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Click on credit links below each photo, for licensing names/details/tags/etc.. Most images cropped/reduced in size

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FLOODWATERS OF THE FALSE PROPHET:

SOCIALISM/HUMANITARIANISM

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“And there appeared another wonder in heaven;

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and behold a great red dragon,

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And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,

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that she might fly into the wilderness…

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And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman…”  

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Revelation 12:3, 14, 15

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Flood-waters of the False Prophet,

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Part 2: Socialism/Humanitarianism

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Have you noticed that the television always advertises some humanitarian message throughout the day? It seems as though, about once every hour, you can see and hear some humanitarian plea from the television.

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But do you ever hear the television make an appeal for the purification of the heart? Do you ever hear some government-sponsored ad saying, “The soul is a terrible thing to waste”?

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Of course we don’t! That’s because humanity has little concern for the soul! Oh yes, they seem to care about the hungry! And they appear to care about the physically ill. And they say that they care about sending clothes to the naked.

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But do you ever hear them mourn about for the multitudes of humans who are starving for the bread of life? Or in need of spiritual healing? Or in the prison-house of sin and Satan?

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Of course you don’t!

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And so, why is the world so concerned about food and medicine, and other needy issues, and yet has absolutely no concern for the starving souls in need of Salvation?

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Well, that question will be addressed in this rather lengthy article. So please read along, and take in some heavenly bread which will satisfy the hungering soul….

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WORKS OF SATAN

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It is not a very enviable task to criticize or condemn an ideology which appears so good on the surface, as humanitarianism does. And this article by no means is condemning any individual, since there may be a few who are being led by the Spirit of the Lord, to do what they do.

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But humanitarianism is not such an innocent ideology, as it outwardly appears to be! And while the Bible forbids us from judging the heart of any one individual, Christian or non-Christian, it sometimes becomes necessary to expose the false ideologies of the Devil. 

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And the fact is, Satan has been our unseen foe, always lurking in the shadows, as the Master Puppeteer: controlling his self-deceived multitudes to do his every bidding, as he stealthily works his woe upon the unsuspecting citizens of this the Devil’s fallen world, through such ideologies as humanitarianism. 

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SATAN’S ARSENAL

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You see, Satan persecuted God’s people for many long centuries, via both the secular world, but also through the apostate churches. During the Dark Ages, violence, torture, and imprisonment were the order of the day, for those who refused to honor Satan’s kingdom.

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But in these last few centuries, Satan had raised up a new foe: atheism. And along with atheism, came a number of its satellite ideologies and false sciences: evolution, socialism, psychiatry, psychology, along with materialism, sexual depravity, and the ideology to be explored today: humanitarianism/socialism.

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These ideologies had become the new end-time battlefront in Satan’s war against the truth. And this rather article will lightly explore just how and why humanitarianism became such a formidable weapon against Christianity.

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And as already stated, we cannot judge the hearts of any one individual, since God may be working in the hearts of a few who are involved in these so-called sciences, God secretly preparing them for Salvation.

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And there may be acts of genuine kindness and true generosity performed: but those virtues are borne of the Holy Spirit, and not even the least little bit an innate quality within the heart of that good-deed-doing person.

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Charles Darwin – by John Collier (artist) – www.wikimedia.com – Public Domain

Karl Marx – Wikipedia – public domain 

Sigmund Freud LIFE wikipedia US public domain

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GREATEST LIE MINGLED WITH TRUTH 

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But there is a certain amount of truth to Satan’s false ideologies. And because there are so many truths mingled into these “sciences”, it becomes much more difficult for the casual observer to unravel these clever lies of the Devil. After all, poison only fools the varmint, when it is mingled with 90% oatmeal. And likewise, Satan’s lies are only effective when they are combined with much truth.

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And also, Satan has greatly “covered his own tracks”, so that most people do not even believe there exists such evil principalities as the Devil, in the world.

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And Satan always cloaks his lies with a veneer of goodness. Satan knows how easy it is to fool the general populace by merely adding some sugar-coating to his deceptions. And so this False-Prophet-world-system has a humanitarian appeal to it: food baskets, welfare programs, and many other humanitarian programs give this False Prophet an air of goodness.

