Picture this: The meanest, toughest, angriest bully on the playground has just been beaten to a pulp. What do you think he’s going to do about it? Play nice from now on?
Not likely.
Well, that kind of thrashing is exactly what happened to the devil at Calvary. Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords clobbered him! If you think Satan took his beating manfully and learned his lesson from it, consider this…
The devil had been working desperately ever since Eden to prevent that very event. He had lied, killed, and destroyed. He even killed babies (at the time of Moses’ birth and the time of Jesus’ birth.) Now, he was beaten, and he knew it. I’m guessing that even if he was maimed, bleeding, and broken (whatever that looks like in a spirit being), he was angrier than he had ever been and determined to get revenge in any form available to him.
Be aware of lying spirits
Shortly before Calvary, in a private conversation with His disciples, Jesus was answering their questions about end times. One of His warnings was this, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11, KJV)
He knew His victory over the dark powers in the nether world was going to rile up His enemies. And He knew the devil’s main weapons were whole quivers full of lies. Oops, I’m being archaic. Let’s say, whole missile silos full of lies.
Anyway, Jesus knew the devil and his minions would attack the infant church (and later, the mature church) with every possible deception in an effort to weaken it or destroy it. So, He warned His followers to expect their lies. And, as the years progressed, the Holy Spirit inspired the New Testament writers to give the same kinds of warnings.
Beware demonic doctrines
Here are a few examples of warnings given by Jesus’s apostles:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” (1 Timothy 4:1, KJV)
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (II Timothy 3:13, KJV)
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (II Timothy 4:3, KJV)
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” (II Peter 2:1, KJV)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1, KJV)
Earn the praise of God
In the book of Revelation, Jesus sends messages to seven churches in Asia Minor. He rebukes the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira because they are tolerating or believing false teachings. He praises the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Philadelphia because they have detected and resisted deceivers. He also acknowledges that some believers in the Thyatira church have not accepted the teachings of the false prophet among them.
We’re closing in on 2,000 years since Jesus stomped the devil’s head, then ascended into Heaven. So, the powers of darkness have had nearly 2,000 years to perfect their lying strategies. And they have been hard at work. Unfortunately, they are both clever and convincing.
So, how can we protect ourselves from Satan’s lies? How can we earn praise from the Lord by identifying and exposing deception in our churches?
We can listen to sound Bible teachers, study the Word for ourselves, participate in small group discussions, and ask God to enlighten our understanding. Knowing God’s Word is our only effective defense.
Benefit from my experience
This topic is dear to me because I fell into a deception that held a stranglehold on me for about 20 years. Here’s my story.
I began going to church nine months before I was born. While I lived in my parents’ home, if the church doors were open, we were there. (It was a good, solid, Bible-believing church). By the time I was in high school, I was crazy in love with the gentle, loving God who had voluntarily died an excruciating death on a Cross to save me because he wanted me to spend eternity with Him.
My mother taught Bible at the local high school, and I took her course as a sophomore, which was my first year at her school. Then, as a senior, I had a blank spot in my schedule, so I took the course again. Besides reading the Word and answering questions in our workbooks, we had to memorize scripture passages and pass tests. As a high school senior, I didn’t delude myself that I was a Bible scholar; but if you’d ask, I probably would have said I was fairly knowledgeable about God’s Word.
And yet, while I was in college, I got drawn away into a church of the charismatic persuasion. I had been attending a traditional denominational church in my college town, and several college students in my Sunday School class were enamored of a church across town. I decided to check it out for myself. Soon, I had abandoned the denomination of my childhood and transferred to the charismatic church.
I loved that church and swallowed its misguided teachings like Eve devouring a delicious apple. In all, I lost 20 years of my life – spiritually speaking – to the charismatic sect.
So what?
I just want you to know that I have had a first-hand experience of falling into deception. Even though I had loved and studied the Bible all my life, I was utterly consumed with that charismatic church and its dark doctrine.
So, you might be asking, what good did it do to study the Bible?
Just this – I found my way out of the darkness. Finally, I got my Bible out and dissected some of those passages I had been accepting as gospel for 20 years and figured out where I had gone wrong. Having a firm foundation in the Word helped me separate truth from falsehood. (See my 3-blog series, “Pentecost – Then and Now,” for more information about my experience in and deliverance from the world of “charismania.”)
