What Will the Future Bring?

(Revised 7-1-2008, 8:43 AM, PDT)

Like most people, you've probably often wondered what the world is coming to, and what the future will bring.

You’ve probably wondered if the pessimists and cynics are right about the future being bleak. And you've probably also wondered (if only in the back of your mind) if prophecies in the Bible actually foretell the end of the world. If so, the answer is no.

I can tell you why you can have hope and faith in a much brighter future. And, as you will see, the so-called "end times" idea is merely a myth based on misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Bible, and ignorance of real prophecy and divine intent.

The truth is that while prophecy does foretell the terrible tribulation and suffering most of us have been going through, real prophecy does not foretell an actual end to the world.

Granted, the book of Matthew speaks of "the end of the world" about seven times, and other books in the New Testament use the phrase "the end." But, virtually all biblical references to "the end" actually and originally referred either to a geographical boundary or figure of speech (like "to the ends of the earth"), or the end of an age, not the actual end of the planet earth.

Jesus himself did not actually say "the end of the world," even though it was translated as such in some versions of the Bible. Jesus actually spoke only of the end of the age (aeon). And the real prophecies of the Bible are actually compatible with the prophecies of other religions that speak of the end of this age and the promise of a new age of peace, freedom, equality, fairness, justice, and prosperity for all. And they all foretell that prior to that we would suffer this horrible tribulation, with wars and rumors of war, the "seven plagues" (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, diseases, pestilence, famines, floods and droughts), and "many other terrible things."

That’s what Jesus actually foretold, because he, like so many other prophets, knew the world would now be a place of division, conflict, greed, corruption, inequity, violence and war, and he knew it would mainly be caused by the iniquity of self-important, self-righteous, arrogant, greedy, power-hungry men. Jesus was quite right. And those power-hungry men right now control the military regimes in many countries, including the United States of America.

The end of this nonsense and the beginning of a new paradigm is confirmed by real prophecies in the Bible that foretell that this inequitable divided "kingdom" and this state of conflict will be replaced by a united, peaceful family of nations in God's "new kingdom," which "shall be set up on the earth and last forever, never to be destroyed." (Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:14, Psalm 104:5, Revelation 11:15, etc.)

Of course, as I said, post-fourth century versions of the gospel of Matthew mention the "end of the world," and in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews it was written: " ....now once in the end of the world has he (Jesus) appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26)

But, the fact of the matter is that Paul thought that the end of the world was imminent and would occur at that time. And the truth is that Paul was wrong about that, just as he was wrong about Jesus "putting away sin," and "coming again."

Most of the authors or the later copiers and translators of the books of the New Testament just did not get what Jesus was talking about. Jesus did not say the world would end, and he did not say he would actually come again. But, ironically, they did get it right when they reported that Jesus said he had to "go away and be seen no more on earth, but at the end of the age the Spirit of truth shall come, issue judgment, guide you unto truth, show you things to come, glorify me and bear my testimony [of the Christ in heaven]."

The prophecies of Jesus, like all real prophecies, foretell that the humble, meek and truly faithful shall inherit the earth, make peace, establish justice and equity, reconcile those who’ve been in conflict, turn our "swords" into "plowshares," etc. That is what real prophecy foretells, and thus it shall be.

Here are a couple of the relevant passages that speak to that:

"In the days of these kings (and heads of state) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms (and nations), and it shall stand forever." (Daniel 2:44)

That prophecy is basically repeated in the Christian book of Revelation, which speaks to and foresees what will happen when prophecy is fulfilled.

"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15)

That indicates what will happen when the world is saved by the message from the Spirit of truth that Jesus said would come, as I said above. It also indicates that the Lord God, and the Christ (aka the Ancient One, the Oversoul of the Avatar, Buddha, Christ, Saoshyant, Sage, Mahdi, etc.) who is with God in heaven, shall reign in Spirit. And it also indicates the world will "last forever" as God's "new kingdom."

But notice that I say God and the Ancient One shall reign in Spirit, not in person. For our governments shall "not be left to other people," as Daniel put it. The wealthiest few shall no longer rule any nation, nor will any nation be ruled by military occupation by a foreign imperial government. All the People of each nation shall be as equal joint heirs to the thrones of each of the united nations that are "consumed" by the new world "kingdom" of God.

