Shall we bow our
heads for prayer?
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Our Father in heaven, we thank
You once again for the privilege
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of being here to open
Your Holy Word to discover what
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Your will is for our lives.
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We ask that as we study about
the genuine and the counterfeit,
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as this is addressed
in the book of Genesis,
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that Your Holy Spirit will
be with us, and help us to learn
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those things which will
be important in our personal
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walk with Jesus. We thank
You for hearing our prayer
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for we ask it in
His Holy name, Amen.
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I'd like to begin our
study today at the gospel of
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Matthew 24, and we're
going to read verses 23 and 24,
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Matthew 24:23, 24.
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Here Jesus is
speaking about the end time.
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And I want you to notice
the warning that Jesus gives
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concerning the end time.
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He says there in
Matthew, once again, 24:23, 24:
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Now imagine deceptions that
are so powerful that they will
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almost deceive even the elect.
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Now the question is, to whom
did Jesus give this warning?
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Notice Matthew
24:4, Matthew 24:4.
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Notice who Jesus is speaking to.
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And Jesus answered
and said to them,...
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That is the disciples,
if you look at the context.
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...Take heed that
no one deceives you.
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Who was in danger of
being deceived? The disciples.
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Deceptions so powerful that
they would deceive, if possible,
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although the syntax indicates
that it's not possible.
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But if it were
possible, the very elect.
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Obviously Satan's final
deception's will be very, very,
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powerful, very delusive.
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And, therefore, we need
to understand how the devil
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deceives. Now let's go to
Genesis 2:15, and read once
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again the command that
God gave to Adam and Eve
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in the garden of Eden.
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Genesis 2:16, And the Lord
God commanded the man, saying,
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Of every tree of the garden you
may freely eat, but of the tree
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of the knowledge of good
and evil, you shall not eat:
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for in the day that you
eat of it you shall surely die.
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Now I need to ask you some
questions about this prohibition
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that God gave Adam and Eve.
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First of all, was
the command of God clear?
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Was it complicated?
hard to understand? No.
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Was it simple? His
command was simple and clear.
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Was it an easy
command to obey? Sure it was.
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I mean, do you think Adam
and Eve were starving to death
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when they came to the tree?
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They had no reason to, because
God told them that they could
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eat of every tree of the garden.
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So probably Eve, when she came
to the tree, wasn't even hungry.
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There's more than
physical appetite involved here.
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So what I'm saying is
that the command was clear.
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By the way, Eve understood it,
because she repeated the words
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of God to the serpent.
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Only she added a few
things that God had not said,
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like God didn't
say you can't touch it.
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He said you can't eat of it.
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Eve added to what God said.
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We'll come to that later.
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But what I want you to notice
is that the command was clear.
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The command was easy to obey.
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And, furthermore, God did
not explain the reason why they
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could not eat from
that specific tree.
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Now God explained the
consequences of eating from
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the tree. He said, if you
eat from the tree you will die.
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But He did not explain why they
couldn't eat from that tree,
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as compared from all of
the other trees of the garden.
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God simply said,
Don't eat from the tree.
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Clear command, easy to
obey, and a command which
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God did not explain the reason
for, and which He explained
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what the consequences
would be if they disobeyed.
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Now there's one detail
which is extremely important
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in Genesis chapter 1, and that
is that God did not actually
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allow Adam and Eve to
see Him create anything.
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You know, this is something
that many people pass up.
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Many people haven't even noticed
that God did not allow Adam
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and Eve to be eye
witnesses of His creation.
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They saw God create nothing.
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The first day God
created the light.
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They weren't around.
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The second day God
created the firmament.
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They still weren't around.
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The third day God created the
dry earth and the vegetation.
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They still weren't there.
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The fourth day God made the
sun, the moon, and the stars.
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Adam and Eve
still weren't around.
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The fifth day God made
the fish, and the birds.
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Adam and Eve still
had not been created.
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The sixth day God made
all of the land animals,
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on the first
part of the sixth day.
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Adam and Eve weren't there.
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And then God, of
course, created Adam.
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Adam did not see God
create him, obviously.
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And then, to make this
story even more amazing,
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God put Adam to sleep,
and then He created Eve.
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So Adam did not see
the creation of Eve.
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What I'm saying is that
Adam and Eve did not see God
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create anything, which means
that if they were to believe
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that God was the Creator, they
had to believe it because God
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said so, not because they saw
it, or not because they had any
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type of scientific,
visual, or sensorial proof.
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They simply needed to believe
that God was their Creator
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because God said
that He was their Creator.
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And, of course, God put the test
in the garden of Eden to see if
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they would
recognize Him as the Creator.
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Clear command, clearly
understood, easy to obey,
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without any explanation
as to why God gave it,
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but explaining the consequences
of eating from the tree.
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Then, of course, the
serpent comes into the garden.
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Go with me to
Genesis 3:1, Genesis 3:1.
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It says there: Now the
serpent was more cunning...
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Jesus says that we're
supposed to be wise as serpents.
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Now it's very probable
that God had warned Adam and Eve
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that there was an angel who had
fallen from heaven who was going
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to come to the
garden to tempt them.
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You say, how do you know that?
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Well, we can only deduce that
from circumstantial evidence.
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Have you ever stopped to
think about why Satan would use
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a serpent to try and get Eve to
eat from the tree of knowledge
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of good and evil? Why didn't
he just come as an angel and say
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to Eve, you know God has sent me
down to the garden to tell you
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that He's changed His mind.
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You can eat from any
tree, including from this tree.
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Why didn't the devil come
down as an angel such as he was?
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Why did he use a serpent as his
medium to try and convince Eve
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to eat? Perhaps it was because
Eve was expecting an angel.
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And so the devil says,
I can't come as an angel.
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I have to use a more
careful, planned specious way
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of deceiving her. By the
way, it's virtually certain that
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the serpent at
this time had wings.
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There's three reasons for this.
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1. Isaiah 14:29 speaks
of serpents with wings.
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2. In all of the
ancient inscriptions of Egypt,
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and these ancient cultures:
Babylon, Assyria, you'll find in
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caves and in tablets
that have been on Earth,
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serpents depicted with wings.
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But the third and most important
reason is the fact that God,
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when the serpent allowed itself
to be used as an instrument
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of temptation, God said to the
serpent, from now on you will
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drag yourself on the
earth, and you will eat dust.
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That would not have been any
punishment unless the serpent
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was not dragging
himself before this.
00:11:03.89\00:11:06.06
And so the ancient depictions in
the caves are really a memory of
00:11:06.09\00:11:12.77
this original event that took
place in the garden of Eden.
00:11:12.80\00:11:16.74
And so you have this serpent
coming to Eve in the garden.
00:11:16.77\00:11:21.24
Now I don't need to go
through the whole story
00:11:21.28\00:11:24.31
of the temptation and the fall,
although we're going to examine
00:11:24.35\00:11:26.82
certain aspects of
it in our study today.
00:11:26.85\00:11:31.42
What I want to do
is go to Genesis 3:13.
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This is after Eve has sinned,
and God is asking her to render
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an account for what she's done.
00:11:40.96\00:11:42.23
And I want you to notice
what Eve says, Genesis 3:13.
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What did the serpent do?
00:12:03.62\00:12:05.45
The serpent deceived her.
00:12:05.49\00:12:08.82
Now lets talk
about that word deceived.
00:12:08.86\00:12:12.13
By the way, I like the way
the King James expresses it:
00:12:12.16\00:12:15.60
beguiled me. That's an old
English word that we seldom use
00:12:15.63\00:12:21.14
anymore. It
really means deception.
00:12:21.17\00:12:24.41
And so Eve says, the
serpent deceived me, and I ate.
00:12:24.44\00:12:29.48
Now let me ask you a
question, What do you need to do
00:12:29.51\00:12:33.08
in order to deceive someone?
00:12:33.11\00:12:34.98
What's at the foundation
of every act of deception?
00:12:39.35\00:12:42.79
What's that? Dialogue.
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What else? Lying.
