In preparation for the UN Millennial Summit, the organisation's Secretary-general, Kofi Annan, said that the concept of national sovereignty would have to be redefined or abandoned as it stands in the way of greater unity in the world. He also promised that steps would be taken in 2000 to promote a world religion: "The UN will expand its role as peace-maker to the religious field by staging the first meeting for the world's religious leaders," he said. This new approach gave rise to the United Religions Initiative, aimed at developing into the United Religions Organisation.
We are living in a time of intensive ideological conditioning towards globalising all aspects of human society. The United Nations play an active part in the following aspects of this process:
Globalism as an ideology. The idea is vigorously propagated that all planetary citizens should be viewed as members of one big family with the same basic needs and ideals of economic survival and peaceful coexistence. The UN sees itself as a unique forum with a good chance on success to realise these ideals. In terms of this approach, communities everywhere should be taught not to over-emphasise their national, geographic, cultural, economic and religious group interests but rather to promote the interests of a united world community. Structures should be created to expedite the process of globalisation, thereby giving expression to the ideology of monism: "We are one.”
World government. The UN sees itself as a representative global structure with the potential of developing into a full-fledged world government with executive powers. When that ideal becomes reality, all citizens of the united new world order of the future will be subjected to the same laws and enjoy the same privileges through equal access to all resources. The powers of this future government will be used to enforce its policies and decisions in all societies on earth. However, such a government might also fall under the control of a single world leader and offer him great powers to implement his monistic agenda.
World economy. In close association with the UN, structures are also established to internationalise and control the world economy. Examples of these bodies are the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Expanding world markets and an emerging international system of electronic funds transfer are also part of economic globalisation. The Bible clearly tells us in Revelation 13 that this process will lead to a global political, economic and religious dictatorship of the Antichrist. During his reign no person will be able to buy or sell without the number or name of the Antichrist on his hand or forehead (Rev. 13:16-18).
A world religion. Developments in the religious sphere also indicate a far-advanced process in which all deceived religious groups are linking hands to welcome a common world messiah who will finally unite all the false religions. Since the year 2000 the UN has arranged various meetings for religious leaders in an effort to promote its unitary reforms. What is their final objective? Revelation 13:3-4 says that all the world will marvel and follow the beast and also worship him by saying: "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" A false world messiah will suddenly make his appearance to unite the world spiritually. The UN is hastening that day.
These shocking developments have given rise to viewing the United Nations as a modern tower of Babel, which exalts itself against the sovereignty of the true God of heaven, the revelation of His Saviour-King, Jesus Christ, to the world, and His unique and inerrant Word which proclaims the only true way of salvation to humanity.
The UN, along with its programmes and policies, is becoming ever more worthy of comparison to the tower of Babel as rampant idolatry and militant paganism thoroughly permeate the organisation. The United Nations is steadily becoming the centre of a syncretistic new world religion, a weird and diabolical convergence of New Age mysticism, pantheism, aboriginal animism, atheism, communism, socialism, Luciferian occultism, apostate Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The (New Age) Tara Centre of Benjamin Creme expressed the following support for the United Nations:
It would seem that predictions concerning religion made half a century ago in the Rosicrucian Digest are coming to pass. The June 1941 issue of that occult journal carried the following prophecy that, tragically, is being fulfilled before our eyes:
The occultists are correct in noting that the mystical-pantheism they advocate (the idea that there is an impersonal element of divinity in the entire creation) will, if widely accepted, lead to a collectivist world state. There are too few people who understand the direct relationship between these two concepts. If God is present in all people, then the collective consciousness of humanity constitutes God. United humanity can then, by way of a world state, determine its own destiny and thus become its own God.
What is desperately needed is a widespread recognition of the fact that the neo-pagan, internationalist-socialist new world order being promoted by and through the United Nations is militantly anti-Christian, malevolently totalitarian and satanically evil (The New American, 19.10.1992).
