COVID-19 and Satan's Great Deception

Warnings from God are ignored by most, even within the ‘Church’ system of religion. While we know that Satan is the great liar and deceiver, we must also understand what God will do to enable the world to continue in it’s deceit.

John 12:36-40  While you have the Light, believe in the Light so that you may become sons of Light. Jesus spoke these things and departed and was hidden from them. But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they did not believe on Him, so that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again,  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." 

This should be chilling to any who reads it. God will or has blinded the eyes of the world and hardened their hearts so they would not be saved. They will remain deceived and condemned. Just as God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as He rained down the plagues, judgment, and wrath over Egypt. Are there any other examples?

Romans 1:18-19  For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to them. 

Men live ungodly, unrighteous, unholy lives in direct defiance of God. Do they really know they are directly opposing God?

Romans 1:20-21  For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse.  Because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

God clearly tells us that they are without excuse and guilty. They profess to being wise, which they proclaim in every way imaginable on TV, the ‘News”, the Internet, and in public.

Romans 1:28-32  And even as they did not think fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do the things not right, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; being full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits, becoming whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, proud, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, perfidious, without natural affection, unforgiving, unmerciful;  who, knowing the righteous order of God, that those practicing such things are worthy of death, not only do them, but have pleasure in those practicing them. 

How else could you find any explanation for the rapid decline in morality? They can no longer even think rightly. They can’t reason, they can only try to silent all opposition.

No wonder this virus from Satan has so many in fear and submission. They will not listen to any opposition to the public information that is saturating our minds continually. We have given up so much of our ‘legal’ freedoms it is frightening to think of what is next from our elected officials who now act unilaterally without regard to our individual rights.

Have you experienced any backlash from sharing your beliefs lately?

COVID-19 and the Great Delusion

We must first remind ourselves of Satan’s power of deception.

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 

Since God has already warned us of this deception, we should not be surprised at its unveiling. Satan’s desire it to have the whole world worship him instead of God. But, what would that look like?

First of all, a One World Government or Order would mean the loss of the sovereignty of every nation as they all bow to one person. In the US that would mean the suspension or dissolving of the constitution. We would no longer enjoy the blessings, protection, or rights of citizenship.

Could that be possible? What rights have we already quickly and silently given up in the last two months? The rights to assembly, the rights to freedom to worship, and the rights to elect officials have slowly eroded.

We have to practice isolation. All primaries have been suspended. All churches have been prohibited from have services of any kind. What other rights are also being changed?

Could this be just a warm-up by Satan to prove how quickly he can cause such fear over safety and security that we freely exchange our rights for our personal safety?

It doesn’t take much imagination to envision what COVID-20 could do to our freedoms. The world would be ready to enforce worldwide solutions to this pandemic. Economies would collapse, wars would erupt, and people would become desperate and lawless.

Matthew 24:5-7  For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places.

We have been warned and need to be ready. The deadliest disease known to mankind is the sin pandemic. Are you prepared? Are your loved ones prepared?

Too many “Christians” are deceived in regards to their salvation and eternal life.

2 Timothy 4:1-3  Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom,  preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. 

Most will not listen to you, but you must speak the truth in love to those who are perishing.

COVID-19 and the Great Delusion

Certainly this is a worldwide plague! We have daily if not hourly updates on what is happening everywhere. But who is responsible for this? Is it Satan and his servants or is it God rendering judgment? Can Satan independently bring such illnesses over all the world? The answer is no. God may use or allow Satan to bring judgment to the world, but Satan is not allowed totally independent control of God’s world.

1 Chronicles 21:1-4  And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to take a census of Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go number Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan. And bring the number of them to me so that I may know.  And Joab answered, May Jehovah add to His people a hundred times, but my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? But the king's word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went up and down all Israel, and came again to Jerusalem. 

Even Joab knew that God has prohibited Israel from counting the fighting men. How did God respond?

1 Chronicles 21:6-17  But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was evil to Joab. And it was evil in the eyes of God as to this thing. And He struck Israel. And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, remove the iniquity of Your servant for I have done very foolishly. 

