Transcript: Why Do Ungodly People Hate and Oppose God's Ways?

I have titled this word today, Why Hostile, Ungodly People Hate and Oppose God. My title really comes from Psalms 2, verse 1, which declares, Why do the heathens rage and plot in vain against the Lord? I have pondered many times upon this question. Why do ungodly people fight against the Almighty Creator and His wonderful ways? How can they not believe that He exists? or that he has their best interest at heart, especially seeing all of this by virtue of his creation. And scripture tells us also that God has put this understanding within the hearts of all men to know that he exists. Romans 1, 17. Please, Romans 1, 17. These verses declare this very truth. For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith. As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith. For God's holy wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. Verse 19, For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their innermost conscience because God himself is shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature and attributes, that is, his eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made his handiworks. So men are without excuse altogether, without any defense or justification. Verse 21, because when they knew and recognized him as God, they did not honor and glorify him as God or give him thanks, but instead they became futile and godless in their thinking with vain imaginations, foolish reasonings and stupid speculations, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. Professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves. So these verses then tell us that God-haters have hardened and set their hearts against God and have joined in league with Satan the devil in claiming to be wiser than the one who created them, the very one who created all things seen and unseen. Psalms chapter 2 verse 1 in another translation says it this way. What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord. How strange that men should try to outwit or outsmart God. For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King, come, let us break his chains, they say, and free ourselves from all of this slavery to God. But God in heaven merely laughs. He is amused by all their puny plans, verse 5, and then in fierce fury he rebukes them and fills them with fear. When we dissect this word and peer into the depths of it, We can see and understand what we are hearing through this statement repeated by Apostle Paul from the words spoken long ago by King David in reference to the heathen raging. This bespeaks of absolute and undeniable opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ. These rise up in fury and rage and renounce the one true God and his good news, which has all the power and authority to save them from the bondage of slavery in which they deceptively live, and also to rescue them from the mouth of hell and the eternal gloom and torment that it brings forever and eternity. To rage is a word that signifies the neighing or the snorting of highly excited or agitated horses, as described in the book of Job, where it talks about prancing war horses. This word rage is symbolically used to represent the noise, fury, and violence of insolent and overbearing men, and all too well represent the attitude of Jesus Christ's enemies. The ungodly who rage and find fault with God and his ways are full of pride and vanity. Those who endeavor to outsmart and thwart the plans of Christ in the attempt to crush Christianity live in a world below and are mad, foolish dreamers who will fall victim to their own delusions and clever deceptions. To rage implies the gnashing of teeth and also to foolishly and recklessly run ahead, to rush ahead, to accomplish devious and vain plans to prevent the spread of the gospel in the world. This word implies also that they somehow think that they will prevent Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, from having the empire of his own on the earth one day soon. These God-haters are so vain in their endeavors and are so ignorant of the fact that every evil effort and accomplishment of theirs will be used for God's good. to open up and expand and make way for the prophesied return of our bridegroom Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! You see, leaders in every nation band or joined together in agreement and are as one in their antagonism and hatred against God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Just like the scripture showed in the example with Herod and Pontius Pilate, when they joined and conspired together to kill the perfect one called the Messiah, whom God Almighty had sent to the earth to redeem fallen man back to himself. These and those in every generation since have only been doing as much as God the Father would allow them to do in order to cause his enemies to do his work and bring his plans into fruition and final completion. Now, let's look. