Reflections, from a man obsessed with
the truth...
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 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. THE LAST HOUR... The apostle John, writes that it "is the last hour"... Knowing that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and can be trusted as reliable and credible; it begs the question: WHAT HOUR IS IT NOW? I venture to say, that we are in the final minutes of the end times. Where exactly is not for us to know, but one thing is certain - if John was living in the last hour, we most certainly are nearer than some of us might imagine. My mantra is this: "WATCH AND PRAY". John reveals that there are many "antichrists" that had already come (notice the small "a" - denoting these are not the Antichrist to come); and even to this day there have been many antichrists who have come through the last 2000 years that have opposed God, Jesus Christ, and His church here in the earth. But there is another hour that Jesus spoke of that correlates with John's use of the word "hour", which we know was not literal but an allegory. Jesus, warned of an hour to come, that would catch most people by surprise, even those who claim to be His followers. It's important to know about these two hours that John and Jesus spoke of because they are related. John warns us of an "hour" where Satan, or the "Spirit of Antichrist" would be opposing God, His son - Jesus Christ; and now of course the Holy Spirit who has been poured out upon all flesh in these last days... all of this is leading to the "last hour" that Christ spoke of, and which we are admonished to be ready for. There is a lot of "mystery" involved in these scriptures to be sure... Hey, Jesus even went on to say that "only His Father knows the actual hour" when the Son of man will return like a thief in the night! Ours is not to know the exact hour our day, but to "watch and pray" and be about our Father's business while we await the return of our Lord. No One Knows the Day or Hour MT.13:36-44 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man NKJV I'm going to make a very obvious statement to anyone who reads the Bible: THE DEVIL DOESN'T WANT ANYONE TO BE READY FOR THE HOUR OF JESUS' RETURN! The devil doesn't want you or I to be watching and praying. NO. Anything but that. The Lord is preparing the earth for His coming. The Lord is preparing His church for the wedding of His most beloved bride. The Devil has two tasks before him: One, keeping people from the truth, from coming to Jesus Christ for salvation and deliverance from their sins and all that is evil. Secondly, Lucifer is focused on lulling those who have come to Christ into a stupor, into a love affair with this world. You see, once a person is saved, and truly born again it is far from over... the devil knows that Christians can be deceived, they can be drawn away from God through a myriad of temptations and snares that he has been using effectively for centuries. 1JN.2:15 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him A lazy, in-love-with-the-world Christian is the hallmark of what the devil is after. If the devil isn't successful keeping someone from coming to Jesus, he will attempt to render them useless and ineffective for the kingdom of God. Many Christians are like the "show car" in the rich man's garage, that only comes out once in a great while to parade before the world... that dear friends is "religious piety" in it's worst form. Beautiful, yes - but not in God's eyes where it counts... THE "SPIRIT OF LAWLESSNESS" If there is one thing, one characteristic of the "Antichrist" that we all should be aware of it is this: "LAWLESSNESS". The devil has no regard for God's commands, laws, ordinances or holy edicts, not hardly: HE HATES THEM! For that matter, he despises all rules, laws, and ordinances of man as well. Rules are there to break, to bend, to twist, and to do whatever is expedient to accomplish his immediate ends at hand. That God hates this "spirit of lawlessness" is all to clear to anyone familiar with the scriptures. Jesus, will one day expose and cast out of His presence all who practice "lawlessness". The Spirit of Antichrist is synonymous with the "spirit of lawlessness" - they are one and the same. Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,... Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. The words of Jesus above(Mt.24:12) reveal an important truth. When lawlessness and mass disobedience becomes widespread in the last days - the effects will be catastrophic! Many people within and without of the church will become cold and unloving! Real agape, unconditional - compassionate love for God, others, and the things of God will become scarce. That is what we now see happening all around us. The only question we have to ask is: How bad will it get before Christ returns? We find that the Antichrist is referred to as being lawless - this will be his main characteristic besides being bloated with immeasurable pride and arrogance. This will be the spirit of the last hour, the spirit that will fill the earth, it will be the very spirit of Antichrist that has no regard or reverence for the laws of God or man. Because of this perverse and unholy iniquity- lying, cheating, deception, and every other wicked work imaginable is being manifested both within and without the church... (*yes, I did say within the