Those who do not know God’s Word intimately well, and I mean exceedingly, intimately well – having a good understanding and memory recall of Ezekiel and Hosea as deeply as they have of Mark’s gospel account and the letters of Peter, Paul and John, have no idea how clever and powerful Satan is in his around-the-clock deceptions practiced upon the human mind and intellect. Most preachers feel somewhat comfortable delving into the pages of the four gospels or the writings of the apostles. When expounding upon these texts they do so with some fair degree of confidence. But when those same preachers are asked to explain or expound upon the writings of Nahum, or Zephaniah, or Jeremiah it is as though they have just stepped off a well marked familiar pathway and have plunged suddenly into a deep, dark jungle of an impenetrable rain forest. All their seminary training goes out the window and they must protest, “Oh, that’s the OLD Testament. I don’t get my doctrine out of the OLD Testament,” as though three-fourths of God’s sacred and holy inspired Word is to be ignored by truth seekers this side of Calvary.
The average believer has no idea as to Satan’s POWER to deceive. He is far better at this game than you will probably ever suspect or realize. The apostle Paul warns that those who do not walk in righteousness and maintain a pure heart are taken captive by Satan at his will. (See 2 Timothy 2:22-26). And, even those who walk in righteousness and maintain a pure heart – if they fail to study God’s Word, ALL of it, intensely and in depth – they, too, can be captured by Satan and deceived in some of their most basic beliefs. And a deceived person doesn’t know he is deceived. That is why he can be so adamant about the correctness of his beliefs and practices.
When the risen Jesus Christ appeared to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, He said, “I have appeared unto you for this purpose, to make you a minister….to open their (the Gentiles) eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, AND FROM THE POWER OF SATAN unto God” (See Acts 26:16 and 18).
Satan’s deceptive powers are incredible. He has the power to blind even well-meaning clean-living, religious people into embracing the most profound errors, everyone from Mormons to Roman Catholics, and Methodists to Mennonites – and everything in between. And Satan’s powers of deception do not stop at the door to the pastor’s study or at the classroom door where theology is being taught in some Bible college or seminary. In fact, it is in such places he is most energetically active.
How do you think you would fare playing a game of chess with Albert Einstein or a world chess champion? Well, friend, you are no match for Satan either. “Oh, but I’ve got Jesus on my side!” Is that your answer? Well, it’s the same answer you will hear from the Jehovah’s Witness, the Roman Catholic, and the snake-handling mountain preacher. You had better be on Jesus’ side, saying what He says on every issue, in every matter. One day you will give account to Him if you are not.
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley