Even though God's people would make any sacrifice to save the souls of those who would cause them harm or even death, they are scorned and derided by those same individuals as the offscouring of the Earth. The same kind of enmity was shown against Jesus at the cross, and He forewarned us in John 15:17-25;

    And in 1John 4:19 - 5:3;

    We are admonished in 1Corinthians 4.13 that,

    While the desire to lead souls to Christ and the Truth of Scripture concerning Him, burns within them, God's people are regarded as foolish and viewed in comparison to those who have no life at all, when, in fact, the opposite is true. God's people choose to obey His Word and allow the principles of His Word to govern their lives from within their hearts and minds. Because the world, in general, views Christianity as a myth, Christ's followers are thought to be deceived concerning what's "real." Compared to the seemingly humdrum life of the Christian, the carnal minded are convinced that their way of life is "more fulfilling and more adventurous." Not only do they deny God the opportunity to love them as He so desires, but rather, curse the very ones that might have enlightened them concerning the great love that He longs to bestow. The evil enmity that is within them wars against the godly enmity within God's people, and in most cases, until the last generation, the two just remain separate. (See Chapter 12, titled "Satan’s Enmity Against the Last Generation") There are, however situations that arise where it seems that the only remedy for the feelings of distrust, unbelief and hatred is to act out in an effort to silence the voice/truth of God, flowing from/through His people.

    Of course, as we discussed in an earlier chapter, this can be viewed at many levels: enmity between two people; two families or two groups of people representing opposing causes (not necessarily religious). It can be manifested between two companies or organizations, or between two countries. We are not discussing a normal territorial dispute, here. It is a Cosmic, Heavenly conflict, of which we speak. This dispute will culminate on a global level on planet Earth, but it is even larger than that. This is a conflict that began in heaven under the watchful eye of the Godhead. This war has been raging for more than 6000 years (in Bible reckoning), and even though the whole plan of salvation has been revealed and Christ has assured mankind of salvation through His atoning blood, it has been repeatedly denied by the majority of mankind. While Christ is pleading on behalf of fallen man and gathering a spiritual army, Satan is gathering to himself a mighty carnal army, promising most that they will be recorded in the annals of Earthly history as heroes…and well they might be, but they will not be recorded in the book of life, nor in the annals of eternity.

    The Word of God will ultimately triumph and Truth marches on. Nonetheless, Satan knows that he has but a short time and is diligent in his effort to destroy God's creation, especially His new creations. (1Peter 5:6-10) He is not only "seeking whom he may devour," he is also out to burn, discredit, or in any way possible, obscure the Truth of God found in His Holy Word. Any means that can be devised, he will employ toward making the Word of God of none effect.

    This is not new news, nor is it alarming. What is alarming is to find in Scripture that God has foretold of a "falling away" in regard to his church and that "grievous wolves would enter in, not sparing the flock." And then, to discover that some of Satan's greatest agents of destruction are working from within and that "many false Christs shall arise and deceive many" and even, "if possible," the very elect would be deceived. (Matthew 24:24 & Mark 13:22) Satan will attack God's people at every level, to which they allow him access. Please remember that it is a matter of deception, not necessarily intended choice. There are instances in Scripture that tell that the deceptions are very convincing. As a matter of fact, we are told in John 16:2 that:

    It's plainly stated: People, claiming to be followers of Christ, are going to kill God's true people, thinking that they are doing God service. Now that…is alarming! The enmity expressed against God's people near the end will be a level of enmity in its fullest expression since Christ's death on the cross.

    There are alarming manifestations of this prophetic utterance recorded throughout history. It is not only yet to come in the form of "a time of trouble such as never was, nor ever will be again, but has already happened numerous times in history. A short study of the Spanish (and other) Inquisition(s), the famous (or infamous) Crusades, or the slaughtering of the Waldenses, Albigenses and Huguenots whose disciples, in the days of the Reformation, were put to death with horrible forms of torture, reveal the true nature of their opponents. A small amount of knowledge on these subjects reveals atrocities that have been directed toward the people of God many times, since the days of Christ's original disciples. Those who think it is not possible for things such as this to happen again or that God doesn't know what He is talking about are deceived. Paul says in 2Timothy 3:12;

    Or when Jesus says in Luke 21:10;

