Warning
God is a whole lot smarter than we are. God Almighty was concerned that we might be deceived as He put many warnings about such deception throughout His written Word. These are the Holy Scriptures. If we only hear the WORD but do not heed the WORD, we deceive ourselves.
Matthew 24:4-5 Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many.
I felt compelled to followup my prior posts on the Success of Deception. I see more examples daily of the extent of the deception and am taking some heat for the stand and beliefs that I am now sharing with others. I am not here to defend myself but I will not back down from what God has shown me to be truth.
Having been immersed into playing church and living a deceived walk of faith myself, I know all too well how I would have responded in those days to someone telling me I was deceived. That is why it is called Grace by which we are saved and why we cannot boast. It is ALL GOD. So what I say really does not matter, it is up to God to bring light and truth to anyone that may read this. We are to pray for wisdom that only comes from God. Looking at the Word of God as written in the Scriptures there are scores of warnings about deception. The VERY INTERESTING thing I find is that these warnings are almost universally overlooked and ignored by Pastors and formal Bible Studies. These passages do not please flesh, they do not tickle ears.
Even more alarming to the deception is that there is a common theme in all the warnings. We had best become aware and heed these warnings. Souls and the lives of many are at stake. I am going to quickly highlight many of these warnings on deception starting with the Apostles writings and ending with the Gospels of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to take out your Bibles and read around each passage to ensure you get full context that I cannot always convey here. To ensure there is no misunderstanding about the common theme in the warning about deception — here it is.
WE CANNOT PRACTICE SIN AND GO TO HEAVEN, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE SAY WE BELIEVE IN JESUS WITH OUR LIPS.
The great Apostle Paul characterized his own ministry as one of admonishment. This word means to express WARNING in an earnest way. I encourage you to read about Paul’s ministry in Acts and the testimony he gave and the courage he showed to go against the mainstream. Paul knew that after he left, that wolves would come in and that is why he wrote what he wrote and we should all praise God for that.
Acts 20:29-31 know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
The wolves are here my friends. Many have come in the name of Jesus and are deceiving the flock. Ear tickling teachers of apostasy will secretly be drawing followers upon themselves and their churches. It never was about quantity, it was always about quality of faith and disciples. Very sad to see the focus on numbers at the expense of the truth. We are creating false believers and not true disciples.
Faith saves us if we act upon it, trusting in the power of God to lead us unto righteousness. If we do not DO the word, we deceive ourselves and that is where most Christian’s are today. All the Apostle warnings were written to the brethren, the early church, people that believed in Jesus and were active members in Christian fellowship.
Apostle Warnings:
2 Cor 11:2-4 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Paul feared greatly for the early church. He knew OSAS was a lie of Satan. The faith of many was weak, they were practicing sin and had no fear of God. These are all signs of the modern apostasy that was foretold by Jesus, the Prophets and the Apostles. MANY have been led astray and are worshipping a different Jesus and follow another gospel. This is all the work of a different spirit, our enemy the devil who has been lying from day one, deceiving first Eve and since then the majority of those that say they follow Christ.
1 Cor 6:8-10 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians and feared for their salvation. Many were resting on their laurels and following false teachers and permitting active practice of sin in their members without rebuke or correction. Paul warned them sternly in the above passage.
1 Cor 15:33-34 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
In the same Epistle, Paul ends the letter with a reminder of his prior warning. We are not to hang out with people that practice sin, even those that say they believe in Jesus. If we place friendships and reputations and esteem of people before the Lord, we are not worthy of the Lord.
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
In the oft twisted Epistle to Galatians, Paul gives a famous warning about mocking God. If we pursue the fleshly pleasures and lusts, and do not die to self, we are doomed to destruction.
James 1:12-16 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James tells us we will be blessed if we endure temptation, meaning not succumb to it and sin. If we do give in and willfully practice sin, we are deluded about what we call faith.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Can this be any clearer? We die to the flesh and its lusts or else we die. Why is this so hard for people to see. Jesus died for us and we need to die for Him. That is what covenant is and what Jesus meant by us needing to lose our life to gain it.
Ephesians 5:1-7 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
How many Christians hang out and interact with people that practice sin? Almost all of them! All the big churches and all the modern day famous pastors love to get up and with swelling words of vanity, really empty words, tell us we don’t need to die to self. They are tickling ears, pleasing the flesh and leading the sheep to the slaughter with a false gospel of perverted grace. We must make disciples of Christ, not believers in Christ. Jesus said to make disciples teaching them to OBEY ALL His commandments. What happened to the great commission?
1 John 3:2-8 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
If you are not striving to purify yourself, Jesus is not your Lord and He is not your HOPE. That is what this verse warns you about. If we practice sin, we remain un-regenerated, we are not Born Again and we are children of the devil. People under the deception of grace that practice sin are not walking with God nor do they have the Holy Spirit. They are just deceived Christians.
1 Thess 4:2-7 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.
Why is Paul warning believers sitting in a church if their salvation is signed, sealed and delivered? Because salvation requires of walk of holiness that we must endure to the very end. Eternal security is a huge lie and at the heart of deception. If we are not striving to be sanctified which is the will of God, we are out of the will of God. Jesus said only those that do the will of His Father will enter the Kingdom of God. How could we be confused by such a simple truth?
Colossians 3:5-7 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
As Paul states in all his letters, true believers used to, formerly sinned and pursued the lusts of the flesh and things of the world. It was always past tense. The warnings that were all given to the brethren told them they could not currently be doing these things and be saved. The errors of once saved always saved, eternal security, perverted grace have broadened the road Christians are taught they need to walk. God has not changed His ordinances or His Word. These are teachings of men that are leading people into Hell.
Jude 2-4 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 4For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude wrote the early church to tell them they needed to take a stand and contend or stand up and fight for the true gospel and true faith in the Lord. False teachers had come inside the churches and had already begun leading the sheep astray. The devil has placed many wolves in sheeps clothing that continually lie to people telling them the same lies told to Eve. “did God really say” and ” sin and you shall NOT surely die”. These teachers are very difficult to spot from external appearances and the smoothness of the swelling words of vanity. They will carry Bibles and quote widely from them but their doctrines are false not conforming you to godliness.
A little bit of leaven spoils the whole lump of dough. Beware the leaven of the false teachers. If anyone comes to you and preaches a gospel that does not require you to die to self and conform you to godliness, they are blind, devoid of the truth and without understanding of the Word. Do not be deceived and do not follow them. Please read 2 Timothy and 2 Peter 2 for the tell tale signs of false teachers and doctrines.
What Did Jesus Say
Matthew 5:20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. While the imputed righteousness of Christ covers our past sins, we must walk in holiness going forward. See the 1 John reference above, He who practices righteousness is righteous. We cannot just say some words that “we believe”, the gospel does not say that anywhere even in Romans 1o:8-9.
Matthew 7:21 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. This was referenced in the Apostles section but the point is calling Jesus Lord with our mouths is not the criteria for eternal life, yet that is what the modern apostate church is teaching. God judges our hearts.
Matthew 18:2-3 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Little children do not lead themselves, they look to the guidance of their parents or Masters. Being Born Again has falsely been taught as coming instantly upon saying a prayer one time or stating you believe Jesus is God. That is not the case as unless one is transformed into a new creation, after dying to self, laying down their life, they are not Born Again. Those that believe this are just the tares that look like Christians but really are not. True believers follow Jesus, they actually do what He says.
Matthew 19:23-25 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” This story is told in all the synoptic gospels. It is a story about where one’s heart is. If one’s heart is on material things, riches and possessions, they will not enter the Kingdom. Praise God however, as Jesus answers the Disciples question about can anyone be saved with these words. With God all things are possible.
Luke 13:5-9 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 6And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7“And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8“And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. This parable highlights the fact that God’s Mercy is exceedingly great but is not unlimited. Sadly people ignore the warnings and the limits God says He has about sin and rebellion. This type of teaching turns Grace into a license to sin which is a perverted gospel that pleases flesh but sends its followers to hell. God is patient beyond belief far beyond what we deserve, but eventually He will come to look for fruit on our trees, and if He does not find it, God sends in the tree cutters (the powers of darkness) to destroy us. That is God’s righteous judgment whether or not you want to believe it.
