Presents
LYING WONDERS OF THE ENDTIME PART 4
One of the most enticing aspects of Roman Catholic Saint and
idol worship, is that of the concept of secrets. This is one
of Satan's favorite tricks with occult religions. He is the
master when it comes to arousing the curiosity of we humans,
through some purported hidden knowledge, which will only be
revealed to those who have been found worthy of such honor.
We find this very same ploy being used in kabalism, masonry,
satanism, illuminism, etc. Please don't ever forget that
Satan knows exactly how to use human pride and vanity, in
order to bring about our downfall. Isn't this exactly what
he did with Adam and Eve? Didn't he convince them that God
was holding back important information from them? Consider
the tempting words which that subtle serpent used in order
to bring rebellion, sin and death into the world:
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden?" (Genesis 3:1)
You see; Satan was basically saying, 'Hey, I know something
that you don't know. I have a secret that I want to share
with you. God hasn't told you everything, and He is afraid
for you to find this out.'. If one carefully examines the
history of Fatima, and closely studies the messages from
Medjugorje, as I did for a time, this is precisely what he
will discover. The 'visionaries' have supposedly been given
some secret knowledge which is not meant to be revealed to
the world yet; and it attracts the unwary and the ignorant
like flies to a pile of garbage! If you doubt that this is
so, consider the years of controversy which have surrounded
the third secret of Fatima. All of these deceptive religions
and brotherhoods boast of some level of secret wisdom and
knowledge which is hidden below the surface, and just out of
sight. Well, if it is below the surface, then it is in the
dark; and it is a work of darkness; and we are not to have
anything to do with it. We will look at this topic again in
part eight of this series.
So again, this idea of secrets is all a well-laid-out plan
by Satan, because God's true Word is open to the entire
world, both to read and to study. It isn't just meant for a
chosen few, such as when the Roman Catholic hierarchy kept
the Scriptures in Latin for literally centuries, in order to
keep the truth out of the hands of the common people. The
Word of God is meant for anyone, and for everyone, who has a
sincere desire to know and to understand it, in order that
he might freely receive Eternal Life. As the Scriptures tell
us plainly:
"...freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8, KJV
"And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under
a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a
candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be
manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it
should come abroad." Mark 4:21,22, KJV
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?" Romans 8:32, KJV
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst
of the fountain of the water of life freely."
Revelation 21:6, KJV
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that
heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
Revelation 22:17, KJV
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him." James 1:5, KJV
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you." John 14:26, KJV
So again, any belief system which claims to possess some
esoteric knowledge, or some secret wisdom which is only
reserved for a chosen few, such as the set of secrets which
were supposedly revealed only to the children at Medjugorje,
should be viewed with extreme suspicion. Through his subtle,
deceptive works, Satan, the false angel of light, will cause
a person to fall into disbelief, or to accept a counterfeit
religion; such as we see today in Roman Catholicism, and in
many other false religions around the world as well. Is it
really any wonder that in this age of strong delusion and
lying wonders, that many people are attracted by the occult,
by self-styled psychics, by horoscopes, by New Age thought,
by aliens and UFO's, and by other similar satanic traps? All
of these things use knowlege of the unknown to attract their
victims; and the secrets of Fatima and Medjugorje are no
different.
To reiterate what I said earlier; as far as I am concerned,
any being, whether human, 'alien' or spiritual, which denies
the Divinity and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ, is a liar and
a deceiver. They are anti-christ! Any church, organization,
fellowship, faith or religious doctrine which seeks to lower
Jesus from His unique status as the only begotten Son of God
who alone died for the sins of the world, is also promoting
a lie and a deception. As I explain in my article 'The Holy
Qur'an: Doctrine Of Devils', this is exactly what is taught
by Islam. While the Muslims accept Jesus Christ as a great
Prophet of God, they do not believe that God has a Son. Not
only that, but they also claim that Muhammad was the final,
and the greatest prophet, who likewise ascended bodily into
paradise. Allow me to remind you of what Jesus taught us
concerning those who came before Him, and those who would
come after Him as well:
"All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but
the sheep did not hear them." (John 10:8)
"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)
Let me warn you. Satan is so subtle, that there are even
some people who claim to believe in Jesus as the Son of God,
yet they teach that His Blood Sacrifice was not necessary
for our Salvation. Such is the case with that damnable book
of heretics, the Urantia Book, which I mentioned earlier.