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But the Bible warns that false prophets will… “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2nd Timothy 3:5

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Yes, the Bible commands us to turn away from those who have a “form of godliness”, while having no connection with Heaven!

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Oatmeal copyrighted but permissable for use wikimedia commons

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But before we go into this discussion, let’s introduce the host for this particular article: the Revelation 12 Dragon Constellation, and his wave of water which he spews out after the Revelation 12 Woman Constellation…

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WHAT DOES THE WATER REPRESENT?

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“When the waves of death compassed me…THE FLOODS OF UNGODLY MEN made me afraid. The sorrows of Hell compassed me about;” 2nd Samuel 22:5.

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So this above passage equates flood waters with the sorrows of Hell, with ungodly men, and with waves of death. And so then, by comparing Scriptures dealing with flood waters, we begin to see just what this Woman of Revelation 12  (God’s people) is fleeing from.

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Listen to Revelation, Chapter 12… “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Revelation 12:15.

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As  you can see in this sketch to the right, this woman (the eternal Church) is fleeing from the water which the Dragon (or, serpent) is spewing, exactly as it says in Revelation 12. And so, by looking at various related Scriptures, we begin to understand just what this wave of water represents. This Woman of Revelation 12 is fleeing from ‘waves of death’, from ‘sorrows of Hell’, and from ‘floods of ungodly men’, as stated in Psalm 18:4.

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DRAGON’S WAVE OF WATER

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In Revelation, the Dragon of Revelation 12 is described as having seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. However, the Dragon of Revelation 12 Constellation  up in the night sky does not. But God has faithfully created this wave of water, in such a way, as to illustrate this same concept of the seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. Because this wave of water is basically comprised of ten stars.

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The main body of the wave has seven stars (#’s 1 thru 7, in the sketch), and the tip of the crest of the wave has the other three stars, (#’s 8, 9, 10).

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So in this wave, we see the same 7/10 numbering found in the Revelation description of the heads/horns/crowns of the Dragon.

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And this gives us a great clue, as to where in the Bible we should look, to find out the riddle as to just what or who do these 7 heads, 10 crowns, and 7 horns represent. Because, the Bible speaks very much about floods and waters as being associated with Satan (the Dragon).

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Listen again… “When the waves of death compassed me…THE FLOODS OF UNGODLY MEN made me afraid. The sorrows of Hell compassed me about;” 2nd Samuel 22:5.

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ATHEISM AND THE NUMBER “6”

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And so, without going into a lengthy discussion, let’s just say that of all the 7 heads of Antichrist, the head which most closely aligns with atheism would logically be the 6th head. And why the 6th head? The Book of Revelation, Chapter 13 warns that the Antichrist Beast has a number of 666. And it describes this number as being the “number of a man”. The number “6” in Scripture has to do with “Man”. It is a number which reminds of the 6th Day of Creation; the day that Man was created. Man was created on the 6th day. And so, Mankind is very much connected with the number “6” 

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And since atheism is the religion which holds Mankind as the supreme ruler of Earth, then the number “6”, being the number of Man, seems to correspond to the 6th head of Antichrist, very well. 

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Now these ideas may not be “written in stone”, as the saying goes. And nothing hinges upon, nor falls apart, with or without these theories. But sufficed to say, there is strong evidence that these concepts have biblical support. 

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And so, this 6th star in the Revelation 12 Dragon’s wave of water, would correspond to the 6th head of the Antichrist Beast. And as already said, “waves” in Scripture, represent the many false ideologies which Satan has flooded the world with, throughout time. So that is why this Signs Of Heaven website believes that atheism was the 6th head of Antichrist.

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But if the reader wishes to explore these things in more depth, please go to “Floodwaters of Satan-Introduction”.

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SOCIALISM/HUMANITARIANISM

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SOCIALISM ALWAYS FAILS

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Before beginning this discussion on humanitarianism, a few fundamental truths concerning socialism and capitalism should be laid down.