Reject excuses like “The Bible is too hard to understand”
Lots of people have lots of excuses for not reading and studying the Bible. But that’s all they are – excuses. Personally, I doubt that I have anything like a solid understanding of the prophets (Isaiah to Malachi), but most of the Bible is a story. It’s exciting, powerful, and enlightening. You’re missing out on an awe-inspiring, challenging opportunity if you don’t familiarize yourself with the Bible.
Just as an example, let me point out a few of the current deceptions floating around the world that you can easily recognize if you’re familiar with God’s Word:
- Support for abortion (and other corrupt social positions.) Some Christians actually endorse abortion. According to the Bible, every human is created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27) And the Lord personally “knits” us together in our mother’s womb and knows all about us before we’re born. (Psalm 139:13-16) You need to hear this one, Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV): God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
The Lord knows and loves us even as He is assembling us inside our mothers. How can anyone justify snatching those precious little souls out of the hands of God and scraping them out of their mothers’ wombs?
The acceptance of abortion may be a sign that a church is being infiltrated by leaders who are courting popularity with the world. If the social viewpoints taught (or simply accepted) in a church mirror the platform of leftist-leaning elites, it’s very likely those positions are contrary to Biblical truth.
- Modern-day apostles:
The church was built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:19-22.) The apostles and prophets were the FOUNDATION. Nearly 2,000 years of believers (millions of us) form the “temple” resting on that foundation. God isn’t going to tear down the whole building in order to add to a perfectly stable foundation. Yet some denominations claim the church should be ruled by modern-day apostles.
Also, New Testament writings indicate certain qualifications for apostles. First, they were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Lord. (I Corinthians 9:1) And their ability to perform signs, wonders, and miracles authenticated their apostleship. (Acts 2:43; II Corinthians 12:12) No such persons are walking among us today.
For in-depth information about the New Apostolic Reformation, a denomination that claims the necessity of modern apostles in the church, I highly recommend the book Counterfeit Kingdom, by Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett.
- The Church Replacing Israel
Apparently, the thinking here is that God is angry with Israel for crucifying Jesus. Therefore, the Lord has rejected the Jews and taken the Church as His chosen people.
The arrogance of such a position takes my breath away. If God would reject Israel for crucifying Jesus, then the Church is also rejected. We – every person who ever lived – crucified Jesus. Every time we sin, we’re guilty of the blood of Jesus.
And let’s face it, the Old Testament abounds with declarations of the Lord’s never-ending love for Israel. In Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV), the Lord says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “Everlasting” means He’s not going to stop loving Israel. Everlasting means forever.
In Psalm 89:4 (NIV), God tells David, “I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.” We’re not at the end of forever yet, and the world hasn’t seen the last of “all” generations, so the Lord still cares about the descendants of David, namely, the Jews/Israelis.
God told the prophet Hosea to marry a prostitute, then when she committed adultery, he was to forgive her, love her, and take her back (actually buy her back.) The whole purpose of this exercise was to demonstrate to the nation of Israel the depth of God’s love for them. Even though they had committed “spiritual adultery,” He loved them and forgave them. They would have to suffer the consequences of their sin through exile from their beloved land, but He would never forget them or stop loving them.
Next, consider the early church. God called the apostle Paul to be a missionary to the Gentiles. Why Paul? What happened to the twelve original apostles (Judas having been replaced, Acts 1:26)? They were preaching to Israel. As Paul put it, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16, KJV – my italics.) If the Holy Spirit poured out His majestic power to Israel through these twelve men who had been closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry, how can anyone claim the Lord has rejected His beloved nation of Israel?
Last, if you read the book of Revelation, which is about events that have not even happened yet, you will find the nation of Israel. God has not abandoned them. He has actually designed a specific, pivotal period of history for the purpose of winning their hearts. He wants them back. He desires their love and devotion. And if He can use those years of calamity and chaos to decisively defeat his enemies, so much the better.
Bottom line – we would be smart to heed God’s words when He says He will bless those who bless Israel (the descendants of Abraham) and curse those who curse Israel. (Genesis 12:3) I don’t know about you, but I don’t need any cursings in my life. However, blessings are welcome, so I love and pray for Jerusalem, Israel, and all Jews.
