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| Fog rolling onto the beach at Lubec, Maine. EPrata photo |
Isn’t it comforting to know that God ordains every single thing that happens, even every droplet in the fog bank rolling over the beach roses at the easternmost point of a nation.
Do you know how fast false doctrine spreads?
“and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,” (2 Timothy 2:17)
In the book of Second Timothy, Paul realizes that his time on earth is short. He is pouring as much Spirit-inspired knowledge into his protegee, Timothy, as he can. The concern and love Paul has for his men and his churches is evident. Paul warned Timothy about two things mainly, remain in passionate love for Christ, and stay in true doctrine. These two things are linked.
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| Artist’s depiction of Paul Writing His Epistles, 16th century (Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston). |
After Paul warned Timothy to stay in true doctrine (and there are 25 imperatives in this letter) Paul said next in verses 15-18 for Timothy to avoid error. This brings us to the verse quoted above. False teachers’ talk spreads and it spreads fast. It is like a wildfire. Strong’s Concordance defines gangrene as it is used in the verse:
“a gangrene, a disease by which any part of the body suffering from inflammation becomes so corrupted that, unless a remedy be seasonably applied, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at last eats away the bones“
“This word – gangraina – occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is derived from graiō, grainō, to devour, corrode,” and means “gangrene” or “mortification” – the death of a part, spreading, unless arrested, by degrees over the whole body. The words rendered “will eat,” mean “will have nutriment;” that is, will spread over and consume the healthful parts. It will not merely destroy the parts immediately affected, but will extend into the surrounding healthy parts and destroy them also. So it is with erroneous doctrines.
They will not merely eat out the truth in the particular matter to which they refer, but they will also spread over and corrupt other truths. The doctrines of religion are closely connected, and are dependent on each other – like the different parts of the human body. One cannot be corrupted without affecting those adjacent to it, and unless checked, the corruption will soon spread over the whole.”
We all know what gangrene does, even if we are not medically trained. Anyone who saw the Lonesome Dove television miniseries knows. It is a disease that spread fast and destroys. As you read this definition of how gangrene kills medically, apply these words spiritually to your mind. Physiologically, gangrene kills the living organism by cutting off the blood supply. To reverse the effects of the poison, a debridement must occur. According to Merriam-Webster, Debridement is “the usually surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue. Let’s stop and consider the importance of a healthy blood flow to the members of the faith:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
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| The Crucifixion, seen from the Cross, by James Tissot, 19th century |
If allowed to progress, the tissue dies and then the entire appendage becomes contaminated. Remedies now must include an amputation. At this point, it’s interesting to consider these words from Matthew 5:30,
“And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
If no remedy is applied by this time, the organism dies. The gates of Hell shall never prevail against His world-wide church, but parts of the body can die. Individual congregations die. Revelation 3:1 records one such dead church: Sardis.
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| Abandoned church in NM, by Emma, Wikimedia Commons |
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.'”
There is so much here to ponder. First, this cements beyond all discussion that parts of the body can and do die. Where is the church at Ephesus? The church at Thyatira? Sardis? They died.
Second, Jesus knows the outside and the inside. He knows what is in a man. (John 2:24). Do you read the word reputation? That’s what we humans see. Have you ever seen a bustling church, read the long list of ministries on their web page, attended ‘Trunk or Treat’ and watched hundreds of little kids running around and smilingly indulgent parents standing by? It is a sure bet that somewhere a church like that is dead. Their reputation is one of acclaim, successful ministries, being busy, and even salvations, but Jesus knows the fact of the matter.
Third: churches that look alive can be in fact, dead.
Chickens run around for a while after their heads are cut off. So do churches. The end result is the same for churches that have been strangled by gangrenous doctrines that cut off the blood. Jesus hates false doctrines! (Revelation 2:6). Jesus’s Gospel IS doctrine, and without it, any individual or congregation will die. Therefore if Jesus as Truth is not the Head of the church, the church will die. First for a little while after they have left their first love, (Revelation 2:4) they’ll go on. Then they will exclude Jesus completely and put Him outside, (Revelation 3:20). Even if the the heartbeat of the church continues for a while the only end result will be death because they have slowly and painfully and maybe even unknowingly swapped true doctrine for false.
That is what false doctrine does. It kills.
The Good News is that Jesus said His church will never fail. (Matthew 16:18). Jesus made a charge to the Church at Ephesus when He said they had left their first love. However, before it is too late, there is always a remedy!
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5a).
Excise that false doctrine immediately, get it out of the Bride, before it can kill even one living cell in the body. Repent and He will forgive.
