”Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,”
-II Thessalonians 2:3
Amen. You are unaware of what the Bible says about the mysteries of the Book of Revelation. You cannot come to know God by pursuing your desires. It is not proper to take a desire and make it a god for yourself. Each of us has desires, but that is no reason to give in to them. Bread is part of our daily pleasures. However, it must not be so abundant that it gives rise to desire. Do not seek lust, for otherwise it will overtake you and consume you. Lust that is enjoyed with another person is also a sin if it occurs outside of marriage. The worst kind of lust is the one that rises in a person’s heart and extinguishes their desire for what is good.
I know a man who was consumed by lust and caught in its whirlpool. That whirlpool was a terrible spiral leading to a place called hell. That man was torn to shreds; his body and even his soul were like a filthy well from which only poisonous water gushed forth! Then he turned his gaze to Christ, and Christ said, “By believing in Me, your sins will be forgiven,” and “From the hearts of those who believe, rivers of living water will flow.” Our hearts are either broken and torn or whole. It is not proper to recount sordid life stories, but at this moment it is fitting to tell Christ what one has done.
That adversary mentioned in the main verse is a strange kind of people-pleaser who cultivates grapes of lust. Such fruits may look beautiful, but inside they are full of deadly poison. Such fruits stir up ever more lust in those who eat them—lust upon lust. Do not eat what does not belong to you, but eat wholesome fruit, such as that from the Tree of Christ. The Tree of Christ is intended for all people, but there is also another tree associated with a greater number. That tree is called the Antichrist.
The Antichrist is the messenger of wickedness in the end times, who pretends to be Christ, though he is not. Jesus himself said: “When you hear it said, ‘Here is the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ do not go or run after him.” For according to the Bible, false Christs and false Anointed Ones will come, and this Antichrist will even cause fire to fall from heaven in full view of the people. The Lord did not perform this act; rather, it was the work of a sorcerer. A hellish blaze consumed the sacrificial stones. No human being can take God’s place; God’s place is solely and exclusively to be God.
If each of us turns away from our lusts, receives the blessing, and believes in Jesus, we will not be cast into the clutches of that beast. As he is, so will his servants be. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. However, whoever receives the Mark of the Beast is also condemned to eternal torment. When a person receives the Mark of the Beast—and realizes it only after having taken it—there will surely be deep hatred and bitterness toward the very moment of that marking. That Mark of the Beast may be some kind of microchip or tattoo.
Lord Jesus, take responsibility for us, Christ’s own, so that we may not end up in hell. If, however, we somehow stray, that alone will not lead us there; but if we turn our backs on Christ, we will take that mark, turn away from the things of the Spirit, and yield eternally to the flesh—to pleasures, lovelessness, filth, and hatred of others.
