The Mystery of Iniquity - Part V

I am publishing a five-part series on a rarely discussed subject called the mystery of iniquity. I am writing this out of deep concern that the body of Christ has ignored the signs that the end is, not near, but here. I gave my life to Jesus Christ 31 years ago, and during that period of spiritual renewal for me and my family, there was a revelry that bordered on maniacal that Jesus could return any moment. Since my conversion, I have witnessed the self destruction of many prominent (and not so prominent) Church officials and lay-members alike, and I have seen the enthusiasm for Christ’s return sink to a low that I would have never imagined.

The first article will discuss Satan’s two thousand year’s plan to harness control of human government. The second article will examine the Church where Satan had established his corporate headquarters. Oh, did I say it was a prominent Christian Church? The third article will discuss Satan’s rebellion in heaven, which led to the expulsion of one-third of the heavenly host. And the fourth and fifth articles will tie it all together by examining the last decade and demonstrating how events have hurled human civilization closer to the poisoned embrace of the anti-Christ.

A minister friend of mine, Jim Nelson, has been advancing the belief that the end-time religion will not be a religion in the traditional sense. He teaches that Capitalism will be the end-time religion, because it permits all who worship at its alter to continue to serve their gods; whether it be Buddha, Allah, or Taoism’s Lao-Tse, yet it still unites the people into a common thread of worship; as in worshipping the “almighty dollar.” I recognized long ago that Capitalism would be the global government’s monetary system; however, I didn’t quite see the religious aspect of its global domination until listening to Jim.

I believe that money is the greatest invention of all time, because it permits people to live in a civilized society where commercial transactions are done, not by compulsion, but by reason. In the absence of such a bartering system, society would be at the mercy of men who force others into their employ at the barrel of a gun. Capitalism is like a manufacturing plant that allows anyone to make as much money as their skills and self determination will take them. It has been the catalyst of our modern society, and although it is not perfect, it has proven to promote higher standards of living than any other economic system that the world has ever known.

Notwithstanding Capitalism’s virtues, it also has a destructive force: In its need for expansion, it cannot coexist with any other economic system. Consequently, as Capitalism expands, it begins to encroach and consume any other monetary system standing in its path. Most of you reading this series witnessed Capitalism’s destructive force as it blazed through Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s. President Ronald Reagan unfairly gets the credit for winning the Cold War. I don’t mean to diminish his role in the demise of the Soviet Union; however, Capitalism won the Cold War.

Capitalism destroyed the economic system of Marxism as we saw with the Former Soviet Union and as we now are witnessing with China. But its greatest triumph may be its victory over Islam disguised as the War on Terror. The War on Terror started out as a just war to apprehend Osama bin Laden and other perpetrators of September 11th; however, it quickly morphed into an effort to expand the Western world’s economic system. I mean, why did President Bush only send 15,000 troops to Afghanistan to capture bin Laden, while sending more than 125,000 troops to Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein, who had nothing to do with the World Trade/Pentagon bombings? Sure Saddam was a cruel dictator, but if being a cruel leader is the litmus test that we are now using to invade a sovereign nation, then who’s next? Ahmadinejad of Iran? Kim of North Korea? Or Mugabe of Zimbabwe?

The Muslim world has historically been the biggest opponent of Capitalism, because they did not want the corrupt influences, that inevitably flow from a free market system, to entrench themselves within their society. However, thanks to the rewards that are inherent in Capitalism, many regions of the Middle East have nearly transformed themselves into a Mecca of Western Society. A quick perusal of the landscape of the United Arab Emirates demonstrates the enormous Capitalist influence in this region of the Middle East. The OPEC nations are flush with cash and they are buying large chunks of the United States and Europe. And farther east, China has replaced Japan as the oriental symbol of the dollar.

As I study the influence that Capitalism has on world markets, I am convinced that the current financial crisis that we are experiencing has been choreographed, among other reasons, to facilitate a level of economic parity between Western society in general and the U.S. in particular with the rest of the world. The social planners who are creating the anti-christic infrastructure learned from the merging of East and West Germany that it is extremely difficult to united a strong currency, as in the West German Deutsche Mark, with a relatively week East German Mark. Consequently, we are witnessing the decline of the United States of America in order to “grease the skids” for a seamless migration to global government and a one world economic system.

Much to my horror, the America we live in today, is not the America I grew up in. Notwithstanding the racial climate of the 1960s, or maybe in spite of country’s racial climate, there were very powerful protest movements during the 1960s that altered the course of American history and indirectly altered the course of world history: No matter how one may have felt about the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, the Feminist Movement and the Environmental Movement; these voices of dissent blazed a trail through American society that knocked down barriers between the ruling class and the working class.

In a real sense, America probably began its decline more than 20 years ago during the run-up on the stock market. The massive influx of wealth diverted the attention of many, many people who would have been influential in preserving a climate of change for those who are living on the margins of a capitalistic society. Even many Church leaders have been lulled asleep by America’s massive wealth. The hyper-faith movement conditioned its followers that if they gave unto the Lord he would return it back to them by as much as 100-fold. This principle, though true, distracts many away from seeking the things of God to seeking the things of the American manufacturing complex. James warned us of this mindset - Ye ask, and you receive not, because you ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (James 4:3).

