I am appalled that some people I once regarded as having good judgment are falling in step with the horde that is marching off the cliff into the abyss of tyranny. What led up to our national descent into deception? Are we hopelessly past the point of no return? How do we survive and thrive in a world gone mad?
The Source of all truth is God. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the incarnation of Truth (John 14:6) and is absolutely truthful and faithful. We learn about and experience truth from him. The world’s problem is that, almost from the very beginning, humanity chose to reject God and truth, which plunged us all into deception, destruction, and death.
It is impossible to escape the downward spiral of deception without renouncing our sinful denial and rejection of God.
Until we come under God’s guidance and learn to draw our life from him, we will continue to be deceived by default. It cannot be otherwise.
Truth does not exist outside of God.
Increasingly the United States is turning away from God and biblical truth, causing us to descend headlong into destructive and enslaving deception. Paul’s description of this madness is playing out before our eyes.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:28-32 (NLT)
What is most startling to me, however, is not that people in the world are plunging off the cliff into the darkness. To me it incomprehensible that those who name the name of Christ also are imbibing from the intoxicating well of deception. Entire denominations have embraced anti-biblical positions regarding sex, gender, marriage, and abortion. They do this because they want to be loved by the world more than they desire to be faithful to God. (John 12:43) Only godless individuals will trade their eternal reward to gain such approval, leaving me with the conclusion that they never knew God in the first place.
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. 1 John 2:18-19 (NLT)
Our Lord Jesus is separating the wheat from the chaff. (Luke 3:17) He is removing the weeds from the good grain. (Matthew 13:30)
Our loyalty to biblical truth reveals our loyalty to Christ.
Embracing lies is a form of idolatry, since Jesus is the Truth. We dare not trade biblical truth for the fashionable positions of the world, even if it means being persecuted for it. Satan is determined to peel people away from God and biblical truth. Satan will make sure that those who faithfully cling to God and the Bible will pay a price.
God, however, will make sure that those who endure suffering for truth’s sake will gain a reward.
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 (NLT)
Do not be deceived. It is impossible to be a follower of Christ without being faithful to his teachings.
Our nation may have already gone beyond the point of no return. It increasingly looks that way. However, for you as an individual there is still hope. If you have strayed away from Christ and what the Bible teaches, repent and come back into the truth. Don’t participate in the great end time apostasy.
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12 (NLT)
I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 2 Peter 3:17 (NLT)
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. Jude 1:24 (NLT)
