The Mystery of Iniquity - Part 3The concept of belief in God arches above every other ideal embraced in the human spirit, because for most people, the rewards of faith yield an everlasting return, while the rewards of other ideals are not as enduring. Islamic suicide bombers have been convinced that after they carry out the will of Allah by becoming martyrs in the war against the “infidels,” they will receive a much greater reward and garner more favor from Him once they enter Paradise. Although the Qur’an seems to ban suicide as a weapon against defenseless citizens (see note at the end of this article), deceitful men have seized control of the interpretation of the Muslims’ holy book and have convinced many naïve followers that it is permissible. This demonstrates that other belief systems are not immune to the deceptive practices of devious men, inspired by the devil.
The Apostle Paul took special care to alert the Church that the mystery of iniquity would make bold, surreptitious incursions into its hierarchy. It would not simply attempt to corrupt the work of God by infiltrating into the choir or Deacon Board, but the furtive servants of satan would impersonate the highest officer in the Church – the apostle – in order to lead the followers of Christ away from the profound and deep mystical truths of the Scripture:
4.For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him…13.For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14.And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15.Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:4, 13-15).
The workers of satan have secretly pursued a course that permits them to control the destiny of the congregational churches, thus limiting its influence in society. By furtively acquiring positions of leadership, these false prophets can spoon-feed their followers a diluted Gospel message. This is why many in the modern church have no idea who Enoch really is; or who Noah really was; or who Nimrod really was; or who Moses really was; and lest we forget the man in the New Testament who, according to Paul, may have been permitted to enter Heaven with his fleshly body. However, notwithstanding that the Scripture does not give us his name, most Christians have never heard of him (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-5 for (I’ll call him) Anonymous).
It is the objective of the satanic powers to diminish the legacy of great men of God in order to reduce the possibility that anyone will aspire to be like them. For the last six months, I have been randomly querying my Christian brothers and sisters the following question: What was Job’s profession before his encounter with satan? And to my astonishment, no one has responded properly, which buttresses my point that the cabal of men who seek to control the interpretation of the Scripture, do not want us to know who Job and others really were. If young men understood that Job was the greatest social advocate of human existence, and if they could see the remarkable passion that he had for the downtrodden and exploited (see Job 29), then perhaps there would be a few who would seek to be like him. However, the men who sit in the pantheon of the satanic gods and who simultaneously control what many of God’s people consume spiritually, work fervently to conceal Job’s and other great men’s legacies.
When wicked men ascend into positions of great authority in the church, they are doing enormous harm to the spiritual lives of the church members, and their work reduces the possibility that another Job, or another Ezekiel, or another Isaiah will rise in the midst of the people. This is why when Paul discovered fraudulent leaders, he immediately cast them out of the church: 4.And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 5.To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:4-5).
Paul, who had a reputation for being unyielding, moved swiftly against these men, because he knew he was dealing with individuals who could not be converted. This speaks simultaneously to their spiritual blindness and to the depth of their allegiances with the powers of darkness.
The evidence of satanic influence in the church is overwhelming in the Scripture. This is why the apostles labored under the heavy burden of warning the followers of Christ that satan could transform himself into an angel of light and that his demonically inspired disciples could become ministers of righteousness. To simply say that satan is deceptive does not adequately portray his ingenious ability to beguile, because an illusionist is deceptive; as is a skilled general plotting strategy during wartime; as well as highly trained intelligence officers, who practice deceit in defense of their nation. However, satan has affixed to his resume one feat that is unprecedented in recorded history: through an unbelievable performance of deceit, he tricked angels into rebelling against God.
[s]atan has mistakenly been reviled down through the ages for being less than intelligent for his rebellion and subsequent removal from Heaven. This may be true, but intelligence, or the lack thereof, is not what motivated him. [h]e was driven by a deep-seated compulsion that is beyond the capacity and grandest ambitions of any human. He wanted to share God’s throne:
12.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! 13.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: 14.I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High (Isaiah 14:12-14).