That damnable tome casts serious doubt upon the necessity of
our Lord's Sacrifice. The Urantia Book is nothing but New
Age psychobabble, full of lies and subtle distortions of the
truth, so don't you believe it! It is poison for your soul!
Let us return now to our discussion on false manifestations.
The sad truth is that some Christians are so eager for real,
physical proof in order to boost their faith, that they will
readily accept anything which appears to be miraculous in
nature, as automatically coming from the Hand of God; and
this is a serious error. If there is one lesson which I am
constantly trying to impress upon my readers, it is that
they should not accept things on their face value. In our
modern day, it seems that many Christians are desirous of
obtaining the more noticeable Gifts of the Spirit; such as
Speaking in Tongues, and the Gift of Prophecy. The desire
for these particular Gifts, is due in part to the erroneous
doctrine which is spread by some churches and denominations,
which basically teaches that unless a person manifests such
Gifts, he is not truly filled with God's Holy Spirit.
In my view, this is an absolute lie. As I point out in some
of the articles mentioned earlier in this series, these are
not the most important Gifts of the Spirit. Furthermore,
while Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy are available to us
Christians, it is important to realize that they can also
become a trap, and a snare; particularly for those people
who are proud in the flesh. In other words, the exercise of
such Gifts can easily change from being Christ-glorifying,
to self-glorifying. They can cause one to boast in the flesh
of some false spirituality. If that weren't enough, another
danger here, is that some people may desire these two Gifts
so much, that they will actually deceive themselves into
believing that they possess them when they really don't. On
a subconscious level, they will begin to try to mimic those
around them who really do possess these Gifts; and this can
obviously lead to the potential danger of false prophecies
being uttered in the Body of Christ, which I will address
again in a moment.
To be quite honest with you, I consider the Gifts of Wisdom,
Knowledge, and Spiritual Discernment, to be of much more
importance and value in our daily Christian walk of faith,
than the Gift of Tongues, and the Gift of Prophecy. Let us
speak honestly here. If more people possessed these Gifts,
instead of some of the others, perhaps we would not see so
many Christians who have been duped by these false prophets,
messengers and 'visionaries'. While some of these Christians
understand that we are supposed to try, or test, the spirits
according to John's admonition, as I mentioned in part one,
what they fail to realize, is that just because a person
verbally confesses belief in Jesus Christ is not enough. In
response to the statement I have just made, some Christians
may be tempted to reply by quoting some of the following
verses to me:
"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting
out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we
forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said,
Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle
in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me."
Mark 9:38,39, KJV
"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by
the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."
1 Corinthians 12:3, KJV
"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and
even now already is it in the world." 1 John 4:2,3, KJV
If we were to limit our research to these verses alone, it
would definitely seem that I am wrong in my assertion; thus,
some people will say, 'See; that person believes in Jesus
Christ; so the miracles they are doing must surely be of
God'. Or they might say, 'Surely that man is a prophet of
God. He openly confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour!'.
Or perhaps someone else will say 'How can you doubt those
visionaries? They have accepted Christ into their lives'.
What such people fail to do, is to balance Scripture with
Scripture. This is one lesson which I have tried to teach my
readers over and over again. In fact, in a number of my
articles. I speak quite extensively regarding this issue;
such as in 'Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth'. While all
of the previous verses are indeed true, they only represent
half of the Scriptural picture. For example, consider the
following verse which paints a very different picture:
"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)
Do you see that? The devils believe in God; the demons know
who God is; but in their rebellious state, they don't accept
His authority over their lives. In like manner, just because
a certain person claims to believe in Jesus Christ, is still
not sufficient proof that their miraculous works are truly
of God; after all, even the devils fear and tremble, and
recognize God the Father. Not only that, but in the Gospels,
we find at least one example of a certain demon-possessed
person who knew, recognized and confessed that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. Consider the story of the demoniac who
was possessed by many devils named Legion, found in the
eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew:
"And when he was come to the other side into the country of
the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils,
coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man
might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying,
What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art
thou come hither to torment us before the time?"