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I hear several of
you saying, lying.
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Okay, now look at me.
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If you don't want to participate
in this experiment don't look
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at me. I'm going to
deceive you right now. Okay?
00:12:57.14\00:13:02.61
Everybody looking forward.
00:13:02.64\00:13:04.45
I'm going to deceive you.
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You see this
suit? This suit is red.
00:13:05.65\00:13:10.29
Right, Norma? It's red.
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Oh, is she ever deceived easily.
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Or else she's color blind.
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Let me ask you, how many of you
were deceived by what I said?
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Just Norma. Why weren't you?
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I lied, didn't I? Didn't I lie?
00:13:31.31\00:13:33.74
Of course, I lied. Why
weren't you deceived by my lie?
00:13:33.78\00:13:37.45
Because my lie was
absolutely obvious.
00:13:37.48\00:13:42.15
It was a huge lie.
00:13:42.18\00:13:45.19
I mean you could see
through it instantly.
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Do you know which
lies deceive people?
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The lies that are
closest to the truth.
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When you make a lie as
close to the truth as possible,
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that's when the
lie becomes dangerous.
00:14:00.80\00:14:04.64
And we're going to find that
that's exactly what Satan did.
00:14:04.67\00:14:10.61
By the way, what
comes first, the genuine
00:14:10.65\00:14:15.38
and then the
counterfeit, or the counterfeit
00:14:15.42\00:14:18.49
and then the genuine.
00:14:18.52\00:14:19.52
In time, what comes first?
00:14:19.55\00:14:22.52
What comes first is the
genuine, and then you have what?
00:14:22.56\00:14:26.59
The counterfeit. Allow me
to give you an illustration.
00:14:26.63\00:14:30.33
How many of you have ever seen
a counterfeit six dollar bill?
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Yeah, you haven't seen a
counterfeit six dollar bill?
00:14:36.54\00:14:41.58
No? Neither have I.
00:14:41.61\00:14:45.11
Let me ask you, why isn't there
a counterfeit six dollar bill?
00:14:45.15\00:14:50.62
Because there is not a
genuine six dollar bill before.
00:14:50.65\00:14:55.72
In order to falsify something,
that something has to exist
00:14:55.76\00:15:01.93
first. So the genuine comes
first, and then afterwards comes
00:15:01.96\00:15:07.20
the counterfeit. And listen up,
everything that God has genuine
00:15:07.24\00:15:10.67
Satan has a counterfeit.
00:15:10.71\00:15:13.11
Now let me ask you, how can you
distinguish a counterfeit from
00:15:13.14\00:15:17.85
the genuine? The
only way is knowing what?
00:15:17.88\00:15:22.25
Knowing the genuine will
help you detect the counterfeit.
00:15:22.28\00:15:27.96
So three ideas: the greatest
counterfeits are those who
00:15:27.99\00:15:33.66
appear closest to the truth.
00:15:33.70\00:15:34.66
2. The genuine comes
first, and then afterwards
00:15:34.73\00:15:40.57
comes the counterfeit.
00:15:40.60\00:15:41.64
Correct? Are you
all agreed with me?
00:15:41.67\00:15:44.77
3. Is what? How do
you detect a counterfeit?
00:15:44.81\00:15:52.91
By knowing what? By
knowing the genuine.
00:15:52.95\00:16:00.99
Very good. Now let me
give you an illustration.
00:16:01.02\00:16:02.96
For six years of my life I had
the privilege of teaching in a
00:16:02.99\00:16:07.20
university in the
city of Medellin, Columbia.
00:16:07.23\00:16:10.13
I love that place.
00:16:10.17\00:16:12.37
We visit there every year or so.
00:16:12.40\00:16:17.27
My wife has relatives
who live down in Medellin.
00:16:17.31\00:16:20.38
I taught there for six years.
00:16:20.41\00:16:21.88
One day I went downtown
to a store, department store,
00:16:21.91\00:16:27.92
kind of life Wal-Mart.
00:16:27.95\00:16:29.42
Let's give
K-Mart some credit, too.
00:16:29.45\00:16:31.75
Okay, kind of like K-Mart, and
when I went to the cash register
00:16:31.79\00:16:38.06
I took out a 5,000 peso
bill, and I paid with the 5,000
00:16:38.09\00:16:44.17
peso bill. Immediately
the girl at the cash register
00:16:44.20\00:16:49.34
took the bill, and she
looked at it in the light.
00:16:49.37\00:16:52.44
She crumbled it in her hand.
00:16:52.47\00:16:54.78
And she had a little black light
there and she put it underneath.
00:16:54.81\00:17:00.08
And she gave a signal to
a couple of police officers,
00:17:00.12\00:17:05.49
and she said, come over here.
00:17:05.52\00:17:07.76
This man has given me a
counterfeit 5,000 peso bill.
00:17:07.79\00:17:11.63
Now you need to understand
that down there you're guilty
00:17:11.66\00:17:14.20
until proven innocent.
00:17:14.23\00:17:15.23
It's a totally
different thing than it is here
00:17:15.26\00:17:18.00
in the United States.
00:17:18.03\00:17:19.07
And so they took me to
a back room in that store,
00:17:19.10\00:17:22.14
and they started
interrogating me.
00:17:22.17\00:17:24.31
They said, Where did you
get this 5,000 peso bill?
00:17:24.34\00:17:28.08
Well, I said, I have no idea.
00:17:28.11\00:17:29.28
You know, I didn't check it out.
00:17:29.31\00:17:30.51
I just had it in
my pocket when I paid.
00:17:30.55\00:17:31.85
They said, Where do
you have the machinery?
00:17:31.88\00:17:35.05
I said, I don't
have any machinery.
00:17:35.08\00:17:37.49
And so one of them says
to me, Where do you live?
00:17:37.52\00:17:41.39
What do you do for a living?
00:17:41.42\00:17:42.89
And I said, Well, I'm a
Seventh-day Adventist Pastor,
00:17:42.92\00:17:45.59
and I teach at
our university here.
00:17:45.63\00:17:50.93
He said, Oh really? Wow!
00:17:50.97\00:17:56.34
That's a good university.
00:17:56.37\00:17:58.34
I know lots of
people from there.
00:17:58.37\00:18:00.44
Those are good people.
00:18:00.48\00:18:01.51
Boy, I was
feeling a lot better now.
00:18:01.54\00:18:03.21
You know, knowing that this
police officer had a positive
00:18:03.24\00:18:07.22
opinion of our school.
00:18:07.25\00:18:09.48
And so he says to me, Look,
lets go to the cash register
00:18:09.52\00:18:14.49
and I'm going to show you
something which is going to
00:18:14.52\00:18:17.33
keep you from going
through this experience again.
00:18:17.36\00:18:19.39
So I went to the cash register
with the counterfeit bill,
00:18:19.43\00:18:23.06
and he asked the cashier
for a genuine 5,000 peso bill.
00:18:23.10\00:18:27.14
And he showed
me the counterfeit.
00:18:27.17\00:18:29.40
He said, Look at the
counterfeit in the light.
00:18:29.44\00:18:31.64
Do you see there's no
brown line running through it.
00:18:31.67\00:18:33.78
Then he put the
genuine up in the light,
00:18:33.81\00:18:36.41
and it had a brown line.
00:18:36.44\00:18:37.48
And sure enough, I
said, Isn't that interesting?
00:18:37.51\00:18:40.05
So then he took a counterfeit
5,000 peso bill and he crumpled
00:18:40.08\00:18:43.52
it up in his hand,
and it stayed crumpled.
00:18:43.55\00:18:45.99
He took the genuine 5,000 peso
bill and he crumpled it in his
00:18:46.02\00:18:50.09
hand, and it started opening,
kind of like the flowers;
00:18:50.13\00:18:52.66
a different kind of paper.
00:18:52.69\00:18:53.90
And then he put it up in the
light and he says, Look at the
00:18:53.93\00:18:57.87
face of Simon Bolivar,
which is the equivalent of
00:18:57.90\00:19:00.07
George Washington.
00:19:00.10\00:19:01.10
Do you see that
it's nice and clear?
00:19:01.14\00:19:02.14
His face is nice and
clear on the genuine bill?
00:19:02.17\00:19:04.64
I said, yeah, it
looks pretty clear.
00:19:04.67\00:19:06.54
So then he put up the
counterfeit one, and he says,
00:19:06.57\00:19:08.74
Do you see the face
is not very clear at all?
00:19:08.78\00:19:10.95
I said, sure, I noticed that.
00:19:10.98\00:19:12.28
I can see now. And then he took
the counterfeit bill and he put
00:19:12.31\00:19:17.22
it under the black
light and nothing happened.
00:19:17.25\00:19:20.36
And he put the genuine bill
underneath and the two circles
00:19:20.39\00:19:23.69
on the bill
shone in a deep purple.
00:19:23.73\00:19:26.70
So I said, Oh, now I know
how to distinguish a counterfeit
00:19:26.73\00:19:31.90
5,000 peso bill from a
genuine 5,000 peso bill.
00:19:31.93\00:19:35.87
Let me ask you, How could I
not now detect a counterfeit?
00:19:35.90\00:19:41.08
Because I knew the
characteristics of the what?
00:19:41.11\00:19:44.55
of the genuine. You cannot
detect a lie unless you know
00:19:44.58\00:19:49.15
the truth, especially when the
truth and a lie are very, very
00:19:49.18\00:19:55.26
close together. And so
when I went to pay at a store
00:19:55.29\00:19:58.66
after that, I would
take out a 10,000 peso bill,
00:19:58.69\00:20:02.96
and I would pay. The cashier
would take it and she would look
00:20:03.00\00:20:06.87
at it in the light, and
she would check it all out,
00:20:06.90\00:20:10.54
and then when she gave me the
change, I would take the bill,
00:20:10.57\00:20:14.44
and I would look at
the bill in the light.
00:20:14.48\00:20:16.28
And one day one of the cashiers
says to me, What's the matter?
00:20:16.31\00:20:19.48
Don't you trust me?
00:20:19.51\00:20:20.95
And I said, I trust you
as much as you trust me.
00:20:20.98\00:20:26.79
I wasn't about to be deceived
again, because I knew from the
00:20:26.82\00:20:32.79
genuine bill how to
detect a counterfeit.
00:20:32.83\00:20:36.67
And by the way, there could
not be a counterfeit 5,000 peso
00:20:36.70\00:20:42.27
bill unless there
was a genuine one before.
00:20:42.30\00:20:44.64
Is that correct? And the genius
of the counterfeiters is to make
00:20:44.67\00:20:50.25
the counterfeit as close
as possible to the genuine.
00:20:50.28\00:20:54.72
So when Eve says that
the serpent beguiled her,
00:20:54.75\00:21:01.46
or deceived her, he
deceived her because he made the
00:21:01.49\00:21:05.86
counterfeit appear very,
very close to the genuine.
00:21:05.89\00:21:11.00
By the way, 2 Corinthians 11:3
says that the serpent deceived
00:21:11.03\00:21:15.97
Eve by his subtlety.
00:21:16.00\00:21:18.94
Revelation 12:9, if you go
with me there, Revelation 12:9
00:21:18.97\00:21:25.18
speaks about the
devil in the end time.
00:21:25.21\00:21:27.82
Revelation 12:9. We've
read this verse before. It says:
00:21:27.85\00:21:33.49
Who does what?
00:21:38.63\00:21:39.73
Notice that this is
speaking about the end time.
00:21:49.10\00:21:51.84
It says he
deceives the whole world.
00:21:51.87\00:21:54.41
Let me ask you, is he
going to use the same methods
00:21:54.44\00:21:57.25
of deception at the end
as he used at the beginning?
00:21:57.28\00:22:01.05
I believe, absolutely, yes.
00:22:01.08\00:22:04.12
Now we're going to study
in our lecture five methods
00:22:04.15\00:22:09.96
that the devil used at the
very beginning of human history
00:22:09.99\00:22:14.63
which he is using now, and
he's going to use more and more
00:22:14.66\00:22:18.83
as we near the end of time.
00:22:18.87\00:22:21.54
Let's go to his first method of
deception in the garden of Eden.
00:22:21.57\00:22:26.81
Genesis 3:1,
Genesis 3:1. It says there:
00:22:26.84\00:22:35.45
Now let's stop
there for a moment.
00:22:45.16\00:22:46.90
He said to the woman.
00:22:46.93\00:22:49.93
How many of you have
ever seen a talking snake?
00:22:49.96\00:22:52.67
If you went to a zoo and you
were looking in a snake cage,
00:22:52.70\00:23:02.04
and suddenly the snake in the
cage lifted his head and said,
00:23:02.08\00:23:06.45
Good morning, Steve.
00:23:06.48\00:23:08.22
What would you do?
00:23:08.25\00:23:10.42
I guarantee that you would run,
because for a snake to speak
00:23:10.45\00:23:16.96
would be a miracle.
00:23:16.99\00:23:19.33
It is a sign, it is a wonder.
00:23:19.36\00:23:21.73
The serpent could not speak.
00:23:21.76\00:23:25.87
In other words, the first thing
that the devil does is perform
00:23:25.90\00:23:29.67
a counterfeit
miracle, a sign or a wonder.
00:23:29.70\00:23:35.41
He gave the serpent
the capacity to what?
00:23:35.44\00:23:38.81
The serpent the
capacity to speak.
00:23:38.85\00:23:41.52
Now let me ask you, is that
what the devil is going to do
00:23:41.55\00:23:45.69
in the end time
according to Bible prophecy?
00:23:45.72\00:23:49.12
Let's go to John 6 just for
a moment, and notice that the
00:23:49.16\00:23:54.36
same thing happened during the
ministry of Christ when He came
00:23:54.36\00:23:57.87
to this earth the first time.
00:23:57.90\00:23:59.07
Do you know why many people
followed Christ when He came
00:23:59.10\00:24:01.64
to this earth the first time?
00:24:01.67\00:24:02.77
Because He was a great what?
00:24:02.80\00:24:06.37
Because He was a
great miracle worker.
00:24:06.41\00:24:09.18
People love to follow signs,
and wonders, and miracles.
00:24:09.21\00:24:13.95
Notice John 6:2.
00:24:13.98\00:24:18.12
For what reason?
00:24:21.62\00:24:23.22
What was the reason
they followed Jesus?
00:24:31.57\00:24:34.07
Because of all of the signs, and
wonders, and miracles that Jesus
00:24:34.10\00:24:38.44
performed. And then, of
course, Jesus feeds 5,000.
00:24:38.47\00:24:41.18
The people are liking this.
00:24:41.21\00:24:42.24
They're saying, this is great!
00:24:42.28\00:24:43.38
And He has
multitudes following Him.
00:24:43.41\00:24:46.78
But then Jesus starts preaching.
00:24:46.82\00:24:48.58
You can read it
there in chapter 6.
00:24:48.62\00:24:51.39
And He says some very unpopular
things that they don't like,
00:24:51.42\00:24:55.12
like you've got to eat my
flesh, and drink my blood.
00:24:55.16\00:24:57.79
He's saying that you
actually need to assimilate Me
00:24:57.83\00:25:01.36
through a study of the Word.
00:25:01.40\00:25:02.43
You need to obey the Word.
00:25:02.46\00:25:03.97
And when Jesus finishes
His sermon, notice John 6:66,
00:25:04.00\00:25:10.57
how many people are left?
00:25:10.61\00:25:12.17
John 6:66, It says here: From
that time many of his disciples
00:25:12.21\00:25:23.69
went back and
walked with him no more.
00:25:23.72\00:25:27.52
And you continue reading to
verse 71 and you'll discover
00:25:27.56\00:25:31.99
that only His disciples
were left when the miracles
00:25:32.03\00:25:37.07
came to an end, and Jesus
started preaching the truth,
00:25:37.10\00:25:40.70
what happened to the multitudes?
