Signals of the End-Time: Migrationism and Landgrabbing

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Visiting Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Kyungpook National University, Sangju Campus, South Korea, Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

World leaders are talking to “put together” a rational for the ideology of Landgrabbing by using a Robinhoodism methodology. In fact, they claim that it is their moral duty to do that. The way they argue is that while they are in power, they are to use that power to take from the haves and give to the have-nots. In the Bible, there is no such space given for any ruler on earth in any generation. Theft is theft whether it is legacy theft (changing of names of cities; changing of names of buildings; of parks; of hospitals; of universities; of countries) or whether it is corruption in high circles or as we call it, organized crime. Robinhoodism has no space within the covers of the Bible. What is wrong is wrong no matter who is doing it or for what purpose or reason. Situational ethics have no space in the Bible either.

The big problem with great movers of trends in biblical interpretation is that they have superimposed their own systems over the Bible to interpret. Julius Wellhausen invented the HCM (Higher Critical Method) to use scissors, wastebasket and glue to reconstruct the bible at own will. In such a scenario everything became propaganda and was put together for propaganda reasons. The Bible in his view was created for colonial reasons. The end-result is that the Bible has no central message and as such the student of Wellhausen ended in nihilism. The case of Jaco Gericke’s confession from being a fundamentalist believer to atheist due to the role of James Barr and his books filled with the structures of Wellhausen, is applicable here.

The other problem is those scholars like Michael Fishbane who tried to counter Wellhausen by a substitution that has the same results: texts are compared earlier and later and then attempts are made to say the later texts remolded the old ones, in fact contradicts them and furthermore, the later author like Jeremiah was totally misguided what Moses wrote. The problem with Fishbane is that he used very good material and data but with a hermeneutics of suspicion instead of a hermeneutics of affirmation. Thus he polarized and cut apart texts and wants to seek continuity in pockets that he created himself. He still clings to the HCM Deutoronomist scribes jargon of Wellhausen’s legacy. His bible leads to nihilism since if everyone do what he likes in the Bible you do not have to follow any one of them. Do things yourself!

The truth is that there are no propaganda pieces in the Bible. The Bible is not a humanistic piece of literature. It is a message from God by people believing in God. It was meant to talk about God. No book or person of the Bible contradicts the other. Books were written with continuity in mind and harmonization. Jeremiah did not transform Moses into something totally new and even contradictory as Fishbane tries to illustrate, but just the opposite: Jeremiah was bringing out from Moses what he said himself. The New Testament and Paul did not remold the Old Testament into something new that it never was. He brought out what was already embedded in the Old.

These are the concepts that have to be set aside as we enter understanding the signals of the end-time.

The prophets spoke not only in their own time but all the way to the End-Time were sometimes saw and described by the prophets.

Isaiah came to chapter 24 and his description is all out the End of Times. A number of things are going to happen consecutively and Isaiah vividly outlines them.

Plaques and devastating phenomena

Plaques and devastating phenomena is going to happen because of the plan of the Lord (Isaiah 24:1; also mentioned by Joel 1:15).

Great migrations

Great migrations will take place and those in the east want to stay in the west and those on the west in the east (Isaiah 24:1) “and scatters its inhabitants”.

Lay ministries will be popular

Lay ministries will be popular “the people will be like the priest” (Isaiah 24:2).

Land-grabbing

Land-grabbing will happen on a massive scale so that “servant [will be] like his master, the maid like her mistress”.

Capital borrowing by countries

Countries will lend their money to other countries and then will borrow it back again. The buyer will be like the seller. The country who borrowed money to another country to built factories and sell the goods back in the lender’s country, had to supply also money back that was borrowed back and the goods that are sold to the original lending country is owed sales. The buyer has to buy it since they owed it for borrowing it back. “The creditor is like the debtor” ‘unwanted bedmates’.

Despoilation

Land-grabbing and despoliation will take place “and completely despoiled” (Isaiah 24:3) a theme that also other prophets mentioned as a sign of the End Time (Obadiah 1:11, 13; Amos 1:13; 2:6; Micah 2:2; 2:4; Zephaniah 1:9; 1:13).

World-wide leadership drain

There is a worldwide leadership drain (Isaiah 24:4) “the exalted of the people of the earth fade away”.

Spiritual pollution

Spiritual pollution exists all over the globe “for the transgressed laws, violated statutes” (Isaiah 24:5). Because of spiritual pollution of the earth those who live in it are considered guilty and the “earth are burned and few men are left” (Isaiah 24:6).

Global warming

Global warming will take its toll. Harvests will suffer (Isaiah 24:7). Musical performances will cease (Isaiah 24:8) similarly to Ezechiel 26:13 with Tyre.

Desolated cities

The city of chaos is broken down (Isaiah 23:10). Joy turned to gloom (Isaiah 24:11). Desolation are in the city (Isaiah 24:12). This is not just one city that Isaiah is describing here, “thus it will be in the midst of the earth” (Isaiah 24:13).

Dear God

We take note of these signals and pray that they will prepare our mental system for big bumps in the near future. The only stability is to cling to You since You will come in future to change the status quo. Amen.