DECEIVING AND BEING DECEIVED.
By A. F. Baldinger
IT is sad indeed to contemplate the fact that many will come to judgment so deceived that they will really believe that they have prophesied, cast out devils, and done many wonderful works in the name of Christ. Matt. 7:22, 23. The reason for their deception is plainly stated in the Scriptures: "In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boast-ers, proud, . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godli-ness, but denying the power thereof. . . . Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of cor-rupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. . . . Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:1-13. In the fourth chapter of 2 Timothy, which is but a continuation of the thought in the third, the apostle Paul explains more clearly how men reach that condition where they become victims of such terrible self-deception. Here is the reason: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. 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; and they shall turn away their ears from the TRUTH and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim. 4:1-4.3 The apostle completes the description of their deception in these words: "Whose com-ing 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 receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:9-12. These scriptures make the matter very plain. The only means which God has for saving men from error and the delusions of Satan, is by the truth, "Thy word is truth"—by the sound doctrine of the Scriptures of truth. And when men will not receive the love of the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness; when they will not endure sound doctrine, but turn away their ears from the truth, and listen to fables, there is nothing left that God can do but permit them to be deceived by the strong delusions which must result from follow-ing fables. No man will come to the judgment self-deceived, who has not at some time in his experience stood face to face with truth. And because that truth called for self-denial, as truth always does, and because that truth was unpopular, as truth always is, he turned his ear away from the truth to the fables of false prophets; and instead of believing the truth, he came to believe a lie. Reader, if you have come face to face with truth, and turned away your ear from hearing it at any time in your life, I exhort you in the name of the Lord, delay not to turn your ear back to hear that truth and obey it at any cost. Let no honest seeker after truth fear that God will not be able to pilot him amid the hidden and destructive rocks and quicksands which must be passed before we reach the haven. The Lord has promised that "he that willeth to do His will shall know of the doctrine." A knowledge of sound doctrine is essential if the believer would be delivered from the delusions of the last days. The signs and wonders of the ministers of Satan are wrought to persuade the people to believe false doctrine. There is salvation from his delusions in sound doctrine. Here is an illustration; here is one sound doctrine of Scripture which, if believed, would instantly sweep away a multitude of deceptions. One lie which the signs and won-ders of Satan are wrought to confirm, is that Christ's second coming will not occur in the manner described in the Scriptures. The Lord tells us that the workers of signs and wonders will teach false doctrine concerning the manner of His coming, and warns us not to believe them. Here is the scripture:— "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. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:24-27. This sound doctrine, if believed, would quickly unmask both the miracle-working de-lusions, Christian Science and Spiritualism, for both of them are saying, "Here is Christ," and denying His literal, personal coming in the clouds of heaven as described in the Scrip-tures of truth. Christian Science teaches this fable: "Here let us apprehend the wise word of our teacher (Mrs. Eddy). Christian Science is the second advent of Christ."—The New Interpretation, p. 110. "The Christian scientist believes that Christ is now here."—Condensed Thoughts, p. 50. Spiritualism declares that the seances of the secret chambers is the second coming of Christ. Here is the proof: "Spiritualism is the second coming of Christ."—Banner of Light, Nov. 18, 1865. "Harken then to the voice of wisdom, O ye inhabitants of earth; and be not blinded as to your Lord's appearing; for He is already in your midst!"—Spiritual Telegraph. With the plain declarations of Christ as to the manner of His coming, what excuse will any man have in the judgment for having believed the fables of Christian Science or Spiritualism, even tho these fables were sup-ported by great signs and wonders? Do not the Scriptures of truth warn us beforehand that great signs and wonders will be wrought by those who will teach error concerning the second coming of Christ? The presence of miracles, therefore, is no excuse for being deceived. Miracles are to be judged by their fruits as to whether these fruits are in harmony with sound doctrine. This truth is taught all through the Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah, after describing a last-day delusion under which men leave the all-wise God and seek the dead for knowledge, admonishes the people to test the teaching and the miracles by sound doc-trine. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:19, 20. With this explicit warning before us, what excuse will any man have for being ruined by the delusion? In Rev. 13:14 we read that the minister of Satan "deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do." Of those who escape this de-ception we read, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. Thus it is again, that the appeal of the undeceived will be to sound doctrine, and if the fruit of the teaching leads away from "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," it will not be followed, notwithstanding the "miracles which he had power to do." In Matt. 7:22 we learn the awfully sad fact that men will come to judgment really believ-ing that they have prophesied and cast out devils in the name of Christ. But the preced-ing verse gives the reason, as follows: "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven." Thus again the reason for the deception is found in a failure to do the will of God as taught in the Scriptures. Those who obey the word have the following precious promises: "Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev. 3:10. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." John 10:27, 28. "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32. It has been asked, Will Satan really heal? Will the ministers of Satan cast out devils? Does Satan cast out Satan? It can be confi-dently affirmed from the teaching of Scrip-ture that Satan will never cast out Satan; for this would be to break his dominion over the soul, and he will never be found doing this. But that his ministers will do that which will appear to be casting out devils, is evident. There are many ways by which Satan exercises his con-trol over men. The Pharisees were as really under the dominion of Satan as were those out of whom the Lord cast the devils. He said of them, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." John 8:44. The devil can change the manner of his control, and still retain power over his victim. Thereby he strengthens his deceptions not only over the victim, but over those who regard the miracle as a manifestation of the power of God in casting out devils. Here is an illustra-tion: A man was trying to convince the writer that Spiritualism was a blessing. He declared, in support of his contention, that he had been saved from drunkenness by means of Spiritualism. "As a result you are now a confirmed Spiritualist," I replied; to which he answered, "Yes." "Now," I added, "you are harder to reach with the truth than if you were a drunkard." In the same way, Satan will appear to heal disease and cast out devils, and, so far as the manifestation itself is concerned, it will be impossible to deny that a miracle has been wrought. But there will be no real permanent giving of health, or deliverance from his do-minion, but only a shifting of symptoms, a change in the manner of control, whereby he will be able to deepen his deception. It is true that many of the wonders of healing can be accounted for on the psychological truth that the mind has much to do with the health of the body, and that the imaginations of the mind will cause disease of the body, and, con-trariwise, a change of the mind will often result in a marvelous healing of the body. But, as before stated, the appeal is not to miracles, but to the fruits of the teaching in support of which the miracles are set forth. Miracles which can not be denied, and which can not be accounted for in harmony with the known laws of nature, will be wrought, and it is not wise to investigate the miracle. Admit the miracle, and challenge the fruits. "By their fruits ye shall know them." But since we are to know them by their fruits, it follows that we must know the fruits when we see them. If we can not recognize coveting in ourselves, we will not know it in the worker of wonders. "I had not known coveting," says the apostle Paul, "except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom. 7:7, R.V. "By the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20. That which is true of this tenth commandment is true of the other nine. No man would have known Sabbath-breaking except the law had said, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." Ex. 20:10. And he who does not know the fruits of Sabbath-keeping in his own life, will not know the fruits of Sabbath-breaking in the teaching of the worker of wonders. He who would know the fruit of the false, must himself be delivered from the false, and he who would know the fruit of the true, must have the true written upon his heart by the "Spirit of Truth." He can not and need not trust to the judgment or experience of another. "After those days, saith the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts. . . . And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord." Jer. 31:33, 34. They who are delivered from delusion will be those "who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Heb. 5:14. Now of the things we have written, reader, this is the sum: You will not be deceived by the devil "by those miracles which he has power to do," if you do not grieve away the Spirit which is sent to you to "guide you into all truth," by rejecting the truth to which the Spirit guides you. And you will not escape the deceiving power of the great signs and wonders unless you yourself are personally acquainted with the fruits of the Spirit, your-self "being fruitful in every good work" (Col. 1:10), because you are yourself "filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). "Receive ye the Holy Ghost."