Satan keeps disguising himself as an angel of light

For us to gain God’s approval, our “acts of conduct” must be holy, that is, clean—morally, mentally, and spiritually. Moreover, we need to perform “deeds of godly devotion” with reverence for God and loyal attachment to him. Seeking his approval, then, involves not only our conduct but also our inner person. Since Jehovah is the “examiner of the heart,” he knows whether we are holy in conduct and are exclusively devoted to him or not. Satan the Devil does not want us to seek God’s approval. In fact, he does all he can to get us to abandon our relationship with Jehovah. Satan does not hesitate to use lies and deceit to seduce us and draw us away from the God we worship. Therefore, we are wise to ask ourselves: ‘How does Satan deceive people? What can I do to protect my relationship with Jehovah?’

COMMENTARY

What the daily text states is true. However, it is what is unstated that is deceptive. Satan surely does seek to get us to abandon our faith. And of course, he uses lies and deceit to mislead us. But consider more closely the question posed: How does Satan deceive people?

When Jesus was baptized he was immediately led into the wilderness by the holy spirit in order to be tempted by the Devil. And how did Satan try to deceive Jesus? One way was by quoting scripture. Quoting from the 91st Psalm, Satan said: “If you are a son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: ‘He will give his angels a command concerning you,’ and, ‘They will carry you on their hands, so that you may not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Being superhuman Satan is undoubtedly more knowledgeable of the Bible than any mere human. Having examined its contents from the beginning, he is capable of twisting the truth, but yet presenting it in a way that seems correct. Isn’t that what he tried to do with Jesus?

The question is, would God allow the Devil to wield his insidious influence over his people? The answer is: Absolutely!

All of the apostles and Christ himself forewarned of this very thing. For example, Paul revealed that the prominent elders within the Corinthian congregation, who were apparently well-spoken teachers, were in reality “deceitful workers” who were merely disguised as apostles of Christ. Paul said they were merely following the lead of Satan himself, who “keeps disguising himself as an angel of light.”

Several questions arise, such as: Why couldn’t the anointed Christians in Corinth see through the disguise of the phony ministers of righteousness? Why did an inspired apostle have to reveal the deception to them? And why did God allow such a thing to develop in the first place?

These are questions Jehovah’s Witnesses should thoughtfully consider.