(excerpt from the book Deceivers and False Prophets Among Us)
Greedy Gold Grubbers who Prey on Gullible Dupes
PAUL warned us that there are “MANY” who twist God’s Word in order to profit off of the people of God (2 Corinthians 2:17). Peter told us the same thing when he warned of those who “through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” (2 Peter 2:1-3). In the beginning and end of His ministry our LORD Jesus cleared the temple to express the divine mandate of holiness among those who name the name of Christ (Matthew 21; John 2). Discern biblically (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). Are you funding a fraud?
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers AMONG you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in DAMNABLE HERESIES (lies that damn the soul to hell), even denying the Lord that bought them (apostates in leadership positions), and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And MANY shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned (fictitious) words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not…beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.” 2 Peter 2:1-3, 14
The Spirit of the LORD speaks through His apostle here and reveals some details about the operation of “false prophets” and “false teachers” who are presently “among the people.” Let’s look a bit closer at this chapter dedicated to the exposure of the deceivers who operate in our midst. 2 Peter 2 teaches us that:
- These beguilers are “among the people”
- Their presence and the need to discern them is definite – “there SHALL be false teachers AMONG you”
- They secretly and charismatically introduce/slip in deadly falsehood – “who privily (secretly) shall bring in DAMNABLE HERESIES”
- They deny Christ by denying the truth He gave us in His words – “even denying the Lord that bought them”
- They are going to reap destruction now and in eternity if they don’t repent before it’s too late – “and bring upon themselves swift destruction”
- These are very well-liked, accepted, and affluent leaders, made popular by the desire of the masses to be financially rich in this life while throwing their eternity to the wind – “And MANY shall follow their pernicious ways”
- These men twist the Word of God for their own purposes – “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of”
- The Holy Spirit shows us their motive and goal – “And through covetousness shall they with feigned (fictitious) words make merchandise of you”
- Certain and eternal judgment is coming – “whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not”
- These false prophets prey upon the unlearned who are not grounded in God’s Word – “beguiling unstable souls”
- Again their greedy motive is identified – “an heart they have exercised with covetous practices”
- These men are in the ministry for money. Some hide this fact better than others which makes them all the more deceptive and deadly.
- The LORD makes no excuse for these men. He calls them – “cursed children”
In vivid detail, the Holy Spirit warns us here of how “false prophets” and “false teachers among you,” would seek to “make merchandise of you.” The term “make merchandise of you” refers to the exploitation of people perpetrated by deceivers for their own self gain. It means that they will make money off you or draw money out of you, through deceptive practices. This could also be called “fleecing the flock.” Such extortion is accomplished through deceptive persuasions, heretical teachings, testimonial claims and exaggerated stories. The phrase “feigned words” in this text is very important. This is the method of deceivers to garner money from people. The word “feigned” means “plastic, artificial, fictitious, or simulated.”
Any preacher who is tickling your ears with the old recycled, worn out word of faith heresies is merely regurgitating what he’s learned from his wolf handlers, puppet masters. He has no life in God’s Word for himself and never has. He’s a counterfeit doing “ministry” for his own self-serving purposes as he leads others to attempt to use God to get what THEY want. There is no cross in this greed-driven, self-worshipping false gospel. These are “enemies of the cross of Christ.” (Philippians 3:18-19)
The idea that someone has to give something (like money) to get God to bless them is the message of greedy wolves who deny Christ by saying His sacrifice was not enough to bless His people fully! They are making merchandise of gullible, biblically-illiterate people. God provided the perfect salvation through His perfect, sinless, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Christ Lives to Provide what He died to Purchase
Of course, this does not in any way negate the divine promises to those who give.
By design of our Creator, words are the basic building block and communication link of humans. We use them to communicate with one another. Deceivers also use words to communicate, but they use them for a different purpose – to manipulate the minds of people in order to obtain their desire. “Feigned words” are the keys that open the doors to the treasure chests of people’s monies. Deceivers know this and carefully craft their words to manipulate (influence) and beguile “unstable souls.” (2 Pet. 2:14)
Stable souls who are learning sound doctrine and have a sound heart and mind see these “false prophets” and “false teachers” in our midst for who they really are and refuse to fund their evil enterprises (2 Jn. 10-11). Whether we want to face it or not, each of us know personalities in the ministry whom we think are true to the LORD and yet they aren’t. In our judgment/discernment, we are forced to decide if we are going to be faithful and true to our LORD and His Word or personalities of mere men who come to us in the name of the LORD, but without the true knowledge of Him. So, the LORD warned us that it would be “through covetousness” using “feigned words” that “false prophets” and “false teachers” would extort monies from unsuspecting souls. It is through their deluding and manipulating measures, and systems of communications that they are “beguiling unstable souls,” extorting from them ill-gotten revenues (2 Pet. 2:14).
In their messages (written or spoken), these men reduce all blessings to a monetary or physical level. Yet, one must begin to look upon their teaching to truly begin to see who these men are and what they may be intentionally leaving out of their messages. The doctrines that are deliberately left out of their teachings (i.e., the need for personal holiness, sin of covetousness and greed, and the denial of the self-life) must be accounted for. Those who woefully do not know the Word, simply do not know what is being left out of His full counsel, so they go on being beguiled. This is exactly how deceivers are successful in systematically farming their audiences. They prey upon ignorant, unlearned souls. Those who withhold biblical truths are dangerous to your spiritual health. The money-mongers in our midst intentionally withhold the hard truths of God’s Word in order to manipulate people for their own purposes. They pick and choose points from God’s Word so as to posture people just where they want them in order to lure them to give the largest amount of money. This is beguiling and evil manipulation. When there was the misuse of ministry among the Jewish religious leaders of Christ’s day, He violently went through the temple, dumping their money coffers and upending their tables saying, “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house and house of merchandise.” (Jn. 2:16)
It should be noted that Jesus cleansed the temple of extortion and the thieves in the beginning and at the end of His ministry on earth (Jn. 2:13-17; Matt. 21:12-16). This He did to establish His zeal and mandate for holiness upon all who will follow Him in spirit and in truth. Great judgment is coming. God will once again cleanse from among His people, all hirelings who chose to serve mammon instead of Him, especially those who utilized their ministry positions to do such.