And Jehovah spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and speak to David, saying, So says Jehovah: I offer you three things. Choose one of them so that I may do it to you. And Gad came to David and said to him, So says Jehovah, Choose for yourself: either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtake you, or else three days of the sword of Jehovah, even the plague in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the border of Israel. And now say what word I shall bring again to Him who sent me. 

And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let me fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man. And Jehovah sent a plague on Israel. And there fell seventy thousand men of Israel.  And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. And as he was destroying, Jehovah looked. And He repented of the evil and said to the angel who destroyed, Enough! Stay your hand now!

And the angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 

And David said to God, Did not I command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed. But these sheep, what have they done? I pray You, let Your hand be on me, O Jehovah my God, and on my father's house, but not on Your people, that they should be plagued. 

Clearly, Satan tempted David and just like he tempted Eve, David did not consult with God but was deceived. David was a man after God’s own heart. God had delivered him from Saul’s relentless attempts to kill him. David had been victorious over his enemies. David wrote many of the Psalms of his praises and requests. Yet, he disobeyed God and 70,000 men died.

Next time we will read about the reasons God would bring judgment to bear on His people through plagues and illnesses.

COVID-19 and Satan's Great Deception

Sorry for the long delay, but I had a bad fall from a ladder and could not even walk for the first week. I am finally able to get around a little but am still in pain.

I know that we just finished the schemes of Satan, but I never even thought that they would be so prominently displayed just after we finished. What do I mean?

First, as with all who teach and preach the Bible, we must always keep everything in context, both historically, theologically, and scripturally. This is also true for news and events in history. So let me do this for those of you who only know the details of this pandemic from the news sources.

First, how prevalent is the annual influenza around the world. On the average, the flu kills over 300,000 people in the world every year.

Secondly, in the US, it kills 30,000 and hospitalizes over 450,000 every flu season.

Thirdly, since it can become a serious respiratory disease, it is most harmful and dangerous to those who are over 65 years old and suffering from at least 2 chronic diseases.

Fourthly, the standard treatments of these chronic illnesses compromises the immune systems leading to a far greater vulnerability to these attacks.

Fifthly, the news is personalizing every case of this virus and making it into the most unique disease in public TV history. Tom Hanks has been mentioned on the news numerous times, yet he only had mild symptoms. Why?

Finally, how is it the world is in a state of panic over this worldwide deaths numbering less than 20,000? Why are the governments declaring massive curtailments of freedoms? Why are they promoting such fear and anxiety? Why are people so willing to comply? What is the purpose of destroying jobs, small companies, and the savings of billions? A massive worldwide problem requires a massive worldwide solution. Could the solution be a massive one world government?

More next time on the one world religion of the Antichrist.

The Holiness of God and the Holy Worship of God

What is mean to be holy? The basic meaning is to be set apart, to be different in a way that glorifies God. It can also be considered in the sense of being un-defiled, clean, pure. There are two primary word used for holy.

H6944 Hebrew

qôdesh ko'-desh

From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstractly sanctity: - consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.

In the Greek

hagion

[H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.

God is the supreme example of being Holy. There is none like Him nor ever will be. He is absolutely pure, perfect, without blemish, and utterly righteous. It is His unique divine nature and being that provides us with this understanding. The challenge God gives to all true believers is to be holy as He alone is holy.

Leviticus 19:1-2  And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,  Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, Jehovah your God, am holy. 

Leviticus 20:26  And you shall be holy to Me. For I, Jehovah, am holy, and have severed you from the nations, so that you should be Mine. 

1 Peter 1:13-16  Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 

Holiness is not a subject often preached or practiced in most churches today. We have much to learn and unlearn.

The Schemes of Satan-28

We have come to the last of the teachings on the schemes of Satan. Now since he is the master deceiver and father of lies, no one should take him for granted. He is constantly changing and challenging. This study will be on his diverting worship from God to himself. We can see this very clearly in his temptation of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:8-11  Again, the Devil took Him up into a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." Then the Devil left him. And behold, angels came and ministered to Him. 

