Chapter 4: The Masquerade of Demonic Light

Chapter 4: The Masquerade of Demonic Light

The Devil’s Masquerade

No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Cor 11:14

     Impurity comes to us in forms of false glory, beauty, and splendor. Often, the forces of our enemy utilize the weakness of our flesh during periods where we are emotionally drained or distressed, Spiritually weakened and unwatchful, or physically weak or stressed. At other times, the devil may utilize times of earthly peace in our lives when we are unaware of his schemes. Remember that our Savior told us to watch and pray so that we will not fall into temptation. Our spirits are willing to obey Him, but our flesh is weak. It is a sad fact that when we are not abiding in Him, the devil offers wicked counterfeits of intimacy, exhilaration, and even a false nobility of romantic pleasures. All of these are forms of wicked drunkenness of the flesh. Indeed, the thrills of romantic ecstasy border a sweet route to damnation.

     We ourselves know that the day of Christ’s return will come like a thief in the night. While those around us are declaring that they are in peace and safety, destruction will come upon them suddenly and they will not escape. But we are not in the darkness such that this day would overtake us like a thief. We are children of the light of Christ and sons of the day. We are not children of night or of darkness. So let us not sleep lile others do, but rather be alert and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. That is, those who are unawakened to the Spirit and Word, continue to be drunk with the devil’s masquerade of light. But because we are children of the light, we must be sober and put on the breastplate of love and faith and the hope of salvation as our helmet. God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. (1 Thess 5:2-10)

     The only way that we can avoid the counterfeit deception is to know the glory and brilliance of Christ, the exact representation of the Father. For Christ did not come only to remove our passionate evil desires, but to replace them with far stronger desires for His glory and His Agape. Would we believe the devil's lie that passion is only to be found in the domain of the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh? Certainly not! If the desires of the sinful nature are strong, how much greater and more intense are the desires for the glory and love of God that are implanted by the Spirit! We are not like the demon-possessed man who is emptied of one demon and filled with 7 additional even more wicked spirits which make the final state of the man worse than the original (Matt 12:44-45). 

¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “ In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on some, who are doubting; ²³ save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Jude

The Love of Pleasure

But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. I Tim 5:6

     Many of the people of the world live for pleasure. Indeed the love of pleasure is a root cause of impurity in both men and women. Pride is the root cause of the love of pleasure.

 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. Luke 8:14

     The love of pleasure reveals a heart that thinks highly of itself. Her heart believes that she is worthy and deserving of pleasure. This kind of attitude is in direct contradiction to our good response to the Gospel. As we come to Christ, we acknowledge that all of our deeds are worthless. We know that on our own we deserve death, destruction, pain, anguish, terror, and spiritual distress: separation from God forever. As we are humbled and broken before God and acknowledge His great atoning sacrifice for our sin, we say aloud "How great is the love the Father has lavished on me that I should be called His child!"  No longer do we feel: emptiness, sorrow, self-sufficiency, self-idolatry, loneliness, or unloved, all of which may lead to the seeking of pleasure.

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. I Peter 4:1-2

     We ought to arm ourselves with the attitude that because Christ suffered in His body, we ought to be willing to suffer with Him. This suffering may involve resisting the evil temptations of the heart or literally being persecuted verbally, spiritually, or physically because of our devotion to Christ.

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. I Peter 4:7

The First Fall

      The state of the mind, spirit, and body of Adam and Eve prior to their fall was unlike that of any other human. In the middle of the Garden were placed the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Hebrew word for knowledge, da'ath, means knowledge or awareness. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve's minds were not aware of the presence of sin. All of the disobediences and breakages of the Laws of God known to us were hidden from them. In their largest pondering, they could not contemplate or mentally innovate such acts of rebellion. Because there was no sin in them, their spirits were not separated from God, but rather they were able to stand in His Presence and fellowship freely with Him. And in their body, they felt no shame. God had instituted one Law to them: they were not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil for in the day that they ate of it they would (and did) surely die. 

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”Gen 2

     In Light of God's character of loving-kindness towards all those whom He has made which renders every command and act regarding the elect mankind as having a good purpose for them, there are two aspects of this command. Firstly God knew something about the effect of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that caused Him to forbid them to eat from it because it would be harmful to them in some way. And secondly God in His foreknowledge knew that they would not remain sinless through obedience to His command and that He would intervene at the Cross. In the first case let us consider how the awareness of evil may have been harmful to them. God Himself is aware that sin exists and it has not harmed Him. The knowledge of the existence of sin has not harmed Him because He is God.  21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor 5 These Words indicate that Jesus did not know sin in His inner parts. Certainly He was aware that sin existed, but He did not contain an inkling of a sinful thought or attitude within Himself even as God in flesh Form. Whereas, in the case of Adam and Eve, God knew that if they were aware of the evil that existed, they would not have chosen the way of righteousness. Why? Because they are not God. How can we know that they would not have chosen good over evil if they had known of the choice of evil? We know because they have disobeyed God's Command to not eat from this tree. For in their act of disobedience in eating from the tree they proved to the world that they [and all humanity with them] were not able of handling the awareness of evil for they would have certainly chosen the way of evil and been destroyed in it. 

