Some important conclusions

7.12 Some important conclusions

The majority of world empires have had the following in common:

Large numbers of unified people have tried in their own power to create their own earthly kingdom utopia. Those who outwardly appeared to have succeeded for a time have generally become proud and overbearing, looking down on others.
Most have also prayed to their idols for assistance. In the final phase of the Antichrist's kingdom, people will pray to the Devil himself.
Few have worshiped the God of the Bible, and therefore most have persecuted the people of the kingdom of God; that is, the Jews and Christians.

What can we further learn of all this? A clear conclusion is that according to the Bible, history and the future are not meaningless. In order to help us later see the principal theme in this section, we will again remind ourselves of the events surrounding humanity's first monument of pride, namely the Tower of Babel.

With this undertaking, mankind would try in their own strength to build a tower clear up to heaven. Up until this time, humanity's strength lay in a united governmental authority with a single language. (Gen.11:1-8) God observed at that time, "If they already can accomplish this when they have just begun to apply their political and linguistic unity, imagine what they will be able to do in the future. Nothing will any longer be impossible for them."

God did not want the Devil to have the possibility of taking advantage of these facts for his own purposes, so early in history.

The Devil will only get this chance for a short period during the Antichrist's world rule.
Therefore God chose to weaken and divide humanity until the end through confusing their languages.
Since the Tower of Babel, God has also restrained evil by allowing evil empires to conquer other empires that are even more evil.

When the Devil finally gets his chance, the origin of evil, and its consequences are revealed once and for all - before both humanity and the spiritual world - in the most advanced of all the world kingdoms. (Eph.3:8-11)

But before this occurs, all people as never before in this age of information and knowledge, will get a genuine opportunity to choose for time and eternity between the unselfish lifestyle of God's kingdom, and the selfish lifestyle of the world. (Illustrations 3.12,and 7.9)