REVEALING
THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE FALSE IMPOSTER GOD OF
THIS WORLD
An introduction to the study of the Two Lords
in the Holy Scriptures.
About 1968 I attended a meeting in Texas of a
fellow evangelist who was preaching on end-time events. His text that
night was from Matt. 24 where we find Jesus departing from the temple
and walking up to the Mount of Olives. Jesus had just finished the most
scathing denunciation of his career on the scribes and pharisees in
Matt. 23. His final word was, "Behold, your house is forsaken
and desolate--abandoned and left destitute [of God's help].
I Kings 9:7; Jer. 22:5, Matt. 23:38. If
you back up and read the whole chapter in a modern version the
directness of Christ's words are incredible. And then, as if that were
not enough, He told them that they would be held responsible and found
guilty of every righteous person who had been martyred from Able to
Zechariah. V. 35.
Obviously our Lord was trying to shock the
leaders of the nation into reality; to wake them up to the fact that
they were facing total destruction, which eventually came in AD 70. "Little
did the Jews realize the terrible responsibility involved in rejecting
Christ. From the time when the first innocent blood was shed, when
righteous Abel fell by the hand of Cain, the same history had been
repeated, with increasing guilt. In every age prophets had lifted up
their voices against the sins of kings, rulers, and people, speaking
the words which God gave them, and obeying His will at the peril of
their lives. From generation to generation there had been heaping up a
terrible punishment for the rejecters of light and truth. This the
enemies of Christ were now drawing down upon their own heads. The sin
of the priests and rulers was greater than that of any preceding
generation. By their rejection of the Saviour, they were making
themselves responsible for the blood of all the righteous men slain
from Abel to Christ. They were about to fill to overflowing their cup
of iniquity. And soon it was to be poured upon their heads in
retributive justice." DA 618, 619. Everyone knew exactly
what Jesus was talking about. The history of how king Joash had
commanded that the prophet Zechariah be killed right out in public with
the words of warning fresh on his lips, was well known. 2 Chron. 24:20.
"His blood had imprinted itself upon the very stones of the temple
court, and could not be erased; it remained to bear testimony against
apostate Israel. As long as the temple should stand, there would be the
stain of that righteous blood, crying to God to be avenged. As Jesus
referred to these fearful sins, a thrill of horror ran through the
multitude." DA 619.
Now, friends, it was on this very day, after
speaking these solemn words that Jesus left the temple. "Pharisees
and Sadducees were alike silenced. Jesus summoned His disciples, and
prepared to leave the temple, not as one defeated and forced from the
presence of His adversaries, but as One whose work was accomplished. He
retired a victor from the contest." DA 620.
After His crucifixion and resurrection many
who were awestruck by His words that day took their stand for the truth
and became mighty instruments of the Holy Spirit to spread the message
of salvation to all who would listen while probation lingered for this
apostate people and nation until October 66 AD when the Roman armies
came and surrounded the city. They withdrew a little later, which was
the door of opportunity Jesus had predicted for His people to escape.
No believer in His words died in the next siege that last until AD 70.
Our country and the whole world stand today
in a similar circumstance as the Jewish nation at that time. The
leaders who heard Jesus' words of warning that fateful day were shocked
and filled with terror even though they tried not to show it. They
could not imagine their magnificent temple lying in a heap of ruins.
But now an unseen danger seemed to be threatening them. This foreboding
of coming disaster had also affected the disciples. In an effort to
call forth a more positive statement about the future the disciples
pointed out to their Lord the strength, beauty and magnificence of the
various buildings of the temple, as if to say, Lord, surely
all of this will stand forever.
But Jesus had no encouraging words about the
future. The Jewish nation had sealed its very own fate: "Do
you see all these? Truly, I tell you, there will not be left here one
stone upon another that will not be thrown down." These
words were not spoken privately so many no doubt heard Him. A little
later, as He sat on the Mount of Olives, four of His disciples mustered
up the courage to ask Him for more details of His prediction about the
temple. "And as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the
temple (enclosure) Peter and James and John and
Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us when is this to take place and what
will be the sign when these things, all (of them),
are about to be accomplished? Amplified Bible. Mark 13:3, 4. We
have always assumed that all 12 of His disciples were with Him at this
time but there were only four. Have you ever wondered why? Well, we
know that Peter, James and John were the "favored" three. But now
Andrew is also with them. It is possible that Jesus had invited them to
be with Him for a special time of meditation, prayer and instruction.
And during this time they got up the courage to ask Him when the temple
would be destroyed. It is extremely important here that we notice the
very first seven words that came out of Jesus' mouth. "TAKE
HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU." Matt. 24:5.
So, the leading sign of the end is DECEPTION.
During the last year of his life, AD 66, Paul
expanded upon
this theme of deception to his young disciple, Timothy, from prison in
Rome. "But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to
worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led
astray themselves." 2 Tim. 3:13. Amplified.
Now, who is the "Deceiver?" We know it is
Satan and I will prove that to you from the Bible but first let us ask
this question. Does God ever deceive? The answer is no, although He has
been accused of deceiving people just as He has been accused of killing
people. Jer. 4:10; 20:7. God does not break His own law. To deceive is
to lie and the Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie. Hebrews
6:18. James says that if you break one of the Ten Commandments you have
broken them all (James 2:10) therefore, if God ever destroys (kills)
#6, then He would also be guilty of breaking #9... "Lying or
bearing false witness." But, because we know that He does not
lie, we also know that He does not steal or covet or take His Name in
vain or kill or murder because the reverse is also true: If
you keep one then you keep them all.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world:"
Rev. 12:9. Now,
how is Satan able to deceive the whole world? "And the beast
was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." Here John tells
you the method and manner by which the world is deceived by Satan. It
is through the "miracles" the false prophet "wrought" (performed)
throughout the world. This has been going on for some time but is going
to increase more and more.
