Over the last few months certain teachings and doctrines that I have heard at various fellowships have popped up every now and then which have troubled me and caused me to look into things in order to identify and understand the source of these teachings.
I’ve been praying and struggling to complete this message because of how close to home as well as how widespread and world wide these doctrines are.
I have no intention of being judgmental or divisive. It is my responsibility to speak out, to not keep silent and to expose these falsehoods
Proverbs 27:5-6 (NASB)
5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NASB)
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.
The more I look into each of the specific teachings, I realize that all of them ultimately result from and lead back to the denying of the perfect power of the Lord’s completed redemptive work of salvation
All of these false teachings concentrate on works while
supposedly teaching grace
They take our eyes off the Lord Jesus and
subtly direct them to our own actions
2 Peter 2:1 (NASB)
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Titus 1:16 (NASB)
16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
False teachings can only weaken the believer
Ezekiel 13:22 (NASB)
22 Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life, False teachings can only weaken the believer, do not usually encourage a person to be born again and will always create a dependence on the false prophets, false apostles and false teachers through a spirit of submission.
Jesus calls this the teaching of the Nicolaitans—which he hates. “Niko” in Greek is “I win or I conquer”. “Laos” in Greek is “the people”. From here the name Nikolaus—Nicholas in English. Nicolaitan teaching is the domination of the people and their submission to a leader.
True teaching leads a person to be born again and
encourages a total dependency on the Lord Jesus
True teaching leads a person to be born again, encourages a total dependency on the Lord Jesus and strengthens the believer thus giving him or her discernment and sensitivity to the Lord’s voice and the teaching of the Holy Spirit who lives in us after we are born again from above.
John 10:27-28 (NASB)
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
I will address these false teachings in future posts here on my blog.
Some of these doctrines that you should look out for are:
Most or all of these teachings come out of a movement called
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) together with The Prosperity Gospel
An emphasis on and an over-encouragement of the interpretation of dreams and the receiving, expressing and declaration of prophetic words. A attitude of perpetual forgiveness toward false prophets and their inaccurate predictions.
That there are modern day apostles and prophets on the level of the Biblical Prophets and Apostles and that pastors, and elders must submit to the authority, teaching and revelation of these so called prophets and apostles.
Tithing being presented as a central policy of the fellowship and the teaching that we are robbing God and depriving ourselves of God’s blessing if we don’t tithe.
That Jesus will not return unless and until His Bride perfects Herself and makes Herself ready for Him.
That we will will remain on earth during the Great Tribulation and experience a great revival and a great end time harvest before the rapture and before Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives to set up HIs Millennial Kingdom to reign over the nations from Jerusalem.
That we, as a community of believers, will in fact prepare the world for Jesus' return by taking over and dominating the most important sectors of society, mainly: family, government, education, religion, business, media, arts and entertainment.
That a born-again believer can lose his salvation.
That believers can be overcome and possessed by the antichrist.
That the 3rd temple will not be built and that the antichrist will proclaim himself as god in the heart of believers. (We, as individuals and as the corporate Body of Christ, are the Temple of God).
That the two witnesses are not actual individuals but rather two communities of believers that will minister in the end times.
Matthew 24:11 (NASB)
11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
All these teachings are a combination of heresy, blasphemy, eastern mysticism, arrogance, deception, greed after money, sensuality and endless other evils
These leaders and their teachings have created a huge global movement that is sweeping the world and drawing millions of souls into its net
Galatians 1:6-10 (NASB)
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Jeremiah 12:1-3 (NASB)
1 Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? 2 You have planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips But far from their mind. 3 But You know me, O LORD; You see me; And You examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter And set them apart for a day of carnage!
2 Peter 2:2-3 (NASB)
2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
Matthew 7:15-23 (NASB)
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
Charismatic activity and their manifestations
are identical to those in kundalini yoga
From the beginning until minute 02:00
From minute 11:20 until the end
In the early spring of 1999 I was invited to a charismatic fellowship in Cheltenham, England
I was shocked and uncomfortable with all that was going on there and I remember feeling sadness and disappointment that the Holy name of Jesus was being taken in vain and associated with all that was going on there. I also felt sad for the people who come to such meetings with a genuine desire and a heart to seek the Lord.
The screaming, uncontrollable laughter, animal sounds, spasms and convulsions reminded me of those possessed by demons in the Bible
Luke 9:42 (NASB)
42 While he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
I arrived home very disturbed and unsettled. I prayed for understanding and that the Lord would confirm my discernment. I always carried a little green Gideon’s New King James Bible in my back pocket and taking it out my eyes fell on these verses:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NASB)
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
These so called apostles and prophets today are more like super rock stars making millions of dollars a year blaspheming and taking the Lord’s name in vain as wolves in sheep’s clothing ravaging the flock of the Most High
Matthew 21:12-13 (NASB)
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”
False apostles and false prophets are far from
the Apostles and Prophets in the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (NASB)
9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
Hebrews 11:37-40 (NASB)
37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Let our commitment be to the Lord and our focus on Him
Let us draw near to the Lord, the study of His word and may the indwelling of His Holy Spirit always grant us discernment to recognize His voice, to follow Him. Thus we will never be alone because He will never leave us or forsake us and nothing can separate us from His love—He is our comfort and our confidence.
Find a Bible translation that you can read with relative ease
I advise against using a paraphrase as your main study Bible. Do not rely on commentaries for your understanding for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Matthew 23:8-11 (NASB)