Snares of Satan

"The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers but the face
of the Lord against them that do evil.

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which

is good?" 1 Peter 3:12, 13 Satan's objective is to divide us from good and to turn us towards evil. Once he has done this, we turn from the righteous path to the unrighteous path; the unrighteous path leads straight to hell, right where he wants us. Satan targets our weakness to obtain his demonic objectives. Satan uses many devices to snare Gods people. He speaks to us in our thoughts, through other people, through situations, through our emotions, and through unexpected ways to cause us to do contrary to what God would have us do. He lies to us. He stirs up our emotions. He uses our anger, bitterness, fears, jealousy, envy, love, and even good intentions to persuade us to do contrary to God's will. He uses temptations, persecutions, and threats. He uses our ambitions of wanting to get ahead, and to prosper, and get more things. He uses our desire to be someone special. He causes many to believe the Bible is not true and others to believe the Bible does not mean what it really says. Because of Satan's lies, we become confused, and the Word of God becomes twisted in our mind. Satan conceals the truth in order to lead people away from the path of salvation. The best way of doing so is by imparting devious falsehoods to people. He attempts to attract them to his ranks by means of lies and empty promises. For example, he will promise heightened prestige, increased wealth, more sex, and a life of ease. Most of Satan's temptations come through the mind. He always tempts and attacks a person by stealthy, surreptitious, and covert ways. Satan realizes that God's children will rise up and withstand him vehemently if he attacks openly. This is the reason he tempts us by sneaking in stealthily and planting a thought in our mind unconsciously. Once the thought gets into us, we begin to think about it. If the more we dwell on a thought the more we feel justified and right, we have fallen into his snare. The thought that we have accepted is Satan's temptation. If we reject Satan's attacks in our mind, we will shut off the most vulnerable entrance of his temptations. 1

If a person pays too much attention to Satan's temptations, his mind will become confused, and he will easily become a prey to Satan's snares. As soon as a person's eyes are not focused on the Lord, he will find himself in trouble. How do we reject thoughts from Satan? It is easy to reject these thoughts. God has given us our mind; it is ours, not Satan's. We are the only ones who have the right to use our mind. Satan can only usurp our mind with deception. He will give us a thought, and we may think that this thought is ours. Actually, it is from Satan. As soon as we recognize that it is not ours, we have overcome. The Lord Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32). The truth is the fact. We will be set free once we know the fact. The power of Satan is in his lies; once his lies fail, his power is gone. Therefore, as soon as we realize that Satan is attacking us and that this is the fact, we are freed. On the positive side, we need to exercise our mind. Many people have lazy minds. This makes it easy for Satan's thoughts to lodge in them. Philippians 4:8 says, "What things are true, what things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things are pure, what things are lovely, what things are well spoken of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of these things." If we always set our mind on spiritual things, Satan will not be able to inject his thoughts into us easily. Satan is able to inject his thoughts into many people because they are passive, because they have too much spare time, or because their thoughts are unclean in the first place. Everyone of us faces failure in some area of our life at one time or another. It might be failure in marriage or finances or in everyday battles like our weight or habits. Whether it's addictions or mistakes, the reasons for failure are remarkably the same and the solution is always Jesus. One of the first steps to recovery is to realize we are all in a battle. This battle is waged in the physical realm, but our enemy is not physical. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Satan is the force behind life's hardships and he uses them as snares to steal, kill, and destroy us. If he can't totally destroy us, he will seek to at least maim us so that we will not be effective in our battle against him. As Peter put it, "Be

sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet. 5:8) However, Satan cannot just devour whomever he wants or otherwise he would. There is deliverance through Jesus. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:26, "...that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." There is recovery. There is complete restoration from Satan's snare available to all who believe. The Bible said we are to pray without ceasing. We are to turn to God to become the source of our solution. It's encouraging to have the resources of God on our side. All we need to do is to turn to God and His Word when we need solutions to our problems. Satan sets traps and his desire is to keep us in this trap, to stop us from being freed. However, when we come to the Lord in prayer, repenting and asking forgiveness for our sins, the Lord comes into our lives. He sets us free from the devil's trap. As long as we walk with the Lord and obey His Word, we are out of the snare of the enemy. However, the devil is continually setting traps, trying to draw us back into the snare of sin. Even though there is nothing that Satan desires more than to destroy confidence in God and in His word we are to use the Bible as our guide to avoid the snares of Satan. As Christians, we need to be constantly on guard, and we need to learn to recognize his tactics. Remember, there is day coming when Satans schemes and snares will be no more. When the devil is tempting you and you feel as though you are about to fall into his trap, look to God and read His Word. What did Jesus do when He was tempted by the devil? He said, It is written, and went on to quote Scripture. We can use the Bible to stand against the power of the enemy. We should study the Bible with humility of heart, never losing sight of our dependence upon God. While we must constantly guard against the devices of Satan, we should pray in faith continually so that we can overcome the snares of Satan.

