# Intoxicated With Babylon ![rw-book-cover](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51TydXdIwHL._SL200_.jpg) ## Metadata - Author: [[Steve Gallagher and David Ravenhill]] - Full Title: Intoxicated With Babylon - Category: #books ## Highlights - People are only vulnerable to being deceived when they want what is being offered to them. ([Location 183](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=183)) - The greatest source of spiritual contamination for me came from television. Every night for years, I would plop down in front of the TV and watch old reruns. Then, in early 1985, God began dealing with me about it until I finally repented and got rid of our television. ([Location 191](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=191)) - Then, in 1993, God put a passion in me to study the Book of Revelation. No Bible study I have ever done compares to what I undertook with this apocalyptic book. I was unprepared for how intensely this study gripped me. All total, I spent over twelve hundred hours* scrutinizing every chapter and verse of Revelation. I listened to sermons on tape, read books and studied commentaries. I prayed over the verses, one by one. I studied the Book of Revelation inductively, and listened to a dramatization of the book on cassette so many times I wore out the tape. ([Location 196](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=196)) - I was recently contacted by Steve Harrison who wrote a book in 2011 entitled, The Clash of Kingdoms: Rediscovering Our Role in Earth’s Greatest Battle. He had not read Intoxicated with Babylon when he wrote his book. ([Location 210](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=210)) - I believe Babylon is actually a belief system based on the premise, “We do not need God.” Babylon represents fallen humanity’s desperate effort to establish its own universal value system. It is the kingdom of man independent of God. This kingdom seeks happiness and meaning without God’s involvement. It is determined to reach its goals and develop its future without His leadership. Its citizens are not extreme atheists but common people whose lifestyles reflect an independence from the God of the Bible. Ironically, according to a recent poll, 92 percent of Americans believe in God, so belief is not the issue. The problem is that we live as though we do not need Him!1 ([Location 215](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=215)) - “I looked for the church and found it in the world. I looked for the world and found it in the church.” -Andrew Bonar ([Location 240](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=240)) - As I studied this important passage of Scripture, I began to research the Greek word kosmos, translated by the English word “world.” I found the following definition for this term buried in an old theological dictionary written back in the 1930s: Kosmos has various senses connected with “order.” It thus denotes “what is well assembled or constructed from its individual parts”.… The senses previously mentioned all merge in that of the cosmic order. The use of kosmos for the universe is widespread and goes back to an early period. The idea is that there is an order of things that corresponds to the order of human law. Individual things are at odds, as people engage in disputes, but an immanent cosmic norm holds things together as law does society. The world itself is thus viewed as an ordered society.3 ([Location 295](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=295)) - Shortly after that, I ran across the following description of kosmos in The Pulpit Commentary, which helped me gain a better sense of what “the world” is as we know it. (Kosmos) is a term specifically used by St. John to denote the ordered whole of the universe, viewed apart from God.… From being thus the scene of ordered existence apart from God, it rapidly moves into the organized resistance to the will of God, and therefore it often denotes humanity taken as a whole apart from God and grace.4 ([Location 309](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=309)) - Kosmos is what binds together the unbelieving world. It is a global mentality that remains a powerful unspoken force in the lives of mankind. It molds vastly different people groups into one entity which lives out its existence on earth under the domain of Satan, unified against God. ([Location 319](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=319)) - Still later, I ran across the following comments from Watchman Nee, who brings out the dilemma God’s people face: There is, then an ordered system, “the world,” which is governed from behind the scenes by a ruler, Satan… Using this earth as his springboard and man as his tool, he usurped God’s creation to make of it instead something centered in himself and reflecting his own image… So today we are confronted by two worlds, two spheres of authority, having two totally different and opposed characters… Thus salvation is not so much a personal question of sins forgiven or of hell avoided. It is to be seen rather in terms of a system from which we come out.5 ([Location 322](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=322)) - Satan, the founder and chief perpetrator of rebellion, is the mastermind behind the global mentality that is against God, having managed to bring almost all of mankind into his (spirit of) rebellion. ([Location 339](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=339)) - While the word kosmos refers primarily to the people who are in this anti-God system, it also refers to the global consciousness of those people or to the spirit that controls their thinking. Thus, the spirit of kosmos is none other than Satan himself. ([Location 344](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=344)) - To