The Last Two Sins

Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Re 9:21

As we read through the book of Revelation and the prophets of the Old Testament as well, we come across two sins that are prominent just before the judgement of God comes. Those two sins are sorcery and fornication.

(Rev 17:1-2) And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: {2} With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

(Rev 18:23) And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Sorcery is the use of power gained through manipulating spirits in order to control others. The Greek word used three times in the New Testament for sorcery is “pharmakeia.” This is the root word from which we get the word “pharmacy,” and it literally means “medication.” Drugs are very obviously a major door that makes a person very vulnerable to demonic activity. So we can understand very clearly that sorcery has to do with the misuse of drugs while fornication is the misuse of sex. Both of these things have to do with abusing and misusing your body and your mind. If the ills of our society and our world were traced to their roots we would come down to those two things now. These are the two things that have driven our world mad. Most people are not awake enough to realize how far we have descended in such a short time. The past ten years have seen our society slip into the depths of depravity that we would never have imagined that long ago. The abominations done in our land have increased to unbelievable levels. Just ask anyone who works in law enforcement and they will tell you that things have gotten much worse and that there is very little crime that does not involve drugs or sex or both.

This fact alone is a very clear indication of how close we are to facing the judgement of God. The world has gone completely mad with fornication and drugs. These two things have permeated the church, also. Both of these things are not only tolerated but have become acceptable. The drug pushers are not all hiding in dark alleys and back streets now – they are building pharmacies on every street corner to meet the demand of the drug users, who are no longer just the lowest of society, but almost everyone – churchgoers, parents, children, senior citizens. The answer to any pain or trouble is drugs. The answer to any imaginary or potential trouble or pain is drugs. The way to control undesirable behavior is drugs. The way to control undesirable feelings is drugs. The way to control undesirable people is drugs. People are mad about taking drugs. Forget about teaching the younger generation that doing drugs is wrong when everyone else is doing drugs also, and basically for the same reasons – to escape reality and the pain and trouble of life. That is sorcery and it is a sign that the end is near for our society and our world. An aspirin for a headache, or some necessary thing like insulin for diabetes is not abusing or misusing drugs. That could not be considered sorcery, but when it becomes akin to a witch’s potion then it certainly is. When a person begins to think that there is a pill for any ailment or bad feeling, then it becomes something that is abominable to God. When you begin to abuse your body with unnecessary drugs for imaginary illnesses, you are sinning against God and defiling your body, which is the temple of God. The people of God must wake up and stop participating in the sorcery of this mad world! Your body is not your own – it belongs to God. You have no right to destroy it with man-made chemicals that also affect your mind and ability to think.

Fornication is the sister sin of sorcery. They are mentioned in tandem throughout the Bible.

(Isa 57:3) But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.

(Nahum 3:4) Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

(Re 9:21) Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Both sins have the power of addiction, therefore they both have the potential to make people mad. In order to find gratification in either of these things people will come to the point that they will do anything. They will stop at nothing to get what they want in these two areas. They will be willing to murder, to steal, to lose their fortune, their family – whatever it takes. Indulgence in these things becomes the primary concern of their existence. This is why hardly a week goes by that we do not read in the news of some little girl that is found dead somewhere along a road or in the woods where some crazed soul threw her away like an old rag after using her. In almost every case pornography enflamed his lusts and then drugs broke down the natural barriers in his soul and conscience and numbed his mind so he could go ahead and do this unthinkable, evil thing.

God’s people are the salt of the earth. It is the influence of true godliness that keeps sin in check in this world. God’s people must be different. They must be separate from sinners, just as Christ was. There must be a clear distinction between the people of God and those of the world – between holy and unholy, clean and unclean. When the people who are called by God’s name cease to be different and separated from the world and its ways, sin in that society takes off like a runaway train. Only two things can stop it: There must be a spiritual awakening of the people of God and a return to true holiness, or the judgment of God must fall. This is precisely where we are as we begin 2010.

If you want to make a difference you can start by making sure you are not deceived by these two major sins. Let me be clear here, things that heal or comfort those that are sick or dying are not sorcery. Things that are necessary to sustain life are not sorcery – such as oxygen or insulin, etc. A true physician works to heal and not just to sell drugs. But somewhere there is a line that is crossed where it becomes a sin and an abomination to God – obviously! Does your mind turn to chemicals and potions to control your emotions and body? If you do, then what is the difference between that and a drunkard? Do you walk in the counsel of the ungodly concerning the welfare and care of your body? Why would anyone do that when we have the Word of God that instructs us in that matter very clearly? In Acts 8:11 we read about Simon the sorcerer: “And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.” Are you bewitched by the modern sorcerers who are making themselves wealthy by selling you drugs that treat imaginary diseases and ailments that no one ever knew about until recently? Modern “medicine” has almost stopped trying to cure known diseases and instead has started inventing new ones which have no symptoms or cures, but must be treated with drugs, which in turn destroy your liver, your immune system, or affect your ability to think clearly and function as you ought. If you are a child of God you certainly do not want Jesus to come and find you involved in this ungodly practice.

If you want to make a difference in these last days as a Christian you must distance yourself from the fornicating mindset of this world. They are saturated in it and all their thinking and talking is polluted with it. How unbecoming it is for one that is called a Christian to speak in a sensual, provocative, or dirty manner or to speak openly and lightly about intimate things! It seems that nothing is sacred anymore, even among those who call themselves Christians. They talk openly and lightly about the most private things and often use the crudest language. It is a fact that a very large percentage of the people who sit in church every week are regularly viewing pornography. This is a poison that has as much or more power than any potion or drug ever concocted. It is the major cause of all the violence in our society today. It is not a victimless sin! People do not feed their warped minds on nudity, adultery, fornication, and perversion without eventually acting it out in real life – and someone (usually many people) gets hurt. Looking at pornography IS fornication! If they are not a practicing fornicator they are not far from it. How far removed from purity and holiness is a professing Christian who is looking at pornography and has a tongue that is filled with loose, dirty talk! How far removed from purity and holiness is a woman or a man who claims to be a Christian but wears clothes that are designed to provoke thoughts of fornication! What about those so-called Christians who entertain themselves and their children by watching movies and TV shows that have fornication and all types of immorality as their very theme? What about those who listen to worldly music that glorifies and talks about fornication and adultery, almost without exception? If you believe the Word of God you will have to acknowledge that they are not true children of God.

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: …These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2 Pet 2:14-17)

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (1 Peter 1:15)
 

Jesus is coming for a pure bride – not for an unfaithful, defiled, and filthy-talking bride that cannot be distinguished from the ungodly world! Jesus is coming for a chaste virgin – not someone who is partying and fornicating with the rest of the world!

(2 Cor 11:2) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

If you are a true child of God then separate yourself from this sinful world and unto God, and a good place to begin is with these two major sins that mark the end of the patience and longsuffering of God.

(1 John 3:3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
 

Mike Miller

January 9, 2010