Satan is up to his old tricks. Don’t walk into his trap.
I feel the need to have to speak up about an issue that is consuming more and more people. And the more it is consuming people the more worried I get, and I will explain why from the Bible.
Now, I am living in one of the countries that have the most severe restrictions under the current Covid-saga. People here are exhausted. Everyone we talk to here is exhausted, not so much by the virus but by the restrictions and the government’s abuse of its power. It makes them fear the future. It is costing them jobs, their livelihood, and it has taken away much of their spirit and spark. A woman from the local drug store said it feels like being in a war. She said in the beginning people spoke up against restrictions that made little sense and that ruined people’s livelihood, but as in a war, when it continues and they are not heard, they get pacified and end up complying being less resistant, hoping it will be over as soon as possible. Those were her words.
Now some countries with fewer problems and a good economy, like in Scandinavia, don’t see as many problems or restrictions. But trust me, there are people suffering in many other countries. Especially poor countries. For many, the restrictions, not viruses, make them desperate. They were already struggling and now many of them are starving. Vaccinated as well as unvaccinated are losing their jobs.
So, let me just state one thing before I get into the Bible and say want I really wanted to say. I am against the
government controlling people’s right to buy and sell when they interfere with basic human rights and use of unnecessary force. Like the story of police in Germany putting a Muslim woman to the ground in front of her toddler because she was not wearing a face mask when coming out from the dentist’s office. Obvious abuse of power.
I do not believe that people should serve the government, but that the government should serve the people. When people in some places are more scared of the government than the virus, something is fundamentally wrong, either with them or the government. And just because it is not happening where you are, don’t belittle what is happening in other places. Like for instance Greece, South Africa, and India where some people live on an income that comes in from day to day. Being temporarily shut down means starving or not being able to pay for education.
Now, that being said, now you know my stance. I am not a sympathizer to any abuse of power or violation of human rights.
I sense however a bigger threat to God’s people at this time than any governmental force. This is the threat I want to address in this article.
You see, I have studied the time period before Jerusalem’s destruction the first time and the second time. Both represented an end of probation for God’s people.
And right now I am worried for God’s people, for all of us. Not because of the government’s behavior, no, but that God’s people are falling for Satan’s traps again.
You know, when Satan has used a certain method before and been successful, then you can be sure he will do the same again. Why change something that already works so perfectly well? Especially work in his favor to separate God’s people from their God? What a triumph that is.
The Bible clearly shows us that the destruction of Jerusalem is symbolic of the end times. The parallels of Revelation and Ezekiel are many. Satan is going for God’s people once again. Will he use similar methods this time?
So, what did he do both of those times so successfully prior to the destruction which left God’s people unprepared and eventually lost? Please listen to me, at least just this once. Don’t be annoyed, just hear me out. You see, God’s people back in the day refused to hear the message I am going to share with you right now. They did not want to hear it, they closed their ears, they hated every word of it. So please, continue reading.
Satan gave them an oppressing enemy to fight – both times, prior to the destruction. The first time it was the threat from Babylon, they demanded Jerusalem subdued to their rule and the people felt empowered to oppose Babylon for the sake of their freedom and religion. The second time it was the oppression that came from Rome. The message from God that they were NOT to fight them made God’s people very upset.
Notice that both times they really had good reasons to be critical of the governmental powers subduing them. The first time the Babylonians had abducted many of them, stolen their wealth, suppressed them, humiliated them, and ruled over them with force. They had taken from them the liberties they previously enjoyed in their kingdom when they were free.
The second time, before Rome destroyed Jerusalem, they had been pushed around by roman decrees and Roman soldiers for years. They did not want the Roman chancellor to rule over them. It was religiously humiliating and brought them great distress. They wanted their freedom, the freedom to follow their God. Surely that was God’s will, for them to break free? Surely it would honor God? You can read about this reasoning in for instance the book of Jeremiah.
Do you remember the story that Jesus commented on, where Pilate had taken the blood of some Galileans and mingled it with their sacrifices? (Luke 13:1)
It was a terrible, and utterly disrespectful punishment meant to cause fear and quench a rebellious spirit among the public. Do you remember the Roman soldiers that came to John the Baptist for advice and he told the soldiers to stop the violence and false accusations? Those things really happened. The Jews were constantly under Roman supervision and control, and let us be frank, it was not a good situation. Nor was it what God had wanted for them in the first place. God had wanted them to be free. At the time of Jesus, there were Jewish people constantly rebelling against the Roman suppression. The idea of a heathen power ruling over them, God’s people, was considered wrong on every level.