00:25:40.74\00:25:42.77
The multitudes left, because
people want signs and wonders.
00:25:42.80\00:25:48.31
They don't want to follow the
Word, because the Word crosses
00:25:48.34\00:25:53.01
many times their
lifestyle, and their tastes,
00:25:53.05\00:25:55.42
and what they like.
00:25:55.55\00:25:56.72
Now notice also 2 Thessalonians
2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
00:25:56.75\00:26:06.06
This is speaking about
the end time anti-Christ.
00:26:06.09\00:26:08.86
Have you ever heard
about the coming of the
00:26:08.90\00:26:10.97
anti-Christ at the end of time?
00:26:11.00\00:26:12.50
Notice what he's
going to do when he comes.
00:26:12.53\00:26:15.77
2 Thessalonians 2:9. It says:
00:26:15.80\00:26:21.24
Now notice this.
00:26:26.28\00:26:27.85
How is this emissary
of Satan going to come?
00:26:35.22\00:26:39.79
He's going to come
with power, signs, and what?
00:26:39.83\00:26:43.83
and lying wonders.
00:26:43.87\00:26:45.67
Now listen to
what I'm going to say.
00:26:45.70\00:26:46.94
There is only one other verse in
all of the Bible that uses these
00:26:46.97\00:26:51.67
three words, which, by the
way, here the words are power,
00:26:51.71\00:26:57.01
signs, and wonders.
00:26:57.05\00:26:58.71
There's only one other
verse in the Bible that uses
00:26:58.75\00:27:01.02
those three words together.
00:27:01.05\00:27:02.88
Go with me to
Acts 2:22, Acts 2:22.
00:27:02.92\00:27:09.26
I want you to notice who is
doing these signs and wonders
00:27:09.29\00:27:13.50
in Acts 2, and, by the way,
they're not translated the same,
00:27:13.53\00:27:15.90
but they are the
identical three Greek words.
00:27:15.93\00:27:19.13
It says there in Acts
2:22, Peter here is speaking.
00:27:19.17\00:27:24.21
The identical three words.
00:27:39.02\00:27:40.49
According to this verse who
performed miracles, wonders,
00:27:47.76\00:27:50.93
and signs? Jesus did
by the power of whom?
00:27:50.97\00:27:54.84
by the power of God.
00:27:54.87\00:27:56.94
Is the anti-Christ going
to do many of the same things
00:27:56.97\00:28:00.11
that Jesus did
according to this?
00:28:00.14\00:28:01.78
Yes or no? If 2 Thessalonians
2:9 uses the same three words,
00:28:01.81\00:28:09.58
and it says that the anti-Christ
is going to perform signs,
00:28:09.62\00:28:12.55
miracles, and wonders, it must
be that the anti-Christ is going
00:28:12.59\00:28:16.93
to be able to counterfeit
many of the signs and wonders
00:28:16.96\00:28:21.66
that Jesus performed.
00:28:21.70\00:28:22.93
And, of course, people who go by
signs, and wonders, and miracles
00:28:22.96\00:28:27.97
rather than what God's Word
teaches will be easily deceived.
00:28:28.00\00:28:33.01
Go with me to Matthew 7,
Matthew 7 on this same point.
00:28:33.04\00:28:38.51
We're dealing with the first
way in which the devil deceives,
00:28:38.55\00:28:41.28
and that is by performing signs;
counterfeit signs and wonders,
00:28:41.32\00:28:46.62
and miracles. We know
the snake could not talk.
00:28:46.65\00:28:49.76
The serpent could not
talk, but the devil gave him
00:28:49.79\00:28:53.06
the miraculous ability,
counterfeit ability, to speak.
00:28:53.09\00:28:57.00
It says in Matthew 7 beginning
with verse 22, listen to this:
00:28:57.03\00:29:02.47
Are these Christians?
00:29:16.65\00:29:19.89
How do we know
they're Christians?
00:29:19.92\00:29:21.86
Because they're doing
it in the name of Jesus.
00:29:21.89\00:29:24.23
Cast out demons in Your name?
00:29:27.40\00:29:31.70
What was their problem?
00:29:50.55\00:29:53.25
They claimed the name of Jesus.
00:29:53.29\00:29:56.46
They performed signs.
00:29:56.49\00:29:58.09
They gave prophecies.
00:29:58.13\00:29:59.59
They did miracles.
00:29:59.63\00:30:00.96
They professed
the name of Jesus.
00:30:01.00\00:30:03.26
But Jesus says,
I never knew you.
00:30:03.30\00:30:06.37
Depart from me, you
who practice lawlessness.
00:30:06.40\00:30:10.61
They had problems with
what? with the law of God,
00:30:10.64\00:30:15.78
because they were lawless.
00:30:15.81\00:30:17.25
And so Satan's first method in
deceiving Eve, and in deceiving
00:30:17.28\00:30:24.29
the world at the end, is to
perform signs, and miracles,
00:30:24.32\00:30:28.29
and wonders that are
counterfeits of the true.
00:30:28.32\00:30:33.46
And, by the way, if you read
Matthew 24, listen to what I'm
00:30:33.50\00:30:36.26
going to say, Matthew 24:23-27,
you're going to discover
00:30:36.30\00:30:41.50
that the devil is
even going to counterfeit
00:30:41.54\00:30:44.01
the second coming of Jesus.
00:30:44.04\00:30:45.61
Once someone said to me, I don't
really care how Jesus is coming,
00:30:45.64\00:30:52.65
I only care that He's coming.
00:30:52.68\00:30:54.68
Well, let me tell you something,
if you don't know how Jesus
00:30:54.72\00:30:59.59
is coming, you'll probably
receive the wrong Jesus,
00:30:59.62\00:31:03.43
because Matthew 24 says we have
to know how Jesus will come.
00:31:03.46\00:31:10.27
So that's the first method.
00:31:10.30\00:31:13.47
Second method: Go with
me to Genesis 3:1 again.
00:31:13.50\00:31:17.84
Genesis 3:1, here it says:
00:31:17.87\00:31:23.71
Is the serpent claiming
to quote the Word of God?
00:31:39.43\00:31:42.90
Is the serpent claiming to quote
the Word of God? yes or no?
00:31:42.93\00:31:47.24
Of course he is. Is
he quoting it correctly,
00:31:47.27\00:31:50.61
or is he twisting it?
00:31:50.64\00:31:54.48
He's giving it a twist because
he's saying, God told you that
00:31:54.51\00:31:58.98
you can't eat of any
tree of the garden, right?
00:31:59.01\00:32:01.58
And Eve immediately says, No,
that's not exactly what God has
00:32:01.62\00:32:05.32
said. God has said that we can
eat from all of the trees except
00:32:05.35\00:32:09.59
for this one. Does the
devil here misquote God's Word?
00:32:09.62\00:32:14.93
He most certainly does.
00:32:14.93\00:32:16.77
The devil's second method,
which he revealed from the very
00:32:16.80\00:32:20.00
beginning, is that he is going
to add, he is going to take
00:32:20.04\00:32:24.14
away, he's going to embellish,
he's going to take scripture
00:32:24.17\00:32:28.44
out of context, and he's
going to change the meaning
00:32:28.48\00:32:32.25
of God's words, and he's
going to lead people to add
00:32:32.28\00:32:35.08
to God's words like Eve did.
00:32:35.12\00:32:37.62
Oh, God has told us that we not
only can't eat from the tree,
00:32:37.65\00:32:42.16
but He said that we
can't even touch it.
00:32:42.19\00:32:44.09
That's not what God had said.
00:32:44.13\00:32:45.69
So Eve adds to the Word,
and the serpent gives the words
00:32:45.73\00:32:50.27
of God a wrong twist.
00:32:50.30\00:32:52.67
In other words he
misinterprets the words of God.
00:32:52.70\00:32:55.87
Is it just possible that in
the end time the devil is going
00:32:55.90\00:33:00.41
to do the same thing
with the Word of God?
