Epistle of Second Corinthians #11

Survey of False Prophets 

(Chapter 11)
If they do not speak according to God's Word, it is because there is no light in them

Fred R. Coulter—August 8, 2018

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Greetings, brethren! Welcome to Sabbath services! We're going to see that the more things change the more they stay the same. The Apostle Paul had to fight a lot of false prophets.

Of course, there were a lot of very unusual people that would come, because there would be those traveling who actually had been in Judea and Galilee among the multitudes that heard Jesus speak and saw Him heal the sick. They could come along and say, 'I believe in Him, I saw Him, I heard his words.' They could actually tell lies because there were no recordings. Today it's entirely different.

Let's see what Paul wrote; 2-Corinthians 11:1: "I would that you might bear with me in a little nonsense; but indeed, do bear with me. For I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God because I have espoused you to one husband, so that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (vs 1-2).

We know nothing about this really until we get to Eph. 5, and that still doesn't tell us too much. Then we have to wait until we get to Rev. 19 to get some more substance on it. But this also reflects back to the covenant with Israel, because when the covenant was made with Israel it was a marriage covenant. In order for the New Testament Church to begin, He had to die to end that covenant. So, here is the covenant with the marriage to come.

Verse 4: "For indeed, if someone comes preaching another Jesus…"

What is another Jesus? There are many forms of them! Look at it today. How many do you have? We just got done doing three segments on The Shroud of Turin, so go on churchathome.org and watch those. I think you'll find them really, really very good.

• the shroud is another Jesus
• the picture of one hanging on the cross is another Jesus
• Sunday-keeping is another Jesus
• holiday-keeping is another Jesus

The true Jesus was the One Who was the Lord God of the Old Testament, Who became Jesus Christ manifested in the flesh. That's the true Jesus! You might even have some people admit to that.

Today we have to be really, really careful with false prophets. Jesus said, 'For there shall arise false prophets and false christs who perform signs and wonders to deceive the elect (Matt. 24). That's who Satan wants to deceive! The world is already deceived.

"…another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit…" (v 4). What does that mean?

There's one scene on The Shroud of Turin #3. There were three senior citizen ladies who went to see the presentation of the shroud. 'It was such a wonderful experience.' They had tingly spines, and it was so moving and emotional that they 'will never forget it,' they said.

All just to look at a copy of a piece a canvas that's fake, because once false prophets come, there are false spirits. All false spirits appear 'good' at first, as Paul points out.

"…a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel…" (v 4).

What is the true Gospel? It's the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the Grace of God, and it entails:

• commandment-keeping
• forgiveness of sin
• baptism
• receiving the Holy Spirit
• growing
• overcoming
• preparing to enter into the Kingdom of God
• rule with Jesus Christ on the earth

So a different gospel would be:

• an immortal soul
• going to heaven
• keeping Sunday
• keeping the holidays
• a wrong understanding of the Scriptures

They can understand it to a certain point and then BANG! it switches!

"…which you did not accept… [that is from Paul] …you put up with it as something good" (v 4)—because we want to hear the whole story!

Don't you want to hear both sides? Like Fox News fair and balanced: 80% truth and 90% lie. That will help you make a good decision—won't it? If you want all lies turn to the rest of it.

They would come and what did they have to do? They have to put down the Apostle Paul! 'He's really not too good a looking' with everything he's gone through. 'He writes great but his speech is contemptible. We're better apostles because we like the philosophy of the Greeks and we can work that in.'

Do you think all those Greek philosophers did all that in vain? Weren't they smart people? That's how these things come about!

Example: When I went to the University of San Francisco—which I didn't stay there very long—one of the classes I had to take was Philosophy 101. I was getting the Plain Truth magazine, and I was reading the literature and listening to the radio program and all of that. I said what is this? They were running through a series of in the Plain Truth magazine Satan's Great Deception.

So, here I am sitting in a Catholic university, because I was going to take a business major at that time, but I had to take Philosophy 101. Guess what they were teaching? Evolution! In a Catholic school! A different gospel! "…you put up with it as something good."

Verse 5: "But I consider myself in no way inferior to those highly exalted so-called apostles." That's what the Greek means; they weren't true apostles of Christ!

Verse 8: "I robbed other churches, receiving wages from them for ministering to you. And when I was present with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone (for the brethren who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs); for I kept myself, and will continue to keep myself, from being burdensome to you in anything" (vs 8-9).

Don't you think that's a little extreme? Well, it had to be because the situation was really very bad. How many of those who would come as false apostles were Levites? Nowhere does it say—they didn't have the whole New Testament, yet—that you can give tithes and offerings to apostles? That's why he had to say in 1-Cor. 9, 'Yes, the Lord commanded it.'

'We're Levites; if you want to give some money you give it to us, because God said it had to go to us. After all, we know the Bible,' because the Gospel had to be preached out of the Old Testament most of the time. So, you can see the problems that they had at that time.