help us have a better awareness of who we are really dealing with, I have taken a few Scriptures that refer to the devil and have substituted the phrase, spirit of the world in its place: ([Location 347](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=347)) - The more a believer indulges in the lusts of the world, the more corrupted he will become inside. His love for God, which once might have burned intensely, will dissipate eventually into a mere outward façade of religious activity. He may glibly say, “I love the Lord with all my heart,” yet devote his time and energy to the attractions of this present world, putting God into a secondary and minor place in his life. The spirit of the world takes direct aim at professing Christians such as this. With a life centering on the wishes and cravings of his flesh, how can he not be vulnerable to its influence? ([Location 390](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=390)) - The pride of life is a person’s exaggerated estimate of his own value as a person. Self-ambition, a drive to be successful, to have more prominence, an urge to “keep up with the Joneses,” or the prideful desire to “be the one”—these are the evidences of the pride of life. ([Location 398](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=398)) - As David Powlison says, “The evil in our desires often lies not in what we want, but in the fact that we want it too much.”6 ([Location 403](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=403)) - A person’s treasure is simply that which is most valuable to him, what he loves. Without exception, a person will be led throughout life by what he cherishes most. ([Location 416](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=416)) - The devil’s ceaseless aim is the deception of Christ’s followers, causing them to believe they can live for the world’s rewards and still maintain a viable walk with God at the same time. ([Location 445](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=445)) - Kosmos is God’s enemy. It has turned its back upon the Lord and openly defied His authority. It is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, stalking through our churches, bookstores and homes, constantly, untiringly, and persistently attempting to deceive, tempt, influence and oppose God’s people. It presents itself as our friend, but it is an extremely evil being bent on our destruction. His efforts will increase and intensify as Christ’s return draws nearer. (Revelation 12:12) ([Location 456](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=456)) - Babylon symbolizes the gathering together of all those who want to rid themselves of God’s presence and authority. ([Location 516](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=516)) - The story of Nimrod, and subsequently of Babel (later known as Babylon), is a tale that must be explored if we are to grasp the significance of Babylon the Great in the last days. ([Location 538](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=538)) - Perhaps we can now better understand why this ancient city was called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17:5 KJV—capitals in the original biblical manuscripts.) We are all aware that the term “harlot” is used in the Bible to illustrate idolatry. As we can see above, and from Israel’s history of involvement with fertility cults, the harlotries of Babylon also contain an element of literal truth as well. With the exception of Islam, the religion that Nimrod began spawned every false religion the world has known. Thus, Babylon is called the “mother” of harlots and abominations. But more importantly, Babylon resurrected the rebellion, which had filled the hearts of men prior to the Flood. What began in the heart of an audacious rebel grew into a cancer, destined to spread across the earth. ([Location 664](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=664)) - LESSONS FROM SODOM Can you see how the characters in this story typify the different kinds of people who are in our churches today? First, there is Abraham, a man of great faith and consecration. ([Location 758](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=758)) - Second, there is Lot. His love of worldly prosperity led him away from the Promised Land and the spiritual covering of Abraham in favor of the entertaining, sensuous city-life. ([Location 767](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=767)) - Believers today face this same temptation. Our country is practically a mirror image of the wickedness in which Sodom and Gomorrah boasted. No wonder it is so easy for lukewarm Christians to see themselves as godly. As long as their level of purity hovers one notch above this wicked world, they can consider themselves as godly. ([Location 773](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=773)) - Our third example is Lot’s wife, whom Jesus solemnly warns us to remember. This woman illustrates the person who sits in an evangelical church listening to godly teaching and preaching but who has never had a genuine conversion. ([Location 778](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=778)) - She did as others around her in Lot’s house: she conformed to her husband’s ways; she made no opposition to his religion; she allowed herself to be passively towed along in his wake; but all this time her heart was wrong in the sight of God. The world was in her heart, and her heart was in the world. In this state she lived, and in this state she died.