Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
00:01:12.65\00:01:13.77
Our Father in heaven, we thank
You once again for the privilege
00:01:13.80\00:01:18.37
of being here to open
Your Holy Word to discover what
00:01:18.40\00:01:23.47
Your will is for our lives.
00:01:23.50\00:01:25.15
We ask that as we study about
the genuine and the counterfeit,
00:01:25.18\00:01:29.36
as this is addressed
in the book of Genesis,
00:01:29.39\00:01:32.40
that Your Holy Spirit will
be with us, and help us to learn
00:01:32.43\00:01:35.70
those things which will
be important in our personal
00:01:35.73\00:01:39.02
walk with Jesus. We thank
You for hearing our prayer
00:01:39.05\00:01:42.39
for we ask it in
His Holy name, Amen.
00:01:42.42\00:01:45.90
I'd like to begin our
study today at the gospel of
00:01:45.93\00:01:51.93
Matthew 24, and we're
going to read verses 23 and 24,
00:01:51.96\00:01:58.53
Matthew 24:23, 24.
00:01:58.56\00:02:03.91
Here Jesus is
speaking about the end time.
00:02:03.94\00:02:08.66
And I want you to notice
the warning that Jesus gives
00:02:08.70\00:02:12.77
concerning the end time.
00:02:12.80\00:02:14.50
He says there in
Matthew, once again, 24:23, 24:
00:02:14.53\00:02:20.12
Now imagine deceptions that
are so powerful that they will
00:02:45.07\00:02:51.45
almost deceive even the elect.
00:02:51.48\00:02:55.90
Now the question is, to whom
did Jesus give this warning?
00:02:55.93\00:02:59.80
Notice Matthew
24:4, Matthew 24:4.
00:02:59.83\00:03:06.96
Notice who Jesus is speaking to.
00:03:06.99\00:03:09.52
And Jesus answered
and said to them,...
00:03:09.55\00:03:13.66
That is the disciples,
if you look at the context.
00:03:13.69\00:03:16.74
...Take heed that
no one deceives you.
00:03:16.77\00:03:22.80
Who was in danger of
being deceived? The disciples.
00:03:22.83\00:03:28.26
Deceptions so powerful that
they would deceive, if possible,
00:03:28.29\00:03:33.72
although the syntax indicates
that it's not possible.
00:03:33.75\00:03:36.91
But if it were
possible, the very elect.
00:03:36.94\00:03:41.88
Obviously Satan's final
deception's will be very, very,
00:03:41.91\00:03:45.60
powerful, very delusive.
00:03:45.63\00:03:48.22
And, therefore, we need
to understand how the devil
00:03:48.25\00:03:53.13
deceives. Now let's go to
Genesis 2:15, and read once
00:03:53.16\00:04:00.84
again the command that
God gave to Adam and Eve
00:04:00.87\00:04:04.73
in the garden of Eden.
00:04:04.76\00:04:05.99
Genesis 2:16, And the Lord
God commanded the man, saying,
00:04:06.02\00:04:14.33
Of every tree of the garden you
may freely eat, but of the tree
00:04:14.36\00:04:21.75
of the knowledge of good
and evil, you shall not eat:
00:04:21.78\00:04:26.05
for in the day that you
eat of it you shall surely die.
00:04:26.08\00:04:31.65
Now I need to ask you some
questions about this prohibition
00:04:31.68\00:04:36.26
that God gave Adam and Eve.
00:04:36.29\00:04:38.18
First of all, was
the command of God clear?
00:04:38.21\00:04:43.31
Was it complicated?
hard to understand? No.
00:04:43.34\00:04:48.82
Was it simple? His
command was simple and clear.
00:04:48.85\00:04:55.40
Was it an easy
command to obey? Sure it was.
00:04:55.43\00:05:01.24
I mean, do you think Adam
and Eve were starving to death
00:05:01.27\00:05:04.82
when they came to the tree?
00:05:04.85\00:05:05.88
They had no reason to, because
God told them that they could
00:05:05.91\00:05:10.21
eat of every tree of the garden.
00:05:10.24\00:05:12.10
So probably Eve, when she came
to the tree, wasn't even hungry.
00:05:12.13\00:05:17.39
There's more than
physical appetite involved here.
00:05:17.42\00:05:20.10
So what I'm saying is
that the command was clear.
00:05:20.13\00:05:23.17
By the way, Eve understood it,
because she repeated the words
00:05:23.20\00:05:26.82
of God to the serpent.
00:05:26.85\00:05:27.93
Only she added a few
things that God had not said,
00:05:27.96\00:05:31.38
like God didn't
say you can't touch it.
00:05:31.41\00:05:33.52
He said you can't eat of it.
00:05:33.55\00:05:35.12
Eve added to what God said.
00:05:35.15\00:05:37.07
We'll come to that later.
00:05:37.10\00:05:38.17
But what I want you to notice
is that the command was clear.
00:05:38.20\00:05:42.04
The command was easy to obey.
00:05:42.07\00:05:45.32
And, furthermore, God did
not explain the reason why they
00:05:45.35\00:05:51.27
could not eat from
that specific tree.
00:05:51.30\00:05:53.43
Now God explained the
consequences of eating from
00:05:53.46\00:05:57.60
the tree. He said, if you
eat from the tree you will die.
00:05:57.63\00:06:00.61
But He did not explain why they
couldn't eat from that tree,
00:06:00.64\00:06:03.99
as compared from all of
the other trees of the garden.
00:06:04.02\00:06:06.88
God simply said,
Don't eat from the tree.
00:06:06.91\00:06:12.13
Clear command, easy to
obey, and a command which
00:06:12.16\00:06:18.70
God did not explain the reason
for, and which He explained
00:06:18.73\00:06:23.54
what the consequences
would be if they disobeyed.
00:06:23.57\00:06:26.82
Now there's one detail
which is extremely important
00:06:26.85\00:06:30.62
in Genesis chapter 1, and that
is that God did not actually
00:06:30.65\00:06:38.22
allow Adam and Eve to
see Him create anything.
00:06:38.25\00:06:41.79
You know, this is something
that many people pass up.
00:06:41.82\00:06:45.67
Many people haven't even noticed
that God did not allow Adam
00:06:45.70\00:06:50.74
and Eve to be eye
witnesses of His creation.
00:06:50.77\00:06:52.88
They saw God create nothing.
00:06:52.91\00:06:54.57
The first day God
created the light.
00:06:54.60\00:06:57.09
They weren't around.
00:06:57.12\00:06:58.15
The second day God
created the firmament.
00:06:58.18\00:07:01.08
They still weren't around.
00:07:01.11\00:07:02.16
The third day God created the
dry earth and the vegetation.
00:07:02.19\00:07:05.88
They still weren't there.
00:07:05.91\00:07:07.03
The fourth day God made the
sun, the moon, and the stars.
00:07:07.06\00:07:10.93
Adam and Eve
still weren't around.
00:07:10.96\00:07:12.17
The fifth day God made
the fish, and the birds.
00:07:12.20\00:07:15.04
Adam and Eve still
had not been created.
00:07:15.07\00:07:17.09
The sixth day God made
all of the land animals,
00:07:17.12\00:07:20.56
on the first
part of the sixth day.
00:07:20.59\00:07:22.67
Adam and Eve weren't there.
00:07:22.70\00:07:24.14
And then God, of
course, created Adam.
00:07:24.17\00:07:27.56
Adam did not see God
create him, obviously.
00:07:29.48\00:07:32.33
And then, to make this
story even more amazing,
00:07:32.36\00:07:35.58
God put Adam to sleep,
and then He created Eve.
00:07:35.61\00:07:40.26
So Adam did not see
the creation of Eve.
00:07:40.29\00:07:42.76
What I'm saying is that
Adam and Eve did not see God
00:07:42.79\00:07:46.16
create anything, which means
that if they were to believe
00:07:46.19\00:07:50.09
that God was the Creator, they
had to believe it because God
00:07:50.12\00:07:54.14
said so, not because they saw
it, or not because they had any
00:07:54.17\00:07:59.23
type of scientific,
visual, or sensorial proof.
00:07:59.26\00:08:03.32
They simply needed to believe
that God was their Creator
00:08:03.35\00:08:06.70
because God said
that He was their Creator.
00:08:06.73\00:08:09.17
And, of course, God put the test
in the garden of Eden to see if
00:08:09.20\00:08:12.78
they would
recognize Him as the Creator.
00:08:12.81\00:08:15.45
Clear command, clearly
understood, easy to obey,
00:08:15.48\00:08:22.23
without any explanation
as to why God gave it,
00:08:22.26\00:08:25.75
but explaining the consequences
of eating from the tree.
00:08:25.78\00:08:30.37
Then, of course, the
serpent comes into the garden.
00:08:30.40\00:08:34.12
Go with me to
Genesis 3:1, Genesis 3:1.