Verse 10: "As the Truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I don't love you? God knows I do. But what I am doing, I will do, so that I may cut off any occasion from those who are desiring an occasion…" (vs 10-12). So, I'm not going to take a penny!

They could come along and say, 'The Apostle Paul, is he a Levite?' No! He's in the tribe of Benjamin! 'When we look at the Old Testament, it doesn't say anywhere about giving tithes to those from Benjamin.' Would that not be a true statement? Sure! They had a lot more problems than we face in some ways and much different than we do in many other ways.

But today we've got recordings, pictures and smart phones. Look how many people get in trouble because someone was standing there watching it go on and put it on his smart phone and releases it to a news outlet. 'Look at what I have. How much are you going to pay me for this?'

Verse 12: "But what I am doing, I will do, so that I may cut off any occasion from those who are desiring an occasion; so that in the things they boast of, they also may be found even as we are."

The next two verses are important because this helps define false prophets throughout the whole Bible and we'll look at some of them.

Verse 13: "For such are false apostles… [fake gospel, fake apostle, fake salvation] …deceitful workers who are transforming themselves into apostles of Christ"—when Christ never chose them!

Verse 14: "And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his servants also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness—whose end shall be according to their works" (vs 14-15). In 1-John 4 we find wherever there are:

• false doctrines
• false apostles
• false ministers
• a different gospel
• a different spirit
• a different salvation

you're dealing with demonic spirits along with the prophets!

1-John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

You test it this way; this is part of the test, not the whole test, v 2: "By this test you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. And this is the spirit of antichrist, which you heard was to come, and even now it is already in the world" (vs 2-3).

He talks about in 1-John 2 that there many antichrist and they left us. When he first came into the congregation there weren't too many of them. We've experienced this, too! Then you found out that there were a lot in the congregation who are with them instead of with God.

One of the doctrines they were teaching was Docetism. It teaches that Jesus was really not fully human. Rather there was the body of a man called Jesus and the Christ possessed that body. When Jesus was killed it didn't kill the Christ. Therefore, his death was a fake death.

What if you have a lying spirit that says, 'I know He was God manifested in the flesh.' Why? Because when Jesus was casting out demons what did some of the demons say? Oh I know you. Have you come to torment us before time? What are some of the other tests that you use?

Isa. 8:19 will tell us a part of the other test that we are to do. This was part of the teaching from the Old Testament that could be used. These things and these doctrines repeat in every generation and lap over and carry over and so forth.

Isaiah 8:19: "And when they shall say to you, 'Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and to wizards who peep and mutter'…"

They may not say it directly that way like with these women who were in the group that looked at this picture of the shroud, 'Oh, it's so wonderful.' Well they are seeking familiar spirits.

"…but should not a people seek unto their God?.… [Isn't that what they say? Shouldn't we seek God?] …Should the dead be sought on behalf of the living? To the Law and to the Testimony!.… [the New Testament] …If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them" (vs 19-20)—that's part of the test!

Let's see some other things that we are to be on guard against. This is quite a thing.

Jeremiah 23:1: "'Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture,' says the LORD."

• How do you destroy them? By not teaching them the Word of God!
• How do you scatter them? You chase them away!
• How many have been disfellowshipped?

Verse 2: "Therefore, thus says the LORD, God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people, 'You have scattered My flock, and have driven them away, and have not taken care of them. Behold, I will bring upon you the evil of your doings,' says the LORD."

Verse 11: "'For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house I have found their evil,' says the LORD." Go back to Jer. 7 and see all the things they were doing right at the temple of God!

Verse 14: "I have also seen in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing; they commit adultery and walk in lies.…"

What happened to the to the bishop of the Catholic Washington, DC, diocese? Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was caught with pedophilia, as well is 30 other bishops down in Argentina. Another way to know false prophets is that you know them by their fruits the fruits of their lives and the fruits of their teachings.

"…They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none returns from his evil; they are all of them like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah" (v 14). Is this Scripture up-to-date or not? Yes, indeed!

Sidebar: They are now depicting pedophilia lust and sex with minors as 'those who are attracted to adolescents.' It makes it some politically correct and nice.

Verse 15—God says: "Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I will feed them wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land.'"

That's where all the evil starts from, the pulpit. Verse 14 says they're going back to Sodom and Gomorrah so that tells you all you need to know.

Here's how you protect yourself against false prophets; v 16: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you vain; they speak a vision from their own heart, not out of the mouth of the LORD. They still say to those who despise Me.' The LORD has said, 'You shall have peace!' And they say to everyone who walks after the imagination of his own heart, 'No evil shall come upon you!' For who has stood in the counsel of the LORD to see and hear His Word? Who has attended to His Word and heard it? Behold, the tempest of the LORD has gone forth in fury, a whirling tempest. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until He has executed and until He has performed the purposes of His heart; in the latter days you shall understand it perfectly" (vs 16-20).