Again Paul tells us how much power Satan has
to deceive and how he does it. We have already seen how Satan will use
the "false prophet" which means that when Satan deceives he sometimes
uses people to carry out his deceptions. "For such men are
false apostles--spurious, counterfeits--deceitful workmen, masquerading
as apostles (special messengers) of Christ, the
Messiah. And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel
of light, so it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as
ministers of righteousness." 2 Cor. 11:13-15. There have
been various films and movies made during this century of the silver
screen exposing false religions and preachers. Steve Martin starred in
one titled, "Leap of Faith." A more recent one was entitled, "The
Apostle," written by the star himself, Robert Duvall. His portrayal of
a self-deluded southern Pentecostal type preacher was an obvious effort
to expose and ridicule. How many preachers and congregations fit into
this mold it is impossible to tell, but it is far too many. As far as I
know there have been no protests or buoycott of the film which speaks
volumes. Satan is having a field day in organized religion.
Now, what about Lucifer (Satan)? Is he also
deceived? The answer is "yes." Jude 6 tells us that all the angels who
"left" heaven of their own free will, are "under chains of
darkness," which would include Satan, the king and leader of
the evil angels. They all are deceived. They were not cast out of
heaven by God. Why do I say that? Because the Lord never uses force to
accomplish His purposes. "Had Lucifer really desired to be
like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in
heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested in unselfish
ministry. Lucifer desired God's power, but not His character. He sought
for himself the highest place, and every being who is actuated by his
spirit will do the same. " DA 435, 436.
Now, let us also read the last part of Jude 6
which clearly tells us that these angels who left are "reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great
day." Jude 6. What does the word "darkness" indicate? It
means to "be in the dark" which is another way of saying that a person
is deceived. And Satan is the Prince of Darkness, the one who has been
the leader and chief deceiver in the rebellion against God from the
beginning. Also remember that Jesus asked the Father to "forgive"
everyone because "they know not what they are doing." Luke
23:34. So, this is a sin of ignorance which is a major cause
of deception. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." I Cor. 2:7, 8.
Now we are ready to go to the final deception
which is going to come upon this old world in our day.
Everything we have studied up to this point
has been for the purpose of preparing us for what Paul tells us that
Satan will do in this last Remnant of time. "Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God." 2 Thess. 2:3, 4.
This is obviously a prophecy about the future
that would be fulfilled before the end of our age. Most Bible scholars
believe that the "man of sin" is primarily the papacy but the real
power behind the papacy (Satan) has been hidden from the beginning. So,
the "revealing" here has a deeper meaning. Revealed is from the Greek
word, "Apokalupto", "to uncover," or "unveil" or "to disclose and make
known." This same verb is repeated in 2 Thess. 2:6, 8 and is used
elsewhere in the NT of supernatural revelations. Mt 16:17; Lk 10:22. It
is used especially in regard to the appearing or unveiling of Christ.
The noun form is apokaupsis.
So this word in both its verb and noun form
clearly indicates that what is going to be revealed has been hidden
until a certain period of time. Actually, the reformation did reveal
and expose the Papacy to a degree but we can see much more being
exposed or manifested to the world today via all the law suits in the
courts because of the pedophile priests. This unveiling will continue
until Satan Himself appears as Christ and then is exposed by the Elect,
whom he cannot deceive, Matt. 24:24; Dan. 12. This revelation will be
more intense then anything in the past. Up until this particular time
God has permitted Satan to conceal himself under various disguises. But
little by little his masks are coming off.
All that I have
written so
far is really only an introduction to the topic of what I call the "Two
Lords," which is the third level of the character of God which is
already on the web site in the article section. One such article is
entitled, "Would Jesus Kill A Little Sparrow?" Another one is "Job's
Final Test and The Final Deception." Now, here
are two important quotes I do not believe I have ever shared before.
"Rebellion and
apostasy
are in the very air we breathe. We shall be affected by them unless we
by faith hang our helpless souls upon Christ. If men are so easily
misled now, how will they stand when Satan shall personate Christ, and
work miracles? Who will be unmoved by his misrepresentations
then -- professing to be Christ when it is only Satan assuming the
person
of Christ, and apparently working the works of Christ?" 2 SM 394.
"Satan will work
with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness to personate Jesus Christ; if it were
possible, he would deceive the very elect. Now if the counterfeit bears
so close a resemblance to the genuine, is it not essential to be on
your guard, that no man deceive you?" 2 SM 87.
Now this quote
from "Great Controversy," page 624, which man believe is
referring to Satan's future use of UFOs as
a means to deceive the masses.
"Fearful sights of a supernatural character
will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of
miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the
kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception,
and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the
government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be
alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and
claiming the title and worship which belong to the world's Redeemer.
They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to
have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the
Scriptures.
"As
the
crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will
personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the
Saviour's advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great
deceiver will make it
appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will
manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness,
resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the
Revelation. Rev. 1:13-15.
"The glory that
surrounds
him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The
shout of triumph rings out upon the air: "Christ has come! Christ has
come!" The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while
he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ
blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and
subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents
some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered;
he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character
of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and
commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that
those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his
name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and
truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion. Like the
Samaritans who were deceived by Simon Magus, the multitudes, from the
least to the greatest, give heed to these sorceries, saying: This is
"the great power of God"
But the people
of God will
not be misled. The teachings of this false christ are not in accordance
with the Scriptures. His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of
the beast and his image, the very class upon whom the Bible declares
that God's unmingled wrath shall be poured out." GC 624, 625.
There are
several videos
on this topic of the character of God. Only $5.00 each. For those who
write in for the two video programs will be sent a free book
and back issues of God's Last Call Newspaper. mfc
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