Bethel Baptist Church
Worship Service @ Home
26 November 2023
Welcome
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.
Psalm 97:11, chosen by Stella
Worship
“He is Lord, He is Lord; He is risen from the dead and He is Lord; Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Word
When will Jesus Return?
Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people … For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Matt. 24:11, 24
This is another clear sign that will happen before Jesus returns. Again, we ask, ‘How do we measure this?’ There have always been false prophets and the like. But as we trace things over the years do we find an increase in the intensity and extent of deception? The word deceive appears twice in the verses quoted, re. those who ‘deceive many people’ and those who ‘deceive, if possible, even the elect’.
Right from the beginning Satan has been in the business of deceiving e.g., Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:1-15. He will continue his work of deceiving right to the End of time,
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world
Revelation 12:9
… Satan will … go out to deceive the nations … 10 The devil, who deceived them.
Revelation 20:7-8, 10
He does this directly, and also through organisations and people. In 1984 Francis Schaeffer wrote in, “The Great Evangelical Disaster”, referring to Secular Humanism:
“Sixty years ago could we have imagined that unborn children would be killed by the millions here in our own country? Or that we would have no freedom of speech when it comes to speaking about God and biblical truth in our public schools? Or that every form of sexual perversion would be promoted by the entertainment media? Or that marriage, raising children, and family life would be objects of attack.”
Francis Schaeffer
There has always been witchcraft and demonic activity that deceives the people in both the OT and NT e.g.,
Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exodus 7:10-11
Simon had practised sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, ‘This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.’ They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.
Acts 8:9-11
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
1 John 4:1-3
The test with these false prophets was: ‘Do they believe in the Incarnation?’ Today, we still have those in the Church, even Bishops, who deny the Incarnation. Furthermore we have those who deny the Deity of Christ. Has there been an increase in the intensity and extent of deception over the last few hundred years?
- Freemasonry began 24th June 1717
and interestingly, a number of significant cults started in 1800’s and still growing, e.g.,
- Mormons [Church of Latter Day Saints] – 1830
- Jehovah Witnesses – 1870
- Christian Scientist – 1879
- Theosophy Society – 1875
- The Moonies began 1st May 1954
- People’s Temple (Jonestown) 1955
- The UK legalised Witchcraft 1967
- The New Age Movement began late 1960’s early 1970’s
- Hare Krishna, 1960 – ’70’s
… Google it and check for yourselves!
Quote of the week
“For the first time in our history the weird and the stupid and the coarse are becoming our cultural norm, even our cultural ideal.”
Carl Bernstein
Verse of the week
Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good …
Rom. 12:2 JBP
Let’s Pray
Father, protect Your church in these last days from deception. By Your Spirit, let Your church rise up with the truth that will set men, women and children free in Jesus, Amen.