I’d like to begin by reading a rather scary verse of Scripture from Revelation 12:12. While the apostle John was in holy vision he heard a loud voice from heaven that said, “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” A short time to do what? And to what time period does this refer? Well, first of all the context of this verse is when Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven, and according to the Bible, this world is only about 6,000 years old, not billions and billions, which makes the theory of evolution fake news.

So, when you compare eternity, because God is eternal, with 6,000 years, I would say it’s a short time, wouldn’t you? Not only was it a short time from the time Satan and his angels were cast out until now, but it’s way shorter than it is from now until Jesus comes. If shorter was short 6000 years ago, then it’s almost like minutes till the end of this world’s history, and there’s not a lot of time left now to get right with God. As you follow down through the rest of this chapter, in just a few short verses it covers the whole period from the time when there was war in heaven to the time in which we are living today.

Now, when Satan was cast out of heaven, where did he go? We know he was cast into the earth, but where specifically did he go? In Genesis 3 the next place we find him is when he’s perched in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil through the medium of a serpent. And after Adam and Eve sinned, in verse 15 God says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and (who?) the woman (I will make you and the woman hate each other. What woman, Eve? Yes, but this has a much broader application than her physical descendants, because Satan can’t physically pro-create in order for there to be continued enmity. Let’s read on), “I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed (that would be Satan’s followers) and her seed (God’s followers); it (this enmity, or this hostility between the two) shall bruise thy head (a fatal blow), and thou (Satan) shalt bruise his (Christ’s) heel.” Did Satan hurt Christ? He sure did. At the cross Christ was hurt, but He came forth from the grave and is alive for ever more, but not so with Satan, because in the end he will be completely destroyed.

And so, this woman referred to here is not Eve primarily, but represents Christ’s church, and this same woman is mentioned in verse 17 of this same chapter where it says, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with (who?) the  remnant of her seed; (or the last of her descendants), which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Since this verse has reference to the last days, or the day in which we are now living, this woman can’t be Eve, because she has been long dead, and I’ll let the Scriptures verify that the woman represents Christ’s church in just a minute.

But before we do that, let me ask you a question. What does the word remnant mean? When you go into a fabric store, ladies, and you buy a remnant piece of cloth, that means that it’s the end of the bolt of fabric, and that piece of fabric is the same as all the material that was on that bolt before it was cut off. That means that God’s remnant church in these last days will look just like the early church that was comprised of the 12 disciples and those that believed through their word. In other words, the remnant is cut from the same cloth as the early church. Did the early church “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”? They certainly did! And that means that the remnant will also.

Now, why do I say that this woman represents Christ’s church? Well, the context pretty much demands that interpretation, but just to make sure we’re on the right track, there are two other verses that will help explain this. And remember, we must allow the Bible to explain itself, otherwise we’ll surely come up with the wrong answer. That’s why we have nearly 200 different denominations today. 2 Peter 1:20 says the Scripture are of no private interpretation, meaning that we have no right to say, “I think this verse means this, or this passage means that. No! We must allow God to explain Himself by comparing Scripture with Scripture, here a little and there a little as it says in Isaiah 28:10.

In Jeremiah 6:2 God says, “I have likened the daughter of Zion (the Jewish nation, or God’s Old Testament church) to a comely and delicate woman.” And in Isaiah 51:16 we’re told that Zion represents God’s people. You see, in Old Testament times the Jewish nation was God’s people, but now in the New Testament it’s Christ’s church. Why? Because the Jews rejected Jesus as the long looked for Mesiah and were responsible for His death, and as a result, those who accepted Him became His people, or His church. Have you ever wondered what the word “church” means? It means “a calling out”, and in this instance it’s a calling out from those who rejected Christ and His truth to begin a new movement called the Christian church.

Now, getting back to Revelation 12 and Satan being cast out of heaven and going after what verse 17 calls “the remnant of her seed”, or “the remaining ones” or the last of the woman’s seed. This verse brings us down to the time just before Jesus comes. Because notice once again what the verse says: “And the dragon (Satan) was wroth (or angry) with the woman (Christ’s church), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (or the last day church), which (do what?) keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

And so, very clearly here, the last day church will be commandment keepers, all ten, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. And Revelation 19:10 tells us that “the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy”, or the prophetic gift. Now, there’s a lot that could be said about “the spirit of prophecy”, but we don’t have the time to unpack all that that phrase means. Suffice it to say that God’s remnant, or His last day church, have two identifying characteristics; they keep the commandments of God and have the prophetic gift manifest within their midst, and just those two things alone eliminates nearly every Christian denomination that claims to have the truth today, and I’m going to have to leave it right there, because that’s not the thrust of the message today.

