William Ramier wrote at 11:37pm
A phrase a friend of mine passed along to me is, “If you were deceived, would you know it?” I’ve heard it is used often by some Churches. It is often used as a barb or veiled insult; because, the answer of course has to be “no”. It forces us to admit fallibility, while at the same time insinuating that we are wrong. About deception: It is incredibly easy to be deceived. Suppose an Angel were to come to you and say, “Well Bob, it’s like this….” Wouldn’t you believe an Angel? “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14. What if somebody came to you with a sound argument for something you were sitting on the fence about? What if the logic was impeccable? What if they had proof? “It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 2 Corinthians 11:15. “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” Matthew 24:24. I’ve often wondered how Satan could deceive most of the people, or so many people. “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” Revelation 13:14. It would have to be a very convincing lie. It would have to be air tight. Proof would be required, like evolution or the big bang. What do most people believe now? Does God exist in North America? An interesting observation I’ve made is how easy it is to deceive a person with the truth. Remember the joke about the Minister who was out fishing on his boat Visitation; he was out on visitation. Everybody believes that they are being saved, even those who are on the wide road. The narrow road is not traveled by many.
