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Devotion Archive

True Faith: Judgement #102
12th March 2010

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Good Morning God's Treasures,

As promised last week, I fulfill the wish of the Holy Spirit and write about Scriptures that reveal the lifestyle of false prophets. We have already seen the Lord Jesus' warnings in the Sermon on the Mount, from MT 7: 15-27. Now, we will look at some of the other Scriptures in support of them.

2 TIM 3: 5-8, "They will hold to the outward form of our religion, but reject its real power. Keep away from such people. Some of them go into people's houses and gain control over weak women who are burdened by the guilt of their sins and driven by all kinds of desires, women who are always trying to learn but who never come to know the truth. As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses so also these men oppose the truth-men of depraved minds, who as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected." Remember Christ's words, "you will know them by what they do" [MT 7: 20]. False prophets are hypocrites, who keep the outward appearance of belief and piety, without truly accepting the power of God. They may seem like any other member of the community of believers, but observation of their behavior simply doesn't conform to God's standards, as voiced in RO 12: 2 and many other places in the Scriptures. PS 1: 1 is such a place. "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But His delight is the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." Hieber warns, "It is the fearful portrayal of an apostate Christendom, a new paganism masquerading under the name of Christianity." Such apostasy existed in the times of the early church, just as it does now in highly liberal and New Age churches, for example. These are churches designed to be alluring and aren't based on God's word.

In this epistle to his protégé, Timothy, Paul writes about such people as a particular group, namely leaders and teachers of false cults. This detailed description of their character and methods finds its fulfillment in the cults of our present day. You'll remember me writing about the cult in which a man gathered a community around him of misled believers that he was God in rural New Mexico. As time went on, his son, a former policeman, helped him-even giving his own wife to having sex with her father-in-law. The organizer of this cult eventually was having sex with underage girls, and that is when he was finally tried and convicted. He is now serving his prison term, but only have a lot of damage had been done. Back in the preceding verses to the 2 TIM 3 passage above, the following traits were mentioned: lovers of themselves; lovers of money; boasters full of pride; blasphemers; unthankful; unholy; unloving; unforgiving; slanderers; those lacking self-control; the brutal; those despising goodness; traitors; the stubborn; those who are haughty; and hedonists. Those making their way into the houses of gullible, guilt-ridden women do so, as the devil did, when he tempted the Lord Jesus in the desert [MT 4: 1-11], by misuse of Scripture and gentle-sounding voices. They are truly the "wolves in sheep's clothing" that Christ spoke of in MT 7: 15. Moffatt calls them "wayward creatures of impulse." Wishing that they can unload the onus of their sin, they are willing to believe any doctrine that seems to give them relief from it.

The term "always trying to learn", in 2 TIM 3: 7, indicates delving into one cult after another, but never really learning the truth of Christ's Gospel of salvation and peace. These women may seem close to Christ at times, but they don't really know Him. These cults never speak with finality as to an accomplished redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. In today's world, there are a tremendous emphasis on education. And except for the Christ-led parochial schools and colleges, the truth is never reached and often summarily rejected. Just because we have a modern society, it doesn't mean that we have come anywhere near overcoming the same sins that mankind has done in their past.

Jannes and Jambres actually were not mentioned in the OT. But it is generally understood that they were two of the chief magicians called in by the Egyptian pharaoh to imitate miracles performed by Moses [GN 7: 8-13]. These men were examples of those who resisted the truth and are compared to more modern false prophets. They withstand works of God by imitating them, creating counterfeit miracles. This makes me think of the ungodly trinity of REV, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. These are people of corrupt minds. They are willing to lie about believing in Christ to further their evil motives. If faced with the truth, they become angry and sullen. We must not be fooled by them. As Peter warns in 1 PET 5: 8, "Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." Such people's existence here on earth are sufficient motivation for us to don the full armor of God, as described in EPH 6: 10-18.

PRAYER: O Lord, it is painful and sometimes embarrassing to have to listen to these all too graphic descriptions of false prophets that You give us in the Scriptures. And yet Your motives in saying these things are righteous and responsible. These warnings are like the necessary reconnaissance a military force must have about its enemies. PS 36: 9, "You are the Source all life, and because of Your light we see the light." Yes, Lord, You are the Source of all wisdom. We must have a solid knowledge of Your word, as described in 2 TIM 3: 16-17. "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." In addition, Dearest Abba, we know how important it is to have an active, dynamic, two-way communication with You in prayer. While hard to do when our emotions have been fanned to flames, we must quiet down and listen for You to speak first. Otherwise, "our tongues will be like tiny flames that can start a forest fire," as James describes in JAS 3: 5. Having said all of this, we must not forget to look for You and what You do in the circumstances of our lives. Discernment of what is the truth and what is a lie can only come from You. So we pray for this, using PS 119: 125, "I am Your servant; give me understanding, so that I may know Your teachings." Once we know this, then our next assignment is to don the full armor of God and to be aware that You have given us the same power You used to raise Christ from death to life to battle in spiritual warfare against false teaching or any other form it may take [EPH 1: 18-20]. We stand grateful to You for Who You are and what You do. We are honored to be on Your team, the winning one, and obey Your commands with all our hearts. No matter how difficult it is to read and understand what evildoers are capable of, we will take all Your warnings into account. We thank and praise You forever, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Next week: I am led to continue this discussion of Scriptures describing the lifestyle of false prophets with 2 PET 2: 1-3, 10-19. While no good and true believer wants to think about such horrific behavior that some participate in, it is absolutely necessary for the sake of spiritual reconnaissance. This is not to tempt, but to ready us to combat liars, cheats, and the like. We can't be apathetic, because that creates weaknesses in us that the evil one will target with his temptations. This author knows from first-hand experience with cult membership just how insidious and destructive it can be. Thankfully, I never had all the trouble mentioned in this devotion, but I had enough to know that I had to get myself disengaged. The process wasn't easy. It took a lot of turmoil in my life to get it on track. But now, when I think of it, this was a breeze, compared to what our Lord Jesus had to go through on the cross, so that those who recognize the truth for what it is can be saved [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 14-15]. His love for each of us is so great that no one can match it. His love and forgiveness granted is given for eternity [PS 106: 1]. When we meet up with someone trying to get away from false teaching, we must help him in every way we can, remembering COL 3: 13, "Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you." Praise and thanks be to the Lord Who loves us so very much!

Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn

© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.

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