Scripture Text: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." 2Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV)

There is one thing for certain my friend, and that is that we are entering into a period of increasing intensity; and increasing evil; and increasing darkness. I believe Jesus speaks of it this way....

"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Mat 24:4-8 (KJV)

We are just a few days into the New Year - yet I would say that some of the events of last year are enough to tell us that we are in that place of darkness like we have never known before.

Just a few months ago we had a Pastor shot to death while preaching a sermon.

In Alabama we had a man shoot members of his family and then go around to others in the city he lived in (that had crossed him) and systematically "take them out".

In our little city of Saint Joseph we had a warning that went out - now known as a hoax nationwide, warning women not to shop at Wal-Mart as there was a threat by a gang - supposedly one of the most ruthless in the country, (very prevalent in our community of just 76,000) who supposedly made the claim that they were going to shoot three women at random in one of the Wal-Mart stores here in our town. As I said, it turned out to be a hoax... but it shows the darkness of life that we are living in and the terror that those kind of "hoaxes" bring upon a community as Law enforcement and all who might have shopped at a Wal-Mart that day HAD TO BE CAUTIOUS THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD OCCUR. No one ever really knows.

Then, just recently a "sting" operation provided police with enough evidence to put away a 30 year old man and his wife here in our community for deviant sex crimes with an 8 year old Kansas girl, and what's worse, they shot video of it and put it on the internet for sale.

At Northwest Missouri State College (Maryville) there was a debate just a few weeks back; between two "visiting" Professors as to the "validity of Jesus' resurrection". The 39 year old IVY Leaguer, Dr. Richard Carrier, insisted the there was "NO PROOF" whatsoever that Jesus truly rose from the grave, while Dr. William Craig, 59, with his multiple doctorates in philosophy and theology responded by saying he "...believes in miracles".

If you just dropped 50 miles to our south, the things that I just mentioned are pretty much tame to what's going on there. Gang-wars, murder, rape, brawls in the bars and nightclubs that are so violent they would turn your stomach. And something that isn't spoken of much anymore is the quiet yet very powerful world of Witches and Sorcerers who are now advertising on the internet to "GET BACK" at those who have harmed you or done you wrong by having them cast a spell on them. THEY EVEN GUARANTEE THEIR WORK! If the spell they cast doesn't work - they refund your money!

The Public School systems are teaching "alternative lifestyles" to your children, and there is no permission slip, no concern that the gay activist who shows up at your child's school will in any way harm your child's outlook on the traditional role of marriage (being one man and one woman), but they are excited about the fact that these classes may FREE your child to accept their sexuality whether they are Gay or Hetero. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!

This is the sick world we live in and this is what the Apostle Paul spelled out as the Last days. Let me read you what he says about it in 2 Timothy 3:1-5

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2Ti 3:1-5 (KJV)

Jesus said

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are 'the beginning of sorrows'." Mat 24:6-8 (KJV)

When did Jesus say these things? When he was walking with His disciples and they had asked him the question, "...what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

It is clear that you and I are living in those last days that Jesus called the Beginning of Sorrows and no matter what you think or feel about the timing of the coming of Christ in conjunction with your life situation, He's still coming! Why? To deliver us from the WRATH to come. What's happened? Why is EVIL running WILD in the WORLD?

Somewhere along the line, the church quit praying! They quit evangelizing and they just quit fighting for what was right! Some of those who had before been strong in their faith regarding the Biblical teachings regarding homosexuality and abortion relaxed their views to be "more tolerant", joining the status quo in their plight to "live and let live".

Let me tell you my friend, this world NEEDS Jesus! NOW!

But I don't believe they are going to get more of Jesus. I believe that we are going to see less and less of Jesus accept from us old sandwich-board preachers here on the internet. That's what you may as well call us - because while we're getting a little attention right now and the WORLD seems to be interested now... more and more people are leaving the faith, and are being re-trained as to what FAITH is "really" about - by all of those ecumenical groups out there who don't want you talking about the blood of Christ or the Power of The Cross.

More and more people are being told that Jesus was a hoax and that Jesus NEVER rose from the dead.

More and more people who claim in any way to have a faith in Christ are being to persecuted and eventually you will see people falling away on their own.

Those that used to make it to church every Sunday NO MATTER WHAT... will now go sporadically and soon not at all... no excuses... it will just happen that way. In fact if you asked them why, they couldn't tell you; they wouldn't know. They would rattle off a few reasons but it would come down to... "no real reason! I just did!"

What did Paul say about that?

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;"  2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV)

By the way... that verse is a precursor to the verse that explains this whole time and season... and why and how "the son of perdition" will be be revealed. We have used this verse before yet, now you can better see what it means. Again this is the Apostle Paul ...

