Chette,
I apologize for not fully explaining where I was coming from. My intent was to make the reader ruminate over these things. So I will try to elaborate a little bit more on this subject. My position is that the Bible teaches that the Church as a whole will reject God, just as Israel did and was ultimately rejected herself. I do believe that a remnant will be saved, but we are rapidly approaching the point where that remnant is a tiny minority. What passes for Christianity today, for the most part, is nothing but pagan idolatry.
Below are the album covers of one of the most popular "Christian metal" bands:
Here are some pictures of the band:
Now seriously, can anyone honestly argue that these people are exhibiting the evidence of a Christian life and fruits. Everything we see here tells us that these people love death.
These, I contend are examples of the birds in the branches from the original parable. These guys are indistinguishable from outright satanists, yet they are claiming to be Christians. How can this be?
It can be because the time has come where people are mistaking demons for the Holy Spirit. They are receiving spirits, but those spirits are not from God.
We see the same thing happening in the Charismatic movement. People are becoming possessed by devils and attributing it to the Holy Spirit. Here are just a few examples:
Once we reject God's Word and his Holy Spirit, we will begin to open ourselves up to counterfeit spirits. These are the birds in the branches. This principle is symbolized by the events of Numbers 21:
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water;
and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.
Doctrinally speaking, when we reject the sound doctine of the Word, and despise it as "light bread", we are opening ourselves up to doctrines of devils. These fiery serpents will "bite" us with the demonic venom of these devlish teachings and possibly even lead to demonic oppression and/or possession.