After Ahaz died in 715 BC, his son Hezekiah (13) reigned in his stead. He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He was truly one of the greatest and most righteous of all of the kings of Judah. “He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made [for the people had started to worship it as an idol]: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nebushtan. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him [not including David who was king of united Israel].

“For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the lord commanded Moses, And the Lord was with him, and he prospered wherever he went; and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not. He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city” (2 Kings 18:4-8)

In the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites, and told them to sanctify themselves and the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and to remove the filthiness out of the holy place. Here are the wise words he spoke to them:

“Our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.

“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. My son, be not negligent: for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that you should minister unto him, and burn incense” (2 Chronicles 29:6-11).

It was in Hezekiah’s heart to keep the Passover feast of the Lord after the temple was cleansed. He wrote letters to all Judah and Israel [remnant of the 10 tribes who still lived in the northern lands] that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem for this feast of the Lord. This occurred in the 2^nd month instead of the month of the first month of Abib [Nisan] as it was delayed for a month due to the repairs and cleansing of the temple. Also, the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem, for they had not done it in a long time.

The children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread not only for seven days but fourteen days with great gladness and singing and celebrating. Hezekiah gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep.

“So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 30:26).

After Assyria had defeated and carried away the kingdom of Israel, they fixed their eyes on Judah. In 701 BC, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. Hezekiah had to pay tribute to them in the form of silver and gold to keep them at bay. This only worked for a little while until Sennacherib came again to destroy Judah for good this time. The Assyrians laid siege to Jerusalem and commanded the people there to surrender. They also blasphemed the God of Israel. Being a godly and righteous king, the first thing Hezekiah did was pray to the Lord for deliverance from the superior forces of Assyria. This prayer is recorded in 2 Kings 19:15-19.

Hezekiah sent for the prophet Isaiah, who had been working for the Lord since King Uzziah was on the throne. Isaiah told the king to not be afraid of Sennacherib’s words for the Lord had spoken to him concerning the king of Assyria, “He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, not cast a bank against it [build a siege ramp]. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, says the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 19:32-34).

This was a short-lived prophecy as that night “the angel of the Lord [theophany of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ/Yahweh] went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh” (2 Kings 19:35-36).

In the waning years of Hezekiah, he became very ill. Isaiah the prophet informed him that he was about to die. Hezekiah responded with bitter weeping and prayed for God to deliver him from death at this time. God informed him through Isaiah that he would add fifteen years to his life. It was during these fifteen years that Hezekiah foolishly showed off all his treasures to a Babylonian contingency. Isaiah responded to this act with a prophecy from God that someday all the treasures of his ancestors would be carried off to Babylon. Also, his descendants [future kings of Judah] “shall be taken away and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (2 Kings 20:18).

This act would take place because of the evil acts of the future kings of Judah (including his own son, Manasseh), not because of Hezekiah’s unwise moment of prideful boasting.

Hezekiah co-reigned with his father Ahaz for 14 years, by himself for 18 years, and with his son Manasseh for 11 years, for a total of 43 years. The 29 years mentioned in 2 Kings 18:2 represent only those years in which he was the absolute ruler of Judah. Isaiah was a prophet during Hezekiah’s reign, as well as Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz before him. He was a prophet of the Lord God of Israel for over 60 years. “Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead” (2 Kings 20:21). Manasseh was the 14^th ruler of Judah; however, he was the 13^th king of Judah, as Athaliah (7^th ruler of Judah) was queen of Judah for 6 years approximately 150 years earlier. You know what they say about the number 13, as you are about to find out.

Manasseh was only 12 years old when he began his co-reign with his father. He was 22 when he began to rule by himself after Hezekiah’s death.

“Manasseh did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger” (2 Kings 21:2-6).

During this time, the people and house of Judah and David did not hearken to the law of Moses, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. Manasseh also shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another with it (2 Kings 21:16). Some of this innocent blood might have been Isaiah the prophet’s as it is believed that Manasseh might have had Isaiah killed. According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was tied inside a sack, placed within the hollow of a tree trunk, and then sawed in two. It truly makes you wonder how a young man could become so evil after witnessing the righteousness of his father’s rule. He took more after his grandfather, Ahaz, than he did his father.

