The Schemes of Satan-15

Satan’s deceptions have deceived the many while only the few can truly see them for what they are. Once someone is deceived, Satan now has them under his control. He will then use them to deceive others. Let us read about just such a scheme.

Acts 5:1-11  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,  and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 

This story took place very early in the life of the church. Satan didn’t waste any time to try and penetrate the church with deceivers.

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."  And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. 

Ananias and Sapphira had seen the selfless donations of others and the praise they had received. They desired the praise but not at that cost. So Satan had deceived them into trying to deceive the Apostles. This proved to be false, as God was protecting the development of His church and would not let Satan gain this early foothold. Unfortunately, Satan has persisted and perfected his deceptive schemes and the ‘church’ today is completely deceived.

Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price."  Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."  And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Sapphira had memorized her part, but did not know that God has exposed their deception and taken her husband’s life. Peter gave her the opportunity to tell the truth, but she clung to the lie.

And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things. 

Fear can be a very good thing. Fear can keep us from danger and even death. God doesn’t kill every sinner immediately. But, all sin will be accounted for on the terrible Day of the Lord. Escaping earthly punishment is not a sign of innocence.

God will not be mocked and will punish all unrepentant sinners. This was a very vivid example of God’s knowledge and displeasure with sin.

The Schemes of Satan-14

Some biblical examples of Satan’s attempts and success will help us gain further understanding of his scheme to deceive. Today’s example will detail King David’s failure to obey God, but instead fall for Satan’s lies.

1 Chronicles 21:1-17  Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.  So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number." Joab said, "May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"

The first problem we see is that it was well known that God prohibited kings from taking count of the earthly strength of their armies.  Even though Joab warned David, David went ahead with his disobedience. Only God can command a census, which He did in Exodus 30:11-14. In Deuteronomy 17, God warns kings not to acquire or count horses. This would only lead kings to pridefully believe that they are capable of defending the nation and would lessen their fear of God and dependence on God.

Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. Joab gave the number of the census of all the people to David. And all Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword.  But he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab. 

This provides us with some idea of the size of the nation at this time. But, while we may think of many ‘good’ reasons for this sinful act, it remains a sinful act. How could Satan deceive and trick David, a man after God’s own heart, to disobey God? Again, we read that Joab considered this a great sin. How did God view this sin?

God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.  David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."  All of a sudden, David is made aware of his own sin. Joab’s warnings did not overcome his desires, but now he was overcome with guilt.

The LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,  "Go and speak to David, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "I offer you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you."'"  So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Take for yourself either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me." 

What a series of choices, none of which would relieve David from the consequences of his sin. God demanded a payment.

David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man."  So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel; 70,000 men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand."

This is a very real reminder that our sin can have a very profound effect on others. We never truly sin in a vacuum. While some may decry God’s injustice, we need to once again remind ourselves that God does not punish innocent men. The number of 70,000 may seem exorbitant or excessive, but it does reveal the infinite distance between sinful man and a holy God.

And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. David said to God, "Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father's household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.

David’s heartfelt confession is one which we need to follow. The time for confession and repentance is immediately after we have sinned. The time for turning from sin is at the very moment of its conception or contemplation.

Satan has no fear of deceiving God’s anointed King. He has no fear of tempting the Son of God. He has no fear of us either.

The Schemes of Satan-13

We should first agree on what is deceit. Lies are the very basis of every form of deceit.

You lie when you avoid the truth, exaggerate the truth, disguise or alter the truth or cast doubt on the truth. In a U.S. court of Law, you have to solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. At one time in our history this phrase would end with..." so help you God", which has now been mostly replaced with..." under pains and penalties of perjury".

Lying and deceit are two sides of the same coin. A lie may be defined in a number of ways, but in every way, a lie is a form of deceit, a type of deception, and an attempt to deceive. A lie is one of the means by which one is deceived. Some definitions of a lie include;       

• An untrue assertion expressed as truth. ·        

• To deny others access to knowledge to which they are entitled.·        

• A false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.

A lie then can be best described as a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth to advantage someone at the expense of another.

Are there any biblical examples of this? Yes, many! In the last post, we read how God was going to take the kingdom from the line of David due to the sins of Solomon. Jeroboam was anointed to be the king over the 10 northern tribes, leaving only 2 to Solomon’s son.

1 Kings 12:25-33  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 

Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. "If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." 

So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt."  He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 

Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.  And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. 

Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 

Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense. 

Jeroboam, rather than trusting God, who gave him his kingship, Jeroboam consciously, deliberately created his own religion. He took some of his religious ideas from all the idolatry that Solomon brought into Israel.

People will follow almost any leader that comes into power, especially those who lead them into false worship. Just like sheep, people are easing deceived by their own lusts, desires, and material pleasures. What did God think about all of this?

1 Kings 13:1-6  Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.  He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'"  Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, 'Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.'" 

Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him." But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.  The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 

The king said to the man of God, "Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.

What have we just read?

First, Jeroboam was actually worshiping the god he created.

Second, although he knew of God, he had no fear of God nor of His messengers.

Third, when the warning became reality, who did Jeroboam cry out to? He asked the prophet to entreat his God. It is quite apparent that the God of the universe was not his god.

Unfortunately, Jeroboam learned nothing from this encounter.

1 Kings 14:1-14  At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.  1Ki 14:2  Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise now, and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who spoke concerning me that I would be king over this people.  "Take ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy." 

Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.  Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that she will pretend to be another woman." 

When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message.  "Go, say to Jeroboam,

'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel,  and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight;  you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back—  therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 

"Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it."' "Now you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city the child will die.  "All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam's family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.  "Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on. 

The deceiver deceived himself. Jeroboam sought God only when his god could not help him. Of course, his god couldn’t help anyone. Yet, he knew exactly what to do, who to go to, and which god to seek. But, God will not accommodate the prayers of those who don’t fear and worship Him alone.

This is exactly what happens today. People go about their lives content until some problem arises. It is then and only then, they realize that only God can solve their problem. But, God will not solve their problem but will let them know of an even bigger problem.

They will not only suffer the earthly consequences of their sin, but will also suffer the eternal consequences of their sins. Yet, they persist in their pursuit of their own gods. They are hopelessly deceived.

You need to seriously examine your beliefs,which may indeed be based on very convincing, subtle lies; these lies have been perpetuated for many years, even centuries. The oldest lies are the hardest to overcome. The lies, which are continually promoted as truth, are very difficult to determine. The lies that appeal to our sensual, sinful natures are extremely hard to resist. The lies, that go unchallenged and unquestioned for years, are thereby nearly impossible to refute.

The Schemes of Satan-12

Satan is most known as a deceiver. It is one of his most successful schemes. It is so pervasive, we will need more than one day to adequately study it. But, first we need to have a biblical understanding of the nature of sin and its far-reaching influence.

People often have an unreal belief in their own goodness. Many say they just need to trust their heart. God says that is the wrong thing in which to place your trust.

Jeremiah 17:9  "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 

Jeremiah 49:16  "As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, Who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle's, I will bring you down from there," declares the LORD. 

Jeremiah was the prophet who actually lived during the fulfillment of his prophecies. Judah was taken into captivity during his lifetime.

It is clear, if we are truly being honest with ourselves, that we are easily deceived. The Bible is full of examples to support this truth. A few should suffice to confirm what God has told all of us. It all started or better said, restarted with Solomon. The whole book of Judges goes into great detail of God’s chosen people being deceived.

1 Kings 11:9-13  Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,  and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded.  So the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.  "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.  "However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen." 

The wisest and richest man to ever live started right but in the end did evil against God. He was deceived by his 1100 wives and concubines who he let build alters to their idols within Israel. He was slowly led away from God by the very women he brought into Israel. His sexual lusts blinded his eyes and heart, which eventually blinded his mind.

Where did all of this lead? It is a very sad story that we will continue with next time.

The Schemes of Satan-11

The second tactic or scheme of Satan is one of discouragement. He is our accuser before God. He doesn’t know our hearts, but he knows our words and deeds. He only has to inform God of what we have said or done to accuse us of being evil, sinful, and not worthy of salvation. How many people do you know who believe that God could never, would never love them? As many sink even deeper into depravity and sin, they continue to think they are beyond hope.

Revelation 12:9-10  And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

Satan believes that everyone is just like him. They only seek God for what He can do for them or what He would give them.

Job 1:8-11  The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil."  Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? "Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. "But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face."

Here he in effect, challenges God as to who knows Job better. He is clearly accusing Job of false worship.

Zechariah 3:1-2  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

Satan is so bold that he accuses men in the very presence of God. But we have an advocate in Jesus, who sits at God’s right hand. Yes, Satan can bring accurate charges to God about us, demanding God to punish sin and sinners. But, true Christians are safe in the hands of God.

The Schemes of Satan-10

The first of Satan’s schemes is to distract people from God by giving them activities that draw them in and leave God out. The first of these is sports. Invented nearly 3000 years ago by the Greeks, sports now is internationally a gigantic industry and pastime. Instead of teaching our children about God, parents now encourage them to be involved in a endless pursuit of sports.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21  "You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  "You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.  "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.

God never commanded anyone to participate in sports. Yet, today even ‘churches’ have large sports ‘ministries’! Sports span all seasons, times of day, venues, degrees of expertise, ages, sexes, and lengthy time commitments. All of this to promote team work, personal achievements, fame, fortune, physical acumen, scholarships, and bragging rights of the parents. Sports is both for participates and spectators. The crazed emotional support of teams and individuals borders on worship. It is $74+billion a year industry in the U.S.

As the world becomes less and less biblical and more and more idolatrous, it has not become better. It is not more ethical, moral, law-abiding, or concerned with needs of others. Whose will is being done with all this frenzied, fanatical pursuit of sports? Not God’s will.

The Schemes of Satan-9

The schemes of Satan are vast and varied. As recorded in Revelation, Satan will ultimately deceive the entire world. This would be the signs of the coming Day of Judgment. How close are we to these end times of terrible wrath and judgment?

Satan’s schemes will be revealed among these categories.

• Distraction

• Discouragement

• Deception

• Delay

• Diversion

• Destruction

• Dishonor

• Disobedience

We will also strive to determine the level of his success in the primary areas of our daily lives.

• Government

• Education

• Religion

• Business

• Science

• Entertainment

• Medicine

We will see how Satan’s deceptive lies have permeated every area of the world and every aspect of the world. Most people simply believe that Satan will try to concentrate on religion, but that is not true.

How many of you truly believe that any of the above categories are honest, trustworthy, truthful, ethical, moral, and devoted to helping you? We will take one of his schemes at a time.

The Schemes of Satan-8

Satan has a vast kingdom. He also possesses power over many things in his kingdom. In addition to the myriads of fallen angels and demons in his kingdom, he also has through his schemes, enlisted leaders and followers from every walk of life. This is most noticeable in the areas of religion. He has created thousands of belief systems, religions, gods, and ‘churches’ to deceive the many.

Luke 11:17-18  But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. "If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

What is included or contained in a kingdom?

First, there is a ruler or king.

Second, there is area or state.

Third, there is a loyal army to enforce the king’s desires.

Fourth, there are subjects that must adhere and obey the edicts and desires of the king.

Fifth, there are rules or laws that everyone must obey. In fact, they are really enslaved to these rules.

Sixth, everyone exists to please the king.

Jesus clearly delineated the fact that there were just two kingdoms. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness.

Colossians 1:13  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

It is quite clear that you cannot live in both at the same time. You are in either one or the other.

Ephesians 2:12  …remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Too many people falsely believe that they are in the Kingdom of God, but in reality remain in the kingdom of darkness, ruled by Satan.

I will be traveling during the week of Thanksgiving, so the next posts will be in the week following.

The Schemes of Satan-7

Satan has created a network of the deceived and his deceivers. In order to deceive the entire world, he has to have many in his army for him to succeed. The first volunteers in his kingdom were the angels that followed him.

Revelation 12:7-9  And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Just how many angels followed him is not known, but it was a very large following.

Rev 12:3-4a  Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.  And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

There is never given an exact count of the number of angels in heaven but it appears to be a very large, innumerable number.

Daniel 7:9-10  "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. "A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.

Revelation 5:11-13  Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."

