In The Daze of Deception Part 3 - Jack Hibbs

One of the main signs Jesus lays out for us that will mark the reality that we are in the "LAST DAYS", is an overwhelming amount of deception or as our beloved "45" said, "it's all fake news". The enemy of God, "satan, serpent, or the devil is the ultimate purveyor of fake news, false narratives and all out lies with reckless abandon. If satan had the audacity to tell God himself I am better than you, how much more will he try and invade our lives, our churches, and our worship music? Deception has infiltrated our churches and we would be wise to heed what Jesus says, in Matthew 24:4-5. May this list below encourage and strengthen your spiritual eyes to be awake and aware of the deception that circles all around us. May Jesus guard your mind and heart as you hide the word of God in your mind and heart - Amen!! 

Scripture verses warning on not being deceived:

1. Matthew 24:4-5 - "Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Messiah. They will deceive many."  

2. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 - "Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil." 

3. Colossians 2:8-10 - "Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ who is the head over every ruler and authority."

4. 1 John 3:7 - "Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous."

5. 1 John 4:1-3 - "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here."

6. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 - "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the "Last Times", some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead."

7. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 - "Now dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision or revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed - the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming  that he himself is God. Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth." 

8. Galatians 5:7-10 - "You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn't God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. 

9. Galatians 6:7-8 - "Don't be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that ainful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit."

10. Galatians 1:6-10 - "I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News, but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God's curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed. Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant."

11. Ephesians 4:14 - Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth."

12. Ephesians 4:20-27 - "But that isn't what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil."

13. Ephesians 6:10-13 - "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm.

14. Jeremiah 29:8-9 - This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them," says the Lord.

15. Romans 1:25-26 - "They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires." (Read Romans 1:18-2:4 to get the full picture).

16. Romans 1:29-30 - "Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 

17. 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 - "Stop deceiving yourselves, If you think you are wise by this world's standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the scriptures say, "He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness."