The concept of a “one world order” or “new world order” refers to the emergence of a unified global government or political system. Some believe this will happen in the end times before the return of Jesus Christ. But what does the Bible actually say about this? As Christians, it’s important we examine the Scriptures closely rather than rely on speculation or conspiracy theories. In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll walk through the key Bible passages concerning a one world government and analyze what they mean.
Introduction
The Bible does warn about the rise of a powerful political system and leader in the last days. However, it does not use the term “one world order” specifically. Below are several key takeaways about what the Bible says regarding global governance:
- God is sovereign over human kingdoms and rulers. He allows them to rise and fall according to His purposes (Daniel 2:21, Romans 13:1).
- The book of Daniel prophesies the rise of four successive empires, the last of which will lead to the reign of the Antichrist (Daniel 2, 7).
- Revelation predicts a future totalitarian system of control led by the Antichrist, often known as the “beast” (Revelation 13).
- This end times system will persecute believers and dominate the world politically, economically, and religiously (Revelation 13:7-8).
- The scope of the Antichrist’s reign suggests he will rule a large, multi-national empire. However, the Bible does not explicitly state it will encompass the entire planet.
- Christians should avoid fretting about conspiracy theories or date-setting regarding end times events. Instead, we should focus on following Christ faithfully (Matthew 6:34, Luke 21:36).
In the sections below, we’ll explore these points further by looking at key Scripture passages. As we do, we’ll focus on simply understanding what the Bible says rather than reading into the text ideas not explicitly there.
Daniel’s Prophecies of Four Empires
The Old Testament book of Daniel contains the earliest prophecies in Scripture concerning the rise of a powerful political system in the end times. In Daniel 2 and 7, Daniel delivers messages to Babylonian and Persian kings foretelling the rise of four major empires culminating in the reign of the Antichrist. Let’s look closely at what these passages say.
In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a large statue made of four metals – a head of gold, chest of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2:31-33). The prophet Daniel interprets this as foretelling four successive kingdoms or empires (Daniel 2:36-40). The head of gold represents the current Babylonian empire. After it will come another inferior empire (the Medes and the Persians), then another (in context likely Greece under Alexander the Great), and finally one that will be strong like iron (often believed to refer to ancient Rome).
Daniel goes on to explain that in the days of the final kingdom, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Many biblical scholars see this as the kingdom of God or the Messianic kingdom of Jesus Christ in the end times. The statue’s feet of iron mixed with clay may picture the weakened state of the empires just prior to this event.
In Daniel 7, the prophet has a vision of four beasts arising from the sea. In the interpretation that follows, these beasts also depict four kingdoms or empires (Daniel 7:17,23). The fourth beast is particularly fierce with ten horns, similar to the statue’s ten toes. Then another horn rises and uproots three of the original horns (Daniel 7:7-8). This little horn is often identified as the Antichrist who exerts dominating power over the rulers of his day.
Daniel 7:23-26 confirms this little horn will in fact persecute the saints and shall speak pompous words against the Most High, seeking to wear out the saints of the Most High. But his reign will last for a time, times, and half a time (three and a half years) before the Son of Man returns to destroy his kingdom and establish His everlasting rule.
So in both Daniel 2 and 7, the prophecies point to four empires leading up to the rise of the Antichrist. He in turn will dominate the world politically and spiritually until he is defeated by Jesus, the Son of Man and Messiah. Nowhere do these passages state this final kingdom will rule the entire globe. However, its influence will still be immense leading to severe persecution of God’s people.
The Antichrist’s Global Authority
While Daniel 2 and 7 do not explicitly mention worldwide control, other Scriptures suggest the Antichrist’s reign will extend across much of the planet. The New Testament book of Revelation provides the most detail about the power and scope of the Antichrist’s dominion.
In Revelation 13, the Apostle John witnesses a beast arising out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 13:1). This beast derives power and authority from the dragon (who is the devil, see Revelation 12:9). The whole world marvels after the beast and worships both him and the dragon (Revelation 13:2-4). This startling passage reveals Satan himself will be the true power behind this end times ruler.
Revelation 13:7-8 declares this Satanically-empowered beast will have authority over every tribe, tongue and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship him except believers whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Clearly this suggests a high degree of political and religious power over people all over the planet. However, we should not necessarily equate this to complete totalitarian dominance over every person on earth.
In Revelation 17, we learn more about the extent of the beast’s kingdom. Here an angel explains the meaning of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that the Apostle John saw earlier (Revelation 17:7). The horns represent ten kings who will reign together with the beast for a short time. And the people of the world whose names are not written in the book of life will marvel when they see the beast was, is not, and yet will come (Revelation 17:8).
This is not a precise picture of global control. Ten kings are ruling with him over their own domains. Nevertheless, the awe-inspiring reaction of non-believers worldwide demonstrates his kingdom still constitutes an unprecedented international power coalition. His dominion is still a radical departure from the current world system of independent nations (Revelation 17:12).
So Revelation confirms the Antichrist will hold sway over a broad multi-national kingdom that persecutes believers and commands worldwide loyalty. This is consistent with prophecies of previous empires like Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar. Such kingdoms ruled over vast domains without necessarily controlling every place on earth (cf. Jeremiah 25:26, Daniel 4:22).
Avoiding Fear and Speculation
Given these sobering biblical warnings, how should Christians think about end times prophecies without falling into fear or wild speculation? Here are a few key principles to keep in mind:
- Focus on Jesus, not the Antichrist – The disciples asked Jesus about end times events, but He continually turned the focus back to the believers’ need to follow Him obediently no matter what happens (Matthew 24:4-14, Luke 21:7-19).
- Avoid date-setting – Jesus said no one knows the day or hour of His return, so we should not spend time trying to predict exact timeframes (Matthew 24:36-42). Throughout church history, date-setting has consistently proved embarrassing and discrediting.
- Don’t fret about conspiracy theories – Remember God is sovereign over human kingdoms (Psalm 22:28, Daniel 2:21). So we need not worry ourselves speculating about sinister plots, secret societies, etc.
- Watch for Christ’s return – Rather than looking for signs of the Antichrist, Jesus called us to watch expectantly for His coming and stay faithful till He returns (Luke 21:34-36, Titus 2:11-13).
- Pray and share the gospel! – In the meantime, we should pray for those in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:2) and take every opportunity to share the good news of Christ’s kingdom with the lost (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Bible clearly warns about difficult times ahead as the power of sin increases in the end times. But it also promises Jesus will return and good will ultimately triumph over evil. As His followers, we can look forward in hope as we walk with Christ day by day.
Conclusion
In closing, while Scripture prophesies the rise of an ungodly global empire in the last days, it simply does not provide enough specifics to equate this with a tightly centralized “one world order.” We need to be careful about imposing external ideas onto the text rather than drawing out the intended meaning.
The Bible instead calls us to trust God through the ups and downs of history, share the gospel, make disciples, and await Christ’s return. Jesus Himself refused to waste time speculate about the future. Instead He focused on fulfilling His Father’s will in each moment (John 4:34). As His disciples today, we would do well to follow His example.
Rather than live in fear or feed curiosity about end times events, let us live boldly and obediently for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. By walking in faith and the power of the Spirit, we have nothing to fear from the evil plans of the enemy. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). May we live with trust and hope in each new day until our Lord appears.
