Iniquity
Transgression and
Sin
         by Steve Gagnon

It may be helpful in understanding the ugliness of these last days to gain clear and precise knowledge of the meaning of iniquity, transgression and sin. God wishes to personally address each one of these in us so that His perfect plan for us to be free from the folly of sin can be realized. God yearns that each person will fully enter into his prescribed cure. It should blow our minds to think that the Creator of the universe and everything contained in it wants to befriend us and even have us become part of the Bride of his Son, Jesus. It is His planned operation to cure us from the sickness of iniquity, transgression and sinThis operation has been brought to man in order to set man free from the three wretched conditions of heart so the individual may begin living in God’s loving presence. Albeit do not be surprised at the presentation of this straight and narrow gate to freedom, it is neither new nor unique. Heard many times over and over, it is the same message men have either refused or accepted for two thousand years.
     
In probing the meanings of iniquity, transgression and sin we should find the subtle differences between them and that will hopefully result in a better understanding of salvation's parameters. Clearer understanding can also improve our own communications of how, where and when to use them. Another consideration that arises in this examination is to find if there an order to the formation of each. I really hope in the end of this not to present just dry textbook answers to some questions about iniquity, transgression and sin but rather I hope to capture more of the essence of these in some of their subtleties so that we can better detect them and express them. Lastly, Sin is a huge topic that won’t be captured here but only highlighted as the Lord leads. Such is the case with so many spiritual matters that we all hope to better comprehend as we walk in these earthen vessels.
   E
arly in the Bible God reveals himself to Moses and the topic of iniquity, transgression and sin, And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” (Ex.34:6-7) The verses clearly show that God states that iniquity, transgression and sin exist and they are separate in their identity. This passage tells us that any of these three items found in us will bring upon us guilt and a need to be forgiven by God. The matter of finding forgiveness is so important to God that He made it clear that one’s iniquity can be brought down even to the fourth generation. Notice that it doesn’t state transgression and sin will be brought down to subsequent generations but iniquity will. How can this be?
      Let’s begin with iniquity. According to Strong’s Concordance of the Bible it appears in the Bible (KJV) 334 times and derives from words that express disease in the heart and mind of man: to crook, make crooked, pervert, turn, moral evil, to exert oneself in vain, to come to naught, wickedness, trouble, unjust, morally wrongfulness of character, vanity and perversity. These are all expressions of the Hebrew and Greek words that were originally written and have been translated into the English word iniquity.
     
Iniquity is a condition that greatly exists in the heart and mind of a person or people. It exists when one owns, possesses or holds to themselves, what amounts to in God’s eyes, a crookedness, perverseness and form of vanity of a pure truth that has now become diseased, infected and perverted. Anything that God says, any way that God has proclaimed as right or wrong, any truth that God has pointed out, if in the heart of man it is changed in any way it amounts to what God calls iniquity. God warns against iniquity by saying Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isa.5:20-21An example of iniquity is seen in the parable taught by Jesus where the unprofitable servant revealed “…Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man.” This twisted idea of his Lord’s character cost him dearly in the end.
     
This next example to help illustrate what iniquity is may be lengthy but look carefully at the disease God is seeing when he looks upon Isreal for their iniquity.
     
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” (Isa.1:4-6)
      
They are sickly, infected with disease. Read on and see that it has perverted their ideas of how to please God. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.” (Isa.1:11-14)
     Iniquity is just not right nor will it be tolerated by God if we are to have an intimate relationship with him. While iniquity may lie secretly in our hearts, quiet and unspoken, even to our own realization, it is seen by the eyes of God who knows us to the very depths of our being and he desires that we be freed of that infectious disease that will eventually breed rebellion and acts of disobedience. Jesus spoke what he perceived saying Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Mat.23:28) and And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Mat.24:12)  Iniquity is a key ingredient to the recipe of sin and this leads us on to the next topic of transgression.

