Following Judah's Lion

Lucifer's Legacy as the End Approaches

Although the entire episode is wrapped in mystery, God still gave us a glimpse. We do know that a created angel named Lucifer somehow rebelled against God in God’s own dwelling place. It seems quite inconceivable, but such is the colossal power of deception. We would do well to remember that.
But then this creature, along with a third of the other angels, were thrown out of God’s presence and cast down to this planet. Does that seem like so much legend, myth, and fairy tale to you? Again, that is the power of deception. And armed with the deception which spelled his doom, Lucifer, now call Satan, begins to create his own legacy and forms an evil heritage that will last forever.
Yes, I said forever. Does that not bring fear into anyone’s heart these days, or do the pleasures of today drown out the warnings of tomorrow? Satan is busy securing souls for his eternal heritage which will be “enjoyed” apart from the divine presence he once knew. This is no Dungeons and Dragons game, and neither is it Lord of the Rings. This is the eternal war that continues to be waged in the world of spirits while the effects ravage the planet. This is no sport or some tournament between good and evil. The gravity of this conflict cannot be expressed in words, and no one can be fully aware of all its ramifications until the battle is over.
Satan has appealed to all sorts of human reasonings in order to stake his claim. He has orchestrated the invention of all kinds of religions with all kinds of gods. And by appealing to the intellect of man he has attempted to make the true faith appear too simplistic to be believed. Lust and greed have been essential in his plan, and hatred and violence have been well worn tools as well. The entire earth is enveloped in a cloud of deception and mankind loves to have it so.
Nowhere is that deception more pronounced than in the west where sin has been refined into a science that is studied and practiced with great creativity and relish. And beneath the carnival-like atmosphere of the western culture lives a sinister power that has ensnared the entire populace, save a few that have bowed their hearts to the Lord of Life. It is most ingenious of fallen man to create clever little levels of sin in order to soothe his fallen conscience. Open hedonists like Donald Trump are almost worshiped while the little goth girl in the mall who has been molested by her father is looked upon with disdain. The gay man is vilified while the serial adulterer runs for president.
Yes, man is no innocent bystander in this eternal conflict. He has been a willing partner in this diabolic scheme. And if God should chose this day to end it all, billions would be lost. Again, does that stretch your reality? Does is seem much too drastic and does your grounded intellect keep you from laying hold of that sobering truth? It seems more like a horror flick than actual, tangible truth. And that is just one more method of spiritual deception employed by him who hates God with an unmeasured hatred and expends all his energy attempting to dilute God’s glory.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, and time keeps passing with the predictable integrity of the rising of the Sun. Wristwatches by the billions display its measurement with inanimate precision, but without a syllable of foreboding or omen. And like a fisherman steadily reeling in his catch, so is the spirit of antichrist reeling in unsuspecting and uncaring souls. And in the midst of this horror, evil men preach nonsense and falsehoods to soothe the hearts and scratch the ears of sinners who stand in desperate need of the truth.
And it isn't just the Osteens and the Bells and the Warrens that have propped up spiritual deception within the church. No, it's the entire western ecclesiastical structure which has transformed the church from a culture invading spiritual force into a religious business. Preachers by the tens of thousands ascend the pulpit and with dry eyes they are ignorant of the approaching storm and refuse to warn people who sit in its very path except with an occasional nod to some abstract statement of faith or an innocuous gospel appendage that is nothing more than a preface to the awaiting lunch table. The redundant mess has been essentially abandonded by God's Spirit save the power to mercifully save some souls.
And the end of all hope walks steadily up the path without confrontation by God's own people. If we all realized what was at stake we might sell everything and go from house to house with tears and a passion that might very well frighten the average person, but just might awaken many dead hearts to the very seriousness of their situation. But sadly, the church continues with a disgusting ambivalence and a demonic self centered approach to Christ which openly attacks His sovereign glory! It is a reproach to the gospel and has morphed into an open religious sore that oozes death rather than life.
Oh, does that now offend you? Will it offend you when you stand in His glorious presence and watch as billions upon billions of souls are cast into the Lake of Fire? Will you be offended then? Will it offend you and me that we might have done so much more but we were content to let things slide into a spiritual malaise? Are we offended that Satan has attacked the glory of our Great God, and does that offense drive us into a holy passion to spread His gospel through lips and lives?

And what will you do when the end comes?

