And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:4, 5.
As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation…. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air, “Christ has come! Christ has come!” The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him…. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed….
Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures, and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.14The Great Controversy, 624, 625.
The Saviour has warned His people …, and has clearly foretold the manner of His second coming. “There shall arise false Christs…. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:24-27. This coming, there is no possibility of counterfeiting. It will be universally known—witnessed by the whole world….
Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His Word that they would not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible, and the Bible only? 15The Great Controversy, 625.
The Faith I Live By p. 346
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Prayer Requests
—-My coworker’s mother is in ICU. Please keep her in prayer. Ronnie Jay
—-Please pray for our family. God knows each situation. Buck
—-My wife is post cancer for two years now ( breast cancer ),the chemo affected her lungs. She developed a respiratory infection and has been fighting it. Yesterday she had an extreme asthma attack and couldn’t breathe ( I was a respiratory therapist ),She was on the verge of passing out but by God’s grace I was able to restore her breathing.
I took her to the hospital and in the coarse of running tests they were concerned with her heart , they kept her overnight. I would appreciate prayers for her from our group. Thank you ! William
—-My 18 year old granddaughter has pressure on a vein in her brain. It could be an aneurysm or it could cause a blood clot which could cause a stroke. The nearest appt for further tests is Dec 31, 2025. Urgent prayers for her and thank you. Sandra
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Dear Friends,
Many years ago, Eileen rescued a plant arrangement that someone in the apartment complex where she was living had thrown away. It was about a foot tall, flowerpot and plant included, and consisted of a small snake plant, a cane plant, and a plant we were not sure of, but it looked like a miniature cross between a palmetto and a palm tree. Whether the person who got rid of it was just tired of it, didn’t like the arrangement, or just threw it away because it looked a little bedraggled, I don’t know. With some tender loving care, that arrangement grew so tall that it would have grown through the ceiling if we had turned it so it would have gotten even light. Instead the top of the two palm trees went toward the light. If the person who threw out that plant arrangement could have seen it then, they would be very surprised. (Eventually, Eileen decided to put the plants on our deck and an ant colony moved in. We couldn’t get rid of them even with an exterminator, so their solution was to take it away.)
So it is with our life. Others may look upon us as worthless and a bit bedraggled. They may see someone that they feel is not worth saving, but “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7 When our Dear Saviour looks upon us, He sees what we can become if we allow Him into our heart. He pities our sinful condition and offers us His cleansing. Indeed, His Great Heart of Love breaks when we are far from Him and He yearns to make us a beautiful “plant” for His Glory.
Unlike Eileen’s rescued plant arrangement that had no choice in the matter, we do have a choice. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16.17 We can accept His free gift or we can reject it. We can allow Him to change our heart and help us to obey, or we can shut our heart’s door to His knocking and turn away. Our Loving Saviour pleads, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa 1:18 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him and he with Me.” Rev 3:20 What wonderful fellowship we can have with our Creator and Redeemer if we will only open the door and invite Him in. What cleansing and growth we can experience if we will allow Him to root out and eradicate the sins in our life.
May we allow our Dear Saviour to have full reign in our heart, to change us into His likeness, to make us into something beautiful for Him is my prayer.
Rose

The Crowning Act of Deception