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What advocates of socialism do not understand, or will attempt to keep secret, is that socialism must eventually become totalitarian, because it destroys selfish mankind’s aspirations, inspirations and enthusiasm for personal growth. In other words, socialism destroys mankind’s ambitious nature because when livelihood is given for nothing in return, it destroys that person’s incentive to achieve. Therefore, the now apathetic general populace must be forced to perform their jobs. Individual, societal, and corporate mediocrity is the direct and indirect result of give-away-for-nothing socialism. And super-high taxes must be extracted from everyone to pay for all the giveaway programs which socialists promise the populace (even though the proponents of socialism will not openly admit, when courting the general populace to transform their society from capitalism to socialism).

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Likewise, when high-achievers are taxed so heavily, and paid so meagerly, they naturally lose their desire to achieve. After all, why should a CEO of some corporation go to school for 8 years, and work hard for 80 hours per week, so that he earns only meager wages? 

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Therefore, the leaders of a socialist nation must eventually force its citizens to perform, even in the midst of that collapsing lackluster economy.

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Now, on the other hand, capitalism thrives because it promotes personal and corporate achievement. In other words, with capitalism, personal and corporate achievement is rewarded for its hard-working, ambitious efforts, both monetarily and socially. Thus, capitalism succeeds because it thrives within the hearts of selfish humans, whereas socialism (which actually, is a light form of communism) always fails, because it attempts to thrive, but cannot, because it squelches and opposes the natural selfish desires of unsaved mankind.

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Therefore, socialism must eventually become totalitarian, to force the populace to perform in the midst of its collapsing lackluster economy, since that society soon loses their ambition.

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Now, the Bible, in many places advocates the basic principles of capitalism, realizing that humanity is selfish by our fallen nature.

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Of course, when Christ returns, both these economic ideologies will be demolished, and the redeemed will be eternally inspired by brotherly love. In other words, giving to others out of a heart filled with Christ’s love, will be the eternal order of the soon-coming heavenly Promised Land!  

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Sleeping Man in Fish Market – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Communism – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Young business people – Cropped Photo – Wikimedia – the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The River Of The Water Of Life by H. Melville – Wikimedia – Public Domai

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A VERY EVIL IDEOLOGY

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Now, as already stated, it is not a very enviable task to criticize and condemn an ideology which appears so good on the surface, as humanitarianism/socialism does.

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But the fact is, it is perhaps the most evil of all ideologies, in one respect.

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And just why is it so evil?

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Well, when some evil person wishes to poison another person, do they merely hand that person a bottle of poison? Don’t they rather put the poison into something that looks harmless, even good?

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And since Satan is a super-intellect, why do we suppose him incapable of figuring such cunningly subtle deceptions?

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Poison – Snow White Poisoned Apple – by Gutenberg Press for Wikimedia – Public Domain

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NOT TO BE SIMPLE-MINDED

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“A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Proverbs 22:3

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This above verse is reminiscent of a character, named, “Ignorance”, from Bunyan’s great book, Pilgrim’s Progress. And this simple-minded fellow ventured onward into places, “where angels fear to tread”, as the saying goes!

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But Jesus exhorts us not to be simple-minded, by saying… “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16

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Yes, this world is full of “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, as the Bible says! This is a very deceptive world, because the Devil is very deceptive. And so, we just cannot be like that simple-mind character, Ignorance!

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But the Apostle, Paul, reveals this following concept… “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2nd Corinthians 2:11

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Yes, those who are well-versed in Scripture are not so easily fooled by all the countless deceptions in this world! We realize that this world has been given into his hand for now!

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Pilgrim’s Progress – Converse with Ignorance – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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PARADISE LOST

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What people must realize and keep in mind, is that God created this world to be a wonderful garden in which Humanity could enjoy the beauty of nature, and rich and joyful communion with their Creator.

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But of course, this paradise was lost, when mankind decided to rebel against God’s government of unselfish love.

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Cole Thomas Expulsion from the Garden of_Eden 1828 Boston Museum Wikipedia US-public-domain1.jpg

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LUCIFER NOW, “THE GOD OF THIS WORLD”

2nd Corinthians 4:4

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And so God, for His own eternal purpose, allowed “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan”, to tempt Mankind into sin and rebellion. At that point, Mankind had traded God away for a new Master…“the god of this world“, the Devil. Now at that moment, the Earth and all its inhabitants had been taken captive by this master deceiver.

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But in spite of Man’s rebellion, God had left open the door of mercy. Mankind still had the ability to return back to God.

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But Lucifer, in his jealous hatred, was not content to allow Mankind such an easy access back to God. And so Lucifer went to work to create his new kingdom, turning it into a place which fallen Mankind could not and would not find their way back into God’s sheepfold. And through his own “Workers of Iniquity”, Lucifer worked tirelessly to create his kingdom, the mighty Babylon. The kingdom of sin and selfishness.

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And it is Satan’s purpose to invent new ways to keep the human race from turning back to God. 

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Gustave Dore – Paradise Lost illustration – Lucifer becomes Satan – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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LUCIFER: THE gOD OF THIS WORLD

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Yes, most people just don’t realize that this world is the Devil’s world, as is written… “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2nd Corinthians 4:4

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As this above passage reveals, this world has been handed over to Lucifer, the fallen angel, calling him, “the god of this world”! And now, as he fulfills his role as “Satan” and as the “Devil”, he moves stealthfully and imperceptibly in the shadows, working his woes and deceptions upon this unsuspecting world!

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And one of those deceptions is “socialism/humanitarianism”. Yes, socialism/humanitarianism gives a nice glossy sheen to this, the Devil’s otherwise horrible world of death and destruction! And in this respect, socialism/humanitarianism is perhaps the greatest evil of all!

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Satan presiding at the Infernal Council – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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A WORLD OF EVIL

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“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19

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This above verse from 1st John reveals a huge concept! It informs us that evil is literally everywhere in this world! Just think about all the hideous atrocities which are being committed around the world each and every day!

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Just consider the countless cruel and heartless deeds which go on behind closed doors around the world! And all the acts of selfishness and human disregard! All the foolish pride! And all the self-seeking which is literally dripping from every nook-and-crevice in this miserably lost and hopeless world!

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Yes, even though we may be experiencing peace and prosperity in our own little sphere, the world all around us is literally teeming with wickedness, selfishness, and deception and destruction of every type!

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Listen again to John… “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19

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Apotheosis of War – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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EASILY FOOLED!

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But then, so as to cover all this up (as much as possible), Satan raises up such counterfeit ideologies as socialism and humanitarianism.

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And like little children being given a piece of candy by the proverbial boogie-man kidnapper, we naively fawn over these deceptive ideologies, as if they are a wonderful thing!

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But Satan is that great kidnapper boogie-man, who desires to steal away our hearts and imprison our souls, forever! And what is his candy? Humanitarianism (and other seemingly  good and innocent things too!)

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A QUICK LOOK AT CHURCH HISTORY

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But it might be a good idea to take a glance at history, to get an overview of how the Devil has been deceiving and persecuting God’s people through the last two millenniums.

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There are two major divisions of Church history: the First Beast of Revelation, Chapter 13, and the Second Beast of Revelation, Chapter 13.

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Now, just how do we arrive at this conclusion that these two beasts were the two divisions? One major reason is that the nature of these two beasts seems to correspond to the modus-operandi (the methodology) of Satan’s persecution of the Church. The First Beast used physical persecution against God’s people, while the Second Beast has come as a False Prophet.

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Let’s glance at each beast for a moment…

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Torture devices – The Wheel – Calas Chapbook – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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RISE OF THE FIRST BEAST

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“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy…And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:1, 3

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The First Beast was already in place when Christ was born into the world. Rome was the 4th head of this Beast. (Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Grecia were the 1st three heads, having already fulfilled their commission in Old Testament times).

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Yes, Rome began persecuting Christians almost immediately after the Cross. And this persecution continued until the 4th Century, when Rome suddenly had a complete change of heart, now embracing Christianity!