00:08:34.15\00:08:40.59
It says there: Now the
serpent was more cunning...
00:08:40.62\00:08:44.33
Jesus says that we're
supposed to be wise as serpents.
00:08:44.36\00:08:48.83
Now it's very probable
that God had warned Adam and Eve
00:09:04.95\00:09:11.74
that there was an angel who had
fallen from heaven who was going
00:09:11.77\00:09:15.35
to come to the
garden to tempt them.
00:09:15.38\00:09:16.97
You say, how do you know that?
00:09:17.00\00:09:19.07
Well, we can only deduce that
from circumstantial evidence.
00:09:19.10\00:09:26.80
Have you ever stopped to
think about why Satan would use
00:09:26.83\00:09:31.23
a serpent to try and get Eve to
eat from the tree of knowledge
00:09:31.26\00:09:35.70
of good and evil? Why didn't
he just come as an angel and say
00:09:35.73\00:09:40.51
to Eve, you know God has sent me
down to the garden to tell you
00:09:40.54\00:09:43.89
that He's changed His mind.
00:09:43.92\00:09:45.63
You can eat from any
tree, including from this tree.
00:09:45.66\00:09:48.77
Why didn't the devil come
down as an angel such as he was?
00:09:48.80\00:09:53.62
Why did he use a serpent as his
medium to try and convince Eve
00:09:53.65\00:09:59.08
to eat? Perhaps it was because
Eve was expecting an angel.
00:09:59.11\00:10:03.26
And so the devil says,
I can't come as an angel.
00:10:04.98\00:10:07.95
I have to use a more
careful, planned specious way
00:10:07.98\00:10:14.51
of deceiving her. By the
way, it's virtually certain that
00:10:14.54\00:10:17.85
the serpent at
this time had wings.
00:10:17.88\00:10:20.25
There's three reasons for this.
00:10:20.28\00:10:22.50
1. Isaiah 14:29 speaks
of serpents with wings.
00:10:22.53\00:10:26.73
2. In all of the
ancient inscriptions of Egypt,
00:10:26.76\00:10:32.46
and these ancient cultures:
Babylon, Assyria, you'll find in
00:10:32.49\00:10:36.73
caves and in tablets
that have been on Earth,
00:10:36.76\00:10:39.38
serpents depicted with wings.
00:10:39.41\00:10:42.80
But the third and most important
reason is the fact that God,
00:10:42.83\00:10:48.86
when the serpent allowed itself
to be used as an instrument
00:10:48.89\00:10:52.45
of temptation, God said to the
serpent, from now on you will
00:10:52.48\00:10:56.79
drag yourself on the
earth, and you will eat dust.
00:10:56.82\00:10:59.98
That would not have been any
punishment unless the serpent
00:11:00.01\00:11:03.94
was not dragging
himself before this.
00:11:03.97\00:11:06.14
And so the ancient depictions in
the caves are really a memory of
00:11:06.17\00:11:12.89
this original event that took
place in the garden of Eden.
00:11:12.92\00:11:16.84
And so you have this serpent
coming to Eve in the garden.
00:11:16.87\00:11:21.34
Now I don't need to go
through the whole story
00:11:21.37\00:11:24.42
of the temptation and the fall,
although we're going to examine
00:11:24.45\00:11:26.91
certain aspects of
it in our study today.
00:11:26.94\00:11:31.52
What I want to do
is go to Genesis 3:13.
00:11:31.55\00:11:35.80
This is after Eve has sinned,
and God is asking her to render
00:11:35.83\00:11:41.01
an account for what she's done.
00:11:41.04\00:11:42.36
And I want you to notice
what Eve says, Genesis 3:13.
00:11:42.39\00:11:48.34
What did the serpent do?
00:12:03.71\00:12:05.54
The serpent deceived her.
00:12:05.57\00:12:08.92
Now lets talk
about that word deceived.
00:12:08.95\00:12:12.23
By the way, I like the way
the King James expresses it:
00:12:12.26\00:12:15.73
beguiled me. That's an old
English word that we seldom use
00:12:15.76\00:12:21.26
anymore. It
really means deception.
00:12:21.29\00:12:24.51
And so Eve says, the
serpent deceived me, and I ate.
00:12:24.54\00:12:29.60
Now let me ask you a
question, What do you need to do
00:12:29.63\00:12:33.17
in order to deceive someone?
00:12:33.20\00:12:35.02
What's at the foundation
of every act of deception?
00:12:39.46\00:12:42.81
What's that? Dialogue.
00:12:44.32\00:12:46.95
What else? Lying.
00:12:46.98\00:12:49.47
I hear several of
you saying, lying.
00:12:49.50\00:12:51.83
Okay, now look at me.
00:12:51.86\00:12:54.79
If you don't want to participate
in this experiment don't look
00:12:54.82\00:12:57.22
at me. I'm going to
deceive you right now. Okay?
00:12:57.25\00:13:02.72
Everybody looking forward.
00:13:02.75\00:13:04.54
I'm going to deceive you.
00:13:04.57\00:13:05.72
You see this
suit? This suit is red.
00:13:05.75\00:13:10.30
Right, Norma? It's red.
00:13:14.10\00:13:17.31
Oh, is she ever deceived easily.
00:13:17.34\00:13:19.55
Or else she's color blind.
00:13:19.58\00:13:20.93
Let me ask you, how many of you
were deceived by what I said?
00:13:22.93\00:13:25.65
Just Norma. Why weren't you?
00:13:27.30\00:13:31.37
I lied, didn't I? Didn't I lie?
00:13:31.40\00:13:33.85
Of course, I lied. Why
weren't you deceived by my lie?
00:13:33.88\00:13:37.55
Because my lie was
absolutely obvious.
00:13:37.58\00:13:42.24
It was a huge lie.
00:13:42.27\00:13:45.27
I mean you could see
through it instantly.
00:13:45.30\00:13:47.72
Do you know which
lies deceive people?
00:13:47.75\00:13:50.81
The lies that are
closest to the truth.
00:13:50.84\00:13:54.03
When you make a lie as
close to the truth as possible,
00:13:54.06\00:14:00.89
that's when the
lie becomes dangerous.
00:14:00.92\00:14:04.74
And we're going to find that
that's exactly what Satan did.
00:14:04.77\00:14:10.71
By the way, what
comes first, the genuine
00:14:10.74\00:14:15.50
and then the
counterfeit, or the counterfeit
00:14:15.53\00:14:18.57
and then the genuine.
00:14:18.60\00:14:19.63
In time, what comes first?
00:14:19.66\00:14:22.62
What comes first is the
genuine, and then you have what?
00:14:22.65\00:14:26.68
The counterfeit. Allow me
to give you an illustration.
00:14:26.71\00:14:30.46
How many of you have ever seen
a counterfeit six dollar bill?
00:14:30.49\00:14:36.62
Yeah, you haven't seen a
counterfeit six dollar bill?
00:14:36.65\00:14:41.68
No? Neither have I.
00:14:41.71\00:14:45.22
Let me ask you, why isn't there
a counterfeit six dollar bill?
00:14:45.25\00:14:50.71
Because there is not a
genuine six dollar bill before.
00:14:50.74\00:14:55.83
In order to falsify something,
that something has to exist
00:14:55.86\00:15:02.05
first. So the genuine comes
first, and then afterwards comes
00:15:02.08\00:15:07.32
the counterfeit. And listen up,
everything that God has genuine
00:15:07.35\00:15:10.80
Satan has a counterfeit.
00:15:10.83\00:15:13.22
Now let me ask you, how can you
distinguish a counterfeit from
00:15:13.25\00:15:17.95
the genuine? The
only way is knowing what?
00:15:17.98\00:15:22.34
Knowing the genuine will
help you detect the counterfeit.
00:15:22.37\00:15:28.06
So three ideas: the greatest
counterfeits are those who
00:15:28.09\00:15:33.74
appear closest to the truth.
00:15:33.77\00:15:34.93
2. The genuine comes
first, and then afterwards
00:15:34.96\00:15:40.68
comes the counterfeit.
00:15:40.71\00:15:41.74
Correct? Are you
all agreed with me?
00:15:41.77\00:15:44.90
3. Is what? How do
you detect a counterfeit?
00:15:44.93\00:15:53.02
By knowing what? By
knowing the genuine.
00:15:53.05\00:16:01.08
Very good. Now let me
give you an illustration.
00:16:01.11\00:16:03.05
For six years of my life I had
the privilege of teaching in a
00:16:03.08\00:16:07.29
university in the
city of Medellin, Columbia.
00:16:07.32\00:16:10.26
I love that place.
00:16:10.29\00:16:12.50
We visit there every year or so.
00:16:12.53\00:16:17.38
My wife has relatives
who live down in Medellin.
