Presents
LYING WONDERS OF THE ENDTIME PART 3
In our present day, so many people have become spiritually
desensitized, that they either can no longer see, or else
simply refuse to accept, the truth of their own condition.
This is yet another symptom of the strong deception which
has prevailed in these Last Days. Is it possible that God is
attempting to draw the attention of the world to its sinful
condition through its many physical afflictions? From one
end of the Earth to the other, the world is plagued with all
kinds of diseases; and new and more dangerous ones are being
discovered which seem to be even more resistant to treatment
than the previous strains. From AIDS, to the ebola virus, to
new outbreaks of the bubonic plague, to anthrax, to various
forms of blood, bone and skin cancer, man appears to be
losing the battle in spite of his technology. As we saw in
part two, Jesus said that such things are only the Beginning
of Sorrows; and that we should expect to see even more of
such plagues in the future, as God continues to mete out His
judgments on wicked and rebellious men who have rejected His
Son.
As I mentioned earlier, the tragedy here is that in Jesus'
day, some of these diseases, such as those associated with
mental and nervous disorders, were recognized for what they
really were; that is, as demonic oppression or possession.
If one examines the four Gospels, this becomes particularly
clear. The Lord and His Disciples did not treat physical
sicknesses simply as an affliction of the body, but rather
as a disease of the soul. When they healed someone, quite
often it was by rebuking a demon, or many demons, which had
taken over a person's body. Consider this example of a young
deaf and dumb man, who also apparently suffered from severe
epileptic fits:
"And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have
brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And
wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth,
and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to
thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could
not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation,
how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?
bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when
he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on
the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father,
How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of
a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and
into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any
thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto
him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth. And straightway the father of the child
cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou
mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running
together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and
enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him
sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch
that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand,
and lifted him up; and he arose." Mark 9:17-27, KJV
In other cases, a healing of the body was often accompanied
by the forgiveness of one's sins as well; in order to show
that the true cause of the sickness was a spiritual one; as
we see in this example concerning the man who had the palsy;
or what is today known as paralysis:
"And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy,
lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the
sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be
forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said
within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing
their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or
to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son
of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he
to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go
unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house."
Matthew 9:2-7, KJV
So as we have already seen, sadly, because modern man simply
refuses to recognize his lowly, sinful state, which would
obviously point to the need for forgiveness and a Saviour,
the true spiritual condition of the world has been reduced
to an onslaught of scientific terms which most people don't
begin to understand. In so doing, we are provided with an
easy way to rid ourselves of the guilt associated with the
sins which may possibly be plaguing our lives. Drugs, such
as AZT, and chemotherapy may serve to reduce, or perhaps to
even eliminate the outward physical effects of our sins, but
the inner spiritual problem will remain, until a real and
permanent spiritual solution is sought for.
If doctors and scientists were really honest with us, and
told us how little they really know and understand regarding
these many bodily afflictions, it would surely frighten some
people. In fact, if more people were made aware of how much
experimentation is being performed on their bodies, because
the doctors really aren't sure what to do, perhaps it might
drive more of them to seek the Lord for an answer. But as we
have seen, that is part of the problem; people don't want to
seek the Lord. They purposely want to continue in their evil
unbelieving ways. They want to be deceived.
As I have shown throughout this series, clearly, the name of
the Endtime game is deception; and it is one which is being
played on many different levels, by many different people.
Trust is truly a rare virtue in our modern society. You may
recall how in part two, I pointed out that the two Endtime
leaders known in the Book of Daniel as the King of the North
and the King of the South will speak lies at the negotiation
table. Isn't this typical of modern international politics?:
"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed."
Daniel 11:27, KJV
Thus, from politics, to religion, to public education, to
the medical field, to many different areas of the scientific
field, modern society has truly become totally permeated by
deception. Not only are many people deceived themselves, but
they also purposely seek to deceive others as well. To add
evil upon evil, some people are so proud of their wicked
deeds, and their defiance against God, that they boast about
it openly, as I can personally testify by my dealings with
such ignorant people through my contacts with them on the
Internet. Allow me to remind you again of a verse which I
shared with you in part two, along with some others taken
from Epistles written by the Apostles Peter and Paul:
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:13)
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do
those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit,
malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, Without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which
commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the
same, but have pleasure in them that do them."