For his evil deeds, the Lord’s prophets came to Manasseh and told him, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols:

“therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day” (2 Kings 21:10-15). This was the first prophecy of the coming destruction for the kingdom of Judah for their fullness of sin.

The Lord spoke to Manasseh, and to his people, but they would not hearken. “So the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns [nettles], and bound him with bronze chains, and carried him to Babylon [Assyria had at this time captured the capital city of the Babylonians]. And when he was in affliction, he sought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord He was God” (2 Chronicles 33:10-13).

Manasseh had to learn the hard way, but at least the Lord let him live long enough for him to repent and believe in the Lord God. Until death, no one is beyond God’s forgiveness (take, for example, the thief on the cross at the crucifixion of Jesus, per Luke 23:43). If the Lord can forgive Manasseh, do you think He is unable to forgive you? Manasseh tried to make up for his evil acts for the rest of his life.

“He took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed there peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only” (2 Chronicles 33:15-17).

Manasseh reigned 55 years (including his co-reign with Hezekiah) in Jerusalem as king of Judah. “So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house; and Amon (15) his son reigned in his stead… He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; and humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more (2 Chronicles 33:20, 22-23). Amon reigned two years in Jerusalem, and his servants conspired against him and killed him in his own house. The people of the land then made Josiah (16) his son king in his stead.

Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign. The name Josiah means, “Yahweh gives” or “Yahweh heals.” “Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left” (2 Chronicles 34:2).

In the 8^th year of his reign, “he began to seek after the God of David his father.” In his 12^th year, “he began to purge the land from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images,” and “the altars of Baalim.” He broke in pieces the images of the idols and crushed them into powder, and threw the remnants “upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And He burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem” (see 2 Chronicles 34:3-5). Josiah did this in the northern lands of Israel as well, including Bethel. Bethel was one of the places where Rehoboam placed one of the golden calves for the children of Israel to worship.

Josiah fulfilled the prophecy of a man of God approximately 300 years earlier as recorded in I Kings 13:1-2: “And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord; Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you [Jeroboam] shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon you, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon you.”

Josiah also ordered the house of the Lord to be repaired. While they were making the repairs, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. This was probably the book of Deuteronomy, which was put up during the reigns of Manasseh and Amon. When the king heard the words of the law, he rent his clothes and told his servants to go to Huldah the prophetess to inquire of the Lord concerning the laws of the book. He said, “Go inquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book” (2 Chronicles 34:21).

Here are the words of the Lord to Josiah through Huldah the prophetess: “Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants there, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

“And as for the king of Judah [Josiah], who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall you say unto him, because your heart was tender, and you did humble yourself before God, and humbled yourself before me, and did rend your clothes, and weep before me; I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same” (2 Chronicles 34:24-29). This was the second prophecy regarding the destruction of Judah for the fullness of their sins.

Then the king gathered all the elders and people of Judah and Jerusalem, and all the priests, and the Levites, and read the words of the book of the covenant. The king “made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the works of the covenant which are written in this book. And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 34:31-33).

King Josiah proclaimed a celebration to keep the Passover on the 14^th day of the first month and the feast of unleavened bread for the following seven days. “And there was no Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was the Passover kept” (2 Chronicles 35:8-19).

In 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt set out for the city of Charchemish to join the Assyrians in an attempt to defeat the Babylonians, who were rising to great power. Necho had to march his army through Judah to get there. Josiah did not like this and came against the Egyptian army in the valley of Megiddo. He was shot with an arrow and later died in Jerusalem. Josiah reigned as king of Judah for 31 years. “And like unto him there was no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him” (2 Kings 23:25). He “took after” his great grandfather, Hezekiah.

The third prophecy (third time is a charm!) against Judah’s fullness of sins came after King Josiah’s death. This prophecy might have come from Zephaniah the prophet. “Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him with. And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there” (2 Kings 23:26-27).

The people of Judah then took Jehoahaz (17) the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. He was 23 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 3 months in Jerusalem. The king of Egypt dethroned him at Jerusalem, and made Judah pay an annual tribute of 100 talents of silver and a talent of gold.

