Global Apostasy

March 26, 2012

By: John Barnett

Read, print and listen to this resource on our website www.DiscoverTheBook.org

As the end of the physical world approaches, earth’s darkest spiritual hour also arrives.

Satan knows that God has plans to save “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9).

So, trying to thwart God’s harvest of precious souls and to prevent the world from coming to Christ, Satan has deployed legions of liars. False sign posts—all pointing people away from Christ. This is not new to our generation. False teachers have been a part of the landscape from the start.

Things were so bad one hundred years ago, that the greatest Bible teachers of that generation banded together to put up the flag of truth. What those men did is now a common form of mockery in the world. They sat down and declared what were the non-negotiables of the faith.

Global Apostasy

But as we open to Matthew 24 again, we are opening to what I consider one of the saddest doctrines in the Bible--the teaching in God's Word about the antichrist, and Satan’s all out, final assault upon the Gospel.

When Christ Returns there is a powerful, pervasive, and universal leader who speaks eternally damnable lies--backed by the most believable signs and wonders ever witnessed on planet earth.

Please open with me to the next section of Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:5, 11-13 "For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved." [there is a timeless lesson: the best way to combat false doctrine is to be in love with Jesus Christ and fleeing sin].

Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),

Matthew 24:24 "For false christs [pseudo-christs] and false prophets [pseudo-prophets] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. "

At the end of days, Satan sends to earth the expression of all of mankind’s desires in the person of the antichrist. In a very short time almost all of the earth will follow him! That is the saddest commentary on the fallen heart of humanity there could ever be, always making the wrong choice.

The antichrist like Satan—comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Christ, on the other hand came to offer an abundant life. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, I would urge you to receive him today.

When you call upon Christ to save you from your sins, God delivers you from the power of darkness and their eternally damnable lies--and brings you into the wonderful kingdom of His Son.

Lovers of the Truth

Today, just as during the Tribulation years, there will be only two types of people on the planet: truth lovers and truth haters. Open now to 2 Thessalonians 2, and stand with me to see that dark hour.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

The Fundamentals of The Faith

At the end of days, truth is under attack and lies will abound.

That is why Jesus said watch out for false teachers and counterfeit religion. When faced with a similar situation at the turn of the century, evangelicals produced a work called the FUNDAMENTALS in 1909-1915.

The writers read like a “Who’s Who of Christianity” of the day:

• R.A. Torrey [D.L. Moody’s assistant and then the founder of Biola, the Bible Institute of LA],

• B.B. Warfield [of Westminster Seminary],

• J.C. Ryle [a well known pastor and devotional writer],

• G. Campbell Morgan [an expositor pastor],

• C.I. Scofield [of the study Bible],

• James M. Gray [Moody Bible Institute],

• A.T. Pierson [devotional writer], and so on.

These men distilled down the fundamental beliefs that distinguish a true believer from a false or counterfeit one. They boiled down all theology into seven essentials. They then presented and explained these seven doctrines in a muti-volume set of books called “The Fundamentals”.

Here is their list of the seven essentials, and the guide to use to uncover when someone is a false-teacher and on a course of “falling away”.

1. INSPIRATION: All we know and believe about God is based on His Word, so they affirmed the Inspiration and Reliable Historicity of the Bible.

2. CREATION: God is revealed from cover-to-cover in His Word as the Creator of the Universe just as described in the Bible, so they exposed the grave errors of Evolutionism and Darwinism.

3. DOCTRINE: God’s Word teaches clear doctrines about Jesus Christ and His Church, so they specifically named the cults who presented false gospels in their day such as the errors of the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormonism, Christian Science, Spiritism, and so on.

4. DEPRAVITY: God's Word declares the reality of sin, so they affirmed that man is not basically good, but born a sinner.

5. SUBSTITUTION: God's Word only presents Biblical salvation as received only by faith in the God-incarnate Christ Jesus who became sin for sinners to save them.

6. IMPUTATION: God's Word teaches that salvation can not be earned at any level, and is dispensed by God not by any church and cleric, thus they clearing exposed the errors of Roman Catholicism, and every other religion of human achievement and works righteousness.

7. CHRISTOLOGY: Finally, they most fervently declared that all error starts in some way with an incorrect view of Christ, so they strongly affirmed the Deity, the work, and the personal visible Return of Christ.

The godly Bible teachers of a century ago were making a “most wanted” poster for believers—showing who the enemies were of the truth. So how do we spot these false teachers? What do these signposts pointing people in the wrong direction believe and teach? What is the message promoted by Satan’s legion of liars?

