Judgment and Rewards, #35

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Matthew 24:12)

Antichrist will employ many strategies and tactics to overcome the saints, including violence and fear, and preventing the victorious saints from buying and selling. In order to buy and sell, the Christian will be required to compromise his testimony of Jesus (Revelation 19:10).

But the most effective weapon of Antichrist will be the filling of the earth with sin and material prosperity. The believers will be so loaded down with material comforts and sin will be so prevalent that the majority of them will trim their Christian zeal enough to gain access to the security, pleasures, and acceptance offered by the world.

This is an extremely effective deception. The devil overcomes the witnessing saint by giving him the illusion that the world is his friend; that he ought to be prominent and successful in the world; that he deserves to have the best the world can offer because he is a son of God.

This particular strategy will, if possible, conquer God's elect. It may be peculiar to the twentieth century (but see Luke 4:5-7). Many thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of God's people already have been overcome and their power to testify destroyed because of their adultery with the world.

The Lord's sheep have been deluded into believing God desires they be wealthy and prominent in the world and that they should use their faith to gain wealth and worldly success. This tactic of the enemy has been extremely effective in destroying the spiritual life of Christians who otherwise might have stood successfully in the hour of persecution that is at hand.

Antichrist has joined the Christian assemblies and is teaching in them.

After the latter-rain revival has borne witness to the entire earth of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus, prosperity and sin will fill the world. The newly baptized believers will be caught off guard. God will allow the power of the Spirit of God to subside so the "tares" can come to maturity.

The result of the sin and prosperity of the earth following the latter-rain revival will be the backsliding and coldness of most Christians living on the earth.

During the post-revival era Christ will require great patience of His people. It will be easy to join the worldly Christian churches. Antichrist will support those churches with money and approval. Governmental approval of the churches will prove to be a heady experience for those who are accustomed to persecution from the government. This approval and acceptance will catch the saints off guard and beguile them away from the Spirit of Christ.

It will be extremely difficult to fight against all of society (including Christian society). All but the strongest and most determined of the saints will become weary of the unceasing struggle to stand against the whole world, now that the revival glory and power have abated.

But those who overcome the Antichrist spirit, who guard carefully the Word of Christ's patience, will be guarded carefully by Christ. The Spirit of God will make clear to them all of the lies of the enemy. They will not be deceived into serving Antichrist.

But the majority of the believers shall be deceived. Their love will grow cold. Deception through material abundance already is taking place.

The Christian person who is deceived into yielding to the worldly spirit will suffer terribly in the Day of Christ.

To be continued.

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