Killing the Witness 8

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. (I Timothy 6:9—NIV)

The believers who have insisted on living as part of the American lifestyle will have no testimony to give in an hour of economic collapse. They will shove and scream with the rest of the citizens.

Antichrist on countless occasions has pulled down one of God's witnesses until he was grubbing about in the muck of the world, trying to become rich so he would not have to trust God when he grew old.

One of the main weapons of Antichrist as he attacks, overcomes, and kills the Divine witness of the last days will be the enticement of living on friendly terms with the world system. This is why the church in Laodicea is rich and has need of nothing.

Antichrist will bring into his government many prominent Christian leaders and show himself to be a friend of the churches. But in his eyes are the fires of Hell. The American President at the present time (1999) attends a Christian church, giving the impression that he is a Christian. Yet many feel he is not living a godly life. He is not bearing a true witness of Jesus Christ. This is so unfortunate because the Arab nations, the Chinese, and the Russians suppose the President as well as our nation are examples of what it means to be a Christian.

Can you see how Antichrist has destroyed the witness in America even though the land is full of Gospel preaching?

Jerusalem

Sodom has to do with the lusts of our flesh and soul, the desire to worship the pleasures of Satan.

Egypt portrays our love of the world, our willingness to seek security and survival in the world system instead of in the faithfulness of the Lord.

Jerusalem signifies our desire to be our own god. This is the most characteristic feature of Satan, of Antichrist, and of the False Prophet.

As I understand it, Antichrist represents self-will in the political realm. The False Prophet represents self-will in the religious-spiritual realm. The False Prophet will support Antichrist in the last days. This means self-seeking Christians will support a self-seeking government. Thus there will be two vast powers in the earth. But this two-headed leadership cannot endure. Finally Babylon the Great, man-centered, institutional religion, having its headquarters at the site of ancient Babylon, will be burned by fire by the secular rulership before the Lord returns.

From my point of view, the Pentecostal people stand at a crossroads. Never before in history have so many Christian believers had as great an acquaintance with the gifts and ministries of the Spirit of God.

In the symbolism of the Old Testament, Pentecost is represented by the Lampstand of the Tabernacle of the Congregation; also by the feast of Pentecost, the fourth of the seven feasts of the Lord.

When we are at Pentecost, at the Lampstand so to speak, we are midway between the beginning of our salvation and the fullness of our salvation.

When we arrive at Pentecost we have experienced salvation through the blood atonement and also the fellowship of the Spirit of God.

One more great platform of redemption remains, and this third platform is the reason for the two that precede it.

Jesus' reply to Satan was taken from Deuteronomy.

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:2,3—NIV)

The witness of God must turn away from his involvement with the world system and learn to trust God for his daily necessities and desires. It may be true that in the future we will have severe economic difficulties in the United States. If this happens the citizens will turn into wild beasts as they scream for their god, their money.

The true saint and witness of God will look to the Lord in that day and stand on those Psalms that promise we will be protected and fed in the time of trouble and famine. This will be a powerful witness of the faithfulness of God.

To be continued. Killing the Witness 9

Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson.