The Greatest Lie

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FOR THE TRUTH

“THE GREATEST LIE”
Loving the Truth or Believing the Lie, Will Determine Your Future!

A True Story.
He came to our doors in the middle of a sunny day. He said that our two neighbours had asked him to clean the water gutters on the roof of their apartments next door, so he could do mine for $20. (I trust my neighbours, so I believed him.) He spoke the language of my country, was clean-shaven and tidy, probably in his 40’s, and seemed a pleasant, helpful man. He added that he would need cash, as he would have to by some ‘sealant’. Each one of us gave him the money without further questions. But he never came back to do the work, nor did he return our money. We each one believed his lies. Afterwards, we realised how foolish we had been, but it was too late. We should have been prepared to question him. We should have looked for proof of his claims. We should have realised that we live in a world where people are not honest, (like we are)!

IS THERE ONE BIG EVENT THAT WILL HAPPEN BEFORE JESUS RETURNS?

1. Yes, Paul writes about it in his letter to the Thessalonians.
It seems a rumour/story had been spread among the new Christians that Yeshua/ Jesus had already come back, and some how they had missed it. So Paul made a point of explaining clearly to them, that there would be an event before “The Coming of our LORD Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to meet Him.” [Chapter 2: 1] So he wrote, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way! For THAT DAY will not come until the Rebellion occurs and the man of Lawlessness/rebellion is revealed.” Jewish N.T. says three times, “who separate himself from Torah/ the Law”, (3,8 & 9.) [This does not mean he is Jewish, but he hates any moral laws.]

‘That Day’ is the time of the actual Coming of Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa back to this Earth.
‘Will not come…’ The Coming simply cannot be expected until these two parts of a future stage of events have happened. Paul could not have been clearer in his words.

The two stages of events.
a) A time of anti-authority. We are seeing this attitude already in many people who are simply rebellious against any form of authority, no matter where it comes from, political, parental, or organisations of many kinds. Sometimes it takes a peculiar form, where people defy the accepted norms or previous rules of society but are very intolerant of anyone who questions their ‘right’ to announce their position on education, sexuality, or social responsibility. So it is illegal to ‘smack’ (even lovingly) a child, but many people want harsher punishments for ‘criminals’. Many people want their own ‘rights’ but reject responsibility. So the right to drink alcohol or take drugs is regarded as ‘a private matter’ and speeding while driving a vehicle, or a little ‘shop-lifting’ or ‘white lies’, or adultery, or abortion, or euthanasia or filthy language and blaspheming God’s Name are becoming more ‘acceptable’ in most societies.

Governments and organisations and businesses are struggling to define what is “P.C.” = politically correct, i.e. “don’t offend anyone or discriminate!” Tolerate anything and anyone is almost the mantra of a humanistic religion which is sweeping the world under a flimsy veil of so called ‘love and peace’ for everyone, (“as longs as it doesn’t affect me”!) It is easy to see what a ‘time of rebellion’ is in practice. Just look around! Increased crime, less good education, emphasis on ‘me, myself’, equals fear and uncertainty and instability in society.

b) A man who has no respect for and rejects all authority except his own! A Dictator.
The descriptions in different translations use different words that mean the same.
“Man of Sin’, ‘man of Lawlessness’ or ‘Man of Rebellion’ or [JNT] ‘man who disregards Torah’. So Paul continues explaining, “He will oppose himself to everything that people call god or make an object of worship; he will put himself above them all, so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he, himself is god.”

We know from many other Scriptures, Paul was talking about the False-messiah, or ‘Anti-christ’, who was described by Daniel and later on by John the Beloved disciple. [We have written carefully about him in the article, ‘The False Messiah’.] But from every Scripture where there is a description of this False-messiah or Anti-christ, we know he will be very evil and very cruel. The name ‘Anti-christ’ as often explained has two meanings. Yes, he will be ‘anti’= against -Christ Jesus/Yeshua, the true Saviour and Messiah. But what is already confusing some people is the idea that he will actually present himself as ‘the Messiah’. This is why we prefer to call him the ‘False-messiah’. Someone who will seem to be an absolutely amazing person and leader!

