When George Orwell wrote ‘1984’ in 1949, readers saw a world that was “dark, twisted and bizarre—but also somehow familiar,” Pastor Tom Hughes recently explained on The Tom Hughes Report.
Though the novel was fiction, set in a future England under oppressive rule, the themes were already beginning to play out in real life. And now, more than 40 years after the actual year 1984, we’re living in a world where Orwell’s dystopia seems less like fiction and more like a mirror.
But Orwell wasn’t a prophet—he was an atheist who understood totalitarianism, not Scripture. “Don’t think of Orwell as a prophet,” Hughes reminds. “He definitely was not.” Yet as Hughes walks through the current cultural and spiritual climate, he points to something far deeper and more accurate than Orwell’s imagination: Bible prophecy.
“Bible prophecy teaches that a global totalitarian government will briefly take control of Earth at some point in the future.”
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From that biblical foundation, Hughes breaks down four key understandings of the rise of this totalitarian system and its prophetic parallels. Here’s what he sees unfolding before our very eyes:
1. The Rise of the Global Surveillance State
Orwell imagined the “telescreen”—a two-way device that watched and listened in every home. But he couldn’t have envisioned what we now live with: smart devices in our pockets, cars, homes and workplaces.
“Unlike Orwell’s limited surveillance, modern cameras and microphones are always on… The unimaginably massive level of data they gather can be monitored live while also being stored for later examination.”
The world is already interconnected. The system is already built. Now it just needs a ruler.
2. AI: The Ultimate Enforcer of Control
Artificial Intelligence is no longer theoretical. It’s practical, active and expanding fast.
“Today we see the answer to the totalitarian’s dilemma: AI… At first, if AI suspects you are of nefarious activity, it will send law enforcement… Later, it will be its own law enforcement.”
From regulating your thermostat and fuel allotment to launching autonomous robot enforcers, Hughes paints a clear picture of AI as a tool for global dominance.
“Imagine how Stalin would have loved it if he could have controlled the Soviet Union… through the use of thinking machines.”
3. The War on Truth and Thought Itself
In 1984, the regime used “newspeak” to control thought by changing language. Sound familiar?
“Language deeply influences thought… One of the best ways to change patterns of thought is to change patterns of language.”
Hughes points to Isaiah 5:20 and Malachi 2:17, warning of a world that calls evil good and good evil—even within the church. This war isn’t just political—it’s spiritual.
4. The Apostasy Within the Church
This is perhaps the most sobering point. The deception isn’t just outside the church—it’s inside.
“They rejected the light of God’s word and instead adopted the worldly enlightenment of hell’s own fires.”
Churches are preaching a “Jesus” who isn’t the Jesus of the Bible. They’re affirming sin, grooming children for the world’s wicked systems, and mocking the truth.
“Churches are actively laying the children in their care on Molech’s fiery altar.”
This isn’t just a cultural collapse—it’s a spiritual falling away, just as the Bible warned.
But There’s Hope—and Power
In the midst of all this darkness, Hughes makes it clear: We are not called to fear or silence.
“We walk in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus promised He would not leave us as orphans (John 14:16–18), and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion, comforter and power source. Romans 8 reminds us that we are more than conquerors—no matter what the beast system throws our way.
This isn’t the time to hide in spiritual bunkers. It’s time to preach the gospel boldly, to be light in darkness and to live with confident expectation of Christ’s return.
“Listen, we are not alone. We are filled, we are surrounded, and permeated with power by God the Holy Spirit.”
The Orwellian world may be rising—but the true Kingdom is coming. And in the meantime, we’re not here by accident. We are here on mission.
“We don’t slow down because we are in the last days.”
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
