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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



It would be dishonest for me to say that all will be well. Given the current trends and prevalent attitudes amongst the younger generation, personally, I am simply not convinced of this. While I believe that presidents and other political leaders are controlled and manipulated by unseen forces, it is also true that to some degree, they must likewise bend to the whims of the electorate. As I have said, that electorate is becoming increasingly liberal with each passing year. The fact that the United States of America is now led by one of the most liberal presidents it has ever seen is clear proof of this. Despite the vast political and financial power of the Republican party, not only was Barack Obama able to win the presidency in 2008, but he won a second term as well.

Obama's two victories say a lot about the electorate itself. It reveals an electorate in which liberal attitudes may be taking the lead over traditional conservative values. Despite the harsh economic problems which continue to plague the US, Obama's liberalism was still able to defeat the conservatism of Mitt Romney. That says a lot. Some of the very issues that grate us Christians, are what propelled Obama to victory. In light of this unpleasant truth, it seems to me that unless liberal attitudes amongst the younger generation suddenly go into reverse -- which is doubtful -- within a generation or two, the United States may no longer be what we once knew as children. It will be something else. It will be a place where I personally would not want to live. It may very well be just another Sodom and Gomorrah; and we all know what happened to those two cities.

Of course, as a Christian, what is of most concern to me is how the spirit of liberalism has invaded and in fact poisoned our faith. As I mentioned in part one, I cannot imagine that fifty years ago, any God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian would have believed it if someone had told them that many of our modern churches would not only be led by gay and lesbian priests, pastors and ministers, but that these same members of the clergy would be pronouncing their blessings over gay and lesbian couples. As we saw earlier, some of the brethren at the Church of Corinth apparently became comfortable with carnal sin as well. It seems that Lot may have done the very same thing for the sake of profit. It is downright dangerous to become comfortable with sin!

As I point out in some of the aforementioned articles, when we knowingly and willingly push aside and ignore God's holy Laws in order to fulfill our own lusts, we are headed for very serious trouble. Not only do we put ourselves at odds with the Lord, but we open the door to strong delusion and deception as well. We convince ourselves that relaxing the rules just a little bit, and slightly lowering the level of our moral conduct won't matter. After all, we aren't really doing anything that will hurt anyone else, are we? Beware! Once that attitude sets in, there is no end to it. What may start out as one little compromise, may very well lead to another, and then to another, until we are totally defeated.

If we are not careful, we can become so deceived by our own sins, that even when one of our brethren lovingly tries to help us by imparting a word to us, rather than yield to the conviction of the Lord's Spirit, we immediately take offense, go into defense mode, and proceed to lash out at the person who is trying to help us. In thinking about this process of reconciliation, I am reminded of the following verses:

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."


"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."


"Open rebuke is better than secret love."


In the case of this person who made a friend request, this is precisely what I did. There was simply no way that I could possibly ignore what he was doing; because by his actions, he was being a very poor Christian example, as well as bringing reproach to the Cause of Christ. As I explained in part one, while I endeavor to give people the benefit of the doubt, and try to be fair, his actions of opening displaying links to lesbian pornography websites in his "likes" section, was more that even I was willing to accept. Thus, as I already said, I sent him a private, brief message in which I rebuked him, and asked him if he is even a Christian.

Upon waking up this morning, I discovered that he had sent me a short response. In his reply, he stated that he is a Christian. To my dismay, he also said that he only watches lesbian pornography for fun when he is bored. Sadly, I soon discovered that there was more to it than that. I decided to have another look at his Facebook timeline. I wanted to see if my earlier message had convicted his heart, and motivated him to remove the offensive links from his page. Tragically, to my surprise, rather than remove the links, he seemed to have added more during the past twenty-four hours. In fact, he has several dozen links in his "likes" section which lead to lesbian-oriented pornographic websites. This has led me to wonder if perhaps he may possibly be deriving some kind of financial benefit by serving as a conduit to said sites.

Realizing that he is more than likely in a state of strong rebellion, under powerful deception, and probably has no intentions of removing any of the pornography links, I sent him another private message in which I informed him that unless he removed all of the pornography links, I would be forced to unfriend him. Nine hours later, he still had not responded, so I sent him another short message in which I reminded him that I was still waiting to hear from him. When he finally did respond, I was flabbergasted by his response. He asked me "If you unfriend me, isn't preaching meant for sinners?" He also said that he would try to remove some of the links.

I found this person's response totally unacceptable. It was a devilish twist of words. Yes, as we all know, preaching is indeed meant for the ears of sinners. However, at the same time, once we hear the truth, we are accountable for taking action and living the truth. As Jesus said in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John:

"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin."


