Scriptures (Hover over each
for a popup)
[1] James 2:19
[2] 2 Thessalonians 2:4-12 from Daniel 11:36
and Isaiah 11:4
[3] Revelation 19:14-15 from Lamentations
1:15 and Isaiah 63.3
[4] Ephesians 6:17 from Isaiah 59:17
[5] Matthew 7:14
[6] Matthew 7:23 from Psalm 6:8
[7] Revelation 13:9-10 from Genesis 9:6
[8] Luke 22:49-50
[9] 1 Corinthians 15:31-33
[10] Matthew 10:16
[11] Matthew 18:3
[12] 1 Corinthians 14:20 |
Times are perilous; many who believe they are Christians
simply believe that He is the Son of God [1], without
repentance and without following His Commandments.
The Church labors under a strong delusion [2] [a], believing [b] the
lies that Satan has spent centuries slowly building until
the truth is so obscured that the average person in a
pew believes that sitting there takes them to Heaven!
Their belief in this delusion is as strong as a true
belief in the Words of Christ would be and blinds them
to what was taught by Christ and His Apostles.
If you read 2 Thessalonians
2:6-12 and the [a]&[b] in the Notes sidebar, you must come
to the understanding that this scripture is talking
about a complete deception brought on
by the "lawless one" whom Christ will defeat with the
breath of His mouth [3] (His Words [4]).
These people truly believe in what they have been
deceived of, putting all their faith into a useless falsehood that gives
them the reassurance of Salvation through doctrine,
without the cost of giving up the things of the world.
It is very important to understand from the Greek that
these words mean error in thoughts, actions, morals, and
religion, all backed by a complete commitment to the
deceiving lie!
When we speak of deception of the Church, we judge this
based on four things: the Hebrew writings including
the books of the Old Testament, the Words of Christ of
which many refer back to the Old Testament, the writings
of the Apostles which may also refer back to the Old
Testament, and the actions of the First Century Church
as shown in the Bible. Based on these four things
we can determine what a Christian should be, and then
judge the spirit that we are presented with, be that the
Spirit of God or a deceiving spirit. As we wrote
about in our last segment on "The Commandments of
Christ" we are required to follow ALL the Commandments
that He gave us. Jesus tells us that "straight is
the gate and narrow is the way, which leads to life,
and FEW there be that find it" [5].
Only these few will find the way and the rest will be
told "I never knew you, depart from me" [6].
So, you think you are going to make it? You're one
of the few? You've given up so much for Him; you
quit fishing on Sunday and started going to Church!
Wow! The sacrifices you have made! Now you
can wait in your pew until the Rapture takes you away
from this horrid world.
Before we go any further, let's throw a little monkey
wrench in your Rapture plan. I cannot understand
how so many Protestants believe in and teach the Rapture
of the Church. They point to 2 Thessalonians 4,
when Paul so clearly states at the beginning of 2
Thessalonians 2 that the day our Lord Jesus Christ will
come back and gather us to Him (the dead and the living)
will NOT happen unless the "lawless one" (Satan,
Antichrist) has brought a rebellion and is revealed
seating himself in the temple, proclaiming himself to be
god! It's pretty clear!
So, the first Great Deception of the Church is that
Jesus will come back for you before you are tested by
Satan in the Tribulation. The truth is the only way you miss the
Tribulation is to die first. If we are in the end
times, as you say, and the Antichrist is waiting in the
wings to make his entrance, you had best be on your knees
before God, in FEAR! I was taught that I was
saved, going to fly away, miss all the bad stuff, and be
just fine.
Ain't happening that way...
Richard pointed out a scripture to me this week.
You want to read a scary Bible verse? [7] Revelation
13:9-10. When the Great Tribulation comes, try to
harm or kill those working for the Antichrist, you will
be harmed or killed. God says so.
This brings us to the second Great Deception, the
American Dream, "I can own a gun for self defense and
kill anyone who tries to kill me, even if it's a soldier
in the army of the Antichrist. Under our Castle
Doctrine all you got to do is break into my house and I
can kill you." I have believed this for years,
carried a gun for almost 40 years, with a permit, and
was prepared to do violence against anyone who attempted
to harm the innocent or helpless. I wore t-shirts with
Templar Knight images with modern weapons, and all that.
Most of the people I know are the same way! Until
Richard I began, not discussing politics and rights, but
discussing the Scriptures. Scripture trumps
politics, rights, philosophy, and human reasoning every
single time...every...single...time...
I've heard all the arguments about the Disciples carrying
swords for their own protection, in fact I have argued
this before, but now I don't buy it.
Other than one disciple cutting off the high priest's
ear [8], and Paul fighting with beasts at Ephesus [9], we find
no place in the New Testament where weapons were used by
men or women. In fact, Jesus tells us that He is
sending us out as sheep going out to be with the wolves,
so be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" [10].
Sheep going out into the world? Innocent as Doves?
There is nothing in here that implies that you are to
use violence under any circumstances!