Often it is not what they say—but what they don’t say that identifies them! What do false teachers deny? How do you spot a false teacher? There are clear signs of an apostate or false teacher. Lets look at several different passages and then at one long and very clear one. First some characteristics of false teachers:

Characteristics of (or How to Spot) a False Teacher

1. THEY DENY CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY.

1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, "

2. THEY DENY OUR LIBERTY IN CHRIST.

1 Timothy 4:3 "forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth."

3. THEY DENY DIVINE POWER.

2 Timothy 3:4-5 "traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

4. THEY DENY BIBLICAL TRUTH.

2 Timothy 3:8 "Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;"

5. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF SOUND DOCTRINE.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."

6. THEY DENY THE DEITY OF CHRIST.

2 Peter 2:1 "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves." (NIV)

7. THEY DENY THE REALITY OF CHRIST COMING AGAIN.

2 Peter 3:3-4 "knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

8. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF PERSONAL HOLINESS.

Jude 18 "how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts."

9. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Jude 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

Peter’s List: Identifying Marks of Those Who Are False, Unreal, and Not of God

But the longest list describing these apostates that would multiply as the last days draw near, is in II Peter. Listen as Peter launches into an extended description of these false teachers we need to beware of and avoid at all costs.

2 Peter 2:12-17 "But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. "

• They are UNGODLY (v. 12a): they are described as being “like natural brute beasts”. There is no god-likeness in them. They do not have God as their father, rather they are of their father the devil—so they act like him—killing spiritual life, stealing spiritual truth, and destroying spiritual power.

• They are UNRESTRAINED (v. 12b): they are described as those who “speak evil of the things they do not understand”. Before they even hear or understand something they are so unrestrained that they just blurt out disagreement and evil.

• They are UNENLIGHTENED (v. 12c): they are described as “they do not understand”. The things of God are foolishness to them. They can’t understand, won’t understand, and do not want to seek and find the truth. They do not love the truth—they hate it and go away from it.

• They are UNRIGHTEOUS (v. 13a): they are described as “receive the wages of unrighteousness”. They earn the judgment of God because they work at being unrighteous. They work at not being like God, they don’t want Him or His ways—but they work at the opposite.

• They are UNASHAMED (v. 13b): they are described as “as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime”. They aren’t ashamed of sin—they love it. They don’t run from sin—they run at it. They don’t grieve over their sin—they revel in it, brag about it, show it off and try to entice others into their sin.

• They are UNFORGIVEN (v. 13c): they are described as “They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you” They look like a black spot on a while cloth in God’s sight when they get around believers. God sees us clothed in Christ's righteousness, we are washed and forgiven. They are lost and unforgiven—they ooze uncleansed sins. They are spots of contamination when near the chaste, pure and white bride of Jesus. They flaunt their sins in the face of holiness. They mock and scoff and laugh at the ways of God’s servants. But note they “feast with you” they come to be around God’s people, share in worship, sit side by side with the saints but are never changed, never cleansed, never forgiven, never filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

• They are UNREPENTANT (v. 14a): they are described as “having eyes full of adultery”. They never turn away only toward their sin. They seek evil to the max, they go for it and live it up in the ways of this work. There is no change of heart, mind, or direction. No remorse, no regret, no retreat from sin. They keep their tanks filled with sins of their pleasing. The word full is the same as in John 21:11 when Jesus made the nets of the disciples to bulge near breaking with an overflowing catch of fish—these sinners are bursting with evil desires, their eyes and minds bulge to overflow with sin.

• They are UNSATISFIED (v. 14b): they are described as “and that cannot cease from sin”. They are addicted to sin. They are drawn by the cords of the flesh and can’t seem to stop. In one form or another they are constantly seeking and finding their own way. And as God says, they have less and less return on their sin so they have to chase it harder each day. They get emptier and they get more and more unsatisfied by their sin—so they have to seek out, invent, and try more and more ways to satisfy their cravings—until it is too late to ever stop.

• They are UNDISCIPLINED (v. 14c): they are described as “enticing unstable souls”. They can’t keep to themselves. Sin loves company. They want to feel better by being sure others are doing what they are doing so they entice others to share in their sins. They are emissaries of the devil by leading other blind ones into the deep ditches of their sins.

• They are UNHEEDING (15-16): they are described as “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet”. No one can stop them, they won’t listen. They can’t hear. They shut out the truth, they resist conviction, and they get more and more unresponsive and hardened towards the things of God.