Not only was he so bold as to think he could tempt Jesus to worship him, but he diverted the nation of Israel less than 60 days from their deliverance from Egypt.

Exodus 32:1-6  And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, and the people gathered themselves to Aaron. And they said to him, Up! Make us gods who shall go before us. For this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.  And Aaron said to them, Break off the olden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.  And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.  And he took them from their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool. And he made it a molten calf. And they said, These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to Jehovah. And they rose up early on the next day and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 

Satan even got Moses brother Aaron to participate in this pseudo worship of Jehovah. Satan can divert many by having them become totally ignorant of the Law of God. By diverting attention to himself, most people will quickly forget God.

2 Kings22:8-11  And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the Book of the Law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah gave the Book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again, and said, Your servants have gathered the silver that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers, who have the oversight of the house of Jehovah.  And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a Book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it happened when the king had heard the Words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.

This is an incredible story of unbelievable ignorance. The Book of the Law, God’s commandments and statutes, had not only been lost for decades, but hadn’t even been missed. Most probably didn’t even know it existed. But, where was it? In the Temple! Josiah was only 18 years old when it was discovered.

Numbers 25:1-5  And Israel lived in Shittim, and the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself to Baal-peor. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel.  And Jehovah said to Moses, Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before Jehovah against the sun, so that the fierce anger of Jehovah may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal-peor.

Once worship is diverted, people fall back into detestable idolatry. God has warned everyone for thousands of years not to worship other gods or idols. Yet, they continue to do it, as if there was no consequences from such gross disobedience. The final example of this diversion is when people all around the world will worship the Antichrist.

1 John 2:18  Little children, it is the last time. And just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up, from which we know that it is the last hour. 

While there are many who oppose Christ, there is one final antichrist. This is Satan’s most celebrated diversion and deception.

Many think this type of diversion would never deceive them, but most of them are wrong. Eternally wrong and eternally condemned.

Our next study series will focus on the holiness of God and the holy worship of God.

The Schemes of Satan-27

Satan, instead of bringing glory to God, seeks to bring glory to himself. It this manner he dishonors the God that created him. He dishonors God whenever he is able to deceive the world into worshiping him in whatever religion or belief system he has created explicitly for that purpose.

How do we follow Satan in dishonoring God?

Hebrews 10:26-31  For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 

How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We trample on the Son of God by not obeying, ignoring, denying, and defying Him.

Exodus 20:7  "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. 

When we take His name upon ourselves and then live as pagans and unbelievers, we have taken His name in vain.

Matthew 26:27-28  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Taking His death, His shedding of His blood, and His dying on the cross for granted is another form or dishonoring Him.

1 Corinthians 1:18  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

Many today ridicule His death on the cross as untrue, unlikely, unreasonable, and unnecessary. They have a falsely elevated view of themselves, an infinitely insufficient and incomplete view of God, and an ignorance of just how detestable their sin is before a Holy God.

Matthew 12:31-32  "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 

Finally, anyone at anytime who attributes the works of God to Satan is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Also, the reverse is also true. It you accuse God of the evil deeds of Satan, you also are guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

The Schemes of Satan-26

People are easily distracted, often with dangerous outcomes. It is now against the law to drive and text as texting takes priority from driving and attention away from your responsibilities to those around you. Distraction by the world’s attractions also is very dangerous. There are no innocent distractions in God’s plan for true believers.

1 John 2:15-17  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. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

What distracts you? Here are just a few alarming statistics.

Sports is everywhere and for every age and sex. It is promoted at grade schools and churches. It is even called a Sports Ministry. It is a $74.5 Billion a year industry.

Pets have now gained status as having rights. Owners have responsibilities to their pets. Pets have legal rights. People spend $75.4 Billion per year on their pets. Dogs are at the top of the list. In Jesus’ day, dogs were not pets, they were scavengers.

Entertainment is a very diverse subject. We will just review the main elements: Films, TV, Music, and Publishing. This industry is over $2 Trillion a year.