So, look at the length of time that these prophecies cover down through the centuries.

Verse 21: "I have not sent these prophets, yet, they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet, they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings" (vs 21-22).

Verse 25[transcriber's correction]: "I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed.'"

When I was doing my research on TBN almost every single one of those ministers one time or another said, 'I had a dream.' One egregious thing is happening in one Church of God. The lead minister says that he has a rock which actually gives him the authority that that's the rock that the former apostle used to pray over up in Oregon. And now because he has it he has the kingship of Israel. 'Oh, isn't that wonderful!' In the Church of God! That's why you always must stick with the Truth, always!

Verse 26: "How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies and who are prophets of the deceit of their own heart?"

I tell you that perfectly describes that! Did this so-called apostle notify the Queen of England that he now has the right of the throne?

Verse 27: "They scheme to cause My people to forget My name by their dreams which they tell, each one to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten My name for Baal."

Now here is a key Scripture, v 28. This is how we stand against all false prophets all false teachings all clever presentations etc.:

Verse 28: "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream. And he who has My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully…."

• that's why we have The Faithful Version Bible
• that's why we stick to the Truth, the Truth, the Truth and nothing but the Truth!

They even have a book called All Faiths; they're trying to amalgamize them together. What is the end-time religion going to be like? They will probably exalt Mary even more, and everybody—because of miracles—will fall into it.

That may or may not be true. But I suspect that. I've got a book at home—and I'm going to have to do some sermons on it—When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone. Now even the Episcopal Church is neuter-gendering everything in their prayer books.

It's like the stupidity of this: 'I've been thinking today and I've been dreaming and you know what, I'm now a woman!' That's the stupidity of this perversion of any sex goes! 'Tomorrow I may change my mind.' That's nothing but pure satanism!

"…What is the chaff to the wheat?' says the LORD. 'Is not My Word like a fire?' says the LORD" (vs 28-29). What's the final solution for unrepentant sinners? Lake of Fire!

"…and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (v 29). Good description of Pasadena! and Big Sandy! and Bricket Wood! Yes, indeed! And Rome and all the Protestants?

Verse 30: "'Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets who steal My words each one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets who use their tongues and say, "He says," when I did not say. Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams and tell them, and cause My people to go astray by their lies and by their wantonness. Yet, I did not send them nor command them; therefore, they shall not profit this people at all,' says the LORD. 'And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, "What is the oracle of the LORD?" You shall then say to them, "What oracle? I will even forsake you, says the LORD"'" (vs 30-33).

Now then, let's do a little surveying here so we can see that this same kind of thing came from the beginning. What did Paul write about? 'As Eve was deceived by the cunning craftiness of the serpent'! What happened with that whole generation on into the time of the Flood? Look at the evil that took place; they all went after Satan the devil!

Jesus said, 'As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the coming of the son of man.' That's verified by Rev. 13 that 'the world worships Satan,' and the world's going to worship the beast.

Now we come on down after the Flood. Can you imagine what they thought of Noah building the ark? One man! I wonder what people thought when the animals started coming to him? You could all mathematically figure it out. All clean animals came by seven, unclean by two, that is pairs. One pair vs seven pair.

Sit back and you think about it. Okay, just over across from of the valley where they were building the ark here's a place where you could look down and watch. Just suppose you were sitting there and you were living at that time and you saw two elephants are coming, some giraffes, rhinoceros and hippopotamuses. Look at all those monkeys and apes coming. Two and two and two! Maybe there's something to this that there's going to be a flood. But all of our ministers tell us, 'No! Don't believe Noah, he's just a quack. He's all alone; who is with him besides his sons and their wives? Nobody!'

But Noah walked with God and he found grace and favor, and he was obeying God and built the ark. So then came the day and you're still sitting on top of this mountain looking down at the ark, because you want to know what's going on. When the animals quit coming and then where they went into the ark that part of the art was closed and everything was locked in there.

So, you're sitting there the first day and it's dry as a bone. Second day dry as a bone. Third day dry as a bone. Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh day, BANG! Here come all these dark clouds and earthquakes and it starts pouring down rain, and you think, it going to happen! Good example of what's going to happen in the near future. It's going to happen! Then it did.

It rained and rained and rained! It wasn't just a little dribble drabble/dribble drabble! It was probably like 10, 12, 14 inches an hour and gushing up from underneath. And if you get the water from underneath what happens? The land sinks down! Great earthquakes, thunder, lightning, darkest clouds and sitting up on the top of the mountain here comes the water and the ark starts floating, too. They're all safe, and you missed it!

Sidebar: Guess what they found in China? in one of their big lakes? A huge pyramid under the water! All the ancient aliens get all excited. You better get excited, because God is going to destroy the world!