The First Great Deception

The woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3: 2-5 Satan said "If you sin, you wont die, instead you will become as gods!" This is the first great deception. He declared that they would become like God, possessing greater wisdom than before and being capable of a higher state of existence. Eve yielded to temptation; and through her influence, Adam was led into sin. They accepted the words of the serpent, that God did not mean what He said; they distrusted their Creator and imagined that He was restricting their liberty and that they might obtain great wisdom and exaltation by transgressing His law. Satan's tools of deception remain the same today. He appeals to the weakness of our flesh, emotions and intellect. Satan deceived the very first people that God created. Adam and Eve were not in the devil's trap in the beginning; they were created without sin. They came into a perfect world and lived in a beautiful garden where everything was wonderful. God told them that there was only one thing they were not to do. And that thing was exactly what the devil wanted them to do; he wanted them to sin. In that case Satan tempted Eve to eat of that fruit; she listened and by taking a bite, she walked right into the devil's trap. She was not satisfied with being deceived alone, so she shared the fruit with Adam, and he ate. Sin entered into the world because of their disobedience, and since then all people have been born in sin. Eve's failure was a series of multiple errors. She refused to simply accept God at His Word. She doubted God, opening the door to the Devil's appeal to the flesh and her spiritual pride. She succumbed and sinned and in doing so plunged the entire world thereafter into sin.

Then she became a instrument of temptation herself and offered the fruit to her husband, Adam. She failed in her role as a helper and was the means in bringing his downfall. Sin and rebellion by its nature is contagious. Its effects are never confined to only the one who sins. It grows. It spreads and seeks to involve others as well. Eve, upon eating the fruit immediately sought Adam, who also ate of the fruit. Adam and Eve, having sinned had broken intimate fellowship with God. The effect of sin is always separation from God. This does not mean that God does not love us, but it means God by His nature must be separated from sin. The sin that plunged mankind into sin was not murder or some other gross sin, but a simple act of eating the fruit of a prohibited tree. The sin was disobedience. It shows that man was not capable of determining what was good and evil and that man must trust God in the matter. The tree was placed there to define good and evil. On all the earth there was only one source of temptation, that one tree. Adam and Eve, in reality did already know what was right and wrong. It was wrong to eat the fruit of that one tree. That had to exercise trust in God; God said it was forbidden and thus they had to accept that it was. God is our creator and thus has the right to establish laws that His creation live in an orderly manner. He wanted the very best for man, thus he had the right to prohibit man from doing that which was destructive to him. Thus he instructed man to always obey God. The tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil established the bonds of man's responsibility. Of all the trees in the garden man could freely eat, however this one tree was harmful and God told man not to eat of it. God gave man a will. Man was made a free being able and expected to use his God given ability to choose to correctly obey God. God must judge sin. Without responsibility for our actions the law is invalid. Adam and Eve

must have been greatly repentant of their deeds which had brought sin into the world. God, in His mercy made provision for them. He made coats of animal skins for them to wear. Earlier they had made themselves fig leaves to hide their nakedness, however their efforts were lacking.

