The Boiling Frog

*The Boiling Frog*

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet. 5:8

Most people have heard the "boiling frog" metaphor: Drop a frog in a pot of
boiling water and it will frantically try to climb out. But place the frog
in a pot of room-temperature water, then slowly heat the water, and the
frog will get used to the change in temperature and slowly succumb to the
boiling water. While factually incorrect, the metaphor is useful for
pointing out the danger of complacency and inattention.

This metaphor could well be used to warn residents of planet earth about
the slow rise to power of the one the Bible calls the Antichrist. Seen
first as a saviour by brokering peace between Israel and her enemies, this
man of sin will ultimately consolidate world power and authority by
threatening to punish those who do not acquiesce to his demands. By the
time he is established on the world stage, it will be too late. The Bible
says that during the Tribulation, the Antichrist will require every human
on earth to receive a physical mark on his or her body, without which it
will be impossible to buy or sell. One's ability to purchase food will
depend on having "the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name" (Rev. 13:17).

But there is another mark that some will have: the seal of God on their
foreheads. And the only way to experience the seal of the Spirit is to
express your faith in Jesus Christ, be washed and forgiven through His
blood, and become His child. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians -
"Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is
God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts" (2 Cor. 1:21-22). The Trinity living in the hearts and lives of
humankind - what an amazing blessing, privilege and honour to become a
child of the Most High.

*Faith is the identifying mark of the Christian. (Ronald Dunn)*