THE SNARES OF SATAN

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” II Cor.2:11

     Next to the knowledge of “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” the most important knowledge is the life and work of Satan. Just hearing and seeing his name is abhorrent to the soul and many shun the facing of it. But it is in this knowledge that the saints can stand victorious and overcome sin, even as Jesus “overcame” (Rev.3:21).

     As the well-trained carpenter can accurately estimate the measurements of his work, the experienced policeman can accurately estimate the speed of oncoming cars, and the educated musician precisely identify pitch and tempos, so the well-informed Christian knows the boundaries of GOD’S legal rights to save His children from the snares of sin.

     From the beginning of Lucifer’s indulging sin in his life and spreading his rebellion like a cancer throughout the angelic hosts, deceiving a third of the angels to stand with him in his mutiny against GOD (Rev.12:4), a simple question was imposed to all intelligent life: Do we exist to serve and bow before a selfish, tyrannical, and evil GOD, or do we exist to delight in the knowledge of a GOD Who lives to serve the tranquil wellbeing and happiness of all created life? The answer to this question hinges on the legitimacy of John's words, "God is love," and the truth of Christ's displays of the Father's perfect love that heals every affliction and His self-sacrifice that forgives every sin for those who "Repent, and believe the gospel" (I Jn.4:8; Mk.1:15).

     At the very outset, when Satan inaugurated “war in heaven” (Rev.12:7) the LORD responded to him with the declaration, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and THOU HAST SINNED: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” (Eze.28:15,16). The Apostle John clearly defined what sin is: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” I Jn.3:4.

     So, in this declaration by the GOD of Heaven we see that sin against the Ten Commandments lays at the very heart of Satan’s rebellion and his being cast out of heaven. And it was this curse that he brought to the Earth and separated man from the Presence of GOD and holy angels. Thus we see throughout history how the perpetuation of sin always brings destruction to everything it touches.

     The LORD gave to us and to Satan the clear prophecy of his destruction in "the lake of fire:" “I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Eze.28:18,19. How the Catholic and Protestant churches can miss such plain words of the LORD defies all reason. But this shows the sheer illiteracy of the church to how GOD will vanquish sin in the Earth.

     This will also be the fate of every man throughout history who refused to repent from his sins as the prophet Malachi penned at the command of GOD: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” Mal.4:1-3.

     All who are raised in the second resurrection judgment are to face this judgment of "the second death" where there is no hope for continued life or love. (Please understand: The first death is a provision of the Gospel which explains why Jehovah, the angel Gabriel, Job, Jesus and the Apostle Paul called death "sleep" (Deut.31:16; Dan.12:2; Lu.8:52-55; Jn.11:11-14; I Cor.15:51; I Th.4:14). Job said: "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job 14:12. And John said: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ." Rev.20:6.) And prior to the final destruction of every unrepentant man Jesus prophesied, “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt.8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lu.13:28).

     So, in summation, Satan’s objective with every human being on Earth is simple: he leads men, women, and children (of the age of accountability) to violate the same Ten Commandment Law that condemns him. And wherever his temptations succeed he then accuses them before GOD declaring that they have no right to Christ’s gift of eternal life while he and his angels are left to “perish.”

     With this foundation laid, let us outline the more “subtil” snares that lead to the soul’s destruction and see how the churches are being played the fool with traditions of pagan idolatry, and how popes, cardinals, pastors, reverends, fathers and ministers alike are unified in evangelizing sin as acceptable service to GOD and thus postpone the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ indefinitely.

1. When tempting Eve the first words out of Satan’s foul mouth cast doubt on the validity of GOD’S Word: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Gen.3:1.

2. This was followed by the first lie ever spoken on Earth: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Vss.4,5. The entire religious world believes this lie: in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. They all teach “ye shall not surely die.” This is based on the false belief in the natural immortality of the soul. The Bible declares that it is “the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality.” I Tim.6:15,16. The immortality of the saints comes only through eating the fruit from “the tree of life!” And that tree is only found in “the new Jerusalem, nowhere else (Rev.2:7; 22:2,14).

