KEYWORDS: people, world, lord, church, bible, devil

It's a Sobering Thought

David Berg

6/88DO 2444

(After watching the third movie of "The Omen" series, "The Conflict," about the Antichrist:)

(Not recommended for Family viewing)

1. One thing these movies on the Antichrist have done, is they sort of bring to life for average people something that was not very clear & was only sort of like a fairy tale for them & didn't seem realistic. They help to give people a certain amount of realism, to make the story more realistic. In other words, dramatisations of the Truth help make the Truth seem more believable.

2. It's probably the Catholic Church that's behind it, knowing that the time of the Antichrist is very near. The fact that they would go to all that trouble to dramatise it, it sounds to me like they're trying to prepare the people & warn them of the coming of the Antichrist.—Because they had things pretty straight, except all that business about Jesus coming as a baby again.

3. Apparently the Catholic Church insisted on that last message, that He'll come again, but not as a child. It was a direct contradiction to the rest of the movie, of the way it was saying He was going to come again as a child. But then at the end they flashed the words on the screen that He was going to come again‚ not as a child, but as the King of kings. It seemed like they were trying to correct the movie story.—TTL!

4. Of course, we know the Truth & the Scripture & how things are really going to go. But it's a sobering thought, that as far as we can see‚ the Antichrist is here in the World somewhere today, alive & directing things from behind the scenes. There's one thing for sure, the [ACs] know who we are. We don't yet know exactly who he is, until he's revealed (2Thes.2:8), but they know that we are his bitter enemies!

5. I would say that we are probably revealing more Truth along that line of Bible Prophecy than anyone else in the whole World! I don't know of anyone who is revealing those truths to literally millions of people, in other words, exposing his identity in a sense & bringing out all the Scriptures about him. We're not ignorant of his devices & we're enlightening a lot of people!

6. So I wouldn't be surprised if they consider us one of his greatest enemies & doing more damage to their cause than almost anyone else! It's just a miracle of God the way that the Lord has spared us this long when you think that he is somewhere in the World right now, & that while they're trying to prepare to take over, they know that we are posing some of the greatest danger to his plans, because we're exposing him & them‚ the anti-Christ[s], his followers!

7. I think we are more of a threat to him & his kingdom than some people realise! Just about the time we think that it's all blown over & they've forgotten about us, here they're going on national & even international television‚ ABC, to strike a blow at us‚ discredit & smear us! Why would they be doing that, going to all the trouble at a time like this, unless they still consider us a real threat? They know we're a threat! I don't think we even realise how much of a threat we are to them! I think we've probably done more to expose them in this generation than almost anyone else!

8. What is the greatest threat to his kingdom but the Lord & His Truth & His people? Who are the greatest threat to the Antichrist kingdom?—The people of God, the children of God‚ & people who are not ignorant of his devices & who know what he's up to & what his people, the anti-Christ[s], are up to!

9. Well, it makes you think pretty soberly when you think of the reality of the things we know & what's going on, & the threat we are to his plans. Take this World's kings & princes & politicians & presidents & premiers & World leaders, they're largely about as ignorant as they come when it comes to the Bible or Bible Prophecy or the things to come‚ so they are easily duped & deceived. They don't know what's going on! So people who are ignorant of his devices are easily led astray.

10. So who do you think would be his greatest enemy in the World today? What's the greatest danger to his plans? (Maria: Exposure.)—Exactly! The greatest effectiveness of any plot or conspiracy of any kind is secrecy, unawareness‚ like a coup. Here the World's greatest coup is about to take place, where the greatest usurpation of government the World has ever known is about to occur, when the Antichrist takes over the World in the guise of its saviour! But here we are busy exposing what he's up to & how he's going to do it, his whole plans, plot, how he's going to be identified & exactly what's going to happen!

11. So who is doing the most to awaken the World to his plot? (Maria: We are!) I really would say we are. So obviously they're still out to get us, or ABC wouldn't be devoting almost a whole half-hour show to us. We still have enemies! Sometimes we kind of forget about it, & sometimes we forget about how serious they are & how much they hate us. PTL! TYL! It's such a miracle how the Lord's kept us & taken care of us & protected us all these years! PTL! TYL!

12. So it's a sobering thought to think that our greatest human enemy is in the World today, plotting & planning & preparing, & we are endangering his whole program by making people aware of what it's all about! Who knows how we may be delaying it by awakening people to what's going on. I think our folks ought to take that a little more seriously, & realise that one of our most important messages is to expose him & his plans & his people & prepare people for it.

13. (Maria: I think other than the Posters, we sort of put the squelch on people talking about that subject.) … [Y]ou can certainly talk about him & what the Bible says about him, his people & all the rest, & they can draw their own conclusions! (Maria: It's really a popular subject in some places.) Yes, & right now there are a lot of people who apparently are giving some credence to the fact that they know who's behind it, what people are behind it‚ that are taking over the World.—The ACs!

14. But I certainly wouldn't be revealing that particular fact & pushing it just to anybody that you meet. …

15. (Maria: …[H]ow can we reveal it to the public?) That particular point about who it is, you mean? Who his people are? … (Maria: I guess you really have to be Spirit-led.) You've got to have discernment.

16. I don't think that should be riskily revealed. … Of course‚ our enemies already know it, they've gotten all of our literature that was supposed to have been just for the Family, from backsliders, & obviously they still consider us enemies‚ judging by all the things we've heard. And now this new assault by Deborah—she has absolutely become anti-Christ, a tool in his hands! I wonder why the Lord allowed that?—Obviously He's allowed it to maybe even test our own people, to see who would believe the lies of the Devil. He's also allowed it to make sure that her cup of iniquity is filled to the full, so she can get what's coming to her!

