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in 1985, a book came out that examined so-called communications
coming from UFOs called "In
Advance of the Landing." The authors showed how the
space brothers seemed to be getting the earth prepared to be
open to receive them and were waiting until the moment was right
before making their grand entrance to the world. As ludicrous as
that sounds, there’s a parallel with the strategy of the spirit
of antichrist who cannot make his debut until the timing is
right, when the world has been fully prepped to accept him.
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 21st
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
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