When does Satan Personate Christ?

According to the Bible, just before Jesus returns, false christs and false prophets will arise, showing great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect:

"Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!' or "There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. "Therefore if they say to you, "Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or "Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:23-27)

These verses show that it is Satan’s purpose to deceive the elect, if possible, and he has chosen to do this through false christs and false prophets. The elect know the things Jesus said and did. In order to deceive, if possible, even the elect, these false christs must be very close counterfeits to the true, saying and doing the things that Jesus did, and even working miracles. However, these are false christs, which means that they will be encouraging sin and rebellion against God. Only by a thorough knowledge of the Bible and a close connection with the true Christ will the elect be able to endure. The miracles worked by false christs and false prophets are not worked by any human or divine power, but by the power of evil angels. The Bible also speaks of the "the spirits of devils, working miracles" (Revelation 16:14) just before Jesus comes. The elect are told not to go out to see these counterfeits, because the deception will be so powerful that they could not endure.

Some of these false christs may be humans, aided by the power of Satan; some of them may be evil angels; and some of them may be Satan himself:

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie …. (2 Thess 2:7-11)

The “lawless one” who will be revealed is primarily Satan, but also a power through which Satan works, so it must be that Satan himself will be revealed. How will he appear? It is Satan’s purpose, if possible, to deceive the elect, and he has chosen to do this through false christs and false prophets working miracles. Just at the time that there are false christs and false prophets working miracles, and at the time that the spirits of devils are working miracles, Satan, the leader of all the devils will be revealed with “lying wonders.” Satan is the deceiver, so his appearing will also be “with unrighteous deception.” If Satan appeared as an evil being, he would not deceive the elect. He will appear as a holy one, working miracles. There have been false christs throughout history. Whoever these false christs are, whether men or evil angels, Satan’s power to deceive is greater than theirs. In order to achieve the maximum power for deception, it is only logical that Satan himself will appear as Christ. The conflict between good and evil reaches a climax just before Jesus returns. Therefore the deceptions of the last days will surpass any that have come before. The “man of sin” “sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thess 2:3, 4) In order to put himself in the place of God, who is righteous and holy, the man of sin must claim to be righteous and holy while being in reality opposed to righteousness. The man of sin reveals the attributes of Satan, who is trying to put himself in the place of God on earth and presenting himself as a holy being. It has always been Satan's plan to put himself in the place of God and attract the worship of all men to himself. Though he is the author of falsehood, he is not fully satisfied when any man or idol or false christ or evil angel besides himself is worshiped. He “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped.” (2 Thess 2:4) His plan is to cause men to go so far in sin that the connection between earth and heaven is cut off so that he can attract the worship of all to himself without any interference. This state of affairs will be nearly accomplished during the plagues, when Jesus leaves the sanctuary and there is no intercessor between man and God. Only the few faithful then remaining on earth prevent the attainment of Satan's evil purposes, and he attempts to destroy even them. In order to attract the worship of all to himself the evil one has to appear on earth. He cannot appear as an evil being, because most people would not worship him. He has to appear as a holy being. But he cannot appear as one inferior to God, because that would imply submission to God. When Satan is revealed, he is revealed as one who is exalting himself above God, and all that is worshiped. Therefore he must appear as God. He cannot appear as God the Father because no man can see the Father and live. No one can see the Holy Spirit. Therefore Satan will appear pretending to be Christ. Because Satan has desired to exalt himself to the throne of God from the very beginning (Isaiah 14:12-14), it is only logical that he would in the last days appear as Christ.

Reasoning in this way from the Bible alone shows that Satan will one day appear pretending to be Christ. But exactly when in the sequence of last day events will this take place? Will it be before or after the close of probation? Will it be during the plagues? There are various opinions about this question. I believe that Satan’s personation (impersonation) of Christ takes place after the beginning of the sixth plague, after the close of probation. Here are some of Sister White’s quotes that seem most strongly to indicate the reverse. It is important to discuss these quotations at the start:

In this age antichrist will appear as the true Christ, and then the law of God will be fully made void in the nations of our world. Rebellion against God's holy law will be fully ripe. But the true leader of all this rebellion is Satan clothed as an angel of light. Men will be deceived and will exalt him to the place of God, and deify him. But Omnipotence will interpose, and to the apostate churches that unite in the exaltation of Satan, the sentence will go forth, "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" [Rev. 18:8].--TM 62 (1893). {LDE 168.2}

