The Great Rebellion

The Bible tells us that the end of this age will feature a great rebellion against God.

The people of the earth will gather together alongside the Antichrist to do battle with the Kings of Kings.

This will not be a symbolic spiritual conflict as some believe, but outright physical hostility toward God Himself.

But why? And is this even possible?

The Bible foreshadows this rebellion to come in Genesis Chapter 11, where we learn the story of the Tower of Babel.

"At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. They began to talk about construction projects. 'Come,' they said, 'let's make great piles of burnt brick and collect natural asphalt to use as mortar. Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies - a monument to our greatness! This will bring us together and keep us from scattering all over the world.'

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 'Look!' he said. 'If they can accomplish this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common language and political unity, just think of what they will do later. Nothing will be impossible for them! Come, let's go down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other.'

In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the people by giving them many languages, thus scattering them across the earth." Genesis 11:1-9 (NLT)

In verse six, the Lord specifically states his reason for scattering the people and giving them different languages. He wants to avoid the inevitable disaster that will be brought on by global government and a common language.

Why do these things concern Him?

Because if they continue unabated, in due time, "nothing will be impossible for them!" This should be viewed as more than a passing comment by God. It should be interpreted as a prophecy of things to come. And in the last days, mankind will fulfill all the evils of this prophecy.

The global government featured in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 13:7-8) will unify humanity politically for the first time since the days of ancient Babylonia. Thousands of years after God put a stop to this act of monumental arrogance, humanity will once again establish a unified political structure under the rule of the Antichrist.

The appearance of the Antichrist and his global government will mark the beginning of a great rebellion against God. Throughout the ages, mankind has lived with a rebellious nature. But in the last days, mankind will display unprecedented hostility toward God.

"For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed - the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NLT)

The people of the world will not only tolerate this haughty exhibition. They will sanction it. As a result, God will harden their hearts and make them believe the lies of the Antichrist, just as He hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

"So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies." 2 Thessalonians 2:11 (NLT)

Paul makes it clear that these people will be deluded into believing "the lies." But what exactly are the "lies" to which he is referring? To find out, we only need to examine the first book of the Bible, where we'll find this quote from the originator of lies:

"'You won't die!' the serpent hissed. 'God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.'" Genesis 3:4-5 (NLT)

These are the lies to which Paul refers. The same lies which brought sin into the world will be the same lies which spark the ultimate rebellion against God Almighty.

Humanity will come full circle.

In the last days, the same construction projects envisioned by the builders of the Tower of Babel will result in mankind achieving a level of technological sophistication so advanced that "nothing will be impossible for them!" They will begin to believe the great lies of the serpent.

In his arrogance, man will believe he is:

1) Immortal
2) All-Knowing
and
3) Just like God

He will mimic the earth shattering arrogance of Lucifer by freely joining in Satan's rebellious attempt to usurp the throne of God. This rebellion will come to its end in a place called Armageddon, which is the Greek name for Megiddo, an actual city located in the Jezreel Valley of modern day Israel.

The gathering of the world's armies at Armageddon will not be (as most believe) a war of humans versus humans, but rather a literal physical confrontation between rebellious mankind and the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

This battle is referenced multiple times in the Scriptures:

"Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army." Revelation 19:19 (NLT)

and

"Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains,' they cry. 'And free ourselves from this slavery.' But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them." Psalm 2:1-4 (NLT)

Notice the rulers don't plot against one another.

Why would they?

They've achieved the political unity and common purpose humanity had prior to the Tower of Babel. They believe themselves to be completely self-sufficient, with God and His laws as an adversary.

In their day, the Antichrist is a global dictator; he has no enemies that have not been subdued. Instead, "the kings of the earth" prepare for battle "against the Lord and against His Anointed One."

Impossible, you say?

The idea of man physically engaging God in battle seems so outrageous that this passage has given way to numerous symbolic interpretations over the years. But the Scriptures are clear.

Remember what God Himself said about this people who will ultimately fulfill His Tower of Babel prophecy - "nothing will be impossible for them!"

In fact, the Book of Daniel reveals that the Antichrist will manage to attack "the heavenly armies, throwing some of the heavenly beings and stars to the ground and trampling them."

"From one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and east and toward the glorious land of Israel. His power reached to the heavens where it attacked the heavenly armies, throwing some of the heavenly beings and stars to the ground and trampling them. He even challenged the Commander of heaven's armies by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple." Daniel 8:9-11 (NLT)

The power of the Antichrist and the human beings of his era will far exceed our ability to comprehend. However, from our vantage point, we do understand one thing - this evil generation's confidence is severely misplaced.

Attacking heavenly beings is one thing; attacking the Prince of Peace is another matter.

It will be the ultimate undoing of a rebellious generation.

"At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching them off guard. Without warning he will destroy them. He will even take on the Prince of princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power." Daniel 8:23-25 (NLT)

Ultimately, the great rebellion will be put down by Jesus Christ in an event commonly known as the Glorious Appearing. Christ will return to earth with His raptured church to set up the Millennial Kingdom, and in so doing, He will destroy the Antichrist and his armies with the glory of His coming.

This will mark the end of the Tribulation, and the beginning of Christ's eternal kingdom as referenced by Daniel 2:44 and numerous other Scriptures.

Britt Gillette is the founder of End Times Bible Prophecy and the author of multiple books. Receive his book 7 Signs of the End Times for FREE when you sign up for his free Substack.

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