If you are a Christian then you no doubt know that we are, by default, under spiritual attack the moment we give our lives to Christ. After all, the world hated Jesus; and since we are his followers we are also hated. A servant cannot be greater than the master, and if the world hates the master, they will hate the servant, too.
That being said, it has come to my attention that one of the greatest threats facing Christians today is not the spreading of Atheism and the subsequent hatred of religion in general. Nor is it the disunity and open hostility between different churches within the body of Christ—though this is indeed a major issue that I feel needs to be addressed and resolved within the church if we are to work together to bring the Gospel to as many people as possible, within the time we have left.
Indeed, one of the biggest threats I see in the church today is the overwhelming prevalence of “conspiracy theories” dominating the lives of Christians—perhaps more so now than ever before.
The reason why I say that conspiracy theories are one of the biggest threats to God’s Kingdom is that they are a weapon aimed specifically at Christians and individuals with some basic knowledge of End Times prophecy. Though there are some exceptions to this, such as Area 51, that have little to no biblical correlation whatsoever.
That being said, the majority of conspiracy theories tend to follow a pattern of subtle inception that generally pertains to the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist and his one-world-government (often referred to as the “New World Order”) as well as various other theories pertaining to secret organizations conspiring to bring about the one-world-government. (Which we know from the scriptures will happen during the Great Tribulation. So in that regard the only “conspiracy” is in fact God’s will. And God’s will will be done.)
Indeed, the majority of these theories are based in biblical fact. And that is exactly why they are so devastating to the Christian walk. They act as a poison (or more accurately a narcotic) that slowly seeps into a person’s mind, a little at a time, until they are eventually so obsessed with the theories themselves that they forget their greater purpose: Their God-given calling to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.
Of course, the only way that these conspiracies can actually work, or even affect a true Christian is if that person believes that there is no rapture of the church prior to the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
Let me stress this further. Since these conspiracies are aimed specifically at Bible-believing individuals, one must assume that these individuals believe—or at least are aware—that, according to the scriptures, God poured out his wrath on Jesus Christ in our place, so that we who are by nature stranded in our sins could find life and liberty through him by means of his death and resurrection.
It is also reasonable to assume that those who chose to believe in End Times conspiracy theories know that the various plagues and disasters of the End Times are also God’s wrath being poured out on an unbelieving, unrepentant world.
This of course raises several thought-provoking points. Mainly: If God already poured out his wrath on Jesus in our place, then why would He pour it out again on the people He died to save? The only explanation would of course be that Christians have to be punished for their sins despite Christ’s sacrifice. There is of course absolutely no biblical support of this claim. In fact, the Bible says quite the opposite.
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
~ Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) [Emphasis Added]
But suppose you still believe that the Christians mentioned in Revelation are being judged for their sins? Well this only raises more questions. For instance: If Christians have to pay for their sins regardless, then why does God only judge the last generation of Christians? Wouldn’t He also have to punish everyone who had died before that time? If that is the case, and every Christian still has to be punished postmortem, then why did Jesus even have to die to begin with? What's the point?
I am not saying that Christians won’t experience persecution and suffering; the Bible makes it abundantly clear that we should expect persecution. However, these trials and tribulations are not the Great Tribulation we see in Revelation. There is a difference between being persecuted by men because of our faith in God, and God judging us for our sins.
Also it is fair to point out that the Bible does say that each will be judged according to his deeds. However, this does not imply God’s punishment of believers for past sins. If we are in Christ then we are forgiven and are judged according to what we did with the gift God gave us; to be rewarded accordingly. If you are not in Christ however, then you are still in your sins. You will be judged for these sins, and having rejected Christ‘s forgives, you will be found guilty. (Revelation 20: 7-15)
In short, the only conclusion that will logically work with the conspiracy theorist mind-set, is that Christ's death and resurrection wasn't enough. Which leaves them in a very dangerous place: A hopeless, Christ-less void, where there is no forgiveness of sins; Jesus’ death and resurrection meant nothing; and there is more obsession with hell and the forces of darkness than with God and His victory over Satan and death.
This alone is bad enough, but it gets worse. If you follow the conspiracy theorist line of reasoning one step further, you are ultimately left wondering if the Bible has any validity at all. At which point every End Time conspiracy theory falls apart because if you believe that the Bible isn’t true, then you shouldn’t be concerned with the End Times prophecies at all, since they’re all nothing but a bunch of fairy-tales and therefore can't be trusted or taken seriously.
