The Art of Deception—Part Two
In my previous blog we exposed Satan’s art of deception as revealed in his time of the end plans. He had three primary objectives:
To convince people he and his angels did not exist.
To control human minds through hypnosis and mysticism.
To destroy the Bible -- without burning it.
This second blog post on the devil’s art of deception explores how he achieved each of these goals beginning with the first. Practically speaking, if you do not believe that you have an enemy, you cannot prepare for his attacks.
Denial, in this case, is a form of misdirection—a tactic used with stunning effect throughout recorded human history. In warfare, it is arguably the most effective strategy. Let us look at the track that this train of thought takes us down. The ride feels smooth and soothing with beautiful views from each train car. Though the train is full, we have plenty of room to stretch out and relax. Satan designed the seats on his train of deceit to lull us comfortably to sleep.
In the first car, he persuades us to forget his central role in the pain and injustice of life. That leaves us with only God or ourselves to blame for our problems and the wanton injustice we see in the world. He is no longer seen as the author of sickness and death-- God is.
The second car brings the whispered suggestion that our Creator is a tyrant --- capricious and unworthy of our service and praise. Why should anyone serve such a harsh and vindictive God? How could anyone love such a mean Creator? Wouldn’t atheism and agnosticism be justified?
In the third car, we are offered substitute gods—money, success, and fame. These are gods that the world offers—gods we can see and touch. They offer immediate gratification and appease our cravings if only for a moment. Despite the shattered lives of those who have worshipped at those lifeless idols, the masses still claw their way towards them.
If you walked along with us through each train car, you saw how quickly it led you from one deception to the next, deeper, and deeper into the ditch of denial, to the sediment of distrust, and finally to the bedrock of rebellion.
The plushest part of the train is the dining car, and its main course is rebellion. You can order as much of it as you like, but you will never be satisfied. Satan has made rebellion appear as a delicacy—no longer seen as sin, but as freedom of choice. That is the deception; his choices are all the same -- idols wearing different names. He suggests gods he controls and manipulates – chance, evolution, and technology. These false gods stroke our egos and soothe our consciences while we chase selfish desires.
All three alternatives—chance, evolution, and technology—ultimately place man as his own creator and savior! The created worships the created. And Satan himself, a created being, receives worship by proxy. That has always been his goal. Satan knew that if men stopped believing in the creator of evil, they would eventually stop believing in the Creator of good.
Everyone of man’s philosophical paths was considered at Satan’s Great General Council held in the 1700’s. From his study of Scripture and prophecy, he knew that the Industrial Age would soon dawn, followed by the Scientific Age. Both ages would appeal to reason and logic—fields in which the supernatural, spirits, and evil beings could be dismissed as superstition.
Satan proposed that science could explain everything in the natural world. Science became the new deity of modern times, and much of the world now worships it—often alongside whatever god they claim to believe in.
Telescopes revealed a universe larger than we imagined--blackholes, quasars, black matter—mysteries beyond our comprehension. Microscopes and theoretical physics unveiled a hidden world of quarks, neutrinos, and gluons. Satan, awed and envious of God’s creative power, knew that even with his own immense intellect, he could not fathom the depths of God’s design. Thus, by causing man to doubt his (Satan’s) existence, he opened the door to doubt everything God had created. That is the engine of the train of deceit.
This logic, though twisted and counterintuitive, has worked wonderfully—largely because the purveyors of this deception, wicked men, and evil angels, have nearly unimpeded access to human minds. The latter whisper to us even as we sleep, while the former fills our airwaves and media boxes with Satan’s melodies of lies. Together they brand our conscious and unconscious minds as their property.
Were it not for God’s grace and His divine provisions—Christ, the Holy Spirit, and holy angels—we would all be hopelessly lost. But greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Faith in the Creator God is the only way off the train of deceit. It is the next stop if you want to disembark!
Additional Resources
For a deeper understanding of the topic I just discussed, please read My Story, His Glory (Book 1) A Lens on Racism and Religion in America and God’s Final Judgment, Ascent from Darkness page 109, and Unit Four: Consider This: Evolution, You Made Yourself! page 352 of my book: My Story His Glory (Book 2) Decoding Daniel, Revelation, and America’s Destiny.
Book 1 links to purchase:
Amazon Page His Glory Publishing Page
Book 2 links to purchase:
Click this link to my Amazon page. Click this link to my Barnes & Noble page.
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