by Michael K. Lake, Th.D., D.R.E.
Have you ever had a season in your life in which you could see the world around you with a supernatural clarity? Well, I have been going through such a season. It is a time in which your eyes are opened and God is teaching you, so your understanding can expand to meet the challenges that you face. I am amazed at the serendipitous bits of information that have been dropping into my life; the Holy Spirit has been using them to help me understand the times we are living in.
We need to understand that the world around us is sliding toward an abyss constructed by the Prince of Darkness. This abyss is filled with chaos (lawlessness), hatred, and utter darkness. The demonically inspired generals of this shift in the consciousness of our culture hide within the ivory towers of political movements, rights movements, academia, pulpits, and other positions of influence and power. (We also forget that the first “ivory tower” belonged to Jezebel.) They specialize in getting the disenfranchised (or just bored and mindless) to become their foot soldiers for change. I watched a short video in wonder the other night of the protestors at Wall Street. A professor from one of our esteemed institutions of higher learning (and a self-proclaimed Marxist) was leading the protestors in a chant. They so mindlessly continued parroting him, that when he finished and was trying to thank them for allowing him to speak, they continued repeating every word he said as if they were nothing more than drones. (Scary Note: Most of the protestors were either college students or graduates!)
This phenomenon of cascading toward darkness is not exclusive to the world. These commanders of chaos have their counterparts in the church world. These abdicators of righteousness and truth fill our pulpits, seminaries, and Christian airwaves. They have taken advantage of the fact that most of the Body has lost sight of who they are and what they are really called to. Large portions of the Church so long to be a part of the world (whether for lack of awareness of who they are in Christ or misguided attempts for relevance to our culture) that they follow after this parade of perdition like lost little puppies. Things have got to change.
Designer Beliefs
Over the past few decades, the gates of hell have dropped a pathogen into the consciousness of our society. This lethal contagion is relativism. They have postulated that there are no absolutes in society, even though our universe is filled with them. Their task is to expunge all sense of right and wrong that God has placed within the heart of men so that they can replace it with their own. They seek to be Nietzsche's new man that has moved beyond right and wrong; there is now only will. These intellectual tyrants do not seek to enlighten men (as they claim), rather they seek to enslave them (the original work of Nimrod and Babylon).
This infection of demonic thought has infiltrated sections of our seminaries and pulpits. Relativism plays to the carnal desires embedded by our adversary into the hearts of mankind. No longer are carnal desires brought to the cross for crucifixion. We now either rewrite the Word to placate our sinful passions or choose to offer “enlightened” interpretations inspired by the gates of hell.
The new trend within this generation of Christians is to design their own belief systems. In their Churches, the Word of God is only referred to occasionally as a “proof text” and not the source of ultimate truth. These trends have become so pronounced that USA Today recently released an article detailing its popularity. George Barna is quoted in the article (with a little exaggeration for emphasis) as saying: “America is headed for 310 million people with 310 million religions."[i] Yes, my friend, it is getting that bad. I believe this is a mixture of “every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14) and “the great falling away” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) that the Apostle Paul warned us about. Demonic forces are energizing both with evangelistic fervor never seen before in human history.
There is Another Trend on the Horizon
The good news is that the Holy Spirit is beginning to wake up the remnant and empower them. Our eyes are being opened to both what the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness are doing. While the paradigm shift in the World is moving toward the abyss, the remnant is being awakened toward righteousness and biblicity. Those that are awakened have been blessed with a glimpse of the splendor of God’s Kingdom. Only His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. We have discovered that the Messiah has set us free to walk in God’s commandments, statues, and judgment – restoring the breach and establishing His paths to walk in! Our flesh is (and will remain) crucified, and Jesus is established as the only King in our hearts, lives, and families. Our desire is not for psychobabble and carnal, cotton candy theology; we long for the pure and holy meat of God’s Word. We are leaving our childish ways behind and accepting responsibility so that we can move in divine authority. The Book of Acts will be seen among God’s people again, and the fear of the LORD will become the standard.
Are you ready to move there with me? Are you ready to see God’s Kingdom and God’s reign re-established among His people? If you are, join me in the journey that we will take in this series of articles. Each article will be a building block to restore the walls of God’s protection (like the walls of Jerusalem) around you, your family, and your ministry. Each article will challenge the current trends and force you to face every aspect of life solely through the lens of holy writ.
[i] http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-09-14/america-religious-denominations/50376288/1
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Unit 318: www.unit318.org
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