(Matthew 8:28-29)
Just as James wrote, these devils trembled before Jesus'
presence. They knew who He was; and they also knew what
awaited them in the future. Notice that they say 'Art thou
come hither to torment us before the time?'. It should be
clear then that it isn't that Satan and his demons don't
know who Jesus and His Father are, it is simply that they
reject their Divine Authority. In like manner, there are
many Christians in the world today, both within and without
churches and organizations, who claim to believe in Jesus
Christ. To say one believes in Jesus is easy; people do it
every day. Words are cheap; but some of these people are not
very sincere. They aren't speaking from their hearts, but
only from their heads. Jesus exposed such people very well,
when during a certain clash with the Jews, He quoted from
the Prophet Isaiah. Consider the following verses:
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near
me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but
have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward
me is taught by the precept of men:" Isaiah 29:13, KJV
"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from
me." Matthew 15:7,8, KJV
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied
of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth
me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."
Mark 7:6, KJV
"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will
doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:"
Ephesians 6:6,7, KJV
The Salvation forumula is not based upon verbal confession
alone. It isn't just making a verbal show in the flesh in
order to impress others, but rather it is really believing
in our hearts as well. The Apostle Paul made this very clear
when he wrote the following lines to the Roman brethren:
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
Thus we see that there are clearly two conditions to one's
Salvation; believing inwardly; and confessing openly. Sadly,
some people confess Christ openly, but they don't really
believe inwardly. As I pointed out in part one, this is
precisely what has been happening since the First Century
Church. Even back then, Satan had already crept into the
flocks of God via the false Jewish brethren, in order to sow
division and discord within the Church, so that he could
ultimately destroy the Work of God from within. In speaking
of these false brethren who confess with their mouths, but
yet who deny within their hearts, King Solomon was inspired
to write the following in the Book Of Proverbs:
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an
abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and
hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth
wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to
mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that
soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)
This is precisely what these false brethren were doing. They
were openly saying, 'Of course we accept Jesus Christ as the
Messiah; ...but!'; and then they would begin spreading their
damnable lies, doubts, heresies and false doctrines. These
subtle deceivers were, and are, wolves in sheep's clothing,
who like to lie in wait, in order to deceive, and to devour
the flocks of God with their twisted doctrines, and their
lying, miraculous wonders, when the proper moment arrives.
Consider the following verses which clearly expose their
evil nature:
"The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels
of the wicked are deceit. The words of the wicked are to lie
in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall
deliver them." Proverbs 12:5,6, KJV
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
(Matthew 7:15)
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves:
be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
(Matthew 10:16)
"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in
wait to deceive;" Ephesians 4:14, KJV
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
(1 Peter 5:8)
Some of these sly wolves are priests, pastors, ministers and
shepherds who have totally compromised the true message of
the Gospel, in order that they might retain their wealth,
and their positions of authority, control and respect within
their particular church or fellowship. As I mention in other
articles, the Prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah both exposed the
sins and hypocrisy of these false religionists in their day.
Please read Ezekiel chapter thirty-four for a clear example
of this. While these Prophets were referring to the false
Jewish shepherds of their own day, it is very alarming to
see how their descriptions can easily be applied to members
of the Christian leadership today. I am reminded of Jesus'
warning found in Matthew chapter seven:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Please take careful note of the previous verses. To whom is
Jesus addressing His Words? Who is He describing here? Is it
the leaders and shepherds of other non-Christian religions?
Are they the ones who would be doing these things in His
Name? Definitely not! The Lord is clearly talking about the
Christian shepherds who deceive their flocks by their lying
wonders! Notice that they say 'Have we not prophesied in thy
name?'. Have we not seen this very thing in our current day?
