“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:2-3).
So what was the purpose behind the devil’s confinement to the Abyss (or pit)? The answer to that question appears in the midst of Revelation 20:3: “This was to keep him from continuing to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over” (CEB). This brief passage alerts us to the fact that deception is one of the most useful and effective weapons in the enemy’s arsenal.
We can illustrate that unfortunate reality with a look at some deceptive philosophies and their Biblical comparisons. For example…
- You only live once (compare with Revelation 20:11-15).
- The ends justify the means (1 Peter 1:15-16).
- If it feels good, do it, or, If it feels right, it can’t be wrong (Proverbs 14:12).
- Follow your heart (Jeremiah 17:9).
- Do unto others before they do unto you (a falsification of Jesus’ counsel from Luke 6:31).
These philosophies all share a common issue: they each begin with a flawed premise. For instance, some of those philosophies tacitly deny the existence of a righteous Creator or reduce the concepts of “good” and “right” to nothing more than human preference. Others are fueled by a misguided type of “wisdom” that mistakenly presumes that we will never be called to account for the choices we make. Those who hold that belief would do well to skip ahead to the end of Revelation chapter twenty.
Nevertheless, the Scriptures provide us with a standard that can help us identify such false and deceptive philosophies. We find that standard in the Old Testament book of Proverbs: “For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding” (Proverbs 9:10 TLB).
This standard tells us we must approach the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom with an attitude of respect for our Creator. As we’re also reminded in the New Testament book of James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
Any quest for wisdom that begins with these flawed premises (or others like them) is certain to run afoul of the heartfelt admonition given to us in Colossians 2:4: “I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments” (NLT).
Image Attribution: Jerry Stratton / http://hoboes.com/Mimsy