Lies and deception at the end of the age

Usually when one scans the news for stories pertinent to end times prophecy, a theme or two will emerge. Whether it's rumors of war, earthquakes, pestilence, etc., it is interesting how certain trends will always seem to prevail on a given day.

Today while scanning news stories, one such theme seemed readily apparent.

We know from biblical prophecy, that during the tribulation period one of the main aspects which will prevail is this idea of lies and deception:

- Regarding the antichrist and false prophet: "Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth" (Revelation 13:14)

- In relation to false teachers and false teachings in end times: "They will secretly introduce destructive heresies...Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into dispute...will exploit you with stories they have made up" (2 Peter 2:1-3)

- The apostle Paul's warning about deception: "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way..." (2 Thessalonians 3)

- The antichrist's method of lies and deceit, again as warned by Paul: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of satan, displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2 Thessalonians 9-10)

And on and on it goes - the point is made.

And we have been watching the "stage-setting" , or the "road being paved" towards the Tribulation and the antichrist's reign of terror. Lies and deception will be the order of the day. And like all of the signs, we are already seeing foreshadowing of this process, and it is getting worse.

A few examples just over the past few days (note: I usually try to avoid politics, but such efforts are unavoidable today):

"The Last Refuge of the Liberal"

Liberalism under siege is an ugly sight indeed. Just yesterday it was all hope and change and returning power to the people. But the people have proved so disappointing. Their recalcitrance has, in only 19 months, turned the predicted 40-year liberal ascendancy (James Carville) into a full retreat. Ah, the people, the little people, the small-town people, the “bitter” people, as Barack Obama in an unguarded moment once memorably called them, clinging “to guns or religion or” — this part is less remembered — “antipathy toward people who aren’t like them.”

That’s a polite way of saying: clinging to bigotry. And promiscuous charges of bigotry are precisely how our current rulers and their vast media auxiliary react to an obstreperous citizenry that insists on incorrect thinking.

● Resistance to the vast expansion of government power, intrusiveness, and debt, as represented by the tea-party movement? Why, racist resentment toward a black president.

● Disgust and alarm with the federal government’s unwillingness to curb illegal immigration, as crystallized in the Arizona law? Nativism.

● Opposition to the most radical redefinition of marriage in human history, as expressed in Proposition 8 in California? Homophobia.

● Opposition to a 15-story Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero? Islamophobia.

"Subliminal Deception"

The image on The Washington Post [see note below] website of the Restoring Honor rally today in Washington, D.C., reminded me of the advertising concept of subliminal seduction, where images are inserted into an advertisement in such a way as to send a message to the viewer without the viewer knowing it.

WaPo's article about the rally carried a time stamp of 1:38 p.m., but the photo of a near empty crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial clearly was taken long before the tens or hundreds of thousands of rally participants arrived.

The caption says "Glenn Beck Rally Draws Thousands," but the photo is not of the rally.

Subliminal deception.

There is more on this story:

"Subliminal Reduction at the Washington Post"

"Predominately white" media portrays Beck rally as "predominately white"

Why would you determine that a vast crowd attracted by Glenn Beck to Washington, DC’s National Mall and assessed by NBC at the 300,000 mark, was “predominantly white”?

Because that’s the mainstream media’s premeditated story and they’re sticking to it.

Many expected the MSM to minimize the crowds at Beck’s Honoring America rally by number and that’s what they’re still doing.

Though you’d never know it from media accounts, courtesy of Beck, God was center stage at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday with 240 clergy of various denominations on stage when Beck told Americans looking for answers that “God is the answer.”

It’s good that that CFP posted a live thread from the Restoring Honor Rally courtesy of UStream yesterday morning because people could see and hear the event for what it was, proving the lies, and even wild claims, of the mainstream media.

And we have been observing how the MSM portrays anyone who is against the Mosque in NYC: "Islamophobic":


"Who're You Calling a Bigot"

Most of the academics echoed a warning that a "tidal wave of ‘Islamophobia'" would soon overtake America -- act two of the "wave of hate crimes" that occurred "post-9/11." These statements ignore a basic fact: no such "wave" ever occurred. As columnist Jonah Goldberg writes, despite the rhetoric of the Left, statistics demonstrate this country is not particularly susceptible to "Islamophobia."

If you find yourself asking why the defenders of the ground zero mosque keep recycling hyperbolic accusations of bigotry, listen to the analysis of many of our nation's "leading" Middle East studies scholars. Their attempts to characterize all opposition to the mosque as examples of "Islamophobia" ignore the complicated emotions evoked by the 9/11 attacks and the genuine concerns of many Muslims and non-Muslims alike over the mosque's fundraising, location, and the radical connections of its leadership.

And this article goes back to the origins of the entire myth of "Israeli occupation" - a common phrase that literally rolls off of the tongues of the liberal media - and is often accepted without ANY thought whatsoever:

"The Truth About 'The Occupation' and 'The Settlements'"

The pro-Palestinian propaganda machine has succeeded in stigmatizing the Israeli occupation and the settlements. Time and again we hear about the "brutal occupation" and the "illegal settlements." We rarely hear the truth in opposition to these lies.

Occupation

Israel is accused of occupying the West Bank and Gaza. In fact these territories are described as "The occupied Palestinian territories." Not only are they not occupied in a legal sense, but also they are not "Palestinian" lands in a sovereign sense.

And it goes on from there. This article (above) is certainly worth reading.

The lies and deception that comes daily from the MSM, the government and the array of "pundits", shown daily in the news has become so commonplace that we accept this as daily life. Most folks understand and realize that an underlying agenda permeates the news sources, and the truth isn't part of that agenda.

It is far more than politics. In fact, although on the surface it is ALL about politics, the MSM, the governments of most of the world and all others who engage in these lies and deception have no idea what is REALLY going on.

What we are seeing is most definitely "road paving" into the Tribulation, and the lies and deception that we observe daily are a large part of this process. However there is something else going on. One large aspect of these last days, often forgotten, is the fact that the end of this age brings on the conclusion of the epic battle of "Good vs Evil", or better stated "God vs Satan".

God is going to allow the lies and deception to take place in this world, for a certain designated period of time. It is all part of the process. I doubt that most MSM members have any idea of what they are REALLY engaged in. They believe that they are merely doing their part to promote a liberal/progressive agenda, when, in reality they are aiding and assisting the "paving" of the road to the Tribulation.

The MSM will aid and assist the antichrist in much of the same way that they aided and assisted a presidential candidate who had no qualifications, a hidden history, and a highly questionable background - right into the White House. They have done it once, and they will gleefully do it again.

In fact, once the antichrist begins his ascent into power, they will begin the last big push for lies and deception to prevail on this earth. When the antichrist assumes power the "world" will be proclaiming "peace and safety", but unfortunately, it will be exposed as yet another lie, perpetrated by the MSM:

"While people are saying 'Peace and safety' destruction will come on them suddenly" (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

Even in the face of this, the lies will continue:

"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed...He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God, or is worshiped so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

We are only seeing the beginning part of this process and it guarantees to get worse. Fortunately, we won't be here to see the final stages. We'll be in a place where truth and justice prevails. Amen.