Spiritual Forces of the Last Days 17

And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, (Revelation 13:13)

The False Prophet will work spectacular miracles.

Since 1950 there has been a gradually increasing acceptance and expectation of miracles, especially on the part of Charismatic believers. Many outstanding healings and other miracles have come from the Holy Spirit of God.

However, in some instances the workers of miracles have not been following the Lord as they should; therefore, the miracles have been endorsing unscriptural beliefs and unrighteous practices. The believers seldom are careful to examine if the Lord's will is being done. It is enough that the name of Jesus seems to be honored and the miracle occurs. Thus the Charismatic believers are wide open to deception—and they have been deceived!

In the days ahead there will be unprecedented miracles, continually increasing in number and power. Some will be worked by true saints; others will be wrought at the hands of those who are being moved by their own soul and who are not part of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord. They are not abiding in the Lord Jesus and are lawless as far as the Kingdom of God is concerned.

Miracles, performed in the name of the Lord Jesus, will be used to endorse the Antichrist system.

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Revelation 13:14)

One can imagine how attractive libertarian democracy will appear to the peoples of the earth who have suffered so long under totalitarian systems. When democracy is then endorsed by tremendous signs and wonders, such as fire coming down from the sky, the appeal will be irresistible.

The teaching that faith is a method by which the believer can obtain what he wants is the forerunner of the use of faith to bring about democratic government. It is not a huge leap from using soulish faith to get the job we desire, or the money we want, to using soulish faith to support the kind of government and economic system we believe to be the most moral, enjoyable and productive. We use the term soulish faith to distinguish the current "positive thinking," imaging, and "creative speaking" from true Scriptural faith in the Lord Jesus.

The image of the beast. It is not clear to us what the image is that the False Prophet will make in honor of the Antichrist system of government and economics. We do know that the concept of image is important in the business world of today. We know also that much is said in Christian and secular circles about the power of dwelling on images in the mind in order to attain one's desires.

wer. The False Prophet attempts to use the power of the Lamb but speaks with the voice of Satan.

The False Prophet will support the Antichrist. If, as we think, the first beast, the Antichrist, will be represented in the last days by libertarian democracy and capitalism (self-government plus the love of money), and the second beast represents Christians who are not crucified with Jesus, but who are seeking to manipulate the metaphysical realm according to their own soulish abilities, then we would expect to see the soulish believers supporting democracy as a form of government and capitalism as an economic system; for the Scripture teaches that the False Prophet will be the mainstay of the Antichrist.

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13:12)

Evidently democracy and capitalism are going to be dealt a terrible blow, perhaps by the Communists attacking the United States and then England. But after that takes place, the deluded Christians, moving according to their own soulish promptings, will assist in the restoring of democracy and capitalism to the nations of the earth.

Since the first edition of this booklet, the Soviet Union has apparently undergone radical changes. Whether this is a master ploy or an actual collapse of Communism remains to be seen. In any case, the democratic form of government finally will prevail. It is best suited to the desire of Satan to govern the world.

To be continued.Spiritual Forces of the Last Days 18