To Sin or Not to Sin

Actor Edwin Booth as Hamlet, 1870

Perhaps the all-time most famous line from any drama play or literature is "To be, or not to be: that is the question." It would probably be one of the first to come to mind for most English-speaking people if they were asked to quote a line of Shakespeare. Of course, it comes from Shakespeare's 1602 play, best known as Hamlet, in which the main character by that name considers to himself aloud whether or not to take his own life. In the end, he did not commit suicide, which is a tragic mistake for anyone to make, since it is a great sin in the sight of God to murder oneself.

I would like to consider another question in this post, and that is: to sin or not to sin. I recently wrote to someone who was seeking God and wanting to know the truth, but who kept putting off giving his life to Jesus and being born again. I asked him why it is that man delays being saved when salvation is a free gift from God and it is so simple. It only takes a short time to repent and give your life to Jesus, so why does man put it off for later, when he knows that is what he needs to do? He replied to me that he supposed it is because it is easier to sin than not to sin. Therefore, I'd like to address that notion that it is easier to sin than not to sin. The lessons to be learned from this study apply not only to non-believers who are considering the claims of Christ, but also to believers who are already following Christ as their Lord and Savior.

To Sin
First let's approach the matter from the perspective that most people assume to be true, which is the one that assumes it is easier to sin. Is that really true? Well, that is what the devil wants people to believe. He has led the whole world astray and deceived mankind into thinking it is actually easier to sin than not to sin. How does he do that? There are various ways that satan lures people into sinning, in order to kill, steal and destroy. Three of his most common ones involve deception, temptation, and intimidation.

Deception
The devil is the father of lies and he does not stand in the truth. He was a murderer from the beginning. For Jesus said of the devil, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Joh 8:44).

As the father of lies, the devil is a master of deception. According to Webster's dictionary, to deceive means "To mislead the mind; to cause to err; to cause to believe what is false, or disbelieve what is true; to impose on; to delude." It also may mean to cheat someone or rob them. He misleads the minds of people to cause them to err and believe what is false or disbelieve what is true. He misleads the minds of people to believe that it's easier to sin, and it is harder not to do so. He deludes people into thinking that the easiest thing to do is just give in to their desires to do wrong.

For example, if a person's weakness is drinking alcohol, he will mislead their mind into thinking that it would be easier to consume those beverages, convincing them that it will make them feel better. He uses the same approach with drugs. And in fact it may make them feel better temporarily, but the devil does not tell people about the immediate and long-term effects of their sin that will ruin their lives and the lives of others. He does not tell them about the hangover they will have the next morning with its headache, dizziness or vomiting, or about the fact that it will cost them a lot of money that will leave them in poverty. He doesn't tell them about the motor vehicle accident they may have while driving drunk that may kill another human being, even someone they love. He doesn't tell them about the humiliation, the shame it will cause, the pain, and the trouble they will have with the law, losing their license, being fined, or even sent to jail for the rest of their lives. He doesn't tell them about the loss of their job that may result from their substance abuse habit or about the loss of their marriage, their children, or their health.

He convinces them that they can handle it and they don't really have a problem with substance abuse. He convinces them that they are a good person and that they will make it to heaven. He doesn't tell them that they will spend eternity with him in hell.

In fact, he also misleads people into disbelieving that which is true, such as the short and long-term consequences of their sin. The truth he convinces them to disbelieve may be the obvious negative effects that occur as a result of their sin during this lifetime, which we don't have to read the Bible to know about (e.g., liver cirrhosis, AIDS, divorce, etc), and he may also mislead them to disbelieve or twist spiritual truths found in the Word of God (e.g., the gospel, heaven, hell, etc). He may convince someone that since they are religious, or a person who does a lot of good for others, that God will overlook their sin and not punish them for it. He may convince them that they will still go to heaven and escape hell, because their good works will supposedly outweigh their sins. Or he may delude them to disbelieve that hell even exists.

