Friday, March 3, 2023
A wise man builds his and his family’s spiritual house on the solid rock of Jesus Christ’s truths and trustworthy teachings, Matt. 7:24. A foolish man builds his and his family’s spiritual house on the sinking sands of the traditions of men “making the word of God of no effect” Mark 7:13. A wise man is one of God’s watchman, sees danger coming and sounds a warning for people to prepare, Ezek. 33:3, and “he who takes warning will save his life”. A foolish man ignores God’s watchman’s warning and “did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself” (Ezek. 33:5).
Having their hearts and minds set on earthly things, many people today are easily deceived by their government and religious leaders, because Satan deceives people to silence the truths and authority of Christ. Each person has been created with a free will, and with it will either pursue Christ and His truth, or pursue deceitful government dictates and religious leaders steeped in their own traditions of men. True Christians know that we are in the vast minority. Satan has been allowed by God to stack the world against we who believe the Lord Jesus Christ. In this world we must simply accept the fact that we are vastly outnumbered. Yet, God’s promise is gloriously true: “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Like the Prophet Elijah, if we faithfully endure to the end as Christ taught, Matt. 24:13, then, by true faith in Christ we will win this conflict of deception by spirits of Antichrist. Turning our attention fully upon the Lord Jesus Christ, in faith, is one requisite for preparation.
The deceitful dangers being spread by world governments is proven by the vast number of people who blindly followed their government’s mandates for lockdowns, social-distancing, masking, and deadly, untested COVID-19 vaccines. Much worse is even now being formulated against humanity. Consider this excerpt from an article I hope you read: “Do you remember ever voting to give the government the power to lock us in our homes, to shut our children’s schools, our pubs and restaurants, shops and businesses, to tell us whom we could visit or have in our homes, whether we could go for a walk, travel within our own country, far less beyond these shores? Do you remember voting to empower employers to mandate medical procedures for their staff?… And while we’re on the subject of propaganda, who thought to convince us it was ok to demonise and exclude healthy fellow citizens on the grounds they might be carrying an invisible disease?” (Source) In addition to the man-made COVID pandemic and all its related deaths and medical disabilities disasters elite deceivers have much worse in store for us: manufactured food shortages and geo-engineered climate change. And yet, another requisite for preparation calls.
The deceitful dangers in Dispensational pre-trib rapture Christian churches is their promise that Christ will gather His elect out of this world pre-tribulation, and in that false belief system those deceived believers have absolutely nothing to prepare for. Why? They falsely believe Jesus will snatch them off the earth before the Tribulation begins! That’s a direct assault and lie against the Son of God who said He gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31), and millions tolerate it! But Jesus gave us the parable of the ten virgins Matt. 25:1–13 as a clear warning that it is those who prepare to endure to the end who will be saved, Matt. 24:13. In His parable were five wise and five foolish virgins. The wise prepared to endure and were saved, but the foolish didn’t prepare and were excluded. Indeed, another powerful requisite for preparation.
Taken in its totality, government mandates and Biblical unbelief can be overwhelming, not even to mention natural disasters, earthquakes, storms of Biblical proportions, droughts and tsunamis. And in such an overwhelmed state of being, it could be easy to pursue substance abuse, alcohol, or other carnal escapes to mask fear and uncertainty of end-time events. This is why Christ has already warned of what will become the unwitting desire of many: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day [the middle point of the Tribulation] come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [that is, Antichrist’s “mark of the beast”] Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34–36). [My bold emphasis]
Indeed, there is an escape from Antichrist’s mandate and “mark of the beast” (Rev. 13:16–17), but only for those who are watchful and prepared in the truth, righteousness and knowledge of God in Christ Jesus. The notion that we Christians have nothing to prepare for regarding the days of Antichrist is infinitely preposterous. If that were true, (which it’s not) then God and His Christ and His Holy Spirit would not have given His elect thousands of prophetic verses, warnings, and teachings of the end-times. Why, a third of the Scripture could be removed if Christ gathered His elect “pre-tribulation”, and the world left to wallow in the mire of Antichrist’s rage and hatred of God and His humanity. But no, God has His elect right here on earth, to not only be purified, but to call all who will by faith, to believe the Lord Jesus and be saved until the resurrection rapture, on one of those unknown seventy-five days immediately after the tribulation, see Dan. 12:10–12.
God and His Christ are the only hope for humanity before and during the 7 years of Tribulation. And the Lord Jesus knows that during that time, especially during the the last 3 1/2 years of this present age, that we will need food, clothing and shelter, as we await the resurrection rapture “at the last day” (John 6:40, 44). And for that time Jesus’ command at the start of His ministry on earth still holds true. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles [unbelievers] seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:31–33). [My bold emphasis] God’s righteousness includes believers holding fast the truth that they are indeed the “seed” of Abraham, Gal. 3:29. It means that we are also part of “the freewoman’ (Gal. 4:21–31); being the same “woman” who flees “into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they [angels] should feed her there one thousand two hundred sixty days” (Rev. 12:6, ~ 14). Believe this. Pursue this. But simultaneously believe His Words of warning and prepare for the coming apocalypse. It is surely at the door! “Know the truth and the truth shall make you free”.
Know that in these spiritually corrupt end-times many in church leadership flout God’s Word to suit their own desires and traditions of men. As another example of that, in addition to the false pre-trib rapture deception is the deception of women holding positions of authority of preaching and teaching in the church. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Tim. 3:16). And to the church God said, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. [and here’s why] For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression” (1 Tim. 2:11–14); an inconvenient truth rejected by many. On this issue I applaud the SBC in expelling liberal churches who outright reject God’s authority and cause others to sin. God has more to say on this issue: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. [Mosaic Law] And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:34–37).
Why have so many Protestant churches and their leadership sabotaged God’s Word on crucial matters, even the testimony of Christ for the resurrection rapture of His elect? I believe that is where it profited, with 19th Century John Nelson Darby’s satanic epiphany when he introduced the church to his flesh-pleasing pre-trib rapture dream. It’s always been Satan’s desire to destroy Christ because from the beginning God said to Satan “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed” [Christ] Gen. 3:15). Throughout the OT the devil tried repeatedly to destroy Israel, the nation through whom the Christ would come. Then in the NT Satan tried to deceive Christ in the 40-day wilderness temptations, Matt. 4:1–11. When that failed, he tried to destroy Christ at the Cross of Calvary, but that too failed because Christ rose triumphant from the grave!! And ever since Satan’s attempts at destroying the Christ failed, he attacked the testimony of Christ, and wherever Satan found willing people having an open and deceivable heart and spirit, he planted seeds that would destroy or silence the Words of Christ!
Satan’s deceiving anti-Christ spirits were prolific in the 19th Century. This is when Darby had his epiphany that replaced the testimony of Jesus Christ for the resurrection rapture of His elect. This was also the exact time frame when the Mormon Church was birthed by Joseph Smith in 1830 where he was allegedly given “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” by the angel Maroni, who brutalized and destroyed much more of Christ’s testimony than did Darby. But the apostle Paul said by the Holy Spirit, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8–9). The truth is that Darby preached “another gospel” for the resurrection rapture of Christ’s elect; and Joseph Smith, altogether, preached another gospel regarding the Person of Christ, the created angel, Lucifer, the Holy Spirit, and the triune Godhead. In this, there’s another imperative requisite for preparation, guard your hearts and minds against accepting any other Gospel message not already written in the KJV or NKJV of the Bible.
Marlin J. Yoder
