In Revelation 12:9 the Lord tells us that the devil “deceiveth the whole world.” This, together with the fact that we have “all sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (Rom. 3:23) proves that Satan has tremendous power to manipulate mankind. Contrary to popular opinion, he can only influence us; he cannot force us to obey him . However, a glance around us proves that he is extremely successful in this endeavor. The “father of lies”  succeeds by making men, even the most religious of men, believe that his lie is God’s Truth–Adam and Eve being prime examples. For this reason we are warned not to ALLOW him to get an advantage over us. But he does. By 1) keeping man ignorant of his methods (2 Cor. 2:11), and by 2) steering God-seekers away from God’s Word and into church doctrine (Mat. 7:13,14), Satan lures God-seekers into one of his many religious organizations and, through ignorance, pride and fear, keeps them there. See Bait and Switch. We have all been taken in by him. That is not the problem. The problem is that the vast majority of religious people choose to remain in his camp. God said that His own people were perishing due to a lack of knowledge about Him (Hos. 4:6). Nothing changed with the establishing of the New Covenant Church. Not long after the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. the devil began his assault on her. The deplorable condition of professing Christendom is proof of his success.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this problem in his second letter to Timothy (2:26), warning him that church people were being “taken captive by him at his will.” Note that when men refuse to focus on God’s Word they will invariably be taken in by Satan AT HIS WILL, meaning that these people were/are puddy in his hands–he does with them whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Such is the power of the “god of this earth.” Such is the power religious men allow Satan to have over their lives unless they are diligent in their fight against him–a war that will continue until Jesus returns. We are told that Satan is “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Note that Satan is not a lion, but rather is “like” a lion. A lion does what he wants to do. Being “like” a lion means that the devil can’t do what he wants to do unless one allows him to do it. Secondly, he seeks “those whom he may devour.” He has to “seek” out his potential victims, meaning that not everyone is subject to his deceptions. Those who are focused on God’s Word with a heart to believe and obey it are always prepared for his inevitable attacks. And he knows our weaknesses; he knows exactly which spiritual “buttons to push” to hopefully draw us off God’s path. Unfortunately, his job is becoming easier as religion becomes ever more intertwined with a spiritually decaying society. THIS IS NOT GOD’S WORLD. SATAN IS IN CHARGE. True saints take charge of their lives and “overcome (Satan) even as I (Jesus) overcame (him) ….” (Rev. 3:21). Only overcomers, He said, will sit with Him on His throne in His Father’s earthly kingdom. Note that even Jesus Christ, being a man, had to overcome Satan.

The world’s societies, especially the United States, have become totally dysfunctional as is witnessed by the stream of “entertainment” offerings presented on television and the internet. These Satanic influences are showing up in our “houses of worship.” I recently turned on the t.v. to find something I wanted to see and ran across what I thought was an acid rock band grinding and screaming out their latest “global hit,” whose lyrics (I am being kind) I could not decipher. Not to my surprise I found that what I was watching was a “church service.” Once I watched (momentarily) a so-called “preacher” “rapping” out her message. If cuteness was the objective, she was a roaring success. This “minister of righteousness” promised that sin was of no concern, that God “… forgives you even before you sin.” This came as no surprise, for THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO EVER MORE REFLECT THE WORLD AROUND HER. Soon the distinction will totally disappear, as will sin.

Religion is going main-stream. Locally we have a main-line “church” that caters to the religious proclivities of two types of “believers.” For one group the organization’s hireling dresses traditionally and delivers a traditional (heathen-based) message in the traditional way. For the more “with it” crowd he “gets down” in jeans, tee shirts, etc. and tells them how it is, baby. Years ago there was a sit-com in which three down-on-their-luck brothers’ were constantly looking for a job. Their motto was “anything for a buck.” The Counterfeit Church has adopted the same motto for the same reason. Religious man promises: “You want it–you got it–come and get it.” God promises His Truth and “You can take it or leave it.” The Institutional Church chooses the latter option. To be continued. L.J.