Spirituality Information |
Servants of the Antichrist
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes people think about serious, life-and-death situations. Yet it tends to assume that, even in the face of disaster, life for fundamentalist American Christians will center around the same values and goals that have dominated their lives up until now. In other words, people will still go to church on Sundays and work in system jobs the rest of the week, right through the Tribulation and all that comes with it. They will still be loaded with money, and they will still jet around the world at will. There is nothing in the book that speaks to the condition of poor Christians. This materialistic philosophy is practised at a time (in the story) when people should be seriously considering whether the values they lived by before the trouble began were really the right ones. In desperate circumstances, people often see the futility of so much that they did before disaster struck. But the "Left Behind" series fails to suggest that there may be anything wrong with the materialism of evangelical fundamentalism. Even in the face of a choice between serving Jesus or serving the Antichrist, the book's two heroes both find themselves very much in the employ of the Antichrist. There is reflected in them the same double-mindedness that so many Christians evidence when it comes to trying to work for God and work for money at the same time. They are forced to admit that they work for money because they fear being without it, and they justify being in their jobs, on the grounds that they may one day be a "witness" where they are. In war type movies, where people are displaced and fighting for their lives, talk of paid employment becomes fairly meaningless. Yet, the first six books in the Left Behind series suggest that paid employment is the norm for Christians during the time of great trouble. Not only are the heroes expected to keep working for money, but they are seen as getting the best jobs with the highest salaries. Against all reason, they are seen as being divinely protected in their work for the Antichrist, who, for no clear reason, keeps them on his staff even when he knows they are supposed to be representing his arch enemy, Jesus. While Rayford Steele and Buck Cameron (the heroes of the "Left Behind" series) continue to serve the Antichrist, they gain nothing from it that affects their ability to serve Jesus. Because they fear opposition if they speak out for their faith, their on-the-job "witness" is also ineffective. They appear to be there for one reason, and that is for the money that it brings in. The book itself is fairly clear about that (see below). God could call someone to infiltrate the enemy's camp for a specific purpose. But that is not so with Buck and Rayford. Year after year they do and say nothing of any spiritual significance. Consequently, they are tormented by guilt, which they (or their authors) brush aside with faint hints that they have no other choice. The first chapter of Soul Harvest (volume 4) is amazingly honest in depicting Rayford's double-mindedness with regard to his service to the Antichrist. Because he is the series hero, his eventual caving in to fear and selfishness tends to justify similar gutlessness on the part of other Christians, both now and presumably in the future, when the real Tribulation begins. Soul Harvest starts with these words: "Rayford Steele wore the uniform of the enemy of his soul, and he hated himself for it." Rayford rips the coat off and beats it on the ground, in anger that the Antichrist has just destroyed thousands of lives in a needless war. A strange sentence appears on the next page: "Rayford considered abandoning all vestiges of his connection to Nicolae Carpathia's regime, but his attention was drawn again to the luxuriously appointed arm patches." Why should luxurious arm patches cause him to change his mind? A second explanation is given for Rayford's change of mind: "As he knelt to retrieve his coat, Rayford's maddening logic returned--the practicality that made him who he was. Having no idea what he might find in the ruins of his condominium, he couldn't treat as dispensable what might constitute his only remaining set of clothes." So, whether Rayford decides to continue serving the enemy of his soul because he needs the clothes or because he craves the luxuries and power that go with them, he never really considers the possibility of trusting God to provide his material needs. Nor does he face the possibility of God asking him to live without luxuriously appointed arm patches. On pages three and four Rayford threatens to tell the Antichrist what he thinks of him; but when faced with the opportunity to do so, he caves in again. Here is the phone dialogue between himself and his co-pilot: "Don't put Carpathia on or I swear I'll..." "Stand by for the Potentate." Rayford switched the phone to his right hand, ready to smash it on the ground, but he restrained himself. When avenues of communication reopened, he wanted to be able to check on his loved ones. First it is clothing, and then it is loved ones. In both situations, the Antichrist has him in his grip, because Rayford, like so many others, has never considered obeying Jesus when he said to put him before loved ones, before clothing, and even before food. Food also gets a mention, on page 62 of the same volume. Rayford is feasting at a sumptuous buffet at the Antichrist's private hideout while the rest of the world is being decimated. Referring to his faith, Rayford says to Mac, "Carpathia knows where I stand." Mac replies, "He likes you. Maybe he feels secure knowing you don't hide anything from him." Next paragraph: "It might be the enemy's food, [Rayford] thought, but it does the job." The italics in are not mine. The authors obviously do not want readers to miss the point. The "job" is his need for food. Compromise with the enemy had met that need. It did the job. His decision to join the Antichrist in the shelter was made with full knowledge that Rayford was turning his back on the suffering that was taking place outside. The closing words of the first chapter of Soul Harvest state: "He'd seen awful things in his life, but the carnage at this airport was going to top them all. A shelter, even the Antichrist's, sounded better than this." In his "heart", of course, Rayford is always convinced that his true loyalty is to Jesus. But in his actions, everything he does is a total contradiction. His guilt leads him to experience so much hatred for the Antichrist that he personally plots to kill him. Powerless to wage a proper spiritual battle for truth, Rayford Steele contents himself with fighting a useless battle with a carnal weapon. If we study the behaviour of the hero, to find the underlying lesson in the "Left Behind" series, we learn that Christians can (and probably should) serve the Antichrist in order to save themselves and their loved ones, and in order to live a more comfortable life in this evil world. As long as they profess loyalty to Jesus with their lips (out of earshot of the AC of course), it matters little what their actions say. The enemy of our soul wants us to praise him too, and so the series is loaded with titles that the Antichrist and his cohorts give themselves, each one more pompous than the one before. This too angers Rayford, but he continues to do whatever it takes to keep his job. The nearest thing to insubordination is when he refuses to return to base immediately, because he is looking for his wife amongst the ruins. The Antichrist says he will overlook such behaviour; but he notes that Rayford has not used the term Potentate (most powerful one) when referring to his leader. Carpathia says: "Now is no time to neglect protocol, Captain Steele. A pardoned subordinate is behooved to address his superior..." Rayford shoots back, "All right Potentate Carpathia..." (Again, the emphasis is not mine.) On page 142, Rayford objects to calling Carpathia His Excellency. "You are using a title that has for generations been limited to religious leaders and royalty," he says to an A.C. assistant. But in the end Rayford uses that title as well. (e.g. page 423: "Your Excellency," he said, swallowing any vestige of pride, "I'm assuming you'll need Mac and me to get you to Israel tomorrow.") All of this is done in contravention of the fact that Jesus specifically instructs his followers NOT to use titles of respect for "any man on earth." Rayford and his co-pilot discuss the expediency of sharing their faith on their job, and they decide that they should not, despite an earlier statement that Christians must be prepared to confess their faith publicly to be saved. (Romans 10:9-10) "You're supposed to tell lots of people," Rayford had said. (page 133) But he admits that the other hero, Buck Cameron, kept his faith secret outside of church meetings. "He thought it best to keep that to himself, so he could be more effective," Rayford explained. He suggests that Mac do the same. (page 183) Mac asks, "What about that verse about confessing with your mouth?" Rayford replies, "I have no idea. Do the rules still stand at a time like this? Are you supposed to confess your faith to the Antichrist? I just don't know." After a particularly sinister speech from the Antichrist, their fellow employees are drawn to almost worship him. This is recorded on page 214: When the Global Community employees in the mess hall leaped to their feet, cheering and clapping, Rayford and Mac stood, only to keep from appearing conspicuous. Mac's attention was drawn to someone else who was slow to stand; it is a clue that the other employee must also be a secret believer. What would Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have thought of such faith? If they had merely gone through the motions (somewhat hesitantly) when ordered to bow down to the image of the Antichrist in their day, they could have escaped the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:10-18) But what kind of a witness would it have been? The kind of faith that Rayford Wetnoodle practises is the kind of faith Satan would like to see more of in the church. The Left Behind books are just another part of Satan's worldwide deception, teaching even supposedly staunch fundamentalists that compromise is OK in any situation where it may cost you something to obey God. Dave McKay is the author of the endtime novel, "Survivors", which uses characters with similar names and similar backgrounds to the characters in the "Left Behind" series, except that he tells the story as it would occur if these people really took the teachings of Jesus seriously. The book has sold nearly one million copies. If you would like a free copy, write to the author at fold@idl.net.au giving your postal address so it can be sent to you. Other articles on the Left Behind series include: Left Behind... Who?, The Prince of Peace, The Jews, The Supernatural, and Wells Without Water. Another article in this series, "The Mark", appears elsewhere on this website.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
See You At Midnight: Strategy For Terrific Speed To Greatness! The gate of every year is the begining of that year; the gate of every month is the begining of that month; the gate of every week is the begining of that week; the gate of every day is the wee hours (from 12midnight) of that day. Are you presently STRANDED or STAGNANT in your journey in life? It is perhaps because you're locked out by a gate-keeper, from entering into fulfilment and you don't even know. Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters - Part 6 Matthew 2:16-18Herod Kills the Children16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more. Practices for Positive Change Connect with Your GodDo you at times, feel fearful, depressed, angry, insecure or immobilized with life work challenges? Firstly, realize you are not alone. This bubbling brew of emotions is called being human. What to Expect From the Next Transformation â??Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party.â?? This line is a typing exercise, but it holds a bundle of truth for mankind. Meditations From a Spiritual Journey For me, the best poetry stirs my soul; it awakens my spirit through its clarity and simplicity. Its purpose is clean, pointing me towards greater understanding of who I am in this world, or, even better, towards comprehension of the divine that indwells both this world and me. I Think Ill Just Go Fishin I said something last week I haven't said in years. Where it came from, I really don't know. Heal Emotional Difficulties With Your Imagination How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve his life? How can you do the same? Read on.Last year a family counselor approached me and said, "You're an artist, why don't you do up some feeling cards for us?"Looking confused, I asked, "what are feeling cards?""When all else fails, she replied, we use them to stimulate therapeutic conversations with clients and their families. Youre Standing Between Two Clouds On one side there is a dark cloud. It is full of pain, sickness, disease, poverty, and death. Why Is Your Prayer Of Faith Lacking Results? About a month ago I opened up my bible in boredomtrying to see if the lord had a word for me. Well, itjust so happened that I landed in first kings the pagewith chapter three right there just staring me in theface. Actualizing Personal Truth Self-actualization comes down to three basic premises: this is who I am, this is what I believe and the foundation on which my life is built, and this is the way I manifest that belief system on a daily basis.If you say that you live by the Golden Rule, but treat other people with a lack of respect, then you are dishonest, and others will perceive you as hypocritical. The Fountain of Light Exercise An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every human being. This energy field is thought to be made up of you're the emanations of your life force, what the Middle Eastern religions call Prana, the Chinese call Chi and the popular religions call the Soul. A Crash Course In Tarot For Newbies #1 - All About the Cards The Tarot is not just a divinatory tool, but it can also be utilized in the appropriately trained hands as a tool for providing counsel and advice with which we can navigate life. It is an antique form of divination that predates popular psychology, but has been shown to have archetypal energies that work well from a Jungian perspective. In Search of a Teacher of Spirit: Eleven Conscious Considerations Many of us are on an inward or outward path-to Enlightenment, to our Higher Selves, to our eternal connection with Source. We are called to this for reasons only the individual can describe, or more often, just know, and in the course of this Path, we often connect with other like minded (Light minded?) beings. Origin of Certain Thoughts (Part I) We all have spirit guides and we all benefit from their assistance, whether or not we recognize it. Only a few people can hear and exchange verbal communications with their guides, or occasionally see their foggy, ghostly image materialize; some people only sense their guide's presence; others know the signs that indicate their guide's presence; and still others do not believe these guides exist, much less assist us. Why The Universe Is User-Friendly After All! "Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming with wisdom and beauty." -Rumi, 13th Century Sufi Poet and MysticIs the universe friendly?On the surface this seems an absurd statement. Not Upon My Convictions but Upon the Blood of Jesus "He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Living Life Powered By My Own Intention, Knowing the True Essence of Security Since my departure from the traditional "Corporate Life" almost8 months ago at the young age of 42, I have been on a free-birdjourney to "find my bliss". In that time and my travels, I have continually been confronted with and struck by the fact that, although there is much talk about and studying of "the power of intentions", it appears to me as though many people aren't yet really "living it". What Exactly is Grace? This question, "what is grace" plagued me more into knowing the answer and being sure beyond a shadow of a doubt.In the beginning of time, It was God's intention to be in fellowship with His people. Masculine Energy versus Feminine Energy I have been reading a lot lately about the concepts of masculine and feminine energy. It all sort of goes along with the yin and yang definitions of masculine and feminine. Holy and Unholy Numbers Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden meanings that in turn hold the mysteries of the universe and God within them. Ancient Hebrew mystics referred to this as Gematria. |
home | site map | contact us |