In fact, right before Christ started His ministry we learn that two groups of people had rebelled. There had been Jewish riots and demonstrations against both Babylon and Rome.
God’s people thought they were fighting God’s fight. After Christ, the Jews in Jerusalem had several uprisings and wars against Roman suppression. So did they against the Babylonian suppression before Jerusalem was destroyed.
God sent them prophets and teachers to tell them to stop fighting against them. Both Jeremiah and Paul gave such messages. God in different ways let His people know that; Rome and Babylon will be judged for their actions, but you are going to perish with them unless you listen to God.
Jeremiah did not say Babylon was good, he said to not fight them, because God’s people can’t win and will therefore only perish in the battle. At this point in time in world history, we can’t win either. And you might lose your soul in the process of trying.
The reason being, that right before the end, right before the end of God’s people’s probation, this battle becomes a distraction from what is really important, just like it did then. They fought suppressive powers earlier with God’s blessings, but not at the time of the end, at the close of probation.
God’s message, both times, to God’s people fighting Babylon and Rome was that they weren’t right with God themselves. And when they weren’t, God could not save them. These uprisings against Babylon and Rome were both at times around the time of sealing, remember there was a sealing before Jerusalem’s destruction both times? And there will be a sealing before Christ’s second coming as well just as stated in the book of Revelation.
If Jesus had started using his powers to crack down on Roman suppression, the Jewish nation would have accepted Him as their king. But He could not, for they were not right with God. Instead, midst Roman soldiers bullying the Jewish people, Jesus left the subject and instead told His people they needed to be born again. They were pointing fingers at Rome and Jesus pointed His finger towards them. God’s people were lost and needed to be saved, not from Rome but from themselves. Jesus said: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell» (Mat 10:28).
“And the Jewish people became upset with Him, even the apostles struggled with this teaching. They wanted a message of deliverance from worldly government oppression.
Jesus said, knowing their probation was rapidly coming to its end, that their battle was with themselves.
Jeremiah also brought the same message, and they hated him for it. Had he told them to fight Babylon they would have received him, loved him. Instead, he said God told him to tell them, that they were spiritually blind and naked, and that they desperately needed a conversion in their hearts. They needed God to shape them like the potter shape the clay (Jer.18). They did not want that message. For they assumed that if God had to pick between a backsliding people carrying His name and pagan Babylon, God would choose them. That they were more righteous than their enemies. But God said He would choose neither for God’s people did the same sins Babylon did. They were both judged. So it will be in the end. In Revelation 18 God says His people will perish with spiritual Babylon if they live as they do. Jesus says His name cannot save you if you are unconverted, if you choose sin over atonement.
Back in Jerusalem, they loved the prophets that spoke against worldly governmental suppression. Because then they could see themselves as the good guys fighting the bad guys. They claimed to be fighting for God’s honor both times. In fact, the false Messiah, Simon bar Kokhba, the Jews did actually receive. For he was fighting the Roman suppression, he became a military leader in their battle for freedom, so they accepted him. They did not listen to Jesus, but they did listen to him. His speech excited them, made them feel brave, that God was with them in the battle when they were fighting their oppressors. Yet, he was the one whose rebellion caused their complete downfall, his rebellion caused the Roman wrath to be intensified. He made them a target of the Roman authorities. The false Messiah ultimately caused them to be scattered and devoured. Before Bar Kokhba they chose Barabbas over Jesus, a rebel of the Roman empire over the One who preached that they needed to change. They felt attacked by this message and preferred the message attacking their physical suppressor rather than the message attacking their spiritual suppressor. Their flesh.
Satan gave them worldly suppression purposely to put God’s people in a state where they would be unprepared for the end that was very close ahead in time for them both times.
He purposely smites them to get their attention and to cause their uprising. He wanted them to fight so he could crush them. God knew and so He warned them against falling for Satan’s bait.
The battle against governmental suppression was a distraction meant to close their ears and hearts to the real message sent from God.
What do you say? Are we there, are we right with God? Don’t fall for this trick, this old trick that worked so well once before. Making us busy fighting our governmental oppressors while we are failing to prepare so that we can receive God’s protection.
