quite a heavy subject.

Babel? Yes, what a cacophany of noise, in the sudden and unexpected moment when hundreds of bricklayers working alongside one another suddenly found they could no longer understand what their mates were saying, let alone their foremen!

I would suggest that it was the "confounding" of the language (a word used by the King James Version) which ensured the drifting away in all directions of all the people who discovered just a handful of others with whom they could communicate.

Now, I can see a problem some readers might have.
Firstly, it is my taking that text literally...
Well, I don't go for "Salad Bar" theology  <grin>

Others may well say "Ah, that is in the Old Testament era, Jesus did away with all that."
Actually that's not true.
He fulfilled the Old. That means the Old has validity, when read in context with the New, and of course, vice versa. The New, equally, has to be read in the context of the Old.

So, before we turn to the New Testament, let us look further at what the Old Testament has to say, turning our attention to the opposite action of scattering the people. The Bible calls it "Gathering". Some translations use "Restore" or "Restoration".

Now here's another thought. Isn't the Gathering of the Nations into a Global Economy what our national and international leaders have been trying hard to do for decades, frequently without telling us "sheeple" what they are hell-bent on?

Sheeple? You may not be familiar with that word. They are people who allow themselves (often unwittingly) to be led, like sheep. for the benefit of the shepherd. In this context, I meant the leaders of the nations doing this as a method of control.

Of course there have also been examples of church leaders, manipulating their flocks, using false teachings. Remember any form of "control" is a false teaching, even if accompanied by truth from scripture.

Perhaps we should be careful we don't become as presumptive as those at the time of Peleg - when God split the earth into continents - and the governing of Nimrod (the Mighty Hunter) during the era of the Tower of Babel - when God prevented mankind from communicating in the future, one with another, in the same language.

Many who believe the Bible narrative believe that it was during the days of Peleg that the earth was divided into continents. Often we accept things at face value, but a South African brother in the Lord wrote a critique of this page for me, and I would like to paste here what he said in connection with this scripture and its interpretation. Like me, he is an engineer as well as a believer in Christ...

As I have pointed out before. The Hebrew word used for "earth" can mean
1. whole earth as opposed to part of the earth,

2. earth as opposed to heaven,

3. inhabitants of the earth.

So - the time of Peleg might have been when the continents were split, but it could also mean it was when the tower of Babel incident occured.

I believe it was the division of the inhabitants that occured back then - simply because the breaking up of continents would have a tremendous effect on the people and animals of the time, causing heavy earthquakes and other things.

This is more in accordance to what would happen when the fountains of the deep were opened up, and the windows of heaven opened up. (i.e. Flood)

I wonder if we have previously considered the possibility that one language, one set of customs, one close-knit community under our own agenda-driven set of rules is contrary to our Creator God's plans for us now? I certainly had not until I started looking up what God and his mouthpieces had to say about it.

The Psalmist writes a litany of annoyance by the Lord God, our Creator in Psalm 106. Please read the whole thing at some other time, but we will look at just a bit right now (to keep on track) here, where we hear the sound of the dispersed people, wretched because in their disobedience they had been sent away from God's presence...

Psalm 106: 47-48 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!

Yes, and the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah all contribute to the constant theme that God will gather his people back from out of the nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples...

Isaiah 11: 11-12 It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.

Jeremiah 3: 12-15, 17 "Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree - and you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.

"Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

"At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.

Jeremiah 23: 3-4 "But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the LORD.

Jeremiah 31: 2-4 Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness; Israel, when I went to give him rest." The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel!"

Zechariah 14: 1-9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.

Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You. It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the LORD; neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light.

If we look at those scriptures, it is pretty obvious that they all talk about something that has not yet happened, and which won't happen without God's intervention in the affairs of mankind. It also sticks out like a sore thumb that God deliberately chose to do this not so much in retribution but as a precautionary measure, because if they were "one" they would be more of a force to be contended with when reining them in to do as they had been asked. After all, a large number of children is harder to discipline than one or two, if they are all recalcitrant.

While many Christians do believe that the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948, under an United Nations resolution late in 1947, fulfills prophcy, there are equally many who disagree and say that is not so. My personal views are that it was mankind's ongoing determination to manipulate his fellow beings at that time, just like the push for globalisation is another example of that, in this era.

Regardless of which view is correct - and honestly it isn't very important, one way or another! - it is my belief that undoubtedly God shall indeed use these and other occasions to further his plan as it unfolds. God has always worked within the framework of what is going on, wherever possible, one reason perhaps being to lull the rebellious into a sense of false security, when he is about to "lower the boom". His patience is unbelievable... I am made in His image, and gee I wish I had his patience! I am working on it, though :)

If you are interested, my views about the "restoration" of Israel can be read here, where several linked pages viewing the subject from different perspectives can be found. Please have a look at all the pages in that section; there are similar links at the bottom of each page, cross referencing all of them.

