Get Ready for the Great Reset (Part 1)

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Have you heard about the Great Reset?

Well, you may not have heard of it, but its leaders certainly have an incredibly intricate plan for you and your future.

The Reset has been designed by the World Economic Forum for a number of years, and the term has been used specifically since at least 2017.1 The WEF was also preparing for “a very severe pandemic” since at least October of 2019.2

What is the WEF, you ask? According to an article from Forbes, these are “the people who nominally run the global economy.”3

The WEF was founded in 1971 by Prof. Klaus Schwab, who also serves as its executive chairman. Schwab stated this past year:

To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a “Great Reset” of capitalism.4

He went on to say, famously:

The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every facet of people’s lives in every corner of the world. But tragedy need not be its only legacy. On the contrary, the pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world to create a healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous future.5

The WEF is hosting an online meeting the week of January 25 called “The Davos Agenda.” Organizers say that, “The Davos Agenda will also mark the launch of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset Initiative….”6

So, what is this all about? According to a video created by the WEF, the future could look considerably different than the present—in just 10 years. Here, drawn from the captions on this well-known video, are some of their “predictions,” which we may presume will result from the Great Reset:

  • You’ll own nothing.
    And you’ll be happy
  • Whatever you want you’ll rent….
  • The US won’t be the world’s leading superpower
  • A handful of countries will dominate
  • You’ll eat much less meat
  • A billion people will be displaced by climate change
  • There will be a global price on carbon
    This will help make fossil fuels history7

To state it simply, the Reset will lead the world from nationalism to globalism; from capitalism to socialism; and from liberty to totalitarianism. The ability to drive such rapid and radical change will come from the power of technology. Anyone paying attention has seen ample evidence—just within the past week—of how such a shift could occur very suddenly.

The biggest hindrance to implementing the Reset is obviously the United States of America and her citizens’ love of liberty, as guaranteed in the Constitution. This, of course, will have to change in order for the Reset to take full effect. Rebecca Friedman-Lissner, assistant professor in the Strategic and Operational Research Department at the Naval War College, stated:

The future of American leadership will not resemble the past. To lead, the United States must place itself firmly on the side of openness: defending the accessibility of the global commons, promoting the ability of sovereign states to make independent political choices, advancing high-standards trade, and fostering international cooperation via modernized international institutions.… The world is at a critical juncture and the opportunity to define the terms of the coming “great reset” will not come again.8

Not surprisingly, as President Biden takes office this week, he has told us that his new administration will seek to fulfill a mission that it has in common with the WEF—to “Build Back Better.”9

How might all of this relate to setting the stage for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in the coming tribulation, and how should we as believers react to it now? We will consider those questions in future installments.

Notes

1 Homi Kharas and John W. McArthur, “We need to reset the global operating system to achieve the SDGs. Here’s how,” World Economic Forum, 13 January 2017, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/01/we-need-to-upgrade-the-sustainabl…, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

2 “We ran a massive viral pandemic simulation. Here’s what we learned about managing Coronavirus,” World Economic Forum, 13 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-FQbhkWYuY, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

3 John Mauldin, “A ‘Great Reset’ Is Coming… But Not For Capitalism,” Forbes, 30 November 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnmauldin/2020/11/30/a-great-reset-is-com…, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

4 Klaus Schwab, “Now is the time for a ‘great reset,’” World Economic Forum, 3 June 2020, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

5 Ibid.

6 “The Davos Agenda,” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/events/the-davos-agenda-2021/about, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

7 See the video called “8 predictions for the world in 2030,” in Ceri Parker, “8 predictions for the world in 2030,” World Economic Forum, 12 November 2016, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/8-predictions-for-the-world-in-2030/, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

8 Rebecca Friedman-Lissner,Help build a new, open world,” in “How US foreign policy will shape the ‘Great Reset’ - 12 experts explain,” World Economic Forum, 29 October 2020, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/us-foreign-policy-shape-the-globa…, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

9 “Build Back Better: Joe Biden’s Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for Working Families,” Biden-Harris, https://joebiden.com/build-back-better/, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021. See also Peter Bakker, “To build back better, we must reinvent capitalism. Here’s how,” World Economic Forum, 13 July 2020, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/to-build-back-better-we-must-rein…, Internet, accessed 14 January 2021.

Paul Scharf 2019 Bio

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, serving in the midwest. He also assists Whitcomb Ministries and writes for “Answers” Magazine and Regular Baptist Press. For more information on his ministry, visit foi.org/scharf or email pscharf@foi.org.

Discussion

I haven’t spent a lot of time at WEF site, but what I’ve seen so far doesn’t look particularly sinister to me. They’re doing a lot of predicting of what they think is likely to happen, not what they think they’re going to make happen.

So it looks to me, so far.