00:16:17.41\00:16:20.49
I taught there for six years.
00:16:20.52\00:16:21.99
One day I went downtown
to a store, department store,
00:16:22.02\00:16:28.03
kind of life Wal-Mart.
00:16:28.06\00:16:29.51
Let's give
K-Mart some credit, too.
00:16:29.54\00:16:31.85
Okay, kind of like K-Mart, and
when I went to the cash register
00:16:31.88\00:16:38.15
I took out a 5,000 peso
bill, and I paid with the 5,000
00:16:38.18\00:16:44.28
peso bill. Immediately
the girl at the cash register
00:16:44.31\00:16:49.46
took the bill, and she
looked at it in the light.
00:16:49.49\00:16:52.56
She crumbled it in her hand.
00:16:52.59\00:16:54.87
And she had a little black light
there and she put it underneath.
00:16:54.90\00:17:00.17
And she gave a signal to
a couple of police officers,
00:17:00.20\00:17:05.60
and she said, come over here.
00:17:05.63\00:17:07.84
This man has given me a
counterfeit 5,000 peso bill.
00:17:07.87\00:17:11.71
Now you need to understand
that down there you're guilty
00:17:11.74\00:17:14.32
until proven innocent.
00:17:14.35\00:17:15.38
It's a totally
different thing than it is here
00:17:15.41\00:17:18.13
in the United States.
00:17:18.16\00:17:19.19
And so they took me to
a back room in that store,
00:17:19.22\00:17:22.24
and they started
interrogating me.
00:17:22.27\00:17:24.43
They said, Where did you
get this 5,000 peso bill?
00:17:24.46\00:17:28.19
Well, I said, I have no idea.
00:17:28.22\00:17:29.40
You know, I didn't check it out.
00:17:29.43\00:17:30.63
I just had it in
my pocket when I paid.
00:17:30.66\00:17:31.95
They said, Where do
you have the machinery?
00:17:31.98\00:17:35.16
I said, I don't
have any machinery.
00:17:35.19\00:17:37.59
And so one of them says
to me, Where do you live?
00:17:37.62\00:17:41.47
What do you do for a living?
00:17:41.50\00:17:43.00
And I said, Well, I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist Pastor,
00:17:43.03\00:17:45.70
and I teach at
our university here.
00:17:45.73\00:17:51.06
He said, Oh really? Wow!
00:17:51.09\00:17:56.44
That's a good university.
00:17:56.47\00:17:58.44
I know lots of
people from there.
00:17:58.47\00:18:00.56
Those are good people.
00:18:00.59\00:18:01.62
Boy, I was
feeling a lot better now.
00:18:01.65\00:18:03.31
You know, knowing that this
police officer had a positive
00:18:03.34\00:18:07.32
opinion of our school.
00:18:07.35\00:18:09.59
And so he says to me, Look,
lets go to the cash register
00:18:09.62\00:18:14.59
and I'm going to show you
something which is going to
00:18:14.62\00:18:17.42
keep you from going
through this experience again.
00:18:17.45\00:18:19.50
So I went to the cash register
with the counterfeit bill,
00:18:19.53\00:18:23.19
and he asked the cashier
for a genuine 5,000 peso bill.
00:18:23.22\00:18:27.26
And he showed
me the counterfeit.
00:18:27.29\00:18:29.52
He said, Look at the
counterfeit in the light.
00:18:29.55\00:18:31.76
Do you see there's no
brown line running through it.
00:18:31.79\00:18:33.88
Then he put the
genuine up in the light,
00:18:33.91\00:18:36.52
and it had a brown line.
00:18:36.55\00:18:37.58
And sure enough, I
said, Isn't that interesting?
00:18:37.61\00:18:40.14
So then he took a counterfeit
5,000 peso bill and he crumpled
00:18:40.17\00:18:43.63
it up in his hand,
and it stayed crumpled.
00:18:43.66\00:18:46.09
He took the genuine 5,000 peso
bill and he crumpled it in his
00:18:46.12\00:18:50.17
hand, and it started opening,
kind of like the flowers;
00:18:50.20\00:18:52.74
a different kind of paper.
00:18:52.77\00:18:53.80
And then he put it up in the
light and he says, Look at the
00:18:53.83\00:18:57.97
face of Simon Bolivar,
which is the equivalent of
00:18:58.00\00:19:00.17
George Washington.
00:19:00.20\00:19:01.23
Do you see that
it's nice and clear?
00:19:01.26\00:19:02.29
His face is nice and
clear on the genuine bill?
00:19:02.32\00:19:04.74
I said, yeah, it
looks pretty clear.
00:19:04.77\00:19:06.64
So then he put up the
counterfeit one, and he says,
00:19:06.67\00:19:08.86
Do you see the face
is not very clear at all?
00:19:08.89\00:19:11.04
I said, sure, I noticed that.
00:19:11.07\00:19:12.53
I can see now. And then he took
the counterfeit bill and he put
00:19:12.56\00:19:17.33
it under the black
light and nothing happened.
00:19:17.36\00:19:20.45
And he put the genuine bill
underneath and the two circles
00:19:20.48\00:19:23.80
on the bill
shone in a deep purple.
00:19:23.83\00:19:26.79
So I said, Oh, now I know
how to distinguish a counterfeit
00:19:26.82\00:19:32.02
5,000 peso bill from a
genuine 5,000 peso bill.
00:19:32.05\00:19:36.00
Let me ask you, How could I
not now detect a counterfeit?
00:19:36.03\00:19:41.18
Because I knew the
characteristics of the what?
00:19:41.21\00:19:44.65
of the genuine. You cannot
detect a lie unless you know
00:19:44.68\00:19:49.26
the truth, especially when the
truth and a lie are very, very
00:19:49.29\00:19:55.35
close together. And so
when I went to pay at a store
00:19:55.38\00:19:58.76
after that, I would
take out a 10,000 peso bill,
00:19:58.79\00:20:03.10
and I would pay. The cashier
would take it and she would look
00:20:03.13\00:20:06.99
at it in the light, and
she would check it all out,
00:20:07.02\00:20:10.65
and then when she gave me the
change, I would take the bill,
00:20:10.68\00:20:14.56
and I would look at
the bill in the light.
00:20:14.59\00:20:16.38
And one day one of the cashiers
says to me, What's the matter?
00:20:16.41\00:20:19.58
Don't you trust me?
00:20:19.61\00:20:21.06
And I said, I trust you
as much as you trust me.
00:20:21.09\00:20:26.90
I wasn't about to be deceived
again, because I knew from the
00:20:26.93\00:20:32.89
genuine bill how to
detect a counterfeit.
00:20:32.93\00:20:36.77
And by the way, there could
not be a counterfeit 5,000 peso
00:20:36.80\00:20:42.37
bill unless there
was a genuine one before.
00:20:42.40\00:20:44.76
Is that correct? And the genius
of the counterfeiters is to make
00:20:44.79\00:20:50.35
the counterfeit as close
as possible to the genuine.
00:20:50.38\00:20:54.82
So when Eve says that
the serpent beguiled her,
00:20:54.85\00:21:01.54
or deceived her, he
deceived her because he made the
00:21:01.57\00:21:05.94
counterfeit appear very,
very close to the genuine.
00:21:05.97\00:21:11.11
By the way, 2 Corinthians 11:3
says that the serpent deceived
00:21:11.14\00:21:16.10
Eve by his subtlety.
00:21:16.13\00:21:19.06
Revelation 12:9, if you go
with me there, Revelation 12:9
00:21:19.09\00:21:25.27
speaks about the
devil in the end time.
00:21:25.30\00:21:27.91
Revelation 12:9. We've
read this verse before. It says:
00:21:27.94\00:21:33.50
Who does what?
00:21:38.71\00:21:39.74
Notice that this is
speaking about the end time.
00:21:49.20\00:21:51.96
It says he
deceives the whole world.
00:21:51.99\00:21:54.53
Let me ask you, is he
going to use the same methods
00:21:54.56\00:21:57.34
of deception at the end
as he used at the beginning?
00:21:57.37\00:22:01.16
I believe, absolutely, yes.
00:22:01.19\00:22:04.21
Now we're going to study
in our lecture five methods
00:22:04.24\00:22:10.04
that the devil used at the
very beginning of human history
00:22:10.07\00:22:14.74
which he is using now, and
he's going to use more and more
00:22:14.77\00:22:18.95
as we near the end of time.
00:22:18.98\00:22:21.64
Let's go to his first method of
deception in the garden of Eden.
00:22:21.67\00:22:26.91
Genesis 3:1,
Genesis 3:1. It says there:
00:22:26.94\00:22:35.48
Now let's stop
there for a moment.
00:22:45.25\00:22:47.00
He said to the woman.
00:22:47.03\00:22:50.04
How many of you have
ever seen a talking snake?