2. The KEY REASON given for this False-messiah’s take-over is: ‘THE LIE.’
The world’s peoples, in almost universal agreement, will believe this Dictator is not only the only hope of a world in crisis, but the only one who can bring relief from it.
You will remember that one day; Yeshua/Jesus’ disciples asked Him carefully, “what will be the sign of Your Coming and that this world’s age is ending?” The very first concern that He had was in His words, “Watch out! Don’t let anyone fool you! For many will come in My Name, saying, ‘’I am the messiah!’ And they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24.)

It seems it was His first and most agonising concern, because He knew what Satan was planning then, and always had, from the very beginning of Creation. Satan always wanted to take the place of God in the Rulership of the world. Yeshua/ Jesus also knew that it could ONLY lead to sorrow and evil confusion, cruelty and death for millions. The amazing aspect is that this is no new secret! Every dictator that has ever forced himself on a nation has always been evil and cruel. You can go right back to Nimrod, right through any real historical record, Biblical or otherwise and find it is true! John wrote in his letter 2000 years ago, “This is the Last Hour. You have heard that an Anti-messiah is coming; and in fact, many anti-messiahs have arisen now…” Of course some religions are waiting for a ‘Messiah’, as Christians do, Jews look for Ha Meshiach, and Muslims for Mesih.

So a person will come and claim to be THE Messiah and saviour of the world!
Yet we have had Nero, Domitian, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Pineche, Mogabe, -you know many names - responsible for the death and suffering of millions!
But you see - this makes “believing the lie” even more staggering! However could it happen again? And the entire world believe it? Yet the Bible says it will happen.

BECAUSE, FIRST THERE WILL BE A CLIMATE OF LAWLESSNESS.
Again, Paul gives the background for this.
[Now quoting from the N.I.V the same verse]. “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,” [later on at the last Day]. Then in verse 7 Paul gives the predisposing ‘climate’ or general condition of the world and people, “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work…” How true this is of the world we know. No respect for parents, teachers, religious or elected leaders, police, the rules of the road, or any of the accepted parts of our culture and standards of good behaviour, no matter what part of the world we are in. The Apostle Peter also described the world getting ready for the Last days when he says in his 2^nd latter, chapter 3, “Understand this: during the Last Days, scoffers will come, following their own desires and asking, ‘where is this promised ‘Coming’ of His? [Yeshua/Jesus’ Promise.] For our fathers have died, and everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of Creation’.” (That is one lie, -because many things have and are changing!)

Paul exposes the real people under a cloak of ‘religion’.
This makes it even more hurtful and confusing. He says to Timothy in his 2nd letter, 3rd chapter, “understand this; that in the Last Days will come, trying times. People will be self-loving, money-loving, proud, arrogant, insulting, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, uncontrolled, brutal, hateful of good, traitorous, headstrong, swollen with conceit, loving pleasure rather than God, as they retain the outer form of religion –but deny its power.” [Jewish N.T.] What a list! Did Paul really have to list so many evil attitudes? Our hearts ache as we read of some places in the world right now, where these evils must seem almost unbearable for true Believers in Yeshua/Jesus/Isa! You can know if you are in a place like this that GOD KNOWS! But coming under a mantra of ‘religion’ makes it even worse.

So what kind of leaders allow this to be so?
The sad reality is that often these ‘leaders’ have not only had opportunities of a good education, and other advantages, but many have had the knowledge of the Gospel, and even, according to other parts of the New Testament, were part of ‘the church’. In fact this is one of the reasons for many of the letters being written by the Apostles. John 2:18 says, “this is how we know it is the last hour. [These anti-christs] went out from us, but they really did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us;” [perhaps in spite of persecution?] – “but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”

[As one has prepared for this study, it comes across time and time again, seeing how the Apostles were upset by wrong teachings that were creeping into ‘the church’ and it is often high-lighted, when you read a different translation, as English speakers can. This makes our responsibilities, even greater, to really seek the truth.]