Now, we read earlier that the devil has great wrath against God’s last day church and that he knows that he only has but a short time to do something, and I asked a minute ago, “a short time to do what?” Well, it seems pretty clear that he has just a short time to accomplish his work of deception, because that’s what Satan’s does. He is the great deceiver. In John 8:44 Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies. in other words lying started with him, and Revelation 12:9 says it is he who deceives the whole world. So, we have to ask themselves, “in what way is Satan going to try to trick people in these last days, does that make sense?

Well, it’s pretty clear from what we read in Revelation 14:12, that it has something to do with the 10 Commandments, because that’s one of the identifying characteristics of the remnant that the devil doesn’t like. Satan has had a lot of practice at twisting God’s word to say just the opposite of what God says, and he’s had 6,000 years to perfect his craft. And so, since God’s remnant are commandment keepers, and 1 John 3:4 says that sin is the transgression of the 10 Commandment law, then we can see that Satan’s goal is to cause people to sin and think that they’re saved while doing it. Does that make sense?

So what do you think he’s going to do? Well, first of all it makes sense to me that as time grows shorter, Satan’s wrath will increase, because his desperation will become more and more intense, and more so each day, and it will reach a climax in what the Bible calls the “time of trouble.” And I think it would be a good idea for us to read about that in Daniel 12:1. “And at that time (that is, at the time when the events mentioned in Daniel 11 are fulfilled) shall Michael (or Christ, why Christ? Because Michael the archangel means leader of the angels and not that He Himself is an angel, and the name Michael means “who is like God.” And according to Jude 1:9 Michael is the One who raised Moses from the dead, and the same One in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 who is “the Lord Himself”, that with the trumpet blast, brings forth the righteous dead when He comes back, and angels can’t do those things) “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered (by Michael or Christ when He comes), every one that shall be found written in the book”, that is, the Lamb’s book of life.

So, there are two important points about this verse that we need to unpack. #1, Michael, or Christ, is going to stand up, which means He was sitting down, and what does that mean? And #2, if we want to be delivered when Jesus comes, we must be found written in “the book.” So, what does it mean when Christ stands up? Well, in order to determine what standing up means, we need to know what it means when He is sitting down. So let’s go to Hebrews 12:2 for the answer. The apostle Paul tells us that if we want to win the race for eternal life that is set before us, we must look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is (what) set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

When Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection and was set down, it was for the purpose of being our advocate and High Priest before the Father, according to 1 John 2:1, but in Daniel 12:1 He stands up, which means He is no longer pleading our case before the throne of God, because His work as our mediator is finished, which in turn means that human probation is closed. So, we can be thankful this morning that Jesus is still sitting down, amen? However, the time is soon coming when every case will have been decided for eternal life or eternal death, and once that happens, that decision can never be changed. That’s why Revelation 22:11, 12 says, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, (says Jesus) I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” And so, it means everything for us to be righteous and holy when that pronouncement is made, because that’s what we must be to have our names registered and retained in the Lamb’s book of life.

The Bible indicates that before Jesus comes there will be supernatural phenomena taking place. Revelation 16:14 says, “the spirits of devils, working miracles” will “go forth unto the kings of the earth (that would be to Presidents, Prime Ministers, and dictators alike) and of the whole world” to fasten them in Satan’s deception, and urge them on to unite with the forces of evil in his last struggle against the government of heaven. You see, this struggle; this war, began where? In heaven, and Satan and his evil angels lost the battle and were cast down to this earth to continue the warfare here. And so, as far as this earth is concerned, this war started in the Garden with Adam and Eve, and this battle is for the souls of men and women, and it’s been going on ever since, and the verse we just read indicates that rulers and subjects alike will be deceived. Remember what Jesus said when He was here? In Matthew 24:24 He said, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” And so, except for a small remnant, or “the elect”, the whole world is going to be deceived.