In fact, there is nothing in the New Testament that
gives you any right, ever, to use killing violence
against another person, unless you are under the
dispensation Paul offered for soldiers. Because of
the way the Roman society was structured, the army
provided police services, also, so we include Law
Enforcement in this dispensation to act in the best
interests of society. So, under the
correct circumstances, those sworn to protect us, may
use violence as needed.
The rest of us? No way!
Yet, Satan has so deceived the Church that we now have
armed gunmen waiting on someone to show up and start a
Church shooting! REALLY? You are going to
kill people in the sanctuary of the Church because they
show up to do you harm?
"But Preacher" you say, "how do we defend ourselves
against these criminals?"
You don't; God does.
I know; you are having a hard time with this. Your
mind is going over how the Forefathers created the Second
Amendment, and how the Supreme Court has ruled that you
have the right to personally defend yourself with guns.
But they aren't God.
They interpret the Constitution, not the Bible.
For further proof, let us look at the First Century
Church, to begin with. Romans, Jews, and Pagans
all attacked the Churches and killed the members.
They began meeting in fields and caves, being "wise as
serpents" while never fighting back, "innocent as Doves".
You are supposed to be bringing the Gospel to people,
not shooting them! If they are out to kill you, pray
that God will help you! Under no circumstances do you
fight back. If God does nothing, and you die witnessing
to them, you win the Martyr's Crown. I have actually
had people ask me what good winning a crown does them if
they are dead! Excuse me??? Did I hear that question
right? Are you so disconnected from Jesus, and so
connected to the world and your flesh, that you would
rather live in sin than die and win a Martyr's Crown?
Unbelievable! And you call yourself a Christian. Of
course, now comes the "for the children" argument, as it
always does...sigh...
Do you understand that the problem here is not that you
wear a gun, but that Satan has so convinced you of a
powerless God, that you feel you have to be prepared to
kill at any minute to protect yourself?
Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery
furnace that you heard about in Sunday School?
Great story, right? Here is something you might
have missed the import of that first time around:
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to
the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer
you in this matter. If this be so, our God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand,
O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden
image that you have set up.' "
THEY SAID: Our God will deliver us from the
furnace, and if He decides not to, it changes nothing,
we still serve our God!
This is the Gold Standard of Christian Conduct!
Church Shooter, my God will deliver me from your attempt
to kill me, and if He doesn't, then I will die, and
nothing changes, I continue to serve Him with my last
breath.
You see, the problem is that you hold your life to be of
more value than what Richard called Faith and
Obedience. Your faith and obedience should be the most
important thing in your life, ahead of your family, your
friends, your Church. You have to look no further than Abram
going up the mountain to sacrifice Issac to see how God
expects you to put Him first and let Him deliver you
when you practice, as Abram did, Faith and Obedience.
Believe God and do what He said.
The first century Church did not fight back. Read
Foxe's Book of Martyr's for later happenings. The men who walked to the
stake and sung, prayed, and preached the Gospel as the
flames took hold. One martyr, and I cannot find
his name searching the internet, found that they did not
have wood for his burning. Rather than run or
fight, he cheerfully provided money to his servant to go
buy the wood, so that his martyrdom could proceed!
Wow. He said, in effect, I'm going to prove God's
love for you, through me, even if I have to buy the wood
you will kill me with!
The difference is he wasn't afraid, and his flesh meant
nothing to him. You're scared silly of some
shooter coming in your Church, and you feel you have to
protect your flesh.
I ask you: Who's the true Christian?
One more point on this. Jesus said that unless you
change and become like children, you will never see the
Kingdom of God [11]. You must have the
innocence of children. Paul said to be infants in evil [12];
this means no true evil. Infants don't get guns
and kill people, like grown Christians do.
Sure you can have a shotgun or rifle for hunting, but
Get the weapons for killing people out of your Churches
and get rid of your guns that are designed for self
defense. Either God is your defender, or you are.
If you are, there is a good chance you will never see
the Kingdom of Heaven.
We only covered two delusions that Satan has sold the
Church on. Those are first, to be soft as nothing
that happens in the Great Tribulation will affect you,
and that you should kill anyone that might attempt to
harm you or your family, friends, or Church.
We will cover more later, along with more on Faith and
Obedience.
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Bibliography Page
[a]
πλαυης or πλανσι - Apostolic Bible, 4106 or 4106.1, 'delusion'. Also see
Jeremiah 23:17 {thrusting away the Word of the Lord and
living by your wants brings a delusion
that nothing bad will happen}. Strong's 4106 =
deceive, err, go astray. Strong's 4106.1 = led
astray, mental wandering, wrong opinion, error in morals
or religion.
[b] εττιστευσεν - Apostolic Bible, 4100,
'trusted' or 'believed'. Also see Genesis 15:6 {Abram
trusted in God and it
was imputed to him for righteousness}. Stong's
4100 = have faith, especially spiritual; to be
persuaded, have confidence in, trust, and can be
translated as "be committed to".
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