Discerning Satan's Tools

Mark 13:22

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Satan always has his messengers in our ranks to hurt and to keep the cause of Christ from going forward. It is critical for believers to understand that Satan will not idly sit while the Gospel is moving forward. In fact, the more a church does for Christ, the more we must be aware of Satan’s tools in our midst. Jesus warned the disciples of false Christs and false prophets. He said, For false Christs and false prophets shall rise… Jesus did not say they might rise, but He said they shall rise. These false Christs and false prophets will seem so real that even God’s children can be seduced into their falsehoods if they are not aware. Let me share several things you must do not to be seduced by these tools of Satan.

First, you must accept that there are false Christs and false prophets. If Christ warned His disciples about these false Christs and false prophets coming in their midst, you must realize that we are as vulnerable to them as were His disciples. Satan will not stop sending false Christs and false prophets in our day just because Christ is not on earth. Every church is susceptible to false Christs and false prophets; therefore, every believer must beware of them coming in and hurting their church.

Second, most false Christs and false prophets rise up from within. Most of them seem like us. They dress right, know how we talk, and even will gain position in a church before they do their evil work. We often think these people will be easily discerned, but Jesus said that the believers could be seduced by these false Christs and false prophets. Many times, these false Christs and false prophets seem attractive. They use valid arguments to get you to follow them, and then their false doctrine is more easily susceptible to accept. False Christs and false prophets groom believers to trust them before they sow their false doctrine to destroy God’s work.

Third, many times they will have great works they talk about. You will notice that Jesus said they will shew signs and wonders. To show something is to put something on display. Many times these false Christs and false prophets talk about what they have done and can do to get people to follow them. Sometimes, they are even producers in the church for a short time, but their agenda is to eventually deceive as many as they can with the trust they built with God’s people.

Fourth, God’s Word is always the measuring stick. God’s Word is the great revealer of false Christs and false prophets. When someone says something that goes against God’s Word, you can be assured that these are false Christ and false prophets. God’s Word is our authority, and it does not matter how good it may seem what someone is teaching, if it goes against God’s Word, they are a false Christ or false prophet.

Fifth, you still have the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer, and because He guides us into all truth, He will warn you that someone is wrong. When you hear something that you have never heard before, and your “gut” is telling you that something does not sound right, it ought to ring the alarms in your mind not to swallow what is being said without studying God’s Word and praying about what is said. If you are yielded to the Holy Spirit, and if you listen to Him, He will protect you from being seduced by the false Christs and false prophets.