A guy goes into the doctor's office. He has a
banana stuck in one ear, a cucumber in the other ear, and a carrot up his nose. The guy says, "Doc, I feel terrible.
What's wrong with me?" The doctor
says, "Well, first of all, you're not eating right."
As I look at the world today I have this
nagging feeling that something is not right; something lurking in the shadows
is trying to destroy all that is good. I
can sense this; or, borrowing the words of Han Solo, “I got a bad feeling about
this.” Can you sense something? It seems to be chipping away at morality; it
tries to dismantle the ethical foundation that keeps us from becoming
monsters. Have you ever wondered “what”
or “who” is manipulating us from the shadows?
In 1909, Lewis Chafer wrote a fantastic book simply titled Satan. In Chapter 7 he
discusses the methods Satan employs to deceive the world. Even 100 years ago, men and women of God were
faced with counterfeit systems of truth;
they witnessed the rise of religion, but a
religion that draws humanity away from the Lordship of Jesus. Chafer writes, “Satan can satisfy all the external religious cravings of the world, and
yet accomplish his own end by withholding that on which man’s only hope depends" (Chafer, L. S. (1909). Satan (p. 83). New York: Gospel Publishing House). Satan knows we are creatures longing for eternity, but he draw us away from the only One who can help us get there. That “hope” is the message of Jesus;
everlasting life can be found only in Him.
“God has given no other name under heaven by
which we must be saved” (Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 4:12). Carol Stream, IL.).
The Bible teaches us about Lucifer; he is a
fallen angel, the father of all lies, and the great deceiver (John 8:44). Presently, Satan and his demons are
restrained… forcing them to work just out of sight. He and his legion deceive humanity and lead
unsuspecting men and women away from Jesus.
His goal is to corrupt all that God has made good. This is the work of that ancient beast, as he
is called in Revelation. He is the Great
Dragon. From the first time we meet him
in Genesis until the very end, he has been deceiving and lying to humanity.
Most of Revelation is God’s promise to put an
end to Satan’s trickery. The 7 seals,
trumpets, and bowls all depict a process where the great deceiver, and all who
follow him, are judged and thrown into prison.
This happens during a great war in Megiddo; a broad plain the lies below
Mount Carmel in Israel.
(Revelation 16:12-21) 12 Then the sixth angel
poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the
kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.
13 And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap
from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 They
are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world
to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God
the Almighty.
15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who
are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to
walk around naked and ashamed.”
16 And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to
a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a
mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” 18 Then
the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake
struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. 19 The
great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations
fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made
her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. 20 And
every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. 21 There
was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as seventy-five
pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the
terrible plague of the hailstorm (Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 16:12–21). Carol Stream, IL.).
This place is called Har-Magedon. It means “a place of troops.” Old Testament judges like Barak and Gideon
fought battles in this area. It’s a
perfect battlefield - 14 miles wide and 20 miles long. Most Bibles call this place Armageddon. One day in the future, Satan will lure the
armies of the earth to fight a massive war in this place.
True to his nature, Satan will
deceive the Kings and Generals into believing they are actually marching
against the Antichrist. You see, they will grow weary of his
tyranny, these armies will attempt to end his religious and economic control. But, these soldiers will not realize that
they have been deceived; Satan has actually
gathered them to resist the arrival of the Messiah. You see, Satan will realize the Lord is about to come, so he deceives the nations of
the world and lures them into war.
Do you find it a bit strange that
kings and generals are deceived into fighting this war? Did they not know? Had they not learned about this trickery? It's written right here in this Book! However, before we start judging their gullibility, are we not just as
naïve today? Don’t we fall for Satan’s
lies and tricks today? Working through
the unsuspecting and unprepared, Satan is doing a pretty good job today at
making a mess of this world.
Satan is working in the
background; his influence is subtle. Sure, God
will eventually judge all that Satan has corrupted; his religious system
(Revelation 17), his political and economic system
(chapter 18), and his military power (chapter
19). These judgments will happen one day
in the future, but for now, Satan manipulates from the shadows.
The reason I tell you this is
because you need to know that Satan is
working behind the scene… even now! He
is quietly manipulating unsuspecting individuals even today. He deceives humanity. He lures people away from Jesus. He gives birth to selfishness, greed, envy, lust,
and anger. And even Christians are
susceptible to this deceit (see Galatians 5:7-9). We must be on our guard.
We must know what we are up against as well.
We must know what we are up against as well.
One of the great leaders of the
first-century church wrote, “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Eph 6:12). Carol Stream, IL.). For this reason, Paul tells us to “Put on the
full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:13-18). Here, Paul mentions several ways we can defend ourselves against Satan, but he also mentions a weapon we can use in this war.
While Jesus is tempted in the wilderness, we learn that Satan uses
scripture to lure us away from the truth (see Luke
4:9-12). While Satan could not lead
Jesus astray, he has been quite successful with many Christians. Many have fallen for Satan’s tricks as his
“half-truths” have lured many believers away from biblical truth. Far too many Christians are deceived by Satan
because they simply do not know their Bible well enough to perceive the lie. According to Paul, the Bible is our sword; it is our weapon that “cuts
through” those lies. So, stand firm in
the word.
Since Paul described this as a spiritual battle, our greatest triumph over evil comes from the Holy
Spirit. “Let the Holy Spirit guide your
life,” says Paul (Galatians 5:16). Trust
Him, for He will not let you wander far from the path (Isaiah 30:21).
Yes, there is something not quite
right in the world today. What you and I
are sensing is the influence of Satan.
We see it in our governments, in our economy, and in our religion. In all ways, Satan is quietly deceiving the
world. For this reason, learn what your
Bible says so you will be able to discern a lie. Rely on the Holy Spirit. He will not lead you astray. It is the Holy Spirit who helps you overcome
all the temptations in this world; He gives us victory, for “Greater is He who is
in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 5:4-5). And always remember; you do not need to fight
this battle alone. God has given you a
church family who can support you and guide you when Satan attempts to lead you
astray.
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