In an American church, the first partaker of the financial fruit is usually the one who takes the offering and the bigger the offering, the bigger his or her cut will be. So a very articulate church leader doesn’t need to live by faith, if he can motivate you and me to give obscene amounts of money to “God,” which reminds me of an anecdote that a good friend once shared with me: “I went to the pastor to see if the church would help me pay my rent, and the pastor told me to seek the Lord for a blessing. But when he needed to pay the mortgage on the church, he passed the offering plate.”

Please understand my criticism here – I’m not hating on the message, but some of the messengers have tainted the prosperity message. Since the prosperity message works, where are the men and women of God who are willing to take it to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Indonesia or some other under-developed nation? Sure, there are a few out in the trenches doing missionary work and ministering the message of God’s blessings, but far too many of them are held up in the United States getting rich off the charitable contributions of God’s people.

If the voices of dissent, from the religious and secular communities, were not on life support, there is no way that George Bush would have been able to prosecute the War in Iraq to the tune of more than $1 trillion, (see Part IV of this series to get a better understanding of how and why the War in Iraq was manufactured); neither would he have had the audacity to commit the other illegal acts that he is alleged to have committed. (see parts one, two, three and four of my series on the appraisal of Bush’s presidency at the People's Pulse.)

In this series, we talked about how Satan deceived the angels in heaven; how he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden; and how he deceived the Pastors of a number of churches in Asia minor. Each lie that he so convincingly advanced, left a trail of misery that the world is still reeling from. However, there is one deception that I left for last, and it may be his greatest of all: Satan has convinced many during the history of man’s tenure in the earth that he does not exist; consequently, it is difficult for most people to make any correlation between the devil and social, political, military and economic events. Therefore, he has been well insulated during the past two millenniums as the mystery of iniquity has spun its satanic web to entangle the last vestige of human civilization. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Revelation 1:7a).

The Mystery of Iniquity – Part IV

I am publishing a five-part series on a rarely discussed subject called the mystery of iniquity. I am writing this out of deep concern that the body of Christ has ignored the signs that the end is, not near, but here. I gave my life to Jesus Christ 31 years ago, and during that period of spiritual renewal for me and my family, there was a revelry that bordered on maniacal that Jesus could return any moment. Since my conversion, I have witnessed the self destruction of many prominent (and not so prominent) Church officials and lay-members alike, and I have seen the enthusiasm for Christ’s return sink to a low that I would have never imagined.

The first article will discuss Satan’s two thousand year’s plan to harness control of human government. The second article will examine the Church where Satan had established his corporate headquarters. Oh, did I say it was a prominent Christian Church? The third article will discuss Satan’s rebellion in heaven, which led to the expulsion of one-third of the heavenly host. And the fourth and fifth articles will tie it all together by examining the last decade and demonstrating how events have hurled human civilization closer to the poisoned embrace of the anti-Christ.


If Satan is clever enough to deceive angels (see Part III of this series), run his kingdom from the hierarchy of a Church (see Part II of this series), and persuade Jesus to consider jumping from the pinnacle of the temple in an act of suicide (see Part III of this series), then it is not a stretch of the imagination to believe that he is desperately working behind the scenes to establish a global government on earth. The scripture is clear that satanic forces will harness control of human government to enslave the populations of the earth. This seizure of world control will not be the result of a cabal of men deciding it will be so.

Satan’s ambition to rule the world spans the course of human history back to the day he offered Eve the forbidden fruit. Since that tragic moment in the Garden of Eden, he has been developing a secret plan to deceive the civilizations of the world into embracing his poisoned government. His plan will be so deceptive, he will trick the vast majority of the inhabitants of the earth to bow down and worship him and his appointed world leader – And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast who is able to make war with him (Revelation 13:4)? In fact, I believe that the deception to plunge the world into the abyss of satanic control will rival Lucifer’s effort that deceived the angels.

In order to recognize Satan’s end-time plot for world domination, one must temporarily discard the belief that he will show up with a tail in one hand and a pitch fork in the other. This “devil” image conjures notions of murder, mayhem and all manner of wickedness. Consequently, many people cannot recognize the devil in a Brooks Brothers’ suit, responding to emails on a Blackberry. They can only see him through a man in a drunken stupor, or a crack addict who abandons her children, or one who betrays the trust of a spouse during a state of adultery.

Satan’s plans for world takeover will be so far removed from our concept of evil that it will be very difficult to discern. In fact, regarding his deception, Jesus seems to suggest in Matthew 24 that the only ones who will not be taken by his fraudulent demonstration of faith are the very elect – For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew 24:24, emphasis mine). Matthew 24:24 does not mean that the elect will be deceived, because as Jesus said, “If it were possible,” and we know that it will not be possible. However, what Jesus is actually saying is that the elect will not be able to recognize the devil through his apparent display of spiritual leadership, and of course, during this period of great deception, the elect will be shepherded and mentored by the very elect. Therefore, they will teach the elect how to recognize these false prophets.

