Spiritual Deceit
By Bro David Petersen
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ."
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
"Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Counterfeit Christianity
Satan is not a little red devil with horns and a pitchfork who sits on your shoulder and suggests little naughties into your ear. He would like you to have that image of him though so that you won't really know what he's up to.
Satan is in the business of false religion. His mission statement is: "To destroy the work of Jesus Christ." He does this by confusing people with all kinds of spiritual lies and deceit.
Satan is a powerful angelic being who pretends to be one bringing light.
In fact the name 'Lucifer' means 'Light Bearer' and Lucifer pretends that he wants to "enlighten" us. But Satan is really a fallen angel who is in rebellion to God. And he wants to drag down any sucker that he can take with him.
Notice in the verses above that Satan actually has his own ministers. His ministers do not walk around and say "Let me feed you some lies so you can go to hell." They wouldn't fool many sheeple that way. They deceive people by posing as "ministers of righteousness" and "ministers of Christ" in particular. Satan's main trick is to counterfeit the Lord's true churches. People then see the hypocrisy in the false churches and write off all of Christianity as pure bunk.
However, Jesus promised that Satan would not prevail against his true churches: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18. Jesus has always had true churches in this world despite Satan's efforts to destroy them. These were usually not the big institutional churches that became "universal", but were often hidden underground assemblies that were persecuted as "heretics" by the state sponsored universal churches under Satan's control.
So there is a spiritual war going on in the world today! God and his truth are in mortal combat against Satan and his lies. It is a war for the hearts and minds of people and the eternal destiny of all mankind is at stake. Most people can't even see this battle going on. They have been blinded by Satan whom the Bible also refers to as "the god of this world":
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor 4:3-4.
How can you tell the true churches from the false ones? Jesus said "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." John 14:21. So true churches do what Jesus said. We find the commandments of Jesus in the Bible, therefore his churches follow the teachings in the Bible. The false churches use the Bible too, but they mis-apply it. Therefore we must be so familiar with the truths taught in the Bible that when a counterfeit looms we can see that its teaching and practices are not consistent with scripture. A good way to do this is to look for the identifying marks of a scriptural New Testament church in a religious organization.
The Word-Faith Movement
James 4:3 says "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
The fastest growing segment of professing Christianity in recent years has been among so-called churches connected with the Positive Confession movement or Word-Faith movement (all part of the modern Charismatic movement). This is also known as the "Prosperity Gospel". Yet the defining principle of this movement is in direct opposition to the teaching of James 4:3 and all other instruction regarding worldly prosperity in the Bible (See James Chapters 4 & 5).
It has involved two distinct but closely related factions: the Norman Vincent Peale / Robert Schuller Positive-Possibility thinkers / Positive Mental Attitude, with their roots in New Thought; and the Kenneth Hagin / Kenneth Copeland Positive Confession and Word-Faith groups, which have their roots in E.W. Kenyon, William Branham, and the Manifest Sons of God / Latter Rain movement.
As the name "Positive Confession"/ "Word-Faith" implies, this movement teaches that faith is a matter of what we say more than whom we trust or what truths we embrace and affirm in our hearts. The term "positive confession" refers to the teaching that words have creative power. What you say, Word-Faith teachers claim, determines everything that happens to you. Your "confessions," that is, the things you say -- especially the favors you demand of God -- must all be stated positively and without wavering. Then God is required to answer. Word-Faith believers view their positive confessions as an incantation by which they can conjure up anything they desire: "Believe it in your heart; say it with your mouth. That is the principle of faith. You can have what you say" (Charismatic Chaos, pp. 281, 285).
This is at the heart of the Positive Confession movement today, also known as the "name-it-and-claim-it" gospel. The Positive Confession movement is nothing but a charismatic form of Christian Science. This can be substantiated by simply comparing the similarities in their common beliefs. Positive Confession is basically warmed-over New Thought dressed in evangelical/charismatic language.
We need to pray for the right thing. Selfish prayers will not be answered. There is no promise from God that we can "name it and claim it". You cannot just "write your own ticket with God".
When people ask of God prosperity, but do not receive what they ask for, it is because they ask with wrong motivation. They ask God to give them success in their pursuits; not that they may glorify their heavenly Father and do good with what they have, but that they may consume it upon their lusts--that they may be enable to live large, have that big house, drive a luxury car, eat in fine restaurants, take exotic vacations and wear fancy clothes.
In doing this they are not attempting to gloryify God, but seek to gratify their pride, vanity, desire for more and more.
