The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared. And I saw, out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are the spirits of demons, doing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited world to gather them for the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Rev. 16:12-14.
Harvey got a call from a friend of his. "Have you heard what's happening to Joe?" he asked.
"No," Harvey said. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I think you'd better give him a call--he may need a little encouragement right now."
Since he and Joe had been friends for many years, Harvey quickly made the call. He found out that Joe had been accused of sexual harassment and was about to lose his job in a church administrative office.
The news really puzzled Harvey, because he had always known his friend to be especially careful in the way he treated women around him. In fact, Harvey's wife told him that Joe was one of the few pastors she knew that didn't look at her the wrong way.
Upon further investigation it became clear that no one had ever properly confronted the accuser. People had just taken the charges at face value. They were willing to believe a story simply because it had got passed around so long that it sounded true.
At the end of time deception will be a major factor in the world. But it is not only the beasts of Revelation that cause it. Sometimes even Christians are too willing to believe slander or gossip. All it takes is the barest hint of sexual impropriety to ruin a pastor's reputation. At other times sexual predators use deception to cover up their crimes and appear to be spiritual mentors. Because false accusations are devastating even at a local level, imagine what it will be like when deception is a universal phenomenon!
It is imperative, as we approach the end, that Christians strive to be as transparent as the sunlight. We should never believe accusations without clear evidence and without hearing both sides of the story. If we do not learn to deal in truth now, while things are relatively calm, we will be in grave difficulty when the final crisis comes.
Lord, I want to commit myself to operate in truth at all times. If I cannot speak what is clearly true, help me at least to remain silent. Give me a passion for the truth.
Harvey got a call from a friend of his. "Have you heard what's happening to Joe?" he asked.
"No," Harvey said. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I think you'd better give him a call--he may need a little encouragement right now."
Since he and Joe had been friends for many years, Harvey quickly made the call. He found out that Joe had been accused of sexual harassment and was about to lose his job in a church administrative office.
The news really puzzled Harvey, because he had always known his friend to be especially careful in the way he treated women around him. In fact, Harvey's wife told him that Joe was one of the few pastors she knew that didn't look at her the wrong way.
Upon further investigation it became clear that no one had ever properly confronted the accuser. People had just taken the charges at face value. They were willing to believe a story simply because it had got passed around so long that it sounded true.
At the end of time deception will be a major factor in the world. But it is not only the beasts of Revelation that cause it. Sometimes even Christians are too willing to believe slander or gossip. All it takes is the barest hint of sexual impropriety to ruin a pastor's reputation. At other times sexual predators use deception to cover up their crimes and appear to be spiritual mentors. Because false accusations are devastating even at a local level, imagine what it will be like when deception is a universal phenomenon!
It is imperative, as we approach the end, that Christians strive to be as transparent as the sunlight. We should never believe accusations without clear evidence and without hearing both sides of the story. If we do not learn to deal in truth now, while things are relatively calm, we will be in grave difficulty when the final crisis comes.
Lord, I want to commit myself to operate in truth at all times. If I cannot speak what is clearly true, help me at least to remain silent. Give me a passion for the truth.
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