Uniting the World

I was in Glasgow yesterday. I expected to see references to the imminent COP26 climate change conference, and I was not disappointed. From around the globe, insincere politicians, opportunist CEOs and the usual crew of fruit-loops are descending on the great Scottish city to occupy its hotel rooms and buy its food. Little wonder the city fathers are hiring giant billboards to welcome them and endorse their noble concerns. The official COP26 website states its aim as

UNITING THE WORLD TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE

Uniting the world: after wars, conquests and other divisions, a united world sounds a laudable goal. If the climate is indeed changing, and about to kill us off, a united front would better aid our survival. Yet the Bible-believer hears alarm bells ringing at the thought of a united world. The Bible, after all, very much divides the world into sheep vs goats, believers vs unbelievers, the kingdom of darkness vs the kingdom of light. On those occasions when the whole world has been united, the references have been negative. At the Tower of Babel, the builders resolved to remain united in defiance of the Creator’s command to spread over the earth. The book of Revelation states in chapter 12:

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

The same chapter describes the world’s universal state of deception:

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The next time we read of the whole world together, it is awaiting the judgement of God at the end of days. Prior to this, the world will unite in its rebellion against God, as once it did after the Flood. So beware of those would unite the world; Except they do it on God’s terms around the person of the Son, it is a unity He will detest and destroy.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."
Matthew 10: 34-39