In the previous postings we spent most of our time discussing Satan’s work among the world’s peoples in general. The remainder of the series will be given over to a study of his deceptive work within the church community. The subject known as “the church” can be misleading. If you have not read the series titled My People Who Are Called By My Name and Who Are God’s People respectively I suggest that you do so soon in order to understand to whom I am referring whenever the subject is discussed. People is the key word for both series.

Satan began his conquest of those whom the Almighty created to worship and serve Him with his fellow angels. Originally called Lucifer, meaning “sun of the morning,” Satan led one third of God’s angelic corps to rebel against Him (God) for the purpose of gaining control of the universe. Their failure to defeat the Lord led Him to cast them back down to the earth where they had originally been given the job of beautifying and caring for it. The beautified earth was created to be their home forever. Then came the rebellion, which they lost and were cast down to the earth’s atmosphere.

Following the angelic rebellion, God created Adam and gave him dominion over the earth and everything on it, under it and above it (Gen. 1:25-31). In order to maintain control over the earth, Adam simply had to obey God by avoiding the forbidden tree and caring for the Garden of Eden. Adam failed, thereby giving Satan what he (Adam) had been given as Genesis 1:25-31 makes clear.

I will insert a separate bit of information at this point because only a minutely few people are aware of man’s incredible potential in THIS LIFE relative to the earth. Adam was given total and complete dominion over everything on earth as well as the earth itself. had created. The earth in its entirety was his to rule and enjoy. He failed to keep it by overcoming Satan’s temptation to sin. His defeat gave Satan legitimate claim of rulership over the earth (2 Cor. 4:4). Read Satan: The God of This World. Key word–Satan. Contrary to universal church opinion, dominion over the earth was taken away from man corporately, BUT NOT INDIVIDUALLY. When man becomes aware of his incredible, Adam-level power he realizes that, individually, he (man) is as Adam was before his fall, IF he, like Adam, can overcome Satan’s temptation to sin. This rule also includes eternal life as Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:21. In this life individual man’s dominion (control) involves only his INDIVIDUAL PART of the earth. This power is received UPON TRUE CONVERSION on the part of the believer. Read The Process of Salvation. Key word–Process.

God’s Very Elect have control over their individual parts of the earth (where they are) because of the power of the Holy Spirit that resides within them: “Greater is He (the Holy Spirit) that is in you (the OBEDIENT SAINT) than he (Satan) that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). Satan controls (owns) all of the world not controlled by God’s Very Elect. To understand man’s present day potential read the series about the grease gun miracle. Key word–Grease. To understand the message God sent to me read “Ye Are Gods.” Key word–Potential. Now back to the subject of this series.

As noted initially, Satan uses several spiritual disguises in his quest to control man and to prevent him from realizing his incredible potential IN THIS LIFE. Sin is the tool he uses to keep man from becoming what he was designed to be IN THIS LIFE. Sin separates the believer from God (Isa. 59:2), thereby nullifying His promises and preventing man from becoming all he can be IN THIS LIFE. Religious man does not know God’s Word relative to this subject. All church teaching involves how things will be in the next life. Jesus–our template, our example, our standard–controlled every aspect of the earth and nature wherever He was. Remember when He cursed the fig tree (Mat 21:18-22) and what He told the disciples afterward? He is no respecter of persons; what one can do (AS HE DID), all can do IN THIS LIFE. We are commanded to “walk as He (Jesus) walked (lived)” (1 Jn. 2:6). That walk included signs, wonders and miracles. Scriptural proof of this is found in John 14:12 where the obedient saint (holy one) is told that he “WILL DO EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE AND GREATER THINGS THAN THESE WILL HE DO.” THOSE ARE THE WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST WRITTEN IN RED IN YOUR BIBLE.

This quote, spoken by Jesus Himself, is the premier “headline” found in the Scriptures. However, in order for the “headline” to come to fruition, one must know, believe and obey God’s “fine print” (conditions that must be met) relative to the “headline.” The Lord’s “fine print” involves knowing, believing and obeying God’s Word, His Law, His Gospel, His Light, His Truth which He condensed into Ten Commandments which must be obeyed in order to walk with Him along His narrow path leading to the Kingdom of God (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14/ Amos 3:3). Satan’s plan is to lure salvation seekers away from God’s strait gate and narrow path leading to paradise, then guide them through his wide gate and along his broad path leading to the lake of fire. To do this he comes to man in a variety of disguise. Those disguises are the subject of this series.

Man is controlled by an external force. Man chooses which force–either the God of the Bible or the god of the earth–he will obey. Satan can control man only to the extent that man will allow himself to be controlled. The same holds true for God. Satan CANNOT force man to do or not do anything. God WILL NOT force man to do or not do anything. Satan controls man through manipulation, temptation, etc., all of which is made possible by man’s deliberate ignorance of, belief in and obedience to God’s Word–the Holy Bible. It is that Word by which God LEADS those who choose to obey Him.

The problem is that many people choose to follow God, but refuse to obey Him. Satan gains control over and leads such people by disguising himself as God and twisting His Words ever so slightly in order to make them mean what they (disobedient church people) want them to mean. We will now examine his control over such people and the disguises he uses in gaining and maintaining his dominion over them while making them believe that they are following the Biblical God. In each instance his weapon of choice is to use God’s Word by twisting it to mean the opposite of God’s intention.

We find the first instance of this ruse taking place in the Garden of Eden where he presents himself as the REAL determiner of truth which Adam and Eve must believe and obey in order for their lives to be as THEY want their lives to be. SATAN CONTROLS MAN BY GIVING HIM WHAT HE WANTS. Jesus spoke to this truth when He said to His enemy: “Get behind Me, Satan, for you are not concerned about the things of God, BUT RATHER THE THINGS OF MAN” (Mat. 8:33). Satan uses God’s Words and makes them mean the opposite of what God intends them to mean. He pretends to be the God described in the Holy Scriptures. Examples of this phenomenon we will study involve a god in Eden, a rider on a white horse, a lamb and a lion.

In each instance, Satan pretends to be the hero who has arrived to lead mankind to paradise. We will examine each of these hoaxes to see how he works within the church system to lead people away from the Lord’s narrow pathway that leads to eternal life and to his (Satan’s) broad pathway that leads to death. As free moral agents we are commanded to “Choose you this (every) day whom you will serve”–either God or Satan (Josh. 24:15). There are no other options. MAN SERVES ONE OF THOSE GODS. The Lord’s “little flock,” His tiny “remnant,” His “chosen generation,” His “royal priesthood,” His “holy nation,” His “peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:9) have chosen to follow Him. The vast majority of salvation have chosen to align themselves with one of the devil’s numerous religious organizations that make up modern (Laodicean era) Christianity. In the following posting we will return to the beginning of Satan’s attack on God’s people and bring the narrative forward to where the modern, end-time church which Jesus describes in Revelation 3:14-20. L.J.