END TIME DECEPTIONS
Satan is going to bring great deceptions to this world in these end times, to deceive as many people as he can and keep them from Christ's kingdom. Revelation 12:17 says that "the dragon" which is Satan, is "wroth with the woman and went to make war were her remnant ... who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus." The remnant of this woman is God's end time church, His true followers who keep His ten commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. And Satan is wroth with these people, because they are doing what is right in God's eyes. So he goes to "make war" with them.
So what is Satan going to do? Is he preparing an army to fight against God's true church? Well, in a way he is preparing the leaders of the world to "fight" against God's people who refuse the beast's mark when it is enforced, as it says in Revelation 13:15 that they will be delivered up to be killed. But what is Satan's greatest weapon in war? DECEPTION! He is the arch deceiver, a mighty foe ...
... which is why we need to be grounded on the truth of God's Word in the Bible. This is the ONLY way we can discern any deceptions, by knowing the truth and living according to it.
Mark 13:5,22 ...'TAKE HEED, lest any man deceive you ... For false christs and false prophets shall arise and shall show signs and wonders to seduce, if possible, even the elect.'
Let me give you one example of a DANGEROUS spiritual deception that is sweeping through the churches of the world today. 'Contemplative Prayer'. What is contemplative prayer? It is a new age meditation process where you empty your mind of any thought, and 'center' your prayer upon say one word or name, and then keep repeating that word, in a bid to 'connect with God' and gain a 'real spiritual experience'.
Please stay away from this deception!
Contemplative prayer (or centering prayer) is part of this 'spiritual formation' movement, which is also part of the emergent church movement. Now the obvious problem with this is that it is NOT Biblical. And Jesus actually warned us about using 'vain repetitions' in prayer (Matthew 6:7-8). So if you do something that is not Biblical and are seeking to get a 'feeling' or 'experience' from it. Then what is going to happen? You are going to open the door to satan and he will gladly give you a 'feeling' and 'experience' to trap you!
Jesus has warned us that the signs and wonders to come from these false "angels of light" will be so deceptive, that if we do not seek the truth with earnest hearts and live according to the truth, then we will be deceived. Those signs and wonders will be so seductive and even WILL have many elements of truth in them that even the very elect may be deceived.
Unfortunately, there are many professing Christians today that rely on their own "feelings" as to whether something is of God. But to judge something on how it "feels" or "looks" rather than test it against God's Word in the Bible is a road that will lead to ruin. It will be an easy job for Satan to deceive those who rely on feelings rather than the Bible truth. And we see the groundwork for Satan's great end time deception already laid in the widely accepted teachings of "immortality of the soul", and "Sunday Sabbath". For the truth on these important issues, see what happens when we die and the sabbath day.
Revelation 16:13-14 ...'And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.'
These unclean spirits like frogs will be the last great deceptions from Satan to come upon the world before the second coming of Christ Jesus. Now the dragon in Bible prophecy is a symbol of Satan. The beast of Revelation 13 is the Papal Church of Rome (Roman Catholic Church). And the false prophet is the false religious movement in America. Now notice that it is out of the "mouths" that these deceiving spirits like frogs come. And with what do frogs catch their prey? With their tongues! So in the last days, the Roman Catholic Church and America will "speak" and cause/deceive the world into worshiping the image of the beast (Rev. 13:15), and ultimately Satan.
Now the Bible verse says that these "frogs" are the spirits of demons. So we will have the fallen angels appearing as men doing "signs and wonders" to deceive the "kings of the world" into joining with America and the Roman Catholic Church to enforce the mark of the beast. And it is by their signs and wonders that the leaders and people of the world will be deceived into thinking that this is from God. The mark of the beast will be the final test for the people of the world to decide which side they are going to be on and who they give their worship and allegiance to. The phrase "to gather them to the battle" is a symbol of these fallen angels gathering support from the leaders of the world to prepare for persecuting and killing those of us who stand with Christ Jesus and refuse the mark of the beast.
Revelation 13:15 ...'And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should SPEAK and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be KILLED.'
The image of the beast, which will be a church-state union in Protestant America, (image of the Papacy) will "speak" laws into existence that will be contrary to the law of our Creator God. Which is why in Revelation 14:12 it says that the saints, the one's NOT taking the mark of the beast are those who are KEEPING GOD'S COMMANDMENTS. And one of the ways that Satan will seduce the world into thinking that this law is from God, is through spiritualism.
"The doctrine of man's consciousness in death, especially the belief that spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism" ... "How can those who believe in man's consciousness in death reject what comes to them as divine light communicated by glorified spirits? Here is a channel regarded as sacred, through which Satan works for the accomplishment of his purposes. The fallen angels who do his bidding appear as messengers from the spirit world. While professing to bring the living into communication with the dead, the prince of evil exercises his bewitching influence upon their minds" ... "He has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven, and without suspicion of danger, they give ear to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." (E.White, The Great Controversy, p.551-552)
This is where the great signs and wonders are brought in to deceive the people of the world into thinking that these "religious" laws will be from God. There will be great revivals, healings and even 'impersonations' of loved ones coming down from heaven to try and confirm that this is from God. But we are not to be deceived by these things, because we stand firm on the truth of God's Word. We know that believers who have passed away are still in their graves awaiting the resurrection, they are not in heaven (see here). And we know that TRUE revival is a revival of holy living, following in Jesus' footsteps and keeping God's eternal law, not just a gathering of thousands of people listening and dancing to a modern rock 'worship' band. Just look at what Jesus said:
Matthew 7:21-23 ...'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'
"As the teachings of spiritualism are accepted by the churches, the restraint imposed upon the carnal heart is removed, and the profession of religion will become a cloak to conceal the basest iniquity. A belief in spiritual manifestations opens the door to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and thus the influence of evil angels will be felt in the churches." (E.White, The Great Controversy, p.603)
Why will Jesus say to these people "depart from Me", even though they did many wonderful things in "His name"? Because they were not truly transformed by the renewing of their hearts in turning away from sin and keeping God's commandments. So what does this mean with regards to the healings and miracles that they performed? They were done through the power of Satan.
Now on top of these deceptions, look at what the "earth beast" (America) does in the sight of men ... Revelation 13:13-14 ...'And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.' ... Satan will use his forces of evil in America to bring down fire from heaven! Now there are only two things that this "fire" could be. It is either real fire or it is symbolic of something else. And what is "fire" tied to in the New Testament? The Holy Spirit and tongues (Acts 2:3). If it is real fire, then all those who do not study God's Word for themselves will get the "feeling" that this is from God and be easily deceived by it. And in the same way, if it represents the Holy Spirit and tongues, then look how many people are already deceived by this gibberish that is spoken today and labelled as Bible Tongues, believing that they have been baptized with "fire" and filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
There are so many deceptions going on in these end times, that if we don't study the Bible for ourselves we will end up falling victim to these deceptions!
Please! Study the Word of God for yourself and find out the truth!
Satan, with his fallen angels are working with the leaders of this world to deceive the people into accepting a false form of worship. We have this drive going on around the world to unite the denominations and different faiths in an effort to bring peace to this world. But God's people cannot unite with the fallen churches who have gone the way of the world and rejected the precepts of our Heavenly Father. Instead God is calling his people OUT of these churches saying, come out of her my people (Revelation 18:4).
So we must stand by the truth of God's Word and let Christ Jesus dwell in us and live in us, transforming our hearts and minds into His likeness. This is the only way to overcome end times deceptions. We must stand firm on the truth, no matter what is going on around us. No matter what "miracles" or "signs" or "wonders" are being performed, if it is not according to the truth and if the people performing them are living contrary to the commandments of God, then reject it.