THE GREAT DELUSION FOR THE LAST DAYS.
By H. W. Reed
In the time of the prophet Elijah, Satan was successful in decoying a large number of people to violate the First Commandment. A description of this is found in 1 Kings 18:17-21. There was a contest over the First Commandment. The followers of Baal did not dispute the obligation for observing that commandment. They said, “That commandment is all right—no other gods; but who is God?” And they continued to worship Baal until the Lord, by a miracle, showed who was the only true God. “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God.” 1 Kings 18:39. Thus Satan seduced the people of God to break the First Commandment, and they made its violation a part of their religion. Neither were they convinced of their sin until the Lord answered by fire, and thus showed who the true God was. The Baalites miserably failed in their efforts to bring down fire from heaven and consume their sacrifices. It was by this that they intended to show that the sun-god was the true God. They made frantic efforts from morning until evening to bring down fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice. But their god was not allowed to answer in that way at that time. The true God chose to answer Elijah by fire, however, and it settled that dispute then. But again that test will come, and it will come soon and unexpectedly to many. It will be in regard to the obedience of the Fourth Commandment—as to which day is the Sabbath, the seventh day or the first day. But the most delusive thing possible in this test is that the followers of Baal will be the ones allowed to bring down fire from heaven to justify themselves in the violation of the Fourth Commandment as it reads. This might well be called the crowning effort forever to fasten the false Sabbath upon the masses. That which in the days of Elijah was a sign to distinguish the true people of God from the apostate, the worshipers of Baal, will in these last days be used by the apostate people of God, the worshipers of the Beast, as a sign that they are the true people of God. The student of prophecy can see all this in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Revelation. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do.” In the days of Elijah, this miracle of bringing fire down from heaven was to save the people from breaking the First Commandment; but the case spoken of in Rev. 13:13 is to confirm the people in breaking the Fourth Commandment, that they may perish, because their hearts are evil. May God help us who know that this delusion is sure to overtake all those who will not obey God by keeping all His commandments, faithfully to warn the people of this generation, so that their blood will not be found upon our garments.