Anyone who cannot see the increasing trend toward pure evil in this world either isn’t looking, or they are already under the influence of 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. “Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who do not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (ESV, all emphasis mine)

What we are witnessing, especially in America, is the total “me” attitude. The turning away from anything that is “Christian” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) becomes more evident every day, and almost hourly. In fact, the evil forces are going after known Christian business, and trying to get them tied up in frivolous lawsuits, and ultimately put them out of business. There are numerous secular businesses who would only be too happy to provide the unbiblical services that are wanted, but Christians are purposely being singled out for persecution.

During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, there were numerous protests over the Vietnam conflict, and some of these even had violence involved. However, the degree of rioting, burning and looting, along with outright murder today, is unprecedented. The satanic influence is obvious.

Needless to say, this does not hold any surprises for our Heavenly Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Going back to Genesis 3:15, humans had already committed the first sin. We went from being immortal to becoming mortal; knowing pain and death and other suffering we were never meant to experience; and our whole existence changed because of Satan’s deception. He used the first, “Did God Really Say?” line, and still uses it successfully today. Sadly, he has many that will still follow him all the way to destruction.

Genesis 3:15; “And I will but hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring [demons] and her offspring [all humans and ultimately Jesus]; and He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Several sources explain that the serpent will bruise “His heel,” which is believed to be the crucifixion. However, the Messiah overcame death, and rose to victory, and will ultimately “bruise his head” when Satan is finally defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:10).

In the meantime, especially up to the appearing of the ultimate evil one, this world will sink lower and lower. Forces of the new world order will continue to set the stage for the arrival of the antichrist and his false prophet. All true believers will continue to be persecuted until the Rapture. That action will usher in the final seven-year period on this earth that will be more terrible than ever before. People will still seek Jesus as their Savior, but at the cost of martyrdom.

Some believe we are already in the first stages of the tribulation, but that starts with the peace agreement as given in Daniel 9:27, and can only happen as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10.

“And you know what is restraining him now [appearance of the antichrist], so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work [evil increasing]. Only He [Holy Spirit] who now restrains it, will do so until He is out of the way [Rapture]. And then, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth [Revelation 19:20-21], and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming [physical arrival on earth]. The coming of the lawlessness one is by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing [lost unbelievers] because they refused to love the Truth [Jesus] and be saved.”

It should be noted that when the restraining power of the Holy Spirit is taken “out of the way,” all true believers must be removed as well. We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit when we receive and accept our Lord and Savior, and God would not pull away the Holy Spirit without taking us away from the wrath to come. It’s His promise as given in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 2 Thessalonians 5:9-10.

From the creation of this earth, and all through its history up to Calvary, God knew that mortal humans could never satisfy His need for a perfect sacrifice for our sins. His Son, Jesus, second member of the Trinity, was destined to become a propitiation, or substitute, to take our deserved punishment. Could we possibly ever have a friend so true as our Jesus?

How about a poem written in 1855 by Joseph M. Scriven, and music added in 1868 by Charles C. Converse, giving us one of the most inspiring hymns ever? It’s titled, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus.”

(1) “What a friend we have in Jesus; all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

(2) Have we trials and temptations; is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

(3) Are we weak and heavy laden; cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms He’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there.

(4) Blessed Savior, thou has promised; thou wilt all our burdens bear. May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright unclouded, there will be no need for prayer. Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there!”

As one prophecy expert put it so eloquently, “There will be definite signs that the end of this age will have arrived, and the Rapture will be imminent. Can I say it more plainly – They’re All Here!” I agree with him completely.

True believers see this, and we are anxious for Jesus’ call. I say true believers because there are those who have never really called out to Him. They may attend “church” services, and to others appear to be “walking the walk”; however, many do this for show, trying to impress others. They just “talk the talk” without any true commitment to the Savior.

Romans 10:9-13 is specific; “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek [Gentiles]; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. [And finally –] For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Today would not be too early to call on Him; tomorrow could be too late. When the “Trumpet of God” sounds, and the call from the “archangel” takes place, there will not be time enough to call out for Salvation. It will be over in “the twinkling of an eye,” which is calculated at considerably less than one second. “Be Prepared” is the old Boy Scout motto, and it applies completely here. God wants everyone to come to repentance and be saved (2 Peter 3:9), but will force no one. He will send us encouragement to accept His Son, but will not do this forever. As told earlier, he will eventually send a delusion so that the lost will believe Satan’s lies.

He’s waiting for your call. You have done nothing so serious that you cannot be forgiven, except to take your last breath here without Jesus. You will have a reservation that will never be cancelled once you have Jesus in your heart as Savior. Call Today!

Come Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

An Exposition

Luke 10:25-37: “Compassion from an Unexpected Source”

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?’ So, he answered and said, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

“Then Jesus answered and said, ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. So, he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

“So, which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise'” (Luke 10:25-37, NKJV).

At the time that this article is being written, the country is undergoing riots, intimidation by radical groups focused on destruction and anarchy, political savagery, a war on law enforcement, rank hatred bordering on the demonic towards our leaders, and a continual stoking of the fires of an ungodly resolution to bring this nation to the point of destruction. What we are witnessing has its roots in pure hatred and blindness to the needs of others within our respective communities.

