Weaponizing Deception

Deception is the act of misleading someone using falsehoods—that is, using lies. This subject underlies many of the articles I’ve written over the last seven years. Deception put forth by those in our government, media, academics, and sometimes even the church. The purpose has been to expose the lies, present some facts supporting that position, and offer some solutions.

Satan and Deception

We cannot know truth when we begin trusting lies. To fully understand that, we need to look briefly at Satan. He is only mentioned a few times in the entire Bible, and called “that ancient serpent, also known as the Devil and Satan [the Adversary].” (Rev. 12:9) The Bible tells us;

Satan fell from heaven, (Luke 10:18)
He is the father of all lies (John 8:44) and deceiver of the world (Rev. 12:9),
Satan looks for people to devour (1 Peter 5:8),
He is not divided with himself, (Mark 3:23-7)
Those who listen to Satan belong to him; we know them by their words, actions, and the fruit they bear (John 8:39-51)

Satan’s deception is more than his actions. Deception is his character. Character coming from his ideas. Ideas manifesting themself in acts of rebellion and disobedience to God.

Identifying Satan and his lies requires developing discernment, becoming able to tell good from evil. God is truth and light; Satan lies and darkness. When we can’t tell one from the other, we easily become lost.

An Example

We experienced this at one of the churches we attend this past weekend. The message given concerned the present riots, racism in America, etc. While well-intended, it could have come directly from Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals or Marx’s The Communist Manifesto. It was pure liberation theology.

We know the man and he is a decent fellow. I’m sure he thought himself a social justice warrior. However, I remember almost nothing he said. I was much more interested in what was going on in the church. It became darker the longer he spoke. The air became heavier, and you could see people’s demeanor change. The response after his message was muffled. His words invited death into the church, and it came. Sadly, I don’t think he even realized it. This is what happens when one can no longer discern good from evil, and we see it in many places within our society today.

Can Justice Coexist With Deception?

We are each called to hate evil and love good. (Amos 5:15) In following God we are to seek justice, righteousness, and humility—that is, virtue. (Zeph. 2:3) Justice sweeps away lies. (Isa. 28:17) Finally, acting with justice brings joy to the righteous, but terrifies those doing evil. (Prov. 21:15)

Truth matters because justice cannot exist without it. God is truth and morality’s source; therefore justice cannot exist when man turns from Him—as individuals and a society. Following God requires we voluntarily accept and act using His values rather than our own. The latter are lies man chooses to accept.

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What do I mean? There are so many examples we can’t possibly cover them all. I’ll just pose a few from current events.

The Covid 19 Outbreak

Only eight of fifty governors rejected the federal pandemic guidelines. The early results suggest those states did much better than the rest.[1] What were some of the lies? They include;

Deception	Truth
We were safer staying home and sheltering in place.	About 65% of people caught the virus while at home. The next closest cause was using mass transit at about 15%.
Stay inside to protect yourself.	While the virus is highly contagious, it is pretty fragile. It tends to die in sunlight.
Wear masks to protect yourself and others.	This is a big one. The virus is so small even medical grade masks will not stop it. Once a mask becomes damp from the moisture in your breath, it does nothing to stop transmission. Further, you exhale to breath out bad stuff, and wearing a mask prevents that from happening. It also weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to future illness.
Close certain business as unessential, and allow others to remain open.	All businesses are essential in a community. We are social, and depriving us of that aspect increases abuse, addiction, suicides, and other problem behaviors.
Closing down the economy was for our own protection.	Eighty percent of the stated covid deaths occurred in people 65 or older. State data, where reported, reveals between 18 and 50% of those deaths occurred in long-term care facilities. The leading causes of death among the elderly are; heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease.

So why did some governors order covid patients be housed in long-term care facilities with the elderly? They bear responsibility for their deaths. Shouldn’t these governors be held accountable and prosecuted?

The Current Riots

Another set of deceptions.

Deception	Truth
America is racist.	No society is perfect, but no one has owned slaves for over two hundred years. Only government programs breeding dependency come close to creating a slave class, along with those who support such policies. To be clear, this is today’s political left.
Blacks are more likely to be shot by police.	Simply not true. Recent figures I’ve seen in the media indicate blacks are 18 times more likely to be shot by other blacks.
The current riots are about civil rights.	The riots are about lawlessness and desensitizing people to violence. They are anti-civil rights.
The new autonomous zones are patriotic.	The real question is patriotic to whom or what? Patriotism is devotion, usually to one’s country. In this case it is devotion to Satan’s cause and not God’s.

We could simply go on, but I think the point has been made.

The answer is simple, but requires courage and conviction. Return to God. Accept His authority. Repent and ask for forgiveness. Begin to learn who He is, and what He asks of us. Then do as he commands. That is how we learn to discern good from evil. Only then can we recognize deception for what it is. If we, as a society, do not make that choice—things will not get better.

We are entering an age of lawlessness like the Old West, Prohibition, and the late 1960’s. But we have many examples to learn from. The leaders of the real civil rights movement, women’s suffrage, and nineteenth century abolitionists. Along with justice being enforced when people choose doing what is wrong. Lawless actions must have consequences. When government fails to act morally, its authority returns back to the people from whom it came.