A Phony and Short-lived Victory :: By Edwin Tan

It is not the new normal that many would look forward to. Rather, a dystopian society instead of a utopian one. The masses moan and frown while that vicious few rejoice, popping the champagne as they cheer their diabolical dreams come true!

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

More than a mixed-up and upside-down planet many live in. Extremities are part and parcel of the unwelcome new normal. The stability which mitigates societal stress points has been vaporized. Uncertainty looms; what comes next becomes a nerve-wracking guessing game. That defeatist feeling amidst surging sadness permeates almost every strata of society across the globe.

A seemingly powerful misnomer mesmerizes the multitudes; goodness has gone away for good, while wickedness is the new order of the day. This distorted line of reasoning brings the worst out of many individuals, whether they are those who call themselves Christians or those who believe in something else! Confused, frightened, petrified, angry, and even suicidal – this is the typical snapshot of present-day people.

Has evil won? The ignorant who do not believe in the Living Word say so. The same goes for those Christians that have rock-bottom ratings for Bible literacy. These folks are easily conned by the father of lies. The venomous threats and narratives which spit out half-truths cause them to shudder — enough to make them bury their heads in the sand when this cruel torrent proves unrelenting. They are incapable of a rebuttal, if not a refutation. They accept their fate as if it is sealed.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and the intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Put in another perspective, when the complete and inerrant Word of God is absent, the adversary can be like a knife that cuts through butter. This stifles any means of mounting an offensive against the enemy. Worldly wisdom is of no use; the same goes for material wealth. The evil one is elated when he sees many turning their backs on the truth and, in turn, falling for his lies. About everything that is of the fallen nature has some degree of untruth. All this negates the Word of God, which is a hundred percent true!

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

The devil has no problem with the crowd that falls prey to his nefarious narratives. He enjoys every bit of it, especially when the helpless ones take those lies for the truth. But he has a serious issue with the remnant that vehemently clings to the inerrant Bread of Life; they can see through the smokescreen. The people that put their trust in the Living Word know something, that something which the muddled-up masses missed. This Godly knowledge and understanding is not just restricted to the remnant. That faithful lot is aggressively on the warpath, pulling the wool off of many eyes, which enables the sweetness of the truth to be savored.

The author of confusion fumes when the uncovering of lies is in overdrive. Scriptural passages which were hidden become a source of hope and inspiration for the spiritually downtrodden. Eyes are wide open when the truth is given free course. When it comes to separating the Biblical from that which is not, it only signals to the evil one that his game is over in the not-too-distant future!

For quite a long time, those who believe in the Bible from cover to cover have borne the brunt of fiery arrows from the father of lies. The people that talk genuinely about the latter days and the Blessed Hope causes the devil to go ballistic. They are able to see through the thickest fog of deceit. They are also teaching others to do so!

Despite scoring substantial victories, the evil one is still raging at the inerrant truth still circulating around the globe, so much so that he has directed his minions to wage war on the truth by way of their earthly stooges. Of late, everything concerning the inerrant Counsel of God has seen a repudiation like never before.

Scripture has been designated as a false narrative and earmarked for misinformation suppression endeavors. Search engines like Chat GPT are being primed in a manner that twists and truncates Scriptural truths. All of this is in lockstep with an anti-God movement that is gaining significant momentum. The dark forces behind this wicked tide deceive gullible humans into believing that the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God is beatable by man. Baloney!

By sniffing out the truth in the Living Word, the evil one is hell-bent on replacing genuine hope with manufactured doom and gloom. Deep down, he knows he has a limited time to make the most where collateral damage is concerned. This means taking as many souls with him to a place of eternal damnation!

The Body of believers knows this; the Heavenly Father is one hundred percent correct.

“…in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Titus 1:2).

He or she who believes in every word from the Heavenly Father is guaranteed an eternal joy that is beyond the wildest imagination. The enemy will have his moments of fleeting supremacy. All those individuals who believe in his lies will endure great pain under his dastardly dominance. This would indeed be that pathway to perpetual fire, brimstone, and sulfur!

What is taking place right before many eyes precedes that moment that would reshape the history of mankind. For those who believe in the inerrancy of God’s Word, it is a time of great joy. They will be taken out of this fallen planet in a fraction of a second. They will be with the Lord forever.