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 22. It is God who sits above the circle, the horizon of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. It is he who stretches out the heavens like gauze, like curtains, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in, who brings dignitaries to nothing, who makes the judges and rulers of the earth as chaos, emptiness, falsity, and futility. Verse 24. Yes, these men are scarcely planted. Scarcely are they sown. Scarcely does their stock take root in the earth when the Lord blows upon them and they wither and the whirlwind or tempest takes them away like stubble. Now, we should understand in this word today that the first prophecy spoken about our Savior's effect upon mankind was given by a devout Israelite named Simeon. Simeon was endowed with the gift of prophecy and had received divine revelation that his death would not take place until he had seen the Messiah. Mary and Joseph entered the temple with baby Jesus in arm, and Simeon, recognizing the holy babe, took him in his arms and gave thanks to God for the privilege of seeing Jesus. And from the account Luke 2, verse 34, the word declares what Simeon prophesied to Mary, Jesus' mother. He said in verse 34, And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed and destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed. This is again the first prophetic utterance related to the cross and the effect that the Holy Child must be to those in the way of sorrows. The angels first had spoken of the throne of David, the shepherds had brought the message of peace, and yet Simeon foretells both the effect and the way of the cross. And yes, this prophecy is called a blessing, and it is so because obedience to the will of the Father brings untold and countless blessings to those who obey and conform to the commands of the Eternal One. And at the same time, we see in this prophetic word given to Mary that she too must learn to suffer with her child. Simeon said that a sword shall pierce through her own soul. And this was to be a blessing for Mary. Strange as it may sound to us being creatures of clay, but is it not true that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the eternal word in human flesh, has brought a blessing upon human suffering for those who are associated with this suffering? Well, let's look at that. In 1 Peter 1.5, you who are being guarded, garrisoned by God's power through your faith, till you fully inherit that final salvation that is ready to be revealed for you in the last time, you should be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations. Verse 7, so that the genuineness of your faith may be tested. your faith which is infinitely more precious than perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. This proving of your faith is intended to redound to your praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One, is revealed. What you and I contend to believe in, that we will be tried and tested in. Our faith is the object of our trial, and it is much more precious than gold. And gold is put into the fire, and eventually when it is there long enough, the dross surfaces up to the top and is skimmed off, and it's discarded. And we all must be tried and tested to see if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine and real to meet the approval of the final judge one day. Simeon foresees that Christ, the Messiah, must suffer because his life and physical presence would be violently opposed to the principles by which men were guiding their own lives when Jesus came to the earth. Remember, Jesus stepped into the world as the incarnate word and had the total and full capacity and capability to read the innermost thoughts of people and reveal to them in the moment the true nature of themselves, good or bad. For that very reason, he would be salvation for some, and on the other hand, he would be condemnation and judgment for others, and therefore he would be a sign that is spoken against even in our day to day. We hear it all the time. It is increasing more and more in the news and all around us, and especially in this nation today, the uprising hatred for God and his people. Human suffering arises out of the transgression and the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve in the garden when they disobeyed the divine command of God given to them, which was to not eat from just one tree in the garden. They chose their own will rather than God's will in conforming to his divine order, which he had set in motion on that day when he laid down his righteous command or laws. And this divinely ordered and arranged human life was exampled and lived by the very one who is called the Word made flesh in human form. Jesus Christ, divinely ordered life, is in direct opposition and is hostile to the self-righteous and self-centered lives of those who have fallen natures and therefore Christ's way of life collides and vehemently opposes these people who then must suffer as a result of their willful and sinful way of life and preferences. It is part of God's law set into motion on the day he created man and woman and said, this is good. Those who choose to conform to their pattern, Jesus Christ, learn that when they choose to live godly lives in Christ, they will and must suffer persecution for his name's sake. 2 Timothy 3, verse 12. The word declares, indeed, all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ, Jesus will meet with persecution, will be made to suffer because of their religious stand. But wicked men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and being led astray themselves Verse 14 But as for you continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing from whom you learned them. Simeon said that Jesus would be the rise and the fall of many, and the testimony of Christ's gospel will prove the means for your rise and or your fall. It is a matter of an absolute untold moment involving all that is important in your eternal character and your destiny, or in other words, where you will end up for eternity. Simeon said that Jesus was appointed and destined for the fall and the rise of many, and the fact that he lays bare the secret thoughts and purposes of every heart will be brought out and exposed on their day of judgment. It comes to where true believers and lovers of Jesus Christ speak for him, not against him. They come to understand as well that they must not speak lightly of him or his ordinances or doctrines or his people, but they must be advocates for his cause and embrace every opportunity to share and witness him to others. True followers of Jesus Christ understand that all of the sufferings and the injustices, the insults and persecutions may be matters of grief to them in the moment. But dear ones, it is our sins that have made all of these things necessary and are reminders of why and what our precious Redeemer went through on our behalf. Undergoing the pain of living this way of life for the gospel's sake must be in order to have its appropriate and fitting heart-searching effect on our hearts and souls. The secret thoughts and purposes of every heart will be brought out and exposed as a result not to be mocked or belittled or played down, but it is rather to be desired and sought after in order to embrace whatever is cherished and pleasant, according to Philippians 4, verse 8, which instructs us. Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellent, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things, fix them in your minds. these things ought to be fixed in our hearts so that the day of our judgment Christ may reveal all that is in our hearts and that we may be found free of defilement and impurities. To risk being found short of the lovely and the beautiful, having been conformed and harmonized in your hearts, then it will be too late for any correction or change. One will only hear the dreadful words of the Savior saying, Too late, too late, the judgment has been set. Especially today, and today alone, in this present day, is the time for any beneficial and profitable discovery of needed change and also repentance and turnaround and the implementation of steadfastness to Christ's precious way of life as demonstrated in his word, should be the first and foremost greatest priority and preference in your life. Simeon said that our Savior would be set as the ruin of many. Understand, please, God's Son came not to destroy souls, but to save them. In his boundless and inexhaustible love for mankind, he has literally sacrificed himself for the world and unlocked the entrance into heaven by his brutal and heartless death, but nevertheless and unfortunately he is set to be the ruin of many. How very true Simeon's prophecy is. Many millions and millions of people, even multitudes of churches today, are destitute of faith, which is the doorway into eternal life. and the very ground of this precious salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Many are destitute of Christ's divine love. We must possess and embrace in addition to faith if we are to be saved. How terrible and how dreadfully alarming it is for those who will face the consequences of the ruin of whom Christ is set against. they will have forfeited and renounced the price of their salvation, just like Esau, who sold his birthright to his brother Jacob, did, and he whined afterwards and begged to have it back, but was told it was too late. It was just too late. He sold out for a bowl of soup. It was too late. Just too late. all of these people will lose out on eternal happiness and joy, which awaited and was destined for them only if they would have conformed to the eternal Creator's plans and ways. In Simeon's prophetic word, he was describing what Jesus Christ would be to different people. Jesus would be an object of opposition and the occasion of ruin to his enemies. He was going to be an acute cause of suffering by sympathy and tenderness to his mother. And he would be the author of salvation and restoration to his people. And lastly, he would be a test or measure, a barometer, if you will, and the standard of the moral and spiritual state and requirement needed for all of mankind. And this last one says to us that man is either saved or destroyed by the truth of the living God. Everyone has choice either to accept or reject the wonderful offer which comes by way of salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Every man and woman who has heard of the message of salvation has had some kind of connection with Christ. Jesus is offered to each one of us by faith, by God the Father, and as a means of salvation and a foundation on which we may build. Once the message of salvation comes into anyone's hearing, they have the free will choice to accept or reject that offer. If rejected, the individual is visited time and time again by God's ministering spirits and agents in the continual attempt of witnessing the goodness of the Savior and his love for them personally. And if these people continually and habitually reject the offer of salvation, then at some point or another in their lives, God closes the door of opportunity and no longer knocks upon the door of their hearts, inviting them to come and partake in their share of eternal life. But instead, only the dreadful gloom and doom of hell's fire awaits them. Once the precious gospel of salvation is heard and accepted, it begins to bring or should bring a perpetual and continuous change to the individual's character and spiritual growth. Jesus does something to each and every one who has accepted him. Acceptance of Christ begins to tell on us. If you disbelieve it and have rejected him and you are not conforming to his standards, it tells on you by the way of your attitude, your words, your deeds, your body language. And you see, you cannot open up God's word and have the savor of his anointed word pour forth on those pages you are reading without it affecting you in one way or another. It is just like the anointing oil when Mary opened up the alabaster box and the aroma of the spice permeated the room and affected those who were in the room with her and her Savior. and scripture tells us that those around her complained of her extravagant waste as she poured it over the one whom she loved. Jesus is either a sweet saver to us or he is considered