00:22:50.07\00:22:52.78
If you went to a zoo and you
were looking in a snake cage,
00:22:52.81\00:23:02.15
and suddenly the snake in the
cage lifted his head and said,
00:23:02.18\00:23:06.56
Good morning, Steve.
00:23:06.59\00:23:08.32
What would you do?
00:23:08.35\00:23:10.52
I guarantee that you would run,
because for a snake to speak
00:23:10.55\00:23:17.06
would be a miracle.
00:23:17.09\00:23:19.42
It is a sign, it is a wonder.
00:23:19.45\00:23:21.86
The serpent could not speak.
00:23:21.89\00:23:26.00
In other words, the first thing
that the devil does is perform
00:23:26.03\00:23:29.79
a counterfeit
miracle, a sign or a wonder.
00:23:29.82\00:23:35.53
He gave the serpent
the capacity to what?
00:23:35.56\00:23:38.91
The serpent the
capacity to speak.
00:23:38.94\00:23:41.63
Now let me ask you, is that
what the devil is going to do
00:23:41.66\00:23:45.80
in the end time
according to Bible prophecy?
00:23:45.83\00:23:49.22
Let's go to John 6 just for
a moment, and notice that the
00:23:49.25\00:23:54.45
same thing happened during the
ministry of Christ when He came
00:23:54.48\00:23:58.00
to this earth the first time.
00:23:58.03\00:23:59.18
Do you know why many people
followed Christ when He came
00:23:59.21\00:24:01.76
to this earth the first time?
00:24:01.79\00:24:02.89
Because He was a great what?
00:24:02.92\00:24:06.48
Because He was a
great miracle worker.
00:24:06.51\00:24:09.29
People love to follow signs,
and wonders, and miracles.
00:24:09.32\00:24:14.04
Notice John 6:2.
00:24:14.07\00:24:18.16
For what reason?
00:24:21.72\00:24:23.25
What was the reason
they followed Jesus?
00:24:31.69\00:24:34.17
Because of all of the signs, and
wonders, and miracles that Jesus
00:24:34.20\00:24:38.56
performed. And then, of
course, Jesus feeds 5,000.
00:24:38.59\00:24:41.28
The people are liking this.
00:24:41.31\00:24:42.34
They're saying, this is great!
00:24:42.37\00:24:43.50
And He has
multitudes following Him.
00:24:43.53\00:24:46.90
But then Jesus starts preaching.
00:24:46.93\00:24:48.69
You can read it
there in chapter 6.
00:24:48.72\00:24:51.48
And He says some very unpopular
things that they don't like,
00:24:51.51\00:24:55.21
like you've got to eat my
flesh, and drink my blood.
00:24:55.24\00:24:57.88
He's saying that you
actually need to assimilate Me
00:24:57.91\00:25:01.48
through a study of the Word.
00:25:01.52\00:25:02.55
You need to obey the Word.
00:25:02.58\00:25:04.09
And when Jesus finishes
His sermon, notice John 6:66,
00:25:04.12\00:25:10.69
how many people are left?
00:25:10.72\00:25:12.28
John 6:66, It says here: From
that time many of his disciples
00:25:12.31\00:25:23.77
went back and
walked with him no more.
00:25:23.80\00:25:27.61
And you continue reading to
verse 71 and you'll discover
00:25:27.64\00:25:32.09
that only His disciples
were left when the miracles
00:25:32.12\00:25:37.17
came to an end, and Jesus
started preaching the truth,
00:25:37.20\00:25:40.82
what happened to the multitudes?
00:25:40.85\00:25:42.89
The multitudes left, because
people want signs and wonders.
00:25:42.92\00:25:48.42
They don't want to follow the
Word, because the Word crosses
00:25:48.45\00:25:53.12
many times their
lifestyle, and their tastes,
00:25:53.15\00:25:55.44
and what they like.
00:25:55.64\00:25:56.94
Now notice also 2 Thessalonians
2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
00:25:56.97\00:26:06.16
This is speaking about
the end time anti-Christ.
00:26:06.19\00:26:08.97
Have you ever heard
about the coming of the
00:26:09.00\00:26:11.10
anti-Christ at the end of time?
00:26:11.13\00:26:12.62
Notice what he's
going to do when he comes.
00:26:12.65\00:26:15.88
2 Thessalonians 2:9. It says:
00:26:15.91\00:26:21.28
Now notice this.
00:26:26.38\00:26:27.88
How is this emissary
of Satan going to come?
00:26:35.32\00:26:39.90
He's going to come
with power, signs, and what?
00:26:39.93\00:26:43.94
and lying wonders.
00:26:43.97\00:26:45.80
Now listen to
what I'm going to say.
00:26:45.83\00:26:47.08
There is only one other verse in
all of the Bible that uses these
00:26:47.11\00:26:51.80
three words, which, by the
way, here the words are power,
00:26:51.83\00:26:57.13
signs, and wonders.
00:26:57.16\00:26:58.83
There's only one other
verse in the Bible that uses
00:26:58.86\00:27:01.13
those three words together.
00:27:01.16\00:27:02.98
Go with me to
Acts 2:22, Acts 2:22.
00:27:03.01\00:27:09.35
I want you to notice who is
doing these signs and wonders
00:27:09.38\00:27:13.57
in Acts 2, and, by the way,
they're not translated the same,
00:27:13.60\00:27:16.02
but they are the
identical three Greek words.
00:27:16.05\00:27:19.24
It says there in Acts
2:22, Peter here is speaking.
00:27:19.27\00:27:24.26
The identical three words.
00:27:39.13\00:27:40.50
According to this verse who
performed miracles, wonders,
00:27:47.85\00:27:51.05
and signs? Jesus did
by the power of whom?
00:27:51.08\00:27:54.94
by the power of God.
00:27:54.97\00:27:57.04
Is the anti-Christ going
to do many of the same things
00:27:57.07\00:28:00.21
that Jesus did
according to this?
00:28:00.24\00:28:01.87
Yes or no? If 2 Thessalonians
2:9 uses the same three words,
00:28:01.90\00:28:09.68
and it says that the anti-Christ
is going to perform signs,
00:28:09.71\00:28:12.66
miracles, and wonders, it must
be that the anti-Christ is going
00:28:12.69\00:28:17.02
to be able to counterfeit
many of the signs and wonders
00:28:17.05\00:28:21.80
that Jesus performed.
00:28:21.83\00:28:22.96
And, of course, people who go by
signs, and wonders, and miracles
00:28:22.99\00:28:28.09
rather than what God's Word
teaches will be easily deceived.
00:28:28.12\00:28:33.11
Go with me to Matthew 7,
Matthew 7 on this same point.
00:28:33.14\00:28:38.63
We're dealing with the first
way in which the devil deceives,
00:28:38.66\00:28:41.40
and that is by performing signs;
counterfeit signs and wonders,
00:28:41.43\00:28:46.73
and miracles. We know
the snake could not talk.
00:28:46.76\00:28:49.85
The serpent could not
talk, but the devil gave him
00:28:49.88\00:28:53.14
the miraculous ability,
counterfeit ability, to speak.
00:28:53.17\00:28:57.11
It says in Matthew 7 beginning
with verse 22, listen to this:
00:28:57.14\00:29:02.52
Are these Christians?
00:29:16.74\00:29:19.97
How do we know
they're Christians?
00:29:20.00\00:29:21.96
Because they're doing
it in the name of Jesus.
00:29:21.99\00:29:24.25
Cast out demons in Your name?
00:29:27.52\00:29:31.75
What was their problem?
00:29:50.65\00:29:53.35
They claimed the name of Jesus.
00:29:53.38\00:29:56.55
They performed signs.
00:29:56.58\00:29:58.18
They gave prophecies.
00:29:58.21\00:29:59.69
They did miracles.
00:29:59.72\00:30:01.07
They professed
the name of Jesus.
00:30:01.10\00:30:03.38
But Jesus says,
I never knew you.
00:30:03.41\00:30:06.47
Depart from me, you
who practice lawlessness.
00:30:06.50\00:30:10.72
They had problems with
what? with the law of God,
00:30:10.75\00:30:15.87
because they were lawless.
00:30:15.90\00:30:17.34
And so Satan's first method in
deceiving Eve, and in deceiving
00:30:17.37\00:30:24.38
the world at the end, is to
perform signs, and miracles,
00:30:24.41\00:30:28.37
and wonders that are
counterfeits of the true.
00:30:28.40\00:30:33.54
And, by the way, if you read
Matthew 24, listen to what I'm
00:30:33.57\00:30:36.37
going to say, Matthew 24:23-27,
you're going to discover
00:30:36.40\00:30:41.61
that the devil is
even going to counterfeit
00:30:41.64\00:30:44.12
the second coming of Jesus.
