I want you to watch out for a few things over the next few months.
First is that more and more technology will be geared towards laying the foundation for the Antichrist and a one world system.
Think about it. How close are we to having your driver's license on your phone? Your passport, your health record, and your entire banking ecosystem all on your phone.
Some countries are further than others with reports stating many countries are now modernizing their ID databases to include biometric identifiers that authenticate or verify identity based on physical characteristics such as fingerprints, iris, face and palm prints, gate, voice, and DNA.
From a biblical perspective, how can we interpret this?
Well, we all know that one day a mark will be required for any individual to be able to buy or sell according to the Bible.
Now, many people believe that when the Antichrist appears on the world stage, he is not going to run around and begin setting up a system for people to buy and sell with his mark. That system will already be in place. He will just enforce it. He is not going to begin coordinating with the various governments of the world. These systems will already be there. So beware of this development.
• My second point is that Hollywood, secular music and entertainment will continue to promote and parade a satanic agenda.
We've already seen multiple movie directors talk about involving real witches on set for a more authentic experience for the viewers. We've already seen a growing number of musicians with openly satanic lyrics and even going as far as to glorify evil. And in addition to this, we've clearly seen the growing trend of evil imagery and symbolism in award shows, music videos, and movies.
There is a trend. We are seeing and we will continue to see a rise in demonic activity in mainstream entertainment. Now, one thing the Bible is very clear about is that we as believers do not wrestle against an enemy that can be seen or touched in a physical sense. Our batte is not one that requires physical weapons because it is not fought out in the open.
But the mistake that a lot of believers often make is that they do not understand the word of God and what it says about this enemy. Because he is unseen doesn't mean he doesn't exist. Because he is unseen doesn't mean his presence cannot be felt through things that are not far from God such as the spirit of fear.
Now to understand the enemy that we face, we have to read Revelation 12 7-9.
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down. That ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him.
Now verse 12 is also important because it says, "Therefore rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them. But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you. He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short."
So from this passage of scripture, we know the following.
The devil didn't rebel alone because the Bible says Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The devil and the dragon and his angels fought back. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him.
Secondly, we know that the devil is filled with anger because verse 12 told us that he is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.
And finally, a more generic point on angels in heaven. When you read the Bible, you come to the understanding that angels are ministering spirits created for a purpose and role in heaven. Michael the angel of war, Gabriel the messenger, and even Lucifer when he was in heaven was the chief musician.
But if the devil was cast down from heaven with other angels, other angels who had roles, other angels who had responsibilities and functions in heaven. And the word of God is absolute in its accuracy when it says we wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
These fallen now demonic angels have ranks. These are demonic hierarchies. They are territorial spirits.
And they along with the devil are what we come up against as children of God in this world.
Now, do you remember Daniel in chapter 10? We are told that Daniel prayed and fasted for 3 weeks. And when his answer came, the angel told him that "I have come in response to your prayer. God heard everything that you said ever since the first day. "
But in Daniel 10:13, the angel reveals something interesting. The prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days.
Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. So this angel was telling Daniel that the demonic territorial spirit that was over the region he was in tried to block his answer from God.
Those fallen angels, just as they had roles and functions in heaven, they have roles and functions here on earth within their dark kingdom.
This is why it is so important to know the word of God. Hosea 4:6, "My people perish because of a lack of knowledge."
If you don't know God's word, if you don't know that God's word is alive and active, how will you survive spiritual battles? How will you survive attacks from rulers of darkness?
So many believers will pray today and stop praying tomorrow, discouraged and defeated, thinking God has not answered their prayer.
That's because there is a lack of knowledge that the answer to your prayer may be under attack. Daniel's answer came after 3 weeks of prayer. Imagine if Daniel stopped praying after 2 weeks. A lack of knowledge is dangerous to a Christian. When we are fighting spiritual battles, we need to be persistent in prayer because once again, we are fighting against demonic forces that have ranks.
So you may feel as though you are in a war at the minute, but I want to encourage you that there is no need to fear.
God may have allowed the devil to touch Job. And in the end, it was all for God's glory. And it worked out for good for Job.
God allowed Lazarus to die, for his family to grieve. But in the end, it was all for God's glory.
God allowed Daniel to be thrown in the lion's den. He allowed Joseph to be betrayed. He allowed Bartimaeus to be blind. But in the end, it was all for God's glory.