The churches are filled with deceptive false prophets and
visionaries; from the charismatic Catholics, to the more
liberal Pentecostals! We find them on the radio and on the
television set as well; and the Internet is literally full
of sites which contain messages from 'wannabe' prophets. It
seems that everyone has their in-house prophets who tickle
the ears of the Believers with what they want to hear; even
if it is false and never comes to pass. Consider the
following verses:
"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by
their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will
ye do in the end thereof?" Jeremiah 5:31, KJV
"For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not
sent them, saith the LORD." Jeremiah 29:9, KJV
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;"
2 Timothy 4:3, KJV
So you see, Satan has been using the false prophecy trick
for literally thousands of years; and yet God's children
continue to be deceived by it. In particular, I am reminded
of the followers of William M. Branham, who some people
claim was a great prophet and faith healer of God. In fact,
as I point out in 'Elijah: Where Are The True Prophets Of
God?', Branham boasted of being the Endtime Elijah; and some
of his most ardent followers adamantly believe this to this
very day. I have read Mr. Branham's personal testimony, and
it is clear that this is what he believed. Although he never
came right out and said it directly, it is clearly suggested
and insinuated in his writings. Well, it seems that even
though Mr. Branham has been dead for several decades now, he
has spawned a generation of William Branham clones. I have
met a number of them on the Internet, who have even joined
our online ministry for a time; that is, until I was forced
to remove them. They just love saying 'Thus saith the Lord',
when maybe the Lord really hasn't spoken through them.
Notice that in that previous verse, the Lord says through
the Prophet Jeremiah 'they prophesy falsely unto you in my
name: I have not sent them'. The Apostle Paul also tells us:
"And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets." 1 Corinthians 14:32, KJV
The word 'subject' in that verse is derived from the Greek
word 'hupotasso' which means to arrange under, to be subject
or subordinate to, to submit to, to obey, or to yield to. In
other words, the true Prophet is supposed to control what
comes out of his mouth. He must spiritually discern first,
that the message that he is receiving is truly of the Lord,
before he speaks it. If he isn't sure, if the message seems
to contradict the Scriptures, then he had better shut up, or
not even start prophesying to begin with.
I have read quite a number of wild predictions, prophesied
by both Christian 'prophets' and New Agers alike; and just
as I pointed out in part one, they have not come to pass. As
such, the Scriptures plainly tell us that we should reject
these people, because they have not truly spoken in the Name
of the Lord. Just like those lying demons, they may say that
they believe in Jesus, and they may even say that they are
speaking in the Name of the Lord, but they are liars! Let me
tell you; pride is a deceiver; and some of these Christian
brethren have indeed fallen into its trap! Since God didn't
choose to make them famous, they have apparently chosen to
cultivate their own images as self-styled prophets. I am
reminded of a story found in the Book of Acts, concerning a
man who was known as Simon the sorcerer. Just like some of
these Christians false prophets today, who aren't satisfied
with being humble servants of the Lord, and thus desire to
be famous prophets and healers, Simon too apparently used
his sorcery in order to perform some amazing feats of magic,
as a way to convince the people of Samaria, that he 'was
some great one':
"But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime
in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of
Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:"
Acts 8:9, KJV
This proud attitude of wanting to be somebody famous, even
if the desire is to be some great, flaming evangelist for
the Lord, is in absolute contradiction to the Scriptures;
yet sadly, modern Christianity is plagued by this sickening
spirit. The humble, sacrificial attitude which is supposed
to characterize real servants of the Lord, who are willing
to die to themselves, and to their own desires of the flesh,
in order to accomplish God's Will in their lives, and thus
be a blessing to others, is clearly revealed in the
following verses:
"(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which
were upon the face of the earth.)" Numbers 12:3, KJV
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall." Proverbs 16:18, KJV
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
Matthew 11:29, KJV
"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 18:4, KJV
"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:28, KJV
"But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he
that shall humble himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:11,12, KJV
"And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto
them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last
of all, and servant of all." Mark 9:35, KJV
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but
whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall
save it." Luke 9:23,24, KJV
"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30, KJV
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever
I command you." John 15:13,14, KJV
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Romans 12:1, KJV
"...I die daily." 1 Corinthians 15:31b, KJV
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."
(2 Corinthians 4:5)
"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:"
Philippians 2:7, KJV
"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble...Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you
up." James 4:6, 10, KJV
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed
with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace
to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"
1 Peter 5:5,6, KJV
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren." 1 John 3:16, KJV
What a far cry from the self-glorifying preachers, teachers
and prophets we find within the Body of Christ today! Lord
help us all to be more Christ-like in our nature, and to
truly be servants of all, as was Christ and His followers.
Is it any wonder then that we must go through the Great
Tribulation, in order to purge out the dross and impurities
in our lives? Truly, in our current state, none of us are
ready to meet our Maker. This is why the Prophet Daniel and
the Apostle Peter were inspired to write:
"Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the
wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall understand."
Daniel 12:10, KJV
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house
of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be
of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
1 Peter 4:17, KJV
Returning to the Lord's words in the Gospel of Matthew,
notice also that some of these false emissaries of Satan
will claim to cast out demons in His Name, and to do many
wonderful works in His Name. Again, remember that these are
supposedly Bible-believing, Christ-accepting Christians who
are saying these things. How does the Lord respond to them
after they make their self-righteous claims? 'I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity'. If you stop and
consider all of the false, staged healings which some phoney
preachers have performed in their tent revivals and on the
television set, plus people who have supposedly been 'slain
in the spirit', and yet others who have reportedly had their
teeth filled with gold by the Lord, etc., it is quite easy
to understand exactly what Jesus might be referring to here.
Stated plainly, He is telling us that such things do not
originate with His Father, but rather with the father of
lies; Satan himself; the false angel of light; because now
is the hour of darkness; and thus, the works of darkness
must be manifested in order to deceive an unbelieving world.
Consider the following verse:
"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and
his glory shall be seen upon thee." Isaiah 60:2, KJV
So the warning is very clear: don't be deceived by these
workers of darkness; regardless of how religious, or how
spiritual they may appear to be! Satan can, will, and has
indeed already begun to perform his mighty signs and lying
wonders, as I have amply demonstrated in this series; and
such things do not originate with the Father of Lights:
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning."
James 1:17, KJV
Now, allow me to ask you a simple question. Do you know why
this is happening today? Not only is it because of unbelief
on the part of the wicked children of the world, but it can
also be attributed to the fact that even those people who do
believe in the Lord, do not know and study the Word of God
as they should. In other words, they don't have a standard
in their lives. To know what is true and what is false, we
must have a reliable standard to follow. We must possess
something with which to compare and judge all matters; and
that is the Word of God. Because some Christians do not take
the time to study the Scriptures for themselves, either due
to laziness, or due to a lack of interest, or possibly due
to a lack of time; and because they depend on others to tell
them what it says or means, such as their priest, pastor or
Catechism teacher, they are being deceived and led astray by
these modern-day false prophets, these secular humanistic
wolves in sheeps' clothing!
Within certain Christian circles, it is believed that, in a
spiritual sense, modern-day America is following a similar
course to that of ancient Israel. In my writings, you will
notice that I often use the very same approach in order to
explain important points. As it was once said, the only
thing we learn from history, is that we never learn from
history; and this certainly applies to Biblical history as
well. In fact, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul was
inspired to write the following words of wisdom:
"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of
the world are come." 1 Corinthians 10:11, KJV
Just as the world today is dying, both physically, and
spiritually, due to a lack of knowledge of the Word of the
Lord, so it was also in the days of ancient Israel. Consider
the following revelatory verses found in the book of the
Prophet Hosea. It is rather amazing how much they sound just
like Christianity, and in particular, apostate America,
today. If you replace the word 'Israel' with 'America' the
similarity becomes even more apparent:
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the
LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God
in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and
stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood
toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every
one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of
the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of
the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive, nor
reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with
the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the
prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will
destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also
reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou
hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy
children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me:
therefore will I change their glory into shame."