00:30:44.15\00:30:45.72
Once someone said to me, I don't
really care how Jesus is coming,
00:30:45.75\00:30:52.76
I only care that He's coming.
00:30:52.79\00:30:54.79
Well, let me tell you something,
if you don't know how Jesus
00:30:54.82\00:30:59.68
is coming, you'll probably
receive the wrong Jesus,
00:30:59.71\00:31:03.53
because Matthew 24 says we have
to know how Jesus will come.
00:31:03.56\00:31:10.39
So that's the first method.
00:31:10.42\00:31:13.57
Second method: Go with
me to Genesis 3:1 again.
00:31:13.60\00:31:17.95
Genesis 3:1, here it says:
00:31:17.98\00:31:23.75
Is the serpent claiming
to quote the Word of God?
00:31:39.52\00:31:43.01
Is the serpent claiming to quote
the Word of God? yes or no?
00:31:43.04\00:31:47.34
Of course he is. Is
he quoting it correctly,
00:31:47.37\00:31:50.73
or is he twisting it?
00:31:50.76\00:31:54.60
He's giving it a twist because
he's saying, God told you that
00:31:54.63\00:31:59.09
you can't eat of any
tree of the garden, right?
00:31:59.12\00:32:01.68
And Eve immediately says, No,
that's not exactly what God has
00:32:01.71\00:32:05.43
said. God has said that we can
eat from all of the trees except
00:32:05.46\00:32:09.70
for this one. Does the
devil here misquote God's Word?
00:32:09.73\00:32:15.03
He most certainly does.
00:32:15.06\00:32:16.90
The devil's second method,
which he revealed from the very
00:32:16.93\00:32:20.11
beginning, is that he is going
to add, he is going to take
00:32:20.14\00:32:24.24
away, he's going to embellish,
he's going to take scripture
00:32:24.27\00:32:28.55
out of context, and he's
going to change the meaning
00:32:28.58\00:32:32.36
of God's words, and he's
going to lead people to add
00:32:32.39\00:32:35.19
to God's words like Eve did.
00:32:35.22\00:32:37.71
Oh, God has told us that we not
only can't eat from the tree,
00:32:37.74\00:32:42.25
but He said that we
can't even touch it.
00:32:42.28\00:32:44.17
That's not what God had said.
00:32:44.20\00:32:45.80
So Eve adds to the Word,
and the serpent gives the words
00:32:45.83\00:32:50.37
of God a wrong twist.
00:32:50.40\00:32:52.78
In other words he
misinterprets the words of God.
00:32:52.81\00:32:55.98
Is it just possible that in
the end time the devil is going
00:32:56.01\00:33:00.51
to do the same thing
with the Word of God?
00:33:00.54\00:33:03.62
That he's going to add,
subtract, misquote, change,
00:33:03.65\00:33:08.36
take things out of context,
in order to deceive people with
00:33:08.39\00:33:12.62
the very Word that
they claimed to follow?
00:33:12.65\00:33:15.77
I believe so. Now how
did Jesus face the devil in
00:33:15.80\00:33:21.47
the mount of temptation?
00:33:21.50\00:33:22.75
Matthew 4:3, 4 says
the tempter came to Jesus,
00:33:22.78\00:33:28.05
and he said to Jesus, Listen,
if you are the Son of God,
00:33:28.08\00:33:32.80
do what? Turn
these stones into bread.
00:33:32.83\00:33:39.57
How did Jesus answer?
00:33:39.60\00:33:41.32
Jesus answered, Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:33:41.35\00:33:47.09
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:33:47.12\00:33:52.93
How did Jesus answer Satan?
00:33:52.96\00:33:54.76
He answered Satan
with the Word of God.
00:33:54.79\00:33:57.65
He did not allow
Himself to be deceived.
00:33:57.68\00:34:00.52
He used the Word of
God as His protection.
00:34:00.55\00:34:02.84
By the way, after the first
temptation the devil learned
00:34:02.87\00:34:06.83
something. He says, Oh, this
is the man who likes to live by
00:34:06.86\00:34:09.18
the Word of God, huh? okay.
00:34:09.21\00:34:10.69
So in the second temptation he
takes Him to the temple tower,
00:34:10.72\00:34:15.17
and he says, If you are the
Son of God, throw yourself down.
00:34:15.20\00:34:22.38
For it is written, He shall
give his angels charge over you,
00:34:22.41\00:34:27.72
and they shall take you
in their hands lest your foot
00:34:27.75\00:34:34.14
crash into the
ground, into the stones.
00:34:34.17\00:34:38.99
Now what did the devil do?
00:34:39.03\00:34:42.25
He says, You like to
live by it is written?
00:34:42.28\00:34:44.79
He says, jump! It is written
that God is going to protect
00:34:44.82\00:34:50.68
you. And, by the way, do
you notice that he quoted from
00:34:50.71\00:34:56.28
Psalm 91:11, 12? And he
did not misquote the Word.
00:34:56.31\00:35:01.84
He quoted it correctly.
00:35:01.87\00:35:04.22
It is a correct
quotation from the Psalms.
00:35:04.25\00:35:07.73
And so you say, well,
the devil quoted it right.
00:35:07.76\00:35:11.23
Yes, but we need
to notice something.
00:35:11.26\00:35:14.46
The devil quoted verses 11
and 12, but he forgot to quote
00:35:14.49\00:35:18.55
verses 1 and 2. What do
verses 1 and 2 have to say
00:35:18.58\00:35:23.90
in this Psalm. Let's notice.
00:35:26.21\00:35:27.48
Psalm 91:1, 2, Psalm 91:1, 2.
00:35:27.51\00:35:33.75
This is the condition for
Jesus claiming the promise.
00:35:35.28\00:35:38.95
It says there, Psalm 91:1,
2, He who dwells in the secret
00:35:38.98\00:35:44.22
place of the Most
High, shall abide under the
00:35:44.25\00:35:47.69
shadow of the Almighty.
00:35:47.72\00:35:49.18
I will say of the Lord, He is my
refuge, and my fortress, my God
00:35:49.21\00:35:56.07
in whom I will trust.
00:35:56.10\00:35:57.76
If Jesus had jumped from
the temple tower, would He have
00:35:57.79\00:36:02.22
been abiding under the
shadow of the Almighty?
00:36:02.25\00:36:05.80
Would He have been obeying
His Father, if He had jumped
00:36:05.83\00:36:09.11
from the temple tower?
00:36:09.14\00:36:10.18
Absolutely not. Do you know,
this was the sin of presumption.
00:36:10.21\00:36:14.57
Presumption is claiming the
promises of God in disobedience.
00:36:14.60\00:36:19.89
In other words, it's the devil
telling Jesus, jump from the
00:36:22.14\00:36:25.60
temple tower, when God hasn't
told you to jump, and then you
00:36:25.63\00:36:30.46
can claim the promise
that He's going to protect you.
00:36:30.49\00:36:32.55
It's kind of like a student
who doesn't study for a test,
00:36:34.16\00:36:36.65
and when he gets to the
desk he raises a prayer to God.
00:36:36.68\00:36:41.07
He says, Lord please
help me pass this test.
00:36:41.10\00:36:43.27
That's presumption.
00:36:43.30\00:36:45.08
It's claiming God's
help in disobedience.
00:36:45.11\00:36:47.92
It's kind of like praying
before you go on a journey,
00:36:47.95\00:36:50.47
or on a trip. Please,
Lord, protect me on this trip,
00:36:50.50\00:36:54.34
and then you
drive 100 miles an hour!
00:36:54.37\00:36:55.96
You're claiming God's
protection, and God's promise
00:36:57.20\00:37:00.37
in disobedience. That's
what the devil is doing.
00:37:00.40\00:37:02.65
He's saying, claim God's
Word, but you can disobey Him
00:37:02.68\00:37:07.47
in the process. And so the
devil can quote God's Word.
00:37:07.50\00:37:11.74
He can misquote God's Word.
00:37:11.77\00:37:13.80
He can take God's
Word out of context.
00:37:13.83\00:37:16.51
He can quote only part of a
verse to make you think that
00:37:16.54\00:37:20.51
the Bible is teaching one thing,
when the Bible is teaching
00:37:20.54\00:37:23.41
something very different.
00:37:23.44\00:37:25.64
You know, many people do this
with the writings of the apostle
00:37:25.67\00:37:29.43
Paul. Do you know that Peter
says that the apostle Paul wrote
00:37:29.46\00:37:33.88
many things that are
difficult to be understood,
00:37:33.91\00:37:35.90
which the unlearned twist,
along with the other scriptures,
00:37:35.93\00:37:42.93
for their own destruction.
00:37:42.96\00:37:44.19
That's what
Peter says about Paul.
00:37:44.22\00:37:47.27
He doesn't blame Paul for being
complicated in his writing.
