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People of The Living God |
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October 2021
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
DISCERNING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
James Sanderson
“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering, O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:1-3). Note the emphasis that Jesus Christ placed on understanding the signs of the times. The Messiah Himself -- Immanuel from Heaven (Is. 7:14), the Branch of David (Jer. 23:5), the Lamb of God (Is. 53:7) -- walked in their midst and declared, “The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15), but they did not understand the significance of that time and, more importantly, they never knew the One Who bore the message. Why not? They did not discern the signs of the times. They were unable to comprehend the significance of the day in which they lived. They had studied the Hebrew Scriptures most of their lives and taught those Scriptures to the multitudes. Nevertheless, their understanding of the Word of God was only at an intellectual, superficial level. They were able to produce a great weather forecast, but they were not prepared for the appearance of the Lord of Glory.
What does this portion of Scripture have to do with the day in which we live? The Second Coming of Christ is a cardinal doctrine of the faith. The New Testament references the return of Jesus Christ over 300 times. At the Ascension of Jesus Christ, the book of Acts records, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven: this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). In other words, Jesus is coming again. The Bible also teaches that His return will be literal (not merely a spiritual revelation), visible (“every eye shall see him” Rev.1:7), and final (“then cometh the end” I Cor. 15:24). Although the Word of God teaches that no one knows the day or hour in which He will come (Mark 13:32), Jesus and the Apostles left posterity with a number of specific signposts that would be indicative of the nearness of that glorious event (Matt. 24:3). They also left divine orders to His people to watch and be ready. “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40). “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:37). It is as incumbent on God's people today as it was on Israel of old to “discern the signs of the times” and make the necessary preparation for the return of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Many conditions that the Word of God declares would occur in the days of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ are prevalent in the world today. Those who love God and have their spiritual senses exercised can't help but discern the significance of these signs (Heb. 5:14).
Iniquity Shall Abound
One particular sign that Jesus highlighted is the extreme lawlessness that would prevail in the earth. “And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12). The word iniquity means lawlessness, wickedness, unrighteousness. The Word of God tells us that Jesus loved righteousness and hated iniquity (Heb. 1:9). Jesus also revealed a clear parallel between the conditions that prevailed in the days of Noah and those that would prevail in the time of His appearing. “And as it was in the days of Noe so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26). Noah's day was, indeed, a time of profound moral decay. Lawlessness permeated society. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). This same chapter in Genesis particularly references sexual promiscuity, violence, and corruption. Anyone who desires to know what life was like in Noah's day need only observe society today. Not only does evil pervade this present society but it is also celebrated. When the first openly gay bishop was ordained in 2003, the media was ecstatic (never mind that the Bible says a Bishop must be the husband of one wife (feminine) I Tim.3:2. But many of these churches have dropped Biblical authority long ago.) Last June, an NFL player announced over national news that he was coming out as gay. His fellow players gave him the thumbs up and expressed how proud they were of him. The networks, as well as much of social media, issued praise. A pew research report found that 54% of professing Christians say that homosexual relationships should be accepted rather than discouraged (Pew Research, June 9, 2021).
In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that hindered sports betting in most states. Now the airways are filled with commercials enticing people to waste their hard earned money on gambling/betting for their favorite teams (NY Times, 5/14/ 2018). A few interesting facts related to gambling: Augustine stated, “The devil invented gambling.” Over 750,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 21 are addicted to gambling. History demonstrates that there is a strong correlation between gambling and crime/corruption (Addictions.com). Jesus issued a strong warning, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). The Apostle Paul stated that covetousness would characterize men in the last days (II Tim. 3:1-2).
As in the days of Noah, violence fills the streets of our cities. Crime is at crisis level in many places to the extent that some who have been calling to defund the police are now singing a different tune. Large urban areas are not the only ones to experience this accelerating crime wave. “Many small cities that have relatively few murders are seeing significant increases” (NPR, 7/23/ 2021). In 2020, there were 611 mass shootings, the worst year on record. (USA Today study). There were also 43,000 deaths that same year from gun violence. 2020 experienced the largest single year's spike in homicides since statistics have been released. In the year 2021, this violence does not seem to be letting up. So far the murder rate has increased over that of 2020 by 16% (Fox News, 7/30/2021). The Apostle Paul stated, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (II Tim. 3:1). The word perilous in Greek means, hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous, fierce (Thayer's, χαλεπ?ς). These are truly perilous times.
John Adams stated, “This Constitution was made for a moral and religious people, it is wholly unsuited to the governance of any other.” Only a “moral and religious people” have enough respect for law to maintain a stable, lasting government as was enacted by our present Constitution. As society becomes more lawless and less appreciative of what God has given, violence will continue to escalate.