17. Anyway, it's a sobering thought, when you think that he is now in existence & planning to pull off his coup very soon‚ & we're blurting out to the public all of his plans & how it's going to be pulled & just what's going to happen play by play! Of course‚ it's been in the Bible all the time, but it's amazing how ignorant people are of the Bible, particularly the general public! And it's amazing, most of all, how ignorant even most Christians are of the Bible‚ of understanding Bible Prophecy, just what it's all about & what it means. I'd say the vast majority of Christians today are absolutely ignorant of his devices, sad to say.

18. There was a time when there was more being preached about Bible Prophecy. Back when I was young more preachers were preaching on Bible Prophecy. (Maria: Even when I was a kid the evangelists were coming through all the time preaching on it.—Although they all had a different version!) But it seems like they've almost hushed up on it, they're not trying to be specific any more. So many people have proven to be incorrect, that they've all just about quit.

19. Anyhow, it's a sobering thought! That would be a good title for this little discussion.—It's a sobering thought that he is here now in the World today‚ & he knows about us & doesn't like us & would like to get rid of us, & he's obviously attacking again!

20. It makes you appreciate the Lord all the more to think how He's hidden us & kept us just like He hid Jesus from Herod & other of His enemies. He has kept us & provided for us & kept us going, still preaching the Truth & exposing the Enemy's evil devices & plans!

21. More & more Christians are now coming to believe that the Church is going to go through the Tribulation, & will be here when the Antichrist appears! But when I was young, before I started preaching it, there was hardly anybody who believed it at all, except the Catholic Church & the Seventh-day Adventists! (Maria: Had the preachers believed it previously, like a long time ago?) For centuries‚ until the rise of the Cooneyites in Britain about 1795 when this false prophet got this so-called revelation that the Church was not going to have to go through the Tribulation, & began preaching it.

22. (Maria: Could they have had that much influence on the Church as a whole?) Well for goodness sake, yes! They did!—And they sold their bill of goods because the Church wanted to believe that, so much so, that the whole Church of the Brethren went for it, & Scofield, Pastor of Moody Church, preached it‚ & then wrote his Bible with that as his main purpose, to preach that the Church was not going to go through the Tribulation! That's their principal doctrine & almost the excuse for existence of the Scofield Bible!

23. And they've been preaching it ever since, until they've finally persuaded nearly all Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, etc., who nearly all go for the Scofield Bible & believe it & follow that doctrine! When I was young & all the different preachers came through, there was hardly anybody that I can recall, regardless of everything else that they didn't agree on, they nearly all agreed that Jesus was coming any minute & was going to take us out of this World before the Antichrist arose, thus the Church was not going to go through the Tribulation!

24. So you can see how ignorant & deceived & duped the Christians have been by that false doctrine all these years! Talk about a trick of the Devil‚ that sure was one!—Perpetrated by the Fundamentalist Evangelicals themselves, & even by some of those who were the straightest on Eternal Salvation, like Moody Church & the Brethren. (Maria: They must not have been very strong in the Word.)

25. Well, Scofield led them astray. He was a believer & teacher of that false doctrine that the Church was going to be raptured out of here before the Antichrist & the Tribulation. But a lot more people are now beginning to wake up to it as they see what's going on around them‚ that it's closer than they think, & it's getting worse all the time!

26. But anyhow, the sobering thought that I was struck with, even while watching this movie, was that it made me think more realistically, it reminded me of the existence of the Antichrist & how he's working even now, & how he must hate us! I don't suppose the Lord has kept our existence & that of our Family any secret from the Devil! Satan knows about it, & I'm sure he's tried to reveal it to the Antichrist & his followers, but obviously the Lord hasn't let them find us, & that is some big miracle! He hasn't let them find out where we are. Oh, he knows of our existence‚ but they've never been able to find out exactly where I am‚ for example, thanks to the Lord. It's a miracle!

27. So he's ignorant of our devices! We're not ignorant of his‚ but thank God, at least he's ignorant of our whereabouts, & so are they! But they're still attacking. Thank the Lord we'll get the final victory!

28. Notice this movie's named "The Final Conflict." It should have been more positively named "The Final Victory"! People could have taken it either way‚ victory for Satan or victory for the Lord. Actually in some ways, it was so emphasising the work of the Devil that it has a rather lame ending, just a sudden contradiction at the end, when all the rest glorified the Devil & the Antichrist & his work & his doctrines. That scene of him challenging the crucifix was blasphemous, sacrilegious & horrible, enough to put doubts in some people's minds if they didn't know any better. If you ask me, the whole movie preached the doctrine of the Devil much more than the doctrine of Christ or Salvation!

29. (Maria: Throughout the whole thing it seemed that the Devil had the upper hand, but maybe that's pretty true-to-life in a way, because that's the way it seems in the World nowadays, everything's pretty much in the Devil's favour & going his way, & the whole World is going after him. In some ways, that's the way it's going to be at the End. Like you said, the Devil & the Devil's people think they're pretty well fixed, then all of a sudden Jesus comes, to everyone's surprise! Maybe in that way it did parallel what's going to happen.) But the way that it preached the Devil's doctrine & glorified evil, that certainly wasn't good for the ungodly viewers who watch it & don't know any better. I don't recommend Family viewing either.

30. This whole little discussion was just to point out the fact that sometimes we don't realise how important we are, not only to the Lord‚ but also to the Devil! Amen, TYJ! Thank You for Thy protection, Lord! You'll not suffer us to be cut off before our time, but You'll keep us going, Lord, as long as You need us, & as long as the people need the Truth! TYL! Rebuke the Enemy! Rebuke any evil things! Rebuke anything that would try to harm us. Give us a good night's rest & safekeeping.—In Jesus' name, amen!—IT WON'T BE LONG NOW!—ARE YOU DOING ALL YOU CAN?