A new year has arrived and everyone is calling it “happy.” It’s traditionally the time to shrug, sigh deeply, and strike a new cadence into the future. We could have done that anytime during the past year, but we wait until New Year’s day. The question on most minds is, “Okay, now what are we going to do to make it better this year?” Well, I’m not going to make any resolutions. I was resolved yesterday and wake up resolved every day to be and do my best to love and obey God. Everything else will hopefully prioritize accordingly.
However, 2014 was a challenging year. It was not a kinder and gentler year. People seemed to be meaner, more apathetic and selfish. That’s symptomatic of a society squeezed economically, politically, approaching moral bankruptcy, and without sound leadership. We endured an oppressive health care law, beheadings in our nation, threats of terrorism, unsecured borders, etcetera. Additionally, our nation has become more divided racially. The ones that we normally look to for guidance and amicable solutions are exacerbating the division.
Christianity (the religion) was/is riddled with heresy and division and there appears to be no way humanly to resolve those issues. The apostasy has metastasized. Deception and delusion prevents professing Christians from seeking or accepting deliverance. Ecumenism with cults and pagan Romanism were initiated. Christianity and the world system have united on many points. Instead of alarm, many professing Christians believe it is a good thing. Those are the symptoms of spiritual lukewarmness and absence of godly leaders.
None of these problems are going away just because we started a new year. In fact, blunt reality is that 2015 will be a more difficult year. The degradation of this chaotic and increasingly anti-Christian world will manifest its diabolical fruit more boldly. Christianity (the religion) will plunge deeper into the chasm of apostasy. Deception is ubiquitous and is now accepted as truth by millions of professing Christians. Christianity will be too weak and divided to resist the encroaching darkness of the world system. The result will be a very difficult storm of chaos and strife. The deceived religious masses and those in the world system will view the turmoil as necessary to the utopian world unity and peace that they believe is within their grasp. However, they are forming the Antichrist kingdom and most professing Christians will not recognize it.
During 2015, significantly more professing Christians will become spiritually cold, deceived, and begin rejecting love for truth, over the course of the year. They will join the millions that have already submitted to the subversion of their minds. Although the line of demarcation between good and evil will become more sharply defined, most professing Christians will be too self-absorbed or delusional to recognize it.
False prophets will continue to prophesy peace when there is no peace. They will prophesy victory to individuals that are bound in defeat and do not recognize it. Prophecies will continue to be issued declaring a mighty revival when just the opposite will occur. In fact the opposite of truth on all fronts will be prophesied by an increasing hoard of false prophets, which will deceive many. True prophecies and prophets will continue to be rejected and impugned by the evil ones. Since people are more inclined to accept good news, the spiritually weak ones will reject the warnings about the approaching storm. Consequently, they will not overcome and endure.
Individuals that are not rooted and grounded in truth will drift with the evil winds of diabolical change initiated by the despotic individuals that control the world society. Concurrently, spiritually destitute leaders in Christianity that are presently leading the deceived masses to blend with the antichrist factions in the world system will take them into full merger.
In summation, it is going to get much worse. A single catastrophic event in this nation could change the way we live forever. This is probably discouraging to many people. Whether we survive it depends on if we accept and prepare for it. We should know what God’s word declares about the last days. The truth is that most professing Christians do not wish to accept that it is occurring on their watch. Additionally, they do not wish to view the future as bleak and dangerous. They want everything positive and would rather be lied to or uninformed about such a time. However, is it worth a few weeks or months of false peace to close our ears and eyes to the warnings? We should want to know when a storm is coming. Not preparing for some physical events in life can be fatal. Likewise, there are spiritually wicked events that can cripple or destroy one’s faith or lure them into rejecting truth.
How do we prepare? First, we need to keep our spiritual sight and hearing acutely tuned to the Holy Spirit. This can only be accomplished by prayer and feeding ourselves with God’s word. Loving the world system and its offerings will dispossess us of God’s love. Our focus will be directed by where we place our affections. We have to grasp firmly the hope in Christ. Like the old song says, “My hope is built on nothings less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Cluttering ones life with cares and affairs that we eventually become entangled with must be avoided. We will have to increase in every area of our spiritual life, especially in maturity, discernment, and strength. We must cherish commitment and full surrender, words that repulse and repel casual Christians. Finally, we must completely put our trust in God.
We have run out of time to accomplish these objectives. If people are waiting for a wake up call it is not going to happen. There has already been many wake-up calls, but they have been ignored by apathetic professing Christians just as they will most likely ignore this one. There will only be a trumpet sound. If one is not ready for it, one is not ready for the kingdom of God and eternity. After the door closes, there will be no more opportunities.
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:26)
C.H. I agree with you whole heartedly. We are in the last days, and the “falling away” is already at work. Bottom line: It’s all about Jesus, and our whole hearted trust in God. We must continue to hold fast because this bumpy ride is going to escalate like no other time. Thank you for your bold courage to take a stand, and still remain standing!!!
Amen! Well said. Our only hope is in Christ and Christ alone. He is our hope in our deepest valley’s. And our tallest mountains. ” My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness.” Keep speaking the truths of God’s Word.