True Lies #2

Fred R. Coulter—July 9, 1994

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I went to the supermarket and here was advertising for the TV series True Lies. I thought that it's amazing that we have come to the point in this society that we would even have a title called True Lies.

The epistles are for us today, and there could be nothing more essential for us than the Epistles of John. He goes through:

• Light/darkness
• Truth/lies
• commandment-keeping/transgression

He goes right to the heart of liars.

Special Studies of Greek Words in the Seven General Epistles:

Liars

1-John 1:10: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar…"

This is talking about that 'you don't have a sinful nature, and all human beings are good,' therefore, you're making God a liar. That's the worst thing you can do to God, to make Him a liar. If there's anything that puts you in a contrary position to God, that is it.

Here is the most serious kind of lying that you can do. We've all told lies and maybe even some of us very recently. Paul wrote and said, 'Lie not to one another.' Sometimes it just comes out and you don't mean it, but you know that you did. The difference between what we're going to discuss here and that kind of lying is that if you lie and you know that you've lied, you still know what the truth is. That's not good, but the next step is worse.

Lie

1 John 1:6: "If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him…"

How many are doing that? I've just had an opportunity to watch the Trinity channel and I'm amazed! I am dumfounded what goes on. This verse really jumps alive to me.

"…but we are walking in the darkness…"

Defining that it comes from Satan.

"…we are lying to ourselves…"

That is the worst kind of lying. In the Greek this is a middle verb. This means that you are doing it, and you are also doing it to yourself and for yourself, on your own behalf.

When you come to the point that you're lying to yourself, and you're so self-deceived, you believe that the lies are true.

This is the real nitty-gritty of what we need to understand today. There was so much confusion going on in the Church that they actually said that keeping the commandments is not essential for salvation, that it has nothing to do with your salvation.

1-John 2:4: "The one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him."

Compare that with 1-John 1:6. Notice that we're dealing with Truth in both places. The last phrase of v 6 is if "…we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the Truth.

Then it says, v 4 that if you say you know Him and are not keeping His commandments—present tense—"…the Truth is not in him." There is no such thing that you can break the commandments of God and say that you know God and that you're walking in the Light, while you are judging the Law and deciding which laws you will and will not keep. God is the One Who gave the laws and commandments.

1-John 2:3: "And by this standard we know that we know Him: if we keep His commandments." I've translated the present tense. It's something you have to keep knowing. This is the standard. "…if we keep…" is on-going, keeping.

Why is that important? Because it's showing that if you don't do this on a continuous basis… What you've done in the past, you've done in the past. What you did yesterday does not count for today. If yesterday was good, that's fine. If yesterday was bad, don't bring the badness into today. You've all had those days, good days and bad days, but you must be keeping. So then, John contrasts that with:

Verse 4: "The one who says, 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar…" What does that do to the Sabbath/Sunday controversy? It shows that Sunday is not right.

"…and the Truth is not in him. On the other hand, if anyone is keeping His Word…" (vs 4-5). Notice that John does the same thing that Jesus did:

• commandments
• Word
• saying

That's what's in John 14; the same thing here, v 5: "On the other hand, if anyone is keeping His Word, truly in this one the love of God is being perfected…." It means a constant state of being perfected.

"…By this means we know that we are in Him. Anyone who claims to dwell in Him is obligating himself also to walk even as He Himself walked" (vs 5-6).

Let's compare that with some other Scriptures. Commandment-keeping is absolutely essential, and commandment-keeping and Truth are intertwined. Just like concrete. You can't have concrete unless you have cement, sand and gravel.

Some people have a mind of concrete. They're all mixed up and permanently set. But you cannot separate commandment-keeping from Truth; it's impossible!

Now we're going to see that not only is it commandment-keeping and Word, and walking as He walked, but now we're talking about something entirely different. This is, just as the Epistles of John are, simple but profound. Clear!

Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one who is doing… [practices] …the will of My Father, Who is in heaven."

If God is Truth and His Word is true, and no lie can come from the Truth; the will of God is always true. Is not the will of God greater than just a simple commandment we may or may not know?

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

• Was I not on many TV channels?
• Did I not travel the world wide?
• Did I not do all of these great things?
• Did I not heal people?
• Did I not have miracles?
• Did I not have signs and wonders?

"'…And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?'" (v 22).

All of those are necessary 'do gooder' things in a society. God expects those things to be done. But He doesn't expect them to be preaching in His name and preaching against the Law and commandment-keeping.

There is one Lawgiver! That's God!

When you say that the Sabbath is not for us, 'we keep Sunday,' what you are doing is saying, 'I am deciding which law and how I will keep it.' That means that you're not only judging God, but you are making yourself God to proclaim that. Why?

Verse 23: "And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you….'" Does that not tie in with 1-John 2? That anyone who is saying, 'I have known Him and is not keeping His commandments is a liar, and the Truth is not in him'!

So, we have a liar who is saying, 'I have known Him,' but is debunking, devaluing and debasing the commandments of God. Jesus said I don't know you! "…I never knew you…."

"…Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness" (v 23)—iniquity, which is a very interesting word; in the Greek it is:

• 'anomia'—lawlessness, against law, anti-law or no law, a-moral, you have no moral standard:
• 'anomos'—you have no lawful standard!
• anti-law is a stronger enforcement of that

"…Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness"—'anomia.'

• How did they do this? They did it in the name of the Lord!
• What commandment does that break? Several!

• The first one because you make yourself a god, and it is you shall have no other god before Me! You become a god!
• Taking the name of the Lord God in vain, because you said when the Lord didn't say.

That's profound!

A person out there with a miserable golf game may take God name in vain by swearing and cursing. It may be tough to be his golf partner when the air is filled with all these expletives that he has, which are very blasphemous in taking God's name in vain.

But I tell you what, that's not as bad as saying that God said, when God didn't say! The best way to take care of swearing and cursing person on the golf course is to say, 'I never knew that God had anything to do with your golf game.

• you break the last commandment because you covet the authority that comes with lawgiving
• you also break the one where it says that you should not bear false witness because you're witnessing that God said and God did not say
• you are dishonoring your heavenly Father, not only your physical, but your heavenly Father

chances are when you're into this

• you're also breaking the Sabbath

chances are when you're into this

• you're also breaking spiritual adultery,if not physical adultery

when you're into this

• you're stealing from God, because you're doing things in the name of God that He never said to do

In fact, you are breaking all Ten Commandments! That's why John made it so clear that commandment-keeping is essential to know God! If you don't know Him, you won't receive salvation. Isn't that what was just said here? You're not practicing the will of God! What did He say on how to pray:

Matthew 6:9: "Therefore, you are to pray after this manner: 'Our Father, Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.'" The reason that it starts out that way is that we need to understand that God is always Holy:

• God is Holy
• God is true
• God is love
• God is Light
• God is right

Then it says, v 10: "Your kingdom come…"—because all human governments are going to fail. Even the government that God setup with the judges failed! The kingship failed!

A lot of people here in the United States want to return to the original constitution. Well, it failed! Did it not fail? Yes! So, the Kingdom of God is not here.

"…Your will be done …" (v 10). That's what we pray. That's what we must be practicing, the will of God!

Let's compare some of these things, and go back and review a little bit more what we have here concerning lies and liars, and how that affects people. When lies are taught then the darkness comes in, and it begins to blind the eyes and the mind.

Jeremiah 9:3: "'And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies…." [it becomes practice] …But they are not valiant for the Truth on the earth…'" That agrees exactly with John; if you're a liar the Truth is not in you. This also tells us that we have to be "…valiant for the Truth." We can't just let it slide!

"'…for they go from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,' says the LORD" (v 3). Notice how that ties in. It's almost like John just pulled these verses out and reconfigured them in a way for a Christian message, which is what he did.

It's also interesting that in the Epistles of John he did not directly quote one Old Testament Scripture, which is amazing! But look at all the things that he drew out of the Old Testament.

Verse 4: 'Everyone beware of his neighbor, and do not trust any brother! For every brother will supplant his neighbor, and will walk with slanders. And everyone will deceive his neighbor and will not speak the truth…" (vs 4-5). So, there comes a point when people just will not speak the truth.

"'…they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and they weary themselves to commit iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me,' says the LORD" (vs 5-6).

When you have doctrines that are deceitful taught in the name of God, you don't know God! You don't know God through deceit. Those things really impact on what John was saying, teaching and writing there.

Verse 13: "And the LORD says, 'Because they have forsaken My Law…'" That's what Jesus said, 'I never knew you, depart from Me that work 'anomos'—lawlessness.

"…which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice…" (v 13)—keeping.

Everywhere you go to any covenant in the Bible, it's: Are you obeying the voice of God?What does God utter when His voice gives sound? Words! You've not kept My words! "…have not obeyed My voice…"

"…and have not walked in it, but they have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them" (vs 13-14). Nothing could fit the circumstances of so many of the Churches of God today more; they're going back after Baalim again!

We are now dealing with a very similar situation as it was in Joshua 2 & 3 after Moses died and the elders who were with Joshua, and they died, there arose a generation that knew not the Lord! Why? For the same reason we're just covering!

We're doing the same thing in society. There is less knowledge of God, there are more lies in the world about God than ever before. So, it's amazing how these Scriptures are just so meaningful today.

Verse 15: "Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and make them drink poisonous water. I will also scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them'" (vs 15-16).

That's going to be the end result. That's what's going to happen in the Churches of God if they continue that way.