… Nothing so hardens the heart of man as a barren familiarity with sacred things.”1 ([Location 790](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=790)) - Of all the Old Testament examples that Jesus could have selected, it is the example of Lot’s wife which He used as a sober warning to those of us living in the last days. ([Location 794](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=794)) - “Division is better than agreement in evil.”1 -George Hutcheson ([Location 881](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=881)) - Half-hearted devotion to Christ is not merely unacceptable; it is impossible. ([Location 976](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=976)) - This tremendous passage of Scripture contains 3 commandments, 5 comparisons, and 7 conditional promises. Let’s take an in-depth look at the three commandments. ([Location 991](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=991)) - COMMANDMENT #1: “GET OUT OF UNEQUAL YOKES!” ([Location 993](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=993)) - The one who has been truly saved recognizes the effect bad company has on him, and he consistently avoids unhealthy relationships. He lives his life for the kingdom of heaven and is not enthralled with the world’s charms or its charmers. He “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers,” (Psalm 1:1) because he understands his vulnerability to their influences. This is the separated life of a true believer. This is the thrust of the command: All “unequally yoked” relationships must end.* ([Location 1012](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1012)) - COMMAND #2: “YOUR LIFESTYLE MUST CHANGE!” ([Location 1017](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1017)) - As we will more fully examine later, too many believers are immersed in the culture of our day. In fact, it could be said that their lives are not much different than those of the unsaved around them. Like the Jews who assimilated themselves into the Babylonian culture, these believers also must heed the call of God to change their lives and separate themselves from the lifestyle of the wicked. This is a distinct commandment from God to the New Testament saint. ([Location 1026](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1026)) - COMMAND #3: “DECONTAMINATE YOURSELVES!” ([Location 1029](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1029)) - In spiritual terms, the message to every believer is, “Don’t have close contact with anything that is a part of the foul existence of Satan’s kingdom! Shun all evil, uncleanness, pollution!” ([Location 1035](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1035)) - Kosmos is constantly seeking to transfer its repulsive and diabolical mindset onto believers. It does this primarily through the varied forms of mass media and through the educational system. Any believer who lends his ear to the voice of kosmos is going to be affected by it. We have to remember that the spirit of the world appeals to the desires of our lower nature. The pull exerted by those lusts should never be underestimated. The enemy knows how to lure believers into his camp by catering to those ungodly passions. ([Location 1038](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1038)) - We as believers should set up barricades to every avenue the devil seeks to access our minds. The Word of God will daily wash away all the contaminating thoughts as we bathe ourselves in it. Let us decry the tendency in ourselves and in others to merely affiliate with Christianity while at the same time retaining close ties with the spirit of the world. ([Location 1049](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1049)) - Steve Harrison shares similar thoughts: Today, Christianity is being offered but without a change of kingdoms.… Many believers have become familiar with the Christian culture. They have learned its language, music, and priorities. They may have followed the rules respectfully and supported a church with their tithe. Nevertheless, despite all these efforts, they are still not citizens of the Kingdom of God. Why? Because their lives demonstrate they have not renounced the kingdom of Babylon and turned from its ways.… There is no dual citizenship status in the Kingdom of God.4 ([Location 1070](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1070)) - Kay Arthur adds, “If you don’t plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don’t begin, for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, and a change of allegiance. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it’s not for you.”5 ([Location 1076](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1076)) - On the other hand, the believer whose heart is tender reads these verses in James and immediately takes inventory of his motives and actions. Am I allowing the world’s thinking to affect me? Do I harbor any lusts by which the enemy can appeal to me? “Show me, Lord, where repentance is needed. Oh God! Purge the love of the world from my heart! Set me apart for Thy great service. Jesus, come and take your rightful place inside me.” In short, when such a believer sees evidences of worldliness in his life, he begins to repent until all of it is uprooted and eradicated. ([Location 1089](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1089)) - O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; they have become my enemies. (Psalm 139:19-22) This must be the conviction of every true believer concerning kosmos. This world is not home for the follower of Christ. ([Location 1110](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1110)) - To be a part of the true, living Church of Jesus Christ does not mean one has joined the ranks of the evangelical movement. It does not mean he has had some kind of spiritual experience in the past and now lives on the fringes of Christianity. Nor does it mean he has incorporated the ideology of the American evangelical movement into his life. It means he is a saint, devoted to and set apart