Deception

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:9)  “And he became Satan, yea even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will.” (Moses 4:4)

To lie and deceive is one of Satan’s greatest tools.  One he uses very effectively. We see examples all around us today.  It requires obedience to God, the Spirit, the word of God and discernment to cut through the lies and find the truth that makes us free.  Satan presents himself as the God of this world and as the only Begotten (Moses 1:19) whenever he can.  It is interesting that the serpent is actually a true symbol for the Savior (Numbers 21:8).  One wonders if Satan usurped this symbol in approaching Eve to pass himself off as the only Begotten.

We live in a world filled with deceptions from the blackest of lies to all shades of gray to almost white.  It is the latter ones that are more difficult to detect, those which contain a lie amidst much truth.  It is in this category that we often find the philosophies of men mingled with scripture.

Recently an LDS friend recommended a book to me called It’s Your Time:  Activate  your Faith, Achieve your Dreams, Increase in God’s Favor by Joel Osteen.  The internet reviews I checked gave an average of 4.5 of 5 stars on over 300,000 reader reviews.  Joel boasts he is America’s #1 preacher with an audience of 45,000 weekly at his church in Houston.  He preaches a “gospel of success”.  His book is full of false doctrine.  Sure it sounds good and has some inspiring stories and has a form of godliness, but it is full of the “philosophies of men mingled with scripture”.

Mr. Osteen brings a message “from God” in the name of Christ, but it is a false message.  I cannot think of a more serious way to take the name of the Lord in vain than that.  Unless, he repents I believe he will be among those at the last day who cry “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? … and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matt 7:22).

Nor is this problem limited to those outside the church.  This problem finds its way into the church as well.  I recently found on the internet a fireside given by Dr. David Cohen to a group in St. George in 2007.  The fireside was about the Second Coming.  Dr. Cohen claims to be a descendant of Aaron who was raised by his father, a Jewish Rabbi who later converted to the Church.  I want to quote to you a portion of the fireside from the beginning:  “We’re going to feast on the word of God tonight.  And you’re going to be blessed.  I promise you, you’re going to leave this fireside and you are going to be glad you attended it.  The Lord is going to bless you for your faith.”  He then gives a talk about the Adamic language, the Lord’s calendar and why our dates are wrong, and the events that will lead up to the second coming.  (He has also published an expanded book upon these topics in 2009)  By the second or third page of this fireside talk, I thought this guy is full of crap.  The spirit did NOT witness that it was true, to the contrary, while some of it seemed reasonable, it is full of false doctrine.  

Towards the end of the talk, he makes a wild prophecy.  Again, I quote: “On September 22^nd 2011 there is going to be a Betel Jeuce Super Nova….It just so happens that Orion, on the Fall Equinox, rises at midnight.  Can you imagine what the world is going to say, when on September 22^nd, at midnight, 2011, it lights up at midnight as if it is dawn.  They are going to think it is the Second Coming.”  Oops, sorry Dr. Cohen looks like that one didn’t happen!  Keep in mind though this fireside was given in 2007.  If you had been in the audience you should have known in 2007 that it wasn’t going to happen because of all of the false doctrine he taught before these outrageous claims and by the absence of the spirit from that meeting.  The absence of the Spirit didn't seem to slow or impede Dr. Cohen, however, in the least.  He finishes by stating, “Now if you haven’t been filled tonight, I don’t know what else to talk about.  The spirit has been very strong tonight.  I’m really impressed with your responses.  I can tell that you’re in tune and that you’re following the promptings of the spirit.”  The admonition that we should not teach if we don't have the Spirit (D&C 42:14) does not deter those guilty of priestcraft and those who attempt to build themselves up rather than lead souls to Christ.

Obviously the Cohen example is extreme, but there are false doctrines taught in the church frequently and at all levels of the church.  The recent best-seller, Odds are You’re Going to be Exalted, by Alonzo Gaskill is a great example of a book that was commissioned by and promoted by Deseret Book but which teaches false doctrine, contradicts the scriptures and merely repackages some of historic Christianity’s creeds and Calvanistic notions in modern LDS clothing.  Creeds which the Lord told Joseph Smith were “an abomination in his sight” (JSH 1:19).  Yet here they are today being marketed by Desert Book.

So where is the harm in all of this?  We act and make decisions based upon our beliefs.  To be deceived is to believe something is true that is not true.  Herein lies the rub and why deception is so dangerous.  We don’t know that we are deceived.  We don’t know that the “truth” we believe is actually false and in error.  We then base our actions upon this belief, which causes our actions to be in error as well.  Consequences follow.   If Satan can blind us with his lies, he can lead us to destruction (1 Nephi 15:24).  This is why lying and deceiving is one of his primary tools.  He and his minions are very practiced and very skilled.

Wherein is our hope?  In obtaining truth for ourselves.

Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more… (2 Nephi 30:18)

In a future, millennial day truth will be commonplace and cover the earth.  It will all be revealed, and Satan will have no more power.  His lies will have no more influence in the face of this truth.  He will be “cast out” because he can no longer deceive. 

We needn't wait, in fact we cannot wait, for that future millennial day.  This can happen for us individually much sooner.  As we gather enough truth and light and conform our lives to it, Satan’s influence over us ends.  Once we rise above the telestial world that surrounds us and reach a terrestrial state, Satan will be cast out of our lives.  We can join the ranks of those who are sanctified enough that they can only look upon sin with abhorrence.  It has no power over their hearts and no appeal to them.

God has given us two great tools to avoid being deceived.  The first is the scriptures.  It is the rod against which all else should be measured.  If we hearken and hold fast to the word of God we will not be blinded or overcome (1 Nephi 15:24).  The second part of the measuring rod is the Holy Ghost.  By its power we “may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5)  Anything that contradicts the scriptures or the Holy Ghost is not a true message regardless of its source.