- Denial of the Trinity
Granted, the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible. However, there are some passages that refer to God as three distinct “persons.” Here are three of them:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen..” Matthew 28:18-20, KJV
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26, KJV
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” II Corinthians 13:14, KJV
Some spiritual beings exist who are not in the same category with God. We call them angels, the devil, and demons. But the Scriptures give no indication that Father, Son, or Holy Spirit exists on the same lower plane as the angels and demons. Father, Son, and Spirit all seem to be in perfect unity and of equal authority. How they can be both three and one is a mystery, but the Trinity isn’t the only mysterious fact about God. He is far beyond our comprehension, which is good. If we could understand Him completely, He wouldn’t be much of a God.
The Apostles Creed, which was written early in church history and has been recited for centuries, professes belief in “God, the Father almighty;” “Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;” and “the Holy Spirit.” So, belief in God as a Trinity is a standard, widely accepted doctrine of traditional churches.
- Humans becoming gods
“Humans becoming gods” is, in itself, a denial of this possibility. Gods don’t become. When Moses complained that he didn’t know God’s name, the Lord replied that His name is “I AM.” In other words, He is eternally existent. At any given moment of time or eternity, He has existed, does exist, and will exist.
Humans, on the other hand, are made of dirt. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7, KJV) The idea that little mud people like us are going to evolve ourselves into gods is a fairy tale.
If you’ve ever observed the immeasurable universe or considered the complexity of human anatomy and physiology, you have no choice but to acknowledge the vast distance between humans and God – and the impossibility of humans attaining godhood. In Romans 1:18-21, the Apostle Paul points out that the created world proves the existence of God. And the application of a little good, common sense should convince anyone that people can’t become gods.
The Foundation
These are only five examples of the deceptions making inroads in our world. Many others exist, but my main purpose in this blog was to show you that you can find real answers for yourself in the Word. Nobody needs to be afraid of reading the Bible and trusting that it means what it says.
However, I don’t want to suggest that skipping randomly around the Bible is a solution. All of us need to feed our hearts and our minds on all of God’s Word on a daily basis. And the bedrock foundation of being prepared to recognize deception is to know God Himself. The only way to know Him is to read, meditate on, and love the Bible, the story He designed to reveal Himself to humankind.
Resources
For further information, here are some resources I’m familiar with.
- “Does Today’s Church Know God?” is my blog reflecting on A.W. Tozer’s book, The Knowledge of the Holy. The book lists and discusses the attributes of God.
- Counterfeit Kingdom by Holly Pivec and R. Douglas Geivett is listed above. It discusses NAR (the New Apostolic Reformation), which advocates modern-day apostles and prophets.
- I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be and Atheist by Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek exposes many of the deceptions popular today.
- Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers is Childers’ story about her experience with so-called Progressive Christianity. (In her youth, Alisa Childers was a member of the Christian band ZOEgirl.)
- The Bible in Brief, my latest book, is a summary of the Bible. In the book, I am mainly telling the story of the Bible. But I do take pains to show how God’s actions to protect His people from vicious attacks by the devil and demons have resulted in bogus accusations being leveled against our heavenly “Shepherd.” You will find links to the book in my blog, introducing the book, “Discover the Essence of the Bible in Just One Sitting with The Bible In Brief.”
- Bible workbooks. As I mentioned above, my mother taught Bible in the public high school for many years. Toward the end of her career, she wrote two workbooks for her students to use in the classroom: Old Testament Study Guide and New Testament Study Guide. () These are available for purchase and download now. Click either study guide to go to the site where it is available for sale. (At the time of the release of this blog, both workbooks are on sale.)
- The Blue Letter Bible is the online Bible platform I use. It is a magnificent resource, connecting you to many versions of the Bible, acting as a concordance, and providing practical tools, such as cross references and commentaries. These are the tools I am most familiar with, but there are others, including Daily Devotionals, Daily Bible Reading Plans, and Recently Popular Media (located along the right side of the page.) If I said I LOVE the Blue Letter Bible, it would be the understatement of the year!
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Here are links to my blog indexes, which will make it quick and easy for you to find another post to read.
Blog Index – Lists blogs 1-35
Blog Index 2 – Lists blogs 36 to 70
Blog Index 3 – Will list blogs 71-100