Verse 23: "Thus says the LORD, 'Do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom…'" Yet, we have heard that wisdom, thinking and rational is a gift of God. How we heard that was that one minister said—in explaining how that God is 'glob':

John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word… [logos] …and the Word was with God…"

—that the Word was not God. But Logos was with God because God was thinking and the thought was Logos. Therefore, it was with Him from the beginning. And when it says that "…the Word was God," (v 1) that is 'Theos' without a definite article, and the minister lied and said that 'Theos' without a definite article means Divine.

It doesn't! There's another word that spelled a little bit differently for Divine. You can't say God—'ho theos'—in one place and 'yes, this is God,' and in the other place say that this is Divine.

This is exactly what has happened. When they get to the point that they think their wisdom is so great and they substitute their wisdom for the Word of God, the Jesus Christ becomes a thought!

The Christian Scientists have the same thing. They say that we are a thought pattern of God. With that kind of reasoning, it's like a dog chasing his tail. It's even worse than that: What you see in that statement from a person who once knew, you're seeing the worst possible penalty come upon an individual like that: the destruction of their thinking!

God says that He will 'take the wise and make their wisdom foolishness!' That's what they have done! When people come to the point that they don't understand—or they forget, or they don't realize, or they exalt themselves above and think that they are something special— then they forget that they have nothing that they didn't receive. Everything that we have we have received; there's nothing we haven't received! So, when the wise man glories in his wisdom, instead of God, then you get this thing.

Jeremiah 9:23: "…not let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me…" (vs 23-24).

Which goes back to 'by this standard we are knowing that we know Him if we are keeping His commandments.' That's why the wise, when they exchange the Truth for a lie, then they create gods in many images. The first image of God that one creates is himself in his own mind. Notice how "…he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these I delight,' says the LORD" (v 24). Very powerful! Coming straight out of what people would say is the Old Testament, but look at how that agrees exactly with what John wrote.

Ezek. 14 is very key and fundamental concerning idolatry. Everything you do is a choice. Every decision you make is a choice. If you choose not to choose that is your choice not to choose, but it's still a choice. If you choose to believe lies when you know the Truth, that is your choice. If you choose not to believe the lies, because you know the Truth, that is your choice. God expects all of us to exercise our free moral agency.

Ezekiel 14:1: "And some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying" (vs 1-2).

If anyone wants to be a prophet, go be Ezekiel. Everyone wants to be one of the two witnesses. Well, I tell you, that's not going to be too comfortable either. No one has volunteered to be Jeremiah. Micah and Amos both said, 'Look! Don't come and complain to me about the prophecies of God, I'm just a shepherd! I was sitting out there tending my sheep and God said, 'Go!' So, likewise with Ezekiel!  Read what Ezekiel went through. God even told him one time to mix up this stuff and you put human excrement in it and you eat it.' And Ezekiel said, 'Aw, Lord God, I've never eaten anything that unclean.' God said, 'All right, calm down!' So, you want to be a prophet, try that on for size!

Verse 3: "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts…" The big self; that's where idolatry comes from, whatever it is:

• the self
• their ideas
• their wisdom
• what their hands have made

Read the book of Isaiah and it talks about the foolishness of creating an idol and you bow down to this block of wood and say, 'Save me.' Then the chips you take up and burn in your oven to keep you warm. Total stupidity!

"…and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I at all be inquired of by them? Therefore, speak to them, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Every man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him according to the multitude of his idols, so that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart because they have deserted Me for their idols—all of them"'" (vs 3-5).

Do we have idols everywhere?

• cars
• homes
• TVs
• people
• education
• thoughts
• ideas
• whatever

We could go on and on, the land is filled. That's in addition to 'religious' idols. We're talking about those that are in your mind.

Today all the psychology is that you take care of yourselves; the inner you, the self esteem! That's right in the 'religion.' That's what I saw on the Trinity Channel. 'You release the power of God form within you.' NO! You don't release the power of God from within you! That's a bunch of New Age…—the Greek word is 'skubalon'!

Notice who is going to answer, because those who choose to do so, God says, "…I the LORD will answer him Myself…" (v 7). That's pretty tough words!

• Do you want to meet God?
• Do you want to argue with God?
• Do you want to say to God, 'I'm so good that I keep this Sunday, and I hate Your Sabbath, which You created"?
• Do you want to try that on for size?
• Do you want to say to God, 'With all these refrigerators today, we've just got to have all this unclean food'?

God is going to answer you to your face!

"…I the LORD will answer him Myself. And I will set My face against that man, and I will make him for a sign and for a proverb. And I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and you shall know that I am the LORD. And the prophet, if he is deceived, and he speaks a word…" (vs 7-9).

So, God conditions all of this; we're talking about deceit.

"…I the LORD have deceived that prophet…." (v 9)—because they get deceived in their own deceiving!People will sit in church and say, 'I'm just going to trust in God to work it out. I know it's wrong, and I know there are many things that aren't right, but I'm just going to trust in God to work it out.' You've given up your choice to stand for the Truth! So God is going to let it be even worse!