So l want you to know that whatever the battle that God is allowing you to face, if he has allowed you to fight this battle, he is not only fighting with you, but he is working it all for your good.
2 Samuel 22:3 says, "The God of my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior. God is true to his word."
I recently heard one pastor say the following statement.
"I'm very concerned with the amount of false teaching and false prophets that have found their way onto the internet.
Vulnerable Christians are listening to them as if everything they say is from the mouth of God. Everything must be brought into agreement with what the Bible says. "
Now, Bible prophecy warned us that prior to the rapture, there will be a great falling away from faith and if possible, the very elect would be deceived.
Now, a crucial aspect of our journey as believers is not only to understand deception, but to unmask deception in these last days.
Because it's no secret that we have to navigate a world filled with conflicting messages and we're given enticing falsehoods.
But this is why the Bible is important. It equips us with wisdom to discern truth from deception.
I want to give you four illustrations of how deception is working in this world and why it's accepted by so many.
1. The first illustration is what I'd like to call the chameleon's disguise. Imagine a chameleon expertly blending into its surroundings, adapting its appearance to conceal its true identity. This is similar to a person who looks like a Christian. They talk like a Christian and can even go as far as acting like a Christian when you see them.
However, their heart, their intentions are far from Jesus Christ.
This is how deception in the last days often presents itself in ways that mimic truth.
Deception today makes things challenging for a person to distinguish between truth and lie.
Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:4, saying, "For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. "
Just as the chameleon's disguise requires careful observation, it requires you to pay close attention. We too must be vigilant and discerning, seeking the unchanging truth found in God's word.
2. The second illustration is the mirage of shiny illusions.
Think of a traveler crossing a desert, parched and weary. In the distance, a shimmering oasis appears, promising relief. However, as the traveler draws closer, the mirage dissolves, leaving disappointment.
Warning. "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. "
The allure of false teachings can be as deceptive as a mirage, leaving us spiritually thirsty. True refreshment comes from the living water of Christ's teachings.
3. The third illustration is the puzzle of half-truths.
Picture a puzzle missing a few pieces. From a distance, it seems complete, but closer inspection reveals the gaps.
It reveals that things are fragmented and incomplete. Deception often involves partial truths carefully interwoven to create a convincing narrative.
Jesus emphasized the importance of discernment in Luke 21:8 when he said, "Watch out that you are not deceived, for many will come in my name, claiming I am he and the time is near. Do not follow them."
Just as a puzzle requires all its pieces to form a coherent picture, we must rely on the complete council of God's word to guard against deception.
4. Now, my final illustration is not so much geared at understanding deception, but rather unmasking deception.
And I would like to call this the guiding north star.
Consider sailors navigating vast oceans under the guidance of the North Star. When you look at the history of navigation at sea before GPS and modern technology, one of the simplest methods for determining a ship's direction was to watch the movement of the sun across the sky. Sailor used the position of the sun as it moved from east to west to guide their route.
At noon, they could determine north and south by the shadows the suncast.
Sailors had to literally look up to be able to figure out where they were heading.
In the same way, God's word serves as our unchanging, reliable guide through Psalm 119:105
assures us, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
As the North Star remains fixed amidst shifting skies, the truth of God's word stands unwavering, offering clarity and direction in a world filled with confusion.
The last days present unique challenges to all of us believers. But we need not In fact, we should be like skilled detectives.
Have you ever seen the level of forensi detail that detectives go to in order to uncover the truth? They will exhaust every possible avenue seeking the truth. We too can do the same as believers. We can uncover the truth. We can unmask falsehoods by being attentive, testing every spirit against the word of God, by knowing the word of God, and seeking direction from above through prayer. As we journey forward, let us remember the chameleon's disguise, the mirage of shiny illusions, the puzzle of half-truths, and the guiding north star.
Let our discernment be fueled by faith, rooted in God's word, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
"Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist."
Let us guard ourselves with God's truth, shielded from the deception that seeks to derail our faith.
I pray that all of us would become viligent believers, unmasking deception with discernment and the truth that is in the word of God. As an enemy, the devil will never present someone else's weakness or struggles to you. He wil
not plant a thought about alcohol when he knows you struggle with lust. No, he will always find the area that you are the weakest in and he will use that against you. That's why it's so important for us to be honest with ourselves and look introspectively at the areas we need deliverance from because the enemy will see that as a rfoute to disrupt our walk with Christ. This point is supported by
2Corinthians
2:1 where the Bible says, "So that we would not be outwitted by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his designs." The devil is witty and has evil designs. So we must be diligent. We must be vigilant. We must be alert and always on guard against any potential breach by the enemy in our minds.
