THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR EXPOSÉ

THE BIBLICAL CASE FOR EXPOSÉ

Excerpt from the book Deceivers and False Prophets Among Us

“Excellent teaching! Thank you. So needed in these last days. As we now see a false Jesus being presented. And many will defend this false Christ, so they can continue in their sin and live how they please. We should expect to be attacked when exposing them to the truth. They are fake Christians. Titus 1:16 ‘They profess they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient and unto every good work reprobate.'” Karen Cochran

Know the Truth and Do Not Conceal Lies or Liars

“Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him.”  Deuteronomy 13:8  

Never “consent” to nor “conceal” an enemy of God lest you be the enemy of the LORD.

In Deuteronomy 13, we are instructed not to “conceal” a false prophet. In this specific case the LORD tells His people not to “conceal” any prophet who accurately foretells the future (prophesies), which actually does come to pass, yet seeks to lead God’s people astray through false teaching.

Those who have empathy for Satan’s agents and no mercy for those they’ve deceived and hurt, are pitifully demonic. Repent now you vile devil or you will go irrevocably to the same hell as those evil doers you defend! (Ezekiel 14:10; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 10-11)

The LORD is calling us to maturity in His holy fear. We are to come to the place where we refuse to conceal or hide any person operating as a Christian leader who is leading God’s people astray through his false doctrine.

The Deuteronomy 13 text holds an extremely important discernment key that will surely help save people from the deceptions that abound in today’s church-world. So many Christians today believe that, where there are miracles or accurate prophecies, it has to be of God. They do not consider though that the devil has always had power to unleash miracles.

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:9

A plethora of “strange fire” experiences and phenomena are being pawned off as being from God (Lev.10:1-2).

One of the biggest errors believers make is thinking that any miracle automatically validates that phenomenon as proceeding from divine origin. This is simply not true. All miracles, signs, and wonders are not from God. “Satan” works in our midst “with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Deuteronomy 13:8 tells us not to “conceal” those who work against the LORD by leading people away from Him while claiming to be one of His leaders. God instructs us NOT to hide, make excuse for, or in any way cover for deceitful workers, and if we do, we become enemies of the Almighty.

The exposing of those who have determined to undermine the doctrines of the LORD is a matter of walking in obedience and truthfulness. “Lie not against the truth” (James 3:14).

Did you realize that those who befriend God’s enemies become the LORD’s enemies?

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer (prophet) went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the LORD? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. ~ 2 Chronicles 19:2

King Jehoshaphat was a godly king, yet the LORD allowed “wrath” to fall upon his life in a measure, due to his unholy alliance with Ahab, an ungodly man in a leadership position. Unholy alliances bring God’s “wrath” and destruction to our lives. Do you have any? Have you inventoried those you are condoning and with whom you are aligned and supporting? Have you developed an unnatural, an unholy soul tie with a certain preacher? Do you realize the idolatrous nature of such?

The LORD sees and does not take it lightly when we side with His enemies. Deceivers and false teachings are His enemies—they are most insidiously at war against Him. While claiming to be of Him, these wolves in sheep’s clothing are in reality agents of the enemy of all souls.

That is what makes truth-twisting beguilers so effective amidst the undiscerning who are not rooted and grounded in the Word and using it as their grid to measure all things by. Remember Matthew 7:15?

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ~ Matthew 7:15

Perhaps we have all perpetuated the ministries of fruitless and false leaders in days past—ministries that are not grounding people in God’s Word. With the enlightening of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we should cease from ever aligning with God’s enemies again. All who condone such subversive dissimulation will be turned over to God’s “wrath” as king Jehoshaphat did. Those who go on giving God’s money to fruitless deceivers fuel the work of evil against Christ and the precious souls He died to save—whether they realize it or not. By participating with these “deceitful workers” in giving God’s supply, by giving offerings to fruitless corrupt ministries, one becomes an accessory to the fact. When we do such, we contribute to the subversion of divine truth and the subsequent weakening of the body of Christ, which is the LORD’s prize possession, the very “apple of his eye” (Deut. 32:10).

