Wickedness in the End Times

•The Antichrist, Narcissist, and Jezebel Spirits

•The Days of Noah and Lot

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. "--Genesis 6:5

" But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self.... "
--- 2 Timothy 3:1-5

"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." -- Matthew 24:37

...just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. --- Jude 1:7

In the end times, evil in the world will reach its highest point in all history. The Bible indicates that it will not only be like the days of Noah but also like the times of Sodom and Gomorrah.
It will be an unprecedented time of wickedness.
It is a time in history where evil is allowed by God to run unchecked, resulting in unparalleled debauchery.

Romans 1 explains:

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
--- Romans 1:18-25 NIV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
--- Romans 8:13

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
--- James 1:14-15

In the last days, most people turn away from God and follow after their own lusts of the flesh and unholy appetites.

In the last days, the wicked upon earth will open wide the doors of the demonic, allowing the narcissist spirit, the Jezebel spirit, and the Antichrist spirit full access.
All of these demonic spirits (and there are many more) reach their zenith in the last days.
Coupled with the fact that there is a war in heaven and Satan is thrown down to earth during the tribulation.
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
--- Revelation 12:7-9

This provides the perfect storm for unadulterated, unbridled wickedness.

According to the Bible, the unholy and wicked attributes of most people living in the last days will be enormous. The list is long. Let's examine some of the most prominent.

• Antichrist Spirit
Antichrist Spirit is a deceiving spirit (2 John 1:7). It is Satan's greatest weapon. The Antichrist spirit has permeated all aspects of society, including the church. It has been increasing in strength since New Testament times. Deception and false teaching are its primary strategies. It is a denying and destructive spirit. (1 John 2:22).
The motivation of the Antichrist spirit is to destroy (John 10:10).

It is a spirit of chaos, confusion, and disorder, whereas God is all about bringing order out of chaos and confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33). The Antichrist spirit is subtle, disguising itself as righteous (2 Corinthians 11:14).

It is a spirit of division and disunity. (Matthew 12:25)
Scripture entreats us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1).

And concerning the Antichrist spirit, the Bible says:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
--- 2 Thessalonians 2:7

The Apostle Paul wrote:
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,."
--- 1 Timothy 4:1 NASB

The Apostle John echoed this when he wrote:
"and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."
1 John 4:3 NKJV

And the LORD reminds us that the victory has already been won by Christ:
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
--- 1 John 4:4 NLT

• Narcissist Spirit
Psychologists tell us that there is an epidemic of narcissism in the world.

Narcissistic personality disorder involves a pattern of self-centered, arrogant thinking and behavior, a lack of empathy and consideration for other people, and an excessive need for admiration. Narcissists war with God, often pretending to love God, but they actually covet His position. Covertly religious narcissists pretend obedience to God.

The Bible explains it this way:

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
2 Timothy 3:1-5

Biblically, we can see that narcissists are all about themselves. They are arrogant and cannot be humble (though they can fake humility). They have a victim mentality and are incredibly resentful.
They are self-centered people who are blind to their self-centeredness and cannot receive correction. They see correction as a personal attack. They cannot receive godly council.
They are not teachable. (2 Timothy 3:7)

• Jezebel Spirit
Attributes:
The spirit of Jezebel is controlling and manipulative. It often overlaps with the narcissist and Antichrist spirits.

It is a seductive spirit that leads people astray. It is a spirit of witchcraft, idolatry, and sexual immorality. It is a jealous spirit. (Revelation 2:20-23, 2 Kings 9:22, 1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 18:13)

Other attributes of the Jezebel spirit are:
Refuses to admit guilt or wrong, takes credit, is threatened by the prophetic, lies, criticizes, is insubordinate, (1 Samuel 15:23 NASB), is domineering, sows discord, is vengeful, knows it all, is a gift giver to gain favor and control, uses false empathy, dishonesty, disrespects authority, is sexually immoral, plays the victim, avoids accountability, creates chaos and division, creates a sense of entitlement, demands loyalty, and uses flattery.

But Elijah and Moses are coming in the last days to bear witness against the wickedness of the earth. (Revelation 11:3)

• Days of Noah and Lot
Jesus referred to the days of Noah in Matthew 24 when He was describing what conditions would be like just prior to His return. Sadly, the vast majority of the earth’s inhabitants are living ungodly lives just as they did in Noah's day.

Noah was a preacher or messenger of righteousness in his generation (2 Peter 2:5). His faithfulness in building the Ark serves as a testimony to us to also be faithful and obedient to God in the last days.
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."
--- Hebrews 11:7

Apart from Noah's household of 8, God's wrath fell upon the entire world during the flood. Our world is becoming more like Noah's generation every day.
The wrath of God is coming.

We need to be a messenger of righteousness in our generation.
We need to be faithful and obedient like Noah.
Become a Noah for our generation!

Leading up to the LORD's return, the world will be filled with violence, corruption, wickedness, and sexual depravity.
And like the days of Noah and Lot, people’s hearts will be constantly set on doing evil all the time.
(Matthew 24:37-39, Genesis 6:5, Genesis 6:11-12, Genesis 19:1-29, 2 Peter 2:6, Jude 1:7)

We also know from Matthew 24 that the last days will be difficult and perilous.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."
--- 2 Timothy 3:1 KJV
The Greek word for "perilous" is chalepos and also means difficult, fierce, or violent.
This Greek word is only used one other time in the Bible, Matthew 8:28, to describe the demoniac in the tombs.
The world in the end times will be like that violent demoniac… not in their right mind, insane thinking,
"EXCEEDINGLY FIERCE" (Matthew 8:28 KJV)
"DEPRAVED" (Romans 1:28 NASB)
"LIKE UNREASONING ANIMALS" (2 Peter 2:12 NASB).

As you look around, you will find that many in the "world" have lost COMMON SENSE.... they are SCATTERED in their thinking... they are IRRATIONAL in their decisions.

And like in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot, most in the world...
►Have no fear of God
(Romans 3:18, Psalm 55:19)

►Do not love truth
(2 Thessalonians 2:10)

►Call good, evil and evil, good
(Isaiah 5:20)

► Worship the creation rather than the Creator
(Romans 1:25 NIV)

► Indulge in immoral activities
(1 Corinthians 10:7 NLT)

► Have irrational thinking
(2 Peter 2:12)

► Have no common sense
(Jeremiah 9:5)

► Have depraved minds
(Romans 1:28, 2 Timothy 3:8 NASB, 2 Peter 2:7 NIV, 2 Peter 2:19 NIV)

► Do not receive correction
(Amos 5:10, Proverbs 12:1, 2 Timothy 3:16, Proverbs 9:7-9, Proverbs 3:11-12, Job 5:17, Proverbs 15:32)

► For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
(2 Timothy 3:2-5)

► People will be: filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
(Romans 1:29-32)

We have reached a place where many in the world have turned to the doctrines of demons. And as followers of Christ, this comes as no surprise:
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,"
--- 1Timothy 4:1

According to the Apostle Paul, when people reject God, their minds become worthless and depraved (Romans 1:28), resulting in a mind that is so clouded by sin that it can no longer make reliable moral judgments.
In such cases, people have lost their sense of right and wrong and are doing what is "right in their own eyes".
(Proverbs 3:7, Isaiah 5:21, Proverbs 14:12)

Paul writes that people who reject God do so intentionally, even though they know about God. This rejection can lead to a loss of mental health, where people can't tell right from wrong.
For many with a "depraved" mind (Romans 1:28) a point of no return has been reached …there is no remedy.
"A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy."
--- Proverbs 29:1

Much of the world has "gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah."
--- Jude 1:11

and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
--- 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NASB

During the days of Noah, God gave humanity 120 years to change its evil ways before the flood (Genesis 6:3).
At the time of the Exodus out of Egypt, God gave the Amorites 400 years to repent before His wrath. (Genesis 15:13-16)
Today, God has given us 2000 years to repent, but His wrath is coming.

But when the wicked have filled up the measure of their sins, then wrath of God will come upon them.
The patience of God will end, and His judgment will fall on the wicked.
(2 Peter 3:9-10)

The wages of sin is death
--- Romans 6:23

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
--- John 3:36