Sexual Immorality and the Wrath of the Lamb
Many believe that we are entering into the time of the end. A period that is spoken of more than any other period in the Bible. Though it may be several years away, I believe that we are indeed rapidly approaching that great and terrible day when God will judge the world.
Scripture is very clear that no man knows the day or the hour.
Matt. 24:36 through Matt. 24:39 (NIV)
36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
The day or the hour cannot be known, however the Bible is very clear about what the signs of the end of the age will be.
By watching for these signs we can get a very good idea of when we can expect the return of the Lord. Notice in the above reference that the time of the end will be "
As it was in the days of Noah".
As evidenced by scripture, God's wrath was poured out on the world largely due to wickedness being the focus of man's desire and attention.
Gen. 6:5 through Gen. 6:8 (NIV)
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.
7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-for I am grieved that I have made them."
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
We see in the book of Romans a very clear picture of the mindset and behavior of the men and women living at the time of the end. By looking at Romans 1 and analyzing each step of man's increasing depravity, we begin to see how it is that man will once again, through his wickedness, bring about the Wrath of God.
Rom. 1:18 through Rom. 1:20 (NIV)
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
This present creation with all it's depth, from the microscopic intricacies of the cell to the inconceivable vastness of the Universe, shows the very Hand of the Creator in every aspect of creation. But man in his vanity believes that he holds the knowledge to explain this vastness away with simplistic explanations that are ever changing and continually contradictory.
Science with all it's power and intellect is unable to create the most basic form of life. If every brilliant mind in this present world were gathered together, their intellect and mechanism could not even create a simple apple seed. Only God holds the power to create life. All man can do is manipulate that which has already been given life by the Creator.
The natural man's goal has always been to explain away the need for a Creator's Hand. For if there is a Creator, then the Creator will certainly limit man's freedom to choose his own path. With true knowledge comes true responsibility.
As science presses forward and discovers with every question answered, thousands more are presented, man has adopted other ways of having a creator without the responsibilities imposed by the God of the Bible. New, more liberal, more understanding gods are continually created from man's imagination that will allow man to live according to his desires.
Rom. 1:21 through Rom. 1:23 (NIV)
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Man has decided that the Earth should be worshipped. Children across the world are told to "Worship Mother Earth". That the environment, the creation, is really the creator and should be honoured and worshipped. So through recycling and the responsible use of CFC's we can honour our new creator without really having to modify our more corrupt behaviour.
Rom. 1:24 through Rom. 1:25 (NIV)
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen.
Under this new religion, we nourish and care for our creator, the earth, but in truth continue to serve our lusts and our pride. Man in his rebellion against God has given himself wholly over to Idolatry. Idolatry is normally understood to be the worshipping of a wooden statue or stone symbol. However, this does not begin to express the true meaning of the term.
Col. 3:5 through Col. 3:6 (NIV)
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
The idolatry spoken in the verse above is much closer to home. Through sexually explicit images we place the perfect bodies of women and men on the pedestal of the highest altar. To be physically desirable is the height of human endeavour in this present age.
We are bombarded daily by every form of advertising that tells us that our lives should be about more of everything. Selfishness and greed have become the mark of this generation. The accumulation of more comes at the expense of our families and our children. The new god we serve is relentless and completely controlling, there is no room for anything but the pursuit of a more attractive mate and a more overflowing 401k.
Rom. 1:26 through Rom. 1:32 (NIV)
2 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27 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 perversion.
28 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.
29 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, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 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.
We continually ask why. When the senseless tragedy occurred in Columbine, we asked why. We demanded answers but refused to ask the really tough questions. We refused to confront the real issues that make the children of this generation capable of such a travesty.
We continually hear of the sexual abuses that are occurring in homes in every neighbourhood. But we will not dare look in the mirror and question the source of such depravity. Sexual freedom and pornography are the fuel for this fire that is gaining increasing intensity. This inferno threatens our small sons and daughters but we will not repent of the evil that pollutes most homes in the industrialized world today. Our own lusts are to blame for these horrific deeds.
Eph. 5:3 through Eph. 5:7 (NIV)
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
As we draw near to the end of this present age, we see the above come into full focus. The descent of man into the depths of slavery to the devil is a path that is paved with lust. This present age is accented in every way by sexual immorality. The Internet with all its benefits, is also the vehicle that is introducing millions to the full and complete control that Satan has over all those who become a slave to pornography and sexual explicitness.
Jude 1:5 through Jude 1:7 (NIV)
5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
As it was in Sodom, so will it be in the end. Sexual desire and impurity will reach a level that will truly paralyze the populace. In order to protect their passion, they will ignore every sign of the approaching wrath that is to come.
I fear that the pornography that has crept into the lives of most men today is at the very heart of societies degradation. Although, Internet pornography has exploded in popularity and prominence, I fear it is but in its infancy.
As the technology improves, so will the hold of Satan strengthen over the throngs of slaves that are controlled and captivated by its temptations. Virtual Reality will soon be all too real, and with it, a new level of wickedness that will bring the world into the complete control of the Demonic Powers that dominate the world at the time of the end.
Only the might and power of God can deliver the enslaved.
2 Pet. 2:4 through 2 Pet. 2:9 (NIV)
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
Lot was a righteous man living in Sodom before it was destroyed. Notice that Lot was "distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men" and he was tormented by "the lawless deeds he saw and heard". One cannot live in this increasingly corrupt world without being degraded by its immorality. Children too young to even conceive of sexual matters, are having their minds corrupted at the earliest ages because of the threat that the ever increasing multitudes of sexual predators pose to their very lives.
We are so very quick to ask why when the answers are as simple as another law or regulation. But when the answer to the problem lies within the sinful heart of man, the questions are too difficult to ask.
The path seems irreversible, the future seems set. The world seems determined to rapidly follow this path to its ultimate date with destiny. But just as Lot was delivered from Sodom before the Wrath of God was poured out on that city, so can the individual accept the free gift laid down with much pain and suffering 2,000 years ago on a hill outside Jerusalem.
Titus 3:3 through Titus 3:8 (NIV)
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour,
7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
He bore the sin of the World. He allowed men that He created to hold His hands and feet. He allowed the nails to be driven, He bore the sin that we could not escape from or atone for. Being without sin, He took on all sin, that His perfect Love might be revealed to us. Only through the strength and might of Christ Jesus can the individual escape the wrath to come.
Rom. 5:6 through Rom. 5:9 (NIV)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
The path for the world has been set. But the fate of the individual is completely in their control. Anyone can accept the free gift and turn away from the temptations of the world, or enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, only to suffer the Wrath of the Lamb.
Rev. 6:12 through Rev. 6:17 (KJV)
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Jeff Doak
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