“…false prophets…false teachers….And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
Here the LORD promises us that “judgment” and “damnation” await all unrepentant thieves, namely those who operate in the ministry. Be aware that there are super-subtle, more creative ways that monies are being misused (paramount to thievery) in the church world today. Of course there is the intentionional laundering, but there are also those fruitless and frivolous things that are being done to misuse the LORD’s resources. I insert a question here for pondering: If there are five dimensions or gifts of eldership under the New Covenant (Eph. 4:11-12), then why is only one (pastor) of those five offices handling virtually all of the money given for the kingdom to grow? Why does it seem that the pastors share little or none of the finances with the other four? (apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers) In light of the message of Ephesians 4:11-13, does this seem equitable and conducive to the full maturing of the members of the body of Christ? In today’s church-building-intensive world, there are numerous subtle schemes being used to siphon revenues out of the masses. When one takes personal responsibility to know God’s truth for himself, he will be aware, armed, equipped, and ready to discern. Therefore, he will be much less at the mercy of the enemy whose manipulating systems are utilized by the numerous smooth-talking false prophets and teachers in our day (Ps. 17:4; Hos. 4:6; Matt. 22:29).
Greed Frenzy
“…for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.” Jeremiah 8:10
These beguilers only exist because the people want to hear smooth things and things that tickle the sinful ears of their uncircumcised hearts which are bent upon serving their own sinful appetites. These people are paying to be pampered with smooth words and told they can live in the deadly sin of compromise and still go to God’s holy Heaven. Their carefully selected preachers of a new age, self-serving gospel are in place to further feed and comfort their already overfed bellies. Anyone not crucified to the sinful nature and pursuing God with a whole heart is dangling over the fires of eternal damnation by a spider thread. The Bible tells us that our central and foremost blessings are “spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3)
All “blessings” that are truly blessings from God begin with the “spiritual.” “Christ” and the magnificent salvation He alone wrought for us are the ultimate blessings for those apprehended by His love (saved; born again.) Beguiling seducers seek to “with feigned (fictitious) words make merchandise of you.” (2 Pet. 2:14)
Learn so you can discern.
Getting hold of and personally possessing the knowledge of the text at hand will help prevent our souls from being lured in by beguilers:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Ephesians 1:3-4
We whom He has so graciously “blessed” with all “spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” have been “chosen in him before the foundation of the world” for the divinely-ordained purpose of being “holy and without blame before him in love.” (Eph. 1:3-4)
The messages of the false teachers and prophets are not toward Christ or His holiness, nor do they promote in the hearts of their hearers the fear of the LORD. Instead, they germinate and promote the “damnable” sins of greed and covetousness (Eph. 5:5-7).
These beguilers of unstable, unlearned souls preach a prosperity message apart from the cross of Christ which does not exist in the economy of the Almighty. When a person dies, the sum total of his net riches, when laid in the balance of His perfect justice, will be what of Christ his heart possesses.
Rich in Good Works
Paul addresses those in the body of Christ who are “rich in this world,” charging them to “be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God” (1 Tim. 6:17). The words God directs towards those who are “rich in this world” are frightening. Just when you covet to be rich in this life, beloved, you may want to count it a blessing that you are not, based on the temptations such power brings. Those rich in this world’s goods and monetary wealth are in a dangerous position. Jesus warned:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:25
In acknowledging His full counsel, let us also consider that Christ in addition told us in this passage that though it were nearly impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven, “with God all things are possible.” (Mk. 10:27)
James addresses the rich:
“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.” James 5:1-6
Tell me when you have ever heard the “prosperity” teachers take their audience line upon line through these texts! It seems obvious that they purposely evade these incriminating texts because it brings about the fear of God in the hearts of the hearers instead of a giving atmosphere where they reap large dividends of filthy lucre (ill-gotten gain). Be not deceived, they are clearly after monetary gain, not your well-being in God. Obviously, being rich in earthly wealth in itself is not sin, yet being rich in good works with those resources is essential to remaining in the LORD. There are numerous passages that address the need for God’s people to stay clear of covetousness, which would prevent one from the eternal kingdom of God (Mk. 10:25; Eph. 5:3-7; 1 Tim. 6; James 2, 5).
The apostle Paul sternly warned those in the body of Christ, that no “covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” (Eph. 5:5-7) What could be plainer? Believers are to be “rich in good works.”
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Leading people to covet or pursue earthly riches is the message of false prophets and completely contrary to what Christ and His apostles taught (2 Pet. 2). Covetous and greed are deadly sins of idolatry. Anyone who dies in such rebellion, regardless of their past experience with the LORD, is going to spend eternity in hell (Eph. 5:5-9). Ephesians 5:5-7 is surely another Bible text deceivers purposely avoid. Ever heard this text preached?
“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:5-6
Jesus, in essence, taught us to empty our storehouses to build His house/kingdom in the hearts of men), so that the lure of earthly riches would not possess our hearts. His desire is that we would lay up treasure that is eternal, instead of feeding the iniquity of covetousness (Hag. 1; Lk. 12:13-40).
Less Is More
Less is more! Are you free? Is it not true, my friend, that the more we have in our possession, the more we worry that it will be taken away? Do the false teachers and false prophets tell us this simple reality? Never a mention. There have been some rich people, successful businessmen, who gave it all up to spend the rest of their days doing direct ministry. Every one of them will tell you how much more blessed they are now and how miserable they were on the hamster wheel of greed.