There are countless ways he can deceive. Sometimes he does it directly by invisible demons speaking to their minds, but he can also use other people like friends, family, spiritual leaders, role models, culture, literature, media, music, and a host of other possible ways including demons disguised as humans. While the devil tries to convince people that sin is precious gold, it is actually only fool's gold. It is just rocks painted to look like gold, but it is not genuine. In the end, those who are fooled by him end up with nothing but a handful of gravel.

Temptation
As I said, another one of his tactics is temptation. According to Webster's dictionary, to tempt means "To incite or solicit to an evil act; to entice to something wrong by presenting arguments that are plausible or convincing, or by the offer of some pleasure or apparent advantage as the inducement." This is closely connected with deception, and may involve deception, but is a separate action of its own.

The devil may incite a person to say something cruel, hurtful, or mean to another person, such as a friend, neighbor, enemy, or even someone they love. He may present the argument that they will feel a lot better if they tell the person what they are thinking and how they are feeling at that moment. He may tempt the person to enjoy having feelings of hatred toward the other person, or harbor unforgiveness toward someone who has hurt them. He may solicit someone to engage in sexually immoral behavior with another person my making strong arguments for the immediate pleasure they will experience. Again, he has countless ways to tempt people by presenting some apparent advantage as an enticement or inducement to sin.

In my article, The Temptation of Christ, I explained how he tempted the Lord Jesus during His earthly life and how the Lord resisted his temptations. He has been tempting man for thousands of years, ever since he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden to eat the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:1-6). He tempted David to commit adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, which led to David having Uriah murdered, in order to take his wife from him and cover up his sin. And as I explained in my article, Sin and Consequence, David's sin with Bathsheba cost him very dearly by the serious consequences that arose from it afterward and troubled him for the rest of his life. Although God forgave him when he repented, it left a trail of problems in its wake including rape and rebellion in his family.

James wrote: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." (Jas 1:13-15). And you can be sure that the devil and his demons are behind temptation.

Therefore, you cannot overcome temptation in your own strength, since you are up against a powerful spiritual enemy. You need supernatural power to resist, and that is why Jesus said, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mt 26:41, NIV).

Intimidation
Another key tactic that the devil uses against humans to kill, steal, and destroy is intimidation. According to Webster's dictionary, to intimidate means "To make fearful; to inspire with fear; to dishearten; to abash." To abash means "To make the spirits to fall; to cast down the countenance; to make ashamed; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, error, inferiority, etc." All of these are part of what I mean by intimidation. The devil likes to scare people and make them fearful in order to cause them to sin. He also likes to discourage people and get them down, make them feel ashamed, confused, guilty, or inferior.

For example, when Moses sent the twelve spies to spy out the Promised Land, they saw the giants there and ten of the spies came back with an evil report for Moses. They were fearful of the giants and felt inferior to them. They were disheartened from going into the Promised Land. The devil still does the same thing today. He may intimidate someone into thinking they could never live for God, that they could never live a righteous or holy life. He may intimidate them into thinking that if they confess their sin, everyone would look down upon them and they would be rejected. He uses guilt and shame like that to keep people trapped all their lives in a perpetual cycle of sin. He may intimidate someone into thinking that they will go to jail if they confess to the police what they have done, or he may intimidate someone into thinking that people will reject them if they testify for Christ, or that they will lose their job for it, and that without a job their family would starve. He may intimidate someone to commit sin out of fear of being hurt by others. He may scare someone into denying Christ out of fear of being killed.

However, the Lord Jesus said, "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Mat 10:28)

The fear of death is what the devil uses to keep people in bondage to sin. The apostle wrote, "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." (Heb 2:14-15). Jesus has set us free through his death on the cross from the devil, who once had the power of death, and who still keeps people in slavery to sin through the fear of death.

Those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior can say with David: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" (Psa 27:1)

Therefore, the devil often uses one or more of these three weapons against people: deception, temptation, and intimidation. And he often uses more than one of them together to increase his effectiveness. All of these explain why he is able to convince people that it is easier to sin. It's no wonder people actually believe the lie that it is easier to sin.

