Satan's Ministers...(Ministries?)
The
apostle Paul had no easy task. Satan opposed him at every turn. After
Paul had come to a community, faithfully preached the Gospel, and there
established a church, his footsteps were dogged by false teachers who
sought to destroy the work God had established through him. Under the
inspiration of the Spirit, Paul revealed the true character of those
false teachers:
"For such are false [scammers] apostles, deceitful [dishonest] workers, transforming themselves [masquerading posers] into the apostles of Christ. "And no marvel; For Satan himself is transformed [masquerades] into an angel of light. "Therefore it is no great thing [suprise] if his ministers also be transformed [masquerade] as the ministers of righteousness; [Hebraic restoration, remnant restoration,etc...] whose end [doom] shall be according to their work" (II Cor. 11:13-15).
The false teachers of whom the Apostle spoke here were mainly Judaizing teachers. Their teaching was that Christ was not sufficient; that God's revelation to the jews was still in force; that it was necessary for new Christians to be circumcised, to observe the Sabbath, to keep the Law of Moses.
Obviously, Satan has no aversion to religion as such. So much of it is not hostile to him and does his kingdom no harm. Rather, this seems to be one of his most useful media. Whereas, Judaism originally had been a revelation from God, until Christ fulfilled it every jot and tittle, in Paul's day it had become false teaching, denying that Christ had come. Those who continued to teach it were under the control of Satan, said the Apostle.
Later there were to arise many heresies, stressing one particular teaching to the disparagement of others. These, too, came under the category of Satanic teaching. The norm or standard for the recognition of the true and the false was given clearly by the Apostle John:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit [do not believe every so~called spiritual utterance], but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone into the world. "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God [in this way you can recognize the Spirit of God]: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh [in human form] is of God:"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist [this is the utterance of Antichrist], whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (I John 4:1-3, KJV and The Amplified Bible)
Note the wide latitude with which Satan operates. First he hides his diabolical nature and masquerades as a minister of light. This is in accord with his true character as a deceitful counterfeit, who stoops to anything to bring about the accomplishment of his will. This includes the complete damnation of human souls for whom the fiend cares nothing. He only wants them to share his final doom.
Satan distorts the doctrines of God. These teachings are the things of God and properly belong in the category of those who love God and his Son. But Satan wrests them from their rightful context and for purposes of deception uses them to mislead and delude.
The same treachery is found in Satan's ministers. They, too, masquerade as exponents of righteousness. They clothe themselves in a cloak of duplicity and misrepresentation. All of this is done knowingly. Deep in the heart of the Satanic minister is the knowledge that all of this is false, double-dealing, sinful. But the conscience of this faithless minister does not operate. He does not alter his life, but continues to be a fraud, a phony.
Much of what the world acknowledges as Christianity is both admitted by and promulgated by the devil in his system. The lifeless, ritualistic forms with their various manifestations are not in any way offensive to the Satanic program. These are the "saying" of prayers, counting beads, burning candels, various orders of meaningless service. In fact, anything religious which seems to soothe the soul without the necessity of accepting the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is permissible.
Great unspiritual church organizations lend themselves to Satanic cooperation, especially when they devote themselves to world movements for peace, social betterment, and the alleviation of disease and poverty, without the Gospel message of the Saviour from sin.
Particularly does Satan work in the field of the aesthetic. He would be enthusiastic about hugh church buildings, massive pipe organs, richly clad clergy. All of these outward trappings tend to take the mind and heart of the seeker after God from that which is vitally important to that which is only counterfeit.
The way to determine whether a religion is true or false is to consider the place given Christ in its teaching. Is He the center? Is the emphasis on His virgin birth, His sinless life, His vicarious death, His physical resurrection, His eternal deity?
"For such are false [scammers] apostles, deceitful [dishonest] workers, transforming themselves [masquerading posers] into the apostles of Christ. "And no marvel; For Satan himself is transformed [masquerades] into an angel of light. "Therefore it is no great thing [suprise] if his ministers also be transformed [masquerade] as the ministers of righteousness; [Hebraic restoration, remnant restoration,etc...] whose end [doom] shall be according to their work" (II Cor. 11:13-15).
The false teachers of whom the Apostle spoke here were mainly Judaizing teachers. Their teaching was that Christ was not sufficient; that God's revelation to the jews was still in force; that it was necessary for new Christians to be circumcised, to observe the Sabbath, to keep the Law of Moses.
Obviously, Satan has no aversion to religion as such. So much of it is not hostile to him and does his kingdom no harm. Rather, this seems to be one of his most useful media. Whereas, Judaism originally had been a revelation from God, until Christ fulfilled it every jot and tittle, in Paul's day it had become false teaching, denying that Christ had come. Those who continued to teach it were under the control of Satan, said the Apostle.
Later there were to arise many heresies, stressing one particular teaching to the disparagement of others. These, too, came under the category of Satanic teaching. The norm or standard for the recognition of the true and the false was given clearly by the Apostle John:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit [do not believe every so~called spiritual utterance], but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone into the world. "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God [in this way you can recognize the Spirit of God]: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh [in human form] is of God:"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist [this is the utterance of Antichrist], whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (I John 4:1-3, KJV and The Amplified Bible)
Note the wide latitude with which Satan operates. First he hides his diabolical nature and masquerades as a minister of light. This is in accord with his true character as a deceitful counterfeit, who stoops to anything to bring about the accomplishment of his will. This includes the complete damnation of human souls for whom the fiend cares nothing. He only wants them to share his final doom.
Satan distorts the doctrines of God. These teachings are the things of God and properly belong in the category of those who love God and his Son. But Satan wrests them from their rightful context and for purposes of deception uses them to mislead and delude.
The same treachery is found in Satan's ministers. They, too, masquerade as exponents of righteousness. They clothe themselves in a cloak of duplicity and misrepresentation. All of this is done knowingly. Deep in the heart of the Satanic minister is the knowledge that all of this is false, double-dealing, sinful. But the conscience of this faithless minister does not operate. He does not alter his life, but continues to be a fraud, a phony.
Much of what the world acknowledges as Christianity is both admitted by and promulgated by the devil in his system. The lifeless, ritualistic forms with their various manifestations are not in any way offensive to the Satanic program. These are the "saying" of prayers, counting beads, burning candels, various orders of meaningless service. In fact, anything religious which seems to soothe the soul without the necessity of accepting the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is permissible.
Great unspiritual church organizations lend themselves to Satanic cooperation, especially when they devote themselves to world movements for peace, social betterment, and the alleviation of disease and poverty, without the Gospel message of the Saviour from sin.
Particularly does Satan work in the field of the aesthetic. He would be enthusiastic about hugh church buildings, massive pipe organs, richly clad clergy. All of these outward trappings tend to take the mind and heart of the seeker after God from that which is vitally important to that which is only counterfeit.
The way to determine whether a religion is true or false is to consider the place given Christ in its teaching. Is He the center? Is the emphasis on His virgin birth, His sinless life, His vicarious death, His physical resurrection, His eternal deity?
Good word, David...Very timely.
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