If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5b)
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| Micah Exhorts the Israelites to Repent, Gustave Dore, 1866, Wiki CC |
Paul told Timothy later in the letter,
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim 4:1-2)
Remember the lesson of gangrene: is is poison, it spreads fast, and it ultimately kills. Doctrine matters!
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For further reading:
9 Marks: How does inattention to sound doctrine kill churches?
Thom Ranier: Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 11 Things I Learned
GotQuestions: Why do some churches thrive while others die?
Grace to You Article, Does doctrine really matter?
Ligonier Ministries: Drawing the Line: Why doctrine matters
What’s going to happen in the end time?
The world is going crazy. Things are deteriorating at a pace that older people have never seen happen so fast in previous generations. People who don’t believe in Jesus even are noticing this. Many people are asking, “What’s going on?”
This is where prophecy comes in. Prophecy is the future told in advance. In order for the future to be told with such detail accuracy in its fulfillment, only God, who is outside of time and the author of history, can do so.
“There is no way to explain the Bible’s ability to predict the future unless we see God as its Author. For example, the Old Testament contains more than three hundred references to the Messiah of Israel that were precisely fulfilled by JesusChrist (Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah). Peter Stoner, a scientist in the area of mathematical probabilities, said in his book Science Speaks that if we take just eight of the Old Testament prophecies Christ fulfilled, we find that the probability of their coming to pass is one in 1017.” (source)
God said that this world will end. This affects every human being living at the time of when it happens. During the Tribulation, it will be a time of UNcreation, when the orderly creation account we read in Genesis is reversed but in a chaotic and horrific way. For example, every island will flee away and every mountain will be thrown down. (Revelation 16:20). This prophesied event will affect every person living on the planet. For those who are not alive during this period when God’s wrath descends to earth, affecting everyone on it, He said that some will be awakened to everlasting life and others to everlasting wrath. (Daniel 12:2). Either way, prophecy has meaning for every person who ever lived or is living at the time of fulfillment, believer in Jesus or not a believer. Therefore, prophecy is of utmost importance.
The purpose of prophecy
Considering such weighty emphasis upon prophecy in the Scriptures, we may properly ask regarding its purpose in God’s unfolding plan. Why did our heavenly Father cause so much of his word and revelation to consist of prophetic utterances that spoke of future times, circumstances, and events? All Scripture, we understand, “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). But what is the special role that prophecy holds in influencing the life of the believer?” (source)
All scripture is profitable. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Since two-thirds of the bible is prophecy, it is obvious that God put the words of prophecy in the bible to profit us for His purposes.
Prophecy exists to reveal the glory of God:
“I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done” (Isa. 46:9, 10).
Prophecy exists to establish the bible’s credibility and to authenticate the biblical speakers of prophecy, including the Triune God and the men that God designated to speak His words. (2 Peter 1:21).
Prophecy exists to enlighten the believer and to stimulate to activity. (Mark 13:23). (source)
I hope you understand by now how important prophecy is to the believer and non-believer alike. So the next question is,
What does God say is going to happen?
God has been working since before the foundation of the world. He is still working. (John 5:17). After He created humans there was an entire span of time He was doing works that will result in His glory. But then Jesus came. In the days of His flesh (Hebrews 5:7) Jesus taught and performed signs and miracles to prove who He was. Then He was killed and nailed to a cross and absorbed all God’s wrath for sinners. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 53:5-6).
Pleased with His son’s obedience, God raised Jesus on the third day and soon after, Jesus ascended to heaven to be at the right hand of the Father. (Hebrews 12:2). When Jesus ascended, the Spirit came and thus began this present age, the age where Jesus is building His church. (Matthew 16:18).
When the church is complete, Jesus will call His church to heaven in an event known as the rapture. (Romans 11:25, 2 Thess 2:1-12, 1 Thess 4:16, 1 Corinthians 15:52). All those who have come to saving faith in Him since He began building His church will arise from their graves or from their live bodies, be glorified instantly and meet Jesus in the air. He will lead us to heaven, where we will enjoy the Bema Rewards ceremony where our works we performed while int he flesh will be tested. Then we’ll having received our crowns for works done in His name on earth that stood the test.
During that time in heaven there will be ceremonies and activities and hallelujahs and praise. But back on earth, there will be Tribulation. (Matthew 24:21). This tribulation will involve Israel, and the whole world. Since all believers will have been taken to heaven at the rapture, and along with them, the indwelling Holy Spirit, His restraining ministry will cease.
