before the second coming of Christ I want to show you how cold how devoid of God how sinful people on this Earth will become now before we dive in let this be a warning to you pray that you never become this type of individual the first group of people I want to highlight are those found in Revelation 9 now for you to understand how evil these people are you first need to understand what happened in chapters 8 and 9 of Revelation for context the world undergo seven trumpet judgments that occur during the tribulation period after
the Rapture of the church here's a brief summary of each judgment and you will be shocked to hear how people react after going through all of this the first trumpet according to the Bible hail and fire mixed with blood are thrown to the Earth causing destruction of vegetation and trees onethird of the world's trees are burned in this plague and all the grass is consumed by the second trumpet a great burning mountain is thrown into the sea resulting in the death of onethird of the Marine creatures and the destruction of ships 1/3 of the sea
turns to blood 1/3 of the ships sink and 1/3 of ocean life dies the third trumpet will see a great star fall from the sky and it poisons onethird of the rivers and springs causing many deaths this star is called wormwood by the fourth trumpet the Earth will see onethird of the Sun moon and stars struck resulting in onethird of the day and night being darkened the fifth sixth and seventh trumpets are referred to as the three woes for the fifth trumpet something truly terrifying is released according to the Bible a bottomless pit is opened
releasing demonic locusts that torment those who do not have the Seal of God on their foreheads the sixth trumpet will bring the introduction of four demonic mercenaries four angels are released to kill one-third of humanity with an army of 200 million Horsemen resulting in great Devastation and death now the seventh and final trumpet announces the coming of God's kingdom and the Judgment of the Nations the Bible in Revelation 11: 19 says then God's temple in heaven was opened and within his Temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant and there came flashes of lightning Rumblings
peels of thunder an earthquake and a Severe hail storm now after all of this after all these Supernatural and devastating events you would think that people would fall to their knees and cry out to God for Mercy but no that is not what happens Revelation 9: 20 and 21 says the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands they did not stop worshiping demons and Idols of gold silver bronze Stone and wood Idols that cannot see or hear or walk nor did they repent
of their murders their magic Arts their sexual immorality or their thefts how hardened must you be how cold and sinful must you be to refuse to repent even after a series of extraordinary judgments by God this is the unfortunate reality of the last days people will turn away and reject the faith people will prefer to listen to doctrines of demons rather than the truth of the Gospel people will harden their hearts some will start in Christ but fall away later in life others will begin in the world but come to Christ later in life and
this has been the case since the beginning when Jesus had 12 disciples they all saw the Miracles they all saw people being healed and incredible acts of God but Judas turned away the Bible says that the devil entered his heart King Saul was anointed when began but he lost his way and the Bible tells us that the spirit of God departed from him and he was tormented by an evil spirit he started well but fell away in 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3 the Apostle Paul warns the Thessalonian Believers about the coming Rebellion or apostasy that would
precede the day of the Lord now I'd like to give you four illustrations of how someone can fall away and rebel against God firstly it can happen through a gradual drifting away imagine a ship without an anchor slowly drifting off its intended course apostasy often begins with a gradual drifting away from prayer a gradual drifting away from Reading God's word a gradual drifting away from walking with God-fearing friends and choosing to spend more time with ungodly people Hebrews 2:1 warns us and says that we must pay the most careful attention therefore to what we have
heard so that we do not Drift Away apostasy Can Begin by neglecting our relationship with God drifting away from his presence and prioritizing worldly matters over spiritual ones for a Believer who once eagerly attended church and read the Bible daily if not careful they may gradually find themselves less engaged and if this continues for too long they will eventually replace their passion for God with worldly passions and distractions this can be the beginning of drifting away my second point is the Allure of false teachings a man once traveled to a foreign country he was an
adventurer a thrill seeker but in this particular place the resort where he stayed was a compound and all the tourists were instructed not to leave the compound under any circumstances but this man thought this is a beautiful country every person I've come AC cross is so friendly and welcoming what's the worst that could happen if I went out to do a little sightseeing well he did so and in doing so he was exposed to all kinds of dangers and became the victim of a crime you see just because everyone he met was smiling doesn't mean
they had good intentions and today just because someone quotes the Bible or sounds like a Christian doesn't mean they are in 2 Timothy 4: 3 to 4 Paul warns that 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 apostasy can take root when Believers are lured by false teachings that cater to their desires instead of God's truth my third point is a deep internal issue it's about complacency
or the erosion of convictions imagine a fortress with a sturdy wall that begins to crumble gradually under the Relentless assault of the elements apostasy can occur when a believer's convictions are eroded over time often due to peer pressure social norms a desire to fit in or compromise just like in Galatians 5:7 we are warned you were running a good race who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth apostasy can happen when we compromise our convictions in the name of of worldly acceptance when we begin to compromise God's standards and consider certain
things acceptable even when God's word says otherwise this is the start of apostasy my final example is neglecting Spiritual armor imagine a situation where there is a fierce war between two sides and there's a soldier who neglects to wear his armor on the battlefield exposing himself to enemy attacks in Ephesians 6: 10 to1 the Bible says finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes apostasy can take shape when Believers neglect their Spiritual armor leaving themselves
