What the Heck is Happening Out There

Crazy Stuff

Post Covid lockdown culture and extreme sensitivities brought on by a woke society out to radically morph our world have me asking daily, what the heck is going on around here?

With all the talk of UFO sightings, I wonder if we haven’t already been invaded and body-snatching aliens are walking around in everyone else’s bodies. Not mine, of course.

At a recent women’s Bible retreat, I heard girlfriends comment on the curious, frustrating times at hand. One said a life-long friend blocked her on FB because she and this friend no longer “believed” the same way. My perplexed girlfriend explained that she wasn’t the one who’d changed anything in her beliefs or habits. It was her FB friend who’d taken to the airways with hurtful language and accusations of narrow mindedness.

I think that’s probably happened to all of us.

Another retreat member mentioned fear. Fear of … people. Places. Information. After a lengthy group discussion and prayer time, we all determined that fear is exactly what we’re being sold 24/7 from media and, sadly, portions of our own government.

The change in our world is staggering. And it seemingly happened overnight.

So what really is happening?

But what did happen?

Fortunately, we have a Word of Truth that explains a few things.

Second Thessalonians 2:9-12 speaks of a strong delusion God will send in the end times: “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

It is clear this strong delusion will take place during the time of the lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8), also called the Antichrist or beast elsewhere in Scripture (Revelation 13). He is the one Jesus will kill with “the breath of his mouth” (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:15).

God sending a delusion is only part of it all. Satan is to blame in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. The delusion applies to those “who did not believe the truth.” (v. 12). It is downright false to think our God might have a hand in tricking people. Instead, those who refuse to believe are among those who accept the delusion God sends. Free will still exists. By free will, these have denied the truth and willingly followed a lie.

After all, we know, we know that God desires for all to be saved according to 1 Timothy 2:4.

We are also told that this strong delusion will happen during the time of rebellion against God. 2Thessalonians 2:3 says, “For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.” So extreme lawlessness begins to ramp up before the antichrist is revealed.

Hello 2020 and 2021.

Familiar history

I’m reminded of Sodom and Gomorrah, the places where people sought to live life according to their own, godless rules—wild, but suddenly familiar-looking godless rules.

Here’s more from 2Thessalonians: Chapter 2, verse 7: “For the mystery of the lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”

Okay, back up. Did this verse just say that the spirit of lawlessness is at work now?

Yes. This verse said the spirit of lawlessness is at work now.

 And did it say things will get worse because “he who restrains” will be removed?

Yes, it said there’s a restrainer who will be removed. Then things … will … get … worse.

I believe that because Jesus said the Holy Spirit will be with us always (John 14:16), that the reference to a restrainer here in 2Thessalonians is a reference to the Holy Spirit being removed at rapture. If we’ve been promised that the Holy Spirit is with us always (again, John 14:16), then the Holy Spirit isn’t removed from this world until the church is.

That’s my take.

But still, we’re told the spirit of lawlessness is at work and boy, oh, boy, do I realize that now. Right now.

The answer is at our fingertips

To understand why our friends are leaning into new and strange philosophies; to understand how a child can accuse me of being old and out of touch; to understand how a brother or sister can suddenly follow the world when they once claimed to follow Christ, we must look at Scriptue. Looking at 2Timothy 3, we read in verses 1 – 5: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

What we are called to do

The call to action in this verse is not to state your case on FB, nor engage in holiday obligatory dinner debates, but to avoid such people. Avoid the heartless, the slanderous, the proud, and the rest of the list that is whole-heartedly accepted by main-stream society today.

For additional study on the weird way your friends and family may be acting, look up: Luke 12:53; Mark 13:12; Matthew 10:21; and Matthew 24:10.

To stay grounded, to stand firm, we must, must, not just stand upon, but immerse ourselves in Truth. Lies abound. False teachings lure.

Hold fast. Be brave.

More to come…

If I perish, I perish,

Laurie