Over the years I have been talking about the abomination that causes desolation as talked about by Daniel, Jesus and Paul. Paul said 2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 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 (we are the temple), proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 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.” Jesus warned us when He answered the question, Matthew 24:3 “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Deception is everywhere in the church and truth nowhere to be found. Jesus said Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Ezekiel 13:3 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!” Paul said, 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.” Jesus said don’t be deceived. Daniel said Daniel 8:11 “It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 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.”
Truth has been thrown to the ground. This is not something we are waiting for, as all you have to do is look at the churches around you and you will see rebellion and deception; that is if you are actually seeking God. Truth has been thrown down and everyone does as they see fit. One group believes one way, another group believes another. There is a famine of hearing God’s word. Amos 8:11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” As we have talked about, the church turned aside from the truth to follow other gospels which is equivalent to worshipping other gods. Each group of like-minded churches have their own version of what they think the bible is saying, thus you have differing versions of Jesus Christ, salvation, His power and what will happen in the end. They even have manuals equivalent to scripture that they follow. Paul made it clear that this was already starting to happen in his day. 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!” What was supposed to happen was as Paul described above this verse, but that would involve obedience to God’s word, not being deceived by other gospels. Galatians 1:3 “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” We were supposed to be like how Paul described these Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus.” This desertion from God’s word is described in Malachi 2:5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty.”
Instead of obeying the word of God, the church instead obeyed the words of man about God as they see it. Each group then have their own doctrines and theology but without power from on High. You also have doctrines of demons as we were told would happen. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” The later times are already here. The church has been decimated by satan with only a remnant left. Jeremiah was told Jeremiah 11:2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today. I answered, “Amen, Lord.” But the people did not listen and Jeremiah goes on to say, “Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’” 9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.” Jeremiah 7:23 “I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.” Ezekiel 24:14 “‘I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” The church has done the same because they did not heed the warnings from the Old Testament and yes God will act. We must pay attention the warnings given to us. 1 Corinthians 10:1 “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
Jeremiah was sent over and over to warn God’s people just as other prophets were. Jeremiah 36:2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.” Instead of listening, the king burned the scroll. The king was furious that Jeremiah had the audacity to say that Babylon would come and defeat them, even though they had been warned over and over again that would happen if they rebelled against God. Then God has them write another one but added ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it both man and beast?” 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.’” Jeremiah said to the King “17 you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”
This had already happened to Israel. They were warned the King of Assyria would come. 2 Kings 17:5 “The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. 7 All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God.” They worshiped other gods 8 and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, 19 and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 20 Therefore the Lord rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.” In the end Judah also went into captivity. 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.”
It really is amazing that Israel and Judah did not listen to all the warnings given to them by the prophets. They did not listen and were vomited from the land just as they were warned. Leviticus 18:28 “And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” Leviticus 20:23 “You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.” Jesus said Revelation 3:15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Even though the church has had so many warnings, the church, like Israel has not listened. To think that this desolation wouldn’t happen to the church, is to ignore scripture. Like Israel, the church has been warned over and over again. Our most important response to the truth of God’s word is to obey. Jesus said Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” If the church wants Jesus with us, then we must obey. When He is with us the church looks like this. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Unfortunately, people don’t really want to know what happens if we do not obey if though scripture makes it plain to them. Many in the church just assume Jesus came and satan was defeated and we just have to get through this life and go to heaven. Amos 5:8 “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. 19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.” Ezekiel 7:3 “I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 4 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” While waiting, most have lost the fear of God. While Jesus did say the gates of hell would not prevail, that only is in effect when the church follows wholeheartedly the words of Jesus our Messiah. Because the church has not, the church has been defeated because of rebellion against God’s words.
Israel and Judah were both warned of the atrocities that would occur for their rebellion but like them the church has also ignored the warnings. Hell is a topic I think most of us really do not want to dwell on. I actually feel sick when thinking about it but most do not give it much thought. Most get around the severity of the topic of hell by thinking that God is a God of love and would never allow someone to go to hell. This is why it is so important to learn from the Old Testament and turn from our wicked ways. Yes, God is a God of love, but He commands our obedience. There will be severe consequences for disobedience as scripture makes clear. Death came upon the world because of Adam and Eve’s sin. Israel was also thrown out of the Promised Land for their sin and for rejecting Jesus, hell will be eternal. Is God a God of Love? The answer is yes. He created the world for us and said Genesis 1:28 “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” He gave His people the Promised Land and said, Deuteronomy 6:3 “Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.” Then God sent us His Son to give us eternal life even though we do not deserve it. 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.” When someone asks why would a loving God allow evil in the world, the answer is why don’t you obey His word? Why does He even allow you to live?
The true meaning of hell is almost too much to think about and like Israel and Judah the warnings are ignored by the church. Take this passage from Ezekiel 7:5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Disaster! Unheard-of disaster! See, it comes! 6 The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes! 7 Doom has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the land. The time has come! The day is near! There is panic, not joy, on the mountains. 8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 9 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you.” That is a pretty stark warning yet Israel and Judah were both destroyed. This is plain to see but still the church does not fear God and due to faulty teaching about God, hell is not a reality they ponder. Hell really does make you sick to your stomach to think about. While the rock stars sing about hell as if it will be party central, you do not want to go there, as hell is void of God. Even the worst place on earth, day and night still occurs and if you can look up and see the sun, moon and stars in the sky, God’s promises are still in effect. God is not present in hell. Going to hell is not just for a brief visit but all eternity spent without the presence of God. Can you imagine eternity spend asking yourself the question why didn’t I listen? Even worse are those who had no idea they were deceived by false teachers. These few years we call life are nothing compared to eternity, yet most commit to this life wholeheartedly instead of submitting to God only to hear in the end, Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Revelation 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” 2 Peter 2:6 “He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” Jude 1:5 “I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Take the time to work out your salvation and make sure that you have submitted to the word of God and have not been deceived by other gospels. We are without excuse.
I believe most Christians think hell is real but not real for them. At the same time some in the church have decided hell is not real at all but only symbolic. As one person wrote “does hell continue to exist? Many Christians today would say no. Others claim an ongoing belief in a literal place of eternal punishment, which raises a different theological question: what kind of God do you believe in to think God consigns people to eternal torment?” And there it is. Blame God instead of repenting and heeding the warnings. The answer lies in the Old Testament. Yes, hell does exist, and you do not want to spend eternity there. Jesus describes it this way. Luke 16:19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then 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.’” That is exactly what happened as Jesus rose from the dead, yet the Jews refuse to believe along with millions of others.
I think the greatest tragedy is the person who believed they were going to heaven because someone told them so, but ended up in hell because they were deceived and followed other gospels. This happened because they did not test the spirits. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Over the years the church, for their own benefit, has made it really easy to receive eternal life. The church equated eternal life with membership to a particular brand. They said just come to our church, adhere to our manual, pray a little prayer, get baptized, get involved and be a good person. Too much effort is placed on becoming part of a man-made church instead of being the true church. We have the blind leading the blind. Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” Truthfully becoming a Christian really is simple as long as you are not following other gospels while becoming a Christian. There is only one way. If you have followed other gospels, then you have not become a Christian and you have been deceived just as Jesus warned us would happen.
The church is filled with the deceived and delusional. The abomination that causes desolation is about deception and truth being thrown down. Many people will say we went to church and worshipped week after week. I volunteered. I was on the worship team, but Jesus said this. Luke 13: 22 “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “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!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” People will say but wait I said Lord, Lord just like Romans says to do. Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” The question is are you proclaiming Jesus or other gospels about Jesus? The only way to be saved from God’s wrath is to believe the words of Jesus and obey them. When you obey you will see the results of your obedience and the kingdom of God will come near! Many people will tell you they speak the words of Jesus, but their words do not line up with scripture. Believing the true words lead to eternal life. John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Most people that go to church are not being taught to turn from their wicked ways. Church would radically change if people would heed the call of Jesus to repent. Romans 2:5 “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” As we saw in 2 Chronicles 36:16 “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.” God then poured out His wrath on Israel. Ezekiel 5:5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. 6 Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees. 7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even conformed to the standards of the nations around you. 8 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations. 13 Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.” You must listen to the word of God. Since the word of God looks nothing like the church, the church isn’t listening. James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Many people call themselves Christians, but really have no idea what the bible says nor do they know the voice of Jesus. Their idea of Christianity looks nothing like what the bible says that it is. Because of this they do not believe the power and authority of Jesus is available to all who believe. This is what the church was supposed to look like. Jesus Luke 9:1 “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.” The church is filled with unchanged people, meanwhile the world is filled with people that need to be changed by God. This is what it looks like when God’s power moves among the people. Notice these words “you used to walk in these ways” and “that is what some of you were.” For example, many churches believe that homosexuality is not an abomination before God but it is and there is power for people to be freed from the hold of satan as we see in these next verses. The church is not seeing this kind of power. Colossians 3:5 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4 “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Today the church is filled with false teachers, preachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles. These positions were supposed to lead people to the way, truth and life. Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” No, these positions and gifts of the Spirit did not stop as many teach that they have. Scripture does not tell us that these offices and gifts of the Spirit were supposed to stop. Paul then describes the power of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines,” Paul then said, 27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” Mark 16:20 “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Jesus said Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil. 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.” Paul was sent just as the church was supposed to be sent Acts 26:18 “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.”
