Deception

             Deception is the avenue by which innocents are deceived. Going back to where I always go in Scripture, Eve’s sin came about because she was deceived by the cunning of the serpent who, of course, was the mouthpiece of Satan. Adam committed the exact same sin, doing what was forbidden, but it was knowing full-well what command God issued. God gave the command directly to Adam, not Eve, and it was his job to teach Eve and pass along truth, by way of the command. Thus, with the knowledge imparted by God, Adam sinned. So, the first sin was accounted to Adam although Eve sinned first. Adam blamed the woman, and the woman could have rightly blamed Adam. Instead she went to the root-cause: She was deceived by the serpent.

                When Jesus was on the cross before dying he said, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” The apostles had yet to fully believe in Jesus; how could the mob have believed? The mob killed Jesus and they could have blamed the serpent. However, they did not know they had been deceived. Deception is why most people sin, and it’s easy, because everyone is born predisposed to sin because of Adam – original sin. That does not make sinning “okay” but God understands that people mostly sin because they are deceived. Satan mixes in just enough good with the evil to make each sin palatable to his slaves. Yes, sinners are slaves to Satan because they do his will.

     Satan never forces his will on anyone. That is the one constraint God put on him (Job 1). Inevitably, every sin is the person’s will because force is not used. Satan uses trickery to synchronize mankind’s will with his. That is deception. God uses truth to harmonize our will with his. It is that “truth” which “sets us free” from sin and breaks the chains of bondage!

                Sin replicates with duplicity. One sin leads to another. Herd mentality multiplies sin. When farmers want the herd, the lead cow only needs to see the fodder. The rest follow the lead although they haven’t seen the food.  They assume pleasure and appeasement will be there and follow their instincts. Usually there is fodder there, and each time they instinctually follow. Mankind is little different. A popular or convincing leader can draw the herd even though they know what they are doing is for the leaders’ benefit, not their own! An effective leader can gather the herd for his purposes even when there is no reward.  Those who follow the herd, thus, are no more than Pavlovian beasts who get pleasure even when it is not even forthcoming. Their instinctual pull overwhelms them, and they sin for the sheer joy of it. Even when sin provides no reward, people still sin for the thrill of sinning. With the herd, their thrill is being part of the herd -  acceptance. They are happy by being on the side of what seems to them is the popular will even though the so-called “majority” may only be the small herd! They are deceived!

                Revolution is never initiated by the majority. It is the small herd which foments Revolution. Even our own American Revolution was only about 30% who sought freedom from England. Within those few, there were only a small number which were rabid revolutionaries, and many of the patriots revolted after careful consideration that there was little choice. Ours so far has turned out well but revolutions seldom do! When the herd is gathered it becomes a mob. Revolution in France quickly turned into mob rule and beheadings because God’s will was never sought in their revolution. Soon the castigated became the castigators. That came about because the herd merely followed cunning beasts and the beasts became the mob!                

                The political dissent in modern times is merely herd mentality, oftentimes resulting in mob-like activity. It is ironic that those protesting in favor if unity, love, and harmony are often the most divisive, hating, and out of tune with what is right! They do that because they know not what they do! When they protest they do so because those with more power organize it. They may not even know they are organized but the degree of their harmonized dissent has to be. Chaos is disorganization. With the array of protests nationwide, people are fools to believe it just happened!  Seldom is the real puppet-master there but his “strings” are still making things happen. Usually, the strings are a popular entertainer who is more gullible than the gullible in the herd. Usually, the herd is shepherded by a narcissist, who in his or her own opinion, is the source of all truth and compassion!

                To create a mob and to obtain its compliance requires deception. Few of the marches anywhere are for God’s will. People are deceived into thinking that economic “fairness” and gun control is God’s will but Scripture places no emphasis on either civil laws nor social doctrine. The Doctrine of Christ is that none should perish but that is their eternal souls which has nothing to do with mortality! If people protest it should be for the Doctrine of Christ. In fact, divine love is that Christians want that none should perish! Idealistic people are often deceived. Many prefer socialism for it projects a Utopian world where there is social justice and economic equality. They forget that historically it has taken force and guns to procure something which is even far removed from Utopia.

                On the other hand, the Doctrine of Christ offers and provides a Utopia called “Heaven” but there are few who seek it because of deception! People reject the true prize because Satan deceives them that there is none, while at the same time promising a prize here on earth.