THE COUNTERFEIT AND THE GENUINE.
By Milton C. Wilcox
THERE are few texts of Holy Writ more frequently misapplied than Matt. 7:15: "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." It has been applied to true reformers all through the Christian age by a corrupt and godless church. No sooner has advanced light been proclaimed to the world, than the above sentiment has been hurled at those who heeded the message sent of God. But all this does not detract a jot or tittle from the warning of our Saviour. It has been a needful warning all through the ages past; it is even more to be kept before the people of the world in the last days. From the time that Satan gained a foothold on the earth, he has counterfeited the work of God. He "beguiled" our primal mother (2 Cor. 11:3); he has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9); he has been a liar and murderer from the beginning. In order to effectually deceive, the counterfeit in its inception must be made as much like the truth as possible, and yet contain within it elements which will lead to sin and destruction. It is like the way spoken of by the wise man, which to man seemed to be right, but which in reality was the way of death. Of course the beginning of a path of deception does not appear as it does at its close. The apostasy in the church in the early centuries of the Christian era was but the slightest departure from truth and righteousness. It was so near like the genuine that many were deceived thereby, and gave it their influence, and thus made it more powerful for evil. In those first small plants of departure from God was the baleful tree of the Dark Ages yet undeveloped. God saw it and gave warning. Men heeded not the warning; they could not in their human blindness see much difference between the false and the true, and were therefore deceived. The word of God clearly and positively declares that there shall be great deceptions in the last days of probation. It is only natural that it should be thus. The great deceiver of all, who has practiced upon human souls and minds for six thousand years, who has used every device which his hellish ingenuity could invent, has grown wise in his craft. He knows how different minds and characters can be deceived, to what temptations people and nations and generations are susceptible. He can use the same old deceptions, he can clothe them in new garbs to suit the selfish mass, he can combine old and invent new. Every successful device of the past, every new one which can be devised, will be used to deceive the world in the last days, and prevent souls from being saved. He would naturally work in this way. He knows his time is short, therefore he is come down in great wrath. This does not mean that his principal manifestation is rage. He is the deceiver still; he beguiles unwary souls. Let us notice some of the solemn warnings which God has given to us of this work of deception on the part of Satan. In 2 Thess. 2:8, the coming of Christ is brought to view. Just before he comes, there will be a great work done by Satan. That passage reads— "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." Verses 9, 10. The words here translated wonders and signs are the same words from which signs and wonders are translated when wrought by Christ and his apostles. They were, to a certain extent, attestations to the power of God, manifested through Jesus and the disciples. But those wrought by Satan are "lying" wonders. The wonders wrought by Christ were manifestations of God's approval, an indication of the truth of his mission. But the wonders wrought by Satan are lying wonders, to make men believe that error is truth. The former were designed to confirm, the latter to deceive. Again, Satan will work with all "deceivableness of unrighteousness;" that is, he will make unrighteousness appear what it is not. It will profess to be righteousness; it will profess to come from God; it will be wrought in the name of Christ; it will have much truth, or, rather, of the form of truth; but there will be connected with all the profession and form, enough error to vitiate all, enough departure from a right way to lead the poor soul who follows the counterfeit to destruction at last. This is in harmony with another declaration by the same apostle. In speaking of false teachers, he says (2 Cor. 11:13-15)— "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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." Outwardly they are the apostles of Christ, professing the same things, claiming to be sent of God; they are outwardly ministers of righteousness, while the heart is "desperately wicked." It is the deceivableness of unrighteousness. It is in harmony with the father of all deception, who is transformed, or who outwardly appears as an angel of light. Our Saviour, in speaking of our own times, says:759'There shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.' Matt. 24:24. Mark says, 'to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.' Under the deceptions of Satan a sinful world willingly falls, as it ever has in the past. But in the last days they will be so great to all human sense and knowledge, the false christ will be so much like the true, the false prophet so much like the genuine, that were it not for God's keeping, even his own will be deceived. The words of Mark indicate that Satan works wonders in order to seduce God's chosen. To be forewarned and heed the warning is to be forearmed, and the 'elect' will have heeded the warning. Another prophecy which points out our own country, speaks of the way in which Satan will work to deceive its inhabitants. '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.' Rev. 13:13, 14. These miracles are wrought by the spirits of demons. Rev. 16:13, 14. The very miracle wrought by Elijah to show the true God and lead men to save him, will be counterfeited by Satan to lead men from God and to disobey his commands. 1 Kings 18. If men say, 'I will believe if I can see signs and wonders, such as the sick healed, extraordinary feats performed, fire brought from heaven,' Satan will do all these to ensnare the soul. 'What, will he heal the sick?' is asked. He will seem to, at least. Diseases are organic and functional. A serious organic disease, in which wasting and destruction of the parts were involved, could not be healed by Satan, for such healing involves creation. But where the disease is purely functional, where some mere obstruction has caused the disease, we do not know why Satan may not be able to do in a comparatively brief period, because of his superior wisdom, what man might be able to do in a longer time. It is certain that there have been some marvelous cures by Spiritualists, or clairvoyant physicians, who claimed no miraculous powers through faith in Christ. And may it not be true that some of those whom Satan has bound, lo, these many months and years, he himself may be able to unbind? See Luke 13:11-16. No worldly wisdom, or power, or knowledge, will save men from Satan's final deceptions. He will take the wise in their own craftiness, he will deceive all but the elect. No evidence of the senses alone can be depended upon; it will surely deceive. Satan knows much more than fallen man; besides, the knowledge of the fallen angel has been augmented by the practice of six thousand years. From the arch-enemy to his lowest agent, from the false christ to the lowest devotee, there will be the profession, the appearance, the overpowering deception. Truly our Lord well said, 'Beware of false prophets.' What the evidences of the truth are, and how we may escape the snares of the last day, we reserve to another paper. M. C. W.