(Romans 1:28-32)
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after 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 the creation." 2 Peter 3:3-4, KJV
Notice Paul's final remarks in the above verses taken from
his Epistle to the Romans. While Paul was referring to the
sinful nature of the Romans of his time, how perfectly they
describe the society of our modern era as well. Not only do
these blasphemers know that they are wrong, and that they
will be destroyed if they continue in their unbelief, and in
their evil deeds, but they are so wicked, that they actually
take pleasure in proudly boasting of such things; especially
when they have led others down the same path of destruction
that they themselves have followed! I am reminded again of
the teen killers in the United States, who actually took
pleasure in cold-heartedly killing their fellow students,
before taking their own lives as well. Thousands of years
ago, the writers of the Bible exposed the evil nature of
such blind children of destruction in verses such as the
following:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9, KJV
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to
eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Matthew 15:19,20, KJV
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat:" (Matthew 7:13)
"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if
the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."
Matthew 15:14, KJV
Of course, as we saw in part two, as far as the Jews are
concerned, the epitome of deceit and proud blasphemy against
God, will be manifested in the form of the false messiah,
the Jewish Anti-Christ, Moshiach ben David, who will dare to
sit in the soon-to-be-built Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah in
East Jerusalem, claiming that he is in fact 'God'. However,
this demonic deceiver will not be alone in his boastful
attitude. As I point out in various other articles, such as
in 'John Lennon's Imagine And Secular Humanism', the lies of
this false Jewish messiah will be matched by the equally
blasphemous tongue of the Muslim Beast who, due to his own
pride and vanity, will be deceived into thinking that he can
actually challenge and defy the true God of Heaven at the
coming Battle of Armageddon; as we see clearly in these
following verses:
"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and
shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand
until a time and times and the dividing of time."
(Daniel 7:25)
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall
exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and
shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that
that is determined shall be done." (Daniel 11:36)
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and
them that dwell in heaven." (Revelation 13:5-6)
"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and
out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God Almighty...And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:13-14, 16, KJV
Notice in the last verses above from the Book of Revelation,
how it is the deception of the Beast and the False Prophet,
through the performance of miracles and lying wonders, which
will result in them leading the armies of the Middle East
into the Battle of Armageddon. From the words of Daniel, to
Jesus, to Paul to John, it is the same central theme from
beginning to end. The Endtime will be marked by deception
and lying miraculous wonders. Clearly then, God wants us to
be aware of such things, so that we will not be deceived by
them.
Thus, there can be absolutely no doubt, that today we live
in a society which is in serious spiritual trouble! Faith in
God, and in His Son Jesus Christ, is on a steady decline all
around the world, while at the same time, Islam is said to
be the fastest growing religion of our modern day. If this
wasn't tragic enough, as I mentioned earlier in this series,
the belief in aliens and UFO's, the occult, New Age thought,
and various forms of Eastern religions and meditations are
all on the rise. Add to this the alarming level of violence
which has taken over the world, and it is easy to see why so
many Bible-believing Christians have become alarmed, and are
convinced that we are nearing the end of the current wicked
system of man. Society will only be allowed to become so
evil before the Lord will finally intervene; just as He did
once before during the days of Noah, and washed all of the
wicked away in His swift judgments. Consider the following
verses, written thousands of years ago, which clearly
describe, the awful fate which awaits those who would dare
to fight against God, and partake in these evil deeds:
"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD
that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his
heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it
repenteth me that I have made them."
Genesis 6:5-7, KJV
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of
the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And
knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Matthew 24:37-39, KJV
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he
that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will
throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire." Matthew 3:11,12, KJV
"...The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed
good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came
and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when
the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder
came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in
thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto
them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him,
Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said,
Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the
wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest:
and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather
ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to
burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn...He that
soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the
world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but
the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the
world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the
tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in
the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his
angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things
that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing
of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him
hear." Matthew 13:24b-30, 37b-43, KJV
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape."
1 Thessalonians 5:3, KJV
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming:" 2 Thessalonians 2:8, KJV
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud
voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and
his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."
Revelation 14:9-11, KJV
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain
with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword
proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled
with their flesh." Revelation 19:20-21, KJV
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever...And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire."
Revelation 20:10, 15, KJV
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Revelation 21:8, KJV
You will notice that it is at the time of Armageddon, that
the Islamic Beast and the False Prophet, and the Jewish
Anti-Christ will be destroyed as well. It is interesting to
note that right up to the very end, it appears that both
sides may have a deceptive spiritual leader who will lead
them into this awesome battle; but then, this has been the
real battle all along; that is, a battle between the god of
the Jews, and the god of the Muslims. Sadly, the supposed
Jewish messiah will likewise be a false god and an equally
anti-christ deceiver. In this regard, there is really not
that much difference between the belief systems of the
Muslims and the Jews; because they both deny the Divinity
and Messiahship of Jesus Christ.