The Love Of Many Shall Wax Cold
Contrary to those who would denigrate this great country and its flag, the United States of America was founded on a love for God and Biblical moral values. It was not set up as a theocracy, but was established upon the belief that there are absolute moral values that govern our daily lives. Those ten absolutes are even inscribed on the walls of the United States Supreme Court. They had been hung in most schools and public buildings as a reminder that man has a moral responsibility before God and his fellow man until they were deemed unconstitutional and, thus, removed. Today, as we take a hard look at our present American society, we see a people not unlike the society of Noah's day, a people that have turned their backs on God. The “moral and religious people” mentioned by John Adams are becoming fewer and farther between as the years go by. “Christian morality is being ushered out of American social structures and off the cultural main stage, leaving a vacuum in its place – and the broader culture is attempting to fill the void” (Christian Post, April 25, 2020). “We've transitioned from a people who upheld the existence of absolute moral truth to a nation that rejects moral standards” (Barna Research). Here lies the real reason for the epidemic of crime and anarchy that plagues many of America's cities. Guns themselves are not the problem, as many politicians mistakenly lament. It’s the moral degradation exhibited in the heart of man that pulls the trigger.
Some facts gleaned from Barna's research should cause concern: 32% of American adults don't believe/ don't know/ don't care if there is a God. Thirty years ago that number was only 8%. Only 41% of Americans hold the biblical view of Christ living a sinless life and was both fully man and fully God. 52% of American adults do not believe the Holy Spirit is a real entity, but merely a symbol. 69% of American adults believe any kind of sexual expression between two consenting adults is acceptable. 40% of practicing Christians agree with that statement. Another survey found that more than half of American adults do not believe that Jesus is God. Of greater concern is the fact that 30% of evangelicals do not believe Jesus is God. (Christian Post, Aug. 30, 2020, State of Theology Survey). “As the culture around us increasingly abandons its moral compass, professing evangelicals are sadly drifting away from God's absolute standard in Scripture” (Stephen Nichols, Ligonier Minsitries, Christian Post, Aug. 30, 2020). Jesus posed a concerning question, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). The Apostle Paul continues his description of these last days in his second letter to Timothy, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves (lovers of self, in Greek), covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away” (2 Tim 3:2-5). Can one find a more graphic depiction of present-day American society than these words pinned by The Apostle Paul?
Jesus presented the greatest commandment of all times, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). American society has forsaken her love for God. “The highest good, according to our society, is 'finding yourself' and then living by 'what's right for you,'” says David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. He continues, “When we peel back the layers, we find that many Christians are using the way of Jesus to pursue the way of self. While we wring our hands about secularism spreading through culture, a majority of churchgoing Christians have embraced corrupt, me-centered theology” (David Kinnaman, Barna Group, Christian Post, April 25, 2020). According to Mr. Kinnaman, “the 'morality of self-fulfillment' has all but replaced Christianity as the culture's moral norm” (Christian Post, April 25, 2020).
The Example Of The Prophet Daniel
It is a sobering truth that not everyone will make it through the dark days ahead. For Jesus warned His disciples, “As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:35). Just as society in Noah's day was so preoccupied with living in the moment, oblivious of signs of impending judgment, so also many in this present day will disregard, to their own destruction, the signs of the times clearly presented in the Word of God. “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:38-39, writer's emphasis). Only those who are able to discern the signs of the times and, thus, make the necessary preparation will stand in these tumultuous times.
Jesus, also, said, “ When these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). “These things” have definitely begun to come to pass. It is imperative, therefore, that God's people “walk circumspectly (carefully), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). The call to God's people in this desperate hour is to “look up” and set their focus on God above, Who, alone, is able to guide them through the perplexing and dark days ahead.
The Prophet Daniel, who had his spiritual senses trained to discern the signs of the time, is a worthy example for God's people in these last days. “I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplished seventy years in the desolation of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confessions...” (Dan. 9: 2-4). Daniel discerned from the Word of God that the time was at hand for God's people to return to the land of Israel. He, then, set his face toward the Mighty God of Israel, presenting his supplications fervently before the Lord. As Daniel discerned the signs of the times and prepared himself so also must God's people in this day understand the signs of the times and prepare themselves.
THE TWO CITIES
PT. 1
Harry R. Miller
There isn't a nation, or generation of men, that has not felt the influence of earth's two great cities. Men of every kindred, tribe and tongue have been moved like pawns by the forces that govern these two metropolises. Strange as it may seem, most men are unaware of the existence, and influence, of these great powers. Even great scholars and sages have often failed to identify them, yet their existence is manifest in the physical as well as invisible world.
The two cities of which we speak are not identical twins; as a matter of fact, they are in no way related, and one might say their only resemblance is in the name “city.” The one is as different from the other as day is different from the night. In relationship they are direct opposites, and are definitely opposed to one another in every respect.
In order to enlighten man concerning the operation of many invisible forces that influence his life, the Lord has given us through the prophets any number of graphic illustrations. The Bible abounds with all manner of types, shadows, metaphors, signs and symbols which wonderfully carry God's message to the inhabitants of the earth who are the subjects of these two great “CITIES.” By the written Word of God to both good and evil men, the message is given; and he that has eyes to see (an obedient heart) will understand the imagery or code message from God. All who are rebellious and evil will only stumble over God's messages, and in the wickedness of their own deceived hearts become more deeply enmeshed in the evil web of their own weaving.
