Back to Corinth: 2 Cor. 11: 1-33

Verses 13-15: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

I used to watch the old TV series called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. For a TV show back in the 1970s, there were sure some episodes that could scare you very well. I always enjoyed the premise that Carl Kolchak (brilliantly played by Darren McGavin), the dogged investigative reporter (who could easily annoy any police captain) was the only one to believe that a monster was behind the crime…and eventually was the only one to dispose of the monster, thus ruining his story on the crime. There was one episode, “Horror in the Heights”, that pitted Kolchak against a Hindu monster, a Rakshasa; this creature ate human flesh, but appeared to its victims as the illusion of someone they trusted. Carl, being cynical, was able to see through the illusion enough to kill the creature with blessed cross-bolts fired from a crossbow (think silver bullets here).

Evil doesn’t always look like evil; how would the devil ever get close to you if he appeared monstrous? As Paul stated above, Satan can transform himself to look like an angel of light. His followers can do the same. But much like using litmus paper to tell the difference between acid and base, the litmus test for false prophets will always be their works. We must always be on the lookout for those who would lead non-Christians and even some Christians astray, especially in these challenging times. What is the standard by which we can tell the truth? Simple: the Word of Jesus Christ the Lord…His Holy Bible.

Something to think about!

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Jesus: I am the Alpha and the Omega

Rev 22:13: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

In the classic movie Beneath the Planet of the Apes, astronaut Brent had followed the same time-travel trajectory of George Taylor; his flight was sent to find out what had happened to him. After several adventures (encountering Nova, Taylor’s mute love interest, discovering Ape City, meeting the simian scientists Cornelius and Zira), he finally found Taylor, a prisoner like himself of a band of underground, radiation-scarred humans with psychic powers of illusion. After the three of them have killed their jailer, Taylor is attempting to treat Brent’s wound, when Brent tells him of the terrifying discovery he and Nova had witnessed: the humans’ “god”.

Brent: “Taylor…Taylor, they’ve got a bomb…atomic bomb…it’s operational! They intend to use it.” (since the gorilla army was advancing on the humans’ stronghold, they were going to fire it at Ape City)
Taylor: “What type is it?”
Brent: “I don’t know…I don’t know, what type, I’ve never seen it before.”
Taylor: “Didn’t you see a series number?”
Brent: “No numbers, just some letters…on one of the fins…Greek letters (Taylor freezes in realization)…”Alpha…”
Taylor: (resignedly) “and Omega.”
Brent: (surprised that Taylor knows) “What?”
Taylor begins dressing Brent’s wound as he explains about the “doomsday bomb”: “Another lovely souvenir from the 20th century. They weren’t satisfied with a bomb that could knock out a city. They finally built one with a cobalt casing…all in the sweet name of peace.”
Brent mutters in despair, realizing the consequences: “if they shoot it off at some of those apes, they’ll set off a chain reaction in the whole atmosphere…”
Taylor: “…burn the planet to a cinder…how’s that for your ultimate weapon?”

I replayed this dialogue on my copy of the DVD movie. Just like Taylor called it…a doomsday bomb, the beginning and the end of any conflict in which it’s used, an Armageddon. Tragically, in the movie, the bomb did go off, destroying everyone and everything.

Now, there really is going to be an Armageddon, but not with a bomb called the Alpha and the Omega. There will be a different Alpha and Omega as John tells us in his vision, which is the book of Revelation. That Beginning and End is Jesus Christ. John 1:1 and Revelation 1:8 reiterate what Christians already know: Jesus existed at the Beginning; He was, is, and always will be. He is God the Son, the Messiah. He is one of the three persons of God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). He will be there at the final battle against Satan, and He will be victorious! He is the End, too. This is part of His Majesty, being the timeless Lord He is. Though He walked the earth as the Lamb of God, He reigns in Heaven, as our Righteous King.

That’s a Beginning and End I will see one day!

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2 Corinthians 11:12-15

verses 13-14: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

My oldest son’s high school that he attends has as their mascot, the Red Devils. Of course, when you see drawings of the mascot, it’s of the pitchfork-wielding, horn-headed, red devil. There are still folks today that think that that is what Satan appears as….a red devil. Now, if you saw a monster that looked like a monster heading your way, you’d be sure to steer clear of it. But what about the monster that doesn’t look like a monster? Unless you are on your guard, you won’t recognize it as a monster until it’s too late.

Satan is the prince of liars…he’ll appear to be a friend, until it’s too late. When you go fishing, do you pull out the meanest looking hook in the world to catch the fish, throw it in the water and expect the fish to bite it? No….you put bait on it, something that looks good to the fish, something attractive and tasty-looking. That bait is what covers the danger of the hook. Be aware that Satan has his hooks out every day, hoping to catch you unawares.

Better to be a fisher of men, as Christ wants us to be, catching and rescuing those in the net who are floundering through this life (no pun intended). Take your direction from the Master Fisherman today.

Have a blessed day!

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