vulnerable to the enemy's attacks a more practical example of this is a Christian who over time becomes LAX in their prayer life and begins to neglect reading the Bible leaving themselves spiritually exposed and unprepared prepared to face the challenges of Faith however in these last days that we are speaking of I want to encourage you as a Believer there is no need for us as children of God to live in fear because the Bible tells us in Acts 2 verse 17 in the last days God declares I will pour out my spirit on all people
your sons and daughters will prophesy your young men will see Visions your old men will dream dreams the Bible says in Titus 2:13 while we wait for the Blessed hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ Saints we have a blessed hope Jesus Christ The Return of Our Lord is the Blessed hope we have as his children do not be discouraged do not be disheartened by the events of this world but keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ the Bible gives us a vision that there will be a series
of events that will shake the Church of God here on Earth the Bible speaks of certain events that will impact the Christian Community and you will find that almost the entire chapter of 2 Thessalonians 2 is dedicated to warning us as Believers about these things to come I won't read the whole chapter but if you read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 veres 1 to2 you will see that the Bible tells us several things to be aware of when it comes to the return of Christ this passage of scripture speaks about a Great Rebellion against God that
will take place different translations use different terminology but the meaning is the same repeatedly in the last days there will be a great falling away a Great Rebellion the great apostasy and briefly let me read 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse three don't let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come unless the the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of Destruction so we will see people falling away from Christ to put it another way imagine there is a train called Christianity and this train is traveling
to a destination called heaven now on this train called Christianity you can see the world you can see the glitter and glamour of the world you can see the riches of the world you can see all of that and as this train called Christianity gets closer and closer to its destination a man appears at every station this man is the Antichrist and he targets everyone on the train calling them to step off the train and enjoy life in peace telling the passengers to relax he says you can leave this train and come back at any
time enjoy life and see this is what happens in the last days the closer we get to the return of Jesus Christ the more we will see people who have been on this train called Christianity for many years step away and rebel if it's hard to believe just look at how many pastors started well but ended up falling and never recovered this is not to judge because we all fall but we need to open our eyes to what the scripture says there is a difference between falling into sin or a moral lapse of judgment and
living a double life and to further explain the role of the man of lawlessness the son of Destruction or in other words the Antichrist let me read the Amplified version of 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-3 so that we can fully grasp the gravity of what we are being told the Bible says now in regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and are gathering together to meet him we ask you brothers and sisters not to be quickly unsettled or alarmed either by a so-called prophetic revelation of a spirit or a message or a letter alleged
to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has already arrived let no one in any way deceive or entrap you for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first that is the Great Rebellion the abandonment of the Faith by professed Christians and the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of Destruction the Antichrist the one who is destined to be destroyed so if we break down this verse we can come to the understanding that first there will be a gathering to meet Jesus Christ this is in verse one
second there will be people speaking falsely claiming to be prophetic who will try to deceive and say that Jesus has already come this is in verse two the third point is that we are warned let no one deceive you in any way this is a clear and indisputable warning to us as Believers and then the Bible tells us that a time will come when there will be a rebellion against God where people who claim to be Christians people who professed to be Christians people who appeared to be Christians will turn their backs on the faith
and walk away from the church I believe this is the effect and result of the Antichrist deception I believe that some will be deceived into falling away and others will choose to walk away but regardless of the method or influence the message I want to convey to you today is to not be included in this group of people the Bible prophecies about don't be part of the group that falls away from the faith pray for discernment pray for the Lord to pour out his spirit in your life so that you are not led into error
we need to stay grounded in the fundamental principles of the Gospel a gospel that teaches us in John 14:6 that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life and there is no other way for you and I to get to heaven or to God without acknowledging that Christ died and rose again anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar we need to remain firm in the fundamental principles of the Gospel the message of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2 is still relevant today thousands of years ago he preached the message of repentance saying
repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near that same message of repentance is needed today you do not mix Holiness with sin you do not mix Darkness with light good and evil do not coexist one displaces the other and any doctrine that tells you otherwise will lead you into deception any doctrine that tells you that you can sin freely and still walk with God is lying to you in conclusion I pray that you hold on to 2 Thessalonians chap 2: 14-1 17 to this he called you through our gospel that you may obtain the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ so then brothers and sisters stand firm and hold fast to the Traditions that you were taught by us either by our spoken word or by our letter now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who loved us and gave us Eternal comfort and Good Hope through Grace Comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word a group of Christian students was asked how many of you believe in signs and wonders someone quickly said it depends on who they're from the devil or Jesus the teacher