For instance, here are some notes from 2 Peter 2.
You really need to read the whole chapter.
His introduction: “But among the people there were also false prophets, just as there will be false teachers among you. Under false pretences they will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master Who bought them, and thus bring on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their debaucheries; and because of them, the true Way will be maligned. In their greed they will exploit you with fabricated stories.” That sounds like ‘lies’ to me!

Verse 10; “they follow their old natures in lust for filth and despise authority.”
Even taking authority angels would not. “Presumptuous and self-willed, these false teachers do not tremble at insulting angelic beings…” Verse 10.
Verse 12. “Acting without thinking, like animals without reason…”
It is all for ‘pleasure’. “Their idea of pleasure is carousing in broad daylight…” The acceptance of all forms of sexual adultery, fornication and homosexuality is rife.

Even a donkey warned Balaam, but “these people have left the straight and narrow way and wandered off… but [he] was rebuked for his sin – a dumb beast of burden spoke out with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s insanity!” Oh for a few more ‘donkeys’! This is what makes modern ideas so amazing; often they are simply -‘insane’. Just two examples: ‘sexual sin is natural and leads to healthy pleasure’. (NOT true! Haven’t they heard of AIDS & other diseases?) ‘We were born this way so we cannot change.’ [Many people have changed and been freed from sin.]

‘Loud mouths’ who talk a lot, but say nothing good, “mouthing grandiosities of nothingness…” is how the Jewish N.T. puts it from verse 18 on. Now it is with help from all branches of modern media –which can use graphic pictures, very cheaply. And so the gradual slide into a ‘time of rebellion’ is explained carefully and clearly.

A very sad conclusion.
Peter says what may seem an amazing thing, (verse 21), “it would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness, than fully knowing, to turn from [it]. What has happened to them accords with the true proverb, ‘a dog returns to its own vomit.’ “ How we need to pray about many big ‘mission out-reach programmes’ -that those who make a commitment will be carefully taught, and lovingly discipled. We would quickly condemn a parent that gave birth to a baby and then just left it alone. The desire for huge numbers, and ecstatic programmes of physical displays masks the value of true preaching of the Word. For, ‘Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Our true Christian/Messianic faith should be by ‘the renewing of the mind.” The Holy Spirit can use the clear, loving facts of our Faith being spoken. The cost of discipleship is like enlisting in God’s army, or marrying into royalty!

THE TIME OF REBELLION IS HERE- SO -BE PREPARED!
God, through His Word and His true prophets have warned us End Time Believers.
This is just as God has done, time and time again. Through Noah, before the Flood. Through Moses, to the new Nation of Israelites. Through the great prophets of the Tanakh/O.T. who often suffered tremendously to deliver their messages. And as we have quoted there is so much in the New Testament, from the precious words of Yeshua/ Jesus Himself, and all the writers of the letters/epistles. We are without a ‘rag of excuse’. Yet one fears that the very teaching some End-time Christian preachers are proclaiming is serious if it lulls people into some false sense of security and escape from suffering! Let us be very humble to discern and accept -the Truth.

RELATED TO A WORLD WIDE, ALL-INCLUSIVE FORM OF ‘RELIGION’.
1. Thinking through some acceptable ‘lies’ of today.
The main religion of this century does not come under any one name of religious belief, but an inclusive term that describes it well is ‘HUMANISM’. It already includes concepts of many religions. It is also called ‘the New Age teaching’. We have already touched on this from the Scriptures we referred to. It is a big subject and many excellent Bible teachers can explain it in detail.