Instant Gratification
Another reason why someone may consider it easier to sin is that it is a means of instant gratification. Since they get to immediately fulfill their lust or craving, or get relief from their feelings, they find it easier to cope that way. Of course, this is a very myopic view that fails to consider the broader picture of what happens after that.

Slaves of Depravity
Another reason that a person may consider it easier to sin is that before a person comes to Christ, he is a slave to sin, therefore he must sin, since he is compelled to do so (Ro 6:16). He is a child of the devil, who wants to carry out the desires of his father the devil (Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10). For a sinner, it is his nature to sin, so sin comes naturally to him. Sin reigns in his mortal body, so that he obeys its lusts (Ro 6:12). He is a slave to the one he obeys, which is sin, resulting in death. "For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” (2Pe 2:19b, NIV). Sinners have a ruthless taskmaster who never relents, never has enough, and is never satisfied, but always requires more. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can set sinners free from that bondage, and until He does so, it may be difficult or impossible for them to imagine what it would be like to be free.

Loving the Darkness
Another reason that man thinks it is easier to sin is that he loves darkness rather than light. Jesus said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (Jn 3:19, NIV). So when people love darkness, they enjoy their sin too much to part with it.

Not only do they love darkness, but they hate the light, so that explains why it seems harder to them not to sin. Jesus said, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." (Jn 3:20, NIV). The reason they hate the light is they are afraid that their evil deeds will be exposed. They don't want to come under conviction for sin or be reproved. Therefore, they remain in the darkness and demonstrate no remorse, no regret, and no repentance. There is no departing from iniquity.

Walking in Darkness
Furthermore, those who are walking in darkness do not know what makes them stumble. "But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." (Pr 4:19, NIV). Before a person comes to Christ, he doesn't truly understand the reasons why he does the things he does, which are actually sinful in God's sight. He is bound to keep stumbling over and over in sin, until He comes into the light to Christ. As Jesus said, "Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” (Jn 11:9b-10, NIV). Therefore, the man walking in darkness feels that it is easier just to keep stumbling than not to stumble.

Now let's consider the other point of view, which is based on God's Word.

Not To Sin
Let's look at the truth of the matter, which is that it is actually easier not to sin, once you come to Christ. This truth is simple to explain in light of all that I have just covered, up to this point. Considering the short-term and long-term consequences of sin that we experience during this life, as well as the eternal consequences, it is actually easier not to sin.

Momentary Nature of Sin
On the one hand, the pleasure derived from committing a sin is very brief and momentary when compared with the rest of a person's life. The pleasure of sin itself may last for a night, but then there are the painful difficulties and hardships it causes, which may endure for years or the rest of your life. A person could be crippled or maimed for life as a result of indulging in one moment of sinful pleasure. Sin lasts only for a season, and Moses was wise enough to choose to be afflicted with God's people than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.

The Scripture says, "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;" (Heb 11:24-25, KJV).

Momentary Nature of Life
Not only is sin momentary, but life is also very brief, as I wrote in my article, Life is Short, Eternity is Not. When you compare this earthly life with eternity, it is like a short moment in time. Even if you live a long life to be eighty years old, that is nothing compared to eternity.

Even a long life like that would be as momentary as a vapor coming off of boiling water that quickly dissipates into the air, or like a morning fog that is soon gone when the heat of day consumes it. James said, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (Jas 4:14).

For the psalmist said, "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." (Ps 103:15-16, NIV78).

We need to understand that the things that are seen are only temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Paul said, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2Co 4:18).

Abundant Life
It's actually much easier to enjoy abundant life in Christ. Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (Joh 10:10). Before I was saved, when I was living in sin, abusing drugs and alcohol, when I was confronted with the gospel, the devil tried to deceive me into believing that living for Jesus would be dreary and boring. I thought that I would never again enjoy fun times of hilarious laughter like I did when I was drunk or high on drugs. How foolish! That could not be farther from the truth!

Since I came to know Christ thirty-two years ago, I have experienced an abundant life in Christ filled with more joy, laughter, and fun than I could have ever imagined. There have been times when the Holy Spirit has come upon me and I have experienced a holy laughter that was pure and wonderful, unlike anything this world has to offer. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit and living the Spirit-filled life has been far more enjoyable than living that old life of sin and shame. I'm so glad I decided to give my life to Jesus and follow Him in this abundant life, rather than stay in sin. If I had remained in sin, I would never have come to know such joy unspeakable and full of glory! I would have probably ended up dead or in jail eventually, but instead he has blessed me with a wife and children and all the happy moments that we have enjoyed together. He has blessed me with the joy of preaching the gospel in countries around the world, as well as here in the United States, seeing people give their lives to Jesus. I have experienced the glory of His manifest presence, as well as the wonder of seeing people miraculously healed and set free from demons. I am able to sing and rejoice with a clear conscience. Nothing I had before Christ could ever compare with the abundant life He has given to me. The truth is that it's easier to live the abundant life than to live in sin.

Slaves of Righteousness
Those who have repented of their sins and come to Christ have been set free from sin and become slaves of righteousness. Paul said, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." (Rom 6:18, NIV). Now instead of being enslaved by sin, we are free from that master, and we have become slaves to obedience which leads to righteousness (Rom 6:16). Those who were once "slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness" now become "slaves to righteousness leading to holiness" (Rom 6:19). Those who were once free from the control of righteousness are now under its control. Paul said, "Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Rom 6:22, NIV). Therefore, a slave of sin will feel that it is easier to sin, while a slave of God receives His power to live a righteous life. Thus they do so, not in their own strength, but by His glorious grace.

Reaping What You've Sown
There is a basic principle that you reap what you've sown, and this holds true both in this present life, as well as the life to come. Paul said, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Gal 6:7-8). It's much easier to reap eternal life than eternal corruption.

Eternal Consequences of Sin
Consider all that a person trades for mere sin. It's not worth it, considering that sin is so brief and momentary and eternal punishment lasts forever. You're only hurting yourself to your own shame.

Jesus said, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mar 8:36-37)

Hell is forever and there are no exits. There is nothing easy about it. Every moment is filled with pain, torment, sorrow, regret, loneliness, and fear. The intense heat is unbearable, and there is no water to drink, so there is nothing to quench your thirst. It's a place of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), where the worms that eat them do not die, and the flames are never quenched (Mk 9:44,48).

You cannot repent after you die, and mercy is only available while you are on this earth, so you need to give that serious consideration. It is hard to suffer the punishment for sin for eternity in hell, and countless millions of people have already gone to that horrible place. They are ready to repent right now if they could just come back to earth for one minute. They believe in Jesus now. But it's too late for them. They had their chance. Now they must pay the price for all eternity, because the wages of sin is death.

The apostle Paul said, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23). And in Proverbs it says, “The wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.” (Pro 10:16). In other words, the pay back that man gets for sin is just like the wages he earns for his labor. Wages are paid to you for what you do, so you earn them and you deserve them. That is why death is the pay back for sin. That means eternal separation from God, and it doesn't get any harder than that. As the proverb says, "the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction." (Pr 13:15b, NIV). And as the psalmist said, "The way of the wicked will perish." (Ps 1:6).

Eternal Rewards 
On the other hand, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:23). That means that you cannot earn eternal life, since it is a gift from God to you. He desires to give you this wonderful gift, but you cannot try to earn it through your own good works. Neither can you receive this gift unless you repent of your sin and believe on Jesus Christ. You must have a personal relationship with Him.

Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Act 2:38). Whether you are a non-believer or someone who has already given their life to Jesus who is backslidden in sin, you cannot be forgiven unless you repent. But if you will repent, then mercy is available for you, and you will be saved through faith in Christ. You need not perish in hell like so many others have.

God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him in heaven. He doesn't want you to perish. In fact, He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. John said, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (Joh 3:16). As I have said, eternal life is easier than perishing.

God has so many wonderful rewards for those who repent and follow Jesus. Those rewards are real and they are eternal, unlike the fool's gold that the devil offers. In heaven there is no death, no pain, no tears or sorrow (Rev 21:4). The city is made of pure gold, as pure as glass (Rev 21:18). Even the great street of the city is made of pure gold (Rev 21:21 ). It's walls are decorated with every kind of precious stone (Rev 21:19). The city shines brightly with the glory of God (Rev 21:11,23). There is a pure river of the water of life there that is clear as crystal, and there are many mansions (Jn 14:2). The tree of life is there, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month (Rev 22:2). There are countless myriads of holy angels, as well as the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb 12:22-23; Rev 5:11). There is no sin there, because nothing impure may enter that place, and nobody who does what is shameful or deceitful will ever enter it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 21:27). God is reigning over the universe there on his throne at the center of it all, and Jesus Christ sits at his right hand with great power and glory -- with angels, powers, and authorities in submission to Him (1 Pe 3:22).

The apostle Peter said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you," (1Pe 1:3-4).

I am not saying the way to heaven is easy or that if you follow Jesus you won't have any more problems. Certainly it's a straight and narrow path, as I have written in my article by that name. And as Paul said, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Act 14:22b). It's true that we must enter the kingdom of God through many hardships, but it's well worth it! Our afflictions are actually light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory. There is no comparison, as Paul said, "For [our] momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." (2Co 4:17)

Nothing Can Compare
Some gospel songs come to mind that express what I am trying to say, such as the one that says:

"Lord, You are more precious than silver
More costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You."

Truly nothing I desire compares with Jesus. Another song goes:

"He is fairer than the lily of the valley
He is brighter than the morning star
He is purer than the snow
Fresher than the breeze
Lovelier by far than all of these."

Those of us who've come to know the Lord know firsthand that when you look into His holiness,
and gaze into His loveliness, when you've found the joy of reaching His heart, all things that surround you here on earth become mere shadows in the light of Him. Everything else pales in comparison, as that song goes by Kent Henry, When I Look into Your Holiness.

The last lyrics I'd like to mention are from a song by Jim Reeves called I'd Rather Have Jesus, that goes like this:

"I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold I'd rather be his than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land
Yes I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands
Than to be the king of a best domain and be held in sins dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today."

Putting it All Together
Having looked at the question of whether it is easier to sin than not to sin, we can easily conclude that it is actually easier not to sin, when you consider all things. The assumption that it is easier to sin is actually a false perception based on the instant gratification experienced by the flesh. However, it is not based on reality. Don't fall for the devil's deception, temptation, or intimidation. For he comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. He wants to take as many souls down to hell with him as he possibly can. Don't go to that horrible place!

Just as I said in my opening that it is a tragic mistake for anyone to commit suicide, it is just as tragic for anyone to remain in sin, because they will suffer the same fate. To sin or not to sin is just as profound a question as the one Shakespeare's character Hamlet asked. However, it is not just a question for some actor on stage in a fictitious drama, but a crucial question that every human being must face up to and decide for themselves what they are going to do. Perhaps you have either never given your life to Jesus, or you once did so and then returned to a life of sin, and this message has spoken to you. Dear friend, why should you perish?

Repent of your sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Follow Jesus, listen to Him, put His words into practice, and do the will of God. Only those who follow Him will be saved (John 14:6). Only those who put His words into practice will be saved (Mt 7:24-27). Only those who do the will of God will be saved (Mt 7:21). The grace of God is not a license for you to sin (Rom 6:1). It teaches us to say "No!" to ungodliness (Tit 2:12).

Heaven is a glorious and beautiful place that is real, not fictitious. God wants you there with Him for eternity. He wants to give you eternal rewards and a glorified body. The rewards there will far outweigh anything this world or satan has to offer. But the only way to get there is to repent and follow Jesus all the days of your life. Whether you are a saved already or not, you need to know that it is not easier to sin. It is easier not to sin. While it may be a straight and narrow way, marked by sorrow, troubles, and afflictions, it will result in an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. It will result in glory, honor, and immortality. Let me encourage you to follow that way.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where noted. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan. The "Deception" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm of Inspired Art, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: I also recommend reading my articles, The Evil Spirit of Alcohol, Sin and Consequence, The Dangers of Disobedience, Life is Short, Eternity is Not, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, The Kingdom of Darkness, Demonology 101, Pleasing the Lord, Piercing the Darkness, The Book of Life, Demons Disguised as Humans, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, and Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations,  Spiritual Warfare, as well as the articles available through the Home page of this blog.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