We need not be deceived. Wonderful scenes, with which Satan will be closely connected, will soon take place. God's Word declares that Satan will work miracles. He will make people sick, and then will suddenly remove from them his satanic power. They will then be regarded as healed. These works of apparent healing will bring Seventh-day Adventists to the test. Many who have had great light will fail to walk in the light, because they have not become one with Christ. {Mar 209.1}

We are warned that in the last days he will work with signs and lying wonders. And he will continue these wonders until the close of probation, that he may point to them as evidence that he is an angel of light and not of darkness. {Mar 208.2}

Sister White talks about God’s people being brought to the test by Satanic miracles. However, one thing to keep in mind is that Satan is working miracles even now through spiritualism and false teachers so that when Sister White talks of such false miracles, it does not necessarily refer to the time when Satan personates Christ. Also, Revelation 16:14 talks of the spirits of devils working miracles after the sixth plague, so false miracles continue past the close of probation.

There are many evidences to indicate that Satan’s appearance as Christ takes place after the close of probation. Before the close of probation, the Holy Spirit is working on men’s hearts to restrain evil. After probation closes, the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from the wicked and evil is unrestrained. Satan’s personation of Christ is the ultimate manifestation of evil, and it is difficult to see how this could happen while the Holy Spirit is striving on men's hearts to restrain evil. Also, 2 Thess 2:7-11 seems to say that Satan's appearing occurs after the Holy Spirit, “He who now restrains,” has been withdrawn.

Satan has always tried to destroy God’s people. When he personates Christ, he will again instigate the wicked to destroy God’s people by passing the death decree. This decree takes place shortly before Christ returns, so Satan must appear after the close of probation.

In the parable of the wheat and the tares, the farmer says “Let both grow together until the harvest.” The harvest is the second coming of Christ. Both good and evil, wheat and tares, grow and intensify until Jesus returns. Because Satan’s appearance as Christ is the climax of evil, it must happen shortly before Jesus returns.

Also, Revelation 16:12 states that the River Euphrates is dried up during the sixth plague in the time of trouble after the close of probation. The drying up of the literal River Euphrates happened when literal Babylon was invaded and the soldiers marched into the city on the riverbed. At the end of time we are concerned with spiritual Babylon not literal Babylon and with the conquest of spiritual Babylon as opposed to the conquest of literal Babylon. Thus the River Euphrates should also be understood symbolically. Rivers represent a system of support; waters also represent people. The drying up of the River Euphrates during the sixth plague represents Babylon losing its popular support due to the plagues. Sister White talks about people reproaching the popular ministers who have led them astray. This indicates that spiritual Babylon is losing its support even among those who have the mark of the beast and are lost. So we have "the spirits of devils, working miracles" (verse 14) that go forth to the kings of the earth during the sixth plague to encourage the rulers of earth to continue the struggle against God and to prepare these men for the battle of Armageddon. This represents Satan attempting to rally his troops and would logically be the time that Satan himself would personate Christ. There doesn’t seem to be anything else in the book of Revelation that would fit this event.

These ideas come from one of the books by Louis F. Were, possibly “The Woman and the Beast in the Book of Revelation,” that I studied in a long Bible study at our home. This represents, I believe, the interpretation of many Adventists and makes sense to me. This view is also one of those mentioned in the SDA Bible Commentary as typical of many Adventists in the past.

In addition, consider the sequence of events as listed in Great Controversy chapter 39, The Time of Trouble. Satan’s personation of Christ is listed on page 624. This is well into the discussion of the Time of Trouble. Just before this, Sister White writes that “The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven.” She is referring to Revelation 16:14 here, which takes place during the sixth plague. This also suggests that Satan’s personation of Christ takes place during or after the sixth plague. Also, note this quotation from Great Controversy page 625, referring to the time of trouble and Satan personating Christ: "His blessing is pronounced on the worshipers of the beast and his image…." This at least puts Satan's appearance very near the end of time when the image to the beast has already been set up. Also the fact that Satan's coming is "the crowning act in the great drama of deception" puts it very near the end. Furthermore, soon after this event, Sister White discusses the death decree: “As the decree issued by the various rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the protection of government and abandon them to those who desire their destruction, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages ….” (page 626) This is soon before Jesus returns.

