Satan, The Great Counterfeiter
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:12
The
foe of all mankind is on the war path. The Bible says, "the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Rev.12:12. His greatest desire is to find and destroy the children of God. Read what God says in His word through His prophets:For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matt. 24:5
For 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
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Matt. 7:15&16
Deception, to be a good deception must look like what is true and good. It would never work for me, being a woman, to walk up to someone and claim to be a man unless I put on a mans cloths and walked like a man and at least attempted to speak in a deep voice. It would not be very deceptive if I had on a dress and had my long hair in a braid with pink ribbons. So how will Satan deceive? Will he act like a devil and only have evil books written. Would blatant evil deceive a Bible believing Christian? No. That is what is meant in Matthew 7 by sheep’s clothing. A sheep represents Christ. Christ is "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." John 1:29. To put on sheep’s clothing means to try to look Christian? How could the very elect be deceived if something appeared evil on the superficial inspection? We are left to conclude that if Satan were to be successful in his deception that he could deceive, if possible, the very elect his plan will be to deceive by ‘Christian’ means. To have his people in God’s churches talking like Christians.
My dear Grandmother had the idea that if something was written down it was true. That a book, no matter what it said was to be believed. But I have read things that I knew were lies. They were in print. Being in print didn’t make it true any more than me having a picture of myself in a mans suit would make me a man. Lies are put in print every day. Murderers and other wicked people write books full of lies. The label of ‘fiction’ on a book means that someone created the book based on something that only happened in their head, in their imagination. One can’t say that it was a falsehood while being cooked up in his head but once it was published it become truth. It is still fiction. So if Satan had a deceptive book it could be false and it could appear ‘Christian’, right? Could a writer print something that was 99.9% truth and .1% lie? Yes. Would a person be able to easily recognize where the .1% lie was? What if a book had 1412 pages and each page had over 600 words per page and only one or two words per page were changed? How much reading would it take to find the problem words? Have you, my dear reader read the Bible comparing one version with the other? If you have, have you given thought to what, if any, meaning is changed? Have you asked yourself if it changes your doctrine?
How does Satan regard the Bible?
Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the word that even the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, "It is written." To every suggestion of the adversary, He opposed the wisdom and power of the word. In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with authority over church and state. Great Controversy p.51
Notice here that the Bible enables man to discern Satan’s deceptions and gives us power to withstand his power. Another quote:
Satan could no longer keep the Bible from the people; it had been placed within the reach of all. But he led thousands to accept false interpretations and unsound theories, without searching the Scriptures to learn the truth for themselves. He had corrupted the doctrines of the Bible, and traditions which were to ruin millions were taking deep root. The church was upholding and defending these traditions, instead of contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. Spirit of Prophecy vol. 4 p. 195
False interpretations? What if those false interpretations were put into print? Could they be put into print? Yes! Would God allow it to happen? Yes!
Now that Satan can no longer keep the world under his control by withholding the Scriptures, he resorts to other means to accomplish the same object. To destroy faith in the Bible serves his purpose as well as to destroy the Bible itself. Spirit of Prophecy vol. 4 p. 40
Would it please Satan for us to be ignorant of his history and his plans? How important is it for us to know these things? God’s prophet says:
And now Satan comes with his temptations to the children of men, who are often ignorant of his devices, and here he has better success. One of his most successful devices is to keep men in ignorance of his devices; for they will not be on their guard against an enemy of whose existence they are ignorant.
