Lesson 94. See How Satan Has Deceived You

The events of the last days have always aroused special interest in every generation. As that time draws nearer, more and more details about it are revealed. Let us read the following verses in Matthew 24: “And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (verse 3).

The Lord had been waiting for this question, and He had something to say. With prophetic vision, Jesus looked into the future and drew back the veil, shedding light on what would happen to Jerusalem and what would take place before His Second Coming. He did not separate these two predictions, thereby enabling the people of our time to understand that these events would resemble one another and would have special significance for us. The Savior began His account with what concerned His heart most of all.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (verses 4–5).

The Lord warned that the deception of the last days would be extremely seductive and overpowering. After listing certain events, He speaks again of deception: “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (verses 10–11).

The Lord warns us that the deceptions of the last days will be exceedingly destructive and that the trial will be impossible to withstand: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (verse 22).

Very powerful temptations lie ahead of us, capable of shaking the faith even of God’s elect children: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (verses 23–24).

The result of all these deceptions will be the spread of lawlessness among God’s believing children: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (verse 12).

As a result of this condition, many who once believed and were fervent will abandon the foundational principles of their faith and begin to behave very strangely: “And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken” (verse 49). This verse closely echoes the final warning of Revelation 14:8: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

The general condition of everyone living on Earth in those days will be characterized by the words, “And knew not...” (verse 39).

I invite you to consider what is happening to us now. We live in an age of global enlightenment. Thanks to the development of the Internet, in a short time I can find information in text or video on any subject, even on the subject of salvation. For this reason, it is now very difficult, and sometimes physically impossible, to determine what is true and what is not. The danger of the fatal deception of our day lies in the fact that falsehood does not appear before us in its pure form; instead, it is mixed with truth in a very small concentration. But even if the poison of lawlessness is present at only 0.001 percent, it does not lose its deadly power. Like a little leaven, it leavens the whole lump.

And we are living in this time without even realizing the full power of the deception.

For example, I will now list a few names, and you may observe how you perceive them: Coca-Cola, Snickers, McDonald’s—or Mercedes, BMW, and Ferrari. We understand what these names refer to even if we have no direct contact with the products of these companies. Yet they surround us and are familiar to us. This familiarity comes through advertising in the media and through the frequent repetition of these names all around us. The companies listed above, along with many others, do not kill us; rather, they introduce us to a world of quality, taste, and pleasure. Most of what surrounds us is not bad in itself and often makes our daily lives easier, but the number of these things has increased so greatly that we have simply become satiated with them. This satiation is also present in the spiritual realm. We who live in the civilized digital world have lost our thirst for the simple truths that bring simple happiness to the soul. The mind is overflowing with information. Ecclesiastes 1:8 truly describes us: “All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

No matter how much I look, it is never enough. The brain wants to learn something new and unusual; it craves sensations and explosions. It does not tire of watching and listening, but the spiritual person within me is starving to death, for love grows cold in this torrent of news and whirlpool of abundance. At times I deliberately disconnect from this world so that I can be alone with Jesus, discuss the details of my salvation with Him, and learn His will for me. Then I turn the world back on, and it pours its indiscriminate flood over me once again. Who can stand?

I take the Bible and begin to read: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” How well said! I must guard myself. I read further and find a frightening declaration addressed to me: “Thou art neither cold nor hot.” I examine the meaning of the accusation and read that I do not even know that I am wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. To me, it sounds approximately like this: “See how Satan has deceived you!” I do not want to agree with such words. From my experience, I can prove that they are not true. I am actually better than that. There is, however, one problem: I know what the wine of Babylon tastes like. In one way or another, I have tasted it, and it has exerted its destructive influence upon my mind. Yet God calls me to proclaim the message that Babylon, in which I live, has fallen. If I do not want to fall with it, I must come out of it. But how? And what is Babylon? Who will help me?

Jesus offers a way out. He knew that love within me would grow cold, that none of it would remain, and that I would cover all the sins of my lawless heart with nothing more than a name. But the Lord does not permit me to remain forever in the snares of such deception. His kind heart still loves me and desires to save me from temptation; therefore, He offers me the only remedy capable of resisting all these temptations—Himself in all His fullness. Nothing else will help me.

Heaven marvels at the Lord’s attention and love toward fallen human beings. It would have been easier simply to wipe us from the face of the Earth and forget us, but the Lord enters this filth to find me there, wash me, and save me. What love! How briefly and clearly He points out the true way. And how great are the temptations that surround me. I look at Jesus and begin to understand, begin to think, begin to try, and begin to receive what He has promised. I take my eyes off Him and fall into darkness, satiation, and idleness. How warm and comfortable it is there! If only I could drift along like this all the way to Eternity. But I hear a knock at the door and a familiar Voice. I come to myself, run to open the door, and let love in. Love comes to fill me and to pour out through me upon those around me. What a wonderful protection! How repulsive the temptations appear in its light! I repent and go wherever the Lord leads me.

I see the deceptions and avoid them. They also arise from within, but I choose love. How grateful I am to Jesus that He came to save me from temptation!

1. What did you understand from this lesson?

2. Why did Jesus speak so much about the deceptions of the last days?

3. Can the sleep of the ten virgins in the parable of Matthew 25 be compared with the present deceptions of the world?

4. How can we avoid these insidious deceptions of the last days?

5. What means has the Lord chosen to enable us to stand amid temptation and not fall under its influence?

6. Deception and seduction—what are they?

7. Please read Ecclesiastes 2:3, 13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Mark 13:33–37; Revelation 3:2–3; and 2 Timothy 3:1–5 in the light of our lesson.