Twin Evils
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16); “. . . the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).
America is now a post-Christian nation. Its culture embraces the beliefs of postmodernism where people no longer believe in absolute or moral truth. As a result, all viewpoints—no matter how absurd and contradictory—must be considered equally valid, unless, of course, they derive their authority from the Bible. Like never before in American history Christians are witnessing biblical values being replaced by laws that impose a godless, immoral, oppressive social agenda on their country. The practical implications of these rulings combined with the overall disdain political and religious liberal activists have for conservative values have ignited an epic culture war that is now raging out of control. Civility in public discourse is gone. Rage has replaced reason. Facts mean nothing. Evil is called good and good is called evil.
To be sure, America is now in an ideological civil war that threatens the very survival of the nation. But many people sense there’s something more sinister going on, something beyond the realm of ideological divides, something evil, perhaps even eschatological. Conspiracy theories abound. Distrust of government and media is unprecedented. People are looking for answers. Yet God has revealed in His Word what many fail to realize and most will never admit: there are two corresponding evils that have been secretly gaining strength in America for many years; powers that have destroyed every empire in history; powers so formidable and so deceptive that they now threaten the Constitutional Republic of the United States. With an irrepressible malignity these deadly agents are destroying every institution that has made this country exceptional. From our public schools, colleges, and universities, to our system of government, these silent enemies continue to metastasize, even to the point of destroying the nuclear family, the foundation stone of society. And what are the names of these twin evils? Human depravity and Satanic deception. One is an enemy in us; the other is an enemy of us. And they both find quarter in secular government and false religion—twin fiends that are always united against the gospel of God and the people of God.
Like never before the church needs warrior preachers; biblical preachers who fear God, not man. Men who will not capitulate to the culture but will confront it. Men who reject the popular notion of evangelical pragmatism that regards friendship with the world as a better strategy for evangelism than preaching the gospel. Men who will not bow to the demonstrably false and divisive deceptions of Critical Race Theory that fuel the Woke cult invading our schools, workplaces, and churches. Men who will not preach the false gospel of social justice, nor yield to the gross immoralities and insane ideologies of the LGBTQIA+ revolutionaries seeking to indoctrinate and seduce our children. The world needs to hear from godly men, worthy to be called soldiers of the cross, known by all to be “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1), faithful men with no desire for wealth, power, prestige, or worldly accolades. Men who are indefatigable and fearless warriors of the faith who understand from Scripture and know from personal experience that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses . . . destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:4–5). Would to God that He amass a vast army of valiant champions who, with the apostle Paul, can say, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3).
May we be counted among their number.
© COPYRIGHT NOTICE 2023 BY DAVID HARRELL AND SHEPHERD’S FIRE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
