“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).

No one would ever fall for satan’s lies if he were to show up and declare, “Follow me. And I will completely destroy your life and the lives of everyone you love.”

So, instead, satan shows up as an angel of light. Think about this description. Angel of light – angel, light – those are good things!

That’s right. satan shows up with a lie. satan shows up pretending to be an angel of light. He never asks us to become his servants. He disguises submission to him under the guise of self-awareness, self-actualization, freedom. The serpent never once said to Eve, “I want to be your master. Submit to me.” The shift the serpent desired was to move one’s commitment away from God to commitment to self.

The temptation is never choosing God or choosing evil. The devil never couches it that way. Instead, the devil wants God’s children to choose their own self-awareness and reality over God so that, in the end, what rules and reigns is what I want and what I think.

And, when we do that, the devil’s got you.

You Christian – you always prioritize God’s rule, God’s reigns, God’s truth above all else.

“The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” (Lamentations 2:14).

False prophets. How do you know when you’re in the presence of a false prophet?

There are several things the Bible tells us about false prophets.

1. The visions and prophesies did not expose sin. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. That’s the whole point of the cross and the resurrection! No one likes to hear that they are sinners. No one likes to hear that we will be held accountable and judged for our sins. No one. But that’s the truth. And the good news is that God made a way in Jesus to transform sinners into sons and daughters of God.
   
   If the pastor, teacher, prophet never exposes our sin and our need for a Savior, that’s a false prophet. They are lying to you.
   
2. False prophets deny Christ. 1 John 2:22 tells us, “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son.”
   
   “Such a person is the antichrist.” Wow! Those are strong words. They are strong words because Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world is the only way to the Father. There is NO OTHER PATHWAY TO SALVATION.
   
   False prophets deny the empty tomb. They deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. They deny that Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World. Anyone who proclaims that there are other pathways to God than Jesus, they are liars. They are the antichrist. They are false prophets.

Why do I tell you all this? Because there are those in our pulpits, in our denominational headquarters, and seminaries who deny Christ.

Beware. Measure the fidelity of your church, pastors, and teachers against the rule of Christ and against the truth revealed to us in God’s word.

“The LORD is my shepherd…” (Psalm 23:1).

No matter how strong sheep are, they are no match for wolves. The safety and well-being have nothing to do with their own strength of the sheep but the strength of its shepherd.

It doesn’t matter how strong the sheep are. You can be the strongest sheep in the history of the world and yet still be no match for the most common wolf. It is no accident that one of the most beloved metaphors for who God is and who we are is that of sheep and its shepherd.

And yet so many Christians try to live and face the challenges thrown at us by the wolves of this world. We stand no chance against satan’s wolves. Our only hope is to stay close to the Shepherd.

Wolves aren’t afraid of sheep – no matter how strong the sheep are, no matter how many sheep there are. The only thing that the wolves fear is the shepherd.

Get it?

The LORD is my Shepherd. Get close. Stay close. Remain close to your Shepherd.