“Be not deceived…” (Luke 21:8).
One notion that prevails within Christianity is that true hearts cannot be deceived; that God will not allow the “honest seeker” to be deceived.
This reflects ignorance, on the part of Christians, of the subtle working of Satan and his “guile” and “wiles”, by which he is able to lead God’s people into a false place of “security” and, incidentally, it also ignores the history of the Church from the earliest days up to the present time.
Satan, who “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), is not omnipresent, but he has a vast army of demonic helpers who “have crept in unawares” (Galatians 2:4 and Jude 4) and who manifest or disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15).
These deceitful and deceiving spirits have always worked on the determination of devoted believers to obey the Scriptures and, by misusing the letter of the Word, have led them into error. We see this in cultic movements that embrace the detail of a part of scripture while ignoring the declaration of Jesus; “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and that means the whole counsel of God’s word.
They are often the most zealous of Christians, living separated lives and giving evidence of love and devotion to the Lord Jesus and are frequently disdained by the broader mass of Christianity. Thus, they portray their rejection by the larger Body of Christ as martyrdom, suffering for the cause of Christ. If they had any understanding whatsoever, they could be delivered from the powers of darkness, but alas, their deception, being based, as they believe, on the Word of God, covers their ignorance.
Knowledge of truth is the only safeguard against deception and only the knowledge that it is possible to be deceived keeps open the mind to truth and light from the True Light, a closed mind guaranteeing vulnerability to deception by Satan.
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