The Plain Truth About Malachi's Message and That Prophet
an open letter from THE STAFF ...
HAVE YOU ever heard of a church called, "THE DEVIL'S
CONGREGATION"? Have you ever seen a sign labeling a building,
"SATAN'S SYNAGOGUE"? Have you ever heard a radio program called,
"THE DEVIL'S ENDEAVOR"?
OF COURSE NOT!
The god of this present evil world who holds sway over
deceived mankind is not so ignorant as to label his churches with
their true names!
But does the Devil have a religion? Does he have churches?
And if he does not call them by his name, how can you tell where
they are? What would the doctrines of these churches be -- what
does the Devil believe -- or at least what does he try to palm
off on others for them to believe?
Does the Bible have anything to say about the Devil's
religion?
The only, real source of truth to which we can go to find
the answers to these questions is God's own Word (John 17:17).
Many people today consider the concept of a Devil as ignorant and
mythological. They consider Satan to be a mere CONCEPT held by
primitive people to explain away the presence of evil in the
world.
But then THESE SAME PEOPLE also believe God is a mere
concept -- a myth to explain away the presence of creation and
good!
Surprisingly enough there is a great deal of information
concerning Satan the Devil, his religion, his way of thinking,
his way of doing -- and also the sure prophecy of God of what
will become of his efforts. And there is more information
concerning this very real Devil in the last book of the Bible
than there is in the first.
Just before Jesus Christ was crucified, referring to Satan
the Devil, He said, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for
the PRINCE OF THIS WORLD cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John
14:30). Jesus went on to explain to His disciples that if the
world persecuted Him (which it certainly had), it would persecute
them also (John 15:19-21). He explained to His disciples that
they and all those after them would be REJECTED BY the churches
of this world: "yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service" (John 16:2).
Jesus explained to His followers that they would be a LITTLE
flock, disparaged and despised by the majority of the peoples of
the world, downtrodden and persecuted right up until the time of
HIS RETURN as KING of kings and Lord of lords. BUT HE also
ENCOURAGED THEM by letting THEM know that they were not to FEAR
this persecution because it was God's will to GIVE these
persecuted few HIS Kingdom. "Fear not, LITTLE FLOCK; for it is
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke
12:32).
When His disciples asked Him concerning future events and
what would happen between their time and the coming of the end of
the world, Jesus' first and continued warning was about
individuals who would come claiming to be His representatives,
using His NAME, but deceiving the world because they were
actually the servants of Satan the Devil! "And Jesus answered and
said unto them, Take heed THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU. For MANY SHALL
COME IN MY NAME (using the name of Christ, calling themselves
Christian), SAYING I am Christ; and SHALL DECEIVE MANY" (Matt.
24:4-5). He repeated His warning concerning false prophets
saying, "And MANY false prophets shall rise, and shall DECEIVE
MANY" (Matt. 24:11).
Jesus Christ continued HIS warning. HE showed that BECAUSE
OF THIS DECEPTION the whole world would be thrown into such
chaotic confusion and war that "except those days should be
shortened, there should NO FLESH BE SAVED" (Matt. 24:22). Jesus
Christ predicted what all of us in today's world fear -- the
threat of COSMOCIDE, THE SUICIDE OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE!
Yes, Jesus Christ's warning to HIS disciples of ALL TIMES
was that HIS Church -- the Church of God -- would always be a
little flock, a despised congregation -- a persecuted church --
not the generally accepted organizations of the masses which
merely appropriated His name, CALLING themselves "Christian."
Satan the Devil, originally called Lucifer, was given charge
of this earth along with a number of other angels (Jude 6). But
he was not satisfied with the earth as his domain. He rebelled
against God's way of doing things and tried to take over the
throne of God in Heaven by violence -- but did not succeed! "How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in shine heart, I will ascend into heaven
(notice that it is SATAN'S IDEA to get to heaven), I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God ... I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isa.
14:12-14).
This great being, who had been given charge by God to take
care of the earth, SINNED against his Creator. "Thou wast perfect
in thy ways from the day that thou west created, TILL INIQUITY
WAS FOUND IN THEE" (Ezek. 28:15). By his action of rebellion
against the Kingdom of God, Satan the Devil became the "FATHER"
of all those who are guilty of sin -- HE was the ORIGINAL sinner!