3. With the ease of Satan’s doctrine being swallowed: hook, line and sinker, GOD took special precautions to deliver His children from the snares of Satan. Here is one of those perfect passages GOD gave to warn people to shun any association with supernatural powers outside of safe-Bible-guidelines: “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire [sacrificing human life to placate an angry god], or that useth divination [psychic], or an observer of times [astrologer], or an enchanter [hypnotist], or a witch [a woman who casts spells for supernatural power], Or a charmer [one who uses superstitions to gain advantage and manipulate people], or a consulter with familiar spirits [one who turns to demons for wealth and power], or a wizard [a man who demonstrates supernatural power], or a necromancer [turning to dead human beings for guidance and blessings (which includes the Virgin Mary and the dead saints)]. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD [for they are tools of Satan to deceive people to their eternal ruin]: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.” Deut.18:9-13.

4. Lastly, there is the grand finale of Satan's agenda: to lead the world into universal sin against GOD; and how imperative it is for the saints to have correct theology in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to have correct expectations for the future events ushering the 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ. History is riddled with nations that have fallen due to its leaders holding false expectations in the decisions they made. Understanding the Bible’s timeline of prophetic history is the means to ascertain the present danger for the human race. All through history false prophets have led people to their destruction, literally destroying families, cities, and nations. And the Bible teaches that the United States of America will soon be among this class of fallen nations, for this country has been assigned the iniquitous title: “the false prophet” (Rev.19:20). As our nation ushers itself to the precipice of ruin the Bible identifies precisely who it is that will be awarded the throne of human government during this time (as the prophets Daniel, Paul and John gave indication).

Fact: Nearly all of the prophecies of the modern era refer to none other than the Vatican of Rome, for Rome has been specified as the final kingdom ruling over the affairs of men until the 2nd Advent of Christ (Dan.2:28-45). Knowing the Bible’s identification of Earth’s last ruling kingdom and knowing the true nature of this kingdom in light of its relationship with the Ten Commandment Law is pivotal for the salvation of Christians today, for Protestant Christianity, under the traditions of Rome has embarked on an open rebellion against the Ten Commandments of Jesus Christ (Jn.8:58) while claiming fidelity to “Our Father which art in heaven.”

The world’s ruling Christian church in Rome: the church where world leaders kiss the signet ring of the pope to gain his audience, this church has taken a hammer and chisel to GOD’S tables of stone, literally fracturing away the Second and the Fourth Commandments: the only ones pointing directly to the LORD Jesus Christ.

The Fourth Commandment points to Christ as “the Creator,” declaring His Name, His Title, His Authority, and His Domain (Ex.20:8- 11). And as the seals of kings throughout history have always declared these traits of rulership so the Fourth Commandment, the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) is the Bible’s “seal of GOD” (Rev.7:1-3). It is the seal of the Christian’s faith in Christ’s power to redeem from both sin and the grave, acknowledging His power as He Himself rightfully claimed: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt.28:18). Over 800 verses of the Bible declare Jesus Christ as “the Creator of heaven and earth.” And only one Commandment honors Him as our Creator: the 4th Commandment. But the world church refuses to honor Christ as the Creator, and has claimed the divine authority to remove His Authorship of Creation.

Various arguments outside of Bible guidelines are always given to promote the legitimacy of the ancient pagan tradition of Sunday sacredness. Among the leading ones is the question, “How do we know that Saturday today is the same Saturday held by Christ?” It has been astronomically proven that GOD has preserved the seven day weekly cycle since the dawn of Creation. Calendar adjustments have been made but this never interfered with the flow of days. So the seventh-day Sabbath today is the same seventh-day Sabbath held by Jesus, Moses, and Adam (Gen.2:1-3; Lu.4:16; Heb.4:8- 12). GOD even assures of its eternal significance in the earth made new: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make...it shall come to pass, that…from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” Isa.66:22,23. In summation, Christ kept Holy the Sabbath day, and we are called “to walk even as He walked.” It doesn’t get any more simple than that.