Did you know that the Spirit restrains man from the worst they can do? Did you ever wonder why there isn’t a Hitler or a Jeffrey Dahmer every day? Man are totally depraved and sinful, but they don’t do their worst because the Spirit restrains us. (Genesis 6:3). When Jesus calls us to Him in heaven the Spirit will still draw men to belief but He won’t restrain sin. Sin will be loosed to run fully rampant. (Daniel 9:27).
It will be a time of unparalleled evil in the world. Murders and heinous acts and death and disease and horror and hell on earth. It will be a time of the uncreation of the world. Volcanoes, earthquakes, heat, hail, drought, bloody waters, and more. Demons marauding and putrid corpses. Hell.
This tribulation will begin immediately after the rapture. It will last 7 years. Most of the world will die.
Then at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will return. He will rescue His remnant left on earth, kill the armies assembled against Him at Armageddon, and install His throne on earth. peace will reign for 1000 years. This is called the Millennial Kingdom, because it will last 1000 years. Ezekiel 41 onward has the scene.
At the end of that time, satan who had been bound for the 1000 years, will be loosed so as to deceive the nations one last time, and many will follow him. Jesus will squash the rebellion, he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, and all who ever lived will be resurrected to face their judgment. This is known as the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) and it will occur at the end of time. Glorified bodies will be given to those who are raised from death, so that those who are destined for hell can withstand their eternal punishment, and those who are destined for eternity with Jesus can withstand looking Him full in the face with all His glory. The eternal state will begin as the earth melts away. (2 Peter 3:10). The bible doesn’t say what comes next.
So if you have followed along, the rapture is the next event in God’s long, long plan for humankind. Please be on board with all that is required to join Jesus in the air. You don’t need your money. You don’t need your works. You don’t need baggage or clothes, those will be provided. All you need is faith in the work and person of Jesus Christ, to lay your sin down at His feet, sorrowful for your blasphemies against Him. This is called repentance. He will forgive you of those crimes and invite you to His abode in heaven, He will give you His spirit as a seal of the guarantee of your place.
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess 5:6).
“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7).
The hairs on your head
When we read a scripture like this,
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)
or this,
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)
We understand the verse is telling us that God is sovereign. His sovereignty extends to even the smallest, most seemingly inconsequential matters. To Him, these matters that men take as nothing are consequential to Him. A sparrow falls to the ground, A hair falls from your head… He not only notices, He causes or allows each and every thing under the sun to occur. Even more, He is doing it for His glory, or for the good of those who love Him, or to harden men in their sin. That is the destiny of the entire world; His glory, expressed through His condemning wrath or His loving salvation.
But in every day life, how is this level of detail in His sovereignty expressed? How does it play out before our eyes? We no longer buy sparrows for a penny to sacrifice. So what does His knowing the details of our lives and His care for them look like?
I submit the following for your consideration.
Yesterday I had an incredibly busy day. It was a whirlwind and emotionally and it was physically draining too. As I clocked out at the front office, the secretary asked me if I was going to do the usual, which was to go straight home and brew a cup of herb tea. I said no.
“I need chocolate! I am going to find somewhere along the way home, stop, and buy some CHOCOLATE! I need some chocolate!” You ever have one of those days? I did.
Anyway, she was so sweet, she slid open her desk drawer and opened a fancy package and gave me three chocolate turtles on the spot! She put them in a baggie and I took them home and ate them. As the evening drew on, I said to myself, “That wasn’t enough. I need more chocolate.”… Then at church a brother in the faith walked up to me and handed over a package and said, “This is from MJ (who was worshiping at the other building).” What was in the package? CHOCOLATE! Not a coincidence.
LOL, not that we can put in an order with God, He’s not a waiter. But if we think through just how sovereign He is, this makes sense.
People say that He is too busy to be concerned with the minutest details of our lives, but it is not so. It is an expression of His omniscience, His power, and His love to know all things and to be managing them moment by moment for each and every person on this 8 billion populated earth. Doesn’t it make you feel more loved and more secure to know that he is that big? That He knows our needs every moment, and anticipating them, provides?
Here is Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition with some Charles Spurgeon quotes on The Extent of God’s Sovereignty:
I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—
that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens—
that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses.
The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—
the fall of sere leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.
Take heart that our Jesus is fully aware of each and every tear you shed, each frown that crosses your brow, each plea in your prayer closet or even each cry remaining solidly locked in your heart. He is sovereign, and He is able and willing to hear us and know us and take care of us.