(John 8:44.) Jesus Christ gives a personal eyewitness account of
this particular time of Satan's rebellion when He tells us, "I
beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). You
will notice that by Biblical definition it was Satan who "fell."
Despite the fact that Satan had rebelled against God's
Kingdom, HIS government and authority, God allowed him to hold
the office of rulership over this earth originally given to him.
In the temptation on the mount Jesus Christ qualified to take
over this rule from Satan the Devil. By His victory over death He
is able to take over the rulership of this world at any time. But
there is a PLAN being worked out here below, and as yet the God
of heaven HAS NOT INTERVENED to strip Satan's authority from him.
Notice that SATAN IS STILL THE RULING "GOD" OF THIS WORLD: "In
whom the GOD OF THIS WORLD hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who
is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Cor. 4:4).
Satan does not appear to this world in the clothing that he
has deceived this world into thinking the Devil would appear in.
He does not appear with a pitchfork and horns and an evil look on
his face.
Just as Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24, Satan claims
his converts are spiritual Jews -- Christians. But Christ, in a
series of personal letters to His Church in all of its eras,
warns about these congregations -- "and I know the blasphemy of
them which SAY they are Jews (claim to be spiritual Jews, or
Christians), AND ARE NOT, but are the SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN" (Rev.
2:9). And again "... the SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN, which SAY they are
Jews, and are not, but DO LIE!" (Rev. 3:9.)
Satan looks like a lightbringer to the deceived eyes of a
deceived world. His ministers look like and sound like what
deceived people think the ministers of Christ should look and
sound like -- that's the very meaning of THE WORD DECEPTION! "For
such are FALSE apostles, DECEITFUL workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no
great thing if HIS MINISTERS (Satan the Devil does have
ministers) also be transformed (apparently changed from what they
really are) as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works (even though these ministers preach that
there are no works, they are going to be judged by the Creator
according to their evil works)" (II Cor. 11:13-15).
Notice how well Satan has done his job: "And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, WHICH DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD!" (Rev. 12:9.) This great
deceiver has sent out his messengers with soft and oily words to
soothe this world's inhabitants into thinking that they can do as
they wish and still escape God's punishment for sin -- death.
Jesus Christ warned about this when He said, "Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat ...
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are RAVENING WOLVES" (Matt 7:13-15).
In order to deceive the WHOLE WORLD, Satan has used every
means available to him. There are many areas on this earth where
deceived and ignorant human beings OPENLY WORSHIP THE DEVIL:
Other hundreds of millions ignorantly worship pieces of rock and
wood -- big-bellied Buddhas in the Oriental East and dead men's
bones in deepest Africa.
Other individuals who are perhaps a LITTLE more educated,
Satan has deceived by millions, leading them to believe that
there is no God at all and that one of his own (Satan's)
political systems -- Communism -- is the answer to mankind's
problems. Satan can easily keep these great numbers of people in
subjection because of long-standing ignorance, and the fact that
Jesus Christ and His Gospel have never been preached to them.
Christ's NAME has not even so much as been mentioned to many
millions of this world's inhabitants!
But in the areas of the world where the name of Christ has
been mentioned, where the Bible is circulated, and where from
time to time people even READ that Bible, Satan is very hard
pressed and has to be very subtle and clever in using THE NAME OF
Christ -- even to use the Bible in order to DECEIVE people!
Since Satan feels that HE has been unjustly judged by God,
he wants the people of this world to feel that they are unjustly
judged by God also. So he has his ministers tell them that they
do not need to obey God -- that the "harsh cruel God of the Old
Testament" has now been superseded by the new, loving and kind
God of the New Testament. Yet God's Word says, "They (Satan's
ministers) PROMISE THEM (their converts) FREEDOM, but they
themselves are SLAVES OF CORRUPTION; for whatever overcomes a
man, to that he is enslaved" (II Peter 2:19. RSV). Satan deceives
people into thinking that they can continue to do as they please
and get away with it.
