WEBVTT 00:00:01.080 --> 00:00:04.780 The Bible predicts that the whole of the world, 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:11.060 despite national and cultural distinctions, will 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:15.599 in the end time be consolidated under the powerful 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:20.339 and controlling dictatorship of Antichrist. This 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:24.820 system of world oneness and domination will be 00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:28.679 held together by several normal influences that 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:33.159 unite all societies. These would include politics, 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:36.820 which of course Antichrist will tightly control, 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:42.320 economics, which likewise he and his administration 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:47.000 will tightly manipulate, military power, and 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:50.340 he will have vast military power, and finally 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:53.920 religion. Religion is one of those influences 00:00:53.920 --> 00:01:00.000 that helps to unite a people. The religious aspect 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.179 of Antichrist's ruling order is described to 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:07.579 us somewhat in symbolic terms in the book of 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:11.420 the Revelation, the 17th chapter. We're not going 00:01:11.420 --> 00:01:14.180 to do a verse by verse analysis of this, but 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:17.319 I invite you to turn there and see what John 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:23.200 saw as he describes to us what might be termed 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:29.420 the religious side of Babylon. This final world 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:32.560 order that John sees here in these final chapters 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:39.760 of the book of Revelation Chapter 17 of Revelation 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.780 says and one of the seven angels who had the 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:45.939 seven bowls came and spoke with me saying Come 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:48.620 here. I will show you the judgment of the great 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:52.900 harlot Who sits on many waters with whom the 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:56.659 kings of the earth committed acts of immorality? 00:01:56.989 --> 00:01:59.870 And those who dwell on the earth were made drunk 00:01:59.870 --> 00:02:03.930 with the wine of her immorality. And he carried 00:02:03.930 --> 00:02:08.789 me away in the spirit into a wilderness. And 00:02:08.789 --> 00:02:14.469 I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:18.469 of blasphemous names, having seven heads and 00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:23.169 ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:26.090 and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious 00:02:26.090 --> 00:02:30.069 stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold 00:02:30.069 --> 00:02:34.509 cup full of abominations and of unclean things 00:02:34.509 --> 00:02:38.509 of her immorality. And upon her forehead a name 00:02:38.509 --> 00:02:44.330 was written, a mystery, quote, Babylon the Great, 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:48.590 the mother of harlots and of the abominations 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:53.810 of the earth. I saw the woman drunk with the 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:56.550 blood of the saints and with the blood of the 00:02:56.550 --> 00:03:01.490 witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:07.050 greatly. John was left in awe by the sight that 00:03:07.050 --> 00:03:10.750 was before him there in this wilderness vision. 00:03:12.469 --> 00:03:15.389 What we have here is a symbolic presentation 00:03:15.389 --> 00:03:20.719 of the culminating ecumenical religious system 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:25.680 which will cooperate with Antichrist on a worldwide 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:32.520 basis in the end times. Idolatry, immorality, 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:38.520 demonic activity, and pageantry are all united 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.479 in this obscene and monstrous religious system. 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:46.960 This prostitute that is seen here riding upon 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:52.930 the scarlet beast pictured at once royally attired 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:59.150 and grossly wicked, is the absolute antithesis 00:03:59.150 --> 00:04:03.849 of the bride, the Lamb's pure and holy wife, 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:07.330 who is introduced to us in just a couple of chapters 00:04:07.330 --> 00:04:12.189 in this book. The push for oneness of religious 00:04:12.189 --> 00:04:15.650 identity and experience has been a strong one, 00:04:15.770 --> 00:04:20.389 particularly in the last 40 years since the beginning 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:24.610 of the World Council of Churches. You may recall 00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:28.709 that back in the 60s, the World Council of Churches 00:04:28.709 --> 00:04:34.670 organized, along with its United States affiliate 00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:37.889 organization, the National Council of Churches, 00:04:38.230 --> 00:04:41.250 what was called the Council on Church Union, 00:04:41.449 --> 00:04:46.170 COCU. It was called COCU, though some people 00:04:46.170 --> 00:04:50.939 called it CUCU. It was formed in order to encourage 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:58.060 the eventual, not only cooperation, but the unification 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:01.699 of various religious bodies. Mainly it worked 00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:07.319 with the main line denominations. It failed in 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:11.420 its attempts. It is still around, but is not 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:14.480 very active today. Other things have surpassed 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:19.000 it. Today, in the beginning of the 90s, at a 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:21.420 time when there is a lot of emphasis in various 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:25.720 parts of society, of people and organizations 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.959 and things coming together, there is a new emphasis 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:32.720 on the people of faith coming together. The people 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:38.779 of faith, whatever they believe in. They are 00:05:38.779 --> 00:05:43.040 represented by theologian Harvey Cox, for example. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:46.480 one of the great universities out in the East. 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:50.199 Harvey Cox might be better called an untheologian. 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:54.500 He is extremely liberal in his perspective. He 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:58.019 wrote a book not too long ago entitled Many Mansions, 00:05:58.339 --> 00:06:02.620 subtitled A Christian Encounter with Other Faiths. 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.819 In a review of this book in Psychology Today 00:06:05.819 --> 00:06:08.500 about a year ago, the reviewer Elizabeth Stark 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:13.379 says, Cox argues that appreciation for facets 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:18.139 of another religion can enhance one's own and 00:06:18.139 --> 00:06:23.040 shows how we can be inspired by other faiths. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:27.379 My, that sounds so good. It sounds so American 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:32.220 to talk that way. It sounds so up to date, so 00:06:32.220 --> 00:06:35.839 modern to say it. It is in step with the age 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:39.300 in which we live. for we are living in a time 00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:45.939 when tolerance, cooperation, and pluralism are 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:51.399 the American way. What is actually happening, 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:56.620 in my opinion, as we enter the 90s, is that the 00:06:56.620 --> 00:07:00.699 groundwork is being laid and initial steps are 00:07:00.699 --> 00:07:06.180 being taken toward the apostasy which the Bible 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:09.879 long ago predicted would occur in the last times. 00:07:11.660 --> 00:07:14.540 I'd like for you to turn into the New Testament 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:18.560 to the book of 2 Thessalonians and notice this 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:23.139 word apostasy used by the Apostle Paul. There 00:07:23.139 --> 00:07:26.839 were some who had come to this city that we've 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:31.079 been studying about on Sunday mornings They had 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:33.620 come to this city in the months since Paul had 00:07:33.620 --> 00:07:36.379 been there, and they were teaching that the day 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:42.279 of the Lord had already come. And so Paul is 00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:44.399 going to refute that in this second epistle, 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:47.560 and he says very simply here in the first part 00:07:47.560 --> 00:07:51.819 of verse 3, in the second chapter, let no one 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:55.939 in any way deceive you, for it will not come, 00:07:55.939 --> 00:08:01.060 that is the day of the Lord. will not come unless 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:07.620 the apostasy comes first. And then he says, the 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:11.199 man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:15.439 So the apostle tells us that before the day of 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:19.060 the Lord, the time of final judgment comes, there 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:23.250 are two things that have to take place. Now, 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:25.410 these are not things that must take place before 00:08:25.410 --> 00:08:27.470 the rapture of the church. Keep that in mind. 00:08:27.490 --> 00:08:30.329 These are things that take place before the day 00:08:30.329 --> 00:08:33.889 of the Lord, the time of judgment. And those 00:08:33.889 --> 00:08:36.789 two things he names are the apostasy and the 00:08:36.789 --> 00:08:39.970 unveiling of the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. 00:08:40.590 --> 00:08:44.950 The one seems to precede the other. Apostasy 00:08:44.950 --> 00:08:51.320 simply means revolt. It is a defection. from 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:56.500 among those who are professing Christians toward 00:08:56.500 --> 00:09:02.320 deep false doctrine. Again, in 1 Timothy chapter 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:06.799 4, the apostle addresses the same theme. 1 Timothy 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:12.740 4 and verse 1, he says, But the Spirit explicitly 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:17.710 says that in the later times, Some will fall 00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:21.029 away from the faith. Here is the verb form of 00:09:21.029 --> 00:09:25.769 apostasy. Some will apostasize from the faith, 00:09:26.629 --> 00:09:30.889 paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines 00:09:30.889 --> 00:09:34.169 originating with demons. That's what he's saying. 