"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." 2Th 2:6,7 (KJV)

You see... everything is in place. That word "let" has the connotation of something that is being held back or suspended until a later date in time. The prayers of the church and the evangelism of the church and the faithfulness of the BODY on POLITICAL ISSUES is the only deterrent to the coming of the son of perdition. Yet he has done a number on us. He has even defeated us at the polls and many Christians have fallen away just because of that. Little by little the Christian faith is being "put away" in the same way that that BELIEVER ought to be "putting away" sin and "putting away" defeat and fear and "putting on" the Garments of Battle against the enemy. But the devil and the WORLD have done such a number on them and it has been so long that they took out The LIVING WORD and began to read it aloud and let it breathe... let it have life in their Spirit and mind once again - that they have lost their way. Oh they've learned how to take out a bottle of wine and let it breathe... they have decided that drinking a glass of wine is okay once and a while you know: it's even been declared by the AMA to be good for your heart! Well, SO IS THE WORD! AND NO ONE HAD TO FERMENT IT OR ADD ANYTHING TO IT TO GIVE IT LIFE! JUST READ IT! TAKE IT OUT AND READ YOUR FAVORITE PASSAGES ALOUD ONCE AGAIN AND TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T FEEL ALIVE AND WELL AGAIN!

Friend, Jesus said it best there in Matthew 24 when he said.

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Mat 24:11-12 (KJV)

The Atheists are now coming at the Christians in a whole new light and are doing documentaries trying to denounce the word sin. It's not an error against God... it is merely a mistake against ourselves. Something that we could have done better - should have done better, but we, for whatever reason, gave in and now must deal with the consequences. Let me tell you my friend that's one of the reasons they want to do away with the definition of marriage because it removes the passion of the Christ out of it. It removes the promises we make before God and the church that we will love, comfort, honor and keep him/her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him/her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him/her as long as you both shall live?

Friend there is something Holy, Something Wholesome and pure about making such VOWS before God and the Church. The darkness of sin and degrading nightmares of what once was or what could have been had there not been such a VOW made to such a God who is HOLY and expects all who enter in these VOWS - TO KEEP THEM!

But we live in a time when the, "he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" is weakening. Fewer Christians are praying and reading the Bible. Fewer Christians are going to church and meeting in the fellowship of other believers.. for whatever reason and are finding themselves losing the light little by little until darkness has them cursing God or cursing someone else, or even wishing right out loud that someone would just die. They become brawlers and drinkers and never darken the door of a church building or bend a knee in their home to call out to God for a REVIVAL in our land - but merely cast aspersions on those who are running it.

O friend... there is no one that is not held to that same analogy. There is no one that righteous that they have not known such darkness in their lives perhaps even today which is the Lord's Day.

Jesus also said in that little three verse teatise... "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Mat 24:13 (KJV)

There is only one way to endure my friend and that's found there in the 12 chapter of the book of Revelations in the 11th verse where we read... "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."

You have available to you the blood of the Lamb my friend. Hebrews tells us that. "...after he (meaning Jesus) had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, (he) sat down on the right hand of God; " (ref., Hebrews 10:10) The WORD goes on to say that

"...God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." Hebrews 6:17-20 (KJV)

Secondly, we find there in that 11th verse of Revelation Chapter 12 they overcame him by the WORD of their testimony.

Did you know by any chance that what you say - effects your faith as much as it does some one elses? In fact there's a scripture found in proverbs 18:21 these words... "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

If you daily spew garbage out of your mouth. your life will me a mess. On the other hand, if you daily quote scriptures as your admonition of faith you will find JOY and Peace and POWER beyond your wildest dreams.

Puts a whole new twist on why we see the world so quickly turning to darkness and the blackness of sin for the he who letteth is no longer "letting". That WORD means holding back the darkness... holding back the antichrist from taking over. You see that darkness is already there - it is what caused our first parents to fall to sin in the garden of Eden of all places; and "...only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." (ref., 2Thessalonians 2:7)

It is time my friend to make your choice once and for all: to choose this day whom you will serve. Now is the day of Salvation, now is the day to come to Jesus - for tomorrow it may be too late.

Let's pray.

Father I have done my best here to deliver the WORD that you have given me and I now leave it in Your hands to speak through the power of Your Holy Spirit to those who have heard these words and will decide one way or the other to come to you and to live for you, or to gamble it all away on a chance that they can grab all the gusto that this life has to offer and come to you on their own time. Speak to those who have heard this message today Father and may there be many who decide once and for all that it is time to get busy for you and to do all they can to take this Gospel to all the WORLD telling out the Great Story of a Christ who Saves, who Heals, and who is coming again! I ask it in that Precious name Oh Lord.... The Name Of Jesus Your only begotten Son, Amen.