Did you know the Devil believes in God? "Thou believes" that
there is one God; thou doest well: THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE, AND
TREMBLE" (James 2:19). Isn't that amazing? The Devil himself is
not even as deceived as some of those whom he has blinded into
thinking that there is no God!
We can plainly see from this scripture that believing in God
is not enough. SATAN HIMSELF BELIEVES IN GOD. Using the name of
Christ is not enough either, because Jesus Christ Himself
prophesied that many would USE His name, but that they would be
false prophets -- servants of the Devil!
The Devil has many doctrines (I Tim. 4:1-4), but his CHIEF
DOCTRINE IS that of REBELLION -- DISOBEDIENCE TO THE LAWS OF GOD
-- because he IS A REBEL! His is a system of confusion. He has
caused this so-called Christian world to be so CONFUSED that
there are over 400 different interpretations of what Christianity
is supposed to be. Obviously all cannot be GOD'S Christianity.
It may come as a surprise to you that Satan the Devil is not
opposed to quoting Scripture. He even had the gall to quote
Scripture to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Author of
Scripture. "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and
setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If
thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: FOR IT IS WRITTEN He
shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot
against a stone" (Matt. 4:5-6; Luke 4:9-11).
Satan is EAGER TO quote Scripture -- but TWISTS and TURNS it
in order to apply it in the way. Let's notice the first example
in the Bible of how Satan twists the Word of God, showing how
Satan's ministers ALSO TWIST THE SCRIPTURES TODAY.
"Now the SERPENT was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman (Eve),
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden?" (Gen. 3:1.) Notice how he begins by asking a CLEVER and
SUBTLE question, stressing the NEGATIVE side, trying to put God
in a BAD LIGHT.
"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, GOD HATH SAID (this is GOD'S
Word quoted from Genesis 2:17), Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, LEST YE DIE" (Gen 3:2-3.). Eve knew God had
very plainly said that if she ate of the fruit of this tree she
would die -- a very simple statement that God makes all the way
through His Bible, explaining that if a man commits sin, DEATH IS
the automatic penalty (Rom. 6:23). When God SAYS death, He MEANS
D-E-A-T-H, NOT ETERNAL LIFE in hellfire!
"And the SERPENT said unto the woman, YE SHALL NOT SURELY
DIE." (Gen 3.4.)
In effect Satan was saying: "I know that God SAID 'thou
shalt surely die' -- but He didn't really MEAN that you would
die. What God meant when He said 'thou SHALT surely die' was
'thou shalt NOT surely die."'
To this day Satan's ministers preach this same doctrine of
error.
The only way that Satan is able to deceive people is to make
them believe that God does NOT mean what He says. He offers to
mankind what the carnal mind WANTS instead of what God knows is
best for man. Then in order to give it a "Godly" and "Christian"
flavor he quotes a few scriptures OUT OF CONTEXT, explaining that
God doesn't mean what He says after all.
The pitiful thing about it is that mankind has GULLIBLY
SWALLOWED the doctrines of Satan the Devil. Since creation,
mankind has been hoodwinked into believing the Devil, despite the
fact that he says EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what God says! When God
first told man "THOU SHALT SURELY DIE!" (Gen. 2:17), Satan said,
"YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE!" (Gen. 3:4.)
WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE?
The Devil has counterfeited much of God's Truth in order to
deceive mankind into thinking HIS way is God's way. Satan has
appropriated the TITLES of the servants of God and called his
chief leader an apostle, when actually God labels this individual
as a FALSE apostle and prophet. And Satan has used, and WILL
again use, MIRACLES TO DECEIVE THE PEOPLE!
Since Jesus Christ performed miracles, and since He
prophesied that certain signs (miracles) would follow His
believers (Mark 16:15-18), Satan the Devil has also COUNTERFEITED
MIRACLES! This need be no surprise to the true Christian because
Jesus Christ forewarned that this would happen! He said: "For
there shall arise FALSE Christs, and FALSE prophets, and shall
SHEW GREAT SIGNS AND WONDERS; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect" (Matt. 24:24). The only ones
who will not be deceived by the great miracles that Satan the
Devil will perform through his false prophet will be those whom
God is calling out of this world NOW -- the "very elect"!