for the Master’s use. He has been called out of kosmos and divorced himself from her. While he has not yet achieved sinless perfection, the longing of his heart is to be conformed to the holy image of Jesus Christ. ([Location 1122](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1122)) - “We have learned to live with unholiness and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing.”1 -A. W. Tozer ([Location 1130](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1130)) - There was a time, not too long ago, when Christians knew from example the meaning of true holiness. Most believers in the early part of the 1900s were very careful to examine all their actions in the light of God’s Word. They possessed a reverence and fear of God that caused them to take great care over the way they lived their lives. They realized and embraced the fact that this righteous God was, indeed, HOLY. Within their hearts was a sincere longing for His holiness. They were willing to be “a peculiar people.” For some, this meant absolutely no drinking or dancing. Others even refused to wear make-up or jewelry. Followers of Jesus refused to attend card parties, nightclubs or even comedy shows. To be a Christian implied a separated life. It is true that there were those who became self-righteous and excessive in their behavior, relying upon the observances of outward rules as a means of appearing to be something they were not inwardly. But most believers felt it was their duty to live in deep consecration to this holy God. They separated themselves from the attractions of this world because they could discern the spirit of the world behind it all and wanted no part of it. ([Location 1144](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1144)) - How do imperfect humans, with their fallen natures, attain to such a high calling? By undergoing the two-fold process of sanctification. The Greek word for “saint” and “holy” (hagios) is the root word for sanctify (hagiazo). Therefore, the foundational principle of sanctification is separation unto the Lord. The resultant holiness is not intrinsic to the believer but results from severing himself from the impurity of kosmos and being possessed by a holy God. Sanctification begins with separation. ([Location 1211](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1211)) - “My concern is the measure of infiltration by the world into the church. We have been influenced far more than we would like to admit. This infiltration has dulled our effectivenes, blurred our vision, and caused us to adopt worldly standards of success.” -Billy Melvin ([Location 1340](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=1340)) - “Set a strong guard about thy outward senses; these are Satan’s landing places, especially the eye and the ear.”1 -William Gurnall ([Location 2133](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2133)) - “If we were not so intoxicated with travel, pleasure, vacations, and recreation, would we not have more time to pray? If we were not so enamored of sports and entertainment, would we not have more time to pray? We have more leisure than ever before—but less time to pray. We are not only cheating God and the world but we are cheating ourselves.”2 -Paul Billheimer ([Location 2137](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2137)) - A.W. Tozer, one of the great Christian thinkers of the 20th century, made the following observation: There are millions who cannot live without amusement; life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable; they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they could not summon courage to face existence.4 ([Location 2194](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2194)) - It is obvious to me that television has shaped our culture more than any other medium, person or event since it was mass-produced in 1948. It has been the great common denominator of life for the last fifty years, and there’s little doubt it will continue to hold enormous influence over our lives in the 21st century. Life in America has become increasingly centered on watching television. It is one of those American household necessities that we take for granted. How many Christians even put forth the effort to ask God about its effect on their lives? To our shame, Christian leaders have been largely silent on something that has done enormous harm to the Body of Christ. We must instead turn to secular media experts to learn of television’s effect upon people’s lives. ([Location 2207](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2207)) - When a person spends hours each week viewing stories that involve ungodly behavior, his attitude toward sin in his own life will be greatly affected. If a man watches scenes of adultery and fornication night after night, how can he be convicted about the wickedness of lusting after some girl at work? His moral standards and beliefs most certainly will be eroded by what he has seen and heard. The more flagrant sin he views, the smaller his “little sins” will seem. Television desensitizes its viewers to the wrongness of sin and stifles the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit. ([Location 2251](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2251)) - For any Christian to think that he can regularly watch television and not be adversely affected by its long-term, cumulative effects is pure foolishness. Television caters to every appetite of the flesh. It constantly presents the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the boastful pride of life” in a positive light. Television distorts reality, tells lies and glorifies short-term solutions. Its actors and actresses personify the flesh, living out all its sordid fantasies. Do we really believe we are immune to such