responded and said regardless of who they're from how many of you believe that signs and wonders can happen all hands went up immediately he then asked so you believe that Jesus Christ can perform signs and wonders the class agreed yes he can then the teacher asked do you believe that the devil can perform signs and wonders the students responded hesitantly without much conviction about the answer to this question but most raised their hands then the teacher boldly said said Matthew 24:4 for false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so
as to deceive if possible even the elect you see many people believe that only Jesus can perform great signs and wonders however this is also true for the Devil the Bible says that my people perish for lack of knowledge and if you don't have the knowledge that is in the Bible the knowledge that reveals how the devil is capable of Performing great signs and wonders then how will you distinguish the work of God from the work of Satan 2 Thessalonians chap 2: 9 and 10 say 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 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing they perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved D now listen to this carefully with all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie and all the ways that wickedness deceives saints of God there is a great evil among us and that evil is called deception designed by the enemy in an attempt to trick us to
make us believe that evil is good so the task at hand for all believers is how to distinguish the Divine from the Diabolical 1 John chapter 4 verses 1 to3 says 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 this is how you can recognize the spirit of God every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God this is the
spirit of the Antichrist which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world so you see if you are going to witness great signs and wonders test the spirits and you may be wondering well how exactly do I test the spirits what do I do well the passage of scripture we just read said in verses 2 and three every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God this is the spirit of the Antichrist which
you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world if that Spirit recognizes that Jesus Christ came in the flesh here on Earth died rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God then that spirit is from God however if that spirit says anything that is not about Jesus the Bible says this is the spirit of the Antichrist so the next time you see a preacher a prophet or anyone performing something Supernatural before you applaud before you accept it before you say anything pray that the holy spirit gives you
discernment and then wait wait to see if that act glorifies Jesus Christ as Lord before applauding test the spirit to see if it confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord test if that miracle that healing that act or wonder truly glorifies God or if it is exalting that person is God being glorified and honored or is it the man or woman on stage saying look at me I can do this all day we need to test the spirits and I believe that most of the devil's signs and wonders come down to four main goals money Fame
pleasure and power the devil will perform signs and wonders through people motivated by one of these goals 1 John 4: 4-6 says you dear children are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world they are from the world world and therefore speak from the Viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them 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 so understand there are two Spirits at work the spirit of truth and the spirit of error the spirit of error is in the world it is the spirit of the Antichrist and the Bible clearly says that they speak from the world and the world listens to them however you and I are not of the world as children of God the Bible tells us that we have overcome them because greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world so test the spirits before you allow
anyone to stand before you as a man or woman of God pray for sensitivity pray that the holy spirit will guide you into all truth so that you are not LED astray there are people of God out there people who are being mightily used by the Lord in various ways however there are also those sent by the devil to create confusion to create an illusion of Truth when in reality it is deception therefore I encourage you we must be a people United with the spirit of Truth we must be a people filled with the Holy
Spirit we must be a people who test the spirits we must be a people governed by the truth which is Jesus Christ even though we live in this world world we should not and must not fight our battles the way the world does in fact the weapons we have available to us are not physical weapons but notice how the Bible says that the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty in God the word of God is one of the weapons we have as children of God it is a powerful weapon the conflicts you
face the battles you encounter the Lord has the final say over all of them so I encourage you you people of God to trust in God trust in the word of the Lord trust in his promises and you will have Victory no one is so holy or so saved that they don't have internal or private issues they're dealing with the Bible says that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires this verse is about identifying that internal sin that Unholy desire that harmful passion and then saying no to
it get to the point where you say my love for God is greater than my love for anything else that's how you crucify your flesh identifying your stronghold the best way to identify what stronghold you're facing in your life is to look at the area in your life where you face a constant battle the area you struggle with the most the reason why you need to identify this is because the devil is cunning and deceptive he will know what giant or stronghold you're battling and so we need to be alert the devil will plant a
seed in your mind a seed that he will try to tempt you with and if you take the bait not only will that seed lead you into sin or oppression but it will also open the door to a possible stronghold or some type of captivity as an enemy the devil will never present someone else's weakness or struggles to you he won't plant a thought about alcohol if he knows you struggle with lust no he will always find the area where you are weakest and use that against you that's why it's so important to be honest
with ourselves and look introspectively at the areas we need deliverance from because the enemy will see it as a root to disrupt our walk with Christ this is supported by 2 Corinthians 2:1 where the Bible says that we should not be outwitted by Satan for we are not ignorant of his schemes the devil is cunning and has evil plans so we must be diligent Vigilant alert and always on guard against any possible breach the enemy might try to make in Our Minds when the devil can't affect you physically he will try to plant a seed
in your mind this is what I mean when I say name your enemy take a good honest look at yourself what is the devil trying to use to distract you from being an effective Christian what is he using to discourage you doubtful thoughts thoughts of insecurity or inadequacy name your enemy and rebuke it name your enemy and rebuke it in this world there is so much evil the Bible in second Corinthians 4:4 says that the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel that
displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God think about that for a moment the God of this age the God of this world Satan has blinded the minds of unbeliever Bel to prevent them from seeing the light of the Gospel in case you didn't know the devil is very influential on this Earth whether you realize it or not whether you believe it or not the devil can and does have influence over the ideals opinions and standards of this world that's why the Bible says that the God of this world the devil has
his clause in worldly philosophies they are present in so many institutions and you might think well how exactly does he do this look at the driving force behind many large companies it's money money has become a god an idle for many people including the heads of many large corporations they track your movements monitor what you watch analyze what you click on and some even take your personal information and sell it for what purpose money has become the number one goal the only goal for so many institutions in this world yet the word of God says
that the love of money is the root of all evil but you see the God of this world the devil blinds the unbelievers and they don't see this they don't see how money has become an idol to them another example to illustrate how the God of this world the devil has blinded the minds of unbelievers is this the Bible tells us to flee from sexual immorality the Bible tells us that fornicators adulterers and the sexual impure will not inherit the kingdom of God however in this world what kind of content is most sought after on
the internet it is all sexually explicit content that opposes the word of God a site called Covenant eyes reported that 30% of Internet content is pornography 30% of online content is aimed at promoting sexual impurity and the sad thing is that the number of visitors to these sites is in the billions the this is the work of the God of this world certainly if you look at this world through the lens of the Bible you will notice a pattern what the word of God stands for the world opposes what Jesus Christ represents and upholds the
world resists those who have been blinded by Satan live under an illusion they won't see that the Love of Money drives so many wicked things instead they will focus on the notion that everyone needs money everyone needs to make a living of course and the Bible never says that money is evil it says that the love of money is evil and when you love money so much that you are willing to do unethical and immoral things then money has become an idol when you are willing to steal or Overlook the harmful effect you have on
others just to make money then it has become an idol for you when you love money so much that you are willing to stand in front of a camera and not only commit sexual ual sin but lead others into sexual sin then money has become an idol look at what the Amplified version says in 2 Corinthians 4: 3 and 4 but even if our gospel is in some way hidden behind a veil it is hidden only to those who are perishing among them the God of this world Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelievers
to prevent them from seeing the Illuminating Light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God the devil wants to keep you as far from Jesus Christ as possible he wants you to be blind to the truth even if it is right in front of you the devil wants you to treat God casually not seriously meaning you use God like a convenience store you go to him when you need something and if you don't then you set him aside This Is Blindness now with all this being said I want to
be very clear about this next point although the devil is described as the God of this world he is limited he is not all powerful the devil Reigns over the Earth in a limited way but he does not own the Earth nor is he omniscient omnipresent or omnipotent he has limits because God is still Sovereign and has the final say Revelation 12:12 says Rejoice oh heavens and you who dwell in them but woe to the earth and the Sea for the devil has come down to you with great great wrath because he knows that his
time is short the devil's time on Earth is short and what I want you to understand is that Hebrews 12:2 says fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God when you look to Jesus no devil or demon can blind you when you look to Jesus there can be no love for money in your heart because your love for Christ is greater when you look to Jesus you cannot
be blinded distracted or LED as Stray by immorality sin greed or pleasure I encourage you to truly Focus to be fixed on the Lord this way you cannot go wrong this world needs believers who are full of Christ it needs Spirit-filled believers who can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world be so full of the word that the light of Jesus Christ shines through you to this world we are not commanded to hate anyone in this world we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves the love that the Bible
speaks of is one that can only be shown to others when you yourself have received Jesus Christ unbelievers may be blinded by the God of this world but as Christians we must ensure that we are overflowing with the love of Jesus Christ in such a way that they have to see the truth they have to see the path to eternal life if you enjoy our content and want an even more complete experience consider becoming a member of the channel as a member you'll have access to a variety of exclusive benefits and you'll help us continue
creating the videos you love if you like this video and want to learn more about spiritual warfare I invite you to watch the video that will appear on the screen where we discuss an intriguing question why can't God destroy Satan and the Fallen Angels discover the spiritual reasons behind this question and how it relates to the Divine Purpose don't miss it