The primary reason why these ancient foes will be fighting
this terrible battle, is because neither one of them has
understood the truth of the Holy Scriptures. While the flesh
children of Abraham, that is, the Jews and the Arabs, have
been fighting for literally thousands of years, for control
of a small sliver of land located on the eastern shores of
the Mediterranean Sea, and will in the near future fight
over the final fate of Jerusalem, they both have failed to
realize that God has already established His true Nation,
and His true Kingdom; and that this Kingdom is not founded
upon the blood of Arabs or Jews, but rather upon the Blood
of His own dear Son. This worldwide Kingdom is found in the
hearts of the true children of Abraham; that is, in the
children of faith; who have accepted Jesus Christ as their
only King, Lord and Saviour.
While because of their deception, the Jews still believe and
convince others that they are God's chosen people, they fail
to realize that the Lord's words were fulfilled almost two
thousand years ago; and that the Kingdom has been taken from
them, and given to another Nation which has been found more
worthy. This invisible Kingdom is one which has come without
observation, just as Jesus said it would; and it is the true
Israel, and the New Jerusalem of the Spirit; and not an old
Earthly city which is filled with blood and violence. This
is the true City and Country for which the Patriarchs of old
sought. While I have discussed this topic in such articles
as 'Is God A Racist?', for the time being, please consider
the following revelatory verses:
"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken
from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof." Matthew 21:43, KJV
"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom
of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom
of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say,
Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is
within you." Luke 17:20,21, KJV
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:" 1 Peter 2:9, KJV
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they
had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now
they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he
hath prepared for them a city." Hebrews 11:13-16, KJV
While we have taken a small leap into the near future, let
us return now to our present time, and to our discussion of
the current spiritual condition of the world. As we have now
clearly established, there is indeed a spirit of deception
and apostasy which has begun to take over the world. We can
witness the evil fruits of this anti-christ spirit simply by
reading our daily news reports, or by turning on the radio
or televison set. From merciless abortion, to talk of ethnic
cleansing, to religious wars, to chemical and biological
warfare, to drug and sex related crimes, to economic wars,
to political corruption, the world is filled with violence
and oppression from one end to the other.
Tragically, the spiritual center for many of these acts of
violence, oppression and rebellion against God, is the very
country which boasts of being the most Christian nation upon
the face of the Earth; the United States of America! While
on one hand she tries to show the world her Christian face,
on the other hand, she also engages in worldwide economic
oppression, military bullying, and the corruption of other
less industrialized societies, by enticing them through her
exportation of American materialism. Truly, many nations of
the world have become bewitched by her, and seek to emulate
her affluent lifestyle; while others hate and despise her,
and only desire for her destruction. While I am not fully
convinced that America represents the Biblical Babylon the
Great Whore, her attitude and tactics certainly appear to
parallel with the same; and through her foolish acceptance
of many false spirits and false religions, which her fore-
fathers knew not, she has truly become 'the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of
every unclean and hateful bird':
"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation
of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of
every unclean and hateful bird." Revelation 18:2, KJV
One thing is for certain; when evil men and seducers have
fallen into their deepest state of apostasy and rebellion
against God, as we have now seen, it will finally result
in the revelation of the political Beast, the religious
False Prophet, and the Jewish Anti-Christ; who will each
carry out their campaign of deception for God's appointed
time, until all has been fulfilled. Then, as I explain in
the series 'Once Upon A Time: A True Story', the Lord will
unexpectedly return for His faithful Bride, who has kept
herself pure and unspotted from the evils of the world.
It is against this backdrop and rising tide of apostasy,
rebellion, deception and spiritual darkness which is slowly
and insidiously covering the world, that we must seriously
question the source of some of these so-called 'miraculous'
wonders which have reportedly been occurring in our midst.
Are these manifestations and miracles truly works of God,
which are meant to inspire the hearts of the faithful; or
are they counterfeit signs and lying wonders being performed
by Satan and his deceptive horde through his deceived human
vehicles? Is the rise in UFO sightings and alien encounters,
the emergence of the New Age thought generation, the growing
popularity of psychics, gurus, shaman and mystical holy men,
and the reports of odd manifestations occurring within some
churches and fellowships merely a matter of coincidence; or
is there a hidden relationship between them? Are they of
divine, human or demonic origin; or possibly a combination
of all three? While some charismatic Christians may possibly
take offense by my even suggesting such a thought, as I have
already pointed out in part one of this series, Satan can
indeed appear as an angel of light; even to the Believers:
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14)
The basic problem here, is that many people in our modern
society do not know how to differentiate between the works
of God, and the works of Satan. In fact, because many such
people deny the Divine Origin and Inspiration of the Bible,
which clearly speaks of both God and Satan's existence, they
fail to realize that both are alive and well; and that if he
so desires, Satan can also grant power to his devotees. This
point is made very clear for us in such stories as Moses and
Aaron in the courts of the Egyptian Pharaoh. Consider the
following verses:
"And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so
as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod
before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a
serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the
sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like
manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man
his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed
up their rods." (Exodus 7:10-12)
I have often wondered what prompted the pagan nations of the
Old Testament to believe in their false gods. Was it just a
matter of blind faith? If we consider the previous example,
this doesn't seem likely. Skepticism existed then, just as
it does now. As we see through the example of the Egyptian
sorcerers, Satan and his cohorts apparently must have also
performed miracles and lying wonders back then as well; in
order to convince their followers that they were not only
real, but through granting them victories in battle, and
through performing these feats of magic, were also worthy of
their worship. Of course, we know that God's true Prophets
have always put the false prophets to shame every time, as
we see by the above example. Many of us are also familiar
with the story of Elijah and the four hundred and fifty
false prophets of Baal, found in the eighteenth chapter of
the first Book of the Kings.
