Satan is not an initiator—but an
imitator. God has an only begotten
Son—the Lord Jesus; so has Satan—the son of
Perdition" (2 Thess 2:3). There is a Holy Trinity; and there
is likewise a Trinity of Evil (Rev 20:10). Do we read of the
"children of God;" so also we read of "the children of the
wicked one" (Matt 13:38).
Does God work in His children, both to will
and to do of His good pleasure; then we are told that Satan is
"the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience" (Eph
2:2). Is there a "mystery of godliness" (1 Tim 3:16); so also is
there a "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess 2:7). Are we told that
God by His angels "seals" His servants in their foreheads (Rev
7:3); so also we learn that Satan by his agents sets a mark in
the foreheads of his devotees (Rev 13:16). Are we told that "the
Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Cor
2:10); then Satan also provides his "deep things" (Rev 2:24).
Did Christ perform miracles; so also can Satan (2 Thess 2:9). Is
Christ seated upon a throne; so is Satan (Rev 2:13). Has Christ
a Church; then Satan has his "synagogue" (Rev 2:9). Is Christ
the Light of the world; then so is Satan himself "transformed
into an angel of light" (2 Cor 11:14). Did Christ appoint
"apostles;" then Satan has his apostles, too (2 Cor 11:13). And
this leads us to consider: "The Gospel of Satan."
Satan is the arch-counterfeiter.
The Devil is now busy at work in the same field in which the
Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to prevent the growth of
the wheat by another plant, the tares, which closely
resemble the wheat in appearance.
In a word, by a process of imitation
he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. Therefore, as
Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a
counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of
Satan resemble that which it parodies, that multitudes of
the unsaved are deceived by it.
It is to this gospel of Satan the
apostle refers when he says to the Galatians, "I am astonished
that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the
grace of Christ, and are turning to a different gospel—which is
really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you
into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. "
(Gal 1:6,7). This false gospel was being heralded even in the
days of the apostle, and a most awful curse was called down upon
those who preached it. The apostle continues, "But even if we or
an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one
we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" By the help
of God we shall now endeavor to expound—or rather, expose
this false gospel.
The gospel of Satan is not a system of
revolutionary principles, nor even a program of anarchy. It does
not promote strife and war—but aims at peace and unity. It seeks
not to set the mother against her daughter nor the father
against his son—but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the
human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood." It does not
seek to drag down the natural man—but to improve and uplift him.
It advocates education and cultivation, and appeals to the "best
that is within us." It aims to make this world such a
comfortable and congenial habitat, that Christ's absence from it
will not be felt and God will not be needed. It endeavors to
occupy man so much with this world—that he has no time or
inclination to think of the world to come. It propagates the
principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and
teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to
all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular with
the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature
man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and
dead in trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in
being born again.
In contradistinction to the Gospel of Christ,
the gospel of Satan teaches salvation by works. It inculcates
justification before God on the ground of human merits. Its
sacramental phrase is "Be good and do good"; but it fails to
recognize that in the flesh there dwells no good thing. It
announces salvation character, which reverses the order of God's
Word—character by, as the fruit of, salvation. Its various
ramifications and organizations are manifold. Temperance, Reform
Movements, "Christian Socialist Leagues," Ethical Culture
Societies, "Peace Congresses" are all employed (perhaps
unconsciously) in proclaiming this gospel of Satan—salvation by
works. The pledge-card is substituted for Christ; social purity
for individual regeneration, and politics and philosophy, for
doctrine and godliness. The cultivation of the old man is
considered more practical than the creation of a new man in
Christ Jesus; while universal peace is looked for apart from the
interposition and return of the Prince of Peace.
The apostles of Satan are not
saloon-keepers and white-slave traffickers—but are for the most
part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our
modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the
fundamentals of the Christian Faith—but have turned aside from
the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying
the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences,
they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or
the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to "flee
from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that
He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures
to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that "without shedding
of blood is no remission of sin," they merely hold up Christ as
the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to "follow in His
steps." Of them it must be said, "For they being ignorant of
God's righteousness and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God" (Rom 10:3).
Their message may sound very plausible and
their aim appear very praiseworthy—yet we read of them, "For
such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as
apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades
as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his
servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will
be what their actions deserve." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
In addition to the fact that today hundreds
of churches are without a leader who faithfully declares the
whole counsel of God and presents His way of salvation, we also
have to face the additional fact that the majority of people in
these churches are very unlikely to learn the Truth themselves.