As children of God, we reject the enemy schemes. We rebuke every seed that the enemy attempts to plant in our minds. We trust in the blood of Jesus Christ to break every chain. And we look to Jesus to continually help us to work out our salvation.
So if there is an area that you can identify in your life, don't be condemned, but be convicted to fight the good fight.
So how do you identify a stronghold?
The best way to identify what the stronghold you face in your life is, you have to look at the area in your life where you face a constant battle. The area that you struggle the most. And the reason you need to identify this is because the devil is cunning and deceitful. He will know what the giant or stronghold struggle is.
When we talk about defeating your pharaoh, we're talking about strongholds. We're talking about those chains that restrict you and pull you backwards into oppression.
When we talk about Pharaoh, we're talking about obstacles in the spirit realm that try to stop your destiny as a child of God.
And so, when we face a Pharaoh in our lives, we need to pray with aggression and realize this is not a game.
Your life is not up for grabs to be ruled by anything oppressive.
Your life is not to be ruled by anything unclean.
You have been made free in Jesus Christ. You have been liberated. You have been washed clean by the blood of the lamb. You have been redeemed by the Lord. So there is no room for a stronghold to take hold of you.
Now you need to understand that pharaohs come in different forms.
For some, it's family problems. Others, it's hopelessness and a discouraged spirit. For others, it's health problems and fear. But let me tell you that there is no Pharaoh too big, no giant too strong for you as a child of God. No stronghold can withstand the power in the name of Jesus Christ. So, we defeat Pharaoh. We defeat strongholds by relying on God's promises.
We defeat Pharaoh by submitting to Jesus Christ.
Now, I would like to point out the different types of strongholds that we can potentially face.
Giants and strongholds come in different forms, sizes, and shapes.
Here are some common strongholds that affect people's lives.
Unforgiveness, manipulation, pride, lying, drunkenness, sexual sin, anger, fear. Let me just highlight a couple of examples.
Fear is a stronghold because we are told that God has not given us a spirit of fear. That's something we are not given. But when someone becomes ruled by fear and governed by the spirit of fear, then it becomes a stronghold.
This is not to say that you cannot feel fear. You can. But children of God are not should not be ruled by fear.
And when it comes to unforgiveness, we are told to forgive seventy times seven (70 x 7), which symbolizes boundless forgiveness.
So for anyone who keeps grudges, who keeps a scorecard, that becomes a stronghold.
Apart from opening up the door to sin in your life, it's also important to have an awareness of all the other places where strongholds or giants can come from, unrepented sin, family bloodlines, false or wrong patterns of thinking.
So how can unrepented sin become a stronghold?
Let's take this man as an example. A Christian man who lies consistently. He is aware that he's lying, yet he persists to lie.
He chooses not to repent because in his mind, he feels the need to tell all of these lies. Otherwise, how is he going to look to people and what will they think about him? He doesn't want to give off the wrong impression. He wants to fit in.
Going back to our definition at the very beginning, a stronghold is a mindset that hinders your growth. So, it's important to realize that this skewed way of thinking will hinder his growth as a Christian.
As this man continues to practice the activity of sin and continues to lie without repenting and I mean without truly repenting and turning away from sin, he doesn't realize it but it becomes a stronghold.
So how can this man be delivered? The solution for this man is :
A. He gains knowledge of the word of God. If he starts spending time in the word of God, he willI find out that Proverbs 12:22 says, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are his delight."
B. When he finds out point A, that God hates lying lips. This is where the renewal of the mind starts to take place. Where he thought he needed to lie or had to lie because he wants to maintain a certain image. His thought process now starts to shift into alignment with God's word.
See, this is where the conviction of the Holy Spirit comes in and it causes this man to repent and have a desire to turn away from that sin.
This entire process takes a bit of time because you don't renew your mind or change your thought process to God's word in a day. You need to meditate and dwell on his word, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and break that stronghold.
This entire process takes a bit of time because you don't renew your mind or change your thought process to God's word in a day. You need to meditate and dwell on His Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and break that stronghold.
This is a very simple illustration, but I hope it gives you some clarity on how strongholds form and how we can be set free.