Video games are a segment of entertainment. But due to the intense sexual and demonic nature of most, we will highlight them separately.

While people spend nearly $140 Billion a year in the US, that is not the real cost of these games. Core gamers are those who are the lifeblood of the industry and average 22 hours a week in their form of entertainment. But, it is not a victimless, non-violent pursuit. A few statistics that may shock you.

The true issue might not be the hours spent playing video games but how the play interferes in someone’s life. Gaming can have a negative impact on those engaged in the activity

• Poor school/work performance

• Relationship difficulties

• Social isolation

• Sleep deprivation

• Hopelessness

• Depression

• Suicidal thoughts

• Poor health (dehydration, lack of nutrition)

• Obesity

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) from prolonged sitting

This is not the complete list of Satan’s distractions but it proves the point.

How many wasted hours do these pursuits drain from your life?

How much closer to God are you due to these distractions?

How little do you even think about them as ploys of Satan to draw you away from God?

The Schemes of Satan-25

One of Satan’s more clever deceptions is his hiding in plain sight. He is the master of a thousand faces and professions. He takes advantage of his plan to make fun of himself as a red, long tailed, horned demon. He appears as almost laughable in today’s culture. But, there is nothing about him to laugh about. He could preach a marvelous, captivating sermon in any church in the world today and be applauded.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 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. 

As an angel of light, few in today’s spiritual, religious world would be able to discern that it was in reality Satan or one of his servants in their presence? They are everywhere!

1 John 2:18  Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 

Matthew 24:4-5  And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.  "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 

We have been warned, many will come as antichrists or saying they are the Christ. As mentioned in earlier blogs, there are currently 13 men around the world who claim they are the Christ. Many are believing in them, as these followers are biblically illiterate and therefore, lacking in discernment they willing follow them.

But where is he going and what will be their punishment for following the wrong leader?

The Schemes of Satan-24

So many teachers and preachers today teach that the law is abolished by grace. They teach the lies of Satan as the traditions of men, but they say they teach the doctrines and commandments of God. Who or what are we to believe?

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4  Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

The man of lawlessness is called the son of destruction. He opposes God at every chance he gets and leads the whole world astray. Even the term should identify that he is not of God.

Matthew 23:27-28  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 

In Matthew, Jesus delivered 7 woes to the religious leaders in Judah. He called them sons of hell and condemned them to hell.

Matthew 23:33  "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? 

So what is lawlessness?

1 John 3:4  Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 

Sin equals lawlessness. Even in the court system, everyone knows that disobeying the laws gets you into all kinds of trouble, from misdemeanors to felonies, from fines to jail time, and all the way to capital punishment. We also know that ignorance of the law doesn’t remove us from the penalty of breaking the law. God’s laws and God’s punishments for all who disobey His laws are perfectly, justly, and eternally enforced.

1 John 2:3-5  By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: Commandments and the Law are synonymous terms for this explanation.

Grace does not mean abandoning the Law; it frees us from the death penalty of the Law. That is a monumental difference and a divine blessing for all who truly believe.

The Schemes of Satan-23

Satan is the master of lawlessness. In fact, the man of lawlessness is the antichrist. Of course, many antichrists have already come and gone and will continue to do so until the prophesied antichrist will finally appear.

Disobedience is one of Satan’s more subtle schemes which has penetrated most religious institutions known as churches. Teaching that grace is all you need and that the Law has been abolished, leads to lawlessness. Has Jesus really abolished the Law?

Matthew 7:21-23  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'  "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' 

John 14:15  "If you love Me (Jesus), you will keep My commandments. 

It is quite apparent that Jesus is not abolishing the Law. What did He say about the Law?

Matthew 5:17-18  "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 

Jesus perfectly obeyed the Law. He was the single example of the perfection of the Law. He fulfilled all of God’s righteous requirements contained within the Law. No the Law was not abolished with grace.

More on lawlessness versus grace next time.

THe Schemes of Satan-22

Satan is not above murder and the silencing of those who steadfastly proclaim the gospel. You may notice that ISIS publicly beheads ‘Christians” not Hindus, Buddhists, or atheists. Satan is only interested in destroying God’s people who confess Jesus as Lord.

