This is the foreword to my new upcoming book. I pray that it richly blesses you as we prepare for times now and the days ahead.
Foreword
It was the best of times,
It was the worst of times.
It was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness.
It was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity.
It was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness.
It was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair.[1]
--Taken from the classic novel A Tale of Two Cities authored by Charles Dickens.
As famously written in the classic novel by Charles Dickens published in 1859, A Tale of Two Cities, these are the best of times and worst of times. But, one may ask, how can it be the best of times when all types of evil, deception, debauchery, and idolatry are taking place in the world today and even creeping into the church? Believers can say this because of our faith and hope in what Jesus promised. The Bible says: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3). The best of times may not be felt or visible at this moment. Nevertheless, we can speak these things as though they were (Romans 4:17). By doing so, we have already taken hold of the Lord’s promises for our future, even in the worst of times, if we do not allow the devil’s deception to blind us by what has and is creeping into many houses of worship.
The church is to be a place where healing, deliverance, encouragement, instruction, and spiritual growth occur. It is not to be viewed as merely a structure of attendance; instead, we, as believers, are to be the church in which Christ dwells. The Bible says: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands” (Acts 17:24). Unfortunately, many believers have forgotten this, and Satan has been allowed to enter the doors and pulpits of many houses of worship through false teachers, pastors, prophets, evangelists, and apostles, just to name a few. The Apostle Paul tells us that Christ gave His body the five-fold ministry, yet many have taken it upon themselves to wear the title without appropriately doing the work. The Bible says: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). What a great honor it is to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He has given to us, but renegades of truth have penetrated the believers. Yes, the 5-fold ministry has been infiltrated with apostates and their heretical teachings, while many of their members in the pews beg for more. These members, who have agreed and allied with their false teachers, are allergic to the truth. As with any allergy, coming near the allergen, in this case, TRUTH, causes symptoms by which they wish to whitewash with 10mg of falsehood.
These heretics induce the high emotions of their members at any given service, broadcast, podcast, or blog in an attempt to fill their coffers, only to abuse and misuse their positions instead of warning the people regarding the judgment that will soon take place upon the earth for the wicked and the compromised church. Sadly, many believers have been lulled to sleep while the alarms surround them with high-pitch ringing. Yet, only those who will heed the warnings in God’s Word will make it through the worst of times because the best of times will never be seen again on this earth until the Millennium Reign of Christ. And yes, the worst of times is approaching ever so close as this nation and the world are becoming more infatuated with darkness over the Light.
If self-professed Christians think the world will improve without Christ, based on political promises of a better tomorrow, scientific discoveries, diversity and inclusivity of those with gender dysphoria, and the soon-to-be-announced alien encounters, they are already deceived. They are delusional if they fall for the lies that many pastors, media, and politicians tell them regarding a better day on earth apart from God will take place with a single vote. They are mistaken if they believe God is not paying attention to those who claim to be His but act like the ungodly. They are already lost if they think their salvation is secure while living worse than heathens. The underworld will be their home if believers feel they will slide their way into Heaven with stain-filled garments. The Bible says: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (Titus 1:16). Therefore, let’s take great care to pay attention to the warnings of Jude and 2 Peter, for they are timeless and applicable to the church today.
[1] Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (Scotts Valley: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015), 3.
Very good!
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