The family altar, where a portion of God's Word was accustomed
to be read daily is now, even in the homes of nominal
Christians, largely a thing of the past. The Bible is not
expounded in the pulpit—and it is not read in the pew. The
demands of this rushing age are so numerous, that multitudes
have little time and still less inclination to make preparation
for the meeting with God. Hence the majority who are too
indolent to search for themselves, are left at the mercy of
those whom they pay to search for them; rather than studying the
oracles of God.
In Proverbs 14:12 we read, "There is a way
that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
This "way" which ends in "death" is the Devil's Delusion—the
gospel of Satan—a way of salvation by human attainment. It is a
way which "seems right," that is to say, it is presented in such
a plausible way that it appeals to the natural man: it is set
forth in such a subtle and attractive manner, that it commends
itself to the intelligence of its hearers. By virtue of the fact
that it appropriates to itself religious terminology, sometimes
appeals to the Bible for its support (whenever this suits its
purpose), holds up before men lofty ideals, and is proclaimed by
those who have graduated from our theological institutions,
countless multitudes are decoyed and deceived by it.
The success of an illegitimate coiner
depends largely upon how closely the counterfeit resembles the
genuine article. Heresy is not so much the total denial
of the truth—as a perversion of it. That is why half a
lie is is always more dangerous than a complete repudiation.
Hence when the Father of Lies enters the pulpit—it is not his
custom to flatly deny the fundamental truths of Christianity,
rather does he tacitly acknowledge them, and then proceed to
give an erroneous interpretation and a false application.
For example: he would not be so foolish as to
boldly announce his disbelief in a personal God; he takes His
existence for granted and then gives a false description of
His character. He announces that God is the spiritual Father
of all men, when the Scriptures plainly tell us that we are "the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:26), and that
"as many as received him, to them He gave power to become the
sons of God" (John 1:12). Further, he declares that God is far
too merciful to ever send any member of the human race to Hell,
when God Himself has said, "Whoever was not found written in the
book of life—was cast into the Lake of Fire!" (Rev 20:15).
Again; Satan would not be so foolish as to ignore the central
figure of human history—the Lord Jesus Christ; on the contrary,
his gospel acknowledges Him to be the best man that ever lived.
Attention is drawn to His deeds of compassion and works of
mercy, the beauty of His character and the sublimity of His
teaching. His life is eulogized—but His vicarious
death is ignored, the all-important atoning work of the
cross is never mentioned, while His triumphant and bodily
resurrection from the grave is regarded as one of the
credulities of a superstitious age. It is a bloodless gospel,
and presents a crossless Christ, who is received not as God
manifest in the flesh—but merely as the Ideal Man.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3 we have a scripture
which sheds much light upon our present theme. There we are
told, "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are
perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." He blinds the
minds of unbelievers through hiding the light of the Gospel of
Christ, and he does this by substituting his own gospel.
Appropriately he designated "The great dragon was hurled
down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads
the whole world astray" (Rev 12:9). In merely appealing to "the
best that is within man," and in simply exhorting him to "lead a
nobler life" there is afforded a general platform upon which
those of every shade of opinion can unite and proclaim this
common message.
Again we quote Proverbs 14:12—"There is a way
that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." It
as been said with considerable truth, that the way to Hell is
paved with good intentions. There will be many in the Lake
of Fire who lived with good intentions, honest resolutions and
exalted ideals—those who were just in their dealings, fair in
their transactions and charitable in all their ways; men who
prided themselves in their integrity—but who sought to justify
themselves before God by their own righteousness; men who were
moral and merciful—but who never saw themselves as guilty, lost,
hell-deserving sinners needing a Savior. Such is the way which
"seems right." Such is the way that commends itself to the
carnal mind and recommends itself to multitudes of deluded ones
today. The Devil's Delusion is that we can be saved by our own
works, and justified by our own deeds; whereas, God tells us in
His Word—"By grace are you saved through faith...not of works
lest any man should boast." And again, "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done—but according to His mercy He
saved us."
A few years ago the writer became acquainted
With one who was a lay preacher and an enthusiastic "Christian
worker." For over seven years this friend had been engaged in
public preaching and religious activities—but from certain
expressions and phrases he used, the writer doubted whether is
friend was a "born again" man. When we began to question him, it
was found that he was very imperfectly acquainted with the
Scriptures, and had only the vaguest conception of Christ's Work
for sinners. For a time we sought to present the way of
salvation in a simple and impersonal manner and to encourage our
friend to study the Word for himself, in the hope that if he
were still unsaved, that God would be pleased to reveal the
Savior he needed.