00:33:00.44\00:33:03.51
That he's going to add,
subtract, misquote, change,
00:33:03.55\00:33:08.25
take things out of context,
in order to deceive people with
00:33:08.28\00:33:12.52
the very Word that
they claimed to follow?
00:33:12.55\00:33:15.69
I believe so. Now how
did Jesus face the devil in
00:33:15.72\00:33:21.36
the mount of temptation?
00:33:21.40\00:33:22.63
Matthew 4:3, 4 says
the tempter came to Jesus,
00:33:22.66\00:33:27.94
and he said to Jesus, Listen,
if you are the Son of God,
00:33:27.97\00:33:32.67
do what? Turn
these stones into bread.
00:33:32.71\00:33:39.48
How did Jesus answer?
00:33:39.51\00:33:41.22
Jesus answered, Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:33:41.25\00:33:46.99
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
00:33:47.02\00:33:52.83
How did Jesus answer Satan?
00:33:52.86\00:33:54.63
He answered Satan
with the Word of God.
00:33:54.66\00:33:57.53
He did not allow
Himself to be deceived.
00:33:57.57\00:34:00.40
He used the Word of
God as His protection.
00:34:00.44\00:34:02.74
By the way, after the first
temptation the devil learned
00:34:02.77\00:34:06.71
something. He says, Oh, this
is the man who likes to live by
00:34:06.74\00:34:09.08
the Word of God, huh? okay.
00:34:09.11\00:34:10.58
So in the second temptation he
takes Him to the temple tower,
00:34:10.61\00:34:15.08
and he says, If you are the
Son of God, throw yourself down.
00:34:15.12\00:34:22.29
For it is written, He shall
give his angels charge over you,
00:34:22.32\00:34:27.60
and they shall take you
in their hands lest your foot
00:34:27.66\00:34:34.04
crash into the
ground, into the stones.
00:34:34.07\00:34:38.87
Now what did the devil do?
00:34:38.91\00:34:42.14
He says, You like to
live by it is written?
00:34:42.18\00:34:44.68
He says, jump! It is written
that God is going to protect
00:34:44.71\00:34:50.59
you. And, by the way, do
you notice that he quoted from
00:34:50.62\00:34:56.19
Psalm 91:11, 12? And he
did not misquote the Word.
00:34:56.22\00:35:01.73
He quoted it correctly.
00:35:01.76\00:35:04.10
It is a correct
quotation from the Psalms.
00:35:04.13\00:35:07.60
And so you say, well,
the devil quoted it right.
00:35:07.64\00:35:11.11
Yes, but we need
to notice something.
00:35:11.14\00:35:14.34
The devil quoted verses 11
and 12, but he forgot to quote
00:35:14.38\00:35:18.45
verses 1 and 2. What do
verses 1 and 2 have to say
00:35:18.48\00:35:23.89
in this Psalm. Let's notice.
00:35:26.12\00:35:27.39
Psalm 91:1, 2, Psalm 91:1, 2.
00:35:27.42\00:35:33.73
This is the condition for
Jesus claiming the promise.
00:35:35.16\00:35:38.83
It says there, Psalm 91:1,
2, He who dwells in the secret
00:35:38.87\00:35:44.11
place of the Most
High, shall abide under the
00:35:44.14\00:35:47.58
shadow of the Almighty.
00:35:47.61\00:35:49.08
I will say of the Lord, He is my
refuge, and my fortress, my God
00:35:49.11\00:35:55.98
in whom I will trust.
00:35:56.02\00:35:57.65
If Jesus had jumped from
the temple tower, would He have
00:35:57.69\00:36:02.12
been abiding under the
shadow of the Almighty?
00:36:02.16\00:36:05.69
Would He have been obeying
His Father, if He had jumped
00:36:05.73\00:36:09.00
from the temple tower?
00:36:09.03\00:36:10.23
Absolutely not. Do you know,
this was the sin of presumption.
00:36:10.27\00:36:14.47
Presumption is claiming the
promises of God in disobedience.
00:36:14.50\00:36:19.84
In other words, it's the devil
telling Jesus, jump from the
00:36:22.04\00:36:25.48
temple tower, when God hasn't
told you to jump, and then you
00:36:25.51\00:36:30.35
can claim the promise
that He's going to protect you.
00:36:30.39\00:36:32.52
It's kind of like a student
who doesn't study for a test,
00:36:34.06\00:36:36.56
and when he gets to the
desk he raises a prayer to God.
00:36:36.59\00:36:40.96
He says, Lord please
help me pass this test.
00:36:41.00\00:36:43.16
That's presumption.
00:36:43.20\00:36:44.97
It's claiming God's
help in disobedience.
00:36:45.00\00:36:47.80
It's kind of like praying
before you go on a journey,
00:36:47.84\00:36:50.37
or on a trip. Please,
Lord, protect me on this trip,
00:36:50.41\00:36:54.24
and then you
drive 100 miles an hour!
00:36:54.28\00:36:55.91
You're claiming God's
protection, and God's promise
00:36:57.05\00:37:00.28
in disobedience. That's
what the devil is doing.
00:37:00.32\00:37:02.55
He's saying, claim God's
Word, but you can disobey Him
00:37:02.58\00:37:07.39
in the process. And so the
devil can quote God's Word.
00:37:07.42\00:37:11.66
He can misquote God's Word.
00:37:11.69\00:37:13.70
He can take God's
Word out of context.
00:37:13.73\00:37:16.40
He can quote only part of a
verse to make you think that
00:37:16.43\00:37:20.40
the Bible is teaching one thing,
when the Bible is teaching
00:37:20.44\00:37:23.30
something very different.
00:37:23.34\00:37:25.54
You know, many people do this
with the writings of the apostle
00:37:25.57\00:37:29.31
Paul. Do you know that Peter
says that the apostle Paul wrote
00:37:29.34\00:37:33.78
many things that are
difficult to be understood,
00:37:33.82\00:37:35.78
which the unlearned twist,
along with the other scriptures,
00:37:35.82\00:37:42.82
for their own destruction.
00:37:42.86\00:37:44.09
That's what
Peter says about Paul.
00:37:44.13\00:37:47.20
He doesn't blame Paul for being
complicated in his writing.
00:37:47.23\00:37:49.73
He says that those
who are unlearned twist
00:37:49.76\00:37:53.50
to their own destruction.
00:37:53.54\00:37:54.70
In other words, there are
many individuals who are in the
00:37:54.74\00:37:57.74
church today
who twist scripture.
00:37:57.77\00:37:59.21
Let me give you three examples.
00:37:59.24\00:38:00.74
And I'm not going to
look up these verses.
00:38:00.78\00:38:02.58
I'm just going to mention them.
00:38:02.61\00:38:03.78
Romans 3:28 where it says
that man is justified by faith,
00:38:03.81\00:38:08.62
without works of law.
00:38:08.65\00:38:09.85
And so people say, Oh,
see, we're justified by faith
00:38:12.32\00:38:15.69
without works of the law.
00:38:15.72\00:38:16.79
Our works make
absolutely no difference.
00:38:16.83\00:38:19.29
But if they just read in verse
31, just three verses further
00:38:21.00\00:38:27.37
down, they would discover that
that's not what the apostle Paul
00:38:27.40\00:38:29.77
is trying to teach.
00:38:29.80\00:38:30.84
He says, what do we do then?
00:38:30.87\00:38:33.48
Do we get rid of the
law because of faith?
00:38:33.51\00:38:38.78
He says, No, we don't
get rid of the law, we what?
00:38:38.81\00:38:42.72
we establish the law.
00:38:42.75\00:38:44.62
And then there's that
famous verse in Romans 5:20,
00:38:44.65\00:38:49.16
where the apostle Paul
says, Where sin abounded,
00:38:49.19\00:38:52.69
grace did much more abound.
00:38:52.73\00:38:54.56
And so the conclusion is,
if there's a lot of grace,
00:38:54.60\00:38:59.40
where there's a lot of
sin, let's sin a lot so there's
00:38:59.43\00:39:02.20
a lot of grace. I've
heard some Christians say that.