1 Peter 5:8  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

Satan hasn’t softened his approach, mended his ways, or given up. His first attempt at destroying all opposition was evidenced at Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:16  Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

We can trace his murderous schemes back to the Garden, but we see here his real desire is to not let Jesus fulfill prophecies or be resurrected after suffering on the cross. Satan uses mankind to perform his dirty work. Here he used Herod, later he will use Judas, the Pharisees, and Pilate.

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. 

Satan took it upon himself to personally tempt Jesus and now he enters into Judas to make sure all the details of his plan are put into place.

Matthew 26:47-49  While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him."  Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

Judas performed his role by kissing Jesus on the cheek. What hypocrisy.! He had done everything Satan had instructed him to do. What happened to Judas after he had finished Satan’s bidding?

Matthew 27:3-5  Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself!" And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.  Satan has no more use of Judas and so he discarded him like yesterday’s garbage. He basically did the same to Herod.

When you can no longer advance his evil agenda and schemes, he abandons you to the pit, where one day he will join you for eternity. He lets you die for him. While Jesus died for you.

The Schemes of Satan-21

Satan is a discourager and an accuser of all who believe. While Satan cannot take away eternal life, he can ruin your testimony, family, and your desire to serve the Lord. When you take your eyes off of Jesus, Satan moves in. Satan has a very low opinion of everyone’s faith. His network of demons, evil spirits, and fallen angels all feed him the information on you to accurately accuse you before the Father in Heaven.

Zecariah 3:1-5  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?" Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. 

Satan was poised to show God just how sinful Joshua really was, but God was showing Satan how He viewed Joshua.

He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."  Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by. 

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. 

It is very hard to understand, even impossible, why Satan is permitted into Heaven to accuse believers in front of God. But, Satan doesn’t wait till we are in Heaven to accuse us and discourage us. He can continue to bring people in our lives that remind us of our old life, our past sins, our past addictions, etc. that make us falsely believe that we can never escape our past. That our new life in Christ is just a myth but not a reality. But, he is wrong. Don’t let Satan steal your joy in the Lord.

Psalm 71:23  My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; And my soul, which You have redeemed. 

Psalm 95:1  O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 

Psalm 105:43  And He brought forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout. 

Galatians 5:22-25  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 

Jude 1:24-25  Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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After deceit, Satan often uses delay or no hurry or worry. You may have heard this said that you always can think about this at some future better time. God never has told us that, in fact, He has warned us in many ways just how fragile our life on this earth is in reality.

James 4:13-14  Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

Many make all kinds of plan with little thought about God and what He has commanded us to do. A vapor or wisp of smoke vanishes very quickly and cannot be recaptured. This is life.

Luke 12:16-21  And He (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 

"Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 

"So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 

What is Jesus teaching us? He is not condemning the rich. He is not against planning for the future. He is condemning this rich man for forsaking Him and planning everything around himself. What he could do for himself with all this money is the world’s answer for everything. But, you can’t take it with you and without God, you are a fool destined to Hell.

2 Peter 3:7-12  But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 

In Spanish they say, siempre manana, or there is always tomorrow. But, is this true? It is not true in reality of the Day of the Lord, when He returns in judgment. It is also not true for humans. Everyone will die sometime, often a time they have not anticipated.

Evolutionists confidently say that the world is very old and it has always existed. It will also continue to go on for a very long time. God says that is not true. Sinners misunderstand God’s patience and long-suffering. His time is not our time. We are confined to our time-based existence while God is totally outside of time. People proclaim nothing has changed and never will. God says He will destroy this earth by fire. Who do you believe?

Jesus will return like a thief in the night or at a time you will least expect Him. Most aren’t even looking for His return. They are lost.

Hebrews 9:27  And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, We get just one lifetime and then judgment. The lifetime we get from God is given one day at a time. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

The cemeteries are full of people who had other plans for the day of their death. Let today be the day of your salvation.