00:09:35.429 --> 00:09:39.009 By means of the hypocrisy of liars, seared in 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:42.590 their own conscience as with a branding iron. 00:09:42.629 --> 00:09:46.230 In other words, their leaders The human instruments 00:09:46.230 --> 00:09:49.210 of these demonic spirits will be people without 00:09:49.210 --> 00:09:53.830 morals, people without any sense of ethics about 00:09:53.830 --> 00:09:57.730 them. Their conscience will be completely inactive 00:09:57.730 --> 00:10:02.370 and seared, no sensitivity there. He says, who 00:10:02.370 --> 00:10:05.929 forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:08.490 foods which God has created to be gratefully 00:10:08.490 --> 00:10:11.230 shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:14.240 which seems to indicate that these people will 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:19.100 bring with their false teaching either salvation 00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:22.399 by works, including doing these kinds of things, 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:28.580 or a certain asceticism about life. But he predicts 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:30.700 that in the latter times, the later times of 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:34.399 this age, there will come a falling away from 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:37.720 the faith. This is exactly what we're talking 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:42.789 about tonight. The final apostasy. What is it 00:10:42.789 --> 00:10:45.970 that will characterize this final form of world 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:50.570 religion, this apostate church? Well, I would 00:10:50.570 --> 00:10:52.769 like to give you several characteristics tonight. 00:10:52.830 --> 00:10:54.889 I've chosen six of them. I don't know, somehow 00:10:54.889 --> 00:10:58.789 that seemed like the right number. There are 00:10:58.789 --> 00:11:01.230 six of them I'd like for us to look at briefly 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:04.710 before we go on our way. What characterizes the 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:08.129 apostate church, this coming world religion? 00:11:08.590 --> 00:11:13.590 Number one. A denial of the person and the work 00:11:13.590 --> 00:11:17.629 of Jesus Christ. Turn please to 2 Peter chapter 00:11:17.629 --> 00:11:24.830 2. This epistle is written to believers to warn 00:11:24.830 --> 00:11:28.309 about false teachers, already active of course 00:11:28.309 --> 00:11:33.090 in the first century. Peter says in verse 1, 00:11:33.330 --> 00:11:36.629 but false prophets also arose among the people. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.840 as well as the prophets who spoke from God that 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:44.759 he's just spoken about. Just as there will also 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:49.460 be false teachers among you who will secretly 00:11:49.460 --> 00:11:54.840 introduce destructive heresies. And now he suggests 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:59.799 in broad categories what they will deny. Denying 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:03.500 the master, the word literally means the sovereign 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:08.169 Lord, who bought them And as a result of this 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:11.269 they will bring swift destruction upon themselves. 00:12:11.529 --> 00:12:15.429 He says many will follow their sensuality. So 00:12:15.429 --> 00:12:19.549 tied together with their denial of Jesus Christ 00:12:19.549 --> 00:12:25.029 is sensuous, lustful kind of living. And it says 00:12:25.029 --> 00:12:28.350 because of them the way of truth will be maligned 00:12:28.350 --> 00:12:34.490 and in their greed. So we have here another characteristic 00:12:34.490 --> 00:12:37.950 of these teachers who deny Jesus Christ. It is 00:12:37.950 --> 00:12:42.509 greed. They will exploit you with false words, 00:12:42.529 --> 00:12:45.269 and then he warns again of the judgment that 00:12:45.269 --> 00:12:49.990 is coming to them. In the first place, this coming 00:12:49.990 --> 00:12:53.830 world religion will deny the uniqueness of Jesus 00:12:53.830 --> 00:12:59.110 Christ as sovereign Lord. There will be a denial 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:04.019 of his deity. A denial of his unique revelation 00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:10.179 as the incarnate God. This is not new, of course. 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:12.740 This is something that believers in the first 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:16.580 century dealt with. John writes about this in 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:20.320 the epistle of 1 John, and he says in the fourth 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:24.220 chapter, Beloved, do not believe every spirit. 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:31.980 to some Christian radio stations today, you become 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:34.360 alarmed. When you listen to some of the stuff 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:37.220 that comes over so -called Christian television, 00:13:37.320 --> 00:13:42.240 some of the stuff, it is absolutely nauseating. 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:48.559 And there are people who take in everything they 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.100 hear as though that person is certainly speaking 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:55.740 from God. What an important word John gives. 00:13:55.860 --> 00:14:01.019 Do not believe every spirit that is the prophets 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:04.980 who come but test the spirits to see whether 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:09.000 they are from God because many false prophets 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.559 have gone out into the world and by this you 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:14.820 know the Spirit of God every spirit that confesses 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:17.740 that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:22.879 God and every spirit that does not confess Jesus 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:27.090 is not from God and this is the spirit of the 00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:29.950 Antichrist of which you have heard that it is 00:14:29.950 --> 00:14:33.129 coming and now it is already in the world." In 00:14:33.129 --> 00:14:36.629 other words, John is saying this spirit is already 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:39.350 at work even in the first century. Eventually 00:14:39.350 --> 00:14:42.350 it will become fully exposed and revealed and 00:14:42.350 --> 00:14:45.649 will be culminated in the person of the Antichrist. 