Did you know why God allowed Babylon and Rome to suppress God’s people in the first place? Because of their sins. The solution was and is therefore not to fight the consequences of sin but the root cause of it.
But as God said, if we turn from our ways, from our self-righteousness, and from our sins, He will fight on our behalf. He will fight our enemies. Read Isaiah 51 or Isaiah 54, or Psalm 91. These were promises to a people which could have, if God’s warnings were received, have saved them. And the same promises are given to us today.
Because only God can win this last battle. You literally can not win without Him.
You might get a temporary victory, as when Rome and Babylon withdrew for a moment from Jerusalem. It looked like the Jews would win the battle against Rome for a while or make an escape. It puffed them up and then they came back and crushed them. Same at the time of Babylon, Juda was sure of victory for a while when the king in Jerusalem joined them against their suppressors and refused to obey the Babylonian ruler. When Pharaoh was on their side, they felt even more secure. But their king was blinded and the city was taken. And Egypt that gave them a false sense of security was conquered as well. You may fight against the overpower and seem successful for a while, the enemy might withdraw for a moment, but then you will be stricken even harder than you would have afterward. Your temporary success will only strengthen your enemy and make him use more power later.
Don’t fall for what they fell for, please. I am convinced that we are right before the end, and God’s people are not ready. They are more divided than ever. Every hand is against his brother.
Those who unite do it by flattering each other and compromising. The love has grown cold, the charity and the compassion. The love for truth and sain doctrine is replaced with sensational teachings. God’s word, bread, is replaced with spiritual junk food. And those that eat it will crave more unhealthy spiritual food. We commit the same sins as the world around us. Only giving it different names, even Christian names, so we can fool and blind ourselves. We are blind, we are poor. We have little strength. And most of us do not even see it. We think we are where we should be. That the fault is always with everyone else. We have to die from ourselves, yet we are full of pride. We are all, right now, in real danger of being unprepared. We are all in the same boat. I have nothing to recommend myself on that day when Christ comes. We have to be stripped of self, clothed in Christ’s righteousness and His merits. Anyone who shows up in their own righteousness will be lost. The only thing we can bargain with for our salvation is Christ’s blood. But we have to do it now. We have to let Him take off our “filthy garments” and “clothe us” in His garment. Most of us have not done this, we prefer our own clothing.
And if you think: oh not me, I am right where I should be, well then that thought in itself is the evidence against you that you are most likely not ready. That you are blind. Most of God’s people are really not where they need to be right now. I think you know it is true deep inside. The Christian world has become chaotic, the sheep are scattered (Ezek.34).
We as a people have not been called to fight physical governments at this time and if we have taken this route we need to turn and go back to our assigned post. That is what God asks us to do, to bring the world healing through Christ’s sacrifice. Even the sword we are to rise up against the end-time “beast and his mark” is to be fought with the gospel. We can not give in to the “beast” demand, a governmental power. We will stand by our decition with the true gospel, and not with a physical weapon. We do not have to speculate or search out conspiracy, we will only have to answer with God’s word (Eph_6:17). Any battle that is not fought with God’s clear “thus says the Lord” is straying from the work we have been given: “This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’” (Jer. 23:35)
Don’t be distracted by all the conspiracies against God’s people. You can stay updated if you do not become consumed by it. Did you know that the people that lived right before the sealing and the destruction of Jerusalem were very busy with all the conspiracies? And God spoke against them? “For this is what the LORD has spoken to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of this people: “Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread. The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded” (Isaiah 8:11-13)
Yes, God actually warned them to not be occupied with conspiracy theories, even if some of them are true. A lot of the conspiracy theories presented today are actually true. The Bible confirms it in the book of Revelation 13 and 18. The world will gather under falsehood. Powers will influence and deceive people. Even though paying attention to these matters and even sharing it can in many instances be important, we need to do it in a Biblical way. We have to point to the solution, to Christ, and not just the problem. If we become consumed by everything we hear about conspiracy it takes the mind away from where it should be at such a crucial point in time. When this happened before Jerusalems destruction and God pointed it out, God continues in the same speech to instruct them in what direction they should take: “Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD (v.17),
and “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn” (v.20) If the sun does not rise at dawn you are left in darkness. Darkness is sure to come but will we remain in it, be consumed by it?