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But this new friendship resulted in the rise of apostate churches which compromised the truth of the Bible by the addition of many false doctrines and paganism, disguised by a thin coating of Christianity.

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Whore – Babylon – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain 

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CHURCH PERSECUTES GOD’S PEOPLE

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And over the next centuries there began to be a separation between God’s faithful Christians, and this false religious system. God’s people saw through the deception by these false churches. And eventually, the apostate church began persecuting God’s people, by banishment, civil penalties, torture, and death.

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Oh yes, this was all progressive and gradual. But more and more this apostate religious system became the Antichrist Beast, using the civil governments of Europe to do its “dirty-work”, as its “Enforcer”.

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Waldensians hunted by the armies of Rome – Courtesy Gutenberg.org – Public Domain.

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THE REFORMATION

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Now, as the false doctrines and the physical persecution intensified against God’s people, God eventually raised up faithful men to counter the apostasy. Such men as John Wycliffe, John Huss, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and many others, became the voice of God, and the champions for His persecuted people against this tyrant Antichrist Beast.

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And so, the torture chambers, and the flames-of death-at-the-stake, became the punishment for any Christian who refused to bow down to the authority of the apostate churches of Europe. And Satan attempted to burn the Bible completely out of existence!

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But faithful men, women, and children secretly committed the verses of this much-hated Book to their memory!

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And armed with the Bible in their heart, they carefully ventured out through the land, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone who might be receptive to hear those life-giving words of Jesus!

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Luther – 95 Theses – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

Burning at the Stake – Wikipedia – Public Domain

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GUTENBERG’S PRESS

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“…the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Revelation 13:14

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Now this physical persecution against God’s people continued for some centuries. But when the prophetic time-clock had finally expired, God gave the printing-press to the world! And as a result, Bibles began to be churned out by the thousands!

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The Bible was that sword which gave the First Beast his deadly wound!

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And now, for the first time, Europeans could read for themselves, the truths which had been suppressed by those evil churches for so many centuries.

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Even back in 1611, the translators of the king James Bible understood this truth, saying in that versions introduction…“the Truth, (which hath given such a blow unto that man of Sin, as will not be healed)” (from the Introduction to the King James version, paragraph #4)

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This above quote was of course, in reference to Revelation 13, which reveals the Beast which received a deadly “wound by a sword” which deadly wound would be healed. And as this same introduction makes clear, the beast with the deadly wound which was healed was none other than the apostate and tyranical church-system of Europe during the Dark Ages. But this truth got lost through the next centuries, after Christian persecution ceased.

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Caxton Showing the First Specimen of His Printing to King Edward IV at the Almonry, Westminster wikipedia US public domain

Girl with a Bible – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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HOPE IN THE NEW WORLD

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At about this time that this First Beast received his deadly (but healed) wound, many pilgrims began to flock to the New World, in hopes of erasing the memory of the misery and blood-baths which Satan had brought against so many Europeans, for so many centuries! Yes, America was a land rich in natural resources and full of promise and hope for a new life, free from the tyranny of that First-Beast religious system of the Old World!

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And so, many began to flock to the New World, in hopes of escaping the memory of the misery and blood-baths which Satan had brought against so many Europeans, for so many centuries!

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Truly, America was a land rich in natural resources and full of promise and hope for a new life, free from the tyranny of that beast-like religious system of the Old World!

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Mayflower Harbor by William Halsall 1882 wikipedia US public domain

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RISE OF THE SECOND BEAST

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Now, even though Satan’s First Beast had received its “deadly wound by a sword”, via the “sword of the Spirit, the Word of God”, this unrelenting and tireless foe was not ready to give up! No, Satan still had two heads of his Antichrist Beast, which were yet to rise up. Yes, this Antichrist Beast had seven heads, and the 5th head had just received its deadly wound by Gutenberg’s printing press, which filled the Old World with innumerable Bibles!

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And so, just like a deadly virus, this First Beast mutated and morphed into another beast, an even more deadly one than the first! This Second Beast was The False Prophet, having two horns like a lamb, but speaking as a dragon! And these two horns were actually the 6th and 7th heads of the First Beast!

