When we persevere faithfully, we persevere with the strength and knowledge that comes from believing God’s word. If you don’t know God’s word and have been deceived by other gospels, even if you think you are persevering, your final destination will not be eternal life. 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” It doesn’t matter what someone told you that you were secure because you believed a certain way; you will be judged as to whether or not you followed God’s word or man’s word. When Paul was talking to the Galatians, he talked about those trying to deceive them. First Paul called them out for following other gospels Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all,” and then he called them foolish. Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” Then he continued to talk about those trying to win them over. Galatians 4:17 “Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.”
There are many in the church who are zealous, but not for the true gospel, as they have been deceived by other gospels. There are those deceiving and those who continue to be deceived. There are also way too many people from musicians to preachers wanting to make a buck off the gospel, which makes them prone to the attacks of satan. Paul made it clear 2 Corinthians 2:17 “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” Matthew 21:12 “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” Jesus would say the same today. So many want their own names proclaimed and many have fallen to the same temptation satan tried to use on Jesus but was unsuccessful. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Instead of rejecting that offer, many have taken the authority and splendor offered by satan, meanwhile giving glory to God but it was not God who gave it to them. They should have answered the way Jesus did. Luke 4:8 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” They don’t know the difference between the authority God gives and the authority satan gives. satan gives you your name in lights, but God gives you the power that created light. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
We are told John 3:16 “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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” There is only one way as Jesus said, John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Since the beginning of time satan has been at war with the truth of God’s word. God says follow my way and satan wants you to follow his way. The great deception and delusion of the church is the church is following a different Jesus, a different gospel and a different way and most don’t even know it. This happened because the church refused to follow God’s word. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” The church is filled with false prophets who have fallen to the deception of satan, and their message goes out as if it is the truth. The message is also received as truth by those listening. But as we saw, satan uses scripture to deceive, so you need to know your bible and test the spirits. You have to be able to tell when this is happening and not put up with it. 2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” satan is so arrogant and boastful and he usually makes his presence known. Psalm 40:4 “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.” This is why these words about a different Jesus are so important to grasp and to understand because this has been happening since Paul said these words to the Galatians. Paul said Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” Following a different Jesus and other gospels is the same as following other gods. Deuteronomy 32:17 “They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear.” Therefore, you will perish and stand condemned.
We saw yesterday in the book of Job, satan was present at the very beginning of Job’s perseverance, but he continued to be present throughout. Genesis shows us that satan was present also at the beginning of Genesis and all throughout scripture. Scripture also tells us that satan was present with God before he was thrown to the earth. It still amazes me that people don’t believe in hell or for that matter that satan exists or that he has any power. They might as well say I don’t believe what the bible states. If we are going to persevere faithfully, we need to understand that satan has the power to destroy you, but at the same time we need to understand that only God’s power can save you from him. We are told to wear the armor for a reason. Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
It doesn’t matter how big your church is or go to, or how many followers there are, or how well written the doctrines and theology are, if you do not have the power and authority Jesus gives His disciples, satan cannot be defeated. Yes, someone like Joel Osteen has millions of followers, but where he is taking them is not eternal life. The church does not have power, so the abomination that causes desolation continues destroying the church but thankfully there will be a remnant. This is why we must persevere faithfully by standing firm of God’s word, even if all we see is chaos around us. If the church refuses to return to God’s word, satan will continue to destroy the church as he has already been doing. satan has been around since the beginning and he was in heaven. Ezekiel 28:12 “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth;” Revelation 12:7 “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 12 woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” This is why we must return to God’s word. We saw what God allowed satan to do with Job and if you look you will see the desolation the church is in now. Jesus said that the attack on the church, the abomination that causes desolation was going to be a time of great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world. Jesus then says Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” But Jesus also said 13 “but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
satan is filled with fury but he also is filled with pride and arrogance, and he still is. All those who follow him are also filled with pride. Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god.” The king of Babylon was filled with pride and compared to satan. Isaiah 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.” Hell will be satan’s final destination. God said Isaiah 13:11 “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.” So, you want to have no part of what satan is doing because satan is doomed to eternal fire and those who are deceived by him will spend eternity there. Revelation 20:10 “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Also, there is no hope for those who reject Jesus. Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Since the very beginning, satan wants you to spend eternity with him by getting you to turn away from God, but you don’t have to as God has always provided a way to defeat him and that way is obedience to God’s word. Disobedience always ends in defeat. Throughout scripture, satan has always tried to defeat God’s people. He is successful when God’s people rebel against God’s word. Death entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and satan was behind it. Genesis 2:16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” God’s plan from the beginning was eternal life; satan’s plan was death. Jesus said, John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” satan to this day still does asks this question he asked to Eve. Genesis 3:1 “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve answered correctly but then rejected God’s word and listened to satan. They disobeyed and were removed from the garden. After they had sinned against God, death entered the picture. Genesis 19:19 “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” The length of time people lived began to shorten. Genesis 5:5 “Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died. The people continued to sin against God. Can you imagine having children at 500 years of age as Noah did. Before the flood took place because of the wickedness, God said Genesis 6:3 “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”
satan was still at work and the earth was filled with wickedness, and God wiped out the earth with a flood, but because of God’s amazing grace, He saved His people just as God showed grace to Adam and Eve. God’s plan is salvation and life eternal; satan’s plan is destruction, and eternal damnation and for you and I to join him. God loves us enough to give us a choice, but a fool says there is no God, meaning they also think there is no satan. They just think they will live their life and die and that’s it or they think you go to heaven no questions asked. Many Christians think all is well with their souls, but they have been deceived. Matthew 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” The rich man and the beggar named Lazarus died. The rich man ended up in hell. He said, Luke 16:27 “I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Jesus rose from the dead, but people still do not listen. Hell is real but most in the church do not take it seriously and almost act as if it doesn’t exist. There was a reason Jesus said to Peter Matthew 16:18 “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” God gave power to the church to defeat satan but the gates of hades will prevail when we disobey. The disciples were not sent out to build buildings and talk about the gospel, they were given power and authority to be the church and do as Jesus did. Mark 6:7 “Calling the twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
From the time Adam and Eve sinned, God has made a way to save His people, yet every time they have rejected Him. Throughout scripture we see God’s plan of salvation at work even though His people do not deserve it and we see satan’s plan of destruction at work. satan’s plan is only successful if God’s people do not obey His word. Joshua was told Joshua 1:7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Even though God dwelt among His people. they always rejected him. The amazing part is that even though satan is present, God has always given us the power to defeat satan. It started with Adam and Eve. God was present in the garden He had created. Genesis 3:8 “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” satan was also present, but instead of listening to God, they listened to satan. After they came out of Egypt, God said Exodus 33:14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” They set up the tabernacle and Exodus 40:34 “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Yet they refused to obey. Again, satan’s purpose to get God’s people to reject his word. They believed him and did not believe they could take the land of promise, even though God said they could. Numbers 14:1 “That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” If you are in the desert, you have to trust God’s word, not satan’s word.