     Let us take a look at the manner in which the serpent tempted Eve. His first statement was that "You surely will not die". This was a lie, for death refers to a separation from God and in the moment that Adam and Eve sinned they were separated from God (until they were restored) due to the presence of sin within them. The second statement of the serpent was "God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened". Yes, their eyes would be opened to become aware of sin and their own shame... His final statement was "you will be like God, knowing good and evil". They certainly became aware of evil, but they did not become like God in doing so. For in their awareness of sin, their hearts fell far from the righteous glory of His perfect character.

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Gen 3

     Now let us look at the response of Eve. We will see in her response that a deathly spark of speculation originated within her. Eve saw that the tree was good for food. God had given them free access to the other trees of the garden for food. The fruit of these trees were good for food. In believing that the forbidden fruit of this tree was good for food, Eve believed the lie that God would withhold from her something that was good. Secondly Eve saw that the tree was delightful, or pleasant, to the eye. Because Adam and Eve were not separated from the Lord, they were able to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. Eve's heart's worship of the forbidden tree's beauty showed that she, at that moment, did not exalt the beauty of the Lord over that of His creation. Finally Eve saw that the tree was desirable for making one wise. Though in God's Command, it was clear that God intended to withhold the knowledge of evil from them, Eve supposed that perhaps she would be better off with this wisdom. Furthermore, rather than worshiping and exalting the mysterious wisdom of her Creator, she sought to acquire knowledge for her selfish purposes. The heart of the fall of Adam and Eve was doubt and speculation. They speculated that perhaps God's Command was not in their best interest. They considered that perhaps there was some greater pleasure or wisdom outside of what God intended for them. Their act of disobedience showed that in their hearts they exalted themselves above the throne of God. They desired to be on the throne rather than to have God on His throne in their hearts. They committed the act of great blaspheme. And in our conception into wickedness, we have failed to acknowledge God. We have all been borne into the great blaspheme: the belief that God's Commands are not given in love...that God is not the righteous God who He truly is. In the smallest inclination of an evil desire, we sought to exalt ourselves and we blasphemed our Creator. 

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Gen 3

     As God's children, we look back and we understand in part the love in God's Command to Adam and Eve. We understand that they would have been in the Presence of God, delighting in His loving-kindness and perfect creation even now, if they had not disobeyed. God knew the devastating effect that their knowledge of evil would have on them. He knew that their eyes would be opened and they would feel their shame. Though they were united as husband and wife, and no other humans existed, still they felt shame in their flesh. And the other devastating outcome was the absence of love, grace, and forgiveness within themselves, the fallen sinners, to cover over the offences and shame of one another. For apart from the knowledge of His grace, we all would have been like Ham, who would have rather exposed the shame of his father than to cover it. Not only were we filled with shame apart from His intervention, but we were not helpful to one another to cover over it in any way. 

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.Gen 3

     Following the first fall of man, God immediately revealed the Gospel to Adam and Eve. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Gen 3 God sacrificed an animal to indicate that without the shedding of blood there could be no forgiveness of sin and covered them with the skin to show them that the righteousness of the future Messiah covers them. Furthermore, He stationed a cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the Tree of Life. For in their human form, if they had lived forever, though God has forgiven their sins in Christ, the day when they saw Him Face to Face and became perfect like Him may have been eternally prolonged. They would have existed as we are today, free from the penalty of sin, but still in the presence of sin...the troubling presence of the consequence of sin forever. 

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.Gen 3

The Deathly Spark of Speculation

     The deathly spark of speculation, the doubting of God's character and exaltation, is described in James. We are tempted when we are carried away and enticed by our own lust. When lust conceives, it gives birth to sin. And we know that the wages of sin is death. Lusts, or desires and longings, originate from the affections of the heart. When our hearts have desires and longings that are contrary to the Commands of God, the acts of outward sin are sure to follow. Now that we are in Christ, we are given new hearts that fear God and are filled with righteous and holy affections. Remember the way Your heart longs for Him and seeks to obey Him when you are instructed in Godliness. Remember the look in the eyes of the beloved around you who are moved by the Spirit in conviction and awe at the righteous love of the heavenly Father shown through Christ. All of these acts of the Spirit are saturated with righteousness, purity, love, reference, worship, and peace. For when we live by the Spirit we do not gratify the desires, that is, the lusts, and longings of the sinful nature. It is of great importance that we set our hearts and minds on what the Spirit desires. When God's children momentarily sin, He still delights in them because Christ's righteousness covers them and He knows that He is bringing them to perfection. But in another sense, when our minds and hearts are set on the sinful nature, the Spirit is grieved. "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Eph 4:30). In this manner, Jesus wept at the unbelief and sorrow of His chosen people when they grieved over the death of Lazarus though He knew that His purpose was to reveal His glory by raising Lazarus from the dead and that many would believe in Him on account of Christ's resurrection power displayed in Lazarus's life.  

¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.  James 1

     We ought to guard our affections with utmost zeal and earnestness. For it is a certainty that the domains of our hearts and minds will become the domains of our outward behaviors, life styles, and words. The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death. But the mind controlled by the Spirit is Life and peace. As Paul wrote to the Philippians "8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Phil 4 As we set our minds and hearts on the desires of the sinful nature, we are living in the lusts of the flesh. And taking into account the mentioned James model of temptation, we understand that the lusts of the flesh drag us away into temptation, sin, and eventually death if we refuse to repent. As we doubt the promises of eternal Life in knowing Christ and walking with Him, we start to long for survival or pleasure from worldly things. Without the Spirit's circumcision of our hearts, we will certainly commit whatever act of immorality that we had set our hearts and minds upon. 

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “ Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”Gen 4

     Oh dear saint, may we guard our affections and thoughts with utmost zeal. The moment our heart are given to the desires of the flesh, we have already stepped onto horribly unstable territory. Sin is crouching at our door and our enemy is fiercely seeking to destroy the people of God with immorality of all kinds. This enemy is crouching and we often do not see his presence or know when and how he will strike. There are many who had not consciously pursued the way of evil, but the moment they had ceased to walk with the Spirit, they had opened the door and the sin that was already crouching behind rushed to corrupt, pollute, and destroy. Do not open the door, dear saint! Guard yourself in your heart and do not break faith with Him. Unless we continue to love the Truth of His glory, we would surely fall away to the wiles of the enemy. For as we walk by the Spirit, our hearts are secure, and though we face earthly trials, we are able to praise and thank Him, we are able to forgive, we are able to fellowship with one another. But the moment we have gone out of step with the Spirit, regardless of how closely we had walked with the Spirit in the past, we are powerless. Regardless of the extent of His glory and the manner of holiness and purity that He had allowed us to remain in for perhaps even prolonged periods of time, if we were to fall out of step with the Spirit, the enemy's war will be far too fierce for us. For when we walk in the Spirit, we often do not realize the safety and peace that is protecting us from all sorts of wiles. I know I have taken for granted the purity and freedom from temptation that He has granted me when I walk with the Spirit. But the moment any of us fall out of step with Him, even for a moment, we are fair game for the attack of the enemy. And if we are truly God's children, even if we fall, He will restore us to repentance, but the consequences are devastating for us and for the Body of Christ around us. When we walk with Christ, His power prevails infinitely more than the powers of the evil temptations thrown at us. It is our faith in Christ that overcomes the world. Our conscious faith in what Christ has done to save us from our sins keeps us in step with the Spirit and free from the lusts of the flesh that result in sin and death. But when we are momentary letting our minds and hearts dwell on the sinful nature, and forfeiting the power of His grace, the battle is far too strong for us to win. There is no way we can destroy the desires of the flesh unless we replace them with the greater desires of the Father implanted by the Spirit through the blood of Christ. 

     In the end, Christ will give to the one who overcomes the right to eat from the Tree of Life that is in the Paradise of God (Rev 2:7). Yes, the door had been guarded by the cherubim with the flaming sword but we know that "He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens" (Rev 3:7). God had guarded Adam and Eve from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever in their human state. But when we are purified when we see Jesus Face to face, He will open the door and we will eat from the Tree of Life and we will live forever with Him. May we never doubt the Character of our God! He is faithful and His love is so very great. In the midst of the Spiritual warfare of temptations that we face, let us remember the first fall of man and the effect of the deathly spark of speculation within the hearts of our ancestors. May we also remember that if we overcome, we will be able to eat from the Tree of Life. His commands are given in love, dear saints. There is a greater zeal, a greater love, a great desire, a greater promise, and a greater exalted One than the evil deceitful promises of earthly passion and devil-worship.

The Damning Result of Impurity

     We ought to have an accurate view of impurity, that is, we must realize how horrifying and disastrous it is. We must know that the final end of impurity is shame, death, fear, and destruction. 

 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. ² And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “ Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”  Rev 18

    The day of the Lord is coming soon and all the idols of the world and those who worship them (whether obviously or secretly in the heart) will be destroyed.

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. I Cor 6:9-11

     The people around you may not know your impurity, but God knows and He desires truth in our inmost parts. Life is a fleeting vapor. It will all disappear. Soon there will be a new heaven and a new earth. God tells us to kiss the Son lest we be cursed. Impurity, even a hint of it, is damning. True believers will be washed with hyssop and they will be clean.

“In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. Zech 13:1

We ought to tremble at His Words. We ought to tremble, dear sisters.