the false prophet

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Ever have something go wrong in your life? The devil is always ready to prey upon you in those times. Just about the time something goes wrong, you hear a thought creep within saying God brought this on me. or, God allowed this because of what I did. Then he suddenly reminds you of some instance you disobeyed God or neglected to do something God was leading you to do or to stop doing. Condemnation is the game of Satan and he plays it well. If you were to say No, I’ve never had that happen, then you would be the only person I have ever met that didn’t.

If Satan is anything, he is a liar, an accuser, and a deceiver. His goal is always to deceive you into thinking God is mad at you, against you, and allowing negative experiences to hurt you. Let me show you this truth through scripture. Jesus while speaking of Satan says, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Satan has a master plan of attack that never changes. It is to deceive as much of mankind concerning God and God’s nature as possible. His ultimate goal? To eventually deceive mankind into waging war against God. Until the very end of the last days, Satan is and will work in the earth to accomplish this task. You might think, How does he wage this war? He does it in this way. First, he promotes false religion—anything outside of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Secondly, he promotes deception causing strife and division—getting people to hate each other. Thirdly, he promotes a literal war against God. You may ask, How can he promote a war against God whom we can’t see? He will do that by promoting a war against Israel. A war against Israel is a war against God.

In the last days, he will work to turn many of the nations against Israel and entice them to war surrounding Israel to destroy her. This is where Jesus will finally deal with Satan.

Satan will manifest himself through a person he possesses that scripture calls “the beast” also known as the anti-Christ and through one called “the false prophet.” They will be two human beings that Satan possesses and uses to draw the kings and world leaders into a war against Israel. When that happens, Jesus will literally come on a white horse with His angelic hosts of Heaven and His saints and He will defeat “the beast” and the “false prophet”—casting them and Satan into the lake of fire and the bottomless pit.

We read this in Rev. 19:11-20 (NLT) “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For He judges fairly and then goes to war. His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him, and only He knew what it meant. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From His mouth came a sharp sword, and with it he struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod, and He trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God. On His robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords…Then I saw the beast gathering the kings of the earth and their armies in order to fight against the one sitting on the horse and His army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the white horse…”

Rev. 20:1-2 (NLT) “Then I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, the Devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years…”

Okay. You are probably wondering, why did I tell you all this? I told you all this to amplify that Satan is a deceiver. He is the deceiver of the earth. He is against you. Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way. He is for you. When something bad happens, Satan, the deceiver will tell you, God is doing this to you because you blew it. It’s a lie. God loves you and is always working to draw you closer to Him and wants to help you in every area of your life. It takes our faith in this truth for that to happen. Jesus responds to faith!

Jesus already paid the price for your sin. It is His love that draws you. God’s will is to bless you. Your faith, which draws His blessing, will never be any greater than your steadfast belief that God is for you! That is why it’s critical for you to know God is for you. It is in having that assurance of His love that leads you to run to Him and not from Him. That assurance destroys Satan’s lie that God has produced something bad in your life. When you believe in God’s unfailing love, then you will become one that believes and does this: Isaiah 63:7 NIV “I will mention the loving kindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, and according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses.” You will because you will experience it first hand!

We are in the last days. Satan is out to confuse you, deceive you, steal from your life, and if possible destroy it. Avoid deception by living wholeheartedly for the Lord. But if you do blow it, run to God and be humble, honest, and repent. Do not make it worse by running from God. He is for you! Hold fast to that truth and cling to it. He is not hurling trouble and hardship at you! Know this and run to Him. Ask Him to help you and bless you! That is His will for your life and that will never change. Even in these last days, He loves you and desires to take you down His right path and bless you. You need to know that in the midst of this very deceived and confused world!

And finally, you need to hear God’s voice and hear it often. You’ll hear it through reading His Word. Far too many Christians have lost this sacred and essential discipline and forsaken it. If that’s you, tell God you are sorry and start reading the Bible again asking Him to speak to you through it! Also, don’t be an unchurched Christian! Many have gotten offended or too busy because of a lack of management of their time, and have stopped going. Find a good Bible-teaching church and get in it. At the very least, watch a good church service online! God will also speak into your life through your Pastor. And then get in fellowship with other Christians living wholeheartedly for God. He will speak through them into your life.

You might ask, is all this really critical? The answer is yes! Satan is good at deception and you’ve been deceived in your past. We are in the last days and Satan will work steadfastly to try to get you to succumb to worldly and fleshly impulses and lusts. You know what I mean. He wants to take you to Hell. God wants to strengthen you and help you be a light and an influence in this dark world. That’s your path so get on it and do so now! The end is coming!

Psalms 23:5 (NLT) “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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