Since the Greek language at the time did not include millions or billions, we are left with myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. We can only surmise that this is a very large number, perhaps in the hundreds of millions. Regardless, Satan has a very large kingdom of fallen angels and demons to torment, destroy, and deceive. His kingdom covers the entire world.

However, he is not unrestrained in his evil intentions. He is still under the control of a sovereign, almighty, eternal God.

The Schemes of Satan-6

After reading just some of the biblical passages pertaining to the evil nature of Satan, we need to see just how successful he is in his evil desires.

Revelation 20:7-8  And when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. And he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle. The number of them is as the sand of the sea.

Satan will be bound during the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, once again released to deceive we see that he is able to deceive the nations. This deception takes place while Jesus Christ is still reigning on earth! How could this be? Two things come to mind, Satan is far more deadly than we have thought him to be, and people are more easily deceived than they should be. They are still more attracted to the world than to the Savior of the world.

1 John 2:15-16  Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

God has continually warned us of following the desires of our own hearts, being attracted and distracted by the world, and the righteous judgment of God on all who love the world.

James 1:13-15  Let no one being tempted say, I am tempted from God. For God is not tempted by evils, and He tempts no one. But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, when it is fully formed, brings forth death.

There are very dire, serious, eternal, and terrifying consequences for falling for Satan’s temptations. Eve was seduced and sin entered into the entire human race.

In what ways have you been seduced and deceived?

The Schemes of Satan-5

Now that the reality of Satan is confirmed, we need to understand what he is like before we can identify his schemes. What does the Bible teach us about the nature and character of Satan?

John 8:44  "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus was quite clear about Satan being the father of lies, which is the basis of all deception. He routinely distorts and denies the truth of the Scripture. He has created a number of false truths in books that deny the Scriptures. He has developed many false narratives, other books, and belief systems that all draw people away from God and into his lair.

1 Peter 5:-9  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

Just like in the Job passage from the last blog post, he roams the earth seeking to destroy all who worship God. He is evil to the core and just like a lion, his nature is to kill. While looking like a big cat, many people come to think of lions as potentially large pets. But, lions true nature won’t accommodate this error. This is the same with Satan, most don’t really think he is all that dangerous. Their error is terrifying.

Satan is also our accuser, always trying to bring charges against God’s chosen elect. Zec 3:1  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 

Zecariah 3:2  The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"

Satan is so bold to accuse us directly to God. He is also so bold to tempt Jesus. Since he is so bold to tempt Jesus, he would not hesitate to tempt you. He is also very persistent.

Luke 4:13  When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

Since he continued to try and destroy God’s eternal plan of salvation, he persists to this day to destroy God’s people, God’s church, and God’s plan of final judgment. Yes, Satan is evil, powerful, deceptive, and bold. One more terrifying characteristic is his demeanor, charisma, and appearance.

2 Corinthians 11:14-15  No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

More later.

The Schemes of Satan-4

I was shocked and saddened when recently reading some religious surveys. There is an appalling lack of knowledge of the person and nature of Satan. Even within the conservative, Bible-believing evangelical community, many don’t believe that Satan is a real being. They instead believe that he is just the personification of evil.

When people aren’t taught the truth, they develop their own truth, which isn’t truth at all. People are told what they want to hear, while denied the very truth they need to hear.

The Bible is very clear of the reality of Satan. The Bible is full of references to him and warnings about him. Adam and Eve thought he was real when he tempted and deceived them.

You can’t miss him in the first chapter of Job either.

Job 1:6-7  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."

He tempted Jesus, which is found in three of the gospels

Luke 4:1-2  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

He deceived Judas into betraying Jesus. More terrifying is the fact that he entered into Judas.

Luke 22:3-6  And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

He will be bound and later thrown into the the pit of fire and brimstone, where he will be tormented forever.

Revelation 20:1-3  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Revelation 20:10  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Satan takes great delight in the world’s lack of understanding of himself, it is just one of his many schemes to deceive and destroy. More on the next lesson.

The Schemes of Satan-3

I was convicted that I had assumed everyone knew all about Satan. After reading some of the “Church’s” views and teachings on Satan, I knew I had to give a biblical description of him. This may be known by some but new to many.