00:14:45.710 --> 00:14:48.009 But even then the same spirit was at work, the 00:14:48.009 --> 00:14:51.450 spirit of denying that Jesus Christ is the incarnate 00:14:51.450 --> 00:15:03.259 God. In chapter 3 verse 22 he says, well my computer 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:07.159 wrote down the wrong verses here. I'm going to 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.860 have to get a new computer. Turn over to 2 John 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:12.580 7. I'm not going to take time to look for those 00:15:12.580 --> 00:15:17.299 right now. 2 John verse 7. John says, for many 00:15:17.299 --> 00:15:20.019 deceivers have gone out into the world, those 00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:23.419 who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming 00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:27.600 in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:31.320 So there's the point. This coming world religion 00:15:31.320 --> 00:15:34.440 will be a culmination of what has been true of 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:37.220 false teaching since the first century, and that 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:41.120 is a denial of Jesus as God. as the sovereign 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:44.240 Lord. But accompanying that, accompanying that, 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:48.779 says Peter back now in 2 Peter 2, is a denial 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:51.980 of Jesus Christ's sufficient sacrifice for sin. 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:58.360 He says that there will be a denial of the master 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:01.940 who bought them. That's an interesting phrase 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:04.580 there. It is one of the arguments used against 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:08.460 the idea of a particular or limited atonement. 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:14.159 because Peter clearly says here that this sacrifice 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:18.279 of the Lord, this purchase price, this atonement 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:27.440 of the Lord by which he purchased a people was 00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:31.480 also sufficient for the false teachers. A denial 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:36.379 of the Lord who bought them, it says. There are 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:39.100 people today who say that Jesus by his death 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:42.019 set a good example for the rest of us But they 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:47.159 deny that his was a vicarious death He died in 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:51.120 the place of sinners and they put in place of 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:55.460 that doctrine salvation by works or salvation 00:16:55.460 --> 00:17:00.779 by self fulfillment or self realization Let me 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:03.440 just wrap this up by saying once again that one 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.480 characteristic of the coming religious system 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:10.559 is a denial of the person and the work of Jesus 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:14.680 Christ and we see that all around us. Secondly, 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:21.740 there will be an exaltation of a new Messiah 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:27.200 in the coming world religion. Let's go again 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:33.279 to 2 Thessalonians, the second chapter at verse 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:43.500 4 this time. 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 4. Regarding 00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:46.980 this man of lawlessness, the apostle says, who 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:52.259 opposes and exalts himself above every so -called 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:56.779 God or object of worship so that he takes his 00:17:56.779 --> 00:18:00.599 seat in the temple of God displaying himself 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:05.160 as being God. Now, if we had time, we would turn 00:18:05.160 --> 00:18:08.700 to Revelation 13, verse 8, where it is said there 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.240 that he will cause the masses of his empire to 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.799 worship him, those whose names are not written 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:19.400 in the book of life. This is Antichrist, and 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:23.200 in that coming religious order, there will be 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:27.240 the exaltation of a new Messiah, someone who 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:32.460 will come to finish what Jesus failed to finish. 00:18:33.569 --> 00:18:38.089 even what Mohammed did not do. He will come to 00:18:38.089 --> 00:18:41.849 fully reveal God. He will be God in the flesh 00:18:41.849 --> 00:18:44.930 or maybe it will be put this way that the God 00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:48.410 consciousness in him will be fully manifested 00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:50.869 and he will be unique among all men because he 00:18:50.869 --> 00:18:54.309 has risen to that level where the God consciousness 00:18:54.309 --> 00:18:59.130 in him has now caused him to be as deity itself. 00:19:00.690 --> 00:19:04.150 The coming world religious system will not only 00:19:04.150 --> 00:19:07.230 deny Jesus Christ for who He is and what He has 00:19:07.230 --> 00:19:10.710 done, but it will exalt the Antichrist and worship 00:19:10.710 --> 00:19:17.430 Him as its Messiah, as its new God. A third characteristic 00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:20.869 of this coming world religious system is found 00:19:20.869 --> 00:19:26.950 in Revelation chapter 17 and verse 6, a verse 00:19:26.950 --> 00:19:31.150 we've already read. Did you notice it? Where 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:35.410 it says, the woman drunk with the blood of the 00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:39.710 saints. Characteristic number three is a persecution 00:19:39.710 --> 00:19:44.230 of believers in the true God. This coming world 00:19:44.230 --> 00:19:50.250 religious system will persecute the true people 00:19:50.250 --> 00:19:54.650 of God at that time. So much so that it will 00:19:54.650 --> 00:19:57.250 cause many of them to lose their lives. This 00:19:57.250 --> 00:20:01.470 is confirmed for us in chapter 20 and verse 4. 