00:39:02.24\00:39:05.17
The apostle Paul knew that
they were going to say that.
00:39:05.21\00:39:09.18
And, therefore, in the book
of Romans 6:1, the apostle Paul
00:39:09.21\00:39:14.68
says, What shall we say then?
00:39:14.72\00:39:16.32
Shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound?
00:39:16.35\00:39:19.59
Certainly not! How shall we,
who died to sin, live any longer
00:39:19.62\00:39:27.23
in it? Did the apostle Paul know
that someone was going to take
00:39:27.23\00:39:30.53
that text? He
most certainly did.
00:39:30.57\00:39:32.37
And then there's the
famous text in Romans 6:14,
00:39:32.40\00:39:37.04
where it says,
You are not under law.
00:39:37.07\00:39:39.11
You are under grace.
00:39:39.14\00:39:40.41
And that's a beautiful verse.
00:39:40.44\00:39:42.58
So some people take it and they
say, because I'm not under law,
00:39:42.61\00:39:45.68
I'm under grace. I
don't have to keep the law.
00:39:45.71\00:39:48.02
Is that what the
apostle Paul is trying to teach?
00:39:48.05\00:39:51.79
Notice the apostle Paul
knew that somebody was going to
00:39:51.82\00:39:55.09
use it that way. And so in the
very next verse the apostle Paul
00:39:55.12\00:39:59.49
says this in Romans 6:15:
What then, shall we sin because
00:39:59.53\00:40:05.50
we are not under the law,
but under grace? Certainly not!
00:40:05.53\00:40:10.31
So when people say, Well, I'm
not under law, I'm under grace,
00:40:11.61\00:40:15.08
and they quote Romans 6:14.
00:40:15.11\00:40:18.18
All I do is I tell
them, Would you, please
00:40:18.21\00:40:20.88
read verse 15 as well?
00:40:20.92\00:40:23.65
When they quote Romans
5:20 I say, Would you continue
00:40:23.69\00:40:26.86
reading Romans 6:1, 2?
00:40:26.89\00:40:29.02
When they quote Romans 3:20,
I say, Would you please read
00:40:29.06\00:40:32.89
down to verse 31? You see, the
devil has led even Christians
00:40:32.93\00:40:38.97
to misquote scriptures, and to
defend certain actions in their
00:40:39.00\00:40:45.01
lives based on a
wrong interpretation
00:40:45.04\00:40:48.28
of Holy Scripture. Now
we have to move on here.
00:40:48.31\00:40:51.11
Let's go to our
third method of deception.
00:40:51.15\00:40:53.52
What is the first
method of deception?
00:40:53.55\00:40:55.28
Signs, wonders,
false counterfeit miracles.
00:40:57.59\00:41:00.16
2. To play games
with the Word of God.
00:41:00.19\00:41:04.06
3. Genesis 3:4-6. Then
the serpent said to the woman,
00:41:04.09\00:41:16.14
You will not surely die.
00:41:16.17\00:41:19.37
What is he
saying about God there?
00:41:19.41\00:41:21.58
God is a what? God's a liar.
00:41:21.61\00:41:24.01
You will not surely die.
00:41:24.05\00:41:25.98
What is the devil
saying there to Eve?
00:41:34.32\00:41:35.99
God wants you to be what?
00:41:36.02\00:41:38.39
God wants you to be blind.
00:41:40.63\00:41:41.70
He wants blind service.
00:41:41.73\00:41:42.90
God says that He's your Creator.
00:41:42.93\00:41:44.37
Do you have any proof
of that, by the way, Eve,
00:41:44.40\00:41:46.67
that God was
actually your Creator?
00:41:46.70\00:41:49.14
God has told you not
to eat from this tree,
00:41:49.17\00:41:52.97
but it's not because He's your
Creator, it's really because
00:41:53.01\00:41:58.91
He does not want
any rival god's around.
00:41:58.95\00:42:01.78
Let's continue reading.
00:42:01.82\00:42:03.52
Notice verse 5. It says
in Genesis 3:5: For God knows
00:42:03.55\00:42:10.86
that in the day you eat of
it, your eyes will be opened.
00:42:10.89\00:42:15.50
In other words, God
had you blind right now.
00:42:15.53\00:42:17.50
And you will be like what?
00:42:17.53\00:42:19.87
Like God, knowing good and evil.
00:42:19.90\00:42:22.97
Who is the absolute arbiter of
right and wrong, good and evil?
00:42:23.00\00:42:25.91
Who defines what is good,
and who defines what is evil?
00:42:25.94\00:42:28.11
God does, correct? Do you
need God's guidance to know what
00:42:28.14\00:42:32.98
is good and what is evil?
00:42:33.01\00:42:34.05
Is that standard
outside yourself?
00:42:34.08\00:42:37.39
It's found in the law of God.
00:42:37.42\00:42:39.12
God defines good and evil
outside of us in His Holy Law.
00:42:39.15\00:42:43.26
Do you know what the
devil is saying to Eve?
00:42:43.29\00:42:44.73
He's saying, God has told you
that if you eat from this tree,
00:42:44.76\00:42:46.93
you're going to die.
00:42:46.96\00:42:47.96
Do you know why
God told you that?
00:42:48.00\00:42:49.13
Because God is
trying to intimidate you.
00:42:49.16\00:42:52.93
Because He knows that
if you eat from this tree,
00:42:52.97\00:42:56.44
you're going to be like Him.
00:42:56.47\00:42:57.51
And He doesn't
want any rivals around.
00:42:57.54\00:42:59.14
Is that what he's really saying?
00:43:00.68\00:43:01.71
Think of it! He's saying
God knows that the day you
00:43:01.74\00:43:06.08
eat of this tree,
you're going to be like God.
00:43:06.11\00:43:08.98
You're going to
be just like Him.
00:43:09.02\00:43:10.59
And God doesn't want
any other gods around.
00:43:10.62\00:43:13.82
You're not going to die.
00:43:13.86\00:43:15.12
God has intimidated you because
He doesn't want anyone around
00:43:15.16\00:43:18.26
like Him. He wants
to have all the power.
00:43:18.29\00:43:20.73
He wants to be the head honcho.
00:43:20.76\00:43:22.60
And He wants everybody
to render Him blind service.
00:43:22.63\00:43:25.87
Are you understanding what
the devil is really saying?
00:43:25.90\00:43:27.57
He's saying, You can be your
own definer of good and evil.
00:43:27.60\00:43:31.14
You will be like God, knowing
good and evil, without God
00:43:31.17\00:43:34.48
telling you what is
good and what is evil.
00:43:34.51\00:43:37.95
The third method that the
devil uses is playing mind games
00:43:37.98\00:43:41.55
with us; lead us to follow our
own logic, our own reasoning,
00:43:41.58\00:43:48.76
which might appear very
logical because Eve is thinking,
00:43:48.79\00:43:52.79
you know, really God didn't
explain to us the reason why
00:43:52.83\00:43:55.76
we weren't supposed to eat from
the tree, other than to say that
00:43:55.80\00:43:59.60
we were going to die.
00:43:59.63\00:44:00.67
Now I have the explanation.
00:44:00.70\00:44:02.10
Now I understand.
00:44:02.14\00:44:03.24
It's because God doesn't
want anybody like Him around.
00:44:03.27\00:44:06.41
Now I know that
God was lying to us.
00:44:06.44\00:44:09.94
What is the devil
doing with the mind of Eve?
00:44:09.98\00:44:12.71
The devil is playing what?
00:44:12.75\00:44:15.22
He's playing
mind games with Eve.
00:44:15.25\00:44:17.99
He's leading her to follow
her impressions, her logic,
00:44:18.02\00:44:22.19
her intuition, instead
of following what God said
00:44:22.22\00:44:26.76
in His Holy Word.
00:44:26.80\00:44:28.16
Now allow me to say that many
Christians follow their heart,
00:44:28.20\00:44:33.74
and their mind, in place of what
God has said in His Holy Word.