The king of Egypt made Eliakim (18) his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Necho took Jehoahaz and carried him away to Egypt where he died. Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to reign, “and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem… and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, according to all that his fathers had done.” (2 Kings 23:36-37). Jehoiakim submitted himself as vassal to King Nebuchadnezzar after Egypt and Assyria were conquered by Babylon in 605 BC. After Nebuchadnezzar’s victory at Carchemish, he led his armies to Judah and besieged Jerusalem. Jerusalem fell and Judah was pillaged, with many of the inhabitants carried away to Babylon. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among those taken into exile. This was the first invasion of Judah and Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and took place in the year 605 BC.

Jehoiachin (19) became king of Judah at the age of 18 after the death of his father, Jehoiakim. Jehoiachin did evil in the sight of God, according to all that his father had done before him. In 597 BC the second siege of Jerusalem occurred by Nebuchadnezzar. “And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, with his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the 8^th year of his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] reign” (2 Kings 24:12).

The Babylonians carried out all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had told King Hezekiah would happen nearly a century earlier. Nebuchadnezzar also took Jehoiachin, his mother, Jehoiachin’s wives, princes of Judah, thousands of mighty men of Judah, and craftsmen back to Babylon as captives. This event was prophesied many years before by Jeremiah the prophet (Jeremiah 22:24-26). “The king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s (Jehoiakim) brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah (20)” (2 Kings 24:17). During this time of apostasy, Habakkuk the prophet prophesied to the last 5 kings of Judah.

Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to reign, “and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem… He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon” (2 Kings 24:18-20). This was after Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah swear by God that he would do all that Nebuchadnezzar asked, but Zedekiah stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.

“Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 36:34). The Lord God sent many messengers and prophets to warn them of the judgment to come because he had compassion on his people, and on Jerusalem: “but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

In the 9^th year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the 10^th month, and on the 10^th day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his mighty host, came against Jerusalem and besieged it for approximately 18 months. On the 9^th day of the 4^th month (of the 11^th and final year of Zedekiah’s reign), the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people to eat. The city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night, and also King Zedekiah.

“The army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with chains of brass, and carried him to Babylon” (2 Kings 25:5-7).

In the 5^th month (Av), on the 7^th day of the month, in the year 586 BC, which is the 19^th year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard of Babylon, to Jerusalem. He burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem from the 7^th day until the 10^th day. The actual destruction of the Temple began on the 9^th day of Av and continued until the 10^th day. This day is now remembered as the fast of Tisha B’Av. For more on this fast and the number 9 and how it relates to judgment for Israel, see: The Dog Days of Summer :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.

19 is another number that has great Biblical significance, for it is the sum of 10 (perfection of divine order) and 9 (finality or judgment). For more on this number and how it could possibly relate to Covid 19, please take a look at Terry James’ new book entitled Lawless: End Times War Against the Spirit of Antichrist and especially chapter 7 (Covid 19 – The Invisible Enemy) where I wrote about the subject.

“Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age; he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the good vessels there.

“And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia; to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah [see Jeremiah 29:10], until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths, for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten (70) years” (2 Chronicles 36:17-21).

So Judah was carried away out of their land for the fullness of their sins against the Lord. Judah suffered the same judgment and fate as Israel had 136 years earlier. I believe the reigns of the good kings of Judah (Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jotham, Hezekiah, Josiah) delayed the inevitable judgment of Judah for this extra time that was allotted to them from the Lord. Moses had clearly explained to the children of Israel (before their entry into the Promised Land of Canaan) over 8 centuries earlier the difference between obeying the Lord and not obeying the Lord and the consequences of both as recorded in Deuteronomy 28. Verses 1-14 describe the blessings for obedience, and verses 15-68 describe the curses for disobedience. Unfortunately, the children of Israel chose the curses, albeit unintentionally.

To fully understand the horrific curses that would come upon Israel due to the fullness of their sins, you need to read the entire chapter (Deuteronomy 28). Here is a little snippet: “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, until you be destroyed, because you hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you: and they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and upon your seed for ever.

“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,  therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:45-51).

In part 6, we will look at the fullness of sin against the Lord in Jesus’ time and the present time we are now living in.

Randy Nettles

nettlesr@suddenlink.net

 

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

“For men shall be… Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4).

Introduction

This series is a study examining the societal characteristics of the last days that Paul wrote about in 2 Timothy 3.

