Tag: Deception

Watch out for deceivers

by Innermost Being, posted in Man of Lawlessness

Truth is constantly under attack. Deceivers hide it, bury it, distort it, deny it, and deflect attention away from it. They can’t destroy the truth, but they can make people believe their  lies.

False prophets, false teachers, false apostles, false messiahs

Jesus warned about false prophets and false messiahs. They may look like one of you, but inside, they are like ferocious wolves. You will know them by their fruit. A bad tree can not bear good fruit.

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious wolves.

Matthew 7:15

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end times, he warned that even the elect (God’s chosen) might be deceived by false prophets and false messiahs.

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Matthew 24:24

Deceit has eternal consequences.

Jesus knew that not everyone who would claim to be his follower is a true disciple. False Christians may fool other people, but they can’t fool Jesus. The danger in pretending to be righteous is that when your time comes, Jesus will say, “Get away from me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23)

The Apostle Paul also warned that people would masquerade as apostles of Christ.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:13

Peter wrote that deceivers will “introduce destructive heresies,” teachings that go against Christ’s teaching. In our times, these heresies include the “prosperity gospel” and religious nationalism.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 2:1

The coming of the lawless one

The Apostle Paul warned that the man of lawlessness will be a deceiver. He will exalt himself above everything and everyone. He will oppose everything that God is for.

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. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

The lawless one will have many tricks up his sleeve – “all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.” Those who will perish under his reign will be under a powerful delusion that causes them to believe the lie. There will be something in their character that allows them to be deceived. They won’t love the truth. They will delight in wickedness.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

No one knows when Jesus will return. That is why Jesus told us to keep watch. Be ready now.

A powerful delusion

The prophecy that makes me especially vigilant right now is the powerful delusion that causes people to turn away from the faith. In the last decade, I have seen Christians unashamedly contort themselves to support words and behavior that are anti-Christ. Why can’t they see deceivers for who they are?

Watch out for words and behavior that do not reflect the heart of God. Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Seek the kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of man.

Imagine a man

by Innermost Being, posted in Man of Lawlessness

Imagine a man whose heart is far from God. He puts many gods before the one true God but the god who has a real hold on his heart is the god known as Self. The one true God is higher than any other god. He alone is all powerful and all knowing. He alone is worthy of all honor and praise. The one true God is the God of love and the source of all that is good. The man whose heart is far from God follows a god of hate. His god brings forth that which is evil.

The man whose heart is far from God expends an extraordinary amount of energy elevating the god of Self – boasting about how smart he is, how wealthy he is, how powerful he is. He exalts himself over everyone and everything. He knows more about any subject than anyone else. In his own eyes, no one is greater in all the earth. He never admits failure, never confesses a wrong, never acknowledges weakness or self-doubt. When he is not elevating the god of Self, he busies himself tearing down his enemies – anyone who makes the god of Self look bad. His greatest enemy is the truth and he fights the truth with a vengeance.

Imagine Narcissis gazing adoringly at Self in the mirror. Self-aggrandizement. Self-adulation. Self-importance. Self-indulgence. For the man whose heart is far from God, it is all about Self.

The man whose god is Self is a master manipulator, a master of deception, a conman. He belongs to his Father, the devil, the father of lies. He carries out his father’s desires. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language.

No man is perfect. We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. None of us knows everything. We all fail. We all stumble. But the man whose god is the god of Self will never admit this. He will never repent. He lives in a world of make believe, a world of fantasy and unreality. When he looks in the mirror he sees a distorted version of himself.

His most consequential lie is a powerful self-delusion. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” He tells himself, if there is a god, I can deceive him just as I deceive people.

The man who worships the god of Self surrounds himself with oleaginous sycophants, toadies, boot lickers. They see his nakedness but pretend that the emperor wears the finest clothes. Convinced that the ends justify the means, they flatter and praise him to stay in his good graces and to trade on his influence.

The man who is his own god believes he is above the law. Many men have tried and failed to hold him to account. The truth is, every man will have to account to God for every wicked act, every careless word. Imagine the day when the man who has spent his life worshiping Self finally faces his Maker. He will not get away with lying to the Father of truth. He will not impress the omnipotent, omniscient God with his wealth, power or intelligence. He will not escape God’s judgment by deflecting and blaming others.

The man whose heart is far from God is not a figment of my imagination. He is real. He is an old man but there is a childlike quality about him. There is something sad and pathetic about his constant need for adulation. He is rich in material wealth but morally bankrupt. He is seemingly successful and yet a colossal failure. He is a powerful liar but he cannot change the truth. He presents himself as a savior but he cannot save his own soul.

I had a dream about this man a couple of months ago. I said one word to him. Repent. The man whose heart is far from God is not beyond God’s redemption. I pray that he will be humbled before the one true God before it is too late.

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By John William Waterhouse – http://www.allartpainting.com/echo-and-narcissus-p-16444.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7716057