BECAUSE INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND- PART 2

 

                              BECAUSE INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND- PART 2

                                                (for the local newspaper)

   Jesus said that in the Last Days, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”             

  In my previous article I discussed that, aside from the regular temptations to give into sin, there is an increasing danger of our love waxing cold. Let’s quickly look at some things the Bible says about love:

- “GOD IS LOVE… and he that abides in love, abides in God.”

- “Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law (of God).”

- “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

- “Faith works by love… without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.”

 So obviously, we cannot afford to have our love grow cold for any reason.

 

  What does the Bible say a society will look like when iniquity/lawlessness begins to prevail? To recap, iniquity is unbridled sinful behavior, which is lawlessness. Lawlessness is a disregard for the moral laws of God our Creator as prescribed in the Bible. Lawlessness produces a number of corresponding repercussions. Furthermore, because sin, or iniquity, has two sources, one from inside us and the other from outside, we must expect extensive fallout:

- THE INIQUITY WITHIN US indulges in self-gratification. As a result our reasoning, perspectives, and understanding will be twisted, producing corresponding behavior in all associated areas of our life. The Bible describes it like this: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the Last Days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

  -INIQUITIES’ OUTSIDE INFLUENCES - Due to the nature of sin (or iniquity), we become increasingly vulnerable to its associated external powers and influences: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

  When we abandon our trust in God Almighty as our Source of life, help, and guidance, and when self-pleasing masters our objectives, we should expect:

- That because iniquity is deceptive, we who practice it are also more vulnerable to deception

- A hate toward anyone or anything that opposes our objectives

- A default to aggressive self-preservation when threatened by insecurities and fear.  “And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and the father the child: and children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.”

   We have already seen similar scenarios in societies more than once in the past century. The Bible also says that when we see God’s laws and commands being broken, we are to take warning. If our reasoning, or if our society is clamoring to make changes in our laws regarding what is acceptable behavior, we must scrutinize the source and determine from the Bible what God has to say about it. Remember, sin is deceitful. We, the human race have a vile enemy, the devil, whom, as Jesus said, is come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” We must be ever so careful that we are in no way siding with him, let alone promoting his addenda. Yes, the End Times are coming, but we need not be partakers of its evil wake. Continue to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ, and may the Love of God be the motive and focus of our heart and mind, and influence of all our actions.