Hosea 4:1-7, KJV
Truly, America, and the world in general, is dying in both a
spiritual sense as well as in a physical sense, due to their
lack of knowledge of the Word of the Lord. Notice also that
towards the end of those verses, Hosea writes 'As they were
increased, so they sinned against me'. Just as Israel grew
in numbers and became rich, fat, lazy and self-confident,
and thus forgot her Maker, hasn't America followed a similar
course? Just like ancient Israel, she has polluted the land
which the Lord gave to her; and she has committed every
abominable work imaginable; and has become preoccupied with
building church buildings, instead of worshipping the God of
Heaven in spirit and in truth. Consider again some of these
ancient words which bear a striking resemblance to America:
"And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the
fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered,
ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination."
Jeremiah 2:7, KJV
"For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples;
and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a
fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces
thereof." Hosea 8:14, KJV
Because of her sins, and because of her rebellion against
the Most High, just like ancient Israel, America, and the
world, has already begun to experience a spiritual famine,
as the true Word of God is being withdrawn, and is being
replaced by a counterfeit which does not satisfy. For more
information on this topic, please read the series 'In
Defense Of The KJV'. For now though, please consider the
following revelatory verses:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send
a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst
for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they
shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the
LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair
virgins and young men faint for thirst."
Amos 8:11-13, KJV
Following the central theme of this series, what is so very
deceptive about this spiritual famine, is that most people
do not even realize that it is happening, because they still
have their counterfeit versions of the truth, and they still
have all of their signs and lying wonders, which make it
appear as if everything is okay, when it really isn't. They
don't even realize that they are slowly being starved to
death! Just as in the formation of a piece of petrified
wood, grains of truth are being replaced a little at a time,
so that the changes are imperceptible, except to those who
possess a trained eye. Similar to another ancient prophecy,
the true Manna from Heaven, God's Holy Word, is slowly being
replaced by a loaf of cheap, white, chemicalized bread:
"And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women
shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver
you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be
satisfied." Leviticus 26:26, KJV
So as we can plainly see, because God's people have forsaken
the true Manna from Heaven, and have accepted a counterfeit
form of spirituality, they no longer have the knowledge, or
the skill, to exercise Spiritual Discernment. If they were
to return to the Lord, and to seriously studying His true
Word, then they would quickly realize that Mary cannot be a
'co-redemptress' or a 'co-mediatrix'. They would also come
to understand that Jesus is not just an 'Ascended Master' or
one of many 'Space Brothers'. In like manner, they would
know that God does not need to fill people's teeth with gold
when He can quite easily replace the entire tooth if He so
desires. By the same token, they would realize that barking
like dogs, roaring like lions, rolling on the floor foaming
at the mouth, being 'slain in the spirit', succumbing to
uncontrollable laughter, stomping their feet in a frenzy,
twitching like a dead man, and other such things are not of
the Spirit of the Lord, but rather are of Satan the false
angel of light.
Concerning the Jews, they too would realize that the coming
Anti-Christ is a fake and a usurper, and not their Messiah.
They would know that God does not require of them to build
another Temple, or to sacrifice anew, because Jesus was the
Final Sacrifice, and we are His true Spiritual Temple; of
which Jesus Christ is the chief Cornerstone; precisely as
was written by the Apostles Peter and Paul:
"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
And they truly were many priests, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when
he offered up himself." Hebrews 7:22-27, KJV
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded
together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Ephesians 2:19-22, KJV
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is
contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief
corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded." 1 Peter 2:5,6, KJV
For more information on the true seed of Abraham, please
refer to the series 'Is God A Racist?'. Similarly, if the
Muslims were to accept God's inspired Holy Word, they too
would realize that the False Prophet and the Beast are not
their religious and military saviours. They would know that
the messages received by Mohammad were not from the real
Angel Gabriel, and that God does indeed have a Son who died
for the sins of the world, including for their sins as well.
So much deception could be easily avoided; but sadly, for
the time being, this is not to be; and the strong delusion
continues; because the world has rejected the true God of
Heaven, and His inspired Word.