Now then, after the Flood what we have? The first thing is you have trouble with the grandson of Noah[transcriber's correction]: Canaan (Gen. 9:24). Then the population increases and now they say, 'Let's build a tower that reaches to heaven.'

God comes down there looks at that—the Most High Who became the Father and the One Who is Lord God who became Christ—said, 'Look at what they're doing! Anything they imagined to do they can do. So, they said, 'Let Us go down there and confound their languages.'

BOOM! They stopped building the tower. Can you imagine that you're working long with a worker and you speak English and all of a sudden he's speaking Japanese or whatever, so they left it!

Sidebar: One of the models of IBM is that they show a picture of the half constructed Tower of Babel and they have this motto: What they started, we will finish! Doesn't that tell you what this modern age is all about today? Yes, indeed! So, then we come down to the time that God had to call Abraham out, and we have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Then we have the time when all their children go into captivity in Egypt, end up being slaves, God brings him out gives them His Law and tells them that they need to walk in His way! Well, they've been so steeped in all the Egyptian religion and everything and they just can't quite give it up. But this also reveals to us how powerful the Word of God is, and what He says He means!

We will read in Deut. 12 & 13 so you understand the severity of a false prophet. They've all been trained to really be 'nice.'

If you have TBN on your on your television, watch a little bit of it. The best speaker that I've found is Charles Stanley. He says that we are to ought to obey God. That's fine, but he doesn't keep the Sabbath, he doesn't keep the Holy Days; he keeps Sunday, Christmas, Easter and so forth, and he is one of the best!

How many times do we see this through the Bible? Deuteronomy 12:28: "Be careful to observe and obey all these words, which I command you, so that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God."

That's why God has it written down, so we all know! That's why it's translated into so many languages. Yes, there are some very bad translations, and there are some very good translations. But we're to check them out so that we know what is right and true. That is all based on the Ten Commandments, Sabbath and Holy Days. That's the framework on which everything has been laid from the time of Israel going forward. It was with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but those were individuals and they were close to God.

Verse 29: "When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations before you, where you go to possess them, and you take their place and dwell in their land."

Let's put it this way for us: When God calls you out of the world and you repent and are baptized, and now you have the Spirit of God; same thing.

Verse 30: "Take heed to yourself…" One of the most important things that there is for us to do is to have self-control and use the Word of God and the Spirit of God so we do what is right! Sometimes you have to resist evil directly and firmly. If you do, do!

"Take heed to yourself…" Isn't that what Paul told the elders when they came down to Miletus, when he was on the way to Jerusalem? He said, 'Take heed to yourselves and the flock to which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which Christ has purchased with his own blood.'

Now every minister needs to read that burn it into his brain so that he will remember Who he serves and represents. He's a steward, not his own!

Verse 30: "Take heed to yourself that you do not become ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not ask about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods that I may also do likewise?'"

This ties in where we began with Isa. 8: to the Law and the Testimony! Verse 31. "You shall not do so to the LORD your God, for every abomination to the LORD, which He hates, they have done to their gods; even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods."

Look at it today. You go on the History Channel and they talk about these wonderful civilizations, so advanced and way ahead of us, down there in Mexico and in Central America. Yes, human sacrifices! Oh, they were so advanced! Did Israel end up doing that? Yes, indeed!

What does it take to apostatize? Probably about four or five generations and you can do it, as you inculcate different things. Then you end up with rebellious young people that say, 'I will not. I'm going to do what I want to do.' God says that those should be executed! 'Oh, how terrible!' Yes, it is. Of course, they would be given chance to repent. But look at our society today because we don't do it. Look at the societies from whence the illegal immigrants come as punishment to us because of our sins against God! He doesn't send nice people; He sends those who will punish us with their crimes and their iniquity.

Why would God do that? God is a God of love! Well, that's true. But when was the last time you showed your love for God?

• keeping His commandment?
• loving Him?
• doing what He says?

He says, 'Don't do it!'

Verse 32 "Whatsoever thing that I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it."

(go to the next track)

The reason I'm going through this is to show you how seriously God takes false prophets and false doctrines. Very important! This is pretty tough, but it's coming from the God of love, because He loves the people and wants to bless them! But He can't bless people in their sins. Satan can! That's why the wicked prosper. Who is prospering them? Their god: Satan!

Deuteronomy 13:1: "If a prophet rises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder, which he foretold to you comes to pass…" (vs 1-2). Think of Rev. 13, calling fire down from heaven!

"…saying, 'Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them'" (v 2). Another way is:

You don't need this commandment but you can do this over here. And after all, look at these pagans over here, they have such nice things they do for their kids. They have Christmas and Easter, and the kids have a lot of fun. Oh yeah, they go to church on Sunday and all of that stuff and keep those days, but look at what nice people they are.

Isn't that what is said? Yes, indeed!