“…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
- “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” ~ Jim Elliott
Some invest in this fleeting world like it will be here forever, when the LORD told us over and over that THIS LIFE AND WORLD AS WE NOW KNOW IT IS ALL GETTING READY TO PASS AWAY! (See Lk. 12; 1 Tim. 6; 1 Jn. 2:15-17)
Those leaders who are true to the Son of God possess and teach this revelation of Scripture. In the fear of the LORD, the believer, true to His Master, seeks His face perpetually for His holiness (Ps. 51). This would include the purging of all greed and covetousness from his heart. This is what he has called every one of His people to. To deny such is to deny Christ.
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
As His blood-purchased children, we should personally resolve to “depart from iniquity,” to be possessed by His “spirit of holiness,” to be conformed to Christ’s holy image (2 Tim. 2:19; Rom. 1:4; 8:29). One can only be drawn in by beguilers and seduced into coveting this world’s riches, if he refuses to seek the LORD to purge this sinful iniquity from his heart (2 Tim. 4:2-4). All those who love this world and the things herein, do not have the love of the Father in them, but instead, have made themselves the enemies of God (James 4:4; 1 Tim. 2:15-17). Un-purged lusts give way to deception. Knowing and living out God’s Word guarantees escape from such deception and the bondage brought upon all who enter into these sins. All who do not possess a love and obedience for divine truth, will be ensnared, overcome and captured by the enemy of all souls (2 Thess. 2:10-12).
Smooth Operators
Beguilers operate very smoothly and their deception is not detected by most. Many people do not know the Word of God and therefore they do not know or even begin to realize what is being left out of the messages they are hearing (fear of God, holiness). Smooth operating manipulators don’t convey the privilege and blessing of giving solely for the glory and love of God.
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29
To allow this type of covetous deception is to blatantly disobey the LORD who bought us, and to actually fight against Him. All those who do not purge their hearts of love for this world and things in it, covetousness and greed, will be ensnared and ultimately damned (Eph. 3:5-7; 2 Tim. 4:2-4) for not loving the LORD supremely.
Donald Stamps, in the Life In the Spirit Study Bible writes:
- “The false teachers will commercialize the Gospel, being experts in greed and in getting money from believers to enhance their ministries and affluent lifestyles. Believers must be aware that one of the chief methods of false ministers is to use “feigned words” to tell impressive stories that are not true, or to give exaggerated statistics in order to inspire God’s people to give money. They glorify themselves and enhance their ministries with these fabricated stories (2 Corinthians 2:17). Thus, the unwary and sincere child of God becomes an object of exploitation. Because these ministers defile God’s truth and people with greed and deceit, they are assigned to doom and destruction.” (p. 1995)
These “false prophets…teachers” know that if they can get you to believe that what they are doing is truly “a move of God,” they can appeal to your emotions and you will give money to their ministry. This is exactly why they always say things like “this is God” or “this is a move of God” or “this is the anointing” or “Do you feel it?” Of course they say this – they are God’s special children and whatever they do is of God, right? Ever notice how all the “anointing” always revolves around them? How convenient! This is done in order to continue to direct attention to themselves for personal power and gain. Instead of truly exalting our LORD and Savior, they elevate themselves. They embellish themselves with the glory due only the Almighty (Ex. 34:14; 1 Cor. 1:29, 31). Our LORD told us plainly that when the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, came to live inside of every believer of the New Testament era, He would direct attention toward Jesus, not Himself or mere men:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me….” John 16:13-14
The temptation or test of false prophets can be treacherous at times (Deut. 13:3-4). Beware, beloved, our LORD is coming. While He will protect those who truly continue to love Him supremely, He will not protect those who do not love His truth (2 Thess. 2:9-12), and He is also going to harshly reward all deceivers with eternal damnation.
“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” 2 Peter 2:9
The temptation to esteem earthly riches above heavenly riches, is the ploy of the father of lies which he propagates via his false prophets and teachers and their messages.
MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO LOVE THIS WORLD AND THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD AND HAVE SAT THEMSELVES UNDER A “PROSPERITY PREACHER” WHO IS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW TO GET MORE MONEY: In order to continue serving the purposes of Satan, make sure you continue to give your monies to the false prophets so they can keep building bigger piles of sticks and bricks while refusing to build the body of Christ by preaching the whole Word of God and winning the lost for which Christ came and died. Keep funding their temporal temples and fattening the bellies of the deceivers who refuse to hear the cry of people in need that sit right under their lying noses every Sunday morning. If you want to serve Satan, there could be no more effective way to do so than this.
Jesus Cleansed the Temple
As an eternal memorial of His righteous and holy judgment against thieving and deceitful monetary practices, the Son of God cleansed the temple at the very opening and closing of His ministry on earth (Matt. 21:12-17; Jn. 2:12-17). He violently overthrew the deceitful practices of those in leadership who were making merchandise of those who came to seek the LORD. Such deceit is a sure way of coming under His condemnation.
“And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence (get them out of here); make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up (ignited His holy wrath).” John 2:16-17
As soon as these things were removed, His power, praise, prosperity and healing blessings were reinstated among His people (Matt. 21:12-17). Jesus stated:
“It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:13
The unchanging God feels no different today than He did then concerning greed mongers and their deceitful practices in His name and among His people. Such deceivers are in the cross-hairs of His scope of holy judgment. As Christ cleansed the temple in His hour in the flesh, He desires to cleanse our hearts of all greed for fleeting gain, which has prevented in us the holy hunger for the true and eternal riches that only He can grant.
