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TRUTH REVEALED IN CHRIST JESUS ONLY (continuation of Part IV)

IN CHRIST JESUS alone, THE TRUTH is revealed. IN ADAM - head of the fallen race - Satan keeps man UNDER THE LIE!!

As we saw, in the fourth part of IN CHRIST JESUS, Satan is called by different names in the WORD of God

1. He is the god of this world - 2 Cor 4/4

2. He is the prince of this world or the ruler of this world - Jn 12/31

3. He is the father of all those who do not understand what Jesus says and cannot bear to hear the WORD OF GOD - See Jn 8/43-44

4. He is a LIAR - He has nothing to do with the Truth, because there is no Truth in him - Jn 8/44

5. He is the Deceiver - Rev 12/9

And all those who are deceived are his children John 8/47 - says "the reason why you do not hear the word of God is that you are not of God"

Arch Bishop Fulton Sheen of the Catholic Church says the greatest LIE of Satan to intellectuals, religious people, theologians and Bible scholars are that He doesn't exist. This makes it easier for the devil to keep them under the LIE. That is his greatest deception.

How is the World deceived??

The deceiver uses Good - to bring about EVIL. He also suggests EVIL - to bring about Good. We must remember that the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge is both Good and EVIL. Do not fail to recognize that this tree represents man's authority - i.e. his desire to live his life independent of God. This was the same desire of Archangel Lucifer in heaven seen in Isaiah 14/11-14 for which he was thrown out. This is the same desire he plants into man. Apart from God man produces good. Hence his good works DECEIVE him, whereas THE TRUTH - is found in Eph. 2/10 - which says - ""For we are His workmanship, created IN CHRIST JESUS for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them".

Hence Satan makes people do good works - to keep them away from the REAL GOOD WORKS that God has prepared for them before hand - even before the world was created - when He chose them IN CHRIST (Eph 1/4). Hence there is goodness in everybody, but that goodness is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God mentioned in Galatians 5/22, because the source of that good come from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil and not from the TREE OF LIFE - which is JESUS. This is a DECEPTION, Satan keeps man under the LIE - that he is good. The other fruit evil that he produces is explained as his weakness and Satan will quote the Word of God to say not to worry for God is Love!!

Who are the ones who are deceived??

1. All those who do not live in the truth and walk in the Truth are deceived. As we already saw; The Word of God is the Truth. And Jesus said - "If you ABIDE in my WORD (The Truth), you are my disciples and you shall know the Truth" (Jn. 8/31-32)

2. Those who only hear the word of God, or read and study the word of God without being a doer of the WORD is deceived says James 1/22

3. Self - righteousness in a man deceives him. Galatians 6/3 - says, - "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Read Rom 10/1-4. Man is deceived, if he says he has no sin 1 Jn 1/8 Paul before his conversion thought of himself as "blameless before God's law". In Philippians 3/6 - he says "as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."

4. Man is deceived when he thinks himself to be wise with the wisdom of this world - 1 Cor 3/18.

Romans 1/22 says - "Although they claimed to be wise, they become fools."

5. Man is deceived by seeming to be religious when an unbridled tongue reveals his true conditions. James 1/26

6. Deceived, if he thinks, he will sow and not reap what he sows - Galatians 6/7

7. Deceived, if man thinks the unrighteous will inherit the Kingdom of God - 1 Corinthians 6/9

The unrighteous are those, who do not submit to God's righteousness IN CHRIST JESUS Rom. 10/3-4

8. Man is deceived, when he thinks that contact with SIN will not have its effect upon him. 1 Corinthians 15/33

9. He is deceived - when gone too far away from God on the path of error - Wisdom 12/24

10. Deceived by the PRIDE of his heart - Obadiah 1/3

11. Man deceived by astrologers and false prophets - Mt. 2/16, Jer 29/8

12. Deceived by listening to the people of this world. Eph 5/6-17, Col 2/8

13. Being deceived, they themselves become deceivers, because gone from bad to worse - 2 Tim 3/13

Satan the deceivers, also deceives the children of God who are carnal Christians.

