Читать книгу Euth Camp - A.W. Trenholm - Страница 9

4. Strong Delusion

Pondering the realm of evil that seemed to surround me, I remembered an event that had happened a few years ago. I had seldom seen or experienced a perfect lie. Who can lie so well that each aspect of the lie is covered by a glossy veneer of transient truth, backed up by using God’s own words to sell the lie? Who but Satan himself is able to deceive like that? As Jesus said of him, he was a liar from the beginning⁷, and with all deceivableness fashioned through years of distorting the true, he perfected his skills to where he could take something holy and turn it to his malevolent and evil purpose, and things righteous he can twist to his advantage. He specializes in hypocrisy, and the appearances of good that mask the deadly sting of sin and death. In the time at the end of Satan’s power and influence over the people of the earth, the Bible warned us that his delusions would be so strong that even those who were following God could fall prey. How? Why? Because God would remove His hand of protection that keeps people from believing Satan’s lies, and let the world be exposed to the full force of his deluge of deception. “For false christs and false prophets will rise, and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”⁸

I thought I was ready to take on such deceit and keep the faith and not be seduced, but I found out that the knowledge of the truth I thought I had quickly collapsed when exposed to the Devil’s cunning deception. Such perfect deception came upon me as I was wandering aimlessly on a city back street some years ago. I didn’t have my spiritual guard up and was just coasting along when I happened upon a street evangelist who had gathered a crowd around himself. He was a clean-looking young fellow who seemed to be speaking an important message. But as I listened to him, he really wasn’t saying anything of value. It was like watching a soap opera that held the audience’s attention while they waited for some promised revelation to make it all meaningful and to make sense. In short, he had sort of hypnotized the crowd with his many words, and held them captive as he postulated and pontificated so convincingly.

But what made him different was that he could perform miracles of healing right before our eyes. I saw a blind man receive his sight, crippled people rise up and walk, and damaged body parts restored. He was the fulfillment of Jesus’ warning that many would come in His name.⁹ When he claimed to be the return of Christ, I thought of the verses, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”¹⁰

But my mind fought against what I was receiving. It was like I was caught in a vortex going round and round in my reasoning, but not able to discern the truth. How could this man do these wonderful things if he were not sent from God? He was not doing evil but good. Yet somehow I felt there was something wrong with the fellow; he focused too much on himself as being a great one. At last I could no longer puzzle over the dilemma that had risen in my mind, and I prayed for the Holy Spirit to show me what the truth was. Instantly I felt disconnected from the soft soothing flow of his words; they were like music to my ears, yet so damaging to my heart. I felt a stirring of indignation rising within me, and I wanted to scream out and wake the people. But I could not. They were mesmerized and held too tightly by his spell, and at last I just had to leave the area and walk away. I thought about this event for some time after and eventually came upon a scripture that helped me somewhat, “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.”¹¹

It was stunning to think how this event applied to the supporters the Beast.