See explanations below the chart.

When people ignore God's truth, they soon drift back to capricious powers of the occult.

See God, our Judge, has declared His Judgments

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget... Otherwise... your heart will become proud.... You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' ... If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods... you will surely be destroyed." Deut. 8:10-20

1.  Christianity. America's laws were based on God's Law, as written in the Bible. Her founding fathers (even those who were Deists and Unitarians) recognized God as Lord. Whether true Christian or not, they believed in the inherent wisdom of God's Word and built America's education and justice on its eternal principles. By God's grace, our nation grew and prospered:

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:1-3

But as time passed, power and prosperity led to apathy and compromise. In spite of God’s repeated warnings, many attributed America’s achievements to human intelligence rather than God’s grace. Instead of thanking Him for His blessings, many ignored His Word, rejected His guidelines, and said in their hearts, "I want to go my way... do my own thing!"

The downward journey of the Old Testament became a pattern for today:

"...when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them... your heart is lifted up and you forget the Lord your God. ... you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’
          "...if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods... you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 8:10-20

2.  Humanism.  This stage of the downward slide serves as a bridge between Biblical faith and paganism. Turning hearts of the masses from God to self, it blinded people to His saving Truth and opened their mind to deception.

By the early 1960s, atheistic leaders were banning prayer and Bible reading from public schools, while humanist leaders persuaded gullible followers that God was a myth and man reigned supreme. But disillusioned seekers soon realized that humanism alone failed to satisfy their dreams. A spiritual vacuum had created fresh hunger for supernatural power. They were ready to try anything -- except true Christianity -- to gain spiritual power."

"You have eaten the fruit of deception...  you have depended on your own strength." Hosea 10:13

'What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? ... You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you...." Psalm 50:16-17, 21

"Help, 0 Lord, for the godly are no more... May the Lord cut of all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, ‘We... own our lips - who is our master?" Psalm 12:4

3.  New Age. The New Age movement promised unconditional spiritual power to self-centered seekers. Blending Eastern mysticism, an inflated view of human potential, and a fascination with a mystical "force," it invited gullible seekers to be their own god. Free to experiment with mind-altering techniques and occult formulas, man alone would master his fate."

By the start of the nineties, seductive New Age influences had desensitized America to occult formulas. Many were ready to embrace Satan’s time-proven alternatives to God: the personified deities of the world’s diverse religions:

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns -- broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:13

"...the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4

"In later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." 1 Timothy  4:1

4.  Neo-paganism. "Human administration of the universe is far too great a task.... What we need... is the sensitivity to understand and respond to the psychic energies. This is the ultimate wisdom of tribal peoples," wrote Thomas Berry in The Dream of the Earth, a Sierra Club book instrumental in turning humanists like Norman Lear from atheism to earth-centered spirituality.

Today multitudes are trading reality for fantasy, facts for lies, and God’s promises for pagan dreams. Disguised as angels, animal spirits, wise guides or extraterrestrials, demonic spirits were spreading a welcome message: God is in everyone. All is one! Celebrate one another. Pursue unity and solidarity. Create a better world! (See Chapter 10, A Twist of Faith)  To those who followed the seductive voices, it all sounded so good -- so Christian-like. How could it be false? These Scriptures help answer that question:

"The whole world is under the sway of the evil one." 1 John 5:19

"...the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4

"...they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.... Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator...." Romans 1:18-25

5.   Babylonian paganism. Biblical morality is despised, banned or forgotten. The masses imagine new gods -- or enticing distortions of the true God. As always, this self-focused spirituality implies war on Biblical Christianity. After all, those who are chasing today's rising tide of promiscuity feel nothing but hatred for the old moral guidelines that protected Americans from corruption for almost two centuries.