There are “patterns” and “ensamples” that our heavenly Father has ordained for our edification. The two great PATTERN cities of all time are not London and Paris; they are Jerusalem and Babylon. Jerusalem, “the city of the great King,” stands out as the chosen of God. She has passed through many dark days, and her record has been anything but perfect; yet the Lord has said: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” (Isa.49:16); “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (Isa.60:1). These blessings do not apply to the FIGURE, but to the city that the FIGURE symbolizes.
Babylon the great was probably the mightiest city of ancient days. It was located in a very desolate desert country. The Hebrew word (massaw) means desert, and it also means a testing, a trial, a temptation (See Strong's concordance). It was from this city that the Lord called His friend Abram. Unlike Jerusalem that was watered by heavenly rain and the dew of heaven, Babylon was watered by that great river Euphrates which flowed right through the city. Its walls were unequaled for height and massiveness; its builders considered it impregnable.
The founder of Jerusalem was a priest-king who had neither beginning nor end of days; his name was Melchisedec, which in the Hebrew language meant “king of right,” morally or legally. The king of Babylon's name was Nebuchadnezzar and is spelled in six different ways in the Hebrew. The meaning of his name is a mystery. It was he who built the city, and while boasting of his accomplishments he was struck with madness. For seven years he was made to eat grass like the ox, and in this time he learned that the heavens rule among the children of men. He was also shown by the Holy Spirit that it was God who had made him the head of the nations of the earth. Only by the power of God had he become ruler “of all the kingdoms of the world.”
The word Jerusalem means “city of peace” and Babylon means “confusion.”
Jerusalem has promises of great blessings in this world, and in the new heavens and new earth it shall be filled with the glory of God: “I will make thee an eternal excellency…The Lord shall by thine everlasting light” (Isa.60:15,20). However, there are not such promises for Babylon; she is to have a violent end and become a desolation forever: “How is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!…it shall be no more inhabited forever…As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein” (Jer.50:23,40).
We again call to mind the fact that these two earthly cities have been used by the Spirit of God as “ensamples” of forces and powers that rule the whole earth. The “proverb” of Isaiah fourteen is concerning “the king of Babylon,” (verse 4) and he is called “the oppressor” and his city is called “the golden city.” It is further said that this fellow's name in heaven was Lucifer (verse 12) and that his destination is hell (verse 9). Here we have, in no uncertain language, a statement saying that Lucifer is the king of the golden city Babylon, and it is he that ruled the nations. To further identify this wicked “city” we read in Jeremiah that she was a place of great idolatry: “Babylon is taken, Bel (this is an abbreviation of Baal the sun god. Bel was a golden god and was the national god of Babylon) is confounded, Merodach (a lesser god) is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces” (Jer.50:2). Whatever this “ensample” signifies, it is very evident that it is a place of great idolatry.
Nebuchadnezzar, the type of Satan, set up a golden image and then gave command that all nations, tribes and people should fall down and worship his image when his servants made the music. This was the image of the great mammon (god) that the Saviour said could not be served with Jehovah. This same god is shown as the “whore” of Revelation 17 and 18; it is she that is “decked with gold” and all manner of earthly treasures.
In Ezekiel, we have another word picture of this fellow Lucifer which, not only reveals more about his beginning and his end, but it also marks the “city” with some very identifying characteristics. Here, this evil king is portrayed by “dark speech” as the king of Tyrus: “Thou art wiser than Daniel…full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God…Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise (he became a tradesman) they have filled the midst of thee with violence…Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries (men are temples) by the multitudes of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic.”
The traffic of merchandising has corrupted the king of Babylon and all of his subjects. Every activity of this city of wickedness has been supported by the merchandising spirit. This fact will become manifest as we begin to analyze her constitution. At the present, let us consider her as a unit: a city. This we find necessary in order to make her identity complete. “The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Rev.17:18).
In this chapter of Revelation seventeen, much is explained about this female that has played the harlot and has become the mother of the abominations of the earth. It is generally the accepted belief that wherever a woman is used as a symbol, as she is portrayed in this chapter, that the meaning of the symbol is a church; or more specifically, a people. The bride of Christ (Rev.21:2) is the church; she is to become a married woman. Israel of God (Rev.12:1) is portrayed as a woman with child. The “city” of Babylon signifies a woman. Because the scholars are agreed on this interpretation, it is then surmised that the “woman” represents the Roman Catholic Church; this is a great error. Those who continue to hold to this unfounded conclusion will surely be confused by the events that are soon to make history.
Where the picture fits the Roman Catholic Church, let her be exposed; but where she is not revealed, then let us not fool ourselves with an interpretation that only confuses the truth. We offer the following four reasons why Catholicism does not complete this picture: (1) The R.C. Church is not the mother of all harlot churches. The Protestant churches have fostered many more “daughters” than Romanism. Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Mohammedanism are harlot religions that never came out of Rome; yet they enslave more than three-fourths the population of the earth. (2) The R.C. Church is not the mother of the abominations of the earth. Witchcraft, sorcery, and all manner of idolatry were practiced on a far greater scale by ancient Israel than have ever been practiced by the R.C. Church; so she cannot be the mother of these unholy crimes. (3) In Rev.17:3 it is said that the beast upon which she rides is “full of the names of blasphemy.” What blasphemous names are associated with Catholicism? Roman Catholic is not blasphemy, neither is the name St. Paul's Cathedral. But when men name their church (woman) “Christian,” and it is not Christian, that is blasphemy. When they say “Assembly of God,” and it is not God's assembly, God is vilified (this is the meaning of the word blasphemy: to make vile, to defame, to vilify). (4) The R.C. Church cannot be guilty of the crimes that are charged to the “great city” as set forth in Revelation18:24): “And in her was found the blood of prophets (surely not the blood of those which Israel spilled), and of saints (not Abel's), and of all that were slain upon the earth.”