awful and offensive and one to be avoided, which is really in the long run death unto eternal death for anyone on this path. Simeon had proved himself a faithful witness of Christ. The Almighty had brought Simeon's greatest desire in prayer to fullness the day he held baby Jesus in his arms and gave the prophetic word to his mother Mary. we personally should have found in our experience somewhere in our walk where it has been exposed that Christ has been a stumbling stone and an offense and that he has been a signal or a standard which has called out the imperfections and oppositions in our carnal nature and our character. We should have found him in our experience to be a sword which has pierced our own souls and divides the evil in us from the good laying bare our ugly and corrupt intentions and ways and discloses the secret thoughts and purposes and tendencies of our evil hearts. Jesus was to bring strife on the earth, and it is framed so clearly when we see and understand the inward war and struggles that lurk within our own human heart and nature. Jesus also has been our consolation, our light, and our glory if we have been found steadfast in our conformity to him and his ways. The hostile, ungodly ones who rage and oppose God and his Son will never know this side of the strife that Jesus was meant to bring in dividing the holy from the profane in the human heart in order to bring salvation to their souls. they will never know this positive side of change that comes with salvation because of the rejection of the good news once it came within their hearing. And when our thought life is exposed we have to endure the inward conflict between good and evil. When the words of the Savior pierces and breaks and tears at our hearts it is all according to the divine order of God with the loving intention to prepare and transition us to the eventual divine end of God, which is the salvation of our souls. This is all part of God's divine order and scheme of things, which is intended to prepare us for a time in which our souls and hearts will be so flooded and bathed and charged and permeated with the divine light and goodness of God that there shall be no more darkness in us and that we will be so penetrated with this divine glory that sin, sorrow, and shame shall flee away forever and ever. What a wonderful Savior and Father. And this is God's intention for all of mankind. Who will not endure the pain, the strife, and persecution that comes in this present life and bear up under it with patience and courage and hope as we endure all for his name's sake and wait patiently for him to take us to our eternal home above. Whomever the good news comes in contact with, Christ Jesus is never without influence, never inoperative in that hearing ear, but in every case a very weighty result is produced. It must be so, because Simeon prophesied in saying Jesus would be the rise and fall of many. A man or woman hearing the good news of the gospel will either rise or fall upon hearing that truth. And this is saying then that there are two sides of the truth once it comes into the hearing of any individual. Jesus is always working upon men and women with considerable and distinct and noticeable effect. And on the other hand, the way a person treats our Lord is either with warmth and affection and love, or it is with opposition and hatred to his ways by refusing the conformity and obedience that he demands in order to receive the wonderful gift of salvation. why is this why is it why do the ungodly rage and oppose and hate god and his son and show it by mocking and denying him and rejecting him by not living in true allegiance to his word and his ways according to holy scripture well one of the reasons is that the light and the power and authority which is inherent in Jesus Christ and his gospel, represents Christ among men and women in the world. It brings with it a conviction to their hearts and souls, laying bare the revelation that the evil nature within condemns them, and consequently they hate him and his word and all those who are associated with him. Their conviction brings hatred. Listen again, please. Their conviction brings hatred and opposition rather than shame for their sinful ways, which typically drives one to their knees in repentance. If you stand before a fire, it will warm and comfort you, but you thrust your hand into it, it will burn you. So it is with the sun. The clouds at times may hide it from our view, and yet it is forever pouring forth. its rays of heat and light. As long as it is the sun, it must cast forth its influence and permeate its surroundings with its impact, its force, and splendor. And this analogy is the same for our precious Savior, who is called the Son of Righteousness. As long as the world exists, Christ our Savior influence will be felt and experienced amongst men and it will either be the rise or the fall of all men and women And if we receive him and truly live in him, we shall be saved and will live. But if we reject him, we must die. You cannot receive Christ as your Savior and yet keep one foot in the world and not be damaged a little bit by it. There is no alternative, but you undoubtedly will perish because of double-mindedness. Each and every individual must decide about Jesus one way or another. Jesus was appointed for this very thing as told by Simeon's prophetic utterance. Everyone takes a position in Christ one way or another. He will either be your rise or he will be your fall. And those who fall by their position in Jesus Christ is not a difficult question to answer. Those who fell in Scripture were those who held to the traditions of men, who gave credence to men's doctrines and give these sayings higher authority than God's word and commands. Others who fell according to Scripture were those who were considered externalists. These are those who give excessive attention to the external things of life and religion. They hold an exaggerated emphasis on the outward form of religion, or have a form of religion but deny its power working in them. Going to church once or twice a week and doing one's duty would define one who is an externalist or one who presents a form of godliness but denies the power therein. others who fall by Christ instead of rising would be the self-righteous folks who endeavor to earn their way into the kingdom by their own good works and merit rather than by faith in Christ Jesus and the journey of true repentance of sinful ways and growing in spiritual maturity others who fall by Christ are those who have continual unbelief and are skeptical of him and his ways. They are the doubters and the ones who are fear-laden. They were not anchored in Christ by faith and reliance upon his word. And it's no different today than it was in the biblical days. People that fell by Christ then fall by him today too. Those who will be raised in Christ will be those who have admitted they've fallen. These will admit that they have or had fallen nature due to sin and are those who lament and hate it with a passion. These are those who produce habitual fruit with their initial repentance. You see, dear ones, Jesus Christ cannot raise up those who are not brought down low. John the Baptist said in John 3 verse 30, he, Jesus, must increase, but I must decrease. He must grow more prominent. I must grow less so. Salvation is not earned by works or out of duty or appeasing God and doing something nice or good for someone, but rather salvation comes by and through God's grace and cannot be mixed with performance and will not be accepted, nor anything else. when one tries to attempt to do anything in their own power to earn salvation. Only true repentance and belief or faith and habitual production of fruit in yours and my life will cause us to be raised up to the point where we live in Christ. Jesus says, without me you can do nothing. And this is Christ's method to save souls. He first lets us experience a great fall, and afterwards he causes us to rise up and meet him in the ethereal realm where he will feed us true manna from above. Understand, please, you cannot fill a vessel until it has been emptied of its former contents. Jesus cannot make room for his mercy if the former stuff and contents has not been emptied out. He cannot clothe an individual if he is content with the former or old clothing and refuses to part with it. And the same analogy in that Jesus cannot feed someone who has no real hunger or passion for him. The fall that we take in Jesus Christ is a blessed and consecrated fall, dear one. Jesus has never let anyone fall whom he did not lift up afterwards. The word declares in Deuteronomy 32, 29, See now that I myself am he. There is no God besides me. I put to death and I bring to life. I have wounded and I will heal and no one can deliver out of my hand. This word says to us that God will bring us low to bring us upward. His desire and aim through the hardships and the trials in our lives to bring greater faith and conformity and obedience in our spiritual growth. God did not spare his own son, Jesus, when he sent him to the earth on our behalf. Isaiah 53 verse 10 tells us, It pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief, and thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed and shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. Verse 11, He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he will bear their iniquities. By Christ being brought low for each one of us individually, he then lifts us up in himself to live and have our being in him, enjoying all the promises and the blessings which are designed to bring us safely through as we journey on this path of life. Christ is the sign that shall be spoken against. And this is why the heathens rage. Jesus was a sign of the divine love of God. In Christ, God reaches the climax of generosity and compassion, and man exhibits the highest apex of his deadly state and demonstrates the greatest hostility and sign of hatred to God and his people, showing the most destructive and deadly opposition to him and to his church, which is to be the habitation of his grace. It is to be the chamber of his conception, dedicated to the birthing forth of his love. God used the principle of grace and love to bring his church forth into the world through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus was a sign of man's communion with God and of God's fellowship with man. And he is a sign of a connecting bridge between the creature and his creator. But unfortunately, Man does not want to be near his maker. And so consequently, he rages against the means provided for his communion and way to reach and touch his maker. And some of the ways we see the ungodly becoming more aggressive in America today and demonstrating their hatred for God is by, one, billboards promoting atheism and attacking Christianity, which has popped up all across the nation. The second one is the American Humanist Association has launched a website for children to indoctrinate them in atheism. Three, an atheist rally in Washington, D.C. last year had a special promotion to encourage children to attend their atheist camps. 