I Pet.4:7 - But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
Rev.16:13-15 - And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
There is an end to all of this. It may come tomorrow, or it may come next year, or it may even come one hundred years from today, but make no mistake, the end is coming. It is this very thing, the end, that terrifies people. No one wants the music to stop; no one wants the party to end; no one wants to face the eternal unknown. But the end looms large for mankind collectively, and for each one of us individually.
And that is the question that hangs over all of us like the mythical Sword of Damocles, however this is no myth. There is an appointment with the Creator that has each and every sinner’s name etched in the indelible ink of God’s decree. And while we play and party and fulfill our religious obligations, that future appointment continues to step with determination toward the present. And when your name is called, and when my name is called, what will we do then?
The answer is that at that fearful moment there is nothing more that can be done. And think about that. There will be no second chances, and no excuses, and no reasoning. And everything that we have hidden which we alone know will be summoned forth before the King of the Universe. All our supposed good deeds will have no place when redemption is at stake. If you stand before the Holy One clothed in your unrighteousness and without the covering of God’s bloody sacrifice, you will quake and tremble as you suddenly realize you have lost eternity.
Words can only paint a poor picture of that day, to say nothing of communicating the extreme regret and the tears and pleading and horrific screeching emanating from hell bound souls. This is no horror flick. The reality of this scene will be the ultimate nightmare, monstrous in its subsistence, and eternal in its adjudication. And will God allow billions to watch as others are cast into the lake of fire before their turn comes? I am not naïve, I realize that this subject has long since passed off the evangelical landscape and made room for men like Rob Bell who speak words of lying comfort to all who will listen and line his pockets with filthy lucre.
Go ahead, place all your eggs in one basket. Ignore the many, many warnings of Scripture and incline your ears to the false sirens of today’s sophisticated communicators. Take that chance if you will, but remember, if you are wrong you have lost everything. But I am saved, you say. Are you? Then why are you dancing with those who are outside the ark? Why then do you not believe and heed the Words of Almighty God? Why do you have no fear of God in your soul?
How can you profess a cross bearing discipleship and live as if there is no God? How can those who claim His name go day after day with such a paltry exhibition of the Christ that they so easily blend in with those who deny Him? What kind of Christianity have we created in this western, hedonist culture? Why has the church bowed to its surroundings, while the culture flourishes and is only too glad to allow this milquetoast brand of faith to join its party? Why is the pinnacle of our so called discipleship displayed within the parameters of 45 minutes on Sunday morning?
I am not an evangelist that keeps records so I can print them in my newsletter and raise more funds. I am a literal nobody who speaks by God’s grace the unpleasant truth to many who desire nothing more than sweet stories and religious fables. And I have no righteousness of my own, and I fall very short of God’s glory, and my imperfection is well documented. But I also have met the Redeemer and He has changed my life forever. And that, my friends, is the very question. Have you met the Redeemer, and has He changed your life, and if so, where is the evidence of that glorious transformation?
Prophetic stories have become familiar and doctrinal traditions, but reality stalks the earth. Do not wait. Do not turn a deaf ear. And if you are reading this by some providential mistake, listen to what the Spirit speaks to your heart. There may not be much time, but one thing is for sure. Tomorrow we all will be one day closer to that great and terrible day. Today is the day of salvation. Run to the Savior and find eternal life. Today.
The Spirit is calling the church to an elongated season of deep repentance. We all need the cleansing of the Spirit that not only washes us from our iniquities, but sets our lives on a new and vibrant course which simultaneously walks in resurrection power and the humility of Golgotha. We need more and more and more and more of Jesus, and much more indeed. Lucifer continues to build upon his damnable portfolio of souls while the church dances to the melodies of this fallen world. “Arise, and shine“, speaks the Spirit. There is little time and there is much to do. Millions upon millions upon millions of souls lurch on the precipice of eternal damnation.
God has provided the way of eternal life. Today is the day of salvation for those outside of Christ, and today is the day of the Great Commission for those who have been redeemed.

Satan gathered his minions and asked for suggestions as to how better deceive the masses. One demon stepped forward and said, “Let’s tell them there is no heaven!”
“Very good”, said Satan.
Another demon said, “Let’s tell them there is no hell!”
“Even better,” said Satan.
A third demon stepped forward and said, “Let’s tell them there is no hurry!”
“Yes,” said Satan, “That is the best!”

Satan is a liar.