When Jesus asked a crowd of people who felt their religion justified them about what he would find at his second coming he said â€Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?†(Luke 18:8) No one in the crowd answered him because the answer is understood. The answer is of course; no! So what replaces faith, what could possibly pre-empt faith in the gospel. The answer is unlikely and odd; it is religion itself. Religion if centered on the finished work of Christ creates a good supplement to express and renew faith but it often becomes a substitute instead of a supplement. In the apostasy this substitution is accelerated by ecumenicism, syncretism and liberalism. The need to bring all religions under one roof is expressed most often in the penchant for ecumenism. The catalyst for ecumenicism is syncretism which is a forced alignment of differing doctrines and beliefs so that one size fits all. Syncretism cannot be accomplished without liberalism. A lax attitude that says one religion or any particular belief is as good as any other. It is liberalism’s key to unlock the kitchen cabinet and throw in anything and everything into the pot. It does well to note that while the secular world view of strict evangelicals, fundamentalist and any sect that holds stringently to the gospel is that they are intolerant and perhaps even belligerent, Christ does not see it that way. To him they are the blessed faithful of the earth, indeed the very â€salt of the earth.†Sadly in today’s climate of PC, tolerance and diversity some of the salt is losing its savour. (Mt. 5:13) The apostasy is not only a promise and a prophesied surety in the Bible it is one of the specific elements that help to usher in or precipitate the second coming of Christ. (2Th 2:3) The â€New World Order†is predicated on the threefold idea that there must be one world government, one world economy and one world religion. The best way to stop the bickering and infighting in various religions is to throw them all into one single pot and pronounce that they are a single substance. Are they all of the same substance? Not on your life! Did Buddha die for the sins of the world? Has Muhammad been raised from the dead? Will Oprah destroy the enemies of Israel at the battle of Armageddon? Will the city built on the God given New Earth that measures 1500 miles in height be built by the Army Corp of Engineers? No, all religions are not the same and no comparative religions course even if it is 202 or higher will explain the aforementioned with any honesty. Liberalism in Christianity has nearly all of the same ear markings as political or secular progressive liberalism. Keep a close check on the economy, our country’s image in the world and don’t over tax the citizens and pretty much all else is of little consequence. Hollywood can dump on us and our children, legislators can promote any agenda they like and academicians can teach our children anything they choose to imagine. As long as we don’t commit major crimes we can do just about anything that comes to mind with relative impunity. That’s the secular world view and the liberal church’s view is only a little behind that. When liberalism hits the church it is the basic tenants of the faith that get cut first. Adherence to strict Biblical doctrines and the promulgation of the gospel are attacked first. In the end the churches may still go on as usual but you can adopt a sort of 12 step approach to God and he can be â€whatever you perceive him to be.†I actually heard someone say that God could be a light bulb to you and it wouldn’t matter. Sadly it makes a liar out of God and if it were possible a fool as well. Isn’t it an act of foolishness for God to let his only begotten son die for the sins of the world if they could get redemption in any other of a myriad of ways? What a waste. Not everyone in the Christian church goes gutless as the New World Order comes waltzing in. Some churches and believers will remain faithful to the simple gospel of salvation till the very end. As with any good army someone is on the front â€holding the line.†They will take the fire and many will make the ultimate sacrifice if necessary. Will it be necessary? According to the Prophet Daniel and the book of Revelation the believers will most certainly undergo a direct onslaught from the coming world dictator known today only as the antichrist. Not as well known is the fact that he will cast off the ecumenical and liberal churches first then go after the remaining faithful. He (antichrist) will have no mercy on any religion, the Muslim, Judaic and Hindu religions will not escape either. It will be a life and death struggle that for a while will look completely hopeless. That hope will suddenly shift back to the church at the end of antichrist’s rule because Christ himself will intervene. No wonder the Apostle Paul referred to that shift as a â€blessed hope†in Titus 2:13. At the end of the antichrist’s rule the hope of every true Christian will become sight, they will see their Lord subdue the earth and remove the governments of the planet away from the hands of men. The arch deceiver (Satan) is also the arch distracter. He can lead the apostate church (some of them) away with what seems like wonderful causes and missions like global warming, social causes, and a plethora of similar tripe. Those who know the scripture know full well that global warming has nothing to do with the coming judgments and will not be how the would comes to its knees. Both the penchant for personal and collective sinfulness is what’s warming up much faster than our temperatures are climbing. Social issues all syrupy and general will be as successful as the peace movement has been. Peace? There have been more wars in the past 100 years than all of the rest of history combined and the end is not in sight. Churches that have not succumbed to the prosperity gospel or the emergent church doctrine, dominion-ism, Oprah-ism, New Age, and another half dozen or so hair brained latter day schemes are often taken in by something apparently much easier to swallow. The social gospel is full of PC attractive causes that no one would dare argue against, they come with a conscience soothing balm called â€substitutionary behavior.†In short that means doing good stuff to offset a bad life and total rebellion to God. Being concerned cannot divert being condemned; the wages of sin is still death Ro. 6:23. The death of a soul is never very social and the jingle of change in an offering plate is not a substitute for a change in the way we live. This isn’t angry talk it is desperate talk. God desperately loves mankind and has offered ample proof of the same. He would rather we appreciate not apostate, and the message will not change until the last star falls. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jn 3:16. Knowing that God so loved the world isn’t enough at times, what is needed is the reminder that God loves you. It is a personal, one on one matter for each man or woman. In 1948 legendary musician the late Hovie Lister who began one of Southern Gospel music’s most beloved groups, â€The Statesmen,†may have said it best in the last two verses of a famous song the group was known for singing. The song was written by Mosie Lister and Jack Field entitled â€How Long has it Been.†How long has it been since you talked with the Lord And told Him your heart’s hidden secrets? How long since you prayed, how long since you stayed On you knees till the light shone through? How long has it been since you woke with the dawn And felt that the days’ worth the living? Can you call Him your friend, how long has it been? Since you knew that He cared for you?
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