Furthermore, there will not be a "new world order ruled by an Antichrist King," as feared by many misguided Christians. They just don’t understand prophecy, and they don’t realize we already have a corrupt world order, ruled by those who are ignorant of the Christ and yet claim to be Christians.

Misguided Christians do not realize that the "spirit of the Antichrist" was "already in the world" two thousand years ago, just as Jesus said. As I explain in the page titled The Fall of Babylon, the "Antichrist" and the"beast of Babylon" are now symbolic terms which do not really refer to one person or entity. They are the "spirit" or mentality that drives selfish, power-hungry people who seek to rule and control at the expense of others.

The "spirit of the Antichrist" is the spirit or mind-set that tempts and drives those who are egocentric, judgmental, self-important, self-righteous and greedy, who seek, fight for and even kill for worldly personal power, wealth and domain. In fact, those who "serve" the "spirit of the Antichrist" and "Satan" are like the "Nicolaitans" that Jesus hated. For while they pretend to be good and even convince themselves they are right, they really just want to rule and control, even if it means living by the sword (gun and bomb) and killing their fellow man.

I serve the Christ and his God, who is God by any other name (the Great Spirit, the Holy One, Yahweh, Elohim, Jehova, the Almighty, the Creator, Allah, Brahman, Tao, the Supreme Consciousness, etc.). My calling and mission is to empower and liberate all the people of the world from all those who want to rule over us, so that we all may live as equals, in peace and prosperity. And I’ve explained how on other pages on this site, especially the pages titled New Declaration of Independence, and How the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth, which explain how we will establish equality, freedom, equity and prosperity for all, and make lasting peace.

Granted, there is a time for war, just as there is a time to be born and a time to die. But, the need for war will become less and less. We may have to resort to war for a while longer, because the world is so inflamed by conflict, hate and violence. But, after the coming reformation, governments will engage in military action only by international agreement by the United Nations. There will be no more Big Brother, and no more "Super Power" Policeman of the world. We will recognize how power has corrupted, and how absolute power has corrupted absolutely. We will use only international U.N. forces to enforce international laws and do what needs to be done. That is, we will remove murderous tyrants from power. We will stop the regimes of aggressive militant governments that oppress and persecute people. We will stop them from invading and occupying other countries. We will stop them from depriving anyone of their freedom. We will no longer enable the perpetrators, and we will no longer allow any of them to get away with it.

Thank God, after the coming reformation of governments and religions, the time will soon come when we will no longer suffer from the kind of government sanctioned wars that now plague so many people in the world, because governments will be reformed and greatly improved. We will all reconcile our differences with former enemies, and we will make amends.

Our main problem will be stopping outlaw groups or militias or terrorists from committing murder and causing mayhem, because they are led by diehards who are totally deluded with self-righteousness and self-importance. But, the good news is that when the message from the Spirit of truth reaches enough people and sinks in, even the worst terrorist leaders will find fewer and fewer spiritually blind, gullible recruits. In due time, they will lose face, and they will lose power, just as surely as the divisive and harmful leaders of certain governments will.

In the new "kingdom" of God, the governments of each nation will be independent, and they will be of, by and for the people. They will no longer be governed by monarchs or tyrants, nor by divisive partisan chief executives and "heads" of state, but by executive councils, freely chosen by the people. (See the pages on The New Declaration of Independence, and How the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth.)

The United Nations of Earth will also be governed by an executive council, freely chosen by the representatives of each nation in the truly united nations.

Therefore NO man or woman shall have the sovereign monarchial power to make decisions that determine the destiny of any people or any nation. We the people shall be able to determine our own destiny, together, through our freely chosen, genuine representatives. And working together we will be able to cooperate and collaborate, and achieve common goals using the common wealth for the common good.

That is what real prophecies of all religions foretell, and, besides that, it a part of our evolution. It is what would be bound to happen eventually, even if it weren’t for prophecies, and even if the messenger of God was not sent to ensure that it happens. Sooner or later it would happen anyway. It is our destiny.