Okay, let us now look at the New Testament, and see if anything is different there. In Matthew we read about the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds) which refers to the Second Coming, and also in that gospel and that of Mark we read specifically about Christ's Second Coming.

In Luke we read what John the Baptist said as he was preparing the way for Jesus' First Coming.

Matthew 13: 26-30 26 "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'

He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'

Matthew 24: 29-31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Mark 13: 23-27 "But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Luke 3: 16-18 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire". And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.

I believe the case is fairly well set out here that it is God's intention that HE will gather his chosen people -

1.  at a time of His chosing -
2.  not from out of a global community -
3.  but from out of every seperate individual tribe, nation, and/or people -
  into which He originally scattered them - to many locations -
4.  and each with their own different speech or language or tongue.

I don't know about you, but I would be really reluctant to personally pursue and support this globalisation process, because it looks to me that it would be an affront to God's intentions. Intentions which are clearly stated in scripture, and which we - as His followers - have been encouraged by His messengers to read and understand and to apply.

God has said that He will gather His people.
Not an international cartel of oil companies and call centres all based on paying the smallest amount, and charging the most they can.

I think it is important to emphasise the message that if Christians are aware of the scenario of the time of the end - and many are not - then they should see that the secular globalisation push is part of the preparation for the antichrist's kingdom by those who will serve him, rather than God..

My opinion is that the stage has to be fully set, surely BEFORE the antichrist steps up... whoever he is.

Why do I think this way? Well, another reason that sticks out in my mind is that if we examine the end-times scenario that appears in a number of places throughout both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, where we can see that God knows - and He told his spokesmen throughout the ages to tell the people (us), so that they (we) should also know and therefore be warned - that there shall be one single global government, totally opposed to Him and His rule, administering the affairs of the people of the earth in "the time of the end".

The way in which this government is described as going to operate should make thinkers realise that it is an ungodly government in the extreme. It is also my considered opinion that the present concept of global government and globalisation of the world's facilities and resources that currently faces mankind is also ungodly and to the detriment of the majority of the inhabitants.

Please note that I'm NOT saying that current globalisation is of the anti-christ; far from it, it is a system created by selfish men, designed to advance the financial status of a small number of financial entrepreneurs.

So I ask you again...
"I wonder if you have considered whether this push for globalisation is what God would truly want us to do?"

If God does not want us to do it, isn't it a bit risky to press on in our disobedience? If we believe we are His "chosen people" (many Christians do), we need to remember the number of times when He sent his earlier "chosen people", the nation Israel, away as a disciplinary measure to learn to not be disobedient to His will and instructions. Has He not also given us instructions, and shown us His will?

Maybe now would be a good moment to go and read Psalm 106 - although there are many many other instances of His people realising they stuffed up again. And again.

Guiseppe Verdi puts it well to music, in his magnificent operatic work Nabucco where he deals with the Jewish Babylonian exile under Nebuchadnezzar. I have an mp3 which I've created from a very worn old and hissy LP here

In this piece, the exiled slaves continually complain about their lot - which historically the Bible tells us they continually did each of the many times God kicked them out to learn a lesson. Sounds like us, doesn't it? And, perhaps, the worldly world around us could also be thought of as a spiritual Babylon?

Keith Green, a popular musician turned Christian preacher in the 1970s wrote a classic track called So, you wanna go back to Egypt? Same thing.

Something we need to realise is that God does NOT need our help in setting His plan working; He is quite competant to do it Himself without our assistance and what we believe are our frequently better ideas!

Please think about this whole thing. It's my concern that this is a rather important thing to come to terms with. What can we do about it? Perhaps speak with politicians who claim to be Christians. I feel that it will be pointless discussing it from this perspective with unbelieving politicians.

Let me also make what may seem to be an unrelated point, but I ask you to put it into memory for recall at another time. Jesus had a First Coming that was foretold in the Old Testament, and early in the New Testament prior to the start of His Ministry.

He has a Second Coming (yet to happen), pointed to in the Old Testament, and confirmed in the New by Himself and by gospel and epistle writers.

But He does NOT have a Third Coming... He only comes ONCE the Second time. Not even a half-way thing, and returning to heaven to wait a bit longer. What am I talking about? Aaah. You will need to read other stuff in this "endtimes" section of my website :)

If you came here from outside the site, you may like to take this link to the opening page of my section on the "end times".

Thank you for reading this far :)