The Man Behind the Mask

How the Enemy Uses Our Pain

It took me years to understand what really happened to my family. Why they believed in a man with so many red flags. We weren't just victims of one charismatic false teacher in the 1950s. We were targets in a much bigger battle, and the enemy had used our deepest pain as his weapon against us.

You see, the Bible tells us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. He doesn't show up with horns and a pitchfork, announcing his evil intentions. He comes looking spiritual, sounding convincing, offering exactly what we think we need in our darkest moments. And he uses people - real people with real charisma - to do his dirty work.

The man my family followed was named Krishna Venta, but his real name was Francis Herman Pencovic. He claimed to be Jesus Christ, born on another planet called Neophrates, who came to earth to save humanity. He said he was 1900 years old and had met the pope in 100 AD. To anyone thinking clearly, these claims were obviously false. But my family wasn't thinking clearly, they were drowning in pain.

The Enemy's Perfect Timing

Here's what I learned about how deception works: it doesn't come when we're strong and surrounded by wise counsel. It comes when we're desperate, vulnerable, and our judgment is clouded by crisis.

My grandfather had just received a terminal cancer diagnosis, six months to live. My grandmother was facing the terror of losing her husband and being left alone. My mother needed security and had nowhere to live. My father was a drug addict from the Chicago ghetto. My step-father was an alcoholic fresh out of jail. The woman who became my caretaker had dreams that had been crushed in Germany.

Krishna didn't randomly target happy, stable families. He specifically sought out people who were already broken, already desperate. That's not a coincidence - that's strategy. The enemy knows exactly when we're most vulnerable to his lies.

The Rescue That Becomes a Prison

Here's the most insidious part: Krishna positioned himself as their savior while actually creating dependency that trapped them. My father got off drugs, but only within the commune system. My stepfather got sober, but under Krishna's control. They weren't truly free, they had just traded one form of bondage for another.

When someone "rescues" you from your worst moment, you become incredibly loyal to them. Even when evidence piles up that they're not who they claim to be, you remember that feeling of being saved. False leaders are smart, they give just enough real help to make the lie believable.

The Test of Contradictions

But here's what really opened my eyes to the enemy's tactics: the contradictions weren't accidents. They were tests.

Krishna claimed to be from another planet, yet celebrated his earthly birthday as the only holiday allowed in the commune. He said he was Jesus Christ, yet he gambled away the money that members sacrificed to join. He preached equality and love, yet his own children lived in comfort while members' children were separated into dormitories. He taught spiritual principles while smoking cigarettes and refusing to pay child support for his children from his first marriage.

These weren't oversights, they were loyalty tests. If he could get people to ignore obvious lies and contradictions, he knew he had complete control over them. It was like he was saying, "I can do whatever I want, claim whatever I want, and you'll still follow me."

The Psychological Trap

My mother died still believing Krishna was Jesus. Even when I explained the real Jesus was from Scripture, she wouldn't budge. At first, I thought she was just stubborn or deceived. But now I understand something deeper was happening.

When someone has built their entire adult identity around following a leader, admitting that leader was false means admitting their whole life was built on a lie. For my mother, who already felt stupid about so many things, acknowledging she'd been wrong about the most important decision of her life. This would have confirmed every negative thing she believed about herself.

The longer someone follows a false leader, the harder it becomes to leave, because leaving means facing the reality of how much time, money, relationships, and life they've lost. The enemy uses our pride, our fear, and our sense of identity to keep us trapped long after we start seeing the truth.

The Protection: Knowing the Real Jesus

So how do we protect ourselves and help others recognize these patterns?

First, we must know the truth about the real Savior of the world. His name is Jesus Christ, and when you really know Him from Scripture, not just the Sunday school version, but the real Jesus. You can spot imposters immediately.

The real Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. He's not wandering around starting communes or asking for our money. He doesn't create controlling systems or demand blind loyalty. He sets people free.

When someone claims to be Jesus or to speak for God, we can test their claims against Scripture. Not just the verses they quote, but their character, their fruit, their treatment of others. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." A man who gambles away other people's money, abandons his own children, and creates systems of control isn't bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

The Courage to Seek Truth

But here's the harder question: Do we really want truth, or do we just want the easy route?

Truth requires us to face uncomfortable realities about ourselves, our choices, our beliefs. It's much easier to let someone else make all the decisions, to follow a leader who promises to take care of everything. That feels like relief, not deception.

I developed a hunger for truth in my early twenties because I realized I had a choice: spend the rest of my life depressed and trapped in lies, or fight my way to freedom. The discomfort of living with contradictions had become greater than my fear of discovering truth.

Not everyone reaches that breaking point. Some people, like my mother, find that admitting they were wrong feels worse than staying trapped. But for those who are willing to seek truth no matter the cost, freedom is possible.

The Battle Continues

The enemy is still using these same tactics today. He's still targeting people in crisis moments, still posing as an angel of light, still using our legitimate needs against us. He shows up in churches, spiritual movements, and anywhere people are seeking hope.

But we don't have to be victims. When we know who Jesus really is, when we're grounded in His Word, when we're willing to test everything against Scripture, we can recognize the counterfeits. The Holy Spirit in us will sound alarm bells when someone claims to be Christ but acts like a narcissist.

If you're reading this and seeing contradictions in a spiritual leader you've been following, that uneasiness you feel might be the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention. Don't ignore that voice. God doesn't want His children living in confusion and fear.

The depression, the anxiety, the constant need to make excuses for your leader's behavior - that's not normal. That's not what God wants for you.

You have permission to ask questions. You have permission to test everything. You have permission to walk away from anyone who discourages your relationship with God or makes you feel guilty for seeking truth.

The enemy may use our pain as an entry point, but God uses our pain as a doorway to freedom. The question is: are we willing to walk through it, even when it's scary?

Truth might cost us comfort, relationships, or the illusion of security. But it gives us something far more valuable: real freedom, real hope, and a real relationship with the true Savior of the world.

That's a trade worth making.