The ideas I am presenting to you will become increasingly meaningful and important as time goes on. The world is heading toward the rule of Antichrist, the emphasis on the rights and welfare of the self-seeking individual.

If you want God to deceive you, try to make your Christian experience a means of getting what you want. Seek your own happiness, not the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Remember what I am telling you, for I believe self-seeking will be the way of the world of the future, the world our young people are facing. They will be caught in Antichrist's web unless they count themselves crucified with Christ and live each day with Him at the right hand of God, instantly ready to do all He says diligently and completely.

Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11—NIV)

The first beast, the Antichrist, comes out of the sea. This means he comes from the mass of mankind, sometimes in the Scriptures referred to as the "sea."

The second beast, the False Prophet, comes out of the earth, that is, out of the soul of man, out of the adamic nature. Man was made from the dust of the ground.

As Antichrist is self-will in the political-social realms, the False Prophet is self-will in the religious-spiritual realms.

Never before in the history of the world have God's elect been so familiar with the working of the Spirit of God, with the gifts and ministries of the Spirit, as is true in our day. We have been saved through the blood of the cross. We have been filled with God's Spirit and given gifts.

Now the question arises: How are we to use such understanding and endowments? Democracy, the philosophy of humanism, Antichrist, and our self-will encourage us to use our spiritual wisdom and power to heal our sick world. This appears to be so Christian in motive. To save and heal the world has become the agenda of the Evangelicals and other religious groups.

While writing the present essay I sat down to eat a sandwich and read the newspaper. There was an article that began on the front page titled "Members of U. S. media greeted by John Paul." The story described a "religion and media conference in Rome." The contents of the article portray rather clearly the gathering together of the religions of the world to improve the lot of mankind.

Let me quote from African Cardinal Francis Arinze, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican.

"There isn't only one religion in the world, . . . ." "As we get set to step into the third millennium, the followers of the various religions have no choice but to come closer to one another, to listen to one another, to try to understand one another better and to try to collaborate more for a better world." (The San Diego Union-Tribune, Thursday, June 25, 1998, page A-14, by Sandi Dolbee.)

To be continued.