Jesus said that before the great controversy between Christ and Satan is over, there will be people, inspired by Satan, and ultimately Satan himself, who will pretend to be Christ and claim the worship that belongs to the real Christ. This has happened in the past and will happen in the future. Are you beginning to get the picture? Satan’s last great deception, or his crowning act if you will, is going to be to impersonate Jesus Christ. Hasn’t the Christian church, for many centuries now, professed to be looking for the second advent?

Well, if you’ve been listening to the news lately, you’ve heard of something that fits right in with this whole scenario. And if you haven’t heard, let me tell you. On July 26, 2023, the House Congressional Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing for over 2 hours where three credible military personnel came in and gave whistle-blower testimony about many UFOs and non-human activity that have been appearing, and it’s all beginning to come out now, because many people have been demanding government transparency about these things, and as a result these 3 military whistle-blowers have come forth to testify about these things. For whatever reason they no longer refer to them as UFOs, but UAPs, meaning “unidentified aerial phenomena.” As I listened to the testimony of these three military men, I can tell you that they did not sound like crazy crackpots and said that they have personally seen the evidence and have personal knowledge of alien spacecraft that have crashed and have even seen their dead bodies, and there are supposed to be more hearing on this issue in the near future.

Now, before I go any further I want to say that I do not believe there are beings from other planets visiting the earth. I just want to be clear. But are there other worlds that God has created? Yes. There is evidence in the Bible that there are other worlds that God has created, but there is no evidence that there are other worlds that have fallen into sin, nor is there any evidence that unfallen worlds are able to visit our planet. None! The only evidence we have from the Bible that there are any non-humans that have access to earth are the holy angels and Satan and his cohorts that were cast out of heaven, that’s it!

So, if there are sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena or non-human beings that have been seen or contacted, they have to either be the devil and his angels, or the holy angels that have God’s permission to visit His people from time to time, and yes, there is Bible evidence of that. But I can tell you for certain that the holy angels aren’t going to be flying around in spaceships or make it appear as such, because their purpose is not to deceive. But the devil and his angels, yes, they will do whatever it takes to fool people, and in the near future make them believe that Satan is the Christ who has finally come to save the world. And I think you will agree that this world needs saving with all the craziness that’s going on today.

However, Satan is the great deceiver, and our great adversary, and his motivation is not to save the world, but to receive the worship and adoration that only Christ deserves. Remember what it says about Lucifer, or Satan in Isaiah 14:14? It says there that his ambition is to “be like the most High.” And so, we can see that it has been Satan’s plan all along to make people think that he is God. His whole selfish purpose revolves around hurting Christ and warring against Christ by causing the people He loves to be eternally lost, and to take worship to himself. He’s mad because he’s been kicked out of heaven and he’s mad and jealous of Christ, or Michael, because He’s the One responsible for ousting him.

Now, a few moments ago I gave you evidence that Satan will impersonate Christ before He comes back, Jesus said so Himself, and he does this in an effort to deceive people into believing that Christ has come, and he has to do it before Christ comes, because he’s not going to do it after Christ comes; that would make no sense, because by then it’ll be too late. The only thing that makes sense is for Satan to do it at the time of the end when Bible prophecy is being fulfilled. Satan knows the Bible, after all, he quoted it to Jesus when He was in the wilderness of temptation, if you remember.

Now let me just say this before we go any further, because there are some who wonder about whether or not Satan will impersonate Christ before or after human probation is closed. Some say before, some say after, but I believe it could be both, and I’ll tell you why. In 1 Peter 4:17 it says, “that judgment must begin at the house of God”, or with those who know the truth and have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour. But in these last days there are many who have never had the opportunity to know the truth, and God will not condemn anyone who has not had the opportunity to make an intelligent decision for or against the truth. So it seems perfectly logical to me that those who are settled into the truth so they can’t be moved by Satan’s last day deception won’t be fooled by the devil’s impersonation of Christ, while those who haven’t yet had enough information to make that intelligent decision may very well be fooled. Before the pronouncement is made about being unjust and filthy, or righteous and holy still, God wants everyone to have the opportunity, while Jesus is still sitting down, to accept the real Christ before it’s forever too late. In other words, if judgment begins with some before it begins for others, which is clearly the case, then I can see how the impersonation of Christ will happen after probation closes for some, and before it closes for others. At least that’s the way I understand it.

