Deceiving the very elect
In the 24th chapter of Matthew the Lord outlines some of the occurrences that will happen in the last days prior to His second coming. One of the statements that he made was; if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived, who were the elect according to the covenant.
This means that we as members of the church are those who Satan will try to deceive, because we are a covenant people and the elect of God. We have no reason to be smug. We have every reason to be wary and on our guard. We are the prime targets. As in the “Screwtape Letters”, Satan doesn't have to worry about those who do not believe. He does not need to deceive those who do not believe or believe the wrong thing. They are not a threat to his dominion, but those who are the covenant people; the elect are the ones he fights against. They are his adversaries. Only we can thwart his work on the earth.
How does he deceive us? In the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Adam and Eve received instructions and told their posterity. Then Satan came among them and said, "Believe it not." They believed it not! Thus Satan deceived the elect.
It is happening today. I will relate a couple of examples. When Ezra Taft Benson was president of the church, he spoke out against working mothers, who worked to supply a second income for the family. Many people derided the pronouncement as just the wild imagination of an old man. Many are reaping the consequences of disregarding the warning of a prophet.
In 1995 the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation to the world. It was called a proclamation on the family. It defined the role of gender and the role of the family. Yet many of the elect have adopted the philosophy of the world and have tried to redefine the concept of marriage. They fail to realize that equality is only defined by God and not man's prerogative. The consequences of this deception by Satan may not be apparent in the short term, but as time passes the results will be disastrous.
In the 24th chapter of Matthew the Lord outlines some of the occurrences that will happen in the last days prior to His second coming. One of the statements that he made was; if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived, who were the elect according to the covenant.
This means that we as members of the church are those who Satan will try to deceive, because we are a covenant people and the elect of God. We have no reason to be smug. We have every reason to be wary and on our guard. We are the prime targets. As in the “Screwtape Letters”, Satan doesn't have to worry about those who do not believe. He does not need to deceive those who do not believe or believe the wrong thing. They are not a threat to his dominion, but those who are the covenant people; the elect are the ones he fights against. They are his adversaries. Only we can thwart his work on the earth.
How does he deceive us? In the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Adam and Eve received instructions and told their posterity. Then Satan came among them and said, "Believe it not." They believed it not! Thus Satan deceived the elect.
It is happening today. I will relate a couple of examples. When Ezra Taft Benson was president of the church, he spoke out against working mothers, who worked to supply a second income for the family. Many people derided the pronouncement as just the wild imagination of an old man. Many are reaping the consequences of disregarding the warning of a prophet.
In 1995 the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation to the world. It was called a proclamation on the family. It defined the role of gender and the role of the family. Yet many of the elect have adopted the philosophy of the world and have tried to redefine the concept of marriage. They fail to realize that equality is only defined by God and not man's prerogative. The consequences of this deception by Satan may not be apparent in the short term, but as time passes the results will be disastrous.
You might want to read the following talk by Elder Spencer
W. Kimball or listen to it. He talks
about deceptive voices.
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