The other Commandment literally fractured away from GOD’S Ten Commandment Law by the Roman Catholic Church is the Second Commandment. This exquisitely perfect Law points to Jesus Christ as the Source of all “mercy” for “them,” GOD said, “that love me, and keep my commandments.” Ex.20:6; Jn.14:15. That “mercy,” revealed in the Second Commandment could only be granted through the greatest event of all eternity: the day “the LORD our Maker” laid down His life on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus directs us to the Second Commandment when He said, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” Jn.14:15. The Vatican is proven by their disregard of this Law to have no true love for Him, for true love is evidenced through humble obedience to “all His commandments” (Ps.111:7). Not eight. Not nine. But ten.

So, in effect, the church not only claims the authority to remove Christ as man’s “Creator” but they have also removed Christ as man’s “Saviour." In reality, the rulers of the church have removed Christ from His law and have substituted themselves in His place, actually claiming for themselves the authority that belongs to GOD in Christ alone. This is the deplorable spirit of self-righteousness that has come to rule the church. And the whole world is blind to this arrogance!

The church commands its day of rest (Sunday) to be held above “the LORD’S day,” GOD’S “Holy day” (Saturday), the only day GOD “sanctified,” “blessed…and hallowed.” The whole world has consolidated against the LORD’S Sabbath day of rest, in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnessism, and Atheism. Whether it be in Muslim countries whose Islamic law commands the rest day of Friday, or Hindus who command the rest day of Monday: all avoid the most simple of GOD’S commandments: the day GOD appointed men to share in “His rest” (Heb.4:10)—in both Creation and now Salvation.

In summation, sinful man has gathered together to craft the extinction of the Holy Sabbath of Jesus Christ: the day He honored throughout His life. And even as He lay lifeless in the tomb He obeyed the "holy day" of GOD'S rest. But man stands in a belligerent posture and refuses to enter His rest, in both the completed work of Creation as well as His rest in the creative work of Salvation. In this, the LORD has declared: "So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest." Heb.3:11. They “entered not in because of unbelief” (Please read Hebrews 4:4-9).

In addition to claiming the authority to change GOD’S Law [as was prophesied by Daniel (7:25)] the Roman church officially declares itself as the sole proprietors of salvation through the Eucharist of the Catholic mass. Concerning this doctrine of Vatican I, Pope Pius IX, in an allocution on December 9th, 1854, he said: “We must hold as of the faith, that out of the Apostolic Roman Church there is no salvation; that she is the only ark of safety, and whosoever is not in her perishes in the deluge.”

The pompous and tyrannical nature of the dogma of Rome and her apostate protestant daughters must be exposed! This leading snare of Satan to galvanize the whole world under his banner of defiance against the Ten Commandments must be understood within the ranks of Christendom. The sins of Babylon must be exposed before "the seven plagues" so that people can make an informed choice for the Gospel of Christ and not some "because I said so" proclamation that stands Biblically defiant. This final snare lays at the heart of Satan's unification of men in sin, and how he is masking the sins that are destroying everything "holy, and just, and good" in both religious and secular society.

     None seem to realize that to remove the Law of GOD is to remove its Author! There can be no greater arrogance than this! This is what it means to be Antichrist: literally, to be in place of. Selfishly, the leaders pick and choose which of the Ten Commandments are worthy of honor and which of them are not. Even the famous movie, The Ten Commandments was flagrant in its sinful disregard of GOD’S Law, leaving out entire portions as it was being read by a stern, reverberant voice of “God” to Charlton Heston playing the role of “Moses.” It is this usurping of Christ’s victory, love, and authority that Scripture warns us to shun: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 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 the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” II Cor.11:13-15.

     In closing: Throughout man’s sinful history the LORD has warned, “The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” “Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.” Jer.14:14; 23:32. So as the closing events of our sinful world unfold, and we see the increase of authority of the church to stem the tide of sins against the last six Commandments of GOD (the ones that deal with our relationships with one another), there will come a turning point when the church imposes its will over society in its propagation of sin against the first four Commandments of GOD. And when these events take place establishing the authority of the apostate Christian church (under the auspices of Rome and “the tradition of man,” then the sins against the last six Commandments will surely follow. For this has been Satan’s game-plan all along: using a façade of righteousness to lead the saints to sin against GOD “and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Ja.1:14.

     Every fraud that has ever been committed has been carried out in the guise of care, friendship and a pledge of assurance. In this we are called to remember the words of Jesus to the religious leaders of His day and apply them to our generation: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Matt.23:27,28.