“The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor yet a program of anarchy. It does not promote strife and war, but aims at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great ‘brotherhood.’ It does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to ‘the best that is within us.’ It aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ’s absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed.” –A.W. Pink

As I prepared to post this I was reminded of a similar quote from a recent article by Dr. Michael Horton entitled ‘Christless Christianity: Getting in Christ’s Way’ originally published in the May/June 07 issue of Modern Reformation magazine.

“What would things look like if Satan actually took over a city? The first frames in our imaginative slide show probably depict mayhem on a massive scale: Widespread violence, deviant sexualities, pornography in every vending machine, churches closed down and worshipers dragged off to City Hall. Over a half-century ago, Donald Grey Barnhouse, pastor of Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church, gave his CBS radio audience a different picture of what it would look like if Satan took control of a town in America. He said that all of the bars and pool halls would be closed, pornography banished, pristine streets and sidewalks would be occupied by tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The kids would answer “Yes, sir,” “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full on Sunday … where Christ is not preached.”

Read the rest of this penetrating observation of modern Christianity HERE.

HT: Monergism

This is a unique post in that I have combined a ‘Great Quote’ with a ‘Post of the Week’, because both Pink and Horton are essentially saying the same thing: Satan’s chief weapon of mass destruction is Deception! A moralistic society where every man, woman and child is secure in his or her own self-righteousness is exactly where the Devil wants them to dwell. Such a community has no need of a substitutionary sacrifice for sin or an imputed alien righteousness because, “Hey, I’m OK, you’re OK.”

For you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes on them, as travail upon a woman with child. And they shall not escape. (1 Th 5:2-3)

Take heart! For man can be delivered from Satan’s deception.  He who comes to know the depths of his own sinfulness, who falls to the feet of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and cries out for a mercy that cannot be merited, will indeed receive the free gift of salvation through grace by faith alone.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief. You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness… For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should live together with Him.
(1Th 5:4-5, 9-10)

Amen!