The Apostle Paul warns us about the individual whom Satan is
going to use in this end time to deceive the world. He warns:
"Even him, whose coming is after the WORKINGS OF SATAN with ALL
POWER AND SIGNS and LYING WONDERS, and with ALL DECEIVABLENESS OF
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS in them that perish (are perishing -- correct
Greek rendering)" (II Thes. 2:9-10).
Satan knows that he now has just a short time before being
deposed by Christ (Rev. 12:12). Therefore he is hard at work
laying the groundwork for the greatest deceptions and miracles
that mankind has ever seen in order to deceive the whole world!
Let's read II Thes. 2:9-10 again in the Moffatt Translation: "...
One whose arrival is due to Satan's activity, with the full
power, the miracles and portents of falsehood, and with the full
deceitfulness of evil for those who are doomed to perish, since
they refuse to love the truth that would save them."
Such outstanding REAL miracles will be performed through
Satan's agents that the whole world will reel and gasp in
open-mouthed wonder. These miracles would cause ANYONE to believe
(except the very elect, Matt. 24:24).
The term "lying wonder" does not refer to the fact that the
wonder itself is a lie. The miracle is REAL ENOUGH, but the
miracle CAUSES THOSE WHO SEE IT TO BELIEVE A LIE -- that is, the
miracle causes them to believe that the agent Satan the Devil
uses is the agent of God!
Almighty God specifically warns us about one particularly
OUTSTANDING MIRACLE that Satan's great false prophet will
perform. "And he doeth GREAT WONDERS, SO that he MAKETH FIRE COME
DOWN FROM HEAVEN on the earth in the sight of men, and DECEIVETH
them that dwell on the earth BY THE MEANS of those miracles"
(Rev. 13:13-14). This is THE FALSE PROPHET -- the final leader of
Satan's religious movement who will even defy the Living Christ
at His return. All of this will occur in YOUR VERY LIFETIME!
But how are YOU going to KNOW what is counterfeit and what
is the Truth?
Will you be DECEIVED? We just read THAT ALL THEM THAT DWELL
ON THE EARTH are going to be DECEIVED by these miracles.
Or will you REMEMBER what you have learned in the
Correspondence Course, and the articles that you have read in THE
PLAIN TRUTH, warning you of these very things to come?
Jesus Christ not only prophesied through John in the book of
Revelation that this will come to pass in your lifetime, but He
also left a record of just such a thing having happened in the
past.
In the first chapter of Job, we find Satan talking to God.
God brought up the subject of Job. He asked Satan if he didn't
think that Job was quite a righteous man, and Satan answered God
by saying that he was not righteous for nothing, that God has
blessed him with everything. So God ALLOWED Satan to take
everything away from Job. Now let's notice exactly what happened.
As Satan began to destroy all of the things that Job
possessed, he allowed one servant to escape from each devastation
that he wrought. That servant would come and report to Job the
horrible things that had happened.
Now when one of these servants saw a great BALL OF FIRE
COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN and consuming the sheep, he
AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED that only God could cause such a great
miracle and so his report to Job was, "The FIRE OF GOD is fallen
from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and
consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee" (Job
1:16).
Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). He
is still in the office of control over this world and its affairs
insofar as God allows him to exercise that control. You will
remember when Moses was calling the children of Israel out of
Egypt under the direct supervision of God that the Egyptian
sorcerers, the servants of the Devil of that day were able TO
PERFORM GREAT MIRACLES by the power that Satan gave them.
MIRACLES ALONE ARE NOT A PROOF OF THE PRESENCE AND AUTHORITY
OF GOD!
Deuteronomy 13 explains this very plainly to any who would
question this: "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer
of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder (prophesies
something to come to pass, or performs some great miracle,) and
the sign or the wonder COME TO PASS, whereof he quake unto thee,
saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known,
and let us serve them; THOU SHALT NOT HEARKEN UNTO THE WORDS OF
THAT PROPHET, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God
proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your SOUL. YE SHALL WALK AFTER THE LORD
YOUR GOD, AND FEAR HIM, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, AND OBEY HIS
VOICE, AND YE SHALL SERVE HIM, AND CLEAVE UNTO HIM" (Deut.