00:37:47.30\00:37:49.86
He says that those
who are unlearned twist
00:37:49.89\00:37:53.62
to their own destruction.
00:37:53.65\00:37:54.85
In other words, there are
many individuals who are in the
00:37:54.88\00:37:57.86
church today
who twist scripture.
00:37:57.89\00:37:59.32
Let me give you three examples.
00:37:59.35\00:38:00.86
And I'm not going to
look up these verses.
00:38:00.89\00:38:02.69
I'm just going to mention them.
00:38:02.72\00:38:04.01
Romans 3:28 where it says
that man is justified by faith,
00:38:04.04\00:38:08.73
without works of law.
00:38:08.76\00:38:09.89
And so people say, Oh,
see, we're justified by faith
00:38:12.42\00:38:15.77
without works of the law.
00:38:15.80\00:38:16.89
Our works make
absolutely no difference.
00:38:16.92\00:38:19.30
But if they just read in verse
31, just three verses further
00:38:21.10\00:38:27.50
down, they would discover that
that's not what the apostle Paul
00:38:27.53\00:38:29.90
is trying to teach.
00:38:29.93\00:38:30.96
He says, what do we do then?
00:38:30.99\00:38:33.60
Do we get rid of the
law because of faith?
00:38:33.63\00:38:38.89
He says, No, we don't
get rid of the law, we what?
00:38:38.92\00:38:42.83
we establish the law.
00:38:42.86\00:38:44.73
And then there's that
famous verse in Romans 5:20,
00:38:44.76\00:38:49.24
where the apostle Paul
says, Where sin abounded,
00:38:49.27\00:38:52.77
grace did much more abound.
00:38:52.80\00:38:54.68
And so the conclusion is,
if there's a lot of grace,
00:38:54.71\00:38:59.53
where there's a lot of
sin, let's sin a lot so there's
00:38:59.56\00:39:02.33
a lot of grace. I've
heard some Christians say that.
00:39:02.36\00:39:05.29
The apostle Paul knew that
they were going to say that.
00:39:05.32\00:39:09.29
And, therefore, in the book
of Romans 6:1, the apostle Paul
00:39:09.32\00:39:14.77
says, What shall we say then?
00:39:14.80\00:39:16.42
Shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound?
00:39:16.45\00:39:19.67
Certainly not! How shall we,
who died to sin, live any longer
00:39:19.70\00:39:27.31
in it? Did the apostle Paul know
that someone was going to take
00:39:27.34\00:39:30.64
that text? He
most certainly did.
00:39:30.67\00:39:32.48
And then there's the
famous text in Romans 6:14,
00:39:32.51\00:39:37.14
where it says,
You are not under law.
00:39:37.17\00:39:39.22
You are under grace.
00:39:39.25\00:39:40.53
And that's a beautiful verse.
00:39:40.56\00:39:42.69
So some people take it and they
say, because I'm not under law,
00:39:42.72\00:39:45.78
I'm under grace. I
don't have to keep the law.
00:39:45.81\00:39:48.12
Is that what the
apostle Paul is trying to teach?
00:39:48.15\00:39:51.90
Notice the apostle Paul
knew that somebody was going to
00:39:51.93\00:39:55.19
use it that way. And so in the
very next verse the apostle Paul
00:39:55.22\00:39:59.57
says this in Romans 6:15:
What then, shall we sin because
00:39:59.60\00:40:05.61
we are not under the law,
but under grace? Certainly not!
00:40:05.64\00:40:10.36
So when people say, Well, I'm
not under law, I'm under grace,
00:40:11.78\00:40:15.17
and they quote Romans 6:14.
00:40:15.20\00:40:18.28
All I do is I tell
them, Would you, please
00:40:18.31\00:40:20.98
read verse 15 as well?
00:40:21.01\00:40:23.74
When they quote Romans
5:20 I say, Would you continue
00:40:23.77\00:40:26.96
reading Romans 6:1, 2?
00:40:26.99\00:40:29.12
When they quote Romans 3:20,
I say, Would you please read
00:40:29.15\00:40:32.98
down to verse 31? You see, the
devil has led even Christians
00:40:33.01\00:40:39.09
to misquote scriptures, and to
defend certain actions in their
00:40:39.12\00:40:45.11
lives based on a
wrong interpretation
00:40:45.15\00:40:48.40
of Holy Scripture. Now
we have to move on here.
00:40:48.43\00:40:51.21
Let's go to our
third method of deception.
00:40:51.24\00:40:53.62
What is the first
method of deception?
00:40:53.65\00:40:55.33
Signs, wonders,
false counterfeit miracles.
00:40:57.68\00:41:00.26
2. To play games
with the Word of God.
00:41:00.29\00:41:04.14
3. Genesis 3:4-6. Then
the serpent said to the woman,
00:41:04.17\00:41:16.26
You will not surely die.
00:41:16.29\00:41:19.49
What is he
saying about God there?
00:41:19.52\00:41:21.69
God is a what? God's a liar.
00:41:21.72\00:41:24.13
You will not surely die.
00:41:24.16\00:41:26.02
What is the devil
saying there to Eve?
00:41:34.42\00:41:36.07
God wants you to be what?
00:41:36.10\00:41:38.41
God wants you to be blind.
00:41:40.72\00:41:41.82
He wants blind service.
00:41:41.85\00:41:43.01
God says that He's your Creator.
00:41:43.04\00:41:44.50
Do you have any proof
of that, by the way, Eve,
00:41:44.53\00:41:46.77
that God was
actually your Creator?
00:41:46.80\00:41:49.26
God has told you not
to eat from this tree,
00:41:49.29\00:41:53.08
but it's not because He's your
Creator, it's really because
00:41:53.11\00:41:59.02
He does not want
any rival god's around.
00:41:59.05\00:42:01.90
Let's continue reading.
00:42:01.93\00:42:03.61
Notice verse 5. It says
in Genesis 3:5: For God knows
00:42:03.64\00:42:10.94
that in the day you eat of
it, your eyes will be opened.
00:42:10.97\00:42:15.61
In other words, God
had you blind right now.
00:42:15.64\00:42:17.61
And you will be like what?
00:42:17.64\00:42:19.99
Like God, knowing good and evil.
00:42:20.02\00:42:23.09
Who is the absolute arbiter of
right and wrong, good and evil?
00:42:23.12\00:42:26.03
Who defines what is good,
and who defines what is evil?
00:42:26.06\00:42:28.22
God does, correct? Do you
need God's guidance to know what
00:42:28.25\00:42:33.09
is good and what is evil?
00:42:33.12\00:42:34.15
Is that standard
outside yourself?
00:42:34.18\00:42:37.48
It's found in the law of God.
00:42:37.51\00:42:39.23
God defines good and evil
outside of us in His Holy Law.
00:42:39.26\00:42:43.36
Do you know what the
devil is saying to Eve?
00:42:43.39\00:42:44.82
He's saying, God has told you
that if you eat from this tree,
00:42:44.85\00:42:47.01
you're going to die.
00:42:47.04\00:42:48.07
Do you know why
God told you that?
00:42:48.10\00:42:49.26
Because God is
trying to intimidate you.
00:42:49.29\00:42:53.05
Because He knows that
if you eat from this tree,
00:42:53.08\00:42:56.55
you're going to be like Him.
00:42:56.58\00:42:57.61
And He doesn't
want any rivals around.
00:42:57.64\00:42:59.18
Is that what he's really saying?
00:43:00.78\00:43:01.88
Think of it! He's saying
God knows that the day you
00:43:01.91\00:43:06.18
eat of this tree,
you're going to be like God.
00:43:06.21\00:43:09.08
You're going to
be just like Him.
00:43:09.11\00:43:10.67
And God doesn't want
any other gods around.
00:43:10.70\00:43:13.92
You're not going to die.
00:43:13.95\00:43:15.15
God has intimidated you because
He doesn't want anyone around
00:43:15.18\00:43:18.35
like Him. He wants
to have all the power.
00:43:18.38\00:43:20.81
He wants to be the head honcho.
00:43:20.84\00:43:22.71
And He wants everybody
to render Him blind service.
00:43:22.74\00:43:25.99
Are you understanding what
the devil is really saying?
00:43:26.02\00:43:27.68
He's saying, You can be your
own definer of good and evil.
00:43:27.71\00:43:31.24
You will be like God, knowing
good and evil, without God
00:43:31.27\00:43:34.59
telling you what is
good and what is evil.
00:43:34.62\00:43:38.04
The third method that the
devil uses is playing mind games
00:43:38.07\00:43:41.65
with us; lead us to follow our
own logic, our own reasoning,
00:43:41.68\00:43:48.85
which might appear very
logical because Eve is thinking,
00:43:48.88\00:43:52.90
you know, really God didn't
explain to us the reason why
00:43:52.93\00:43:55.88
we weren't supposed to eat from
the tree, other than to say that
00:43:55.91\00:43:59.72
we were going to die.