As I briefly mentioned in part three, Jewish skepticism was
also very strong in Jesus' day as well; and the unbelieving
Jewish Elders constantly demanded signs of the Lord before
they would believe in Him; and most of them never did. In
the New Testament, we find a number of verses which point to
the skeptical nature of the Jewish leadership, and of the
Jews in general, such as the following:
"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered,
saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he
answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be
given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:"
Matthew 12:38,39, KJV
"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting
desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He
answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It
will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the
morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red
and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked
and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there
shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. And he left them, and departed."
Matthew 16:1-4, KJV
"And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with
him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he
sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this
generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There
shall no sign be given unto this generation."
Mark 8:11,12, KJV
"And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from
heaven...And when the people were gathered thick together,
he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a
sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of
Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the
Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this
generation." Luke 11:16, 29-30, KJV
"Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders,
ye will not believe." (John 4:48)
"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after
wisdom:" 1 Corinthians 1:22, KJV
I would venture to say that the members of the Jewish
Sanhedrin were more guilty because of their unbelief, than
were the pagan nations around them who had not been made the
guardians of the Holy Prophecies, and thus were not made
witnesses to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Neither had
the pagans seen the miracles which the Lord had performed in
the land of Egypt, or during the forty years of wandering in
the wilderness. Finally, most of the heathen had probably
never witnessed the Lord's miracles during the time of His
Earthly Ministry. From my study of the Scriptures, it seems
that Jesus' ministry only stretched as far north as Syria.
In other words, God's Plan of Eternal Salvation began with
the Jews; for as Jesus Himself said:
"Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for
salvation is of the Jews." John 4:22, KJV
In other words, God's Salvation would not only proceed from
a Jewish Messiah, but it would be carried to the rest of the
world by His first Jewish Apostles. That little word 'of' is
derived from the Greek word 'ek', or 'ex', which means out
of, from, by, or away from; so if someone tries to convince
you that God's Salvation is only meant for the Jews, do not
believe it, because it is a demonic lie! God had to put His
Plan of Salvation into action somewhere, and for reasons of
His own, He chose to start it in Israel; but it is meant for
all men who will believe, as I explain in the article 'Is
Salvation Meant For All Men?'. As Jesus said:
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
unto me." John 12:32, KJV
From studying the Scriptures, it becomes quite apparent that
one of the reasons why the Lord endowed His Apostles with
the same miraculous powers which He possessed, is because He
knew that due to their stubborn and skeptical nature, that
is precisely what it would take to convince other Jews, who
may have never met the Lord, to be won to the Early Church.
In other words, the Lord had to prove to those potential
converts, that the first Apostles were really sent in His
Name, by way of the miracles which they performed; for as
Jesus Himself had said 'Except ye see signs and wonders, ye
will not believe'. This thought is confirmed for us by the
following verse found at the end of the Gospel of Mark:
"And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord
working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following. Amen." Mark 16:20, KJV
So it is apparent that the Lord really went out of His way,
to perform all kinds of true miracles and wonders by the
hands of the Apostles, in order to establish and strengthen
the Early Church. Now that the Church has been established,
and has in fact been going strong for almost two thousand
years, some people believe that the Gifts of the Spirit are
no longer necessary, and no longer in effect. One verse to
which they point in order to support this belief is the
following:
"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease;
whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
1 Corinthians 13:8, KJV
For my answer to this critical question, allow me to point
you to such articles as 'Are The Gifts Of The Spirit For
Today?', 'God's Golden Teeth Or Satan's Delusion?' and 'Have
You Been Slain In The Spirit?'.
This discussion concerning the skepticism of the Jews leads
us to another very interesting point. We have already seen
how the Lord went to great lengths to prove His Messiahship
to the doubting Jews. Not only did He perform great signs
and wonders within their midst, but His greatest feat was
His own Resurrection from the Dead. Not only that, but He
then confirmed that His Apostles would carry on His work of
evangelizing the world through further miracles and wonders
at their hands.
