Demographers have coined a description for the modern generation we hear so much about now, and that term is “Millennials.” Also called Generation Y, Generation Me, etc., these are people born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, with some deviation in those years.
What makes a study of these people interesting for Bible prophecy teachers is that it is starting to look like Satan has targeted this generation like no other in history, for his nefarious plan He has exploited other generations, like my own, but even that pales when compared to what he is doing today.
A number of our readers are baby-boomers having been born between the post-WW2 years and the early 1960s. I am a member of this group and let me tell you, there is much about it that is ugly and reprehensible. It was our generation that produced Bill Ayers (close friend of Barack Obama) and his Weather Underground.
This group of anarchists was responsible for the bombing of the U.S Capital, the Pentagon and the State Department. They were, and still are, communists. Like many of you, I’ve been in somewhat close proximity to some of these anarchists; they are losers, very violent and have a primeval hatred for anyone who disagrees with them.
But, what makes Millennials a more useful tool than boomers in the hands of Satan is that Millennials are being raised in a society that is deeply engrained in the entitlement, self-centered, crude, cry-baby mentality. Some of the young women in this group have no concept of real feminism, their language is rooted in sewage, they have no self-respect and dignity and they have no idea what real masculinity looks like.
Some of the young men in this group see women as toys through whom they can spread their DNA, they have no direction for their lives, they believe manhood is measured by cowardly violence and government welfare checks and they must have safe places in which they can whine and whimper. Someone recently said that in 1944 eighteen-year-old men were storming the beaches of Normandy, and that in 2016 eighteen-year-old boys are looking for cry rooms when they are offended.
It has been said in these pages that the post-modern, emergent church has enabled Millennials to easily adopt this evil mentality because it has shelved the truth and opted for the perverted social gospel. This must be kept in mind in any discussion about Satan’s last days all out assault on society.
With that said it must also be said that there are some Millennials who reject these things. They are godly people with a sense of direction in their lives. They are learning the biblical meaning of responsibility and critical thinking. May their tribes increase!
Jesus gave a brief but revealing description of Antichrist and his false prophet in Revelation 13. Soon after the removal of the church from this earth a particular man will arise from the sea of humanity (Revelation 17:15) to become the infamous Antichrist.
One of his characteristics will be his unreserved blasphemy of God, of His name and of those who are His. He will be a man of intrigue with gifts of great eloquence and charisma, each of which will be used to spew forth virulent sacrilege against God. He will recover from some kind of fatal wound, and this will impress the world greatly and lead to his being worshipped.
However, his ambitious designs will require a religious aide de camp to be at his side, a man whose abilities and responsibilities are also described in Revelation 13. But this man will not arise from the sea as did the Antichrist, but from the earth as did the apparition of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28:13.
Interestingly he is described as having two horns like a lamb, but with the speech of a dragon. Bible teachers differ on what those two horns mean, but I see them as symbols of power and authority as horns are sometimes used this way in scripture. I also believe these represent the combination of the natural and the supernatural.
This combination is a part of most all cults, because they are both necessary for deception. People are drawn to a religious leader they find to be as common as dirt but who, at the same time, has been granted a special anointing giving him divine power and distinguishing him from the masses. It seems the false prophet will be just such a man. Dr. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, in their Left Behind series, painted him to be totally sold out to the exaltation of his boss, Antichrist. I believe that is an accurate description.
Now, what does this have to do with the millennial generation? Several things, in my opinion. That we are living in the season of the Lord’s return for His church is beyond question. No other generation in human history has witnessed the events that so clearly point to the 2nd Coming of Jesus, an event that happens seven years after the Rapture of the Church.
Biblical logic is this: If we are seeing the signs that His 2nd Coming is on the near horizon, then the rapture of the church is imminent (Matthew 24:32ff). Understand that paramount among those signs is the rebirth of the nation of Israel and the re-gathering of the Jewish people into their ancient homeland.