No, my brethren, it is impossible to lay all of these descriptive pictures to the R.C. Church; in a vague way she is pictured in many places, but then, so also, is the Protestant church, and the so-called holiness groups could fill many a vile cup of iniquity. Because scholars have tried to localize the pictures of this woman, they have minimized her terrific power and influence. Don't forget that the “god of this world” is the fallen Lucifer and this woman Babylon is his own creation. The R.C. church and all of the apostate Protestant churches are but little toads in a puddle; the puddle is a lot bigger than the toads.
The elect are the children of God, and they constitute the “bride” of Christ; on the other hand, the “children of disobedience” are the subjects of the ruler of confusion and it is this “woman” who plays the harlot with demons and becomes the “hold of every foul spirit.” Just as the church is the temple of God so, also, are the subjects of the “kingdom of darkness” temples; but they are moved by spirits that are not of God.
It would be well at this point to make a distinction between the “city” and the “woman” of Revelation seventeen. These figures were not combined by change; the Spirit of the Lord has made a distinction between two elements that make up the city; they are: the structures and the people. A great mob or mass of people do not make a city; any city is a compound of people and things; however, it is the people that make it an organism, a living thing.
God was the architect of the city of Jerusalem; He designed all of its gates and its walls. Its light (no need of the sun), its water supply (living water), its food (fruit of the trees) are all of His planning. Even the garments of the inhabitants are His creation. In His city there is no temple of worship, for His people are His (Rev.21:22) and the Lord Himself is there and “He will dwell with them” (Rev.21:3). This glorious city actually becomes God's house, His abode.
How different is the metropolis of mammon, the city that has made the nations mad! Satan himself is the architect. He, too, is ambitious to build himself a HOUSE, but he that builds without Jehovah God, builds in vain. There are seven verses of Scripture in Zechariah five that give us a picture of the founding of this city of wickedness (verse 8). Two women with the wings of a stork (an unclean bird) carry a unit of measure (an “ephah”), a mark of trade, into the land of Shinar (Babylon) and set it up “to build it a house.” Inside this “ephah” is a woman, and her measure of trade is “established and set there upon her own base” (verse 11). The traffic or trading and merchandising become the foundation of this wicked “city.”
In Jerusalem, the Lord makes every provision for His own; however, in Babylon it is every man for himself. Not only to the strong, but to the poor and the weak, it is said, “root hog or die.” The traffic of commercialism sets the tempo of the “rat race.” Here, the weak are ground under the feet of the strong; even the widow and the orphan become victims of the mad rush of men filled with greed. As man's day draws to a close, the frantic madness of humanity reaches its ultimate, in its insane rush to grasp another handful of mammon's gold, before the sun goes down. Avarice, lust and greed spawn in the slimy waters of commercialism and merchandising.
The “way of life” that constitutes the abode of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will “crucify the deeds of the body” and will surely put to death the carnal nature; but Babylon, that great city (constitutional system of evil) will nurture and develop all of the baser desires and appetites within man. The creator of this evil city has decreed it so; he designed it with these things in mind. He that is said to be “wiser than Daniel” and of whom it is said: “There is no secret that they can hide from thee” (Ezek.28:3) is well aware of the weaknesses of humanity; so he has deliberately created a world (“Kosmos” meaning arrangement) that will appeal to man's flesh at the expense of man's soul.
The structures or buildings of Babylon represent its own peculiar “way of life,” and the inhabitants of the city have become a fallen body known before the Lord as a “harlot.” It is decreed that this evil city shall be destroyed (Rev.18:21); the whole system of Babylon shall come to its end, and how great the confusion and consternation of those who have trusted in her shadow!
Life among humanity can be divided into four categories, and an explanation of these in relation to the commandments of God is quite revealing. The Spirit of God has been faithful to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness and, for them, an infallible standard, rule or measure has been given by which all things can be tested for identification. There is an “acid test” that can be applied to any system of earthly affairs, and its true identity will instantly be made known. This test is, of all things, a matter of law. Think of it – the grace of God has given us law to defend ourselves against the wiles of Satan.
The standard, rule, yard stick or plumb bob by which the identity of all systems, forces and powers can be made known is the two great commandments upon which all the law and the prophets rest: love for God and love for the brethren. Side by side, let us now measure the four categories of the way of life among humanity as it is seen in the two great cities.