Thus there will not be a so-called "end of the world" as malicious false prophets and preachers of doom claim. After all, where else could the "meek inherit the earth?" Where else would we turn our "swords into plowshares?" Where else would we turn "deserts into new gardens?" Where else could we make peace, and comfort the earth's waste places? That's what real prophecy foretells.

Many Christians simply do not understand the symbolism of most prophecies. They don't realize that the Greek word "Apocalypse" actually means to uncover, reveal, or unveil the real truth and the whole truth, which has been hidden or ignored or forgotten.

They don't realize that the so-called "battle of Armageddon" and the "fall of Babylon" actually refer to the great symbolic "final battle" when truth prevails over falsehood, when good prevails over evil that masquerades as good, and when governments are given over to the people, to the humble and "meek" who shall inherit the earth.

But it's not a carnal war fought with lethal weapons, because the weapons of the Lord are not carnal. They are, however, mighty through God for pulling down even the greatest stronghold of military power -- the symbolic "Babylon," which has been epitomized by the U.S.A. under Reaganism, and under Bushism, which is merely a continued, expanded and even worse version of Reaganism.

But, the symbolic "Babylon" will not literally "fall." What it represents, which is rule by the wealthiest few who live by the sword, will cease to exist. The crown will be removed from its current king, who has since the Christian year 2000 been only a false and extremely harmful pretender to the throne.

The nations and governments that were infected and ruled by "the spirit of the Antichrist," which George W. Bush epitomizes, will be reformed after the message from the Spirit of truth is widely spread and accepted.

You see, a new reformation of government is necessary, right along with a reformation of religion, because much of the world is infected, diseased and divided by many false political beliefs that cause inequitable and terribly unfair income disparity, poverty, hunger, and homelessness in many nations of the world, and even in America. And it is because of the self-serving, right-wing political ideology that I call Reaganism and Bushism. It’s driven by the spirit of the Antichrist.

Much of the world is also infected by many misguided religious beliefs that cause frustration, repression, guilt, oppression, rebellion, as well as anxiety, fear, conflict, violence, death and destruction. That is quite obvious to anyone who watches the news and is aware of what's going on in the world. That is why the world so desperately needs the truth, told with spiritual authority.

The Christians and Muslims who literally believe in the "end times" and "last days" do not really understand real prophecy. But they choose to believe we live in the "end times," and I suspect they do so for several reasons. One, of course, is that they may actually believe in a vindictive, murderous god of wrath who would destroy the world and annihilate all the people who do not believe in and obey "Him."

But, the truth is that God is not a mortal, not a man, nor a son of man, as even Moses wrote. And the Christ Jesus was a mortal son of man and a peaceful passive martyr, not a worldly king or warlord. They do not realize why Jesus said God "is greater than I," and made it clear that only God is worthy of worship.

Nor do they realize that he who is now with God in heaven, is the Ancient One, who was before Abraham and was and is the Oversoul of the Christ-Avatar-Buddha-Mahdi-Saoshyant (etc.), is loving, merciful and forgiving, and wants us to love one another as the brothers and sisters that we are. That is divine will and intent.

Granted, there are many good Christians who believe in the "end times" myth. My maternal grandfather was one of them. He was a soloist in his Methodist Church choir, and all who knew him regarded him as a good Christian, and he was. He was a good citizen and a good husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.

However, nothing could be more absurd than the idea that God would actually and purposely destroy "his/her" children and creation. That idea was created by human beings who thought it was a good idea to portray God as a jealous, vindictive, almighty Super-Man-God who would destroy all those who did not obey "Him." But that is simply not true. It’s a lie, originally designed to create and maintain obedient subjects of church-state authority.

Granted, nature can be a destructive aspect, and in a way it is an ongoing part of creation. All matter changes form. Living things are born and they die and are reborn, and all form changes form, even though the most dense forms change very, very slowly. However, nature is not our mother or father. Our spiritual parent is the Lord God, the Divine Light-Energy-Source of our existence, which has a male and female aspect.

