JESUS’ PROPHECY OF DECEPTION IN AMERICA (PART 1)
In the days of Noah, God warned of a coming catastrophe. God warned Lot before He destroyed wicked Sodom. I believe God has also warned the people of America in our day. His warnings have come through various Christian leaders who have made clear that our nation is racing toward a day of judgment. However, one of God’s most significant warnings concerning spiritual deception in these last days came from His Son Jesus.
Jesus warned, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26-30).
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Deception Illustrated (Part 3)
In my last blog, you read about my Brother, Dr. Charles Fraley, and how he was caught in Satan’s web of deception. Today you will read the conclusion of his powerful testimony and learn how he was able to overcome his spiritual defeat! This is the continuation of the testimony of Dr. Charles Fraley…
A Lesson To Be Learned –
I am going to digress for a moment because there is an important lesson that anyone who claims to be a Christian can learn from my experience. Although God is merciful and long-suffering, there comes a time when He expects us to clean up our lives, and the sooner the better! Otherwise, He will have to do it for us, which may require walking through some deep valleys that we will not like.
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Deception Illustrated (Part 2)
In my last blog, I illustrated the use of deception in the story about an eagle…The eagle became conditioned to his surroundings because he wanted to satisfy his desire for food. Though these new conditions were contrary to the laws of nature, the eagle accepted them because they allowed him more time for pleasure. Likewise, God’s Word warns us, Satan will attempt to trick us into changing biblical standards through “self-serving” traps. Throughout history Satan has proven a master at tempting God’s people with the advantages of sin, without revealing the pain they will surely suffer.
I used the illustration of the eagle to show how easily deception can trap us. Now, I want to illustrate Satan’s use of deception through the written testimony of my brother, Dr. Charles Fraley, M.D. He had a special calling of God on his life, but even though he was a dedicated Christian, he too was led into deception by the enemy.
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Deception Illustrated
Deception Illustrated Through The Story of an Eagle –
The eagle is an amazing example of God’s creation. This bird is mentioned more than 30 times in Scripture. Eagles are swift, having been clocked at up to 150 miles per hour in flight. Their powerful seven-foot wing span allows them to glide effortlessly at heights up to one-half mile, and the aerodynamics of their wing construction permits flight even in hurricane-force winds. The eagles eye has two fovea (areas of acute vision), from which they can spot prey two miles away. With their amazing depth perception they can dive accurately at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Due to a bony protrusion that extends outward over the eyelid, the eagle’s appearance is decidedly different from that of other birds. This stern expression gives the eagle an air of royalty. Its grandeur and grace have been revered for centuries. It has been the symbol of some of the world’s greatest countries and leaders including America.
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A Spiritual War Zone (Part 3)
FRUIT REVEALS DECEPTION
In this past generation, Americans have changed the way we raise our families, teach in our schools, run our government and establish our social order. America’s ‘new’ moral code says, “If you can get away with it, it’s all right.” Personal accountability, respect for authority and self-control have become an antiquated way of thinking. Nothing, it seems, is repugnant or indecent. Very little deserves to be honored and respected as rules and boundaries are fought against. Actions which were “unthinkable” thirty-to-forty years ago have become “commonplace.”
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A Spiritual War Zone (Part 2)
TWO MAJOR WARFRONTS
Have you ever stopped to consider that America is actually engaged in two major warfronts? You probably remember where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001, when millions of Americans huddled around their TV sets. The impossible happened that day, and we are still faced with threats of future terrorist attacks. Our country has entered into a major war against an enemy that has no conventional military and is of no specific nationality. It is a faceless foe.
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A Spiritual War Zone (Part 1)
It was in the Garden of Eden that sin first entered God’s creation. Throughout history Satan has repeatedly used this identical pattern of deception that he used against Adam and Eve. The same temptations we face and the choices we make every day are displayed for us in this tragic story.
As the account unfolds in Genesis, we notice that at first everything was good. There is no hint of rebellion. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31). Here is a picture of perfect fellowship between God and His created beings. God and man walked together in happy communion.
God’s Word to Adam and Eve was short and simple. “‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16,17). There was just one command to keep! You’d think it wouldn’t be that hard!
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Spiritual Characteristics of the Kingdom of God (Part 4)
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN?
Living the way Jesus describes in the Sermon on the Mount requires characteristics different from the normal make-up of mankind. Jesus does not say we may be persecuted for being objectionable or difficult. Nor does He say we may be persecuted because we are fanatical or standing up for certain political principles or being noble. People have made great sacrifices, given up careers, wealth, even their lives, and they may be thought of as heroes and are praised by the world. But Christianity is more than that! These things may not be wrong if we have that inclination, but they do not equal righteousness.
Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18-20). Also, 2 Timothy 3:12 reads, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
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Spiritual Characteristics of the Kingdom of God (Part 3)
SPIRITUAL CHARACTERISTIC NUMBER SIX-“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8)
PURE IN HEART
Christian doctrine emphasizes the heart! Jesus baffled the scholars of His day because He bypassed the intellectual mechanics of the Scriptures and zeroed in on their effect on the heart. The Pharisees were interested in the outside more than the inside. They made the way of life and righteousness a mere matter of conduct and ethics.
