Satan's Influence On America Today

You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Introduction

There is a very sad testimony in America today, and given the current events a recent Burma survey seems apparently true, according to this particular survey, “The majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity.” Notice this survey is not speaking of Americans as whole but rather “American Christians.” Although Satan has managed to persuade many people that he does not exist, he very definitely is real.

And the reason we should realize and recognize this first and foremost is because Jesus said he was real, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”—John 12: 31 (NIV) I am cognizant of the fact that there are a few preachers who for some reason seem to refuse to preach on or against the whiles of the devil but I believe it is our Christian duty to expose him and his evil work.

In 1Peter 5:8 we read, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” How will the congregations all across America recognize his evil devices if they are not instructed in the Word of God? We have to warn the people of what exactly is going on—because they stand in confusion and in deep misunderstandings concerning the pertinent issues and debates we are dealing with in America today. Now, what I am about to say may be a bit controversial and maybe even alarming—but although God has His preachers, Satan has a few preachers too. Preachers who openly teach that the Gospel is not a condemning message, that God is a God of love and never of wrath, these men and women are more motivational speakers rather than are preachers of the Gospel. God is a God of love, but He is equally a God of wrath, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” –Romans 1: 18.

Satan uses the pulpit sometimes to manipulate and deceive the masses with his own preachers. For example in the New Testament, Satan used religious leaders like the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees to pore endlessly over biblical texts, just missing the point of Jesus Christ. They continuously came to conclusions that had a partial biblical foundation—their messages that was geared and maneuvered by Satan himself and was always expository; they just intentionally avoided anything concerning Jesus Christ. In fact, they utterly hated Him to point they even orchestrated His death by crucifixion. The spirit of these scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees is alive and well in America today.

1. Beware Of Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

There is something called the “Prosperity Gospel” being preached today. Other names for it are “Name it and Claim it” or grab it and blab (emphasis mine), health and wealth, or “Word of Faith” which ever you prefer. It suggest that the Lord is somehow in on a deal by which believers have to first "claim" the promise before it can become effective. Do you "need" that new car? Just name it, and claim it! Do you "need" a lot of money? Do you "need" that winning lottery ticket? Do you have an object of affection and he or she doesn’t realize they you are meant for each other yet? Just call out his or her name, claim what will be and allow the love potion # 9 to start taking effect. This false doctrine infers that God is more a vending machine than He is the Creator of the universe.

It is a sad but extremely true fact that the twisting of God’s Word has become a very lucrative in our nation today. And is exactly why the Apostle Paul told young Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”—2 Timothy 4: 3 – 4 (ESV)

Here Paul is warning of the “great apostasy” to come, even while Paul was writing these words false teachings were already seeping into the Church. There are those today in America who are bent on wiping out that old time religion only to replace it with the “New World Order” they are doing this by mixing the truth with error. They are spiritual mathematicians so to speak because they specialize in adding to and taking away God’s Word.