The End of This Age

There are many today who are preaching that there is going to be a great end time revival whereby hundreds of millions are going to come to Christ. In fact, some are preaching that it is the job of the church to get to work making this happen so that Jesus can return. But there is no such indication in scripture. The revelation of scripture is that there will be a great end time apostasy and deception.

Despite this terrible fact, God will have His witness to Christ. Parallel to this great end time apostasy there will be an end time manifestation of Jesus Christ – through His people. Indeed, it is the rejection of this manifestation of Christ that will fuel the end time apostasy. The majority of people will NOT respond to Christ. They will either be deceived, or simply be indifferent.

Since the sin of Adam, the world has been in bondage to darkness. But that bondage is not simply ignorance. Rather, it means that this world has been greatly influenced by evil spirits, deceived by evil spirits, demonized, and even possessed by these wicked beings. Indeed, the Truth of God in Jesus Christ – or the knowledge of the one true God -- was virtually unknown until the last two-thousand years. It was only when Jesus came, worked the Redemption, and the gospel was preached, that the grip that the powers of evil had on this earth began to be pushed out or restrained.

Of course, there have been ebbs and flows. There have been times of great spiritual darkness and times of world upheavals. Many human beings continued to sin and ignore God. Yet through it all, the name of Jesus Christ was made known. And that alone was enough to restrain most evil, and keep it from being normalized on a wide scale.

However, over the last 60 years or so, things have taken a drastic turn for the worst. God and His Son, Jesus Christ, have been slowly and progressively abandoned. Even the church has compromised with the Truth. As a result, the evil that had been pushed back and restrained has once again gained the upper hand. Today the powers of darkness are invading the world and the church in a rapidly accelerating matter. And there seems to be no answer. Indeed, deception and perversion has become so normalized that many are not looking for solutions – they are at home in what is happening. To them, it is freedom and enlightenment. Evil and perversion is becoming normalized and even celebrated.

What has happened is not merely the rejection of the Truth in Christ. No. That rejection has happened before to varying degrees. There have been long periods in the history of the world and church where false religion has prevailed, tyrants have ruled, and evil has reached new lows. But what has NOW happened is something entirely new – it is something that has NEVER happened before on such a universal scale. Rather than the refusal to receive the Truth of Christ – there is now a forfeiting of the Truth once received. It is apostasy to a shocking degree of depth and scope.

It is one thing to practice evil in secret. That has always been going on in this world, and to a degree in the church. But today that is no longer the case. Today evil is out in the open – it is being NORMALIZED and CELEBRATED more and more. Moral good, and certainly Christianity, is being vilified. It is being labeled, at best, as judgmental, but at worst, it is being called bigotry and hate speech.

No one needs to be caught up in this evil. Jesus Christ will always be present, inviting people to turn to Him – to turn away from evil, or to turn to Him for the first time. But many, if not most, are not going to turn to Him. The fact is, this age is going to end only one way: In widespread apostasy. What we see and witness now is going to get much worse.

If human beings were doing all of this by their own initiative and unbelief, it would be bad enough. And make no question, anyone who is caught up in this evil IS responsible for themselves, and will answer to God. But behind all of the human sin is unspeakable spiritual evil. There are forces of evil – once cast out – that are now moving back in. And the state of humanity, as bad as it once was in centuries past, is going to be worse. It is already well on the way.

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, then, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (II Peter 2:20-21)

It is simply NOT possible to receive the Truth and then forfeit it – but then to return to your prior spiritual condition. No. Once you receive light you SEE. And you can never be the same again. The choices are to either continue walking in the light as He is in the light, or to deliberately close your eyes to the light you received. But if you do, the result will be an INNER darkness. The latter state will be worse than the first because you have rejected light. And that is a recipe for the judgment of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:19-20)

The basis for the judgment of God upon any person, church, or nation, is that, “light IS come.” At that point, the choice is either to love light rather than darkness, or to love darkness rather than light. The important word here is RATHER. There would be no choice possible unless light had been given. But once it is given it is not possible to go back. You must choose one RATHER than the other – light rather than darkness or darkness rather than light.

This is exactly the case not only with the church, but to a great extent, the Judeo-Christian nations. Light was given. The gospel was preached. Nations were founded on the basis of that light; on the basis of the Bible. But it is now being forfeited.

How does God judge people, churches, or nations for rejecting the Truth? For rejecting LIGHT? He gives them exactly what they have chosen: Darkness. And everything that goes with it. But when God gives up a person, church, or nation to darkness, they will be left susceptible to their own lusts of the flesh. Worse, they will be left vulnerable to the power of that darkness. As terrifying as this might sound, it is what is happening right now on a scale never before seen.