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But the apostate church-system of Europe over the centuries, had earned itself such a bloody reputation, Satan had to re-invent himself, so-to-speak! Yes, Satan needed to put a fresh face on his war-machine. And so, he raised up this False Prophet to further deceive the world. And this beast was a “kinder and gentler beast”!

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ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who offers a world-loving gospel – www.signsofheaven.org

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SATAN’S NEW BATTLEFRONT

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Yes, little did those pilgrims understand, that this new frontier was now to become Satan’s new battlefront, to continue his war against Heaven. He and his unseen minions had also “packed their suitcases” so to speak, and moved across the waters to this young and brash society, which cared little for orthodoxy, nor for tradition.

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But now Satan needed to put a fresh face on his new dispensation, and America the beautiful was just the right place to do that! God blessed America, giving it a constitution somewhat similar to God’s government: a nation dedicated to freedom of religious and political speech. America had a constitution and organization with biblical root and foundation. It was, no doubt, just the kind of challenge that Satan loves!

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First Thanksgiving_brascome wikipedia public domain 

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A HORSE, A VAIN THING FOR SAFETY!

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And there is a principle which the early pilgrim’s did not fully understand. These refugees to the New World did not realize that a person cannot escape sin, by his own two legs!

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The Bible says… “An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength…The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.” Proverbs 33:17 & 21:31

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As these above two verses reveal, we just cannot escape sin and danger by our own strength! Safety is of the Lord. 

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And so, these pilgrims were escaping from one type of evil, only to be sailing into another form of evil! As the saying goes, they were merely, “jumping from the fry pan, into the fire!”

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Oh yes, they were escaping famine, scarcity and persecution! But what they could not have known, was that they were seeking a place of refuge, which would eventually immerse their descendants into the same miry opulence, excess, and lust, which ultimately led to the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah!

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Time – New York City Night-lights – Wikimedia – Creative Commons 2.0 Generic License

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THE AGE OF PROSPERITY

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The persecution of the Dark Ages, was a long history of deprivation: deprivation of food and material goods, of Bibles, of religious liberty, and of political freedom.

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But when Satan completely changed his strategy of warfare, no longer were the Christian nations to suffer want and deprivation.

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No, as long as the pendulum was going to swing in a different direction, the Devil was going to make sure it would swing way too far in the opposite direction!

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New York Times Square – terabass – Wikipedia – Share-alike License 

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2nd BEAST RISES FROM THE EARTH

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According to Revelation 13, this Second Beast was to rise up from the earth. And the things of this earth, materialism, and the sins of the flesh, became the power and earthy lusts which this False Prophet Beast was all about! Yes, Satan flooded the world with every conceivable invention, labor-saving device, and earthly pleasure!

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And just like the well-known laboratory experiment, in which mice are over-fed until they explode, so too, Satan would now destroy Christianity by giving her more than the heart could wish!

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And so now, the western nations were being flooded with all the pleasures and pursuits the human heart could ever desire!

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The industrial age, followed by the high-tech age, made the Protestant nations rich, beyond anything ever seen in history past! 

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Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.

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THE RISE OF ATHEISM & SECULARISM

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Now, the 5th head of the Beast was the idea that the “Church” was the supreme Authority in the world. But this 5th head was merely one head of the Beast!

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You see, at the same time that the 5th head of Antichrist received its deadly wound by God’s sword, the Bible, Satan was already preparing the 6th head to rise up: humanism. Yes, humanism, or secularism, or atheism, or communitarianism, or whatever other name one wants to call it, it was to be the next great deception to enter onto the world stage. 

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The 5th head was the idea that the “Church” was the supreme authority. But Atheism was, and is the idea that humans are the supreme beings of the universe. No God! No Heaven! Only people!

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But atheism by itself,  is such a hopeless and bleak ideology, since it offers nothing in the way of hope or redemption to mankind! Only survival of the fittest, and everyone goes back to the earth…forever!