00:44:33.77\00:44:39.31
Let me just
mention a few things here.
00:44:39.34\00:44:42.11
Do you know the apostle Paul
says in Romans 12:9 that our
00:44:42.14\00:44:46.08
love should be
without dissimulation.
00:44:46.11\00:44:48.48
Now that's a word that we
don't use much in English.
00:44:48.52\00:44:50.99
Love should be
without dissimulation.
00:44:51.02\00:44:52.92
That means that love
should be without faking.
00:44:52.95\00:44:56.99
Is there such a thing as false
love that comes from inside
00:44:58.73\00:45:03.10
our hearts? Is there
such a thing that is really
00:45:03.13\00:45:05.93
sentimentalism.
It's not really love?
00:45:05.97\00:45:07.87
Absolutely! Have you ever found
a young man that courts a woman,
00:45:07.90\00:45:12.47
you know, and
he's all sweetness,
00:45:12.51\00:45:16.14
and, you know,
buys her presents,
00:45:16.18\00:45:17.71
and does this, and does that,
and courts her and everything.
00:45:17.75\00:45:20.38
And when they get
married he's a wife beater?
00:45:20.42\00:45:23.18
Have you ever
heard of those kind?
00:45:23.22\00:45:26.86
Individuals who feign
love, but it's counterfeit love?
00:45:26.89\00:45:32.89
Now let me ask you, how
can you know whether love
00:45:32.93\00:45:35.40
is true or false? Is it
by what your mind tells you,
00:45:35.43\00:45:37.60
by what your heart tells you, or
by some other external standard?
00:45:37.63\00:45:41.40
We read Romans 13:10
where the apostle Paul says that
00:45:41.44\00:45:48.24
love is the what? Love is
the fulfilling of the law.
00:45:48.28\00:45:52.91
What is the true
definition of love?
00:45:52.95\00:45:56.08
Love is the
fulfilling of the law.
00:45:56.12\00:45:59.79
Many Christians want
to separate love and law.
00:46:01.49\00:46:03.63
They say, you know, I don't
go by the law, I go by love.
00:46:03.66\00:46:08.60
Well, the fact is that
love is implementing the law
00:46:08.63\00:46:14.90
in the life, because
the law is a law of love,
00:46:14.94\00:46:17.27
as we've already
studied in this seminar.
00:46:17.31\00:46:19.41
So to go by an
internal standard, by feelings,
00:46:19.44\00:46:22.74
and by emotions, and by our
reasoning, and by our thinking,
00:46:22.78\00:46:26.08
by our mind, instead
of going by what God says,
00:46:26.11\00:46:29.45
is a dangerous endeavor.
00:46:29.48\00:46:31.32
Some Christians say, well, I
go by what the Holy Spirit says
00:46:31.35\00:46:35.72
inside of me. Do we need to
check out the voice of the Holy
00:46:35.76\00:46:42.06
Spirit? Yes. Do you know
that someone came to me once.
00:46:42.10\00:46:46.70
It was a church member, not from
here but from another place.
00:46:46.74\00:46:51.04
He says to me, Pastor I've been
praying to the Lord to reveal
00:46:51.07\00:46:56.08
to me whether I
should separate from my wife,
00:46:56.11\00:46:58.25
and marry this other woman.
00:46:58.78\00:47:00.12
I looked at him and
I said, Has your wife
00:47:01.98\00:47:03.92
been unfaithful to you? No.
00:47:03.95\00:47:07.02
Does she mistreat you? No.
00:47:09.09\00:47:12.33
So why would you
want to separate from her?
00:47:12.36\00:47:15.20
Well, because I
don't love her anymore.
00:47:15.23\00:47:18.47
So I looked at him and I said,
Listen, don't bother to pray
00:47:18.50\00:47:25.01
anymore, because the Holy
Spirit isn't going to tell you
00:47:25.04\00:47:30.55
to separate from you wife
and marry this other woman
00:47:30.58\00:47:33.85
when the Bible says that
the only reason for divorce
00:47:33.88\00:47:36.28
and remarriage is adultery.
00:47:36.32\00:47:37.69
See, God gives you the standard.
00:47:37.72\00:47:40.06
Don't follow your
heart, follow what God says.
00:47:40.09\00:47:43.79
Don't follow your
mind, follow what God says.
00:47:43.83\00:47:48.00
In fact Jesus said in John
14: 15, 16, He says very clearly
00:47:48.03\00:47:54.80
there, If you love me,
keep my commandments, and I will
00:47:54.84\00:48:01.24
pray to the Father and He
will give you another counselor.
00:48:01.28\00:48:04.61
Now do you see
the sequence there?
00:48:04.65\00:48:06.98
First it's loving Jesus.
00:48:07.02\00:48:09.28
He says, If you
love Me you will what?
00:48:09.32\00:48:11.92
You will keep my commandments,
and if you love Me and keep My
00:48:11.95\00:48:16.39
commandments, I will pray to
the Father and He will give you
00:48:16.42\00:48:21.06
another counselor. And what
is the name of that counselor?
00:48:21.10\00:48:23.73
It is the Holy Spirit.
00:48:23.77\00:48:25.50
The Holy Spirit was never meant
to take the place of obedience.
00:48:25.53\00:48:29.60
1 John says, He who says I
know Him, and does not keep His
00:48:29.64\00:48:36.24
commandments is a liar.
00:48:36.28\00:48:39.05
1 John 5:3 says, this is the
love of God, that we keep His
00:48:39.08\00:48:47.72
commandments. And then he goes
on to say, and His commandments
00:48:47.76\00:48:51.59
are not grievous, and they're
not burdensome, in other words.
00:48:51.63\00:48:57.00
You know, only the unregenerate
man looks upon the commandments
00:48:57.03\00:49:01.37
as being grievous, and a
heavy load, and a burden.
00:49:01.40\00:49:04.67
Those who love Jesus will
delight to do the will of God.
00:49:04.71\00:49:09.48
In fact, in Psalm 40:8
Jesus says, in a prophecy
00:49:09.51\00:49:14.42
that is given before His birth,
I delight to do Your will.
00:49:14.45\00:49:18.29
Your law is written where?
00:49:18.32\00:49:20.89
Your law is written in my heart.
00:49:20.92\00:49:24.56
So Satan's third method is to
lead us to follow our reasoning,
00:49:24.59\00:49:29.00
our logic, our mind, our
heart, an internal standard,
00:49:29.03\00:49:34.77
instead of following what
God says in His Holy Word.
00:49:34.80\00:49:40.24
Now we need to move on to
the devil's fourth method.
00:49:40.28\00:49:42.78
Go with me to Genesis 3 again,
and I want to read verse 6.
00:49:42.81\00:49:49.38
Let me ask you, are
her senses involved here?
00:50:12.54\00:50:14.91
What is she following here?
00:50:14.94\00:50:17.68
She's following her senses.
00:50:17.71\00:50:20.48
She sees that the
fruit looks luscious.
00:50:20.52\00:50:25.09
She takes the fruit,
she touches the fruit.
00:50:25.12\00:50:28.92
She's hearing what
the serpent is saying.
00:50:28.96\00:50:33.23
She even tastes the fruit.
00:50:33.26\00:50:37.53
The devil's fourth method is to
lead us to follow the testimony
00:50:37.57\00:50:41.84
of our senses: our eyes,
our ears, our touch, instead of
00:50:41.87\00:50:49.04
strictly doing what God
has said in His Holy Word.
00:50:49.08\00:50:52.75
And we have many
examples of this in scripture.
00:50:52.78\00:50:56.08
You know, we have the example
of Sampson you can read in
00:50:56.12\00:51:00.26
Judges 14:2, 3. You
know he says to his parents,
00:51:00.29\00:51:03.49
I want this woman from Timnath.
00:51:03.53\00:51:05.59
It wasn't Delilah. It
was another Philistine woman.
00:51:05.63\00:51:08.76
Sampson had this problem.
00:51:08.80\00:51:09.90
He said, I want her.
