The Love of God is like a great Niagara Falls. When we take a cup of cold water from it and give to another, it doesn’t diminish the available water at all. In fact, if we took cups of water and gave it to everyone we met, the waterfall would still be just as big.
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
Revelation 12:3,4
And,
“ And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”
2 Thessalonians 2: 8-11
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize what is actually going on around us. We often get “caught up” in the “current thing” and we fail to see the bigger picture. However, if we allow God’s Holy Spirit to give us His perspective, we can avoid much or the pain that others will ultimately experience.
Right now, you and I are living in the midst of “Strong Delusion.” Light is being called darkness and darkness is being hailed as light. All the deceptions that we see around us have, at their center, pride, and it is only going to get more intense as the antichrist is revealed.
It is the tail of the dragon, and not it’s teeth, that causes a third of the stars of heaven to fall. As with all prophetic scriptures, this one has multiple applications, but I am talking about how it applies to our day and age. The sharp teeth of the dragon may appear to be the imminent threat, but it’s the tail that sweeps from behind unexpectedly that is ultimately what dooms those who are caught off guard.
Personally, what I see happening around me is that some are becoming prideful and believe they can take on Satan in their own strength. They think that believing “they can do it” is somehow having faith in God, when it is really putting faith in themselves and in their own abilities. They forget that without God protecting us, we are as vulnerable as sheep set for the slaughter – we literally have no defense. Only by remaining humble and yielding to His Holy Spirit, will we ever be able to stand firm against the flood of evil that is currently enveloping the world.
We are all sinners, and what each and every one of us deserves is death.
God says,
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”
Romans 6:23
Without God, we will die eternally. Moreover, without His Holy Spirit, we will not survive the Antichrist.
God gave men to be a covering over women and their children. Therefore, because God set this responsibility upon men, He leads and directs these men to do what is best for those they care for. It is not prideful for a man to assume authority over his family, it is God given and Holy Spirit honored. To degrade and despise the authority of a man in his own home is to despise the very God you believe it.
Moreover, to degrade and destroy a man’s authority over his children, is to damage them for life by teaching them that Godly authority is somehow unnecessary and something to be despised. Both women and children who disrespect their husbands and fathers set themselves up to fall prey to the strong delusion and ultimately the antichrist.
I believe that women and children should be protected, loved, and provided for. I believe it is a sacred responsibility for a man to stand strong for those God has given Him. However, in order to lead it is necessary for those being led to recognize and agree to his leadership, lending their strength, obedience, and respect to his position in the family.
In many families, women usurp the man’s authority. They treat the man more as a mule who is allowed to carry their burden so long as he behaves himself. He is “goaded” to provide, build, fix, etc. so long as the woman approves of his actions. However, when he makes a decision she does not agree with, she pulls rank on him. The woman literally believes that her leadership is better and that her will should take precedence over what her husband thinks. In this, she usurps God’s authority in the home and damages her relationship with God, her husband, and her children. In her pride, she disrespects not only her husband, but the very Lord she professes to believe in.
“But….”
“But what if…”
“There are exceptions…”
The exceptions that others experience do not justify the rebellion that you are showing toward God and your husband. Moreover, if you are in one of those special circumstances, your Father will lead you as to what to do and this essay is not speaking to you. I am talking to those who, through pride, open themselves up to wreaking havoc on God’s plan in disobedience to His revealed will. I am speaking to those who think they know better than God Himself and through pride open themselves up to deception and are leading their families towards destruction.
For my part, I believe that God knows best. It is better to simply obey what He says and believe that He will honor His word, rather than strike out on my own and try to do things differently. What I am saying is that, in view of Strong Delusion, it is better for all of us to stick to the pattern that our Lord decrees. We should refuse to get caught up in pride of this world that believes they are going to do things “better” than God Himself.
Thus, men should rule their families wisely. Women should obey their husbands, for God has given their men the rule over them. Children should be taught to obey and respect their parents in Godly order so that they will know the difference between right and wrong. We should all do this by faith knowing that if we trust our Lord and humble ourselves before Him, He will stand for us in our day of trouble.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Michael King