Through a preponderance of Scriptural evidence, I have been
exposing the strong delusion which is to prevail in these
Last Days. Just as God has granted His children the Power to
perform miracles for His glory, those devoted to Satan have
likewise been given this same power; and they have, and will
continue to use it, in greater and more deceptive ways. This
is the age of strong delusion; this is the age of lying
wonders; and I would dare say that we have only seen the
beginning of it!
Contrary to those people who must require signs and wonders
before they will believe, as true children of the King, we
must realize that this is the age of grace, and of faith. As
such, we should not need outward signs and wonders, or some
kind of spiritual crutches, in order to increase, bolster or
maintain our faith. Even if we personally never witness a
miracle, we cannot, and should not, stop believing; after
all, with most of us, it didn't require a miracle for us to
begin believing in the first place; did it? That being the
case, we should not need them now either; for as the Apostle
Paul was inspired to write:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
In my personal life, I have never seen an Angel; at least
not to my knowledge; or a bleeding statue, or a stigmata, or
a crying statue of Jesus or Mary, or a bona fide miracle of
healing, or a vision; yet I believe in the Lord with all my
heart, in spite of this lack of confirmatory signs. Why is
this? It is because my faith is founded solely upon the Word
of God; it is founded upon His precious promises to me; and
upon nothing else. As I mentioned in part seven, the Word is
the Standard in my life. It is the Foundation of my faith.
If the Lord has magnified His Word above all else, should
not we do the same? Should we not believe in it, and trust
in it with full confidence, even if we never witness a sign
of any kind? Consider the following verses which establish
the sureness, and the immutability of God's Word:
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of
man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not
do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
(Numbers 23:19)
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name
for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast
magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalms 138:2)
"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy
righteous judgments endureth for ever." (Psalms 119:160)
"LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."
(Psalms 119:89)
"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy
word." (Psalms 119:114)
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever:
nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and
God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which
hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been;
and God requireth that which is past."
(Ecclesiastes 3:14-15)
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there
is none else; 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, saying, My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" (Isaiah 46:9-10)
"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as
it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy
sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."
(Romans 3:4)
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16)
"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began;" (Titus 1:2)
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do
well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in
your hearts:...For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost." (2 Peter 1:19, 21)
I have learned to believe in, know and accept Jesus Christ
through the written Word; the Bible. As I mentioned earlier
in this discussion, it is through prayerfully reading, and
patiently and earnestly studying the Bible, that we can all
come to understand what is true and what is false. If more
people would take the time to do this, perhaps they would
not be so easily deceived by the false prophets and many
lying wonders which are even now manifesting themselves in
the world. In the following verses, the Lord tells us that
we must compare the fruit, that is, the effect, that these
'miraculous' or supernatural occurrences and other phenomena
are having on our lives, and on the lives of others as well,
in order to know if these miracle workers are truly of God.
Furthermore, we must look beyond these signs and wonders,
and carefully examine what such people teach and preach, in
order to see if it is in accordance with God's Word; because
that is the true test of such people and events:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth
good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into
the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
(Matthew 7:15-20)
Jesus is telling us plainly that the way to know whether or
not a particular religion, doctrine, practice, manifestation
or person is of God, is by the kind of fruit it bears; just
like a real fruit tree. If it is a good tree, it will bear
good fruit; and if it is an evil tree, it will bear evil
fruit. Exactly what is meant by good fruit? Quite simply, if
something increases your faith in the Lord, if it increases
your desire to study His Word, and if it motivates you to
manifest your love towards others by sharing God's Word with
them, so that they too are given the opportunity to believe
in Jesus and thus inherit Eternal Life, then it is more than
likely good fruit. This is the only fruit that will last
into the next life. If you are interested in reading more
about bearing good fruit for God's Kingdom, please refer to
such articles as 'Are You Bearing Good Fruit For The Lord?',
'Once Upon A Time: A True Story', and others which discuss
Christian discipleship.
