[h=2]
How He Disguises Himself as an Angel of Light[/h] “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
Paul had to deal with false shepherds in his own day and they are still thriving today. How does Satan disguise himself as an
“angel of light” or a preacher of the gospel? A close reading of 2 Corinthians chapter 11 reveals how Satan’s ministers (yes, Satan has his own ministers!) disguise themselves as an angel or preacher of light. Paul was
“afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, [the Corinthian’s] minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure
devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Paul had reason to be afraid because many were already being deceived as he wrote,
“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).[h=2]
What Satan’s Disguises Look Like[/h]Paul is warning the church at Corinth that
“anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face” (2 Corinthians 11:20) are false apostles who are
“masquerading as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:14). How are these
“angels of light” enslaving Christians today? It could be by legalism or by telling them that they must keep certain holy days, or that they must tithe (some require up to 30% plus), or that they must…(the list can be quite long).How can Christians be exploited today? Any minister, pastor, priest, or preacher that “
exploits” can do so through begging or asking for “seeds of faith” in return for a promise of God’s blessing them. They can require church members to donate time, money, talent or even personal resources for the gospel’s sake but the truth is they are exploiting believers for their own personal welfare.How can these false apostles “
put on airs” in front of Christians today? They can appear to be highly spiritual, claim a special gift from God to read believer’s minds and point them out in the church, they can prophesy about what a believer has coming or what is about to happen. They can claim that they received a special revelation from God or had a vision or they can claim special revealed knowledge sent to them from God. The truth is that any revelation that comes from outside of the Bible is extra biblical and therefore is unreliable for we have all the revelation we need today from God and it is in His Word, the Bible.Finally, how can these disguised ministers “
slap you in the face” today? They can do so by humiliating you in front of others, belittling you in person, making you feel inconsequential compared to themselves, and some times (I have heard reported) actually slapping people in the face trying to “cast out an evil spirit.”[h=2]Conclusion[/h]All Christians have the Holy Spirit inside of them. The Holy Spirit can tell us when something is not right or that some teaching or teacher does not line up with Scripture. They can appear to be spiritual giants but inside it is really all about! A true pastor or what I call myself, an under-shepherd of the Great Shepherd (Jesus, since He is the Head of the Church) normally:
- doesn’t masquerade to be something they aren’t.
- doesn’t usually claim special revelation from God,
- doesn’t demand a certain percentage of your income,
- doesn’t take advantage of their congregation,
- rarely enslaves you to the Law (as in the Old Testament, Mosaic Law), and
- doesn’t make God out to be a “pro quid pro” God which says if you give a “seed of faith” God will give you such and such.
Look for pride to be at the root of all false ministers. The same problem that caused Satan’s fall will eventually cause these “angels of light” to fall. If something doesn’t feel right, sound right, or look right, perhaps the
Holy Spirit is telling you that it
isn’t right. And this is to be expected these days because even Satan himself masquerades as an “
angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) and so it shouldn’t be surprising, then, if his servants also
“masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:15) and may
“exploit you or [take] advantage of you” (2 Corinthians 11:20) by teaching a “different gospel from the one you accepted” (2 Corinthians 11:4). That is exactly how Satan can be disguised as an “angel of light.
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How Is Satan Disguised As An Angel Of Light?