“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.” Matthew 24:24.
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” II Thessalonians 2:9.
Lying signs and wonders are never what men really think they are. To those who are deceived by them, they are true signs or evidences that portend certain conclusions. A lying sign or wonder could be a cleverly conceived substitute for a true sign or wonder. The lying sign not only leads astray, but it serves to confirm man in error and thus keeps him from truth that would set him free.
Many people think of lying signs and wonders as something of a miraculous or phenomenal nature. By virtue of the words used (signs and wonders (most people immediately think of something that transcends the natural and is obviously supernatural. Although this has always been true of some of the work of Satan to deceive man, the greater lying signs and wonders may not be considered miraculous at all. Regardless of its appearance, though, there is a supernatural power hiding behind the facade of the entire world system.
The word sign as used in the scriptures does often have reference to the miraculous. The Greek word semeion means a sign, token, miracle or something that indicates. However it is obvious from the way it is used that the sign could be many things. In fact it could be anything that becomes the criterion that strongly excites or influences men.
The criteria or means that Satan uses to deceive one group will not always work with another. Satan knows man’s vulnerable weaknesses and makes that his ground of approach. Never think for a moment that Lucifer doesn’t know what it takes to tempt and deceive unenlightened humanity. For this reason the Master of Deception uses many false signs to deceive mankind; from the ignorant and superstitious to the educated intellectual, he has an approach.
In Matthew 16:2 & 3 Jesus said, “... When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye Hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?”
It is quite evident that Jesus meant something other than a miracle or supernatural manifestation. By “the signs of the times” Jesus meant many things that should have enabled Israel to recognize their day of visitation, even as we, today, should recognize certain things as signs of the end of the age. However by this we do not necessarily mean a miracle or supernatural manifestation.
In Acts 2:22 Peter said to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.” Let it be noted that Peter referred to miracles, wonders and signs, thus making a distinction between three different words that are generally thought of as being the same. It is evident from this that a sign doesn’t have to be a miracle or wonder.
The Greek word for wonder, teras, means prodigy or omen. Prodigy means so unusual or out of the ordinary that it excites wonder. Omen is something that is looked upon as a sign or witness of a favorable or unfavorable issue. It doesn’t have to be in itself phenomenal.
From this complex definition it is seen there is much latitude for Satan to come forth with lying signs and wonders without man being able to recognize them as such. The truth is, only those whose eyes are anointed with eye salve will be able to see. Revelation 3:18. Let’s remember that Jesus said, these signs would be so great that if it were possible they would deceive the very elect.
Today’s so-called charismatic revival, hailed as a great move of the Spirit, is, I believe, a lying sign. It is for the most part, I fear, the result of unbelief and sign seeking. The report of great numbers from all denominations experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in other tongues as the evidence is, I believe, a false revival. The lack of spiritual depth and transformation is very manifest among the thousands who claim this experience.
We have personally observed many who were strangers to the new birth but who had supposedly been led into this experience. Some later, under the convicting power of the Word of God, were genuinely converted and entered into spiritual rest. We have also found many who had received evil spirits (demons) under the guise of receiving the Holy Spirit.
These spirits not only had entered these people at the time they thought they were receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but they would manifest their presence by speaking in other tongues when stirred up. One poor woman, who had a husband and seven children, and who thought that God had a work for her to do, had received such a spirit and was cursing God unknowingly. This spirit was received in a meeting where people were being encouraged to receive the Holy Spirit. When she received and began to speak in tongues and sway under the power, they rejoiced and told her, “You’ve got it! You’ve got it! You’ve got it!”
In addition to this case and others which we personally know about, there are many who have received religious spirits under the guise of receiving the Spirit of God. This, of course, is also true of millions who have joined other religious movements that don’t emphasize or believe in this particular manifestation. Whatever spirit is being ministered is what people receive, whether it be true or false. Everything must bring forth after its own kind. This is the law of the spiritual as well as the natural. When a person is deceived by an evil spirit-induced experience, that experience becomes a lying sign to the one deceived.
The first thing a religious spirit does after entering a human vessel is to convince the person he now has God living inside of him and that he must convert others to his doctrine or experience. Satan is an evangelist who works very diligently to gain converts to his religion, philosophy or experience. This accounts for the phenomenal growth of many religious movements.
But regardless of the zeal and industry of some, the many names, divergent doctrines and experiences of religious Babylon are mute testimony of their true source of inspiration. If the scripture is true, and God is not the author of confusion (I Corinthians 14:33), then devils have fathered much of it. I believe we are seeing today the fulfillment of Revelation 18:2, which says, “Babylon ... is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit....”
Many things are cleverly substituted in religion for Christ. Any experience or doctrine that men glory in more that Christ is suspect. Wrong or over-emphasis of anything may indicate a wrong spirit. If Satan can’t lead us into outright deception, he will lead us into some extreme first and then into error to justify our extreme. As Paul expressed to the church at Corinth, man can be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Many today have received another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel and they know it not. II Corinthians 11:3-4.
The tongues movement of today, which indeed has made inroads into practically every denomination including the Catholic Church, is, I believe, one of Satan’s lying signs. The modern day phenomenon called the Charismatic Revival with tongues at the center has become the common denominator for many. They come together in spiritual bliss and fellowship around this experience. All other differences are forgotten, as long as they have had this experience. Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Pentecostals and others all become one big, happy family glorying together in their baptism.
It was the spirit of idolatry that caused the Pentecostal movement to begin glorying in the manifestation of tongues to begin with. Becoming the epitome of spirituality to them, they began to try to get everyone to speak in tongues. This led to wrong and over-emphasis which led to error. In order to justify themselves they invented the doctrine that tongues is the initial evidence of having received the Holy Ghost.
Since the scripture set forth tongues as one of nine manifestations of the one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7-11) which all do not speak in (I Corinthians 12:28-31), they came up with the idea that there are two different types of tongues. These are, supposedly, the evidence variety, which all should manifest when they receive the Holy Spirit and the gift variety which all do not have. Satan, through this false teaching, helped prepare this generation for today’s phenomenon of tongues and thus it has become one of his lying signs and wonders.
Although tongues as a sign united the Pentecostal movement in its beginning, God hated the pride of some that caused them to glory in this manifestation and began to confound, confuse, and divide them. This was God’s way of showing us they had become a part of religious Babylon. In spite of the fact they split up over many other issues, they held on to their belief of tongues as the sign of having received the Holy Spirit.
In their beginning they also took a strong stand for what became known as holiness in matters of dress, long hair, abstinence from tobacco, alcohol and various things considered worldly. Because of this they were loath to believe the denominational worldlings could receive the Holy Spirit unless they repented and embraced holiness. Scoffed and ridiculed by the rest of the Church world, they took a stand on these issues for a while. Finally their desire to get people into the baptism with tongues as the evidence overruled even this.
In today’s movement short hair, painted faces and mini-skirts are welcome; all barriers are broken down. It makes no difference what you believe or what church you go to. The only thing that matters is whether or not you have the baptism. One of their speakers was heard to say, “If you are a Presbyterian, be a Pentecostal Presbyterian. If you are a Baptist, be a Pentecostal Baptist.”
Tongues were not given as a sign to the believer. Saying that they are the initial evidence of the Holy Spirit makes them a sign to the believer. This insistence upon a sign rather than faith (Galatians 3:2-5) is actually a manifestation of unbelief and condemned by the word of God. Matthew 12:38-39. I Corinthians 1:22. Paul says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe; but to them that believe not ....” I Corinthians 14:22.
The truth is God never intended any spiritual manifestation to be a witness or sign in itself that one has been indwelt by God’s Spirit. This would destroy the principle of faith which is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
When God permits it, Satan can and does counterfeit the miraculous to purposely deceive unbelieving sign seekers. The wise men, sorcerers and magicians of Egypt were able to produce some of the same signs that God enabled Moses to do. Exodus 7:10-15, 8:1-7. The lying sign serves to give credence to that which is false.
From Matthew 24 and II Thessalonians 2 it is evident that strong delusion will be ministered to man through such lying signs before the coming of Christ. Strong delusion in any form, though brought forth by Satanic power, is actually sent by our great sovereign God when men love not the truth that they might be saved.
The late William Branham told of a people who drank human blood from a skull who spoke in tongues. Followers of Father Divine, who claimed to be God, spoke in tongues. Brother C. J. DuCille of Jamaica told of a group of devil worshippers in Jamaica, who practiced sexual orgies as part of their worship, who speak in tongues. In fact the way they know they have received the devil is by speaking in other tongues.
We personally know of many demon-possessed people who speak in tongues. Most of them take that as their sign that they have the Holy Spirit. One poor demon-possessed alcoholic who slashed his arms with a razor blade and threatened to murder his parents spoke freely in tongues by demon inspiration. A woman who had seven spirits in her, was bound by nicotine and guilty of adultery, spoke in tongues and danced in the spirit.
In addition to this particular manifestation, demons have come forth in much of the so-called prophecy that has practically replaced the word of God among some groups. Prophecy and tongues with interpretation has just about taken the place of the Bible in these groups. Of course the prophecy usually confirms the doctrines, experiences and whims of the group or prophet.
