This post was last updated on July 3, 2026

Day 83 (Year 2)

Beware of False Light

… “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NASB)

In the past, Paul spoke to the Corinthian church about certain “super-apostles” who were false (2 Corinthians 11:5; 12:11), pointing out that this was “no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” These super-apostles had greater achievements than Paul, offering another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4). Yet they seemed never to have suffered for God. Clearly, these fake apostles were skilled in marketing and targeted their audience’s psychology. They successfully led some believers of the time to be no longer willing to suffer for the Lord, to disregard the problems in their own lives, yet to question Paul’s authority and message.

In fact, true achievement in Christ comes through suffering for His sake, not through worldly achievements. In Corinthians’ learning of obedience to Jesus, they had not yet reached a state of full submission to the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:6). Instead, they were drawn into the deception of a false angel of light, because they were contradicting themselves and wrongly believed that pursuing worldly success could compensate for their lack of obedience to God. Indeed, whenever believers find God’s words difficult, want to retreat, and are unwilling to obey Him yet still desire pseudo-spiritual achievement, they are easily misled and deceived by false messengers. Contrarily, we must seriously address our partial disobedience to Him rather than seeking achievements, so that we can discern and confirm what is truly from God.

Furthermore, we need to reflect on whether we have wronged God’s servants (2 Corinthians 11:7-8), because an irresponsible person who longs for God’s illumination is quite likely to be deceived by others. Mistreating God’s servants caused them to look down on the truth Paul conveyed, which was one reason they fell into deception. Additionally, some may use their own judgment as the standard for discerning what is true light, rather than relying on the Bible. If so, they can hardly avoid the consequence of being deceived. In contrast, knowing the Scripture well, submission to the truth with a pure and whole heart, and seeking the Spirit’s guidance in prayer are all prerequisites for discerning what is truly of God and from God.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you know Jesus and obey His words to a full degree? If not yet, how can you rely on the Lord to make progress?

2) Do you consider yourself a responsible believer who does not wrong God’s servants? If there is any wrongdoing, how does the Lord Jesus want you to make it right?