00:20:01.869 --> 00:20:06.130 We now come to the first resurrection as it is 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:10.690 termed and John sees thrones and those that sat 00:20:10.690 --> 00:20:13.970 upon them and judgment was given to them and 00:20:13.970 --> 00:20:16.809 then he says Revelation 20 verse 4 and I saw 00:20:16.809 --> 00:20:21.990 the souls of those who had been beheaded because 00:20:21.990 --> 00:20:24.910 of the testimony of Jesus and because of the 00:20:24.910 --> 00:20:28.650 Word of God and those who had not worshipped 00:20:28.650 --> 00:20:35.470 the beast or his image and had not received the 00:20:35.470 --> 00:20:39.150 mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. 00:20:39.549 --> 00:20:41.509 And it says they came to life and reigned with 00:20:41.509 --> 00:20:45.589 Christ for a thousand years. And so John, as 00:20:45.589 --> 00:20:48.730 he in this vision sees a great multitude of people 00:20:48.730 --> 00:20:52.369 who had lost their heads, who had been beheaded 00:20:52.369 --> 00:20:55.369 for the sake of Jesus Christ in the coming tribulation 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:59.130 period. This world religious system, while it 00:20:59.130 --> 00:21:04.430 will call itself Christian in some sense, it 00:21:04.430 --> 00:21:07.490 will be under the label of Christendom, will 00:21:07.490 --> 00:21:11.809 also be a system that will turn upon true believers 00:21:11.809 --> 00:21:15.410 in the living God and persecute them without 00:21:15.410 --> 00:21:20.170 mercy. A fourth characteristic of this coming 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:26.019 world religious system is a ridicule of Christ's 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:30.559 return. For this, let's go back to 2 Peter, and 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:38.480 this time to chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3, and 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:42.539 beginning in verse 3. Know this first of all, 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:46.579 says Peter, that in the last days, mockers will 00:21:46.579 --> 00:21:49.680 come with their mocking, following after their 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:53.579 own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:57.519 His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:00.940 all continues just as it was from the beginning 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:08.259 of creation." It says here that there is going 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:13.500 to come in the last days a noted emphasis upon 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:19.640 a mockery of the return of Jesus Christ. Well, 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:22.180 people who have been unbelievers have long mocked 00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:25.390 that. But I think it's very interesting that 00:22:25.390 --> 00:22:29.529 we are seeing a new emphasis on this very point. 00:22:30.690 --> 00:22:35.190 I think that's in part because the teaching of 00:22:35.190 --> 00:22:38.950 the coming of Jesus Christ, which has always 00:22:38.950 --> 00:22:44.430 been a part of evangelical churches, has now 00:22:44.430 --> 00:22:46.589 become better known out in there in the culture 00:22:46.589 --> 00:22:49.210 at large. They're hearing more of what we say. 00:22:49.609 --> 00:22:52.430 And that causes them to respond more. But I think 00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:55.150 there's another element. And that is the end 00:22:55.150 --> 00:22:57.910 of this century and the end of this millennium. 00:23:00.490 --> 00:23:03.130 You will see, and there was even this last week, 00:23:03.390 --> 00:23:07.450 articles in the paper anticipating the fact that 00:23:07.450 --> 00:23:09.690 as we get closer to 2000, there are going to 00:23:09.690 --> 00:23:12.049 be more and more people, they say, talking about 00:23:12.049 --> 00:23:16.410 the end of the world. Just expect them. It's 00:23:16.410 --> 00:23:19.259 going to happen, they say. and the implication 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:23.180 is brush it off. Don't worry about it. It happened, 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:26.500 they say, about 1000 AD too. I don't know if 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:28.400 they have the newspaper clippings from then or 00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.099 what, but it happened then, they say, and they 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:33.380 say around every turn of the century there's 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:37.140 this brand new emphasis that the end is near. 00:23:38.420 --> 00:23:41.460 The apocalypse is upon us. Armageddon is at hand. 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:45.430 Well, in fact, This is true, that there is a 00:23:45.430 --> 00:23:47.910 renewed talk at the end of each century, and 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:53.210 particularly at the end of a millennium. But 00:23:53.210 --> 00:23:55.710 it's interesting to me to note that as this talk 00:23:55.710 --> 00:24:00.109 increases, the denial, the mockery, the jeering, 00:24:00.789 --> 00:24:04.269 the jibing of those who believe in it only increases 00:24:04.269 --> 00:24:07.650 more. There is a ridicule of the return of Jesus 00:24:07.650 --> 00:24:11.359 Christ. And Peter says this arises with this 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.440 excuse on the part of the culture at large. They 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.299 say, look, everything's continued like it always 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:20.640 has. Nothing before has ever intervened. There's 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:24.539 a uniformity to all of history. You know, we 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:27.180 evolved out of this little bit of whatever back 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:29.759 then, and nothing's ever happened to change that. 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:34.680 They refuse to acknowledge, it says, that God 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:37.880 has intervened before. It says in verse 5, When 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:40.819 they maintain this, it escapes their notice. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.240 That doesn't mean that somehow they fail to read 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:48.519 the clippings. It means that they refuse to take 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:53.779 note of something. That by the word of God, the 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:58.180 heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:02.180 out of water and by water, through which the 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:04.859 world at that time was destroyed, being flooded 00:25:04.859 --> 00:25:08.119 with water. There are two things that seem to 00:25:08.119 --> 00:25:11.839 be the point here. They refuse to acknowledge 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.700 the creative activity of God in the beginning, 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:19.579 along with his intervention at the flood of Noah. 