I believe that I could say, even without any in depth research, that every nation on this planet has their own form of holidays, special days, if you will, that are marked on the calendar meant to remind them of the deeds of either a specific individual or group of people who in some way were beneficial to the formation or continuance of that nation. Banners are raised, flags are flown and of course, anyone with a business will offer great deals on their wares to show their appreciation of the deed done, a common occurrence in every nation no matter the holiday.
To many, it is just another day off of work, paid, of course, another day for self-gratification before the grindstone must be returned to. Beyond the generalized observance of these holidays, beyond the ability to make a little more money by offering a sale connected to it, beyond even the day off for some, there is a very specific and well thought out reason for these observances of the past, they are meant to bring cohesion to the ones who live in that particular region of the planet, to instill pride is not an afterthought with our adversary. By bringing a certain group of individuals together in such a way, any nation must by needs extradite the acceptance of others, pride knows no fellowship, and is only shared by likeminded individuals.
Within the boundaries of any nation the people within it have determined, either by choice or the diversion of the weaker mind, a type of fealty, a loyalty to that nation. But it need not stop there, in fact, it must be brought to bear upon the single individual as much as possible, our county or borough is better than our neighbor, my town is better than yours, the people here are smarter, more loving, more considerate, our school is better than yours, we have more team spirit, my neighborhood, my household, my family, me.
The globalization that Satan is attempting, and will succeed in, “and all the world wondered after the beast,” (Rev. 13:3) is going to require a massive amount of effort, for he has spent many thousands of years individualizing and at the same time nationalizing pride. It will not be possible to bring the entire human race under one banner without a major, worldwide cataclysmic event, and I believe that event will be brought upon this planet by the Lord God. I may be mistaken, I hope so, I pray so, but I do not think that the rapture will be enough. There are eight billion of us humans now, and the amount of those that will meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:17) I believe is going to be infinitesimal compared to that eight billion.
The question that meets us here then is this, what is going to happen before we leave, how much rain will fall upon the children of God before the door of the ark is closed, before the skies begin to rain fire and brimstone, how much is the Lord going to ask us to go through before we go home. So then we find that the relative question has little to do with globalization, with nations or even your school district, it has to do with you, how much suffering are you prepared to accept.
The fealty that any individual is expected to give to the nation he lives in is reminded to him, whether he likes it or not, by the observance of particular holidays set aside for remembrance, and as stated, some take these very seriously, others, not so much, but that is not the point of them, remember, to instill national pride is. To recondition that pride from nationalism to a global perspective is the challenge our adversary faces, and although he has been attempting to do this for a number of years now through evil men, he has made little headway, and never will until something happens on a global scale to assist him in this endeavor, and this can only happen by the hand of the Lord.
What shall it be then, what will cause nearly every single person on this planet who for centuries have been taught the value, in their mind, of national pride, to turn from it and begin the quick descent into the abyss. Shall it be thermonuclear war, a massive eruption of many volcanoes at once, thousands of meteorites and asteroids slamming the planet, must many die first. Satan’s way is one of subterfuge and subtlety, the Lord is not always so kind, He sends plague, famine, and pestilence, He opens the ground under the feet of His enemies and swallows them whole, when He moves, there will be no question that it is from the Lord.
I firmly believe we are living in the times of the beginnings of sorrows, (Matt. 24:8) I believe any born-again believer should be able to see this quite clearly, what I do not know is how many have truly died to self, have died to any false acceptance of the pride their nations have attempted to instill upon them, have died to the concerns of whether or not their school wins the sporting match against the town closest to them. I do not know how many of them still love the world, who still love their lives more than they love Christ, but I believe we are about to find out. If your entire town burns or is completed destroyed by a flood, if your nation crumbles for whatever reason, you will go on, the question will be, who will you serve, and to what end. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.” (Romans 5:7)
Where does your true fealty lie, and does it go far past the observance of your weekly holiday, your one hour a week in church, does your loyalty lie in the Sovereign Lord of all creation only, is the only time in history you celebrate the moment He walked out of that tomb, where is your loyalty, and are you willing to die for it, for Him.