4. Atheists have been increasingly using terms like child abuse to describe the efforts of Christians who seek to teach their children about creation, heaven, and hell. 5. Many atheists claim that children belong to the community, not to their parents. And this belief comes from the Communist Manifesto. And the sixth one is that atheists have actively opposed any effort in public schools to even question a belief of evolution or suggest that there are any problems with it. Now understand, please, today, there has been an increasingly growing anti-Christian attack in America. And this should be understood from the point of view in which it is instigated. We have an all-out war in America as citizens to maintain the freedom stipulated in our Constitution. The present administration in Washington, D.C., is endeavoring to move into what is known as the New World Order or One World Government, which will eventually abolish the guidelines we use in America to govern our nations. and these guidelines are the Constitution of the United States of America. Dear listener, this is what Adolf Hitler tried to do in his tyrannical reign and mass murder of millions of innocent people. This sinister plot highly affects us as Christians, and this should stand as a warning for the Church in that a great chasm is widening between what is truly Christian and what is not. All of these attacks on our Christian freedoms stem from this evil plot and plan spearheaded by the world's rich and godless elite. And the plan is to decrease the world's population to around 500 million people to 1 billion with only a handful of the rich elite ruling these numbers of what they call the privileged-to-be-alive people. Jesus foretold of Satan's plan in the book of Daniel, in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24, and Paul in his epistles spoke much about the Antichrist plan to rule the world with this one-world Antichrist government. What we are seeing happening in the whole world is foretold and prophesied in both the Old and the New Testaments. The escalation of hatred against Christians is increasing, and Christians can no longer straddle the fence, but ultimately must decide which side they will stand on. The world is in a critical state at this day and hour in which we live. The hostile, ungodly rage and hate and oppose God and speak violently against Him because of their ignorance in knowing their need for him, all because they willfully lack the knowledge and wisdom in knowing his ways. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and people will naturally speak against that which they have distaste in animosity for. In answer to this question, why do the hostile, ungodly hate and oppose God? The bottom line is and has only one final answer, and it is found in our opening scripture in Psalms 2, verse 1 through 6. We're going to read it again. Why do the nations conspire in the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and rulers gather together against the Lord and his anointed one. Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. the one enthroned in heaven laughs and the Lord scoffs at them and then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying I have installed my king on Zion my holy hill what we are talking about is man's hatred and rebellion against God here this is the total reason that the heathens and rulers rage against God and set themselves against him and take counsel together in plotting against him in vain. This rebellion stems from the very one who rebelled against God in heaven and was cast out. Satan has influenced his willing agents to believe that God is like a tyrant sitting in the heavens, keeping Christians in bondage with his Ten Commandments and his Sermon on the Mount, that he dictates the way that Christians must live and act. They don't want to live within the guidelines that God lays out in order for them to experience the true joy and freedoms that come by living in Christ. They don't want to have anything to do with God because they have no freedoms to live life as they wish, and that is making choices for themselves, regardless of the sinful and idolatrous practices that come with their choices. What folly. What deception. When talking to people who profess to be Christians, our conversation eventually leads to the message which the Lord has put heavily upon our hearts, and that is to alert and warn God's people that we are living in the last days and to apprise God's people about what is happening in our government today, which corresponds with biblical prophecy and scripture sheds light on how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ in our day. It is amazing to us that few churches are teaching and preparing their congregation as to what is happening on the world scene and the signs of the times which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24, which are leading up to the great apostasy as it is unfolding rapidly in our day. 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 3 declares, Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not come, except the apostasy comes first, unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians have come, and the man of lawlessness, sin, is revealed, who is the son of doom, of perdition. Unless the predicted great falling away, or better called the apostasy, happens first, the man of lawlessness will not enter upon the scene, thus ushering in the last three and a half years of the great tribulation. 