However, God does not control nature, and God does not control us. We have free will, and nature is driven by cause and effect. And, while many people have been led to believe that God is the "sole cause" of everything and is therefore both creator and destroyer, that is not necessarily true. In fact, the main reason people are being killed is because of the folly and error of corrupt, misguided, deluded human beings, or because of random acts of nature, and not because of the "will" of God. For the sun shines on both good people and bad people, just as the rain falls on both.

But, in spite of that, many right-wing "conservatives" who claim to serve God-Allah tend to believe that God does control everything, and, when it is convenient for them to believe that, they carry it to extremes. In fact, after the murderous September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on America, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, both self-proclaimed "Christian authorities," claimed that God was punishing America, and that it was the fault of "godless secular humanists, liberals, homosexuals, and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union." What utter, malicious, hateful nonsense.

It is apparent that hypocrites like these get satisfaction from exalting and esteeming themselves as superior and judging and blaming others. They judge and blame "godless unbelievers" for not "getting religion" and accepting that Jesus is the "Lord and Savior." However, the fact is that they are really the godless ones who do not know what God the Savior is, nor do they know who and what Jesus really was as a Messiah-Christ.

It is also apparent that some of them get satisfaction from the belief that the world and all the "godless unbelievers" will soon be "left behind" and go to hell, while they, the "saved" and "born again" Christians, will be magically beamed up to heaven in a so-called "rapture."

Unfortunately, they do not understand what true spiritual rebirth is really about, and they do not know how or why the ecstatic rapture is actually experienced. Moreover, they have no idea how prophecy will actually be fulfilled.

It is also apparent to me that the America "Christian Right" is largely responsible for the moral decline in this country. After all, many people have been completely turned off to religion due to the bigotry, hypocrisy and aggression of the Christian Right, which has given Jesus and Christianity a bad name. That is why so many people, especially young people, have no interest whatsoever in religion. They see it as a sham and a money-making scheme to empower theocratic, militaristic, imperialistic patriarchs. And no wonder.

The "Christian Right" believes in and pushes a doctrine of preeminence and superiority, which has often been used as justification for the tyrannical, patriarchal tactics and policies of "Christian" kings and heads of state ever since the 4th Century when it was created, and thus it led to military imperialism, colonialism, and even genocide, all in the name of "spreading Christianity and God's Word," and "converting the heathen."

That has become a real problem in the last 27 years, unfortunately, because there are "false shepherds," "false prophets," and "wolves in sheep's clothing" who pretend or claim to be Christian leaders, and they push the false doctrine and the false idea of an apocalyptic "end times" mainly to:

1) exploit the gullibility, fear and guilt of as many people as possible in order to recruit more members to their blind flocks;

2) exploit the egotism of their blind flocks, leading them to believe they will be "saved from the coming destruction" because they are "holier" than all the "godless unbelievers"; and

3) profit immensely from it through their "religious" services, television shows, and books.

As I've said on other pages, the Christ Jesus, the original bleeding-heart liberal progressive, warned us of such hypocrites. And if he could be here, he would once again rebuke and scold them. Once again he would expose the hypocrites who pray for the ears of men and claim to do many wonderful works in the name of the Lord, when they actually serve Mammon and work iniquity.

Of course, bigoted, hypocritical Christian leaders are certainly not the only leaders causing trouble in the world. They are largely to blame, though, because for more than two and half decades they have antagonized much of Islam and continued to empower Israel. But that does not excuse the bad leadership that claims to be Jewish or Muslim.

In my view, the most misguided, divisive and dangerous leaders in the world today are certain misguided, violent and militant leaders of groups like al Queda, Hezbollah, Hamas, the so-called "Mahdi Army" in Iraq, and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Certain violent and militant leaders of the Shiites and the Sunnis are nearly as bad, as are the political president of Iran and the religious leader or the "Supreme" Ayatollah of Iran. They don’t realize how they betray Allah. But, just as dangerous and wrong are Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel, and George W. Bush, President of the United States of America. They all claim to be fulfilling the will of God, and in that respect they are all equally wrong and deluded.

Of course, there are many other leaders around the world that are just as wrong and just as deluded with self-importance and self-righteousness. But ALL those causing division, conflict, violence, death and destruction are wrong, and they all ought to be deeply ashamed of themselves.