God was present in the temple. 2 Chronicles 7:1 “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” But Solomon was also told 2 Chronicles 7:19 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’” 1 Kings 11:9 “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.”
Even though God was present with them, and their enemies could be defeated, they rejected God and did not persevere faithfully. Instead, they turned away. Everything they were told happened to them, and they were defeated by their enemies. 2 Kings 17:14 “I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and give them into the hands of enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their enemies; 15 they have done evil in my eyes and have aroused my anger from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this day.” 2 Chronicles 36:15 “The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. 20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” This is what happens when God’s people listen to satan instead of God.
But there is good news because once again God dwelt among His people. John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God once again walked among His people. Luke 1:30 “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Acts 2:22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Yet once again, John 1:9 “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” John 3:19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” The Jews rejected their Messiah and crucified Him. Matthew 27:22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
But then the Gentiles had hope just as scripture said. Isaiah 42:6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Paul said he was told, Acts 26:16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” Before Jesus died, he said John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Now everyone who would believe could have Jesus with them and do as He did. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” We would have the Spirit of God living inside us. John 15:12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Again, this all depends on obedience. Disobedience means that God has turned His face from us. John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” The body of Christ is now the temple where God dwells. 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” Ephesians 2:19 “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
But once again, even though God dwelt among His people, the Gentiles have turned away and followed other gospels. The Jews to this day have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Even though the church (the few Jews who accepted and the Gentiles) was shown what to do and was given the power to do it, the church refused to believe and as history shows us, once again rejected the word of God and listened to satan’s voice instead. As we read above in John 14:11 we were to be able to do as Jesus did. Since the church refuse to obey God’s word, everything we have read about concerning disobedience in the Old Testament applies to us today. Paul quoted Habakkuk and said, Acts 13:40 “Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: 41 “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’” That still can be said today. And just like Habakkuk said, the Babylonians destroyed the first temple and then the Romans destroyed the second. To this day the Jews refuse to believe. Now the Gentiles have rejected the word of the Lord and God has allowed the church to be decimated by the abomination that causes desolation and as Jesus said, only a few will survive. That is because God promised David there would always be a remnant. When asked, Luke 13:23 “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’” Matthew 24:1 “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus said 4 “Watch out that no one deceives you.” The church has been decimated just like the first two temples all because the church refused to obey God’s word. We were warned to 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Picture the lions in Daniel. Daniel 6:24 “At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, and before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.” We were warned about satan’s work. Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” 2 Peter 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. 17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.” 2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.”
Yet, the church decided to listen to the voice of satan and not God. John 10:24 “The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” If you are following a different Jesus and other gospels, you will be snatched even though you may have been told that cannot happen. John said, 1 John 4:6 “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” If you are persevering, you must be following the true voice of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, John 10:3 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus then said 9 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
satan wants to destroy you and has the power to do it, especially since the church has rebelled against God’s word. If the church refuses to turn away from wicked ways, this onslaught will continue and millions of churchgoers who think they have been saved will not see eternal life. If you have turned back to God’s word, then persevere faithfully by standing firm on God’s word and not on man’s words. You must be aware of satan’s presence, and he is present wanting to destroy you. satan and false prophets are everywhere in the church. It is not just prophets but teachers, evangelists, preachers, and apostles. I have heard people say satan can’t be in the church. Do you really think bricks and mortar can keep him out? Not only is he in the church, he stands behind the pulpit. satan has also taken over seminaries and bible colleges. Daniel 8:12 “Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.” Daniel 9:27 “And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
Once you know your enemy is present, you will be more aware and understand how desperately we need God to turn His face back to the church. Instead of looking for man to help you, you will call out to God for mercy. Why because we have already been told what has been happening in the church. Daniel 7:21 “As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” Daniel 7:26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.” So there is hope, just don’t give up. Be like Job and know that you have a Redeemer but cry out to God for mercy and believe God will save His church. 1 Chronicles 16:35 “Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”
Jesus came to destroy satan’s works. 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Jesus rose from the dead and death has no sting. 1 Corinthians 15:54 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We would not have been told to stand firm and let nothing move you if satan was no longer present. satan is still at work until that final day when he goes to the eternal fire prepared for him and his angels. Jesus gave the church the power and authority to continue His work. That was supposed to be what the church was to be doing. We were to continue to do as Paul said Acts 26:18 “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God.’” That cannot be done in our own strength.
If you are persevering in faith, do not give up. Hebrews 10:35 “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”
