Due to having established hundreds of “churches,” each with its own concept of right and wrong, Satan has any number of ways by which he can bring conviction on his proselytes. I once heard of a church that condemned the drinking of hot chocolate. Catholics feel guilty for missing mass. Some churches believe that baptism must take place immediately upon being supposedly “saved.” Some have strict rules concerning clothing, hair styles, etc. Understand, there is nothing wrong with any of these policies. The problem arises when the church establishes them as “the word of the Lord,” institutionalizes them and declares that anyone who does not follow them is sinning. All churches condemn Sabbath keepers for not meeting on Sunday. In other words, “If your conscience does not match my conscience, you are in sin.”

An added problem is created when passages are not studied in search of true meaning. God’s statements concerning obedience to the Law being a case in point. See God’s Royal Law. The Counterfeit Church would have the world believe that the Law was “nailed to the cross,” and being “fulfilled” was “done away with.” Not bothering to determine what the word “fulfilled” means, she assumes that it means to destroy as she has been told for generations by those who wanted the statement to match their theology. This belief is declared to be “God’s Truth” even though it is in direct conflict with His statement: “I DID NOT COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, BUT TO FULFILL (IT)” (Mat. 5:17). Obviously, “fulfill” means the exact opposite of “destroy.” That to do something is the opposite of to not do something is accepted as undeniable truth by one and all, except when it contradicts one’s theology. At this point each means whatever one’s “church” declares it to mean–right and wrong are determined on a church-by-church basis. Each congregant’s conscience reflects his/her church’s concept of right and wrong. As a result, chaos and religious anarchy rule the day–chaos in that right and wrong depend on where one is at the moment; anarchy in that all churches are in rebellion against God.

Another spiritual problem relative to the conscience is found in the realm of FEELINGS. Satan is the master of feelings, especially when it comes to making one feel good while doing bad or visa versa. As has been the case throughout the history of the church, people feel good about a variety of things which God condemns. See all postings to date. Upon following an orchestrated ritual in front of a church, or saying a prayer while driving a car, or “finding Jesus” while sitting at home or in a jail cell, many have felt saved. “Well, I know I’m saved” is the response one hears after revealing God’s Truth to a churchite. But how does one know this? Because one “feels saved.” Judas felt saved, Ananias and Sapphira felt saved, Simon Magus felt saved. I’m sure the disciples felt saved as they preached the gospel, healed the sick and casted out demons. But as was noted in the previous posting–THEY WERE NOT EVEN CONVERTED at that point. Their salvation, as does ours, awaits the arrival of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. People by the hundreds of millions defy God’s Sabbath Law while “feeling” saved. They believe and do numerous things as directed by Satan, all the while proclaiming “I know I’m saved.” See Hope and Salvation and The Salvation Deception. Church people “know” they are saved because they feel saved and because people have told them they are. Neither “proof” means anything in the spiritual world.

I just this week retired (again) from college teaching, but not before I witnessed first-hand the drastic change in the public behavior of this generation of teenagers, behavior that reflects what they are seeing and hearing on their “idiot boxes” as they perform their stuperous stroll through what passes for life. This generation is being parented by a small plastic box that disconnects them from the real world while connecting them to a netherworld located in a place called a “cloud.” As a result, whatever is going on in the “cloud” is their reality, their norm, their “truth”–their concept of right and wrong. Their collective conscience reflects this concept of normality, which explains how mobs form in a central location in a matter of minutes as a “truth” is broadcast world-wide. The fact that the “truth” may be a lie is irrelevant. The recent fiasco in Ferguson, Missouri is a case in point–“Hands up, don’t shoot” turned out to be a lie that millions world-wide “knew” was the truth. Why? Because man declared it so. Because it was presented as “truth,” the mob felt no twinge of conscience as they tried to destroyed the city.

As God warned in His Word, people who consult their fellow man for standards of behavior are doing what is right in their own eyes (Prov. 21:2). In 12:15 He calls such people “fools.” In 16:30 He says that such people shut their eyes (to His Word) in order to devise ways of their own. A religionist who conducts his life according to what he sees and hears in church develops a corresponding conscience. In religious circles, “right” is whatever has been handed down from generation to generation, even if God declares it to be wrong. But being wrong is not the problem; staying wrong after learning what is right is the problem. As a result of this phenomenon, the collective conscience of the Counterfeit Church has been totally seared. If you are in that Satan-controlled organization, get out. If you are out, stay out. L.J.