Spiritual deception is more rampant than ever. There have been various cults popping up for some time now. Most of us are aware of the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Church of Scientology, Christian Science, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. We recall the heinousness of the Jim Jones mass suicide in 1978 in Guyana, The David Koresh Davidians who were killed by government agents in Texas in 1993, and Heaven’s Gate suicides in California in 1997. As I shared in Watch for the Lord-Part 1, we now have a new group showing its face under the guise of revival through a new emerging church.  All of these impostors are a catalyst to the revelation of the last deceiver of all, the Antichrist.

The majority of our Christian churches are turning away from God’s Word and going the way of the world. Since the beginning of time, people have felt a void before finding that Jesus is the answer to that void. Today, they are trying to fill their emptiness with whatever feels good to them. We see such abominations as homosexuals filling the pulpits of feel-good churches and leading people astray. It is obvious that they are not preaching God’s true Word. They will answer to God for lying to their followers and telling them that it is okay that they are ‘gay’, and that they cannot help it. Yes, God does love us all, but He hates our sin, and He calls homosexuality an abomination. The sin of homosexuality is as bad now as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Everywhere we look, we can see the New Age movement and some turning to mysticism for their euphoria. They want to be spiritual, but they do not want to be part of God’s true church because they do not want to follow God’s rules. They want to make up their own rules as they go. There are plenty of deceivers coming out of the woodwork every day to help them along their way.

Another sign is the persecution of God’s church. Jesus said in Mark 13:9, 10 “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the Gospel must first be published among all nations.”

Christians have been persecuted for centuries. For over 200 years after Jesus died there were many thousands martyred by people like Nero and Diocletian. The bloody Romans fed them to wild animals and watched them torn to pieces for their entertainment. There are Christians being persecuted around the world as I write this; Burma, Iraq, Iran, Malaysia, Algeria, to name a few. You can go read about those and more at Persecution.Com which is the Voice of the Martyrs.

It is important that those of us who are true born-again followers of Jesus realize that we will also be persecuted for our beliefs. 2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV) says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Remember also John 15:18-21 (KJV) “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent me.”

We see people in our country attacked daily for taking a stand for what they believe in. The unbelievers recoil in anger when we try to share God’s truths with them. Brit Hume was excoriated terribly for his recent suggestion that Tiger Woods turn to Christ and the Christian faith in order to receive the forgiveness that he assuredly will not receive from his Hindu faith.

The lost especially do not like the truth that there is ONLY ONE WAY to God and that one way is JESUS CHRIST. They would rather be told that there are many ways to salvation and they can just pick whichever way they think fits them best. Moral relativism is very big in our society these days. It is the theory that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual. There are no absolute truths – “that may be true for you, but not for me”. This, in turn, leads to turning away from God and tolerance of sin.

The Holy Bible tells us that this persecution will get much worse in the last days.

Next – Why we need to keep our eyes on what is happening around Jerusalem

Soldiers of Christ are always in danger of the peril of apostasy, but even more so in today’s world. Modern churches have gone the way of “if it makes you feel good, it’s okay”. Many preachers are afraid to stand up and preach the actual Word of God. Homosexuals are standing in many pulpits as false teachers and are in a state of apostasy (having rejected Biblical truths and replaced them with their own feel-good deceptions).

When we take a look at what is happening around us this very day, it is all too obvious that we are indeed near the end days. Our political system is very corrupt and broken, there are more laws for criminals than justice for victims, Godly and traditional morals and values have deteriorated, and many just make up their own self-indulgent, evil values as they go along.

We now have a man that does not know if he is going to Heaven, does not believe there is a Hell, and does not see the evilness of such things as partial-birth abortion, as President of the United States. What does that say about the people who voted him into office? Have so many left “their first love”, Jesus Christ and His teachings, for the evil ways of the world? As a Christian, I find the state of our country very shameful, but then again “signs of the times”?

Although it grows more difficult each day to stay the course of a Good Soldier of Christ, God teaches us in His Word that there is also protection for us. The scripture reference for that protection will follow the description below.

When Paul wrote “in the last days” in 2 Timothy 3:1, he was referencing the whole period between the writing of his letter and the Lord’s return. As His return draws very near, the characteristics described below (mass corruption and a breakdown of law and tradition) will intensify greatly.

As I read the following scripture, I see news pictures and headlines from present-day broadcasts and newspapers for every characteristic listed.

2 Timothy 3:1-9 – “1. But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

2. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3. unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4. traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5. having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

“6. For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7. always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses,” (Though these names do not appear in the Old Testament, in late Jewish, pagan, and certain early Christian writings they are applied to the Egyptian magicians who performed counterfeit miracles in opposition to Moses-Exodus 7:11, 22. They are symbols of the folly of opposing the truth.) “so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9. but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.”

The Protection from Apostasy:

2 Timothy 3:10-17 – “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11. persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra–what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

“13. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14. But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and be assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15. and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” This is our protection. If all those in America who claim to be born-again Christians would follow this advice, our country just might not be in the shape it is now.

“16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” (God-breathed; i.e., the Bible came from God through the men who wrote it–2 Peter 1:21–God was the superintendent to these human writers so that, using their individual personalities, they composed and recorded, without error, God’s Word to man.) “and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” (this is what many churches of today are not doing) 17. that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Next: The Charge to a Soldier of Christ and the Comfort of a Soldier of Christ