Admittedly, and not surprisingly, this series might very well be considered offensive to the world. This study is viewed through the lens of the Creator’s revealed character and expectations of His creatures found in the Word of God.

The Savior has commanded His children to love all people, including our enemies. Jesus Christ proved His love to all of humanity as He prayed for His executioners while being crucified and, ultimately, paying the penalty of every human being’s sins on the cross, satisfying the Father’s wrath against us.

The truth is, we all were an abomination in the eyes of a Holy and Just God before realizing our desperate need for a Savior and giving our lives to Him. May our love of God and mankind always be our guide as we witness to a lost and dying world, directing them to the one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Part 1 can be found here Societal Characteristics of the Last Days: Part 1 :: By Mark A. Becker – Rapture Ready or Societal Characteristics of the Last Days Part 1 | FaithWriters

Part 2 can be found here Societal Characteristics of the Last Days: Part 2 :: by Mark A. Becker – Rapture Ready or Societal Characteristics of the Last Days Part 2 | FaithWriters

For Men Shall Be… Traitors

The Greek word for “traitors” is 4273 prodotés Betrayer, traitor. From prodidomi (in the sense of giving forward into another’s (the enemy’s) hands); a surrender — betrayer, traitor. see GREEK prodidomi. [All definitions from Biblehub.com]

“Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor” (Luke 6:16b).

The Lord Jesus Christ knew what a traitor was firsthand.

Loyalty is a rare commodity these days. In the United States, traditional conservatives see what is happening to this once great nation as nothing short of betrayal and treasonous.

Our “higher learning” institutions teach our children that our beloved nation is a ruthless and evil empire and deserves to be destroyed. While no nation is perfect, the US has done more good for the world than any other nation, with the obvious exception of Israel as she was the instrument of which God’s Word and the Messiah would come through.

These same children who had been taught these untruths in our universities have grown up and are currently running our country in the hallowed halls of academia, government, media, entertainment, and business. Now, they are pushing for a Marxist/Socialist utopia that has never been achieved anywhere on the planet, even though this system has been tried and failed many times before. The definition of insanity? I think so.

Tech and Social Media, News Media, Entertainment, and Corporations in league with politicians are major participants in this dark endeavor. They are actively destroying this country, its foundations, and its leading position on the world stage from within. Who needs enemies when the enemy resides in your own borders?

“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

Then there are traitors in our own circles of influence. The backstabber at work. The gossip who one once thought of as a confidant and trustworthy. The family member who shortchanged an inheritance due to greed or stabbed them in the back for whatever reason. The list goes on and on.

Most concerning for the true Christian is the traitor within the church, causing division for any number of nefarious reasons.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17-18).

Worse yet, is the church itself becoming a traitor to the Lord that bought them with His precious blood.

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:17).

Countless churches today have betrayed their “first love” and His commandments. Jesus said:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

One of the most discouraging aspects of being a true believer in Christ is attempting to find a sound Biblical church. False teaching prevails in most denominations, and the word “evangelical” has become a derogatory byword, well worth the disrepute it has garnered. They have capitulated to the world’s thinking and standards.

Gone is sound doctrine, holding fast to the truth and standing strong upon God’s commandments. “In” is loving people into hell, looking like the world, and succumbing to greed, the flesh, and appeasing sin.

When loyalty to the Creator and Redeemer of mankind turns treasonous, we can be sure we are living in the last days.

Like I said, “Loyalty is a rare commodity these days.”

But when one does find that true friend and loved one who loves us unconditionally, they find a gem so valuable that they hide it in their heart.

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

Of course, man’s True Friend and the One Who loves us with all His Being is none other than our Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ, and we can always trust Him for everything!

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:9-13).

For Men Shall Be… Heady

The Greek word for “heady” is 4312 propetḗss (an adjective derived from 4253/pró, “before” and 4098/píptō, “to fall”) – properly, “fall forwards,” i.e., headstrong; rash (“heady”), brought on by unbridled passion, etc. Reckless, thoughtless.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

This characteristic reminds me of what is known today as “Cancel Culture.” In essence, Cancel Culture is removing, dismissing, and/or destroying anyone or anything that doesn’t resonate with the mob’s mentality. There are no discussions, and free speech is a relic of the ancient past, allowed only to those who agree with said mob.