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:22.599 He goes on to talk about the fact that the world 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:25.380 was destroyed by water at one time and someday 00:25:25.380 --> 00:25:27.880 will be destroyed by the intervention of God 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:31.799 again, this time by fire. But here's the point. 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.140 You're saying that along with a denial of the 00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:39.460 return of Jesus Christ will be a denial of God's 00:25:39.460 --> 00:25:43.420 creative activity and a denial of God's intervention 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:47.500 by the flood. How I would delight if Noah's ark 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:50.920 could be found. Not because it would prove to 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:55.460 me the Bible. Not at all. But just to watch the 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:58.400 liberals dance around that ark trying to explain 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:03.640 it. as they seek to deny that God ever intervened, 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:05.539 that there was ever a Noah, that there was ever 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:08.420 an ark built. I would love to see them try to 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:11.839 do that. And they will. Because everything has 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.700 always continued like it always has been. There's 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:18.460 been no intervention of God. And Jesus Christ 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:21.180 is not coming. We have to make our own utopia 00:26:21.180 --> 00:26:23.779 in the world. And we have to worship this Messiah 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:30.420 who's here, they will say. Number five. The final 00:26:30.420 --> 00:26:34.900 world religion will be characterized by a form 00:26:34.900 --> 00:26:39.180 of religion without any life -transforming power. 00:26:40.180 --> 00:26:48.440 Second Timothy, chapter 3. Beginning in verse 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:51.599 1, again, the apostle focuses on the last days. 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:55.339 He says, difficult times will come. Literally 00:26:55.339 --> 00:26:59.980 he says, times hard to deal with. For men will 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:02.859 be lovers of self and he goes on to describe 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:07.680 1990 and a lot of other times I'm sure but especially 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:10.859 our day and then verse 5 he says also holding 00:27:10.859 --> 00:27:15.460 to a form of godliness Although they have denied 00:27:15.460 --> 00:27:22.019 its power He says avoid such men as these That 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:25.240 final world religion will have a form of godliness 00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:28.500 there will be a certain sense of religion of 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:36.680 liturgy, of outward show, exhibition, of worship. 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:41.700 It will be pageantry. It will all be there. All 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:44.380 the outward forms, you see, will be there, but 00:27:44.380 --> 00:27:48.380 there will be no power to it. No power to transform 00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:52.180 the life. No power to save. There's no reality 00:27:52.180 --> 00:27:55.220 in it, is what he is saying. That's how it will 00:27:55.220 --> 00:28:00.099 be characterized. And then number six, there 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:04.319 will be a rejection of doctrine for what is self 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:07.420 -pleasing. That will characterize this final 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:10.940 world religion. Look in chapter four of 2 Timothy. 00:28:12.259 --> 00:28:15.640 He says, verse three, the time will come when 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:18.799 they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:22.430 to have their ears tickled, They will accumulate 00:28:22.430 --> 00:28:25.289 for themselves teachers in accordance to their 00:28:25.289 --> 00:28:29.150 own desires and will turn away, that is, as an 00:28:29.150 --> 00:28:33.589 act of their will, turn away their ears from 00:28:33.589 --> 00:28:39.400 the truth and will turn aside to myths. So there 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:42.740 will be a definite rejection of doctrine in the 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:45.859 last days for what is self -pleasing, what tickles 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:49.440 the ear, what people enjoy hearing, what flatters 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:53.700 the human spirit. Oh, are we ever living in a 00:28:53.700 --> 00:28:58.359 day like that today? When there are masses who 00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:00.819 are turning away from the truth, they don't want 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:05.019 to hear what the Bible has to say, but they want 00:29:05.019 --> 00:29:08.000 to hear religious teachers. who will tell them 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.759 the things that compliment them, that please 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:15.140 them, that build up humanity, that show us the 00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:18.039 potential that resides in all of us, the God 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:21.079 -consciousness that is there, how we're all in 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:24.140 touch with all of nature, holistic teaching, 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:28.299 interconnectedness with all things, the Mother 00:29:28.299 --> 00:29:33.579 Earth, and all of that. Today we have before 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:37.549 us What may well be at least a part of the glue 00:29:37.549 --> 00:29:39.990 that's going to hold this world religion together 00:29:39.990 --> 00:29:43.450 is called the New Age Movement. If you want to 00:29:43.450 --> 00:29:45.490 know more about it, one of the electives the 00:29:45.490 --> 00:29:48.069 next four weeks will talk about it in detail. 