But for those who wallow in disbelief and choose to succumb to deceptions from the pit of hell – their fate is sealed. These folks who live the lie will have to live with the consequences of so doing for all eternity.

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

No questions asked, people are genuinely saved despite the darkness. It is through these trying times that they find comfort and joy in the Living Word. You could be like them, finding the peace that surpasses all human understanding in the inerrant Word of God.

Blessings

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com.

 

Death Has Died, and Jesus Christ Has Won :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Summary: Death and the grave hold no fear to a child of God. If we have put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we can have confidence that His death and resurrection has put an end to it.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, Paul teaches that the flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and in our present state, our sins and wickedness cannot be tolerated in the presence of a holy God. Paul tells the Corinthians that at the allotted time, God will change our present corrupt bodies into incorruptible bodies fit for the kingdom of God, all done in “the twinkling of an eye” (v.52).

When the trumpet sounds, it will be the end of the present church age and history as we know it. The prophetic events presented in the book of Revelation will come to pass, and the promised judgment of God upon a wicked world will commence for seven years (Daniel 9:27).

The bodies we receive from the LORD will not be plagued with the problems we have to endure at this time. Death and disease will not be a part of God’s new design for us. Hell will no longer have a hold over us, all due to the fact that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has made it a reality, as well as the fulfillment of His promise that anyone who believes in Him will not die eternally, but have everlasting life (John 11:25, 46).

The compassion He promised for all who would come to Him has been fulfilled (Matthew 9:35-36, 11:28-30). He is victorious over death, hell, and the grave, and because of that, we share in the victory as well (vv.54-55).

These verses and others in the Bible (Mark 9:23, 11:24; Luke 17:6; John 1:12, 3:14-16, 5:24, 28-29, 11:26; 14:12; Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16; Hebrews 3:14; 1 Peter 2:6; Revelation 21:1-17) are confirmation that the promises of God are certain and reliable. They show the finished work of redemption by the merciful act of a gracious God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, all hope of redemption dies, and all talk of it is worthless and futile.

The act of redemption on our behalf (Ephesians 1:4, 2:8-10) was planned before the foundations of the world. The promise of redemption was not only for our sakes but an act of mercy upon fallen creation (Romans 8:20-22) as well.

After the fall in Eden (Genesis 3), God showed Adam and Eve that while their sins corrupted their mind and body and brought death into the world because of their rebellion (Romans 5:12), He would not abandon them to eternal death. He promised that in His time, He would bring a Redeemer to the world to make all things new, and it was the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled that task. He was be the final and complete sacrifice for our sins, and He took upon Himself the sin debt that we could never pay in our own strength (Isaiah 53:1-12; John 19:30).

Because Jesus Christ is the spotless Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29-34) by dying upon the cross, being buried and rising again as He promised (Matthew 16:21-23, 17:22-23; Mark 8:31-33, 9:30-32; Luke 9:21-22, 18:31-34), we now possess through Him the hope and reality of our own resurrection.

Dr. Billy Graham (1918-2018), in his last televised message to America given in 2013, said, “There is no other way of salvation except through the cross of Christ. There is no other way to God the Father except through Jesus Christ. He says, ‘I will forgive you! I will give you a new life. It’s all yours. All you have to do is receive it. He’s alive! I’ve not given my heart to a dead Christ but a living Christ! I know where I’m going. Do you?”

Because Jesus lives, we have the promise of eternal life. One day, we will be about our business, and in the next second be in the glory of heaven because we have put our faith and trust in Him. Is this an assurance that you can claim at this moment, or are you uncertain of where you will go when you take your final breath? If you have the slightest doubt, then admit before God that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10), and according to Scripture, you shall be saved.

Please do not put this off. You have no guarantee of tomorrow (2 Corinthians 6:2; James 4:14-17). Get a copy of the Bible (I recommend the New King James Version), begin reading either the gospels of Luke or John, talk with God in prayer each day, find a good Bible-believing church in your area, and serve there faithfully.

Always be ready to share your faith with others who need the same hope and grace you now possess in Christ (1 Peter 3:15), and get ready because He is coming soon.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

www.youtube.com/@realitycityreview