The tearing down of statues and monuments by the Cancel Culture mob has, among other things, produced an opportunity to change established history. I’m no fan of statues and monuments, but they do remind a nation of its past. With those symbols of the past torn down, the powers that be – those that desire to destroy a nation – have the inside track to revamp the past in what is known as “revisionist history.”

When a people are ignorant of their past, the future is easily molded for those who have desired to remake a nation into their own image. One can almost see the Phoenix rising from the ashes of a lost history.

To ruin anyone, in any and every way possible, who may have a different opinion and/or view from the “conventional wisdom” demanded by those who have a self-perceived superior mindset, is another goal of the Cancel Culture movement.

What we are witnessing today is what has been coined “Mob Rules.” The masses dictate what is and is not acceptable behavior and thought. Those who object will be persecuted, blackballed, and ostracized from society at any cost.

“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).

When one disagrees with another of a different ethnicity (for whatever reason), it isn’t because of the view; it’s because they’re a “racist.” If one doesn’t approve of “same sex marriage” due to religious conviction, it isn’t because of one’s faith and commitment to morals; it’s because they’re “homophobic.” A person who doesn’t prescribe to unabated border crossings from undocumented aliens into their nation isn’t because they are concerned with law and security; it’s because he or she is a “xenophobe.” The examples are endless.

Those who are heady and superior in their own eyes are considered “enlightened” and must exert their influence over those of us who disagree with their pronouncements. We, who are caught up in our own “antiquated and outdated convictions,” according to them, must be reeducated or eliminated.

Those who preach tolerance are, with very few exceptions, the most intolerant among us.

To combat these characteristics, we, the children of God, always do well to consider the fruits of the Spirit once again:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

For Men Shall Be… Highminded

The Greek word for “highminded” is 187 typhóō (from typhos, “smoke”) – properly, to blow smoke, cloud up the air; (figuratively) having a cloudy (muddled) mindset, i.e., moral blindness resulting from poor judgment which brings further loss of spiritual perception. To inflate with self-conceit — highminded, be lifted up with pride, be proud.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3a).

The sister characteristic of “heady” is “highminded.”

The highminded proponents of Critical Race Theory (CRT) state that whites are born “racist” and are ignorant of their “white privilege.” While racists do indeed exist in every culture and every ethnicity, to accuse an entire ethnicity with this sensational accusation is quite outrageous at best and nefarious at worse.

I’ve had meaningful and loving relationships with blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics, Polynesians, Native Americans, Jews, and others. And to think that for all of these years, I’ve actually been a racist, but I just didn’t know it!

The idea of “race” is a construct of Darwinian evolution and is unknown in the Word of God. Scripture only speaks of the human race:

“And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).

Those who insist that America’s institutions in general, and white people in particular, are systemically “racist” are showing themselves to be systemically ignorant, delusional, and insane. They are the racists for seeing everything through the lens of race.

They should be ashamed of themselves, but they have no shame. What they do have is an agenda, and that agenda is diabolically evil.

Not surprisingly, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has infiltrated the progressive “church” and fits very nicely with their unbiblical Marxist “social gospel”:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).

Highminded sports stars, comedians, music stars, and actors and actresses think we should care what they think and say because of their “high status” and overall brilliance – after all, they know better than us average folk.

Highminded political elites espousing their superiority cry, “Wear your masks!” “Social distance!” “Do not congregate!” “Stay locked down!” Yet they never follow any of their own laws, political orders, and mandates they insist the average citizen obey. After all, we just aren’t smart enough to know what’s best for us, and we need their protection from ourselves and our ignorance. But they, as keepers of the divine institutions, have the market cornered on intelligence, so we must obey. “Do as I say, and not as I do!” Their hypocrisy eludes them.

These people consider themselves to be “enlightened.” The current word being introduced to our modern lexicon for “enlightened” is “woke.” What’s interesting, but not surprising, about this word is that it seems to have been taken from Scripture – not unlike the co-opting of the rainbow for the homosexual lobby.

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest” (Ephesians 5:14a).

If this is true, we should note to those that use this term that they have intentionally left out the rest of the verse, which reads:

“… and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14b).

When one is put upon a pedestal, that person tends to think of themselves “more highly than they ought.” It’s human nature. We all think we are more important than we really are. We need to be heard because we have so much to offer, and society would be much better off if they knew how special we really are.