"'…And I will stretch out My hand upon him and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel. And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeks unto him. So that the house of Israel may never again go astray from Me, nor be defiled again with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people, and I may be their God,' says the Lord GOD." (vs 9-11).

This is an end-time prophecy! That's not going to happen until Christ returns. Notice the rest of Ezek. 14 about Noah, Job and Daniel. Again, you're going to have to stand before God on your own two feet! God Himself is going to ask you.

When this happens… When you go out and start looking for numbers and people, does that not become your idol? Is that not the big idol of the ministers? Numbers, people, money, buildings, lands, prestige, recognition, colleges, churches, TV! Oh yes, the pompous things on TV. They are unreal! Notoriety, that's their idol! A fawning audience of a thousand people, all gullibly loving to be deceived, because they are drawn there for their own covetousness.

They want to improve their lives, but they don't want to repent and go to God! They'll send in those dollars and they'll pay to do it. Why? Because they are thinking they're buying something! This is part of it, because you send it to the preacher and he says, 'Thank you all for it.'

Isaiah 30:1: "'Woe to the rebellious children,' says the LORD, 'Who carry out a plan, but not of Me…'" What would God say? Keep the commandments! Obey My voice!

"…and who form an alliance…" (v 1)—cover with a covering—'kippur' and the Day of Atonement is Yom Kippur. This is a way of giving a forgiveness of sin.

"…but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin" (v 1). That's what happens; they just begin building and building. It also means to devise a plan or spin a web. We've heard of 'a tangled web.' Read Isa. 59, they build their webs, but their webs shall become their traps. Talk about irony and punishment. God works it just fine. He takes them in their own devices and destroys them in their own devices.

Verse 2: "Those who set out to go down to Egypt…" Where do you think the 'trinity' came from? What does Rev. 11 say about the city where our Lord was crucified? It's called Sodom and Egypt!

"…and have not asked at My mouth; to take refuge in the stronghold of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame, and the shelter "of protection" in the shadow of Egypt shall be your curse" (vs 2-3).

Verse 8: "Now go, write it before them in a tablet, and note it in a book, so that it may be for the time to come forever and ever"—or the latter days.

These are living prophecies we can look at and see. What is so tragic is that not only is in the world, it's in the Church. Each one of us have a responsibility.

Verse 9: "That this is a rebellious people… [that's what happens] …lying children. They are children who will not hear the Law of the LORD." Is commandment-keeping essential for salvation? Absolutely! You cannot separate it!

Verse 10: "Who say to the seers, 'See not'…" We heard a man say that he used to work in this church where they emphasized a lot of prophecy, and now they're taking away all the prophecy sermons. They don't see! They don't see the Truth! Don't see the prophecy! Don't see the times!

What did Jesus say to the scribes and Pharisees? He said, 'You blind, you hypocrites, you stare in the face of the sky, you can see when it's red in the morning that it's going to rain. When it's red in the evening it's going to be clear, but you can't discern the signs of the times. In other words, you see, but you don't see! It also says, 'If the blind lead the blind, they'll both fall in the ditch.

"…and to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things…'" (v 10). Why? Because when you're carnal you have a deceitful mind and you cannot stand the Truth! You can't hear what is right! You like to profess right sounding things, with a tinkle of Truth rather than the Truth and the ring of the Truth.

"…speak to us smooth things…" (v 10). We don't want any trouble; don't rock the boat. Don't get your back up, just relax.

"…prophesy illusions" (v 10)—deceit! Tell us how wonderful things are, how good we are. Tell us that we're going to make it to heaven, that we're good people.

Verse 11: "Go out of the way…"—the way of God! Don't stay in the way of God; don't keep His commandments

"…turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.' Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel, 'Because you have despised this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on them…'" (vs 11-12). In other words, that's your foundation.

Verse 13: "Therefore, this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant." It's just one off those things that grows and grows and then all of a sudden the whole thing falls in. That's what's happened to every society in the past. A society never falls in the beginning, it falls when it's corrupted at the end, and that's what we're heading to. That's what it means when the prophecy was that 'Jeshurun, which is Israel, waxes fat.' That's exactly what's happening to us. The fall is going to come, and I don't think it's too far away.

We've said in some of these prophecies, keep your eyes on what the international monetary system is doing. Keep your eyes on what the international Zionists are doing. Do that, keep your eye on that, but you'd better keep your eyes on Europe. It's coming!

The Eurocorp has armies from German, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and England—600 troops from each one—and the German troops were going right down through the Arch of Triumph, and they were accepting it. The German troops just authorized by the Supreme Court of Germany to send German troops on cooperative missions outside of Germany.

Pres. Clinton was pushing for a German led united Europe. Who won the war? Think on that! Are we being trapped in our own deciets? Absoluely! Furthermore, it is so bad and we are so blind that we're paying for it. God says it's going to happen, just like a big wall.