The Political System Of Babylon
The political system has to do with government – leadership. Babylon is a masterpiece of political chaos. She has tried every trick in the book. She has posed as a “head of gold;” but these autocratic monarchs with their absolute governments have failed time and again. She, then, tried shoulders of silver (Dan.2:32) through the Medo-Persion combine; their rulership was oligarchic, which means the government of a few: “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom: And over these three presidents.” There, then, followed the Greek aristocratic rule, or government by the nobility – not the nobility of blood, but the warriors or strong men who assumed the places of nobility. Now comes Rome, the iron kingdom, the imperialistic powers, ruthless and military such as Nazi Germany demonstrated. Take note that all these are a declension from the “head of gold.” But Babylon has a further, baser, manifestation of ruling men: “the feet were part of iron and part of clay.” This is the democratic form of rule: government by the people.
To the natural eye, it may appear that the democratic form of government is superior to all other forms, but iron and clay just won't mix; this is the most inferior combination in this image of the world's government. Where carnal man rules his fellow man, there is bound to be injustice, partiality, greed, pride, and all manner of corruption. In our own nation, there are various “strong arm” groups that force their will upon the rest of society. Right and wrong are not the considerations of selfish lobbies; these lobbyists all pull for the will of the selfish interests which they represent. The poor, the widow and the orphan are but dirt under the feet of the forces that strive for mastery over the masses. Legally, thieves and robbers are able to juggle the financial affairs so that men, women and children can be robbed of their finances.
Honor and honesty are hard to find in Babylon. Those who practice these old-fashioned virtues fall victim to heartless thieves. Tradesmen have been trained to become sharpies; as dishonesty degenerates the race, men have found that honest trading is too slow a method of gaining wealth; so, they become con-men seeking gimmicks to make the “fast buck.” (The “fast buck” is a dollar made without much effort; in other words, a dollar made by chicanery – trickery.)
Through the trade unions, the voice of the mob now dictates to the management. It is as though the feet were to tell the head where the body should go! Ah, but some will contend that if management had been fair to its employees this never would have come upon us. True, again we see the inability of human government in its efforts to control man's greed and heartless exploitation of his fellows.
We boast of living in an enlightened generation; great learning has even flowed out of the heathen, and multitudes are awakening to new intellectual heights. Yet, we live in a world of lust, greed, and viciousness that is unsurpassed. Nero and “bloody Mary,” queen of England, would be shocked at the appalling manner in which an enlightened nation stood by while a maniac destroyed the lives of six million defenseless people in the gas chambers and by other fiendish methods. Countless thousands were atomized by but two single diabolical bombs and, since that time, all of the great nations are in a mad race to try to perfect this most destructive method of human annihilation.
Many of you that read this, continually act like mad men when you get behind the wheel of the automobile. It is such that contribute to the great army of the maimed and the dead that daily strew our highways. According to the reports of the National Safety Council of America for 2020, we as a nation slew 42,000 of our countrymen. We also injured 3,000,000 many of whom will never walk again. Violence and blood are the results of heartlessness, the mad rush of our generation.
Examine the foundation of Babylonian government and its wretched inability to cope with many conditions; her lack is appalling. The law of a ruling power is its foundation. If their legal enactments are based upon sound principles, and if its legal departments are able to command respect by its enforcement agencies, then the foundation is excellent; but in this, Babylon utterly fails. Through the ages, thousands of human agencies have spent untold years trying to perfect proper law to govern men; this means that there is a constant change of law.
The unreliability of humanly-conceived law has fostered carelessness among men, and many have even developed a contempt for it.
In the United Nations building, statesmen from all over the world frantically labor to create laws that will plug up the holes in the leaking levees that hold back the surging flood waters of violence that are about to break forth upon the nations of our generation. “Distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke21:25); this is now upon us.
Moral persuasion is far superior to the law of force; this becomes evident to every parent when their children grow into their late teens. The little fellow can be forced to obey the law of the home; but the teenager develops to the place where force only makes him more of a rebel at heart and, unless he has been taught a loving respect for the lawmakers of his home, he becomes incorrigible, a menace to himself and to others.
The law of man, which constitutes the foundation of the government of that great city Babylon, is limited chiefly to the control of the acts of transgressors. It has no control over the thought life of its constituency. In this city, men can meditate or contemplate thievery, and practice lust and any other base passion, and there is absolutely no way to prevent such thinking. No judge has ever been able to convict a man for what he thinks. If the judiciary could, by law, prevent wrong thinking, much evil could be avoided. Everyone is aware that evil starts first in the mind; here, it has its beginnings. Probably just a minute little seed of disgust, then dislike, then aversion, followed by hate, and finally a murder. If the lawmakers of Babel could have nipped the “seed” in its bud, there would have been no murder; here we see the great weakness of human government.
The Social System Of Babylon
“The mother of abominations” has done her best to build her world social affairs upon the foundation of pride. Wealth and poverty make very definite barriers between men who could be brethren. Color and creed also create false strata of society; faction against faction results in bitter enemies. Lodges and clubs are foolish attempts to unite men, but they, in turn, only create new cliques that separate themselves from the common herd.
“The lust of the eyes and the pride of life” are the fruits of this world's social systems. Each individual is a lone wolf, ruthlessly climbing over the weaker souls in an attempt to gain prestige and prominence.
