2 Corinthians 4:4 in Whom the God of This World Hath Blinded the Minds of Them Which Believe

THE DARKNESS COMETH

By Brother Martin

John 3:17-19 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Here Jesus tells us that he didn’t come into this world to judge the world, but he came that the world through him might be saved. And he tells us that those who believe upon the Son of GOD, shall not come into condemnation, they will not be brought under an adverse judgment; but those who do not believe upon him are judged, and condemned already.

If you are not a born again Christian if you do not have the Christ abiding in your heart, and your sins under the blood, then you stand condemned and you are sentenced to the second death.

If you have heard about this man Jesus, and you are not a Christian, then you are rejecting Jesus as Lord and as Saviour. I tell you friends you might refuse to bow today, but there is coming a day when your knee will unbuckle, and your tongue will unwind, and you will confess him. But on that day it will too late, the day of salvation will have done and past; my friends the summer will have ended, the harvest will be over, and you will not be saved. And you condemned yourself, by not accepting provision that God gave for your salvation.

In Noah’s day there was an ark, and those who got on the ark escaped the judgment of the flood; today my friends there is an ark of safety, and his name is Jesus Christ, if you don’t get on this ark, you will not escape the lake of fire. You WILL NOT escape.

Jeremiah 11:11 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

In the days of Noah, God looked upon this earth, and he looked into the hearts of men and he said there was nothing in their hearts besides wickedness (Genesis 6:5). And God said “My Spirit will not always strive with man” and he had Noah to build an ark, and the thumping of his hammer was the last sermon that that generation heard.

Yet they stood there, and rejected the calling of GOD; I am sure the wise men of that day, were telling the crowds that Noah was a fool, that there would be no flood but rather peace and safety. And today the men of this world are doing the same thing and it is going to bring the same results.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

I tell you friends that they refused to repent and they refused to believe, until the rains began to fall, then they began to cry and pray and to beg; but God didn’t hearken onto them, that door of mercy was shut; and soon when the plagues begin to fall upon this world, and when the wrath of GOD is poured out upon that last generation, it will be too late to pray.

Yet, for so many, today will be their last day of mercy. For many today will be their last upon this earth. And my friends the door of mercy will be shut upon them; where the tree falls, there it will lay; if you die lost, you will be resurrected lost. If you die condemned, you will be cast into the lake of fire. Friends, don’t think you can wait till you’re on your deathbed to call upon him; so many people have died lost thinking that. On your deathbed, you might not have a mind to pray, you might not have a chance to pray, and God’s Spirit might not deal with you. This is why the bible says TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION, TODAY IS THE ACCEPTED TIME.

But who has eyes to see this? Who has ears to hear this?

I tell you it is sad to look upon this generation, the children are being born into spiritual darkness, they are raised in darkness, and they are dieing in darkness.

The children, they are like sheep without a shepherd, they don’t know which way to turn. The parents are not teaching them about GOD and his word. As Tina said last week, a lot of kids cannot name one of the 10 commandments, but they can name you every tape their favorite rock singer has made. They are left to the world, for the school systems to train, and the school systems and the Television, and the radio are making them children of hell. The world is calling good evil and evil, good! They call black, white; and white black. No wonder these kids are so confused; and the blame goes right back into the face of the parents.

God is mocked and scorned; they want him out of the schools; they don’t want him in the public buildings, and they want him out of their lives. And because they want God out of their knowledge, God has given them up to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28). The whole world is fit for destruction. And GOD is saying “My Spirit will not always strive with man”.

Withdrawing the Spirit

I believe with all my heart God is withdrawing His Spirit from this world, and soon it will be left in perfect darkness.

Isaiah 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:

In the days of Moses there was a darkness that covered the land, one so thick the people could feel it. My friends, there is a darkness that has covered the hearts of men, and it is so cold that the child of GOD can feel it.

Jeremiah 13:15-17 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. but if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.

My friends the Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light. And the Light is preached through out the world, and his word given freely, yet it is ignored and rejected.