First, who is Satan? He is a created being. God did not create Satan, He created Lucifer (son of the morning star). Lucifer created or became Satan.

Isaiah 14:12-15  "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Another passage in Ezekiel continues describing just how far Satan has fallen.

Ezekiel 28:13-18  "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you.

On the day that you were created They were prepared. "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. 

“You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned;

Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. 

"Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you. "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries.

Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you.

From these two passages we read that Lucifer, the devil, Satan, the serpent and dragon was a marvelous, beautiful, anointed cherub who was created to stand at God’s throne. Just like with the Ark of the Covenant, where two cherubim were placed.

Exodus 25:17-21  "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. "You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 

"Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.  "The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 

"You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you.

But, Lucifer grew tired of rejoicing at being in the presence of God and instead desired the worship that was given to God. So he was cast down and now rules as the prince of this world.

Ephesians 2:1-2  And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

More on Satan will be revealed in the next listing.

The Schemes of Satan

Let us look more closely on Satan’s first successful attempt at deceiving Eve and Adam.

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 

The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 

The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

What can we learn about Satan’s schemes from this?

First, Satan came to her with a plan in mind.

Second, he is very crafty and deceiving.

Third, Eve was not afraid of Satan or uncomfortable talking with him. He does not appear to be someone to avoid or mistrust.

Fourth, he questioned her understanding of what God has said. He knew what God had said. In today’s context, Satan knows the Bible better than anyone else in the world.

Fifth, Eve knew enough to resist and to be wary.

Sixth, Satan subtly implied that God was a liar and was withholding something from them. God was not letting them have the blessings they deserved.

Seventh, Eve was close enough to be enticed by her physical desires. The closer you get to temptation, the better it looks. The fear fades as the desires swell up within you.

Eighth, Adam said nothing and did nothing.

We have been warned many times as well. But Satan keeps putting the world’s sinful pleasures within reach.

1 John 2:15-16  Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

James 1:14-16  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

John and James warnings are for us today. Don’t go near, don’t touch, don’t mention, don’t think about, don’t desire, and don’t be deceived. Remember, Satan is a murderous, roaring lion seeking to devour you.

The Schemes of Satan

Far too many people and pastors are ignorant of the schemes of Satan. Satan is a liar and deceiver from the beginning. In fact, he is the father of lies. With that in mind, what are his schemes, why do we need to be aware of them, and how are we to respond to them?

2 Corinthians 2:11  …so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

When was the last time or only time anyone ever mentioned this to you or taught you about it? Pastors are either ignorant and thus deceived themselves of his schemes. Or, sadly, they are conscious and deliberate co-conspirators in Satan’s deception.

There are numerous examples in the Bible of his cunning success of leading people away from the truth in God’s Word. The first was in the garden.

Genesis 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Satan is so bold that he went directly into God’s garden and successfully deceived Eve by questioning the Words of God. He challenged her knowledge of God’s Word,understanding of God’s Word, and the very nature of God. If you are also confused or ignorant of God’s Word, beware because Satan is ready to tell you what he wants you to believe rather than what God has really said.

If you place all of your confidence and eternal life in what someone else says about God’s Word, then you also in danger of being deceived.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Sorry to have left this blog for so long. I have been working on my first book and the editor I hired needed the last two chapters before beginning. All of that is finally finished and he is meeting with me weekly to review and edit one chapter at a time. I will let you know when it is published. Now back to the last blog on giants.

My goal is to provide a message from God’s Word at least three times a week. I will start a new series beginning on Monday November 4th.

2Samuel 21:15-22  Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. 

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel. And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. 

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 

And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.  And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Consistent with many contemporary accounts of human interaction with giants are both their tremendous size and the oft mentioned six fingers and toes.

It is quite clear from both the Bible’s accounts and the massive amount of historical evidence that giants in some manner were able to continue even after the flood. As this is clearly against God’s design, we can come to only one Biblical answer, it is Satan’s plan to corrupt mankind.

Unfortunately, many of Satan’s other genomic and demonic attacks against those made in God’s image are not as obvious to the naked eye. But, how else can you account for all the voices in peoples minds, mass murders, demonic rituals, and the explosion of the worship of Satan. These are all signs of the last days.

