Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.
It is of critical importance for us to understand what is written in the scriptures concerning the diabolical works of devils that are to take the world captive in final days of earth’s history. All the underlying work has already been accomplished and now only awaits the permission of God, for everything that has been prophesied to come to a head. Some mistakenly believe that having The Holy Spirit is all that is sufficient to fend off the delusions, and deceptions that will take the world by storm.
This is an incorrect belief, because, for the Christian, The Holy Spirit is promised to bring to our remembrance that which we have previously studied and obeyed. But we must have made the effort in searching for those gems of truth that would enable persons to be anchored. The very word “remember” implies that those vital truths must have previously been studied, dwelt upon, and believed.
The deceptions and delusions are predicted to be so close-cutting that even the very elect are warned to be on their guard, as was mentioned in our first set of verses. This is because, if an individual does not recognize something as a temptation, he/she would most likely not make an effort to resist it, and thus, that person can fall inadvertently into error.
Even though The Holy Spirit was given to all of the disciples as they went out to preach, that Gift did not prevent them from harboring errors that were to be corrected later on, when more light was to be shed upon their pathway. It was for this reason why the heated debate over certain issues took place at the Jerusalem council.
Again, Luther, Huss, Jerome, Zwingli, and Calvin all had a measure of God’s Holy Spirit, as they forged ahead with the reformation, but The Holy Ghost did not reveal to them the truths about the Sabbath. In fact, even the servant of The Lord was a Methodist when she was called to the prophetic ministry. The reformers were mostly Sunday keepers, and it is a fact that they held certain errors that were to be made plain later on, as God would see fit.
Thus, it is not a 100% guarantee that a person having the Holy Spirit will preclude every falsehood and error that will come upon the face of the earth. But millions of contemporary evangelicals and even many Christians are obsessed with what is referred to as the “Anointing”, while the written word is for all intents and purposes left up to the interpretation of televangelists. This is just as devils would have it, for they already know that the “anointing” does not necessarily prevent one from believing error.
They that worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in truth, and therefore, folks could have all the Anointing that is available, yet if the study of God’s word is neglected, such persons could be swept off their feet. The study of the Bible enables us to clearly discern right from wrong, and truth from error; thus, as we pray for more of The Holy Ghost, whilst walking in obedience to what we have thus learned, our ability to discern is increased greatly, until, as the scripture states, we will have developed quick understanding of spiritual things. Let’s read:
Hebrews 5:13 For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
2nd Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
Thus, as it pertains to our study today there are just three basic points we would address, because of the constraints of time, so that we might have a clearer understanding of what is taking place on the earth, behind the scenes.
Therefore, if I was a devil I would do these three things: [1] The first and most important thing is to get people to believe that I do not exist. [2] The next effort will be to have people believe that they are more intelligent or more powerful than me. [3] The last effort will be to get folks to believe that I am really ugly and hideous. Armed with these three basic weapons it would be a breeze to take down the majority of people living on the planet to perdition. Therefore, we will begin with the very first effort.
[1] The first and most important thing is to get people to believe that devils do not exist. This first effort that deals with a nonexistent devil in the minds of many folks leads millions of persons to discredit the tempter as just a mere figment of their imagination; or otherwise, devils are represented as being people’s evil thoughts and desires, but never a real personal being.
More than 1800 professed Christians, involved in a certain study were asked about their belief in a real devil. 59% strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that he is not a real being. 26% said he is real, 9% said they somewhat believed, and 8% declared that they were not sure what to believe. Now, if this pertains to Christians who claim to read and believe the Bible, one can only imagine what it is like in the secular realm, with those who do not believe in the Bible!
Thus, there are very great and tangible benefits to be derived by devils, in pushing the theory of their nonexistence, as listed below.
[1] All of this world’s many troubles, calamities and tumults are ultimately blamed on God, because if devils are nonexistent, then it must be God who is doing these things, or so it is thought by millions the world over. From 9/11 to Covid, and from every pestilence, and pandemic in history, to tornadoes, earthquakes and fires, the one common question most often asked is “Where is God? Blame is almost never laid at the feet of devils, for to most minds, they do not exist.
