DECEPTIVE ILLUSIONS 

(CONTINUING WITH WATER BAPTISM AND WALKING IN NEWNESS OF LIFE…..)  

John 8:23 ‘Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.’ What is this “World”? And where did it come from? John 2:24-25 says, “Jesus did not commit Himself to them…. for He knew what was in man.” What was in man, that He knew of? Christ knew man is under a deceptive illusion or illusions.  

An illusion is when man mistakenly believes a deceptive appearance or impression and is unaware of the true state of affairs. REVELATION 12:9 says: SATAN IS he “….which deceiveth the whole world.…” 

GENESIS 3 GIVES US THE ORIGIN OF MAN’S DECEPTION. And also the entrance of the ‘World’ into the restored earth. (Read) “Now the serpent was more subtil ….” Satan and the serpent conspired to create the first deceptive illusion. That being, “Hath God said?” Is it really so that God said? When tempted, Eve rightly said of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, “….God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it.…lest ye die.” “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” 

EVE’S SIN WAS UNBELIEF OF GOD’S WORD…. 

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Thus man gave authority on the renewed earth to satan, who designs the ‘World’. 

What was in the apple? It was spiritual poison; the substance that poisoned the spirit unto death. And what was left but a carnal or soul– controlled man now vulnerable and subject forever to those 3 basics of temptation. These deceiving and corrupting appeals being,  “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”  

That day of Genesis 3 is the point where made in the image of God, His likeness was marred, wherein man’s God-conscientiousness was replaced by self-conscientiousness. After eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then separation from God, (death) set in, and their spirit “died”.  “…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” And man’s nature and reasoning changed immediately, and they then “knew they were naked”. They became preoccupied with themselves, and they were afraid. “And they sewed fig-leaves together and made them selves aprons.” 

Self contemplation, out of the growing reservoir of self-consciousness, fed by the river of the senses, without the Spirit/spirit–enlivened conscience of God, springs from the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. This was the genesis of all future delusional thoughts and heinous actions; of self reliance, self preservation, with a sense of fear of disaster. It was the genesis of the state of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, disharmony, carnality, and being without peace, For there was now no longer the connection, with that natural reliance upon God. Now there was a sense of the need for exertion, the beginning of human contrivance, the self–effort to make things better for ourselves. The illusion of self–reliance is found in its inventions. [Genesis 4:16-24] Man, forever attempting to cover his nakedness, evolves on the earth. Man’s attempt to make earth a satisfactory place to live apart from God and with Satan now his god, begins to teach man. “….no longer will God’s ways be our ways, and His thoughts our thoughts.” Satan’s ‘World’ has swallowed up mankind. 

THE ANTIDOTE FOR THE POISON 

The antidote is found in the Word of God. If the antidote is not there, then there is no antidote. The Word written down over 3500 years ago, says God has reached out to fallen man since the  “….Where art thou?” was heard. There is a remedy, an oasis in this barren land. The tree of life yet exists, and the Lord bids us eat. Receive its life–restoring power.  

John 17:14-19 says, “I have given them thy word; (the antidote which they have received and were disillusioned) and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (sanctify them wholly, 1 Thessalonians 5:23; John 13:8-10) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, (by keeping the Word of God) that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” [See also Revelation 12:11, 14:16] 

It was satan’s cleverly disguised words which caused disbelief and distrust in Eve’s reasoning and their actions following, wherein man was and remains condemned.  It is by the Words of His Son causing belief and trust that man’s heart is turned again unto God and may be saved eternally from the curse of God. (Read and comprehend the sin dynamic, found in the 3rd Chapter of Genesis, and from James 1:12-25.) 

One must be brought by the Spirit of God under conviction of sin (that sin of unbelief) and be born again by acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Saviour/the incarnate Word of God, the Author of faith. He restoreth my soul. He animates my spirit, that I might know Him. 

“Where, then, is the seat of faith?  Not in the intellect, which sees the logical connection or the historic evidence. Nor is it in the imagination, which recognizes the beauty and organic symmetry, and reproduces the pictures. Nor is it in the conscience, which testifies to the righteousness and truth of the revelation. But it is in something which lies deeper than these, in which all these center, and to which all these return.  It is with the heart, as Scripture teaches, that man believeth.  From there is whence are the issues of life; emotional, intellectual, moral, spiritual, in that secret place to which God alone has access. God’s Word, as a seed, begets faith. God’s Word, as a light, kindles light, and the man becomes a believer.” [Saphir on Hebrews, New Am. Ed., P. 701] 

Satan and his ‘World’ does not become any less our enemy because we are now “saved”. On the contrary, it is then when we find ourselves hunted and hated by the World. Revelation 12:10 is prophecy for a future day that says, “…for the accuser of 

our brethren is cast down, which accused them (them that overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and thy loved not their lives unto death) before our God day and night.” But the Scripture continues describing the worsening conditions of those who were yet deceived and must remain on the earth. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” And who is his special target? It’s those of the unbelieving Church who remain. [Revelation 12:13-17] 

Men love darkness. They love to be deceived, especially religious folk, including those who are called Christians, those who have believed in Jesus Christ. And for this purpose the ‘World’ has created, among its many systems, a religious system of deception to preach the gospel of humanity. “…let us build….and let us make us a name.…” [Genesis 11:4, Jeremiah 51:61,62 Revelation 16:19 chapters 17,18] 

[1Corinthians 11:2-4,13-15; 2 Peter 2; Jude 2; Timothy 3]   

This willingness to be deceived is understood by the readiness with which the carnally–controlled (Christian) man gives ear to all who teach the self–pleasing doctrines. Such as the over–emphasis on God’s Love and Mercy at the exclusion of His Holiness and Justice. And thereby, they explain away the significance of the meaning of Water Baptism. And of its demand for holy separation from the World’s deceiving system unto the pure Word and simplicity of Christ’s Gospel. They deceive with teachings that mix lies with God’s Word and declare Christ’s Atonement of imputation covers not only justification but sanctification. This, and other ‘peace and safety’ and prosperity “gospel” messages have on the whole deceived the vast majority of Christians and have excluded them from His Kingdom of Glory. And in that, they then being mixed into the affairs of the World, have no salt or light effect; no real overcoming influence upon anyone else.  