Blinded by Greed
“But if thine eye (heart’s focus) be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:23-24
Covetousness and greed are sins of the heart and must be crucified. Many in the modern church spotlight today are simply running after greed to establish and build their own kingdom, and they therefore have been spiritually blinded. Many of them do not even realize this. These men are building their own kingdoms in the guise of building Christ’s. Jesus told us that He came to seek and to save that which was lost and sent His people forth to do the same. The Master builder Himself held no such ideal as becoming entrenched in this fleeting world, but rather to seek out each and every soul possible to become His and enjoy the forever world of Heaven, the place He is preparing for us (Jn. 14:1-6). This scenario in which men, who have hijacked His Church, use more subtle ways to make merchandise of others. All the greed and covetousness that underlies the latest building programs and expansion agendas of many kinds are mere expressions of a self-serving vision. This in part defines how they “make merchandise of you.” These men are exploiting God’s people for their own purposes. All this is done using Scripture, testimonials, stories, and various persuasions, to help people to give, give, give, to causes which are not governed by a clear understanding of the biblical revelation of what Christ came to do, and how such is to be accomplished. Many a vision today does not align with what Christ reveals in His Word as His kingdom purpose. These have forfeited the hearing ear and seeing eye to hear and see God’s Holy Spirit of truth and His direction. These are blind leaders who are leading their followers into the ditch of spiritual darkness.
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14
There were those among the church at Laodicea who had this world’s goods and yet were weighed in the balance spiritually and found wanting – to the point of being rejected. Jesus told these self-deluded people:
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:17-19
So, we see that it is possible to be rich in this world’s goods and under the judgment of God while thinking we are doing well. The LORD is calling us all to repent of our previous mindset and see things the way He sees them – to see riches the way He defines them, not the world’s way. When we get this understanding from Him, we will be able to discern those among us who would make merchandise of us. In effect, the charlatans of our day say through their message, “Sacrifice your money so we can spend it on our own vision.”
Seducing spirits are working through these men to garner monies that belong in the hands of true ministers of the LORD who truly do His work – building up His body, not merely physical orifices. Ministers and people whose hearts are steeped in the love of self wallow in greed and covetousness and are doomed to eternal destruction.
“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core… Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever… walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling [words], having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.” Jude 11, 13, 16-18
“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” Ephesians 5:5-7
Many of these ministers claim that God has called them to emphasize a “prosperity” message which the Bible defines as covetous.
“Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.” 2 Peter 2:14
The greed-inspiring, covetous message they teach does not align with the message of the prophets or apostles, other than being the message of the false prophets exposed in God’s Word. Since these beguilers have not fled their idolatry and covetousness, they therefore reduce their “prosperity” message to the same. Being consumed with self-gain, they do not follow Jesus in seeking to save the lost; instead they view the lost as an opportunity to make themselves rich misusing and misapplying a portion of Proverbs 13:22 which reads; “…the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.” All judgment, holiness, taking up the cross, the eminent return of Christ, hell, etc. has long been purposely deleted from their messages. Such biblical truth is intentionally omitted due to its effect upon the people they seek to further lure into greed and keep in deception. The more greedy the people, the more they will give to get, and the richer these men become.
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11
Those who have the love of God in them flee the sins that would defile their souls in the eyes of God, looking for pasture among God-fearing under-shepherds who truly serve the LORD and preach His full counsel, disregarding what men think (Eph. 5:25-27). When confronted with criticism about their practices, some of these covetous leaders in our midst further attempt to insulate themselves from exposé by using as a shield (out of context) the Old Testament verse “Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm.” (1 Chron. 16:22) God was speaking about His true prophets here, so the greed-mongers who would use this verse to their own advantage are excluded. They privately interpret this text, not regarding that the LORD was speaking about His people as a whole, of which they are not (Ps 105). These “false teachers,” identified by their teachings and practices, are doomed for destruction, so how could they be His (2 Pet. 2-3)? Therefore we can conclude that “mine anointed” simply does not include them. Even more subtle than the one who seduces souls in a flashy way for self-gain are those who write the books that are astoundingly the best sellers among Christians today. They use little Scripture and when they do, many times it is used out of context, to perpetuate their own agenda and not aligned with the whole of Holy Scripture. Does this not also qualify for making merchandise of God’s people?
Refusal to Disclose the Full Counsel of the Lord
The premise of the “false prophets” and “false teachers” will appear to the un-discerning to be a legitimate work of God. Only those who truly know the LORD and His Word will be able to escape such deceptions as are in our midst and increasing exponentially in this last hour. Those who seek to extort revenues from their audiences intentionally withhold the hard truths of God’s Word in order to manipulate people for their own purposes. These pick the things from God’s Word that they choose to emphasize so they can posture people just where they want them to be in order to cause them to give the most amount of money to their coffers. Paul charged Timothy to “Preach the Word.” (2 Tim. 4:2) “The Word” pertains to the whole of God’s written Word, embodied in the “holy scriptures.” (2 Tim. 3:15-17) Perhaps it can be concluded that those in leadership positions who refuse to instruct in the full counsel of the LORD are either not mature and fully orbed in the Word themselves, or are purposely withholding the fullness of what God has stated in His Word (Acts 20:20, 27). May the LORD make all of His children to love and seek out the full counsel of His precious Word and endeavor to hold forth His words of life.
PRAYER: Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, please remove all covetousness and greed from my heart. Please replace these sinful traits of covetousness and greed with Your love in liberal giving of my life and resources to others and for the furtherance of Your kingdom. Grant my heart and mind to have discernment concerning those who would deceive and fleece Your people, that I may be kept from furthering the cause of evil against Your holy name and the body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Articles
Salvation is Not a One-Time Experience but a Lifelong Walk [podcast]
WE’VE BEEN LIED TO!
“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:” Revelation 2:26
Christ’s work is finished, not yours (John 19:30). According to Holy Scripture, if you’ve been truly born again, you must abide in Christ, remain in Him, endure to the end or you will be cast into the fires of eternal damnation (John 15:6; Matthew 10:22; 24:13, etc.).
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
Enduring “to the end” is a condition for ultimately being in Heaven with the LORD.
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 10:22
The LORD Jesus and His apostles never once used the words “once saved always saved” or “eternal security.” So, who’s lying? What they did teach contradicts such a notion.
Who did Jesus promise is going to be “saved”?
“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:11-13
You MUST “walk in the light” of truth to the end of your life on earth to be with Jesus eternally (1 John 1:7). Only THEN will you be eternally secure!
