Knowing the times and seasons

“And He was also saying to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming,” and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, “It will be a hot day,” and it turns out that way. You hypocrites ! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?’ ” -- Luke 12:54-6 (NASB)


We know with certainty that this is a time of spiritual warfare. God has equipped us with all the spiritual armor we need to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil,” and armed us with the sword of the Spirit. There can be no mistake He's readied us for spiritual battle.

With scripture’s certainty, we know too that the enemy is spiritual, not flesh and blood. We are wise to look beyond appearances, and recognize the enemy’s attack in evil “speculations…raised up against the knowledge of God.”. We know his attack is first against our minds: and that his great “scheme” is to capture our thoughts by his evil “speculations,” and turn Christians’ hearts traitor, to join him.

Only the One who sets the “times and seasons” knows them completely. But Jesus clearly teaches that, in its time, God reveals everything we need to know about the spiritual forces behind this world’s surface tumults, if we pay close heed. He clearly expects us to do so.

God’s been especially gracious to reveal the enemy’s “scheme” in this present time. He’s let the enemy assemble his armies together in one place, in plain sight. We can see exactly where the attack is coming: and if we “analyze” what God reveals, we know exactly what lying “speculations” the enemy is sending to capture our minds and hearts.

The enemy’s attack is led by the anti-Christian spirit of Mormonism. Its founding principle (the “First Vision”) is the “truth” a supernatural being taught Mormonism’s “Prophet:” all Christianity is corrupt, and “an abomination” in God’s sight. On its rejection of Biblical Christianity, Mormonism claims to be true Christianity, supernaturally restored only in the scriptures and prophecies its “God” gave to Joseph Smith and his successors.

A recent Mormon President and official "Prophet" made this explicit in his speech to an LDS conference, as reported on the official LDS news-site. To Christians' charge that Mormons don't worship the Jesus Christ of Bibical Christianity, he said

"No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom
they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.
For the Christ of whom I speak...appeared to
the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820..."

---- http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/31188/Crown-of-gospel-is-upon-our-heads.html

The "God" of Mormonism, its “Christ" and its “gospel,” are not those of Biblical Christianity. Mormons themselves insist on that difference: that difference is the entire basis of their religion, and distinguishes their “restored Christianity” from “corrupt” Biblical Christianity. We who instead believe the Bible must insist on its contrary discernment: that the teaching of “another Jesus” or a “different gospel” is the enemy’s attack on Christ’s faith.

Alongside Mormonism’s hatred of Christianity, satan sets the demonic doctrines of “New Age” philosophy. And just as the enemy’s Mormon standard-bearer makes no secret
of his anti-Christian “faith,” his (nominally-Catholic) running-mate boasts of being a devotee of Ayn Rand, and politically-inspired by her teachings.

What are her teachings ? First, militant atheism. Belief in God makes man an “abject zombie.” Faith is “a short-circuit destroying the mind.” Nothing exists greater than man himself, so man is rightly his own god: “…a heroic being, with
his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life…and reason as his only absolute.”

The only true morality is (as Rand entitled one of her books) “The Virtue of Selfishness.” Each man must “…exist for his own sake, [not] sacrificing himself for others...” Indeed, concern for others is destructive weakness, since it hinders man’s great purpose of self-fulfillment.

Unlimited individual “rights” and unfettered capitalism are the only path to human happiness, in Rand’s theory. The greatest enemy of both is what she calls “statism:” the belief that society and government should restrain any god-man from fulfilling all his own selfish purposes.

Ayn Rand is understandably the favorite political “philosopher” of Washington’s “conservatives.” Some years ago Chuck Colson publicly warned their faction against the spiritual deceit of her doctrines, and his warning is worth repeating:

http://townhall.com/columnists/chuckcolson/2007/10/16/the_legacy_of_ayn_rand/page/full/

(you’ll have to close a couple pop-up ads
to get to Colson’s comments.)

Rand’s disciple who is now second-in-command of the enemy forces is a prominent leader of the “conservatives” Colson warned. He has twice authored that faction’s proposed national budgets. Those documents, and the rest of his political record, embody Rand’s radically anti-Christian teachings. His political career has proved him well-qualified to now join in leading the enemy’s spiritual attack.

I solemnly charge all who love Christ, the Truth, to obey Him: “analyze” this present spiritual warfare closely, by scripture and the Spirit. If we heed Him, God clearly shows us where the enemy will attack, and what forces he sends against us. God also reveals the specific anti-Christian “speculations” by which satan is now attempting to capture our minds to join him.

We must NEVER join the one who comes only to kill and destroy. Let us all therefore “put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”