Transgression appears in one form or another 179 time in the Bible. In the Old Testament it is often found to come from the Hebrew root word “pasha” meaning – to break away from just authority. Other Old and New Testament words and their meanings, that led scholars to translate to us the word transgress,  suggest – a revolt (national, moral or religious), rebellion, trespass, to crossover, a transition literally or figuratively, alienate, remove from, do away with, escape, fall, to go contrary to, violate a command, violation, and breaking.
      Transgression describes a move, whether that shift takes place inward in our heart or is displayed outward in action be it through speech or a waving of hand, shaking of fist or running away, the move is against God and is pure rebellion. Transgressing can also be expressed in the same spirit of rebellion if we stubbornly refuse to be moved. It may be that God wants to bring about a change in us or for us but the transgressor will defiantly act against God’s prompting with a refusal to budge.Most commonly in the Bible transgression points at a violation to God’s law. Understand that God’s commands whether written on stone, paper or upon our hearts amounts to the same and therefore the following applies to all who hear God “…for where no law is, there is no transgression.” In this sense God’s word first needs to be established in order for transgression against him to occur. Adam and Eve transgressed his word when they disobeyed and ate fruit of the tree he told them not to eat from.
      A Born-Again Christian ought to have an ongoing communication with God by the Holy Spirit with a knowledge that they are free from upholding all of the Mosaic Law. Yet embodied in the two great commandments given to us (Mat.22:35-40) “hang all the law and the prophets” are what God expects us to not alienate, remove from, do away with, go contrary to, rebel against, etc.. There should be the still soft voice of the Holy Spirit that will guide us along the path of God’s will. God hopes we will not lapse in obedience to the commands he writes upon our hearts, sometimes personal only to us in our circumstances. Disobedience to these carefully delivered instructions will result in transgressing God’s word (law). God sees hearts and we cannot hide our motives, insincerity or hypocrisy from him. Jesus called the Pharisees “whited sepulchers” because of the hypocrisy in their hearts. In truth they devoured widow’s houses and had moved away from keeping weightier matters of God’s law like judgment, mercy and faith, thereby proving they were also transgressors through purposeful omission. The infection of fears or doubting can motivate us in our transgression against God. Holding onto wrong ideals, allegiances or traditions, regardless of how they’ve been ingrained in us by our society or families should be a matter for each of us to consider with God, for we may be in danger of transgression against him. Jesus saw the actions of some Jews in his day and refuted their accusation of transgression with this But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”
     God has suffered many transgressions but certainly he would like us to have a right sense that he wants to forgive them and end them. The Psalmist wrote Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Ps.32:1) Surely the iniquity of our heart and mind is not to be trusted. It will often lead us to transgressions and transgressions amount to acts contrary to the will of God, which is sin. The appearance of the word sin in the Bible (448 times) demonstrates the enormity of our need for understanding. One point God makes for us is that we are all too familiar with sin For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Rm.3:23)  James goes into detail about the production of sin and ends by saying when sin is produced it brings forth death.  Ultimately, this death is complete and eternal separation from God, and he would rather we did not suffer sin’s terrible reward but would rather save us to himself forever. The prophet John the Baptist proclaimed loud and clear by what way our God, who has identified himself as “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin“, will save us from the reward of sin. We see the way when we read “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”  (Jn.1:29)

Strong’s Bible Concordance identifies a number of Hebrew and Greek words whose definitions enlighten us to the meaning of the word sin when it appears. Words and phrases like – wrongdoing, usually any act contrary to the will and law of God, an offence, a crime, to miss, to forfeit, lack, harm he hath done.Sin describes an act against God. Again like transgressing, this acting out against God can be unseen but still exist in the heart. The Bible also teaches that acting upon one another or being remiss in our action can amount to sin against God. Jesus taught in this parable And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Mat.25:40)When Jesus instructed with the following words God was setting the mark to which he expects us to live. “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mat.22:35-40) and A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (Jn.13:34) Twelve times in the New Testament are we explicitly schooled to “love one another.” Limited space and time does not allow a lengthy expose’ of how I believe we are educated and equipped to meet the high standard set by God for us to Love. When we have failed to meet the standard to which God has carefully instructed and fully equipped us to meet due to our slackness, lack of concern, love of self, purposeful negligence (rebellion), haughtiness (iniquity)  or any such thing we will offend God and this offence is sin.
     