Signs Of The Times 8/19/86
We are dependent on the Bible for a knowledge of the early history of our world, of the creation of man, and of his fall. Remove the Word of God, and what can we expect but to be left to fables and conjectures, and to that enfeebling of the intellect which is the sure result of entertaining error. We need the authentic history of the origin of the earth, of the fall of Lucifer, and of the introduction of sin into the world. Without the Bible, we should be bewildered by false theories. The mind would be subjected to the tyranny of superstition and falsehood. But, having in our possession an authentic history of the beginning of the world, we need not hamper ourselves with human conjectures and unreliable theories. Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 11/10/1904
Did you notice that? We need the authentic history of the fall of Lucifer. With this in mind let’s look at Satan’s history in the KJV.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:12&13
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven. Luke 10:18
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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. Rev. 12:7-9
Compare Isaiah 14:12 & 13 as found in some of the other versions:
How you have fallen from heaven, bright morning star, felled to the earth, sprawling helpless across the nations! You thought in your own mind, I will scale the heavens; I will set my throne high above the stars of God, I will sit on the mountain where the gods meet in the far recesses of the north. I will rise high above the cloud-banks... Is 14:12 & 13 NEB
How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! Is. 14:12 RSV
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! Is. 14:12 NASB
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! Is. 14:12 NIV
You, the bright morning star, have fallen from the sky! Is. 14:12 CEV
Who is the bright morning star, who is the day star? If you do a word study in the Bible you will find that Christ is both the morning star and the day star. Christ was prophesied of in Numbers 24:17 as ‘a Star out of Jacob’ KJV. In II Peter 1:19 it says: ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:’ Christ himself makes it clear that He is ‘the bright and morning star.’ in Revelation 22:16 KJV.
I find it interesting how the other versions of the Bible keep Rev. 22:16 in tact. This text points to Christ as the morning star. Who would want Christ to appear to be the fallen angel? Perhaps we can find out by looking at Christ’s sufferings in the wilderness.
Clothed as an angel of light, the artful foe presented his specious temptations to the Saviour. He sought to persuade Christ to turn from the path of self-denial and cross-bearing. He assured Him that God was satisfied with his willingness to endure the trial, but that as He stayed the hand of Abraham when about to sacrifice Isaac, so now, satisfied with Christ's willingness to set his feet in the bloodstained path, He had sent an angel to deliver Him from the long fast by which He was to overcome the power of appetite in man's behalf. This specious reasoning was a temptation to Christ. His humanity made it a temptation to Him, and it was only by trusting his Father's word that He could resist the power of the enemy. He walked by faith, as we must walk by faith, and turned from the artful deceiver, who feigned to doubt his divinity. Satan declared that a powerful angel of heaven had been banished to the earth, and that Christ's appearance indicated that instead of being the King of heaven, He was this fallen angel, forsaken of God and deserted by man. If He were the Son of God, He was equal with God, and could make this evident by working a miracle. He said, "If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread." He promised that if Jesus would do this, he would acknowledge his supremacy and no longer contest his claims. The archdeceiver hoped that under the force of despondency and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in his Father, work a miracle in his own behalf, and take Himself out of his Father's hands. Had He done this, the plan of salvation would have been broken; for it was contrary to its terms that Christ should work a miracle in his own behalf. Bible Echo and Signs of the Times 11/15/1892
Satan would like the world to believe that Christ is that fallen angel. This same deception he is trying to use on the Christian world of today. Please note that this is the only place in the Bible where Satan is addressed as Lucifer. Without the KJV rendering we are left to believe that Jesus is the fallen angel. Are you willing to let doubt come into your mind about your dear Saviour? How do you teach a Bible student who Christ is if you are using the other versions that change this texts wording? Was Mrs. White correct in her use of these texts? She only referred to Christ as the Morning Star and the day star. And she only referred to Lucifer as the ‘son of the morning’ and never, that I can find, did she refer to Satan as either morning star or day star. (See DA p. 435; Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 9/24/01; GC 659)
A great work can be done by presenting to the people the Bible just as it reads. Carry the Word of God to every man's door, urge its plain statements upon every man's conscience, repeat to all the Saviour's command, "Search the Scriptures." Admonish them to take the Bible as it is, to implore divine enlightenment, and then, when the light shines, to gladly accept each precious ray, and fearlessly abide the consequences. 5 Testimonies p. 388.
If you take these other translations ‘as they are’ and do a word study on morning star or day star what do you find? That Christ is the fallen angel.
You may be thinking that the majority of translators must be correct but is the majority a safe group to join? Have you ever read in the Bible where the majority were on the Lord’s side? Does the Bible teach that the majority know the way of salvation?