And so, sometime soon Satan will make it appear that Christ has come, and how do you suppose He will do it? No doubt He will do it by manifesting himself as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of Jesus given by John in the Revelation. Maybe we should read that. Revelation 1:13-15. John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, (not Sunday, but the day that was blessed and sanctified by Christ Himself on the last day of creation week, and Mark 2:28 says Jesus “is Lord even of the Sabbath day”, and that’s not said about any of the other six days) “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And (John says) I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps (or the breast) with a golden girdle. (Now listen) His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”

Do you think Satan will manifest himself this way? Why wouldn’t he if his goal is to deceive people that have read their Bibles? After all, he has the power to perform miracles, not miracles that he pretends to do, but miracles he actually has power to do. He will make himself appear more glorious than anything we’ve ever seen. And guess what? Nearly the whole world, except for that remnant we read about, will believe that Christ has come! They will be overcome by this miracle and bow in adoration before him as he lifts up his hands and pronounce a blessing upon them, just as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. In other words, he will make himself appear as much like Christ as he possibly can, both in appearance and in demeaner, because how else is he going to make this last day deception believable? Think about it, even mankind can make things appear real in movies and videos and holograms, and don’t you think Satan is much more in advance of mankind when it comes to deception? Of course he is! So we shouldn’t be surprised at anything our eyes might see as Satan is much more experienced now than he was when he deceived our first parents in the Garden.

In Revelation 13:13, 14 it says Satan is able to do great wonders, so that he “makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do”, and not what he pretends to do. And 2 Corinthians 11:14 says Satan can transform himself “into an angel of light.” So don’t think that he’s a novice at things like this, because he’s had 6,000 years to perfect his art of deception, and he knows just where your weak spot is. That’s why it’s so important that we have what the Bible calls victory over sin. If we are going to be commandment keepers, then we must stop committing sin, does that make sense? Satan can transform himself friends, which means that we need the power of the Holy Spirit in order to be transformed by the renewing of our mind as it says in Romans 12:2 if we’re going to be able to resist him. Remember what it says in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” That’s God’s promise! So, it takes more than submitting, doesn’t it? Even after submitting we must still resist, that’s part of the spiritual war we’re all involved in, and once we resist, then the devil has to leave and go find someone else to tempt.

Now, as I mentioned before, Satan knows the Scriptures, and he will repeat some of the same glorious heavenly truths that Jesus uttered, and he will heal the sick, and perhaps cast out his own demons to make it look good. And in his assumed character of Christ, guess what he’s going to do? It’s what the great controversy has been all about all along. From the very beginning, when there was war in heaven, it has been Satan’s purpose to overthrow God’s 10 Commandment Law, and even though he was cast out of heaven for his rebellion, he has continued the same warfare right here on earth. To deceive us and lead us to transgress God’s law, is the object which he has pursued all along. Whether it be by casting aside the law altogether, or by rejecting just one of its precepts, the result will ultimately be the same, because James 2:10 says, “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in (how many points?) in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Satan is not so stupid that he’s going to try to convince people that he’s trying to do away with the whole law, just one point, because that’s all it takes to make us guilty of all. And what “one point” in the 10 Commandment Law do you suppose Satan will attack during this last great struggle with the woman? In his assumed character of Christ he will claim to have changed the seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week, and no doubt he will say, “I rose from the grave on Sunday and therefore I have made that my special day. So just forget that old Jewish Sabbath and fall into line, because those who still keep the seventh day holy and disregard Sunday are violating the day which I have changed and blessed. By the way, the Sabbath is not the Jewish Sabbath, but the seventh day that was blessed and sanctified on the last day of creation week. And that was 2500 years before there was a Jew. Does all that seem farfetched? Revelation 13:15 says there’s a death decree coming for those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. We just think there’s division in the world today between good and evil, but it’s going to get much worse during the time of trouble we read about earlier. The truth is, all the blessings the false Christ pronounces upon his followers, are pronounced upon those who worship the beast and his image.

But we need to remember this one thing friends, the Bible will never be superseded by miraculous manifestations or beautiful platitudes that go contrary to what is already written. God said, “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”, and Satan has no authority or power to change what divine authority has written with His own finger on tables of stone.