• They are UNREAL (v. 17a): they are described as “These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest”. They look promising but are empty. They are driven and just crash on the rocks. Nothing lasts in their lives, nothing is useful for God or others—they just waste life in a flaming bonfire of their own vanities.

• They are UNSAVED (v. 17b): they are described as “for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” The place of the devil they earn for them selves. The abode of the damned they seek through life and finally find it. The light is forsaken and fled from instead of sin. The reservations in heaven are unwanted, unsought, and unfound—hell is their destination forever.

Ship wrecked lives follow the false teaching of false teachers and the false hopes of false christs. This morning this is a warning to Christ's church. Are you following a lifestyle or a teachermodel or hero who is:

• UNGODLY

• UNRESTRAINED

• UNENLIGHTENED

• UNRIGHTEOUS

• UNASHAMED

• UNFORGIVEN

• UNREPENTANT

• UNSATISFIED

• UNDISCIPLINED

• UNHEEDING

• UNREAL

• UNSAVED

This all leads to the reality that we are seeing the sixth trend of ten prophetic trends signaling the end of days.

#6: The Sign of the Global Apostasy, Demonism, and Hatred of Christianity

Paul, Jude, and Peter all foresaw an immense surge in religious leaders and their followers “falling away” from the truth in the last days. The ultimate expression of that is in the Antichrist himself. Do you remember the others?

The Signs of the End of Days

#1: The Sign of Global Travel

Daniel was overwhelmed when he caught a glimpse of the number and speed at which people were moving about the planet.

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

No one in the history of this planet ever traveled like we who are alive today can travel. This is the time of the end of the world!

# 2: The Sign of a Global Explosion of Information

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

It is only in this generation that last year's encyclopedia is about as useful as last month's newspaper. It has been said that the sum of human knowledge from the Flood to 1850 doubled once. It doubled again following World War II. The doubling of human knowledge increases exponentially.

In short, the trend of global information increasing (not knowledge) is exploding.

#3: The Sign of Global Weather Awareness

Jesus foresaw the time when weather would be so bad that not just a few, but the whole world would be troubled, fearful, and killed by the fear of chaotic weather that would become prevalent.

Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "

No wonder Jesus said that weather going wild would cause people to die from fear of what they saw coming!

#4: The Sign of Global Communication

God's Word explicitly declares that mankind will be able to see and hear globally. When the world fastest know means of travel was the speed of a horse—God says the whole world will see an event and all at the same time, celebrate that event!

Truly global communication was foreseen.

• Revelation 11:9-10 "Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth."

• Revelation 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. "

The Bible predicts that the entire world will "see" certain events unfold. The invention of the television and the deployment of global satellite networks during the 20th century allow news to travel the world at the speed of light for the first time ever.

#5: The Sign of Global Commerce: Digitalized Money, Global Tracking and Positioning

God's Word describes a future time when money is tied to a number, and only with that number can anything be bought or sold. There would be technology capable of tracking the world's population and commerce.

Revelation 13:16-17 "He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

The World Detached from Truth—Shipwrecks

Love of the truth as we saw earlier in 2nd Thessalonians 2, is the proof of salvation. Lost ones never receive a love of the truth so they never seek out and find Christ's offer of salvation.

To not love the truth leads to “ship wreck”; it meant that the ship you trusted to take you across the dangerous waters had failed you and you were not going to make it. If you lose your ship in the midst of the sea there is usually no hope, no place to go—and certain death.

Think of the implications of being in a doomed boat. Not believing the truth about God means that all who count on a lie to get them safely to the other shore—are lost forever!

Remember that Paul uses this word to describe those who thrust away sound doctrine and try to sail on their own and without Christ's way, truth and life.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 "having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."

What can cause a soul to be shipwrecked? False teachers and belief in a false Christ. That was one of Christ's constant warnings.

The most dangerous shipwreck is not the one that merely endangers your body. Jesus warns that false teaching can sink your soul as well.

So how do we stay safe as these dark days cast their shadow across society, media, culture, and every other realm of daily life? Only one way—check the anchor of your soul.

When the world darkens, culture crumbles, and truth dies—you know the end of the world is near.

It is then that Jesus warned that the church would fill up with fruitless counterfeits.

When that happens it is time for believers to brace for the storm that we know is coming. The waves will only increase. Spiritual darkness will only deepen as deceptions grow.

These are days when we who know and love the Lord Jesus should reach into our hearts and grab onto our anchor line and feel it strongly holding us securely—tugging us homeward.