I’m pointing out these things about sin because I know to settle for just a text book definition like “an act against God” should not be enough for our satisfaction of understanding. When we see the word sin used in the Bible we want to have an understanding about the nature of the offence against God and what are some of the ingredients of sin.
     “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rm.14:23) Is this statement suppose to paralyze us with a fear that we might be in sin if we didn’t check with God to see if he has given us needed faith to go to the grocery store or that every day that we go to work should we check with him to see if we still have faith for this. No, not necessarily. God doesn’t expect us to be like that.  What he has established for each of us as faith he expects us to walk in, always with a listening heart for any changes. He desires for us to check with him on all matters and if we hear from him then apply the above statement and if he hasn’t spoken to us on the matter then proceed with an attentive ear to his Spirit. Sin is a powerful force.
      An analogy of sin as a force can be likened to a forest fire. The forceful effects of sin whether with intent or not can be much like the destruction of fire. Our own sin, the sin of others around us, the sin of the world or the sin of unseen spiritual creatures become a ruining force that will devour everything in its path until there is nothing left to feed upon or until the Lord intervenes to save. This is why James could write And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” (James3:6) This world of iniquity can plant fiery embers in hearts that will spread and grow into a wild fire of sin. A wake of destruction is left in the path of sin. With its forceful heat it can also influence those near its path to catch fire and enhance the initial destructive power. Just as a forest fire can create its own currents of wind to aid in feeding frenzied flames the force of sin can be fed and directed by its own created power. Sparks fly from sin’s destructive power when embers of hate, greed, lust, jealousy, lies, fears and unbelief in God soar into the air. Embers land wherever the wind currents direct and more burning destruction is ignited. Only when there is nothing left to be consumed will the flames of Sin’s fury subside. God will often intervene and sometimes chooses to dowse the fire with his hand by directing a counter wind (Holy Spirit) to drive back the supernatural direction of sin’s fires or choose to smother the flames under the waters of his word (in any form he judges fit) which is able to end all the force of sin in every situation. God may sometimes choose to do this by having his earthen vessels of clay that have been formed and prepared by him to carry such waters under his direction. In the midst of this forest fire God may choose to do a miracle through pure mercy and grace and pluck out by the roots any growth in the forest that would otherwise suffer the death of sin’s fire and transplant it where it can safely grow under his watchful care. Remember what God did for Daniel’s three friends in the fiery furnace that was prepared for their deaths He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”(Dan.3:25) This is an example of how God can intervene to save in the midst of the force of sin. He can declare fire has no heat. He can declare sin has no power.
      Sin is a force but God can do whatever he wants about it because his love is stronger. Haman’s sin set about a force against God’s chosen people that might have utterly destroyed them yet God intervened and brought in a counter wind and a vessel to carry the water of his word. This reversed the fiery process of sin against God’s elect and left Haman and his house swinging from the gallows he intended for the Jews. Saul was a persecutor who set out with a zealous vengeance to jail and even murder any one that opposed the gospel he believed. God intervened against this sinful force and uprooted the vessel that would have even destroyed itself and transplanted Saul away from the forces that were to continue where he was taught to believe the New Gospel. In God’s own irony Saul would become an opponent to the very forces of sin he once condoned and promoted. Sound familiar? Iniquity can be likened to disease, transgression to rebellion and sin to offense and while this generalization can be helpful we don’t want to pigeonhole any one of them. We can see one leads to another, one is a part of another and one is much like another but we know that God has declared early on that they all need to be forgiven. Iniquity, transgression and sin have caused everyone to fall out of God’s intended Garden of Eden type relationship he wants to have with us. It was in this garden that Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s word and offended him, yet he chose at that time to prophecy in the midst of judgment that One would come to crush the head of sin’s originator and promoter. He sent Jesus to fulfill this word.
     
God has taken control over the ultimate force of sin – the force that would kill our intended and preferred relationship with him - and proven once and for all to know that his love is a greater force. He has nullified sin’s effects and his love is able to be the force that will return us to him and keep us in him. This love is exemplified in everything Jesus is and did and can now be found in the bath of his blood that was poured out of his body as God’s own sacrifice. This happened for us when he took upon himself all the force and shame and guilt of every sin of man that was and ever will be and then delivered it all to the very pits of Hell where it all belongs. Through faith in God’s power to do this he was resurrected from death into eternal life with his Father where he waits for the arrival of those who have be forgiven all iniquity, transgression and sin.
      So believe that sin’s effects have infected each one of us who have lived on this earth which is filled with iniquity and transgression. Job wrote “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?” (Job15:16) The infections of sin allow more disease of iniquity to twist our hearts and minds into believing more lies of bent and distorted truths. Sin’s effects cause transgressions to form in us and are expressed when we begin to shift ourselves away from God or try to push him away from us. All of this iniquity and transgression only leads to more sin and that leads to more iniquity and transgression. They are all of the same and create all of the same and God has proclaimed that we need to be forgiven of all. Praise the Lord forever, God has made that one and only way for us, Jesus.

Iniquity Will Abound
The Craven Condition
of the Modern World

 The craven condition of today's world has every God-fearing man and woman reeling with amazement. Sixty-year-old people wonder, "How have society's morals degenerated so swiftly?" Twenty-year-old people have no conception of how different morals have changed from the way they normally were in ages past, when men did not wear their hats inside buildings out of respect for God and the weaker sex and children were forced by a stern hand to behave themselves in public out of respect for adults.

What was once abnormal behavior is now the norm, truth is tagged as prejudice and bigotry, mocked at, called old fashioned, even tagged with the derisive label - ‘phobia’.

Lies are endorsed as expressions of love and kindness, criminals have become the victims; victims are put on trial.

It is all part of the sad state of man's condition in the last days as prophesied by Paul's letter to Timothy recorded in the Bible. And, the political condition of the world is equally scary.

Wars and rumors of war dominate world politics. The nation of Israel is a stumbling block to peace in the Middle East. The world is in a state of economic panic and confusion. The earth's ecology is disrupted while natural disasters of every sort batter each continent - relentless, forceful.

But these and other tumultuous phenomenon around the globe should not discourage the faithful. In fact, we should be encouraged. They are beacons of hope, signs even, advertising in vivid living color, the Rapture of the Bride, warning of the coming Antichrist, judgment of the world and the second advent of Jesus, about to return to earth to establish His throne of righteousness in the City of David, sweet Jerusalem.

ThePhiladelphiaFaith.org offers on this website a multi-faceted and methodical look at the prophetic signs beginning with the Destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 A.D. and running through the length and breadth of this Age of Grace up to and through the Tribulation, to the cleansing of the Temple and the established throne of Christ.

These signs point unmistakably to the sudden appearing of Jesus Christ which can take place at any present moment. Jesus called these incredible events of the last days, "the signs of the times." When a Christian learns to watch for and analyze these end-time indicators he or she will come to understand that the momentous day of Christ's judgment of the earth and the deliverance of His faithful believers is fast approaching and is only a breath away. The conditions or events required to fulfill these "signs of the end" have already come to pass. With the downfall of America’s World Economic Empire we look for the establishment of the Empire of the Ten Kings which will serve as the ‘footrest’ for the Antichrist and his world-wide tyranny and oppression of all things godly. We await only their final creation which has been in the works for nearly a century beginning with the establishment of The League of Nations, The United Nations, the return of the Jews to Israel, the European Common Market, N.A.T.O., World Bank, Parliament and Court, various continental alliances and the flourishing European Union.  The Fall of The Raiser of Taxes, according to Daniel’s prophecy (ch. 11) provides the hole to run through by which the antichrist movement can make its final break away move to create the foundational ‘empire’ of the ‘Ten Kings’. The signs leading to this world kingdom are far past merely being fulfilled, they are in a state of perpetual fulfillment and mankind is daily living with their effects. The politicians world over are jockeying for positions of power within this perceived new world order. They are a part of the world’s daily life style, social fabric and political order. This section of our site intends to take each Biblical sign of the end, one by one, and show how they have been fulfilled and now influence all parts of everyday life in the world.

            As we speed closer to the end, this perpetual living reality of the signs of the end is reaching a frenetic pace. God has the prophetic "pedal to the metal." The signs along the road to Christ's return are flashing by at warp speed. We often only get a fleeting glimpse of a story that confirms the existence of one of the signs of the end before the next "sign of the times" story pushes it off the front pages of the newspapers and dominates the nightly news broadcasts. We have created an on-line newspaper in conjunction with this site (The Trumpeteer) to identify, track and discuss in real time the appearance and fulfillments of as many of the Signs of Christ’s Return as we possible can. As quickly as the world is making technological and scientific advances, end-times prophecy and politics are moving even faster. It all points to one great thing - Jesus Christ IS coming back very soon. It is the duty of every Christian to heed the advice and warnings of their master, Jesus Christ. One of those warnings, made with crystal clarity, is that we should read and discern the signs of the end.