church as well) It is obvious that we are living in a day when keeping God's laws, man's laws is not in vogue - "lawlessness rules in the earth". Be on guard against a heart of compromise or a mindset that "winks at sin" - be aware that that to practice lawlessness, is to condemn oneself as a rebel against God and His Holy Kingdom... THE "MYSTERY of LAWLESSNESS" (the Mystery of Iniquity) 2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. Thessalonians 2:8-9 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, Many theologians believe that "He who now restrains" in 2 Thess.2:7 is referring to the Roman Empire/emperors; who for numerous reasons were holding back the eventual appearance of the Antichrist. With over two millennium since the apostle Paul penned these words to the Thessalonians; we may anticipate the manifestation of the "Man of Sin" - the Antichrist - may be sooner than we think. For all who are wondering who the Antichrist will be, or how will we know he is here on earth, and be sure he is in fact the real Antichrist? The scriptures are clear that he will not make his entrance upon the world stage quietly or in secret... No, The Antichrist will be the world's greatest showman with regard to his charisma and manifestation to all. He may come out of the shadows, but make now mistake he will make his presence known and his true intentions clear in short order! At some point in time on God's prophetic calendar, which I confess I do not know clearly; "The Beast" (the 1st beast from the sea), who is in fact - The Antichrist - will appear and take his throne given to him by Satan(The Dragon) The Antichrist will announce himself to the world with a dazzling display of supernatural signs, deceitful wonders, and "all power." Other than Christ Himself, there will never be anyone like The Antichrist in terms of his overall ability to mesmerize and captivate his audience - the entire world. What Jesus did in 3 1/2 years of His earthly ministry - The Antichrist will himself replicate in 3 1/2 years.... Rev.13: 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to [continue for forty-two months. (emphasis mine) REV.13:1-2 13 1.Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (emphasis mine) ALL THE WORLD WILL WORSHIP HIM REV.13:4 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” REV.13:7-8 7. ... And authority was given him over every [d]tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (emphasis mine) While most people today are aware of discussions about the number 666, and the "mark & number" of The Beast; which is perhaps the most talked about aspect of the Book of Revelation; relatively few are aware of the fact that the real goal and aim of Satan is to "be worshiped!" I will write more extensively in PT.3/The End Game; but suffice to say: What Satan wants more than control over our money & lives is our devotion to him and him alone. When all is said and done - he wants you to worship him! We will clearly know we are in the final chapter of Satan's diabolical scheme to overthrow God's creation here on earth - when we witness the implementation of a worldwide allegiance and willingness to worship Satan, The Antichrist openly. How this will be accomplished will be tied/connected to the "number, mark, & name" that will be required by everyone; before they can buy or sell in the world's economy - wherever they may live. That part of the Devil's plan is already being introduced and enacted around the world; though it hasn't been fully brought into a cohesive network that will allow for all of mankind to be monitored and controlled. The internet will allow for that; but there are at this time too many barriers for implementing a global system of that magnitude; but it's not far off in my estimation. REV.13: 15-16 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (emphasis mine) Just remember, Satan is really after our devotion - our worship of him and him alone! We as Christians and those who worship The One True God - Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, I AM, Yeshua - can never worship anyone else - period. That is a line we cannot cross as followers of Christ. DOCTRINES OF DEMONS 1 TIM.3:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, (emphasis mine) The early Christian church wrestled with false doctrines and heresies; and this is evident by Paul's epistles, specifically in his letter to the church in Galatia. Here we find a church that had succumbed to "legalism" and had abandoned the Gospel that they had heard and been founded on. That Christians can be and are sometimes "deceived and seduced" by false teachings and doctrines of demons is indisputable to anyone who studies the New Testament. As you examine these scriptures, keep in mind that these Christians did not leave the church, or stop practicing their faith as believers; no - they were seduced and deceived so subtlety, that they had no idea they were no longer walking by faith - no longer walking in the truth - in the Spirit. Such is the power of "false doctrines" and lying spirits... Believers beware! Paul describes the church in Galatia as being "bewitched." That should give us all pause when we consider what is now being taught in many churches today. GAL.3:1 - O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you [a]that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed [b]among you as