Lies Still Told by the Father of Lies

 

2 Nephi 28 exposes some of Satan's most treacherous lies.  I call them treacherous because they sound so logical to the person with an earthly mind who has not the Spirit. President Nelson has warned that we cannot survive this day without the Holy Ghost.

See if this sounds familiar:

• Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work (28: 6)  
• God is dead. There is no God. There are no miracles today.
• And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (28:8)
• Easy grace. Christianity is meant to be comforting, not comfortable!
• All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospers, all is well—and thus the devil cheats their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
• Preserve the status quo.  Everything in the kingdom is going well.  I can rest on my laurels. (28: 21)
• And behold, others he flatters away, and tells them there is no hell; and he says unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispers in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
• There is not Satan and no hell.  I think of the words of Lennon's Imagine. 'There is no hell beneath us; above us only sky." Beautiful, seductive melody. Dangerous message.
• Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
• This is a corollary on verse 6; there are no miracles; there is no ongoing revelation. the canon is closed. Sine die.

The devil himself is not a lie.  He is real. He is a liar. Remember: half-truths are also lies. He uses those a lot!

Live close to the Spirit, the  Word of God. This is the only offensive weapon we have in this war. Paul said it well:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. . . [including] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:(Ephesian's 6: 12-12)