00:29:49.609 --> 00:29:53.349 The New Age Movement is the fastest growing religious 00:29:53.349 --> 00:29:59.210 movement in the United States today. And it is 00:29:59.210 --> 00:30:08.460 infiltrating not only off -brand kinds of religious 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:12.019 movements, but it's infiltrating mainstream churches. 00:30:12.859 --> 00:30:15.799 I could take you to churches right here in Roseville, 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:21.859 which today taught New Age doctrine. You say, 00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:24.720 well, what is that? Well, I have a little booklet 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:27.000 in which I'm just going to read a couple of paragraphs 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.059 that sort of gives you a taste for it. Interestingly, 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:38.150 this is a booklet by a nun and comes from the 00:30:38.150 --> 00:30:41.269 evangelical sisterhood of Mary. Interesting, 00:30:41.430 --> 00:30:43.130 isn't it? Interesting title for their group. 00:30:44.069 --> 00:30:47.130 But I have never read anything that exposes the 00:30:47.130 --> 00:30:50.950 heart of the New Age movement any better than 00:30:50.950 --> 00:30:54.069 this nun does as she talks about the New Age 00:30:54.069 --> 00:30:57.630 philosophy. She says, the New Age movement aspires 00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:01.809 after a new and perfect world. But if this goal 00:31:01.809 --> 00:31:04.410 is to be attained, there will have to be a paradigm 00:31:04.410 --> 00:31:06.930 shift, that is, a change in the conventional 00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:10.170 way of thinking, according to the New Age philosophy. 00:31:10.970 --> 00:31:14.329 Instead of the previous analytical mode of thought, 00:31:14.990 --> 00:31:17.849 corresponding to the linear and mechanistic conception 00:31:17.849 --> 00:31:22.170 of the world, there is to be a new holistic perspective, 00:31:22.950 --> 00:31:25.970 the belief in the interconnectedness of all things, 00:31:26.130 --> 00:31:29.859 or the doctrine of wholeness. All things are 00:31:29.859 --> 00:31:33.720 interdependent and accordingly need to be regarded 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:37.440 holistically. Every individual feels part of 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:41.519 nature and of the whole cosmos, a microcosmos 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:45.400 of the macrocosmos. Rational thinking, which 00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:48.819 proceeds analytically and critically and which 00:31:48.819 --> 00:31:52.960 formed the basis of scientific method, is to 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:57.059 give way to synthetical thinking. and intuitive 00:31:57.059 --> 00:32:00.740 knowledge based on non -rational experience. 00:32:01.740 --> 00:32:05.220 Have you ever heard of quantum physics? It ties 00:32:05.220 --> 00:32:09.539 together with this. He says New Age philosophy 00:32:09.539 --> 00:32:14.319 aims at reconciling all opposites. Science and 00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:19.599 occultism are placed on a par. All ethical values 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:22.539 collapse. Good and evil no longer exist. All 00:32:22.539 --> 00:32:25.900 is one. This explains the move towards a synthesis 00:32:25.900 --> 00:32:29.880 of all religions. For New Agers, the highest 00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:34.380 goal of man is to find his happiness. Performance 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:38.299 and output used to be generally considered the 00:32:38.299 --> 00:32:40.920 criterion for living. Now the main emphasis is 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:44.730 on personal satisfaction and success. Fear of 00:32:44.730 --> 00:32:47.730 coming apocalyptic events is therefore channeled 00:32:47.730 --> 00:32:52.730 into escapism. To a utopian world society where 00:32:52.730 --> 00:32:55.890 there are no tensions. In other words, they're 00:32:55.890 --> 00:32:59.589 saying that people like us who teach in the second 00:32:59.589 --> 00:33:02.309 coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the age 00:33:02.309 --> 00:33:06.450 are just escapists. That what we need to be doing 00:33:06.450 --> 00:33:09.529 is channeling our energies toward a man -made 00:33:09.529 --> 00:33:15.650 utopia. Which only man can make. Well, there 00:33:15.650 --> 00:33:18.869 will be a continual rejection of doctrine and 00:33:18.869 --> 00:33:22.410 an acceptance of what tickles the ear just as 00:33:22.410 --> 00:33:25.390 the Apostle said there would be. There will be 00:33:25.390 --> 00:33:30.369 other glues and adhesives that will be a part 00:33:30.369 --> 00:33:35.450 of this one world religion. But I believe that 00:33:35.450 --> 00:33:41.170 New Age thought is a key component of it. Now 00:33:41.170 --> 00:33:43.849 of course in one sense apostasy and the spirit 00:33:43.849 --> 00:33:46.269 of Antichrist have always been present in the 00:33:46.269 --> 00:33:50.869 age. But what is predicted in the final climactic 00:33:50.869 --> 00:33:57.650 revolt against God and reveal truth will sweep 00:33:57.650 --> 00:34:02.250 the masses into the waiting arms of Antichrist. 00:34:04.170 --> 00:34:07.430 It might be helpful to keep in mind that apostasy 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:11.019 A revolt against the truth, which we're talking 00:34:11.019 --> 00:34:13.699 about here, is not the same thing as heresy, 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:20.659 technically. A heresy is a false idea which Satan 00:34:20.659 --> 00:34:25.099 uses as a snare even for true believers. 2 Timothy 00:34:25.099 --> 00:34:28.840 chapter 2 verses 25 and 26 talks about that. 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:35.679 Apostasy is not identical with all doctrinal 00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:39.360 errors for even Believers can have doctrinal 00:34:39.360 --> 00:34:42.239 errors. Probably in some ways, most of us, all 00:34:42.239 --> 00:34:46.460 of us, are misunderstanding some things. Doctrinal 00:34:46.460 --> 00:34:48.940 error can come out of ignorance, for example. 