Sermon Illustration

Forged Painting Purchased with Counterfeit Money

Two Spanish conmen attempted to sell a forged Goya painting but it backfired spectacularly after their client, supposedly a rich Arab sheik, paid them in counterfeit bank-notes worth 1.7 million Swiss Francs (approx. 1.9 million US dollars). The middleman who had brokered the deal then vanished with the only genuine money in the affair–over 363,000 dollars.

Finally, the two conmen themselves were arrested. The two men found out that the 1.7 million Swiss Francs were counterfeit when they attempted to deposit them in a bank in Geneva. They were then detained by French customs, who discovered the fake Swiss Francs in their suitcase, and informed the Spanish authorities.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan the deceiver. He promised that their eyes would be opened. They bought the lie. Satan is the king of counterfeiters.

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