"Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: but the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness." Isaiah 5:14-16. Wickedness has always been among us. Satan began working his evil in the Garden of Eden, and many people listen to his lies.
It even
seems as if Christians have become cold towards one another. How can
this be? Professing Christians should be on the forefront of sharing
God's love, but instead many embrace the world and its evil rather than
honouring God in every way. This attitude needs to change.
We are living in the final days before the Rapture, which means Daniel's
70th week will begin soon thereafter. As that time of judgment draws
closer it shouldn't surprise us that we can see the birth pains which
Jesus spoke of getting stronger. "And because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold." Matthew 24:12. Earthquakes and pestilence
are increasing, but it's also becoming more and more obvious that people
are becoming colder towards each other. The Greek word translated "love"
is "agape", which is quite often translated "charity". Doesn't it seem
to you that in these last days it takes very little to bring anger out
in people and agapē is non-existent? Friendliness is diminishing while
a spirit of meanness has surfaced in its place. As a civilization we've
left God behind, and without God in our lives there is no love, joy, or
charity. To compensate, many people turn to drugs, alcohol, or ungodly
sexual relationships. This only makes matters worse, and so the love of
many waxes colder and colder. Murder is increasing as human life becomes
unimportant to those whose minds and hearts are cold.
When God created man He did so with our well being in mind. He didn't
create us like the angels or like the beasts of the field. He had a much
higher purpose in mind for creating mankind. "And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness..." Genesis 1:26a. God created
everything, but only man was created in His image. This should instil
in you a desire to please God. A person cannot wax cold if they are
trying to please God and have His love inside. How can we possibly
please God? It isn't complicated. Faith is the key. "But without faith
it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek
him." Hebrews 11:6. You please God by having faith in Him.
If you're
love for others is waxing cold, then you need to draw closer to God. Put
down the cell phone and pick up the Bible; get off of blogs that allow
you to say cruel things, then reach out to people in love.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed the coldness that has come
over people of late. Unless you've been holed up in a cave somewhere or
stranded on a desert island you must have noticed this attitude that is
permeating every society around the world. News headlines are filled
with stories of murder, brutality, and hatred. Even when walking down a
sidewalk or a department store aisle very few people smile anymore. Most
are talking on their cell phones or texting and are unaware of the real
people around them. If they run into you with their shopping cart, they
glare as if you have done them wrong. Where's the joy in people's lives
these days? If we are children of the King we should be filled with joy.
Sadly, even many Christians today look as though they've been defeated.
The enemy can't win in your life unless you allow him to defeat you.
Many things separate people today. Years ago families would eat at the
dinner table and talk to each other. Then television came along and
people began to eat in front of the TV, and dinner conversations became
history. Today cell phones have come between people even more. Real
people seldom talk with other real people anymore and so many people
disconnect from others. Other people are seen as abstract beings with no
real feelings. It's easy to lose "agape" for others when they aren't
real to you."And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man
shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:" Isaiah
5:15. We are in the final days before God's wrath will be poured out and
when the wickedness of men will be unchecked.
For now Christians need to
separate from Satan, who wants us to separate from other people, and
embrace Jesus, who wants us to love others. The problem goes far beyond
just separating from other people. There's a real spirit of evil that's
violently pitting one person against another for no good reason.
Violence is everywhere. The spirit that leads people to be uncivil to
one another and treat each other with cruelty and hatred is not of God.
This satanic evil won't be tolerated by God much longer. Anyone who
thinks they can deny or usurp God's authority is standing on very
precarious ground. God is patient, but there's only so much evil and
corruption that He will put up with. His desire is that nobody dies
without accepting Christ as their Saviour, but we can see that, just as
in Noah's day, people are waxing cold and all of creation is being
corrupted. "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was
filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was
corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Genesis
6:11-12. Every time you see a "GMO" label on food you know that it has
been corrupted. When you see a news article about how scientists are
genetically modifying animals so their organs can be used in human
transplants, know that the same evil presence that corrupted the earth
in Noah's day is influencing the world today.
God is longsuffering but there will be a point when His patience runs out. Jesus told us that when He comes the second time conditions would be as in the days of Noah; the corruption of all flesh and the total wickedness that existed in Noah's day is clearly on the near horizon. If someone is offended by the actions of another person, their differences are settled by violence rather than talking things out.
Guns are not the problem, but coldness
and the rejection of God is. The atheists have become very vocal and
aggressive in their determination to rid the world of God Almighty, but
every "little g god" is embraced. Satan, being the god of this world and
the father of all lies, has great influence over the simple minded, and
these people seem to want to follow Satan's lies rather than God's
truth. Anyone who follows the father of all lies is going to be filled
with a spirit of meanness and aggressive hatred.
In spite of the ugliness and mean attitudes in the world, Christians
need to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to show God's
love to the unsaved too, but specifically we are to love fellow
Christians. "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have
loved you." John 15:12. Jesus didn't "suggest" we love one another, nor
did He put it forth as a "good idea", but He gave it as a commandment.
How do we love one another? He showed love by laying down His life for
us. Not only did He go to the cross, but many times He put His own needs
aside to care for people. He also showed love by not patting a sinner on
the back and saying "Keep on sinning".
Sin separates us from God, so
it's not showing God's love if we watch a fellow Christian sin and not
try to help them out of it. Use Scripture as a guide. "All scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy
3:16. Jesus was sinless but He is our example. We need to get the mote
out of our own eye before we can help someone else out of sin. The Bible
is our guide. Study it, apply it to your life, and encourage others to
join you in study. Love one another.
As time passes and the world around us becomes more like the days of
Noah, it's going to get tougher. More and more people without the love
of God living in them are going to surface and the coldness of Satan
will grow stronger. It's a spiritual battle, but God has not left us
without weapons. Many Christians today have willingly given up their
spiritual weapons and deny God's power. "Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Ephesians 6:10-11. Scripture will teach you about each piece of the
armour and how to use it. If you haven't been confronted by the spirit of
evil yet, your turn is coming. When confronted with it, it's a good idea
to start praying right away. Put on the armour of God and don't take it
off.
All of the signs Jesus spoke about are in place, so if you study your
Bible you will understand that the Rapture could happen at any moment.
True Christians should see this as challenge to draw closer to Jesus and
share His love with others. We must put on our armour and get out there
on the frontline and share His love. "If ye love me, keep my
commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;" John 14:15-16. The
Comforter is the Holy Spirit who is sealed within every born again
believer. He is now restraining the total evil of the last days.
The
restrainer will soon be removed and the total lawlessness and wickedness
of Satan will abound. Since He is sealed within every born again
believer on earth, we must all be removed before the events described in
the Book of Revelation can happen. Be sure that you have truly accepted
Christ as your Saviour, then stop separating yourself from real people.
Fellowship with other Christians and encourage each other to walk in the
light of God. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. If you don't walk in the light
of God then you're walking in the darkness of Satan and you'll become as
cold as he is.
These final days are filled with wickedness, but if you love God you
will not be a part of it. Jesus Christ loves you and He doesn't want
anybody to choose eternal death instead of eternal life.