00:34:51.400 --> 00:34:55.219 Both heresy and doctrinal error can be found 00:34:55.219 --> 00:34:58.380 in believers. Not in us, of course, but in other 00:34:58.380 --> 00:35:04.920 believers. However, apostasy is different. Apostasy 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:08.360 which will find its culmination in this coming 00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:11.559 world religion is a deliberate rejection of the 00:35:11.559 --> 00:35:15.199 truth, and it is never characteristic of a true 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:19.500 believer. And when one becomes an apostate, one 00:35:19.500 --> 00:35:23.099 who is outwardly a professing Christian of some 00:35:23.099 --> 00:35:27.900 sort, and then he turns from that and apostatizes, 00:35:28.199 --> 00:35:34.110 there is no remedy for him. Only judgment. awaits 00:35:34.110 --> 00:35:38.670 the apostate. And that is why Jude speaks so 00:35:38.670 --> 00:35:41.289 forcefully as he does in verses 11 through 16 00:35:41.289 --> 00:35:43.690 of his little epistle. And he says basically, 00:35:43.929 --> 00:35:50.070 woe to them. In Revelation chapter 17, there 00:35:50.070 --> 00:35:53.070 is ultimate judgment of this one world religion. 00:35:53.650 --> 00:35:57.829 And victory is given to the Lamb and to those 00:35:57.829 --> 00:35:59.849 who are the followers of the Lamb. What are we 00:35:59.849 --> 00:36:02.070 to do in light of the coming world religion? 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:04.539 Let me just give you three quick thoughts. Number 00:36:04.539 --> 00:36:08.260 one, we're to live a godly life. We are to be 00:36:08.260 --> 00:36:11.739 diligent, to be found by Jesus when he comes, 00:36:12.380 --> 00:36:17.599 as Peter says, in peace, spotless, and blameless. 00:36:17.940 --> 00:36:21.059 That's what we're to do. We're to be sure that 00:36:21.059 --> 00:36:27.480 our lives are holy lives. We're to be found by 00:36:27.480 --> 00:36:32.849 him when he comes, in peace, spotless, and blameless. 00:36:33.710 --> 00:36:35.909 Furthermore, Peter tells us that we are to be 00:36:35.909 --> 00:36:39.989 on guard. He says, you therefore, beloved, knowing 00:36:39.989 --> 00:36:45.309 this beforehand, be on your guard. Be on your 00:36:45.309 --> 00:36:47.590 guard against the kind of false teaching we're 00:36:47.590 --> 00:36:50.769 talking about, and don't be sucked into it. Don't 00:36:50.769 --> 00:36:53.449 be allured by it, but recognize it for what it 00:36:53.449 --> 00:36:57.230 is. And finally, as the people of God, we are 00:36:57.230 --> 00:37:02.000 to preach the truth. By preaching the truth, 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:05.539 we are doing the best thing we can do to combat 00:37:05.539 --> 00:37:10.039 the error. I recognize there are times to expose 00:37:10.039 --> 00:37:13.280 it specifically as we're going to do with New 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:17.400 Age in particular over the next few weeks. But 00:37:17.400 --> 00:37:19.559 the best thing we can do is just to preach the 00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:22.679 truth. Preach what is true. Preach the genuine 00:37:22.679 --> 00:37:26.159 Word of God because that's what God uses to do 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:28.440 His work. God right now, we need to be patient. 00:37:29.320 --> 00:37:32.280 is patient and he is saving people. He's calling 00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:37.159 out people yet. But one day God's patience, God's 00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:40.860 long suffering will come to an end and God will 00:37:40.860 --> 00:37:44.800 deal in judgment. In the meantime, we are to 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:47.780 live a godly life. We're to be on guard and we're 00:37:47.780 --> 00:37:50.079 to keep believing and to keep preaching the truth 00:37:50.079 --> 00:38:01.480 of God in our generation. Let's pray. Dear Lord, 00:38:04.199 --> 00:38:06.320 living at this particular time in the history 00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:09.840 of the world, as best as we can understand it 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:13.440 from our finite and limited perspective, but 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:15.639 living at this time is an exciting thing because 00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:20.539 we believe that truly the end of the age is upon 00:38:20.539 --> 00:38:25.039 us. I pray that we will not be like those who 00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:27.639 just go about their daily routines giving no 00:38:27.639 --> 00:38:32.219 thought to that. Like those who in the days of 00:38:32.219 --> 00:38:35.139 Noah just went on about their normal activity, 00:38:36.280 --> 00:38:42.019 not realizing that judgment was close. May we 00:38:42.019 --> 00:38:45.719 as your people, the ones whom you've graciously 00:38:45.719 --> 00:38:48.340 called out from the world, may we live this wee 00:38:48.340 --> 00:38:52.219 godly lives, being on guard in our minds and 00:38:52.219 --> 00:38:55.920 our spirits against that which is false, deliver 00:38:55.920 --> 00:39:01.190 us from the lie. And may we be faithful in proclaiming 00:39:01.190 --> 00:39:05.409 the truth in love to those who need to hear it, 00:39:05.530 --> 00:39:09.710 because that's what you use to call others to 00:39:09.710 --> 00:39:15.510 salvation. I pray that as we live through these 00:39:15.510 --> 00:39:19.170 days, despite the fact that they are days hard 00:39:19.170 --> 00:39:22.610 to deal with, that we may be your faithful people, 00:39:23.349 --> 00:39:26.170 and that our hearts may burn with a fervent love 00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:31.190 for Jesus. for the truth and for one another. 00:39:34.489 --> 00:39:37.789 And may our hearts be also burdened for the lost, 00:39:38.969 --> 00:39:42.250 seeking as were to snatch them out of the flames 00:39:42.250 --> 00:39:47.289 by our persistent and consistent witness to them. 00:39:49.369 --> 00:39:52.030 I pray that we as a church will be faithful. 00:39:52.090 --> 00:39:55.719 God deliver this church from ever, as long as 00:39:55.719 --> 00:39:59.219 you leave us here, from ever succumbing to the 00:39:59.219 --> 00:40:06.460 lie. May we be a true church, a pure bride for 00:40:06.460 --> 00:40:14.219 Jesus Christ, a bride that fervently loves its 00:40:14.219 --> 00:40:21.579 bridegroom. This we pray in the name of our Savior 00:40:21.579 --> 00:40:25.119 and our Lord, our Sovereign Lord who bought us. 00:40:25.480 --> 00:40:25.820 Amen.