In terms of biblical prophecy, it is this type of situation that will be a major factor in bringing about the rise and rule of whom Paul refers to in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 as the “man of lawlessness” or “the Beast” of Revelation 13:1-10. We have had periods of demonstrations, both good and bad in this country, but the borderline chaos we are watching unfold is closer to the words of Scripture than at any other time in civilization. The mantra of the revolutionaries is “racism” and a shaming of citizens whose only crime is to have a different skin color or background that, to many ideologues, smacks of “privilege,” and an excuse to spread more hatred and mistrust among the citizens of the U.S. This ugly harvest of contempt is spreading throughout the world as well, and there seems to be no viable solution that can be offered on enacted.

Hatred, prejudice, mistrust, violence, and a desire to rid the world of those with alternate viewpoints is nothing new (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Unfortunately, prejudice has flourished under the guise of religion, and in the time of Jesus, there was bitter animosity between the Jews and their neighbors the Samaritans. The Samaritans had their origin in the time of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had been steeped in idolatry and apostasy ever since it split from the southern kingdom of Judah and established by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12).

Israel fell to the Assyrians approximately around 750 B.C. The Assyrian king sent colonists to inhabit the land (2 Kings 17:24-41; John 4:9). After the exilic period (530 B.C. (est.), the people of Samaria in the time of Zerubbabel the priest, sought to form an alliance with the returning Israelites from their captivity in Babylon, but were rejected (Ezra 4:2-3). Instead of worshipping God at the newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, they built an alternate temple on Mount Gerizim, which was later destroyed by Jewish zealots around 200 B.C. This resulted in a bitter and hateful feud between the two nationalities that was still around in the days of Jesus.

The mutual hatred had been passed down through the generations, so when the Lord Jesus made the Samaritan traveler the hero of the story instead of His own countrymen, it no doubt sent what would be termed “shock waves” throughout the people who had listened to Him. It would have the same effect on a modern audience as a man wearing a MAGA hat coming to the aid of a member of ANTIFA who had been seriously injured in a demonstration, and out of compassion, gets the radical to a hospital. A couple of generations ago, the idea of a black man coming to the aid of a member of the KKK would have sent the crowd into a probable state of frenzy. Those of you reading this can probably think of some examples that would apply to your life or to someone you know.

This parable is the foundation for the concept of hospitals and their development over time. It was the benevolent acts of Christians during the days of Roman persecution who brought the sick and injured into their homes to provide care that was non-existent to the pagan world, where the unfortunate were often left to die and be subject to the forces of nature and chance. Many hospitals today were founded or are governed by various Christian denominations and were a form of ministerial outreach to the sick and injured, providing physical and spiritual care to the patients and their immediate family or caretakers. The concept of Christian rescue missions throughout the United States was for the rehabilitation and salvation of those who were destitute, helpless, addicted, and abused.

As a former mission pastor, I have seen the dedication and compassion of believers and personnel towards those who lost everything, came to Christ, and restarted their lives for the better, something that the world in and of itself does not seem to demonstrate at times.

Another point to consider is that this parable puts the idea of self-centeredness to death and makes us realize that we are not the center of all being and not “Number 1” as some so-called “self-help” books promote.

We are to think of others and be considerate to their needs as the situation presents itself. This is a major step towards a virtue this nation is sadly lacking, and that is maturity. Nobody wants to grow up and take responsibility for themselves or set aside personal ambitions and ideas in order to come to the assistance of someone in need or some other situation. There are very few people today who would set aside their personal goals and focus on another person’s welfare and chance to have hope and sometimes a reason to keep going. They exist but get little attention in a world where “selfies” are the norm today.

The story of the “Good Samaritan” is about concern and care for someone in need at the expense of your own comfort or reputation. This was the case for a brilliant diagnostician and medical researcher named Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). His mind was such that he earned his M.D. degree before he was twenty and had been an assistant to the physician of the English Royal Family. Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ budding medical career seemed to be destined for greatness and a sound reputation as one of the UK’s best physicians.

Over time, he saw that these doctors and teachers, as well as the patients whom they were caring for, all had a common trait in that, while they were successful, they were not happy. He felt the same way about his own future and then wondered about where the idea of God fit into all of it. He had believed for years that he was a Christian due to faithful church attendance and religious instruction from his parents and pastors. After a long period of thought and contemplation, he came to the realization that he was not a true follower of Jesus Christ.

Lloyd-Jones got married to Bethan Philips, who was also a practicing physician and one of the first women in the UK to hold that distinction, and later were both drawn to receive Christ as Lord and Savior, figuring that they could serve Him in the field of medicine. This was not to be, as he felt a call to preach. He wrestled with the idea for weeks and lost twenty pounds due to the stress of the decision. He did surrender to the gospel ministry, gave up a thriving practice, and he was soon called to a church in Sandfield, Port Talbot, Wales, a poor mining area where there was a plague of alcoholism and other troubles.

For eleven years (1927-1938), he faithfully preached the gospel and was afterwards called to the Westminster Chapel in London as pastor, staying there from 1939 until 1968. Lloyd-Jones gave up a life of probable luxury and riches to be a “doctor of souls” for generations and is considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest preachers.

It is also obvious that when we look closely at the character of the Samaritan as compared to the religious figures, we are seeing that it is our LORD who picks us up from the side of the road, battered and bleeding from sin, cares for us, and sees to our needs in times of despair. By His death on the cross for our sins, He did what no other religion or leader could ever hope to accomplish, and that was to redeem us because we can’t in any way do it on our own (Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). If He was willing to do that for us who were His enemies (Romans 5:6-11), then those of us who are His disciples need to put away the things that keep us fixed on self and comfort, grow up, and go to the Jericho Road. There is always someone needing help.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com