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“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

This morning we visited Kleen-Rite, a company that sells equipment and supplies to the car wash industry. They sell a lot of Little Trees® air fresheners which has remained the go-to air freshener since being created in the mid-twentieth century. Beginning as a quick fix for a milk truck driver who detested the smell of spoiled milk, these products became a popular, efficient solution for anybody needing to freshen up their vehicle. More than likely, those of you reading our message today have purchased the Little Trees air freshener for your vehicle at some point.

Because of their success other companies have tried to imitate them and they are very vigilant about counterfeit products that appear similar. That's understandable since they've worked very hard to develop a good name.

Life is full of masquerades and counterfeits, although we are probably most familiar with the term "counterfeit" in regard to money. I get lots of advertising for counterfeit drugs, diplomas, software and many other products and services. The value of the genuine spawns the counterfeits and masquerades, thus it should not surprise us when we confront masquerades in the spiritual realm as well.

Paul often confronted and warned against counterfeit teaching and masquerading apostles. That’s one of the duties of a caring shepherd. In 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 Paul dealt with the topic of false apostles who preach a different Jesus than the one he preached. This portion of Scripture is a warning in general about counterfeit teaching, a warning just as applicable today as the day Paul wrote it.

In another Scripture Paul specifically exposes the false teaching of two men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. These troublemakers, who were once teachers of the genuine gospel, had wandered from the truth, denying the resurrection, and were thereby destroying the faith of those who chose to embrace their false teaching (2 Timothy 2).

Paul describes the counterfeits he dealt with in 2 Corinthians as "false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ". The relentless attack on the genuine faith that Paul encountered continues unabated today and is actually increasing in my view. We face it from the scientific realm, media outlets, the political arena, educational field, entertainment industry and even the religious establishment. On the personal level we daily face the flaming arrows of our enemy who seeks to move us off the right course. We must always be on our guard against spiritual masquerades.

The chief masquerader is Satan himself. It’s his very nature to masquerade as an angel of light. In the Bible he initially came on the scene masquerading as a cunning and clever snake. In his deceptive craft he convinced Eve that he was able to impart wisdom and that he was looking out for her best interest.

The word “masquerade” means “to transform one’s outward appearance, to disguise.” Not only did Satan disguise his outward appearance but also his inward motivation. In our daily text the original Greek "masquerade" is translated in the present tense indicating this is something Satan habitually does.

It is not surprising that Satan’s servants also "masquerade as servants of righteousness". We must continue to examine and discern all that we see, read, and hear so that we base our standard on the genuine Word of God, which will always be the firm foundation of truth!

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber