God's Word, when respected and obeyed, serves as a restraining force against lawlessness, offering protection and order to individuals and societies. When people honor His Word, they remain resistant to the deceptive influences of dem evacuate and maintain a foundation of law and order. However, as respect for God's Word wanes, nations witness a shift toward relativism, becoming vulnerable to political opportunism and the lies of the lawless man. The suppression of God's Word and the truth it espouses signal that the time of the lawless man's emergence draws near.

Many in the churches of this world disregard the belief that the Bible is God's authoritative Word, containing His instructions for living. At West Hill United Church in Toronto, minister Gretta Vosper, an avowed atheist since 2001, has been supported by her congregation and leadership despite her rejection of God and His Word. She views the Bible not as the authoritative word of God for all time, a stance she held even before her ordination. Her church services have replaced prayer with community sharing, rewritten hymns, and substituted talk of God and Jesus Christ with themes of love, compassion, and beauty. Vosper promotes progressive ideology, focusing on tolerance, inclusiveness, and community idealism, while dismissing God as the source of goodness. She asserts that humans alone define and create goodness, denying any divine promise or presence. This trend among mainline churches moves toward hollow, humanistic social organizations, preaching liberal ideology to those ignorant of biblical teachings, showing no fear of God before their eyes.

As Christians, we recognize the living, powerful Word of God as a timeless resource that rejuvenates the weary spirit and provides vision and skills to accomplish lofty goals. Yet, some meet the mention of the Bible as a source of strength with eye-rolls, bitterness, and apathy. Those called of God should not react this way, for if we are named the children of God and respond with disdain, it reflects poorly on our faith. We become angry when our earthly fathers are insulted, and we feel it when our own reputations are tarnished. How much more, then, should we feel for our generous Father in heaven when His name and wisdom are rejected and diminished in our presence? Do we feel offended when Scripture is derided, knowing the miracles it has worked in our lives? Have we considered what God feels when we carelessly or thoughtlessly swat away His hand reaching out to help us? He declares in Isaiah 65:2 that He has stretched out His hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in ways that are not good, following their own thoughts. Toward us, God extends a helping hand, a strong arm of saving power, always willing to reach down and save us if we would only believe Him and repent. If we will not believe His kind words of instruction, we will be forced to learn the hard way through His thundering words of correction and the bitter effects of sin. His words are powerful and will accomplish what He sends them out to do, as He affirms in Isaiah 55:11. God has stretched out His offering of salvation to each of us, and we must consider whether we recoil at this remarkable understanding due to the heavy responsibilities it may entail. Every Christian must answer the question of what they fear more: losing status, wealth, lifestyle, pleasures, friends, or any vice, or losing the favor of God.