It is not the hearers of the Word that will be justified before God, it is indeed the doers. Repentance is not taught, why would it be if our sin does not matter if we simply say “I believe in Jesus” with our lips? Oh how sad the apostasy is in our churches today.
Mark 9:47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell. There are several verses like this that say to cut off our foot or chop off our hand if they cause us to sin. Jesus did not mince words. As outrageous as this statement is to the fallen away church, God said it and He said it out of LOVE. He wanted us to have no misunderstanding about sin and its consequences if we do not overcome sin. God hates sin yet He is a good God and has given us all we need to overcome through the power of cross. That is why Jesus came, to destroy the works of sin (the devil) in our lives. Yes He is merciful but He is above all a HOLY GOD and His judgment and wrath are righteous. If you practice sin, you are blind to the truth, you are naked, stubborn and will not be entering the kingdom unless you repent. This is the truth in the Word.
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. To be born again, the original selfish us that lives in the flesh MUST DIE. Jesus used the illustration of a kernel of wheat (John 12) dying and falling to the ground to bear new life and new fruit. True followers of Jesus are the wheat spoken about in Matthew 13 Parable. We must DIE to SELFISHNESS in order to receive the implanted Word of God. That is how we are washed with water. Then the Holy Spirit comes, not when we say a prayer. The Word must take root in our hearts first and that follows death of self. Apostasy hates to hear this, it comes against their traditions and their flesh reacts to it with hatred and scorn. That is why the truth of God’s words brings division, it separates the wheat from the chaff, the true followers from the fake ones.
Matthew 15:8-9 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. I have referenced these words from Isaiah that Jesus also used many times in my blog. They are a big part of the truth we need to know to be saved. Jesus defined worship that was vain and of no effect to salvation. It was worship that simply said you can say some words with your mouth and that your deeds and what was in your heart did not matter. That is the HEART OF THE DECEPTION Satan has put upon this world. Do not be caught unaware of the devil’s schemes and heed the warnings of the Lord.
John 16:2-3 They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. The Jews tried to push Jesus off cliffs, stone Him and eventually killed Him for the truth that He spoke. We are promised that EVERYONE who wishes to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL BE PERSECUTED. When someone gets the true light of God in their hearts and speaks out on it, they will be kicked out of fellowship and what is called church today. The people blind to the truth will think they are doing a service for God, but they have been deceived by the lies of the devil. They are the ones walking double minded, as harlots and are persecuting anyone preaching righteousness. We are told to be joyful when this occurs to us as it is confirmation that God is working to establish us and confirm us. Praise God for that. These people that do these things know not what they do, they do not know God.
Remember the deceivers are the powers of darkness, aka the devil. Satan is a liar and the father of lies Jesus said. They come to us directly and also exalt their lies into disguised workers of righteousness. You need to understand our enemy and the war that is being waged. If we ignore the devil, he will not flee and their schemes of deception may just be successful. Beware.
I hope this listing of warnings about deception is helpful to you and will get you to think about your walk of truth. Comments are welcome and I pray that all of us will be found worthy to stand before the Son of Man as that day is coming very soon. Below is a video I made subsequent that cover most of the material in the post you just read.
Brother Pete ,
Keep speaking the truth because most of us had to live in deception before we could appreciate it.
I would only add that it is a could time to be connected to him because if you are not you will be deceived.
What you said about cohabitation with the godless flesman as taught by the apostate church to me is the biggest deception.
This deception knocks you out of the kingdom of heaven and most people don’t even know it.
I will always relate what happens externaly to what is going on within the spirit of man.
I would use these two illustrations to expound upon the lie of coexisistance between the old nature and the man of faith within the person of man.
What Abraham had produced externaly in Ismael and Issac he had also in exsistance within his spirit.
He had a child of the flesh and a child of faith (in Gods WORD ) running around inside of him. Within his external an enternal house.
