Something is very uniquely bold about the Bible as a holy book—it makes bold predictions about the future most especially the signs of our Lord’s return. Apostle Paul puts it this way:

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 910 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him (1Thes. 5: 1-10). For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Our Lord Jesus Christ surely didn’t tell us the date of His return but He did tell us the season in terms of the end-time signs. Now, we all know the days of a season; don’t we? That is why Paul said that even the exact day that we don’t know will not take us by surprise!

Kindly note that he also said that knowing the season will make us sober, full of faith and full of love. However, this benefit is not automatic and we must therefore watch to enjoy it.

Prophetic Analysis of Today’s Current Events

The current world economic recession is of great prophetic import to our Lord’s return and this requires wisdom for all Believers for advantageous positioning.

Christ warned the first century Christians of the destruction of Jerusalem but added that an interregnum shall be given for their shake. Few decades after His death and resurrection, Titus the Roman General laid siege on Jerusalem. He however, withdrew just before taking the city to address another urgent assignment.

Apostle Paul was said to send letters to all Believers reminding them of the word of the Lord and warning them to escape from Jerusalem, which they did. When Titus finally returned AD 70, he killed the aged, ripped open the pregnant and destroyed the young men; the Temple also was burnt and razed to the floor.

How does the destruction of Jerusalem relate to the current global economic recession? The answer is in the ‘Elect Factor’ but more about that later.

The current economic recession occurs in preparation for our Lord’s return. You see, currently the USA is so powerful that the Anti-Christ cannot come! You heard me right. Economically speaking, before the current world economic trauma, there are only two nations on earth—the USA and others.

Again, militarily even the whole EU is under the American protectorate from the time of the USSR. Since the Anti-Christ will govern over the region of the old Roman Empire, which is Europe he will not be tolerated by the USA because the Anti-Christ will not respect human rights and will muzzle human freedom—things that America values as sacrosanct.

For the Anti-Christ to function therefore, the USA must be weakened while the EU must be strengthened. How then do you weaken a super power? Well, the way the old USSR was weakened, which is economically. I suppose that the real weapon of mass destruction is economic prosperity. There seems to be no other way to weaken a super power.

Get a grip, the US would not become poor necessarily; but it will not have enough financial muzzles to police the world even when most allies resented. Well, the current economic woes have demystified the USA not a small bit. The world used to think that America is invincible until the current Iraq war.

Barack Obama perhaps realized the inevitable to have been changing the arrogant posturing of America. The US is now more interested in its internal welfare than foreign welfare. The ground is getting fertile for the Anti-Christ but one major thing remains perhaps—the economic growth of EU into a super power.

The EU economy will continue to grow until their government is unified to produce the monster that must come.

In the mean time God is giving the Christians the ‘Elect Factor’ meaning that God will shorten the current world economic downturn to a few years when the world economy will be improving again but for a short time after which things will finally nosedive.

Currently the Lord wants His children to take over the world economy. We need prophetic wisdom and adjustment from the culture of consumption to investment and production. He will supply us inspired business ideas if we co-operate with Him. This is the worst time for us to toy with sin, to be disunited, to refuse to give, refuse to band together in business and fail to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Pastors must organize programs to promote all the above. We must be sober, vigilant, holy, and investing in God’s righteous cause. God is giving us another interregnum or if you like, the Elect factor today; surely this is no time to gamble at life as only those that walk by revelation shall overcome the times. I commit you into the hands of the Lord and trusting that we shall all walk in the purpose of God and enjoy His grace maximally. Shalom.

Rev. Emmanuel Baba-Lola.

Dublin; May 2009