One night to our joy, the one who had been
preaching the Gospel (?) for several years, confessed that he
had found Christ only the previous night. He acknowledged (to
use his own words) that he had been presenting "the Christ
ideal" but not the Christ of the Cross. The writer believes
there are thousands like this preacher who, perhaps, have been
brought up in Sunday School, taught about the birth, life, and
teachings of Jesus Christ, who believe in the historicity of His
person, who spasmodically endeavor to practice His precepts—and
who think that that is all that is necessary for their
salvation.
Frequently, this class when they reach
manhood—go out into the world, encounter the attacks of atheists
and infidels and are told that such a person as Jesus of
Nazareth never lived. But the impressions of early days cannot
be easily erased, and they remain steadfast in their declaration
that they "believe in Jesus Christ." Yet, when their faith is
examined, only too often it is found that though they believe
many things about Jesus Christ—that they do not really
believe in him. They believe with the head that such a
person lived (and, because they believe this, they imagine that
therefore they are saved)—but they have never thrown down the
weapons of their warfare against Him, yielded themselves to Him,
nor truly believed with their heart in Him.
The bare acceptance of an orthodox doctrine
about the person of Christ, without the heart being won by Him
and the life devoted to Him—is another phase of that way "which
seems right unto a man" but the end thereof are "the ways of
death." A mere intellectual assent to the reality of Christ's
person, and which goes no further, is another phase of the way
that seems right unto a man" but of which the end thereof "are
the ways of death," or, in other words, is another aspect of the
gospel of Satan.
And now, where do you stand? Are you in the
way which "seems right," but which ends in death? Or, are you in
the Narrow Way which leads unto life? Have you truly forsaken
the Broad Road which leads to death? Has the love of Christ
created in your heart a hatred and horror of all that is
displeasing to Him? Are you desirous that he should "reign over"
you? (Luke 19:14). Are you relying wholly on His righteousness
and blood for your acceptance with God?
Those who are trusting to an outward form of
godliness, such as baptism or "confirmation!" those who are
religious, because it is considered a mark of respectability;
those who attend some Church or Chapel because it is the fashion
to do so; and, those who unite with some Denomination because
they suppose that such a step will enable them to become
Christians—are in the way which "ends in death"— spiritual and
eternal death. However pure our motives, however noble our
intentions, however well-meaning our purposes, however sincere
our endeavors, God will not acknowledge us as His sons, until we
accept His Son.
A yet more specious form of Satan's gospel—is
to move preachers to present the atoning sacrifice of Christ,
and then tell their hearers that all God requires from them is
to "believe" in His Son. Thereby thousands of impenitent
souls are deluded into thinking they have been saved. But Christ
said, "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish" (Luke
13:3). To "repent" is to hate sin, to sorrow over it, to turn
from it. It is the result of the Spirit's making the heart
contrite before God. None except a broken heart can savingly
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, thousands are deceived into supposing
that they have "accepted Christ" as their "personal Savior," who
have not first received Him as their Lord. The Son of God
did not come here to save His people in their sin—but "from
their sins" (Matt 1:21). To be saved from sins—is to
be saved from ignoring and despising the authority of God; it is
to abandon the course of self-will and self-pleasing; it is to
"forsake our way (Isa 55:7). It is to surrender to God's
authority, to yield to His dominion, to give ourselves over to
be ruled by Him. The one has never taken Christ's "yoke" upon
him, who is not truly and diligently seeking to please Him in
all the details of life, and yet supposes that he is resting on
the "Finished Work of Christ" is deluded by the Devil!
In the seventh chapter of Matthew, there are
two Scriptures which give us approximate results of Christ's
Gospel and Satan's counterfeit. First, in verses 13-14, "Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the
road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it." Second; in verses 22-23, "Many will say to
me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me,
you evildoers!"
Yes, my reader, it is possible to work
in the name of Christ, and even to preach in his name, and
though the world knows us, and the Church knows us—yet to be
unknown to the Lord! How necessary is it then—to find out where
we really are; to examine ourselves and see whether we are in
the faith; to measure ourselves by the Word of God and see if we
are being deceived by our subtle Enemy; to find out whether we
are building our house upon the sand—or whether it is
erected on the Rock, who is Jesus Christ. May the Holy
Spirit search our hearts, break our wills, slay our enmity
against God, work in us a deep and true repentance, and direct
our gaze to the Lamb of God—which takes away the sin of the
world.