Guarding Against Deception: The Power of Truth
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The coming of the Lawless one, the man of lawlessness, is according to the working of Satan. So part of the mystery of lawlessness is that Satan is deeply involved behind what is happening in the world as lawlessness increases, according to the working of Satan with all power and with signs and wonders in the service of a lie. [00:02:21]
The aim of Satan is always, as from the beginning, to get us to believe a lie. These powers, these signs, these wonders are of the lie. I translated it in the service of a lie because I think that's what wonders of a lie, signs of a lie, power of the lie mean. They're all in the service to get us to believe. [00:03:10]
First, he wants us to believe that there's no law, no law in the universe. I don't have to be subject to anybody's law. Second, he wants us to believe that the Lawless one is God. I do have to go back a few verses just to get that. Remember, the Lawless one exalts himself against every so-called God and object of worship. [00:04:02]
The third lie he wants us to believe is that truth is not worth loving. They did not welcome the love of the truth. We often think of Truth as something to be known or believed, and Paul is going to talk about it. The love of the truth is what has died. This lie here is not just the truth is false but the truth is worthless. [00:05:01]
The deception of unrighteousness is that unrighteousness is more pleasurable than the way of Truth. Look at this: in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So the LIE is, oh, it is so much more pleasurable than mere submission to the truth or walking in the paths of the truth. [00:05:43]
Satan is the arch liar in almost every way you can imagine. So we are to be on guard because all these signs, all these wonders, all this power will make lots of things look plausible in the service of that lie. Then look at the word all here. Lawless one comes in accord with the working of Satan with all power and all deception. [00:06:43]
The point is you better not play with this fire. You will get burned if you think you can stand against the allness of the devil. I mean, the allness of God is bigger, way bigger, but the allness of the devil is bigger than you and me, and so we don't play fast and loose with it. The devil is going to pull out all the stops of power. [00:08:00]
If Satan pulls out all the stops of power and all the steps of deception, only one thing's going to save us: we are elect, and God won't let it happen. One more thing to look at: what is that phrase right there mean? Is that of unrighteousness? With all deception of unrighteousness, it's an interesting phrase translated sometimes Wicked deception. [00:09:15]
It's the deception that unrighteousness is going to make you happier. It's going to bring greater pleasure. In fact, when you think about it, deception in Paul's understanding is most deeply an issue of the affections, not most deeply an issue of the mind being tricked, but rather the valuing function of our hearts being tricked. [00:10:23]
Our desires have been deceived so that we love unrighteousness. We have pleasure in unrighteousness. A person that loves unrighteousness is in a state of affectional deception. So deception of unrighteousness here is that unrighteousness by the power of Satan is made to feel better, and that convinces the mind that it is better. [00:11:13]
Next time we get at this issue of Love of the truth, that's what we've been talking about here, deep issues not just of the mind but of the capacities of the human heart to take pleasure either in Truth by loving it or in unrighteousness. [00:12:01]
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The aim of Satan is always, as from the beginning, to get us to believe a lie. These powers, these signs, these wonders are of the lie. I translated it in the service of a lie because I think that's what wonders of a lie, signs of a lie, power of the lie mean. They're all in the service to get us to believe. [00:03:10]
First, he wants us to believe that there's no law, no law in the universe. I don't have to be subject to anybody's law. Second, he wants us to believe that the Lawless one is God. I do have to go back a few verses just to get that. Remember, the Lawless one exalts himself against every so-called God and object of worship. [00:04:02]
The third lie he wants us to believe is that truth is not worth loving. They did not welcome the love of the truth. We often think of Truth as something to be known or believed, and Paul is going to talk about it. The love of the truth is what has died. This lie here is not just the truth is false but the truth is worthless. [00:05:01]
The deception of unrighteousness is that unrighteousness is more pleasurable than the way of Truth. Look at this: in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So the LIE is, oh, it is so much more pleasurable than mere submission to the truth or walking in the paths of the truth. [00:05:43]
Satan is the arch liar in almost every way you can imagine. So we are to be on guard because all these signs, all these wonders, all this power will make lots of things look plausible in the service of that lie. Then look at the word all here. Lawless one comes in accord with the working of Satan with all power and all deception. [00:06:43]
The point is you better not play with this fire. You will get burned if you think you can stand against the allness of the devil. I mean, the allness of God is bigger, way bigger, but the allness of the devil is bigger than you and me, and so we don't play fast and loose with it. The devil is going to pull out all the stops of power. [00:08:00]
If Satan pulls out all the stops of power and all the steps of deception, only one thing's going to save us: we are elect, and God won't let it happen. One more thing to look at: what is that phrase right there mean? Is that of unrighteousness? With all deception of unrighteousness, it's an interesting phrase translated sometimes Wicked deception. [00:09:15]
It's the deception that unrighteousness is going to make you happier. It's going to bring greater pleasure. In fact, when you think about it, deception in Paul's understanding is most deeply an issue of the affections, not most deeply an issue of the mind being tricked, but rather the valuing function of our hearts being tricked. [00:10:23]
Our desires have been deceived so that we love unrighteousness. We have pleasure in unrighteousness. A person that loves unrighteousness is in a state of affectional deception. So deception of unrighteousness here is that unrighteousness by the power of Satan is made to feel better, and that convinces the mind that it is better. [00:11:13]
Next time we get at this issue of Love of the truth, that's what we've been talking about here, deep issues not just of the mind but of the capacities of the human heart to take pleasure either in Truth by loving it or in unrighteousness. [00:12:01]
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