    As stated before, Satan will stop at nothing to make of none effect the Word of God and the Truth contained therein. Within the pages of God's Holy Bible are contained both warnings about Satan and his devices and the wonderful plan of redemption that appeals to every man, woman and child. Satan cannot allow the truth to be discovered about him and his hatred of God and the great love with which He loves us. The Word of God is the only means available to mankind that can fortify the mind and prepare God's people to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked and the means by which the heart is transformed and turned more and more toward God. This is also why Satan exhibits such contempt for the Bible and that which is contained in its pages. He has attempted, since its inception, to destroy it physically. And, though he met with seeming success in some places and at some times in the past, ultimately he has failed. The Scriptures are more abundant today (especially in the U.S.A.) than at any time in past history.

    So, he has instituted another plan: Flood the world with Bibles in numerous, confusing translations and paraphrased versions, and teach false interpretations of prophecy from the pulpit to further confuse the issue. Then, appoint a few "good/godly" men to debate the correctness of the various interpretations until the majority of the world is weary of hearing about "it." By "it," is meant the Bible…when, in fact, it is not the Bible they have become tired of hearing about, but the endless prattle and the obvious ignorance of the prattlers. Being ignorant of the Bible themselves, they ascribe the confusion to a faulty Bible (or faulty God), while the real culprit is in the pulpit, in the guise of a godly man; grievous wolves that have entered in…not sparing the flock.

    In Satan's struggle to depreciate the claims of the truthfulness of Scripture or foster doubt regarding the inspiration of the Word of God through confusion, he is often successful. It is not because of a mental/intellectual inability to grasp the concepts and principles of God, but rather, the majority of minds in the world are carnal, and therefore against God. These difficulties are not so much with the Bible or the false Christs or faulty preaching, but rather, that their carnal minds are simply carnal. The requirements of God's word are too strict for their unsanctified natures that are controlled by the evil enmity within. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." If the feelings of the natural heart are not restrained and brought into subjection by the sanctifying influence of the grace of God, received through the channel of faith, the thoughts of the heart cannot be and will never be pure and holy. The conditions of salvation brought to view in the word of God are reasonable, plain, and positive, but nothing less than perfect conformity to the will of God and purity of heart and life will do.

    We must listen, hear and do when God says;

    Requirements such as this, of course, are what the worldly, carnal mind cannot accept. These thoughts are "too spiritual" or "too demanding" is the claim . As we are told in 1Corinthians 2:12-14;

    True Christians choose to confess their sins and allow Christ to cleanse them from all sin, all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, but thoughts such as these are far from the heart and mind of the carnal man. Even though they have the same Bible available to them, it bears no significance and has no influence.

    The Lord calls for workers who can and will feel the true plight of those who do not know Jesus [The Truth]. Gods’ "called out ones" hunger and thirst for opportunities to have a part in the salvation of souls for whom Christ died, and sacrifice anything that they may be saved. They will even give their own life that another might be saved. This is not done through the power of man. It is the power of the Holy Spirit of God and Christ, working through mighty faith that can make us able to do, on behalf of others, what He requires in the salvation of souls. It is by this same power that God’s people successfully resist the many snares Satan has laid for us. The words and example of our Redeemer is the light and strength of all those who follow and trust in Him, and He will not leave them to perish.

    However, in the midst of those who have been called out, there are those who claim to be "called out" and have not been. Paul in his day, reveals in Romans 9:2-6;

    Christians, falsely so called, often fear the displeasure of those who do not love and serve God, and ally themselves with the world, so as not be subjected to the earthly, persecuting power. The enemies of our Lord are thereby given opportunity to influence them by worldly opinions and they are deceived.

    Jesus warned us, as is recorded in Matthew 24:24,

    Too late, many God's people will realize, that they cannot do this without being deceived to some degree and make the Word of God of less effect in our own lives. ‘Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?’ If the heart is right, there will be a decided separation from the world. Few are as separate from the world as God requires them to be, and do not see and understand the danger of partial surrender. They are led astray by their love of the world, even while claiming and strongly desiring to be Christians.

