Deception is all around us. Conspiracy theories have increasingly been on the rise. In this climate of deception, how do we know what to believe? The Bible addresses deception, and this article investigates Biblical Deception.
The Imminent Deception
Deception is the mixing of truth with error, unlike a lie, which is absent of all truth—all error.
Matthew 24:3-5
3. Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4. And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. NKJV
In this passage we have a warning from Jesus, we have the nucleus of the dilemma. “Many” will fail to “take heed” (discern, examine, perceive) Biblical truths. As a result, they will stumble into deception. Truth protects, and error harms; therefore, the more of God’s Word we know, the more error we can discern.
Gen. 3:1-4
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2. And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3. but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'”
4. Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. NKJV
The serpent deceived Eve. She admitted that she was deceived in verse 13, which reads:
“‘And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” NKJV
There was some truth (Gen. 3:7, 22). After Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened.
In the text, Satan predicted that something would happen and then tells a lie by stating, “you will surely not die.”
When their eyes were opened, they did not experience a wondrous enlightenment as Satan had implied. Instead, they experienced shame, fear, and guilt (vss. 7, 8, 10). Neither were they elevated to the same status as God.
The Seeds of Deception
Eve was deceived by the serpent. As a result, she and Adam rebelled against God’s Command by eating the forbidden fruit.
King Saul was deceived” by his fear and jealousy, which led him to rebel against God’s instructions and acted in disobedience.
Judas Iscariot was deceived by his greed and betrayal, ultimately leading him to rebel against Jesus and betray Him.
The Israelites in the wilderness were deceived by their doubts and fears despite God’s miracles and deliverance and rebelled against Him multiple times.
There is a trend throughout the Scriptures. Deception, whether through fear, jealousy, greed, or doubt, appears to be a common thread in these instances of rebellion. This highlights the fact that deception often ignites the flames of rebellion. Deception serves as the initial step that leads to rebellion. Deception leads to rebellion.
The Imminent Apostasy
Matthew 24:11-13
11. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. NKJV
Acts 20:29-31
29. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
30. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. NKJV
1 Tim. 4:1
4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, NKJV
2 Peter 2:1-3
1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. NKJV
Jude 3-4
3. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
4. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV
These passages collectively depict the imminent threat of apostasy. They are a series of warnings of the impending apostasy. Again, deception proceeds apostasy. The book of Jude serves as a solemn warning against the dangers of apostasy in the church. Just as it was prevalent in his time, it is prevalent in ours.
We must be vigilant in our faith and firmly rooted in the truth to avoid deception and apostasy. We must as the Scripture reads, “contend earnestly for the faith.”
We must be aware of the falsehoods among us (Matthew 7:15-19). Men are deceptive with their words. We must note what they teach: God’s Word or man’s doctrines. We must test the spirits. [1 John 4:1-3] Otherwise, we cannot earnestly contend for the faith if we do not bring our teachers into subjection.
Jude’s audience was unaware and not on guard of the deception that had crept into the church. Today, we are very unaware. We must confirm the Word for ourselves to discern truth from error. We must be on guard so that we will not be deceived. When we are deceived, we will rebel—knowingly and unknowingly. We are prone to deception and prone to rebellion.
Contending for the Faith
Why must we contend for the faith?
o The false teachers are ungodly people. They pervert the divine ideal of holiness. I Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Peter 2:9, Lev. 20:26, 1st Peter 1:14-16, Rev. 21:27
o They teach that grace allows us to live ungodly—immoral lives. They pervert the doctrine of grace.
Titus 2:11-14—The grace of God teaches us that we are to live godly, sober, and righteous lives because Christ arrived to redeem us from every lawless deed and free us from the power of sin. He came to set the captives free.
o They deny Jesus Christ—His authority and power.
§ Matthew 28:18, Eph. 1:21-23—Christ has all authority, all power; to deny this is to deny Christ. With all power and authority, Christ came to free us from the shackles of sin. Through His Word, He intended to reveal Himself while equipping us for salvation.
o They deny the all-sufficiency of all Scripture
§ 2 Timothy 3:16-17—To deny all the sufficiency of Scripture is to deny Christ. To say that the Old Testament doesn’t matter is to assume that the New Testament alone will qualify us for every good work. ALL Scripture has been given by God.
We cannot cherry-pick what Scripture should be or should not be applicable. All—all Scripture should be counted as applicable.
2 Peter 1:3—God has given us all things of life, all things pertaining to godliness. His Word is to be heeded from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. Nothing is to be neglected.
John 1:1-4, 14, Rev. 19:12-13—To deny the all-sufficiency of Scripture is to deny Christ.
How do we contend for the faith?
We must use the weapons that are at our disposal. Eph. 6:10-18 reads:
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15. and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16. above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;
18. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints — NKJV
This is what we ought to do. Our ability to stand is contingent upon our being willing to put on “the whole armor of God. “ Because we can’t stand against “the wiles of the devil” on our own.
We must be girded with truth, being honest and truthful in all aspects of life.
The breastplate of righteousness—Put on Christ’s righteousness in faith, live a moral and upright life, and do what is right and just according to God’s will.
The feet shod with the gospel of peace—Be ready to share the everlasting gospel proclamation with others.
The shield of faith—Trust in God, His protection, and His provision.
The helmet of salvation—Stand in the assurance of salvation found in Christ.
The Sword of the Spirit- The Word of God—Use the power of God’s Word to guide our thoughts and actions.
The great deception, the mother of all deceptions, is coming. The beast of Revelation 13, when he performs deceitful miracles and wonders, is coming. This will lead to the conclusion of Spiritual Warfare and the Great Controversy.
Therefore, every weapon matters—the whole armor. With all prayer, be vigilant and seek God’s guidance and strength. We must use our weapons at our disposal. Put on Christ; stand for Christ!
Questions, comments, and concerns may be left below.
Blessings!
