| The
church, fallen, & blind, end times prophesy.
This
is the church age from which the Antichrist will emerge. It is the
church age Paul talked about that would not endure sound doctrine,
but would gather around them teachers that would say what their
ITCHING EARS wanted and desired to hear-ref 2
Tim 4:3.
Jesus
was asked about the sign of His coming. The first thing He said
was, TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU-Mt
24:4; ref Mk 13:5; Lk 21:8. Before Jesus warned about wars
and rumors of wars; before He related about famines, earthquakes,
and diseases; before He told about the Gospel being published among
all nations.
He warned about the age of religious deception that would come.
This is that church age. In the history of the seven churches, there
has never been a church age so filled with deceptive doctrines and
ideas, yet so totally ignorant of its true condition.
In the church of Sardis (the "dead" church), there were
a FEW NAMES that had not defiled their garments-ref Rev
3:4. However, in the Laodicean church age, there does not
appear to be even a "few" that are not blind and naked.
This is very much in harmony with the Scriptures relating to the
coming of the Lord being as in the days of Noah, wherein FEW souls
were saved. Despite the overwhelming witness of God’s Word,
regarding this church, they are in total ignorance of the truth,
often preaching just the opposite.
Today’s church is full of deception; it will perish. However,
there are well-known Bible teachers who think that more than fifty
percent of Americans are born-again.
It is a church where people are entertained and made to feel good,
instead of falling upon their knees in godly sorrow for
sin.
It
is a church age for laughing rather than for crying. It is a church
age of saying a sinner’s prayer and believing a person is
saved, even though afterward there is absolutely no evidence of
repentance, the fruits of the Spirit, doing the will of God, or
the fruits of the works of God. In some cases, the preachers know
these things, but will not tell their congregations the truth. Some
are afraid that people might leave their church and go elsewhere.
They love the praise of men more than the praise of God. Having
lots of unsaved or lukewarm people means more to them than having
a few hot, spiritual people.
It is a church that finds time to do all manner of things, but does
not find time to humbly dwell in and study God’s Word as if
their life depended on it.
It is the church age when thousands of Christian preachers may preside
daily over funerals declaring that the deceased person is now in
heaven—when, in reality, he is screaming, tormented in the
flames of hell.
When
have you ever heard a preacher say at a funeral that the deceased
person went to hell? The Bible clearly shows that only a few are
truly saved by the grace of God; however, if one would listen to
the preachers at funerals, it would seem that everyone goes to heaven.
The preaching, in many of today’s churches, consists of foolishness,
jokes, storytelling, and teaching what pleases people, rather than
God’s pure Word. They do not usually preach that THE THOUGHT
OF FOOLISHNESS IS SIN-Pv 24:9. Some of America’s best comedians
are behind the pulpits. Should a preacher, who gets the congregation
laughing with jokes, then expect people to fall on their faces before
God with conviction for sin and with tears of repentance? Is this
the way Jesus preached? Did Jesus try to comfort those that came
to hear Him with jokes, foolishness, or other antics to cause them
to laugh?
The preaching, in many of today’s churches, consists of reading
a few Bible verses; then the preacher talks about himself, his family,
and other incidents that relate to the verses. The people learn
very little about Jesus. They learn very little of the WORD OF GOD
and of comparing the Word with the Word.
On
the other hand, they learn a great deal about the preacher, his
children, his wife, his friends, things he has done, and so on.
What a blind church age, when we teach what other people and other
books say, but we ignore what God says in His Word!
The
milk of the Word is diluted with lots of water. They preach watered-down
milk. A baby that receives only one part of milk, mixed with ten
parts of water, will eventually die.
The
born-again Christian needs and desires the PURE SPIRITUAL MILK-1
Pe 2:2 NIV, that is not watered-down with other things. It
is not man, but the Holy Spirit that opens a person’s heart
to understand. So few seem to realize this.
It
is a church age where God’s Word is proclaiming, PREACH THE
WORD-2 Tim 4:2. Jesus (the Word) is
outside the church knocking, yet who has ears to hear?
What a blind church age it is! Jesus is about to return; many biblical
signs testify to this fact. Nevertheless, many churches will not
teach Bible prophecy. Even though much of the Bible pertains to
prophecy, it is often ignored. Many churches teach on love, but
exhibit no love toward other born-again people outside of their
own local church. Many churches think they can see how blind other
churches are, but fail to see how blind they themselves are.
Many Bible schools and churches teach this way; afterward, they
wipe their mouth and say, "I have done no wrong." In their
blindness, they fulfill the Laodicean prophecies.
It is very common, in America, to find church members that say they
follow Christ, but are involved in every sort of sin imaginable.
Many of these same people hold positions of authority.
They
may oversee the church’s business affairs, including the hiring
and dismissing of pastors, yet they, themselves, are spiritually
dead and ignorant of God’s Word. The church has been infected
with leaven (false doctrine), which has grown like a cancer, reaching
to the very core. The entire church is infected and sick, but does
not know it. |