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Among other horrible circumstances
which characterize the perilous days at the end of this age (2 Tim. 3:1-5) is
general deception from evil people:
Evil men and impostors will
go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Tim 3:13)
When a person is deceived they
are misled by false appearance or statement. Such a person thinks things are
one way when in reality they are a different way. This sort of thing will
abound in the last days, especially religiously.
The first thing Jesus
mentioned when He answered the disciples' questions about the sign of His
coming and the end of the age was to watch out for religious deceivers:
Jesus answered: Watch out
that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am
the Christ,' and will deceive many. (Mat 24:4, 5)
The Lord also mentioned the
success that false prophets will have in their deceptions. This should cause all
Christians to stay on their spiritual guard, for many will be deceived:
Many false prophets will
appear and deceive many people. (Mat 24:11)
The Lord went on to give
specifics about how the false Christs and false prophets will deceive people:
For false Christs and false
prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even
the elect—if that were possible. (Mat 24:24)
For false Christs and false prophets will
appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were
possible. (Mark 13:22)
Did you notice that signs
and miracles can be performed by deceivers? Furthermore, they
seem designed to deceive the elect, if that were possible! Some people
think it is not possible for the elect to get deceived, but we learn from
others Scriptures that it definitely is:
Their teaching will spread
like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away
from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they
destroy the faith of some. (2 Tim 2:17,18)
But I am afraid that just as Eve was
deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from
your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus
we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or
a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
(2 Cor 11:3,4)
Paul clearly believed the
elect could be deceived, for he mentioned two false teachers by name and stated
that their message destroyed the faith of some Christians. He also
revealed his concern for the Corinthian Christians, thinking they may become
deceived as Eve was.
Another type of deceiver also
exists. This type is a smooth talker just like the people on TV and
radio, who speak so well:
For such people are not
serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and
flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. (Rom 16:18)
False teachers can also
present arguments that sound good:
My purpose is that they may
be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full
riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God,
namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I
tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding
arguments. (Col 2:2-4)
There also exists the
following type of deceiver:
Many deceivers, who do not
acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.
Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John 1:7)
Certainly, one of the ways in
which the devil is deceiving many is through the Jehovah's Witnesses. Besides
their many false predictions about the end of the world that people need to be
aware of, is another message. Please note the following warning:
And he said, Take heed that
ye be not led astray: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he; and, The
time is at hand: go ye not after them. (Luke 21:8, ASV)
The founder of Jehovah's
Witnesses, Charles Taze Russell, wrote a six volume set called Studies in
the Scriptures in which his doctrinal distortions are placed in print. His
second volume in this set is entitled, The Time is at Hand, the
exact words Jesus said deceivers would declare! (Please also beware of
other deceivers such as Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists, Muslims and
Catholics.)
Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you,
brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or
letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has
already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will
not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the
man doomed to destruction. (2 Th 2:1-3)
With all the constant talk
about a Pre-tribulation Rapture, which some say can happen at any moment, Paul
gave us the details so we would not be deceived. Notice from the above
what two events he stated would first occur.
Some find it hard to believe
that the Antichrist and false prophet could perform miracles, but they
certainly will:
The coming of the lawless one
will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of
counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives
those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth
and so be saved. (2 Th 2:9,10)
Because of the signs he was given
power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of
the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was
wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Rev 13:14) But the beast was captured, and
with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of
the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the
fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Rev 19:20)
In fact, even demons can
perform miracles:
They are spirits of demons
performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole
world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. (Rev
16:14)
Demons can do various things,
but perhaps the most shocking work that demons are in is concocting doctrines
or teachings that will adversely affect some Christians even to the point
of departing from Christianity:
The Spirit clearly says that
in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits
and things taught by demons. (1 Tim 4:1)
Believe it or not, it is
even possible to be self-deceived! Read the following and learn how this
can occur:
Do not merely listen to the
word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
If anyone considers himself religious and yet
does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his
religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
If anyone thinks he is something when he is
nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal 6:3)
Do not deceive yourselves. If any one
of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a
"fool" so that he may become wise. (1 Cor 3:18)
The first time we read of
the devil, he is about his work as a deceiver. (He succeeded in his
deception with Eve when he first taught Gen. 3:4, which will soon be discussed
further):
But I am afraid that just as
Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led
astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor 11:3)
And Adam was not the one deceived; it
was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. (1 Tim 2:14)
Amazingly, the chief way the
devil is noted in the following passages is by his ability to deceive people:
He threw him into the Abyss,
and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the
nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set
free for a short time. (Rev 20:3)
And the devil, who deceived them, was
thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet
had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev
20:10)
(Note the devil's final
destiny will be unending torment along with all people who die in an
unsaved condition! This reflects how important salvation is.)