pernicious messages? Or do we love kosmos so much that we cannot bear to silence its voice in our homes? ([Location 2261](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2261)) - However, even a benign show still keeps the believer in the enemy’s arena. Whether it is in the suspense of an unfolding plot or in the excitement of a sporting event, Babylon is present, whispering its age-old mantra: You can have a fulfilling life without God. In the programs I mentioned, and thousands more, there is no turning to God, no seeking His will and no dependence on Him. The same title fits them all: Life Without God. Babylon drives people away from God and turns them in any direction other than toward Him. Success, money, power, relationships, pleasure and even possessions are the tricks of its trade. ([Location 2272](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2272)) - Surely any honest and objective look at the effect this message has had on the Church will expose how much the daily lives of believers have been impacted. Let’s face it; compromising Christians have allowed the spirit of the world to choke out a hunger for God’s Word in their lives. (Mark 4:19) They have allowed television to play a more influential role in their lives than Scripture. The hedonistic message portrayed night after night on television has encouraged the pleasure-seeking lifestyle of the world rather than the self-denying message of Christ. ([Location 2278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2278)) - Have believers in the United States forgotten that we are in warfare? A.W. Tozer seemed to think so: Men think of the world, not as a battleground but as a playground. We are not here to fight, we are here to frolic. We are not in a foreign land, we are at home. We are not getting ready to live, we are already living, and the best we can do is rid ourselves of our inhibitions and our frustrations and live this life to the full.7 ([Location 2290](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2290)) - We are stained by Babylon in two ways. First, we are tempted to sin by sinners around us: a provoking coworker, immodestly dressed women, acquaintances who want to pull us into their sinful lifestyles and so on. Second, we are stained by the world through the media, whose message is communicated to us in a million subtle and even blatant ways. ([Location 2321](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2321)) - I remember once going on a prayer walk down a deserted country road. At one point in the road there was a little bridge crossing over a creek. As I looked over the railing, there lay a water moccasin in the stream. It occurred to me that where I stood I was in no danger of that snake harming me, unless I got down into the water with it. This offers a poignant illustration for our spiritual lives as well: as long as we keep ourselves out of the old serpent’s domain, there is little he can do to hurt us. Believers get bitten when they frolic in the enemy’s territory. ([Location 2329](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2329)) - and rest with his family in true koinonia fellowship. Do as John Kilpatrick once suggested: pray over your home and declare it a NO SATAN ZONE! ([Location 2337](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2337)) - To gain a perspective on this demonic conspiracy, I am including the following poem written in the early ’60s, which gives clear insight into the strategy of the enemy. ([Location 2368](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2368)) - THE DEVIL’S VISION        The devil once said to his demons below,        “Our work is progressing entirely too slow.        The holiness people stand in our way        Since they do not believe in the show or the play,        They teach that the carnival, circus and dance,        The tavern and honky-tonk with game of chance,        Drinking and smoking, these things are wrong;        That Christians don’t mess with the ungodly throng;        They are quick to condemn everything we do        To cause believers to be not a few.        They claim that these things are all of the devil;        That Christian folks live on a much higher level.        Now, fellows, their theology, while perfectly true        Is blocking the work we are trying to do.        We will have to get busy and figure a plan        That will change their standards as fast as we can.        Now I have a vision of just what we can do,        Harken, I’ll tell this deception to you;        Then find ye a wise, but degenerate man        Whom I can use to help work out this plan.        There’s nothing so real as the things that you see;        The eyes and the mind and the heart will agree;        So what can be better than an object to view?        I say, it will work and convince not a few.        The home is the place for this sinful device,        The people deceived will think it quite nice.        The world will possess it, most Christians can’t tell        That it is all of the devil and plotted in hell!        We’ll sell them with pictures of the latest news        And while they’re still looking, we’ll advertise booze.        At first it will shock them; they’ll seem in a daze,        But soon they’ll be hardened and continue to gaze.        We’ll give them some gospel that isn’t too strong        And a few sacred songs to string them along.        They’ll take in the ads, with the latest of fashions        And soon watch the shows that will stir evil passions.        Murder and lovemaking scenes they’ll behold        Until their souls will be utterly cold.        The old family altar which once held such charm        Will soon lose its place without much alarm.        Praying in secret will also be lost        As they look at the screen without counting the cost.        