Man's death was spiritual as well as physical. When he sinned he died spiritually being cut off from the source of life, which is God. In time sin works its way and all men eventually die. Romans 6:23, says, "The wages of sin is death...". Man is given time; time to live, experience life and also to seek God and be saved. We could save ourselves a lot of heartache, sin, and deception if we simply obeyed the clear commands of God, no matter how much we might not understand a certain situation or all the variables in it. Deplorable as Eve's sin was, Adam transgressed with eyes wide open. Even amid their ignorance, they could have saved themselves from deception simply by obeying God, trusting that His way was the best way, even when they didn't fully understand it. Deceived by Satan's subtle and not-so-subtle lies, the human race fell. Instantly, the whole relationship between heaven and earth changed. At that moment, the history of the universe altered. Satan's rebellion, once confined only to himself and the fallen angels, had now gained a foothold in a new world. Satan's attack is designed to undermine our foreparents confidence that God really had their welfare in mind. That was Satan's attack then, and that his approach now--to get us to distrust God, to believe that he really does not have our welfare in mind. Eve was beaten from the moment she accepted the idea that God was not to be fully trusted. That is why I am convinced that everything the devil does is designed for one purpose only: to draw us away from God's love. It is not so much that the devil hates us, but that he hates God and will do anything to break his heart. And nothing breaks God's heart more than being separated from those he loves. Satan, Jesus said, is a liar and a murderer. His goal is destruction; his method is deception. He is the source of all our doubts about God's goodness. He is the one behind the deceits that buffet us all day long--the messages that encourage us to find something or someone more trustworthy than God; the subtle seductions to meet our own needs rather than trust God's provision. The devil fills us with guilt over the past, denying God's forgiveness. He makes us anxious about the present by insinuating that God cannot provide. He exacerbates the final terror of death, ignoring the Lord's conquest over the tomb. 6

Anxiety, guilt, and fear: these are the marks of Satan's presence. They are based on the lie that God cannot or will not do anything about our condition; that our sin, our suffering, our inadequacy, our destiny all are beyond his control and care. Satan's subtle craft is to make us suspicious of God. "He is holding out on you," he whispers in our ears. That is Satan's fundamental deception. Adam and Eve's doubting of God has been passed on like a virus to every human being since that time, except one. Satans careful planning and cunning deception coupled with Eves willingness to listen and then cooperate with this deception was a disaster for mankind. Although Adam and Eve failed miserably by eating the fruit and thus cast the human race into sin, death and misery, Jesus Christ emerged the victor when tempted by Satan. Jesus, our perfect and beloved example said: It is written! It is written! It is written! When temptation arises the Scripture must be in our hearts and on our lips. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes (Ps. 119:11-12). Christians must always be on their guard against temptations which come from loved ones, spouses, relatives, and close friends, for often these types of temptations are the stealthiest and hardest to resist. Poison is more readily accepted from the cup of a friend than an enemy. The key to life is believing that God is good. If you do not believe this, you will be taking responsibility for your own life. You will know that you have found God when you believe that He is good, no matter what the circumstances may seem to be saying. Every temptation of the devil is designed to draw us away from the love of God, who is the only one who can give us life and love. We should not use God to solve our problems. We should use our problems to find God. That is what they are designed to do. May God grant to us the eyes of faith to see difficult circumstances as opportunities to draw closer to Him.

Can Our Dead Speak To Us?

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Ecclesiastes 9:5 When Adam and Eve sinned, the image of God was marred, not obliterated. There remained in people the desire for goodness, a longing in their hearts for the relationship with God that they had lost. It is this desire, this longing for spiritual oneness with their Creator, that Satan took advantage of in order to bring them under his control. One of the most successful avenues through which he has attempted to do so is through spiritualism. Ever since God expressed His love for humankind, Satan has used whatever means possible to destroy the human race. One such means is for him to take advantage of the desire in the human heart for fellowship with the Creator. To do this, Satan works through mediums to establish contact with the "spirit" world. The fallen angels who do his bidding appear as messengers from the spirit world. While professing to bring the living into communication with the dead, Satan exercises his bewitching influence upon their minds. He has power even to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words and the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven, and without suspicion of danger they give ear to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. These persons overlook the testimony of the Scriptures concerning the wonders wrought by Satan and his agents. It was by satanic aid that Pharaoh's magicians were enable to counterfeit the work of God. Men are deceived by the miracles which Satan's agents have power to do, not which they pretend to do.

We all need to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we do not need to fear Satan or his fallen angels. The Holy Spirit, which one receives when he or she is baptized "into" Christ, is greater and more powerful than the power of Satan, which is in the world. May everyone of us commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and follow His ways. It was Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, except through Me." (John 14:6) Those who oppose the teachings of Spiritualism are assailing, not men alone, but Satan and his angels. Those who would stand in the time of peril must understand the testimony of the Scriptures concerning the nature of man and the state of the dead, for in the near future many will be confronted by the spirits of devils personating beloved relatives or friends and declaring the most dangerous heresies. Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. We must all be prepared to withstand them with the Bible truth that the dead know not anything, and that they who thus appear are the spirits of devils and that our dead cannot speak to us.