00:43:59.75\00:44:00.78
Now I have the explanation.
00:44:00.81\00:44:02.21
Now I understand.
00:44:02.24\00:44:03.27
It's because God doesn't
want anybody like Him around.
00:44:03.30\00:44:06.51
Now I know that
God was lying to us.
00:44:06.54\00:44:10.06
What is the devil
doing with the mind of Eve?
00:44:10.09\00:44:12.81
The devil is playing what?
00:44:12.84\00:44:15.31
He's playing
mind games with Eve.
00:44:15.34\00:44:18.09
He's leading her to follow
her impressions, her logic,
00:44:18.12\00:44:22.28
her intuition, instead
of following what God said
00:44:22.31\00:44:26.86
in His Holy Word.
00:44:26.89\00:44:28.28
Now allow me to say that many
Christians follow their heart,
00:44:28.31\00:44:33.85
and their mind, in place of what
God has said in His Holy Word.
00:44:33.88\00:44:39.43
Let me just
mention a few things here.
00:44:39.46\00:44:42.21
Do you know the apostle Paul
says in Romans 12:9 that our
00:44:42.24\00:44:46.20
love should be
without dissimulation.
00:44:46.23\00:44:48.58
Now that's a word that we
don't use much in English.
00:44:48.61\00:44:51.09
Love should be
without dissimulation.
00:44:51.12\00:44:53.02
That means that love
should be without faking.
00:44:53.05\00:44:57.01
Is there such a thing as false
love that comes from inside
00:44:58.82\00:45:03.22
our hearts? Is there
such a thing that is really
00:45:03.25\00:45:06.06
sentimentalism.
It's not really love?
00:45:06.09\00:45:07.97
Absolutely! Have you ever found
a young man that courts a woman,
00:45:08.00\00:45:12.58
you know, and
he's all sweetness,
00:45:12.61\00:45:16.24
and, you know,
buys her presents,
00:45:16.27\00:45:17.81
and does this, and does that,
and courts her and everything.
00:45:17.84\00:45:20.47
And when they get
married he's a wife beater?
00:45:20.50\00:45:23.27
Have you ever
heard of those kind?
00:45:23.30\00:45:26.95
Individuals who feign
love, but it's counterfeit love?
00:45:26.98\00:45:33.00
Now let me ask you, how
can you know whether love
00:45:33.03\00:45:35.51
is true or false? Is it
by what your mind tells you,
00:45:35.54\00:45:37.72
by what your heart tells you, or
by some other external standard?
00:45:37.75\00:45:41.53
We read Romans 13:10
where the apostle Paul says that
00:45:41.56\00:45:48.35
love is the what? Love is
the fulfilling of the law.
00:45:48.38\00:45:53.02
What is the true
definition of love?
00:45:53.05\00:45:56.17
Love is the
fulfilling of the law.
00:45:56.20\00:45:59.82
Many Christians want
to separate love and law.
00:46:01.57\00:46:03.73
They say, you know, I don't
go by the law, I go by love.
00:46:03.76\00:46:08.73
Well, the fact is that
love is implementing the law
00:46:08.76\00:46:14.98
in the life, because
the law is a law of love,
00:46:15.06\00:46:17.38
as we've already
studied in this seminar.
00:46:17.41\00:46:19.53
So to go by an
internal standard, by feelings,
00:46:19.56\00:46:22.84
and by emotions, and by our
reasoning, and by our thinking,
00:46:22.87\00:46:26.20
by our mind, instead
of going by what God says,
00:46:26.23\00:46:29.55
is a dangerous endeavor.
00:46:29.58\00:46:31.43
Some Christians say, well, I
go by what the Holy Spirit says
00:46:31.46\00:46:35.83
inside of me. Do we need to
check out the voice of the Holy
00:46:35.86\00:46:42.20
Spirit? Yes. Do you know
that someone came to me once.
00:46:42.23\00:46:46.82
It was a church member, not from
here but from another place.
00:46:46.85\00:46:51.15
He says to me, Pastor I've been
praying to the Lord to reveal
00:46:51.18\00:46:56.18
to me whether I
should separate from my wife,
00:46:56.21\00:46:58.29
and marry this other woman.
00:46:58.89\00:47:00.15
I looked at him and
I said, Has your wife
00:47:02.07\00:47:04.00
been unfaithful to you? No.
00:47:04.04\00:47:07.05
Does she mistreat you? No.
00:47:09.18\00:47:12.41
So why would you
want to separate from her?
00:47:12.44\00:47:15.33
Well, because I
don't love her anymore.
00:47:15.36\00:47:18.60
So I looked at him and I said,
Listen, don't bother to pray
00:47:18.63\00:47:25.13
anymore, because the Holy
Spirit isn't going to tell you
00:47:25.16\00:47:30.66
to separate from you wife
and marry this other woman
00:47:30.69\00:47:33.94
when the Bible says that
the only reason for divorce
00:47:33.97\00:47:36.39
and remarriage is adultery.
00:47:36.42\00:47:37.77
See, God gives you the standard.
00:47:37.80\00:47:40.15
Don't follow your
heart, follow what God says.
00:47:40.18\00:47:43.89
Don't follow your
mind, follow what God says.
00:47:43.92\00:47:48.13
In fact Jesus said in John
14: 15, 16, He says very clearly
00:47:48.16\00:47:54.93
there, If you love me,
keep my commandments, and I will
00:47:54.96\00:48:01.36
pray to the Father and He
will give you another counselor.
00:48:01.39\00:48:04.72
Now do you see
the sequence there?
00:48:04.75\00:48:07.10
First it's loving Jesus.
00:48:07.13\00:48:09.38
He says, If you
love Me you will what?
00:48:09.41\00:48:12.01
You will keep my commandments,
and if you love Me and keep My
00:48:12.04\00:48:16.50
commandments, I will pray to
the Father and He will give you
00:48:16.53\00:48:21.19
another counselor. And what
is the name of that counselor?
00:48:21.22\00:48:23.84
It is the Holy Spirit.
00:48:23.87\00:48:25.63
The Holy Spirit was never meant
to take the place of obedience.
00:48:25.66\00:48:29.73
1 John says, He who says I
know Him, and does not keep His
00:48:29.76\00:48:36.34
commandments is a liar.
00:48:36.37\00:48:39.14
1 John 5:3 says, this is the
love of God, that we keep His
00:48:39.17\00:48:47.82
commandments. And then he goes
on to say, and His commandments
00:48:47.85\00:48:51.69
are not grievous, and they're
not burdensome, in other words.
00:48:51.72\00:48:57.11
You know, only the unregenerate
man looks upon the commandments
00:48:57.14\00:49:01.50
as being grievous, and a
heavy load, and a burden.
00:49:01.53\00:49:04.77
Those who love Jesus will
delight to do the will of God.
00:49:04.80\00:49:09.58
In fact, in Psalm 40:8
Jesus says, in a prophecy
00:49:09.61\00:49:14.51
that is given before His birth,
I delight to do Your will.
00:49:14.54\00:49:18.40
Your law is written where?
00:49:18.43\00:49:21.00
Your law is written in my heart.
00:49:21.03\00:49:24.65
So Satan's third method is to
lead us to follow our reasoning,
00:49:24.68\00:49:29.12
our logic, our mind, our
heart, an internal standard,
00:49:29.15\00:49:34.88
instead of following what
God says in His Holy Word.
00:49:34.91\00:49:40.35
Now we need to move on to
the devil's fourth method.
00:49:40.38\00:49:42.87
Go with me to Genesis 3 again,
and I want to read verse 6.
00:49:42.90\00:49:49.42
Let me ask you, are
her senses involved here?
00:50:12.65\00:50:15.01
What is she following here?
00:50:15.04\00:50:17.77
She's following her senses.
00:50:17.80\00:50:20.59
She sees that the
fruit looks luscious.
00:50:20.62\00:50:25.17
She takes the fruit,
she touches the fruit.
00:50:25.20\00:50:29.03
She's hearing what
the serpent is saying.
00:50:29.06\00:50:33.31
She even tastes the fruit.
00:50:33.34\00:50:37.64
The devil's fourth method is to
lead us to follow the testimony
00:50:37.67\00:50:41.94
of our senses: our eyes,
our ears, our touch, instead of
00:50:41.97\00:50:49.14
strictly doing what God
has said in His Holy Word.
00:50:49.17\00:50:52.84
And we have many
examples of this in scripture.
00:50:52.87\00:50:56.18
You know, we have the example
of Sampson you can read in
00:50:56.21\00:51:00.35
Judges 14:2, 3. You
know he says to his parents,
00:51:00.38\00:51:03.59
I want this woman from Timnath.
00:51:03.62\00:51:05.70
It wasn't Delilah. It
was another Philistine woman.