             In the days of the first apostles and during the miracle-filled years of the early Church the bold cry, "Jesus is coming again!" resounded throughout the Christian churches. Of all the themes talked about in the Bible, two have a place of predominance. The first, and most often mentioned, is of salvation and the first coming. The second, and not far behind, is the second coming. A quick perusal of the Scriptures, by even the most casual student of the Bible, makes it abundantly clear that Jesus will return to the earth to rule in majesty and glory from Jerusalem. Today, this rallying cry not only remains loud among those who profess to preach and believe in the full gospel, but it is their hope and desire that Christ's return be only a breath away.

            All faithful Christians ought to be waiting for the day of Christ's return to earth, but it is tempered by the knowledge that He will not return until the earth has gone through a purging of fire and a time of great judgment on the earth. That time of purging and purifying is called The Tribulation. This will be a seven year period preceding Christ's return that will include devastating wars, social upheaval, economic depression, natural and cosmic disasters and supernatural attacks from spirit beings released from the pits of Hell. It will all culminate in the return of Christ with His armies from heaven and the final battle of mankind against God at a place called Armageddon in Israel. Every eye shall see His coming.

            This is not to be confused, however, with the scripturally promised phenomenon known as the appearing of Christ which is commonly called the Rapture. A small portion of Christians will be taken out of this world in a sudden supernatural miracle, "in the twinkling of an eye," sometime prior to the seven year period of trouble and judgment. The Rapture does not trigger the beginning of the Tribulation, that comes with the false peace and unholy covenant that the man known as the Antichrist shall make between Israel, the nations of the Middle East and the powers of the Western world.

            The looming question that always prevails in our thought then is this: is there any way to tell when all of these things are about to happen? It has been nearly 2,000 years since Christ and the Scriptures first started to reveal this plan of judgment and Christ's return. As the time draws nearer God wants us to be aware that we are on the brink of His Son's return.

            The day of His return, along with the signaling events leading up to that momentous day, were in the forefront of Jesus' mind just before He went to His death on the cross. He told them that the signs of His imminent return shall come in stages. He said the signs would begin with wars and rumors of wars and nation rising against nation, but these would only be the "beginning of sorrows," the end would not yet be imminent. He said earthquakes and disasters would follow in increasing frequency and shake the earth in divers places across the globe. Famines and false christs would rise up everywhere. Even Israel, after suffering total defeat and the destruction of their sacred temple in 70 A.D., would once again bud into a nation and become prominent on the world political scene. All of these "signs" would lead up to the Antichrist, his domination of the world, and the last confrontation between God and Satan, with the earth providing the arena for the final battle. Jesus also remarked that the last days would be as it had been in the days of Noah. The earth would be corrupted and full of every sort of vile perversion and gross sin. Children would hate their parents, persecutions and betrayals would plague the Church, and the love of many true believers would whither and die because of the exceeding pressures of the last days.

            In addition to Jesus' teachings the prophets of the Old Testament also tell us of certain "signs" that would pave the way for the Tribulation and serve to usher in the return of Christ. The book of Daniel says that travel and knowledge would greatly expand just before the end. Daniel also prophesied that an evil man, understanding dark and sinister things, would rise on the world scene and become its tyrant during the final seven years. Daniel reveals that the old Roman Empire (Europe) would be full of divisions until the end when this man would finally unite it into a great force which is depicted in the dreams of Daniel as a terrible and powerful "Beast" crushing everything in its path. The miraculous unity of Europe in this decade gives us the unmistakable sense that the time for the fulfillment of this unholy unity and awesome worldly power is right around the corner.

            But perhaps most important of all is the prophecies of Jesus and those issued by the Old Testament seers who foretold of the re-gathering of the Jews to their homeland in Israel. Without this major and most significant event none of the prophecies concerning Christ's return or the Tribulation could be fulfilled. Jesus said that when you see the nation of Israel once again become a sovereign state you will know that the condition would be ripe for the fulfillment of all the other signs. Significantly, Jesus said that not a generation would pass away after Israel's returned captivity until His appearing, judgment of the earth and return would be accomplished.

            Jesus said all of these prophecies would be fulfilled simultaneously and converge at the end into the climactic events of the Tribulation. The signs of the times are important because Christ has left them with us to alert us to the two choices every Christian has to make. Will he put his faith in the Rapture or will he end up going through the Tribulation? If there is any doubt about the importance Jesus attached to the signs and our paying heed to them, consider this rebuke he made to the religious leaders.

 "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.

He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Matt. 16.1-3).

