the last temptation
of the
CHURCH
MONTHLY PROPHECY FEATURE
by William W . Bass, Ph.D., Professor o f Philosophy, Biola College and Talbot Theological Seminary the Satanic emissary par-excellence, will be related to each of these phenomena. He w ill be the lawless one who will stand at the head of consolidated Western pow er and in opposition to the people of the land of Israel. His genius will be the manipulation of the unified west ern world. The union of flesh which was begun at the tower of Rabel will be consummated in open rebellion against God, as Antichrist, riding the crest of corporate human approval, will sit as God, in the temple of God, showing himself to be God (II Thess. 2:4). It is precisely this supporting trend toward group solidarity which will constitute Satan’s final temptation. It must be noted that while Antichrist is not mani fest today — at least not openly — the power of corporate human control and approval is a definite, crucial, fearful and almost unbridled force in the world. Men measure themselves by the group, and can scarcely violate its approval because of social pressure. A number of very competent social scientists have elaborated and docu mented the point. Perhaps the most comprehensive treat ment of this phenomenon on the American scene is to be found in The Lonely Crowd by David Reisman and his co-authors. A most enlightening account of the same phenomenon behind the iron curtain is to be found in Joseph Novak’s book, No Third Path. Men today rec ognize no framework, criterion or power other than themselves. Patterns of life are determined by the group in which the modem man finds himself. Morality, social behavior, self-esteem and stands of truth and beauty are all conditioned to a great extent by the mass with the aid of the modem means of communication. The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gassett wrote of the development and character of modem mass man over thirty years ago in his The Revolt of the Masses. Interpreters of Daniel came to something of an under standing of this same trend still earlier when they inter preted the clay in the feet of the image of Nebuchad nezzar’s vision as democracy. The very ascendancy of the mass to the place of leadership in the emergence of political democracy marks the beginning of group domi-
S a t a n h a s c a r r i e d on a continual warfare against the body of Christ since the day of its inception. Ananias and Sapphira, Simon Magus and Bar-Jesus represent early efforts and effects of the perpetual master of deceit. He has continued as a roaring lion, lying along the path of the weary pilgrim and sending his disguised wolves among the lock. His many tactics can be grouped into several kinds. These include: random and unpatterned attacks against which no specific preparation can be made except prayer (Mt. 6:13); classical devices such as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life which each Christian may expect to encounter some time in life (II Cor. 2:11); and his final, most vicious and eminently successful strategy of the last hour. The re sults of this final endeavor are described in the letter to the Laodicean church (Rev. 3:14-22). The letters or addresses to the seven churches of Asia Minor, found in the second and third chapters of Revela tion, were immediately directed to specific congregations of Christians. Moreover, the heart of each message has an application to the church at large. It is also true that there is a degree of progression in the letters which indi cates a correspondence to the general sweep of Church history. This historical application is especially marked if the first and last messages are contrasted. The first let ter is applicable to a church which is essentially pure and still vital, but has the initial and central defect of loss of love for the Lord Jesus. The last letter, on the contrary, is written to a church in a state of mediocrity, lukewarmness and confusion, and is applicable to the church during the last hour of its history. The church is in this undesirable condition because it has succumbed to Satan’s final temptation. Many prophetic students are convinced that we are today living in the latter days. The multitude of current events which point in this direction include the rising tide of lawlessness over the entire earth, the projection and implementation of plans to consolidate Western Europe into a renewed economic and political power, and the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. Antichrist,
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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