Today, however, it appears that the Lord is doing something
entirely different. Because of both the Jews' and the Arabs'
rejection of the Salvation message, the Lord is now going to
purposely allow both of them to be completely deceived. In
fact, it appears that He is going to allow the entire world
to be deceived. On one hand, the Islamic False Prophet will
be performing signs and lying wonders in order to convince
the Muslims to follow the Islamic Beast, and on the other
hand, the Jewish false messiah, that is, the Anti-Christ,
will be performing equally amazing feats in order to deceive
the Jews into accepting him as their 'God', who will sit in
the Jewish Temple. As I mentioned earlier, it will truly be
a battle of the gods. Of course, we also have the multitude
of other minor false prophets, false christs, New Age gurus,
psychics, eastern masters, etc., who have already begun to
show their deceitful faces throughout the world.
So then, because many evil children of the Endtime, both
Jews and Gentiles alike, want to be deceived, that is what
God is going to send them; strong delusion. Please notice in
the following verses that we are specifically told 'I also
will choose their delusions' and 'God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie'. God Himself is
going to make the signs and lying wonders of the Endtime so
powerful, and so deceptive, that the only ones who will be
able to detect them, will be those Spirit-filled Christians
who are aware of the Bible's strong warnings and prophecies,
and who will thus be able to discern the truth from the lie;
and even then, I am not convinced that all Christians will
escape the delusion; because many of them have already begun
to be deceived by Satan's lies. Consider the following
verses:
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
(Matthew 24:24)
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying wonders,"
(2 Thessalonians 2:9)
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,"
(Revelation 13:13)
"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer;
when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before
mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
(Isaiah 66:4)
"...because they received not the love of the truth, that
they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
(2 Thessalonians 2:10b-11)
So you see, based upon the specific words used in the above
verses, it doesn't seem to me like these are just going to
be little feats of magic, like turning a rod into a serpent.
There are going to be some major, deceptive, lying wonders
and miracles. How else will the Lord be able to convince the
skeptical people of the world to accept the claims of these
various Endtime figures? It is going to require something
very powerful; because most people are simply hard-hearted
doubters in our current day. The main point I wish to make
here, is that we must remember that it is God who will be
doing these things. Yes, it will be Satan and his demons
working through these people, but they can only do it by
God's permission; just as we see in the story of Satan and
the Patriarch Job. God will be granting the power, as we see
in these following verses which state 'it was given unto
him'; just as Satan told Jesus that it was given unto him,
that is, to Satan, as well:
"And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give
thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me;
and to whomsoever I will I give it." Luke 4:6, KJV
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months...And it was given unto him to make war
with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given
him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Revelation 13:5, 7, KJV
Let us turn our attention now to another facet of the strong
delusion of the Endtime. As we have already seen, just like
the Jewish Elders of old, modern society is also filled with
its share of skepticism; perhaps even moreso. Unless strong
physical evidence is presented, the majority of people will
simply refuse to believe in anything of a supernatural or
spiritual nature, whether it be good or evil; and if they do
choose to believe, as we saw earlier, quite often it is in
the wrong things. This skepticism and hesitancy to believe
in things of a spiritual nature has been greatly reinforced
by the advent of modern science and technology; which as I
pointed out earlier, not only denies the realities of the
Spirit World, but is in fact the enemy of our faith. From
the time that a young child enters elementary school, the
process begins to erode his faith in God and in the Bible;
and to place it instead in the vain wisdom, philosophies,
and theories of men. It is for this very reason that the
Apostle Paul warns us:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ." Colossians 2:8, KJV
For more on this topic, please read to such articles as 'The
Wisdom Of God vs The Philosophy Of Men', 'The Public School
System And School Prayer', and 'The Only Credentials You
Need!'. From observing a lot of the young people who are now
online, it has become clear to me that the modern education
system is mass producing a generation of young adults who
are for the most part, very atheistic in their views. While
modern science tears away at one's faith in God, at the very
same time, it also serves as a catalyst to cause many people
to accept the existence of aliens and UFO's. Why is this? In
my view, it seems to be due to several reasons. Until almost
four decades ago, the very conservative scientific community
strongly refuted the existence of extraterrestrial beings;
at least publicly. Since then, some men of science, such as
the renown, and now-deceased, Carl Sagan and his associates,
have supported such programs as 'SETI'; that is, the Search
For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and other programs which
have been spawned since Frank Drake's first endeavors in the
early 1960's.