Of course, Osama bin Laden is by far the most deluded, misguided, wicked and deadly, even though he is very practiced at having a calm and peaceful demeanor, as so many "wolves in sheep's clothing." Certain leaders of the American Christian Right are too (like Pat Robertson). They claim to be or act as if they are holy men, but they are really divisive hatemongers and warmongers. In certain respects they tend to be similar to the leaders of the past who also believed they or their political ideology or brand of religion should rule the world.

Now, thank God, the message from the Spirit of truth issues judgment and explains exactly how the meek shall inherit the earth.

The message emphasizes the importance of establishing a United Nations that is a true family of nations, with an effective peace keeping force made up of good soldiers from every nation, integrated together in every unit. For we cannot allow the U.S. to keep imposing itself as the policeman of the world, because, as the current regime in Washington D.C. has so blatantly shown, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Along with a reformation of religion (particularly of Judaism, Christianity and Islam), there will be a reformation of government. No more big brother, no more monarchial heads of state, no more oligarchies, no more imperialism, no more neo-imperialism (which is not blatant but deceptive and just as exploitive), no more tyranny, no more dictatorships, no more heads of religion or religious sects, and no more patriarchs or matriarchs. The people, finally united, shall have the power, and share it to determine their collective destiny together.

We will all come to realize that our differences in culture, religion, race, etc., are what make the world interesting, and even fascinating. We will learn to welcome and celebrate our diversity.

After the reformation of government and religion we will have good government, and we will not only resolve international conflicts. We will deal with all the international and domestic problems that have been getting so out of control.

For example, we will reverse the trends that have brought about the growing crises regarding the food and water supplies all over the world.

You see, the fact is that unchecked greed, deregulation, American "globalization," and corporate monopolization have wreaked havoc. While the wealthiest few have gotten much wealthier, the vast majority of people in the world have become increasingly less secure, and many suffer. And it’s because the global marketplace is driven by the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO), which mainly serves American corporate power. And the so-called "free trade" agreements they’ve managed to establish really amount to free rein and license for huge corporate conglomerates and agri-businesses, and they have been disastrous in many ways, especially to family farms in many countries around the world.

Corporate globalism was sold to us as something that would be good for everyone, but that was not true. The more that agriculture and food production and distribution is controlled by growing corporate monopolies, the fewer family farms we will have, the greater the food scarcity, the higher the food prices, and the more people will go hungry. The rate of inflation we are seeing now in food prices worldwide is the result of the global integration of the food economies under the dominance of the WTO.

In my second book, published early in 2002, I wrote that to let this "go on unchecked and uncontrolled, we could also unwittingly allow the creation of agribusiness monopolies that could eventually control the whole world’s food [and water]supply. While that may appear cynical, it is not if we consider the history of corporate power. It is a very real possibility that we must consider and guard against." I was quite right, and growing numbers of people have now realized it.

Regarding the growing water crisis, we must realize that industrialized corporate agriculture requires ten times more water to produce the same amount of food than ecological family farming does. Industrial agriculture has depleted water resources, and as our water supplies have become polluted and depleted, certain industrial giants saw a way of making huge profits by privatizing it. The bought up local water supplies, and they began bottling water. And they sold the idea that they were doing you a favor and giving you safe, clean water. But it’s a scam, and it has had disastrous consequences, not the least of which is the problem of discarded plastic water bottles.

We will also deal with many other problems. For instance, we will finally do what we must do to help and heal people who are affected by mental illness and suffer from delusion or rage or despair or fear -- people who tend to, or are at risk of, acting out. After all, there are now many insane or mentally ill or disturbed people, even though their illness usually makes them think they are more sane than the rest of us. (And they are out on the street because of the Republican trend that Ronald Reagan started back in the Sixties as Governor of California.) In that respect, the mentally ill are much like those at the highest level of leadership in the nation, because they too are in fact deluded with self-importance and self-righteousness.

