Beware of False Prophets

Jesus teaches the greatest sign of the end times is global deception. And who is it that deceives? Satan. Which would be easier for satan: deceiving people into a life of drugs, theft and sexual immorality, pleasing only themselves into their godless eternity OR spiritual deception? Every major polling site reveals the majority of Americans believe in a higher power, though it is not always Christ of the Bible- so wouldn’t the latter be easier? If he tricked people into following the wrong path, the wrong Jesus, the wrong God into the wide gate? How would he go about such a task? Wouldn’t it look similar, sound similar and feel similar to the right way? If someone was faking their identification card, would they make up a new state and country or would they copy somewhere real?

The Narrow and the Wide Gates, Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Did you know that satan used to be a cherub? He is swift and slick, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, capable of leading us directly into the lake of fire. And the good news is there is nothing that has happened or is to happen that God doesn’t know about. He knew we would be riddled with those who say they are coming from Christ but speaking from the devil. Thankfully, God has equipped us with the spirit of truth: a test to hold up against false prophets so we would know the right way. In the book of 1 John, there is a chapter called “Test the Spirits”.

1 John 4:1-3 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

We learn here that there will be false prophets, spirits or creatures who will come and say they are from God. But if they go against the Bibles teachings, contradicting the Lord, we are to know they do not have the spirit of God but instead, falsehood. For as long as the Bible has been written, there have and will be multitudes of ways the devil is trying to lead us astray.

Who is your Jesus? Is your Jesus the same Jesus of the Bible?

A very well-known verse of the Bible is John 3:16,” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” But do you know the verses that follow? John 3:17-18, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only son.” These scriptures echo the warnings we are given over and over about false prophets. Jesus is the only way to salvation.

Have you tested your church’s doctrine? Does it truly line up with what is in the Bible?

In the Garden of Eden, it didn’t take long for satan to make himself known. In Genesis chapter 3, titled “The Fall of Man”, we learn about satan tricking Eve into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the one God told them explicitly not to eat from. Genesis 3:4-5, “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When God discovered what they had done, Eve replied with this: Genesis 3:13, “The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Once Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge, she knew she had been deceived by satan. Eve was the first but wasn’t the last to fall into the prey of satan. 1 Timothy 4:1, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

The serpent contradicted what the Lord told Eve, yet she believed him. It seems unbelievable to us that she would listen to a talking snake after she had fellowship in the Garden of Eden, but I am writing this to remind you that the serpent is still feeding words into our ears and hearts. There are rampant followings of people who believe false doctrines that they too, will gain godhood, and these false doctrines that according to scripture, are not of God therefore of demons. These groups are very prevalent in our society today. And the problem? The world has accepted these groups as Christians, further blurring the line of deception. Godhood cannot be obtained by man. There is only one God. Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Does your church teach that godhood can be obtained?

This is a falsehood that is taught by a superpower church with over 16 million members. But the Bible says otherwise! Isaiah 44:6, “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”

2 John 1:7-11 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.“

Does your church’s doctrine have additional teachings that come separately from the Bible?

Deceivers often come equipped with extra-biblical teachings written by their founders or prophets. But once again, in several verses of the Bible, we are warned against those who wish to add to the words of the Bible. Proverbs 30:6, “Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” The Bible is a complete, finished book and nothing more shall come after it or be taken away from it.

Revelations 22:18, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Does your church have a different set of commandments?

Has your church removed the second Biblical commandment of idolatry? Do you have sculptures and figurines of saints of the virgin Mary, known as “the Queen of Heaven”? This phrase is actually spoken in Jeremiah 44:17, when the Hebrews had turned back to paganism. “We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kinds and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.”

Does your church teach that salvation is not a free gift but must be earned?

Hebrews 10:12, “But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;”

Many churches today teach ‘extra-biblical’ principles and are known as ‘works religions’. Though we find we are supernaturally changed after we commit our lives to Christ, there is no works required of us. We are simply to believe Jesus died for our sins, repent to Him and have everlasting faith in His saving.

Romans 3:23-24, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Does your church teach prayer to anyone other than God?

The definition of Paganism: Worshipping someone other than God. This means those prayers or kneeling at the altar of saints and otherwise is paganism. I’ve heard the term “pagan” most commonly when associated to holidays. It is true, many of our celebrations have pagan origins such as Halloween with the Druids, which is another post I have about the apostacy of Christianity, if you haven’t read it yet, please do. But there is a major, mainstream, global religion superpower that is based on the principles of praying to saints.

Some churches tell you pray to Mary. In Matthew 6:9-13, we are literally (I don’t like that word either!) given the outline FROM JESUS of not only how to pray, but WHOM to pray to! And it is only our Lord! He was asked by a disciple to teach them how to pray, and this is what he said:
Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Read that last line again. “the evil one’. Once again, Jesus warns us there is someone waging spiritual warfare against us at every turn.

Does your church teach that we must go through a middleman to get to God?

1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

We do not confess to man our sins, nor do we expect man to redeem us. Jesus is the only way to God.

John 14:6, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

What does your church teach about heaven and hell?

There are many extra-biblical ideas about what exactly happens when we die. Does your church teach there can be salvation after death? Or that you yourself can commit ceremonies or even pay to have family members saved in the afterlife?

This goes directly against the Bible. Man cannot die or atone for our own sins or sins of others.

Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!