If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin. The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLV)
Welcome back, my dear friend. As I closed last month’s study, I prayed that I had laid a solid foundation concerning “Sin” in your mind. It’s important for you to remember that we naturally do corrupt things because we are naturally corrupt people. This is the essence of what it means to be fallen. Let’s now dive back into God’s Word and learn how Satan uses your sinful mindset to preach an alternative gospel — The Gospel of Satan.
Before we begin, let me clarify for you who all has a sinful nature. You’ll quickly find out that you are in excellent company when it comes to those who have or had a sinful nature.
Every individual you read about in God’s Word had a sinful nature, everyone: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, King Solemn, Ester and Ruth, the entire Jewish nation, Joseph and Mary, all twelve disciples and even the apostle Paul.
Let’s bring it back to today. Every leader of every nation or country around the world has a sinful nature. Every leader of every man-made religion along with all of their priests, pastors, ministers, rabbis, nuns, lay leaders, and choir directors all have the same sinful nature as you and me. All of the business leaders of the world’s largest corporations have a sinful nature. All of the heads of any media outlet (television, radio, film, newspapers and the internet) have a sinful nature. All of the military leaders of every nation or country and their troops have a sinful nature. Everyone that is living now and all that have passed away have or had a sinful nature. I think I’ve pretty much covered everyone. If I did miss mentioning someone, yes they have a sinful nature too.
The world’s population stands at 7.5 billion. If you can believe statistics, they tell us that there are 2 billion Christians around the world, or 26.6% of the total population. That leaves 5.5 billion following Satan’s gospel in one form or another. Now do you understand what is at stake for Satan and his minions? This is why they work so hard to keep the Good News hidden.
Let’s spend a few moments to understand who this angel Satan truly is.
- Personal Names Attributed to him.
- Thirty-five times he is called “The Devil,” which means “The Accuser” or “Slanderer” — accusing the saints before God and criticizing the character of God before men.
- Fifty-two times he is called “Satan,” which means “Enemy” or “Adversary.” He is God’s enemy and man’s adversary.
- “Satan” refers to his character: the malignant Adversary of all good —in God or His creatures.
- “Devil” refers to his mode of carrying out his evil designs: by lying, slanders, false accusations, evil misrepresentation.
- He is termed “The Prince of this world” (John 14:30), which defines his position in relation to our earth.
- He is named “Beelzebub” (Matt 12:27), which regards him as the head of the demons.
- He is spoken of as the “Wicked One” (Matt 13:19) which refers to him as the prime mover of all wickedness.
- He is styled “Apollyon,” that is “Destroyer” (Rev 9:11), which links him with the Bottomless Pit.
- He is referred to as “The Prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), which points to his present home and sphere of operations
- He is called “The god of this world” (II Cor 4:4) because he is the inspirer and director of all false religions.
- He is termed “Liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44) because he is the hardened opposer of the truth.
- However, with all of these vile and disgusting descriptions of Satan’s personal attributes, there is one attribute he really doesn’t want you to know about. I believe it is his most destructive and deceptive attribute of all.
It is no surprise! The devil makes himself look like an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLV)
From the beginning of our youth we were taught that Satan wore a red suit, cared a large pitchfork and had a long tail and that he ruled over the lost in Hell. He was the boogeyman who lurked around at night trying to catch and eat us. He roamed the earth bringing disease and destruction wherever he desired.
Let’s step back and think about those descriptions. If they were true, and some are, wouldn’t we be able to see who he was and resist following him and his Gospel? Before I explain my thoughts to this question, let’s go a little deeper into his personal characteristics that go along with his attributes.
Personal Characteristics
Satan was created by God and given the same characteristics as you and me.
He has Intelligence: He uses this for deceptive activities.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)
He has a Memory: He knows the Bible forwards and backwards and always misquotes it to his advantage. When tempting Jesus in the wilderness, he always misquoted scripture to change its meaning.
and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Matthew 4:6 (NKJV)
He has Knowledge: He knows his time is short on earth.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” Revelation 12:12 (NLT)
He has a Will: His will is to be like the God who created him.
For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 4 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most-High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (NLT)
He Speaks with God: As our accuser in Heaven he constantly argues with God and “accuses” the believers here on earth of doing evil.
Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Job 1:9-11 (NLT)
Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Joshua. Zechariah 3:1 (NLT)
He has Emotions: He has the same emotions as you and me.
Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. Ezekiel 28:17 (TLB)
He has Leadership and Organizational Skills: He will raise up and lead the greatest army of all time for his final battle with the Lord.
When the thousand years’ end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations of the world and gather them together, with Gog and Magog, for battle—a mighty host, numberless as sand along the shore. Revelation 20:7-8 (TLB)
Now let’s remind ourselves of God’s description of Satan.
‘The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone—ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysotile, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald—all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14 (TLB)
With all of these descriptions regarding the attributes and characteristics of Satan, doesn’t the red suit and pitchfork sound a little silly? How about a disgusting and gross boogeyman? I don’t think so. Satan is not that stupid to use those approaches. Although he is delighted that the world believes those stories, which I’m quite sure he started.
Listen to the words of Jesus:
Jesus Teaches about the Light of the World
Jesus spoke to all the people, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will not walk in darkness. He will have the Light of Life.” John 8:12 (NLV)
Remember how the Bible described Satan?
It is no surprise! The devil makes himself look like an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLV)
Remember, Satan’s approach is to deceive through trickery and includes all the methods that would be part of that. It has to do with cunning and skill applied to no good purpose.
What better way for Satan to influence and blind the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ than by imitating Jesus Christ and implementing an alternative gospel? A gospel the meets the needs of and agrees with our sinful natures. Thus, let me introduce you to:
The Gospel of Satan
Christless Christianity
Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’
“The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’
“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’
“He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30 Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”
Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels. Matthew 13:24-29, 36-39 (ERV)
A.W. Pink describes Satan this way: “Satan is the arch–counterfeiter. As we have seen, the Devil is now busy at work in the same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the tares, which closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by a process of imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it imitates, multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it.”
In opposition to Jesus Christ, the Devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world who lead many astray.
- As I mentioned previously, the world’s population stands at 7.5 billion, statistics say that there are 2 billion professing Christians in the world, or 26.6% of the total population.
- That leaves 5.5 billion following Satan’s gospel in one form or another.
- Prov. 14:12 we read, “There is a way which looks right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
- This “way” which ends in “death” is the Devil’s Delusion — the gospel of Satan — a way of salvation by human attainment.
The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLV)
- The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age”) indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people.
- His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education and commerce.
- The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.
- Satan is also called the “prince of the power of the air.”
You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord. Ephesians 2:2 (TLB)
- Referring to Satan as the “prince of the power of the air” signifies that in some way he rules over the world and the people in it.
- This is not to say that he rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him.
- When the Bible says Satan has power over the world, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only.
- So, when the Bible says that Satan is the “god of this world,” it is not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way.
- Satan’s scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world —philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel.
- Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.
- Satan sets the agenda, the unbelieving world follows, and mankind continues to be deceived. It is no wonder that Scripture calls Satan a liar.
For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. John 8:44 (TLB)
- The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor program of anarchy.
- It does not promote strife and war, but aims at peace and unity.
- It seeks not seek to set the mother against her daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great “brotherhood.”
John Macarthur explains it this way.
“With the rise of postmodernism, our society has shifted toward moral relativism. Today, right and wrong, good and evil, are not defined in absolute terms but are viewed subjectively. Individuals and societies, not God, are seen as having the authority to determine what is wrong. A strong majority of people now believe that truth and morals are flexible and subjective, not fixed. And they have no interest in what Scripture says.”
He goes on to say that sin is an unpleasant subject. In our age of self-esteem and subjectivity, people do not like to think of themselves as evil. Millard Erickson notes, “To speak of humans as sinners is almost like screaming out a profanity or obscenity at a very formal, dignified, meeting, or even in church. It is forbidden. This general attitude is almost a new type of legalism, the major prohibition of which is, ‘You shall not speak anything negative.’”
- Satan’s gospel does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to “the best that is within us.”
- Satan’s gospel aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ’s absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed.
- Satan’s gospel endeavors to occupy man so much with this world that he has no time or inclination to think of the world to come.
- Satan’s gospel spreads the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to all.
- Satan’s gospel appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.
The apostles of Satan are not nightclub owners or mob bosses, but are for the most part ordained clergy.
- Thousands of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables.
- Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good.
- Instead of warning their hearers to “flee from the wrath to come,” they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment in hell.
- Instead of declaring that “without shedding of blood there is no remission for sin,” they merely hold up Christ as the great example and exhort their hearers to “follow in His steps.”