Even before I ever visited this man's page, I suspect that he already knew that what he is doing is wrong. The reason why I know this, is because I am convinced that God's Spirit is very faithful to convict our hearts of sin and evil. If anything, what I shared with this man was probably just a confirmation of what he already knew in his own heart. In response, I very pointedly told him that he already realized that he was sinning, and that he was sinning by choice, and resisting the conviction of God's Spirit upon his heart. I likewise informed him that by telling me that he would try to remove some of the links, he was compromising and being half-hearted about it.

I reiterated that if he is really serious about his faith in Jesus Christ, he must demonstrate it through his actions by removing every single pornography link from his timeline. I likewise said that if for some technical reason, this was not possible, then he should just terminate that Facebook account and open a new one so that he could get a fresh start and put all of that garbage behind him. I also asked him to consider what a poor testimony he was being of our Christian faith, as well as a bad example to other Christians. Finally, I told him that through his actions, he was bringing shame and reproach to the Cause of Jesus Christ.

As I said, from the beginning, I suspected that my words were falling on deaf ears. This was quite evident; not only by his lukewarm responses to my comments, but also by the fact that instead of making an earnest effort to remove the offensive links, he was in fact adding more of them to his timeline. It came as no surprise to me then, when only a few hours later, I discovered that this rebellious man had not only added more porn links to his page, but he had also unfriended me. So be it. I then proceeded to block him, as per the counsel that we find in the following verses:

"And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."


"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."


"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."


"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."


"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."


"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."


Having now informed my readers regarding the details of this incident, I want to share with you some of the lessons which we can all learn from it. Upon reading this man's response to me in which he said that he watches pornography for fun when he gets bored, the very first verse that came to me is the following:

"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."


In the previous verse, the word "lusts" is derived from the Greek word "epithumia". Pronounced ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah, this word signifies a desire, craving or longing for that which is forbidden; that is, a lust. It is usually used to refer to something negative, and not to something positive. I also find it rather interesting that the Apostle Paul chooses to use the word "flee". Paul's use of this word clearly suggests urgency and expediency in escaping from the temptations that result from the lusts of our flesh. According to Thayer's Greek English Lexicon, the word "flee" finds it origin in the Greek word "pheugo". Pronounced fyoo'-go, the lexicon offers the following definitions for this word:

----- Begin Quote -----

1) to flee away, seek safety by flight
2) metaph. to flee (to shun or avoid by flight) something abhorrent, esp. vices
3) to be saved by flight, to escape safely out of danger
4) poetically, to flee away, vanish

----- End Quote -----

Clearly, Paul is saying that rather than sit there and just entertain the lustful thoughts which enter our minds, rather than invite Satan and his demons to pull up a chair and spew their dirty words into our ears, we need to flee from, avoid and shun the sinful desires and lusts of our flesh. If you doubt that this is what Paul means, then consider the fact that when Jesus advised His followers regarding the future destruction of Jerusalem which occurred in 70 AD, He said the following to them:

"Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:"


In the previous verse, the very same Greek word "pheugo" is used. So once again we see that the word indicates a rapid exit from a dangerous situation which may cause us harm. If you doubt that viewing pornography causes harm, then stop to consider that many cases of indecent exposure, incest, rape, pedophilia, sodomy and murder have occurred after viewing some form of pornography; whether it is in a magazine, in a girly bar, in a movie theater, on a television show, or on the Internet.

Sadly, as I point out in such articles as "Oh Be Careful Little Eyes!", rather than flee his youthful lusts of the flesh, this individual is allowing his eyes to get him into trouble. Not only has he pulled up a chair himself, but by offering those links on his Facebook page, he is knowingly inviting all of his friends and visitors to pull up a chair right along side of him so that they too can ogle at lesbian pornography. In short, rather than leading people to Christ, he is in fact leading people to sin. If only he realized that someday he will be held accountable for his actions. Consider the following verses:

"If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."


"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."


"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."


"And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"


"Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."


". . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."


"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."


"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."


The truth of the matter is that Satan is more than aware of our sins and human weaknesses. He has been the MC of the lust game for a very long time. He knows that if can just divert our eyes from the Lord, and get them on something else, he's got us in his bag. Adam and Eve certainly found out the hard way how our eyes can get us into trouble and cause us to sin if we are not careful. All it takes is just one simple look, or one quick glance for lust to take a stranglehold on our lives. In the case of Adam and Eve, that subtle serpent was able to distract Eve when she got her eye on the forbidden fruit, as we see by this verse:

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."


As I point out in articles such as "The Salvation of Animals: Fact or Fiction?", in one fell swoop, Satan tricked Adam and Eve into succumbing to the very same temptations which John warns us against in his Epistle. I find it interesting that the exact same three elements are present in the account of the Fall, and in John's warning. In other words, the lust of the flesh -- "the tree was good for food" -- the lust of the eyes -- "it was pleasant to the eyes" -- and the pride of life -- "a tree to be desired to make one wise".