Whatever we need to do to get our house in order, whatever we can, we need to do it because it's going to come. I've got some things that I really don't know how I'm going to handle and take care of them. I don't know if I can except that God provide a way. When we're in this kind of thing, I will have to admit—and you will—it was because of my own stupidity and dumbness. May God be merciful to us and get us out of it. However, when it comes, it's going to come!

Verse 14: "'And He shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is smashed in pieces. He shall not spare, so that there shall not be found in the fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water out of the pit.' For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved…'" (vs 14-15).

When is this? Right at the end-time again! Just leading right up to the return of Christ. All of these things are. We're living in this society and seeing it happening.

Let's apply a little of this to the Church, and see how this is happening in handling the Word of God.

2-Corinthians 4:2: "For we have… [because they have this ministry of Truth, love and service and grace] …personally renounced the hidden things of dishonest gain… [you have to get rid of it] …not walking in cunning craftiness…"—politically; not doing things for political advantage or for monetary advantage.

"…nor handling the Word of God deceitfully…" (v 2). That's what you see so much. People come to the Bible; ministers come to the Bible, and they get out of it what they want. They lie and handle it deceitfully. If you don't have the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Truth, and if you don't practice the Truth and walk in the Truth, then you are going to take the Word of God—which is Truth—and handle it deceitfully. You're going to create a lie while you're thinking you're serving God, and when the day comes Christ is going to say, 'Who are you? I never knew you'

"…but by manifestation of the Truth…" (v 2). There again, all the way through: Truth and lies, light and darkness, commandment-keeping and sin.

"…we are commending ourselves to every man's conscience before God. But if our Gospel is hidden

When you change the nature of God, you change the purpose of God, you change the doctrines of God. Just like it was said in the planned program to come in and subvert the Church of God from within. Once you change the nature of God you change everything!

• all doctrines
• the Holy Days
• the Sabbath

Why? Because if you create, in your own mind, a lying nature of God—which is not found in the Bible—that's exactly what you're going to do! You're going to blinded!

Verse 4: "In whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe…" We heard coming out of the Churches of God that this is an allegory, or this is a metaphor, this is a simile. This is explaining a myth, which is saying it's a lie.

"…lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (v 4).

Let's see what happens with the next step. This becomes very profound. Then you come to another point. As you go down the path of darkness, and you're leaving the light and walking in darkness and making yourself more blind, and at the same time you say that you see, because the light you're seeing is darkness.

1-Timothy 4:1: "Now, the Spirit tells us explicitly that in the latter times some shall apostatize from the faith…"

• every word of God
• the sayings of God
• the words of God
• the commandments of God
• the Truth of God
• the Spirit of God

"…and shall follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (v 1). It first starts out that you begin handling the Word of God deceitfully, because you have an agenda.

• then it gets to the point when Satan now has an entrance to blind your eyes to the Truth
• then comes to the point that seducing spirits come in, and they begin to give inspiration
• this inspiration of darkness is thought of as new light, and then you begin teaching the doctrines of demons

What happens?

Verse 2: "Speaking lies in hypocrisy, their consciences having been cauterized with a hot iron." Then it comes to the point that there is no redemption.

Here is a subtitle from a booklet called The Spirit World Enlightenment or Hidden Dangers, and notice how lying spirits and deceivers can come in: Channeling Mediumship. Channeling is found in the Talmud, in the Kabbalah. Mediumship and spiritism are often a fraud. But not all spirit phenomena can be thus explained.

Here's a tinkle of Truth mixed in with a pretty heavy amount of deceit. All channeling and mediumship are always a fraud, even though it may not look like a fraud. It is true that they are accessing evil spirits, that part is not a fraud. But the fraud is what they are doing and saying, proclaiming that it's good. Therefore, it is always a fraud, though fraud is not detectable because the lie is so true it looks good. Again, a true lie!

But not all spiritual phenomena can be thus explained. That is a half-true statement. It should be said that the spirit manifestations, which come from God and His angels:

• will always be the Truth
• will always be known
• will always do the will of God
• will always be for good

That's the way to explain it instead of watering it all down and having this mealy-mouth politically correct booklet.

This lady used to work in a psychology office and they would call in channelers to were counseling to get in touch with their own demon spirit and to walk them through the demon spirits purpose in their lives to heal them; rather than turning to God! They'll turn to anything but God.

And the police frequently get them. How do these mediums do it, because it's jus one demon ratting on another demon—that's what it is—to make themselves look good.

Here's what will happen, 2-Timothy 3:13: "But wicked men and imposters… [deceivers] …shall become worse and worse…" Notice what happens when you are walking on that path of darkness, and

• you are lying
• you are lying to yourself
• you are handling he Word of God deceitfully
• you are listening to demonic spirits
• you are subverting other people's minds

You sear your conscientious with a hot iron!