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Now that we know Satan has power over many things, we will see how often we have been warned not to be deceived by him.

Matthew 24:23-25  "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him.  "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. "Behold, I have told you in advance.

This is contained in one of Jesus’ last warnings to His apostles. In the end times, which are fast approaching, there will be such signs and wonders, only the few true believers will be able to see them as the work of Satan. Everyone else on the wide road will think they are from God, from aliens, random acts of nature. or a secret super race of vastly intelligent beings that have been here all the time. Whatever the deception, 95% of the world will buy into it.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.  Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,  and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 

Those who are perishing on the wide road to destruction will gladly worship and obey the lawless one. He will do great signs, promise peace, centralize all religions into one, oversee a one world system of government, banking, and commerce, and not tolerate any who don’t blindly follow him. The remnant will be persecuted as he kills off all opposition.

True Christians will be the hated and hunted. But, God remains in control and reigns in sovereign omnipotence over Heaven and earth.

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Satan has demonstrated his power of deception throughout the Bible. In addition, he does have earthly powers that are quite disturbing. The only comfort we have is that he remains under God’s sovereign control and authority. However, this doesn’t in any way diminish his demonic, evil plans to deceive the world.

Another example of his power was provided in his temptation of Jesus. We will look at the whole story to insure we maintain context. We have looked at this passage before to reveal his boldness, but now we will look at his power.

Luke 4:1-13  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. 

And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."  And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'" 

We just need to remember just how bold and confident Satan is as he attempts to tempt the Son of God. Jesus will soon be given total authority over everything, yet Satan acts as if he is in control.

Matthew 28:18  And Jesus came up and spoke to them (His apostles), saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 

And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours."  Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'" 

Imagine, Satan brought Jesus to a place and then made it possible for them to see all the kingdoms of the world! How could he do this? We don’t know, but he did.

And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;  for it is written, 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,' and, 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'" 

Satan transported both of them from the desert to the very top of the Temple in Jerusalem. They didn’t walk and then climb, they were instantly transported through the air. It would appear that they would not have been seen either.

When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. Satan is himself deceived. He actually tried to tempt God and believed he could. He also believes the world is his alone, but it isn’t. Nevertheless, he acts with boldness, power, and demonic evil toward all who are in his way of deceiving the world.

His power is not to be dismissed or ignored, but also for those truly ‘in Christ’, not to be feared.

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Satan’s deceptive powers include signs and wonders. What kind of power does he have? What can he do? We will first consider the story of Job.

Job 1:8-12  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."  Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.

The story starts in Heaven, as God brings attention to His servant Job. You should take note that Satan remains under the sovereign control of God, even as he plans evil toward a servant of God.  

Job 1:13-22  Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. 

In rapid fire succession, Job hears news that goes from bad to worse. All of these messengers arrived at about the same time. Job did not have time to take a breath or even let it all sink in before another messenger started telling his sad story. Satan had the power and approval of God to bring his servants, the Sabeans and Chaldeans, to attack Job. Satan also caused fire to come down from heaven and for a mighty wind to cause the death of all of his children.

It would be hard to discern just who created all of this mayhem. It is clear that Satan can bring many of the natural forces to bear in his desire to destroy God’s servants and direct worship toward himself.

We will look at another example of Satan’s power next time.

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In order for Satan to deceive the entire world, he must enlist many deceivers to join him in his evil schemes.

Titus 1:10-11  For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.

Here we read that there are many deceivers who teach error. We also read that one of their motives is money, sordid money. It is sordid because they have evil motives and lead people to Hell rather than to Heaven.

2 John 1:7  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. 

Again we read that many have gone out or are out. As they teach lies and do not acknowledge that Jesus is truly the long promised Messiah, they are against Him or antichrist.

2 Timothy 3:13  But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 

Some of these false teachers and preachers know exactly what they are doing, while others are deceived even as they deceive. Every part of our world today is both deceived and deceiving. Not one part of our society today exemplifies truth. The rush to irradicate God from all public life is proof of the power of Satan’s schemes to deceive.

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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.

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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.