“But IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Since when is obedience to the truth legalism or works salvation?
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4
Actually, if a person doesn’t have the fruit of good works in their life, it’s because either they have not yet truly been saved or due to their falling away (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:20-21, etc.).
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16
Who’s Going to Heaven and Who’s Not?
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
Who’s going to be with Christ eternally according to the Son of God?
“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14
Those who are “called, and chosen, and faithful.” God calls and chooses “ALL men to be saved” and yet it’s only those who repent, become converted and endure to the end (“faithful”) who will reign with Him eternally (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; 1 Timothy 2:4). He calls and desires all men to be saved and yet He will only save those who obey Him by repenting and putting their faith in Christ.
EVER WONDER why the OSAS adherent is often extremely vigorous about defending the unconditional eternal security sham he has bought into? What’s at stake for him? Why does he defend this teaching that has no ground in Scripture and that he has learned of men and devils?
The lame, refuses-to-take-personal-responsibility eternal securist hides behind his false facade that nothing he does including sin or doesn’t do affects or is related to his “relationship” with Christ. The word “fruit” appears 67 times in the New Testament canon. So is fruit important to the LORD? Good fruit, which includes good works doesn’t save us but it’s the clear proof that we know Him who came to do us and all mankind good by dying to bring us back to God (John 3:16).
PEOPLE who are hiding behind this satanic lie told by the serpent in the Garden become immediately irate and infuriated when the thin sham veneer of their pretention and self-preservation is pulled open by the truth. The light of truth shines into their darkened hearts. These want nothing at all to do with personal responsibility (Titus 1:16). They don’t care what the Bible teaches. They don’t want their little “eternal security” “I’m saved no matter what” myth busted because they are rebels at heart and refuse to truly surrender – which is what true repentance involves.
We need not kid ourselves, the fruit of our lives demonstrates clearly to God and man who we really are. Jesus taught “For EVERY tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.” (Luke 6:44) …. “Even a child is known by his doings (works), whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” (Proverbs 20:11)
The Calvinist and eternal securist wants to put the whole responsibility of salvation upon God because he wants no part of personal responsibility to “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) This is cowardly is it not? “Fearful” in Revelation 21:8 means cowardly and the lake of fire awaits all who are.
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
If you die in sin, HELL is where you end up in (Ezekiel 33:12-13).
What does Hebrews 12:14 guarantee us?
“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14
God sent His Son to pay the full price “for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD” and those He calls and chooses must be “faithful” or full of faith “to the end” or they will be shut out of the eternal kingdom just as the five foolish virgins were who ran out of oil due to neglecting fellowship with the Bridegroom (Jesus) (1 John 2:2; Revelation 17:14; Mathew 10:22; 24:13). See Matthew 25:1-13.
Explain why we think a bride to be can be unfaithful, commit adultery, fornicate, just before the wedding, and still be accepted as the bride at her scheduled wedding. Delusional. If such were the case, why is this not illustrated, why does it contradict Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13?
If we don’t truly repent and become “honest” with the whole counsel of God’s Word and rather live our one life on lies, namely, the myth that we are “eternally secure”, we shall find ourselves in the domain of the damned, from which we shall never escape (Luke 8:11-15).
Anyone Going to Argue with Jesus?
Jesus taught us that one who is in Him (saved) must abide or remain in Him or that person will be “cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (hell).”
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (hell).” John 15:1-6
Yes, salvation begins in the life of the sinner who has been drawn in and found by Christ and chooses to repent and put His faith in Jesus (John 1:12; 6:47; Acts 16:31; 20:21; Romans 3-5; Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.). Initial salvation is instant and yet that’s not the end of it … according to the record of the New Testament Scriptures. Christ and His holy apostles never spoke in terms of salvation being a one-time done deal.
Paul makes it clear that saving grace does NOT abound toward, in the life of any person who has been saved and yet is now living outside of Christ’s stated will, His Word.
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1-2
It’s time to get into the Word friends and cease to walk in delusions.
What is the agent that will cleanse the Great Tribulation saints? (Revelation 7:14) – “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The washing we are to receive of God by the cleansing blood of Jesus is not a one-time event but rather a lifelong walk/experience. Such is our walk with Christ – it’s an abiding relationship and to abide means to remain (John 15:1-6). And if we don’t remain in Him – we shall be “cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6) (more on this verse in a moment)
“But IF IF IF IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
There are conditions for continuing to remain, to abide in Christ’s saving grace. Only counterfeits refuse to acknowledge this. They want no part with personal repentance, laying down their lives in this fleeting world, and truly following Jesus. No, they want the crown but not the cross. They don’t love Jesus enough to truly serve Him and so they buy into diabolical systems like the heretical “eternal security” or calvinistic systems.
The vast majority of pastors and writers today are in gross darkness and treat salvation as a one-time event instead of an abiding, a remaining walk with Christ “to the end” of our lives (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; John 15:1-6; Col. 1:23; Heb. 3:6, 12-15; 10:26-39, etc.). Many have espoused these lies because they have not chosen to get diligently and deeply into God’s Word for themselves but have rather followed other men’s selective line through Scripture. Those who aren’t diligently studying God’s Word daily are “not valiant for the truth” and will therefore be turned over to delusion and ultimately damned (Jer. 9:3; 2 Thess. 2:10-12).
“And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies (they go to the furthest lengths to embrace lies): but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:3
Those who do not love divine truth (the Holy Scriptures) manifest plainly that they do not love He who is “the truth.” (John 14:6) God takes that personally and will actually help or assist in their delusions and damnation.
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
God is able and will keep all who trust Him to the end and do not deny Him:
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24-25
Will Every One Jesus Saved be in Heaven? | Is Salvation Eternal? | Is Doubting Your Salvation a Bad Thing? |
FEEDBACK:
——- FROM Shannon Cook: “To the “once saved always saved theorists”
5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not “blot out” his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
For something to be “blotted out” (i.e. removed) it would had to have been there in order to be “blotted out” which totally contradicts the theory of “once saved always saved.”
