It has all happened before. And, if the Lord awaits His coming, it will all happen again. But it is happening now, the accommodation of God’s church with the agenda of the world. And to those of us resisting the current trend towards compromise with the world, it is unlike any conflict we have faced in our lifetime.

We sound this warning knowing full well that we will be misrepresented and knowing full well that our message will be misconstrued. Distortion of reality is always a defense when vested interests are challenged.

Remember, this tactic was used by Ahab against Elijah. The prophet’s answer serves our purposes well in the current conflict:

"When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, 'Is it you, you troubler of Israel?' And he answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.'" 1 Kings 18:17-18 (ESV)

Ahab accused Elijah of being a troublemaker in Israel because he would not "get with the program," as the old saying goes. The prophet would not unite behind Ahab’s evil agenda of false religion.

Elijah, however, countered this misinformation by turning the accusation back on Ahab. The king, not the prophet, was the troubler of Israel. The fault of broken fellowship rests with those who abandon the Lord’s way to follow religion of their own design.