Devil -- Christianity; Spiritual life -- Christianity
things their energizing power, the angel of light, is pleased to reveal
unto them. Their gospel is one of human reason, and appeals to human
resources. There can be no appreciation of Divine revelation in them,
for they have not come to really know God or His Son, Jesus Christ. As
all this is true, how perilous is the attitude of many who follow
attractive ministers and religious guides only because they claim to be
such, and are sincere, and who are not awake to the one final test of
doctrine by which alone the whole covered system of Satanic lies can be
distinguished from the truth of God. In this connection John writes the
following warning: "If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed"
(II Jno. 10).
There yet remains one mighty element in the program of Satan's
counterfeits in addition to his outward forms, deep doctrines, church
and ministers,--that is, the Man of Sin, the blasphemous counterfeit of
the blessed Christ; who is yet to appear; who will be the very
incarnation of Satan; and "whose coming is after the working of Satan
with all power and signs and lying wonders and all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish" (II Thes. 2:9, 10). As the whole
purpose of God in the ages has its consummation in the yet future coming
of Christ, so Satan, in imitation of the program of God, has appointed a
coming one (II Thes. 2:9), who will be his greatest manifestation, and
upon whom he will bestow his greatest wisdom, power and attractiveness.
The study of this mighty and imposing character can only be suggested in
the following pages.
The titles of Satan would indicate that he is attempting, also, in his
own person, to counterfeit the Persons of the blessed Trinity. He
appears as "the god of this world" in imitation of God the Father; he
appears as the "prince of the world" in imitation of God the Son; and
"the spirit that now energizeth in the children of disobedience" is his
imitation of God the Spirit, who dwells in and energizes the true
believers. Thus his desire to be like the Most High has led him to a
blasphemous attempt to imitate all the separate manifestations of the
three Persons of the Godhead. But, since redemption, which he proposes
to hinder, is the work of the second Person, God the Son, Satan more
often appears as a counterfeit of Christ, both in title and undertaking;
and this is the character in which he makes his last and most desperate
effort before he is banished to the pit and his final judgment is begun.
Chapter VIII.
The Man of Sin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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