When Jesus was asked about the end times, He responded in Matthew 24. He goes into detail but I want to focus on the following verse:
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
Jesus emphasized how great the deception would be and many will be deceived except for the elect (those GOD has chosen to be HIS). Peter wrote in his 2nd epistle in chapter 1 by The Holy Spirit:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The mature Sons and Daughters will not be affected by the great deception because of being partakers of the Divine nature. They will see the great deception because they had “eyes to see” and “ears to hear”.
This great deception had it origin in the garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve were taken from the garden because they disobeyed a simple command. Eve had free will to believe a deception and she chose the lie over the Truth spoken by FATHER. Adam followed.
FATHER never meant for a man to know evil but still gave him the choice. In Genesis chapter 1, FATHER spoke:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
FATHER conveyed dominion of the earth to man and they were made in ‘Our image” thus man was lower than GOD but higher than angels. Man was made with a designated set of chromosomes and genes thus creating a pure man and woman and there were no blemishes.
In order to establish the order of fellowship with man, FATHER designated one tree that man could not eat from in the garden. It was the fig tree in the center of the garden of Eden. When GOD came down every day to fellowship with Adam and Eve, HE ate of that tree in their midst for HE is could know evil and still choose good and it became well established that this was HIS tree. Man was not equipped to make the right choice every time and so he was not allowed to partake of the fig tree.
Man was given dominion over everything on earth except one tree. This was GOD’S tree and man did not have the right or authorization from the HIGHER AUTHORITY to eat of that tree’s fruit. Effectively, the first law was established for man to abide by lest he receive judgment for breaking the “law”.
Since Adam could not eat of that tree, it clearly and unquestionably established the higher versus lower in their relationship. However, FATHER had given both Adam and Eve the right of choice thus they could break the law but would suffer its judgment.
It would reconfirm that they were made in HIS image but were not 100% equivalent or at the same level in any area… just a little lower by design. The tree was a barrier to remind them that they were not GOD. The image is never exactly like the “original”. The lower must always submit to the higher, the image only reflects the higher but is not at the precise same level… ever.