Leaven of the Pharisees

Hypocrisy and Apostasy

Emerson Gover

Copyright © 2012 Emerson Gover

KINDLE ISBN: 9781626465244

PRINT ISBN: 9781626466425

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Published by BookLocker.com, Inc., Bradenton, Florida.

BookLocker.com, Inc., 2013, First Edition

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The King James Version is noted with (KJV).

Dedication

To Stan

Acknowledgments

With appreciation to Dorothy Schenebeck, Grace Johnston, Mark, Brenda, Dale, Lillian, Keith A., Lenny, Becky, Dr. A. Adams, Dr. W.K.R., Dr. D. B., Dr. Dan H., J. Hafer and Amanda Price (Editor).

Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART I - WOLVES

1 - THE PARABLES

2 - LIE TO ME; I LIKE IT

3 - STALKING THE SHEEP

PART II - FALSE DOCTRINE

4 - POISONED ON YOUR BIRTHDAY

5 - EXPLOITING YOU WITH STORIES

6 - A LICENSE FOR IMMORALITY

7 - FAITH AND WORKS

8 - APOSTASY WARNINGS IN HEBREWS

9 - THE NARROW PATH

PART III - DOCTRINES OF DEVILS

10 - ELECTION

11 - THE PROMISE-BREAKING GOD

12 - DOCTRINES OF DEVILS

13 - CONCLUSION

APPENDIX A - CALVINISM

APPENDIX B - THE FALSE RAPTURE

NOTES

Introduction

The Pharisees taught Israel the traditions of the elders instead of God’s Word. As a result of this brainwashing, the Jews didn’t recognize Christ when He appeared. The prostitutes, thieves, and illiterate beggars recognized Christ. It was the hypocritical church people who called Him a liar and then murdered Him because the rabbis had implanted a false image of Christ into their minds with false teaching. This is why Christ warned Christians to beware the leaven of the Pharisees. But the church didn’t heed His warning because pastors and priests are repeating the same pattern today by teaching false doctrine. The apostle Paul told us the church would collapse toward the end of the age, describing the event as the falling away, apostasy, or rebellion. He said the members of the church would reject the truth, or sound doctrine, and they would gather a great number of false teachers to tell them lies instead of the truth (2 Tim 4:3–4).

Here’s proof of Paul’s prophecy: Protestants claim to be saved by faith alone even though this phrase appears only once in the Bible: “A person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). Faith alone will not save you, but Protestants believe this lie (tradition) instead of the truth in God’s Word. The situation is no better in the Catholic Church. The bishops say all men are redeemed by Christ and included in Him “whether they know it or not.” They have been teaching this lie since 1965, and no one objected because Catholics don’t read the Bible either. They prefer false doctrine instead of sound doctrine, just as Paul said they would.

Christ said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Both churches reject this too. Many Protestants believe in “once saved, always saved,” and most Catholics think a cheap confession at the end of their lives will get them through the narrow gate. Christ didn’t teach anything close to what these people say they believe. That’s because they have a false image of God that has been implanted into their minds by false teaching from wolves, which is another warning the churches have ignored. Christ told us to watch out for wolves because a wolf is a former Christian (apostate) who probably ruined himself by teaching false doctrine since this is the only sin that brings swift destruction on the offender (2 Peter 2:1). And when Protestants or Catholics repeat these false beliefs to others, they become false teachers themselves. If you warn them about the penalty for this behavior, these church people will laugh in your face, just like the Pharisees mocked Christ. This is how brainwashed hypocrites react to the truth.

The Jews thought they knew Christ, as do many people today, and this is why Christ warned us specifically about this deception in His parable of the ten virgins. Once the door was shut, the five foolish virgins pleaded with Him: “‘Lord, Lord,’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Matt. 25:11–13). Jesus also said, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:23).

If you believe the lies noted above, then you haven’t made any effort to enter the narrow door because you think entry into the kingdom is very simple when Christ says it is very difficult, even for serious Christians. You also have not watched out for wolves because the churches are teeming with them and you haven’t noticed. How can you honestly say you know Him when you reject His teachings? If you continue to reject His teachings, He will cut your branch from the vine. He said the same thing in Proverbs: “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Prov. 29:1 KJV). “Suddenly shall he be broken without remedy” (Prov. 6:14–15 KJV). This is what He meant when He warned us to keep watch because we do not know the day or the hour. The foolish virgins were ruined and cut off from the vine long before He arrived and closed the door. They simply were not aware of their condition.