Have you ever seen this ad for this guy is in the dental chair and he's got this brace in his mouth and the dentist looks in there and he says, I've never seen a cavity as bad as this, and then he walks out. The guy mumbles! The dentist says, 'I'm not dentist, I just analyze the problem.' I went to the dentist and she was cleaning my teeth and she was telling me all about Easter. Well, since she had all the implements in my mouth, I decided not to say anything. But I felt like that poor guy in the chair!

So, it comes to pass and what did they tell you? Seeing is believing! If they do it in the name of God and it happens… 'See?' That's why it goes right back where we started, Isa. 8: to the Law and the Testimony.

Verse 3: "You shall not hearken to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you…"

That's why we have trials and tests, so that we know what we have to choose and do, and God knows how we respond to Him!

"…to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul" (v 3).

If you do that, God is going to give you the understanding of the things that are wrong when they come up. Either way you won't know when it will come up. You don't know how far down the road; you don't know how close. You don't know through whom or how it may come. But if you stay in right standing with God by:

• loving Him
• keeping His commandments
• prayer and study
• growing and overcoming

Then when the occasion arises you will know! But if you're not you won't know!

Verse 4: "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death…" (vs 4-5). That's what God thinks of false prophets!

We'll double-check that in the New Testament in just a minute. The Church does not have the administration of death so we cannot execute them. The best we can do is disfellowship them or leave ourselves. Sometimes you have to leave them, and serve God alone, and God will bless you in it! You may be lonely, that's true. It may be difficult, that's true. But:

• Is it right with God? Yes!
• Is it true with God? Yes!

1-Tim. 6:3 says that 'if they speak not according to the sound words of Jesus Christ, there is no Truth in them' and you are to separate yourself from them! That's what the New Testament says. We can't execute them, but look at how important this was concerning the people there and what God said to do. "…shall be put to death."

Verse 6: "So you shall put the evil away from the midst of you. If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is like your own soul, lures you secretly, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods'—which you have not known, you nor your fathers, that is, of the gods of the people who are around you, near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth—" (vs 6-7).

• Is at all inclusive?
• Does that cover all religions for all time?
• Yes, indeed!

Verse 8: "You shall not consent to him nor hearken to him. Nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare, nor shall you conceal him. But you shall surely kill him.…" (vs 8-9).

That is take him to the judges, the judges judge, and they do the executing. That doesn't mean you yourself pick him up and kill him. But you'd be right there with it, because you have to be a witness against him.

"…Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones… [v 11]: And all Israel shall hear and fear…" (vs 9-11).

How many times did Jesus warn against false prophets? Here is the classic one in Matt. 7; it shows the contrast. This fits in exactly the same way with the commandments that I just read in the Old Testament.

Matthew 7:13: "Enter in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it." That's the whole world!

That's what they want to do with Christianity. Make it simple; make it easy! Well it is simple: obey the voice of God! But sometimes even the voice of God gets in detail, because He wants you to know that He is God. He has greater understanding and greater knowledge than any human being.

That's why He can take a verse and have it written down but to Him he's buried within there for five different meanings and understandings, which you have to study over and over again to begin to understand them.

Verse 14: "For narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it. But beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, for within they are ravening wolves" (vs 14-15).
Today it's almost getting to the point that they've had so many sheep's clothing that everyone has been dumbed-down and now they like the ones who are evil and destructive and all this kind of thing. Look at how it is with all the movies, entertainment, computer games and all of this. It's all death destruction and evil!

That's what they're going to get, because Christ is going to bring death and destruction and evil upon this whole world as He returns to this earth!

Verse 16: "You shall know them by their fruits…."

• What are the fruits?
• Do they love God
• Do they keep His commandments?
• Do they obey His voice?

As God has said!

Verse 15: "But beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, for within they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. They do not gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles, do they? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a corrupt tree produces evil fruit. A good tree cannot produce evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree that is not producing good fruit is cut down and is cast into the fire. Therefore, you shall assuredly know them by their fruits" (vs 15-20).

God is going to take care of executing the sinners. One good thing about the whole process is that at any time there can be repentance! That's why we are to separate ourselves from them, maybe the trial that they will go through will bring them to repentance. If it doesn't then it will all be on their head. But for us we don't have to live with the anguish.

• How many of you sat sermons that you wish you just never came to church?
• All the anguish of it.
• Why are they doing that?
• How or why did they say that?
• How did that come about?

If you've been studying and praying you'll be able to spot those things pretty well right up front!

Verse 21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven."

Now let's understand something very important here: Everyone who serves God only teaches what God said that you should do. It's simple! That's what God said! It's not 'we love the Lord and by the way here's a nice little thing that we could do'—whatever it may be. That's how it starts out.

Steve and I were talking up here and he said they started out in WCG and was told that what we need to do is go out and do good works like the other churches in the world and take care of the poor and do those things. How can you say no to that? That's a start. Then something else, then something else, then something else!

