Read this verse again. Did you catch it? Jerusalem - and ALL Judea, and ALL the region around the Jordan were going out to him. This man was getting the attention of the entire Southern kingdom, Jerusalem and points east. People were walking upwards of five days or more to come see and hear John speak, preach, and perhaps to be baptised.

And he also caught the attention of the Pharisees as well...

Matt. 3:7-9: But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

The Pharisees were worried, even terrified, because John was attracting so much attention. They did not like what he was preaching because it was contrary to what they taught (even though Jesus later tells His disciples to do what they taught, but not to do what they themselves practiced - ref.: Matt. 23). This is the very thing John was speaking against: the practices of the religious authority in Israel, that they were flagrantly in violation of the Law they taught and preached in synagogue every Sabbath. In addressing them, John is telling them exactly who and what they are before God - and yet calls for them to repent, holding no malice against them should they humble themselves and repent before the people and submit that they had indeed been practicing things against the very Law they were charged to represent and uphold.

But John then goes on to say something very important.

Matt. 3:10: And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Now, I want to jump ahead just a bit to something Jesus said which was quite similar to this statement.

John 15:1-6: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Can you see the similarity? Any tree - or branch - that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. No exceptions. Jesus goes even further in saying that "If anyone does NOT remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up." The words Jesus uses here are very specific and pointed. He is saying someone who does NOT remain, basically saying that they were once a branch of His vine, they are removed and also thrown into the fire and burned.

One more passage I want you to consider here.

Rom. 11:19-21: You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

This is a hard truth to hear for Christians because because of what it suggests - that though one may be a part of the vine, one can be removed because of no fruit (remember the servant with one talent who buried it and was punished and thrown into the outer darkness!).

Congregations are so conditioned in the "everything is fine" mindset that the Church as a whole has been embracing and teaching - even given that the world is slowly going mad as I write this! They are not chastised, warned, shown how perilous their salvation may actually be. The people of God live a precarious life, embracing the things of the world as though they are perfectly acceptable - because they are not taught in church these things are NOT acceptable for Christians to do, embrace or believe.

This is a part of the greater Lie the Church has slowly come to embrace over the past 70 years. It is patently false because the "teachers" in the Church are not raising you and me up to maturity in Christ Jesus, helping us to understand how to navigate the world during perilous times, such as we are presently experiencing today.

Now, back to John and his encounter with the Pharisees. He knew they were not there to repent - and they knew he was quite aware of this fact. As I mentioned earlier, they were there to see for themselves - and to report back to the Sanhedrin - what exactly John was really saying, preferring to not rely upon second hand accounts, rumors and speculations. So they made the journey and listened to him speak, in all probability for a few days, since the journey was so far from the comforts of Jerusalem. This way they would get a full picture of just what they were up against. And they knew immediately that John was indeed the "enemy" - and John made no secret that he knew their hearts, saying it right to their faces!

Now, a little further down the text of Matt. 3, we see John further describe the things that "He who comes after me..." will be doing.

Matt. 3:12: His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Ah, the mention of fire once again. And it is the useless things, the branches, the trees, the chaff, that will be thrown into the fire - even those trees and branches of His forest and vine...and the chaff that came off His harvest of wheat.

Now, I want you to consider how this all applies today within the Church of God, of which Jesus is the Head.

The axe is laid to the root; this is what John said. What does it mean today? How does it apply today?

In the days of John and Jesus, the Jewish religion was so utterly corrupted that anyone who was brought into the "brotherhood" of the priesthood was considered "twice the sons of hell" as the teachers who brought them into the fold (ref. Matt. 23:15).

Look around you and see what has become of God's Church.

John McArthur says you can take the mark of the Beast and still be saved. But scripture is clearly at odds with his teaching (ref. Rev. 21:8 as an example). And John McArthur is considered a virtuous teacher of God's word. If he gets something as fundamental as this so wrong, how many other things has he taught which are blasphemous? His teachings that speak contrary to the gospel are worthless - worthy to be cut off and thrown into the fire.

Joel Osteen teaches that we can have it all, right now (best selling book: "Your Best Life Now"). He teaches we can have it all in THIS life. Well, Jesus taught that we should store our reward in the heavenly vault (ref. Matt. 6:20). He is yet another "pastor" who teaches things so in opposition to scripture. And when challenged to speak to the gay issue by talk show host Larry King, he equivocated and danced around the subject, refusing to quote scripture and condemn the behaviour and those who practice these things. He is a worthless shepherd, as are his teachings, worthless and worthy to be cut off and thrown into the fire.

Greg Locke is on record saying that if you vote Democrat, you aren't a Christian - and you are not welcome in HIS church. Awesome. He and so many others like him have politicized the gospel of the kingdom, the Word of God, and so have utterly poisoned everything they touch. Everything they teach is through the lens of this politicized religious ideology, worthless and worthy to be cut off and thrown into the fire.

These few are a sampling of modern Pharisees, a modern brood of vipers.

How many churches do you know of that not only welcome gay people, but also affirm them in their choice to live that life? Gay? No problem. God loves you just the way you are! Come on in. We aren't here to judge you, ask you to change, teach you that the gay life is against God's Word. No, you will be embraced and loved.

God's word is quite clear, both in the old AND new testament: men lusting after men, women forsaking the natural for the unnatural, their behaviour is an abomination. (Ref. Lev. 18:21 and Rom. 1:26-27).

