A Time to be Sheepish and Follow the Lamb

One of the prime characteristic of our time is deception. It comes politically, socially, philosophically, scientifically, medically, and especially religiously. And every other imaginable way. But especially in spiritual “pursuits.”

Entities have long been masquerading as the departed, as saints, as angels, pretending to “bring a word” from God … Complete with FALSE signs, wonders, miracles. Now it’s escalating, and many are enticed and lured into what seems so good and so right. They look for phenomena, for “secrets,” for power, for a way to beat the future. Or it may be a boredom with “ordinary” church, and a yearning for an indescribable “something more.” A higher consciousness and a new way to get there. Maybe even a desire to be “more spiritual” than the next person. Or might it even be an unacknowledged lack of trust in the all sufficiency of the finished work of Jesus Christ?

There are a lot of motives that can take a soul off the Narrow Way in Christ and into the woods of enchantment.

Where’s the “First Love,” Jesus Christ, in all this?

These stirrings and attractions and allurements can happen even to faithful Christians. They just slide away in the hum drum, little by little. Tired. Dry. Thirsty. Impatient. Curious. Hurt. Any state of vulnerability. The arch predator knows your weak spot. It will be where he aims to set his hook! He has something for everyone.

It can happen to the very diligent. Watch out!

Consider Revelation 2:3-5 BSB. “Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Beware.

There’s an adversary. Make no mistake about it, and it’s time for game on – according to this.

“The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and FALSE wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.” 1 Thessalonians 2:9,10. BSB

Consider to whom this is directed and why…

Do you really love the Truth? What’s your weak spot?

Beware of what you seek, what you open yourself up to… It’s playing with fire if you’re naive about this, and it will take you down a black hole where you will not want to be.

Nature abhors a vacuum, and Satan loves one – especially an emptied mind given over to Eastern practices and occult pursuits, and he will send lots of his willing associates of an incorporeal sort into it to deceive. This has no place in the Christian’s life, even when it’s “Christianized” with so called “Christian Contemplative” practices.

Ask yourself, why would Christians need pagan practices to connect with God? This was always what got the ancient people of God into trouble – pulling the practices of the peoples around them into their life and worship: idolatry, necromancy, human sacrifice, and eventual judgement. It always escalates.

And there’s nothing new under the sun, is there?

“Yea, hath God said … ?” Genesis 3:1

He has provided all that’s needed, by His grace, to be received through faith, and lived out in love and good works. He has provided His will through His Word, the Holy Bible. He has opened the way to His throne of grace through prayer.

There are those pesky Ten Commandments, which some seem to think are only ten suggestions, to be “interpreted” as needed.

Pray regularly and in all circumstances. Study Scripture. Learn from Jesus. The “metaphysical appearances” are unnecessary. Jesus mentioned this in the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus – that if people will not heed the law and the prophets, then neither will they listen if someone should come back to them from the dead.

Be on the alert, be vigilant – circumspect, watchful. Your adversary the devil walks about seeking those who are naive and vulnerable whom he may devour. He is a hungry lion! Pray for the Holy Spirit continually. Stop making excuses and give the boot to whatever rises up in you that wants to pull you in the direction of “deeper spiritual experiences.” They will be deeper alright. So deep you will wind up in over your head in at best some very dark spiritual oppression, if not out and out possession.

If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him! Surrender yourself in full to Jesus Christ. That’s what’s needful. Stay there. Come back if you have left the simple and pure devotion to Him!

“I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.” 2 Corinthians 11:3,4. BSB

Please consider and ponder the many warnings from God’s word:

“Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” 2 Peter 3:3. BSB

“There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” John 12:48. BSB

“Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1. BSB

“But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.” Hebrews 1:2. BSB

“But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:26-28. BSB

This is the one really important time when it’s good to be His sheep.

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Written 3 Years Ago

Experts and Deception

What happens when authority figures are never questioned, or when their feet are never held to the fire of their promises and words, or the veracity of their claims?

Most of the populations of this world have been taught to never question religious dogma or what their leaders’ backgrounds actually are, political authorities, what the education system promotes and who’s behind it, the prevailing winds of politics, whether the medical system can be trusted to manage your health, and so forth. We sit idly by while we are taxed to death and insurance poor – all to buy into these systems we blindly trust which rob us of our hard earned wealth.

We got duped – because too many trust the news broadcasts and their spin for example – with 8 years of the most noxious leftist administration and agenda seeking the destruction of our Constitutional Republic that this country has ever known (and a voting population that pretty much swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker). Along with this Trojan Horse of carte blanche open border immigration.

Then the pendulum seemingly swings the other way. What’s the current leadership doing? Who really knows? It still remains to be seen, in my opinion.

We have been conditioned to look upon some things which are ridiculous as being trendy and cool, but do not bother to find out why something has become so popular as a movement, or who may actually be behind it.

We have been so conditioned to trust with blind faith the “experts” in every field – that they always know what’s best, that they have our best interests at heart (or do they appeal through our “beast” interests), that the redacted history we have been traditionally receptive to is correct, and that we actually are too stupid to think for ourselves.

Buy in of that last one had to come first – that we cannot trust our own thinking processes or what we’re actually seeing – thus our most basic human God given reason and senses are tampered with by those who seem to perceive themselves in some ways superior, and therefore must “interpret” even the most obvious for us. Darwinian evolution plays handily into that. After all, if you can be convinced you’re little more than a monkey, clearly you cannot think for yourself.

What’s rolling out across the land and around the globe is a result of that conditioning. Good luck with that. It takes time to ACTUALLY stop, look, listen, and question. Maybe it’s time to take the time. The clock is ticking.

What Time Is It?

Sound Familiar? Power, signs and false wonders, deception, wickedness – to deceive those who do not receive the love of the truth. (It’ a “heart condition.”) Do you think “he who now restrains” is being taken out of the way, so that even “virtual” or “augmented reality” will be on the loose to bring in great deception? This is the time of revealing, which is the meaning of “apocalypse”.

 

“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. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign…

Signs? Wonders? Phenomena? Apparitions? Prophecies? False teachers? So called wisdom? Philosophy? Eastern mysticism and meditation? Prosperity and success gospel? Everything from dead works religion to extreme liberal antinomianism. (And more…)

What says the Word of God? There are plenty of warnings. The following are but a few. Pray for the Holy Spirit. Pray for discernment. Stay in God’s Word. Embrace the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ alone! These are times of great apostasy, and there is “something for everyone” of it in every branch of Christendom. It is time to not fall asleep at the post, but to watch and pray always.

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival. The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of POWER, SIGN, and FALSE WONDER, and with every wicked DECEPTION directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

“Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15

“Now 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 Master who bought them -bringing swift destruction on themselves.” 2 Peter 2:1

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and PERFORM SIGNS AND WONDERS THAT WOULD DECEIVE EVEN THE ELECT, if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything in advance.” Mark 13:21-23.

“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” the LORD replied. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.” Jeremiah 14:14.

THE ANSWER:

“For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”
1 Corinthians 1:21-23.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13,14.