How to Protect Against Deception: Satan’s Commonly Swallowed Lies
From my morning reading of ‘The Story of Redemption.’ I wanted to share a bit from what I read and offer some thoughts.
Pg 388-389
“Satan commenced his deception in Eden. He said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” This was Satan’s first lesson upon the immortality of the soul, and he has carried on this deception from that time to the present,….
The soul that sinneth, it shall die an everlasting death—a death from which there will be no hope of a resurrection; and then the wrath of God will be appeased.
It was a marvel to me that Satan could succeed so well in making men believe that the words of God, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4), mean that the soul that sinneth it shall not die, but live eternally in misery. 
And as the error was received by the people, and they were led to believe that man was immortal, Satan led them on to believe that the sinner would live in eternal misery. Then the way was prepared for Satan to work through his representatives and hold up God before the people as a revengeful tyrant—one who plunges all those into hell who do not please Him, and causes them ever to feel His wrath; and while they suffer unutterable anguish, and writhe in the eternal flames, He is represented as looking down upon them with satisfaction.
Satan knew that if this error should be received, God would be hated by many, instead of being loved and adored; and that many would be led to believe that the threatenings of God’s Word would not be literally fulfilled, for it would be against His character of benevolence and love to plunge into eternal torments the beings whom He had created.
**Until I became an SDA, this was my view of God, as the vengeful tyrant who was waiting to zap me with lightening. I had no concept of God being a God of love. It was Jesus who loved, but God was the punisher.**
And as the error was received by the people, and they were led to believe that man was immortal, Satan led them on to believe that the sinner would live in eternal misery. Then the way was prepared for Satan to work through his representatives and hold up God before the people as a revengeful tyrant—one who plunges all those into hell who do not please Him, and causes them ever to feel His wrath; and while they suffer unutterable anguish, and writhe in the eternal flames, He is represented as looking down upon them with satisfaction.
Satan knew that if this error should be received, God would be hated by many, instead of being loved and adored; and that many would be led to believe that the threatenings of God’s Word would not be literally fulfilled, for it would be against His character of benevolence and love to plunge into eternal torments the beings whom He had created.
**Until I became an SDA, this was my view of God, as the vengeful tyrant who was waiting to zap me with lightening. I had no concept of God being a God of love. It was Jesus who loved, but God was the punisher. **
Another extreme which Satan has led the people to adopt is entirely to overlook the justice of God and the threatenings of His Word, and to represent Him as being all mercy, so that not one will perish, but that all, both saint and sinner, will at last be saved in His kingdom.
**The only-believe myth. As long as you believe, you can live as you wish. It’s all good. God doesn’t expect you to change. Just believe and love each other. SMH. You cannot love in your own power. We see that today. Those who preach tolerance are the most intolerant. **In consequence of the popular errors of the immortality of the soul and endless misery, Satan takes advantage of another class and leads them to regard the Bible as an uninspired book. They think it teaches many good things, but they cannot rely upon it and love it, because they have been taught that it declares the doctrine of eternal misery.
Another class Satan leads on still further, even to deny the existence of God. They can see no consistency in the character of the God of the Bible, if He will inflict horrible tortures upon a portion of the human family to all eternity. Therefore they deny the Bible and its Author, and regard death as an eternal sleep.
**People do not believe in God because those who claim to be His children do not live by the principles given in the Bible. They choose to believe the other lies (no judgment, only love). They profane the name of God.****
There is still another class who are fearful and timid. These Satan tempts to commit sin, and after they have sinned, he holds up before them that the wages of sin is not death but life in horrible torments, to be endured throughout the endless ages of eternity. By thus magnifying before their feeble minds the horrors of an endless hell, he takes possession of their minds, and they lose their reason. Then Satan and his angels exult, and the infidel and atheist join in casting reproach upon Christianity. They claim that these evils are the natural results of believing in the Bible and its Author, whereas they are the results of the reception of popular heresy.”
**The lie of an eternal burning hell is one that turns many from believing in God. Who would want to serve a God, who claims to love us, but will torture those who do not follow Him forever and ever? I certainly wouldn’t.
***How can we protect ourselves against these deceptive lies of satan? By immersing ourselves in God’s word. The Bible is quite clear if a person takes time to study it. If you read, asking God to give you clear understand, He will.
These lies of satan do not belong being taught in God’s churches. They are lies. They are not biblical at all. If you read and allow the Bible to interpret itself, you will find the truths which counteract satan’s lies.
It is truly our only bulwark against the deceptions so far, and those coming up in the near future (when satan will appear as Christ). Remember, he cannot counterfeit the method of Christ’s coming. So if you know what the BIble says on how Jesus will come again, you will not be deceived.
If you know what the Bible says about the state of the dead, you will not be deceived when satan has his fake resurrection.
Satan is going about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I pray you will not be one of the devoured.
Something to think about.