The Bible says:
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness: whose end shall be according to their works.”
— 2 Corinthians 11: 14, 15
Most people picture Satan as an evil-looking creature in a red suit with horns, a pointed tail and carrying a pitchfork. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Satan looks nothing like that. He looks, speaks and acts like a seminary educated preacher.
Most people think Satan is operating in the bars, and brothels, and drug and gambling dens, but he doesn’t. Satan’s base of operation is the church. He spends his time behind the pulpit, at regular church services, at Bible and mission conferences, at church revival meetings, and as professors in Bible colleges.
Satan wears a disguise and he and his ministers masquerade as servants of God and truth and righteousness. They stand behind pulpits and may preach from the Bible.
But Satan and his ministers are liars and can’t tell the truth. Though they hold the position of one who has been entrusted with the truth and is expected to tell the truth, they can’t.
Satan and his false preachers can hold a copy of the Truth, and read from the Truth, and speak on the Truth and still twist a lie from it in such a clever way that people believe it’s the Truth. So skilled is Satan at imitating Truth many are constantly mistaking error for Truth.
But a half truth is still a whole lie. We know Satan or one of his ministers is behind the pulpit when they shave off a sliver of the truth and graft in a sliver of a lie. They’ve then given enough truth to win our trust, but enough of a lie to mislead us.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about (in the church), seeking whom he may devour.”
— 1 Peter 5: 8
The Christian should be more on their guard in the church than in any other place.
The apostle’s dealt with false apostles and teachers. There were at least 50 heretical sects in the first six centuries of the church.
Peter warns that there will be false teachers in our day. (2 Peter 2: 1, 2) Christians wouldn’t knowingly go to church if they believed their pastor was Satan or one of his ministers. But if they studied their Bible as they should, they might be surprised to find that he’s there because of the many lies he’s telling them in the name of Truth.
J.N. Darby, Bible teacher and Anglican minister from the early 1820s until his death in 1882 said, “Satan is never more satanic than when he carries a Bible.”
Satan and his ministers will wear fine religious clothes and talk about God, Jesus, and the Bible as though they’re very familiar with them because they are. And so they will be well-received in a place where they can ply their carefully fabricated lies to unwary victims.
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.com
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