This could mean that the Millennial generation, a generation so superficial and vulnerable to deception, is the terminal generation. That does not mean that the human race is near to being wiped out, but it does mean that Gen Y could be the dominate one when God sends unprecedented and unimaginable judgments upon this earth. Revelation gives a very good description of what that will entail.
It also means that Millennials most probably will be the majority generation when Antichrist comes to power, something that will happen during that time of judgment. Pew Research Center, in April of this year, said that in the USA boomers number 74.9 million while Millennials number 75.4 million. This means that the way America thinks, reacts and prioritizes choices has changed dramatically. Further, since America is an accurate representation of modern culture we see this change as being global.
Recently, there have been numerous sidewalk interviews of Millennials regarding political candidates, and the overwhelming majority cannot give specific reasons for their choices. They simply parrot what they have been told, or have been hired to say as is often the case. They like to believe they are so very capable and adept when the truth is they would likely be quivering masses of jelly if they had to be without their cell phones for a month.
They know precious little of history, especially American history, and almost 100 percent of them believe their rights come from the government. Most every path they choose is so chosen because of its lack of resistance, thus work, sacrifice and delayed gratification are not among their traits.
Every generation has been deceived by Satan to at least some degree, but the millennial generation is arguably tailor made for deception because of its rank ignorance, its inability to think critically and its almost wholesale rejection of God. Does anyone really have to wonder how a man in the near future will be able to convince an entire world that is in chaos to take his mark and worship him?
Scripture says Antichrist’s False Prophet will deceive people because of the signs he performs, which will include calling fire down from heaven (Revelation 13). No one knows how he will do this, but we should remember that Pharaoh’s magicians replicated several of Moses’ miracles (Exodus 7).
The False Prophet will further amaze people by giving breath and speech to an image of Antichrist. Once again we are not told exactly how he will do these things; he will simply do them using satanic power, and in the process he will fool a world of people that has been easily misled with the occult and technology.
But the greatest deception will be his ability to cause people to take a mark of allegiance to Antichrist. The mark will be on their right hand or on their forehead. Nobody knows what the mark will be; perhaps a tattoo of some kind, or a micro chip embedded in the skin. There are two things to note about the mark; no one will be able to buy or sell without it, and to take the mark is to permanently separate oneself from God (Revelation 13:17; 14:9ff).
The mark is associated with the number 666, which means nothing today. If 666 is part of your identification, or your house number or vehicle license, etc., do not worry about it. It will only be in the days of the Tribulation that the number will be associated with Antichrist. The Church will not be here then.
Do you think the Millennial generation will have any qualms about taking a mark on their skin or having a RFID chip placed under their skin? Not hardly. Some may think this question is reactionary, but in context of Revelation 13 it is not. Further, most Millennials will not only not have a problem with government inking or chip emplacement, but they will not have a problem making such a commitment to a charismatic, assertive, popular leader. Especially one that has been raised from the dead.
This generation has already shown that it can easily be swayed by smooth-talking politicians who promise something for nothing. And when the threat of death if one hesitates to take the mark is added to the mix, the decision to take the mark will be easy.
Generations of the past have fallen prey to deception, with 1930s Germany being a good example. Some of us thought the 1960s was bad, but it pales in comparison to this one. The millennial generation, so void of godly values and noble ethics, has been led to believe the socialist lie that government control is a utopia. When Antichrist becomes the personification of such control this generation will eagerly dive into the deception.
But what should really get our attention is the fact that many Millennials raised in Christian homes are caving in to the Gen Y mentality. Many of these kids have no ink and no gross piercings, but they have the same value system and world view as their secular peers.
This should be raising red flags for Christian parents everywhere, but if there is any alarm at all it is muffled at best. Sadly, these people are also being groomed for deception and, unfortunately, at least some of them are falling headlong for it.
Jesus will soon intervene in the course of this world’s events by removing His church from it. Until then refuse to take the easy path of not taking a stand for the truth. That applies to you whether you are too young to have a family, or if you have children or grandchildren. Time is of the essence, and it is worth every bit of strained effort required. The world is greatly over stressed and something is about to give.