The Hell Bent Methods of the Devil

The enemy of our soul is hell bent to do three things to you:

1.  To steal

2.  To Kill

3.  To Destroy

(Cf.  John 10:10)

First, he tries to steal you away from God through “indoctrination.” This is done through “false teachings” (2 Peter 2:1). 

Second, he tries to kill you through “infiltration.”  He is determined to get a foothold in your life, in your small group, in your home, and in your church, to slowly capture you completely and offer you up in death as his sacrifice to himself.    

This is why Peter says that false teachers (those of the world), now watch this:  Will “secretly introduce destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1), even going so far as to deny the Master who bought them.

This means that their modus operandi is very subtle. They will not infiltrate your life with a shout and a sign warning you of their intentions.   They will be secretive and subtle. They do not want you to know what they are up to.

Therefore, when some point out these subtle and secretive heresies, many say, “What?  That’s insane!  You are making way too much out of nothing.”

This is why Peter goes onto say, because of them, “the way of the truth is maligned” (v. 2) or slandered, smeared or defamed.  In other words, because of their subtle ploy and carefully crafted secrecy, exposure by the truth appears stupid.  The truth will be called “conspiracy!”

What is the driving force behind these false teachers?  “Greed” (v. 3).  How does greed work in their method of operation?  They will “exploit you using false words” (v. 3). 

Once Satan infiltrates your life, home, small group or church with “false words,” and “secretly introduce destructive heresies,” and therefore gain a foothold, he then will try to kill you.

Now to “kill” in the Bible can means one of two things:  “Separate you from your power source -- your fellowship with God” (through sin), or separate your soul from your body” (through death).  He has no problem doing both. But he has to infiltrate your life first and gain an advantage.

Here is now Jude puts it:  “For certain persons have CREPT in UNNOTICED. . .ungodly persons” (Jude 4). 

This why you and I simply cannot turn a blind eye toward such things and think naively, “I’ll just focus on Jesus and ignore all the bad things around me.”  You, my friend will be like a sheep led to the slaughter.

I like how Nehemiah got his people to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem during times of extreme opposition. Half of those worked while the other half stood guard (Neh. 4:16-17).  Then they switched. The other group took up a hammer, while the other half held onto their spears.

You see, you have to be watching and vigilant.  There are no such things in God’s kingdom as ostrich Christians.  

Third, Satan seeks to “destroy” you through “contamination.”

If he cannot kill you, then his next aim is for you to become a non-threat to him. He will destroy your testimony so your message will be laughed at or not taken seriously.

In war, when a soldier is wounded, what happens?  Usually two other soldiers stop their shooting and go and assist the wounded one. By wounding one soldier, the enemy had taken out three.

This is how it is done in the church. When Satan can wound or contaminate one Christian, then more will leave the battle to assist the wounded warrior. And if Satan can destroy or spiritually contaminate enough Christians in the church, pretty soon no one is left except for a tiny minority who are vigilant, watching and on the alert. Everyone had been cleverly taken out of the battle.

Be on the alert!  Preach the gospel, yes!  Be a shinning and bright witness for Jesus, yes!  But be sober and be vigilant.  "For the enemy of your soul is like a roaring lion seeking ways to devour you” (1 Pet. 5:8) –

Through Indoctrination

Through Infiltration

Through Contamination

“But we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).   

Whom Does Satan's Antichrist Counterfeit?

As we head toward the end, Jesus predicted this to occur:  “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Matt. 24:5). 

Notice Jesus did not say, just a “few,” but “many.” 

Now watch this:  Who will the many seek to counterfeit?  “Jesus Christ.”  He said, they will come “in My Name.”

Now think about that for a moment.

Heading toward the last days, many will seek to counterfeit Jesus Christ, not Buddha, not Mohammed or Allah, not Joseph Smith or the gods of the Mormon Church, not some New Age Guru, but Jesus Christ.

Folks, listen:  No one counterfeits gum wrappers, right?  If someone is going to make a counterfeit, it will be of something that is considered to be a value and importance. This is why some counterfeit money – example $100 bills.

Satan, although deceived and wicked, is no dummy. He is not going to waste his valuable time – what little time he has left, seeking to counterfeit that which he knows he himself created and conjured up in order to deceive others with.

Instead, his man known as the Antichrist will come in the name of Christ Himself and it will be that man that the Antichrist will seek to counterfeit.

The Bible says, now watch this: When the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who will he be opposed to?  “Every so-called god or object of worship” (2 Thess. 2:3-4). 

Hey, newsflash:  The god you love and serve will be opposed by the god who is behind it all.  In the end, Satan will have his man – now watch this – “sit in the temple of God” (this will be the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem), “displaying himself to be God” (v. 4).  He will not sit in structures that reveal the greatness of Buddha, Allah, Shinto, Humanism, Roman Catholics, etc., it will be a Jewish Temple, where the Jews are giving worship to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Matt. 22:32).  Why this God?  Because it is this God, the God of the Bible who is the God of the living and not the dead.

Folks, again think about this.  Of all the gods and religions for Satan to counterfeit in order to receive the maximum worship he so desires, he only wants to be like one – the God of the Bible.  This is his dream, for he said so long ago, “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14).

Satan is not going to counterfeit that which is not a threat to him. He is not going to waste what little time he has left seeking to counterfeit anything of lesser value. He wants to be like the God of the Bible, the same God that Jesus came to earth to reveal (John 17:6).  Antichrist will sit in the temple of Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be only one God – the God of the Bible, or more specifically, Jesus Christ.

This is why during the seven year tribulation period, those who are killed are those who have held onto the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 6:9) and who will not worship the beast or antichrist, the great God impersonator (Rev. 20:4). Satan hates Christians because they can see into his plan and expose it to others of whom some will turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.

So folks, truth and the gospel is being presented in the Bible, not only in a positive manner (by the Bible declaring that Jesus is the only God and Savior), but also in a negative manner (by showing that even the devil himself impersonates only one God – the Most High that he dreams of becoming.)

Think about that.  There is a message here.

Of all the religions and gods out there who claim to be the real one, Satan counterfeits only one – the God whom the Jews will be worshiping in their new rebuilt temple during the Tribulation.

Open your eyes!