Everyone knows of the world wide web. What about the dark web? Even if one has no knowledge of this, the very description evokes the possibility of a clandestine operation, something sinister. Indeed the dark web describes sites on the internet, only accessible by special web browsers and computer software. As expected, many individuals involved in nefarious schemes ranging from terrorism, prostitution, selling of illegal arms, cryptocurrencies, and drug deals, conduct their business on the dark web.
Ironically, the foundations of the dark web were created by some of the same architects of the world wide web, as a means to conceal sensitive issues dealing with United States intelligence. The history of the world is littered with discoveries and innovations, initially created for good intentions, but later manipulated to serve evil schemes.
The Church, the Body of Jesus Christ, began on Pentecost, forty days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. God, the Holy Spirit, came upon the eleven disciples of Jesus and about three thousand other believers. At first, there was great harmony and excitement, with everyone gladly selling their possessions and contributing the money for the common goal of supporting the Church and its members. If the Church continued on this course, our world would be very different. Instead, an insidious bureaucracy emerged, one that usurped many of true teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ, and substituted the desires of selfish individuals bent upon using the Church to manipulate and control believers.
Some critics of Christianity claim that God cannot control all events. He is not all-powerful nor all-knowing, otherwise He would never have created such a flawed Church. The Church is perfect, the Body of Jesus Christ, but it is composed of imperfect humans. Jesus, Himself, prophesied of these dark, hidden elements that would exist within His Church.
…The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Matthew 13:24-30 (ESV)
A few verses later, Jesus explained to his disciples that the sower of the good seed is Jesus and the enemy is Satan. The good seed are true believers in Jesus Christ while the weeds are those who deny Jesus and follow Satan. The field is the world, the harvest is the judgement at the end of the ages, and the reapers are angels. In a chilling pronouncement, Jesus declared that those weeds, who have masqueraded as believers and leaders within the Church, all while fomenting strife and heresy, will be judged and sent to everlasting burning and punishment.
Like the dark web operating under the cloak of the world wide web, sinister elements counter to the Church exist within its organization. There will be a final day of reckoning for the evil elements within the Church. We may not have all the answers to deal with the dark web but thanks be to God, that He has already declared the dark elements of the Church will someday be judged and abolished.
Amen!
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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