1 Timothy 4 backs up what our previous scripture has declared But the Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in the latter times some will turn away from the faith giving attention to deluding and deceiving seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared and cauterized Not only must God's people learn and understand where the leadership in our government is steering this nation, but also they must know of the blatant disarming of their constitutional rights and freedoms. And more than ever today, the Church needs to be warned against the great apostasy that is happening at breakneck speed in the visible Church today. Evil and wicked apostates have slipped in and have infiltrated the church and are secretly and cleverly slipping in their vile teachings and perverted doctrines which undermine the word of God and his righteousness. In Jude 3 verse 4, we are told certain men have crept in stealthily, gaining entrance secretly by a side door. Their doom was predicted long ago. ungodly, impious, profane persons who pervert the grace, the spiritual blessing and favor of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality and disown and deny our soul master and Lord Jesus Christ. One of the greatest things that we see within the verses of this powerful little book is the unveiling of the dimensions or the aspects of apostasy and what it looks like in the departure. of the faith. And this should be of great interest to us if we wish to stand our post and be on guard for what Jesus warned us of in the Gospel of Matthew when he spoke about the end times and the great tribulation. He said in Matthew 24, verse 10, many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert him whom they ought to have trust and obey, and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred. And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error. And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity. Many will be offended and will stumble and fall and shall apostatize from the faith. And Jesus is in effect saying that many who profess to love him will show that they really didn't have any genuine or true attachment to him after all, and show it when the trying times come upon them, and they demonstrate that they knew nothing of the genuine Christian love whose root is found in Christ alone. These people apostatize from the faith. Apostasy is defined as the determined willful rejection of Christ and his teachings by a Christian believer. In John 15, 22, Jesus says, If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. They'd be blameless, but now they have no excuse for their sin. We have various messages where we teach about this subject in depth. And we invite you to go to our website and access the Audio Christian Teaching Library, and there you will find two messages called The Prophesied Great Apostasy is now here, Part 1 and Part 2. We did a series on this subject. The Prophesied Great Apostasy is now here, Part 1 and Part 2. understand please that the great falling away has been so progressive to where major movements in the church have affected the teachings within the church and the intensity is coming to the point where it is layered so deeply that false teachings has gained a foothold and control in all denominations and sectors of the church and what i'm speaking and warning about is already happening dear church. The perversion of the truth is so great within the church as I speak to you right now. I cannot emphasize this point loudly enough. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. These apostate teachers and leaders distort and confuse and mingle the characteristics of right and wrong. Millions and millions in the church today are living in absolute opposition to God's mandate, which he deems necessary and right and just for those who are saved by his son's grace. But today, without the root of love and faith in Jesus Christ, due to all the air and heresy and false teaching in the church and all of the deception permeating the church in the way of New Age doctrines, denial of hell, teachings about angels and shamas and mysticism, doctrines of flying saucers and aliens and life on other planets. We have perverted evangelism, which is nothing more than a big marketing scam seeking warm bodies to fill the churches for greater income, bigger buildings with the latest stage inventions to create a phony atmosphere of God's Shekinah glory. What a pretense in religion. What a lie. What a farce. The air and heresy in the false teaching about God's prosperity gospel is a heretical doctrine in saying health, wealth, and financial blessing is God's will for all Christians and that positive speech and large donations to these ministries will increase people's material wealth and God's blessings in their lives. We have seen videos on YouTube where people have been worked out by the wolves and scammers to give their largest donations and were running to the altar in their frenzy of giving where they would throw money on the steps of the altar and go back to their seats shouting wildly with the rest of the crowd who were shouting in unison saying, money, money, money cometh, money cometh. And the only ones getting rich are those who preach this abominable lie. They purport this is what living in faith is all about. Confessing these promises is perceived as true faith that God will honor rather than obedience and submission to his word. With this cesspool of filth comes the rampant news releases across America telling of church leaders who have been involved with drugs, embezzlement of money from their churches, reports of those who have been involved in adulterous affairs, fornication and sexual deviance of all kinds, including homosexual relations, or raping of little girls by leadership in the church on Sunday morning. How absolutely abominable. This ought to incent you, dear believer. I say this ought to incent you. with so many twisted doctrines in the church today. You must understand that many of these leaders are in league with the One or New World Order agenda, and what goes along with it is called the One World Church, which is in effect and will be the worship of Satan. The New World Order is spearheaded by what is called the Luciferian Society and is made up of evil people who worship Satan the devil and plan to force a third world war in order to take over the world and implement their new world order agenda. And many of these