Revelation 12:7-9  And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

It is very clear that Satan is dangerously evil and the true prince of the earth. We will next be studying his schemes in order to protect ourselves and also warn others.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 17

Numbers 13:1-3  Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying,  "Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among them."  So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel.

So we have now fast forwarded to the Exodus of the nation of Israel. God delivered them from Egypt in the most miraculous fashion that destroyed the nation of Egypt in every element of its culture. But, here we read of a linkage back to the days of Noah in Genesis 6.

Numbers 13:17-21  When Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, he said to them, "Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. "See what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many.   "How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications?   "How is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.  So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, at Lebo-hamath.

What did they discover and what did they recommend to Moses? More in Part 18.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 16 Queen of Heaven

Jeremiah 44:15-30  “Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,   "As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! "But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. 

"But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine."  "And," said the women, "when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?" 

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying,  "As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind? 

  "So the LORD was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day.  "Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day." 

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt,   thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: 'As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, "We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!' 

"Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, 'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,' says the LORD, 'never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, "As the Lord GOD lives."  'Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone. 'Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

'This will be the sign to you,' declares the LORD, 'that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.' "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.'"

Who is this queen of heaven and what does this have to do with Tammuz? When God divided the nations and languages, the names of these false gods and goddesses went with them, but began to be identified in different languages and within different cultures. Nimrod became known as Ra or Osiris in Egypt, Zeus in Greece, Jupiter in Rome, and a host of other names throughout the world. Semiramus became known as the queen of heaven, Ishtar in Babylon, Isis in Egypt, Artemis in Greece, and Diana in Rome.

So you can see how this idolatrous worship, often under the name of Baal, spread with the nations into the world. The birth of the mother and son worship began here. Tammuz was the son of Ishtar and Nimrod or Baal. Nimrod was considered the sun god and his birth was associated with the winter solstice and December 25th. Tammuz was killed by a wild boar and his resurrection was associated with the celebration of Ishtar from which the world now pronounces and recognizes as Easter.

You can read from the above passages how Satan so deceived the people of Israel that they attributed God’s blessing to the queen of heaven. You can also see how God responded to this idolatry. He will destroy them with the sword, famine, and plagues.

What does this all mean and imply? More will come on Part 17.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 15 Ezekiel 8:8-15  “Then he said to me, "Son of man, dig in the wall." So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance.   And he said to me, "Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here."  So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.

And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.'"

He said also to me, "You will see still greater abominations that they commit."  Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then he said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these."

Idolatry everywhere by everyone in Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel. These sinful leaders/elders thought they could hide their idolatry from God, which no one can. But now we discover the women weeping for Tammuz. Who is he?

While there is still a considerable disagreement among scholars as to all the details, this is what most would confirm. Nimrod married Semiramus, who considered herself to be the moon goddess. Her other name was Ishtar from which we get the English name of Easter. She was the fertility goddess of the ancient world, just as Nimrod was considered the sun god.

After God separated all from Babel by confusing the languages, these two self-acclaimed god and goddess became know in many other cultures and under many different names. Tammuz was their son and therefore the son of god. So here began a host of pagan religions, all with a father god, a mother god, and a son of god. Semiramus or Ishtar was also known as the queen of heaven.

How and where this all played out will be detailed in Part 16.

Giants, Days of Noah, the days of Noah, Abomination of Desolation, and the Day of the Lord.

Part 14

Just who was Nimrod?

Genesis 10:6-7  “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.   The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.”

Ham’s family created many of the centers of false worship and eventual enemies of God’s chosen people. Canaan will come into clearer focus later.

Genesis 10:8-12  “Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 

The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and alneh, in the land of Shinar.  From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.”

Nimrod was the first mighty man mentioned by name after the flood. He was a leader and builder of cities and nations. None of which were truly godly. His name means ‘let us revolt’. He actually opposed God, as in facing God and in opposition to God. He was considered a god himself and as the people scattered with different languages, they brought the ‘legends’ of Nimrod with them but with different names. His name changed with their new languages.

More on this and his evil wife Semiramus will come in Part 15.