Even in Florida, and those gulf coast states where hurricanes have often come ashore, the storms are labelled as an act of God on insurance policies, but never as an act of devils. “Acts of God” provisions in legal contracts, also called “Force Majeure” clauses, reference events outside human control, like flash floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters.
And therefore, it is expedient for devils to push the narrative that they are nonexistent, so that God and everyone else other than themselves are blamed for everything. But, the scripture teaches us differently, for not only are they real, but they are much more closely intertwined with the human experience than many people would be comfortable with. Let’s read:
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth.
Mark 1: 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
1st Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.
The belief in their nonexistence prepares people to be unaware of their advances, and therefore, folks develop the tendency to focus on the human agent, and not on the nefarious work being done behind the scenes by devils. There they were, influencing the minds of pharaoh and Herod, to slay all the male children of the Jews in an effort to try to prevent the promised Messiah from ever seeing the light of day. Those efforts are reflected in a passage in Revelation. Let’s read:
Revelation 12: 4 and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. There they were again, moving upon the then king of Babylon to destroy the three Hebrew boys. Thus, throughout the history of this earth they have often worked ingeniously behind the scenes to stir up all kinds of adversities, oppression, crime, intolerance, injustice, disease, pandemics, sickness, and hatred of all sorts.
In fact, based upon what is written in the scriptures, we are facing the dire prospect that some political and religious leaders in our day do not merely have bad attitudes; instead, they are actually possessed by devils; but because of the widespread belief in the nonexistence of evil angels, very few persons are the wiser. Let’s read:
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
[2] The next effort will be to have people believe that they are more intelligent or more powerful than devils.
The belief that human beings are more intelligent than evil spirits, flies in the face of what is written in the scriptures, for not only are we less powerful and intelligent, even what some might consider as being superior knowledge in sciences has been severely compromised and is greatly inferior. The hyperloop project by Elon musk is presumably being designed to greatly increase speed of travel to approximately 760 mph, utilizing a system of low- pressure tubes and pods.
That system of travel is complete foolishness as far as angels are concerned because they travel billions of miles in milli-seconds. Science dismisses the supernatural, for everything must be proven on scientific grounds, including the issue of creation versus evolution. Variation in our weather patterns, and every occurrence that defies logic must be explained in the lab, or else it is to be invalidated, according to current modes of thinking.
Thus, in the future when the supernatural activities of devils begin to proliferate across the earth, and no scientific explanation can be given, persons will conclude that it must be the great power of God on display, especially if those manifestations may seem to benefit humanity. As it pertains to knowledge, understanding, and power, frail human beings do not even come close to matching the level of devils, and it’s for this very reason why only the power of God operating in and through the believer, is the one and only remedy to keep us from falling a prey to their devices. Let’s read:
Psalms 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.
Ezekiel 28:3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures. 6 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
2nd Timothy 2:23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Devils can only be defeated, restrained, or cast out by the power of God, for human beings were made lower than the angels and therefore, we have never had the power to fend them off. They are not fazed by crucifixes, holy water or garlic, for it’s only Jesus that they fear. Therefore, it is total folly for anyone to think that we can lead a good life without God.
[3] The last effort will be to get folks to believe that devils are really ugly and hideous. This last effort is of great importance as it relates to the issue of recognition, for it pertains to the last great deception that would involve the entire world. In every movie where the devil is depicted, from the exorcist to nightmare on Elm street, he is portrayed as a hideous creature, sometimes with bat’s wings, a pitchfork, horns, and sometimes even a tail.
And thus, whenever the word devil is mentioned, only repulsive images are conjured up in the minds of millions. These imageries then induce fear and a sense of apprehension in those who have not been instructed in the Bible, resulting in syndromes such as fright-night. But the scriptures teach us quite differently. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 28:11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
So, let us set the record straight while we have the opportunity to do so: The devil is the most beautiful and good-looking person human beings would ever see, before Christ comes the second time, and this piece of information will prove of immense value in the not too distant future, when the counterfeit coming of Christ will take place, before the genuine 2nd coming occurs.
So let’s focus intently on the following word: Recognition. The issue of recognition began in the garden of Eden, when, concealed in the tree of knowledge and evil, the tempter impersonated the beautiful serpent. No imposing personage was seen, only a cute little serpent, but behind that veneer of beauty was the mortal foe of man. And thus, Eve fell for what she heard and saw, and never recognized him until it was too late.
