Jezebel, the spirit of anti-christ

I was up in the night last night. Couldn't sleep, yet again. I read the entire book of Hebrews. I prayed about the Church. Ya'll hear me out, please. This has to do with more than one thread that's up right now.We've talked about the contrast between institutional churches and home fellowships. We've talked about Christianity and depression. But, as I sat there and meditated on so many things last night, I realized that what we are really talking about is the difference between a true believer and an unbeliever posing as a believer. Then, I got to thinking about "the sheep, the goats, and the wolves". I got to thinking about "hot, cold, and lukewarm". You know, I think those three may be analogous (is that a word, Mikey). Anyway, something just swept over me. I realized how God's wrath always seems to be against the lukewarm, which I believe is the "wolf". You know, we have the hot (the believer). We have the cold, (the unbeliever). And we have the lukewarm, (the one who wants to appear hot, but really isn't). I believe the lukewarm are those who make up Christian City. I believe they are of the spirit of Jezebel which is the anti-christ.I was once a part of them, so I do not believe that they are all destined for hell. God woke me up.Her message, that false church, that wicked Jezebel, is one of joyous deception. She leads multitudes down the road to hell as they march behind with a false joy and a false security that everything is just peachy. I am mortified as I watch this! God has undone me. He has dismantled that false little bouncing cheerleader who believed she was going to be a part of something huge and glorious. I believed tht I was going to be up front in something new and exciting (revival) that God was about to launch and it was going to finally be the "main event" that I have waited for all my life.You see, I've always known tht I was called to be a part of the True Church. I've always believed that I would get to be a part and a witness to the Church, that Sleeping Giant, arising from her slumber. I believed that I would be one of those who would proclaim to the whole world, "Look, here she comes, The Beloved Bride!" And now I am realizing that the thing which endears her to God's heart is her faithfullness in the midst of persecution, even unto death. Those, whom God declares in Hebrews 11:38, "of whom the world was not worthy."This world can't contain His Bride, the Church. She is an alien here. She is despised and rejected here. But, I believe, She will arise and be More Than A Conquerer! His faithful ones know him. They think like He thinks. The word of their testimony is pure, quick and powerful. Those who are converted by the power of the True Gospel which proceeds out of the mouth of the True Church will be unshakeable. There shall arise an invincible Church, and invincible people, who carry the Kingdom message with them as they are burned alive! The mamby-pamby message that the false church preaches produces spineless, self-centered, religious screwballs. If ever they are tied to a stake, they will be reduced to blubbering, hysterical people who scream and wail and forsake "the faith", which isn't faith at all. All it ever was is a delusion. A self-exalting power trip that when tested in the fire, comes out as a pile of ashes!Oh God! I am overwhelmed! Strengthen me! Strengthen your Church! Give us the grace to think like you think. Give us the grace to see like you see. Give us the grace and mercy and strength to be a part of your True Bride. Help us, oh God, to walk in paths that you have ordained for us to walk, though they be fraught with danger. Oh God, help us! Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of Truth thou has for me. And now, Lord, save us from the power of the anti-christ which is unleashed in these last days. In Jesus Christ's holy, matchless name. Amen.

So many things come to mind here sis. Not the first of that there is little danger of you being accused of not matching your member name!That is a word indeed (analogous) and well applied, think you are on to something here. Was also discussing this a bit yesterday with my friend who is still going to the old WOF church here. More and more think that just perhaps he is there not to be divisive in the sense of motive, but to challenge the predominate thinking they espouse. Perhaps to be a change agent. To be honest my doubts outweigh my hopes and I think the large part of the reason is that nobody wants to weep over their condition anymore, nor to even hear of it.At some point everything got easy. Easy conversion. What ought to be a devastating realization of what evil lurks in a human heart and that is what needs to be cut out, that cancer, instead has been replaced with 'the good news' before the bad news has even been addressed. It's where I think the 'style' of a Ray Comfort is effective in using the law to bring a realization of just what the matter of fact is. Granted, not the only way and there has been a bit of discussion on that, but beginning to wonder if it goes far enough. I think you are right here, it seems that what is being produced is Lukewarm watered down 'conversions' right out of the gate and then we go about trying to patch up everything with programs and 'how to's' and what not. Band-aids in lieu of radical heart surgery.The mamby-pamby message that the false church preaches produces spineless, self-centered, religious screwballs. If ever they are tied to a stake, they will be reduced to blubbering, hysterical people who scream and wail and forsake "the faith", which isn't faith at all. All it ever was is a delusion. A self-exalting power trip that when tested in the fire, comes out as a pile of ashes!Reminded of Ravenhill; "What will happen when they get shipped up the Amazon?" Think he was referring to the same type of message being sent out by missionary's, not to mention what that meant to them that were instructed in this way.Over and over and over again throughout scripture it is always a heart issue. Sat on a really long response to a thread put up last week about hating sin. It sent me searching for all the instances of the word 'heart' as well as 'sin', maybe just ought to go ahead and post it. But something is truly wrong in telling people the truth. We can be our own worse enemies by going about in the wrong way, with the wrong spirit. If our unction is hatred, we have missed it. If it's compromise, we have missed it. Fear of man, fear of rejection, a want of defending our selves, concerns about being 'offended'...What has made these messages here so powerful in my opinion is that ultimately they tell the truth. When I first came here, I knew I had hit that vein of gold that I was seeking after. And just as well I knew that I was going to hear some things that my flesh would recoil at. But I had to have it, had to have some reality to what I knew deep down was missing. And I was not disappointed. How many times then and even now the sense of "Dang, that hurts!" When truth is smacking me upside the head, when those innermost realties are presented in their stark nakedness and must be dealt with. We can either shrink back from them, assuage our feeble consciousness, rationalize them away or let that break us of our dependence upon ourselves and humbly submit everything we are to the Lord and repent.If the gospel is not exposure, then just what exactly is the good news? I have to wonder though if things really haven't changed all that much to begin with. Am still amazed that after all that Jesus did to bring forth what God had been saying all along, that, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and the realities of 'white-washed tombs' and "cleaning the outside of the cup", "but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" All these things and yet now we still have the modern day equivalent of the Pharisees, and outward show without any deeper realities. Jesus comes and destroys all these arguments and they turn right around and prop them right back up again.Just looking at what happened in Acts is telling and doesn't seem any different today.Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. When they heard what? In part...(some excellent commentary here)Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. There seems to be a contrast with those hearers and these hearers later on;Act 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, Act 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Act 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, Act 7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: Who was it that got 'cut' this time and why such venomous hatred? Both were stabbed in the heart and yet two completely different reactions. The latter here being no doubt the Pharisees in part and them stirring up the people. Again another outward showing, that they, these defenders of God, who held all truth, all these minions so far below them, 'steeped in sin', how dare they tell us the ways of God... They must be killed. And they missed the forest for the trees and it doesn't seem any different in our day. Many of our modern day teachers and preachers don't want to hear it nor preach it, don't give us all that 'fire and brimstone'...Again, redundant, but for those who haven't yet this is worth a listen;A Call to Anguish by David Wilkerson