Beloved, these men are posing as Christ’s representatives, holding positions over His people, and anyone who fuels these agents with financial support, etc., is also guilty of the grave sins they are committing in their deliberate omissions and commissions (Isa. 5:20-24).

Speaking of partaking with those who are not fit for ministry, the Holy Spirit commands: “…neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22).

All giving, and support of any kind should be concentrated and focused upon those who are truly bearing the fruit of the Spirit and walking in and disseminating kingdom truth under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Are we helping the LORD’s enemies? Didn’t He tell us to expose them? That is, bring these lies to the light with divine truth? See Ephesians 5:11.

Notice again what the LORD asks of His people:

Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the LORD? ~ 2 Chronicles 19:2

Then let’s note what he declared concerning Jehoshaphat’s allegiance to God’s enemies:

Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. ~ 2 Chronicles 19:2

Concerning this text, Donald Stamps writes:

Jehoshaphat is rebuked for associating with Ahab and helping this enemy of God (cf. Ch. 18). Believers should not associate with the ungodly if in that relationship the cause of unrighteousness is advanced, our commitment to God is jeopardized, or the truth of God’s Word is compromised. (Life in the Spirit Study Bible, p. 670)

Befriending and condoning those who work against the LORD can violate our relationship with Him. The LORD calls this adultery:

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ~ James 4:4

Concerning this verse, the Life in the Spirit Study Bible notes:

Friendship of the world is spiritual adultery, i.e., unfaithfulness to God and our pledge of commitment to Him (1 John 2:15-17; cf. Isa. 54:5; Jer. 3:20). It involves embracing the world’s sin, values, and evil pleasures. God will not accept such friendship (Matt. 6:24), for He is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9).

One example of such friendship is secret orders (e.g., lodge membership) that demand unscriptural religious oaths and a strong binding with unbelievers, both of which are forbidden in God’s Word (Matt. 5:33-37; 2 Cor. 6:14). Believers cannot belong to such orders without compromising Christian doctrine (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16), godly standards, and their loyalty to Christ. (Life in the Spirit Study Bible, p. 1974)

Consider the following severe warning of condoning deceit and falsehood:

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. ~ Proverbs 17:15

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him. ~ Proverbs 24:24

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.  ~ Isaiah 5:20-25

Ever hear these Bible truths in your local church? If not, why not? Why are these important truths being ignored and hidden from the eyes of the people?

But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation (openly and forthrightly revealing) of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:2

From this text above and others, it is abundantly clear the “dishonesty” of “handling the word of God deceitfully” by not openly declaring the whole of divine counsel.

Ignatius pleaded:

Brethren, be not deceived. If any man follows him that separates from the truth, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God; and if any man does not stand aloof from the preacher of falsehood, he shall be condemned to hell. For it is obligatory neither to separate from the godly, nor to associate with the ungodly. If any one walks according to a strange opinion, he is not of Christ, nor a partaker of His passion; but is a fox, a destroyer of the vineyard of Christ. Have no fellowship with such a man, lest ye perish along with him, even should he be thy father, thy son, as your enemies, and separate yourselves from them, while yet you ad-monish them, and exhort them to repentance, if it may be they thy brother, or a member of thy family. For says [the Scripture], “Thine eye shall not spare him.” You ought therefore to “hate those that hate God, and to waste away [with grief] on account of His enemies.” I do not mean that you should beat them or persecute them, as do the Gentiles “that know not the LORD and God;” but that you should regard them will hear, if it may be they will submit themselves. For our God is a lover of mankind, and “will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians 3:13-20)

Unfortunately, the evangelical church-world is filled with people who have never been discipled in God’s Word. They have not been taught that the written Word is the final authority and to be studied diligently and daily. Instead, they have been taught that the Ph.D. or degree their pastor has is what carries authority, or the denomination of which they are a part. Because of this, so many in the Christian world have such a propensity to pander to personalities and experiences instead of the unchanging, eternal truth. Herein lies the separating factor of the tares and wheat (Jn. 8:47).

Loving Truth, and Hating “Every False Way”

Hate the evil and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate. ~ Amos 5:15

We are commanded to “Hate the evil and love the good.” Loving the LORD who is holy and hating evil go hand in hand (Ps. 97:10). The two cannot be separated. Some believers have the erroneous view that Christians are to be passive and “loving” and not engage in confidently and wisely upholding God’s glory in defense of His eternal truth. While perhaps there is the occasion where the Holy Spirit will quicken His saint to be silent, there is also the command to “earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3-4).

Those true to the LORD are never to hate people (Matt. 5:44), but we are to “hate every false way.” In fact, if we really love people, we will share God’s glorious truth with them. According to the Son of God, only obedience to His truth makes men free (Jn. 8:31-32, 36).

Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. ~ Psalm 119:104

Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way. ~ Psalm 119:128

The psalmist stated, “I hate every false way.” Any “way” that doesn’t align biblically (contextually) is considered to be a “false way” and to be hated by those made righteous by Christ’s grace and blood.

There are numerous evil lies, “winds of doctrine,” and “false ways” in the very midst of the church-world today vying for your approval, so they can pervert the image of the one, true God in your mind and heart (Eph. 4:14; Ps. 119:104, 128). Do you have virus protection against these contaminants? Or, are you catching every germ and ailment that blows in?

The LORD is calling His people to get out of the business of prognosticating who He is and rather to obediently take Him at His Word, imagining nothing about Him that their very own eyes do not behold in His holy Word (2 Tim.2:15; 3:16-17). There is nothing more essential to the safeguarding of the soul.

The LORD told us why some of His people are being destroyed: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge… thou hast forgotten the law of thy God” (Hosea 4:6). When His pure words abide in our spiritually nourished hearts, His perfect image will also be embossed upon the table of our hearts, so that the image of a false god has no place in us.

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments…Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. ~ Proverbs 3:1, 3

Those who refuse to hear and embrace God’s Word worship the image of false gods.

This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. ~ Jeremiah 13:10

Friend, do you love the LORD and His truth? Are you filling your heart and mind daily with His words so that His holy image is being transmitted to and etched upon your heart?

He knows that a saint without a knowledge of the Gospel is as vulnerable as an army without ammunition…For it is God’s Word which teaches us how to put on Christ and His graces so that we are fitly armed. Never flatter yourself into thinking you can do this without this priceless book. We have all known those who content themselves with a profession of Christ and a smattering of gifts and works, and do not wish to know if there is more to the Christian life. They are the ones whose graces freeze when the winter winds buffet their souls. But the saint whose faith has been insulated from error by the truth of the Gospel will be able to withstand all Satan’s icy blasts. ~ William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armor

When we do not fill our hearts, minds, and lives with God’s Word, we are doomed to sin, deception, failure and destruction. In Hosea 4:6, notice the phrase “thou hast rejected knowledge.” Beloved, is there anything in your life that is more important than learning the precepts of your Savior? Knowing His Word is our safeguard (Ps.17:4; Acts 20:32). Those who refuse to study and live out His words will be destroyed. This is a divine promise (Hos. 4:6; Matt. 22:29). The knowledge of and obedience to the truth is the only safeguard to the myriad of deceptions circulating in this last hour.

Leadership and the Truth

Jesus validated the Old Testament Scriptures as His own. The Son of God made over 100 references to Holy Scripture. Jesus never relies upon spiritual notions, oral traditions, or men’s doctrines, but Scripture alone. Let’s follow the LORD’s pattern of relying upon Scripture—the eternal Standard and Truth. “Have ye not read…have ye not read in the law…have ye never read…Did ye never read in the scriptures” (Matt. 12:3, 5; 21:16, 42).

Be assured that any person in leadership who does not ardently seek to ground people in the written, living, and eternal Word of God is not following the LORD. He is not leading people to the Fountain of Living Waters nor giving them spiritual viral protection from the numerous deceivers and deceptions our LORD promised would precede His return.

