Can You be Fooled by Satan?

Now, Contending for the Faith. In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here’s this week’s question: 

“Dear Dave and TA, There are a number of verses in the Bible that make me very anxious. One in particular is 2 Corinthians:11:14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
See All...: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Verse 15: “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness: whose end shall be according to their works.” If it’s possible for Satan and his minions to dupe me by seeming to be righteous, how can I discern the truly righteous workers from those simply pretending to be righteous? One last question that has been worrisome to me is can a person who presents the biblical gospel, wittingly or unwittingly, be one of Satan’s ministers? In other words, just because the gospel is presented, does that make the minister of it clearly among the righteous?

Tom: It is a great concern, because people say, “Well, yeah, but he’s doing a good thing.” Or much of what I have been hearing lately about certain individuals that I have difficulty with their doctrines, with their teachings, I may hear from time to time that they do present the gospel. But they seem to be leading people in a direction, or away from what God’s Word truly says. But it’s an issue that concerns me and others, Dave.

Dave: I don’t believe it would be likely that a person who really preaches the true gospel, really knows the Lord, is going to be an instrument of Satan.

Tom: Unwittingly?

Dave: Well, what would you mean? He falls into temptation and leads someone astray? See, Deuteronomy 13 talks about [how] you could have a prophet who gives valid prophecies and they come to pass who’s a false prophet. And the Scripture says, “But if he leads the people astray after another god, you don’t follow him.” So I don’t think a person who is preaching the biblical gospel is going to lead someone astray in that area, certainly. 

Now, whether he could morally fall into temptation and lead someone astray, that’s another case. Or he may be straight on the gospel, but he could get off as related to what we’ve been talking about. D. James Kennedy and the Knox Seminary, you know, down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, they put out a declaration that Israel has no part at all in God’s plans. And the idea that some particular ethnic group are special to God and have special claim upon a particular piece of land, they just pooh-pooh that as being unbiblical. So I would say there they are leading people astray, and I would venture to say [are] Satan’s instruments, even though they are straight on the gospel. Why would I call them Satan’s instruments? Because Satan must do away with Israel, and they are doing away with Israel - not by putting them in gas chambers, but simple saying they are no longer of any significance. Now, if that’s the case, then there is no Second Coming, because Christ returns to rule on the throne of his father David. A person could really be straight on the gospel, but I suppose they could become Satan’s instrument unwittingly.

Tom: Dave, we preach “Once saved, always saved” here. I mean, that’s a view that we take in this ministry. We believe it’s biblical, and so on. So that being the case, it seems to me for true believers, the only sort of inroad that Satan might have to a believer - to a true believer - is to destroy his fruitfulness, his productiveness, and so on. So consequently, if somebody is preaching the true gospel here, but much of what they are saying elsewhere, whether it be…let’s take for example the word-faith teachers. From time to time, you can hear how it sounds like it, you know, whether they’re reading it from the Scriptures or what. But the thrust of their prosperity teaching, their teaching about healing and so on, is counterproductive to what the Bible teaches. So if a person who is into this who truly knows the Lord and understands the gospel, but he’s in effect teaching something else that’s contrary to the Bible, I don’t know how they can be fruitful and productive for the kingdom.

Dave: Well, there are mixed bags out there. Some people say the truth out of one side of their mouth and they promote heresy on the other side. Now, to call them an instrument of Satan, that’s getting pretty serious, but they’re either on God’s side or on Satan’s side. There is no neutral ground in between. 

So it’s a good question, Tom. It’s a tough one to deal with, because it’s hypothetical to a certain extent: “Well, what do you mean, be an instrument of Satan? In what way, how,” and so forth.

Tom: Dave, when we’ve dealt with Christian Reconstructionism, or with Dominionism and so on - now, there are people who promote those teachings and those doctrines who would say, “Well, wait a minute: I really believe that person’s a believer.” But as you’ve said and written about, unwittingly they’re setting up a kingdom that is for the Antichrist. So there are issues here that people need to be discerning about.