Matthew 24:12 – Jesus said, …because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
2 Timothy 3:12-13 – Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
The Parable of the Weeds
Matthew 13:24 – 30 – Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
2 Corinthians 2:11…so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; forwe are not ignorant of his designs.
There Is An Adversary Working Against God In Our World—Be Aware
Matthew 13:36 – 39, And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.
Matthew 4:8-9, Satan tempts Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Who is the Adversary?
Revelation 12:7,8 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
Revelation 12:9, And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:12, But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
John 10:10, Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy
Ephesians 6:12, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places
The Adversary’s Early Work is not Easily Detected—Be Alert
Galatians 1:8, But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
2 Timothy 2:23, Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
Eventually, God Will Defeat All Evil—Be Patient
Jude 22-23, Show mercy to those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire…!
“The world is definitely getting better. But it’s not getting better fast enough.” –Bill Gates
Matthew 13:29-30, But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest
We Aren’t Capable of Judging Wheat and Weeds– Be Positive
Matthew 13:30, So the owner sats, Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
2 Peter 3:7-13, – the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