Revelation says to he that overcometh [literally, the one overcoming, in contrast to those who may be defeated], I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame [conquered], and sat down with my Father in his throne. [Revelation 3:21] To take this Scripture, and many similar Scriptures, as meaning that a mere Believer, born again in Jesus Christ is thereby automatically qualified to set down with Him in His Throne, is to take away the true meaning. It nullifies their sense, their urgency, and makes null the warning and the promised incentive for overcoming the flesh, the World and the devil. Those who rightly divide the Word of Truth see Eternal life as the free unconditional gift of God in Christ Jesus. But the glorious promises of His Kingdom inheritance as the Bride are Prizes that are conditional. We are to run the race, and fight the fight of life faithfully unto the end. That is the overcoming victory. It is this Paul had in view in Philippians 3, and later towards the end of his life he wrote:  “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.…Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”    

Christ has not only made unto us Redemption…but made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification. [1 Corinthians 1:30] The presence in the earth of even a small number of believers who truly have the spirit and the testimony of God, affects the character of the whole. But Prophecy gives the reality of the true condition of the last days. That is Christian apathy, as seen in the last church of this Age. [Revelation 3] And the love of many growing cold. [Matthew 24] 

Spiritually speaking, disillusionment means to no longer be deceived. Oswald Chambers said it this way: Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. Spiritual Disillusionment comes from much renewal of the mind, or continual drinking from another reservoir, that of the Word. And in being set apart in its wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of God, that is revealed by the Spirit of God through our re–animated spirit. Never allowing the imagination to wander from the truth of the Word of God.  The effect, if we allow the light of sanctification into our heart, is disillusionment. And to no longer be a part of the deceptive illusion of the World. This requires a meaningful separation. 

MY SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD IN CHRIST JESUS 

Definitions are as follows: 

Subjective: 

Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions: his views are highly subjective | there is always the danger of making a subjective judgment. 

Objective: 

(Of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts: historians try to be objective and impartial. 

As Christians, we believe in the necessity of the personal substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the sinless offering of God for Adam’s original sin and accompanying Curse. Wherein it is understood all men (save two) were/are born in the state of an internal and external chaos. That is to say that both externally, the World, is out of order and disharmonious, in that one moment it is beneficial to us and the next it is detrimental.  

And internally all men have the same chaos/disharmony in their hearts. (That is, in our mind, will and emotions.) A Christian, having become acquainted with God in the Holy Spirit, will eventually come to that place the author of Romans did: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This is the mind, emotions, and will in discord. 

The answer to which the author continues: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord…. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me from the law of sin and death.” [Romans 7:25-8:2]  

Which brings us who wish to be wise Christians to the point of our crisis: Our objective and subjective thoughts about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and how we apply His Words to our lives. What is needed is what Paul received or experienced; disillusionment. Some Christians take the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ found in the Words of Scripture strictly objectively. That is to say without subjectivity. After rebirth, they are satisfied with the theoretical presumed place and blessing in Him, and give little thought to their internal inconsistencies and contradictions in nonconformance to His Nature in their lives. Thinking it always an impossibility to be much more improved, and taking Scriptures entirely objectively and think that only in Heaven may they be changed.  

These are those who are yet caught up in the illusion of the thoughts spun in the World’s deceptive religious system. And unless disillusioned, they will fall through the trap door of presumption in a false sense of security and be disqualified for the Millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. 

Other Christians, after having initially received the mercy and grace in Jesus Christ and having been born again, now take the Words in Scripture about the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ very subjectively. They daily mourn and strive against the disharmony, the chaos within their minds, emotions and will that are contradictory to the behavior set forth in the Word of God, often in fear of loss of eternal life. And unsuccessfully, they try to enforce upon themselves rigidly the commandments of God. And unless disillusioned, they will fall through the trap door of despair. 

The apostle Paul speaks of ‘the elements of the world’, and he defines these as, ‘handle not, nor taste, nor touch’. [Colossians 2:20, 21]  So religious abstinence or religious observances are merely worldly and no more, and what hope is there, by using worldly elements, of escaping the world system? 

Deliverance for us is to be first disillusioned from the illusion of the World in all its subtle forms by the Sanctifying Word and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  And seeing Babylon, the World’s system, as it is. It is satan’s deceiving system that it is condemned and soon will be completely confined for a short period to this earth, and then later to the Lake of Fire forever. From the heart outward we were deceived. From the heart outward we will be disillusioned…by revelation. You put nothing into it because you truly see it is doomed, and that it has no future, and so it has nothing in you. 

We truly discover we have nothing here to live for, but for His purpose. 

In the Wisdom of Christ we find the true understanding to walk in the knowledge of God. That is to be in this World but not of this World. The hope of a better place. Our kingdom is not of this World. 

We can easily see submersion in water baptism as a type of being crucified with Christ to the World. But in the resurrection of the newness of life we see that the world has been crucified to us. I am dead to it….justification / …..it is dead to me…..sanctification.