Today the abomination that causes desolation has taken the church into captivity and the church looks nothing like the above verses you just read. We were warned 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.” Because of this the church is powerless against our enemies. You may go to church every Sunday and think what a wonderful service and sound preaching, except that you have been taught another gospel. If you are in a denomination or an independent that hides it, the desolation is there. What manmade doctrines are you following? There are moderates to the extreme. Some deception is easy to spot while others are much harder. When you hold up scripture to the desolation, it is really quite easy to see. You can learn what to look for just as they do in spotting counterfeit money. Just look at how many churches have a faulty end-time theology and those who don’t even talk about it. Something like teaching the people that there will be a rapture or that Jesus is coming back to reign on earth for a thousand years does not lead people to repent. They think that peace and power will come then but not before, so now is a waiting game. Many Christians have agreed with the Jews and in doing so have also denied their Savior. The Jesus they are waiting for is not the Jesus of scripture. The problem is that what they are waiting for as taught by man / demons is not going to happen. When Jesus comes back, that is it and we had better be ready. Basing your whole end-time theology on a couple of verses is dangerous. What should be focused on is repenting so that the kingdom of God comes near once again and God dwells in us the temple by His Spirit. John 16:13 “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.” Because of the church’s rebellion, God has turned His face from us, therefore the church is not clothed with power from on High. Ezekiel describes what has happened to the church. Ezekiel 39:23 “And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.” The church is not doing as Jesus did even though Jesus said 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. 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.” You can see the abomination at work just be looking at how many people don’t actually believe just this one verse.
I was reading an article the other day that really gives us a good picture of the abomination that causes desolation that is in the church. Yes, you can see it just by looking at doctrines and theology, but this shows just how deceived and delusional people have become. Delusional and deceived people were here before Trump became president but politics have shown the world the deception that has taken place. Many people / Christians felt that Trump was their savior, God’s chosen one and bought into the conspiracy theories. You would think by now that Christians would wake up and smell the deception but that is not the case. Men and women are still looking for a human to follow. Many Americans falsely believe that the United States is a Christian nation and should be governed that way which is Christian Nationalism. Obviously, the United States it is not a Christian nation. This is made clear in the constitution. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Even here in Canada “Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: freedom of conscience and religion.” But Christianity is not a religion. These statements make room for any religion to co-exist together. If the founders were Christians, they would not have written that 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.” When Trump was running for his second term, many Christians prophesied His victory and then when he was soundly defeated, bought into the conspiracy theories that the election was stolen. Even the likes of “Evangelist Franklin Graham, who has been a supporter of President Donald Trump, said he tends to believe the president when he says the 2020 presidential election has been rigged or stolen because Trump “has a track record of being right.” All the prophets who prophesied a second term for Trump were wrong, just as many have said the Republicans would demolish the democrats this past Tuesday.
The article I was reading was called “Waiting For God At Doug Mastriano’s Election Night Watch Party - The GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor thought Christian prophets foretold his victory. On Tuesday night, he watched Fox News tell him otherwise.” Another article said, “The Christian nationalist dream met some American reality Tuesday.” In the first articles one person said, “I just feel like he has been chosen for this, I really do,” “Many waiting in line believed God would intervene for their candidate.” Some believed the red moon and rainbows were signs of victory. The articles said, “On Jan. 6, 2021, Mastriano chartered buses to send supporters to the “stop the steal” rally in Washington, D.C., that became the insurrection. He was there too, marching near the Capitol building steps as hundreds of his fellow election deniers ran past police barricades. A year later, Mastriano announced his candidacy for governor. At an event in Gettysburg hosted by believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory, he told supporters he would become governor because “my God will make it so.” A month later, Trump, repaying him for his fake electors scheme, endorsed Mastriano in the GOP primary. “He won, and in the ensuing months, he ran a shocking general election campaign for governor, refusing to talk to the mainstream press and campaigning alongside self-declared Christian “apostles” and “prophets,” all of whom claimed to speak to God, all of whom claimed God told them that Mastriano was destined for victory.” Then to make this watch party really exciting, music started to play live with Danny Gokey, a Christian artist. He has a new album called Jesus People but from this event I really don’t think he has any idea who Jesus people are. Just by listening to some of his thoughts you can see how he has been deceived by certain doctrines. Then Mastriano and his wife, Rebbie, came on stage briefly to say hello. “We’re gonna change American history right here right now, this day, it’s gonna be fantastic,” he told the crowd. “We love you guys too. This movement is unstoppable.” And then the announcement came; Mastriano had lost.