Ellen White says that Satan will claim to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday (page 624). However, this does not imply that Satan appears before the Sunday law is passed. Satan is trying to rally support for his cause and strengthen the Sunday law so as to persecute and destroy God’s people.

On the other hand, on page 627 Ellen White discusses Christ leaving the sanctuary and the falling of the plagues. Thus the sequence of events presented is not always in chronological order and the sequence of events in Great Controversy is not by itself a conclusive argument. But the fact that Satan’s personation of Christ appears in the chapter on the time of trouble clearly indicates that this event will occur at this time.

There is also the question of whether this great deception is a test for God’s people if they have already been sealed; the sealing occurs before probation closes and before the seven last plagues. When God’s people are sealed, they are kept from sin. Can God’s people be tested after they are sealed?

Even after God’s people are sealed, they still have a free will and still face temptation and trial. So they can be tested during this time. They have been faithful to God in their previous lives and have confessed all their sins as a preparation for this time; they have learned to support their beliefs from the Bible. So they will not fall to this temptation, but it will be a real temptation nonetheless.

Jesus "increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man" though He never sinned. He experienced trials for the sake of the character development of his human nature. Ellen White writes about God's people's worldliness being purged away even after the close of probation: “… it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace of fire; their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected.” (Great Controversy p. 621) She talks about a plant growing and yet being perfect at every stage. There will still be growth and development in heaven. So there can still be tests and trials for God's people even after the close of probation. Not only do these trials aid their character development, they also demonstrate to them and to the universe that they are faithful and safe to take into heaven. So it is not necessary for Satan's appearance as Christ to be prior to the close of probation for it to be a test for God's people. And if this is Satan's culminating deception it would be logical for it to be just prior to Christ's coming.

There are still some questions to answer. The quotation from TM 62 (1893) states that the decreed judgment on Babylon, which is the plagues, takes place after Satan personates Christ. The plagues begin at the close of probation. How then could they take place after Satan personates Christ if this event happens during the sixth plague? Of all the plagues, it is only the seventh that is specifically directed against Babylon (Rev. 16:19). According to Revelation 18:8,17 this plague takes place in one day or one hour, which is a year or two weeks using the year-day principle. Perhaps all the plagues last a year and the seventh plague against Babylon lasts two weeks. When Satan personates Christ and instigates the death decree, the law of God is made fully void. The seventh plague happens after Satan personates Christ and the death decree is instituted. This agrees perfectly with the sequence of events as outlined in TM 62 (1893).

When the death decree is passed, God’s people flee to the mountains from their retreats in the country. The cities have been to some extent protected before this time and evil has been restrained by the presence of God’s people. When they flee, the large cities are left entirely without God’s protection. The cities of the nations fall. Babylon splits into three parts. The seventh plague causes the unity of Babylon to break up. Babylon drinks “the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his [God’s] wrath” (Revelation 16:19). The inhabitants of the earth are plunged into one vast scene of final destruction. Catholics and Protestants begin to oppose one another; Christians and non-Christians begin to fight; Communists and non Communists begin to fight. All the chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons on earth are unleashed. At this time, “a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.” (Psalm 91:7,8) As the surface of the earth is breaking up, the Lord returns to deliver His people.

It is interesting to consider the meaning and time of the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 16:14 refers to “the battle of the great day of God Almighty” taking place after the sixth plague. This terminology emphasizes the importance of this battle, while not calling it Armageddon. The fact that the spirits of devils, working miracles, go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to this battle (verse 14) also emphasizes its importance. Revelation 16:16 calls this the Battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19:19 refers to the same battle, with the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against Christ and His army. What are the armies of Christ? The heavenly angels. This is a battle between good and evil angels. They are battling over the souls of men, and this conflict becomes most intense during the sixth plague, just before Jesus returns. Though God’s people have been sealed, Satan is making a supreme final effort to overcome them. Clearly this battle is the climax of the last day battle between good and evil. When does this conflict occur? According to Revelation 16:14,16 the Battle of Armageddon takes place about the time of the seventh plague. This indicates that the climax of the battle between good and evil takes place at this time. Thus one would expect evil to appear at its greatest intensity at this time, just before the beginning of the seventh plague. This suggests that it is at this time, during the sixth plague, that the death decree is passed and it is at this time that Satan personates Christ, the crowning act in the great drama of deception. It must be at this time that God’s people are in the mountains, being fed by the angels and pleading with God for deliverance. It is at this time that their suffering and struggle is most intense; this is “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” During the seventh plague Babylon’s unity is broken up and the forces of destruction on earth are unleashed. As humans we would expect the greatest conflict to take place just before the close of probation, but it is not so. In support of this, Ellen White writes, “The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble.” (Great Controversy, p. 623) During most of the plagues, God’s people are in secluded places in the country, raising their own food, and not experiencing the degree of stress and conflict that they experience after the sixth plague begins. The Battle of Armageddon is the internal conflict faced by the people of God just before Jesus returns.