Only the very elect will have the spiritual insight to perceive the satanic origin of the deceivers described in Matthew 24. They will understand the significance of many events as they relate to the rise of the anti-christ, while others will not be able to make the correlations. For instance, they understand that September 11, 2001 had less to do with a terrorist attack against the United States than it did with the development of a national security state.

It is significant to note that although we were told that the perpetrators of September 11th were hiding out in Afghanistan, the United States only sent 15,000 troops to capture Osama bin Laden, while sending nearly 150,000 troops to Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. While the War in Iraq became the centerpiece of the Bush Administration, the campaign in Afghanistan has become a footnote.

President Bush campaigned on his wartime presidency status during his reelection bid in 2004. Invading Iraq, we were told, was necessary, because Saddam was vigorously pursuing an atomic weapon’s program and would be willing to launch a nuclear attack against the United States or one of its allies. This report was bolstered by a speech given to the United Nations by, then Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Powell urged the administration to obtain support from the U.N. prior to launching its offensive against Saddam. However, he did not realize until after the fact that his speech, written by Vice-President Cheney’s former Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, contained dubious intelligence regarding Saddam’s quest to obtain weapon’s grade nuclear material from Niger known as yellow cake.

The theme of the yellow cake acquisition was not only forcefully presented in Powell’s speech to the U.N, but President Bush also made it the centerpiece of his 2003 State of the Union Address. This is highly disturbing, considering the fact that the CIA had already discounted this intelligence report as false (see former CIA director George Tenet’s statement on this issue).But what is more disturbing is that it appears that the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) diversion and the alleged link between Saddam and bin Laden were smokescreens to obtain public support to overthrow Saddam; a foreign policy goal that the Bush Administration appears to have developed prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Now, after spending nearly $1 trillion in Iraq and losing more than 4,200 troops, no series public official, Democratic or Republican, will testify that Saddam had a WMD program or was in anyway linked to the September 11th bombing. So public support for the War in Iraq hinged on the feedback from an unreliable source in the intelligence community; however, according to the Downing Street Memo, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s office believed that Bush had already formulated his intention to overthrow Saddam in early 2001.

The secret memo recorded the head of MI6 (British equivalent of the CIA) as expressing the view following his recent visit to Washington that,

"Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

The Downing Street Memo was leaked to the Sunday Times and was first published on May 1, 2005. It is considered by many to be the smoking gun of an alarming abuse of presidential power; especially when one attempts to reconcile Bush’s public comments concerning the buildup towards war in Iraq with the facts of the secret memo. In a March 8, 2003 Radio Address President Bush is quoted saying, “We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq. But if Saddam Hussein does not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force.” However, the memo quotes the head of the MI6 as saying, “Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD.”

The Downing Street Memo demonstrates an unprecedented betrayal of the public trust by the President of the United States. However, the bigger issue is not that President Bush fixed the facts and intelligence around a pre-September 11th policy to invade Iraq, but why was an Iraq invasion important to the Bush administration? War with an Islamic country was inevitable as we race towards the rise of the anti-christ. Muslims are the biggest adversaries of Capitalism, and it is clear to me that Capitalism will be the end-time economic system. The War on Terror in general and the Iraq War specifically is an attempt to accelerate the demise of Islam.

What we are witnessing is the continuation of the Crusades between Western Christendom and Islam, which has been evolving since the 11th Century. In fact, immediately after September 11th, Bush referred to the conflict as a Crusade, which ignited an anti-American sentiment within Muslim nations around the world. If a powerful foe can come into one’s country with sufficient force to alter that country’s mode of thought and action, it won’t be long before that civilization is destroyed. As the Western World evolves and Capitalism expands, it begins to erode the tradition of other cultures. Fifty years ago no Islamic country would have invited the Western Capitalists into their markets. However, today, the influence of the West is prominent in many Middle Eastern countries. It wasn’t that long ago that China was considered a Communist country, but it is now viewed as the largest Capitalist market in the world. It is just a matter of time before it too will be having democratic elections.

I’ll address why the expansion of Capitalism is vital to the rise of the anti-christ in the final article of this series.

To be continued…

The Mystery of Iniquity – Part III

I am publishing a five-part series on a rarely discussed subject called the mystery of iniquity. I am writing this out of deep concern that the body of Christ has ignored the signs that the end is, not near, but here. I gave my life to Jesus Christ 31 years ago, and during that period of spiritual renewal for me and my family, there was a revelry that bordered on maniacal that Jesus could return any moment. Since my conversion, I have witnessed the self destruction of many prominent (and not so prominent) Church officials and lay-members alike, and I have seen the enthusiasm for Christ’s return sink to a low that I would have never imagined.

The first article will discuss Satan’s two thousand year’s plan to harness control of human government. The second article will examine the Church where Satan had established his corporate headquarters. Oh, did I say it was a prominent Christian Church? The third article will discuss Satan’s rebellion in heaven, which led to the expulsion of one-third of the heavenly host. And the fourth and fifth articles will tie it all together by examining the last decade and demonstrating how events have hurled human civilization closer to the poisoned embrace of the anti-Christ.

