Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, [2 Thess 2:3 NKJV]
So what of the Church in the last days? We are told of a falling away. We can see this at the present time already in the Church worldwide, where church members are beginning to take the church as a hobby that can be fitted in as time is available. Where commitment is low and the will to reach the lost is rare. It is indicated in the letter to the Church at Laodicea [Rev 3:14-22], where the comfort and pleasures of this life have snatched away the will to commit ourselves to the Lord’s service.
In the last days the Church is warned of a number of things: One thing we should never do is underrate our enemy the Devil. He comes to us in a number of ways, doubt, false teaching, leading us astray, by undermining the authority of the Bible, and telling us lies. Satan however does not change in his methods and it helps us to know the enemy, so we can fight against him through the power of the Spirit of God who is within us. However we need to know how to use our sword, the Word of God, [The Bible]. Christ repelled the temptation of Satan by quoting Scripture to him. [Matt 4:1-11]. Another way Satan works is by casting doubt on the authority of God and His Word. In Genesis we read where Satan approached Eve and said “Did God really say; you must not eat from the tree in the garden?!” [Gen 3:1]. Once he gets into the teaching in any church, Satan gets a foothold, and before long that church and its pastors have lost the power to pass on God’s message.
Evolution is an example where Darwin had an idea which taken to its fullest length tried to tell us what happened during the creation. It has been said that if Darwin knew what present day science knows, the theory of evolution would never have been formulated by Darwin. Single celled creatures do not turn into elephants however hard you try. Today evolution is taught in schools and colleges as fact, why? Because the scientists would have to admit God created the world, proving there is a God. Then they would have to accept His demands and His existence. Satan has no wish for that to happen. Satan wishes to have mankind follow him, to destroy the Christian Church and the Lords followers, and destroy Jerusalem and the Lords earthly people the Jews, so there is nowhere for Christ to reign as King on earth. We should never look to Satan as the equal of God. He is a created being and as such is an equal of the Archangels, not God or Jesus in any way whatsoever, God has the measure of him and will eventually destroy Satan [Rev 20:7-10].
What does the Bible say about the Church in the latter days? “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.” [2 Tim 4:3 NKJV]. There are churches today, teaching the Bible is not infallible, God’s standards are not important, that Gods creation is open to correction, that the offices of ministers and deacons do not have to fit the requirement laid down in God’s Word [1 Tim 1-13]. And even teach that God can be reached by many ways, and try and incorporate the Koran into their churches. There are those today who teach error and scoff at the second coming of Christ; “knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”[2 Pet 3:3-4 WEB]. The Bible tells us quite clearly what we should do, to combat the Devil, and to ensure we can stand against him and any church error in the future: Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”[Eph 6:11-18KJV]. Read it slowly, take it in, read the whole chapter. Let us examine ourselves, and ponder if we are ready to fight Satan, if he should tempt us. If we have believed in our heart and witnessed we are born again in Christ’s salvation, let us therefore set aside everything that might hinder us from living in the light of the Lord and run the race that is set before us [Heb 12:1]. We are going to experience a growing day to day battle in the future, so let us be ready for the coming battle, as we see the world having less to do with the standards and word of God and we have to stand for what we believe. Are you ready for the spiritual battle? That is increasingly becoming a reality.
Brian D. Papworth
Representative in the South Pacific Region for the Prophetic Witness Movement International