"Deception" is a noun derived from the verb "to deceive" which means "to make a person believe what is not true" (Webster's New World Dictionary). Deception is a deliberate, intentional act of misleading someone to believe something that is not true. The purpose of deception is cause a person to believe something or someone whose foundation is either non-existent or shaky at best. And, when deception is done well, it can cause many people to believe the deception to be true and to act as if it were true.
Before we look at the deception taking place today, I want us to look at an old biblical story where deception was practiced well. The story is found in 2 Samuel 15. Absalom is David's oldest son, so the kingdom will be his someday - at least that was his thinking. For the past five years he has been estranged from his father, in fact, Absalom has not seen his father during those years even though for two of those years he has lived in the same city as his father (see 2 Samuel 13:38, 14:23, 28). David is getting older, yet still has the ear of most of the people he has ruled over for so many years.
However, Absalom grows impatient in his waiting to become king. So, he decides to hurry the process. We read this from the text: "In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, 'What town are you from?' He would answer, 'Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.' Then Absalom would say to him, 'Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.' And Absalom would add, 'If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice.'" (2 Samuel 15:1-4).
Wanting to wait no longer, Absalom hired his own PR firm to begin to promote his name before the people. And Absalom would daily stand by the city gates and politic with the people as they came before the king to have matters settled. He would say things like, "Well, have you heard that the king really does not care about your problem; he just wants to promote himself?" Or, something like this: "Do you know how much this king is making and how he is not paying his fair-share of taxes?" Perhaps Absalom was even able to persuade the media of his day to buy-in to the deception and even to promote it. Now I know some of you are saying, "Max, I don't think that is what Absalom was saying." But let's continue reading in the text: "Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and he stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Samuel 15:5-6).
Absalom "stole the hearts of the men of Israel." He caused the people to begin questioning the validity of their king. Absalom practiced the art of deception incredibly well. And he did this for four years. Everyday, Absalom's purpose was to cause people to question the way the king was ruling, to question even his competence to lead, and to question the legitimacy of his leadership. And what was the result of this deception? It lead to a fracturing of the kingdom with people having to decide what was truth for themselves. The act of deception, when done incredibly well, is amazingly effective and agonizingly destructive to a nation.
So, how does this story relate to today's scene? I believe we are seeing the powerful impact deception plays right before our eyes. On November 8, the people of this country went to polling places all across this nation to cast their ballots for President of the United States. The mainstream media and many political pundits had already decided who would be elected even before the first ballots were cast. Celebrations were in readiness. As the first returns came in that night, the choice of those pundits seemed almost assured. But then something happened that was not on the script. South Carolina, then Florida, then Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then Wisconsin, then Michigan went off-script. There were expressions of shock that reverberated through the mainstream media and among those political pundits. How could this have happened? There had to be a way that the election of Donald Trump was not an legitimate one. They searched and found a possible explanation: it was the Russians who had influenced the election in favor of Mr. Trump. And so that story grew in magnitude. And, after one governmental agency after another has claimed there is no relationship between the Russians and the outcome of the election, that deceptive story still grows. Just as Absalom created the atmosphere of sincerity and concern among the people, so the mainstream media and political pundits create an atmosphere of political concern. They say, "We are only looking out for the best interests of the people." Even though Absalom said similar things, his ultimate purpose was to change governmental leadership - to himself. And the purpose of the deception today is to change governmental leadership - to someone who will acquiesce to the wishes espoused by the mainstream media and the leftists pundits. They believe that if they keep on stating the deception over and over again, perhaps even expanding it and wrapping it in different trimmings, that eventually they will achieve what Absalom achieved - a change at the top.
If you go back to the definition that I shared at the very beginning of this piece, deception is based upon a lie, a known non-truth. It is deliberate and intentional. And the defense of the deception becomes almost irrational. It creates an atmosphere of hysteria. As long as there is a spirit of deception, there can be no unity of either heart or mind.
Allow me to share one more biblical scene, only one that is yet to occur, but I believe we are seeing the beginnings of that scene today. I point you to the text found in 2 Thessalonians 2 where the Apostle Paul states clearly that the time is coming when the world will bow before a powerful delusional effort on the part of the Antichrist. It will literally be the "lie from hell" that will cause many to believe the lie. How will this lie be promoted among the peoples of the world? I believe we are seeing "the how" right before our eyes - through the mainstream media. They will be the first to swallow the lie. They will be the first believers in the lie. And soon through every possible media source available the lie will be proclaimed, not as a lie, but as the truth. This is known as The Great Deception. And the effects of this deception will be divisive and catastrophic. Revelation 6-18 record just a brief summary of its impact.
Friends, as I have shared with you so many times recently, as believers in Jesus Christ we need to be solidly anchored in His Truth. It is only His Truth that will expose the lie, the deception. It is time to get involved in a study of the Scriptures, not just for devotions, but for its deep truths. Jesus exposed the deceptive statements of Satan there in the wilderness not by sharing opinions, but by quoting Truth. If you are not involved in some type of Bible study that probes deeply into the Word, get started now! If you are not sharing with your children the truths from the Word of God, get started now! Don't believe the lie. Search diligently for the Truth. Remember, it is only the Truth that will set you free.
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