With one swift jolt, Jehovah thwarted a rebellion that one of his prized angelic beings had initiated. Lucifer, known at the time as the Son of the Morning, secretly plotted to ascend above the angelic host in power and prestige in an effort to be like God. This was no noble objective to be like God, as Christians attempt to be like Jesus. This was an attempt to become equal to God in glory and majesty. Pride, according to Isaiah, convinced Lucifer that he could share in God's glory:

12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14).

According to the testimony of Jesus, Lucifer and presumably his band of ill-advised followers were cast from Heaven like lightning – 18. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). The motivation behind the only recorded heavenly rebellion produces a variety of questions, but one question seems to stretch the limits of my imagination: What could Lucifer have possibly said or done to persuade one third of the angels to disobey God and to follow him into rebellion? I mean, these angels were already in heaven and enjoying an eternity of bliss. What more could they have aspired too?

Whatever Satan did to persuade, according to some theologians, one-third of the angels to jeopardize everlasting life must have been a masterpiece of wicked deception. In fact, I believe that his “illusion of grandeur” was so deceptive, that God refused to place it in the scriptures so that his earthly creation would not be deceived by it. However, although the handbook for the satanic ascension into partnership with God Almighty has not been revealed through the scripture, Satan’s notion of equality with the divine has been carried out by numerous societies down through the ages: The ancient Egyptians practiced polytheism, as did the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as a number of modern day sects – Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism in the East, to name a few.

The scripture does not appear to tell us how the angels complied with Lucifer’s hubris, but I believe that he most likely may have convinced them to worship him as god. This explanation is not a stretch when we consider that Satan is the author of all false religion, and the central theme of any religion is belief in a god. For Lucifer to attempt to elevate himself on an equal plane as Jehovah, it suggests that he would also require his deceived subjects to honor him in the same way as they honor Jehovah, including worshiping him.

There are numerous examples in the scripture where Satan appears to be preoccupied with being worshiped or inspiring people to worship idols. Most Christians are familiar with these four notable examples of people worshiping false gods and idols: The children of Israel worshiped the molten calf in the wilderness (see Exodus 32); King Nebuchadnezzar required the subjects of Babylon to worship the golden image in Daniel chapter 3; Satan tempted Jesus to worship him after his forty days and forty nights fast (see Matthew 4); and, the world will worship Satan and his global leader during the tribulation period (see Revelation 13:4).

No matter what the angels did to succumb to Lucifer’s diabolical plan, their rebellion in Heaven was one of God’s motivations for sending Jesus into the world. Not only did Jesus’ sacrifice redeem humanity from its sins, which most of us are aware of, but it also cleansed the sinful stain that the angelic rebellion produced in Christ’s heavenly abode:

23. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:23-24).

The need for Jesus to cleanse heaven is beyond the scope of this series; however, here is a key to understanding this fascinating subject: There are more than 50 chapters in the scripture that are dedicated to Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness and only a few verses in the entire Bible that refers directly too the tabernacle in heaven. One would think that as important as it would be to cleanse heaven from Satan’s sin, God would have had more to say about it. Well actually he does. Since Moses’ tabernacle and the Levitical priesthood was made from the pattern of things in heaven, then a study of Moses’ tabernacle is, in a mystical sense, also a study of the heavenly tabernacle. Hebrews 7-9 appears to be explaining the significance of Moses’ Tabernacle, but it is in fact revealing the need for the tabernacle in heaven (see Hebrews 9:23-24 above).

As I close this article, one may be wondering why spend so much time on the enemy. First I’ll say, if Satan is clever enough to deceive angels, run his kingdom from the hierarchy of a Church (see Part II of this series), and tempt Jesus to commit suicide (see postscript below), then he is an opponent worthy (I use the word loosely) of examination. By studying Lucifer's pattern of stealth and deception, it will give the saints of God a deeper understanding into the mind of their enemy. The Chinese Art of War says, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." This military axiom is biblically based: God said in Hosea, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6a).

Postscript: During Jesus’ forty days and forty nights fast, he was led to the pinnacle of the temple, and the pressure of redemption must have been so great that he was tempted, if only for a moment, to jump – 5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:5-7). Although Jesus was victorious through the word of God, it is significant to note that Lucifer pulled out his sword as well (see verse 6 above). What a deceiver!

The Mystery of Iniquity – Part II

I am publishing a five-part series on a rarely discussed subject called the mystery of iniquity. I am writing this out of deep concern that the body of Christ has ignored the signs that the end is, not near, but here. I gave my life to Jesus Christ 31 years ago, and during that period of spiritual renewal for me and my family, there was a revelry that bordered on maniacal that Jesus could return any moment. Since my conversion, I have witnessed the self destruction of many prominent (and not so prominent) Church officials and lay-members alike, and I have seen the enthusiasm for Christ’s return sink to a low that I would have never imagined.

