Confusion of Forces II

We are coming into the most perilous time in the earths history; a fact that I bring up continuously. I don't want to sound redundant, however, few in the world today really take it to heart. For those who don't know Jesus , it's nothing more than the same type of "doom and gloom" that we've been hearing about for centuries. For most christians, in this country at least, they subscribe to the "we're not going to be here" doctrine and therefore, they don't actively consider this matter. In other words, the abundance of warnings given throughout scripture go unheeded by the masses and as a result, very few are preparing themselves for the days ahead. I'm not talking necesarilly about physical preperations such as stocking up your bomb shelter, although I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from doing so. I'm talking about spiritual preparation; seeking the will of the Lord Jesus, and having your treasures laid up in heaven.

II Timothy 2:4 "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

As we enter into the tribulation, the wheat and the tares will part company. As I write this, it's easy to say "I'm a christian" and to get into a church with a jazzed up worship service featuring all of the bells and whistles of your average rock concert. Such places draw thousands and as a result, we have the megachurch phenomenon of today. When the end time events told about in scripture are in full swing, you can expect a great falling away of "biblical proportions." The tares will never be able to stand and the carnal christians are going to find themselves in dire straits as they never gave thought to those things which they suddenly find themselves confronted with. The christians who follow after signs instead of the Lord Jesus will find themselves in a very confusing situation which brings me to the intended discussion topic of this post. There are real miracles and there will be false miracles; a situation not unlike the days when Moses went before Pharaoh. Here's a sampling of true signs.

Mark 16:16-17 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Ant these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

The gifts of the Spirit have an important role; the deliverance of folks from the power of the enemy being foremost. The gifts of the Spirit will always result in people coming to or drawing closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, when a person is demon possessed and you cast that thing out in the name of Jesus, a deliverance takes place. A person is set free from a bondage that they had no ability to rid themselves of. (In such cases, it's imperative that the delivered person give their heart to Jesus after deliverance. Read Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26) The gift of tongues is the initial sign that a person has received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It's also important in prayer as we don't always know what to pray for and we need to be continuously refreshed. Here's some verses concerning this.

Romans 8:26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

I Corinthians 14:2-3 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort."

Once again, the Holy Ghost will always draw people closer to Jesus. He will not bring honor to a person or a ministry. Jesus Christ will be glorified. This is one of the ways that you can discern between real and not real.

Jude 20-21 "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

As for taking up serpents, this is spiritual warfare that we engage in 24/7 as the enemy is continuously coming at us. I know that some churches in the Appalatians practice "snake handling" but I think that doing such may be tempting the Lord. Likewise, the Lord can protect us if we drink any deadly thing, however, don't go trying it intentionally. The apostle Paul was struck by a viper on the Island of Melita (Malta) as he was bringing firewood. He didn't know about the vipers presence. In this, Jesus Christ was glorified as the people who witnessed the event expected Paul to be done for, and another opportunity to share the gospel arose. Laying hands on the sick is a gift of the Spirit and in this, once again, Jesus Christ is glorified. When Jesus was on earth healing all that were sick and casting out devils, God was glorified. People came from miles around to see him. This brought glory to the Lord; a fact that is ever so important to remember as we come into the time of strong delusions.

False signs and wonders have one function only; to draw people away from the Lord Jesus. They don't offer any form of deliverance, they only serve to "shock and awe" people into following a lie. Here's some exapmles of false signs.

II Thessalonians 2:9-12 "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; 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: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Two thoughts about this. One: if you don't get sin out of your life; I mean strive daily to live a holy life, you'll be in danger of following a strong delusion. In I John we're told that if you love Jesus, you'll want to live for him. Two: during the reign of the antichrist, christians are going to be "prevailed over" in the physical world. To many, this will seem to disprove the authenticity of their faith. They're going to be made to look like the proverbial "cog in the wheel" as the man of sin puts the world back in order. (The devil can only appeal to the flesh)

Revelation 13:12-14 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worshiup the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth bu the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live."

These signs do not deliver. They don't set men free. They lead men into a delusional hope that will end up in a lake of fire. I cannot stress enough how perilous these times are. If you don't give your heart to jesus; if you hold on to sin, if you love your life in this world, if you continue going about your daily activities as though nothings ever going to change, you'll believe a lie. The antichrist is going to appear as a type of "messiah" He's going to bring the world into a new age of "enlightenment" and do away with the seemingly "backward thinking" christians and anyone who doesn't get on board with his plan for a new world order. If you have been watching the in-roads of new age thinking into our society as of late, you can see just how easy it will be for men to "wonder after the beast."

Revelation 16:13-14 "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."

If you don't know jesus, please turn to him now. If you've been following afar off, please draw nigh to him. Get as close as possible. The lies of the age are going to be so strong as to deceive even the very elect. Please give this matter all diligence. Search the scriptures and search your heart. I'll close with what Jesus told us in Luke 21:19. I quote it a lot, so let me quote it once again.

"In your patience possess ye your souls"