And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:12-13.
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. Galatians 2:4-5.
This is the third article in the continuation on the series on the Believer’s Awakening and Discernment against the Deception of the Last Days. Note: though the mystery of iniquity is in its high gear to crush the zeal, compress the spiritual devotion and put down the fervency of many in the church today (2 Thess.2:7), it is also the time of the Lord’s praise and commendation for some in the church who are faithfully keeping the word of his patience (Rev.3:10) for their steadfastness in the spirit and uprightness of heart to serve Christ in an unwavering faith and increasing love. They will do anything or give up whatever for the word of God to be fulfilled in them than for any jot of it to fall to the ground – patiently awaiting Christ return from heaven in their faithful continuation in the works of the Lord: and the Lord shall keep and preserved them from the hour of temptation which shall come to try them that dwell on earth when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among them that believe. 2 Thess1:10.
The text before us is very clear about two things (a) the inevitable increase – proliferation of sin which none of us can stop from occurring or do anything about it because the scripture cannot be broken: (b) the eternal fatal effect of such increase of diver sins in the world – the love of many shall wax cold – detached and unfeeling. The spiritual state of lukewarm believers should be taken seriously because the Lord will reject and spit the lukewarm out of his mouth unless they become closely attached to Christ. Rev. 3:16.
Do you remember how the love of God was first shed abroad into your heart from the beginning by the Holy Ghost? Rom. 5:8. Therefore, every now and then, you need to fuel up with the spirit of God each day in prayer to increase in your love in the spirit (Colossians 1:8), meaning increasing interest, increasing desire and increasing commitments to the things of the Spirit (be spiritually minded – mindfulness of God – the flesh profits nothing, but the spirit gives life) lest your heart be divided and your spiritual walk and life be affected by the evil influence of the increasing iniquity in the world to be found faulty before the Lord. Hos.10:2.
Believers must have and keep the fire of the spirit serving Christ who must be loved passionately and practically – in word and truth, the believers must have and keep the fire of the Spirit burning against spiritual complacency (Rom.12:11) which is sin as we see its three different damnable effects of spiritual poverty, spiritual nakedness and spiritual blindness in those who were once clothed in the righteousness of Christ and had once walked in the light of the Lord, but now, they are in the dark – blind in the Lord (I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may be rich; and white raiment, that thou may be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that thou may see. Revelation 3:18).
Christ must be followed out of the world as believer shun worldly and youthful lusts in separation from the ways of the ungodly and sinners. This is a big challenge and moment of a crucial decision making for worldly believers because of their love for the world with all its lusts and pride as they must overcome the evil effects and impact of mental and moral demoralization (disorder and confusion) of the increase of iniquity in the world if they are to abide and continue in the love God has for them, being rooted and grounded in his love as they grow in obedience, not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin – to keep the friendship and companionship with them who are serving and calling on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart – to commit themselves to the personal spiritual labor to enter into his rest, working diligently to make their calling and election sure in their build up preparation for heaven upon which each must make all diligence to improve upon, imploring God in prayers to strengthens each and everyone with all might in the inner man for increasing growth in those graces as it is required and expected from every one of us in Christ Jesus for the things should be in us and abounds in us to make facilitate our entrance into heaven. 2 Peter 1:8-9 and verses 10-11.
This is the period of time (this knows also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. 2 Timothy 3:1-9) for the souls who has received the incorruptible seed in the thorny and stony places of their hearts be swayed away and completely be destroyed by Satan because they will not change, though they are in Christ (Mat.13:20 -22): reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord has rejected them, you must therefore go far and away from such Christians. Jeremiah 6:27-30.
Everything is overcome by faith – the self or ego, the world, the false prophets and false teacher’s deception, the deception of false brethren, the deception of increasing sin in the world and the deception to discourage through lateness of Christ second coming. Those who are indeed crucified to the world and the world is crucified to them in Christ Jesus (Galatians 6:14) shall escape the infection and corruption of the augmentations of sin in the world with its negative impacts on some in the church. Any part of us – the love and affection we are holding back to fully give unto Christ shall be exploited by the flesh, the world and Satan as a breach against us, therefore is the love of Christ constraints us – to live as it becomes the gospel of Christ, and to live for him who died for us and rose again.
You know that the way of life is an highway of holiness, contrary to the pathway of death: though sin increases in the world, it cannot affect your love in the Lord if your focus and pursuit is single – eternal life. 1 Tim.6:12. You must be rooted and grounded in the word, love and faith of Christ (that Christ may dwell in your heart indeed by faith. Ephesians 3:17), lest you ended up joining the people of the world as you abound in the hope of eternal life and as you lay hold after it, for where faith is diminishing, hope shall likewise be weakened to fade progressively to be ship-wrecked. 1 Tim.1:19. You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin – this is your share in the affliction of the gospel according to the power of God – it is also your suffering in the flesh as Christ once suffered in the flesh, that you should ceased from sin, that you should no longer live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but for the will of God – it shall be the persecution for them who have chosen to live godly in Christ Jesus, even as Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season: now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13.
There is an ongoing intensification of bombardments and harassments of the spirit of sin unleashing on earth by Satan to corrupt the ways of every living being before God – this is Satan’s main goal, knowing that whosoever commits sin is of him. 1 John 3:8. This is also the wisdom and patience of Christ to continue in practicing and living for all that God has made Christ to become for them (righteousness, sanctification, redemption and wisdom) even as Christ made his final and bold address to the church that whosoever that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 21:11-12.
The book of Revelation chapter 12 verses 17 declares that the Devil is now on earth with a great wrath to persecute and to make war against the remnants of the seed of the woman which the keep the word of God and have the testimony of Christ because he knows that he has but a very short period of time on earth before his final judgment and condemnation into the eternal lake of fire. The battle of darkness and sin against truth, light and righteousness shall increase and be fierce as we approach the final countdown of the Lord’s second coming – now is the high time to awake out of sleep – out of cold love for Christ: for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed, the night is far spent and the day is at hand.
Compromising is the normal norm for many because their love is wax cold, thus the judgment shall first began at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17) because of the wickedness (and moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. Ecclesiastes 3:16-17) of the Lord’s people who are swayed away by the sinfulness and corruption in the world through lusts – Demas has forsaken me, having lost this present world. 2 Timothy 4:10.
This is the period of two different types of spiritual experiences in the lives of the people in the church: (a) few among the believers with understanding shall fall to make things better in the lives – to purify them and to make them white in preparation for the coming of Christ (and some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. Daniel 11:35): (b) many shall fall away because they will completely lose interest in godly lifestyle in preference for a corruptible lifestyle to deny Christ by their false and vain conversation – crucifying him the second time to bring him to an open shame – whose end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:4-8.
You should know that the last day is not the time and season to look or search for encouragement from some of the church pulpit or platform because many altars shall be polluted and the shepherds shall utter vain things, being corrupted and compromised by the world – while they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 2 Peter 2:19. If the leader is not speaking and walking uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, of a truth, he is on his way to perdition, and how will such be able to lead other souls safely to the shore of heaven? The head is sick, the whole heart is faint (Isaiah 1:5): but for any part of the member of the body be not infected, he must be severed from such head, in order word, such should walk away, abandon or forsake the assembly where appearances of evil and worldliness is prevailing in the church (2 Timothy 2:22) with no straight paths being made for the feet. Hebrews 12:13.