The first article will discuss Satan’s two thousand year’s plan to harness control of human government. The second article will examine the Church where Satan had established his corporate headquarters. Oh, did I say it was a prominent Christian Church? The third article will discuss Satan’s rebellion in heaven, which led to the expulsion of one-third of the heavenly host. And the fourth and fifth articles will tie it all together by examining the last decade and demonstrating how events have hurled human civilization closer to the poisoned embrace of the anti-Christ.


The clandestine nature of Satan requires that he works in a concealed manner to advance his agenda on an unsuspecting human population. From his first appearance in the Scripture when he cajoled Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit to this moment in time, he has deceived the masses and is now leading them in a race where they are creating and embracing the infrastructure for their own enslavement – cell phones; digital television; ATM technology (aka cashless society); the Internet; a ubiquitous web of cameras, created in name of national security; etc. For more than two thousand years, Satan has been working behind the scenes to create a fertile environment for civilization to betray the final vestige of human dignity by bowing down and worshiping his chosen global leader – the anti-christ.

Neither heaven nor earth has been immune to Satan’s sleight of hand. He deceived angels after purposing in his heart that he would be like God – 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14). Satan has been around long enough to have perfected his deception of men and women: From the lowliest non-skilled workers to the captains of industry and leaders of the free world, they have all tasted from the hand that offered the forbidden fruit. How do leaders of human governments embrace a Holocaust, or an Inquisition, or slavery, or war on a scale that leaves rape, pillage and mass murder in its wake?

Satan!

Not only has Satan led conquests of annihilation in national governments, like when he attempted to erase the Jews from the face of the earth through the Third Reich, but he has also wrested control of local churches from its leadership. Jude warned of evil men who have surreptitiously crept into the church:

3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 3-4).

These men, who crept in without the knowledge of the pastors and other church leaders, are in places where they are doing significant harm to local congregations. Consequently, the warning is more of a plea for the saints to be zealous in their effort to live righteously. By earnestly contending for the faith of their forefathers, there would be a difference between those living for Jesus and those who were pretending to live for him. And this distinction would make it much easier to identify those who were secretly infecting the lives of the saints of God.

Throughout the Church Age, Satan has dispatched his minions to peddle their evil wares within local congregations. We see the covert effort that was identified in Jude’s letter to the Church, and John wrote of similar activity within three of the churches in Asia-minor:

• The church at Ephesus was entertaining men who claimed to be apostles, but were not – I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars (Revelation 2:2);
• Evil men claiming to be Jews had infiltrated the church at Smyrna – I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 2:9); and
• The New Testament Jezebel was discovered at Thyatira teaching God’s children how to commit fornication – 19. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (Revelation 2:19-20).

The Church at Thyatira sunk to new lows: The saints were being taught how to enhance their sexual pleasure, or the "art of sex," from the pulpit. I use the phrase, "art of sex" loosely, since the scripture says the saints were being taught to commit fornication. Therefore, in this instance, the emphasis is not on training the saints on the "art of sex," which would be totally permissible in a married couples' setting, but on sexual depravity. Jezebel turned the holy, House of God into into an habitation of unrighteousness.

The clandestine incursions into the Church by satanically inspired men and women have been occurring since the Apostolic Age. However, when the early Church fathers detected these wolves in sheep’s clothing, they did not tolerate them for one minute – 4. And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:4-5).

What is ironic about each of the above incursions into the Church is that these wicked disciples of Satan were able to sneak past the ushers at the door, the deacons on the front row, the elders in the pulpit and the pastor at the head of the Church. In fact, before Paul left Ephesus, he warned them that notwithstanding his three years of labor among them, that wolves would come in to destroy the flock once he departed:

28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears (Acts 20:28-31).

And we see the manifestation of what Paul prophesied in Revelation 2, where the men claiming to be apostles had entered the Ephesian Church.

It cannot be overemphasized how deceptive Satan and his disciples are. I propose that Paul’s warning in II Corinthians about their stealth should be placed at the entrance of every Church that worships Jesus Christ – 14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness (II Corinthians 11:14-15). This warning will not prevent Satan’s ministers from attempting to slip into a church congregation, but it will be a constant reminder to the Church officials to be vigilant regarding the motives of everyone who enters the Church.

There is an old saying that goes, “Satan is smart, not because he is the devil, but because he is old.” He has a lot of years on us all. To put the saying in perspective; consider how much you knew at 20 years old compared too how much you know today. Now if I can exaggerate to make my point...if you could live another 500 years, consider how much knowledge you would have accrued compared too how much you have now. Satan was created in eternity and cast down into the earth more than 6,000 years ago; consequently, he has the accumulated knowledge of his tenure in heaven and earth at his disposal.

Satan has been wreaking havoc in the earth for thousands of years; consequently, it should come as no surprise that he has controlled his kingdom from the pulpit of a prominent Church on at least one occasion: The Church at Pergamos suffered the unfortunate distinction of being Satan’s central headquarters – 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth (Revelation 2:12-13).