So, who is saved?
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Consider the warning to the church of Ephesus:
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast “left thy first love.”
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and REPENT, and do they first works;[or else] I will come into thee quickly, and remove thy candlestick out of his place, expect thou repent.
Laodicean Warning:
“And unto the angel of the church of Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, [the faithful and true witness], the beginning of the creation of God. 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot,I would thou wert hot or cold. 16 [So then] BECAUSE thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:14-16 pass it on – Heaven Guaranteed to all who have Received Jesus?
Amen, never to depart from the Christ, he shall walk with us as we endure till the end!
“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 Not never will you leave me nor forsake me. We’re sheep, we have natural, fleshly tendency to wander. Ever reminding us how crucial it is to continuously follow the Christ.
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye [endure] chastening, (there’s that word endure again) God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he that the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof ALL are partakers, then ye are bastards,(illegitimate) and not sons. Hebrews 12:6-8
The elect of Christ have and will experience chastening, and no matter the discomfort in and through it, we always rejoice and know there’s purpose (to the glory of our Christ) as we “endure.”
– check this out – Will Everyone Jesus has Saved be in Heaven?
Reply Received:
“Where do I begin. Every person born of God, WILL be faithful. Even if they are faithless, He remains faithful because He can NOT deny Himself. We are HIDDEN in Christ, and seated with Him right now in the heavenlies. We have passed from death to LIFE. This is an event that is unchangeable. God causes it to occur and doesn’t change His mind. He adopts us. Permanently.
Context is everything. It is king. It determines what a passage actually means. Did you know Todd, that God has saved you forever? It’s great to be free and assured of that. Are you afraid He might not keep you to the end? It’s His desire and intent to do that, bro.
Reply Back:
We only have security in Christ AS we are abiding – remaining – in an intimate relationship with Him.
According to Jesus in John 15, “If a man abide (remain) not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire (hell), and they are burned.” (Jn. 15:6)
In order to receive final salvation, one must abide or remain in Christ (Jn. 15:5-6). There is no guarantee that God’s seed will “remain” in the person who is born again and later departs from the LORD.
What you are doing is simply spouting off what you have been taught of mere sinful men…. speaking of context, let’s look at the context of what you partially quoted, conveniently and selectively excluding the whole context:
2 Timothy 2:11-13
“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13
The person seeking to convince others of “once saved always saved” will misquote this text by saying that because “he (God) abideth faithful” He would never “deny us.” This is a distortion. Let’s read the verse again okay? The passage states that “if we deny him, he also will deny US.” The Word here tells us that “if we deny him, he also will deny US.” Does it get any clearer than this? Being honest with what the Bible says is essential to a clear conscience and to possessing the mind of Christ and true doctrine. Again, those who seek to make palatable the unconditional security teaching can be heard misquoting this text saying “He cannot deny us.” Is that what verse 13 says? No. It says “He cannot deny HIMSELF.” This passage tells us that He “will deny us” if we “deny him” and that “He cannot deny Himself,” not us. In this Bible passage we see that the LORD “abideth faithful”to Himself and to those who do not deny Him. Didn’t Jesus tell us to “deny” ourselves and that if we were “ashamed” of Him or His words He would be “ashamed” of us? See Luke 9:23-24 and Mark 8:34-38.
Below is a classic perversion of this very passage of Scripture. I read this on the internet. The persuasion intended by the person who wrote this is to convince people of something the Bible simply never puts forth.
“If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 – God wants you to know for sure that you cannot lose it (salvation) under any circumstance whatsoever, even in the worse scenario. The first part of the verse above says that we can come to a state of mind that we do not believe in God anymore. But, the second says that He will remain faithful if that happens…God cannot deny what He said, because God cannot lie! (Hebrews 6:18 KJV AV1611) He promised to keep us eternally secure and He will remain faithful in that promise even if we ‘believe not.’ Another possible way of looking at ‘he cannot deny himself’ is that we are one in Him. If He was not faithful in His promise, He would be denying himself of eternal security, that is, He would be casting part of himself in eternal damnation in the lake of fire.” J. A.
First off, if in fact as J.A. supposes, “God wants you to know for sure that you cannot lose it (salvation) under any circumstance whatsoever, even in the worse scenario,” then why did God Himself warn His very own people throughout His Word concerning the danger of:
• “Departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12-15)
• Losing the reward of Heaven for turning back into sin after being saved (Ezek. 33:12-13; 2 Pet. 2:20-21)
• “Falling away” (Lk. 8:13; 2 Thes. 2:3)
• “Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith” (1 Tim. 5:12)
• Being “cut off” (Rom. 11:19-23)
• Being forsaken of Him (2 Chron. 15:2; Ezra 8:22; 2 Tim. 2:12)
• Being blotted out of the book of life (Exod. 32:33; Ps. 69:32; Rev. 3:5; 22:18-19)
The fact that God remains faithful in no way predicts or determines whether individuals will partake of His plan of salvation. His faithfulness in no way forces men to remain faithful (abide), nor does it disable the Almighty from rendering a due reward of eternal judgment upon those who do not meet His requirements/conditions. This is a truth completely ignored by those who embrace the unscriptural notion of an unconditional eternal security.
“For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar …” Romans 3:3-4
All sin will be accounted for – one way or the other, and this is the reason for the Judgment Thrones to come (Exod. 34:7; Rom. 14:12-14; Rev. 20:11-15). This should shine yet a brighter light upon the glorious Gospel salvation Jesus Christ wrought for His people and how we can “come boldly” with our sins to His holy throne of grace to receive grace and mercy in time of need (Heb. 4:14-16).