More and more Christians and churches are succumbing to the "woke" ideas of the world. Here and in Europe it is in full swing. The world has slowly crept into the church and church services. It has crept into the music we call "worship" music, and which has become anything BUT focused on the worship of God. While there may be the occasional song that is very worshipful, it has become the exception, not the rule, in most of the music we call "worship" today.

Ironically, we were warned FROM THE BEGINNING that this would happen. Read the following:

Matt: 7:15: Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Acts 20:29-30: I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.

Can it be any more clear? Even in Peter's and Paul's day, we have it written that they KNEW Satan was already at work WITHIN THE CHURCH, from the beginning. And yet, we choose to ignore this FACT and behave as if "everything is fine". But it is anything but fine.

I have been to many churches over the years and I have had to endure the teaching of "programs", multi-part series on a given subject. These programs are purchased by the churches from websites that do all the work for you! You don't have to do any study as a pastor. Nope! It's all done for you. Pay the fee and download the package on whatever subject it is you wish to preach. They give you ALL the sermon notes, ALL the fancy graphics, even companion videos that help "sell" the program to your congregation! Yes, it's all there and you pastors don't need to waste time studying the scriptures, praying to God as to what He would have you speak to your congregation. They have done it all for you.

While some churches actually preach out of the bible - from time to time - maybe going through a book between the "programs" they also preach, it is becoming quite rare that pastors bother to preach straight out of God's word as their main approach to teaching their congregations. Have you noticed how during a "series", each sermon references a verse or two from the Bible, and then quickly abandons any further mention of scripture, becoming a motivational speech designed to make you feel good, and to encourage you?

Now, encouragement is good, don't get me wrong. But we also need to be reminded that sin crouches at the door - our door. We need to be taught how to fight spiritual battles - not sing songs about it, "This is how I fight my battles..." - a song which actually doesn't even address how that's done!

I understand how you may think this is a rant. No, it is NOT a rant. It is a warning. Your church is, in all likelihood, infected with this wretched disease that is depriving you of the spiritual maturity you are supposed to be pursuing each and every day. You cannot live on the elementary teachings the Church - YOUR church - is teaching you. It is confining you, keeping you as a babe, feeding you milk when you should be starting to consume solid food of scripture, the "things difficult to understand" that Peter said of Paul's teaching.

So, how do we reverse this trend, this state of affairs within the Church?

God is already way ahead of you. But you are not going to like what He is going to do to His church in order to prepare the people of God in Christ for the days that lie ahead, days that are just around the corner, days in which the people of God will begin to face persecution and even imprisonment, perhaps even death for their faith.

The axe will cut to the root within the Church. God is going to, has already begun, to move in this regard.

We constantly hear many pastors speaking to the "new" or "next" generation of leaders, the young men and women in the Church, and they are raising them up and installing them in positions of authority. I find this quite a sad thing because scripture teaches us to value the elderly people of God as a resource of great knowledge, understanding and wisdom. But the way the church is behaving, the wisdom of the elderly is not desired, sought or consulted at all. This is to our collective shame.

I know many people who are not young; they are amazing resources of this Christian life. They are steeped in the word of God, understand it, and are truly mature believers - not just in age - but in the understanding of the truth of the deeper things in God's word that are ignored by today's leaders, and tomorrow's successors.

THESE people should be our teachers because they have the wisdom from a full life, devoted to serving God first, not man. They are the mature teachers we all need. But I know of no church who calls upon their elderly members to get up and teach the Word of God. Not one. No, I am not exaggerating here. In all the churches I have attended over the years, the elderly people have all but ceased to be relevant in the eyes of the leadership of these churches, relegated to perhaps "Elder" status as a ceremonial position with nothing more to their appointment - not even as the wisdom resource for the Pastor. Figureheads at best, quiet and without a voice at worst.

I also know that some of these older faithful people are going to be instrumental when what is coming upon the church when God begins to move in earnest. They have gone through the crucible, been purified and then molded into the very person God needs them to be so they can operate in the days ahead, when the young leaders will stand with their mouths agape and their arms hanging limp, entirely at a loss as to what they should do - because they have no understanding of the deeper things of Scripture and God. They will be incapable of dealing with the things that are coming upon the world.

So, the challenge to you is very simple: when the axe begins to cut to the root, will you be ready? Are you prepared? Will you be capable of standing firm, unmovable, resolute in and for the true faith, knowing the true meaning of scripture, and humble to serve, honestly serve, in the work God directs you to - not the work you choose or wish to do? Remember, Jesus said He would give us the desire of our heart. This means that no matter how distasteful something may appear to us in our flesh, if we allow God to direct our steps, truly guide us above and beyond the lessons of man, how can we NOT come to love and even desire to do that work into which God leads us?

When the people of God wake up and recognize they are NOT where God wants them to be, that they are NOT doing the ministry and work God has created them for, that they must walk away, even from a prosperous career, then and only then will the Church begin to look like and take on the attributes of the Bride Jesus is going to come and receive into His kingdom.

As I look at the Church today, I do not see a lovely bride awaiting her betrothed. I see a Jezebel, a harlot, who has said, "I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning."

And yet, all these things will come upon the Church IN ONE DAY.

Woe to you if you do not recognize the signs of the seasons, even the sign of the coming of the Son of Man. Behold, He stands at the door and knocks. Are you prepared to welcome Him in? And are you prepared to forsake everything in service to your Lord and your God, Jesus?

I hope so.