These so-called Christians who have politized their religion have been deceived. They range from fundamentalist to Charismatic, from moderate to extreme. One of the out of her mind extremes is a lady named Julie Greene. She is just one of the many false prophets whose prophecies fail. On a side note, if there are false prophets, there are real ones. If you have a counterfeit ten-dollar bill there has to be a real one! The article said, “Her prophecies have a special place for Mastriano and Pennsylvania. On February 28, she prophesied: “Doug Mastriano, I have you here for such a time as this, saith the Lord. I know it seemed like I had forsaken you, all your hard work, and all the time you put forth to get to the truth in election integrity. You know the truth, and you have seen so much evidence of what really happened. It is now time to move forward with the plans you have been given. Yes, Doug, I am here with you. I will not forsake you. The time has come for their great fall and for the great steal to be overturned.” She also prayed “Every one that comes against them shall fall before their face. Every lie will be revealed, everything will be exposed. And I thank you, Father God, those people that have been up against this campaign, up against each and every one of these people, Father God, will fall and be exposed in Jesus' mighty name.” She even prophesies the deaths of many politicians. Yes, they were exposed but not the ones she thought. She has also made some wild claims in Jesus’ name. I won’t repeat them as they are in satan’s name, not God. 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. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Micah 3:5 This is what the Lord says: “As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim ‘peace’ if they have something to eat, but prepare to wage war against anyone who refuses to feed them. 6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions, and darkness, without divination. The sun will set for the prophets, and the day will go dark for them.” 2 Peter 2:2 “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. 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.”
So many people in the church have been deceived. Now you might say I don’t buy into all that extreme nonsense, yet every Sunday individuals call themselves Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal…. Christians and don’t see that what they have been taught is not scriptural as God’s word has been replaced with man’s words. I shared this article just to show that just because someone says they are a Christian or calls themselves a Christian musician or prophet, doesn’t mean they are and that is the deception of this abomination. These people sincerely believe they are Christians and will spend eternity with God but that is the lie. This deception by satan and delusion brought on by God is everywhere in the church today and millions are dying without the truth. But just like Israel and Judah were warned about the destruction from Babylon, the church was warned about the abomination and has also been warned about hell. Like Israel and Judah, the church has also ignored the warnings and continue to go their own way. If you told most people that go to church to repent, they will say they are good and don’t need to. There is no fear of actually standing before God on the day of judgement. Jeremiah 18:11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’” Isaiah 28:15 “we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
So the question should be as Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah Jeremiah 37:19 “Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’?” This not only applies to prophets but teachers, preachers and evangelists too. Jeremiah 23:16 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you. 20 In days to come you will understand it clearly. 21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. 30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.” Lamentations 2:14 “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” The church is filled with these people, yet the church continues to go their own way and refuses to repent.
The disciples were told to wait for God. Luke 24:48 “You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” There is hope this will happen once again. Isaiah 32:14 “The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, 15 till the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.”The gospel is not the gospel without the power and authority of Jesus given to us to go into the world. Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” That time is now. The disciples preached that Jesus would return and they needed to be ready. Nothing has changed. It doesn’t matter that it has been over 2000 years since Jesus walked the earth, you only have your lifetime to repent, and you do not know what that is, so you need to be ready. You should fear the thought of standing before God and giving account of your life.
So while you are still breathing, come before God and repent. The lost son is our example. Luke 15:17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” As we saw earlier, they gathered at an election watch party to invoke the name of Jesus but what they should have been doing is revoking their beliefs and humbling themselves before God. Even after this massive failure people will continue to go the way that ends with death. Proverbs 9:13 “Folly is an unruly woman; she is simple and knows nothing. 14 She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, 15 calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way, 16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.” Instead Proverbs 9:1 “Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. 2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, 4 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, 5 “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. 6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.” We should heed this warning. Zephaniah 2:1 “Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, 2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you. 3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Ezekiel 18:31 “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?”
There is hope that God will turn His face back to shine on us because we are told. 2 Chronicles 7:13 “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.” We ask God to Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Daniel prayed Daniel 9:18 “Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” We are told Amos 9:11 “In that day “I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be.” So we pray Psalm 80:9 “Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Lamentations 5:19 “You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 20 Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? 21 Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old 22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” God then tells us Isaiah 40:27 “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
While the article showed some of the extreme effects of the abomination that causes desolation, be warned that this abomination is everywhere in the church. False teachers and the other gospels they teach are everywhere. Sadly, many who teach have no idea they have been deceived. 1 Timothy 1:7 “They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” Many believe these gospels with all their heart and refuse to turn from them because they think they are truth but they do not stand against scripture. Our only hope today is to repent to our merciful and compassionate God and plead for mercy. God gave David a promise that means the church will be saved and the remnant will rise up and continue the work of Jesus in the power and authority of His name.The good news is these days are coming to an end just as we have been told they would. Daniel 9:27 “until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 7:26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.” After Jesus describes the abomination that causes desolation, He said 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. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 “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.”