"…doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven" (v 21).

Remember that none of the teachers or prophets of God ever spoke anything that is not what God said to speak! That's why I've said how many times, you look through all the five books of Moses, can you find one law were Moses said, 'This is my law'? No! It came from God! The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say…'

• How many hundreds of times is that in the first five books of the Bible?
• What did Jesus say?
  • I did not come to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me!
  • I can do nothing of Myself, but as what I see the Father do that's what I do!
  • I speak and teach what the Father has commanded Me!
  • I don't speak for Myself!

Think about that for just a minute, because He was God before He became Christ in the flesh! Was He practicing the will of the Father in heaven above as a human being? Yes! Teaching the way of God!

Verse 22: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name? And did we not cast out demons through Your name?….'"

Lord, I have 2,000 Sunday sermons that I gave and just brought so many people to You. God said that they all flunked! Look at what they say:

"…And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?" (v 22). That's admirable to cast them out through your name, but did you tell the people to start keeping the commandments of God?

I was watching this advertisement for this church and here was this minister coming out, and it was one of these big shout, yell, scream and jump up and down ceremonies. He would bring the people up and he would, I think it was Benny Hinn, and he would hit them on the forehead and they would go 'Ohhh…" and fall over backwards and think that's such a wonderful thing. 'Oh. we had such a wonderful experience. And it was… the shivers up my spine when he touched me. It was just so magnificent I'll never forget it.' It was a demon! Think about that!

"'…And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?' And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness'" (vs 22-23).

Where do they depart to? The Lake of Fire! So, yes, they suffer the death penalty by the edict and command of Christ.

There are two categories of those who don't belong to Christ but use His name. The first category is:

Luke 9:49: "Then John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbad him because he does not follow with us.' But Jesus said to him, 'Do not forbid him, because everyone who is not against us is for us'" (vs 49-50).

So, there's that category that are for Jesus they're not against Him but they're not with Him. There may be a good number Protestants like that. That doesn't mean they'll be in the first resurrection; probably end up in the second.

The other category is Mathew 12:30: "The one who is not with Me is against Me..."

You have a lot of those in Protestantism and Catholicism. Some in Protestantism may be for Christ and not against him, but not with Him. Virtually all of the others, whatever they are—Catholic or whatever—are not with Christ.

"…and the one who does not gather with Me scatters" (v 30).

Now let's see how this plays out a little further in the New Testament. What is the first encounter of a false prophet that is written down? Simon Magus (Acts 8)! He was one who wanted the Holy Spirit and wanted to do miracles because he used sorcery before, which means that he was following Satan and using Satan's spirit! He wanted the Holy Spirit  and he wanted to pay the Apostles Peter and John.

Peter told him you take your money and, in the modern vernacular: 'go to hell.' You cannot buy the Holy Spirit, and you cannot merchandise the people. He didn't like that very much so he went off to Rome and that's how we got the first pope in Rome: Simon Magus. That's a short summary there is a lot of history in between.

What was the one that Paul came across? Elymas the sorcerer whose name was Bar Jesus (Acts 13)! Then what do we find in Acts 20? The seven sons of the priests were trying to cast out demons out of this man! The man had some money and they were so powerful he beat up on the seven of them and sent them away bloody.

James doesn't say much about it, but Peter wrote; 2-Peter 2:1: "But there were also false prophets among the people, as indeed there will be false teachers among you, who will stealthily…"

• sneakily bring in
• begin to wear you down
• begin to compromise
• begin to teach—not doctrine—how to get along with each other

More like a social club!

They're still keeping the Sabbath, they're still doing these things, but at the right moment guess what do they do? They say, 'We have new insight into doctrine. We just came back from Azusa College and they now have a greater understanding concerning the grace of God.' And part of that grace of God means 'you don't have to keep the law of clean and unclean meats'!

What happened when that was preached at the headquarters auditorium? They all gathered afterwards and all of those who had given up unclean meats—and really, really desired and wanted them—were planning to go to the Red Lobster after services and get some of that lobster and some of that shrimp and so forth.

Once you do that, think of what happens then. You might say well that's a small thing. Well it may be. But when you walk a mile, you have to take your first step. Then are many other steps.

"…stealthily introduce destructive heresies, personally denying the Lord who bought them, and bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many people will follow as authoritative their destructive ways; and because of them, the way of the Truth will be blasphemed" (vs 1-2).

Oh, you don't need to keep the Sabbath anymore. Look at these wonderful services that they have Sunday morning down at this cathedral. Look at the wonderful choir that they have. Listen to the words of the choir. Aren't those beautiful hymns and songs to the choir?

But it's all on the wrong day! How can you say that those people are against God? Because God says remember the Sabbath and they all have forgotten it! Remember what happened when the two sons of Aaron were to keep the fire going on the altar? The reason is because God put the fire there by bringing fire down from heaven to start it. So, He said that you're never let it go out. That would always be the fire of God.

