Don't Be Deceived by the Enemy

Now, some of you might be surprised to know that years ago, in the great city of London, I used to preach regularly on the streets three times every week. Mainly at Speaker’s Corner, Marble Arch, which was a different place then from what it is now, believe me. It was a bear garden.

More than once, I was physically assaulted by people who didn’t approve of what I was preaching. But we saw many people come to the Lord. I mention that because there was a young man who had a dramatic conversion. His first name was Paul. He was saved on Sunday night, baptized in the Spirit on Tuesday night, and received the gift of prophecy on Thursday night. Well, in those days, that was something of a record.

But, after a while, he began to talk to me about ideas he was entertaining. And the more I heard, the less I liked it. He said, in effect, “Something tells me,” and then he would tell me these ideas. The more he spoke, the more I realized that he was passing on to me the teaching of Christian Science. But when I investigated, he himself had never studied Christian Science. So that was just the demon instilling that teaching into him. He did not remain faithful to the Lord. He was seduced into error.

So, I know that this happens. I mean, I’ve not seen it happen just in one life, but alas, I’ve seen it happen in many lives. It’s a reality that we have to deal with. And then again, I’d like to turn to Matthew 24. Some of you may not know that the prophecy that we had, or the interpretation that came earlier, was based on Matthew 24:14.

“This good news of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations.”

But if you look at the preceding verses, you discover it’s not going to be that easy.

“Then they shall deliver you,” you being us, “up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”

And then,

“Many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

Now, we’ve seen a little of that, maybe in this nation, but in some nations, in the Soviet Union, in China, and elsewhere, these are daily realities. They are happening now on a large scale.

Then it says,

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”

That, alas, is also happening. Almost every place where the New Testament speaks about the close of this age, the thing that it emphasizes most is the need to be on your guard against being deceived. And there is not one of us who is not in danger of being deceived. I’ve been a Christian now 48 years. I’ve never backslidden. I have served the Lord to the best of my ability. But by no means do I take it for granted that I could not be deceived.

People who rely on their own experience or their own intelligence are prime candidates for deception. There’s only really one safeguard. That is to be very humble with the Lord. Pride is the lever that opens the door to deception. Be on your guard against it. And then, in the same context, Jesus goes on to say,

“Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many,” many Christians, “will grow cold.”

And then He says,

“But he who has endured to the end will be saved.”

So there’s something to endure, you understand? It’s not idle talk. There’s persecution, there’s betrayal, there’s opposition, there’s deception, there’s lawlessness. And in the midst of all that, Jesus says,

“But if you’ve held out to the end, you will be saved.”

That doesn’t mean you’re not saved now, but it does mean to stay saved, you’ve got to endure. That’s, Jesus said,

“By your endurance purchase your souls.”

That’s the price of your soul is enduring. And then the next verse is,

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end of the age will come.”

What’s the final mark that the age is coming to an end? The proclaiming of the good news of the kingdom in all the world to all nations.

I say that because proclaiming the good news in all the world is not going to be an easy job. The pressures, the opposition, the dangers are increasing. But in the midst of all that, God is going to raise up a breed of Christians that will set their faces like flint and go through with the task. That’s the way I believe it.