I thank God for His mercy in revealing from Bible Scripture, signs this present age is winding down: wars, rumors of wars, against nations, governments against governments, famines, pestilences and earthquakes. True, they’ve all been around for a very long time, but not on the scale we’re now witnessing them across the globe. One sign however, equally as strong as the others, but not equally spoken of, is religious deception. Take heed that no one deceives you, Jesus said in Matthew 24:4. Of this time, He said, many false prophets (teachers) will rise up and deceive many Matthew 24:11.
True again, they’ve been around since the apostolic days. So how can one know for certain who’s a false prophet/teacher and who’s not, in this day? The only accurate way of knowing is to adopt the same practice as the early Christians – study the Scriptures and know the primary doctrines like the back of your hand. If much of what they say, write, teach or proclaim is at variance with Scripture, he or she is a false prophet. Just as agents trained in detecting counterfeit money learned their craft by studying the genuine article and not the counterfeit, that’s what we must do. Sadly, we know this is not the normal Christian practice today, hence the legion of deceivers there are teaching false doctrines in Bible Colleges and churches around the world, all claiming to represent Jesus Christ.
It’s much easier for Christians to believe the devil’s most effective work is being carried out by corrupt politicians, big business people or junkies, whores and thieves than it is corrupt “Christian” teachers and preachers. But we must face this: it is not the former who deny and devalue the Person, word and work of Jesus Christ. It is not the former who teach all roads lead to heaven. It is not the former who teach love unites, doctrine divides. It is not the former who misquote, mishandle and misrepresent Bible Scriptures so as to tickle people’s ears, sooth guilty consciences and lull them spiritually off to sleep. It is not the former who dare to place a notice board outside their premises reading, “Jesus had two dads and He turned out just fine!”
For the Christ-inquisitive person questioning the seeming ineffectiveness of Christianity in too many places during these world-wide violent and brutal times, therein lies a primary part answer. There is only human-centered religiosity expressed in those people and their congregants, not Christ-centered reality. The presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit is nowhere to be evidenced among them. The Holy Spirit never operates outside of His word and since that has been dishonored and devalued, they’re on their own. Well, they’re not entirely on their own; the deceiving religious spirit has moved in and taken over! They’ll say they have the Holy Spirit, but that’s all a deceived people can say; they have not the ability to discern otherwise.
Knowing such people are devoid of genuine spiritual discernment, the deceiving religious spirit goes into overdrive with one objective in mind: to play havoc with the human senses, imaginations, reasonings and emotions. In other words, all things natural, not all things supernatural. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned 1 Corinthians 2:14. Quote: “The natural man (person) – his character described, assumes three phases: 1) The prejudiced, who oppose the truth. 2) The indifferent, who do not trouble about it. 3) The unenlightened, who cannot understand it. His sad condition: naturally without 1) Knowledge. 2) Concern. 3) Hope.” – John Lyth.
The deceiving religious spirit will have the natural man focussing all attention and energy on the “social gospel” of Christ, not the redemptive gospel of Christ. In other words, the fulfillment of people’s material needs is their mission in life, not the fulfillment of their spiritual needs. Ignorant are they of the reality that if the spiritual is addressed as well as the material, then with God’s divine guidance, the material will eventually take care of itself. Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or what shall we wear?’….. for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you Matthew 6:31-33. The priority of “social gospel” advocates is out of order.
Quote: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” No it’s not a biblical proverb, but it is a biblical principle. That’s what the redemptive gospel of Christ will do; those who are enlightened and regenerated by it learn to become not only Christ-reliant for all their spiritual needs but also for all their material needs; Christ-reliant for everything, people-reliant for nothing! Then in turn, as led by the Spirit of God, they will give what they can to others in material need, share the redemptive gospel of Christ with them also, praying and interceding on their behalf that what Christ did for them will be replicated in these people. Yes, the poor are referred to over 500 times in the Bible. They are not to be ignored; but neither is the redemptive gospel of Christ.
The deceiving religious spirit is indeed extremely materialistic in nature. To one group it presents the “social gospel,” to another it presents the “prosperity gospel.” This is the “gospel” embraced by the gullible and the greedy! “Give your money to the cause of this ministry,” so say the false, possessed by the deceiving religious spirit, “and He will bless you in turn 100-fold. You can never out-give God, amen?” And with a clap, a roar and a shout, “Amen” is the silly, deceived response. The only people prospering are the false prophets/teachers. Mansions, they have, sometimes more than one; expensive, high-powered motor vehicles, plus a jet aircraft to boot! Every Scripture where the words rich and prosper show up, the intended spiritual meaning is twisted into its unintended material meaning.
“Those who are watching this at home right now who need healing, as I begin to pray, place your hands on the TV screen and receive your healing through the airwaves.” What does the desperate person do? Exactly what the false prophet told them to do. At the end of the prayer they will respond to the call, Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down…… Luke 6:38. Do they get healed? If they don’t they’ll believe it’s because they lack faith; that subtle comeback is always implied somewhere. Yes, God does heal. I have experienced it numerous times, but I seek it from Jesus alone, not from some false prophet claiming he’s a minister of the miraculous. I notice these people don’t testify to healing the sick and suffering lying in hospital burns units or terminally ill children’s wards.
I don’t wish to imply that “prosperity gospel” money men and women, plus “ministers of the miraculous” deny the doctrines the natural man denies and “social gospel” people will too often deny. For they will not deny the Jesus of Scripture and they will not teach all roads lead to heaven. But love is not high on their agenda. Neither is the correct application of doctrine. To ensure a continuous flow of money coming in they will misquote, mishandle and misrepresent the Scriptures. But there is a much worse group than this in the church controlled by the deceiving religious spirit. I speak of the manipulators, the intimidators, the dominators and the dictators. Whether they rule with an iron fist in a velvet glove or out of it, rule is what they do ensuring everyone treats them almost as Jesus Christ.
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so with you; but whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many Matthew 20:25-28. Of the numerous Scriptures false prophets/teachers turn, twist or ignore, that is a primary one. The deceiving religious spirit has them believing they are God’s right-hand men or women and that’s how their followers view them. No matter what these false devils teach and preach, they will embrace it all without question. There is no other explanation as to why people get caught up in religious cults.
The deceiving religious spirit is with us to the end of the current age. That means, so are the false prophets/teachers. They are in every denominational and non-denominational church or group today and the only way to discern who is the genuine article and who is the counterfeit is to know the Bible Scriptures like the back of your hand, as mentioned earlier. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher. Ignore the accusations, “fundamentalist” “self-righteous” etc, expressed by the spiritually dormant and mentally uninformed. Pray for them instead. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,…….. And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Matthew 7:21-23.