It’s origins, (in the Garden of Eden); how it has developed throughout the centuries, (and therefore is not ‘new’ at all) and the many forms it takes in today’s world, (Eastern meditation, revived animistic rites and modern ‘body worship’) as we see it. The Bible has graphic descriptions in many places about the religious forms it took even in the land of Israel. However John, in the book of Revelation gives the most graphic picture of this grotesque form of this rich, but ruthless, religion that will greatly influence the coming ‘Beast’ of world Government. It is not one ‘church’ or religion! In chapter 17 it is personified as, “the great whore…” Verse 3: “I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beats filled with blasphemous names…” Verse 5: “On her forehead was written a name with a hidden meaning, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF WHORES AND OF THE EARTH’S OBSCENITIES’. I saw the woman drunk from the blood of God’s People, that is, from the blood of the people who testify about Yeshua/ Jesus.” You think to yourself, is this what it will come to? How could it happen? It is already happening through many lies, and being tied in with ‘money’ being used in the wrong way, it will lead to ‘THE LIE’.

2. THE REASON IS: BECAUSE THERE IS NO “LOVE OF THE TRUTH”.
But the true source of all TRUTH is The WORD of God, in a precious written form, and it is also real to us in the Person of the One who is ‘THE WORD of GOD’.

There are many forms of the lies, which deny the truth, so discernment is needed!
a) “I decide what is truth”. At present anyone and everyone can come up with their own version of ‘religious truth’. Some say, ‘you must listen to the god within’. So each person can make decisions for themselves – and no one else can criticise! “I’ll do it my way!”
The Bible says clearly, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14: 12.)

Human rights. There is a whole culture, of seeming tolerance to anything that seems different. It is also called being ‘politically correct’. The ridiculous thing is that many of these people are inconsistent in their attitudes and practices. A saying used to be that ‘some people are so unwilling to stand for anything, [good or noble], that they are liable to fall for everything,’ [whether it is good or bad.] In my culture there is another aspect of this that some people are so “fiercely independent” that they are unwilling to accept reasonable help or needed gifts. Both of these are really forms of “pride, which goes before a fall.” There are false forms of ‘anti-racism’ -yet more discrimination daily!
The answer is to seek the truth humbly. The irony is, that mankind wants their own kind of ‘freedom’ not realising this will lead to the world’s worst time of bondage under the ‘Triad of evil’; Satan, the False-messiah and his False prophet (of doom!) ‘Human rights’ can only be practised if in God’s strength we “love the LORD our God and our neighbours as ourselves.” It includes forgiveness which can be hard to do.

‘Body worship’. This comes in many forms. Advertisers press us to take these food supplements, use this body-building equipment, go jogging, join this slimming club,
improve this or that aspect of your life with pills, precautions or life saving methods. Another form is that we must do anything, suffer anything, or use extreme medical interventions to keep people from dying. Yet the other side of this is to assist people to ‘die with dignity’ by euthanasia. Sadly there is big debate on the ‘woman’s right to choose abortion’. The number of aborted babies every year in every nation is far beyond those killed in wars, or motor accidents.
Answer. Is it right to kill a baby of a few weeks (gestation) more than to kill a child of a few years? Here are some thought provoking Scriptures with the truth. Psalm 103, “The LORD knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. As for man his days are like grass… the wind blows over it and it is gone.” See also Genesis 3:19, Psalm 104: 23, & Ecclesiasties 9:10. God’s Word says, we will die, but as His true children, we want to live for Him, or (if He asks us), to die for Him, because we know this life is a preparation for the next. God gives real meaning to our lives on Earth!