But a more important question might be, why should we speculate about whether WEF or other world events might eventually fulfill parts of Revelation? What am I going to do differently, even if I could know that WEF, for example, is going to control the world economy in the future (which it definitely doesn’t right now)? I can’t think of anything I’d do differently.

… and a pet peeve, while I’m at it. :-) It’s generally assumed (not in Paul’s article, but I see this a lot) that because the Beast in Revelation is a global ruler, globalism must be evil. I’m not a huge fan of globalism for various reasons, but it doesn’t follow that if Evil Person A does B, B must be evil. (He probably brushes his teeth and wears pants, at least in the winter, and if he invents a better mousetrap, I’m buying.) So, I’m not of the let’s resist this trend or that trend because it looks like something the Antichrist might want. It’s going to have to have other problems to go on the rejected ideas list.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

Must we keep doing this? We must stop reading current affairs tea leaves and then pivoting to eschatology with an obligatory pre-trib rapture mention.

Charles Dyer is Exhibit #1 about why this kind of speculation is irresponsible and always ends up being incorrect.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

“You’ll own nothing” is probably the sticking point for me. Nations that have mostly eliminated private ownership have achieved an amazing and disastrous combination of results; they have both economic and environmental desolation. When the Iron Curtain fell, what was found was that the economic estimates of those countries were wildly inflated (really, anyone who ever visited could have told you that—bread lines, etc..), and their environmental disasters made most any U.S. Superfund site look like a pristine mountain lake in comparison.

Hopefully the WEF does not have much say here, because if they can’t see this very real disaster of the historical application of the policies they advocate, they’ve got either a blindness to the evidence, or they’ve got ulterior motives that have nothing to do with the environment or human happiness.

One other thing to note is that when they say “you’ll eat a lot less meat”, I’m reminded that 30 years back, environmentalists knew that certain ecosystems need to be grazed to be healthy—and it was OK to eat the ruminants that kept the prairie (etc..) in good shape. They recognized “negative feedback” that kept things in balance, and the overall goal was simply to reduce the pollutant load that had to be dispersed. Now the goal seems to have changed to be an active management of the environment, which is really the same kind of thing that 19th century industrialists did to eliminate the passenger pigeon and such.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

The only thing missing in this article is mom and apple pie, with the Stars & Stripes waving in the background and a copy of the Scofield Reference Bible in the foreground.

Aaron — Thanks for running this!

Tyler — Where have I offered ANY speculation? BTW, Dr. Charles Dyer is one of the finest Christian gentlemen I have ever known in my life, and he is a scholar of the first order. He happens to be the leading expert on Babylon (in either history or prophecy) in the evangelical world. The fact that you would mention him in the same paragraph as me is, well, a tremendous compliment!

Bert — Great thoughts!

T Howard — Well … not sure what to say. I will take that as a compliment, too, I guess :-)

I will be (indirectly) addressing the concerns raised by Tyler and T in Part Two.

Blessings to All, PJS

Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

I understand.

  • Your piece is an heir to a particular dispensational pop-prophesy genre that used to be quite popular, and still is in some pockets of the evangelical world.
  • Charles Dyer’s book about Saddam Hussein and Babylon, originally publish in the late 1980s and (shamelessly?) updated to coincide with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is an excellent example of this pop-prophesy genre in action. It’s also a great example of its worst impulses.
  • I obviously disagree with the Great Reset fears that have been flowing through the Reformed-ish and Religious Right-ish strand of the evangelical world since COVID hit.
  • You did pivot to eschatology and the tribulation in the last paragraph, which is typical for this genre of Christian writing. Some people will find it helpful, and that’s fine. I do not.

I wonder about the point of this genre of Christian writing. It does not teach us to know God better. It does not teach us to be holier. It does not teach us about the Gospel. It does not teach us about brotherly love. This genre consists of four moves:

  1. Point out how bad the world is, in some way
  2. Connect dubious dots to biblical prophecy, and be sure to mention the pre-trib rapture or the tribulation (or both)
  3. Mention Israel and the antichrist
  4. Tell people to trust in God anyway

I do not understand this kind of impulse. It produces Christians who are more dogmatic about the pre-trib rapture than the Trinity … and more knowledgeable and passionate about the former than the latter. That’s an awful thing. My comments aren’t meant to be malicious. I just believe these kind of speculations and fear-mongering accomplish nothing of which God would approve, and I believe they’re unhealthy.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

First I want to thank Paul for writing about this. I have been aware of “the Great Reset” as WEF etc are calling it for a while. Why shouldn’t it be the subject of an article?

Secondly, it is my belief that unless one is willing to stick one’s head down the rabbit hole he is going to miss what’s going on; either theoretically or actually. Just don’t stick your entire body down there! Why do I say this? Simply because it ought to surprise no one that powerful men devise plans that are usually at odds with God. Who can read the Bible and not think so? Whether these schemes will come to pass is another thing, but something is in the air. Perhaps these powerful “benefactors” believe their time has come?

What about prophecy? I don’t know, but as a premillennialist I might watch things transpire with interest. I abhor getting my eschatology from the papers, i do not think the the vaccine is the mark (that’s silly), and I know Who is in control. Still, something seems to be afoot. A couple of hairs on the back of my head won’t take their cue from the others and relax. Whether Paul will hit the nail on the head is really not the point. Let’s see what he says.

Dr. Paul Henebury

I am Founder of Telos Ministries, and Senior Pastor at Agape Bible Church in N. Ca.

[Paul Henebury]

First I want to thank Paul for writing about this. I have been aware of “the Great Reset” as WEF etc are calling it for a while. Why shouldn’t it be the subject of an article?

You’re a great friend! God Bless!

Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

Everyone who is familiar with this genre of pop-prophecy writing knows precisely what’s coming in the next articles. So do you! The next move will likely be to tie the “Great Reset” to a sinister plot by persons that will eventually usher in the Tribulation. Scripture references will abound from Ezekiel, Daniel and Revelation, with perhaps a smidge from Mark 13 (cp. Mt 24). There will be more subtle (and perhaps not so subtle) references to American nationalism. Like an Aaron Sorkin script, it will read well but the audience can write the plot points already.

I do hope those who benefit from this kind of writing are blessed by the series. I’ve just don’t think it accomplishes anything that pleases God.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

Whether the Great Reset itself is a danger is another question; one I’m perfectly willing to contemplate. It does exist. I trend towards skepticism, and view it as a technocratic pipe-dream. Here is an outstanding article from SpectatorUSA on this issue:

To find out what ‘the Great Reset’ actually means, I turned to the book written by the World Economic Forum founder and Ernst Stavro Blofeld lookalike Klaus Schwab in collaboration with the economist Thierry Malleret. COVID-19: The Great Reset considers a world after the pandemic — audacious given that it was written less than six months after the virus had even appeared.

One critic has called Davos an ‘ideological synchronization environment for individuals, corporations, and governments to keep on the same page.’ That is different from conspiracy — but not that different. When bad ideas are adopted internationally by some of the richest and most powerful people in the world, the effect can be the same. The Great Reset might be all the more terrifying for not being a sinister plot.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

I am going to keep writing the series, rather than unloading it all here. Your comments are genuinely helpful to me as I write. As a friend, I would say that the last paragraphs of your first two posts are, perhaps—shall we say—over the top….

First of all, perhaps it helps to note that I did not set out to write the opening chapters of a theology book (although I have contributed to one). This series is reproduced here (graciously) from the weekly column that I have begun writing in my ministry with The Friends of Israel. As the leaders of the world, including our own country, convene next week to launch the Great Reset, I thought it was a topic worthy of discussion. Does that make me a Christian Nationalist?

Secondly, you may have noticed that previously in this very column—again, run here on SharperIron—I have addressed some of the finer points of Reformation history at 500 years, lessons from the Pilgrims, Advent devotions, etc., as well as contemporary topics.

Thirdly, let me say this: One of the main reasons that I left confessional Lutheranism 30+ years ago—where I had received the next-best thing to a seminary-level theological education in grade school catechism—is that the theology I learned had, apparently, no bearing on reality, as far as I could tell at the time. It certainly had no bearing on current events with regard to Biblical prophecy.

That left a vacuum that I began to fill on my own, in God’s providence, by listening to men like Bruce Dunn, Dave Breese, John Ankerberg, Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur, Renald Showers, etc. This is ultimately the reason I am where I am today.

So, apparently, though we are virtually in the same camp, we come from two entirely different backgrounds and, I take it, almost entirely different perspectives.

God Bless! PJS

Church Ministries Representative, serving in the Midwest, for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry

Many people will be blessed by your article series. We do come from very different paradigms. I am a very, very, very. very weak dispensationalist. I just believe prophecy writings that include speculations are generally unhelpful. It appears to be a dispensationalist affliction. Even Merrill Unger, in his Zechariah commentary, couldn’t help it … and that man was as educated as any scholar in the world.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

I’ve never been enough of a reader of apocalyptic prophecy literature to recognize it on sight, but it does strike me the author does indeed link to a number of WEF articles that do seem to recommend a rather radical reset of world economies. Perhaps we ought to take a closer look at that, especially as President Biden seems to be bringing us back more firmly into the U.N. fold.

Side note; I’ve got a step-cousin who at least used to work for a U.N. agency. Did pretty well for himself.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

I’ve been dealing with conspiracy theories at church, including people who said they “can understand” why a mob would storm the capitol, and I was not in the mood to hear more of what (in my opinion) is a technocratic pipe dream. It would have been better for me to not comment at all about prophesy along this line.

My apologies for such a strident tone!

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.