During October 2002 in Geneva, hundreds of spiritual and religious leaders met at the United Nations for a peace summit. Although all the major faiths were there, including some who claim to represent Christianity, it was clear that Jesus was not invited. The event was the first ever UN summit of female religious leaders. More than 500 women from about 70 countries came to talk about ways to achieve world peace. Most of them were from the Eastern religions, including Buddhists, Taoists and Hindus. The summit was endorsed by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan who said that the future of the word depends on women. Although there was much talk about peace and how women can harness their feminine energies to bring peace to a hurting planet, there was no mention of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Nor were there any evangelical Christians either speaking at or attending this world religions summit. The Geneva summit was a direct outcome of the Millennium World Peace Summit of religious and spiritual leaders held at the United Nations in New York in the year 2000. At that gathering, CNN founder Ted Turner endeared himself to the crowd by promoting the New Age concept that there are many ways to heaven.
According to Revelation 13 and 17, it is clear that there will be a time when the world will unite under a false global religious and political system. It appears that the UN is taking bold steps in that direction.
Europe with its diverse cultures and languages is regarded as an important experiment in the UN's globalisation policy. If it succeeds there, the success of the policy will have been proved to a large extent. The political, religious and economic unification of Europe under a new banner will seek to unite its citizens in a strong regional movement, which will be an important building-block for the global new world order.
The blueprint for a new constitution for Europe, unveiled at the end of October 2002, paves the way for sweeping changes to the EU but provoked instant British opposition by suggesting the block could be renamed "United States of Europe" or "United Europe". Published by Giscard d'Estang, the former French president who is chairing an inquiry into the future of Europe, the document raises the prospect of a massive overhaul of the EU to accommodate up to 10 new countries due to join in 2004. The outline document suggests that all Europeans should be given the right to citizenship of the EU as well as their member states. D'Estang, president of the convention on the future of the EU, compared the draft constitution to the work done by the founding fathers of the USA. However, Giscard d'Estang is not in favour of an application by Turkey to join the ranks of the EU. According to him, Turkey does not belong to Europe – neither geographically nor culturally.
The transformation process to a new world order of international unity is not without set-backs and opposition. A major obstacle is the strong commitment to nationalism, which entails the upholding of religious, political and cultural group interests by many nations. In this way, a disposition of internationalism is seriously impeded. In order to overcome this problem, the UN devotes much effort in teaching member states to be tolerant towards the beliefs and values of other cultures. In this way, it is hoped that conflicts will be averted by a spirit of mutual acceptance and tolerance.
The member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) met in Paris from 25 October to 16 November 1995 to define the principle of tolerance, among others, as follows: "The UN Charter states that the peoples of the UN resolve to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another. Peace, if it is not to fail, must be founded on the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind… Recalling also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which affirms that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, of opinion and expression, and that education should promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, we declare the following:
Comments: In the light of the above-mentioned statements, Christian beliefs could be regarded as intolerant and offensive to other people's rights and beliefs, e.g. that Jesus is the only way to God (Jn. 14:6). The rejection of religious compromise by evangelical Christians is the reason why they cannot associate with interfaith agendas and are consequently not invited to multireligious meetings of the UN or other bodies. We know the truth about God, His Son, His Holy Spirit and His Word, and only this truth can set human beings free from bondage to the religious lies of Satan (Jn. 8:32, 16:13; 17:17).
Although the ideology of globalism is rapidly gaining ground there is still a significant degree of devotion to nationalism vis-à-vis internationalism. However, the movement towards a unified new world order seems to be irreversible. The escalation of global problems such as ethnic, political and religiously motivated wars, pollution, poverty, disease and the pervasive threat of international terrorism demands strong, centralised leadership in the world. The UN is paving the way for the establishment of a world government, but one element is still wanting – a charismatic leader with world reforming abilities and extraordinary diplomatic skills. His achievements and leadership qualities should be of such a nature that they are generally applauded by all nations and thus quickly propel him to a pivotal position in the international arena.
According to the Bible, such a person will indeed appear on the scene shortly after the rapture of the true church (2 Thes. 2:6-8). The whole world will marvel, follow and worship him as the long-awaited messiah-king of all cultures and religions (Rev. 13:3-4). He will be the Antichrist who will achieve unprecedented success in deceiving, manipulating and oppressing humanity. The Bible says that his coming will be "according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie" (2 Thes. 2:9-11).
We should boldly face the fact that the multireligious reforms of the UN’s transformation programme towards a new world order follow an undeviating course to global satanic oppression in which people will lose all their personal, political, religious and economic freedom.