STAND FOR JESUS OR YOU WON’T STAND AT ALL!
Romans 1:24-32 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversions. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Well, sad to say things haven’t changed too much since Paul’s day with the exception that it seems to have only gotten worse. The reason that things are only worse is that the return of Jesus is getting nearer with each passing day. I Know that people have been saying this since Jesus left this earth. Scripture even addresses this in II Peter 3:1-18. Summing it up it says that the Lord is patient not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. I would encourage you to read this entire passage, but for the sake of time and space I will not type it all out. God wants everyone to have a chance to find salvation in Jesus. God doesn’t want anyone to have to go to hell for all eternity. The thing is as we see in Revelation 12:12 that Satan is filled with fury, because he knows the time is short.
From the very beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden, Satan has been trying to turn humanity away from God. He began with the lie that God didn’t have Adam and Eve’s best interest in mind, and was only keeping them from becoming like God. In fact this was the very thing that got Satan and the other fallen angels cast out of heaven in the first place. Since then he and the other fallen angels have been trying to get as many people to resent the Lord and rebel from him as they can. The thing is they know that there is a limitation to the time that they have. In Matthew 8:29 a demon even acknowledges this by saying, “Son of God, have you come to torture us before the appointed time?” There will come a time as it says in II Peter 3:10 that Jesus will come suddenly a thief and then the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be bare or burned up.
Just last night I was watching a program on the National Geographic channel about space and one of the scientist made the comment that in the back of everyone’s mind is that we need to get off this planet and find a place where humanity can make a new start. Then he added, “There is a 100 percent certainty that earth will be destroyed!” This was not even a Christian program or a Christian that said this! Have you ever wondered why we and other countries like Russia are spending trillions of dollars putting stuff up in space? Well, it is not because we have too much money! They know something that they are not telling us, or they read the Book of Revelation! Chances are they are putting their belief in what their research has shown them!
When we look to the Book of Revelation we see that seven years leading up to Jesus’ return that sin wickedness and evil will be rampant just like in the days of Noah, and as in the days of Noah God’s judgment will come quickly. Even though God will warn of his return and that there needs to be repentance they will refuse to repent. Consequently great amount of death and destruction will come on the earth. During the last seven years of tribulation there will come a person that is antichrist that will consolidate many nations in an effort to unite the world under his demonic leadership. His agenda will be to rule the world to the point that he will control it as if he was god.
Down through time there have been several people that have tried to do this. While they may have had great kingdoms and great power, they have not yet risen to the grandeur of the end of days antichrist! But Satan and the power of darkness are persistent and with each passing day they are upping the ante so to speak. For years they have been laying down their plan little by little. Many through the years said that the Book of Revelation could not be true because of a universal mark that people would buy and sell with. Well, as you know this is being used right now, and in some African countries they are already cashless. Their transactions take place using their phones.
On September 11, 1991 President George H. W. Bush announced before congress and to the people of the world that there was now a new world order. Both he and his son President George W. Bush belonged to the very famous, powerful and secretive Yale organization of the Skull and Crossbones. Just as it sounds it is very demonic in its rituals. This organization has a long standing membership of high ranking officials in the United States government and economic areas of society. They along with other powerful and influential organization such as the Bilderbergs and Illuminati have been putting in place slowly but steadily things that will lead up to their desired goal and that is a one world order. They are influenced by Satan and the powers of darkness even though they may or may not realize it. This in itself is nothing new. his advisors like Germany doing the same thing.During World War Two Germany and Great Britain had many leaders practicing occultic practices. Surprising even Prime Minister Winston Churchill practiced Druid occultic practices and had many other of his leaders do the same. As surprising as this may sound it can be looked up on Google and other sites.
Where I and going with this is that the new world order is at last impacting the average person, and that means that the antichrist and his collation of countries can begin their rule at any time. Because of trade agreements and purposeful arrangement such as nafta (signed in by President George H. W. Bush) and others have displace manufacturing throughout the world in such a way as to make the world interdependent. Today even American cars have parts that are made by parts from all over the world. With the loss of independence there has arisen the opportunity for world control by an elite few or as will ultimately happen the antichrist. Just an example of this is the worldwide movement regarding homosexuality. Doesn’t it seem strange that all of a sudden countries all over the world are promoting same sex relationships as an appropriate alternative lifestyle? The reason for this is the new world order that George Bush and other world leaders set in motion in September 11, 1991. Just yesterday I received a publication from the United Methodist Denomination that I ministered in for over thirty years has elected a lesbian to be a Bishop. This goes against the established discipline of the denomination. With the new world order even established organizations of all kinds are influenced to so what never was thinkable before. And it is not just the same sex agenda. It is only one type of sin that has become commonplace and accepted in society. When we read verses 28-32 many of these are just winked at today. Through media outlets of all kinds the righteous lifestyle seems to has gone by the wayside. This is not an accident. It is a planned undermining of God’s plan for creation. Just the other day my wife said after a man that was lying on his back with his hands raised yelling, “I don’t have a gun, please don’t shoot,” was shot by a police officer while on the ground, “What is going on in this world?” The answer is Satan and the powers of darkness realize that they don’t have much time before Jesus puts a stop to them and all that is evil.
Romans 1:18-20 tells us that humanity is without excuse. We know that there is a God that expects righteousness, and humanity is in a state of rebellion. It is God’s divine nature to show mercy, but it is also to be just and righteous. Today to be politically correct is almost a slap in the face of God. There is only one way to be correct and that is God’s way. Even though the world may be accepting of sin and the ways of Satan, Christians can not. If the United Methodist Church, other Christian denominations and even the world choose to thumb their nose at the Lord, his judgment will come and it will come with great vengeance. The world will not make a stand for the Lord, it has proven that. But as for Christians, if we don’t stand with Jesus and his righteousness and holiness, we will not be able to stand at all!
Prayer: Lord, please help us to be righteous and holy even if the world says contrary. Please help us to let your word be our guide and stand firm on the solid Rock, Jesus Christ our Lord! We ask this in Jesus’ name.