00:51:05.73\00:51:08.89
Sampson had this problem.
00:51:08.92\00:51:10.03
He said, I want her.
00:51:10.06\00:51:11.09
The parents say, don't you
think you should get a Hebrew?
00:51:11.12\00:51:13.61
He says, Oh no, get her for me
for she's pleasant to my eyes.
00:51:13.64\00:51:17.60
Since when are
your eyes a good guide?
00:51:17.63\00:51:20.92
That's a big mistake that
many young people make today.
00:51:22.78\00:51:24.95
They go by what their eyes
say instead of going by what
00:51:24.98\00:51:29.31
God says in His Holy Word.
00:51:29.34\00:51:31.22
What a contrast with Joseph.
00:51:31.25\00:51:36.04
He sees this beautiful woman.
00:51:36.07\00:51:37.46
You can read it in Genesis 39:9.
00:51:37.49\00:51:39.96
You know, he could have
gone by what his eyes said,
00:51:39.99\00:51:42.47
and by what his ears said,
because she really talked sweet.
00:51:42.50\00:51:45.50
You can read it
there in Genesis 39.
00:51:45.53\00:51:48.14
He could have said,
wow, this is amazing,
00:51:48.17\00:51:49.95
and could have gone after her.
00:51:49.98\00:51:51.17
But what did Joseph say?
00:51:51.20\00:51:52.96
He says, How can I commit
this terrible sin against God?
00:51:52.99\00:52:01.96
What was the standard
of behavior for Joseph?
00:52:01.99\00:52:04.88
It was what? It was obeying
the will of God as revealed
00:52:04.91\00:52:12.79
in His law, as
revealed in His Word.
00:52:12.82\00:52:17.40
Then, of course, you
have the story of David.
00:52:17.43\00:52:20.15
It says, He went out onto the
balcony of the palace one day,
00:52:20.18\00:52:22.56
and he was looking out,
and he sees this woman bathing.
00:52:22.59\00:52:24.89
She was naked.
00:52:24.92\00:52:26.49
He should have turned away
immediately, but he followed
00:52:26.52\00:52:31.25
the testimony of his eyes.
00:52:31.28\00:52:33.78
And this eventually
led to the act of adultery.
00:52:33.81\00:52:36.99
And it led to the act of murder.
00:52:37.02\00:52:40.12
Because he followed
the testimony of his senses
00:52:40.15\00:52:43.61
instead of
following the Word of God.
00:52:43.64\00:52:46.53
You see, the Bible says that
we live by faith, not by sight.
00:52:46.56\00:52:51.78
All of the Hebrew heroes
that are found in Hebrews 11,
00:52:51.81\00:52:58.73
lived by the Word of God, even
when logic told them that it
00:52:58.76\00:53:02.42
was ridiculous to do so.
00:53:02.45\00:53:03.75
For example, God tells Noah,
I'm going to send a flood to
00:53:03.78\00:53:06.88
the world. Build me a boat.
00:53:06.91\00:53:08.25
It had never rained!
00:53:08.28\00:53:09.68
We're going to study about
Noah in a couple of lectures.
00:53:09.71\00:53:13.44
God says, build a boat, because
I'm going to make it rain.
00:53:13.47\00:53:16.12
Rain? What's that Lord?
00:53:16.15\00:53:17.40
He didn't know what rain was.
00:53:17.43\00:53:19.89
And yet God said, I'm
going to flood the world.
00:53:19.92\00:53:22.77
Noah believed what God said,
even though he could not see
00:53:22.80\00:53:27.39
the rain. He'd
never seen the rain.
00:53:27.42\00:53:28.84
He'd never heard rain.
00:53:28.87\00:53:30.15
And he built the boat
because he trusted God.
00:53:30.18\00:53:33.63
God told
Abraham, Leave your land.
00:53:33.66\00:53:36.47
I'm going to take
you to another land.
00:53:36.50\00:53:37.87
You don't know where I'm taking
you yet, but just obey Me.
00:53:37.90\00:53:39.86
Abraham left. God told Moses,
I want you to lead the children
00:53:39.89\00:53:44.80
of Israel out of Egypt, and
not stay and become the next
00:53:44.83\00:53:49.53
Pharaoh, and have all of
the riches, the pyramids,
00:53:49.56\00:53:52.32
and all of the
fame in the world.
00:53:52.35\00:53:53.67
I want you to go out with
these people who are going to
00:53:53.70\00:53:55.84
criticize your every move, who
are going to want to kill you.
00:53:55.87\00:53:58.36
You'll have to put up
with heat and with snakes,
00:53:58.39\00:54:00.64
with lack of water,
and all of these things.
00:54:00.67\00:54:03.29
If Moses had gone by
what his senses told him,
00:54:03.32\00:54:07.29
he would have
fallen in a minute.
00:54:07.32\00:54:08.73
But Moses
obeyed the Word of God.
00:54:08.76\00:54:11.59
In other words, faith
means obeying what God says
00:54:11.62\00:54:16.11
implicitly, no matter what.
00:54:16.14\00:54:18.61
Now we need to go
to our last method.
00:54:18.64\00:54:22.75
It's found in Genesis 3:6.
00:54:22.78\00:54:25.84
We won't have a lot of
time to deal with this one.
00:54:25.87\00:54:28.96
It says in Genesis 3:6, So when
the woman saw that the tree was
00:54:28.99\00:54:34.70
good for food, and that
it was pleasant to the eyes,
00:54:34.73\00:54:38.52
and a tree to be
desired to make one wise,...
00:54:38.55\00:54:42.19
Now notice this.
00:54:42.22\00:54:43.25
...she took of
its fruit and ate.
00:54:43.28\00:54:44.80
She also gave to her
husband with her and he ate.
00:54:44.83\00:54:49.29
Do you know what the final
method of deception of Satan is?
00:54:49.32\00:54:54.29
Using people to
tempt other people.
00:54:54.32\00:54:58.16
The devil did not
tempt Adam directly.
00:55:01.31\00:55:05.21
He tempted Eve. And, by the
way, 1 Timothy 2:14 says that
00:55:05.24\00:55:10.57
Eve was deceived.
Adam was not deceived.
00:55:10.60\00:55:12.81
Adam knew that Eve had done
wrong, but he could not stand
00:55:12.84\00:55:18.56
the idea of living
without Eve, so he gave in
00:55:18.60\00:55:21.90
to the peer pressure.
00:55:21.93\00:55:23.00
The devil's last method
is the method of using people
00:55:23.03\00:55:28.31
to pressure us into committing
wrong acts, as he used Eve
00:55:28.34\00:55:36.11
to tempt Adam. That's why Jesus
says, Anyone who loves father or
00:55:36.14\00:55:41.82
Mother more than
Me, is not worthy of Me.
00:55:41.85\00:55:44.36
And He says the day is coming
when one's enemies will be those
00:55:44.39\00:55:49.43
of his own household.
00:55:49.46\00:55:50.85
So if we give in by pressure
or pulls, or the majority,
00:55:52.90\00:55:56.67
we're going to be
on the wrong side.
00:55:56.70\00:55:59.29
We have to trust God.
00:55:59.32\00:56:02.67
So we have the devil's five
methods revealed in Genesis:
00:56:02.70\00:56:09.16
Counterfeit signs and
wonders, misusing and abusing
00:56:09.19\00:56:14.52
the Word of God, leading
us to follow the testimony
00:56:14.55\00:56:18.33
of our senses, leading us to
follow the logic of our mind,
00:56:18.36\00:56:23.51
and follow the feeling of
our hearts, and our intuitions,
00:56:23.54\00:56:27.23
and using people to tempt
other people into doing evil.
00:56:27.26\00:56:33.37
Do you know what
Eve should have done?
00:56:33.40\00:56:35.27
She should have said, Listen,
what you say sounds logical.
00:56:35.30\00:56:40.29
I didn't know
that snakes could talk.
00:56:40.32\00:56:43.18
The fruit looks delicious.
00:56:43.21\00:56:45.81
There's only one problem
and that is that God has said,
00:56:47.51\00:56:51.85
Don't eat, and we live
by every word that proceeds
00:56:51.88\00:56:58.76
out of the mouth of God.
00:56:58.79\00:57:01.34
Folks our only protection
in the end time is going to be
00:57:01.37\00:57:07.11
to read the Word,
understand the Word,
00:57:07.14\00:57:10.27
and live by the Word of God.
00:57:10.30\00:57:14.63
We cannot trust miracles.
00:57:14.66\00:57:16.52
We cannot trust other's
interpretations of scripture.
00:57:16.55\00:57:20.94
We cannot trust our senses.
00:57:20.97\00:57:22.72
We cannot trust our reason.
00:57:22.75\00:57:24.15
We cannot trust
others; only the Word of God.
00:57:24.18\00:57:27.72