But what about those people who have built their lives upon
a false foundation, and not upon faith in Jesus Christ and
His Word? What about the people who have allowed themselves
to be deceived by the lying wonders of the Endtime, who have
foolishly accepted these other belief systems with their
false prophets, their false messiahs, and their so-called
miracles? What will happen to them? The Word of God clearly
tells us that they will fail to pass the test. In fact, we
are told that whatever is not built upon the True Rock, that
is, upon Jesus Christ and His Word, will be burned. That is
why Jesus, Peter, Paul, John and others us that we will all
be judged by our works at the time of the Great White Throne
Judgment. Consider the following verses:
"If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he
shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned,
he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so
as by fire." (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)
"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that
pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy
soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every
man according to his works?" Proverbs 24:12, KJV
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father
with his angels; and then he shall reward every man
according to his works." Matthew 16:27, KJV
"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of
persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time
of your sojourning here in fear:" 1 Peter 1:17, KJV
"...I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will
give unto every one of you according to your works."
Revelation 2:23b, KJV
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labours; and their works do follow them."
Revelation 14:13, KJV
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their
works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works."
Revelation 20:12,13, KJV
So as can be seen, it is extremely important that our faith
is only in Jesus Christ, and in no one, or in anything else.
If what you currently believe in or practice causes you to
place your faith in someone, or in something other than
Jesus Christ, then I urge you to be extremely careful. In
fact, I urge you to submit yourself to God, and to flee from
these works of darkness immediately! As we saw in part four,
Jesus is the only Light of the World; and being as we are
His children through adoption, we too must dwell only in the
Light. You will find more on this topic in the article 'The
Children Of Light: Are You One Of Us?'. For now though,
please consider the wise counsel found in the following
Scriptures, which warn us to flee from darkness:
"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
(1 Timothy 6:11)
"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,
charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a
pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you." (James 4:7)
"Neither give place to the devil." Ephesians 4:27, KJV
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved." John 3:19,20, KJV
"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on
in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of
course." Psalms 82:5, KJV
"The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what
they stumble." Proverbs 4:19, KJV
"The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh
in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event
happeneth to them all." Ecclesiastes 2:14, KJV
"There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the
workers of iniquity may hide themselves." Job 34:22, KJV
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put
darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter
for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20, KJV
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:
because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world." 1 John 4:4, KJV
"To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man
that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of
uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to
do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose
ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:"
Proverbs 2:12-15, KJV
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us
therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on
the armour of light." Romans 13:12, KJV
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
2 Corinthians 4:6, KJV
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?"
2 Corinthians 6:14, KJV
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord: walk as children of light:...And have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them." (Ephesians 5:8, 11)
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"
Colossians 1:13, KJV
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light,
and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness." 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, 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
"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:" (1 John 1:6)
As the Apostle Paul tells us, we must keep our eyes only
upon Jesus Christ, who is the Author and the Finisher of our
faith, and not look down at the waves; which can be viewed
as being symbolic of the lies and deceptions of Satan. Our
eye must be single, and focused upon Jesus, so that we are
filled with His spiritual Light, and not with the darkness
of demons:
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
"The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye
is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when
thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take
heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not
darkness." Luke 11:34-35, KJV
As can be clearly seen by the previous verses, sadly, some
people prefer to walk in darkness, rather than come to the
Glorious Light of Jesus Christ. They have rejected God, they
have rejected His Word, and they have rejected His rule over
their lives. Just like the proud Jewish Elders of old, such
people are the Children of Rebellion. They are the Children
of Disobedience. They are the Children of Deception. They
are not the Children of God, but rather the blind Children
of Satan, who are currently leading the world into its hour
of greatest darkness:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it...He that is of God heareth God's
words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of
God." (John 8:44, 47)
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry..." (1 Samuel 15:23a)
"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, KJV
"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of
these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of
disobedience." Ephesians 5:6, KJV
"For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the
children of disobedience:" Colossians 3:6, KJV
So then, contrary to popular belief, not everyone is a Child
of God by physical birth, or even desires to be a Child of
God. Some people are the Children of Satan by their very own
conscious choice; because every single one of us eventually
reaches the age of accountability, where we must choose our
path for ourselves. No one else can do that for us. We must
all choose between God and Satan. We must choose our master.
We must choose between the Light and Darkness.
![[ CLICK ME! ]](next.gif)
Go To Part Five...
