In this letter to a young preacher, the Apostle Paul warns him that some believers are going to depart from the faith. The reason: They will be enticed and deceived by demons.

Not every belief that is proclaimed in a church or religious institution is of God. Some people think that if some religious leader taught it that it must be true. They get their Bible teaching from the radio, TV, or some book, but fail to see for themselves if that is what the Bible really teaches. Unfortunately, because they think that, they are open to being deceived.

Satan and his demons are constantly looking for people who are susceptible to being deceived. After all, they do not wish to go to Hell alone. The Bible makes it very clear that only God has the truth and it is revealed through the Bible and through His Son – Jesus Christ.

Many centuries ago, one of God’s prophets, Isaiah, revealed how to identify truth from error. He said, in Isaiah 8:20: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” In this verse, Isaiah revealed that the ultimate and only source of spiritual truth is the Bible – the Word of God. Isaiah declares that if anyone says things that are contrary to God’s Book, it is because they are not instructed or illuminated by God. Their source of information is untrue – not from God.

This is where the church comes in – to instruct people in the Bible and its Divine principles. In a true church, people will bring their Bibles to see for themselves whether the preacher or teacher is really proclaiming what the Bible says. Their message, however, must not agree only with one or two verses (which could be taken out of context), but it must align with all of the Bible.

People who read their Bible everyday and pray are most likely to understand it – if they are saved. So many are out of church today, where they can be reminded frequently of God’s precious truth. Being out of church opens the door for eventual compromise of the truth and a non-Christian lifestyle.

We are in the last days, have you been deceived into thinking you no longer need God’s church? or to read His Word every day for guidance, spiritual power to live right, and faithful in prayers and church attendance? One of the most common devils lies I hear often today is that a believer does not need to go to church. Hebrews 10:25 says otherwise: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

The things that God has prophesied that He would do in the future will certainly come to pass. There cannot be any variance in those plans from what He has said in the Bible. This is because He has told us that “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89).

This verse reveals that what is written in Scripture cannot be altered – because God does not change. His Word will never need any amendments or updates. It also cannot change.

Believers who know the Bible and are watching the times and events of our day, know that the world is getting ready for the last days. It is not the last days of the earth or of human existence, but the end of what is called the church age. The Bible gives many signs so that God’s people will know what to watch for as it gets closer.

The next period of time on God’s calendar is called The Tribulation. The rapture occurs just before this period of time begins. The Tribulation is a seven-year period that is broken into two periods of three-and-a-half years. God will permit the anti-christ to openly reign in the second three-and-a-half years, who will reveal his real nature during that time. This is when the number 666 comes into play. Those who take the number (a mark or tattoo of some kind that permits financial transactions) cannot be saved.

At the end of that seven-year period, the Lord Jesus Christ will put an end to the anti-christ and establish His personal 1,000 year reign from Jerusalem. Because God is faithful, the predicted future is sure and good for those who believe and serve Christ.

Exactly when the next event will occur – the rapture – cannot be known for certain – but it will occur in God’s perfect time. Nothing will delay it or speed it up. If you are not saved yet – it is time to get saved now. Do it today.