Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

 Rom 12:9  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 

Oftentimes, when the men of this world view the ‘time’ in which we live today, their thinking, and heart comprehends that this world ‘isn’t so bad,’ and aside from the obvious sinful things like crime, hatred, and the other obvious things that we point to as ‘evil,’ man thinks that everything that he “cleaves” unto is “good” because he has found this to be “good” in his heart, and in his sight. But we must “cleave to that which is good” in His sight, not ours, or what this world says is “good.” And in the Lord’s day on this earth, and in the life of the Apostles, the opposition to them, and the ministry was the ‘so called’ holy men of their “time,” and what we are told is that their objective is to counterfeit the word of God, and the will of God.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Their objective was to pass off ‘darkness for Light,” their objective was to use “the wiles of the devil” against the men of their “time,” the Lord viewed His time on this earth as the ‘boiling point’ so to speak in God’s time line with the Nation of Israel, and He knew the ‘mover and shaker’ of this darkness was Satan himself, and his ‘workers.’ Notice those “lusts,” mentioned in John 8 center around something that is being said! The Lord places the emphasis upon the darkness coming out of their mouth! He says that their “father” the devil is “a liar,” and there is “no truth in him,” and in turn, as his ‘sons;’ there was “no truth” in these men either, but “darkness.”

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 
Joh 8:13  The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

And when it comes to today’s church, man thinks because we have more churches than ever, people assume we are becoming more godly as a whole, but this is NOT the case at all. What we see mankind doing is preaching a doctrine of ‘self-justification,’ ‘self-sanctification,’ and self-exaltation,’ and by that, they are “treasuring up more wrath against the day of wrath” with God. Instead of God’s word being solely taught, the preacher gives songs, personal testimony, 1 maybe 2 bible verses the whole service, then the rest centers around their own imagination, and the spirit of this vain world.

Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 
Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 
Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 
Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 
Eph 5:12  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 
Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 
Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 
Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 
Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 
Eph 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 

But we need to view the “time” like God does, God views this present world as being in a climactic stage of ungodliness, this world has reached a ‘boiling point’ in the sight of God, I know we will say “man, will you look at how bad this world has gotten, can it get any worse?” But the “night” has been “far spent” soon after God made a ‘dispensational change’ in Acts 9, all you have to do is look at what was going on with the godly men of the Lord at that time and how they faced persecution, and Satan’s opposition against them, and eventually death. Even when John the Baptist was born in the world, there couldn’t have been more than 20 justified people in the world in that day, we have to remember it had to be at it’s worse, God sent His Son upon the earth at this time! The book of John talks about that darkness, and how that the Light, “and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

God is being “longsuffering” toward this ungodly world, and He put that on display in Acts 9 when He changed the program, and when God does have His day of wrath, even a atheist will know that the judgments are coming from God, not a ‘natural disaster,’ and God has not poured out His wrath upon any man, place, or thing, in this time, no matter what people think. Also, God being “longsuffering” does not mean that God has cancelled His wrath, or He is ‘cooling down’ from His anger, or that He looks at this world and says “what a wonderful world!” but your Father is being “provoked to wrath,” and His wrath is being kindled up by the men and women of this world who further promote this ungodly doctrine. And today, there is a bad doctrine about ‘works for salvation from the debt and penalty of sin,’ and trying to live your sanctified life by the law of Moses, but this doctrine is “contrary” to the word and will of God. And their “good words” concern a doctrine after ‘self glorification,’ and self empowerment, when we are taught to value and esteem others more than ourselves. Their “good” is after the “time” that we live in, today, man does not follow God’s word alone, he desires to follow what he has been taught, rather than what he has read.

Rom 16:17  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 
Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 
Rom 16:19  For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. 

Man today thinks its ok to be a “person of faith” people want to stand on the same stage with other religions and say “we all believe in a higher power,” they believe that their faith must count for something, but these people are worse than the Pharisees, at least in Christ’s day you only had ‘the doctrine of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the idol worshipers, and Greek god worship, but just in the last 100 years Christianity has over 35,000 different denominations! These denominations and religions seek to make ‘a name for themselves,’ As time moved on from Paul’s day we see man has taken pleasure in the religion of this world, then they begin to promote it, and advance on to a further degree by benefiting from it, then they find ways to make it more explosive then it has ever been before, this is how the “works of darkness” is being put on display in this world, man is not only doing them unknowingly; but he desires them, and most of all he becomes addicted to them.

1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

This is how the “spirit of this world” (1Cor.2:12) has affected the man, and we need to understand the intelligence that there is concerning the spirit of this world, this world began to ‘become’ the world of the ungodly, it’s in the heart of the unbeliever regardless how nice, charming, or upstanding he may seem, we are told not to be “ignorant” of Satan’s devices,” but church goers today will say “understand Satan! Why would I want to understand something demonic?” but if they don’t understand his objectives, and the “time” that we are living in; they are already his, and taken captive by him at his will! And we would have to wonder; if Jesus Christ was here today, would they even know who He was! And would they put Him to death as did the religious men of Christ’s day!

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. 

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Rod Jones