Vanity among Babylon's society is on display in ten thousand different ways. Physical and spiritual nakedness is unashamedly paraded before the multitudes in an attempt to foster burning lust and covetousness in the hearts of the weaklings.
The vain souls of the proud are filled with a gluttonous passion for the possession of things; these are used to flaunt and parade before their so-called friends and neighbors in a secret attempt to humiliate them. The shiny new car with its air conditioning, flash drives, GPS, and back-up cameras, are very often the trappings of the exhibitionist who is dying to outdo his neighbor. The very lines of modern conveniences are not built for utility, but for vanity, which often is displayed at the expense of comfort. Style is a must in modern design, no matter how impractical, ugly or grotesque.
The deterioration of this world's social structure is manifest in many broken homes, and is evident, also, among the youth that are becoming uncontrollable. The whole structure of the house of Babel is tottering upon the decaying timbers of selfishness, hatred and godlessness.
Man's inhumanity to man is fast sinking to depths unknown in other ages: the cup of iniquity is running over, and they are only blind fools that deny the message of the handwriting on the wall which states: “Thou are weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
The Economic System Of Babylon
(3) The economic system. Here lie the souls of many professing Christians; here was spilled the blood of prophets, priests and laymen. Nothing can so put the “bind” upon men as this infernal system that has betrayed saints and defiled many of the garments of the righteous. Where are the men and women who have courage enough to stand up against the economic god? Such people will not be found in Babylon.
Every market in the world is dependent upon the trade of the scarlet woman: “the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Rev.18:3). The normal life of men has been interwoven by the multitudinous machinations of this dreadful creature. What man can escape her economic tentacles? “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark” (Rev.13:16,17). In the near future, the “beast” will mark men with a visible identification; this will be done in order to compel all men to be servants of the beast. However, there is now, at this time, an invisible mark in the “foreheads” (the thinking part of man), and in the “right hand” (the ministry of men) that old mother Babylon has been ages in creating.
Humanity has been conditioned; brain washed to believe that mankind can live by bread alone. He constantly fears the loss of his life (livelihood); so, he takes many thoughts for the morrow, and he spends the greater part of his time laboring “for the meat which perisheth” (John6:27). Very few men have no fear of the economic god; slavery to this hideous enigma has almost swallowed up the whole human race. Many men drop dead forcing their bodies to serve this wretched idolatrous master. The slaves who made bricks in Egypt under a burning sun did not drive their minds and bodies to the extremes that modern man has driven his.
In Babylon men work, not for the love of work, but for the love of money. They toil and labor, not to satisfy the hunger of the needy nor for the relief of the oppressed, but for self and selfish ends. Oh, it is true that many of God's saints have been caught in the web of this blood draining monster; that is the reason that, in the last day, this call is being made to the elect: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev.18:4).
The Religious System Of Babylon
The fourth facet in man's way of life is his religion; it is this that supplies the “drive” for all of his activities. By nature, man is a religious creature; he must worship something or someone. There is no such creature as a man without a god. Men may call themselves atheists, but this is a subterfuge they use which conceals from their consciousness the fact that they defy deity and are rapt devotees at the shrine of the human ego.
Russian communists who deny the existence of God are fanatical religionists; they have deified hate, brutality and ruthless sadism. They worship at the imaginary shrine of the hairy arm of human strength.
Babylon offers man innumerable gods; deities of every desire and passion known to man are set up for human worship. The multiplicity of the so-called Christian churches with their numberless sectarian divisions is so great that the church called “Christian” can appeal to men of all colors, stations and strata of life. For the “upper crust” there are mighty, prosperous, well-patronized (by the BEST people?), impressive institutions. And from these top numbers there are many gradations down to the “holy roller” spasmodic show rooms.
Paganistic practices are not confined to the religions of the heathen. The great majority of professing Christian churches practice heathen rites and customs continually. Few people seem to realize that the observance of Christmas, Easter, Lent and Sunday are hell-inspired holy days and are in direct opposition to the COMMANDS OF GOD.
In Babylon, men are told to “select the church of their choice” and there, as it is implied, they can worship whatever god they please. All this is contrary to the words of Christ. He taught that there is only one way to worship God: “In the spirit and in truth” (John4:24). In this statement, the Saviour said men must so worship. God's “must” is absolute; there is no other way. Jesus also said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John14:6). Here, again, we have statements that confine the true Christian to but one way. This has not been acceptable to Babylon; the city of the harlot wants many lovers – she prefers gods to one God.
We have now studied about the “principalities and powers” that control the kingdoms of this world. “The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph.2:2) has revealed his handiwork in Babylon, that great city that ruleth over the kings of the earth. This great golden image of Nebuchadnezzar is soon to be destroyed by THE GREAT STONE that will smite the “feet,” and the whole thing will be blown away by the mighty “winds” of God's wrath (Dan.2:34,35). Imagine the consternation, and confusion, of the millions of humanity whose eyes will see the complete collapse of their former way of life!
