Message summary: The act of deception has existed since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It comes to us in various forms so we must learn how to identify it and guard our hearts against it.

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"Let no one deceive you in any way" (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Today's verse is in response to those who were confusing the Thessalonians with teachings "that the day of the Lord has come" which we considered in our study yesterday. Paul recognized this ultimately as an attempt to deceive and thus issued a straightforward warning, "Let no one deceive you in any way".

"Deceive" is "to deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain". It seems to me that "personal gain" in some cases is financial while others seek to get a following and still others are motivated by other factors in deceiving others.

Deception began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent (Satan) said to Eve, "Did God really say...?" Deception begins subtly, often by twisting truth. The enemy rarely presents a full lie—he distorts truth to create doubt. Eve wasn’t tempted with evil alone, but with a distorted version of good. Deception often comes dressed in nice clothing and as something good.

God confronted Eve by asking her, "What is this that you have done?" I wonder if she hemmed and hawed for an answer, like many of us do, when confronted about our sinful behavior. Scripture tells us that she cast the blame while also confessing her sin, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (Genesis 3:13). That's the first reference to "deceive" in the Bible.

The act of deception has existed since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It comes in various forms so we must learn how to identify it and guard our hearts against it. All through history the enemy of our soul has been a persistent deceiver. The classic hymn "A Mighty Fortress" words it like this,

But in recent years and progressing at a fever pitch has been a new means of deception: artificial intelligence. Some laud the supposed good this new technology may bring but others see the grave dangers.

The same printing press that prints the Bible and other God-honoring material can also print unimaginably vile material. The internet has been a great tool for evangelism and spiritual edification of believers but is also deadly destructive in many ways.

Last month Google announced Veo 3, an AI video generator that can also create and incorporate audio. Extremely realistic video can be made that even now only the most trained eyes can discern as fake. But this will inevitably improve as technology always does.

One can only wonder how Satan will use this technology so the ancient warning from Paul remains, "Let no one deceive you in any way". It is needed in a sense like never before!

B e encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13