We need to help all deluded people get well, but we especially need to help severely deluded people get well, because they may become like so many who have killed others during their mad plunge to self-destruction. But, to help them we must establish or enhance effective outreach and treatment programs. That means we must invest appropriately and sufficiently in such programs. We must also remove the stigma of mental illness treatment, and educate society about the benefits and need of therapeutic clinical treatment for those whose minds are deluded or not at peace. It is crucial and imperative that we make such treatment available to all who need it, and try our best to identify those who need it, in order to prevent them from acting out their self-destructive, harmful, and sometimes even murderous tendencies.

Along with that, we must train mental health professionals to recognize if and when people have legitimate legal grievances, so they can provide adequate referral to government agencies that should and will address those grievances. This is crucial since it has become increasingly obvious that there have been growing numbers of people who are mentally disturbed because of a very valid response to being deeply offended or wronged by some person or some agency or company or corporation. We really need to help people who have seriously been wronged for whatever reason, because we have been failing terribly in that regard. We have not ensured that there is fairness and justice for all. That's one of the reasons why there are so many frustrated and desperate people in America and many other countries in the world.

I really must say that problem has been exacerbated in America by "neo-cons" or right-wing "conservatives" who have for the last 26 years been able to sell the idea that people should be "self-reliant" and not depend on government. Of course, as I've said, that has been a smoke screen to hide the fact that their tax cuts are actually designed and serve to enable the very wealthiest people to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. We must see through that deceptive and misleading rhetoric, and ensure that we finally use the common wealth for the common good. But, in order to do that, we must require that the wealthy finally pay their fair share of taxes.

We will also, at long last, help all the people in more remote places in the world who have been allowing their wildlife habitat and their environment to be destroyed due to irresponsible logging and fishing practices that are based on profit-making at the expense of everything and everyone else. We will take responsibility for our planet, educate those who are ignorant of the ecological realities, and be good stewards of the worldwide environment. And we will be able to do that because the financial resources that are now squandered and wasted on militarism will be used for more constructive and creative purposes. That is, we will turn "swords into plowshares."

We will especially protect our remaining old growth forests. For while some nations and states have established laws that stop lumber and wood products companies from continuing the horribly destructive logging practices of the past, some have not, and those that have established such laws have not done enough. One has only to drive on many of our roads and highways in America to see the huge ugly scars caused by clear cuts of huge areas in our forests. Those clear cuts of trees destroy wildlife habitat, damage watershed, cause erosion, and are painful to the eye. It hurts to see them, especially when there is simply no excuse for clear cutting any more -- not when there are now more reasonable alternatives that include selective harvesting of mature trees in second growth forests, without clear cutting, and especially without clear cutting or logging at all in the remaining pristine old growth forests. Moreover, there is no longer any excuse to cut down evergreens in our forests in order to make paper products, because there are now tree farms producing fast-growing trees like Poplars for that purpose, and that practice will increase. And that, along with increased and more effective recycling programs, will help tremendously.

As I said, we will also reform our methods of food production and stop and prevent the cruel and harmful production methods practiced by large corporate businesses that have monopolized the industry and put most family farms and family fishing boats out of business. We will ensure that the most natural and least harmful production methods are used, and that the industry is driven not by the lust for the greatest profits, but by the desire to provide the most rewarding employment to people and the most healthy food for people, in ways that are protective of the ecosystem and the environment.

There is much more about such things in the message, about creating good government, ensuring our equality and freedom, protecting and cleaning up our environment, protecting our human rights and civil liberties, and ensuring that our health and welfare are of the utmost concern.

But, it will not happen overnight. As Jesus was accused of blasphemy by religious authorities in his day, and some people ridiculed him as a fool, so it has been and probably will still be for awhile with this current son of man. As prophesied, he has been and still is rejected by his generation and by most people, mainly because those who profit from the present political-economic system have misled many, and they do not want to face the truth. In fact, they deny it and call it a lie. And, even after many people do recognize the truth, there may still be some who fight it.

So, it is impossible to know how long it will take before it is generally known and accepted by the vast majority that this message is intended, designed, and will ultimately serve to end the conflict and division and make life far better for everyone on earth.

If you read the whole message and recognize the truth in it, please understand that innovative ideas have always been rejected at first ... often for a long time. Be patient and understanding of those who cannot or will not see, and have courage and faith.

We shall indeed overcome.