“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
” (Galatians 1:6-7 emphasis mine)
Sometimes the King James Version (KJV) doesn’t make the point clear, so let’s read this again in the New International Version (NIV).
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-7 NIV, emphasis mine)
The authentic Gospel of God – which includes the entirety of His Word, the Bible – is quickly being diluted to a cultic message straight from the lying tongue of Satan. What we are hearing today from the “faith” movement teachers is 180 degrees from the Truth of God’s Word. Sadly, multiplied thousands are soaking up this false gospel like a dry sponge soaking in a bucket of water.
The blasphemy from these hoards of false teachers is so obvious one wonders how thousands, if not millions, of people can be so naïve, but nevertheless that is the case.
“You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.” (2 Corinthians 11:4 NLT)
If you gave me two $100 dollar bills and asked me to tell you which was real and which was counterfeit I could not tell you, unless the counterfeit currency is blatantly showing its flaws. On the other hand, my wife, who has worked in the banking industry for many years, could probably tell you in short order which of the bills is counterfeit and which one is the real McCoy.
How does someone in banking or any other industry spot a counterfeit? They study the original until they know it well. Then when the counterfeit comes along, it is usually quickly spotted.
No man knows everything there is to know about the Bible and never will. If we could do that, we would be in God’s league.
However, God didn’t write the Bible to confuse us. He wrote it to be understood. What is the point of writing anything if no one can understand it? He expects His children to know what He is saying, but He isn’t going to spoon-feed us. We are expected to spend much time in His Word and really dig. The nuggets are there, we just have to dig for them. As a Christian we grow in Christ by being stewards of His Word. God provides the tools. We provide the work, and obey what we learn.
When it comes to God’s Word, the Bible, many Christians are taken in by gross error, the counterfeit, the big lie. That should not be. Every Christian, and I mean EVERY Christian should be like the Bereans (Acts 17:10-11), and verify what they read and hear with the Scriptures.
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11, emphasis mine)
Consider verse eleven in the NIV translation. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 7:11, emphasis mine)
I can understand why those who do not know Jesus as their personal Savior can be mislead by these slick-tongued false teachers, but there is simply no excuse for a true Christian to be taken in by another gospel.
Some of the blasphemies these scoundrels spew from their venomous mouths strive to elevate themselves over God. For example they teach: Jesus is not God; We are gods; Jesus suffered in hell and battled Satan; God can do nothing without our permission; God lost His right to rule; We can speak into existence anything we want; God wants us to be rich; Jesus was rich; If we are sick or poor, it is because we lack faith; Our money to their ministry is “seed” faith, We can order Satan around; There are three gods; and on and on and on they go. This is just a sampling! It seems they each try to top their buddies by coming out with something even more ludicrous than what has been said beforehand by another of their kind.
These folks, and there are many of them, strip God of His power and place it upon themselves. There is no respect and no fear shown to the one and only Almighty God who created us.
The Lord says that the time will come when people will reject the pure Word of God, and be drawn instead to teachers who will satisfy their carnal desires.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB)
We live in an age that relies more on opinion than fact. We actually think our opinion is worth something. Sometimes it is, but many times it isn’t. The government and scientists, for example, love to stretch the facts to match up with their opinions of how things should be. We Christians also have many opinions and have arrived at the point in the Church age of allowing our opinions to override the facts of God’s Word. That gets us in trouble. Well, here is a fact. God isn’t concerned with our opinions. He is concerned with our listening to what He has to say, because He is the only one who has an “opinion” that counts.
Here is the issue. Get in the Bible! The Bible is the ONLY place you will find the Truth!
Any time you read what a person writes, or listen to what they say, check it against the Truth, the Bible. That includes what I write! The Spirit of God will guide you to the Truth if you really want to know it.
“I just can’t understand the Bible.” If I only had a quarter for every time someone said that. I didn’t know how to read until I started with Dick and Jane in the first grade either, but now I can read much more complicated material and understand it. If I had skipped school, I would not be able to read anything today. Many of you have skipped school. You can’t understand the Bible, because you won’t start reading it. Read it. If you are a child of God, you have the greatest teacher there is, His Spirit. Allow Him to teach you.
The so-called “faith” movement is taking over this country like wild fire because of ignorance. God, whether as Father, Son or Spirit, is being mocked, and it is horrifying to think of the judgment that will come upon those who are doing so. Humanism is the god of today, and is leading many away from the real Gospel. It is another gospel, which is not THE Gospel. It is nothing new. Satan has always played on pride and greed to further his gospel. Pride and greed was his downfall, and it is ours.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, emphasis mine)
This is exactly what false teachers are saying and practicing today.
While writing this article, I came across a book on this very subject that I would recommend. It is called “Christianity in Crisis 21st Century” and it is written by Hank Hanegraaff. He goes into the specifics of what I have been warning about for a long time now and examines the false teachings of many of these false teachers with another gospel. In his book, many quotes from these false teachers are discussed.
Folks there are still many fine Christian teachers among us, but unfortunately there are tons more who are nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are out for one thing, and that is to increase the size of their bank account. Sometimes, I’m not sure which is greater, their bank account or their ego. For the protection of your own soul and those you witness to, know the Truth. Check everything against God’s Word. You will find many times that what man says just doesn’t measure up to what God says.
Get in the Bible now. Read it every day and pray for guidance. Don’t be another one of Satan’s statistics.
You don’t need a ThD (Doctor of Theology) to understand the Truth. Actually, many of them do not have the Truth because they refuse to accept it. The Holy Spirit of God is more than capable of teaching us what we need to know. It’s great to have that educational background, but it is not a prerogative for knowing God’s Word. Again, the best teachers are not in the seminaries. The best Teacher is God Himself.
As long as you rely on others to tickle your ears, you will continue to be swept along with another gospel, which is contrary to the real Gospel. If you will just get into God’s Word, daily, with the right attitude, your eyes will be opened and you will begin to realize that you are being snookered by people who do not represent the God they say they serve. It isn’t God they serve. It is Satan.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are in the last days of the Church age. Time is quickly running out and Satan is fighting with all he has to deceive as many as possible. The majority of this world and even the Church are following another gospel. I prefer to be in the minority and follow Christ who provides THE Gospel. How about you?
Grant Phillips
Pre-Rapture Commentary http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