The scripture seems to be silent on Satan’s motivation for establishing his headquarters in the Church of Pergamos, and my research into this Church did not offer me much more than I see in the scripture. However, this is very significant that Satan is running his kingdom from within God’s House. It is an unprecedented foray into the Church, where he not only created a fertile environment for saints to freely engage in sexual promiscuity, but he also had one of God’s faithful men murdered (see verse 13 above). It is not completely clear why Satan used the Church at Pergamos as his headquarters, but we can reasonably conclude that he intended to destroy it.

Jesus told us that Satan’s only motivation for showing up is to steal, kill and destroy – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10a). Of all the public, private and religious institutions of the world, one would think that the Church of Jesus Christ is the last place that he could set up shop undetected. However, Revelation 2 is a buttress to how clever and deceptive Satan is, so it would be mistaken to consider that other institutions are immune from his lethal encroachments.

The Mystery of Iniquity - Part I

I am publishing a five-part series on a rarely discussed subject called the mystery of iniquity. I am writing this out of deep concern that the body of Christ has ignored the signs that the end is, not near, but here. I gave my life to Jesus Christ 31 years ago, and during that period of spiritual renewal for me and my family, there was a revelry that bordered on maniacal that Jesus could return any moment. Since my conversion, I have witnessed the self destruction of many prominent (and not so prominent) Church officials and lay-members alike, and I have seen the enthusiasm for Christ’s return sink to a low that I would have never imagined.

The first article will discuss Satan’s two thousand year’s plan to harness control of human government. The second article will examine the Church where Satan had established his corporate headquarters. Oh, did I say it was a prominent Christian Church? The third article will discuss Satan’s rebellion in heaven, which led to the expulsion of one-third of the heavenly host. And the fourth and fifth articles will tie it all together by examining the last decade and demonstrating how events have hurled human civilization closer to the poisoned embrace of the anti-Christ.

I once read a book where a CIA operative was assigned to prevent the assassination of the Chinese President. He started out in the blind, not knowing any of the details of the conspiracy that most likely would have caused World War III. However, as he pursued every lead to discover who would kill China’s President, he found out that it was a faction within the U.S. government that wanted to create instability in China for economic and strategic reasons. Since he was just a field agent, he knew that he could not convince his superiors that a number of their colleagues were conspiring to assassinate one of the great world leaders of his time. Consequently, he decided to continue in his effort to capture the gunman.

Once the operative uncovered the conspiracy at the upper echelons of the U.S. government, a “hit” was placed on him to remove him from the trail. The conspirators even tried to kill his girlfriend, whom he loved dearly, so he was forced to protect himself and her, while traveling around the globe to locate this unknown assassin.

The operative was able to forge a couple of passes for him and his girlfriend to attend the international forum where the president was to be assassinated. He roamed the convention floor as a delegate, while his girlfriend gained entry as a camerawoman with the international press corps. Much to his horror, while analyzing the ballroom floor as the President of China entered, he discovered that his girlfriend was the assassin. As close as this man was to his girlfriend, he had no idea that she was being paid to kill the president of another country. In fact, she was working against everything that he held sacred as an American patriot.

The above story is an excellent example of how Satan has forged his way through human history. He never shows up with a pitchfork in his hand; but rather as a harmless dove, or as the loving woman who sleeps in the bed with an unsuspecting mate. God has warned us of his clever nature – 14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness (II Corinthians 2: 14-15a).

Satan’s ability to guile goes beyond most people’s ability to comprehend. He has been deceiving the masses since the B.C. period of the Pharaohs, and every civilization has fallen prey to his spell and cunning ability to transform a barren landscape into the appearance of an oasis. In II Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul reveals something about Satan that is essential in understanding the depth of his ability to deceive; that he shrouds his godless, wicked and deceptive nature through mystery.

1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way (II Thessalonians 2:1-7, emphasis mine).

A theological mystery, as we see in verse 7 above, is something that baffles the understanding and cannot be explained without the aid of a divine revelation. The furtive nature of Satan’s involvement in human history should have come as no great surprise to the saints, and Paul’s letter to Thessalonica was not intended to inform them that the devil operates a secret agenda. It was written to calm the anxiety of saints who believed that Jesus was soon to return. Paul gave them some landmark signs that would signal the era of Christ’s return: First, there would be a great falling away from the church; and second, the man of sin would be revealed.

What is significant in Paul’s message to the Church is that forces have been aligning themselves since the Apostolic Age to prepare civilization for the poisoned embrace of the anti-christ. By identifying the mystery of iniquity, God has warned the Church of a wicked, end-time (anti-christic) government that will surreptitiously come upon the inhabitants of the earth. What is more stunning, however, than the secret and diabolic nature of this end-time government, is the fact that it has been evolving since the first century A.D. Paul warned the Christians at Thessalonica that the mystery of iniquity doth already work (see II Thessalonians 2:7a above).

