Lawlessness
Glenn Hall
 
 

Lawlessness: The Sign Of The Times
Did anyone watch the impeachment hearings today? Did anyone see Ken Starr's opening testimony? Did anyone notice when Mr. Starr became most emotional? It was at the end, when he talked about the American governmental system of law, judges, and courts. One of his poignant phrases was, "I revere the law." (Oh that more Christians could and would say to God, "I revere Your law," as King David did) Students of history know that the American model of justice is patterned directly upon the Biblical model. Until recently the national and state laws were themselves patterned on Biblical law. The Bible, for example, is where the Sabbath or "blue" laws and the many sex related laws originated. Mr. Starr became so animated as he discussed the American law structure because he knows that this nation and, indeed, the whole world, sits at a threshold or, we might say, a precipice. What lies beyond that threshold and at the bottom of that precipice is LAWLESSNESS.

Lawlessness is the preeminent sign of our times. It is the precursor of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know? Because the antichrist himself is called the man of lawlessness. There is no reason to list for you the many outward signs of lawlessness. Ken Starr listed many examples that were personally performed by the chief law enforcement officer of the United States during his six year tenure as President.

Did you see the Democrat (President's) attorney cross-exam Mr. Starr? He asked almost no questions dealing with the facts about what President Clinton did or did not do. Almost every question dealt with decisions that Mr. Starr made. In other words, the Democrat attorney attempted to make Starr the defendant versus President Clinton. This is a typical trick of defense attorneys and is employed to turn a jury's attention away from the accused. It tends to diffuse the incriminating evidence. It is clear, then, the Democrats do not attempt to know the truth; they attempt to hide it and to thus deceive. God has given us this example of deception at the very highest levels of worldly government as a testimony and sign of the times in which we live.

Please read the following Scripture and consider how it applies to these days in which we live:

(2 Th 2:1-12 NIV)
{1} Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
{2} not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
{3} Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
{4} He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
{5} Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
{6} And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
{7} For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
{8} And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
{9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
{10} and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
{11} For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
{12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. Verses 9 through 11 tells us that the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with three specific signs: 1) the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders; 2) every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved; 3) For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.

I believe that we witness sign number one in many of our own churches. Many Christians crave spiritual experiences and, so, they forget to discern the spirit which breeds the experience. Both leaders and their sheep fall into this deception for many reasons, including pride, insecurity, lust for thrills, and outright intent to deceive. We allow demonic spirits to imitate manifestations of the Holy Spirit and to invent new ones such as clucking like chickens and barking like dogs in the church service. Sadly, many sincere Christians are not discerning these counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders. The fact is, however, these things are now occurring.

Second, the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. The pleasure of sin somehow deceives those who give themselves to it. We live at a time in which virtually every type of sin can be witnessed from your private computer monitor. Then, if you desire, you can go out and do those things that you have witnessed, and many do. The Word of God says that it is because people refuse to "love the truth" in order to be saved from this evil that they will perish. Twenty two years ago I said to myself, "I've always heard the truth is in the Bible." So, I bought a new Bible and read it until God revealed to me that He had written it and that it indeed held the truth. I wanted to know the truth (loved the truth) and Jesus revealed Himself to me.

The people in mind in this Scripture are those who "refused" to love the truth. These are those that love the lie. These are those that take up Bill Clinton's side of the argument. These are those that are perishing. They refuse to love the truth. I am not now calling all Democrats unsaved and all Republicans "saved." Some Republicans probably are pursuing President Clinton's impeachment for purely political reasons. It is clear, though, that most Democrats deny the truth for only political, worldly reasons. Remember, Bill Clinton is a sign to the world of lawlessness and the coming of the evil one and the coming of Jesus Christ.

Third, because these people refuse to love the truth, God sends them a powerful delusion. What is this delusion? I would suggest that the delusion is the "grace heresy." The grace heresy is the delusion that men can be saved without loving the truth and without repentance by the limitless grace of God. It denies the cross of Christ and denies the place of repentance in one's life.

The amazing thing is that the delusion affects Christians as well as non-Christians! Brethren, many Christians live lives completely seduced by counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and by every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. Why are they seduced? Because they, like unbelievers, refuse to love the truth. These are the Christians to whom, I suspect, the Lord will one day say, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" See Matthew 7:23.

I present this little writing to you to exhort you to love the truth, to spend time in the Word of God, so that you will know the truth and so that you will be saved from the terrible judgments about to fall upon the whole earth.

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