The chocolate is a small thing, perhaps a silly thing. But at that moment, I was tired, fainting, and weary. He knew. This small incident is an example of today’s sparrow. Are we not much more valuable than they? Does not our Father hear us and comfort us when we plea for comfort? Through this silly exercise we see God hears, He works, He is knitting together all things for good to those who love Him. He let me know He is there with me. I took solace and comfort in pondering, once again, His magnificent sovereignty, wide as a universe and detailed as His loving care of myself moment by moment.
How Obama is conditioning the world for the upcoming antichrist
Two days ago I wrote about how the ever-working Jesus has brought the economy, religion, and the moral heart of society so close to the point of being ready for the final fulfillments of the prophesied Tribulation period conditions. Like an iceberg, we don’t see is the bulk of the structure, but we see only the tip. However, the tip has grown to and through the surface that even secular people are noticing that things are not only not quite right, but very, very wrong. Polls show that more people believe we are headed in the wrong direction. That our world governments are not up to the task of solving today’s problems. The wealth gap is obscenely wide. And more.
All these things are evident to the discerning Christian’s eye. Something else that was immediately evident is that there is something of the prophetic in Obama.
When he burst upon the scene in 2007, it was immediately apparent that Obama was unlike any other politician the modern world has seen, except maybe Hitler. He was so strange and his aura of charm and likability so strong that people openly asked if he was the antichrist. Many Christians’ spiritually negative views of Obama were realized when he began operating in the White House. His policies, his statements, and attitude toward law, order, and right living confirmed that their initial spiritual uneasiness about him indeed had a basis. They are examples of what is yet to come. But they are also preparing the way for what is to come by conditioning people to give up their rights for the so-called greater good.
Though Obama probably is not the antichrist, I and many others believe that he is a kind of forerunner. A Pastor friend of mine stated it succinctly last night:
“Did you see Bill O’Reilly’s brief interview with Robert Jeffress earlier this week? Pastor Jeffress concisely stated his belief regarding President Obama’s influence on the future. While Jeffress’ book was written to those who are curious about what is going to happen in the future, his comments [two paragraphs] about President Obama’s unwitting role of preparing the mindset of Americans for a future world dictator has drawn a lot of attention.”
The only remark I would make about my wise pastor friend’s comment is that it’s my opinion that Obama’s role in the satanic set-up for coming Tribulation conditions is not unwitting.
He was referring to an interview on Fox, where Jeffress said,
“There’s going to be a future world dictator, before Christ returns, who’s going to usurp people’s personal …rights. …He’s going to wage war against God’s people, he’s gonna change God’s laws and he’s going to do it without any opposition. And my question was, how’s he going to be able to pull that off? And my thesis is, people will have been conditioned long before the Antichrist comes to accept governmental overreach. And that’s what you’re seeing with President Obama right now.
Here is a lengthier interview than the brief one on Fox News, excerpted from the Christian Post (CP):
“Pastor Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, has released a new book, Perfect Ending: Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today, that cuts through the misconceptions about end times prophecy and God’s judgment, and answers questions about heaven. It also answers why Christians should be actively sharing the Gospel with nonbelievers.
CP: In your book, you mention that President Barack Obama’s policies and political agenda is paving the way for a future world dictator. Can you provide a couple examples of those policies?
Jeffress: Those are probably the two paragraphs in the book that have garnered the most national attention. I want to be very clear, I am not claiming that President Obama is the Antichrist. In fact, I’m absolutely certain he is not the Antichrist. The reason I can say that is the Bible indicates the Antichrist will have higher poll numbers. But I do believe that the president is paving the way for a future world dictator.
The Bible says the seven years of history before the coming of Christ will be characterized by this world dictator that we commonly call the Antichrist. He will usurp people’s basic freedoms, such as speech, worship and commerce. He will launch an attack against God’s people. And he will seek to change God’s moral law, according to Daniel 7:25. And he will be able to accomplish all of these things with little to no opposition – at least at the beginning.
Jeffress then gave examples of several foundational policies Obama has instituted that directly pave the way for the future world dictator, and Jeffress concluded with this:
“This is what I’m saying: The president is both illustrative of, but he’s also preparing the way for the coming world dictator. Now, let me be very clear and say that I do not believe that President Obama kneels before an altar of Satan in the Oval Office every day – I’m not saying that at all. But I am saying that what he is doing now is preparing the way for this future dictator.“
Obama’s success is not contained in this policy or that law. It is not the minutiae of Obamacare or even his lies misstatements. It is that he got a majority of the United States citizenry to capitulate their hearts and minds to an obviously evil government entity, and in so doing, set the example to the world on how to do it. He claimed the minds of people, and manipulated them far down the path that satan wants them to go.