Since the early Church-Age, Satan has been perfecting his plan to enslave the civilizations of the earth. He has done it furtively in an effort to deal the final blow to the role of human government. Some things are self-evident: if the inhabitants of the earth realized that a satanic attack on humanity loomed on the horizon, many of them would turn to Jesus. However, this is not going to be the case. Not only will they not resist his assault, but according to the Scripture, they will adore him after he rises – And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). How clever it will be for the Devil to deceive the world into worshiping him.

The Thessalonican Church did not witness the great falling away as prophesied by Paul. In fact, notwithstanding the persecution of the time, they experienced an era of great church growth. As men and women laid down their lives for the Gospel, it inspired many new converts to follow Jesus. However, we are experiencing the falling away; consequently, one of the two prongs that Paul predicted that would precede the return of Jesus is prevalent in our modern age.

Now the revealing of the man of sin is tricky. Some have used this part of Paul’s prophesy to teach that the rapture will not take place until the rise of the anti-christ, which suggests that the Church will go through at least a portion of the Great Tribulation Period, while others say that verse 7 proves that the anti-christ cannot rise until the church and the Holy Ghost are taken out of the earth – only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way (II Thessalonians 2:7b).

The teaching on the rapture is beyond the scope of this article, and I am not attempting to suggest my position on it at this time. The revelation of the man of sin may suggest that the Church will not be taken out of the earth until after the rise of the anti-christ. However, it could mean that God will reveal who this man of sin is to prophets in the body of Christ prior to his ascension to the throne of human government; which would theoretically permit a pre-tribulation rapture. For the time, I’ll leave this argument up to the theologians. If we look at the big picture and not the details for a moment, the logical question here is not when the rapture is, but whenever it is, will I be ready?

As we examine the body of Christ, and witness this great falling away, one must wonder if some in the Church leadership are playing their violins as the Titanic sinks. I’m certain that I am not the only one asking how such apathy eroded the apostolic age enthusiasm for serving Jesus, or the enthusiasm that was prevailing just 30 years ago. A simple pedestrian examination of the Church seems to suggest that there is no corporate urgency that we are living in the last days and that Jesus is soon to appear. In Part II of this article, I will address why this is so.

A Time to Kill - A Real Life Scenario

The best selling book, A Time to Kill, by John Grisham, which was later adapted as a movie, is the story about a father’s trial for the premeditated murder of the two men who violently raped his 10 year old daughter and dumped her in a nearby river. If I stopped here, many of you would probably agree that the rapists earned that unauthorized death sentence from Carl Lee Haily, the father character in the book. However, in Grisham’s masterful way of storytelling, this is not an open-shut case: the rapists were white supremacists, the little girl and her father were black and the crime took place in Canton, Mississippi, one of the most racist cities in America. I won’t spoil it for those who have not read the book or seen the movie, but of all the book titles that I have seen, this may be the most perfect – A Time to Kill.

Most civilized people will agree that there are certain crimes that defy justification. In other words, society will sympathize with a man who steals a sandwich because he is hungry, but will have no sympathy for a child molester, a murderer or someone who brutally assaults a senior citizen. I remember abruptly turning off an Oprah program during a show about a man who raped a beautiful 10 year old girl and then poured acid on her face. Although she survived, the acid tore the flesh from her face and not only left the little girl emotionally impaired but physically scarred as well. After the numerous plastic surgeries to repair the damage, the best description that I can give is that her face looked like that of a cabbage patch doll.

For the first time in my life, I felt the urge to murder.

There is no crime that is more vile than sexually molesting a little child, except for the possible exception of genocide, and if genocide is worse, it is only worse by an ounce or two. Sexually molesting a young child has got to be close to what the Catholics call a mortal sin. In fact, it may be closer to an unforgivable sin: Jesus remarked once when referring to offending little children - But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:6). This is a heavy judgement coming from the man whose mercy endures to all generations.

My motivation for this article stems from a conversation with a good friend last week who told me that he was horrified to discover that the live-in boyfriend of a friend of his and his wife was arrested on charges of aggravate indecent assault, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of corruption of minors in connection with the assault of two young girls in his home. I understand that this alleged pedophile has two children by his girlfriend, but it is unclear if the girls that were molested are his. However, it does not matter if the children are his or not, whether a man molests his own daughters or a neighbor’s, it is still a despicable crime that warrants a severe penalty.

There are certain human activities that I cannot fathom; and if this suggests a self righteous attitude, then I do not apologize. But I cannot imagine a grown man lying with a little girl as he would a grown woman. The only thing I can consider is that he struggles with his own sense of manhood and never allowed himself to grow-up. And I’ve often wondered if such men suffer from an infantile sex organ. However, even if there is some Freudian explanation for a pedophile, it is still beyond my comprehension and does not minimize society's disdain for such activity.

These cases confirm the need to talk with one’s children about child molesters. However, I believe that we live in a sick world anytime you have to introduce such mature subjects to children. As the father of a 12 year old boy, I go to the Family Watchdog website every so often to make sure I am aware of any pedophiles that may be near my home and my son's school. And I urge all families to visit this site at least once per month. A friend of mine had a pedophile move in right next to him years ago, and he put his house up for sale a few days after he discovered it. That was an extreme decision, but how comfortable would you be knowing that a convicted child rapist lived next door?