13:1-4). Isaiah backs this up by saying, "TO THE LAW AND TO THE
TESTIMONY: if they speak not according to this word, it is
because there is NO LIGHT IN THEM" (Isa. 8:20).
God warns all through His Bible from Genesis to Revelation
that there have been, that there are and that there are going to
be, lying, false, miracle-performing prophets deceiving mankind.
But God gives us the KEY by which we can recognize the true
servants of God!
"Beloved, BELIEVE NOT every spirit, but TRY THE SPIRITS
whether they are of God: because MANY false prophets are gone out
into the world" (I John 4:1). God's plain warning to you is not
to be gullible. Don't ASSUME somebody is right because he has a
pious face -- because he has a soft and smooth voice, or because
he dresses differently from you!
Don't assume somebody is God's messenger even if he brings
fire down from heaven! Don't assume somebody is God's messenger
-- and Satan the Devil's tool -- because he says, "The Bible
says."
Satan the Devil and all his henchmen have been quoting the
Bible since time immemorial. They are still quoting it out of
context and adding on Satan's favorite expression that God does
not really mean what He says -- and then adding THEIR OWN
interpretation, THEIR OWN TRADITION, the commandments of men that
have been inspired by Satan.
"Hereby KNOW ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And
every spirit that confesseth NOT that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is NOT OF GOD"! (I John 4:2-3.) This is the ONE doctrine
that Satan WILL NOT PROCLAIM!
This is the one doctrine that Satan the Devil will NOT ALLOW
ANY OF HIS MINISTERS TO PREACH! This is the ONE doctrine that THE
WORLD TOMORROW program, THE PLAIN TRUTH magazine and this
Correspondence Course DOGMATICALLY AND ABSOLUTELY PREACH!
THIS IS THE DOCTRINE: that Jesus Christ -- the SAME
yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8) -- lived a perfect life
of obedience IN THE FLESH, proving it can be done and setting us
an example that we should strive to do likewise (I John 2:6) by
the power of the Holy, Spirit of God which we can receive IN OUR
FLESHLY MINDS. In reality it is Jesus Christ Himself, through His
Spirit, living in the COLLECTIVE Body of Christ -- the Church of
God! (Gal. 2:20.) Jesus Christ, living in those who are TRUE
Christians, will live exactly as He lived when He was in the
flesh 1900 years ago -- keeping the SAME LAWS, observing the SAME
DAYS, living the SAME LIFE apart from the world around Him. THIS
DOCTRINE is denied by those false prophets -- the instruments of
Satan the Devil -- those who belong to the Devil's religion!
Don't just read this open letter and forget about it. Apply
and obey the injunction that Jesus Christ gives to you through
His servant John to "try the spirits" (I John 4:1). FIND OUT,
CHECK UP.
Do as the Bereans did in Paul's day when he was explaining
to them the truths of the Gospel of God (Acts 17:11). Receive
this understanding with all readiness of mind, but CHECK EVERY
LAST SCRIPTURE and find out if it's according to God's Word --
and do the same thing with any OTHER religious instruction you
receive.
If you have been deceived, don't continue to be deceived.
Those who continue to de deceived and remain deceived until the
return of Jesus Christ are going to suffer the plagues He pours
out on the servants of Satan -- both religious and political!
YOU KNOW that this confused world standing on the brink of
nuclear cosmocide cannot be God's world. It is a world turned
over to Satan the Devil. But Almighty God is RETURNING SOON to
restore order, to set up HIS KINGDOM, to bring PEACE and
happiness and safety and TRUTH to this poor Satan-deceived world!
Elijah, the servant of God, faced a similar situation in the
world of his day. "And Elijah came unto all the people and said,
How LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? IF THE LORD BE GOD, FOLLOW
HIM: BUT IF BAAL, THEN FOLLOW HIM. And the people answered him
not a word" (I Kings 18:21).
What is YOUR ANSWER TODAY?