SPIRITUAL DEEPFAKES
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul must defend himself and his ministry as an apostle. Evidently, false apostles had followed him into Corinth and were doing their best to discredit Paul as a legitimate minister of Christ. Paul addresses these ministers and calls them false apostles, and he also gives insight into how Satan operates.
Paul called these fake ministers false and deceitful workers who transformed themselves into apostles of Christ. And this was understandable because this is how Satan operates. Satan presents himself as an angel, a messenger of light. Even though Hollywood and secular media have presented Satan as an easily identifiable evil in a red suit and pitchfork, that’s not a correct depiction. If Satan were so blatantly obvious, it would be much easier to recognize and resist him. No, he presents himself as a messenger of light. From the very first time in the Garden of Eden, when Satan raised doubts in Eve regarding the nature of God, he was deceitful. He never told Eve the full story but twisted the truth enough to throw her off. Jesus called Satan a liar and the father of lies.
Over the years, many good people have been thrown off course by the lies of Satan. Entire religions have been formed because someone saw an “angel” who gave them a revelation. They may have had a supernatural experience, but it was not from God. Anything that takes away from the Lordship of Jesus is error. Anything that implies that there are multiple ways to reach God is a spiritual deepfake. It may sound good, but it directly contradicts the words of Christ and the Scriptures.
We are faced with challenges today with more and more online deepfakes. The information seems accurate but is totally false. Articles are now being written about how to keep from being scammed by fakes. An estimated 1.1 billion dollars was stolen from individuals last year due to scams. Fake people cozy up to individuals to steal from their bank accounts and retirement funds. The warnings are going out on how to protect yourself.
So, how do we protect ourselves from spiritual deepfakes? The first place to go is to have a good knowledge of God’s Word. The more of God’s Word in our hearts, the better equipped we are to recognize and reject spiritual error. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He has been sent to guide us into truth, not error. So learning to follow the promptings in our heart is a way to steer clear of spiritual deception. Staying in a good Bible-teaching church and around solid believers who have lives that reflect the work of God in them is another way to stay free. Remember that the isolated are easier to deceive.
I am not advocating fear of deception but rather an awareness that it does exist and that we are always to watch and be alert. We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.
PRAYER
Lord, help me steer clear of spiritual deception and show me any areas where I need to be more watchful.