crucified? Paul points out that the deception or spell they were under - resulted in them not "obeying the truth!" False doctrine, no matter how appealing it may be to the mind and flesh - will always lead a person to walk in error, in opposition to the truth. Here, the problem was "legalistic brethren" had crept into their church and taught that to be righteous before God, they would have to be circumcised... In plain terms this simply meant they were putting themselves back under the Law. GAL.3:10-14 - 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. This is but one example of how lethal and deadly false doctrines can be to Christians who without knowing it - may be led astray by teachings and doctrines that are contrary to the truth. There are many truths within Christianity that are the targets of Satan and his vast horde of demons; the cross, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus Christ, the Word of God; but one thing above all is the main focus of Satan's evil and wicked schemes. THE GOSPEL. ANOTHER GOSPEL GAL.1:6 - 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Only a few times in scripture do we find anyone repeating more than once anything - be it an admonition, command or otherwise. Here we find the Apostle Paul clearly emphasizing that anyone preaching "another gospel" other than the gospel message that saved them, that saves everyone - is accursed! In other words - THEY ARE DAMNED! Now that is where we draw the line people. He states this twice! The Galatians surely knew what this meant! That begs the question: What is in truth - in fact the legitimate gospel? All we have to do is turn to Paul's letter to the Corinthians; found in: 1 CO.15:1-4 - 15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, (emphasis mine) So we find that of all the things that Satan hates, that he desires to twist, to destroy, and defile; the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the very top of his "hit list." I mentioned this in volume one of this 3 part teaching on "The Spirit of Antichrist." - but it is well worth mentioning again. Make no mistake, though the Gospel message is actually quite simple (most children can understand the concepts/truths contained in it;)it is in reality the very thing God has ordained to save us - to save all human beings. That is something to contemplate indeed. Keep in mind that there are specific things that cannot be perverted, or changed within the Bible - within The New Covenant that has been given to us by God, and sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is possible for Christians to be deceived, to be seduced and led astray... I do not believe you can lose your salvation; but I do believe you can lose your faith. Where one goes when that happens - we will let God have the last word on that. FINAL THOUGHTS... God hates lawlessness, Satan loves it. God hates evil, Satan loves it and embodies it. Whatever God is, Satan isn't. Whatever God loves, Lucifer hates and despises. This isn't that complicated, but we make it so. We learn what God loves by studying the Bible, and by meditating on His words to us. One of the first things the Holy Spirit does is to convict a person of their "lawlessness", and will bring conviction of sin and offenses to the point that an individual will want to "repent" of their lawless deeds, and turn from their wicked ways... This has always been the case, but now under the New Covenant it is much more thorough because God's Holy Spirit has been given, poured out and released in the earth. If you are a Christian, if you've been saved, and are truly born again - you will have a tender conscience towards God, and want to obey His commands and the laws of man as well. If you have cavalier attitude, or a ho-hum disposition towards the commands of Jesus(yes, the New Covenant has commands even though we're no longer under the "law" of the Old Covenant), you are in grave danger. I remind you to look again at what Jesus had to say about those who would stand before Him on the Day of Judgment and be surprised to hear our Lord say, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Mt.7:23) Examine yourself, and see if there is any remnant of the "old man" left in you, anything that might be keeping you from being holy and pure before our Lord? The Spirit of Antichrist, will be one of "lawlessness", and it will be in the church as well as in the world... say it ain't so - ah, but it is. God knows who is and who isn't walking in love, and He will judge all that later; but for now our task is to examine our own lives and confess anything that the Holy Spirit brings to light... 1 JN.1:9/2 CO.13:5 THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST PT.1 https://www.lightinthedarkministries.com/my-blog--scribe4god/archives/03-2020 THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST PT.3 https://www.lightinthedarkministries.com/my-blog--scribe4god/archives/07-2024 You may find my books at most online bookstores... just click the links. OUT OF THE DARKNESS - https://books2read.com/u/br9oLz PEARLS of WISDOM - https://books2read.com/u/bw9odv THE CHRISTIAN FAITH - https://books2read.com/u/mdYMZR https://www.lightinthedarkministries.com [email protected] FACEBOOK.COM/GODSONGS TWITTER.COM/LITDUSA
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4/8/2024 02:46:40 am
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