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Religion and Politics

The Age of Deception

I was responding to a blog post by Rev. K. H. Marple on her Keep Life Legal blog a little earlier about the propensity for lying that we see in contemporary politics and society in general, and I felt my comment was worth turning into a quick blog post of my own. You can read her blog at the following link: http://keeplifelegal.com/2012/10/30/furthering-the-moral-bankruptcy-of-the-united-states/ The next paragraph is what I posted on her recent blog post, though I did edit the final sentence of that post a little bit, but the succeeding paragraphs are a few extra thoughts I’ve decided to add.
The first point Jesus made in His Olivet Discourse with His disciples about the Last Days is: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:1 NKJV). We live in the Age of Deception. Soon, during the Tribulation Period, all who have rejected God’s truth will be completely given over to deception so that they will “believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKVJ). THE lie implies the lie of all lies, and what might that lie be? I believe it is the lie that there is any other god besides the One True God.
The apparent increase in wickedness we’ve seen in recent years, such as murders, thefts, and sexual promiscuity of all sorts and including the proclivity for lying about anything and everything, is just one more sign that we are drawing very near to the final days of this age. Some have called the age from the time of Jesus’ ascension until the Tribulation “The Age of Grace”, but I would argue that implies that God did not show grace prior to Jesus’ first coming or that He won’t continue to show some measure of grace during the Tribulation Period even. Moreover, God will continue to save whoever calls upon Him by His wonderful matchless grace even during the Tribulation Period after the so-called Age of Grace has supposedly ended (see Revelation 6:9-11 for proof that there will be some saved during the Tribulation). I accept the description of this era being called “The Church Age”, however, because it is certainly the era in which the Church has been commissioned by Jesus to reach the world, but God has ALWAYS been a God of grace, and there are numerous examples in the OT of God showing grace, just as there are numerous examples of God showing judgment during the NT era.
So, what is the greatest deception that we face in this Age of Deception? Anything which contradicts the revealed and written Word of God (The Holy Bible) is a lie and an attempt at deception. The problem is that most people, including the vast majority of professing Christians (and many times that includes a disturbing number of clergy), have no idea what the Word of God says because they never read or consult it for guidance or direction. I will submit to you that the only way you will survive this Age of Deception without being deceived, EVEN if you are a professing Christian, is if you know and understand what God’s Word has commanded and is demanding of us all. If you don’t make time to read and peruse God’s Word (the Bible) for instruction, guidance, and revelation, you will be lost in more ways than one. Therefore, I heartily urge you to make reading and meditation upon God’s Word a part of your daily routine. Turn off your TV, radio, computer, and cell phone and get away from other people long enough to read and ponder the meaning of at least one chapter from the Bible per day. Spend some time in prayer and meditation on God’s Word as well. I discuss these matters in great detail (reading, meditation upon God’s Word and prayer) in my recent book Seven Keys to Effective Prayer, which you can get in both print and eBook format from any of the major book retailers.
Don’t be deceived in this Age of Deception! Listen to God and follow His Word, and you won’t be deceived.