Liberty Threatened

Of

Conscience

"They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Matthew 23:4 Liberty for each individual to decide for himself what is to him religious. Conscience is the sacred ground in the human soul where we listen for the voice of God and respond to it. Liberty of conscience is sacred and inviolable because it is the necessary pre-requisite for people to hear the gospel and receive it. We are not born into the kingdom of God. Salvation is not our birthright and it is not something we earn or deserve. Real faith does not come by coercion. God extends grace to us freely and it must be received freely. To be free to receive it means that we must also be free to reject it. Liberty of conscience is not simply a right for religious people. It is the right of all people in a free society. Liberty of conscience is thoroughly detested by the papacy. According to the papacy, a person is not entitled to freely worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Liberty of conscience differs from Christian liberty. Liberty of conscience is the freedom to interpret and apply God's Word to one's own life. The Christian is to render due submission in the Lord to any lawful authority, but he has the right to disagree with any improper use of human authority. If that authority requires him to sin, he must obey God rather than man. Gone are the days when Protestants were against the teachings of Catholicism. Gone are the days when Protestants placed a high value upon the liberty of conscience. More and more they are inclining toward Catholics, not because Catholicism has changed but because Protestantism has so greatly degenerated since the days of the Reformers.

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Soon, Sunday keeping will be enforced and thus, liberty of conscience will be threatened as, as Rome is aiming to re-establish her lost supremacy. That is, to be the world power. As a result, very soon Gods people will be forced to worship mans Sabbath instead of Gods Sabbath. God's word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution.

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The Impending Conflict

"The earth mourneth and fadeth away," "the haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." Isaiah 24:4, 5. Satans object is to use deception as a weapon against Gods people, thus leading them to transgress Gods law. He wants to overthrow Gods law and so has entered in open rebellion against God. Using deception, Satan has caused man to have doubts about Gods law. His deception also caused doubts about Gods Word, as a result, there are few who really accept it as the guide of life. The Christian world is rejecting the truth presented in the Bible, but in rejecting the Bible truth, they in turn are rejecting its Author. Man is spiritualizing the Bible and worshipping idols, but the most striking error is the belief that Gods law is no longer binding upon men. But how can man say that Gods law is no longing binding when God has put the law in our minds and write it upon our hearts. By opposing Gods law we are bestowing power upon Satan. The time is fast approaching when the observance of Sunday worship will be enforced and Gods true people will be condemned and persecuted for observance of the Seventh Day Sabbath. Protestantism will enjoin with Romanism in Sunday sacredness which will incite the United States to follow the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. It is very evident that Satan is working assiduously to overthrow God. He will favour and prosper some in order to further his won designs and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them. The impending conflict between good and evil will test the faith of the Christian world.

God never forces the will or conscience of man. He wants us to freely love Him and have faith in Him. But Satan refuses to take that risk. If left to their own free will and conscience, Satan 12

knows that Gods people will gravitate towards good rather than evil. Therefore, to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce, Satan uses fear or force to rule the conscience and secure homage to himself. And how does he do this? By moving secular and religious authorities to enforce human laws in defiant of Gods laws.

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The Scriptures A Safeguard

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. 2 Peter 1:19. The Scriptures are our safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of the spirits of darkness. In order to endure and overcome the trials and tribulations as a result of Satans deceptions, Gods people will have to understand and know His will, as revealed in the scriptures. However, those who observe mans law rather than Gods law would not want the Bible truth because it will interfere with the desires of the sinful, world-loving heart. Only the Bible gives a current view of things to come. The Bible reveals the great final scenes in the history of our world. It is the most instructive Book that man possesses. It was written through the divine inspiration of God. It is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. The Bible is the primary source of our knowledge of God. At the end of time, Satan will be working with all power, signs and lying wonders that will deceive everyone who does not love the truth as revealed in Gods word. However, we cannot automatically reject all supernatural events. God uses miracles too. So what can we trust? How can we keep from being deceived? Thy word is truth, John 17:17. The Bible gives us infallible guidance on how to keep from being deceived, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to His Word, it is because there is no light in them, Isaiah 8:20. To avoid being deceived, we must test all doctrines and experiences by the Scriptures. Whatever contradicts the Bible is false. Gods Word is more sure than what we see, hear and experience. "The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest place in education."--Ed 16, 17.

