We reserve a few minutes Sunday morning to suggest news, or trends, that seem to be predicted by the many yet-to-be-fulfilled Bible prophecies.

We are careful to use recognized, reliable sources for news. It helps not to be accused of sensationalism – sadly, something all too common among some who talk about the End Times.

We’re not saying the things we report are the fulfillment of prophecy – only that they are the things you’d expect in light of the Bible’s unfulfilled prophecies.

The final book of the Bible, the Revelation, presents what the world will look like in the End Times – especially during the seven year Great Tribulation. The world will be under the rule of one government, one economic system, and one leader.

Furthermore, it describes a system of participation in society and the economy that can be totally controlled by the the government. In its most extreme form, we read, “no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

I’ve talked before about China and what is called, “Social Credit.” It is a system that, quite literally, controls the participation of citizens in everyday purchases and activities.

Each citizen is given a social credit score, with rewards for those who have a high rating and punishments for those with low scores.

Millions of Chinese individuals and businesses have been labelled as untrustworthy on an official blacklist banning them from any number of activities, including accessing financial markets or traveling by air or train, as the use of the government’s social credit system accelerates.

In 2018, for example, China’s Global Times proudly reported that its social credit system had blocked more than 11.14 million flights and 4.25 million train trips of people who were behind in their debts.

The idea, according to China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), is to make sure that “discredited people become bankrupt.” The ultimate goal is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step,” according to the Chinese government.

You expect a system like that in China. It could never happen here, could it?

I read an article this week titled, Uh-oh: Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system.

Excerpts:

Many Westerners are disturbed by what they read about China’s social credit system. But such systems, it turns out, are not unique to China. A parallel system is developing in the United States, in part as the result of Silicon Valley and technology industry user policies, and in part by surveillance of social media activity by private companies.

The New York State Department of Financial Services announced earlier this year that life insurance companies can base premiums on what they find in your social media posts. That Instagram pic showing you teasing a grizzly bear at Yellowstone with a martini in one hand, a bucket of cheese fries in the other, and a cigarette in your mouth, could cost you. On the other hand, a Facebook post showing you doing yoga might save you money.

Airbnb can disable your account for life for any reason it chooses, and it reserves the right to not tell you the reason. The company’s canned message includes the assertion that “This decision is irreversible and will affect any duplicated or future accounts. Please understand that we are not obligated to provide an explanation for the action taken against your account.” The ban can be based on something the host privately tells Airbnb about something they believe you did while staying at their property. Airbnb’s competitors have similar policies.

It’s now easy to get banned by Uber, too. Whenever you get out of the car after an Uber ride, the app invites you to rate the driver.
What many passengers don’t know is that the driver now also gets an invitation to rate you. Under a new policy announced in May: If your average rating is “significantly below average,” Uber will ban you from the service.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90394048/uh-oh-silicon-valley-is-building-a-chinese-style-social-credit-system

There’s something brewing called “The Equality Act.” It is described this way:

The Equality Act is a bill in the United States Congress, that, if passed, would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit, and the jury system.

An article in The Federalist was titled, Equality Act Would Be A Big Nudge Towards A US Social Credit System.

The Equality Act builds on most of the elements needed to establish something very much like China’s social credit system. It undermines individual freedom of expression. It extends government direction and control over speech. And it provides for government and private punishment, both material and social, on citizens who don’t comply.

https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/28/democrats-equality-act-would-be-a-big-nudge-towards-a-u-s-social-credit-system/

I don’t know what is going to happen with the Equality Act. I’m simply pointing out that the world predicted in the Bible 2000+ years ago is ready for launch.

We believe the resurrection and rapture of the church is imminent. It could happen any moment; nothing needs to happen before it. It will definitely happen before the Tribulation.

Jesus will return in the clouds. He will raise the dead in Christ. He will transform the bodies of living believers to glorified, resurrection bodies. We will all join Him in Heaven while the earth endures one final seven-year campaign of severe evangelism.
Are you ready for the rapture? If not, Get ready; Stay ready; Keep looking up.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming!