TITLE: TERMITES IN THE WOODWORK

Subtitle: Great Damage Is Being Caused By Things We Cannot See!

Tiny subterranean termites are voracious cellulose eating and daylight avoiding pests that are literally causing billions of dollars in property damage around the world. One variety, known as the "Formosan" termite (apparently indigenous to the island of Taiwan--formerly known as Formosa--and introduced accidentally into the Southern US through the port of New Orleans) has practically devoured parts of Louisiana and is now spreading northward looking for more wood to consume! They are virtually impossible to control with any EPA-approved pesticide and this has caused many pest control companies to put a disclaimer in their "bonds" refusing to cover damage caused by that particular insect.

They cannot tolerate light, preferring to do their insidious work in complete darkness. If workers chew through to the outside of a piece of wood and light enters, they will fill in the hole with dirt brought from their nesting area in the ground. They also use dirt to build tunnels up the foundations and support pillars of wood frame buildings so they can pass back and forth in darkness. This often results in damage which goes totally unnoticed until the weight of the wooden structure causes  hollowed-out sections to collapse. The exceptions are those in which the dirt tunnels are found by inspecting the building's foundation or by probing the wood with a sharp "ice-pick" type instrument to prevent extensive damage.

This highly destructive work going unnoticed reminds me of the tactics of the devil where Christians are concerned. In the Bible, his work is often referred to as darkness and contrasted with the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. We find this theme expressed in the following verses of Scripture:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" Ephes. 6:12 (KJV).

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor. 6:14 (KJV).

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth"
1 John 1:5-6 (KJV).

So with these passages in mind, we want to point out another that we feel is being overlooked by nearly all pastors and Bible teachers today:

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" Ephes. 5:11 (KJV, emphasis mine).

What does "reprove" mean in this particular verse? According to W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the Greek word (elencho) translated "reprove" means, "...to convict, rebuke, reprove, is translated reprove in Luke 3:19; John 3:20, R.V. marg., "convicted"; the real meaning here is "exposed" (A.V. marg. "discovered"); Eph.5:11, 13, where to expose is again the significance......" (page 283, emphasis mine).

The Amplified Bible renders Ephesians 5:11 thusly:

"Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] expose and reprove and convict them." (emphasis mine).

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (copyright 2001) says the Greek word elencho means: "to expose; to rebuke, refute, show fault; to convince, convict." (page 1495, number 1651, emphasis mine).

Our intent in emphasizing this particular definition is because the "job description of a preacher"  found in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 says:

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; [2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (KJV, emphasis mine).

The English dictionary definition of "reprove" is to rebuke, but I believe the Holy Spirit shows us in the verse above [2 Tim.4:2] that the word reprove (translated from Gk. elencho) is primarily intended to carry the meaning of "expose" (as per W.E.Vine's explanation) , because "rebuke" (Gk. epitimao--where the unambigious meaning is to censure, or rebuke) is the very next word in the text. To insist upon any of the other acceptable definitions of elencho in this case would essentially be redundant with that of epitimao.  And we believe the generally accepted definition of "rebuke" for elencho, has contributed to a widespread lack of emphasis by preachers upon the "unfruitful works of darkness."

Ephesians 5:11 speaks of the individual believer's responsibility to expose by contrast through his/her life, but the verse directed to preachers in 2 Timothy just says to expose--period! When termites are exposed, the need for a remedy becomes obvious and the same is true with the hidden agenda of the devil. But over a period of many years preachers have increasingly ignored their responsiblity to maintain good "intelligence" on the enemy--to use the military term for trying to know as much as possible about his overall agenda and what he is doing at the present. They occasionally preach about the dangers of satanic interference in daily life and in broad general terms give lip service to the existence of the powers of darkness, but in actual point of fact the overwhelming majority know very little (if anything) about the occult. Ask them about the current "buzz" among the New Age crowd and they will not have a clue as to what you are talking about. And that sad fact leads to the following logical question: How in the name of reason can preachers expect their flocks to be effective soldiers of the cross, when they themselves do not know how to recognize the enemy, let alone understand his tactics? They obviously cannot truthfully say with the apostle Paul:

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" 2 Cor. 2:11 (KJV, emphasis mine).

Ignorance of "the dark side" is pandemic among the shepherds and because of it, demonic termites continue to gnaw away the framework of Christendom. It is a tragedy of cosmic proportions--but apparently inevitable--that the damage will not be dealt with before the walls fall under their own weight. The apostasy ("falling away") of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is on the horizon and the reasons for the hollowed-out timbers is obvious to only a few because the majority do not recognize the demonic dirt that is keeping the light out.

In our opinion, a broad knowledge of the occult is of more importance than many subjects now being taught in seminaries and should be stressed for those who are about to enter the ministry. One cannot possibly understand the evil principles behind the various cults without this information. Missionaries in many parts of the world face demonic oppression on a daily basis and most newcomers are typically ill-equipped to deal with it. Those few who manage to stay on the field have to learn the hard way and often suffer needless hardships because of ignorance. The nature of the struggle is defined by the apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" Ephes. 6:12 (KJV).

Teaching Christian soldiers to avoid sin without giving them sufficient insight into the tactics of the enemy is like sending troops into battle without any prior knowledge of land mines, ambushes, or other dirty tricks designed to maim and kill the unwary. For us to to try to walk by sight through the darkness of this world is to be oblivious to the presence of a vastly superior enemy force and a sure recipe for spiritual disaster. But if we are thoroughly equipped to recognize danger and are skillful in handling the most potent weapon ever disclosed to mankind--the Word of God--we can be victors and not victims.

God's people continue to be under attack by an invisible enemy, but their presence in the society around us is unmistakable when we look for their "dirt tunnels" and probe for them with the sharp instrument of God's Word. But where should we begin our search? My suggestion is that the answer is found in the following verse:

"For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news (the Gospel) of God?" 1 Peter 4:17 (Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible commentary).

The judgment of God upon the sins of His children is that of a loving Father and as we learn from Hebrews 12:6,  He chastens every son whom He receives. The household of God is being weakened by demonic "termites" working in our midst and we should make every effort to minimize chastening by exposing them and cleaning up the damage. But at the same time we must bear in mind that this will inevitably result in persecution by those who are unbelievers. Truly living for Jesus Christ and taking up our crosses daily will cost us dearly and I feel this fact has played a major role in the lack of clear teaching on the subject before us. It is a relatively easy thing for pastors to emphasize evangelization of the lost and "building churches," but it is another thing entirely to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." To expose the unfruitful works of darkness requires a degree of knowledge that is only gained by persistent study and paying attention to what is taking place around us. Ignorant generals are ultimately responsible for the deaths of those who follow their orders and pastors who refuse to face this issue will have to give an account to the Lord.

This is truly a sad day in which we live because it is obvious the majority of professing Christians cannot perceive the apostasy among those posing as great leaders of the faith. "Angels of light" are raking in billions of dollars and living high on the hog because of the spiritual blindness of the masses. The nations of the world are following an occult agenda--analagous to our example of the dirt tunnels of termites--which remains hidden only because preachers are too preoccupied to look for themselves or listen to the few who are trying to get their attention. The details of this elaborate plan were exposed to the light of day many years ago and are now being discussed openly among those following the dark path of occult gnosticism. But only those who make the effort to inspect "the unfruitful works of darkness" will recognize the damage being done and take steps to expose it.

The Word of God is clear in teaching us that this wicked plan is going to succeed for a limited time--because He is going to allow it--but it is not His will that we be deceived into playing a part in its success! So we urge God's people (and especially His preachers) to overcome the natural tendency in this case to disbelieve that which appears to be ridiculous. We know there is wide-spread resistance among the brethren where "conspiracy theories" are concerned and much disinformation is being propagated, but must insist that the Holy Spirit will reveal truth when we prayerfully approach the subject with a willingness to understand. Our intent is not to try to rally the troops into overt action against the forces of evil, because this battle is in the spiritual realm--not the physical. And that being the case, the Words of the Lord in the following verse should have more meaning for us:

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16 (KJV).

To preserve life in the midst of wolves one must exercise wisdom by avoiding unnecessary confrontation. Our mandate from God is not to oppose evil through physical means ("...resist not evil...," Matt.5:39), but to be aware of what it entails, avoid it ourselves, and teach other believers to do so. The specific illustration here of being "wise as serpents" has an occult connotation that only one who is aware of such can recognize. Hidden, or occult, wisdom--gnosticism--is central to the tenets of the dark side and universally expressed through the symbol of Satan--the serpent. So this is an exhortation from the Lord to His disciples that they be as wise as the wolves! And that is patently impossible if we insist upon remaining ignorant of what the enemy believes and practices. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Deception is descending upon humanity like an impenetrable fog and only those who know the truth will be able to navagate.

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order—Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.

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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466

You can also E-Mail  Pastor Ronald Riffe  regarding questions or comments about this article.

God bless you.