The compromise preachers, who don’t take their stand,        Will embrace this new vision and think it is grand.        They’ll help fool the people and cause them to sin        By seeking this evil and taking it in.        Influence is great and this you can see;        Just look at my fall and you’ll have to agree.        It won’t take too long, my demons, to tell        That the vision of Satan will populate hell!        Divorce will increase, sex crimes will abound;        Much innocent blood will be spilled on the ground.        The home will be damned in short order I say,        When this vision of mine comes in to stay.        Get busy, my cohorts, and put this thing out;        We’ll see if the… ([Location 2370](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2370)) - “It is not poverty, but discontent that makes a man unhappy.”1 -Matthew Henry ([Location 2469](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2469)) - According to Rodney Clapp, author of “Why the Devil Takes VISA,” as late as 1850, sixty percent of the nation worked on farms.4 This rural population constructed their own homes and barns, fashioned their own tools, did their own sewing, made their own furniture, grew their own crops, and raised their own animals. On a whole, life for early Americans was devoid of the complexities and chaos that makes up modern society. ([Location 2497](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2497)) - Dave Harvey describes the difference between coveting lust and materialism: Materialism is fundamentally a focus on and a trust in what we can touch and possess. It describes the unchecked desire for, dependence on, and stockpiling of stuff. In some people it’s more painfully obvious than in others. But it pervades every heart… Simply stated, coveting is desiring stuff too much or desiring too much stuff. It’s replacing our delight in God with joy in stuff. Materialism is what happens when coveting has cash to spend. (Emphasis in original.)8 ([Location 2568](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2568)) - Coveting lust is the most underrated source of wickedness in American life. It is the sin most frequently omitted from the vocabulary of the American Church. Preachers are reluctant to bring it up. If it is mentioned in a message, it is usually touched on in a general, non-offensive way. ([Location 2576](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2576)) - The greatest lie of prosperity is its ability to make people believe they are walking with the Lord when in reality they have long since drifted away from Him in their hearts. ([Location 2651](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2651)) - Many, if not most believers, have sold themselves into the system of the Antichrist, which will one day demand allegiance as the cost of maintaining their lifestyle (“ ([Location 2660](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2660)) - Churchgoers who think they can live for years as slaves to Babylon and then suddenly declare their freedom from it are in a great delusion. Such people are preparing themselves to receive the mark of the beast. In a certain way, in their hearts they have already taken it. ([Location 2662](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2662)) - Paul, knowing full well how intoxicating this spirit can be, warned Timothy: “But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” (1 Timothy 6:11) There is urgency in Paul’s words that remind us of the angels’ warning to Lot, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you… lest you be swept away.” (Genesis 19:17) ([Location 2672](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2672)) - First, just repent. A real change of heart always begins with repentance. Examine your heart thoroughly. Get alone with God and study what the Bible says about greed, covetousness and money; also study what it says about giving. Allow the Lord to expose and root out every aspect of covetousness He reveals to you. Offer Him an itemized repentance list. Once you have done that, you are spiritually clean. The remaining steps will help you develop a new lifestyle. ([Location 2685](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2685)) - Second, change your perspective about God. It is important that you begin seeing Him as your Provider and Blesser. Instead of treating yourself all the time, allow the Lord to have that place in your life. You may be surprised at how generous He really is! I can personally testify that the Lord has blessed me in ways I could never have done for myself. “Wait patiently for Him.” You don’t need everything you want, and you don’t need it NOW. ([Location 2689](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2689)) - Third, if you have debts, develop a plan to pay them off. Begin with the smallest balance and put every dime you can spare toward those bills. Sacrifice some of your indulgences. The inconvenience is nothing compared to how free you will feel when the debts are paid. Keep one credit card for emergencies if you must, but otherwise learn to live without them. ([Location 2693](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2693)) - Finally, simplify your lifestyle. Admit you’ve been living extravagantly. Don’t forget that what we call “the necessities of life” all come with a high price tag. It’s amazing to discover how little you really need! ([Location 2695](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2695)) - “Where, oh where is the trumpet voice of the church warning men to flee from the wrath to come? Surely there are millions of believers who say that they believe Jesus may come today, yet they live in carnality. They talk more about the rapture than about this