"…deceiving others and being deceived themselves" (v 13). A self-perpetuating deceit machine in motion. That's something! That's why it's so important that:

• commandment-keeping
• walking in the Light
• loving God
• serving God

continually, as John said. In professing our sins, God will cleanse us from them. Not only sin, but all unrighteousness.

Here's what we're to do; here's what Paul told Timothy, v 14: "But as for you, continue in the things that you did learn and were assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them."

Then 2 Tim. 4 where they go after new doctrine having 'itching ears.'

2-Peter 2:1: "But there were also false prophets among the people, as indeed there will be false teachers among you…"—within your midst. That's why Christians should never quit checking, proving and seeking the Truth, building on the Truth and keeping the commandments of God, and walking in the Light.

"…who will stealthily…" (v 1). They come in as a plant and have an agenda. They sit back and wait until the appropriate time.

"…introduce destructive heresies, personally denying the Lord who bought them… [they're bough with a price] …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). What is Truth?

• God is Truth
• the Word is Truth
• the commandments are Truth
• the laws are true
• the statutes are true
• everything of God is true

• they speak evil of God
• they speak evil of Christ
• they speak evil of the commandments
• they speak evil of the Sabbath and Holy Days
• they speak evil of everything that God set aside to separate us

Verse 10: "But particularly those who walk after the flesh in corrupting lust, and hold in utter contempt the Lordship of God…."—Christ's Lordship.

The truth concerning government is that the best government is Christ in you. That's where it should all start. Any organization of any church to do things on a collective basis must begin there. You cannot get a group of people together who are not governed by Christ any expect anything to be done properly. You can do things, you can marshal the SS, you can have Hitlers and the troops do what they're told to do, but it's all going to collapse.

• Did the SS collapse? Yes!
• Does a hierarchy collapse? Yes!
• Then what happens?

All those involved in it become disillusioned or irresponsible and say, 'I was just obeying orders.'

If you have the Lordship of Christ in your mind, that is the only true government of God on this earth today. It's not a church ministry, it's not the government of God. The government of God is going to be here when Christ is here. But in the meantime, Christ in you is the true government of God in your life!

Not that you should then get carried off in your rebellion and walk off and do what you want to do, because then you're building an image in your own mind and not following Christ at all. But that is the governance that they are rejecting here.

• Did Christ ever sin? No! He did not!
• Will Christ—if you let the Holy Spirit lead you—lead you into all Truth? Yes! That's what Jesus promised!

'As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.' But you must make the choice. God made us free moral agents. We must choose! You must choose to let Christ rule in your life; by your choice. That's the whole key to conversion.
Colossians 1:27: "To whom God did will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." That is the governance that they are rejecting.

Believe me, when an evangelist gets up and says that 'The logos was the thought of God' and God is a thinker and the logos is a thought and you can't separate the thinker from the thought, so therefore the thought was always with God,' he is despising the governance of Christ!

2-Peter 2:10: "…They are audacious and self-willed…." Not seeking the will of God. Jesus said, 'Who are those who are going to get into the Kingdom of Heaven? Those who are doing/practicing the will of the Father!'

If you are self-willed, contrary to the will of God, you must be self-willed because of Christ in you. But that's not your self-will; that is Christ's self-will in you!

So, they're going against Christ; they're not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, and that's God! Is not God the greatest dignitary? Yes!

Verse 11: "Whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not bring a railing condemnation against them before the Lord. But these—as irrational brute beasts, born to be caught and destroyed—blaspheme those things of which they are ignorant, and shall be utterly destroyed in their own corruption. They are bringing upon themselves the reward of unrighteousness, while finding pleasure in satisfying their lustful desires day-by-day. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their own deceptions, while feasting together with you" (vs 11-13)—right in their midst, right at your feasts.

Isn't that something? What a letter this is! Think of it; that is powerful!

Verse 14: "Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, they are engaged in seducing unstable souls, having a heart trained in lustful cravings—cursed children who have abandoned the straight way. They have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness. But he received a rebuke for his own transgression; the dumb donkey, speaking in a man's voice, restrained the madness of the prophet" (vs 14-16).

Do we have a warning against the doctrines of Baalim. What is the doctrine of Baalim? This was so subtle and so evil. Baalim's advice to Balak was 'God won't let me curse them. But Balak, you paid me to, so my advice—since God won't let me do it—is you seduce them.' God must judge them and curse them, and kill them. In other words, you teach people to sin saying that it's all right. Things sacrificed to idols, commit fornication—physically and spiritually—and the whole ball of wax that goes with it.

God then has to judge because God is true and does not lie. You sin by doing that, that is a terrible and absolutely profound sin. But it is so subtle. We've seen that taking place in the United States. How do you subvert a nation? A step at a time! A bit at a time! You get their minds on themselves, and then you always get their minds on the curious, which is sex and spiritism. If you can get them hooked on violence and get them so indoctrinated on that, God must judge! That's what's happening; there it is!

