There is a movement toward the occult in the healing professions, as may be noticed in the employment of transcendental meditation, yoga, and some of the holistic techniques. Hypnotism is practiced increasingly. Public educational institutions offer courses in various forms of spiritism as people turn away from materialistic science toward psychic phenomena in order to control their environment.

We are at the entrance of a new age in which spiritual forces will give life to a one-world government, performing miracles of healing, and even bringing down fire from the heavens. Christians are becoming involved in this Antichrist scheme without realizing it. We are being deceived because we are not praying and carrying our cross in stern obedience to Christ.

Deception is rampant in our day and the Lord is sounding the trumpet in Zion. The perils of the end time will serve to purify the work of God. Every person will find himself in that realm for which his level of spirituality has prepared him. The hidden things will be exposed. Then it will be easy to determine who is serving God and who is not serving God.

If we would know the truth we must call on the Lord with fervor, watching and praying with utmost carefulness. The place of safety in the Most High is a "secret" place. It is known only to the Lord's true servants. The majority of Christian believers are easily deceived by the cunning of Satan. The day of fire that even now is upon us will bring to the light all the secret things. Every man's work will be revealed as to its true nature.

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36)

The above verse means that if we watch and pray, God will deem us worthy of the truth and will keep us from yielding to the temptations that will abound in that day. It signifies that God will prevent our being deceived and overcome. Instead we shall be able to stand in triumph before Jesus, not having been harmed spiritually by the seductions and attacks of the enemy (see John 17:15).

The concept of being accounted "worthy" is of interest. Several verses of the New Testament encourage us to behave in a manner worthy of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps these ought to be stressed more in our day.

One aspect of the current deception is the way faith, or belief, is being defined. The present definition of faith is not in line with the Scriptures. The Scriptural meaning of faith is obedience, that is, works of righteousness according to God's will (Hebrews, Chapter Eleven).

Faith without works is dead! Doctrinal "faith" does not bring salvation. In order to be accounted worthy we must do the works of watching and praying. Only then will we escape deception. The reason so many Christians are deceived today is that they do not watch and pray. They have not been found worthy of escaping the seductions of the last days and they will fall (and already have fallen) before the material and spiritual seductions of the Antichrist spirit.

To be continued.