Evil is being brought out into the open as never before. But along side of that, God will continue to manifest Christ. As we progress, it is going to be impossible to sit on the fence. The choice will be clear – good from evil, right from wrong, light from darkness, revival from apostasy. Most are not going to turn to Christ. This age will end with the Second Coming of Christ. But as Jesus asked: “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

It is not possible to lose your salvation -- not if you are truly born from above. But there are MANY who have professed Christ, but not repented and received Him. They have seemingly embraced the Truth. But in this day and age there is a great separation taking place -- a division between the wheat and the tares. God wants those who profess Christ to reject evil and embrace Him and become born again. He ALWAYS holds out redemption to ALL. But because iniquity abounds, the love of the Truth has grown cold in many -- they are abandoning even their profession. For those that do, there is no turning back into ignorance. There is only an inward darkeness.

Despite all of the false religion that has attached itself to the name of Jesus Christ, and despite the sometimes false witness that has emerged from professing believers, God has nevertheless had a witness unto Christ over the last two thousand years.

The witness of Christ has had a spiritual impact. For example, there has been a general trend towards freedom over the last centuries – especially since the Reformation. Nations, especially the USA, have been founded upon Biblical principles. The name of Jesus Christ, and the name of God, had been proclaimed and honored. And despite the fact that this alone does not eradicate sin, it is nevertheless something that God honors. There has been a significant impact upon the forces of evil – the forces of evil have been restrained or pushed out by the name of Jesus Christ.

In times past, especially before Christ, demon worship – including demon possession -- used to the norm in this world. Proof of that has been discovered everywhere by archeology. Human behavior used to be barbaric. But laws and government – usually through much war and trauma – became more and more based on Christian principles. Human behavior and thinking became much more sane and moral. Of course, this did not happen everywhere. But GENERALLY -- it did happen in those nations where the gospel of Jesus Christ – where the name of Jesus Christ – was honored.

But in this day and age all of this has changed. As we approach the end of this present age, there has been a renewed and rapid infiltration of evil into every aspect of human life. That evil is waxing worse and worse – descending to depths never seen before. Millions of people are being swept up in it. What used to be morally unthinkable is more and more becoming normalized.

There are many people, including many in the church, who hope that this will pass and that there will be a return to some semblance of the way things used to be. Many believers are praying for God to intervene – and to restore morality and reverence for Truth. But the reality is, there is no possibility that this is going to happen – not on any wide scale. This world, and in fact, the church, has cross a line -- and there is no way back.

This is not to say that individuals cannot repent. They absolutely can repent. But most won’t. In general, churches, governments, and society as a whole, will never be the same.

What has happened? Well, that which served as a restraint against the forces of evil – the honoring of Jesus Christ; the presence of Christ in His people – this has more and more been FORFEITED. And as it has been forfeited, the forces of evil have infiltrated.

We have already quoted one scripture from the NT that describes the consequences of giving away Truth once received. We repeat it here:

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (II Peter 2:20-21)

You will note that the damage that is done by such sin and unbelief is only secondarily OURWARD. The real damage is INWARD. It is damage to person’s mind, and to their spiritual life. There is a spiritual corruption and a moral perversion that takes place. This is because human beings are MORAL creatures that not only must make moral choices, but we are creatures upon whose very being those moral choices register. In addition, every one of those choices have spiritual implications. These choices are ultimately a choice for Satan, or a choice for Jesus Christ.

The forfeiting of light received is a choice FOR darkness. But darkness always carries horrible consequences. We could turn to any number of passages in scripture to prove this, but one that applies – at least in principle – is found in Matthew 12:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he finds [it] empty, swept, and garnished. Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matt. 12:43-44)

In the above passage from Matthew, Jesus states a spiritual principle. He was most definitely applying that principle to the nation Israel – that is seen with His words, “so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” But the spiritual principle Jesus states applies to ANY nation, ANY church, and ANY individual. It is the Truth about the nature of things. If we read the passage this is clear – Jesus speaks of an individual MAN but applies the principle to the nation.

Jesus talks about a person who had been possessed by a demon. That person, however, had been delivered. We can be sure that this person had at least turned to God and wanted deliverance, since he would have not gotten free otherwise. The fact that Jesus says that, “the house” – which is this person – initially became, “empty, swept, and garnished,” one he was delivered, suggests a person who had turned to God and gotten his life in order. They had seen some Truth and had responded to it.

Jesus’ description of what had happened to this person applies to the nation of Israel. Israel had been in captivity in Egypt – in bondage, yes, to Pharaoh, but actually in bondage to, “the gods of Egypt.” Again and again in the account of their deliverance, “the gods of Egypt,” are said to be the real power that held them captive. Yet Israel was delivered, and given the Promised Land. They were given the Old Testament scriptures. They were given a revelation of the one true God. They were given the Messiah Himself. In one sense of the word, in comparison to what they were in Egypt, the nation had become spiritually, “empty, swept, and garnished.”

What Jesus goes on to say in this passage is of vital importance. We are apt to think that a delivered life, which is now, “empty, swept, and garnished,” is a wonderful thing – and initially it certainly would seem so, at least in comparison to the condition from which that person or nation had been delivered. But it is actually a very precarious condition. Why? Because an, “empty, swept, and garnished,” life – as Jesus means it in this passage – is a life that is NOT yet filled with God and His Son.

It is one thing to be delivered FROM evil. But it is entirely another thing to be delivered UNTO Jesus Christ. According to Jesus, if we are merely delivered from evil, but do not go on to fill our lives with HIMSELF – the enemy will come back and seek to fill the void.

Jesus is NOT describing a VICTIM. No. There is great accountability here. This person, and it is certainly the case with Israel, knew enough to at least TURN TO GOD. The deliverance itself would provide at least that much light, if not more. Read the gospels, noting the rebukes spoken by Jesus to the Scribes, Pharisees, and the nation as a whole. It is clear that He knows they are accountable – they have enough to turn to God; enough to recognize HIM as the Messiah. But they did not.

So, we see that being delivered from evil, darkness, ignorance, sin – you name it – is a wonderful mercy of God – but it is all UNTO a greater purpose. Our house -- now empty, swept, and garnished -- must be filled with the Person of Jesus Christ. We must not neglect the Truth. We must not, having been delivered, live on our own terms. If we do, we are going to be deceived. The last state will become worse than the former.

In this we see a great and terrible Truth: When a person or nation hears the Truth and rejects or resists it, there are going to be consequences. But what Jesus is describing is something else; something worse. He is describing a person or nation who did not initially reject the Truth – but in fact embraced it. Yet now they are forfeiting it. They are pushing away, suppressing, evicting, neglecting, diminishing, and despising the Truth once received. The result is not that they return to the condition from which they were initially delivered. Rather, they descend into a much WORSE depravity and darkness. They become all the more vulnerable to the spiritual forces of evil.

In this we see accountability to God. The human race is accountable only for the light which God gives. But make no mistake, for the light which God gives, WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE. Light rejected results in darkness, but light embraced, and then later rejected, results in a greater inward condition of darkness, resulting in sin and depravity that is much worse.

We need to be clear about this: Darkness is the result of refusing light. It is the nature of things. And if a person does that then God will judge them worthy of their choice and give them over to that darkness and everything that goes with it.

God will send a strong delusion upon those who choose to love darkness rather than light. Why? Because God must allow them to fully experience the choice they have made. At that point, it is the only option – indeed the only possibility that they might even yet turn back to Christ.

This illustration given by Jesus is a precise description of this world today, this nation, and the church. It is a description of apostasy – at least the beginnings of the great end time apostasy.

The issue here is not politics, foreign policy, economies, or world peace. Rather, the issue is man’s relationship and accountability to God. That is now being refused, neglected, and forfeited at an alarmingly rate. This is a direction that is NOT going to be reversed in this age. We have crossed a moral and spiritual line into a new dimension of evil not seen since the days of Noah -- and humanity, as a whole, not going to turn back.

This world and the church once had the Truth – at least enough honor God and to turn to Christ. But it has been forfeited. That has opened the door for the evil that had once been driven out. It is coming back and will be much worse than we can imagine. However, God will seek to salvage willing individuals from out of this apostasy to Christ. Many, perhaps most, will reject Him – but He is always faithful to raise up a standard. He will maintain a clear witness to His Son and invite all to come to Him.

We are apt to think that the goal of Satan in all of this is to keep human beings out of heaven and to get them into hell. But that isn’t the real end game. The real end game is to destroy what a human being IS – for to destroy what a human being IS would destroy the purpose in human beings that God has in Jesus Christ.

God has destined humanity to have dominion in and through Christ. Satan got Adam to forfeit that dominion and today he remains, “the god of this world.” He is not going to relinquish this position quietly. Thus, having failed to destroy, “the seed of the woman,” Satan now desires to destroy all who could come into the fullness of God’s purpose through Him.