Since the masses are turning their backs to the Biblical God -- demonic spirits are fast gaining acceptance by accommodating human demands. It doesn't take long before their victims are trapped. Meanwhile, the rising hatred for Christian values is silencing superficial Christians -- those who would rather compromise than suffer rejection for Jesus' sake. Those who remain faithful often stand alone -- with Jesus as their best Friend and Shepherd.

 A rising tide of promiscuity surrounds them, as the spiritual torments, cruelties, and power struggles that have always characterized pagan civilizations are now corrupting America.

"'They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them...' says the Lord."  Jeremiah 6:14-15

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth..." 2 Thessalonians 2:9

6.   Global dominion. The Old Testament shows that in times of mass rebellion and idolatry, God withdrew His protection from the land He loved [Numbers 14:9; Mic. 1:11; Isaiah 22:8-9; Deut. 8:6-20, 31:17; Ezra 8:22; 1 Cor. 10:1-11]  and allowed enemies to enslave His foolish and rebellious people [Deuteronomy 11 and 28]. Suddenly, the old presumed "rights" to free speech, private property and Christian child-raising are fading away.

But the loss of those old rights are merely a warning of what's ahead. Both Old and New Testament prophets tell us that the final "Day of the Lord" would bring unprecedented terrors under a global tyrant controlled and empowered by Satan:

"The beast... was given power to make war against the saints... All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast  -- all whose names have not been written in the book of life... [The second beast] forced everyone... to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark..." Revelation 13:7, 16

Only God knows when this last step will become reality, but according to Revelation 13 and 17, it will happen -- after a worldwide revival of Babylonian commerce, corruption and paganism.

"Learn this parable from the fig tree," said Jesus after telling His disciples about end time events (wars, famines, persecution, false prophets, lawlessness, apostasy, worldwide evangelism...) "When its branch... puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the very doors... Watch therefore..." Matthew 24:32-33, 42

End time events fit the same Biblical patterns demonstrated in Old Testament history. Then as now, those who turned from truth to “other gods,” faced devastating consequences. The book of Judges shows the oft-repeated cycle:

1. Peace and prosperity: God's gifts to the people He loved.

2. Apathy and compromise: The people took His gifts for granted and forgot Him..

"They... walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart..." Jeremiah 7:24

3. Rebellion (humanism) and paganism: They turned to other gods for strength and help. So God withdrew His protection and "gave them over to their own resources.

"...you have forsaken Me and served other gods.... Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” Judges 10:12-14

4. Famine, war, plagues and slavery: By showing the people the inadequacy of their own resources, God would eventually bring them back to Himself.

"Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people— the fruit of their thoughts,
Because they have not heeded My words...." Jeremiah 6:19 

5. Confession and repentance: The people recognized their need for God.

“O Lord... we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him." Daniel 9:8-9

6. God hears, saves and restores: He blesses His people with peace -- as long as they follow Him.

This cycle applies not only to Old Testament times. God warned us that we could face similar destruction:

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come." 1 Corinthians 10:6-10

      "...the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.... Professing to be wise, they became fools.... Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves....
       "God gave them up to vile passions. ...
       "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased [depraved] mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness." Romans 1:18-32

      "....there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words

       "...if God did not spare the angels who sinned... and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly... then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment...." 2 Peter 2:1-10

The vast communication network for occult indoctrination, the proliferation of spiritual counterfeits, the acceleration of demonic activity, and today’s ignorance of occult dangers have set the stage for potential unprecedented evils. In light of Biblical prophecy, the above cycle could soon become a downward spiral leading to persecution and the cruel reign of the antichrist.

But those who know God need not be afraid. While we await His coming, our King offers spiritual protection and ultimate victory to all who trust and follow Him. So let us wear the whole Armor of God [Eph. 6:10-18], stand firm in Jesus Christ together, and "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..." [Hebrews 12:2-3] To those who trust and follow Him, he speaks these comforting words:

"For this reason I bow my knees to the  Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
     "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Eph 3:14-21

For more information about this spiritual transformation and end time events, read A Twist of Faith, Chapter 10

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