It is around 3am on Feb. 21st, 2005. I cannot sleep, yet again. My family and I went to a church here in our town yesterday. Our neighbor, a godly man, called us on Saturday and invited us to come. You see, I have spoken with him many times. He knows that I am out of church and long for a real church here in our town. I have even believed that this man, an ordained minister, would be the one to raise it up. I've shared this with him many times. He raised up 3 churches here in this area about 15 years ago. They eventually all collapsed. One of the pastors is actually in prison now for extortion. Anyway, our neighbor called and invited us to come. He was installed as pastor of this church last Wednesday. So we went to see what God was up to.I saw how all the people were so hyped up. There was, indeed, an excitement in the air. Standing room only. The message my neighbor preached was entitled, "Failure to Triumph". He talked about the failures of the past. There were many people there who had been a part of those other churches. He talked about God raising them up to do "a great work". They seem so eager to do it all again. He talked about how "ole Slewfoot" had come in all those years ago and thwarted the plan of God, but now, it was going to be different.It troubles me.Don't get me wrong. I do believe my neighbor is called by God to do a work in this area. He has charisma. Many people will follow him, proof being that he packed the church on the very first Sunday. King Saul was a man that God had appointed and anointed to lead a nation. God doesn't need men with charisma, he wants men who are broken. He wants men whose hearts are truly his.Moses was a man who was called from birth to lead a nation, but he had to be broken through his past failure. He came to be so unconfident in himself, that he would not rely on any of his own abilities and was emptied of his own agenda.Sampson too, is an example of a man born quite capable in the eyes of the world. But he dishonored God while there was any of his own agenda left in his heart. It wasn't until he was ready to die in order to carry out his purpose for God that he obtained the anointing that really glorified God. God isn't glorified as long as there is any part of our own heart, our own agenda that is left alive. We must decrease, he must increase.I believe the reason for our past failures has been pride in our own hearts. God will only use men who are willing to go down, not up. This was Saul's problem. He wanted to do something for God, but he wanted to do something for himself more.Have our hearts really been changed? Or have we simply regrouped? What was the sin which caused Sampson to fall into the hands of his enemies? It was mixture. He was trying to do what he knew he was called to do, but he was also entertaining the desires of his own carnal heart. He was trying to hold onto an ungodly woman. It cannot be! Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters.I believe that, in these last days we are going to see supposed men of God seemingly going forth and advancing the Church. They will have great crowds following them. But they will be under the sway of the anti-christ. And Jesus himself said in Matt 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."What is the spirit that introduced the anti-christ into the world? Was it not formed in the heart of the greatest created being with the highest calling in heaven? It's pride. Lucifer refused to defer to God. I don't care how "called", how "great" the anointing that is on a man, if he walks in carnality and pride, he becomes useless to God. God will depart. And he will not, absolutely will not, return to such a one unless and until that one is willing to die to his own agenda. In Judges 16:30, Sampson's brokeness is revealed. It says,"...And he bowed himself with all his might." This is the heart of a man that God can get glory from! Then, and only then, Sampson accomplished the call of God. He destroyed the enemies of God, and God got all the glory. A dead man receives no real glory. Sampson wound up in prison because of the sin of his own heart. He would have rotted in prison except for one thing...he bowed himself with all his might. He would have rotted in prison except for one thing...he was willing to die. This is the place where man ends and God begins. John 12:24-25TLB says,"...I must fall and die like a kernal of wheat falls into the furrows of the earth. Unless I die I will be alone-a single seed. But my death will produce many new wheat kernals-a plentiful harvest of new lives. If you love your life down here-you will lose it. If you despise your life down here-you will exchange it for eternal glory."This will be the mentality of the Remnant Church. There will be a false church, full of hype and energetically bearing no fruit, like the fig tree which Jesus cursed. From a distance, it looked very healthy, all leafy. But as Jesus drew near, he saw that it was devoid of any real fruit. God help us.