It is the world that we live in, and the only thing that will make it better, is prayer. I solicit your prayers for the young lady and her children who I spoke of earlier.

Book Reveiw - The Final Move Beyond Iraq

I am often charged with being too critical on preachers/teachers, and perhaps I am, but I am cautious about the critiques that I render, because the Bible holds me to the same standard that I apply to others when being judgmental:

1. Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

Clearly, the Bible does not expect us to judge anyone; however, we are admonished to study the Scriptures for ourselves to make certain that our faith is founded on the Word of Almighty God. We have a great example of this systematic Bible study with the saints at Berea who studied consistently to make sure that what they were taught was in fact the truth – These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11).

In our modern era, there is simply no excuse for ignorance. We have research tools today that would not have been conceived 50 years ago. One can purchase an audio version of the Bible; one can do research on the Internet or at the local library; one can obtain documentaries from thousands of titles to enhance one’s studies; one can order DVD copies (CD, MP3, audiotape) of sermons for further study; and one can enroll in any of dozens of Bible schools in a large urban center. Although these modern methods of study have become commonplace, studying God's word through the bible with his Spirit as our guide is still the best way to touch the mind of God. Apostle Paul said, 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (I Corinthians 2:10-11).

I recently celebrated the 30^th anniversary of my new birth – March 12, 1978. During that period, I have tried to discover the mysteries of God’s Word, and I can joyfully say that He has given me some very powerful revelations. Although there are some biblical subjects that I feel inadequate addressing, God has revealed things to me through his Word that still blows my mind when I consider them. One of the subjects that I believe He has given me a gifted understanding is regarding the end-time and the structure of the anti-Christic system, which is why I was so disappointed when I read Mike Evans’s The Final Move Beyond Iraq, The Final Solution While the World Sleeps.

The Final Move Beyond Iraq is a very popular book with nearly 700 comments on Amazon.com. This book is a failed effort to place the Iraq War in its proper end-time perspective, and it makes the disastrous attempt to lend biblical support to the worst foreign policy decision in American history. As a highly regarded evangelical, what troubles me most about what Evans writes, is that he uses a faulty foundation to build his argument on why America must preemptively strike Iran before she acquires nuclear weapons.

This lunacy is a prescription for the end of days!

Unless Evans is suggesting that the United States nuke Iran and its population off the planet, which he doesn’t appear to be saying to his credit, then a preemptive strike against her would set off a string of terrorist attacks against America that would paralyze our country. Fear would be so pervasive that we would be afraid to drive across bridges; fly; ride trains or buses; shop in malls, grocery stores and other retail establishments; send our children to school; or go to work. The result of an ill-advised preemptive attack against Saddam Hussein, is that America is embroiled in a war that it simply cannot win that will cost trillions of dollars, more than four thousand America lives and at least 60,000 Iraqi lives (they count too).

I’ll give three examples of the fundamental errors in Evans’s book:

First, he discounts the Arab grievances that led to the bombing of 9/11. He claims that nothing America could have done in the Middle East, could justify killing nearly 3,000 innocent people on 9/11. This position has some merit; however, the United States has a history of intervening in Middle Eastern affairs in ways that have injured Arabs and other citizens in that region. I’ll give a few quick examples:

• We support Israel, which I address separately below.

• The CIA ironically overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq and his cabinet in 1953 after Mossaddeq nationalized the oil industry and the U.S. installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, better known as the Shah of Iran. The covert operation that toppled the government of Iran replaced a democracy with a dictatorship. In hindsight, some foreign policy experts point to this event as a setback for democratic government in Iran.

• After the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the US helped engineer the takeover by Saudi Arabia of hundreds of millions of gallons of oil production that belonged to Iran during the Shah’s dictatorship.

One may not agree with Arab grievances, but they’re grievances nonetheless, and in a civilized world, nations should attempt to resolve most of their differences the same way that they charge their citizens to resolve theirs – non-violently.

Second, Evans sees no inconsistencies with American policies that support Israel in spite of the Arab-Israeli conflicts over the last 60 years. One may support our country's policies toward Israel, as I do, but we must concede that that support does not come without a price or an adverse consequence. Almost like serving Jesus and getting your head cut off during times of persecution. There are negative consequences to some decisions we make, and it is dishonest for Evans not to admit this point.

Finally, Evans believes that George Bush’s decision to invade Iraq was absolutely correct, despite overwhelming evidence, even among conservatives, that it is the worst foreign policy disaster in American history. There are dozens of books that have been published over the last 5 years which are very critical of the Bush Administration’s campaign in Iraq, and not so surprisingly, some have been published by conservatives who once worked in the administration.

Evans or any of the other evangelical, prophecy teachers could not possibly defend the basis of his book on its merits. It simply cannot be supported by the facts, and unfortunately, the Evanses of the country are influencing the way that many evangelical, fundamentalists see the world and the end times. And the scary part is that those who embrace Evans’s theology in The Final Move Beyond Iraq, may not recognize the anti-Christ until he gives them his poisoned embrace.