But, if we thus seek the things of this world, it is just in God to deny them; whereas, if we seek any thing that we may serve God with it, we may expect he will either give us what we seek or give us hearts to be content without it, and give opportunities of serving and glorifying him some other way.
So what motivates these false prophets? Need I ask? "For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom 16:18).
The Mega-Church Menagerie
Today many churches have strayed away from the pure, joyful simplicity of the original church. The worldly mega-church has emerged with its high-powered marketing tactics. These churches have become big business with their own bosses, corporate organizational charts and Lear jets. Entertainment has replaced the preaching of the truth. It's one big tax-deductible ice cream social. People go to have their carnal natures fed instead of the spiritual. A pragmatic gospel of self-improvement and the "4 Steps To Happiness" have replaced the true gospel of Jesus Christ, his shed blood, atoning death and triumphant resurrection. Sentimentalism and an emphasis on feelings have taken the place of scriptural doctrine and conviction.
It all becomes a numbers game. The ministers have to keep revenues up so they can make those fat payrolls. " For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom 16:18) .
This is exactly how Paul said it would be in the end times: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2 Tim 4:3-4. These teachers will not mention any unpleaseant subjects such as 'sin' or 'repentence' that might alienate people and cause them to leave the church. So they preach only bland pleasantries that the docile 'sheeple' want to hear: "You are basically a good person and just need to improve yourself a little bit in order for God to accept you". The sheeple in turn measure religion on the basis of "what works" and "what is going to benefit me now?", not on what is true.
Many times you can slip in and out of these churches' services and never exchange a single word with a living soul. Many people in them have become a namelss bump on a bench. So today many view church as a boring set of 'do's and don'ts'.
False Religion
Satan doesn't restrict his spiritual fraud to an impersonation of Christianity. He's got whatever lie you would like to hear. There is a virtual cornucopia of deception for you to choose from.
Feeling the need for some esoteric studies? Satan says the answer "lies" within you.
Oh, so you would like to BE God, eh? Enter the New Age movement. New Ageism is just the ancient false religion of self-improvement re-packaged for modern day consumption. There is nothing wrong with improving ourselves, but no effort apart from the righteousness that God provides through Jesus will ever cure sin and make us acceptable to Him. And who started ancient New Ageism? I'll give you 2 guesses.
Pop Quiz:
Question #1: Who said "I will be like the Most High"?
Time's up..... Answer #1: Lucifer said it in Isaiah 14:14.
Question #2: Who said "Ye shall be as gods"?
Answer #2: You got it... Lucifer said it to Eve in the garden just before she took the bite.
Conclusion: wanting to BE god is not a godly thing to want.
Perhaps instead you want to believe that you cease to exist when you die? Let Satan introduce you to Frederick Nietzsche and his anti-theistic Philosophy of Despair.
Do you think that God wants you to suffer through meaningless, repetitive "religious" ceremonies? Then Satan has 7 sacraments for you to take. Step right up! It's all right here. Spiritual snake oil to cure your every ill!
What is truth? Jesus declared that HE is the truth.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the TRUTH, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6
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Notice that Jesus said I am THE way and THE truth; not A way and A truth. According to Jesus, there is only one way to the Father and only one truth concerning that way. The truth is that there are not many ways to God. God has provided the way for us to reach him. That way is Jesus. God is God and we are not. God dictates how we are to approach him. When we reject God's way and insist on our own way, we demonstrate our own arrogance and pride. |
The idea that there are many ways to God is a spiritual lie promoted by Satan. It sounds good to the natural mind, but it is in stark contrast to what Jesus taught.
Can I get to God through Bhudda? Sorry, but no: "No one comes to the Father but through me".
How about through Mohammed? Again the answer is no: "No one comes to the Father but through me".
Whenever you hear someone say that "all religions are basically the same"; you can be sure that they have not thought it through for even 30 seconds. Christianity is exclusive in its truth claims. Let me give you just one example. The Bible says:
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Heb. 9:7
According to this passage the death rate is 100%. We all die exactly once and then face God's judgment. We do not die many times. This teaching is diametrically opposed to reincarnation which teaches that we die many times and keep coming back to this world in other forms. So the Bible is in direct opposition to the reincarnation teachings of Bhuddism and Hinduism. Therefore Christianity and Bhuddism cannot both be true. One of them has to be wrong on the issue of the afterlife. The implications are profound. These religions are not the same. Many other examples could be given.
Satan Worshippers: Why Be On The Losing Side?
Your Master is going down! Why follow a loser?
Make no mistake. God will ultimately win the spiritual war as it is written in the Book of Revelation:
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." Revelation 19:20
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10