I am persuaded that the most dangerous tactic of our enemy is deception.  What is so diabolically treacherous about this technique is that we will be unaware that we are indeed being deceived … at least for a time, anyway.

By definition, one can only uncover deception after it is has happened.  On the other hand, if we catch someone or some entity trying to deceive us, we obviously have not been deceived.  In this latter case, some how or in some way, we were alerted to this attempted deception and were able to avoid it.  Why are some alerted to some types of deception, and others not?  Or, why at particular times can the majority of an entire society be deceived?

It’s topic that crossed my mind particularly this week, watching global financial and economic events.  To my perception, the level of deception that is being perpetrated in global financial circles and money systems is simply unprecedented.  Its scale and implied collusion literally leaves me speechless … again and again.  However, by collusion I don‘t necessarily mean an organized conspiracy by the Illuminati or the Bilderbergers or any such other purported group.  (By the way, in the near future, I'll be posting an article on this topic called Fatal Attraction - OWO Theories.)

It certainly may appear to be a conspiracy of humans.  In my view, it just happens to be the aggregated result of many individual movers and shakers in policymaking and financial realms, all independently acting in self interest and greed.  Numerous prophetic statements in the Bible clearly indicate that the endtimes will see levels of deception befitting the grand finale of the end of the age.  I believe we live in that time today.

I relate an experience this week that hits square into this topic.  A few Christians contacted me — specifically two that I am thinking of — asking me for financial advice.  More precisely, they were seeking godly advice on their affairs of stewardship.  They weren’t idolatrous, seeking for gain … etc. simply wanting to be good stewards.  The problem?  Though they appeared to be well informed people, they were confused and didn’t know where to turn.  As usual, when I hear these concerns, my heart drops to the floor.  They have every reason to have such concerns because financial conditions today are probably as universally treacherous as never before.  In fact, we can be sure that they are specifically designed — or better said, encouraged — by the Grand Conspirator himself, to lure mankind into a trap, a major component of which is the trap mentioned in Rev. 13:17.

At some point, the False Prophet (the second beast, Rev. 13:11) institutes the system where “buying and selling” are controlled.  That is already possible today.  It likely won’t happen until the second half of the Tribulation and certainly not anytime that financial markets are soaring like they are today.  Revelation 14 makes that clear.  The “mark” is only instituted after the big bust of Babylon the Great, the great trading colossus described in Revelation 18.  (See Rev.14:9, which occurs after the destruction of Babylon the Great mentioned in verse 9) 

Seeing how financial developments are manipulated around the world today, one can clearly identify the process of entrapment in this fiat and ensnaring system.  In many nations today, it is already impossible to survive outside of it.  Therefore, many of us are already trapped.

On that note, back to the topic of deception.