Please read the interview linked above. Pastor Jeffress was equally adamant that we as Christians have the unique perspective of being able to see the future, and so should share the Gospel with verve and haste. Time is running out.
What is Jesus doing now?
Yesterday I wrote about the technology that is coming together that will support the rapid co-opting by the antichrist. The surveillance society in which we are currently living (no matter where you are) is one that extends its tentacles into most aspects of private citizens’ lives. When the tentacles close up, the world will be strangled by the antichrist, who will gleefully oppress its remaining citizenry into a hellish submission. Most will be subdued by their own sinful wills, tragically.
The piece was an honest look at the bloody apocalyptic world that is rapidly approaching.
Tomorrow I am planning a piece that shows how quickly society is crumbling.
Though I included in yesterday’s blog essay and will include in tomorrow’s blog essay the Gospel and the beauty of Jesus amid all that darkness, it’s still sobering to think of what is going to happen to the billions of people left behind in the Tribulation.
To lighten things up, today I was thinking about the promises of Jesus. We love to think about Him for Who he is and His attributes. But it is also comforting to think of the things He has said in scripture that He is doing on behalf of His bride: us. What is He doing now?
When He said on the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) it meant that, well, it is finished. When Jesus ascended to heaven, His work completed, He sat on His throne. Jesus is performing priestly duties, and as King, He is reigning.
“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a High Priest, one Who is seated at the right hand
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| “The Lamb is on His throne”, Flickr CC, by LawrenceOP |
of the Throne of the Majesty in heaven, a Minister in the Sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.” (Hebrews 8:1-2) .
We know from John 14:2 that “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?“
How wonderful! Just to think Jesus is personally preparing a place for us! And even better to know that “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3). So, Jesus is preparing.
In heaven He is making intercession for us. Romans 8:34 says,
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.“
Therefore, Jesus is praying.
Jesus is welcoming the souls who have left their earthly tent and are arriving in heaven. Upon death, Christians are immediately translated to heaven!
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Jesus is welcoming.
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| Leon Cathedral, Flickr CC, by Steven 2358 |
Jesus said to Peter that He shall build His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus is building. (Matthew 16:18).
Jesus is sovereign and orchestrating each and every minute detail of His universe. He knits together in the womb, He calls to salvation, He receives prayers and praise. There is so much He is doing and is powerfully able to do. So it is all the sweeter and humbling to think of the things He is doing for His bride. We surely have a holy and just and powerful and wise Groom. But we also have a caring and loving and an eager Groom, too!
Antichrist will easily co-opt today’s technology for the prophesied purposes
It is very easy for me to see how the antichrist will control the world. He is prophesied to be a man who will come in peace uttering flatteries, (Daniel 8:25, Daniel 11:32) but instead will reveal his evil at the Abomination of Desolation. He is called the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) because he will be the embodiment of all that is most thoroughly evil.
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| EPrata photo |
We are born depraved. Every person is born with evil in them as our sin nature controls us. But not all of us do the worst evil that can be done. There are some nice people who try to do good in philanthropy or by religious works. Rocker Bono is known as the former and ‘Mother’ Theresa was known as the latter. This is not to say that they don’t or didn’t have a heart of evil, only that unconverted people with a sin nature CAN do good, it’s just not the kind of good that Jesus accepts as good. (Romans 3:10-12; Psalm 14:1-3; Psalm 53:1-3). Hitler was an example of how far along the ‘evil spectrum’ a man can go, but even Hitler didn’t come near to plumbing to the bottom of the evil that a man can do. The antichrist will be that man. This surprises many to think there can be a worse man than Hitler, but it is no surprise to Jesus, for He knows what is in a man. (John 2:25)
The coming antichrist will rule every aspect of the left behind people’s lives. In the geo-political realm, he will
rule the whole world, all peoples, nations, tongues, tribes.(Daniel 2:40, Revelation 13:7-8). The only nation that is prophesied to escape the antichrist’s hand will be Jordan. (Daniel 11:41). It is no coincidence that this is where Jesus urged the people to run when the Abomination of Desolation occurs and where the remnant will be personally protected during the Tribulation. It will be the location of the conversion of Israel. (Matthew 24:16, Isaiah 63:1, Revelation 12:6, Zechariah 12:10).
The antichrist will perform evil upon evil. His second in command in this unholy trinity will be the false prophet, who will cause all to have a mark on their hand or forehead which will be a mark of worship to the antichrist, identifying the person as allied with him (allied with evil). Without this mark no one may buy or sell. In other words, worship the antichrist or you may not participate in any way in the economy. It will be worship or die.