While Mr. Sagan and his associates have openly sought to
discover verifiable signs of extraterrestrial intelligence
through the detection of intelligent radio waves originating
from deep space, at the same time, Sagan thoroughly rejected
the notion that alien beings may have already visited the
Earth in times past, or present. Sagan based his arguments
primarily upon the vast distances involved in reaching our
solar system, the impossibility of FTL travel, or Faster
Than Light travel, which would allow one to reach our planet
during his own lifetime, etc. While the SETI project and its
successors have failed to achieve their goals, at least as
far as we the public know, the fact that serious attempts
have been made to detect such life, has only added fuel to
the fire for those who have already involved themselves in
the aliens and UFO's subculture; which we will discuss more
thoroughly in a moment.
Even if we choose to ignore all of the many stories of UFO
sightings and alien encounters which have plagued the mass
media during the past five decades, and which now flood the
Internet, as well as the entertainment industry, what adds
further support to the belief in such things, is that in
recent years, men of science have made such advances in
their observation equipment, that they now claim to have
discovered a number of small solar systems outside of our
own.
Obviously, such statements have led some people to logically
conclude that, given the presumed size of our universe, the
number of galaxies which are said to exist, and the number
of solar systems which must be contained in each of them,
some of those systems must be capable of sustaining life;
even intelligent life; and perhaps even intelligent life
which technologically-speaking, is far superior to our own.
Thus, the very same science which denies God's existence,
because He cannot be observed, measured or tested, is used
to validate the existence of aliens and UFO's.
Before discussing in detail the aliens and UFO's subculture,
allow me to make an important point. As I mentioned a moment
ago, a number of false prophets and practitioners of the
dark crafts already exist in different parts of the world;
and each one of them claims to possess some special calling,
some spiritual power, or perhaps some ancient, secret wisdom
to share with humanity. Some of these subtle deceivers find
their home in Asia, and go by such titles as yogi, maharaji,
true parents, guru, lama, lord, his holiness, or his most
holiness. In other areas of the world, common titles which
are bestowed upon these people include grandfather, holy
father or simply father, witch or warlock, bruja or brujo,
satanist, druid, kaballist, witchdoctor, curandero, wiccan,
palmreader, seer, psychic, lodge master, master, etc. These
wicked persons derive their beliefs and practices from many
false religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism,
Confuscianism, African tribal religions, ancient paganistic
religions of the Middle East, Native American Shamanism and
Latin American tribal religions. They are all workers of
darkness which we Christians are to avoid; as I will point
out more clearly later on in this series.
To continue then, in this century we have experienced the
advent, or perhaps the rebirth, of New Age thought; which in
my opinion, is nothing more than a modernized, conglomerized
version of a number of the aforementioned belief systems.
While some of these false prophets and miracle workers still
attribute the source of their power and sacred wisdom to the
specific gods of their particular religion, or to departed
spirits or spirit helpers, or to their ancestors, in recent
years, a new source for some of these messages, and thus for
the wisdom which is said to be contained in them, has been
identified; and that is the so-called 'Space Brothers'.
Exactly who are the 'Space Brothers'? As their name implies,
they, and those who believe in them, generally claim that
they are intelligent beings, either from outer space, or at
least from some unseen realm beyond our own limited three
dimensional world. These mysterious creatures have been
described in many different colors, sizes and shapes. Some
are described as being very human in appearance, even quite
handsome, while others are not. Some are even said to speak
perfect English, while others are said to speak in a more
Germanic tongue. Some are said to be on our side, while
others clearly seek for either our enslavement, or else for
our total destruction. They all have different places of
origin, different dietary habits, and different kinds and
models of spacecrafts as well. It seems that the extent of
the aliens and UFO's culture is only limited by one's own
imagination.
A prime example of how the mystical, oriental religions and
UFOlogy have now been synthesized into one through New Age
thought, can be seen in a movie which came out over two
decades ago. Think back for a moment to Steven Spielberg's
mid 1970's blockbuster movie 'Close Encounters Of A Third
Kind'. As the alien spacecrafts made their presence known to
the citizens of Earth, scenes were shown of various cultures
all around the world, who were in essence worshipping the
gods from the sky, by chanting in unison the harmonic sounds
which had been generated by the crafts. It was in essence a
marriage of ancient meditation and modern technology.
There have been many movies, radio dramas and television
programs made over the past five or so decades which depict
this very same spirit of excitement and wonder that revolves
around alien discovery and intergalatic exploration. These
include Buck Rogers, Lost In Space, The Day The Earth Stood
Still, the original Star Trek series, its spin-offs and
theater movies, ET, Alien Nation, Battlestar Galactica, the
Star Wars trilogy and the latest epics of the same, The Last
Starfighter', Stargate, The Black Hole, and a host of others.