Christ and His apostles directed God’s people to the Scriptures in order to assure their sound grounding, spiritual growth, and protection (Jn. 5:39; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; 2:2; 2 Pet. 1:3-4; 19-21). All of God’s servant-leaders are to foster and cultivate in His disciples a deep desire and love for the Word and its final authority. Where this is not being done, people are learning to trust in something other than the LORD, mere human leaders, which is idolatry, and they are prone and susceptible to the insidious deception of so-called godly leaders.

Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. ~ Psalm 119:4

“Love Sails within the Banks of Truth”

Beloved, no matter with whom you are spiritually aligned on earth, you are personally responsible to know the LORD for yourself and to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

To know the LORD and His Word will equip us to discern who/what is true and who/what is not. We will, thereby, be able to establish truth and mark the false, warning others of the same (1 Tim. 4:6, 16). All darkness is to be probed, investigated, and brought to the light using the truth (Eph. 5).

Are there local and world-famous false prophets at work in the evangelical world who need to be marked so that people can be protected from their deceptions? If so, what do they look like and how do they act? If there are real live deceivers operating in the church-world, are they to be exposed by those true to the LORD, or passed over and ignored? Are people to be made aware of their false teachings?

The following excerpt was taken from Myfortress.org in an article entitled “Christian Leaders”:

How could it be so popular and be wrong? How can they talk of Jesus and be wrong? Who am I to judge them? Why don’t we Christians just love each other? Who are we to criticize the church?

These sentiments sound so pious and spiritual, when in fact they are the lies of the enemy. Love sails within the banks of truth, we cannot have unity apart from truth. One Christian leader states it well, “Those who do speak out inevitably are branded divisive, strident or unloving. The legacy of such a position is not unity and peace, but confusion and turmoil…In fact, love apart from truth is nothing more than hypocritical sentimentality. That sentimentality is running rampant in evangelicalism today.”

There are ministry sites that contain lists of dozens of today’s false teachers and documented quotes from their own books, TV appearances, etc.

Let us no more deny Christ our LORD by hiding Satan’s agents and their lies which are destroying and have “devoured souls” (Isa. 9:16; Ezek. 22:25). Such is counted treason in the Supreme Court of the Universe.

Simply put, it doesn’t matter what you think: The LORD has commanded that Satan’s ministers, his human emissaries, be exposed. Time to shut up and obey! (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed (disguised) into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. I say again, Let no man think me a fool… ~ 2 Corinthians 11:12-16

Like all who authentically follow Jesus, Paul sought to “cut off occasion” from “false apostles, deceitful workers” and instructed that for doing such, “Let no man think me a fool.”

Paul ends this revelation of Satan’s “ministers” by saying “Let no man think me a fool.” Friend, do you still view men who expose lies and deceptions as fools? If so, you oppose the LORD Himself and His mandate upon all who will servant-lead in His kingdom (1 Thess. 4:8).

Concerning those who uncover Satan and his ministers, one pastor of old stated this:

We have been likened by one of our opponents to the boy in the fable who cried, “Wolf!” The parallel only fails in the all-important point that he cried “Wolf!” when there was none, and we are crying “Wolf!” when packs of them are howling so loudly that it would be superfluous for us to shout at all if a wretched indifferentism had not brought a deep slumber upon those who ought to guard the flocks. The evidence is to our mind so overwhelming that we thought that our statements only gave voice to a matter of common notoriety. Either we are dreaming, or our brethren are; let the godly judge who it is that is asleep.

The Call to Stand

When addressing the Ephesian Christians in Revelation 2, Jesus commends them for testing leaders and identifying those who were “liars” (counterfeits) and hating the “deeds” of those in leadership who sought to exercise an evil control over God’s people, “Nicolaitans” (Rev. 2:6, 15). The unchanging LORD Jesus Christ commends today those who do the same.

God-fearing men of every generation since Abel have cried out against the majority of false prophets and false teachers of their generations. Whose side are you on?