00:51:09.93\00:51:11.10
The parents say, don't you
think you should get a Hebrew?
00:51:11.13\00:51:13.50
He says, Oh no, get her for me
for she's pleasant to my eyes.
00:51:13.54\00:51:17.47
Since when are
your eyes a good guide?
00:51:17.51\00:51:20.88
That's a big mistake that
many young people make today.
00:51:22.68\00:51:24.85
They go by what their eyes
say instead of going by what
00:51:24.88\00:51:29.22
God says in His Holy Word.
00:51:29.25\00:51:31.12
What a contrast with Joseph.
00:51:31.15\00:51:35.96
He sees this beautiful woman.
00:51:35.99\00:51:37.36
You can read it in Genesis 39:9.
00:51:37.39\00:51:39.86
You know, he could have
gone by what his eyes said,
00:51:39.89\00:51:42.36
and by what his ears said,
because she really talked sweet.
00:51:42.40\00:51:45.37
You can read it
there in Genesis 39.
00:51:45.40\00:51:48.04
He could have said,
wow, this is amazing,
00:51:48.07\00:51:49.84
and could have gone after her.
00:51:49.87\00:51:51.07
But what did Joseph say?
00:51:51.11\00:51:52.84
He says, How can I commit
this terrible sin against God?
00:51:52.87\00:52:01.85
What was the standard
of behavior for Joseph?
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It was what? It was obeying
the will of God as revealed
00:52:04.82\00:52:12.69
in His law, as
revealed in His Word.
00:52:12.73\00:52:17.27
Then, of course, you
have the story of David.
00:52:17.30\00:52:20.04
It says, He went out onto the
balcony of the palace one day,
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and he was looking out,
and he sees this woman bathing.
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She was naked.
00:52:24.81\00:52:26.37
He should have turned away
immediately, but he followed
00:52:26.41\00:52:31.15
the testimony of his eyes.
00:52:31.18\00:52:33.68
And this eventually
led to the act of adultery.
00:52:33.72\00:52:36.89
And it led to the act of murder.
00:52:36.92\00:52:40.02
Because he followed
the testimony of his senses
00:52:40.06\00:52:43.53
instead of
following the Word of God.
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You see, the Bible says that
we live by faith, not by sight.
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All of the Hebrew heroes
that are found in Hebrews 11,
00:52:51.70\00:52:58.61
lived by the Word of God, even
when logic told them that it
00:52:58.64\00:53:02.31
was ridiculous to do so.
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For example, God tells Noah,
I'm going to send a flood to
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the world. Build me a boat.
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It had never rained!
00:53:08.18\00:53:09.58
We're going to study about
Noah in a couple of lectures.
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God says, build a boat, because
I'm going to make it rain.
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Rain? What's that Lord?
00:53:16.06\00:53:17.29
He didn't know what rain was.
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And yet God said, I'm
going to flood the world.
00:53:19.83\00:53:22.66
Noah believed what God said,
even though he could not see
00:53:22.70\00:53:27.27
the rain. He'd
never seen the rain.
00:53:27.30\00:53:28.74
He'd never heard rain.
00:53:28.77\00:53:30.04
And he built the boat
because he trusted God.
00:53:30.07\00:53:33.51
God told
Abraham, Leave your land.
00:53:33.54\00:53:36.38
I'm going to take
you to another land.
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You don't know where I'm taking
you yet, but just obey Me.
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Abraham left. God told Moses,
I want you to lead the children
00:53:39.78\00:53:44.69
of Israel out of Egypt, and
not stay and become the next
00:53:44.72\00:53:49.42
Pharaoh, and have all of
the riches, the pyramids,
00:53:49.46\00:53:52.23
and all of the
fame in the world.
00:53:52.26\00:53:53.60
I want you to go out with
these people who are going to
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criticize your every move, who
are going to want to kill you.
00:53:55.76\00:53:58.23
You'll have to put up
with heat and with snakes,
00:53:58.27\00:54:00.54
with lack of water,
and all of these things.
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If Moses had gone by
what his senses told him,
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he would have
fallen in a minute.
00:54:07.21\00:54:08.61
But Moses
obeyed the Word of God.
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In other words, faith
means obeying what God says
00:54:11.51\00:54:16.02
implicitly, no matter what.
00:54:16.05\00:54:18.52
Now we need to go
to our last method.
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It's found in Genesis 3:6.
00:54:22.69\00:54:25.76
We won't have a lot of
time to deal with this one.
00:54:25.79\00:54:28.83
It says in Genesis 3:6, So when
the woman saw that the tree was
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good for food, and that
it was pleasant to the eyes,
00:54:34.60\00:54:38.41
and a tree to be
desired to make one wise,...
00:54:38.44\00:54:42.08
Now notice this.
00:54:42.11\00:54:43.14
...she took of
its fruit and ate.
00:54:43.18\00:54:44.68
She also gave to her
husband with her and he ate.
00:54:44.71\00:54:49.18
Do you know what the final
method of deception of Satan is?
00:54:49.22\00:54:54.19
Using people to
tempt other people.
00:54:54.22\00:54:58.13
The devil did not
tempt Adam directly.
00:55:01.20\00:55:05.10
He tempted Eve. And, by the
way, 1 Timothy 2:14 says that
00:55:05.13\00:55:10.47
Eve was deceived.
Adam was not deceived.
00:55:10.51\00:55:12.71
Adam knew that Eve had done
wrong, but he could not stand
00:55:12.74\00:55:18.48
the idea of living
without Eve, so he gave in
00:55:18.51\00:55:21.78
to the peer pressure.
00:55:21.82\00:55:22.95
The devil's last method
is the method of using people
00:55:22.98\00:55:28.22
to pressure us into committing
wrong acts, as he used Eve
00:55:28.26\00:55:36.00
to tempt Adam. That's why Jesus
says, Anyone who loves father or
00:55:36.03\00:55:41.70
Mother more than
Me, is not worthy of Me.
00:55:41.74\00:55:44.24
And He says the day is coming
when one's enemies will be those
00:55:44.27\00:55:49.31
of his own household.
00:55:49.34\00:55:50.81
So if we give in by pressure
or pulls, or the majority,
00:55:52.81\00:55:56.58
we're going to be
on the wrong side.
00:55:56.62\00:55:59.19
We have to trust God.
00:55:59.22\00:56:02.59
So we have the devil's five
methods revealed in Genesis:
00:56:02.62\00:56:09.03
Counterfeit signs and
wonders, misusing and abusing
00:56:09.06\00:56:14.40
the Word of God, leading
us to follow the testimony
00:56:14.44\00:56:18.21
of our senses, leading us to
follow the logic of our mind,
00:56:18.24\00:56:23.41
and follow the feeling of
our hearts, and our intuitions,
00:56:23.45\00:56:27.12
and using people to tempt
other people into doing evil.
00:56:27.15\00:56:33.29
Do you know what
Eve should have done?
00:56:33.32\00:56:35.19
She should have said, Listen,
what you say sounds logical.
00:56:35.22\00:56:40.20
I didn't know
that snakes could talk.
00:56:40.23\00:56:43.06
The fruit looks delicious.
00:56:43.10\00:56:45.77
There's only one problem
and that is that God has said,
00:56:47.40\00:56:51.74
Don't eat, and we live
by every word that proceeds
00:56:51.77\00:56:58.65
out of the mouth of God.
00:56:58.68\00:57:01.25
Folks our only protection
in the end time is going to be
00:57:01.28\00:57:07.02
to read the Word,
understand the Word,
00:57:07.06\00:57:10.19
and live by the Word of God.
00:57:10.23\00:57:14.50
We cannot trust miracles.
00:57:14.56\00:57:16.40
We cannot trust other's
interpretations of scripture.
00:57:16.43\00:57:20.84
We cannot trust our senses.
00:57:20.87\00:57:22.60
We cannot trust our reason.
00:57:22.64\00:57:24.04
We cannot trust
others; only the Word of God.
00:57:24.07\00:57:27.68