It seems that many people around the world are truly hoping
for such an 'alien' encounter. They want to know if someone
is really out there. They want to believe that we are not
alone in our vast universe. Sadly, crafty merchants have
been quick to take advantage of this new craze by offering
everything a UFOlogist could possibly want to buy; from
coffee mugs to T-Shirts with a large pair of almond-shaped
alien eyes. Some towns, such as Roswell, New Mexico, depend
heavily upon the tourist income generated by those who come
to see the sites of purported UFO crashes. In short, greedy
merchants are only adding to the delusion through their
selfishness desires for monetary gain.
As alarming as it may be for some Christians to hear this,
whether they be real, imagined, hoaxes or manifestations of
demons, as I explain in some of my alien and UFO articles,
some misguided souls have already begun to refer to these
'alien' creatures as 'Ascended Masters' and technological
'saviours', who have come to save the people of Earth from
destruction in their hour of need. This is a core belief of
the 'Ascension' subculture, which is particularly strong in
the United States of America. It is said that this so-called
'salvation' will result from a combination of advanced alien
technology, which will help the Earth and her citizens to
pass into another dimension, as well as through the proper
implementation of the knowledge gained from these 'Space
Brothers'.
One of the primary means of communicating with the entities,
be they alien or otherwise, in order to obtain the knowledge
which they are said to possess, is through the extremely
dangerous practice known as 'channeling'. This technique has
been around for many years, but appears to be experiencing a
surge in popularity as more and more people turn away from
God and the Light, and towards the darkness. Through this
dangerous method, these New Age contactees claim to speak
not only with lifeforms aboard alien spacecrafts, but also
with the spirits of the dead, and with other disembodied
entities; which as we saw in part four, is strictly against
the Word of God.
One deceptive New Age work which appears to have a wide
following, is the Urantia Book; which I prefer to call the
Unbelief Book, being as it totally denies the necessity of
the Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ. Please see my in-depth
article entitled 'The Urantia Book: An Attack On The Blood
Atonement' for more information on this topic. The main
point I wish to make at this time, is that the Urantia Book
is also the result of channeling performed during the first
half of this century; regardless of what its supporters like
to call it. A three-volume work called 'Conversations With
Nostradamus' is likewise the result of channeling; and the
interpretations of the cryptic quatrains is said to have
come straight from Nostradamus himself! Remember again the
somber warning from the Apostle Paul in his second Epistle
to Timothy:
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:13)
Exactly how does Jesus Christ fit into the 'Space Brothers'
scenario? Well, while some of those people do accept Jesus,
they do not view Him as the only begotten Son of God, nor as
the Saviour of the world, but only as one of the 'Ascended
Masters'. These 'enlightened beings' are said to be Earthly
spiritual masters, such as Buddha, who have ascended to the
Spiritual Realm, where they have each taken their place as a
part of the 'Great White Brotherhood'. As I stated a moment
ago, the 'Space Brothers', it is claimed, will help 'Mother
Earth', or 'Gaea', a word derived from ancient Greek myths,
in her 'Ascension Plan'.
Some of this same New Age psychobabble is also embraced and
preached by Native-American false prophets such as Robert
Morningsky. Other New Agers, such as Mr. Sheldon Nidle, have
been spreading silly rumours about an imminent, massive UFO
landing by the so-called 'Galactic Federation' for a number
of years now. I lost count of how many times this landing
has been delayed, and Mr. Nidle has been forced to dream up
another excuse for the same. The next time someone tries to
convince you to accept this New Age psychobabble from the
stars, you might want to remind them of the source of their
delusion. The Apostle Paul perfectly identified this demon
from the sky for us when he wrote:
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience:" (Ephesians 2:2)
The word 'prince' is derived from the Greek word 'archon',
which means ruler, prince, chief ruler, commander or leader.
The word 'power' is derived from the Greek word 'exousia',
which means power, authority and jurisdiction. And finally,
the word 'air' is derived from the Greek word 'aer', which
itself is derived from 'aemi'. This refers to the lower and
denser air, as well as the atmospheric region. Clearly then,
this verse is stating that Satan has jurisdiction over the
atmospheric heavens which surround the Earth; which just so
happens to be the same place where UFO's are encountered!
Might this be the same as the 'high places' to which Paul is
referring in this next verse? And don't forget; Satan and
his followers can indeed appear as angels of light; or maybe
as glowing disks?:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places." Ephesians 6:12, KJV
In light of these Scriptural facts, it is interesting to
note that while there have been a number of very 'positive'
aliens and UFO's movies and television programs, there have
also been quite a few which have taken a very negative twist
as well; in which these space creatures are depicted as evil
entities with only one agenda in mind; and that is to either
enslave, or else to destroy humanity. Such has been the case
with movies and television series such as The Invaders, War
Of The Worlds, Invaders From Mars, V, and the very popular
movie Independence Day: The Fourth Of July. The Internet and
air waves have also been flooded with the likes of Art Bell,
Whitley Strieber, cattle mutilations, alien abductions, crop
circles, Area 51-S4, and much more. Could it be that there
is a grain of truth to the many 'alien' abduction stories
which circulate within the UFO subculture? Furthermore, is
it possible that someone somewhere has discovered the true
nature and evil intent of these supposed 'aliens', and is
trying to tell us that we better get smart and realize who
and what we are really dealing with?