Will you side with God or the father of lies? (Jn. 8:44)

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? ~ Psalm 94:16

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. ~ 2 Chronicles 16:9

It is unadulterated hypocrisy to say we know the LORD while we speak against those who obey God in exposing falsehoods and valiantly execute justice and truth. No blessing from the LORD can possibly come from such dissimulation. Repentance is needed for this sin.

The Curse of Meroz

The curse of Meroz expresses the anger of the LORD against those who do not stand when they should, but rather withhold the good fight they should earnestly wage when error is present (1 Tim. 6:12). It is judgment for not standing.

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. ~ Judges 5:23

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. ~ Proverbs 3:27

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ~ Matthew 25:45

It is clear from these and many other Bible texts that those who omit doing good to others when they are given the opportunity will suffer judgment from the LORD. This includes doing good by speaking the truth in love to defend the Gospel and protect saints.

Notice that the very reason the people of Meroz were cursed was “because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.”

Where is the divinely given compassion that moved Christ? (See Matt. 9:36.) Like the apostle Paul, do we care enough to protect the saints of God from being spoiled? (See Acts 20:20-32; Col. 1:27-29; 2:8)

The Blessing of Jael

Praise the LORD for the colossal example of the love of God in action in the life of a God-fearing woman named Jael!

Divine blessing pronounced and imparted for vigilant righteousness:

Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above the women in the tent. He asked water, and she gave him milk (lured him in); she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead…So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. ~ Judges 5:24-27, 31

Jael stood for the LORD and His truth. Will we? Will you?

Who will instill this example in the hearts of the young of our day?

You may think some women are controlled by their emotions instead of divine truth, but not Jael. Jael feared God and was valiant for His truth.

Marking false doctrines and those who teach them boils down to whom we serve. With whom will we be identified and who will we serve? God’s Word gives us clear instructions. It only remains to be seen whether or not we will truly lose our own lives, in order to love, embrace, and stand for His glory above ourselves. Persecutions and false accusations are guaranteed to those who do, and so is eternal reward (Matt. 5:10-12; 10:22; Jn. 15:19-20; 2 Tim. 3:12).

The Phinehas Blessing: Generational Blessing and Reward for Spearing Sin

This Bible text offers quite a powerful lesson in vigilance. The following Bible story is a landmark case for exposé:

And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed (stopped) from the children of Israel. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealously. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. ~ Numbers 25:6-13

What is the spear of Phinehas? Today, why do we need such a spear like never before?

In Phinehas’ day, there was a deceiver and false prophet behind the false doctrines which were leading God’s people to be turned over to and live in sin. A false prophet named Balaam had been leading the people of God astray with His idolatrous gospel of greed, fornication, license to sin, when Phinehas rose up. Like today, the people were being led away from the Almighty through false teaching of this false prophet named Balaam. Sin abounded as a result of the false doctrines, and it was all Phinehas could take. He met the challenge of lies with the spear of divine truth. Holy, divine, and righteous indignation welled up in his heart, as he took aim with his javelin.

This valiant warrior of divine truth drove a spear through the sin that was destroying God’s people. God-fearing Christians today are to harpoon evil teachings that lead His saints astray and shut up the kingdom of Heaven to those who would otherwise enter in (Matt. 23:13). It is the work of the LORD, who is a “man of war,” to spear those teachings that give people a wrong view of God’s nature which will ultimately lead them into sin, false hope, despair, and damnation (Exodus 15:3).

Phinehas laid an axe at the root of the sin that was caused by the false teaching of Balaam the false prophet.

Phinehas stands as a monumental example of the righteous indignation of the LORD working through one of His children. Like this warrior of truth, we should be courageous to identify and mark falsehoods. The blessing of the LORD is upon all who do His work by marking and exposing false teaching.