So what is the ultimate outcome of an obsession with conspiracy theories? Atheism. Or at the very least, agnosticism—doubting that God exists or even cares what happens to us.
Now to me, that seems to be evidence enough that all these theories are nothing more than a carefully constructed scheme of the Devil, meant to mislead Christians into abandoning the God-ordained calling of the Great Commission, by tricking them into living in a survivalist and ineffective way—effectively burying their talent in the ground. (Matthew 25: 14-30)
Ultimately conspiracy theories destroy the very foundation of Christianity; neutralizing the Gospel and crippling Christians with an unbearable burden of fear and paranoia. Conspiracy theories slowly draw people’s eyes away from God and get them focused on this world, and the worries of this life. Instead of setting their eyes on things above and running their race with endurance, they stick their heads in the sand and brace themselves for the Tribulation.
So I ask you this: What better way is there for Satan to prevent God’s message of forgiveness and salvation from reaching the world, than to force the Christians who could be spreading the Gospel into self-imposed seclusion? Or worse: replacing their Gospel message—that is, the good news about Jesus Christ—with a message of doom and despair, like those found in nearly every conspiracy theory?
Essentially the obsessive belief in End Times related conspiracy theories is little more than a cleverly disguised ploy of the Devil meant to disable or destroy the Christian life. Yes it is true that these theories are based in scriptural truths. But remember: the Devil can quote scriptures too, and he loves to twist them to meet his own ends. However, if you peel back the seemingly unrelated layers you can see (or at least, I hope you can see) that these theories and the obsession thereof undermine the Gospel and indeed the whole foundation of Christianity itself. That being said, I believe it is clear to us that such things have no place in the Christian life and should be put as far from our minds as possible, lest they hinder us—or worse—destroy us completely.
“Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe…”
~ Isaiah 8:12-14 (NLT)
7 comments:
I was very impressed with your thought provoking piece: you have the ability to rationally take each argument to it's logical conclusion, and to think and reason through scriptures, these are rare abilities found in arguments today. i really appreciate them! i totally agree with you that Satan would love nothing better than to delay or even derail our obedience to the Scriptures to "make disciples of all nations". He would love to fill our heads and hearts with so many other thoughts, concerns and issues that we are not about the mission we have been set here for since the beginning of time. I so appreciate your courage too, in addressing this issue, as it seems rampant in our ranks, and i see so many caught up in watching the skies and looking for signs instead of going about getting the work done. People get caught up in foolish arguments about seasons and times and become argumentative and divisive. We need to be about the Father's work until He comes, be/c even the Son does not know the day or the hour of His appearing! thank you for thinking this through, for writing so succinctly and to the point and for using your head and not your emotions in dealing with this sensitive subject. It is so refreshing to see young people interested in these things. Young people who will search the Scriptures for themselves,think hard and long, and use their God given talents and abilities to defend their faith in this day and age of apathy, complacency and relativity. It is refreshing to see and hear of young people wielding the sword of truth. May God prosper your journey and give you great courage! thank you!
Oh man, I needed to read this. Thank you. I am guitly of wasting too much time researching all the conflicting and confusing info on the web related to different conspiracies. I know it stems from my passion for Bible prophecy and eschatology but still, it takes my eyes off of Jesus and has caused some fear in the past. This article was very encouraging. Thanks again!
Marissa McGee:
You are quite welcome! It really encourages me to know that God used this article to lift you up you when you needed encouraging. It has been my prayer all along that God would use this blog to further His kingdom; to encourage, strengthen, and unify the church; and to seek out those who have not yet heard the good news about Jesus Christ.
God is so good, and He always answers prayer!
Keep on living in the Spirit, Marissa. Fix your eyes on Jesus, and trust in God. No matter what happens, He's got you, and He will never let you go!
Thank you for your article - interesting read! I see a flaw in your reasoning however. Please let me share my thoughts:
Based on your logic, as Christ suffered for us, becoming Christian would end all suffering in ones life. Which is false. As we Christians live in the same fallen world, we suffer just the same as the unbelievers. How is end-times tribulations categorically different in your view from everything we have to deal with right now? Surely - they will be more intense, but still - where in the Bible it's said that believers would be spared these times? Christ Himself in Matthew 24 warns His followers they will face persecution and tribulation before His return.
