Wednesday, 15 October 2014

END-TIME STUDY: PREPARING FOR RAPTURE, (PART 7): BEWARE OF ADVANCED DECEPTIONS

BEWARE OF ADVANCED DECEPTIONS
TEXT:   MATHEW 24: 4, 5, 11, 24-25
24       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.
25       Behold, I have told you before.

INTRODUCTION
The Lord, Jesus Christ warned us in Mathew 24:4 take heed that no man deceive you”. Though initially, it appeared He was giving the warning to both believers and non-believers. But in Mathew 24:24, it became clear that the warning was for believers alone when He said “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”.

It becomes clear from the paragraph above that all those who are not living right  in Jesus and who are not preparing to meet the Lord, Jesus Christ, at rapture, have been deceived, already by satan, no matter the religious or non-religious beliefs they hold. You, that are still standing in Christ, are the next target for satan to deceive. Satan wants to deceive you and make you fall and cause you to miss that glorious rapture.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, emphasized again that He had told us before and we shall have no excuse if we fall into Satan’s deception. The Holy Spirit summarized the whole warning of The Lord, Jesus Christ, again through Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12; “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”.

In other words, if you are still standing in holiness and righteousness in Jesus Christ, You are the ‘elect’ that Jesus was warning that satan is planning to deceive and make to fall. Then, take heed. Watch. Be alert. Otherwise, satan will cause you to fall and miss the rapture through his deceptions. If you have that glorious hope of making the rapture, then, Let us take heed together.

LIST OF THOSE THAT HAVE FALLEN TO SATAN’S DECEPTION
Before you begin to think you are immuned to satan’s deception, kindly see the list of those satan had deceived. The Bible called satan, the father of lies. He is the originator of lies. Don’t underestimate his ability to deceive.
  
1.  Satan deceived Adam & Eve (First man & First woman). Genesis 3:1-7

2.  Satan deceived Judas, an Apostle. Luke 23: 3-5
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

3. Satan deceived The Antichrist & The False Prophet. Revelation 20:10 
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

4. Satan deceived one-third of the angels in heaven. Ezek 28:16, Rev 12;3-4
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5. Satan deceived ‘The whole world’. Revelation 12:9
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

You can see that satan is really the deceiver. He had deceived all categories of people and is still deceiving people and unless you take heed, like Jesus Christ warned, you are already gone, even before you know. Take heed, lest you are deceived.

AGENTS OF SATAN’S DECEPTIONS
By the agents of satan’s deception, I mean entity, person or personality satan can use to deceive believer. You need to know to be watchful. Most of the times, satan uses an intermediary to carry out his deceptions. The followings are some of the peoples satan can use to deceive believers.

1. Satan, himself. 2 Corinthians 11:13-14
14   And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Satan can transform himself even to the appearance of an angel to deceive. While it is biblical to have divine encounters, we should be careful to test the spirit behind the encounter.

2.  Satan can deceive believer through his heart. Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Because hearts of men can yield to satan’s deception, You should not rely on your thoughts but rather on the Word of God. 

3.  Satan can deceive you through family members. Genesis 3;1-6
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

From the scripture above, satan deceived Adam through his wife, Eve. It was possible that satan himself had tried to deceive Adam without success but when satan used Eve, the person that Adam trusted, he succeeded against Adam.

4.  Satan can use false Pastors/Prophets to deceive. 2 Cor 11:13, Mark 13;22
13   For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

22   For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

This is where I will dwell so much about. It is normal for Christians to trust their pastors. But wait. Adam, also, trusted his wife, Eve, and she was used to deceive Adam and bring him down. Adam could not suspect any deception because it was coming from somebody He trusted.

Today, we have many agents of satan parading themselves as pastors/apostles/prophets and their congregations trust them to be true men of God. How could such congregations think that the ‘pastor’ whom they supposedly trust could be used to deceive them.  This is the time to trust only God and His Word, not man. Many are fast falling away.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, warned us so much about these false pastors/prophets. Satan have raised them up and paraded them as apostles of Christ just to seduce and deceive the elects. Unless You watch and take heed, you could just have fallen into the traps satan have used these false pastors and false prophets to set for you because you are unsuspecting of them.

Please, kindly be careful with regards to the following items below. Some of them may be used to deceive any believer who failed to watch.

