Deception in the church
Jer 14:14:’Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.’
All of us know the story of Adam and Eve. We also know that Eve was tempted by the serpent, which deceived by making her doubt the word of Yahweh. “Did God really say that? God didn’t really mean what He said. After all, you won’t die if you eat from the tree (Gen.3:1-5)
Right from the beginning, satan has been deceiving man. He has been called the father of lies, for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John.8:44) Nowhere is this deception more evident than ever in the churches and Christianity of these times. Messiah warned us that many false prophets will arise and deceive many and warns us to ‘take heed’ against such people.(Matt.24).
The church of today has been growing, yes, but growing away from Yahweh. The basic doctrines of Christianity have been replaced with ideas like Liberation Theology or the social gospel, purpose driven lives and churches, prosperity gospel, etc. Subjects like sin, salvation and the justice of Yahweh are not heard anymore. The emphasis has shifted from these doctrines towards topics like current events, teen life, social upliftment programs, how to get rich, de-addictions., more worship and less word. Even the Bibles that these churches use are corrupt versions like the NIV which has ‘exchanged the truth of God to a lie’(Rom1.25 NIV), not ‘changed’ as the KJV correctly put it. Other corrupt versions include NASB, RSV, NKJV, RV, Message, etc. By changing the Holy Bible, satan is allowing people to read and listen to a watered down word of Yahweh.
2Thes.2:11,’And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:’ What are the lies we hear?
A mistaken view of grace: Many people are under the mistaken impression that as we now live in the time of grace, we are not bound by the commandments of Yahweh. Grace means God's unmerited favor. When we accept the goodness of Yahweh, we start receiving the benefits of His grace. Eph.2:8 says, ‘By grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of Yahweh’. True, It is by grace that we forgiven our sins, but many believe that we do not have to deal with sin because we are not sinners anymore ! Using this as an excuse, many ignorant people live in sin, saying Yahweh will not condemn us anymore. Jud 1:4,says ‘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, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Ignoring or going against the law: This is called ‘antinomianism’. It means that we are no longer bound by the laws of Yahweh because Messiah has set us free from sin. But many take this to mean Messiah set us free TO sin! Antinomians believe that obedience to the law is motivated by an internal principle flowing from belief rather than from any external compulsion. But Paul himself said in Rom 7:12,’ Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. ‘Elohim sent his own Son in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Rom.8:1-4).
The prosperity gospel: This is one of the greatest false teachings that we see these days. There is an over emphasis of the financial gains that we supposedly get when we follow Messiah. Many false preachers support this claim by quoting verses from Deut.28, Psalms 112, etc. Their favorite verse is from Paul, who wrote about the financial principles of sowing and reaping in1 Cor. 9; 2 Cor. 8-9; Phil. 4:11-19). Many attend revival meetings solely for the purpose of getting out of debt or to increase finances.
Messiah warned us that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of Yahweh,(Matt.19:23) because his heart is set on his riches. Messiah also told us to lay up treasures in heaven (Matt.6:33).
Prosperity preachers have ignored Paul’s advice to Timothy in 1Ti 6:9-11:” But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. “
Drawing upon non–Christian sources: This is the greatest deception being practiced by almost all hugely popular evangelists.
Another form of deception in the church is rejection of the concept of heaven and hell. Because preachers focus mainly on the love and grace of Elohim, the subject of the justice and wrath of Yahweh is largely ignored. Messiah repeatedly told us about the wicked being thrown into outer darkness, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The message of the three angels in Rev.14:6-11 is too frightening to ignore. Come out of Babylon, do not be deceived by its’ false prophets. Do not let any false preaching corrupt your faith. Be like the Bereans, listen to the word when it is preached but check for yourselves if it is true and according to the Bible or not. Remember, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”. (Matt.24:13).
