THE ROLE THE DEVIL PLAYS IN THE GREAT FALLING AWAY
On Sunday, March 27, 2022, we began unraveling the mysteries of the Rapture, and it was an incredible service. I invite you to join us in person this week as we continue unraveling those mysteries.
We are a close-knit church that takes God at His Word as we believe that the Bible is the God-inspired, inerrant Word revealed to men by God through the Holy Spirit, and without a doubt, I know, as a born-again believer that God has not appointed me to the wrath that is coming because that is what His Word says. This Sunday, April 3, 2022, we are going to finish unraveling the mysteries of the Rapture by looking at the great deception.
I want you to know that deception has begun, and the devil is hard at work deceiving man to the reality of who Christ is and to the reality of the coming judgment of sin. Look at these verses in 2 Thessalonians:
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,
Today, Satan is being restrained by the Holy Spirit and His working through true believers, but one day, when the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit will not restrain Satan and his right-hand man the Antichrist, but that is a coming day; today, we can see Satan working. How is he working today?
I am going to give you 5 things that Satan is doing today that shows the mystery of lawlessness is already at work not only in the lost world but in the church also.
1. He keeps us busy with nonessentials.
If you want to know if Satan is tempting you with the nonessentials, track for one week how you spend your free time. Do you spend more time on Facebook than you do God’s Word? Do you spend more time taking your child or grandchild to baseball games, fishing, golfing, or shopping than you do teaching him or her about Jesus? Do you never have time to come to God’s house? If any of these are true, I would say that Satan has successfully kept you busy with the nonessentials.
2. He tempts us to overspend so we will go into debt.
Many people get distracted by possessions and wealth, and Satan loves it. It is never God’s will that you work eight days a week just to have things. Did you know Christ spoke more in the New Testament about finances and possessions than He did about heaven or hell? The next time you decide to work extra to buy something special and by so doing you miss a church service, ask yourself if you can take that possession to heaven or hell. Besides, all that extra work keeps you from spending quality time with your family, and you might have children that instead of seeing the importance of learning about Christ see the importance of accumulating wealth. What legacy do you consider more important? Leaving a fortune or leaving a witness of who Jesus really is.
3. He tempts us with entertainment, politics, and social media so our minds are so preoccupied that we cannot hear God speaking to us, and we have no time for the Bible.
It is really amazing watching people and their devices. If I was young, I would go to medical school to learn how to perform carpal tunnel surgeries from all the texting and chatting that people do I know I would make a fortune. I wonder if we knew as much about God’s Word as we do politics, entertainment, and social media what difference it would make in the world. Dear friend, I worship a God that raised His Son from the dead. Why would I spend more time watching the next movie or watching a debate between a Republican and a Democrat when I can be praying or studying? I am not saying any of these things are bad in themselves, but if they distract you away from what God would have you doing, Satan has successfully used them to tempt you.
4. He tempts us to emphasize Santa and the Easter bunny, so our children are diverted from the real meaning of the holidays.
Did you know the importance of Christmas and Easter is that both introduce us to Jesus? In Bethlehem, He was born the Son of Man through a virgin named Mary. At Easter, He rose from the grave as the Risen Redeemer who died for my sins and your sins.
5. He tempts you with self-sufficiency so that you will never enjoy the reality of God’s power of provision.
Dear friend, God is wanting to provide all your needs, but He cannot if you trust yourself more than you do Him. You see, our when the going gets tough the tough get going mentality can keep us from trusting God the way in which we need to trust Him. Christ wants to take our burdens, but many times pride interferes, and Satan gets the greatest kick from it.
These are just five examples of how the mystery of lawlessness is working. These things are a sign that the Rapture is near. If you are saved, that is good news. If you are lost, you need to join us Sunday in person or by our webpage to discover the dangerous reality you are facing.
If you are lost and would like to know how to be saved, you can ask me questions by posting comments on this blog or by sending those questions to me by email at jclendenin37@yahoo.com