The Father Of All Lies

TheDiscipleMD

I was just 21, in love, and shopping for a wedding ring with my then fiancée. She locked her eyes on a ring that was a little more pricey than I wanted to pay.  The problem with buying something is that the salesperson always take’s the side of the “wantee”, hence, you are outnumbered, two to one.  The salesman knew I wanted to please my future bride, but could see my reticence in paying the price. He looked at me and said, “I’ll tell you what, go out to lunch on me, and talk it over. When you come back I will take the price of the meal off of the ring.”  I thought that was very generous of him. So I took my fiance out to Marie Calendars for lunch. I remember being very conscious of what I ordered so as not to take “advantage” of the salesman’s “generosity.” Interestingly enough, I couldn’t even afford that lunch. So there I was, paying my money for a meal I couldn’t afford while trying not to “overcharge” the salesman. With our belly’s full of saintly pie, we went back to the Diamond store to buy the “reduced” ring. I gave the salesman the $15.45 receipt from Marie Calendars, which he took off the price of the ring. I thanked him ever so kindly for the discount and left the store with my finance on my arm, a ring on her finger, and extreme gratitude in my heart for such a “kind” salesman. What a blessed man!

Now, after spending my entire life in sales, I can see clearly how I was “taken” in by the wiles of an experienced salesman. By creating a false sense of getting “something for nothing”, ie, the discount, he made me feel “special” and somewhat obligated to buy from him. After all, he was being so nice to me. “Something for nothing” is an old trick started long before the foundation of the world.

“And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:1-4).

Yes, the master salesman is Satan himself. Notice that he is called “the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men.” An experienced Salesman, he has learned the art of deception and flattery to perfection. Remember Korihor who preached that God did not exist and that there would be no Christ. After asking Alma for a sign of the existence of God, he was struck “dumb.” His following words have always stuck with me. Korihor then wrote; “… I always knew that there was a God. But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me…And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me”. (Alma 30: 52-53).

Satan has been in the business of “selling” his plan since before this world was formed. He must be very skilled in so doing because he had a “closing” rate of 1 in 3 in the pre-existence. That’s unheard of in sales! He has learned all the “techniques”, is a smooth talker, and like the diamond salesman, appears to be a friend giving us “something for nothing.”  He is the mastermind and seller of deception.  However, as the story of Korihor demonstrates, in the end, he will not be there for his clients.

“And Korihor did go about from house to house, begging food for his support. And it came to pass that as he went forth among the people… behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead. And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell. (Alma 30: 58-60)

We must all be vigilant in listening to the words of the prophets! They are representatives of the Lord. Paul testified that he was “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began…” (Titus 1:2). Trust in the Lord and His authorized servants. They will lead us safely along the path to eternal life.

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