So, as we have already seen, strong delusion and deception
is on the rise in every sphere of our existence. Exactly how
aliens and UFO's may fit into Biblical prophecy, I am not
really certain at this current time. While I do suggest in
some of my articles that some of the Endtime figures may
attempt to deceive the world into believing that they are
advanced alien intelligences, thus hiding the fact that
their powers are really spiritual, and demonic in nature,
further study of the Bible has caused me to doubt this
possibility; and I am having a difficult time reconciling
such ideas with what is actually described in the Holy
Scriptures. I just don't find any strong evidence which
points to the Beast, the False Prophet, or the Anti-Christ
claiming to be from outer space. Endtime prophecy all seems
to occur on a very Earthly plane, according to the normal
course of political and religious events. Of course, as I
have also already pointed out, these events are influenced
by invisible spiritual forces.
Let us return now to the topic which began this series; and
that is the Medjugorje 'visionaries', and deception within
the Body of Christ. One of the things which I find most
disturbing regarding the Medjugorje events, is that I have
read with my own eyes, messages from the 'visionaries', as
well as from other Roman Catholic prophets and prophetesses,
in which 'Mary' claims to be the mediator between God and
man. In fact, in recent years, the members of the 'one true
faith', as some Rome Catholics view themselves, have begun
to refer to Mary as the Co-Mediatrix or Co-Redemptress; thus
making her an equal with Jesus Christ Himself. As sincere,
Bible-believing Christians, we know that this is an absolute
satanic lie; and that it is in direct contradiction to the
Scriptures. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is the
only Mediator between God and man; He alone is the Captain
of our Salvation. These verses make this point very clear:
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)
"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how
much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises." (Hebrews 8:6)
"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament,
that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance." (Hebrews 9:15)
"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24)
"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
Hebrews 2:10, KJV
There should be no doubt in our hearts whatsoever, that any
spiritual manifestation, such as a 'miraculous' appearance,
or a statue which seems to display some kind of 'miraculous'
characteristics, or any other type of manifestation which
detracts from Jesus Christ as being the point of focus of
our Christian faith, and places worship on another person or
object, is not of God, and is one of Satan's counterfeits.
The creation of, and worship of statues of divine goddesses
is by no means a modern concept. As the Bible clearly tells
us, it has been a lucrative business for literally thousands
of years. Consider this incident found in the Book of Acts:
"And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.
For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made
silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the
craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like
occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we
have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at
Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath
persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be
no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this
our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that
the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised,
and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and
the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings,
they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is
Diana of the Ephesians." (Acts 19:23-28)
Whether she is referred to as Aphrodite, Artemis, Ashtar,
Diana, Ishtar, Isis, Venus or Mary, it is all the same thing
under a different wrapper. As I point out in 'Mary Worship,
Christianity And Roman Catholicism', the creation of icons
to Mary, or to any other departed Saint, is nothing short of
pagan idol worship; and the Lord frowned upon such things
throughout the entire Bible. Any religion which encourages
the creation of such statues, which are then kissed, blessed
reverenced, and carried through city streets on a raised
platform, is simply a false idolatrous religion; whether it
be Roman Catholicism or otherwise. Many times in the Bible,
we are told that the Lord is a jealous God, and that He will
have no other gods before Him. One can only imagine how many
millions of dollars must flow into Roman Catholic coffers,
due to the mass production and sale of idols and trinkets,
and due to the many Roman Catholic tourist traps, where the
Catholic faithful go to see 'visions', or to witness their
so-called 'miracles'. It is a worldwide business venture
which Jesus Himself clearly exposed in His own day. Many of
us are familiar with the following scene from the Gospels:
"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all
them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold
doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be
called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of
thieves." (Matthew 21:12-13)
What I find so hypocritical about such practices, is that
where I live, there is a strong Catholic movement to keep
legalized gambling out of our area. While this is indeed a
good thing with which I can agree, at the very same time, on
a worldwide level, the Roman Catholic moneychangers probably
earn billions of dollars from their bingo enterprises, and
other multi-million dollar business ventures and real estate
investments. To me, this certainly sounds like trying to
cast the mote out of their brother's eye, while they still
have a beam in their own eyes; and a very big one at that!
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