BE YE NOT DECEIVED!

Jesus told us in: (Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.) He also told us in: (John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.)
Deceiving and being deceived did not just start in the first or second century, no, it can be traced back to the garden of Eden to Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:12-13 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.) But this same deceivableness has continued down through the history of mankind. By the way, the word beguiled is described in the dictionary as:
1. To charm somebody: to win and hold somebody’s attention, interest, or devotion.
2. To deceive somebody: to mislead or deceive somebody (literary)!
3. To cheat somebody: to rob somebody of something, or cheat somebody out of something (literary)!
Lets break these meanings down one by one:
[Number 1.] “To charm somebody: to win and hold somebody’s attention, interest, or devotion“. This is exactly what Satan did to Eve and many of our churches today are doing the same thing! They play the old “pride” card, telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear! The Apostle Paul warned Timothy and us today about this very thing in: (2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.) and Peter also warned us in: (2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,). Flattery is a well used tool of the devil and Paul tells us in: (1 Thessalonians 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:) and Job had something to say about this too in: (Job 32:20-22 I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer. 21 Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22 For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.) I truly believe that in verse 22 Job was talking about having his name removed from the book of life! As King David tells us in: (Psalm 12:3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:) and the truth about flattery is written in: (Proverbs 28:23 He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.)
[Number 2.] “To deceive somebody: to mislead or deceive somebody (literary)!” To me this is using ones ignorance against him. It is very easy to deceive the ones who do not read their bibles or read them with the wrong intentions. In this case it is very easy to twist scriptures around to say what ever one wants them to say. It is easy to deceive the unlearned and unstable, they can be led just like cattle to the slaughter, never questioning, never looking and never knowing the Truth (Jesus Christ)!
Some of these even try to lead others in their limited knowledge of the things of God and as Jesus said in: (Matthew 15:13-14 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.) These are the ones that not only deceive their followers but also deceive themselves! Ones that believe they have a call to ministry from God, but in all reality have only the call of man! And Paul tells us in: (1 Corinthians 2:10-12 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.)
The spirit of man always points to man and never to Jesus Christ. This spirit is a religious spirit and is also known as the spirit of the world, when in all reality it is the antichrist spirit. It will point you to anything or anyone other than our Blessed Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of God will only point you to Christ and no one or nothing else, because there is salvation in none other as we are told in: (Acts 4:11-13 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”) This does not say, “might be saved or could be saved“, no, it says, “must be saved“!
Men and women today search their bibles using the theology of man, trying to find salvation in the scriptures and there are some that preach and teach that they have found another way. But, be ye not deceived, Jesus taught that: (John 5:38-40 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.) Well, what is holding those back from coming to Jesus? We just talked about this, it is the deceiving spirit of man, with all of his power, knowledge and wisdom that he wants everyone else to see. Just as we are told in: (Matthew 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,) The Spirit of God wishes to please God where the spirit of man is self seeking looking for ways to please men!
[Number 3.] “To cheat somebody: to rob somebody of something, or cheat somebody out of something (literary)”! This is very easy to see, “Satan wants to steal your soul, out of eternal life!”
What other reason would someone have to deceive the masses, other than to cheat them out of eternal life, true salvation? Jesus’ prayer avails much in: (John 17:24-26 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.) The ones that Jesus is referring to here are not the ones who have been deceived, no, these are the ones that have overcome! (1 John 5:3-5 For this is the love of God, that we keep his command-ments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?)
The world and its deceivers are what we are warned about here. They come in nice looking wrappers and sound like angels with all of their fine words of human knowledge and they display their wisdom for all to see, all that is but God and why? (James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.) I don’t know how your dictionary describes enmity, but mine says, “hostility: the extreme ill will or hatred that exists between enemies.” Do I mean that the very world that God created is His enemy? Yes, but because mankind has made it that way. Man and his sin have made this world what it is today and God hates sin! The deceivers will tell you that God is a God of love but what they fail to tell you is that God hates sin and that any unforgiven sin in mankind will be dealt with.
So what is the fate of the deceiver and the ones that he deceived? (Revelation 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.) What these deceivers will not tell you is that every person on earth is not only a carnal being but they are also a spiritual being and that this spiritual being is eternal, just as God is, in: (Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ……………..) Far too many today try to recreate God in their own image, which is absolutely impossible!
So if this spirit is eternal, it has to reside somewhere, right? Well there are only two places where this is possible. We just spoke of one, “the lake of fire,” so what is the other? Jesus tells all that are His in: (John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.) and we are told in: (Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.) So we know who we can expect to see in heaven, then who can the deceivers and the deceived expect to see in the lake of fire? (2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;); in: (Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.) and in: (Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.) Did that just say, “for ever and ever?” I rest my case!
So where do these deceivers come from? The Apostle Paul warned the church very sternly in: (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.) That’s right, not only is mankind still being deceived today, but he is still being deceived by the very same one that deceived Eve! He will use any man or woman that is willing to stray from the TRUTH (Jesus Christ)!
In conclusion: The bible warns us over and over about being deceived and yet millions are being deceived daily, even and especially in the so called-church. Mainly because they take mans word for everything instead of looking for themselves. Jesus defeated Satan three times with these words, “it is written,” in Matthew 4:4; 4:6 and 4:7. But we today try to overcome the devil with what we believe, what we think or what so and so said or thinks.
Jesus warned us and it is written, in: (Matthew 7:19-21 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.) and He tells us in: (John 10:2-4 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.) You cannot know the voice of our Savior if you do not read the bible, that’s a fact! Its not what someone else believes or says, no, it is what God says. So be ye not deceived and please do not be a deceiver!