There is no God - no Creation, so we need to find the origin of the Universe.
This set of lies, are so widely accepted that evolution is widely taught as fact, but the underlying tragedy is that it belittles our worth and sense of destiny so suicide is also one of the world’s worst killers. “If I am an accident on the planet and come from nowhere and I have no future, why try to be anything?” The lie that goes with it is that there is no ‘hereafter’ (or for some there is a possibility of re-incarnation in another Earthly form) so there is a strange culture of death attitudes especially that says ‘death ends all suffering’.
Answer: Hopelessness and depression are the scourges of this world that fills the pockets of pharmaceutical companies with their ant-depressant pills. [You might like to see our article on ‘Finding Comfort for Sorrow’.] But trust in God brings hope! Another tragedy is the billions of dollars being spent to explore the Universe, build space stations or find other planets to live on. If only this money could be used to fight curable diseases, especially in the developing countries!

We must fight and work to save Planet Earth! This lie comes from the previous lie, and also the denial of the WORD of God that says clearly that “this Earth will pass away…” With this comes talk of ‘Mother Earth’ and ‘the gods’ and as a form of Humanism, emphasises that ‘we must save the Planet’. Even Governments are being pressured on these issues, so that the ‘environment’ is more important than saving or helping human beings, sometimes.
Again finances to ‘save the whales or….’ detracts from saving human lives, which if we obeyed the Scripture would have the effect of improving our environment, anyway. Respect for God, and His world will help us to be balanced in our Christian commitment to the world God made; beautifying and enriching it in good ways.

Twisting the truth of God to encourage a false love and ‘tolerance’ that is opposed to God’s Word, is widespread. Making truth relevant according to the times or circumstances, (“we need to move on in our understanding”) and debunking things that are old or treasured, (unless we can make money out of them) are all forms of lies. Investigating and accepting the ‘para-normal’ including ‘miraculous signs’ in all forms of cultish, even satanic worship that looks for magical signs, (even in so-called ‘christian’ ministries) are leading to the acceptance of THE LIE!
God is sovereign in our destiny, so acceptance of and encouraging ‘God’s will on Earth as it is in Heaven’ frees us from constantly looking for miracles. Certainly we should pray for the sick and all that suffer, but if we prayed for a person’s soul as earnestly as for their body we would see far more blessing. God looks for us to accept His Truth by trusting, not looking for miracles! Miracles come in God’s way and time, not for ‘show’ but to bless! This is a very essential lesson to learn!
[May we invite you to read our articles on ‘Comfort.’]?

SO WHAT IS THE GREAT LIE?
It will be, that the WORLD WILL HAVE A GREAT, SAVING, LEADER at last!

IN FACT HE WILL CLAIM TO BE THE ONLY ‘MESSIAH’ THAT EVER EXISTED!
Characteristics of anti-christs that confirm the times we are in.

a) He will deny the Triune Nature of God.
In the letters of John the beloved Disciple (chapter 2: 22), we have some clear descriptions about ‘ant-christs’ or false-messiahs. “Who is THE Liar? It is the man who denies that Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa is the Messiah. Such a man is the Anti-christ – he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father, whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

b) He will deny the Humanity and Deity of Yeshua/ Jesus. (1 John 4: 2 & 3)
“Every spirit that acknowledges that Yeshua/ Jesus messiah has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Yeshua/ Jesus is not from God.” It is good to remember that the man writing this had actually walked with Yeshua, eaten with Him, watched Him in all kinds of weather and situations with people or boats or a donkey or by a well… He had heard Him teach in the country or in the streets or the Temple Courts or on the Mount of Olives… Even more he had watched the cruel, insulting treatments of this, his best friend in the palace of Ciaphas, as well as before the Sanhedrin and then before Pilate, right up to seeing Him on the execution stake, and into the grave. John knew as thousands of others who were still alive when John wrote these words, that Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa was really a man and truly the manifestation of God in every way.
But we repeat, this is the lie that the world will be asked to believe, that there never has been a Messiah and a Saviour of a world in desperate need.

c) The False-messiah will therefore claim the right to introduce new ‘laws’.
He will be a ‘new’ messianic Leader with sets of ‘new open-minded laws’. The kind of people we have read about in a previous section of notes always have a desire to change the old restrictive laws, to be modern, and appropriate for the times. But the catch is that, yes, the False-messiah will as Daniel says, “speak against the Most High and oppress His saints and try to change the set times and laws,” (7: 25.) His laws will prove to be poison, at first for Believers, but later for his own followers!

THE FIRST TASK WILL BE TO CONVINCE THE WORLD TO ACCEPT HIM.
This is clearly described in Revelation chapter 13. You need to re-read it for yourself, and maybe the article we have on ‘The False-messiah’. The details are a bit lengthy to repeat here.
But clearly God allows the world to choose and accept the Anti-christ at this time.

Yet people will be blind to all the lies about who he really is.
People will believe apparent miracles of fire from heaven, and a Leader whose head wound is seemingly – amazingly healed, and a speaking statue that can command worship on pain of death. It seems incredible –unbelievable – but that is what will be believed. It will also be enforced with seemingly great plans for economic reforms.

How could intelligent, ‘good’ people be so wrong?
Yes, it will be normal, educated, even hardworking, family oriented, respectable people. Just like people all around us. But Paul explains it clearly, “When this man who avoids the [Word of God] comes, The Adversary, [that is Satan] will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders. HE will enable him [the False-messiah] to deceive in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are [later] headed for destruction. BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT RECEIVE THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH that could have saved them. This is why God is causing them, [who have been given a free-will] to go astray, SO THEY WILL BELIEVE THE LIE.” 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-11.

IT IS ALL BECAUSE OF THE “FATHER OF LIES”.
Consider who Satan is; Yeshua/ Jesus is the One Who actually called Satan that name, when religious people were questioning His origin, birthplace, and ancestry, which to them was of paramount importance. There were unprepared to check their own Scriptures, let alone people who could have vindicated His birth as being in Bethlehem. More than that, just like people today, they judged by their own criteria, (often based on outward things like skin colour, dialect, clothes, etc,) instead of looking at the real Person and listening to what He was really saying!

There are several chapters in the book of John which bring out the whole question of Who Yeshua/ Jesus really was! This is SO important to the whole of this study. We recommend you read chapters 5 – 9 with this in mind. But we quote here from 8:42, one of the most important statements Yeshua/Jesus made about His true origins! “Yeshua/Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on My own [authority], but He sent Me.
Why is not My language clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the Truth, for there is NO truth in him. When he speaks he speaks his native language, for he is a LIAR and the FATHER OF LIES.”

And what will be the result for them?
“The result will be that all who have not believed the TRUTH, but have taken their pleasure in wickedness, will be condemned.” There are many Scriptures that spell out the terrible consequences of these sinful decisions.

‘Evil and its just reward are chained irrevocably together!’
Oh! How tragic this is! Now you know why God has allowed all kinds of modern technology to be developed in these times. While they can and are being used for evil, they are also being used for good. God is sending His warnings out –even on the Internet! Please pray for preachers, writers, parents, teachers, and every true Believer in Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa - WHO IS THE TRUTH - to prepare the Way of the LORD. We need to be preparing God’s people to stand true to the TRUTH of the Word of God ready for any time of testing that God in His Sovereign Plan allows to come. [Perhaps you would pray for this web-site and other ministries you know of?]

Dear Friend, thank you for reading this far.
May we ask you, if you have found the Truth,
who is Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa,
The One who died for us, because He is the Truth?
He told us truly, to ask for His salvation from sin,
and He will give it to us freely.
“Who-ever comes to Me I will never cast out.”
May He give us the courage and grace to stay true
to Him as many people in large parts of the world
are already doing, even though it is costing so much.
SOON HE WILL RETURN TO BE
YESHUA HA MASHIACH ~ J
ESUS MESSIAH & SAVIOUR ~
ISA MESIH RAB ULUSLARDA!
Jesus Christ ~ LORD of the Nations!

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