            We must take care to read the signs as they are given in the Bible. We do not need signs in the skies or personal visitations from angels. The signs of the times are taught us in God's Word and being acted out before our very eyes. How aware of them we are and how they affect our faith and spiritual lives will have a great deal to do with whether we partake in the Rapture and escape the Tribulation or whether we  have to endure the pressure and persecution of the most horrific time ever in the history of mankind.

            The warning signs that the Tribulation is fast approaching not only tip us off to its imminence they also give us an inkling as to what the Tribulation will be like. If anyone feels that the Tribulation will be adventurous or thrilling they ought to take a harder look at what the Bible (especially Revelation) has to say about it. There will be nothing glorious or heroic about the actions of the Church, other than the solemn fact that Christians will be forced to forfeit their lives to the executioner in order to be saved. While this is very heroic and beautiful in the sight of God it is nothing anyone should assume they will be able to do. When the police come to their door to drag away their child to lop off his head can they be sure they will be able to withstand the awful temptation to take the mark of the beast to save their son? When their household is starving to death because they cannot buy or sell anything without worshipping the Antichrist will they be able to let their loved ones die of malnutrition? The sun will beat down so hard on the earth that one third of every green thing will be scorched. Before it’s all over everything in the seas will die, all the green things on the earth will be burnt up and the waters will be poisoned. Conditions will get so bad that men will curse God openly and desire to die but will not be able to. The Bible says that if God did not cut these days short, no flesh would survive.

            But perhaps worst of all will be the evil spirits that will be unleashed on the earth. If you groan in your heart at the unrighteousness of things today you should be aware that the world hasn't seen anything yet. Selfishness is going to give way to total obsession. Mankind will be divested of decency and consideration of fellowman. No one will care about anything but their own personal welfare and pleasure. The immediate goal of every Christian ought to be that they will be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come on the earth (Lk. 21.36).

            Some people have even been deceived into thinking the Tribulation is already underway. If they knew the signs of the end and what starts the Tribulation they wouldn't be confused. They don't know that the Rapture must surely come sometime before the Tribulation. It only stands to reason that this would be the case since the Rapture will take place at a time when no man expects it and at a time when no man knows ( Lk. 12.40 & Matt. 24.26). If it were to take place after the Tribulation starts we could deduce that it would happen within the seven years and we could know when it would occur and get ready for it. It only makes sense that the Rapture happens before the Tribulation begins.

            The signs of the times all lead up to the Tribulation, but the Rapture can happen at any time. The Antichrist will make a false peace with Israel and will be instrumental in reestablishing the Judaic religion, complete with its sacrifice and ritual worship in a new temple in Jerusalem. Any indication of the rebuilding of the temple or the crafting of paraphernalia and ritualistic materials to be placed in a sacred Jewish temple such as the ones reported in Time Magazine in the October 16, 1989 edition are typical signs we can discern of the end of this age. The letter written to Timothy by Paul also talks of certain conditions in society during the last days. The times would be perilous and dark. People would be selfish, lovers of themselves, loose in their morals and ignorant of the true God having a form of godliness but denying the real power of a relationship with Him. The growing decadence and moral decay of all societies is a portent of the end.

            Three specific areas of the Bible provide us with the primary signs of the times; the book of Revelation, of Daniel and the prophecies delivered to the apostles on the Mount of Olives. In the issues to come we will take these signs one by one and discuss them in detail so that the reader can become a vigilant watcher of prophecy's "signs of the times."
















 
SIGNS MENU
INTRO: SIGNS OF TIMES
1. OLIVET DISCOURSE
2. THE START
3. THRU THE AGE
4. BEGINNIING OF SORROWS
5. DANIEL AS END SIGN
6. RETURN OF JEWS
7. FALL OF BRITISH EMPIRE
8. CHURCH AS SIGN
9. DAYS OF NOAH & LOT
10. DRUGS
11. ELIJAH REVIVAL
12. BEAST UNDIVIDED - EU
13. RAISER OF TAXES
14. TEN KINGS
15. ANTICHRIST
16. RESTORE TEMPLE
17. UNHOLY COVENANT
18. RAPTURE / VILE PERSON
19. TROUBLE/TRIBULATION

> to Purified Perfect

 


ThePhiladelphiaFaith.org  encourages each and every person having a mind to do so to follow the instruction of the Signs of Christ’s Return presented in this major section of our site so that they may be fully equipped as the Bride to ‘follow the lamb whithersoever He goeth’ for all of eternity. …