It's from within, and pretty soon they get to the point that they're so used to this perversion that fruits is not relevant. Righteousness and commandment-keeping doesn't count.

I was channel surfing and I saw this ridiculous talk show—there are many of them—called Rhonda and she had a girl on there who said that she was tired of going out with nice guys because they become bores. I want a bad guy! So, they had this bad guy and this woman match up right on TV. Sin is so attractive and natural that what is good is a bore. Unreal!

If television is so bad and boring right now, what on earth is the curse going to be when we have 500 channels. Every evil and perversion will be there. Hopefully, there will be enough room for us to preach the Gospel. There will be both!

Verse 18: "For they speak bombastic words of vanity, enticing others through the lusts of the flesh…" You'll be better. You'll be healed. You'll be richer! You'll be smarter! You'll be more beautiful!

Christ says that 'if you suffer for Me, if you give up everything for Me… Anyone who comes to Me must hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and, yes, his own life also, or he cannot'—'un dunatai'; the impossibility of being a disciple of Christ.

"…by granting indulgences to sin, and ensnaring those who had indeed escaped from those who live in deception. While promising them freedom… [a pseudo grace] …they themselves are actually slaves of corruption because by whatever anyone is overcome, he is also held in bondage. For if, after escaping the moral defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them, and are overcome, the final end is worse than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the Holy commandment that was delivered to them. But the pronouncement found in the true proverb has happened to them: The dog has returned to eat his own vomit; and the sow that was washed has returned to her wallowing place in the filthy mire" (vs 18-22)—and says 'this is wonderful!'

Rudyard Kipling said: "That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire, And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire." (The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919) https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/gods_of_copybook_headings.html)

• Isn't that true? Yes, indeed!
• Could the elect be deceived? As a group, no! As an individual, yes!
• How?

Let's examine that. Let's look at some of the warnings. It has been said in the past that the elect cannot be deceived. So, since 'we are the only Church of God on earth,' and since God is only working through 'this church' therefore, if you stay and bring your warm body into this chair every week, you'll never be deceived. But:

• What about deceitful prophets from within?
• What if they come in?

Matthew 24:24: "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall present great signs and wonders, in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Mislead the very elect! Get them off the course. You'll see miracles. We have never been confronted with a miracle that's bona fide to where we have to say that's of Satan and not of God.

When there's a great vast religious movement sweeping the earth there are going to be miracles everywhere! He beast and the false prophet, and many false prophets, just like Jesus said, and everyone is going to be caught up in the euphoria, and 'look at all of these miracles and you don't believe.'

• How can you deny it? You saw it!
• How could it be possible? You deceive yourself!

There are warnings all the way through:

• let no man deceive you
• let no man mislead you

No one!

• Do we have a responsibility? Yes!
• Do you have a responsibility? Yes!
• Do I have a responsibility? Yes!

2-Thessalonians 2:1: "Now, we beseech you, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus… [the surest thing there is] …Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken in mind, nor be troubled—neither by spirit…" (vs 1-2):

• channeling
• demonism
• mediums

"…nor by word… [ by message] …nor by epistle… [all these things coming along] …as if from us, saying that the day of Christ is present. Do not let anyone deceive you by any means…" (vs 2-3).

• every trick
• do not be oppressed by fear
• do not be uplifted by compliments and vanity
• do not be led astray by saying this is new understanding when its demonism
• prove all things whether they are true or not

"Do not let anyone deceive you by any means…"

Ephesians 5:6 "Do not let anyone deceive you with vain words…" What are we reading that's coming out as new doctrine? Empty words, vain words!

"…for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience" (v 6).

Jesus said that there are going to arise false christs and false prophets that may even mislead the elect. Could you be misled? You know people who are being misled! They need to get back on the track. I've heard that before. 'I've got to set the Church back on the track.' The only problem is, which track is it? And which way are you going on the track? Even if you get on the right track, are you going toward the Light? or Are you going away from the Light?

Colossians 2:4: "Do not let anyone deceive you with vain words; for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience." To subvert your thoughts with enticing words. Where does this go to?

Verse 18: "Do not allow anyone to defraud you… [cheat you out of your reward] …of the prize by doing his will in self-abasement and the worship of angels…" Isn't that the biggest, hottest item today? Yes! That's what trinity worship is; it comes down to the worship of angels.

"…intruding into things that he has not seen… [enticed by them and thinking it is good] …vainly puffed up by his own carnal mind" (v 18). Isn't that what happens? Yes, indeed, it surely does!

Here's exactly what Paul is talking about. Paul also said to the Galatians, 'O Galatians, you're foolish, who has bewitched you? That now you started in the spirit, are you going to be finished perfected in the flesh?' No!