Doctrine: The issue of doctrine is very important to God. 1 Tim 4:1, Heb 13:9. So test all doctrines to make sure you are not fed with doctrines of devils. Is the Pastor consistently preaching what Jesus Christ preached which are salvation, repentance, holiness, fear of God, and warning about hell, etc? In summary, will his message lead you to heaven? If not, you may need to take heed.

Spiritual water: Waters are now being sold for healing. Be very careful before you take any of such water no matter what it is acclaimed to do. Pray for direction.
Handkerchief and Aprons: Also be very careful and discerning.

Communion: Many churches advertise communion services. Be very careful before you take any such communion. Don’t be initiated into occult with communion. Pray and let God direct you. Don’t just attend any communion service because you heard the advert on radio or television.

Anointing oil: Also be very careful, watchful and prayerful. Anointing can be from God or satan. Don’t receive satan’s anointing in deceit. Pray and ask God if you could receive it.

Secretive places: Jesus warned of secret places. Mathew 24:26. Be very careful of secretive places of worship and meeting pastors in secret/suspicious places.
Photographs and object worship: Don’t idolize photographs of pastors. Don’t direct worship to images.

Personalised God: No other foundation should be laid. The name of Jesus Christ is enough. Be careful especially if you are mandated to personalize the name of God with your ministry or pastor, for instance, God of Wazobia Ministry or God of Pastor Wazobia. Your ministry may not be ordained by God and your pastor may be serving satan or may have backslided. 

Pictures of founders: I have seen some congregation members that hang badge bearing the photograph of their pastor on the chests and their necks, even to church service. That is a sheer idolatry. Desist from such.

Ecumenism: God is not the author of confusion. Not all religions are worshipping Jehovah. Most religions worship satan and other idols. Believers should be very careful not to be deceived into ecumenical worship and agenda. Strictly avoid all worships where all religions gather as one and other ecumenical agenda.

Religious associations: Many religious associations and sects are springing up today. Some of them may have a secret hidden satanic agenda which may not be known to you until you have joined. Even many that seemed godly some years back have been bought over by the enemy. Be careful with religious associations. Once, in a vision, I was shown a list of associations used to recruit for the antichrist. I was shocked to see two certain leading religious associations among the list.

Prophecy seeking: Many believers are fond of going from one place to another in search of the next prophet in town. They are always looking for a pastor to give them a prophecy of whom they will marry, when their promotion will come and so on. Please be careful. Majority of such have fallen into the hands of false pastors/prophets. Be in good relationship with The Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will hear His voice, (John 10:27). You don’t need to be running after any prophet.

TRICKS OF SATAN'S DECEPTIONS
Satan can use the following tricks or approaches to deceive you.

1. Your Need. Mathew 4; 3
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Jesus Christ just finished 40 days fast and was hungry. He needed food. So, satan decided to tempt/deceive Him with his need, food. Believers that are in need of child, marriage, job, healing and so on should be careful at this time, lest they fall into the hands of agents of satan and might be deceived with their needs.

2.  Known Fact.  Mathew 4; 3
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Though, it was a fact, known to both Jesus and satan, that Jesus is the Son of God, yet Jesus did not turn the stones to bread to prove the fact. In a misunderstanding with your wife, satan can push her to tell you these words, for instance: “if you know you are a true son of your father, slap me”. Hey, you don’t need to slap her to prove you are not a bastard.

3.   Word of God. Mathew 4:6
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Yes, even the word of God can be used by satan to deceive. I have heard people say “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” to justify giving of bribe.

4   Negotiation/Bargaining/Enticement. Mathew 4:8
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 

Can you see the negotiation? Worship me and I give you wealth. Many believers have fallen into this negotiation. Search yourself. Have you not sold your soul to the devil? Many so-called pastors, gospel-singers have sold their souls to satan for fame and wealth.

Satan can deceive anyone with any amount of wealth. Revelation 13:2 showed how satan gave the antichrist his power, and his seat, and great authority but just to deceive him, Revelation 20:10. Any believer that is seeking money or power too much should be careful at this time.

5. Total denial of God’s word, half lie and half truth. Genesis 3:1-4

6. Impressionism, Self esteem (knowledge, stardom) Genesis 3:5

HOW TO ESCAPE THE ADVANCED DECEPTIONS OF THIS TIME

1. Word Of God: Feed yourself with Word of God. It is a sword that satan cannot withstand. Jesus overcame the temptations of satan with the Word of God.