Ways used by Satan to deceive them are

a) He comes as the angel of light - 2 Cor 11/14

b) His ministers seem to us as ministers of righteousness - 2 Cor 11/13, 15

c) He brings a counterfeit gospel - Gal 1/8

d) Uses teachings that pretend to be God - ward very often dwelling on things that pertain only to the development of physical and mental faculties keeping his victims away from the TRUTH revealed IN CHRIST - 2 Cor 11/14-15, Mt. 24/24

e) Uses false brethren - 2 Cor 11/26
These are the tares - the sons of the evil one shown in the parable. They are used for evil influences. See Mt. 13/38, Jn 8/44.

f) Deceives through counterfeit righteousness - Rom 10/3

g) Deceived through people who claim to be people of God, but who are called the synagogue of Satan in Rev 2/9

h) Deceived through counterfeit doctrines. 1 Tim 4/1-2. Such believers will not listen to the TRUTH, because they are not abiding IN CHRIST. 2 Tim 4/4 - says - " They will turn their ears away from THE TRUTH and turn aside to myths."
They will gather around them, a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Tim 4/3

All these are the result of not knowing the TRUTH, for the TRUTH is revealed only IN CHRIST. Even those, who studied the Scriptures did not Know the TRUTH, for they did so without being IN CHRIST. This is clear from what Jesus tells them in John 5/39-40 and John 8/43-44. This is also revealed in 2 Cor 3/14-16 and 2 Cor 4/3-4.

"You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (Jn. 5/39-40)

"Why do you not understand what I say?? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the TRUTH, because "THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM." When he LIES, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a LIAR and the father of LIES." This Satan who is called the Father of those who are independent of God - the father of LIES keeps those outside of CHRIST in his LIE. These are all deceived and they become his instruments to deceive others.

"He who is of God hears the WORD OF GOD; the reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God" JN 8/47

2 Cor 3/14 -16 and 2 Cor 4/3-4 explains how Satan keeps them blinded and how to get out of this blindness is given in 2 Cor 3/16 - "When a man TURNS to the Lord, the veil is removed."

One of the signs of the end of times, which Jesus Himself speaks of, is mass deception and Satan will be after "THE ELECT"

See Mt. 24/24, - "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the ELECT."

The WORD of God is written by the Holy Spirit using men of God. And only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us what is written in the Word. Man's wisdom is useless as far as the WORD of God is concerned. St Paul in 1 Cor 1/17 says - "Christ send him to preach the gospel - not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." ONLY TO those IN CHRIST will The TRUTH be revealed - because IN CHRIST, the Holy Spirit who is the author of the Bible will reveal the deep things of God - but to those outside it will be in parables.

When the disciples asked Jesus as to why He spoke in parables, His reply was - "TO YOU (Disciples - ie. those who are IN CHRIST) it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but for those Outside, they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand. Mark 4/11-12, Lk 8/10.

In 1 Cor 2/14 - Paul speaks of the unspiritual man. The unspiritual man is One who is outside of Christ, because God's plan for man is to be "IN CHRIST" (Eph 1/4). The Unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned" 1 Cor 2/14.

We, in the covenant people invite you to visit our Web site as often as possible to receive inspired messages from the Upper Room. If possible make it to our English retreats in June 7th to 11th - October 11th to 15th or Malayalam retreats in April 12th to 16th at Ernakulam April 17th to 20th at Kottayam, August 16th to 20th at Kottayam, December 6th to 10th at Kottayam. Contact (0484) 350821, 355826 for Ernakulam and (0481) 562526, 578454 for Kottayam. Love from all of us in the Covenant People. Happy Easter. May you experience the Power of His Resurrection at this Easter. May His Face Shine Upon You!!

The Covenant People
P.O. Box: 20, Kanjirapally
Kottayam District, Kerala - India


Messages of Jose Anathanam and the Covenant Ministries from THE UPPER ROOM, built on a beautiful small hill named after Mount Zion, where the Lord Jesus Christ manifests His presence in a mighty way.