Shall We Be Deceived? by A. O. Tait

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 18, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 11.

Shall We Be Deceived?

By A. O. Tait

THE Saviour says (Matt. 24:4, 5): "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." This caution to the followers of Christ was called from the lips of our Lord in answer to the question, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" The Saviour does not proceed to answer their question till he has first warned them against deception. "Take heed that no man deceive you," says the Son of God.

In 2 Tim. 3:1-13 we find a graphic description of the condition of things in the last days. It says (verse 1): "In the last days perilous times shall come." This is the direct opposite to that for which people generally are looking. They are talking of "good times coming," "the world converted, and a glorious temporal millennium." But Paul, speaking by inspiration, says: "In the last days perilous times shall come." Paul certainly knew best. Let us not be deceived in this. In verses 2-5 he gives us the cause of this peril. The word "for," commencing verse 2, signifies because. Then, because of what these verses contain, we shall have this last-days' peril. A list of eighteen sins of the darkest character stand out prominently to produce it.

We learn from verse 5 that those who commit these sins have a "form of godliness." The avowed worldling has no "form of godliness;" hence the ones here referred to must claim to be Christians. How they cause this peril we learn from verse 8: "As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth." Some of the ancient Jewish records have preserved the names of Jannes and Jambres as two of the chiefs among the magicians who tried to overthrow the work of Moses, when he was about to lead the Israelites from Egypt. All are agreed that the work of those magicians, as recorded in Exodus, chapters 7, 8, is that to which Paul here refers. Those magicians made high pretensions, and were successful in counteracting some of the miracles performed by Moses. And we are informed that these last-days' professors of godliness, who deny the power, will work in like manner. The apostle tells us that although they profess to be followers of God, they "resist the truth." Then there will be those who, like Moses in his day, are presenting the truth; and these hypocritical professors will resist it, and that will make peril for the advocates of truth.

Now nothing can be plainer than that Paul teaches in these verses that when we are come down to the last days, we shall have peril; that this peril will be caused by the ungodly practices of persons professing godliness; and that they will "resist the truth" as the Egyptian magicians resisted it in Moses's day.

The above distinctly point out the manner and cause of these last-day deceptions. Other texts will more fully show their intensity.

We are informed (2 Thess. 2:9, 10) that the coming of the Lord 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." The arch-enemy is here said to work with "all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish."

There is nothing more reasonable than that Satan will work in this manner. He has been working ever since the fall of man to destroy the human family and overthrow the plan of salvation. And now, when he sees that his time to destroy human souls is about ended, and that the people of God are to be gathered from all parts of the earth to join in the song of redemption, he feels called upon to put forth all the maddened rage of despair in trying to overthrow as many as possible. And since his success has always largely depended upon his ability to deceive, he will use his subtle energies as much as possible in ensnaring the last generation of men.

Already the careful observer can see some of the drops of these deceptions that precede the deluge of delusions that is to follow. A short time ago, in the city of Chicago, there was a man making considerable stir by healing the sick in a miraculous manner. Chicago is not the only place where such things are done. "Faith cures," and miraculous healings of the sick by Spiritualist doctors, are becoming quite common.

But cannot God heal the sick by his miraculous power just as well now as when Christ was on earth as a man among men? Certainly he can. But there are other powers in the world besides God, as we have already learned, that are to work miracles, and that, too, for the purpose of deceiving. Then when a miracle is performed, it is not positive evidence that the power performing it is of God. And we should be careful to examine the matter, lest we be deceived. The Lord tells us: "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." Deut. 13:1-3. If miracles or wonders lessen our regard for the word of God, or any part of it, they are calling us to "go after other gods," and we may know that the Lord is not in them. The man in Chicago, referred to, said he had no use for the Bible, because he lived so near the Lord that he spoke directly to him. Then he must have been above the apostles, or even Christ himself; for in their teachings they very frequently referred to the word afore written by the prophets. When such pretenders arise, "beware!" for they are calling us to go after other gods, and are direct proof that we are approaching the great deceptions of the last days.

These lying wonders will doubtless be wrought in many instances to cause us to believe a false, pernicious doctrine, or else to shake our faith in a sound one. Already we see the world being rapidly filled with every form of error and corrupt doctrine, and we only await the miracles to enforce them.

Spiritualism, in its modern form, has arisen; Universalism has gained a prominent place in the minds of many; the devotees of evolution

are to be found everywhere, and especially among our learned ministers and college professors; false ideas and superficial notions upon the subject of conversion, which intoxicate men with excitement in order to draw them into the church, are prominent features in the religion of to-day. Any one of these, as well as many minor false theories that grow out of them, are subversive of the plain and positive principles of God's word. And it is altogether impossible for any one to hold to either of the above theories and still maintain a proper respect for the word of God. I know the evolutionist and the Universalist will talk very reverently of the Bible; but they want to throw away a large portion of it, and wrest the remainder to suit their false notions. Many who profess to carry the Bible with them in their work, talk so irreverently of its sacred themes that they constantly produce boisterous laughter instead of solemn reverence for its sacred words. The tendency of such work is to bring Christianity down from its pure and holy throne, and associate it so commonly with foolish jesting that it loses its power over the minds of men. And in a little while, when these miracles, prophesied of in the word of God, are wrought in favor of all these falsities, and more especially for the pretended proof of Spiritualism, it will be a very easy matter to deceive all who are not rooted and grounded on Bible truth.

Now the question arises, How, amid all the conflicting theories extant, will it be possible to determine which is right? And are we not liable to be deceived, no matter how earnestly we may desire and seek for the truth? We answer, No. The word of God furnishes abundant evidence to point out the right and expose the wrong. And if we lay aside our prejudice and willful skepticism, we can readily arrive at the truth. "Thy word is truth," says the Saviour; and if we desire to know the truth, it is necessary for us to search that word and find out what it teaches.

After speaking of the deceptions and perils of the last days (2 Tim. 3:1-13), to which we have already referred, Paul immediately adds (verses 14-17): "Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Note his expressions: "Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned;" "The Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation;" "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," "is profitable for doctrine . . . for correction, for instruction in righteousness," and it thoroughly furnishes the man of God "unto all good works." Paul only vividly states in these verses that which will enable us to escape the deceptions to which he refers in the first part of the chapter. He clearly instructs us that it is a knowledge of God's word that makes us wise enough to keep from being deceived.

The Saviour, speaking of the false christs and false prophets that should arise and show great signs and wonders, says that "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24. Then it is impossible to deceive the elect. How is it that they cannot be deceived? The next few verses give us a clew to it: "Behold, I have told you before," etc. This is the important point; what the Lord has told us before, we can depend upon, and have no fears of being deceived so long as we give earnest heed to it. And again, there is no need of being deceived; for the psalmist states that "a good understanding have all they that do His commandments." Ps. 111:10. Thus it is that those who "do his commandments," have a "good understanding" and are by this means able to see and avoid the deceptions of the wily foe.

There are few who realize the importance of a knowledge of God's word, and, disregarding the light it affords, many are rushing headlong into the darkness of the deceptions before us, only to be swallowed up in the great final destruction. God is graciously holding out to us a means of escape; and let us heed the admonition of the Saviour to "search the Scriptures;" for they "are able," says Paul, "to make us wise unto salvation." A. O. TAIT.