Judges 5:23-24—a curse or a blessing? Have you marked this text in your Bible? Perhaps, like valiant Phinehas, some of us need to begin by driving a harpoon through the spiritual fornication that is occurring in our own hearts. Then we will be fit to be used as was Phinehas. Just as Phinehas was rewarded and blessed by the LORD for his zeal in ridding the camp of sin, so the LORD will reward those who are zealous for His truth in this hour. Those who will stand for the purity of His truth in the midst of His people will have a divine blessing pronounced and bestowed upon them.

The call and question remains:

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Psalm 94:16

Sentimentally pandering to men’s personalities reveals a gross lack of the fear of God which is promised to bring a snare (Prov. 29:25). Fearing men is sin. In the case of identifying and exposing false teachers, we must first rid our own lives and hearts of all self-idolatry and false teaching. Perhaps self-love is at the root of our lack of vigilance. Jesus taught that the one who would follow Him must “deny himself” (Lk. 9:23). Notice, the LORD didn’t teach what so many “Christian” leaders erroneously teach today—self-esteem, which is self-love. Jesus and His apostles taught God-esteem and others-esteem, not self-esteem (Phil. 2:3-5). When we authentically esteem Christ and the members of His “little flock,” we will be bold and valiant in His holy truth (Lk. 12:32).

According to Psalm 149, the saints of God are to be joyful in glory and to go forth with His holy praise in their mouths and the sharp sword of the Word in their hand to execute vengeance upon the enemies of the LORD by uncovering the schemes of His arch enemy who works deceitfully through false prophets and their deadly teachings. Jesus said that the “violent” are to take by force the kingdom from those who are in our midst to devour His sheep (Matt. 11:12). Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” and “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (1 Jn. 3:8; Acts 26:18).

Correct doctrine and living are always the fruit of a crucified life (Jn. 7:17-18; 2 Tim. 3:10).

Satan’s Most Effective Agents Are Disguised As “Christians”

Shame on every local pastor who is so busy building his own little kingdom, program, and building-fund projects instead of tending to the people God has given him to build up.

Be diligent to know the state of thy flocks,  and look well to thy herds. ~ Proverbs 27:23

Since so many pastors are seeking to erect and/or embellish themselves with physical buildings and to expand their own influence, they have no time to “Be diligent to know the state” of their “flocks.” Many of our leaders simply are not tending to the people the LORD has mandated them to oversee.

Since the kingdom of God is within the LORD’s people, this is what is to be built—with His Word, prayer, and serving.

The kingdom of God is within you. ~  Luke 17:21

Those who oppose the naming of names and uncovering of false doctrines are dead wrong. At the root of those who complain and balk about Christ’s servants who do the divine work of exposing false teachings and teachers, is a rebellious heart. This is the fruit of a heart full of cowardice in contrast to the valiant, warrior-like heart that is courageous to perform the truth of the LORD and Savior.

Satan loves self-serving, agreeable, smooth, spineless little “Christian” people who hide his evil agents, and all in the name of “love, tolerance and acceptance.” This type of false love is betrayal and seems to be characteristic of those who outwardly claim to be Christians, and yet live their sin-justified daily lives unto themselves.

William Macdonald writes:

Tolerance can be a virtue, but it can also betray an inexcusable weakness of character. We admire the person who tolerates differences where no great issue is at stake. He allows for a variety of preferences, methods and unimportant viewpoints. He would rather be killed for a sheep than for a lamb.

But there is another tolerance that is despicable. This is the willingness to remain silent when God’s name is blasphemed or when Christ is dishonoured. It is the treachery of silence when truth is on the scaffold. It is the unwillingness to speak out against evil. Tolerance that condones deceit and unrighteousness is sin.

Those who think that Jesus was always tolerant should read Matthew 23, a denunciation of hypocrisy. This passage proves forever that our LORD was capable of scathing indignation at the pretence of religious leaders. Or, they should read Revelation 2:20 where He condemned the church in Thyatira for tolerating a woman teacher named Jezebel.

Paul too was intolerant of evil. He even mentioned names, something that is considered unacceptable in evangelical circles today. He delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20). He didn’t hesitate to single out Hymenaeus and Philetus as false teachers (2 Timothy 2:17) and he denounced Alexander the coppersmith by name for his evil behaviour (2 Timothy 4:14).