Jesus is Our Anchor

Hebrews 6:11-12, 18-20"And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance (plerophoreo – to overflowingly wear or hold or possess or have) of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." NKJV

We Are Secure Because God's Spirit Seals Us

2 Corinthians 1:22a who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

The ancient world was built around the security of sealed shipments. With all the perils of the Old World it was imperative that a customer knew his shipment was untainted from the journey to him. Thus all the ancients recognized the sealing of goods. This was accomplished by the pressing of a signet ring into soft wax across the opening of a document, tomb, sealed box and so on.

Holy Spirit “Seals” us = security of divine ownership. He is our precious possession. The seal assured three things:

• Certified the contents as authentic.

• Signified the presence of the owner.

• Verified the image of the signet was transferred.

We are secure because God's Spirit Secures 2 Corinthians 1:22b and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Holy Spirit also given to us as a pledge. God delivered us our engagement ring = security of divine protection

The Holy Spirit signs each saint of God as an authentic original masterpiece. Holy Spirit is poured out on us by our Heavenly Father. Thus to have been “anointed” means we bear the signature of God. This signing promises us the security of divine authenticity.

#6: The Sign of the Global Apostasy, Demonism, and Hatred of Christianity

Paul, Jude, and Peter all foresaw an immense surge in religious leaders and their followers “falling away” from the truth in the last days. The ultimate expression of that is in the Antichrist himself.

As we look at what the earth looks like at Christ's return we see an ominous glbal demonism as we see in Genesis just before the Flood. The absence of truth breeds the multiplication of evil and that is where Satan and his demons thrive.

Look at John’s description of the end of days:

Revelation 9:20-21 "But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts."

Revelation 13:4"So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

Even today we see the British newspapers citing that the majority of British citizens are now pagan (believing in UFO’s, aliens, and ghosts rather than God). In America the surge of interest in the supernatural, spiritism, new age spirituality (that is spirituality unconnected to God's Word or the True God)

Religious apostasy in the ranks of professed Christian leaders is also prophesied in other Scriptures. Not only would false teachers deny the second coming of Christ (2 Peter 3:3), they would even "deny the Lord that bought them" (2 Peter 2:1). Not only would they, despite much education ("ever learning"), still never come "to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7), but even "turn away their ears from the truth and be turned unto fables" (2 Timothy 4:4). All of these prophecies are being fulfilled today throughout the "Christian" world.

• A particularly ominous form of apostasy is to be found in the rapid rise of demonism in the last days. "In the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). Jesus said: "There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders" (Matthew 24:24). During the great tribulation period of the last days, these trends will culminate in a worldwide return to Satan worship

• Revelation 13:4, 8). Before that, they will "worship demons, and idols" (Revelation 9:20) and do so especially in connection with the use of drugs (the word "sorceries," in Revelation 9:21, is a Greek word from which we actually transliterate our English word "pharmaceutical," and means "magical incantations by the ritual use of drugs").

• The amazing upsurge of spiritism, astrology, witchcraft and Satanism all over the world in the past few years, along with the tremendous increase of drug use, especially by young people, certainly is an ominous sign of the imminent advent of the Antichrist. But at the same time it is a striking fulfillment of prophecy. That an age of scientific enlightenment could be followed so quickly by a widespread revival of paganism and occultism would seem paradoxical, but that is exactly what has happened, just as the Bible predicted.

The Sign of Global Groups of False Christianity

• Religious cults would mushroom ( 2 Peter 2:1). Matthew 24:5, 11 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Numerous cults have emerged in these last days. Visit: Apologetics Index Mormonism (carm) Jehovah's Witnesses (carm) A Cult is a Cult (the berean call) Buddhist Prayer Wheel to Top New WTC? (world net daily)

• When Christ Returns there are-- Many would call themselves the Christ . Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Jesus was an itinerate preacher who never traveled outside the tiny nation of Israel and He had the audacity to say that many would come in His name, claiming to be the Christ. And yet today, multitudes within the New Age Movement, Eastern religions, and the cults call themselves the Christ.

• Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

The Sign of Global Hatred of True Biblical Christianity

• Jesus said Christians would be hated for His name's sake. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Luke 21:17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The banning of the Bible, prayer, the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, Christmas songs, etc., reflects this trend. Also consider that more Christians were martyed during the past century than during any other period in history. Visit: Persecution (harpazo network)

• Matthew 24:10-11 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

The Sign of Global Lawlessness That Discharges the Spiritual Zeal of Christ's Church

• Many would forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code: blaspheming, committing adultery, disobeying parents, stealing, lying, coveting, etc. Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

• Revelation 3:14-21 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

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