March 11, 2007

He is hard at work on many fronts in advance of his landing, so to speak. He has many weapons in his arsenal and tricks up his sleeve. The whole world is being set up for a grand delusion and they don’t even know it. His arsenal includes:

• Calling good evil, and evil good; bringing deviants out of the closet, while pushing godly people into the closet. – "For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret." (Eph. 5:12).
  
• Getting ungodly leaders into high positions of government and the judiciary. – "As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths." (Isaiah 3:12).
  
• Silencing the voices of reason by labeling them as narrow-minded thereby ending all opposition. "Open your mouth for the speechless… "Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy." (Prov. 31:8-9).
  
• Making the pursuit of money and prosperity the measure of success in the world and in the church. –"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." (1Timothy 6:9).
  
• Increasing the availability of pornography and making licentiousness a popular sport. --"For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error" (2 Peter 2:18).
  
• Discrediting the truth of the Bible by using scientific sounding theories to say that Jesus never existed or that miracles never happened and that the resurrection from the dead is a pagan concept. –"Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge" (1Timothy 6:20).
  
• Eliminating national borders, building a global economy and the move toward the new one world order, an end to nationalism. --"And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him" (Rev. 13:7-8).
  
• Intimidating Christian leaders to just preach the truth but not defend it for fear of offending anyone. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
  
• Getting people interested in mystical powers they can harness for their own quest for divinity of humankind. – "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2Timothy 3:1-5).
  

As followers of Christ Jesus, we are told to be on the alert as we see the Day approaching, yet so many are falling asleep, hiding behind the four walls of the church, and saying, ‘Oh, we can’t concern ourselves with Bible prophecy. They’ve been saying for a long time that Jesus is going to come soon and we’re well into the 21^st century, and He hasn’t come yet.’ And these words are coming from our fellow Christians, fulfilling the prophecy: "knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’" (2Peter 3:3-4).

Yet the spirit of Antichrist is hard at work and is winning in the hearts of people both inside and outside the church, and many are sleeping through it all, while the cares of this world choke out the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. The church of Laodicea is now in full swing in the driver’s seat as the church of Philadelphia takes the back seat and diminishes into a remnant. The former will be swallowed up by "Mystery Babylon" after the latter is taken off the scene. The writing is on the wall!

The voices of opposition in apologetics ministries are being silenced by the voices of compromise that do not appreciate being persecuted for the Truth and who do not want to share in the reproaches of Christ that will come to them if they take a stand for the Truth. Many former apologists have adopted the platform of the Emergent Church in watering down the Gospel so as not to offend anyone, repackaging Christianity to be palatable to the unsaved. Many Christians choose to be like the three monkeys that ‘See no evil; Hear no evil; Speak no evil – not wanting to ruffle any feathers. They want no part of what the Apostle Paul told the Philippians: "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." (Phil. 1:29-30).

On another front the spirit of antichrist is making Christianity look dull, uncool, ignorant, and unscientific with the help of the imagery of the Laodicean church seen on TBN and on other programs of fraudulent televangelists. With every onslaught by the media against the Truth of Scripture, from the Da Vinci Code to the Jesus Ossuary fabrication, the response from the church grows weaker and weaker.

The sex scandals seen in the media involving big-name church leaders has shouted hypocrisy of the church to the entire world and resulted in all Christendom being tainted with guilt by association. Dateline NBC's series, "To Catch a Predator" revels when a man seeking sexual contact with minors winds up being a church person.

The result of much of this is cynicism against Christianity and it is understandable. Judgment is looming and Christians are being told to ignore Bible prophecy. The world has become a very scary place in which to reside. The days of the Cleavers, the Nelsons and the Clampetts are long gone. We are on the precipice of eternity and the soon return of our Lord. The spirit of antichrist has done his homework in advance of his landing and the whole world is ready to receive him. In Matthew 24, Jesus described these days and those with eyes to see and ears to hear recognize the signs of the times. Those who don’t will be ensnared by them.

"And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matt. 24:10-12).

It’s getting colder and colder . . .

♥♥♥