THE SIN OF LAWLESSNESS

Lawlessness is rebellion against authority. It is illegal behavior not controlled by any law. It is a behavior that shows indifference or defiance to the law. The purpose of the law is to regulate human behavior. Lawlessness in a country is a state of disorder, usually resulting from a failure of government. Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. The climate of lawlessness is one of violence and confusion. Without faith in God or fear of God, there is chaos. ‘Even the worst form of tyranny was preferable to anarchy’ (John Calvin). The root of lawlessness is lack of discipline and terrible greed. High levels of poverty can lead to desperation. Men commit crimes to survive. When man becomes selfishly ambitious and greedy, wants to be rich at all costs, he places his desires above the law. His life is more important than any law.

The lawless person takes pleasure in breaking the law. With time, he breaks more laws. Lawlessness is a demon; it is sin, and it is addictive. Jesus died to expose and defeat the devil, who is the father of all sins and lies. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1Jn 3:4-8). It is only thru faith in Jesus that lawlessness can be defeated.

According to the Bible, Lawlessness increases in the last days. From what we see in social media, the world is getting worse. There is more wickedness. The number of criminal cases, divorces, and violence is on the rise. Lawlessness damages relationships and families. It destroys every good thing among men. It especially damages Love! Jesus warned us about the future, saying: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:10-14). Agape Love is not just a feeling. It is God’s Law. Loving God and others is a Command! “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).

“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2Thess 2:5-12). The Holy Spirit restrains the devil so that sin is still limited. The demon of Lawlessness cannot enter where God’s children pray. The agents of the devil use seducing spirits to deceive many. Our protection is total faith in Jesus, in God’s Word. We must love the Truth in the Bible. We must be humble. We submit to God. We are confident that Jesus can never lose any battle. He will finally destroy the lawless one, the devil, with the breath of His mouth and by His glory revealed!

Righteousness is the opposite of lawlessness. It means being right, doing right, being lawful, living a godly and moral life as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Godly, moral and righteous people seek God. They will cry out for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness to come!  Redemption and godliness are available NOW through faith in Jesus and obedience to God’s Word.  Our society needs people like Jesus now more than ever. The lawlessness we experience is the result of men’s rejection of God and His Word.  Are you LAWLESS or are you LAW ABIDING. Is Jesus seen in you thru your words and deeds? We must all give an account to Him for how we live in this world!

THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST – ROMANCE SCAMMERS – FAKE LOVERS (YAHOO BOYS)

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. 9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2Jn 1:9-11).

Deception is one of the sins that is practiced often but rarely tolerated; the lowest of the low, in society, are liars and thieves. Deception is the worst form of lying because the deceiver knowingly misleads the victim to believe that a lie is true. Deception is dangerous and has been the cause of death for many who have been victims of deception. The Bible warns us against deception. Deceivers use sweet words. “This I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words” (Col 2:4). Persuasive words are forceful, convincing, and partially truthful. They are like poison coated with sugar. Jesus said: “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matt 24:4,5). Anxiety, fear of death, weakens the mind to be deceived. Peace of mind protects the mind against deception. “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep your eyes on those who cause dissensions and create obstacles or introduce temptations [for others] to commit sin, [acting in ways] contrary to the doctrine which you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites and base desires. By smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting [the innocent and the naive]” (Rom 16:17,18; AMP). 

A romantic scammer is a fake lover. He is a deceiver who attacks the victim’s bank account through her heart. Most of these relationships happen through the internet but sometimes they happen in person. Scamming in on the rise all over the world. In 2020, there was a loss of $304 million dollars from romance scams. The victims are mostly lonely wealthy women, widowed or divorces. The scammer uses a method called ‘catfishing’. He makes a false profile with false pictures, pretending to be someone else. His profile is made to match the female’s desires. If she loves fashion, he says he loves fashion too. The scammer attacks with sweet words. It is called ‘love bombing’. He writes long passionate love letters saying that he wants to marry her. This process is called ‘grooming’. The scammer and victim exchange love letters, pictures, and dreams of their future. This is to create an emotional connection and trust so that the victim becomes needy for love. Once this stage is set, the scammer starts to ask for money. He brings different excuses like sickness, having an accident etc. Initially the amounts are small but with time, the victim gives more money. The scammer can also ‘blackmail’ the victim. He threatens to be violent to the victim or her family. He also threatens to release her personal information to the media. These threats intimidate the victim to send more money. Be careful! These are signs of romance scam: the scammer flatters you!!! He is in a hurry to declare his love! “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet” (PV 29:5). Be careful with sweet talking but impatient lovers!!!

Who are the victims? They have a romantic idea of marriage. They don’t care about the price they have to pay to hear romantic words. They imagine that they are actors in a movie. The people who know how hard it is to build a genuine relationship are not deceived. These women are lonely or have an inferiority complex. They have tried to marry, and failed, They are now disappointed in relationships. These can easily become victims to those who flatter them romantically. Once the spell is broken, and truth is revealed, the effect on the victim is massive. She has not only lost money, but all self-respect. She feels guilty and deeply ashamed. She totally loses trust in God and men! This is God’s warning to the scammers: “Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But he who gathers gradually by [honest] labor will increase [his riches]” (PV 13:11; AMP). Selah!

Nigeria is reported to have the highest number of online romance fraudsters in Africa and ranks third in the world. I read that Nigeria was responsible for 1129 romance scams in 2021, amounting to the sum of £12.1 million, totaling an average of 22-million-naira loss per victim. These attackers are called ‘yahoo boys.’ They pretend to be wealthy handsome Europeans who want to marry women abroad. These young men even use ‘native doctors’ to make charms for them to succeed. They are ruthless. They don’t care for their victims’ feelings, who enter depression, and even commit suicide once they discovered that they have been deceived. Poverty, lack of genuine jobs, few role models, wealth display, and social acceptance are some reasons who the Yahoo Boys continue to scam. For them, this is their job. They don’t even hide. Many are celebrities and women want to marry them. Some say that taking money from the white people, is vengeance against slavery. But no matter what they say, scamming is a crime, a demon and sin. God hates sin. Their wealth will not benefit them in the end! We pray for revival in Nigeria. May the fear of God cover this land! May these men repent and surrender their lives to Christ! Amen!