The child of the flesh belittles and laughs at the child of faith because his confidence is in what you cannot detect with senses and intellect and not Gods WORD.
One has to go , thats why Ismael is commanded by the ” bride ” to leave the house.
We have to do the same thing internaly to the man who says if it feels good do it.
Look at the scriptures in the gospel about one taken , one left behind .
We already know that the godless fleshman will be taken out of the way when ” THe Lord Returns”
Again for most people there are these two people warring aganist each other within the person of man, the child of faith and the chid of flesh.
One has to be taken away the other left behind. Isn’t it a spiritual taking away?
If we are talking spirit in the new testament of Jesus lets talk about spirit!
God is going to remove the godless fleshman from us spiritualy if we can’t do it ourselves. One way or another he has got to go in order for Gods goverment to come to this world.
When this happens in my opinion you will have 30,(childern) 60(rulers? priests ), and 100 fold christians ( full stature sons ) within the kingdom of God. Just like the different age groups of maturity within our familys. For the lost of this world there 100 fold taking will mean eternal seperation (Spiritual death ) from God.
Could this not be the case ? I am truly asking because our focus and the focus of the apostate church run along the same ground as far as a 3 dimensional , sense detected Jesus returning to this earth.
He has already came to this earth in the flesh, his spiritual appearing within man after his resurection is the reality, Isn’t It ?A physical Jesus for the deciples wasn’t the spiritual Jesus that they would come to know after his resurection. Which one do you supose they wanted in there life the most, the physical Jesus or the spiritual one? The second coming of Jesus revealed to them the real Jesus , didn’t it ?
We can have his coming within us right now , that my friends is true reality.
Some will cry hersey for what I am saying but isn’t the apostate church our ensample in regards to Jesus second coming ?
They are looking for a natural fleshly Jesus to appear , Should’nt we be looking 180 degrees in the opposite direction regarding his coming? Their vision is clouded we have to have the correct eyesight if we want his truth.
The jews during Jesus time were looking for a fleshly deliverer, we cannot my brothers and sisters.
Please pray about what has been said because I don’t want people believing me , God is to be believed. God bless Jer33:3
We owe it ALL to Jesus our God.
Love and Faithfulness
Article is spot on the money, and this from a believer who arose in the middle of more than one so called “worship service” and walked out. Our church is 2 hours from here and we rarely travel that distance on Sunday morning. However, modern communication does place those sermons on streaming audio and while we realize it’s not the same as placing yourself in the physical presence of believers, at least we have a pastor that teaches right from the book of God. Like the author of this fine article, he’ll tell you exactly how it is.
Those who keep placing Our Lord on the cross are so misled. He sits at the right hand of God and waits the signal. It was not a crucified death for the focus here. Many people were crucified and this is not the point at all. Jesus Christ asked God if the cup could be removed, or could there be any other route to take? It was the crushing weight of the world’s sins upon Our Savior that created the indescribable agony in the garden, not the fear of death.
Take the lowest depths of despair in this life and multiply by 10 times that amount. That is double it, then double it again etc. This is what He did for you on the cross, and even though we could never withstand it, we are to carry our burden as power permits. God will not place more on us than we can handle and that is absolutely biblical. Fine article.
Pete again, you have hit the nail on the head. Many are told they are “christians” even though they practice sin. One of the first steps in the apostasy of the church is calling those who are NOT disciples (Followers of Christ) Christians. It goes downhill from there. Yet many “pastors” continue to give people false assurance through they are not doing God’s will. They refuse to warn and be a watchman as God commanded us to be. They want disciples after themselves. Many Wolves out there and many are willing to receive Everything they say without question. Thank you Pete for not backing down when God has shown us TRUTH. Jer 23:28 “…he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully….”
Great message! I received the same revelation about the false teachers, and how repentance is purposely being left out of the church messages. When the Bible says that FEW will be saved, we can certainly see why. Millions of believers are on the path of destruction. The only thing we can do is keep telling them the truth, so that they might turn from their intentional sins and repent.