In the economic realm, by his henchman the False Prophet, antichrist will rule all people’s buying and selling, as mentioned previously. (Revelation 13:16-17). They will control the economy.
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| Glen Benton, metal musician |
In the religious realm, he will rule also. He wants to be worshiped and his goal is to exalt himself. After the six-day creation was completed, Satan influenced the holy angels to come to his side. A third of them did. (Hebrews 12:22). Then after God made man, satan came right down and turned their eyes away from God and Adam and Eve disobeyed. They were cursed and ejected from the garden. This has been satan’s desire for a long time- to oppose God and to corrupt man. (Isaiah 14:13-14).
For millennia, people have wondered HOW the antichrist could possibly control the entire world. It seemed well-nigh impossible for one man to be able to keep track of the entire population’s economic purchases, religious worship, and political movements. It was the cause for marveling and many discussions, I am sure.
Even in my lifetime it seemed impossible to us with finite minds and no understanding of God’s plan. I was born in 1960 and by 1983 I was married. That was back before video machines replayed movies in your home. Before widespread Cable TV. Even at that, cable tv wasn’t 24 hours. Before GPS. It was prior to cell phones, webcams, the internet. Even the simple bar code was fairly new. I wasn’t saved then but if I had been I’d be one of those wondering heartily just how all that is prophesied will come together.
God is always working. Even long ago, He was causing inventions to be made that would inexorably bring the unbelieving human race under subjection of one man at the end of time, and who would employ the technology of the era to continue that subjection until his appointed days came about.
In 1991 my husband and I bought a sailboat and we moved onto it and determined to sail the east coast of the US, and cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. There, we planned to laze about, see the sights, and live intimately connected with the earth. My anticipation was the latter but my husband’s overarching goal was to escape government intrusion.
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| Intracoastal , Hollywood, FL, by kimb0lene flickr CC |
Even in the early ’90s, the rules and regulations for daily living via zoning, vehicular laws, taxes etc tortured his libertarian heart. So we decided to get away from it all and cut loose from regular living and craft a lifestyle that would be apart from government rules and prying as much as possible.
Ha ha.
Little did we know in our innocent and naive hearts that government tentacles had been busy extending invisibly into areas we knew not. For example, we didn’t know that the Atlantic coastal waters and the inside Intracoastal Waterway were heavily trafficked and monitored. We expected the Coast Guard. We did not expect that the Coast Guard could approach and board without probable cause and with impunity. Unlike motorists where law enforcement needs a valid reason and/or permission to search your vehicle, it is not the case with Coast Guard. (At least, at that time.) They come aboard, inspect for safety gear, and can and did search for drugs (Ah, that old War on Drugs was going full force in the post Miami Vice ’90s).
Also, we did not expect that every bridge tender to record the name and home port of each vessel traveling under its spans.
For example, here is the Bridge of Lions at the port of St. Augustine. When a sailboat wants to go under the bridge and if the span is lower than the boat’s mast, you call the bridge tender and request he lifts the span to allow passage. This, of course, halts car traffic on the bridge. When you pass under the tender’s booth, much like a highway tollbooth, he writes down the name of your boat and the port identified on the stern.
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| Kristee Booth, Wiki CC photo |
If we had thought about it at all, we would have understood from the get-go that the coastal waters and Intracoastal Waterway has to have separation of traffic much like roadways. There are cargo ships, Navy ships, pleasure craft, fishing fleets, Coast Guard, marina harbormasters, yacht races, locks, bridges, canals, rules of the road, and much more. Because it is so busy, of course it would all be managed.
Another trip we took was in a VW camper van across the country. This was in 1994. We were interested in exploring the desert. Neither of us had been west of the Mississippi and we were specifically looking forward to exploring the desert. We had a vague notion of finding a warm place to buy a small plot of land and build a desert shack. The expanses of West Texas entranced us. It was so empty! Maybe this would be the place we could set up a home apart from so much spying, from government and neighbors, my husband said. He was truly born in the wrong time. I believe in former days he would have made a great schooner captain or an inventive Mountain Man.
Anyway, we kept seeing this weird dirigible hovering over the desert byways. We learned that its name was Fat Albert and it was a government spy craft.