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Oh yes, when we are young, atheism leads us to believe that we can, “sin till the cows come home”, so to speak. In other words, with no God watching, then whatever we can get away with, is “fair-game”, as they say! That idea is very appealing to fallen sinful humans: sinning with no accountability to a God!

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Charles Darwin – by John Collier (artist) – www.wikimedia.com – Public Domain

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AN OLD FAMILIAR FIEND!

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But as an atheist grows older, life gets more and more hopeless. Death becomes a familiar fiend, always lurking in the shadows, peering around every corner, waiting for you and for me! Old age brings aches and pains and sickness and ultimately death! That’s it!

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And so, atheism may start out as a nice idea. But more and more, as we grow older, it becomes our worst enemy, offering only an eternity of blackness and nothingness!

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The Bible says concerning humanity… “through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews 2:15.

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Yes, even though we refuse to admit it, the multitudes of humanity are prisoners through our fear of death!

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And death haunts any and every sensitive, intelligent, thinking person every single day of his or her adult life! 

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Vincent van Gogh – Old Man in Sorrow (On the Threshold of Eternity) – Wikipedia US Public Domain.jpg

Weeping Woman – Van Gogh – Wikimedia – US Public Domain

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THE RISE OF HUMANISM

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And so, because atheism (humanism) is such a bleak and hopeless ideology, Satan probably decided that he must sugar-coat it with other, more appealing philosophies.

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And so, by the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, Satan was already bringing into this 6th head of Antichrist, some more satellite ideologies: evolution, sciences, psychiatry, psychology, as well as secular books on science, romance, fictional tales, and every other intriguing subject.

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And Satan raised up heroes of those causes: Darwin, Freud, Marx, Einstein, Twain, Michener, Steinbeck, and countless other such, “knights in shining armor”, to champion each of these causes!

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Some authors, like Darwin, gave credence to humanism (atheism), by the so-called “theory of evolution”. But other authors wrote books which sympathized with the down-trodden, giving socialism a foothold in the western nations. Still many other authors furthered America’s progressive downward march away from Christianity, into secularism, as their books promoted, “a form of godliness”, giving a certain charm to the life of a secularist. Still other authors promoted the ideology of psychiatry.

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In other words, Satan filled up this new Antichrist kingdom, tagged as “humanism”, with no shortage of people and things to captivate the minds of men, women, and children! Yes, “the god of this world” provided every conceivable art, entertainment, science, role-model, and ambitious pursuit that an atheist could ever possibly desire!

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Mark Twain – 1909 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

Charles Darwin – by John Collier (artist) – www.wikimedia.com – Public Domain

John Steinbeck – 1962 – Wikipedia – Public Domain

Atheism – Descent of the Modernists (now called Progressives), E J Pace, Christian Cartoons, 1922 – Wikipedia –

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IMAGE THAT SPEAKS

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“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15 

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But Satan was not so content with the written word. Oh yes, the printing press worked well for his purposes, for the time.

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But he had a far more powerful medium waiting in the wings! And at the appropriate hour, he launched his ultimate mind-control devices: television, radio, and eventually Internet.

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The above verse from Revelation speaks about a time when Satan would come as the Second Beast of Revelation: the False Prophet. And working through this False Prophet Beast, Satan would cause the world to make unto themselves an image to the first Beast. And he had power to give life to this image, so that the image could speak.

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Now throughout time there has never been such an image that could speak. But only in this day and age is that possible (see “Television: And The Image That Speaks”).

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Listen again to Revelation… “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”  Revelation 13:15

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And with the aid of these new high-tech weapons, he would engage in an assault unlike any other deception ever implemented upon Mankind. Along with the various “sciences” and ideologies, Satan has implemented music and entertainment, via these high-tech devices, as his chosen means to lead the peoples of the world into a downward spiral, and into greater spiritual darkness.

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And though it might be argued that these inventions have helped Mankind in various ways, nevertheless, they have been greatly used to decay the morality of the world, and indoctrinate Mankind into false ideologies, and to create a general prejudice against the Bible.