DECEPTION
Alfred King
How often are we warned in scripture, both in word and through example, of the dangers of deception, and the warning grows exponentially as we draw nearer to the end. In Matthew 24 when the disciples ask the question which inevitably resides in many Christian’s hearts, “… what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world”, Jesus’s first words were to those inquiring minds, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Two more times in this passage Jesus cautions His disciples of the dangers of deception. It appears then that deception is one of the great dangers which will increase more and more as we enter the latter days, those days just prior to His return. Therefore, we cannot overestimate the importance of this topic.
There are four areas in which deception can find us, and to be aware of these four is beneficial to every believer in order that we not be caught off-guard.
Satan Deceives
Of course Satan is the most obvious deceiver. He thrives on deception and lives to deceive, both Christian and non-Christian. Observing the mindset of those today who can justify the burning of buildings, lootings, and destruction of other’s property, as we have seen in many of our cities in the last year, certainly bears clear evidence of Satan’s ability to deceive. He, who is the god of this world, has produced a masterpiece of his ability to blind and deceive the hearts of those who “do not like to retain God in the conscience” (Rom. 1:28). Satan’s crafty deception is mentioned in the last book of scripture as well as the first and we see between these pages the evidence of his work in the lives of many who were caught with his snares of deception.
Of course the first record we have of Satan’s deception is found in Genesis chapter three at which time he operated through the serpent and deceived Eve. The damage brought upon mankind through that one temptation is staggering and in more modern terms; mind-blowing.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the love of God so filled the hearts of that company of believers that they sold out to Jesus, and spreading the Gospel was the desire of those early Christians. They joined in a common communion, selling their possessions and bringing the profits to the Apostles for the furtherance of that wonderful grace which was so benevolently showered upon them. But notice who also came looking to deceive. When Ananias and Sapphira came and brought some of the profit they had from the sale of their possessions, claiming it was the total profit when it wasn’t, Peter asked him, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” (Acts 5:3).
Had Ananias not been a part of the move of the Holy Spirit in that early church? Had he not experienced the saving grace of Christ which fell upon that gathering? It is relatively certain he had. Surely he had tasted of the wonderful move of God and yet, he had allowed Satan to deceive him. That sneaky enemy of all that is right and true, was able to deceive Ananias and his wife even after they had experienced God’s great blessings. Don’t ever underestimate Satan’s power to deceive. We must never be ignorant of his devices and must always be on guard of his shrewd cunning.
The World Deceives
In the account of the Fall of Babylon recorded in Revelation 17 and 18, we find that by Babylon’s sorceries, all nations were deceived. (Rev. 18:23) Note especially that word “all”. The “all” means that there was not one nation which was not deceived through Babylon’s sorceries. It is advantageous for us to look at the Greek word used in this verse for ‘sorceries’. The word is “pharmakeia”. We have the English word, “pharmacy” directly from this Greek word. We understand that this has to do with drugs which we get from the Pharmacy. From James Strong we have the definition for “pharmakeia”: “medication” and by extension – magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. The important issue here is that Babylon’s sorceries are its power to bring people into addiction. Just as drugs and alcohol are addicting so are pleasures, wealth, sex, comforts, entertainments, conveniences, cell phones, internet and gaming, television, and the list goes on and on. In our modern age there are many luxuries and gadgets which can enslave our souls, things which become gods in our lives, that which we serve and dedicate ourselves to. To even think about laying them aside brings pain and fear to our souls. I remember a young girl years ago who said, “I’d rather die than give up my television”. This is a dangerous place to be.
In the parable of the Sower recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8, Jesus stated that the thorns which can choke God’s word in a Christian’s life are the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches. (I think we can safely add to that list, pleasures.) There is nothing wrong or sinful in riches if we do not allow them to push God out. We are commanded to provide for our families and those who do not, have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever (I Tim. 5:8). Yet, we are not to allow ourselves to become so dedicated to our job that we lose the importance of family, and even more importantly, to allow the intimacy with our Lord, Jesus Christ to slip away. This is where the world in which we live can deceive us. Finding the balance between providing for our family and our relationship with God and keeping that balance with the world’s demands can be very challenging.
The world allures all of us through that which satisfies and gratifies the flesh, and it can deceive us into excusing ourselves when we know in our hearts we are heading the wrong direction. This leads us to the third great deceiver.
The Heart Deceives
There is no clearer scripture which warns us of our own deceitful heart than Jeremiah 17:9. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Man’s heart is not only “desperately wicked” but it is also extremely “deceitful”. Even many Christians do not realize the wretchedness of their own heart, and even less are aware and will acknowledge how deceitful their hearts are.
In the next verse, the Lord reveals to us that; “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer. 17:10) In Mark 7 when the Pharisees were fretting over the disciples eating without first washing their hands, Jesus pointed them beyond the physical to the important issues of life. Take special note of Jesus’ words to His disciples when they too did not understand: “Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man (Mark 7:18-23).
When the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to obtain eternal life, he addressed Jesus as, “Good Master”. Jesus’ first words were, “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God” (Luke 18:19). This young man was observing many of the commandments of the Lord and must have thought himself to be a pretty good person. But Jesus crushed all the security and the erection of his good works came crashing down. This man didn’t see the actual condition of his heart for in that dark heart were idols. Those idols were his riches.