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| EPrata photo |
This is the official write up on it:
“The Tethered Aerostat Radar System is a balloon-borne radar. The primary aerostat mission is to provide radar data in support of other federal agencies involved in the nation’s drug interdiction program. One aerostat, located at Cudjoe Key, Fla., transmits TV Marti, which sends American television signals into Cuba for the U.S. Information Agency. The air drug interdiction program consists of land-based aerostat radar detection balloons along the U.S. southern border and in the Carribbean…“
What happened was the balloons went up in FL first to monitor drug traffic by air and sea, but the smugglers simply shifted their air routes west and flew over Mexico and then landed in the United States Southwest. So the program shifted west to follow them. The write-up states plainly that the Marti transmissions were a failure and the balloons were a semi-failure, due to expense, necessity to remain tethered, and bad weather. But the government kept trying and spying, bless their hearts.
Of course we are into the second decade of the new millennium now and we know that the government spying that used to look outward for enemies and drug traffickers now looks inward to track friendly, unsuspecting citizens and their activities, not just enemies.
The National Security Agency collects over 2 million private citizens’ messages a day in ‘untargeted sweeps’. Highway webcameras are ubiquitous. There is a street cam on every ATM and bank, and on traffic lights and most businesses. The government can track a person with a cell phone and the phone need not be on an active call, or even turned on for that matter. As this story below illustrates, continuing societal immorality extends to citizens using technology to spy on citizens more frequently than not.
Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division in Quantico, said in a recent story in The Washington Post that the FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer’s camera — without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording — for several years. (source). Thsi same story reported how a teen aged classmate had been spying on Miss Teen USA by using her webcam. The activation of the unsuspecting girl’s webcam hadn’t triggered the light that alerted her that the camera was in use.
We can see how Jesus’s prophecy in Matthew 10:21 will easily come true, if laptop spying can occur between citizen-to-citizen. Even family members will spy and tell. “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.“
All this to say that in my lifetime, visible technology has leaped forward to such a degree that envisioning the antichrist’s stranglehold on all peoples at end of the end is now easy to do. That the people using technology have been revealed to have regularly used it for nefarious purposes shows us how easily a depraved man’s heart can and does turn what was meant for citizen good will be used instead to oppress them.
As for the antichrist’s and false prophet’s stranglehold on religion, in looking at this one picture it is easy to see how the world’s religions will cave easily and be absorbed into one. Most is it is false now anyway.
As Pastor JD Hall said of this photo as he tweeted it, “Photo of a female Methodist pastor anointing a Catholic Cardinal. So much #fail in one photo.”
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| HuffPo |
The Huffington Post reports, “Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley surprised many people when he asked Rev. Robertson, a pastor in the United Methodist Church, to anoint his forehead with consecrated water in an ecumenical baptism reaffirmation ritual at Sudbury United Methodist Church, reports The Patriot Ledger. “
To see where we are headed, read the bible. It contains already-ordained future history. To see how close we are to that future, look back. In my case, I didn’t have to look back too distantly to see how far we have come in being subject to technological and governmental strangleholds and how the tares have flooded the faith. Only 30 years. What does the next 30 years portend? The next 5years? The next one year? I shudder to think.
However, the grace and promise of Jesus is that His Bride is not appointed to wrath. We who are already in the Bride will not be here to be forcibly subjugated to the antichrist, nor forced to starve when we are forbidden to participate in the economy. We will be in heaven dining with our Groom at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! That is a sure thing.
If you do not know Jesus and are worried about the way the world is going, you are right to be afraid. It will end in a horror that Jesus Himself shuddered to relate to the disciples. (Matthew 24:21-22). It will be Hitler’s Holocaust on steroids, a never-ending shop of horrors and literally hell on earth. (Revelation 9:2-3). Billions will die. And then after the Great White Throne Judgment they will die again, forever, in hell, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:38).
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| Flickr CC by stonehouse_ “jayme and i wrote this in the wet pavement. apparently it had been cleaned when jayme when back later though. the heathens will never be…” |
You can avoid all that by repenting of your sins and appealing to Jesus for forgiveness. Because He absorbed God’s wrath on the cross for our sins, died, and rose again, He is able to forgive, and your wrath will be transferred from your account to His. He paid your sin-debt! He is magnificent and holy, loving and gracious. He is waiting for you to recognize you are a sinner and fall to His feet. He will forgive you, lift you, conform you to His likeness (holy and good) and welcome you to blessed heaven when it is your turn to be called home. All this awaits the repentant sinner!
“…Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 14b-15).
Sunday Martyr Moment: The name of Christian was so obnoxious to the pagans …
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,
Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.
From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold:
- Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
- Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
- Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
- Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.
