The world we live in today is a tender box ready to explode. It makes me think of a man smoking a cigar while filling his gas tank, one spark and so much for his hairdo.

Our politicians keep calling for peace between nations, but there is none, it just worsens. We’re all out to kill each other while inventing bigger and better ways to do so.

Dr. Spock thought not spanking poor little Johnny would bring peace in the home, but it has only created little monsters that have grown into bigger monsters.

No fault divorce was thought to lessen the bickering between spouses who wanted to end their marriage, but instead has created more animosity and leap-frog marriage beds.

The talk shows and other Hollywood scenes are all lip syncing peace on earth while celebrating the basest of human emotions.

The apostate church, of which you could swing a cat by the tail in any direction and hit thirty of them, all talk love and peace while blaspheming the God they say they worship.

Jesus did not come to bring peace yet, because there will be no peace until man’s heart is at peace with God.

When we speak of peace, there are four ways to look at it according to C. I. Scofield; i.e. (1) peace with God, (2) peace from God, (3) peace of God, and (4) peace on earth. I wholeheartedly agree.

Our world is not at peace because it wants peace on earth (4) without peace with God (1), peace from God (2) and the peace of God (3).

There will never be any peace on this earth until the dispensation known as the Millennium. The Millennium will begin after the 7-year Tribulation ends.

Jesus says, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:” Luke 12:51

Someone is probably thinking, “What about Luke 2:14?” This passages states, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

This is the passage I’m sure the crowds are pushing, whether of the church or secular. Unfortunately, this passage is referring to the Millennium, not our day.

Even many in the true Church need to wake up and realize that we are in a spiritual battle. I, and others, have stated this many times. We need to grow a spiritual backbone and stand up for the Truth, but few will do so. Because we have failed, from the pulpit to the pew, Satan is taking over every area of our lives.

Think not? Consider this.

Who would have imagined that homosexually, a sexual perversion that God hates, would be so widespread and hostile? Who would have dreamed that churches would ordain homosexual pastors?

Who would have thought we would be murdering babies by the tens of thousands and are now considering pushing the elderly in their wheelchairs down the stairs?

Who would have envisioned our crime rate and the drug culture of our day?

Would anyone have thought we would reach a time that any kind of pornographic material the mind can think up could be obtained right in your own home? Who would have thought we would be teaching sex education and promoting the use of condoms in our schools but prohibit the Ten Commandments and the Bible?

Is it possible that not that many years ago, we would not have considered the corruption of home life and church life we have today?

Folks, there is no peace in our day. There never has been, and there never will be peace for this earth until Jesus comes back and cleans up the mess we have made.

I thank God that we who are true Christians today can have the peace with God, the peace from God, and the peace of God that only He can provide. But as for peace on earth, forget it.

Now is the time we need to get off the fence and decide whose side we are on. The battle lines are drawn.

“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” Psalm 94:16

I prefer to be on the Lord’s side and one day return with Him for the final battle when He will destroy His enemies with the Sword of His mouth. He will merely speak it, and they will be crushed.

Would you prefer to be on His side or with those who will fall at the breath of His mouth? It is coming.

Prior to that final battle and while we exist here on earth, we have much to do, and there are way too many lazy unconcerned Christians sleeping on the job. If you claim Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then you’re signed up. It’s time to put on our uniforms and get busy.

“For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.” Isaiah 59:17

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:17

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8

As the Scripture says, let us use faith and love to fight in the battle, but making sure we do not stray from “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

In my opinion, the majority of people you will come in contact with want peace. Only a fool would not, but unfortunately there are plenty of them to go around too. True peace can only be found in Jesus Christ.

This world isn’t going to get any better. It’s just going to get worse and worse until Jesus Christ puts a stop to it. In the meantime, people need hope, and there isn’t much of that being dosed out in our little playpen down here on earth.

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19

Take Christ out of the equation and there is no hope. What are we doing today? Answer: taking Christ out of the equation. We who know the joy of Christ need to spread it around.

Let us turn off the TV, stop playing around and get serious about who we are. We are a child of Almighty God. May we get on our knees and go before Him, saying along with Isaiah, “Here I am, send me.”

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” Isaiah 6:8

Grant Phillips

I was thinking the other day “What would I do if I were Satan to put a wrinkle in God’s plans, in other words, to keep my angelic butt out of the flames?” The more I thought about it, the more amazed I was. Everything that came to mind is exactly what he is doing.

The first thing Satan did in regard to earth was to attempt to destroy any relationship between God and mankind. Enter Adam and Eve. Well, we all know how that went, and it’s been downhill since.

The next area I see him attacking, again, is the family. Why not cause one brother to kill the other out of jealousy? Yeah, that’ll bring a lot of heartache to old Mom and Dad, and start a nice killing trend.

He tried creating a one world government with the tower of Babel and destroying the human DNA of mankind by having his fallen angels copulate with human women, but that fell through when God brought a flood upon the whole earth. Even after the flood, the Nephilim reappeared, so Satan was still at it in an attempt to pollute human DNA, but this time he was not allowed to corrupt the whole earth.