“Heart” refers to the core of our being. It includes our mind, will and emotions. It is also the seat of all our problems. Jesus put it this way: “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thought, sexual immorality, theft, murder, and adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’” (Mark 7:20-23).
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Spiritual Characteristics of the Kingdom of God (Part 2)
SPIRITUAL CHARACTERISTIC NUMBER THREE –“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
Meekness is often regarded as similar to being poor in spirit; however, it is quite different. Meekness is more difficult and more humbling than the previous two. It is also more searching, because it takes us from within ourselves to our relationship with others. I can evaluate, even condemn, myself, but when others do it, I tend to be resentful. Meekness is measured by how we respond when others put the spotlight on us.
Jesus took on the form of a servant and submitted to the will of His Father. He did not try to use the political systems of His day to accomplish God’s mission. Instead He sacrificed Himself, giving His all in meekness to His Father’s will. That is how meekness works.
Spiritual Characteristics of the Kingdom of God
Jesus told us how to be truly blessed or happy. The world longs for happiness, but many people seek it through sinful pursuits. It is tragic the many ways people seek happiness by getting involved in activities that only bring it for a short time. In the long run, what they usually find is misery.
Developing the spiritual traits Jesus taught is like climbing a rugged mountain. As we ascend our spiritual mountain God is working in us by burning out our old nature and developing these first three characteristics that Jesus lists—being poor in spirit, mourning and meekness—which makes us conscious of a deep need we have.
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The Two Spiritual Kingdoms (Part 4)
The standards Christians live by in our society have systematically been lowered in recent years. To illustrate, I have created a simple graph (below): 
As illustrated by the top line, biblical standards always remain the same. The line on the left shows how worldly standards in our society have been deteriorating. The line on the right reveals that over the same period of time Christian standards have also been lowered. This has come about because many have set our Christian standards by comparing them to the world’s standards, rather than by using only biblical truths. As both standards fall, Christian standards have maintained the same distance between the world’s standards giving the illusion that we are not as bad as the world, but this false comparison is a trick of the enemy. It has caused us to lower Christian standards. The net result is that what was considered a worldly standard in American society 20 to 30 years ago has now become acceptable for many Christians.
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The Two Spiritual Kingdoms (Part 3)
Nowhere else in the Bible is the new lifestyle of a Christian more clearly outlined than the Sermon on the Mount. The teachings in this sermon lay out the qualities of the characteristics that governed the life of Jesus. In other words, it tells us what it means to be Christ-like. As the Apostle Paul said, Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
As we focus on the first part of this Sermon, called the Beatitudes, you will quickly see that it would crush us if we had to live this way through our own strength. How utterly helpless we are without the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit.
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The Two Spiritual Kingdoms (Part 2)
After becoming a Christian, Paul discovered the truth that mankind has a SINFUL NATURE, which he called the law of sin (see Romans 7:18- 8:2). The characteristics of the kingdom of the world include: lovers of ourselves and of money but not of good, pride, boastful, abusive, disobedience, rebellion, permissiveness, ungratefulness, immorality, unforgiveness, slander, lack of self-control, cruelty, treachery, rashness, conceit, anger, jealousy, and lovers of pleasure rather than God (see 2 Timothy 3:2-4). This is not to say that all of these qualities are a part of every human being all the time. Some of these will only be displayed in our personalities under certain circumstances, while others are determined by the society in which we are raised and what is considered acceptable by its standards.
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The Two Spiritual Kingdoms (Part 1)
I was somewhat amazed to find that the word world is used more than 200 times in the New Testament. That’s more frequently than love or Holy Spirit appear. God must have felt it quite important that we clearly understand its meaning. The Greek word in Scripture for world is kosmos. It has three primary uses:
One: To reference the material universe or Earth. “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world” (Matthew 13:35).
Two: To reference the inhabitants or people of the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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Why You Must Be Born Again (Part 4)
Decision Time
A poll taken of the American people by Marker Facts Telenation for US News & World Report appeared in the June 20, 1997 edition of USA TODAY. It stated that eighty-eight percent of the adults in the U.S. who believe there is a Heaven also believe they will go to Heaven.
Why do so many believe they will go to Heaven? Are they basing their belief on what they hope is true rather than what they really know? In my opinion one reason people don’t want to think they are not going to Heaven is because this is such an important issue. It is for eternity! Deep within they know there is a possibility it will either be Heaven or Hell.
Like it or not, each of us makes a decision that will determine our eternal state of being, even if it is by our silence. That may sound harsh, but it is the truth. All of us must pass over to that other side of the grave. To talk about death is not being morbid; it is rational, because death is inescapable. The Bible says there is coming a final Judgment Day and every person will stand before God. Those who are not believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ are condemned. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).
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