In my previous BLOG, we left off as we approached the question “WHY?” (Considering the drastic deterioration of moral values in America in such a short period of time)… (If you are just joining this BLOG, please be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 for the full story).

Why has this happened in a country that has more Bible colleges, seminaries, churches, Christian books, tapes, videos, evangelistic outreaches, Christian bookstores, and TV and radio stations than the rest of the world combined? Why are so many of our efforts failing? Why is our enemy, Satan, prevailing against Christian values in our country?

In June, 1971, the Lord gave my wife and me the answer to this question. It came about by a warning from the Lord through an understanding of a prophecy from the book of Revelation chapter 13. The warning was simply that Christian values in America were going to come under a severe attack by our spiritual enemy, Satan. My wife and I believed this warning, even though at the time the fact our country’s moral values were going to rapidly deteriorate could not be seen. A review of the last forty years would show the moral values in America have declined precipitously, which confirms this prophetic warning has come true.

Knowing his time is short the enemy has been on the attack; dragging down Christian leaders, destroying Christian homes, undermining our moral values, and assaulting the spiritual foundation of our nation. When the Lord opened our spiritual eyes about this conflict, His warning became the foundation upon which we guided and raised our children. It has been the key for the success of our family and business.
Hebrews 11:7 best describes our experience of being warned by the Lord. “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Inspired by this warning from the Lord, like Noah, we have lived our lives with a holy fear in obedience to the Lord’s guidance. We haven’t always had the answers to life’s problems. However, during these troubling times we have become a living testimony of how this prophetic warning has equipped us to experience spiritual victory with our family and success in business.

The key biblical principle we have lived by is obedience. Like Noah, this warning led us to obey the Lord in building an ark, not a physical ark but a spiritual ark, regardless of the sacrifice.

Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my Name” (John 15:16). To guide Barbara and me in raising our expanded family the Lord fulfilled His promise in this verse by revealing the meaning of Revelation chapter 13.

Let me explain how I came to understand this insight. In June, 1971, about a year and a half after we took those six children into our home, Barbara and I spent a weekend visiting her parents and my mother (my dad had passed a few years earlier). On Sunday afternoon, we visited my brother Charles and his wife Marlene. During our conversation, my brother asked if I had ever spent much time studying the book of Revelation. “No,” I said, “Mostly because I didn’t fully understand the highly-charged symbolism and metaphors of the text.”

Charles began to tell me about a revolutionary experience he had with the Lord, who revealed the meaning of a crucial prophetic Scripture for these Last Days. This prophecy is found in Revelation chapter 13, where it is prophesied that Satan will work through what is called a “beast” to wage war on the saints.

In verse 3 of this chapter, we learn one of the heads of this “beast” (heads in this verse means leadership) will receive what appears to be a mortal wound. But this wound will be healed, and the world will be amazed. The Lord revealed to my brother the exact event that fulfilled this verse, which in turn revealed the identity of this “beast.” Knowing the identity of the “beast” answers the question “WHY?” and gives us the root cause of America’s current moral decline.

As an aside, let me make a comment about my brother Charles. He graduated from Ohio State Medical School and is a board certified medical doctor and surgeon. After his revolutionary encounter with the Lord, who revealed the identity of this “beast,” in obedience to the Lord’s call, he resigned from a successful medical practice and served with distinction as a medical missionary for thirty years in Kenya, East Africa. In my new book, The Blessings of Obedience, I devote a chapter to my brother’s testimony where he shares the events that led to the Lord revealing the meaning of this end-time prophecy.

When my brother shared the meaning of this prophetic Scripture about the “beast,” the power of God fell on me in such a way that I have no way of explaining it. All I can say is it literally overpowered me, nearly knocking me to my knees. The presence of Jesus flooded my soul, and the power of His presence has never left since that day.

That revolutionary encounter caused me to search the Scriptures to see if they confirmed what my brother had told me about the meaning of this end-time prophetic Scripture and the identity of this “beast.” I have spent thousands of hours in research and study and have written several books about the Last Days, especially how they relate to America. I researched what it meant to have a Christian walk and a verse by verse analysis of Revelation chapter 13. This included an accurate meaning of the Greek words, along with other end-time prophetic scriptures that explained the tactics Satan is using to destroy the moral values in our society. I share this research in my book, “You Are Salt & Light: Equipping Christians For These Last Days.”

From my research, it became apparent that many Christians underestimate Satan’s devices. Therefore, they are unprepared to stand against the spiritual warfare he wages to establish his rule on earth.
In my next BLOG, I will share comments by Dr. Billy Graham, and other insights about the root cause of the breakdown in our country’s moral values…

Join us here next week!

Visit the FREE DOWNLOADS page on our website to find several other books and booklets written by Bob Fraley. The FREE DOWNLOADS page contains complete .pdf files that you may read and download absolutely FREE! Go to: http://www.bobfraleychristianlifeoutreach.com and click on the “FREE DOWNLOADS” button!

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