Levi or Leviathan
It appears that a great number of disciples are being swallowed up by a sophisticated scheme forewarned long ago by our Lord and by His apostles. Ironically the scheme involves a hyper-sensitivity and loss of sensitivity operating simultaneously within the life of the church as she mixes more and more with the world.
The hypersensitivity is to anything that smells of “Levi” as in Leviticus – better known as the new public enemy of the church – “legalism”. It appears that many Christians have come to understand the grave dangers of the “leaven of the Law” that Paul warned about. There is a growing “Passover” movement springing up as liberated believers have begun to “get the leaven of law” out of their assemblies. “Levi” of course is not around to accuse anymore, but everyone seems to know who his offspring are. The church’s public enemy number one, with the name that rallies saints of all kinds with the cry to preserve liberty is “the Pharisee.” It appears that the church has finally awakened to recognize the historic enemies of our Lord Jesus and Paul are still the greatest obstacle to the gospel of freedom today. Rooting them out and the leaven of their influence is uniting more Christians today than nearly any other movement heretofore. The new cry of liberty from legalism is one of the most common themes found in this new “Reformation”. Once the cry “solo fide” rang in the middle ages, now the cry of the last days has become “kill the Pharisee!” Levi is on the run, his days of influence are numbered, legalism is quickly waning, liberty is being proclaimed, and Leviathan is loving every minute of it.
Under the cover of a “let’s stamp out legalism” diversion, Leviathan is swallowing up entire denominations and non-denominations alike with his real “last days” strategy. It appears to be a very successful sucker punch because many are being deceived and the way of the truth is being blasphemed. Leviathan has no real affection for “legalists”, but they have become very effective sacrificial pawns in his strategy to swallow up men and women. While it’s true that Pharisees were his main allies in opposing the Lord Jesus during His days on the earth and were also the chief antagonists to the apostles who carried out the mission of the church, they are only a smoke screen now to hide his main strategy to corrupt the church and the gospel in the “last days.”
Jesus, Peter, John, Jude and Paul all spoke of the coming danger of the “last days”. They even used expressions like “the Spirit expressly says” to introduce the indicators they laid out for believers to watch for. If one were to compile a list of all the danger signs they highlighted in the “last days” strategy of Leviathan (the dragon, that ancient serpent, the devil) it might surprise everyone that there is NO mention of “legalism”. Without question Pharisees were a major concern during the days of Jesus and the early church. Paul’s main enemies were the “Judaizers!” Now, however, the outcry against “legalism” appears to be a mere smoke screen being used to cover up the real covert operation that is destroying thousands of churches and families. The “great falling away” spoken of in the “last days” will not be caused by “legalism” but by the most common enemy to every believer – “lusts!” “Legalism” is not found in the “last days” warnings, but “the mystery of lawlessness” is the secret power already at work. Satan’s pawn is “the Pharisee”, and he is intentionally sacrificing him as a set up for his queen, “Babylon the Great”. Levi may represent the father of the modern “Pharisee”, but the real enemy during the “last days” is Babylon – “the mother of harlots”. Her daughters are not sent out to “bind men” by legalism, rather to “blind men” through lust. Their siren song is “liberty” and that is what their false prophets are preaching. This is the real danger facing the church in these last days.
During the days Jesus was on the earth, He denounced the Pharisees most severely, but who is He against now from His ascended place in heaven? Read the letters to the seven churches in the Revelation and see if you will find the “Pharisee” being denounced. You will find the risen Lord denouncing false prophets and followers who adhere to the teaching of Balaam. You will find Jesus ready to strike down false prophetesses and participants in the immorality of Jezebel. You will see Christ’s hatred of the teachings and practices of the Nicolaitans. You won’t find Him railing against legalism (although the synagogue of Satan is mentioned); what you will discover is the concern that lawlessness and licentiousness will abound. When Jesus was warning His disciples of the “last days” deception, He did NOT say “due to the increase of ‘legalism’ the love of the many will wax cold.” His warning was “due to the increase of ‘lawlessness” the love of the many will wax cold.”
Legalism is a smoke screen, and for every Pharisee we might find and destroy, there will be a 1000 Prostitutes luring men into destruction through the lusts of the flesh. The destroyer of the faith in the last days is not “legalism” or “Pharisees”, the enemy’s main strategy is being carried out by “lusts” through the allure of “harlots”. The real danger is not “love of the Law”, rather the “love of the world’, not legalism, the danger is “the mystery of lawlessness.”