Consider the teenager. They never contemplate their parents’ experiences and the life lessons they have learned. They, like the rest of us who did the exact same things, must learn the lessons for themselves, usually with much needless pain that could have been avoided had we all heeded our parent’s advice.

The problem comes when we refuse to learn those lessons for ourselves and look back on our lives and diligently forget the mistakes we made. This mindset results in elevating ourselves to the position of God – with pride as our guide – as we see ourselves as mistake and sin-free.

This characteristic has even reared its head in the professing church. Church leaders are put on a pedestal due to their charismatic bluster that entices those who hear them, and they begin to see themselves as highly as their deceived congregation does.

“For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:16).

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

When this happens, one can be assured that, what was once a sound teacher of the Word, will begin his inevitable slide into false teaching by mixing truth with error until, eventually, truth is nowhere to be found, and the church dies.

This is always the end-result of highminded, arrogant pride. And the church is never exempt from this potential downward spiral.

The Word of God warns us:

“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (Proverbs 26:12).

And the remedy for the believer?

“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

“… Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:5-7).

For Men Shall Be… Lovers of Pleasures

The Greek word for “lovers of pleasures” is 5369 philédonos Loving pleasure From philos and hedone; fond of pleasure, i.e., Voluptuous — lover of pleasure.

“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh” (Ephesians 5:29a).

Isn’t that the truth! Man sure does love himself and will do anything to stay in a state of fleshly pleasure and satisfaction. If one didn’t know better, this would seem to be the only goal of man for his brief time on this earth.

“He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich” (Proverbs 21:17).

Pleasure is fleeting and…

“… what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Sports, movies, television, pornography, music, theater, parties, celebrations, “love,” lust, drugs, alcohol, et cetera. Feeling empty yet?

King Solomon sought pleasure:

“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2).

Solomon found the pursuit of pleasure more than lacking. Earthly pleasures without God never satisfies.

But God’s promise of pleasure to His children is found in Himself:

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore“ (Psalm 16:11).

… More Than Lovers of God

The Greek word for “lovers of God” is 5377 philotheos Loving God or lover of God. From philos and theos; fond of God, i.e., Pious — lover of God.

Humankind has pursued pleasure from this fallen world and rejected the power and love of God and His Christ. This is the empty exchange unregenerate man has made, one that is temporal and leads to absolute destruction.

Even the believer, when he or she puts anything before their professed love of God, will never find true fulfillment in their lives. “God made us,” it was once said, “with a hole in our hearts that only Christ can fill.”

Whether ourselves, others, or things take precedence in our hearts, minds, and lives and pulls us away from our created purposes – to love and honor God – then we ultimately shortchange ourselves and those around us.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

When we give our lives fully to Christ and make Him our priority, we can rest assured in this promise:

“… [W]e know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Conclusion

Paul seems to continue on and complete his sociopolitical theme in verse 4. Let’s review these characteristics of the last days with a brief synopsis of each:

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

Traitors: National, familial, individual, and collective betrayers permeate all societies and cultures in these last days, and, unfortunately, the church is not immune.

Heady: Rash, unscrupulous, and impetuous behavior of people of all stripes are stampeding for their grievances to be heard, destroying the relics of the past, and demanding that others who don’t hold to their views be ostracized from society.

Highminded: Arrogant, self-serving, egotists demanding allegiance to their demands and views – while most often not based on logical and rational thought – fill our city streets, halls of government, and every other institution. Again, the church is not exempt.

Lovers of Pleasure: The masses, whether individuals or as a collective whole, have a strong and unhealthy desire for all things pleasant, most of which are usually destructive to the soul.

More Than Lovers of God: Who can love God when one is on a direct collision course in seeking self-gratification, power, and control at all expense? Very few people today desire to know God, let alone to love Him.

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

[Note: I realize that this study on Societal Characteristics of the Last Days is United States-centric, as this is where I live. My guess is that this series will also ring true in the rest of the Western world. But what I’m really interested in is: Do these characteristics describe the current conditions in the nation of Israel as well? After all, the Bible is Israel-centric. If any of our dear friends in Israel would like to reach out with their take on this study and its relationship to Israel, I’d really love to hear from you!]

Email: mab10666@yahoo.com