“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Who feels like rejoicing when you are having your own little pity party worried about how things are going to work out. Yet, this rejoicing the Bible is talking about is the result of being in the Lord. One cannot help from rejoicing when they are in the Lord becoming one in attitude, aspiration, and sharing a since of accomplishment. When you are in the Lord there is the reality that you are doing exactly what God desires. On the other hand, to be in the world one takes control of his life attempting to fulfill his needs and desires, which almost always leads to anxiety and its accompanying stress if not accomplished. So the first step in overcoming anxiety is to live your life in the Lord to such a degree that you are allowing Him to fulfill your every need, which brings forth great joy! It’s antithetical to rejoice in the Lord and be anxious at the same time.

The second step in overcoming anxiety is to, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” The word gentleness has an element of selflessness and was interpreted by Luther as yieldingness. When anxiety rises its ugly head it often times is presumed to be the cause of another individual who is depriving you of your needs or causing you undue harm. The level of anxiety is heightened as the anxious person plots retaliation or how to devise a plan to escape the snare of the Fowler.  So what does the Bible say, yield to the other person, and let your gentleness be evident to all. If you need to cancel the debt, withdraw the request, or turn the other cheek, in so doing you have overcome anxiety and sent the devil to flight. Our best motivator for following this command is recognizing that the, “Lord is near.”The King James Version translates it, “the Lord is at hand.” Indeed the Judge is at the door! This should have a sobering effect upon those having anxious thoughts driven by their selfish desires apart from trusting in the Lord to deliver what’s really needed.

The next step in overcoming anxiety is a straight forward biblical command, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Does that mean that anxiety is a sin? Clearly to violate a command in Scripture is a sin. This is not a sin to be taken lightly because it doesn’t trust God to provide. He made this abundantly clear in the Sermon on the Mount. Our Lord gave multiple illustrations about each of those physical needs, such as clothing, food, and drink that could cause people to have anxiety if not readily available to those seeking them. In conclusion our Lord tells us that all these things will be delivered unto those who first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. Again, we are brought back to the same conclusion that trusting in the Lord to provide is the very key to overcoming anxiety. Not by dwelling on the problem. Not by taking control. Not by plotting retaliation or devising a plan to escape. Not by being anxious, but by trusting in the Lord, which leads us to the final step.

We bring those anxious thoughts before the Lord in prayer and petition accompanied with thanksgiving. Lay it all before the Lord in infinite detail; don’t leave anything out. Petition your Father in Heaven thanking Him in advance knowing in all faith that He will answer your prayer and deliver you from the very thing that has caused your anxiety. So what is the outcome? Peace! We have a peace that defies understanding. Anyone who has agonized, worried, and been in the pit of anxiety will long for peace. When we follow these simple steps from Scripture then peace will come in a flash with overwhelming joy. In an instant everything that seemed so difficult and confusing will become so clear as if a fog has been lifted enabling us to see His marvelous plan. All the pressure from this world will be instantly evaporated and the peace that defies understanding will fill our soul. To stand firm in the last days we must overcome anxiety and stand upon the Rock to withstand the violent storms that lie ahead.

This article is taken from my new book: “Stand Firm” to be released in August.

The Bible tells us exactly what we need to know and not anything more. So we need to be very careful to not recklessly add things that don’t belong or to remove things that do in order to accommodate science. This has been shamefully done by those who want to integrate science with Biblical truth. So let’s begin with Cain’s wife, where did he get her? To start with there is no indication that Eve did not give birth to daughters prior to the birth of Cain, “with the Lord’s help” and her excitement that she now “brought forth a man.” (See Gen. 4:1) There’s the probability that she also brought forth additional sons and daughters prior to and after the birth of Abel, who was hoped to play a significant role in carrying on the blessed seed that would one day crush the head of the serpent. (See Gen. 4:25) The point is prior to Cain slaying his brother there were a significant number of relatives both near and far (land of Nod) from which to get a wife, especially if they followed God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. The Biblical importance of this story is not to give us details but to demonstrate that there would be two groups of people; one following after Cain who turned his back on God and the other blessed son, Seth who now after the death of his brother would carry on the blood line by calling on the name of the Lord.

“Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living” (Gen.3:20).  So next, how do we deal with the prehistoric man and the carbon dating that shows he lived thousands of years prior to the biblical account of creation? How do we account for the differences between the Neanderthal man and modern man? Granted there is a slight difference between the sizes of the skull where the Neanderthal has the largest, but there is no conclusive evidence that he was anymore inferior than the rest of humanity. Being separated from God, the advanced culture of Adam’s clan, untreatable debilitating diseases, and cast into a dangerous environment could have played a significant role in his development and living conditions. Then there is the possibility that they could have been mutants from some catastrophic disaster, it’s interesting that they were all found in holes and caves. Or yet another possibility is that they could be offshoots of the intermarriage of the sons of God with the daughters of men that indeed created a different being, not too dissimilar from modern humans. (See Gen. 6:1-2) Fred H. Smith, a physical anthropologist at Loyola University in Chicago who has been studying Neanderthal DNA said, “They were believed to be scavengers who made primitive tools and were incapable of language or symbolic thought.”Now, he says, researchers believe that Neanderthals “were highly intelligent, able to adapt to a wide variety of ecological zones, and capable of developing highly functional tools to help them do so. They were quite accomplished.”There is also an indication that either these or others were “giants in the earth in those days,” (See Gen. 6: 4) which were all destroyed by the worldwide flood in Noah’s day. There is no conclusive evidence that the methodology used in DNA sequencing can predate prehistoric man before the biblical account of creation.  It is not necessary to accept any of these possibilities to accommodate science and fill in the details; rather we need to accept the creation account on faith, believing that God has given us all the information we need.

