Study – Grow – Know

Plethora of False Teachers Pointing the Way

September 22, 2015 at 1:42 PM Leave a comment

I will get back to Daniel 11 very soon, but my heart is heavy. I’m dismayed by the fact that so many within Christendom (the visible church) are running all over the place chasing this teaching or that one; in effect, the newest “revelation” on the block. Books, movies, and conferences abound with all manner of “new” teaching from those who seem to be pointing the way to the results of their new “revelation” from God.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not perfect. I need the teaching of solid Bible teachers just like you do. Together, we sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron. It is the individual who refuses to consider the truth of God’s Word because their emotions tell them otherwise and they end up sharpening nothing. Not only that, but they wind up ruining themselves because they are left to deal with the disastrous results of having followed every “wind” of doctrine (1 Timothy 1:19), which leads on a wild goose chase.

Paul succinctly tells us how to avoid this problem in the first place and it is when Christians are taught by people who are actually gifted – not with the gift of gab – by the Holy Spirit to equip God’s people for works of service so that we can build up the Body. This is clearly laid out in the fourth chapter of Ephesians).

“11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

“14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

The final result for all of us is still in the future, but that is the goal and it is why we should continue to meet together and sharpen one another. Too many prefer to go it alone.

Please notice the emphasis is on equipping true Christians for the task of works of service in order that we might build one another up as we become mature in Him (an ongoing process until we get to heaven). We are not to be taught the truth of God’s Word so that we can marvel about how much we think we understand. Nor are we to learn from qualified teachers so that we can run around like chickens without our heads worrying about the sky possibly falling. We are to be equipped for the purpose of service, which builds up the Body of Christ (the invisible, true Church).

In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of many things that not only applied to the coming destruction and sacking of Jerusalem in AD 70 by the Roman armies, but He also looked far down the road into the future during the final seven-year period known as the Tribulation. Beyond this, He also referenced the time when He would physically return to this earth and having done that, will immediately set about to judge the nations (Sheep and the Goats judgment; Matthew 25:31-46), before He sets up His Millennial Kingdom for which He will rule for 1,000 years over all the earth.

In Matthew 24 (also known as the Olivet Discourse), while speaking about the conditions at the age of this age, Jesus notes that many will come in His Name for the purpose of deceiving. In Matthew 24:5, Jesus notes, “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

Most Christians won’t fall for that type of person and there are several living today who all claim to be the embodiment of Jesus. There is also at least one individual alive today who claims he is one of the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11. There have been many others throughout history. Based on our Lord’s words, it is clear that others will come before He physically descends out of heaven and steps foot on this rock.

Even though most Christians won’t fall for that hype and those false claims, too many today are falling for the erroneous teachings of many who also claim to come in Jesus’ Name. They iterate to us that God “told them” or “revealed” to them some new truth that heretofore, has been held from the eyes of His people. By doing so, they are also claiming a type of apostolic authority.

I’m not simply talking about those who have been preaching about harbingers, Shemitahs, and blood moons either, though I include them. I’m talking about all who come in Jesus’ Name and teach things opposed to the truth of God’s Word.

While Satan is all too well aware of the fact that most Christians (and even many professing Christians), will not fall for the old, “Hey! Look at me! I’m Jesus in the flesh!” routine, Satan is also just as aware that these same people will follow some guy who teaches something contradictory to His Word if it sounds palatable and hits their emotions just right.

Is it possible that while Christians have been alert to the fact that false messiahs are coming and going, we have not been so alert to the fact that false teachers will be quite possibly just as prevalent if not more so? If we take the whole of the New Testament, it certainly seems that the bulk of it deals with error in the church and adopted by church goers. Some of this error can be so deceptive that it becomes difficult for too many to see just exactly what the error is that’s being taught. That type of error requires patience and a scholarly approach.

It seems too many Christians today have fallen prey to emotional virtue. They go by what they like, what feels good, what makes them charged up emotionally. Yet, none of this offers any longevity in a good, biblical way, nor does it please or glorify our God. Though His emotions were certainly active, Jesus did not trust emotions to make decisions. He used Truth because He was/is Truth. It wasn’t up for discussion over ethics.

A police officer pulled over 26 bicyclists and ticketed them for ignoring a stop sign. The picture was making the rounds on social networks explaining the situation and then asking “Agree of Disagree?” I responded that it has nothing to do with whether or not I agree or disagree with it. The law was on the officer’s side. The bicyclists broke the law by ignoring the stop sign, period. But in today’s world, everything needs to be discussed, analyzed, and debated and that extends even to God’s Word. This is why Christians are confused and powerless (to avoid sin), because they don’t know God’s Word, nor do they care to know it because they want to “experience” God through emotional settings.

This is why so many in the visible church run after this false teacher and that one over there. They don’t realize that they are simply chasing after something that speaks to their emotions but is not necessarily truth.

Didn’t God say to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)? Yep, he did. How does it feel to obey God? Not always that great, but that’s what He expects and it’s what we should do.

Let’s move away from determining truth based on our emotions. We get into serious trouble when we do that. We need to know the truth of His Word and that alone will guide us, whether our emotions agree or not.

Thanks for reading through this. My next article will get us back into Daniel 11 as we learn more about the effects of Antiochus Epiphanes IV and what happened after him!

Entry filed under: christianity, Cultural Marxism, Emotional virtue, Life in America, Religious - Christian - End Times, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, Religious - Christian - Theology, salvation. Tags: blood moons, false messiahs, false teachers, shemitah.