Samson of old is another testimony of the power of deception in one’s heart. Samson was called of God from his birth. He was made a judge in Israel and was raised up to deliver Israel from the Philistines. When we read the account of his life, we are amazed at how he could allow himself to be deceived, more than once in the same snare. He managed to dodge the bullet when he took a Philistine wife and the fiasco which followed. However, instead of learning from his misguided lust, he was enamored by Delilah’s beauty and therefore blinded to her deceptive devices. He fell in the hands of the very enemy he was raised up to fight against (Judges 13-16). Lust can be more powerful than reason and in Samson’s case it proved to be fatal. How many men, leaders, ministers, deacons, lay persons, and men of prominence have been taken and deceived by the same deception that took Samson to his demise? He was taken, not on battlefield but through the deceitfulness of his own heart.
The Lord warns us to guard our hearts through Jeremiah, Paul (Gal. 5:19-21), and Jesus in order that we might realize that Satan and the world uses this tool in their attempt to destroy men and women. Let us learn from others’ experiences so we may avoid those errors and escape the snares of the enemy and live free in Christ.
Deception From The Lord
Many find it difficult to believe or comprehend that God also deceives. But you might say, “I thought Jesus came to seek and save.” “I read that Jesus would that none should perish but that all would come to repentance.” “Jesus came because of the love of God and love is not deceptive.” There are many other reasons why countless Christians have difficulty believing that God, with all His love, grace, and mercy will then deceive anyone. Let’s seriously, consider this topic.
When Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica regarding the end times, he instructed them about the second coming of Jesus. He taught that Jesus would not return completely unexpected because certain things must be fulfilled before He would return. Two events preceding His return would be: A great falling away and the revealing of the man of sin (II Thess. 2:3). According to the Apostle Paul these events must come before Christ returns. In spite of this clear teaching, many Christians are being taught that He will return secretly, without many knowing it happened until it’s too late. They dismiss Paul’s words that the antichrist must first be revealed and are taken captive with the false idea that there will be a pretribulation rapture. Clearly, Jesus’ second coming is after the man of sin is revealed.
The Apostle Paul follows these words by informing us that God can and will deceive some people. Let’s read II Thess. 2:10-12. After Paul speaks of the antichrist and his power and deception, he warns all men that we must desire truth and walk in truth. In verse 10, he continues, referring to the antichrist, “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.”
It is very serious to be deceived by Satan, by the world, and by our own hearts, but the most fearful deception of all is that which comes from God. Let us ask ourselves: Why did God send strong delusion and cause them to believe a lie? Notice the very important reason: Because they did not want to hear truth. “For this cause” God allows them to be deceived. Pretty serious, huh?
If you have read Saint John’s account of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, you will remember when Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate and He mentioned truth, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Pilate had lived as a Roman soldier and worked his way up to become governor of Judea. He had heard so many lies and observed a multitude of false claims from men of all classes for years. No doubt he had seen over and over, falsehoods among the Roman soldiers, centurions, and political powers, all the way up to Caesar himself, and he had waded through the ocean of selfish and prideful aspirations of sinful men seeking to rise to the top at the expense of others. Finding truth in the midst of fallen humanity, whether in Rome or in Judea was like finding a lost diamond ring in the Pacific Ocean.
While God does in some cases send deception, it is not arbitrary or an act of His sovereignty as is often claimed. It is in response to a man’s rejection of truth. Some claim that God predestined men; that God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Pharaoh is often used as one whom God chose, not to be saved but to be destroyed. Throughout the plagues which God sent upon Egypt, scripture states that “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart”. Of course we understand that scripture is true and consequently we acknowledge that God did harden Pharaoh’s heart. But the question is: “How did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?”
Being old enough to be Pharaoh of Egypt, Pharaoh had made many decisions in his life. He had a conscience just as you and I do. He knew right from wrong and it is very obvious that he made many wrong choices. The very fact that he had the power to ease the burdens of the Israelites, who were his slaves, and did nothing to ease that burden, shows he rejected doing right. He deceived himself into thinking that it was okay to place taskmasters over them that would apply the whip in order to get more production from them. Pharaoh had begun hardening his own heart long before Moses came to him.
Every miracle and plague that came upon Egypt was an opportunity for Pharaoh to do what was right. In each case however, he chose to harden his heart. Notice the word “chose”. God gave Pharaoh ten opportunities in which Pharaoh could have made the proper choice, but he continually refused. How then, did God hardened Pharaoh’s heart? By providing the means by which his heart became hardened. Pharaoh’s choice was to reject God’s order and consequently the means was the catalyst which hardened his heart.
Was it possible after a couple of plagues, that Pharaoh could have humbled himself and yielded to God’s command? Of course he could have. Pharaoh was the victim of his own choices and reaped what he sowed. The same is true with us: we reap what we sow.
We all face things in life where we make choices. Some people become angry when bad things happen which they don’t understand or don’t think was right. Many become angry with God. Any issue we face in life, is an opportunity to harden our hearts; or we can allow those situations to soften our hearts. Remember, the Lord said, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer. 17:10) When God tries the reins, He is seeing how we will respond to His commands. Our response determines whether or not we will be deceived.