They have not known how God makes men right with Himself. Instead, they have tried to make their own way. They have not become right with God because they have not done what God said to do. Romans 10:3 (NLV)
Satan’s gospel may sound very believable and its aim may appear very praise-worthy, yet we read of them — God never sent those men at all; they are “phonies” who have fooled you into thinking they are Christ’s apostles. Yet I am not surprised! Satan can change himself into an angel of light, so it is no wonder his servants can do it too, and seem like godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (TLB)
God tells us in His Word
And if anyone’s name was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:15 (TLB)
- Satan would not be so foolish as to ignore the central figure of human history — the Lord Jesus Christ;
- On the contrary, his gospel acknowledges Him to be the best man that ever lived. Attention is drawn to His deeds of compassion and works of mercy, the beauty of His character and the excellence of His teaching.
If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin. The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLV)
- He blinds the minds of unbelievers through hiding the light of the Gospel of Christ, and he does this by substituting his own gospel. Appropriately is he designated “The Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world”
The dragon was thrown down to earth from heaven. This animal is the old snake. He is also called the Devil or Satan. He is the one who has fooled the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:9 (NLV)
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)
Satan’s gospel, which is salvation by works seems right in the eyes of man. One of our basic desires is to be in control of our own destiny, and that includes our eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to our pride and our desire to be in control.
Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone.
Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity.
God tells us in His Word
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His Mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5 (NKJV)
A more inaccurate form of Satan’s gospel is to move preachers to present the atoning sacrifice of Christ and then tell their hearers that all God requires from them is to “believe” in His Son.
- Thereby thousands of unrepentant souls are deluded into thinking that they have been saved. Why? Because they are taught that you only need to believe in Jesus with your mind and not your whole heart.
But the Apostle Paul tell us.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NLT)
- To “repent” is to hate sin, to sorrow over, to turn from it. It is the result of the Holy Spirit living inside every believer making the heart repentant before God.
The Narrow Way
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
So what is the narrow gate the Bible speaks of?
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)
Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures. John 10:9 (TLB)
So what is the wide gate that leads to a broad road and ultimately leads to destruction? You guessed it. The Gospel of Satan, which teaches nothing but, Christ-less Christianity.
When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God\’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people. Matthew 7:22-23 (GNT)
I love the way The Message paraphrases Matthew 7:22-23:
I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
“You’re out of here.” Can you imagine standing before our Lord Jesus Christ on the final judgement day, and Him calmly saying that to you? You have to feel sorry for those on judgment day who faithfully followed and believed the thousands of priests, pastors, ministers, rabbis, nuns, lay leaders and choir directors who occupy our modern churches and use their pulpits to no longer engage in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed to teaching Satan’s gospel, Christless Christianity.
Listen to the words of God’s Holly Scripture describing our future.
For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will carelessly follow their own misguided ideas. Timothy 4:3-4 (TLB)
Listen to Jesus’s warning to the religious leaders of His day.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the way for people to enter God’s kingdom. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop those who are trying to enter. Matthew 23:13 (NLV)
My dear friend, the same thing is going on today. Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature. Remember “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 4:12). Because of our sinful nature, salvation by works seems logically right to us, and why it is the predominantly held viewpoint around the world. This is why the road to Hell is so wide at the gate with a beautiful 1,000 lane highway paved with smooth pavement to make your journey to Hell enjoyable.
My friends you now know the alternative gospel being offered throughout the globe by Satan and his evil minions. It’s not a devil with a pitchfork, the boogeyman, or any of the horrible disaster movies made in Hollywood depicting Satan destroying everything in his path. It’s just Satan, an angel of light following Jesus in the same field (the world) in which the Lord is sowing the good seed, he’s planting his tares (untruths) alongside to prevent the growth of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
So why is the world literally and figuratively “going to hell in a hand basket”? Join me next month as I introduce you to the Common Grace of God and overlay your God given moral conscience on top of it. I am quite sure a very clear and frightening picture will begin to appear in your mind. You will clearly begin to understand the deceptive tactics Satan and his minions use to keep the world from the Good News of Jesus Christ. Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Writers note: I would like to acknowledge Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952) who was one of my main resources in writing this lesson.
We are not sinners because we sin.
We sin because we are sinners.
The Anatomy of Sin
⇐ What Is Sin? Pt. 2 | Satan\’s Second Greatest Deception: The \”You\” Factor ⇒