John also had the courage to name Diotrephes as one who loved to have the pre-eminence (3 John 9).

It seems that the church today has lost its capacity for godly intolerance. As Robert G Lee said, “We live in a world of invertebrate theology, jellyfish morality, seesaw religion, India rubber convictions, somersault philosophy that tells us what we already know in words which we do not understand.”

Those at ease in Zion do not want to be bothered with the work of the kingdom in defending the faith. They only want the benefits of Heaven while they shirk the work of the LORD. They want Him to save them from Hell but are not willing to make Him the LORD and Master of their daily lives. These reign on the throne of their own hearts while externally claiming to love and serve the One who said:

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me…So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple…He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. ~ Luke 9:23; 14:33; John 12:25

Does not our enemy cherish those within the ranks of the modern church who know his evil and subversive teachings, and yet have no desire, zeal, or boldness to expose them for fear of their own reputation? The great deceiver knows the lax disposition of most of those who claim to know Christ and yet refuse to truly and personally study and definitively know God’s Word for themselves (Amos 6:1; Prov. 22:17-22; 2 Tim. 2:15). Warning: Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion (Amos 6:1).

The lack of zeal for God and obedience to His plain truth clearly identifies in us damnable, Luciferic, self-idolatry and self-worship. The altar of self-worship must be obliterated once and for all, if there is to be found in us any of the victory of Christ.

Whose side are you on?

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? ~ 1 Corinthians 10:21-22

Are we of those who claim to know Jesus and yet treat Him as a second-class citizen by refusing to learn for ourselves what He said in His Word? Or, are we of that holy remnant who stand bold with His strength, crucified with Christ, to diligently learn His truth and to openly expose false teachings and teachers that lead precious souls away from Him?

Jesus and His holy apostles often rebuked and exposed false leaders and false doctrine (Matthew 23; Acts 13:10; 20:29-31; Galatians 5:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2; 2 John 7-11; Revelation 2:6, 15, etc.). Therefore we know that part of following Jesus includes doing the same. In fact, the body of Christ is mandated to do just that (Romans 16:17-18; Philippians 1:17; Jude 3-4).

THE WORK OF SATAN AND HIS PAWNS IS TO KEEP HIS WOLVES (FALSE LEADERS) HIDDEN FROM VIEW! GOD WANTS THEM EXPOSED, BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST SO HIS SHEEP, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED, CAN BE PROTECTED. JESUS AND HIS HOLY APOSTLES DID JUST THIS – EXPOSE FALSE LEADERS AND THEIR HERESIES! LET’S GET A GOSPEL CLUE AND CEASE DEFENDING, HIDING SATAN’S AGENTS! (Matthew 21:12-17; Romans 16:17-18; Jude 3-4; Acts 13:10; Matthew 23, etc.).

False prophets are Satan’s pawns who play the people. Are you being played?

Now I beseech you, brethren, MARK them (make it public to protect others) which cause divisions and offences contrary to the DOCTRINE which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. ~ Romans 16:17-18

LORD Jesus, please help us. Grant us a deep hunger for Your doctrine and the willingness to avoid those who teach otherwise.

While Jesus condemned hypocritical judgment, He commanded “righteous judgment” (Matt. 7:1-4; Jn. 7:24).

Note: There’s a difference between Satan accusing God’s people and God’s people identifying wolves in sheep’s clothing among us. Be careful not to mix things up: Note that Satan is the “accuser of our BRETHREN” (Revelation 12:10)… and the “brethren” are NOT the wolves the “brethren” are commanded to “MARK” and “earnestly contend” AGAINST (Romans 16:17-18; Jude 3). Read that again. God commands His disciples to “MARK” which means to make known, to identify those wolves so God’s people can be protected. Beware of those who are misusing Scripture. Stop it now. You cannot “rightly” divide the Word of truth until you are daily, diligently studying and walking with other of His saints in the revelation that is the written Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).

The Call to Earnestly Contend for the Faith

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness (license for sin), and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Jude 3-4

Are we covering for Satan and not even realizing it? Are we cloaking the devil’s agents in order to avoid “rocking the boat,” so that we don’t personally have to take a hit on our own reputation? Are we saving our lives instead of losing them for Christ and His Gospel? Can you this day stand clear in conscience and heart and “not be ashamed before him at his coming?” (See 1 Jn. 2:28.) On Judgment Day, will you be found as a true follower of Jesus Christ, having lived out your days on earth unashamed of Him and His Words?

The Son of God stated:

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me AND of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. ~ Mark 8:38

Is it not the calling of all who wholly identify with Christ to stand for His name and Word and suffer for His Name’s sake?

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: ~ 2 Timothy 2:12

How did the early believers handle persecution? After being brought before the civil authorities of their day and commanded not to preach or teach any more in the name of Jesus, the Bible records their joyous response:

And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. ~ Acts 5:41

Read Acts 4. How exciting! What an adventure! Persecution will always come for the Living Word’s sake (Acts 4; Mk. 4:17). These believers were commanded not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). God’s Word, when communicated, always brings light into the dark caverns of men’s hearts—inside and outside the church-world— especially within. Rejoice! Many times, the rebellious hearers attack the messenger (Jn. 3:18-21).

Our LORD told us that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword, the sword of division (Matt. 10:32-40). Why do we marvel when all things break lose against us in this life, as we speak and stand in divine truth?

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ~ Matthew 10:34

When eternal truth is spoken, it is the occasion for some to believe and others not to, so there is consequently going to be a dividing, and that is a blessed, healthy division. As we truly trust in, obey, and follow Him, Jesus blesses our hearts, shining the glorious eternal light of His Gospel, while ridding us of darkness, the work of sin, and the evil one (Acts 3:26; 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:4-6). Take heart beloved: our LORD is continuing that work which He first began, working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 1:6; 2:13). He foretold us that we would be persecuted as He was, but also that He overcame the world, not loving His life unto death that He might redeem us (Heb. 12:1-4). It was from within the professing church-world that Jesus was most fiercely persecuted and eventually mocked, scourged, and crucified. Nothing has changed.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

It should be understood that marking the false teachers/ prophets is going to draw fire from those who have found refuge in their lies. Many of those who follow counterfeit wolves will ardently defend those who have given them a license to live in the sins they love: greed, self-love, idolatry, fornication, and spiritual adultery. These who defend their false prophets are defending the false security zone these beguilers have created in their deceived minds. Through their purposed dodging of the hard truths of Scripture, the false teachers/prophets have fostered a license for sin in their audiences, inferring that they can live in sin and still remain in right standing with God. So, to expose these lies is to strike at the wayward heart of those who have been deluded, and this will surely draw a reaction from some.

Those who will be Christ’s, elevating Him upward through His Word and empowered by His Spirit, must expect tribulation. For His name and words sake, such response is guaranteed. The enduring believer can also expect His Savior’s peace which passes all understanding. He can “be of good cheer,” count the cost, and be resolved in this life to abide in the obedience of the Master at any cost, even the cost of this fleeting life.

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

PRAYER: LORD, I cry unto Thee to infuse my heart with supreme love for You and to rid my heart of all fear and idolatry of men, beginning with self. Grant me the courage to live unto You in all things, including making known, as You lead, the harmful and errant doctrines, deeds, and personalities that confront Your glory and precious people in this closing hour. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Capture Points

• Write Amos 5:15 on an index card with reference and say it aloud three times. If there is more than one person, discuss this.
• In Judges 5, study the curse of Meroz and blessing of Jael and discuss.
• Write John 16:33 on an index card with reference and say it aloud three times. If there is more than one person, discuss this.

Wolves Who Deceive, Devour, and Defund their Prey [podcast]

Naming Names: Is It Biblical?

10 Clues Your Love for God has Waxed Cold [podcast]