As I mention in such articles as "Science and Technology: The Forbidden Knowledge?", I have often wondered why Adam and Eve were even near the forbidden tree in the first place. It has occurred to me that perhaps they had contemplated committing their sin for some time, even before they actually disobeyed the Lord. While we obviously don't know how large the Garden of Eden was, it just seems unusual that they were near that tree on the fateful day, particularly after the Lord had told them to stay clear of it. Was it merely a coincidence? Was it curiosity? Or is it possible that similar to a small child who is told "Don't touch!", they wanted to poke out a finger just one time and see if they could get away with it? Is it possible that Adam and Eve wanted to be tempted? Did they in fact knowingly make themselves vulnerable to temptation?

What about you? Is it possible that you do the same thing? Do you knowingly make yourself vulnerable to temptation? Do you hang around that porn theater because you want to be tempted? Are you just trying to deceive yourself, when in your wicked heart you know that you have already made the commitment to purchase that ticket? Or do you hover around the pornography section in that video rental, or in that bookstore, for the very same reason? Are you simply waiting for the moment when you will get up the guts to do what you already know you came to do?

Do you often go to that girly bar with a group of friends so that God's conviction on your heart is not felt so strongly? "Oh, well, everyone else is doing it, so it can't be too bad. We are just having a little bit of fun." And what about those bookmarks that you have secretly stashed in your web browser? Are they also there just waiting for the day when you will take the plunge into the online world of sexual promiscuity and sin? What about those "special" premium channels that you pay for on your cable system? Perhaps your family and friends may not know about your secret sins and addictions, but God most certainly does. Consider these verses and be warned:

"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out."


"For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings."


"O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee."


"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."


"For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known."


"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin."


"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."


As I likewise mention in the series called "The Urantia Book: A Dangerous New Age Doctrine!" Satan used the same big three hooks when Jesus wandered in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights prior to beginning His ministry. That vile serpent tried to twist the meaning of the Scriptures, in the vain hope that it would cause Jesus to doubt His Father's Word, or at least result in Jesus doing something which would displease His Father. Twice he said to Jesus "If thou be the Son of God". Consider these verses. Carefully notice how the Devil purposely waited until Jesus was at His weakest moment in the flesh, after He had actually completed His forty-day fast, before he launched his attack against Him:

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."


It seems evident that the reason why the Devil first tempted Jesus with the lust of the flesh by telling Him to turn the stones into bread, was because the Lord had just completed a forty-day fast, and He was obviously rather hungry. We are also informed that Satan showed Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them". This second temptation matches the lust of the eyes. Finally, two times Satan said to Jesus "If thou be the Son of God". This matches the pride of life. "So, you are the big Son of God, eh? Okay; prove it to me by jumping off of the pinnacle of the Temple!"

As we saw in part one, the crafty merchants of this current sinful world don't hesitate to rely upon Satan's "Big Three" -- that is, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- in order to entice and enslave humanity in their plastic, hedonistic, temporal, materialistic world of the flesh. From sunrise to sunset, we are all constantly being bombarded with Satan's enticements via the radio, via the television set, via books and magazines, via movies and videos, via billboards, via the Internet, and by any other means possible. We are told that we can drive the best car, we can have the best-paying job, we can live in the biggest house, we can attract the prettiest girl, we can have the best looks, we can be all that we can be, if we will simply bow down, and allow ourselves to be enslaved by the Devil's worldly system which is ruled by the desires and lusts of the flesh.

To our own shame, many people -- including many Christians -- have fallen for these satanic lies. As I point out in a number of other articles, modern Christianity has in large part become a farce in which certain Christians deem their standing in the local community, and maintaining the status quo, more important than true godly worship and living. So many Christians, beginning with their worldly leaders and shepherds, have compromised their faith, in order to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. They prefer this present world to the eternal glories of the Kingdom of God. I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote regarding Demas:

"For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia."


From the few things that we learn about him in the Epistles, it appears that Demas was a First Century Christian, as well as one of the traveling companions of the Apostle Paul. Demas even seems to have accompanied Paul to Rome. Tragically, after Paul was imprisoned by Emperor Nero, Demas apparently lost his faith and decided that he really wasn't willing to die yet for Jesus Christ. Thus, he returned to Thessalonica. In contrast to Demas, consider what we read in the Book of Revelation:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."


"They loved not their lives unto the death." What a profound statement to make. How many of us truly possess that kind of faith today? Due to our pride, we convince ourselves that we are just as dedicated as the First Century Christians. We tell ourselves -- and perhaps our friends as well -- that we would not hesitate to lay down our lives for the Lord. But is it possible that we are just deceiving ourselves? In thinking about those people who come to know the Lord, who walk in the Light of the Truth of His Word, and then choose to backslide back into the sinful world with all of its carnal, fleshly lusts, I am likewise reminded of what the Apostle Peter wrote in the following verses:

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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