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (Revelation 16:17). What is the significance of this voice from the throne as the seventh plague begins? When Jesus died on the cross, he said “It is finished.” When John saw a “new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1), he heard a voice from the throne saying “It is done” (Revelation 21:6). The phrase “It is done” appears these three times in Scripture, indicating in every case a deliverance of God’s people. When Jesus died on the cross, his sacrifice for sin was complete, ensuring the deliverance of God’s people from sin. During the seventh plague, Babylon is destroyed and God’s people are delivered. When the earth and heavens are made new, God’s people are delivered from the presence of evil on earth. As the seventh plague begins and the people of God see the destruction of Babylon, they will be greatly encouraged that their time of deliverance is drawing near. The destruction of physical Babylon indicates a spiritual victory as well, in that the power of the evil angels over the faithful is broken. Their time of anguish is over; the time of Jacob’s trouble has ended.

The seventh seal, the seventh trumpet, and the seventh plague all indicate deliverance for God’s people and the power of God manifested for their deliverance. The symbol of seven is a reminder of the Sabbath day, a day of rest for God’s people. Thus the phrase “It is done” at the beginning of the seventh plague indicates that God’s people have found rest from their anguish and struggle.

In the Bible six indicates a climax or the culmination of work. Man was created on the sixth day. Jesus died for our sins on the sixth day. The climax of the final conflict occurs during the sixth plague. This also makes it logical that Satan would personate Christ at this time.

What is the purpose of this time of trial for God’s people, if they are already sealed and their salvation is sure? Why is this time of trial permitted? The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is redemption and restoration from sin. This purpose is finally and fully accomplished at this time. During this time the characters of the faithful are developed. They learn more fully to trust in God and submit to Him. They learn to hate sin. Their love of the world is purified away. In order to be fit for heaven, we must learn to constantly submit and surrender to God out of love and turn away from sin. While the angels of God are by the sides of God’s people to encourage and strengthen them, evil angels are pressing darkness and discouragement around them and trying to cause them to give up their faith. This will be a time of tremendous struggle and anxiety for God’s people. This last, spiritual struggle is the real battle of Armageddon. Just as Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day and Jesus died on the sixth day, so it is during the sixth plague that the faithful living are prepared for heaven. Those who pass through this time of trouble will have an experience unlike that of any other Christians who have ever lived. It is reasonable to assume that this group of people constitutes the 144,000.

Why does Satan wait so long to personate Christ? Before the close of probation the Holy Spirit has been restraining evil so that Satan is not free to work to the fullest extent. Even after the close of probation he cannot work to the fullest extent right away. The Bible says that the spirits of devils go forth to the kings of the earth to prepare them for Armageddon (Revelation 16:14). Satan cannot personate Christ until the way has been prepared. It takes time to mold public opinion. A lot may be happening during the time of trouble that may interfere with these preparations until very near the end.

Why does Satan personate Christ if the righteous have been sealed and cannot be led astray? He may not believe that they have been sealed. He may do it to cause God’s people a trial; he delights in causing suffering and trial. He also wants to force God’s people to flee to the mountains and thus withdraw all protection from the wicked so he can destroy them. He delights in suffering and destruction. Furthermore, by focusing attention on the people of God, he diverts the wicked from their own suffering during the plagues; otherwise they might turn against him.

The position most in harmony with the testimony of the Bible and Ellen White is that Satan’s personation of Christ occurs after the beginning of the sixth plague and before the seventh plague. But if there is reason to believe the reverse, it needs to be considered.

May the Lord lead us all to an increase of understanding and fruitfulness in the Holy Spirit as we submit our wills and lives to Him and await His appearing.