Now concerning the age of the world, the ‘Flood Geology,’ which makes the single year of Noah’s Flood the period in which were deposited the sediments and fossils unusually considered to have been laid down over many millions of years. This view is expounded in detail in J.C. Whitcomb and H.M. Morris, the Genesis Flood. And even if you don’t accept this last point as a probability then consider that we don’t know how long Adam and Eve actually stayed in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall. Could it be thousands or even millions of years? It stands to reason that Adam did not begin to count the years of his life until after his expulsion from the Garden, no longer having the ability to partake of the tree of life. Clearly on that day he both died spiritually and began his long trek toward physical death 930 years later. Then there was the six days of creation; were they six literal days as we calculate time or were they more? The Bible indicates: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (II Peter 3:8).  In all of the religious writings prior to the fourth century they believed that the world was created in six thousand years, not six literal days. Again, it is not necessary to accept any of these possibilities to accommodate science and fill in the details; rather we need to accept the creation account on faith, believing that God has given us all the information we need. Whatever we determine to be true in our mind it must not disqualify the biblical account that God created the world and after creating man in His own image placed him in the Garden. And that all men came from one man – Adam.

If anyone is willing to do their own research, which many have, then they are convinced that science cannot disprove the Genesis account of creation and specifically that we are all of the same blood, that we are all of the same race, the race of Adam. If we allow the Bible to speak for itself then we know that all the “so called” different races all came from the same stock and were separated at the Tower of Babel. As different language groups were separated into different regions of the world it did not take long before they began to adapt to their unique environment and over thousands of years the pigment of their skin changed and their eyes also compensated with slight variations. There is proof that there is only a .2 % difference in people.  We are all of the same race. If we as Christians can accept this truth of the Bible then we should not fall for the devils lies to separate over so called racial differences. Christians should be on the forefront of restoring the foundations. The only two races God sees are those who are lost and those who are saved. In order to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ we need to take them back to the beginning when God created the world and the first man Adam, so that they can accept the second Adam Jesus Christ, who was the promised seed who crushed the head of the old serpent.

The number of the beast is not simply the number six, but the number six three times: 6-6-6. This is insightful when we consider that the Bible regards the number three as a number for divine perfection. To triple any number (or saying) is to perfect it. In the case of man’s number six tripled is also an attempt to perfect it. On the other hand, the spiritual perfection of God, the number seven, is tripled in the holy trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit thus giving it also divine perfection. Typically other sayings in the Bible, such as Holy, Holy, Holy are tripled to indicate divine perfection. We can see also divine perfection in the universe that was created by a perfect God. There are three qualities of the universe: time, space, and matter. To exist all three are required. Each quality consists of three elements. Time is past, present, and future; space is height, width, and depth; and, matter is solid, liquid, and gas. Therefore, to give the number six to the beast and then triple it (6-6-6) is clearly an attempt at divine perfection.

In the same way when man follows the teachings of the world and takes the mark 666 it demonstrates his attempt at divine perfection. Is this mark a chip inserted just below the skin or is it a visible mark like a tattoo? Or is it simply a seal placed on fallen humanity’s foreheads by the Antichrist (or Beast) who is parroting God who has also placed a seal on the foreheads of His servants. (See Rev. 7:3) If we choose the later then it would indicate that the mark is invisible, but clearly has eternal ramifications. If you choose to accept the teaching of Antichrist and follow him in perfecting your character then you have clearly taken the mark. On the other hand, if you have been sealed by the living God then you follow Him and are being changed from one degree of glory to another. God is not kidding when He said that He has given you everything you need for life and godliness so that you can participate in the divine nature.

Yet fallen humanity will not accept that truth but is obsessed with perfecting man apart from trusting in God exclusively. The psychiatric industry, which stretches beyond cultural and religious barriers, is attempting to help man modify his behavior and reach perfection apart from trusting in God. Psychotropic drugs are prescribed by medical practitioners and psychologist to treat some sort of disease labeled by the psychiatric industry. There are over 300 different psychiatric disorders (or labels) listed in the DSM-IV, which is the psychiatrist bible. However, when one looks at these labels it becomes clear that they have crossed the line by not calling most of the labels sin, a condition that only God can cure. Only by the removal of sin can man become perfected in Christ. To leave man in his sins and on drugs will keep him in bondage to the old sin nature and a slave to Satan. To trust man to perfect man is nothing short of idolatry. The choice is yours. Whose mark will you take – the mark of the beast or the seal of the living God?

So who is the “her” that we need to come out of? The best commentary for the Bible is the Bible.  Just go back four verses and we see that the woman (or her) is identified with the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (See Rev. 17:18).  And when we read about this great city it does not take long before we realize that she is immersed in the ways of the world. “The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls” (Rev. 17:4a), which indicates her luxurious life style. Her wealth is beyond measure as she entices the world to follow her adulterous life style to gain wealth and prosperity. Clearly she teaches the world to worship and serve mammon rather than God. Also, her ways are so immoral that it says she has intoxicated the inhabitants of the earth with the wine of her adulteries. To come out of the world Christians must no longer get intoxicated with the craving and acquisition of material things, pilling up debt, and living well beyond their means. Christians must return to a simplistic life style, get out of debt, and help others in need. Christians must stop following her get rich schemes, frequenting gambling establishments, or throwing their money away on lotto tickets. To do so would take a first step out of the world and help you stand firm in the coming days.

The second thing we notice about this great city is her pride and her boast, “I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and will never mourn” (Rev. 18:7b).  Here is a world that no longer trusts in God, but rather in the works of her own hands. She boasts in her great wealth, her strong military; her tolerance for all religions; her freedom of different lifestyles; and, the expansion of her influence. She boasts in her medical research and wonder drugs, claiming they will heal every emotional and psychological problem. In her pride she no longer needs just one God, but has embraced every man’s religion, yet needing none. To come out of the world Christians need to re-learn humility and total dependence upon God the Father. Christians must not trust in the cures that the world has to offer, but turn back to God and trust in Him alone. Through the study of God’s Holy Word, they believe He will deliver them from every emotional and psychological problem, facing humanity. In humility Christians must stand against those who call immorality good and good they call immoral. If abortion is wrong, stand against it; if homosexuality is wrong, stand against it; if denying the exclusiveness of Christianity is wrong, stand against it. If indebtedness is wrong, stand against it. To do so will take another step out of the world.

Coming out of the world becomes self evident on how we will be treated by the world. It is said that she is drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus (See Rev. 17:6). Take these two simple steps along with practicing your holiness and the world will hate you. They will hate your testimony. They will hate the fact that you are no longer in debt and in need of their services. They will hate you for standing against their perverted lifestyles. They will hate you for not glorying in their pride, but pointing out their errors. They will hate you for rejecting their counseling and their array of psychotropic drugs. They will hate you for not following them in their quest for wealth and prosperity. But in all that God will love you to the end for being His faithful saints, standing firm in the last days. “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes” (Rev. 18:4-5)

The Bible gives a brief illustration as to why the law is holy, righteous, and good (see Rom. 7:7-12) which we should pay close attention to, because it will help us to identify the sin or evil in our life and pluck it out as a gardener does an unwanted weed. The Bible also says we should put off the old life as we would pull off an old tattered set of clothes giving multiple illustrations about the different sins that can easily beset a Christian. Notice that in either case the number and types of sins are not exhaustive, so it is imperative to search the Scriptures and allow the commands of God to penetrate our souls bringing about conviction and repentance. To do so will bring us to the realization that there are over 121 express commands in the New Testament alone for the believer in Christ to grapple with, digest, and use to purge the unwanted sins in our life. The good news is that Christians can count on God through His Holy Spirit to have the strength in Him to turn away from sin and purge it completely. Dear friends, this is only the first step in achieving holiness that God desires.

Unfortunately many Christians stop at this point and then can’t understand why the besetting sin comes creeping back into their miserable life.  It is so heart breaking for me to see meaningful Christians slip back into their old sins and taken captive to do its will. How tragic it is to see them controlled by their old sin nature once again.  And the reason why in almost every case, is they have not put anything in place of the old sin. To press the gardening analogy the gardener must now plant good seed and keep it fertilized so that the strength of the lawn will keep out the unwanted weeds. Once again, the Bible is our best authority giving us multiple illustrations on what to put in place of the old sin (See Eph. 4:22-32). Take a moment and read through this list of illustrations again keeping in mind that this list is not exhaustive. For example, in verse 25 it says, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood” but it does not stop there; it continues by telling us what needs to be put in the place of falsehood by saying, “and speak truthfully to his neighbor” and then adds a reason why it needs to be accomplished by saying, “for we are all members of one body.” So here is the point, God’s command will show us our sin, convict us of it through His Holy Spirit, and then lead us to repentance, but then we must continue on by putting something in place of the old sin. Put off the sin, put on a righteous act.

Jesus Christ also gives us another illustration (or parable) about an individual who sweeps his house clean and then does not put anything in the place of it; so along comes Satan bringing with him many more demons to occupy the place making his state much worse than before (See Mt. 12:43-45). So you see it is very important not only to follow the “shall not’s” thus cleaning your house, but also to follow our religious duties driven by the spirit of love. Jesus Christ is always our best example. He lived His entire life not for himself, but for the sake of others. Out of love He fed the poor. Out of love He healed the sick and counseled the hurting with words of truth and life. His brother James also wrote: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27). The point is my friends, we should be so busy doing good to others that we never have enough time left in a day to follow our evil desires or be enticed by the many evil influences coming at us from the world. To be holy is our sure defense to stand firm as we fast approach the end of days.