It seems to me, after listening to hundreds of those who believe in an unconditional eternal security, that some people believe that their theology is going to change the unchanging, immutable God (Rom. 3:3-4; James 1:17). The twisting of Scripture, instead of “rightly dividing the word of truth” is done to one’s “own destruction.” (2 Cor. 2:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 3:16-17) The disciple of Jesus Christ must be intent upon studying to show himself “approved unto God,” not men, and therefore be able to “rightly” divide “the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15) The person who does not diligently study and know God’s Word, stands to be deluded by the many false teachings circulated in the church world.
What happens if a saved person does not obey and remain faithful to God? Those who do not choose to persevere in saving faith:
• Possess “an evil heart of unbelief” (Heb. 3:12)
• Depart from the living God (Heb. 3:12)
• Cannot and do not please God (Heb. 11)
• Depart from the faith through “doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1-6)
• “Turn away their ears from the truth” and are “turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:4)
• Cannot enter into His rest or presence (Heb. 3:19; 4:6, 11)
• Are “broken off” from the LORD (Rom. 11:20)
• The “unbelieving…shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone …” (Rev. 21:8, 27)
The Bible never guarantees that all Christ saves will automatically “endure to the end” which Jesus says is essential to ultimately being saved into Heaven when speaking to His very own people (Matt. 10:22; 24:13). Christ Himself invented the term “fall away” when speaking of those who would “believe” and be saved and not continue with Him (Lk. 8:13).
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America
IS AMERICA DOOMED? To Stay or to Go [podcast]
Great Commission Evangelism
“This message (podcast) sure nailed the state of America. Rotten to the very foundation. God’s judgment and fury is falling! His very name is being mocked! As so-called Christians participate in and celebrate what He calls an abomination (Leviticus 18:22), and teaching this to children! Where are the parents? Why are they not standing up for their kids? Why are they not pulling them out of these indoctrinated government run schools? Because the men are weak (Ahabs) and the women are Jezebels and busy working. So the children are left on their own. It starts at such an early age they do not know it is happening. No biblical foundation is why kids are murdering kids! No sense of right or wrong anymore. We are a cursed nation because we have deviated from the standards of God in rebellion and disobedience! God will not bless anything that is abomination to Him.” Karen Cochran
Does the unchanging LORD still allow persecution and for His people to be “scattered abroad”?
“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Philip Proclaims Christ in Samaria
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8:1-8
Persecution had hit Jerusalem and Christ’s saints were prepared and “scattered abroad” to go and preach Christ’s Gospel to the world.
Concerning people being “scattered abroad,” one source notes:
“Scattered abroad is a common biblical phrase primarily known from the King James Version (KJB) of the Bible. It describes the physical dispersion, spreading, or migration of a group of people. The concept holds both historical and theological significance, typically representing:
- Divine Judgment and Dispersion (Old Testament): In Genesis 11, God scatters humanity across the face of the earth and confuses their languages after their rebellion at the Tower of Babel. It also refers to the exile and historical dispersion (the diaspora) of the Israelites for rejecting God’s covenant.
- The Spread of the Gospel (New Testament): In the early Christian church, intense persecution in Jerusalem caused believers to scatter throughout various regions. Instead of destroying the movement, this dispersion inadvertently spread their message. For example, Acts 8:4 states: “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”
- Encouragement to Believers: In the New Testament, the opening of the Epistle of James (James 1:1) is famously addressed to the “twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,” offering pastoral comfort to Jewish Christians facing trials in foreign lands.”
Any nation that is even discussing whether or not there are more than 2 genders is doomed.
Does God desire to scatter abroad, to spread His people across the world?
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:15-20
The LORD would never bless a nation that glorifies what He condemns. ANYONE who thinks America is or will ever be blessed without repentance…. is extremely gullible and deceived. Sodom! Ezekiel 16:49-51
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22
A good thing to ask proud Americans who claim they are Christians:
1. “When’s the last time you personally led someone to Jesus?”
2. “How much time and how much energy do you spend trying in vain to “save America” or “Make America Great Again” compared to the time and energy you spend learning, studying, and meditating on God’s Word and doing it—as in the Great Commission?”
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
Anyone claiming to be Christ’s and yet is not doing, is not obeying His Great Commission mandate, is not in the will of God.
PRAYER: Father in the name of Jesus, may Your people cry out to You today for the lost souls of fallen men for whom You sent Your only begotten Son to die (John 3:16-17). May we be blessed to cry out for that which most concerns You! In Jesus’ name.
As God looks down from Heaven…. here’s what He sees, here’s what breaks His holy heart ….
“Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” Proverbs 15:11
SOUND LIKE THE MODERN CHURCH IN AMERICA?
“And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17
“11:17 Combining quotations from Isaiah and Jeremiah, He condemned desecration, exclusivism, and commercialism. God had intended the temple to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isa_56:7), not just for Israel. They had made it a religious market, a hang-out for shysters and racketeers (Jer_7:11).” Believer’s Bible Commentary
Recently lunatics went half crazy because some man threw a rock or stone at a monk seal. Yet no one is fighting for the right for precious innocent babies to live, to not be MURDERED in their own mother’s womb. America is under divine judgment and it’s not going to stop. It’s just getting started.
“Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13
“Fact: What the world celebrates, God hates!!
Fact: America as a nation will not be saved by God; only individual souls and families can be saved with the short time we have left.
Fact: The reason society has been overrun by the rainbow mafia in corporate America, in schools, and yes: even in ‘churches’, is because this God-mocking, God-hating nation has been given over to the filth they love above the holy God who gave us life.
Have a blessed day…” A disciple.
PRAYER: Father in the name of Jesus, may Your people cry out to You today for the lost souls of fallen men for whom You sent Your only begotten Son to die (John 3:16-17). May we be blessed to cry out for that which most concerns You! In Jesus’ name.
As God looks down from Heaven…. here’s what He sees, here’s what breaks His holy heart ….
“Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” Proverbs 15:11
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Apostasy
Concerns about the writings of C.S. Lewis [podcast]
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105
It’s a dangerous proposition to attempt to convey the divine doctrine, the truth, via fiction. Such an undertaking begins on skaky ground. The saints of Christ must get all their doctrine strictly from Scripture, and Holy Scripture only (Deut 4:1-10; Isaiah 34:16; John 5:39-40; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:12-21, etc.). The writings of CS Lewis have zero divine inspiration and zero divine authority. Anyone who spends their time reading the writings of men, especially those which include very little Scripture (as in the case of Lewis), are inevitably going to be deceived. God gave us His Word to know Him and warned us that “MANY false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).
Beware. CS Lewis never even claimed to be born again and yet still has a cult following.
Being born again means one “is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God…” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) Yet Lewis asserts that “there are people in other religions who are being led by God’s secret influence to concentrate on those parts of their religion which are in agreement with Christianity, and who thus belong to Christ without knowing it.” So, the most profound divine miracle can happen to a person, they can be changed from the inside out, freely forgiven and regenerated, and not even know it? Such a statement from Lewis alone moves me to conclude that he was never born again. And this isn’t even to mention that he was at least in bed with the works-based antichrist Roman Catholic church.
Something to think about, to help you: Why would you be so strongly defending a mere man if that man and his writings didn’t mean so much to you? There seems to be a cult fiction following of Lewis involving people who seem to spend more times of a mere sinner’s fictional musings about God than they do reading about God for themselves in His own Word.
Of CS Lewis, one pastor notes problematic things in Lewis’s writings:
“(1) he was not an inerrantist; (2) he viewed the Protestant Reformation as avoidable; (3) he remained in the Church of England, despite his largely Protestant beliefs; (4) he allowed for “at least some people to be saved through imperfect representations of Christ in other religions”; (5) he gave little attention to the doctrine of atonement.” Then he says: “Lewis is not a writer to which we should turn for growth in a careful biblical understanding of Christian doctrine … There is almost no passage of Scripture on which I would turn to Lewis for exegetical illumination.”
CS Lewis stated: “I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.” Lewis, “The Problem of Pain,” 538.
One minister notes of Lewis’ doctrine that “Lewis never believed in a literal hell, but instead believed hell is a state of mind one chooses to possess and become.” In other words, CS Lewis believe hell was not literal but rather a fiction.
Of CS Lewis, Rick Miesel wrote the following 15 conclusions about the beliefs of CS Lewis:
1. Lewis indicates that shortly before his death he was turning toward the Catholic Church. Lewis termed himself “very Catholic.” His prayers for the dead, belief in purgatory, and rejection of the literal resurrection of the body are serious deviations from Biblical Christianity.
2. His contention that some pagans may “belong to Christ without knowing it” is a destructive heresy…, as was his statement that “Christ fulfils both Paganism and Judaism …”
3. Lewis believed that we’re to become “gods,” an apparent affirmation of theistic evolution.
4. He also believed the Book of Job is “unhistorical” (Reflections on the Psalms, pp. 110), and that the Bible contained “error” (pp. 110, 112) and is not divinely inspired.
5. Lewis never believed in a literal hell, but instead believed hell is a state of mind one chooses to possess and become…
6. On heaven: “All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible.”
7. C.S. Lewis’s most outrageous misunderstanding was about the purpose of the death of Christ, which of course mars all subsequent propositions about the effects of the cross and salvation.
8. In his speculations on the hereafter, Lewis is to be criticized for being so extra-biblical.
9. In spite of what many believe to be brilliant exegesis on Christian apologetics (In light of the above, one wonders which of Lewis’s books these people have been reading?), there appears to have been in C.S. Lewis a seemingly irresistible attraction to the shadow world of occult fantasy — a mingling of darkness with light evident in writings apart from his apologetics.
10. Lewis’s early favorite literature included E. Nesbit’s trilogy: Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Wishing Carpet, plus The Amulet — all occult fantasies.
11. So much was Lewis’s life steeped in fantasy that he wrote, “The central story of my life is about nothing else” (p. 17). From Nesbit and Gulliver he advanced to Longfellow’s Saga of King Olaf and fell in love with the magic and pagan myths of Norse legend. By the age of twelve, there had grown in Lewis’s mind an intense relationship with the world of fantasy and elves… Although one would expect childhood fantasies to subside after a time, in Lewis’s case they became more a delight as he grew older.
12. After advancing to preparatory school at Wyvern, Lewis gradually “ceased to be a Christian.” He became interested in the occult and embraced an attitude of pessimism about what he considered a faulty world. His taste for the occult was nurtured and grew as he became enthralled with Wagnerian operas and their Norse sagas derived from Celtic mythology.
13. It was during their long association that both Lewis and JR Tolkien developed their most prestigious “sword and sorcery” material.
13. It is argued that in presenting a blend of fantasy with analogy to Christian truth, Lewis hoped to encourage his readers to search out the truth further. This, however, was not Lewis’s intention in writing his fantasies… Many of Lewis’s characters in his fantasies depicted as “good” are in reality associated with witchcraft, pagan mythology, and the Norse mysteries.
14. One of the more pronounced confusions of good and evil is Till We Have Faces, Lewis’s retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, written just a few years before his death. In this work, several ungodly concepts are espoused as valid truths.
15. In fact, there has developed a cult of sorts which venerates the fantasies of Lewis along with those of other writers who do not claim to be Christians. Evidence of this is the fact that Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is listed along with other occult writings as recommended inspirational reading by the makers of the demonically-oriented game Dungeons and Dragons!
CONCLUSION
According to Miesel, Lewis is also heretical on the depravity of man, how salvation works, being “Born Again,” and animals in heaven. He concludes,
“While there may be insights into life that are profitable to be found in the works of C.S. Lewis, we think it not wise to encourage young or untaught Christians to feed on such a presentation of so-called Christian truth. Some may be readily attracted to Lewis’s style and logic, but let us not be blinded and thus miss the plain and simple truth of Scripture.”
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