2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe THE LIE, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Delusion and deception are everywhere. As I face the lies, I hold to one truth. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. Yes, even that understanding can and has been taken too far by some. Any truth, taken to an extreme, becomes a lie. Yet the Bible, understood as one would understand any book, is the truth. On this I stand.
Pastors stand in their pulpits and speak of how God led them to this passage or that and how God led them to preach on this particular subject. That sounds so holy and righteous that we sit in awe and listen to the message God has given our pastor. There is, however, a problem to that… I have noticed that in almost every case, God leads them to preach happy sermons on happy verses. That is interrupted by the appearance of sermons on tithing when the church treasury is falling behind. Sometimes it appears to me that not tithing is the only sin committed by the parishioners; it is certainly the only sin that God leads his pastors to preach against.
This has led to today’s very lopsided church. We see and understand the love, mercy and grace of God but we cannot comprehend the wrath, judgment, holiness and righteousness of God. Our God neither sees nor judges sin, and He certainly does not call his children to repentance or punish them when they are disobedient.
Revelation 3: 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
What God says of the church in Laodicea is certainly appropriate and easy to apply to the church of today. Many scholars have seen the order of the seven churches as being chronological and historical. If that is so, Laodicea would represent the church of the last day, our church.
This deception has led many Christians to believe that Jesus died to save America and their cushy lifestyle. If you think I am wrong, watch a Trump Rally. We are overloaded with so called “CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS”. Our churches can tolerate abortion, transgenderism, and child genital mutilation… we can tolerate anything as long as they leave us alone. If I, or anyone else, start speaking of judgment or the fall of the United States, we are met by the unbelieving cries of “Shut Up! God loves America too much to ever judge her and she will never fall… God has sent Donald Trump to save us in our sin and empower us to continue in our sin… The God of the New Testament would never judge or destroy America; He is a God of Love, Grace and Mercy!”
2 Chronicles 7: 19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”
In the part of 2 Chronicles Chapter seven we never read, God promises to destroy Israel, and the Temple dedicated to his Name and to scatter his people. On the very day the Temple was dedicated, God Almighty promised to destroy it if they leave him and will not repent.
Jeremiah 14:11 The Lord said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. 12 Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”
Lying Prophets
13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” 14 And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.”
Ignoring everything God had said on the day the Temple was dedicated, the prophets in Israel held on to and promulgated “Happy Lies”. Jeremiah faced the same problem the Watchmen of today are facing; for every watchman, there are a hundred false prophets. And the people love the false prophets and hate the watchmen.
Jeremiah 14: 18 If I go out into the field,
behold, those pierced by the sword!
And if I enter the city,
behold, the diseases of famine!
For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land
and have no knowledge.’”
Today, as in Jeremiah’s day, being a pastor or a prophet can be a very good trade; it is good business. There are, however, rules that must be followed if one would eat well and live in a really nice house… You must preach only the “Happy Verses” and you must give only “Happy Words”. If you follow the rules, the offerings are large and your congregation grows… Break the rules, and you end up like Jeremiah… in the bottom of a well, looking up.
15:1 Then the Lord said to me, “Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go! 2 And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence,
and those who are for the sword, to the sword;
those who are for famine, to famine,
and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’
There comes a point of no return. Jeremiah preached the Word God gave him. The people did not listen but rather clung desperately to the words, dreams, and visions of their “Happy Priests” and their “Happy Prophets”. Everything Jeremiah said came true. The “Happy Prophets” suffered and died… Jeremiah lived. It is another story, but Jeremiah ended up with a remnant of Jews in Egypt. These Jews had seen the words of Jeremiah fulfilled in front of their eyes, yet when he gave them a message from God, there in Egypt, they looked him in the face and said, “We will not listen to you…” That group died… all of them, but Jeremiah would live to see another day.
Lamentations 2:
17 The Lord has done what he purposed;
he has carried out his word,
which he commanded long ago;
he has thrown down without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you
and exalted the might of your foes.
Then came Nebuchadnezzar… You really need to read the entire second chapter of Lamentations. We do not have time here, but Jeremiah is acting like a FOX reporter. He is walking through the streets of Jerusalem, reporting what he sees… There are dead bodies everywhere, women are killing and eating their own babies to try to avoid starvation… After surveying the whole situation, Jeremiah concludes: “The Lord has done what he purposed…”
Revelation 13: 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
That day is upon us, but the “Happy Prophets” and the “Happy Pastors” continue to spout off their lies… and the people love it!
Let me close with this warning to you, the Christian of today…
Jeremiah 14:14 …The Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.”
And to the Happy Prophets and Pastors of today, this warning…
Jeremiah 14:15 …Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them.
You have been warned!
David…
End Time Thinker 