They messed up and it went out. So, they said, 'We better take care of that and they put some fire there that was not from God and He struck him down right on the spot! That's how important it is that we don't take for granted the things that God has said. They will follow.

Verse 3: "Also, through insatiable greed they will with enticing messages exploit you for gain; for whom the judgment of old is in full force, and their destruction is ever watching."

It hasn't happened, yet. It's like Adam and Eve, Adam was sitting there watching Eve and he was coming around to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. A serpent was there and said, 'Look, you ought to try this; this will make you wise. You can make your own decisions of what's right and wrong and make you just like a God. Look, it's good food. Pick it smell it. Isn't that nice! Eat it!'

'Oh, that does taste good,' said Eve. So here is Adam, he's sitting there watching. Do you hear anything where it says, 'Eve, put down that fruit'? No! Could he have done that? Yes! He was probably wondering: Will she drop dead? But nothing happened!

So, she comes over and says look at this, God may have withheld something from us. But we can we can find out. This is really, really good, have a bite.' So, they ate of the fruit! Probably picked some more and said it was good. Whatever actions they took it doesn't tell us, but it was certainly against God!

In 3-John, Demetrius was kicking people out of the Church and even for forbidding John to come. Can you imagine how brainwashed you he must of had that congregation for him to have the gall to say, 'We're not allowing the Apostle John to come!'

Jude 3: "Beloved, when personally exerting all my diligence to write to you concerning the common salvation, I was compelled to write to you, exhorting you to ferventlyfight for the faith, which once for all time has been delivered to the saints. For certain men have stealthily crept in…" (vs 3-4).

Remember that? Did you ever go down to Pasadena one day and look at what was going on and ask yourself the question: How did so-and-so become whatever he became and rise up high above everybody else? Because someone else stealthily snuck in and hired him up! Pretty soon the whole upper echelon was composed of those who would be change agents, and make the change happen as smoothly as possible: stealthily!

Verse 4: "For certain men have stealthily crept in, those who long ago have been written about, condemning them to thisjudgment. They are ungodly men who are perverting the grace of our God, turning it into licentiousness, and are personally denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ."

What does he do? Jude says, 'I want you to remember that God didn't spare the angels. I want you to remember what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah. I want you to remember what God did to the people who turned against God in the wilderness.'

Then we come to the book of Romans. There's not too much about false prophets in the book of Romans. But when we come to Rom. 16 Paul does bring up a problem.

Romans 16:17: "Now I exhort you, brethren, to take note of those who are causing divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and shun them; because these are the sort who are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, and are deceiving the hearts of the innocent by smooth talking and flattery. For the report of your obedience has reached to all…." (vs 17-19). He was just admonishing them!

We've covered 1-Cor. already, what was their problem? Following people, not being converted, false doctrines so bad that some of them were even saying that the resurrection already over with!

Question comes up about shunning. I think the first thing you need to do is have some words with them before you start shunning. Just tell them, 'Look, you keep going down this path it's going to get difficult.' That means don't go out and be living it up with them, because once they start down that road of compromise everything they do is to try and snitch off someone else.

Galatians is dynamite! It all came to a head in Galatia. Gal. 1 is the strongest language in the New Testament concerning this. In Gal. 4 it said that they were observing times, months and years; that is all the pagan days. The commentaries say that those were referring to the Sabbath and Holy Days and things like that. But it doesn't say Sabbath and Holy Days.

Note Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version).

• Have you studied it?
• Have you read it?
• Have you gone through those difficult Scriptures?
• Did you know the Jews had paganism in their Judaism as well, yet still believing in circumcision?
• Doesn't that go back to the time with the Jews were worshiping Baal, Ashtoreth?

Yes, same thing!

Galatians 1:6: "I am astonished that you are so quickly being turned away from Him Who called you into the grace of Christ, to a different gospel." If you add to or take away from is that not a different gospel? Yes, indeed!

Verse 7: "Which in reality is not another Gospel; but there are some who are troubling you and are desiring to pervert the Gospel of Christ.

It's like the Catholics do and they tell you they do. At least they are honest about it! 'We take the pagan beliefs and we make them Christian.' I saw this special report of this priest. I don't know what he did he get exiled to the to the end of the earth. It was in Peru on the east side of the Andes Mountains clear down in the valley of the jungle in that part of Peru which then is about 4000 miles from the east coast of Brazil.

Here are these natives, they we're preaching the Gospel to them. 'How do we preach the Gospel to them? Well they were headhunters and they used to eat human flesh. What we did we took their religious observances, and we put Christian names on them and then taught them to take the Eucharist.'