I can imagine my God pleading with this world, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die?… My soul has no pleasure in the death of the wicked”.

Yet because the world does not have love of the truth, they are being sent a strong delusion; and Satan is taking their spiritual ears, so they cannot hear, and he is blinding their eyes so they will not be able to see. (2nd Thessalonians 2:10)

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Matthew 13:14-15 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

You know my friends, on the day of Pentecost 3000 repented, when they heard the preaching of Peter. In Nineveh 120,000 repented at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 4:11). For the first two centuries the Christian Church grew like a wild fire. During the reformation, countless thousands accepted the gospel. During the 1800’s and early 1900’s you had great revivals in the land. But look around my brothers and sisters – I see so few true conversions; so few who are turning from wickedness to Godliness; today a preacher has to preach his heart out just to get one sinner to come to the altar. Why? The world is closing its eyes and ears to the Spirit of GOD.

#2. Blessed are your eyes

But I tell you, I rejoice that there are still some with eyes to see; that the Spirit of God is not shunned by every man.

Matthew 13:16-17 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Thank God that he has anointed the eyes of those who have accepted the gospel with eye suave so that they can see, and hear, and be healed. Every true Christian can honestly sing the words of the song that says: I was blind but now I see. Before the Spirit came into your life, you were in darkness to the Spiritual things, but now you discern them. The bible says you were deceived, but now you know the TRUTH. You recognize good and evil: the power of GOD and the power of the enemy. Because GOD has given you eyes to see with.

You know Paul before he became a Christian, he was a leader in the religion of the Pharisees, and he (like most Pharisees of that day) thought that he was a leader of the blind (Romans 2:17-20), yet one day on the road to Damascus he met Jesus Christ, and he left from that meeting physically blind, but for the first time in all his life he could see Spiritually. I want us to read what Jesus said to him that day. Turn with me to Acts 26.

#3. You are light, walk in the light.

Acts 26:15-18 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Jesus called Paul to be his minister, an Apostle to the Gentiles and Jesus delivered onto him personally the eye-suave that the world needed. For Paul received the gospel directly from Jesus Christ, and Jesus told him to take it and open the eyes of the gentiles, and let it turn them from darkness and deliver them from the power of Satan.

And my friends, if you are a Christian, then you have been delivered from the darkness.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

#4. Some who profess religion are in darkness

Those who know Jesus Christ, who have heard his voice, and come to him, follow Jesus. If you do not follow Christ, then you are not one of his sheep, if you do not follow Jesus, and thus abide in the light, you will not have eternal life.

John 10:26-28 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My friends those who profess the name of Jesus, but live their life in the bonds of sin, are liars (1st John 1:6, 3:6).

Those who say that they are in the light, but hate their brothers, are blind and have never left the darkness, but are still under the power of Satan (1st John 2:9).

When you come to Christ, you become light, Jesus said you are the light of the world, and light has no fellowship with darkness.

#5. The night cometh

John 9:4-5 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

I tell you brother and sisters, the night is coming, and it is about upon us; and when it arrives, no man can work.

Yet today, while it is called today, there is hope. The door of mercy is open, the holy Spirit is still drawing, still convicting the hearts of sinners; we are still allowed to assemble; and to preach the word, to share the bible with people, to be the lights of the world that Jesus called us to be. Lets work the works of him that sent us.

And to the sinner man, Jesus says this:

John 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Today, there is light, today God is knocking on your heart’s door, today the gospel is preached, today Jesus is offering you salvation; the door of mercy is open, the invitation is being given, the table is ready, and the food is prepared, will you accept?

What a question! This is an offer to good to refuse. Here is your escape from the fires of hell. Here is your freedom from the dominion of Satan. Here is forgiveness of your sins. Here is the perfect righteousness of Christ. Here is eternal life. Here is a home in heaven. Here is your adoption into the family of GOD. Here is the closest friend you could ever have, and here is the lover of your soul. Do you want this? You want me to tell you how to receive it? You get all of this, if you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, and confess him as your Lord.

What are you waiting for? Don’t walk out of this door lost!