Here's what happens, 1-Corinthians 3:11: "For no one is able to lay any other foundation besides that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds upon this foundation…" (vs 11-12). You can't build on anything else; it must be Christ in you doing the building.

"…gold, silver, precious stones…" (v 12). All of them can endure trial, resist corruption and take the heat. You know the old story, 'If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.' But the heat is going to come, and if you're going to get out of the heat, the kitchen is going to follow you, because Christian life is that way.

If you don't have gold, silver or precious stone, then you have "…wood, hay or stubble" (v 12). Any firefighter knows that if that is dry, because it has no water—God's Holy Spirit. Is your wood dry? Is your hay dry? Is your stubble dry? You can have circumstances so hot that they will spontaneously explode into flames!

We were burning some cedar and put some in the fireplace and it all burned down to the coals, so I wanted to burn some more. I put on this dry cedar, 16-years-old and never outside. I put it on these coals and the coals were really low and there was smoke coming up. Later more smoke is coming up and then the whole thing exploded into fire.

That can happen spiritually. If you were dry—with wood, hay or stubble—and you didn't have the watering of God's Spirit, it's going to explode in a catastrophe in your life.

Verse 13: "The work of each one shall be manifested… [a promise, every one's works and Christianity] …for the day of trial will declare it… [now is the day of salvation] …because it shall be revealed by fire…"—that's why trials come.

Peter said 'not to think it strange that fiery trials come upon you.' 

"…and the fire shall prove what kind of work each one's is. If the work that anyone has built endures, he shall receive a reward" (vs 13-14). That is if it's gold, silver and precious stone. That will stay; that will remain.

Verse 15: "If the work of anyone is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet, as through fire." Here he loses his reward.

Now, those are the ones get misled, but they haven't committed the unpardonable sin. Could you deceive yourself out of salvation? God is not going to let anyone do it to you, you can get misled, but you can deceive yourself out of it!

• Could the elect be deceived? No, not as a body of people!
• But could a person who is one of the elect of God be deceived? Yes! They can deceive themselves!

The worst kind of deception is self-deception that you do to yourself, because you think your self-deception is true.

Perfect example, Matthew 25:24—this is the one who received the one talent and he deceived himself. He knew better!

Matthew 25:24: "Then the one who had received the single talent also came to him and said, 'Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow…" You  expected me to do things… Of course, God does. He expects you to grow to the stature and measure of Christ by building gold, silver and precious stone.

"…and gathering where you did not scatter" (v 24). In other words, 'God, it's Your fault. God, You're the problem.'

What is he doing? Deceiving himself, because God is never the problem! Men may be, you may be, but God never is.

Verse 25: "And because I was afraid, I went and hid your talent in the earth. Now look, you have your own." Here it is! This is part of the one 'I never knew you.'

Verse 26: "His lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather what I did not scatter. Because you knew this…'" (vs 26-27). In other words, if you can't even do the very minimum, not only are you going to lose your reward (1-Cor. 3) you're going to lose eternal life!

So, you can deceive yourself out of eternal life as an individual! But God will never allow the whole group of the elect to be deceived as a group. But within any group, any individual could deceive himself. You may have a Church that has a greater number of 'wood, hay and stubble' people in it than they do 'gold, silver and precious stone.'

When He comes it's going to explode just like that cedar. But if you've deceived yourself, this is what's going to happen, because you didn't even do the minimum.

"'…you were duty-bound to take my talent to the money exchangers, so that when I came, I could have received my own with interest. Therefore, take the talent from him… [usually in silver] …and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he shall have abundance; on the other hand, as for the one who does not have, even that which he has shall be taken from him. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness.' There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (vs 27-30).

Because you deceived yourself so much into thinking that God was your problem instead of you. That's how you can deceive yourself.

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• 1-John 1:10, 6
• 1 John 2:4, 3-6
• Matthew 7:21-23
• Matthew 6:9-10
• Jeremiah 9:3-6, 13-16, 23
• John 1:1
• Jeremiah 9:23-24
• Ezekiel 14:1-5, 7-11
• Isaiah 30:1-3, 8-15
• 2 Corinthians 4:2-4
• 1 Timothy 4:1-2
• 2 Timothy 3:13-14
• 2 Peter 2:1-2, 10
• Colossians 1:27
• 2 Peter 2:10-16, 18-22
• Matthew 24:24
• 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
• Ephesians 5:6
• Colossians 2:2, 18
• 1 Corinthians 3:11-14
• Matthew 25:24-30

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• John 14
• Joshua 2; 3
• Isaiah 59
• Revelation 11
• 2 Timothy 4

Also referenced:

Sermon Series: Epistles of John

Books:

• The Seven General Epistles by Fred R. Coulter
• The Gods of the Copybook Headings quotes by Rudyard Kipling (1919)

(https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/gods_of_copybook_headings.html)

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 6/5/17