2.  Resisting the Devil:  James 4:7. Resistance could mean that you wait on God for solutions to problems and provisions for needs rather than been lured by the enemy.

3.  Watchfulness:  There are some things that can not be seen unless with spiritual eyes. This is why The Lord, Jesus Christ particularly warned us to watch.

4.  Pure Salvation: Mathew 6:33. Pursue your salvation with all seriousness. The Lord will work out other needs for you. But if you pursue other needs ahead of salvation, there are chances that anxiety of those needs may take over you and if care is not taken you might seek help in the wrong place.

5. Testing of Spirits: 1 John 4:1. The sole reason why the bible tells us to test spirits is for the purpose of discerning false prophets. Don’t be in haste. Let the Holy Spirit and The Word of God be your guide.

6. Prayer: Pray at all times. Ask God any question about what ever things that are doubtful to you. At times, the more you look, the less you may see. Don’t assume you know anything. Let Him speak while you do the listening. Let Him lead while you do the following

To understanding this topic better, please read these 2 previous teachings:

(WHY WE MUST WATCH & AWARENESS OF FALSE PROPHETS). See these teachings on www.jesuscoming1.blogspot.com or send email to jesuscoming@yahoo.com or raptureglorious@gmail.com to receive them.

CONCLUSION
We can see from the above teaching that deceptions have reached advanced stage and believers are the prime targets. If we are ready to place everything under the microscope of Word of God and see with the eyes of the Holy Spirit, we will decipher the deceptions of this time and escape.

SUMMARY
A soldier that failed to watch and be alert at warfront may be ambushed by the enemy. A Christian is a soldier for The Lord, Jesus Christ, and must see himself as such. The enemy is satan and his agents that have laid a great deal of traps for him. And how can he escape unless he watched. Now is the time to watch and take heed. Satan has but a little time. If we watched we are most sure to avert falling into satan’s traps of deceptions but if we failed to watch it is almost certain that satan’s traps of deception will catch us.

PRAYERS
1. Lord, Jesus Christ, anoint my eyes with eyesalve to see all the traps of the enemy.
2. Holy Spirit of God, release your fire on every trap of deceptions that the enemy has set for me and my household and consume it out of our ways.
3. Lord, Jesus Christ, teach me to watch and take heed lest I fall.
4. Lord, help me to hold fast, and do not allow another man take man crown.

ACTIONS
Are you an elect of Christ? Are you truly saved? Are you on the narrow road? Do you want to make the rapture/heaven? If your answers are yes, then,
                                                                       
• Make all efforts to heed the warnings of Jesus Christ.
• Be watchful. Pay attention to what is happening around the World and see whether they match what the scriptures say.

• Be filled with the Holy Spirit and be in the Spirit all the time.
• Fast, consecrate yourself, run away from sin and worldliness.


If your answers are NO, then you can repent today. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Kindly sincerely and faithfully pray the prayer of repentance below and make a determination never to commit sin again.

PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Lord, Jesus Christ, I am sorry for all my sins. I confess them with my mouth and I ask for mercy. Please forgive me and wash me in your blood. I accept you as my personal Lord and Saviour. Write my name in the book of life. Give me power over sins and fill me with your Spirit and Joy of Salvation. When rapture trumpet sounds, let me make it. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, I pray.

Begin to read bible. Begin with the book of John. Pray always. Fast regularly (you can begin with once in a week). Look for a bible believing church where they teach repentance, holiness, salvation and fellowship with them. Pray before you go. Always run away from SINS.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?
For more information, question or contribution, please send email to us at raptureglorious@gmail.com or jesuscoming@yahoo.com or visit us at www.jesuscoming1.blogspot.com   and please tell others to join us. 

We teach people deep word of God about holiness, righteousness and how to prepare for rapture. You can send email to us to receive the teachings, free. We also send breaking news of end-time events that happen around the world to people with bible verses that match them. You can send email to us to receive them, free.

We will like to get as many people as possible ready for rapture. We wish nobody goes through the great tribulation. What are happening now are child’s play.                                                                                     
Shalom.                                                                                              
JESUScoming.