So the Scripture promises ultimate deliverance, but not exemption from suffering. In the same Matthew 29-31 He says "Immediately after the tribulation... they shall see the Son of Man... and He shall send His angels... to gather His elect." Which is very important - as Jesus places the gathering of His elect after the tribulation, not before.
Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts — I appreciate the careful engagement.
Just to clarify, I don’t believe (and didn’t intend to suggest) that becoming a Christian exempts anyone from suffering in this life. Scripture is clear that we share in the groaning of a fallen world and in the sufferings of Christ until He returns. My point in the article was not to deny that reality, but to draw a category distinction between two kinds of suffering described in the Bible:
• Suffering for Christ in a fallen world — persecution, hardship, and trials that believers endure alongside the rest of humanity.
• Suffering under God’s direct judgment — as described in the Great Tribulation, where His wrath is poured out on the unbelieving world.
In the standard pre‑tribulation framework I was engaging with, that outpouring of judgment occurs after the rapture, meaning believers would not be the objects of God’s wrath in that period (cf. 1 Thess. 5:9). That’s the distinction I was trying to make between “tribulation” in the general sense and the specific, eschatological “Great Tribulation.”
It may also help to note that the broader theme I was addressing in the piece was not simply the timing of end‑times events, but the conspiratorial tendencies I’ve observed in some fundamentalist and evangelical circles. I believe it’s unbiblical — and spiritually unhealthy — to devote ourselves to chasing conspiracies or living in fear, rather than walking in the victory and resurrection power of Christ. If we spend all our energy looking for the anti‑Christ instead of following the true Christ, we risk becoming ineffective as His witnesses and, in a sense, making the enemy’s work easier.
That said, my own eschatological views have become more nuanced since I first wrote the article, and I agree that Matthew 24 contains sobering warnings for believers about enduring persecution and hardship before His return. I’m grateful you raised this, because it helps sharpen the conversation and keep the focus on what Scripture actually says.
Thank you for the detailed answer! I'm glad to hear you have grown in your understanding over the years! For the record - I fully agree on this: "I believe it’s unbiblical — and spiritually unhealthy — to devote ourselves to chasing conspiracies or living in fear, rather than walking in the victory and resurrection power of Christ. If we spend all our energy looking for the anti‑Christ instead of following the true Christ, we risk becoming ineffective as His witnesses." For sure this is true. We may differ in views of rapture event chronology, but that is not as important as living in Christ, trust in Him and to not let the fear guide our lives. That however doesn't change the possibility of many conspiracy theories to have some truth in them too.
I appreciate your balanced perspective here. I agree — conspiracies do occur, but they are almost always exposed quickly, especially as the number of people involved grows. That’s why the sort of massive, multi‑generational, global conspiracies many people associate with the End Times are, in practical terms, nearly impossible to pull off.
J. Warner Wallace, a former cold‑case homicide detective, has written about this in the context of the Resurrection. In Cold‑Case Christianity, he explains why the idea that the disciples conspired to fake the Resurrection collapses under scrutiny. Drawing from his investigative experience, he identifies five criteria for a “successful” conspiracy:
1. A small number of conspirators – The more people involved, the harder it is to keep everyone silent. Even a handful of people can be difficult to manage over time.
2. Thorough and immediate communication – Conspirators must be able to coordinate their stories instantly. Any breakdown in communication increases the risk of exposure.
3. A short time span – Lies are hard to maintain for long. The longer a conspiracy must be kept, the more likely someone will confess or slip up.
4. Strong relational connections – People with deep personal bonds (like close family) are less likely to betray each other. Strangers make poor co‑conspirators.
5. Little or no pressure – Threats, persecution, investigations or legal consequences dramatically increase the likelihood that someone will talk.
When you apply these criteria to the idea of a large‑scale, global conspiracy spanning decades or centuries — involving thousands or millions of people, across cultures, languages, and political systems, under constant pressure and scrutiny — it becomes clear why such plots are unlikely. History shows that even much smaller, tightly‑controlled conspiracies (i.e., the Watergate scandal) tend to leak, fracture, or collapse in a matter of days or months, not generations.
So, while we should be discerning and aware of real deception in the world, it’s wise to remember that our calling is not to live in fear of shadowy plots, but to walk in the light of Christ.
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