All down through history he has been behind the scenes encouraging wars, murder, theft, promiscuity, jealousy, greed, and hatred; everything possible to bring man down. Why would he want to bring man down? Could it be because God created man (man and woman folks) in His own image? I think so.

Let’s move on up to the 21st century and browse around a bit. Time is running out fast. The days of Satan’s rebellion are just about over, and he knows it. Therefore, he needs to up the ante. There isn’t anything he hasn’t already done, but since his time is slipping away, he could just use the same tactics but make them as intense as possible. You know, like he did in Noah’s day and when Lot was around; those days.

Satan’s strategy has always been to attack the family, since the family is the nucleus of society. If he can tear down the family as God designed it, his damage will reach out like a spider’s web in every area of society.

All down through history Satan and his cohorts have wreaked havoc on mankind, but to me he has greatly intensified his efforts beginning in the 20th century. Today, his efforts are panning out.

In the 20th century, while God was preparing to bring His chosen people Israel back home, he inspired evil men to pull the world into war. World War I and World War II claimed many lives and began the downfall of the family unit.

Since these wars were totally different wars, women were needed to “man” the factories, while their men went off to war. What is unique about this? The uniqueness comes from Mom being taking out of the home and placed in the work place on a very large scale. When Dad returned from the war, for those who survived, Mom didn’t want to leave her career. She now has a career and desires to keep it.

Now let’s understand. There is no sin in women working and having careers. Especially today, if Mom didn’t work, it would be tough to survive in today’s economical straight jacket which we have created.

So what’s the problem? Latch key children are the problem. Children need their own Mother at home. They need a Dad who supports his family financially and spiritually.

Not only has Mom been taken away from caring for the children, but now that she “has a career” in the workplace, sexual temptations have increased exponentially. Because of this, many marriages have been dissolved and now the children have one parent who is rarely home and another parent living somewhere else, and probably with someone else.

The sexual meanderings of female and male adults on the job, in their careers, have now resulted in roughly a 50% average divorce rate in this country. It is even higher among some minorities. Furthermore, as if that were not enough, the percentage of those not bothering with marriage, but simply living together, is increasing at an alarming rate.

Without the love, care and spiritual guidance of Mom and Dad in the home, we have had several decades now to produce some worthless adults and we have done a great job at that.

Now that Satan has succeeded in making Mom and Dad a rotten example of any kind of stability, he goes to work on these latch key products of a wrecked home life.

Over the years each generation has gotten further and further from God’s design for a family and each person’s need for God in their life. We now have children who have no respect for others and even their own parents. Those children of previous decades are now adults who care for nothing and no one but themselves, and we keep raising another crop that is sorrier than the last.

Those who are left, children and adults, who love God and the family unit He created, are in the minority.

We have allowed others to push upon us their deviate desires while we make not a whimper.

There have always been evil men and evil deeds, but today’s lifestyle of sin must really be pushing the envelope. From broken homes, families if you will, we have produced murderers and sexual deviates on a demonic scale. We have attacked our own Creator by kicking Him out of every area of our lives and then spitting in His face. We have become so callous to our sinful ways we don’t even know we are spiritually and terminally sick.

We ask ourselves, “How can God continue to put up with our corruption?” He wiped out the entire earthly population in Noah’s day because of their corruption. He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day for their corruption. He has brought down nations because of the corruptness of their lives. Another example, among many, is the total annihilation of Pompeii, a corrupt city indeed. Why does He delay now?

My answer would be that He is not delaying. Satan thinks he is succeeding because he has brought mankind to such a high degree of Godlessness. I personally feel that God is right on schedule with His plan. He already knew we would sink to an abysmal depth of rebellion against Him in the days we are living. He explains it all in His Word. He also explains to us that our days for repentance are growing short.

Currently there is a window of opportunity for us to repent. As a nation, I do not think we will ever get there, so what do we do personally? We can’t make someone else repent. We can’t make the whole nation repent, but we, individually, can repent if we choose and if it’s needed.

God has a carpenter’s level fixed on each of our lives. Is the bubble centered, or is it off to the left or to the right? If isn’t centered, we need to repent.

King David said, “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.” Psalm 26:2

The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

I’ve only touched this upon subject matter, primarily the family issue, but the point is Satan wants to defeat God. He isn’t going to do it, but he keeps trying, at our expense. In his mind, if he can prove to God that we will serve him, then he deserves to be God. Why would he think that? Why would he place so much importance in having us, mankind, serve him? Pride. Control. Power. The main reason could be because we have been created by God in God’s image. If Satan can seduce God’s greatest creation, a creation He made after His own likeness, then he thinks he has earned the right to be God.

Now that’s my opinion, as opinions go, but is it possible that this could be Satan’s strategy? I think it’s very possible. On the other hand, it sweeps me off my feet that Satan could be so stupid. Obviously, there is much that we do not know.

Whatever Satan’s strategy is, the outcome is still going to be the same. For those of us who are on the Lord’s side, we win, because only God is God, and there is no other.

Grant Phillips