The Great Apostasy

He has been called the most successful double agent of World War II. Juan Pujol Garcia, known by the British codename Garbo and the German codename Alaric Arabel, was initially turned away by the Allies when offering his services. Originally from Spain, Juan became a successful agent for the Germans, who asked him to travel to Britain. He agreed—but instead he went to Lisbon and created bogus reports for the Nazis.

Eventually, the Allies accepted Pujol. He moved with his family to Britain where he created a network of nearly thirty fictional agents for the Germans. Garbo played a key role in misleading the Germans on the timing and location of the invasion of Normandy in 1944. His fictional spy network was so convincing that his German handlers did not try to recruit additional spies in the United Kingdom.

The devil is like a double agent, for what better way could he bring down God’s church than by corrupting it from within? Jesus warned His disciples of a coming deception: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

The apostle Paul was equally direct about a coming apostasy. “I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples” (Acts 20:29, 30). The devil used deceived church leaders who looked like genuine believers, but they led many away from Bible truth.

Garbo successfully mixed truth with error and led the Germans astray. Satan has done this and more—and the Bible predicts that before the end of time Satan will work “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” (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10). But we can spot fictitious reports from Satan if we stand on the Word of God (Matthew 7:24–27).

Apply It:

Have you ever been tricked into believing something that was not true?

Dig Deeper:

Matthew 24:4–35; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12; 1 John 4:1–3

Key Bible Texts

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 KJV)