Cornerstone Newsletter

Discerning False Doctrine
Chapter 3: The Warnings

By Greg DesVoignes

"...hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from Me...Ezekiel 3:17

Paul warned us in 1 Timothy;

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils…. 1 Timothy 4:1

Now that is a bottom line prophecy of warning of many in the word.  The Spirit "expressly" says that people in the church would end up departing from faith in God because they replaced God's word with those of the doctrines of devils and they would be listening to lying spirits. So lets take a look at how Strong's Concordance defines some of the terms in the above verse

 Depart = remove oneself from.  Fall from,

Faith = surity, conviction, fidelity, faithfulness – Romans 1 talks about people exchanging truth of God for a lie.

Giving heed = to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive, to apply one's self to, attach one's self to, hold or cleave to a person or a thing - People will listen to these false doctrines, spirits and teachers and will attach themselves to them and hold onto them.  This is the status of the false "celebrity" pastors today that people are attracted to.

Seducing = misleading, leading into error. -  These false spirits (manifesting as angels, Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, the dead) and teachers will be able to seduce people by deceptive means into believing them; thus leading them into error and away from Christ while they think they are following him.

Doctrines = instructions, precepts.  The "Christian" looking doctrines these false ones profess are actually the doctrines of devils.

Devils = messengers of Satan - (while posing as messengers of light)

Paul further reminded that false teachers and prophets existed in Israel before the time of Christ as seen in the scriptures, and warned they would exist in the church.  Paul said,

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly)  shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways (Damaging ways that are not easily seen) by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. 2 Peter 2:1-3

This warning of false teachers coming among those in the church at the beginning of the church 2,000 years ago should be much more alarming for us today.  This warning also informs us that the Scriptures of the Old Testament are the source for seeing more warnings and explanations of the false.  Paul said there would be many that would follow these wolves who teach "damnable heresies".  This should show us what damage listening to, believing, and using these teachings will do.  Even the teachers of these things bring destruction on themselves.

Jesus warned;

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Mark 13:22

So we are warned they they will be able to perform miraculous things to display some sort of power that MANY would, will, and do, believed is from God.  This is where it gets difficult at times.  We cannot deny the power of God; for his signs and wonders do exist.  For instance in 2 Timothy 3:5 Paul warned that there are those who "have a form of godliness, but deny the power of it.  But we also have to be able to discern between those that are from God, and those that are the false, either by fakery or actual demonic power.

So where are these falsehoods and signs and wonders all leading?  These false teachings along with other things going on in the secular world, are precursors to prepare the world for the coming of the anti-Christ.  Paul again warned while speaking of the return of the "day of the Lord",  when he told the Thessalonians concerning the anti-Christ;

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12

People are being set up today to accept the anti-Christ and believe he is the "Christ" because, in part, of his lying signs and wonders.  Numerous false prophets and teachers are in the church today and deceiving with these signs and wonders that are of Satan.  Because of them, many are becoming a part of this apostasy (a falling away, defecting from truth). 

Can you tell the difference between the power of God and that of Satan?  Remember, Jesus said his sheep know his voice.  They love his truth to spend time with him to be able to know his voice. Paul warned that because there would be those that did not "love the truth" that God will send a "strong delusion" so that they would believe Satan's lie.  In other words, God is saying, if you want these lies, you shall believe them over my Word.  You have made your choice, and I am giving you over to it because it is want you want. 

"How can this be?" you may say.  It is because that is what many will, and want even today.  God warned in the Scriptures;

Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord; Which say to the seers, "See not"; and to the prophets, "Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits;... Isaiah 30:8-10

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? Jeremiah 5:30-31

People will love, and do love the false teachers and prophets.  They want to be told things that make them feel good and go along with their own desires instead of the facts.  They allow their emotions to assess personalities, teachings, and experiences and signs over facts found in the Word spoken in truth.  They love the false signs and wonders: false healers, magic show and fortune telling type prophesies, the uncontrollable jerking, falling gold dust, or seeing demonic spirits they think are deceased loved ones,  angels, Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit.

They cling to the falsehoods of teachers that incorporate "science" into the teachings of God; not realizing that these teachings and techniques are not science but doctrines of demons which science has started to validate.

The belief of those that are seduced is that if it is a power, and it works, and has some apparent benefit, it must be of God.  They mock those who would oppose their false teachers instead of doing what God commands and check to see if what they are saying is true. 

Many today speak of "revival".  There is.  It is a revival of false teachings, occult practices and witchcraft under the guise of science and being of God.  There is a revival of aspects, doctrines and teachings of religions outside the kingdom of God which are being incorporated into the church.   It has been coming into secular society via the education system, business, entertainment personalities, and government.  It has been coming into the church via the pulpit and all media to include books, CDs, movies, secular music, symbols / icons, and yes, even Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) that churches use as worship music and in what our children are exposed to in so called "Christian" concerts.  Some of the most popular of these performers are the pied pipers of the false teachers and doctrines of the churches that they originated from.  These will be discussed on this website.

The church today has mixed the false in with the truth just as Israel and Judah did.  God said that they had profaned his temple by bringing things into it he never commanded.   In just one of many times God said,  

^"Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem." 2 Chronicles 36:14

Of the church Jesus also said,

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.  Matthew 13:25

The church has been asleep for a long time and this has allowed Satan to come in and put his falsehoods in with the truths of God.  Many of these tares are some of the most popular personalities in the church in these recent times.  But will we do as Jesus commands and "see to it" that "no one" deceives us?  Will we really obey and heed the warnings?  Many will not...

Jesus warned;

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Matthew 7:13-15

Which do we want to be: the many who are deceived and follow the false, or the few who go the strait and narrow way found in the truth of the Word of God?

Continue to Chapter 4: Characteristics Of False Teachers And Doctrine