Text from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
Last week we continued looking at the Ninth Persecution Under Aurelian, A.D. 274. It was a brief look, Emperor Aurelian was killed by his own brothers a short while after taking the throne. This week begins a look at The Tenth Persecution, Under Diocletian, A.D. 303. All the previous persecutions were the warm-up for persecution under Diocletian. It was the worst of all. His desire to revive the old pagan religions led to what was to be a massive persecution of Christians, but the last major persecution in the Roman Empire.
Foxe continues the story-
Under the Roman emperors, commonly called the Era of the Martyrs, was occasioned partly by the increasing number and luxury of the Christians, and the hatred of Galerius, the adopted son of Diocletian, who, being stimulated by his mother, a bigoted pagan, never ceased persuading the emperor to enter upon the persecution, until he had accomplished his purpose.
The fatal day fixed upon to commence the bloody work, was the twenty-third of February, A.D. 303, that being the day in which the Terminalia were celebrated, and on which, as the cruel pagans boasted, they hoped to put a termination to Christianity. On the appointed day, the persecution began in Nicomedia, on the morning of which the prefect of that city repaired, with a great number of officers and assistants, to the church of the Christians, where, having forced open the doors, they seized upon all the sacred books, and committed them to the flames.
The whole of this transaction was in the presence of Diocletian and Galerius, who, not contented with burning the books, had the church levelled with the ground. This was followed by a severe edict, commanding the destruction of all other Christian churches and books; and an order soon succeeded, to render Christians of all denomination outlaws.
The publication of this edict occasioned an immediate martyrdom, for a bold Christian [name currently unknown] not only tore it down from the place to which it was affixed, but execrated the name of the emperor for his injustice. A provocation like this was sufficient to call down pagan vengeance upon his head; he was accordingly seized, severely tortured, and then burned alive.
All the Christians were apprehended and imprisoned; and Galerius privately ordered the imperial palace to be set on fire, that the Christians might be charged as the incendiaries, and a plausible pretence given for carrying on the persecution with the greater severities. A general sacrifice was commenced, which occasioned various martyrdoms. No distinction was made of age or sex; the name of Christian was so obnoxious to the pagans that all who bore that name received no mercy from them. Many houses were set on fire, and whole Christian families perished in the flames; and others had stones fastened about their necks, and being tied together were driven into the sea. The persecution became general in all the Roman provinces, but more particularly in the east; and as it lasted ten years, it is impossible to ascertain the numbers martyred, or to enumerate the various modes of martyrdom.
Racks, scourges, swords, daggers, crosses, poison, and famine, were made use of in various parts to dispatch the Christians; and invention was exhausted to devise tortures against such as had no crime, but thinking differently from the votaries of superstition.
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Romans 1:30 says that the angry unsaved are inventors of evil, and the persecutions certainly bear witness to the truth of this verse from God’s word.
We owe such a great debt to the ones who passed before us. Their reliance on the Holy Spirit for boldness sets such a wonderful example. Would I be so bold as to refuse to bow to the Emperor and tear down the edict, knowing tortures await? No. But in Him, I can do all things. (Philippians 4:13). The martyrs actually did.
Praise the Lord for raising up martyrs whose momentary affliction cannot be compared to the joy set before them. (2 Corinthians 4:17). I want to know the name of the Bold Christian who face the wrath of the Roman Empire, knowing the eternal love of God outweighs man’s momentary anger. Such faith!
“and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
Creation Grace: Winter
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| EPrata photo |
The Doctrine of Election is biblical
With a HT to Do Not Be Surprised, I pass along this link to a great article explaining the biblical doctrine of election. It is easy to understand and clearly makes the case that God chooses us for salvation
Pick me, pick me, Unconditional Election, Pt. 2. By the time the author gets to the end he has explained it so biblically that his conclusion makes logical sense:
“Your objection might be this: I don’t believe that God would chose some and not all. That’s fine, but don’t say “I don’t believe in election,” say” I don’t believe the Bible.”
Again with a HT to Do Not Be Surprised, I found this article helpful also. It is from the steady and biblical folks at 9 Marks, explaining how the prosperity gospel has crept into much of Christianity as a softer version.
A Softer Prosperity Gospel: More Common Than You Think
Jeremiah lamented that Jerusalem refused to repent. His lament was one that is of a striking parallel today. This is what we see too:
“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her. Though they say, “As the Lord lives,” yet they swear falsely.“
Though this is what we see on the ground, it is not what God sees from above. Through Jesus, His Son, He sees a glorious future for His Son’s Bride and a coronation for His Son. This future is so sure that in heaven it it of the now. Soon, on the ground we will come into our future!
“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:5)
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Further reading:
the-end-time.org 