This indictment by Isaiah only tells part of the story behind the fall of the lucifer. What God refused to reveal in His Word is a blow-by-blow account of lucifer’s surreptitious scheme that triggered the angelic rebellion. It is my firm belief that this plot by lucifer was so thoroughly deceptive that God deliberately declined to offer it as part of the Scripture. He knew that canonizing lucifer’s rebellion in His Word would wreak confusion in the minds of the most spiritually adept of the human family, causing many to embrace the logic behind his rebellion. I buttress my belief with Matthew 24 where the Scripture says that God will shorten the days of human civilization in order to prevent the very elect from being conned by satan:
22.And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23.Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24.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 (Matthew 24:22-24).
This is such a profound assertion by Jesus; it should prompt us to vigilantly guard our hearts and minds against false and diluted doctrines. He suggested that it would not be possible for the very elect to be deceived, in the sense that they would abandon redemption for a false, satanic system of belief. However, He did not rule out that they would not fall prey to a weakened state of faith. In fact, he seems to suggest that there would be a lack of faith in the earth when He returns. Speaking on the condition of the church during the end-times, Jesus wondered out loud if there would be men of faith able to meet the needs of the most at-risk members of society:
2.Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3.And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary…7.And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8.I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth (Luke 18:2-3, 7-8, emphasis mine)?
If this is the last days as spoken of by the prophets, then Jesus’ words take on a much more significant implication. Certainly He saw the Christian leaders of today who are revered by so many and who would be considered great men of faith; yet, He still posed the question if He could find faith in the earth. This is deeply troubling, because it suggests, among other things, that we are not discerning the lack of faith in the church. Furthermore it seems to demonstrate that our model of Christianity may be significantly misaligned with what Christ’s expectations are for His last day church. Whatever may have been Jesus’ motivation for questioning the faith of the end-time leadership, it is clear that He was cognizant of the fact that the mystery of iniquity would make damaging incursions into the end-time church in order to curb its impact on society.
The mystery of iniquity has spent thousands of years weaving a near inescapable web of deception. Over the course of human existence, satan has deceived angels; he has inspired men to successfully masquerade as apostles, prophets, and other church leaders; he has established his global headquarters from the pulpit of a local church (this will be addressed in Part 4 of this series); he has been successful in assuming the identity of Christianity (this will be addressed in Part 5 of this series); he has nearly destroyed the concept of faith for the last day’s church (see Luke 18:8 above); and before the end of our age, he will trick the vast majority of humanity into worshiping him as their god: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [satan], whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).
In Revelation chapter 2, John admonished the church at Thyatira that there were some who had not “known the depths of satan.” Because of their naiveté, he was unable to give them deep, mystical insight into God’s Word through his writing: 24.But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25.But that which ye have already hold fast till I come (Revelation 6:24-25).
…to be continued
NOTE: It is commonly held in the United States that suicide bombers are taught that they will receive 72 virgins once they enter into Paradise; however, I have been unable to confirm this as Islamic doctrine. Perhaps suicide bombers are lulled by the prospect of living in eternal bliss with beautiful maidens, but this notion is not defined in the Islamic Holy Book – the Qur’an. In fact, the Qur’an seems to expressly prohibit suicide Bombing: 29.O believers, you should not usurp unjustly the wealth of each other, but trade by mutual consent; and do not destroy yourselves. God is merciful to you. 30.If some does so through oppression or injustice, [W]e shall cast him into Hell: this is how (the Law of) God works inevitably (the holy Qur’an, verses 4:29-30). Another version puts it more succinctly: 29.But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful! 30.If any do that in rancour and injustice,- soon shall We cast them into the Fire: And easy it is for God (the holy Qur’an, verses 4:29-30).
Also, the Bukhari and Muslim Hadiths are second in authority to the Qur’an, and neither of these endorse suicide bombing. According to Bukhari Volume 2, Book 23, Number 445 the prophet pronounced the judgment upon a man who committed suicide by forbidding him to enter Paradise: “Narrated Jundab the Prophet said, ‘A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him.’”
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