Will or can God’s people be sanctified by conspiracy theories or by beholding conspiracy in the world? No, they can not sanctify anyone, they have no such power. They can not atone anyone’s sins, they can not change our character or make us reflect Christ. We do not get better acquainted with God by beholding his enemy. And once you are hooked on conspiracy, time setting, and all types of exciting teaching you will in the end not bear sound doctrine. You will avoid those Bible studies that help sanctify you and prepare you for sealing and translation. If you spend too much time in the dark it will hurt to look at the light. Christian conspiracy teaching is like junk food, we feel full and a moment of satisfaction when consuming “excitement preaching” yet in reality we are not getting the nutrition we need. Part of the reason many Christians are attracted to conspiracy theories is that it enlarges the feeling of empowerment. If you think you know secrets and things others do not understand you feel superior and in control. When we eat “junk food” it may feel filling at first but the more consumed the more it will cripple our health. It is this way with spiritual “junk food” as well. It slowly takes from us our strength in Christ. Many Christians absorbed with the enemy’s plans are also eager at eating healthy food. The irony is that it does not help to eat healthy food if you eat unhealthy spiritual food. For the body will perish no matter what. Life, however, is dependent upon our spiritual food. Darkness can not sanctify. The more our mind is spent in the enemy’s quarter the more alike our enemy we get when trying to fight him. The devil knows it too. If God’s people want to look into his secret chambers he is more than willing to encourage them. Jesus tells us to look at Him as much as possible to be sanctified and transformed.
So this is the danger of being consumed by the conspiracies of the devil. This spiritual food gives us a false sense of security, that we become in control by our knowledge of the darkness. But if we behold the darkness for too long our mind will become dark, our resistance against sin weakened and our spirits discouraged. Slowly we lose sight of Christ. Like Peter walking on the water being safe only when his face was fixated on Christ. But he was consumed by the roaring sea when he looked down upon it. God’s people in the end days have to keep their faces towards Christ at all times to pass the time of trouble and to keep their garments clean.
The devil is truly setting up a trap for God’s people, trying to have you fall in one out of two ditches. You can go crazy focusing on suppression and fighting oppression, or you can stand with Babylon and Rome. Neither of these two is our calling.
Satan has put up the same trap for God’s people again. It is happening right now. And while you are busy in this trap, you will naturally reject God’s true messengers and message. They will be put aside, for the two do not go well together, they did not before Jerusalem’s destruction the first time nor the second time. Both times, bear in mind, they honestly thought they were defending God’s law and truth, but it was a self-deception. The law was not in their hearts, it was only outside carved in stone. (Ezekiel chapter 36).
Who is it that will cast the beast and false prophet in the lake of fire according to Revelation? The Angel of the Lord. It is not going to be you. You can not fight them and win. If Satan is doing the old oppression trick again, it is a sign that the end is near. The end for God’s people is even closer, our probation is close at hand.
And we do not reflect the fruits of the spirit.
I advise everyone to spend more time with the Bible than with the news. Especially if you get caught up in it, feeling spiritual while obsessing over it. Then you might be fooled. Work on your relationship with God in the middle of this turmoil. That is the safest route to take right now. You need to prepare. Stay updated on what is happening in the world, but not if it consumes you and your speech and your thoughts and your heart. Not if it has become the “new gospel” you wish to reach the world with. Then you are in danger of being distracted from the work God needs to do in you. Remember what the heart is full of, the mouth speaks. So if you want to know where your heart is at, listen to your speech. If 40% to 90% of it is Covid conspiracy-related, government suppression, and other conspiracy theories, then reevaluate what your time is spent on. Because that is too much. You are losing control.
Do you know that when Jeremiah told the people of Jerusalem to not fight against Babylon, they despised him? They really wanted to fight. They longed to fight. We people scapegoat all the time because we find a form of peace when fighting villains. That way we can feel like the good guys. But this is not God’s peace, it is a false peace that will not last.
Do you remember Hezekiah? The Assyrian army had conquered all the cities and had finally come up to Jerusalem and started mocking both God and the people there. That’s right, there was nothing God’s people could do at this point but to throw themselves before God’s throne and cry. And God delivered them without them even lifting one single sword against their enemies. Why was this deliverance given to them? They had cast away their idols before the siege, returned to God’s times and laws, and humbled their hearts before God. Most importantly they had sought God’s atonement for their sins. Because of all that, God gave His people a mighty deliverance. They understood as they saw city after city destroyed by the enemy that their only hope was not in fighting but in turning from their sins, being cleansed, and reunited with God. Then God fought for them. They placed their focus in the right place and were delivered because of it. The last king of Jerusalem did the opposite, he fought Babylon but did not seek atonement. He lost. It is the same situation God’s people are in right now. Will we choose the path of Hezekiah or the path of Zedekiah?
You can’t fight the enemy if you are not right with God. And I dare say, right now God’s people are not right with God.
The Jewish leaders rejected John the Baptist for the same reason the leaders once rejected Jeremiah. Instead of preaching against the Roman oppression, he said that they, God’s people, were not right with God. Many of God’s people are in an even worse state than they were. Are you holy before God? Did you let Christ conquer your sins? Are you keeping some of your idols hidden? Are you clinging to your sins? If so, God will not go with you into any “battlefield” against all the governments currently demonstrating their God-complex.
Honestly, we need to work on our relationship with God right now. We are not to stand on the side of modern-day versions of Rome, Babylon, or oppressing governments. Do not think we are called to be in their “armies”, do not aid them in suppressing others, for they will be judged for their oppression and all their helpers with them. In many places in the Bible, we see how God punishes those who carry out governmental orders that are wrong and suppressive. You do not want to be their warrior or spokesman.
The main thing I wanted to remind you of that many seem to be unaware, was that both times, before God’s people’s probation closed, Satan made them busy fighting a suppressing power, giving them the illusion that they were fighting the Lord’s battle. It was a distraction. It consumed them to the point that they did not realize that the work that needed to be done in their hearts was unfulfilled. And just like that, probation closed and Satan was victorious. They were not ready when they needed to be.
Jeremiah was put in prison, put on public display, and mocked. He was dumped in a well and was forbidden to speak. But when Babylon conquered Jerusalem, he was one of the few that were saved, yet he could not save most of God’s people.
And completely heartbroken he wrote the book of Lamentations, crying for God’s people. For their salvation against the sword of Babylon was their battle against self not the battle against Babylonian decrees.
I am not trying to be ‘your Jeremiah’ – I just wanted to bring to your attention the parallel to our own time, what made them unprepared back then and what made them distracted under the most crucial time of their preparation, so we do not end up making the same mistake today.
As I said, Satan has been very successful in using these methods. I do believe the suppression we now see by worldly governments is just that, designed to occupy your mind at a time when God is desperately trying to save you. That God’s people are on the verge of the close of probation.
Satan is creating noise for a reason, he is distracting the world, you and me, for a reason. Because he knows the only way to hinder your sealing is to distract you from the preparation God needs you to do at this specific time. Because if your mind is filled up with worldly enemies, and threats, and concerns it will not have room for God’s message. God’s knocking on your heart will not be regarded. For you are busy with what seems like a bigger threat, but the biggest threat is to not hear God’s message to us, to let Him sanctify us before it is too late. That is what we should fear. And the more you are consumed with these things the more annoyed you will be when God tells you to rest in Him. The more annoyed you will be when God tells you that right now YOU might actually be your greatest enemy. And you will dismiss Him. They say the opposite of “love” is not “hate”, it is indifference. I say the opposite of “FAITH” is “fear”. Faith is the communication line with God, fear breaks that bond – so Satan will arouse your fear as much as he can. What does God always say to his leaders before leading them forward? «FEAR NOT». To Joshua God said it three times in a row to prepare him for his mission. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said it repeatedly to His people as an attempt to bring them under God’s leadership instead. God can not lead you if you are driven by fear of worldly enemies, for you are in a fight or flight response, you cannot perceive God’s directions properly. If you fear, you will most likely be obedient to your fear. So the devil wants you to be afraid because then fear becomes your God, your lawgiver and you are more likely to attempt to save yourself instead of giving your battles to God. God wants you to have faith, that He is in control. If you must fear anything, He says, fear Him and no one else (Isa.8:13). Then He can tell you not to fear. Isaiah 35:4 says: «Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you».
«In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me» (Psa 56:11)
The only fear we need to have is that we throw away God’s messages designed to cleanse us before Christ coming because we were too occupied with Satan’s games.
“As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…” (Heb. 3:15)
We must hide under the wings of the Almighty. We must be cleansed of our worldliness and our foolishness. I really do believe we have preciously little time left. Please make sure you use it right.
This is not the time to fight the devil and his workers, but the time to pray and cling to God.