In the 28th chapter of Ezekiel (Amplified) we find the Lord instructing the prophet to speak to the King of Tyre. He had just spoken to the Prince of Tyre. The Prince was the man on the throne and the King of Tyre was the spirit, satan, who was really in charge of what was going on.
You find in Verses 13-14 (Amplified) the Lord says that this King of Tyre was in Eden. There were only three persons in Eden except for when satan entered. There was Adam, Eve, and God. The only other person was the serpent or satan. In Verse 14 God called him the anointed cherub.
In Verse 18 (Amplified), the Lord spoke of the end of satan when He said, "'I have brought forth a fire from your midst; it has reduced you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who looked at you.'" Verse 19 says, "'You have come to a horrible end and shall never return to being.'"
This prophecy spoken to satan by the Lord has come to pass by Jesus. The enemy has already been stripped of his authority and power. The only thing left to be fulfilled is the final judgement into the lake of fire. The ability to deceive men is all that's left for his overthrown kingdom.
In Thess.2:7-10 (Amplified), the Word of God speaks of the anti-Christ and his power of deception. In Verse 9 we read, "The coming (of the lawless one; the anti-Christ) is through the activity and working of satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of (pretended) miracles and signs and delusive marvels (all of them) lying wonders." Upon reading this, you understand that satan is like a magician using slight of hand to make things appear differently than they are.
The Word says that all these things are "pretended miracles and signs and delusive marvels; all of them lying wonders." I once watched David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear on television. Everyone knew it was still there, but he made the illusion of disappearance look so convincing.
In Corinthians 11:13-15 (Amplified) the Apostle Paul speaks about those who would deceive the Church in the guise of being the Church, counterfeit men and false apostles, masquerading as apostles. Verse 14 (Amplified) says, "And it is no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."
When satan comes to a believer, he doesn't come saying he is satan. But, he comes saying that he is the Lord. He tries to get the Church to believe that all the hard times and sicknesses and heartaches are just God teaching His people. All the while, it's a deception of the same defrocked satanic spirit that comes as an angel of light.
If the Church ever catches onto the fact that Jesus defeated the devil for us and stripped him of his authority and ability, then it will be all over for the devil. The only power that was left to him was the power (or ability) to deceive people. He'll try telling you that your sins haven't been forgiven, that you're not clean before the Lord, that you don't pray enough, that you can't get healed or that your prayers are unanswered because you don't live a perfect life. And, then he will try convincing you that all of your problems stem from God.
If satan can convince you of these things, then he will keep you from enjoying your salvation. I knew a lady some years ago who was placed in a mental health ward because of the lying spirit. She was a Christian woman who loved God. This lying devil came to her saying that he was Jesus. He told her that (as Jesus) he loved her enough to shed his blood for her. Then he said that if she loved him, then she must shed her blood as proof. The lady (who did love God) was deceived into cutting her wrists and the back of her knees to prove her love for God. She was placed in a mental ward and remained there for 13 years until God told me to go get her out and set her free.
This lying spirit will tell you anything to get you to allow him to minister into your life. You must know who he is and what Jesus did to him. If he told you he was the devil, then you wouldn't listen to him. But, if he can deceive you into thinking he is God, then you will listen. That's why James 4:7 (Amplified) says, "So be subject to God; Resist the devil (stand firm against him) and he will flee from you."
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