    Read again, John 15:17 - 21;

    Because the world (carnally minded) do not know God, they hate and persecute His people. Even though God’s professed people are sincere for a time, when persecution arises, it is often more than they can endure and for this reason they half-heartedly serve him, denying Him when it is inconvenient. When persecution makes them too uncomfortable and they pressed out of their comfort zone, they turn again to that which they prefer -- creature comforts rather than and heart and mind free from guilt and shame. To avoid persecution, they deny God and choose the ways of the world, which is fleeting rather than suffer for Christ, for a season. God's own (elect), under fear of persecution, become uncommitted pretenders and yet, remain firmly entrenched in their positions as officers and servants of God. Paul warns that there will be some who "having a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof:…" and tells us, "from such turn away." (2Timothy 3:5) Pretenders, such as this, strengthen the cause of Satan, foster even more persecution for the true followers of God and tend to make the Word of God diminish in regard to whether the Christ of the Bible has the power to save souls from Sin. Because God is "unable" to deliver them from trials and persecution, they tend to disbelieve in His ability to deliver from Sin and its results.

    Is there anything that God's people can do to head off or avoid the coming persecution? Many feel that there is nothing that can be done and many think it their duty to restrict the workings of Satan, working in concert with the angels that have been sent to "hold back the winds." Regardless of which camp we find ourselves in, we cannot deny that Christians are called to watch and pray and to preach the Word in season and out of season. As evil unfolds around us, the manifestations of evil can, themselves, be used as evidence against Sin and the Father of lies. Satan is his own worst enemy, and while he is the enemy of souls spends all his time afflicting mankind, he is only securing his own defeat. Day by day, he is fabricating the net that will one day bind him. He torments us, because we are the crowning act of God’s creation. For that same reason, however, God has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We are children of the King of the universe and, while prophecy speaks of the evil that will come upon the Earth in the last days, it also promises that God’s people will be delivered at the time appointed. (Daniel 11:35 & 12:1-3) God's Word is very clear concerning the fact that these things will take place and that He will bring Sin and its corrupt consequences to an end. It is a matter of prophecy, therefore, it will come to pass.

    Evil enmity, without our understanding how or why, causes us to deny the Lord that bought us by deliberately determining not to "hear his voice." (John 10:27) By denying truth, we eliminate the opportunity to draw nearer to God’s will for us and remain in ignorance regarding that particular truth, lessening the likelihood that accompanying truths will be accepted (considered acceptable). We also leave ourselves open for coinciding truths to be denied and, therefore, leave ourselves open to further deception. All without knowing it – because enmity is so subtle. The end result is that we will not "be diligent that ye [we] may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless," which is God’s will for us.

    Enmity is present when one is deceived concerning Scriptural truth(s). A person may feel (think), that because they have been taught a certain way concerning a particular passage of Scripture and they come across a text or another passage that disagrees with their current belief/understanding, they feel that it is their "duty" to hold fast to that which they have learned. When in fact, if the conviction is wholly established in Scripture and godly enmity, (the mind of Christ), abides in the believer, he/she will submit to the newfound truth and surrender his/her former belief to God. Evil enmity would have them deny the discovery of a disagreeable text or passage and be hindered from yielding to the call of the Holy Spirit of Promise. The person, who responds in a manner such as this, will not allow the Spirit of Christ to guide them "…into all truth." And will grieve the Holy Spirit on that point of Bible doctrine.

    When asked about doctrine, recorded in John 7:16-18,

    When we discover "new" truth (new to us) we should be as the noble Bereans. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

    Perhaps the most alarming statement that a person, claiming to be a Bible-believing Christian, could say is: “I know what the Bible says, but I believe…” Whatever might follow the “but” will, more than likely, be unscriptural and, therefore, faulty and filled with error. Man’s thinking, if it is not based in Scripture, is faulty and that is why each of us must read Scripture for ourselves, so that we can answer the question put forth by Christ in Luke 10:26, “How readest thou?” It is important for each of us to be “fully persuaded” in our own hearts concerning the Truth of Scripture, knowing, indeed, that God is able to perform that which he promises. Romans 4:21

    Only those whose hearts and minds are fortified with the Truth(s) of Scripture will be able to stand in the great day of the Lord, God Almighty. May we all aspire to a knowledge of God and, in the end partake of eternal life. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and, Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.(Please see John 17:3, 1John 2:25, 5:11 & 5:20.)