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God's Word applies to all areas of life. Since it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our whole life. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. We are saved by grace through faith and our faith is tutored and strengthened through God's inspired word. God uses the Scriptures to breathe His Spirit into our life. He uses His Word as a means of speaking His Grace into our lives, so that we may use the Scriptures as a safeguard. God not only gave us His word in order to want to show us what is true but to equip us to live for Him. The true power of the word of God comes not in just informing us but in transforming us-in freeing us to live fully for God. We are not just expected to know about God's word but to know it, be familiar with it and live it with all our heart and strength.

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The Final Warning

"I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:1, 2, 4. Our world has just about reached the limit of Gods mercy and forbearance. Mans pride and arrogance, his greed and selfishness, his violence and brutality have reached a level which is intolerable. The suffering of millions caused by mans inhumanity to man is appalling to those watching this drama of earth. The end must come soon. God, of course, will not destroy this world without first warning us of the impending doom, but most of the people will ignore the warnings, just as they did in Noahs time. Noah preached to the people for 120 years, trying to warn them of what was going to happen, but none would listen. They mocked and ridiculed as he gave the warning that rain would fall to such an extent that the whole world would be flooded. They laughed and insulted as he constructed the ark which carried him and his family safely through the flood. The people would not believe Noah because it had never rained on the earth before. Rain was an utter impossibility, they said; and the people continued the evil and violence so detestable to God. Likewise, as our world rapidly approaches the final catastrophic events of this earths history, most disregard the abundant warnings and advice God has given concerning the end. Instead of believing God, they believe the scientists and false ministers, who proclaim a more credible report. In this they make a fatal error. The last warning which God has given to our dying world is an admonition to obey God and to have nothing to do with any of the false religions in the world today. Revelation 14:6,7: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them

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that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. The message itself is a command to worship God, the Creator, and to return to the pure religion of Christ. It is a command to worship God in Biblical purity and truth, without defilement by heathen doctrines or mens traditions. The fact that a message such as this is in the Bible for these last days indicates that men have corrupted their religion and have fallen away from worshiping (obeying) God in the proper way. Men have been involved with tradition and pagan practices so long that these practices seem normal and right, but God warns against these things. Satan has been trying for nearly 6,000 years to get mankind to break Gods laws. He has tried enticement with sinful pleasures. He has tried deception to convince mankind that the wrong way is the correct way. He has infiltrated his ministers into the churches. He has used force. He is using communism in an attempt to remove all traces of the Word of God from the earth. But no matter what he has done, there have always been a few people who have been true to God. In these last hours of earths history the devil is getting desperate, for he knows that he is going to die, and he can see that Christ will, indeed, have His people for whom He is patiently waiting. Once more Satan is going to employ force, this time to a degree never before attempted in an effort to exterminate every one of Christs true people. Satan, of course, will be the driving influence behind this national Sunday law. Satan will make the lives of the righteous extremely miserable, while trying to convince them that their doctrines are incorrect. Who shall be able to stand? Only the righteous who keep all of the Ten Commandments and put their complete trust in God, for without the grace of God our situation in this world would be completely hopeless. All are encouraged to heed the final warning. Proverbs 14:7,9 says: Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge. Fools make a mock at sin.

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The Time of Trouble

"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people will be delivered." Daniel 12:1This text speaks of the greatest time of trouble. Daniel 12:1 speaks of the greatest time of trouble. The Time of Trouble begins with the close of human probation. It is a time when Christ's mediation is finished in heaven (Dan 12:1), "the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor," and the Spirit of God is withdrawn. It is a time when nation will rise against nation and the whole world is "in confusion. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old. It is a time when there is no goodness in the wicked. It is a time when "Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it" (Amos 8:12). It is a time when the whole world is wondering after and worshipping the papacy. It is a time when America leads the rest of the nations to give homage to the papacy. It is the time when Satan is here on the planet pretending to be Christ. It is the time when a death decree is issued to enforce Sabbath keepers to conform or die. It is the time when spirits of devils will go to the whole world, using miracles to deceive. As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir up the wicked to destroy Gods people in the time of trouble. The time of trouble is all about a period of time on earth when there exists in the world a political and social atmosphere conducive to repentance and faith.