picture of our mighty Savior, the Christ of God.” -Leonard Ravenhill ([Location 2732](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2732)) - It is absolutely vital that believers realize they are under a withering spiritual assault from this rebel spirit right at this very moment. The power of the spirit of Babylon is like a heavy cloud resting upon this earth, continually promoting anti-Christian messages and luring people to remain (or become) independent of God’s authority. It is this atmosphere which is paving the way for the great insurrection at Armageddon. ([Location 2758](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2758)) - Most people would agree that the decade of the ’60s marked a major turning point for the United States. In 1960, the biggest concerns of most young people were finishing school and preparing for the future. They were proud to be Americans and looked forward to getting a piece of the prosperity pie for themselves. People still lived with a general sense of respect for authority. Employers were often authoritative and employees accepted it as part of life. Generally speaking, people simply did what they were told. However, within a short time all of this changed. Suddenly, the morality of our nation took a major nose-dive as public prayer was banned in the nation’s schools, social and political unrest became more pronounced, and the debacle called the Vietnam War got underway. By the end of the decade, drug abuse was rampant, sexual promiscuity was the norm, and anti-government riots were taking place across the land. What happened to “America the Beautiful?” ([Location 2764](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2764)) - It seems evident that during the early ’60s a demonic force was quietly unleashed upon the earth. As that evil assault gained in strength, wickedness increased proportionately. (Daniel 7, 11; 2 Thessalonians 2) We have become so desensitized to reports about terrorist acts, genocide, school shootings and brutal murders, that we hardly realize the degree of darkness that has surrounded us. ([Location 2771](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=2771)) - We have already seen how a great apostasy has been predicted. The river of delusion is rising. The whole world is being swept toward the giant waterfall that will spill its inhabitants into the lake of fire. It is the broad way. It is the way of kosmos. Jesus was careful to show His people the way of escape. In His discourse on the last days, He repeatedly warned His followers to be READY, to be ALERT, to be AWAKE! The warning is there, it is up to us to heed it. ([Location 3115](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3115)) - “An unwatchful church will soon become an unholy church.… The main cure of a church comes by strengthening its inner life. When we live near to Jesus, when we drink from the fountain-head of eternal truth and purity, when we become personally true and pure, then our watchfulness is, under God, our safeguard, and heresy, false doctrine, and unclean profession are kept far away. Sleeping guards invite the enemy. He who leaves his door unlocked asks the thief to enter. Watchfulness is always profitable, and slothfulness is always dangerous.”1 -C.H. Spurgeon ([Location 3123](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3123)) - Many Christians today are making the same mistake the disciples made. They firmly believe that they are ready. They sing about it. They teach about it. They even boast about it. Instead of the sobriety one would expect concerning such matters, there is a flippancy that is almost astounding. Solomon said, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naïve go on, and are punished for it.” (Proverbs 22:3) Brimming with confidence, churchgoers are striding toward the coming of the Lord almost without a care in the world. However, many of them are so intoxicated with Babylon that they cannot comprehend the spiritual realities happening around them. They are out of it! ([Location 3198](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3198)) - Why is it that we can watch television by the hour but are too tired to read the Word of God? Why are saints so acutely aware of every little “hurt” from others but unmoved by the reality that our neighbors are slipping into hell? Why aren’t we Christians trembling in fear of the Christ who gave His life to save us? Is it because we are sound asleep? Could it be that we are being “worn down” by the spirit of Antichrist? (Daniel 7:25) Is it possible that our supposed peace with God is simply the dulled senses of someone under the spell of satanic enchantment? ([Location 3209](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3209)) - Nothing deadens a love for the Father like “the things in the world.” ([Location 3215](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3215)) - Right now the Church is like Samson, sleeping peacefully in the lap of Delilah, not hearing the snip of the scissors, not knowing that the God-given strength in its body is draining away by the minute. The voice of kosmos sings pleasing lullabies, and her caresses have completed the seduction. I can assure you that Satan and his “Philistine” henchmen are wide awake, standing just outside the door as we slumber, cradled in the arms of the seducer. ([Location 3218](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3218)) - Christians must learn NOW how to say “NO!” to this world’s system if they intend to withstand the great shaking that is fast approaching. Jesus told the disciples, “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) ([Location 3231](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3231)) - It is also vital that we “watch and pray.” Jesus used the word “watch” many times in His discourses on the last days in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Paul and Peter issued the same command in their epistles, calling for spiritual sober-mindedness and alertness. ([Location 3240](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3240)) - The application is so clear—we have to remain alert, sober and watchful even into the darkest hours of the night. ([Location 3251](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3251)) - Jesus also said that this “evil” servant is “eating” when his Master returns. This represents living in selfish indulgence. Like those in the days of Noah, he is eating, drinking, buying, selling, and building. (Luke 17:26-28) In short, this person is living for SELF and for temporal satisfaction. He has very little time for and devotion to other people. ([Location 3281](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3281)) - The two-fold truth expressed in this parable is then reinforced in the three parables of Matthew 25. The story of the Wise and Foolish Virgins repeats the warning: “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13) The parables of the Talents and the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:14-30; 31-46) both emphasize the fact that living out God’s love to others is one of the most important factors to being in a state of readiness to meet God. Dear one, what is the Spirit saying to you? ([Location 3290](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3290)) - In the context of a person’s spiritual life, dissipation refers to the dullness of heart and spiritual barrenness that results from a life full of worldly activities. ([Location 3300](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3300)) - We would all do well to heed the oft quoted warning of Corrie Ten Boom: “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” ([Location 3323](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3323)) - It was the solitude found in the vast wastelands of the wilderness (a place of excruciating boredom to modern believers) that produced God-filled men like Moses, David and Paul. Even as recently as a hundred years ago, pastors understood what it meant to sit still and wait upon God. They learned how to receive divine inspiration for their people through the discipline of tarrying before the Lord. ([Location 3325](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3325)) - No wonder the Church—with all its programs, building projects, and endless round of activities—produces such meager and superficial fruit. In fact, it seems that the more ministries strive to accomplish, the less they produce anything of eternal value. Rather than waiting to hear the Lord’s direction and calmly getting in the flow of what He is doing, too often ministry leaders attempt to accomplish their own agendas through their own hard work. To such an attitude the prophet exclaimed, “You have sown much, but harvest little… You look for much, but behold, it comes to little.” (Haggai 1:6, 9) The Psalmist wrote, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…” (Psalm 127:1) Jesus said, “…he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) ([Location 3334](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3334)) - Surely one of the keys to being prepared for the return of Christ must be to dwell in His Spirit. Reading end time novels, watching “tribulation” movies, or even studying eschatology do not prepare a person for the Lord’s coming. One is prepared by walking in the Spirit, keeping oneself unstained by this world and living out the love of God. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.” (Matthew 24:46) ([Location 3341](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3341)) - The true believer MUST flee this present darkness. He must extricate himself from its entanglements and cut off every alliance with the enemy. (2 Timothy 2:4) He cannot continue to walk hand-in-hand with those who despise the things of God. He must denounce and repent of everything that pulls him away from Jesus. He must break faith with the natural reasonings of his carnal mind and humbly accept the mind of the Spirit. (Romans 8:7) He must allow the Lord to expose his attempt to serve two masters. ([Location 3436](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3436)) - God’s grace enables the believer to overcome the pull of the world. (Titus 2:11-14) Its enthralling influences can be resisted and conquered. The power of lust can be broken. (Galatians 5:16) The righteous can find a place of refuge. (Psalm 46:1-3; Proverbs 18:10) The insidious influence of this world’s system can be shattered. (Psalm 119:78) A sincere follower of Christ will flee the world’s seductions. The revelation of his adulterous heart will drive him to his knees in deep repentance, as he implores God to purge every trace of the love of this world from his heart. (Daniel 12:10) ([Location 3440](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3440)) - Fellow Christian, if you haven’t sandbagged your life against the floodwaters of deception, you have no idea how bad it will get. You are on a pleasure cruise of worldliness, but you do not realize that the ship you are on is bound for destruction. The Spirit of Antichrist is right now at work, “with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) ([Location 3468](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3468)) - I urge you to open your heart to God. Allow God to put His finger right on the loves of your heart that remain devoted to the attractions of this earth. Let Him expose your deepest lusts. Genuine repentance will set you free and save you from the judgment to come! ([Location 3471](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B00CDZYH5Y&location=3471))