Overcoming End Times Deceptions

End time deceptions are going to be difficult for us to expose and overcome unless we give ourselves fully to Christ Jesus and study His Word in the Bible each day. We must not forget that Satan knows the Bible more than anyone on earth. Let's face it, he has had 2000 years more than any of us to study the Bible, and Bible prophecy speaks of some of the deceptions that he has and is going to bring into the church to draw us away from God. So it is of great importance that we prayerfully study God's Word, otherwise it will be easy for Satan to deceive us. In Mark 13 Jesus said that great wonders and signs are going to happen that will if possible deceive the very elect of God's people. Friend, this is a warning from Jesus telling us that we need to be rooted in Him and His Word.

Unfortunately, too many professing Christians today rely on "feelings" and "signs" to judge as to whether something is true. As I said above, Jesus warned us that great signs and wonders would come from Satan to deceive us, so to rely on something just because it "looks" or "feels" right and not test it against the truth of God's Word, is very dangerous.

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.'

Who is it that is working these miracles during the end times? Spirits of devils!! These are the fallen angels that joined Satan in his rebellion, and they will pull out all the stops during the very last days to deceive God's people. I have even had Christians, after showing them the plain truth on certain issues, and they have agreed with that truth according to the Word of God, going away saying that they are going to stay with what they previously believed because it "FEELS" better! And this is what Satan wants, he wants us to base our belief of feelings, rather than the plain truth of God's Word, so that he can easily deceive us.

What about the healing movement in America and other places? They must be of God right? After all, people are getting healed, so it must be good. Well, look at what Jesus said to those who He will turn away from at the end when He returns at the second coming ... Matthew 7:22-23 ...'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.' ... Do you see who are included in being rejected by Jesus? Those who HEALED people and cast out demons! So what does that mean? It means that God is not necessarily the one involved in the healing movement, but satan is. Now I'm not saying that all healing is from satan. God does heal people. What I'm getting at is that we must not base our belief on something or someone just because it LOOKS or FEELS right. We must test anyone who does these miracles and see if they are living according to the truth in the Bible. This is the way to overcome end times deceptions.

People like Benny Hinn, or Todd Bentley, just to name two healing movement preachers. We must look at what they are preaching and compare it to God's Word. We must look at how they are living and compare it to God's Word. We must test them to see if they are of God. Too many Christians are basing their beliefs on "signs" rather than the truth. Now we have a great example in the Bible of the way our faith should be. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He told her that He was the Messiah. What did she do?

John 4:29 ...'Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?'

And then the people in Samaria that she told about Jesus came to Him and believed in Him, from only the words that He spoke ... John 4:39,41,42 ...'And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.' ... They had simple faith in His true Word, and believed WITHOUT requesting any signs for proof.

And then we have those who do request a sign before they will believe.

John 4:48 ...'Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.'

1 Corinthians 1:22 ...'For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.'

Are you one of these who need to see signs to believe? Or are you like the Samaritan woman and the people of Samaria, who believed in Jesus' Word alone? The danger with wanting signs and wonders to happen for you to believe, is that Satan can easily and WILL easily perform signs and wonders during the end times to cause people to follow a false movement. One of these false movements is that of speaking in tongues. Many believe that this "gibberish" that many Christians speak is of God, and yet the Bible clearly defines Bible tongues as basically speaking in another language, NOT gibberish.

What did Jesus mean when He said in Matthew 7, "depart from Me, ye that work iniquity"? These are people who did wonders and miracles in "His" name. And yet He is telling them to depart from Him, because He does not know them. What is iniquity? It's lawlessness, or breaking God's Commandments. So even though these professing Christians were doing great signs and wonders in "Jesus" name, they continued in open sin and rebellion against God, by not keeping His Commandments. God's Word says in 1 John 2:4 ...'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.' ... So anyone, no matter what miracles they are performing, if they are not striving to follow in Jesus footsteps in the way they live and keep God's Commandments, then they are liars and are ultimately working for Satan.

So what is the key to overcoming end time deceptions? Well, there are a few things we must do. First we must completely submit ourselves, our lives to Christ Jesus. We need to say, "Lord, here I am, take me as I am and do with me and my life as you will, I surrender my heart to you." Then we must let Jesus take control of us and change us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. We can do nothing without Jesus in our lives, so that is the most important part in our walk with Him. What else should we do to overcome the end time deception? Study the Word! Base your beliefs on the true Word of God in the Bible. Not what man says. And test EVERYTHING you see, hear or feel against the truth of God's Word. Trust in God's Word no matter what is going on around you, and you will have Satan running scared!! May God bless you and keep you in His grace.