November 1, 2022
He . . . presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs . . . speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3
The professed followers of Jesus believe that He is alive, yet the vast majority are consumed with activities and pursuits that have absolutely nothing to do with His kingdom. And while certain sins are regarded as abhorrent, others are accepted and have ceased to be regarded as sin. Jesus came to free us from the tyranny of all sin because it hurts and harms the objects of His love and leads them toward the second death, a death from which there is no resurrection. Since His resurrection and ascension, Jesus is out of the reach of His number one adversary. Therefore, harming people is the way our enemy the devil can continue to hurt the heart of Jesus.
The most far-reaching harm has resulted from the compromising and watering-down of the Bible and has inevitably led to outright contradictions of God’s word: contradictions that are even elevated to “church doctrine” status. Is it any wonder that every vice known to man is running unchecked through churches that claim to teach the Bible? Genuine victory over sin is seen less and less, as the church is rendered powerless to truly help its members avoid the traps that the devil has set. We perceive the words of Jesus as harsh and unyielding, yet in order to aid us in escaping the demonic snares laid out for us, He is giving us the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
Satan’s initial lie denying the reality of death has grown into a multiplicity of other unbiblical ideas. Reincarnation, purgatory, communication with the dead, consciousness of the dead, ancestor worship, universalism, praying to dead saints, “new age” spiritualism, veneration of “sainted” people, worship of relics and statues, sorcery, and the “soul that cannot die” which leads directly to the never-ending fiery torture of unrepentant sinners. None of these ideas have a legitimate place among the people of God. And none are pertaining to the kingdom of God.
The weekly Sabbath instituted as the crowning act of creation week has been replaced by a spurious, counterfeit “sabbath” by the antichrist. This replacement is one of the identifying marks of the false system of worship instituted by Satan and predicted in prophecy (Daniel 7:25). Soon, the keeping of Sunday will be enforced by manmade laws as a way of saving the earth. The pope is working feverishly to unite church and state under the banner of environmentalism. But the Bible teaches that our Creator and Savior is the one who will cleanse and restore the earth to perfection (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1). God is patiently calling His people out of false worship and confusion. This is why the religious world of the last days is called Babylon (Revelation 17, 18). Those who refuse to come out of her will be totally unprepared for the return of the Savior.
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10-13