“There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.”
J. R. R. Tolkein, Fellowship of the Ring
My dad was a master at the psychological side of game playing. No matter what game it was, from basketball to badminton, and chess to Parcheesi, he would always look me in the eyes and say, “This will be like taking candy from a baby.” Oh, it made me so mad! But he knew what he was doing if he could fluster his competition he instantly gained the upper hand.
In conversation, he also liked playing the role of the Devil’s advocate. If I or my siblings had an opinion he believed was not well thought out he would instantly take the other side of the argument. His objective was to get us thinking clearly. He wanted us to stand up for ourselves, and to prepare us for a world that would not always be agreeable or acceptable to our ideas. He knew there was an inherent animosity to biblical teaching and the Christian worldview, so he would challenge us to make sure we really believed what we believed.
He didn’t want us to be suckers, those who would fall for anything. So he figured the best way to do that was to learn to stand for something. The difficulty with the role of the Devil’s advocate is that you can really get some people mad.
People like to think their ideas are well thought out. And if you challenge their reasoning or the consequences of their reasoning, offense is quickly taken. That is why it is speculated that the famous philosopher Socrates had to drink Hemlock, he asked too many provocative questions. This irritated the higher-ups. But what if the higher-ups were wrong?
And what if the higher-ups are influenced by the Devil himself? They will quickly want to shut down the inquisitive thinkers because it may expose the evil schemes being perpetrated on the innocent and ignorant. I think my dad played the Devil’s advocate so when the Devil tried to play us as suckers his voice would be clear as a bell. Listen to 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, this is my next passage for Sunday – kind of scary!!!.
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
Three things must be noted because they are currently in play in our current everyday thinking:
(1) Satan has power, real power to deceive. Yes, scripture makes it clear that Satan is alive. And not only that he has real power. If you don’t believe me, check out his abilities in the book of Job 1:12-19: he can send fire from heaven, he can control winds, and he can influence mobs of raiding rebels. In this passage found in 2 Thessalonians, he can also play the role of miracle worker. He has always been jealous of Jesus and wants to do what he can do. This means he can play tricks on our sight and senses. He has the ability to do amazing things! We live in a society right now that is set up to fall for his masterful performances. Isn’t it obvious how digital images have more power over our minds than reading, studying and actual conversations with real people? We are begging to be fooled.
(2) But the reason they are fooled is they want to be fooled. In Romans 1:18-32 Paul talks about how people suppress or push down the truth. They are given it and they don’t want it. The reason they don’t want it is because truth has demands and expectations. Truth doesn’t bend to people’s personal whims. So people instead, to get what they want, would rather ignore and suppress it than live by it. And if you point out that someone is wrong they act offended. It is the easiest way to ignore what is clearly staring you in the face. Or, of course, they will call you names. I was called a misogynist this past week simply because I claim to be a Christian. Isn’t that funny how people who follow the one who died for all women are said to hate women? But Muslims and Atheists, they are given a pass. Satan loves making us look stupid.
(3) God sends them a delusion. Here is where a person becomes an absolute, full-fledged, sucker. If a person rejects the truth all that is left is for them to buy into lies. Yesterday I posted an article about the perilous transgendered movement and how it is starting to harm and ravage our children. Listen to this quote, “Here, children as young as twelve are going onto cross-sex hormones, which are sterilizing. Girls as young as 13 have had healthy breasts removed. Boys as young as 15 have been castrated and had their penises inverted. A surgeon who specializes in sex-change surgeries has warned of this “wild West” of surgery where “cowboy clinicians” set up shop and “suck people in.” How many children are having such drastic interventions? We don’t know because those in power are asleep at the wheel.” We are warped, deluded, sick and we are not saying anything anymore.
Satan’s use of deceit is quite a powerful tool, and yet, it is very easy to detect. All he does is change definitions. If he can soften labels on the certain sin it will no longer sound audacious. Fornication is now “friends with benefits”, adultery is a romantic affair, murder is choice. See how easy!
In the Bible God wants us to confess our sin. Confession is allowing God to define and label things. But confession also is agreeing with him on how he feels about it too. What breaks his heart should break ours. What actions he says destroys healthy, beauty and life we should agree with….but that is no longer the case even in most Christian circles.
People are called affirming now if they don’t say anything about the LGBTQ confusion. They are a compassionate person when they say everyone is a victim. And they are fair-minded when they say all other faiths have a salvific legitimacy to them. When will someone stand up and tell the truth that God warns Satan’s deceit destroys lives?
Well, that is your job. Be the Devil’s advocate with others so they will be able to once again hear the voice of the Devil before it is too late. Just be careful, you may be forced to drink some Hemlock, but don’t worry it tastes just like Red Bull.