people are coming out of the woodwork, so to speak, and are proudly identifying themselves as to whom they serve. You can do your own homework, once again, by going to the net and plugging in Google and YouTube, Luciferian hand signs. And from that point you will be surprised to see who have sold out to Satan the devil. You will see many leaders from around the world to stars in Hollywood and even high visible church leaders who have sold out to Satan and received their power and authority from him. These hand signs are visible signs, certain signs that identify the Luciferian society. followers of Satan the New World Order people we have two videos that are soon to be released on our website which show and reveal these things very vividly they are called A Prophetic Dream Reveals the Outcome of the Merchandising Church and another video is called A Prophetic Vision of Satan's Deceptive Offer of Power and Authority don't miss these because if you know nothing of this plan of the Antichrist and those who are acting on his behalf, then you need to do your part and educate yourself on these subjects. The mainstream media is not reporting the news as it is happening. You would be surprised to know who is involved in this movement in the church and who do promote this one world order agenda. Maybe some of you are listening to these apostate teachers and are sitting in one of these churches and are contributing to one of the ministries as you travel around to their conferences and pay to hear and listen to their twisted and perverted teachings. There are many of these well-known so-called teachers who are big-time infiltrating the church and are spreading these heretical lies and twisted apostate teachings which are nothing more than doctrines of demons. It is yours and my duty and responsibility as believers in Christ to profess our faith in Christ and be willing to suffer for him. Deny means to reject. It is yours and my responsibility to uphold the truth, the name and the cause of our Christ. You must never be ashamed of your relationship with your Savior. to be put in a situation where you must evidence your faith in Christ is to honor him before men. It is time to wake up, dear church. It is time to wake up. If you have never before heard of the New World Order and the One World Church and the FEMA caskets and the detention centers, the RFID chip, which will allow the government to know your whereabouts, and also it is said that you will not be able to buy or sell without this chip. Does this sound like the warning in Revelation 3.16 that speaks about the mark of the beast? Also, we have the new health care system called Obamacare, which is reported to have what is coined death panels. This, in effect, will be a panel of government-appointed leaders, experts, who will decide if you or I should receive the health care benefits when we become ill or need surgery or emergency treatment. This is being instituted in America now. In other nations, this health care package is called socialized medicine. The death panel simply means that there is a government expert between the doctor and the patient who will decide whether or not anyone with a debilitating disease will be euthanized, and that means to be put to death by lethal injection, just like a criminal on death row would be. The reasoning behind this is because it is not cost-effective by government decision to spend health care monies on someone who is not productive in society, but is only a drain on its finances. This will be especially so with the elderly. The elderly today are those who are considered the baby boomers. These are those in the age range from around 65 and above. It is wise for you to learn of these things and prepare your heart spiritually for what is to come. It will not be pleasant. In Matthew 10, verse 21, Jesus says, In the last day these pretenders of the faith, The backsliders, the apostates, the half-hearted professors of the faith will betray even their parents, and children will turn and betray their parents, and brethren will betray brothers, sisters will betray, and so forth. There will be such a hatred of Christians that people will point them out to the authorities in order to save their own lives. And bottom line, this is nothing more than the deep and deadly hatred and rebellion of the human heart towards the gospel truth of the living God. Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey me. And we demonstrate our love for our beloved Christ when we obey him, not by mere profession of him. Producing fruit of love, obedience, and maturity is the proper evidence of our love to Christ Jesus, even in the face of persecution. All of this more than answers our question today in why do the hostile, ungodly rage hate and oppose God? It is better to be well informed and aware of the things that are coming to pass and are pointing to the soon-coming return of our Lord Jesus Christ. This should excite and thrill our hearts. If we live by the Holy Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit and have our lives ordered by Him and controlled by the Spirit. It is here only where we will have true discernment and make wise choices as we come face to face with the terrible times yet ahead of us. which will be crucial to our salvation. Those of you who are on God's side and have his Son Jesus Christ as your only cause and are standing your ground on his word and in faith without compromise, then you must know you will face persecution of various forms in these weeks and months ahead. And more than ever before, God's people need to be standing up publicly without shame for the authority and the integrity of his word and his ways. It is a privilege and an honor to serve the living God. May God have mercy upon us all. .