When Satan, in his assumed Character of Christ, makes the pronouncement that the day of worship has been changed, it’s going to be a strong, almost overmastering delusion to go contrary to what he says. And of course, the majority will go along with it because that’s what they’ve always believed. They’ve gone to church on Sunday their whole lives. In fact, Sunday has been mistakenly honored by Christians for nearly 2,000 years, and their pastors have told them this is the right day, and unfortunately the majority will believe that this Christ who stands before them is the Son of God who has come to take them to their heavenly home, but it’s all a big fat lie!

Again, think this scenario of Satan impersonating Christ is farfetched? Better think again, because this world is already primed for it. Not only do many people believe we’re being visited by aliens from other planets, but for years Hollywood has given the world what they want in the way of blockbuster movies and novels about this very thing. Satan has inspired men to make these movies and write these novels, and he’s done it for a reason, and don’t you think he will take advantage of it as he prepares to impersonate Christ who will come from outer space? Of course, he will.

Remember the story about how the Samaritans were deceived by Simon Magus the sorcerer? In Acts 8:10 it says that the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, gave heed to these sorceries, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And this will be the attitude of the majority once again when Satan pretends to be Christ. Why do I say the majority? It’s because that’s what Jesus said would happen in the last days, and it’s not going to be any different just before the real Jesus returns.

God’s people have always been in the minority right from the beginning, and that’s the way it is today. In Matthew 7:13, 14 Jesus said, “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which go in there at, because straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.” What road are you on my friend? Are you on the broad way or the narrow way? Are you one of the remnant, the elect of God; or will you be one of those who will persecute those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus?

Yes, the majority will be fooled, but the small remnant we read about earlier will not be misled, because the teachings of this false Christ are contrary to the Scriptures in several ways. Satan may look and sound like Christ when he impersonates Him, but God is not going to permitted him to counterfeit the manner in which Christ comes. Jesus warned us against deception upon this very point, and has clearly told us exactly how He’s coming. This is very important, so we better read it. Matthew 24:24-27. Jesus said, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. 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. (Now listen) 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.”

Also, Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

And then there’s 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Friends, there is no possibility of Satan counterfeiting the manner of Christ’s return. And notice a couple important points from the verses we just read. When Jesus comes, will His feet touch the ground? Absolutely not, we’re going to meet Him in the air! And secondly, the dead will be raised, and that’s not something the devil can do. He can fool someone into thinking that they have contacted a dead loved one, but it’s an evil angel, or demon that is impersonating that loved one.

Remember in the Old Testament when we were warned about trying to contact the dead? The Bible calls then “familiar spirits” because they are people we once knew; they are familiar to us, but they are evil spirits. You can read that in Isaiah 8:19. And so, Satan and his angels are well practiced when it comes to impersonating whoever they want. And why are we warned about trying to contact the dead? It’s because they are dead, and they don’t come back to life until Jesus raises them at the sound of the trumpet when He returns.

And so, when Satan tries to impersonate Christ, he will not be able to duplicate His coming the way the Bible describes. In other words, he will have to walk upon the earth and do what he can to convince people that he is the long looked for Mesiah. He will look like Christ and act like Christ and talk like Christ, but it will not be Christ.

The only ones who will not be deceived when Satan comes with his last great deception will be those who know their Bibles, but that’s not enough, because the devil knows the Bible better than any of us. We also have to have something the devil doesn’t have, and that is, a love of the truth. Knowing the Scriptures and loving the Scriptures are the two things that will shield us from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. Friends, if we don’t know what the Bible teaches, and if we don’t love the truth the Bible teaches, we will be in danger of yielding to the evidence of our senses rather than a thus saith the Lord.

You know, the watch word of the Protestant Reformation was “the Bible and the Bible only as the rule of faith and practice”, but what about today? We cannot rely upon “my pastor says”, or “that’s how I was raised to believe.” We must know the Scriptures for ourselves and love the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. That’s the only thing that’s going to get us through the days ahead when Satan pretends to be Christ. Don’t let that day come upon you as a thief, because that’s the way it will come upon nearly the whole world, and unfortunately they will fall for it.

And so my friends, get ready, get ready, get ready! Because the fierce anger of the Lord is soon to come. Revelation 14:10 says God’s wrath will be poured out unmixed with mercy upon the worshippers of the false Christ and all those who have had a part in facilitating his agenda, and I pray that it will not come upon anyone within the hearing of my voice this morning.

Can Satan Impersonate Christ