Is that not a different gospel? Yes, it is! "…pervert the Gospel of Christ." Can you get any more perverted than that? Guess what the fellow who did the story found out. He went in among them and he found out secretly they were still killing people and shrinking heads, because that's how they made money. They would sell the shrunken head for 4,000 bucks. Hey, if you're a native in a loincloth in the backside of the Andes Mountains, and you get 4,000 bucks, where is the next enemy?

But notice what Paul says, and how important that it is. This is more severe than what we read in Deut. 13.

Galatians 1:8: "But if we, or even an angel from heaven, should preach a gospel to you that is contrary to what we have preached, LET HIM BE ACCURSED!"

• Are the demons accursed? Yes!
• Are they going to be tormented forever? Yes!
• Are those men who follow them accursed? Yes!
• Will they be cast into the Lake of Fire? Yes!

That's how important it is!

Verse 9: "As we have said before, I also now say again. If anyone is preaching a gospel contrary to what you have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED! Now then, am I striving to please men, or God? Or am I motivated to please men? For if I am yet pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (vs 9-10).

That's where the dividing line opens way up. Once you come to that point and everyone accepts that, you're going way the off the road.

Ephesians 4:12: "For the perfecting of the saints… [apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers] …for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ; until we all come into the unity… [that is the oneness] …of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man…" (vs 12-13).

That goes back to Matthew 5:48: "Therefore, you shall be perfect, even as your Father Who is in heaven is perfect."

Ephesians 4:13: "…unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we no longer be children, tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men in cunning craftiness, with a view to the systematizing of the error; but holding the Truth in love, may in all things…" (vs 13-15). That's how you keep away from it!

But what Paul went through and what he wrote there to the Corinthians in 2-Cor. 11 is something! You also have the element of Judaism. Do we have that today? Yes we do!

Philippians 3:1: "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Indeed, for me to write the same things to you is not troublesome, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, who serve God in the spirit… [and in Truth] …and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and do not trust in the flesh" (vs 1-3).

Every once in a while I get the question: 'If I join your church do I have to be circumcised?' So, they had that. Do we have trouble with those coming around trying to bring Judaism to us? Yes!

Colossians 2:4: "Now, this I say so that no one may deceive you by persuasive speech…. [v 8]: Be on guard so that no one takes you captive through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ."

There we go, all the way through the Bible! Remember the 'man of sin/the son of perdition'?

2-Thessalonians 2:8: "And then the lawless one will be revealed… [that's the coming Beast Power at the end] …(whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth, and will destroy with the brightness of His coming)... [that tells you exactly when is going to happen] …even the one whose coming is according to the inner working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are perishing because they did not receive the love of the Truth, so that they might be saved" (vs 8-10).

Notice what happens. Tie this in with Rom. 1. Where it says when they rejected God went after idols said that they were the smart ones. What happened? God abandoned them to their own lust under passions! He abandoned them in three stages in Rom. 1. "…they did not receive the love of the Truth…"

Verse 11: "And for this cause God will send upon them a powerful deception that will cause them to believe the lie."

What was the lie? That the beast is god! And don't forget Eph. 2, 'the prince of the power of the air.' We've already covered that. Then we have warnings in 1st & 2nd Timothy. Then we have all the way through the seven churches (Rev. 2 & 3) and all the doctrinal problems.

Then we have the situation with the beast and the false prophet who deceives the whole world! How many are going to really, really stay true God? We'll find out!

That takes care of 2-Corinthians and false prophets in the Bible! Next time I'm going to bring all the different Scriptures showing what Paul had to go through as an apostle. When I get done with that you might say to yourself: I don't want ever to be an apostle, because he really had to go through some things.

Scriptural References:

• 2-Corinthians 11:1-5, 8-15
• 1 John 4:1-3
• Isaiah 8:19-20
• Jeremiah 23:1-2, 11, 14-22, 25-33
• Deuteronomy 12:28-32
• Deuteronomy 13:1-11
• Matthew 7:13-23
• Luke 9:49-50
• Matthew 12:30
• 2 Peter 2:1-3
• Jude 3-4
• Romans 16:17
• Galatians 1:6-10
• Ephesians 4:12-13
• Matthew 5:48
• Ephesians 4:13-15
• Philippians 3:1-3
• Colossians 2:4, 8
• 2 Thessalonians 2:8-11

Scriptures quoted, not referenced:

• Ephesians 5
• Revelation 19
• Matthew 24
• 1 Corinthians 9
• 1 John 2
• Jeremiah 7
• Revelation 13
• Genesis 9:24
• 1 Timothy 6:3
• Acts 8; 13; 20
• 3 John
• Galatians 4
• Romans 1
• Ephesians 2
• Revelation 2; 3

Also referenced:

• Series: The Shroud of Turin (churchathome.org)
• Book: When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone
• Appendix Z: Understanding Paul's Difficult Scriptures Concerning the Law and the Commandments of God (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version)

FRC:po/bo
Transcribed: 8/16/18

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