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Gods People Delivered

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Psalm 46:1-3. Gods People will be delivered at the second advent of Christ. Only those who have honored God by keeping all His commandments will be blessed. The law they have despised condemns the wicked. Those in religious office have compelled Gods people to profane the Sabbath. Gods Second Advent will be a glorious one. It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears shining in its strength. Startling signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. All Gods people will be set free upon His glorious appearing. Those in the grave will arise to meet Him some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt, Daniel 12:2. Those who have long been waiting for His glorious appearing are now aglow with wonder, faith and love, and the glory of Heaven is beaming from gates ajar. The living righteous are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal, and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Friends long separated by death are united, never more to part. Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers arms, and together, with sons of gladness, they ascend to the city of God. Gods people will enter the pearly gates and behold the Paradise of God and the Saviour will beam with utterable love as He welcomes the redeemed to the joy of their Lord.

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With Christs second advent to deliver His people, there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more weeping and the King of glory shall wipe all tears from all faces and all cause of grief will be removed. There will be singing and rejoicing in Heaven because Gods people are delivered.

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Desolation of the Earth

"Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. . . In the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, . . . saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come." Revelation 18:5-10. It is clear from the Word of God that in the last days great desolation will occur throughout the earth. According to Isaiah 24 the suffering that accompanies this desolation will be universal. No one will be exempted. As with the people so with the priest, as with the servant so with the master, as with the buyer so with the seller, as with the maid so with the mistress, as with the borrower so with the lender. There will be a perilous increase in desolations at the end of salvation history, due wholly to the wilful sin of man. The world has sinned greatly in its rejection of the truth. The desolation of the earth is the result of sin and is designed to turn man back to God in repentance and faith. 'The curse has devoured the earth'. In other words, when man trangresses the Law and changes the ordinances of God he literally defiles the earth. The earth is made desolate 'because the inhabitants of the earth have broken the everlasting Covenant.' God is not mocked. Man reaps what he sows. The desolation of the earth is due to man's arrogant refusal to acknowledge God and to give Him glory. It is proof

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of the destructive power of sin and it is bound to increase because the present generation has trampled on the everlasting covenant of God. The world is overflowing with abominations all of which cause desolation in the earth and add to the suffering of man. Homosexuality, adultery, paedophylia, abortion and the joining of the Church to pagan religions for the sake of peace and unity - these are all abominations in the sight of God. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. Only those who are 'in Christ' will be able to stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when He comes to judge the earth in righteousness and truth. Only those who know the Lord and love Him will be gathered into His Presence before the final desolation of the earth takes place. Let us return to the Lord and seek His face whilst there is still time.

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The Controversy Ended

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." Matthew 25:40. At the close of the Millennium, 1000 years, Christ will return to the earth and the Holy City will descend from Heaven. Christ will raise the wicked which will mark the second resurrection, and Satan is let loose to deceive them again. Seeing the great multitudes on his side, Satans hope is revived and they are ready to receive his suggestions and to do his bidding. His object is to overthrow the Holy City, but he is never a match for our Lord and Saviour and this time was no different. Gods majesty holds the wicked captive and Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. However, he is not willing to concede defeat, He rushesinto the midst of his subjects, and endeavours to inspire them with his own fury and arouse them to instant battle. But of all the countless millions whom he has allured into rebellion, there are none now to acknowledge his supremacy. His power is at an end. The wicked are filled with the same hatred of God that inspires Satan; but they see that their case is hopeless, that they cannot prevail against Jehovah. All the wicked is destroyed and the earth is made new. And every creature which is in heaven , and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and eve. Revelation 5:13.

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Read The Great Controversy to discover the reason for pain and suffering in the world. Is God in control? Find out in this stunning and clearly written picture of the great conflict we are living in right now.

As you start the first page, it grips your attention with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. From there it moves on with a unique view of history from the perspective of Gods true church and Satans continual attack from within. It continues with this perspective of history up until our time and into the near future at the final resolution.

The Great Controversy cuts through culture and tradition to bring us back to the Bible and

real truths. Find out what the Bible really says about hell, the state of the dead, Gods law, and most of all Gods love.

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At the root of the great controversy lie several issues. Some of these include Gods law, His character and authority, His justice and mercy, His prerogatives, and the position of His Son, Jesus. Satan raised these issues while he was an angel of light in heaven, and he is still raising them globally and in our personal lives. Christ and Satan, the chief contenders in the great controversy, both employ certain strategies and weapons. But Satans attempts to coerce, spread fear, and tell lies about Gods character are not match for us as we learn to trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and His love for us. Praise be to God for His love and mercy, two (2) indestructible weapons in the fight against sin.

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