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13 & 14
Are you the very elect? I hope so! Does Satan wish to deceive you? Yes! Can he put his deceptions in print? Of course he can! Satanists write books all the time. Why would Satan make his deceptions look Christian?
It was by deception that Satan seduced angels; thus he has in all ages carried forward his work among men, and he will continue this policy to the last. Should he openly profess to be warring against God and His law, men would beware; but he disguises himself, and mixes truth with error. The most dangerous falsehoods are those that are mingled with truth. It is thus that errors are received that captivate and ruin the soul. By this means Satan carries the world with him. But a day is coming when his triumph will be forever ended. Patriarchs and Prophets p. 338
Satan looks with great satisfaction upon those who profess the name of Christ, yet closely adhere to the delusions which he himself has originated. His work is still to devise new delusions, and his power and art in this direction continually increase. He led his representatives, the popes and the priests, to exalt themselves, and to stir up the people to bitterly persecute and destroy those who were not willing to accept his delusions. Oh, the sufferings and agony which the precious followers of Christ were made to endure! Angels have kept a faithful record of it all. Satan and his evil angels exultingly told the angels who ministered to these suffering saints that they were all to be killed, so that there would not be left a true Christian upon the earth. I saw that the church of God was then pure. There was no danger of men with corrupt hearts coming into it; for the true Christian, who dared to declare his faith, was in danger of the rack, the stake, and every torture which Satan and his evil angels could invent or inspire in the mind of man. Early Writings p. 221
Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her fall. In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth. Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. All the lessons which God has caused to be placed on record in His word are for our warning and instruction. They are given to save us from deception. Their neglect will result in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contradicts God's Word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan. Patriarchs and Prophets p. 55
Please notice what it says here: "Whatever contradicts God’s Word, we may be sure proceeds from Satan." God’s Word says that Lucifer fell from heaven. As you read further in this book remember this quote.
Satan wants our worship. In the NIV he changes a text forbidding the worship of devils in Leviticus 17:7. First, let’s look at the KJV:
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. Leviticus 17:7 KJV
The NIV says, "They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols..." So it is okay to worship images of Mary or St. Peter, they are not goat idols. The CEV also uses that term goat idols.
A similar thing happens in 2 Chronicles 11:15. Here it is in the KJV:
And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. 2 Chronicles 11:15
Now look at what happens with this text in the NIV, ‘for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.’ Where did that devil go? The CEV adds the term ‘goat’ to the text too.
Satan is slowly fading from the Bible. In Psalms 109:6 in the KJV it reads, ‘Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.’. But the NEB says, ‘They say, ‘Put up some rascal to denouce him, an accuser to stand ...’. The RSV says, ‘...let an accuser stand at...’. The NIV and the NASB do the same thing. The NEB uses the word adversary also in Zechariah 3:1 & 2 in place of Satan. Luther’s German Bible however, uses Satan in these texts.
In the Bible we are given instruction concerning how to fight Satan and his angels. Christ when He was here on earth gave us directions. In Matthew 17:21 He said this about casting out the devil:
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21 KJV
But the NIV, RSV, CEV and NEB don’t have this verse. Would Satan be pleased with that? This statement is repeated in Mark. This time the fasting is missing in these same versions. Read it in the KJV:
And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29 KJV
It takes both prayer and fasting! Will we be effective in casting him out if we only do one of the two? I don’t see how.
How did Christ speak to Satan? ‘Get thee behind Me.’ It is recorded in Luke 4:8, unless you are reading the NIV, NASB, NEB, CEV or RSV. That part is missing in those versions.
Should we ask God to deliver us from Satan’s temptations? In the perfect example that we have, given by Christ himself we are instructed to pray, ‘lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.’ Luke 11:4 KJV. But if you rely on the NASB, NEB, RSV, CEV and NIV you don’t have the plea for God to deliver you from evil. Do you want to be delivered from evil? We are to fight Satan with the Bible, our sword of the spirit. But that sword is being dulled. How sharp is your sword?