The issue of recognition also surfaced again in the book of Acts, when a girl possessed by a devil sought to get people to listen to the preaching of Paul. Now, why would a devil move her to this? It is plainly stated in the book of Acts that a great persecution was opened up against the church and without a doubt the devil was behind those efforts. Now, why would he be pushing persecution on one hand, and in the next breath be inviting people to listen to Paul’s preaching.
That’s because most folks do not know that devils operate on two fronts, and that they work on both sides of the fence to destroy from the inside out, or from the outside in. It matters not how the damage is done, once it is done. What is greatly feared by devils is to be recognized for who they really are and therefore, every type of conceivable impersonation is practiced to prevent the human family from recognizing what is taking place. Let’s read:
Acts 16:16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
Thus, in our day, when people are busy with movies and sports and entertainment of all sorts and where persons are not studying the word of God which will correctly identify and unmask him, it becomes just a breeze for the issues of recognition to be entirely confused in the minds of millions. The following info is thus of great importance after which we will have some explaining to do.
The Lord gave His servant a startling vision to disclose to her the extent of the issue of recognition. And what is even more troubling is that God’s prophet was not able to recognize who the devil was in the vision, until she asked and an answer was given. Let’s read:
[S.G pp 174] A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board. Then he showed me the conductor, who looked like a stately fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. Said he, It is Satan.
He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie that they may be damned. His agent, the next highest in order to him, is the engineer, and others of his agents are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with lightning speed to perdition.
I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, and bound together by the truth.
There are those who may scoff at this vision, and others may ask what relevance does it have in our day of enlightenment, and science. Well, for those who may think it is funny, it ain’t funny, because the issue of recognition is still alive and well, even in our day, and many of us currently listening today might have already been inadvertently been affected.
The book, The Age of Reason, by Thomas Paine is considered by many schools and universities as a classical masterpiece, and it is actually a required reading in many institutions of higher learning. The Author was a well-known and respected man in many circles, both in Europe and in America, and to this day that book stands out as one of the greatest bestsellers in American history.
He also wrote many other books, and was actually one of the prominent proponents of the American revolution, when the thirteen colonies sought to free themselves from British rule. He also argued for the separation of church and state, and one of his writings was read aloud in the public square, influencing men such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Therefore, for all intents and purposes it seems as if he was a notable figure to be looked up to and reverenced. What many persons may not know is that the serpent dictated most of his writings. Let’s read:
[S.G pp 175>176] Thomas Paine, whose body has moldered to dust, and who is to be called forth at the end of the 1000 years at the second resurrection, to receive his reward, and suffer the second death, is purported by Satan to be in heaven, and highly exalted there. Satan used him on earth as long as he could and dictated much of his writings.
Thus, the issue of recognition is a very real one, and it will once again resurface, when the tempter will appear on the earth as Christ once did, healing the diseases of the people, advocating for justice, and uttering many of those sacred truths that once fell from the lips of Jesus.
But there’s only one problem, he will not appear with any pitchfork or horns as in those movies, but rather as a beautiful, kind, person, who apparently has the good of the planet at heart, and because of this, most of the inhabitants of earth will bow down in adoration, not recognizing that it is the deadly serpent who once lay in the tree. Let’s read:
Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
2nd Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
[G.C 624] As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. [Revelation 1:13-15.] The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air., “Christ has come! Christ has come!”
His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered. He heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.
Thus the issue of recognition keeps on being elusive to most persons, for in our day much of what is now being taught in our schools, pertaining to the issue of gender neutrality, and evolution is impersonation taking place under the disguises of love and science. And even though we are cautioned to be tolerant, there is a huge difference between being tolerant and being deceived.
Therefore, let all those who are willing, learn from the word of God, that these three issues we studied today will play a role in the coming conflict, and let all who have the opportunity to do so, now study to be aware of the strategies now being employed so that we may live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, alone.
We’ll end with a passage of scripture which reminds us that the prophecies pertaining to these last days will be fulfilled sooner than many think, and as such it behooves us to have the truths of God’s word as clear as possible in our minds to avoid those snares that are already laid for the feet of the unwary. Let’s read:
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light
God Bless!