The Past Defeat and Present Threat of AI

In my previous article called The Times of the Gentiles, I wrote about artificial intelligence (AI) as a key aspect of the rising Iron-Clay world empire that will be ruled by the antichrist, and I warned that AI presents a formidable threat to mankind. I showed how the book of Revelation may contain an example of AI technology that will be used by the false prophet to force people to worship an image of the beast. Today I would like to draw an analogy between AI and another Ai that's found in the Bible. By doing this comparison, and enumerating some lessons learned from Ai, I think you will be able to see the relevance of that defeat to the existential threat of AI that we are going to be facing in these end times

The Defeat at Ai
First let's review what actually happened at Ai. For this we go back to the book of Joshua, where it is recorded how he led the Israelites across the Jordan into the promised land after the death of Moses. His mission was to lead the nation to possess the land that the Lord had given them. Under his leadership and guidance, they were to go into the cities and conquer their enemies one by one, destroying them and taking over the land.

Initially they got off to a good start. Immediately after crossing the Jordan, they conquered Jericho, which was a great victory considering its great walls that surrounded it like a fortress. The next city to take was Ai, but here is where they ran into trouble. Joshua sent scouts to reconnoiter Ai, and they returned with an overconfident attitude, recommending that only a small contingent of the Israeli fighting forces be sent to conquer Ai. After their first victory at Jericho, which was a major one, they assumed Ai would be easy in comparison due to the fewer numbers of enemy people living there. Here is what happened:

"Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, 'Go up and spy out the land.' So the men went up and spied out Ai. They returned to Joshua and said to him, 'Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.' So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water." (Jos 7:2-5)

This was a major defeat that immediately followed their major victory. What a humbling experience! What could have gone wrong? Why couldn't they defeat this relatively smaller city when they had destroyed Jericho the way they did?

The reason was that there was sin in the camp. Before they took the city of Jericho, Joshua had placed a ban on all items in the city. He said:

"The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD." (Jos 6:17-19)

So to summarize that, aside from taking Rahab and her household alive, they were to destroy everyone else in Jericho. And they were forbidden from taking anything in the city at all for themselves. Joshua said that anyone that took any of the plunder for themselves would would make the camp accursed and bring trouble on it. All silver and gold was to go into the Lord's treasury.

The problem was that one of the Israelites named Achan took some of the plunder and kept it for himself. The Bible records:

"But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel." (Jos 7:1)

Note that the sons of Israel were all viewed as having acted unfaithfully, because of the sin of one man. Since he rebelled and took some of the contraband, this caused the Lord's anger to burn against Israel. But Joshua didn't know about this matter yet. He was perplexed and distraught over the defeat at Ai and immediately went to God in prayer to ask why it happened.

"Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. Joshua said, 'Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?'" (Jos 7:6-9)

As you can see, this was a serious blow to the Israelites. And here is the answer the Lord gave Joshua as to why it happened:

"So the LORD said to Joshua, 'Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, 'There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst.'" (Jos 7:9-13)

The Lord told Joshua that the reason the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies and turned their backs before their enemies was that they had sinned, they had transgressed His covenant which he had commanded them. They had taken some of the contraband, stolen it for themselves and then used deception to keep it hidden among their own property. Thus they had brought down a curse on themselves. God promised not to be with them any more until they had removed and destroyed the stolen contraband.

Then through a process that the Lord directed, it was discovered that Achan was the culprit. He confessed to Joshua that he had taken some of the contraband and hidden it in his tent. 

"So Achan answered Joshua and said, 'Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.'" (Jos 7:20-21)

Then they sent messengers to his tent to fetch the concealed items and they brought it back to Joshua and all the people. And just as the Lord directed him to do, Joshua removed the items from the camp, along with Achan, and there in the valley they burned the contraband with fire and stoned him and his family to death.

"Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, 'Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.' And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Achor to this day." (Jos 7:24-26)

Afterward the Lord told Joshua to arise and take all the men of war back up to Ai, because he had given into Joshua's hand its king, his city, his people, and his land. Remember that they had already consecrated themselves to the Lord once again, as He commanded them to do through Joshua (7:13). Then just as the Lord commanded, they went up to fight against Ai and totally defeated it. What a big difference from the first attempt they made! 

Lessons Learned from Ai

We can learn some important lessons from this terrible event. Defeat is always certain when there is sin in the camp. Don't expect to walk in victory when you have transgressed God's covenant. We should never take things the Lord has commanded us not to take, or steal or deceive. Your sin will always find you out. You can be sure that you will not be able to stand before your enemies, if you walk in disobedience to the Lord. There is a strong connection between disobedience and defeat.

Likewise, when even one person in the church has sinned and continues on unrepentant, refusing to confess his sin, then that congregation cannot stand before their enemies; they will turn their backs before their enemies, for in a sense it is like they have become accursed. God's presence will not be with them anymore unless they take proper measures to deal with it. 

Under the New Covenant in Christ's blood, we do not stone people to death. But the one who has sinned must repent before the Lord and confess their sin to Him. They must take whatever steps the Lord directs to address the matter, so that everything can be restored properly. They must make restitution. That will vary from one situation to the next. They may need to go and apologize to someone, seeking forgiveness, and return something they have stolen. They may need to destroy something that the Lord had forbidden, which they had in their own possession. They may even need to confess publicly what they have done in certain instances. As I said, it will vary, but the whole situation must be made right in God's sight, according to His Word and led by His Spirit.

The apostle John wrote: "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." (1Jn 1:8-10)

The apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)

This is very comforting to those who genuinely repent and confess their sin. But Paul also said:

"For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Rom 8:13)

And "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Gal 6:7)

Even though we are under the New Covenant, there are still very serious consequences for sin. In the book of Acts we see some examples of this, such as the death of Ananias and Saphira in chapter 5. And in chapter 5 of Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he instructed them to expel the wicked man from among them, who was a man that was sleeping with his father's wife. Because this sexually immoral person was practicing this sin with the church's full knowledge and he was unrepentant, he had to be excommunicated or dis-fellowshiped from their midst. Yet very few churches ever go to such lengths to deal with sin. Very few are willing to confront sin.

On the other hand, when the people of God consecrate themselves to the Lord and remove all devoted and forbidden things from their midst, as well as all evil doers, and walk in holiness, righteousness, and truth, then they will be a terror to their enemies. The enemy will not be able to stand before them. And this is true of any church that does this, too. They will walk in victory over all the power of the enemy and through Christ overcome the world.

Artificial Intelligence

What does all of this have to do with artificial intelligence or AI? It has a lot to do with it. The reason is that AI is considered by one leading expert named Elon Musk to be the greatest single threat to human existence. And there are many factors that lead us to believe it will be a key component in the kingdom of the antichrist. If that is so, then AI represents a potentially formidable enemy to the Church. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could easily be used for evil purposes. This is true for all the same reasons that the world does not want rogue elements or terrorists possessing nuclear technology or nuclear weapons capability.

A human being is no match for a nuclear weapon. They are helpless before it. We could say the same of other technologies like guns. A person is no match for a gun. And guns in the hands of evil people can be used to terrorize them, as we have seen countless times throughout history, including the recent Las Vegas massacre. Likewise, a human without the power of the Holy Spirit is no match for future, advanced forms of AI technology, if they are harnessed for evil purposes.

Since we know that apart from Christ, all men are sinful, we know that there is no question AI can be misused to harm people. And since we know from Scripture that an evil dictator will rise to global power in the last days, this technology becomes a potential tool in his arsenal to use to control people. If you don't believe me, then just read my article called The Times of the Gentiles, and you will see what I mean. 

History already has plenty of examples of despotic rulers who have used their power to destroy others. We have historical examples in which mass numbers of people were murdered for being Christians or for opposing the evil practices of their ruler. For example, such things happened under Caesar Nero in the first century, and later during the Inquisitions, as well as under Hitler's Nazi regime, and later under Stalin and other leaders of the Soviet Union and its communist satellite states. This continues even today in countries like communist China and North Korea. So this certainly has a historical precedent.

That being said, if there is sin in the Church, how will the Church be able to stand up to the threat of AI or any other threat of the enemy for that matter? It won't be able to do so, because all its protection will be gone. It will be liable to destruction from its foes. The same thing that happened to the sons of Israel at Ai will happen to the Church in any confrontation with AI being used as a means of societal control or persecution.

Naysayers and Opportunists
Meanwhile there are those who downplay the threat of AI and tell you it's nothing to be concerned about. They point out that Isaac Asimov had an "us against them" attitude in 1942, when he wrote the three rules for robots in his book Runaround, which were meant to protect mankind from robots taking over the world. They try to characterize such an attitude as old-fashioned, unwarranted paranoia from seventy-five years ago. They encourage people to get with the times and embrace AI, so that they won't be left out and miss the chance to enjoy the benefits of it, or perhaps so that they won't be a hindrance to its progress and acceptance in society. Such naysayers are speaking the same way the spies did that Joshua sent to Ai, when they downplayed the threat of that city and advised Joshua to send only a few soldiers to fight against it. This is exactly what the enemy wants to accomplish through the use of such propaganda -- for everyone to let down their guard with respect to AI.

However, there are those with real intelligence who still recognize the threat of AI, especially in the form of autonomous weapons. Oren Etzioni, PhD, author and CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AIAI), suggested an update to Asimov's Three Laws of Artificial Intelligence. He has proposed his updated rules for discussion by the United Nations, in light of the enormous growth of the AI business globally.

Communist China has recently announced its intention to be the world leader in AI by 2030. And according to Frank Tobe's September 2017 Robot Report, Russian president Vladimir Putin has told a group of Russian students that artificial intelligence is “not only Russia’s future but the future of the whole of mankind… The one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world. There are colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now.”

Life Application

That's why now is the time to repent, for the kingdom of God is near. Now is the time to do some serious soul searching and seek the Lord while He may be found. Now is the time to confess our sins and make things right with the Lord and with our fellow man. Now is the time to seek deliverance from besetting sins and bondage in your life, which are demonic strongholds. It's high time we sought holiness and consecration to the Lord. We need to cry out to God and ask for the ancient paths, because so the church has allowed so much compromise with the world that it is now widely accepted and not even recognized as sin any more. Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. But it will soon be over and then you will have to contend with the wrath of man, which will be followed by the wrath of God. It will soon be the day of vengeance of our God.

If you do not deal with sin in the camp now and cleanse yourself of it, then you will be no match for the enemy. You will be an easy target, and liable to destruction. You don't want that and neither do I. That's why we should take this warning seriously. Pastors should also take this warning seriously. They should first apply it to their own lives. They should then apply it to those in their own congregations over which they are in charge. They should preach against sin explicitly, naming sins that will keep people from heaven. They should expose evil and purge unrepentant evildoers from their midst, not allowing them to remain in the Church.

I realize this is a hard message, but if you don't want to hear it or heed the warning, then you will eventually be a victim of the enemy, and that will be much worse than the drastic measures I am proposing. Pray about this and ask the Lord what He would have you do. It's your choice. Choose this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 
   
Author's note: I also recommend reading The Times of the Gentiles, Sins That Will Keep You from Heaven, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Restored Truth, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Abominations in the Sight of God, The Coming Wrath of God, Walking in Truth, Righteousness, and Holiness, The Evil Nephilim Giants, Demons Disguised as Humans, Wars and Rumors of War, The Dangers of Disobedience, Demonology 101, Demonology 201, Demonology 301, Baptized with the Spirit and Holy Fire Baptism.  Further reading: Baptized by Blazing Fire -- a Korean church's testimony.  I invite you to visit the Home page for this blog, and you can also find my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.