The Deceiver of the Nations

Satan, the Devil:

"Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms?'" -Isaiah 14:15-16, NKJV

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." -John 8:44, NKJV

"So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." -Revelation 12:9, NKJV

Satan is the deceiver; the great deceiver; the greatest deceiver. He is the father of lies. He has deceived the nations, and they are deceived indeed! He has made the people of the earth tremble, and he has shaken the kingdoms. But one day, people will see him and ask in shock, “Is this the one? Is this he who deceived the world and caused so much trouble? Look at him now, for he is brought low."

Glory and honor to Jesus the King who has defeated the enemy, Satan, and who will one day humble him in the sight of the nations and restrain him from causing trouble.

What is "The Lie?"

"And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,"

What is "the lie?"

Is it denial of Jesus as Savior and Lord? Is it atheism? Is it evolution as the origin of species? Is it extraterrestrial involvement as ancient gods, or creators of humanity, or the reason for the future "Rapture" event? Is it simply any deception that leads someone away from God? Take your pick; it's speculation at this point. Maybe it will be revealed to us after these things come to pass.

"Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." -2 Thessalonians 2: 5-12, NKJV

Obedience through Surrender

I have been learning to obey, not in hope of something better, or some more ideal outcome, but rather, simply for obedience sake with no expectation of anything in return. I am seeing that, for me personally, to do otherwise is a sophisticated form of control—an attempt to manipulate—which I have been in a multiple-years long journey to surrender. For me, this simpler form of obedience is a truer, deeper form of surrender. It is a life-long journey of revealing and responding.