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While Satan’s methods have changed from time to time, nevertheless he has always been at war against the Bible at any time in history. And being the “god of this world”, Satan works through anyone who is not fully consecrated to God.

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TV – highquality – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons License

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WHAT IS SOCIALISM/HUMANITARIANISM?

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Now, among the other various satellite ideologies which surround atheism (humanism) is “socialism/humanitarianism”. It is the idea that humans are going to work collectively to relieve the sufferings and supply the basic requirements of needy humans by giving away money, food, clothes, and services.

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Humanitarianism can also be carried on by government, private groups or even by individuals. And though we must never judge any human heart, this tide of humanitarianism was not from the God of Heaven!

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Free Food Distribution – Gangasagar Fair Transit Camp – Kolkataw – cropped image – Wikimedia – Free Documentation License

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THE WHOLE WORLD LIES IN WICKEDNESS

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The great problem with socialism (humanitarianism) is, just why in the world would unconverted and fallen humans even care about helping others?

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The Bible reveals… “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1st John 5:19

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Yes, in the most concise language possible, the Lord reveals one of the greatest truths in all of creation: that this entire world lies in wickedness!

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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THE HUMAN HEART TOTALLY DEPRAVED

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Yes, the whole world is immersed in its own evil and sin! Everywhere we look, sin exists. Selfishness, hate, racism, pride, lust, greed, revenge, immorality, impatience, indifference, and innumerable other sinful traits are found in every corner and crevice and social/ethnic group of this world-in-rebellion!

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And not only is this world immersed in wickedness, but also the individual human heart (mind) is immersed in wickedness… “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

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As this above verse reveals, the human mind is likewise a, “world of evil”! And even though we humans have a, “form of godliness”, there lies a bottomless pit of evil within the human heart of each and every one of us!

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Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia

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PAUL’S CONFESSION

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That greatest of all apostles, Paul, realized that he was merely a horrible wretched sinner, saved by grace!

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Listen… “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Romans 7:18, 19

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This above confession by Paul shows that he realized this truth about the human heart; about his own heart! He knew that only the grace of God abiding in his heart (his mind) could be considered a good thing. But without that abiding grace, Paul knew that he would be just as fallen and wicked as the most evil human on earth!

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Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – public domain

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PALLIATING THE GUILT-RIDDEN SOUL

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So what’s the reason for so much humanitarianism, today?

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Well, there are many in the western societies who have been surrounded and heavily influenced by our Christian culture. Yes, the Christian Reformation made an indelible mark on the western nations! Love for all mankind is “a pretty tough act to follow”, as the saying goes!

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But because we do not wish to follow Jesus, with all our heart and soul, we will often attempt to find a suitable substitute, in the form of humanitarianism. And so, in addition to weekly church-attendance, we may volunteer for some humanitarian project, hoping to palliate our guilt-ridden conscience.

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(Oh yes, God can and does lead humans to do some act of kindness, at times, just as he led wicked men in the Bible to some good and merciful deed, at times. But that does not by any means save a person or even make that person into a good person.)

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The Bread Line’ – by George Benjamin Luks, – Dayton Art Institute – Wikimedia -US Public Domain 

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THE RICH YOUNG MAN

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This desire to palliate one’s own guilt-ridden conscience is well-illustrated in the account of the Rich Young Man, in which a young man ran up to Jesus, and cried out… “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”

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Here was an example of trying to earn Heaven, by doing some humanitarian “good deed”. But Jesus saw through this young man’s vain attempt… “Jesus said unto him…’go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21, 22

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And like that rich young man, there are many today, who love this present world, and don’t really want to ‘forsake all’ and follow Jesus (see Luke 14:33). And so, there begins to be an attempt to raise up some social-justice ministry, as a substitute for dying-with-Jesus!

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“Maybe, just maybe, I can do some good works, thereby hanging on to the world with all its pleasures and pursuits!” Sadly, this is the inward thought of so many church-attendees, in this exciting age we are now in!

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Rich Young Ruler – Hoffman – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

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To continue reading this article, click here… “Floodwaters of the False Prophet: Socialism/Humanitarianism (Continued)”

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