Besides all of the various
methods that the devil has to deceive people, we should be aware that sin in
itself is deceptive.
For sin, seizing the
opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the
commandment put me to death. (Rom 7:11)
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a
sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage
one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we
hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (Heb 3:12-14)
Sin can put Christians to
their spiritual death and should be
avoided even to the point of shedding blood:
In your struggle against sin,
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Heb 12:4)
(Note: Christians are in a struggle
against sin. Sin is still the issue for Christians.)
Shocking but true, we must
not even let our own heart lead us, for it too is deceptive. We must
exalt the Scriptures to the primary position as to what is true and what is
false, even above our own feelings and thoughts:
The heart is deceitful
above all things and beyond cure. Who
can understand it? (Jer 17:9)
One of the best ways to
describe unsaved people is the following verse:
At one time we too were
foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and
pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
(Titus 3:3)
Note: all unsaved people
are deceived. This is why they don't come to Jesus for salvation. (Only
a deceived person would not come to the Lord for salvation.)
The devil's original lie is
found at Gen 3:4:
"You will not surely
die," the serpent said to the
woman.
The devil lied about sin
bringing forth spiritual death. This is the same message spread today by the
various popular eternal security teachers such as Charles Stanley, Chuck
Swindoll, John MacArthur, Charles Ryrie, Dave Hunt, etc. They deny that sin in
the life of a believer can result in spiritual death. The following Scriptures from the real grace teacher,
Paul, declares the opposite as we learn sin can stop a Christian from
inheriting the kingdom of God and reaping eternal life.
For of this you can be sure:
No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Eph 5:5) Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those
who are disobedient. (Eph 5:6) Therefore do not be partners with them. (Eph
5:7)
Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually
immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders (1 Cor 6:9) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers
nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:10)
Do not be deceived: God cannot be
mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Gal 6:7) The one who sows to please his sinful
nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8) Let us not become
weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not
give up. (Gal 6:9)
A common deception for
thousands of years has been eternal security. In spite of the clear Scriptures just cited, some
still choose to believe in that doctrinal myth. Also, notice the clarity of the
following.
But each
one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear
brothers. (James 1:14-16)
Other Scriptures which also
prove the above are:
For if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
(Rom 8:13)
If a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. (Ezek 33:18) And if a wicked man turns away from his
wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. (Ezek
33:18,19)
The seriousness of being a liar
like the devil, who is called the father of lies (Jn. 8:44), is
shown in the following:
But the cowardly, the
unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice
magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery
lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev 21:8)
So liars will go to
the lake of fire. The following similarly shows that they will be excluded from
New Jerusalem:
Nothing impure will ever
enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but
only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev 21:27)
With all of this deception
running rampant, it is vitally important not to be deceived. Please note
the follow two Scriptures:
Dear friends, do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
Test everything. Hold on to the good. (1 Th 5:21)
Christians are not to be
gullible! Instead, we are advised to test everyone and everything. This
means that all visions, dreams, prophecies, teachings, testimonies,
experiences, feelings, etc. are to be compared to the message of the Bible. See
2 Tim. 3:16,17. If it doesn't parallel its message then it cannot be from the same
source that produced it, that is, God.
To hold on to the good, as mentioned in 1 Thess. 5:21, means to hold on
to what is true, as shown in the Scriptures. Reject everything else as a
deadly poison.
Evangelical Outreach
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