It is not an uncommon thing to find poor, beguiled souls who have been prophesied out of their money or possessions. This is usually done by prophesying judgment if people don’t give and blessing if they do. Some of the so-called great men of God have those conveniently present during the receiving of their offerings who get anointed to prophesy great blessings upon those who sacrificially give to the ministry of “Brother Tremendous,” who is God’s man of faith and power.
One group, in the state of Ohio, sold their homes, quit their jobs and moved “en masse” to Arizona where they went underground awaiting atomic destruction on the east coast. This was done on the strength of prophecy by the woman leader of the group. When the prophesied destruction did not come, she prophesied that God had canceled the judgment because of their obedience.
A young preacher, the son of a minister, married a young lady as a result of a prophecy that said they were meant for each other. The marriage ended in separation with little children the victims of a broken home.
Another result of prophecy going forth over men and women has been deluded people believing they had a call to ministry they did not possess. Some of these people we personally know, received evil spirits through such prophecy and ended up oppressed and condemned by these spirits because their so-called great ministry did not work out. Others became highly exalted and lifted up thinking they were apostles, prophets or manifested sons of God.
One man we personally know was prophesied over and told he was an apostle. He was instructed to quit his job, live by faith and give himself to diligent study of the scriptures. This supposedly was to be done in preparation for going out in ministry. With no money coming in and bills piling up, the man’s wife had to get a job and go to work to support the family. The home life became so terrible with the wife working, the apostle loafing and the children shifting for themselves that eventually the home and marriage was broken up. One of the teenage girls ran away from home and became a hippie. The last I heard of the man he was divorced from his wife and had found his true spiritual mate and married her. They were traveling around together waiting on his apostolic ministry.
Legion are the number of people who have been led into doctrines of devils and various types of religious delusions through false prophecy. You will find prophecy, tongues, and other phenomena very prominent in groups believing in free love, universal salvation and other heresies. When men leave the word of God and begin to rely too much on any supposed manifestation they are in trouble.
Recently I came into contact with a religious group that made me see the danger of Satan deceiving some people with a false anointing. The anointing may be soothing and sweet or it might be highly charged and emotional. When people come to believe and accept certain speech affectations or manifestations as the anointing of God, they are open to deception.
One group believes the minister should speak a few words in tongues every few sentences and shout “Glory!!” if he is truly anointed of God. Others believe the minister is truly anointed when he becomes so wrought up until his speech is a literal torrent of words punctuated only by gasps of breath. And some believe he is anointed when his delivery is in the form of a sing-song chant. Still others believe it is God when the preacher’s voice sounds like the combination of a ghost at a seance and a speaker at an undertaker’s convention.
Some groups have been so conditioned to look for these signs until Lucifer himself would be welcome among them if he had these manifestations. They would shout, “Glory,” and say, “He is one of us.”
I have heard people speak of their preacher and say, “Brother so-and-so was greatly anointed today: the words were coming to him so fast he couldn’t get them out.” Can you imagine the Holy Spirit working against himself in such a manner?
No doubt much of this speech affectation and manifestation has become traditional with some groups and is the result of human ignorance. Still others, I believe, are actually anointed by a spirit but not the Holy Spirit. Satan can anoint and inspire man as surely as God can. But his anointing and inspiration is false and it will deceive and lead men astray.
I know a man and his wife who were evidently baptized by an evil spirit while going through the line of a certain healing evangelist on what was billed as “double portion night”. He came to himself rolling in the sawdust and his wife was trying to climb a tent pole. Though temporarily deluded into believing they had received their double portion this couple ended up in a terrible gall of bitterness despising all things connected to religion.
Needless to say, Satan has counterfeited visions, angels, dreams, miracles, healing, supernatural knowledge and wisdom. The fact that some have the ability to tell you your name and address and certain other things supernaturally doesn’t necessarily mean it is of God. Fortune tellers can do the same thing by demon inspiration. Acts 16:16-18. Even in Paul’s day religious deception was at work through false apostles, false ministers and Satan who transformed himself into an angel of light. II Corinthians 11:13-15.
If that was true in Paul’s time, how much more is it true today in the hour of the final loosing of Satan?
It is my conviction that evil spirits are ministered to many who do not really want Christ but rather his power or some other blessing. John 6:28-29. These spirits are ministered in religious meetings by ministers with a false anointing. Not only is the false anointing in the minister a lying sign but the evil spirit that is ministered to the person becomes a lying sign.
The Bible says of Christ who had the Spirit without measure, “... I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.” Matthew 12:18-20.
Jesus often sat down and taught the people. Likewise Paul, though sincere and convincing, used a more or less conversational form of speech in his preaching. There are, no doubt, many today who wouldn’t believe that Jesus or Paul had the Holy Spirit because of their lack of fleshly demonstration.