We’re going to examine what Christ actually taught and make our way back to the narrow path. For some readers, the day and the hour have already passed and reading this book won’t help them because they are already broken without remedy, like the five foolish virgins.

Part I

Wolves

1

The Parables

Woe to you … Pharisees … hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matt. 23:27–28)

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)

God said today’s church would be filled with false teachers and hypocrites, describing them as having a “form of godliness” (2 Tim. 3:5 KJV). This means there’s a good chance you’re a member of the herd. If so, then your moral discernment has been impaired by your hypocrisy. There’s a test to detect this condition. Christ says people outside of His kingdom won’t understand His parables: “But unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand” (Mark 4:12 KJV).

Let’s read some parables to see if you’re in the kingdom. The parables also contain ancient secrets: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 13:35 KJV). Christ calls them secrets, but He sets them out in plain view so hypocrites may see and not perceive.

The Parable of the Talents

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. (Matt. 25 14-15 KJV)

The Lord assigns tasks to His own servants. Upon His return, He says to the first two faithful Christians who doubled their talents, “Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” (Matt. 25:21 KJV). But the “Amazing Grace” Christian with his one unused talent says, “Lord, I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. His lord answered, Thou wicked and slothful servant. Take the talent from him and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:24–30 KJV).

The Lord rewards the first two saints for their faithfulness, but the third unfaithful Christian without any increase is cast into hell. The parallel in Luke is the parable of the pounds: “That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:26–27 KJV).

The Fig Tree

A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.” (Luke 13:6–9)

God plants us in His vineyard and He expects spiritual fruit. A period of time is given for the tree to come to maturity and bear fruit. When God decides this period of grace is over, He declares what will be done with the barren tree: “Cut it down. Why should it cumbereth the soil?” (KJV). Christ intercedes for the barren tree, soliciting one last season of time to produce. Should that fail, even Christ agrees the fruitless tree should be cut down. This ancient secret means each tree is limited to a finite period of grace.

The Vine

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:1–2, 5–7)

The Kernel

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains … a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:24–25)

The Lord said you must deny yourself, for unless the kernel dies, it cannot bear fruit. The branch or the tree that fails to bear fruit, after the allotted period of grace expires, will be cut off from the Vine or uprooted from the landowner’s ground and cast into the fire.

The Narrow Door

Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out” (Luke 13:23–28).

Note carefully how verse 26 reads in the KJV: “We have eaten and drunk in thy presence.”

In other words, “You taught in our churches. We even took communion in thy presence.” But they didn’t conform to the likeness of Christ. They heard the same counterfeit gospel as the people in Lamentations: “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading” (Lam. 2:14). As the parable indicates, many former Christians will be pleading excuses when they realize they didn’t understand what Christ meant by narrow.

The Sower

This parable begins with a farmer who sows seed. Some of the seed falls along the path. Some falls on stony ground. Some falls among thorns, and some on good soil. The Lord explains:

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:11–15)

First we have seed sown in the man’s heart along the path, which fails to take root. Here’s how the man missed the kingdom: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). This man’s heart was so hardened by his repeated violations of God’s moral law that he rejected the seed or the light. Thus the seed is stolen, or “the birds of the air ate it up” (Luke 8:5).

The seed sown on stony places represents the first apostate in the parable. He receives it with joy, but he quickly falls away when trial or persecution comes. This apostate believes for a while, but he doesn’t endure unto the end. Remember the Lord’s warning: “If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown into the fire.” Paul had a similar concern about the Christians in the Thessalonian church. He wrote to them: “We kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way … For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid … our efforts might have been useless” (1 Thess. 3:4–5).

Here’s the second apostate: “The seed among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14). The KJV says, “They are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Here’s Mark’s version: “The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19 KJV).

Finally, the seed on good soil is the only surviving believer. The honest heart receives the word and takes pains to care for it, like a pearl of great price, and by persevering he produces fruit. Persistence must follow belief: “God will give to each person according to what he has done; To those who by persistence in doing good … he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and follow evil, there will be wrath” (Rom. 2: 6-7).

The Unfaithful Pastor

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time,” and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 24:45–51)

The master of that servant will come and … cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:46)

“My Master delays,” says the Christian pastor just before he falls away and the Spirit leaves him. That explains why he begins to persecute the saints. Apostates always turn against the kingdom, as we’ve seen in the Catholic Church. The cardinals and bishops have looked on without any conscience as child predators have raped thousands of children within the Catholic household. Here’s the future for these unbelieving clerics: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral … their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

Notice the theme in the parables above with this passage regarding apostates:

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 12–13)

The Wise and Foolish Builders

Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Luke 6:46–49)

The foolish man builds on the sand. (Matt. 7:26 KJV)

The wise man digs down through his own self-deceit and the lies he has heard from the hypocritical church pulpit and presses in until he understands what the Lord actually taught. Once he understands, then he acts on what he knows. That’s how you lay a foundation. If you don’t do what He says, then you don’t have faith. You have faith alone, the doctrine of apostasy. The moment the trial starts, the collapse will be immediate. That’s God’s promise.

The Prodigal

The younger son receives his share of the inheritance and sets off for a far country, where he impoverishes himself by spending all of his wealth on harlots and riotous living. He soon finds himself in dire need as famine sweeps the land. Eventually he recognizes his sin, comes to his senses, and decides to return to his father, who says, “‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).

Being lost is being dead. You’ve been there before, and you can be there again—twice dead. Similarly, no one should assume repentance is always available before the Lord cuts him off. It’s also important to note that this prodigal wasn’t dead before he left the house, proven by the existence of his elder brother. Consider this parallel: “For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee” (Ps. 73:27 KJV).

The Ten Virgins

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. … The foolish ones used up their oil and missed the Bridegroom’s arrival. The wise ones entered and the door was closed. Later the others also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt. 25:1–2, 11–13).

Christians are the virgins. Paul says, “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Cor. 11:2). In this parable, the pure virgins advise the foolish virgins to go and buy oil for themselves. And how do you buy oil? Christ says it begins this way: “The man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).

Sound doctrine is proven by repetition. Consider this from the parable of watchfulness:

Be dressed ready … and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that … they can immediately open the door for him. … You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Luke 12:35–36, 40)

Here’s another example:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34–36).

Notice the parallel between the words here and those in the parables above. The unfaithful pastor participates in drunkenness. The seed sown among thorns chokes on dissipations, and the seed sown on stony ground eventually falls away under the anxieties and cares of this life.

Notice the Lord says, “I don’t know you.” But it appears He knew them before, so how do we explain this? He said something similar to the hypocrites in the parable of the narrow gate:

Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:23)

We know God can forget our sins. What else can He forget? If we fail in this life, He will say to us, “I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence” (Jer. 23:39). If God can forget you, then He never knew you. The problem is we don’t know when He decides to forget us. The foolish virgins didn’t know they had already been forgotten long before His actual arrival.

The Unforgiving Servant

The next parable is in relation to a forgiven Christian:

Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother …” (Matt. 18:32–35)

The king had forgiven an impossible debt of ten thousand talents, and after the servant was granted a pardon, he refused to forgive his own debtor. Recall the Lord’s warning: “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:14–15). Here we see the penalty if we are unforgiving after our regeneration. The Lord will revoke His pardon, and the debt will be revived. This poor debtor couldn’t pay his debt before. How will he pay it now, while he is being tortured?

The Narrow Gate

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matt. 7:13–16)

There’s a narrow path and a narrow gate, with wolves stalking alongside both, and only a few find it because the wolves will take down most of the others with false doctrine. These wolves will come to you disguised as Christians because they were at one time, before they were cut off. We will prove this in chapter 3.

The Wedding Banquet

Jesus spoke again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. But when the king came in … he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him … into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:1,11–14)

Nobody notices the true condition of the twice-dead hypocrite. He appears to be a Christian to the other guests, but he lacks a garment of fine linen. What is this apparel? “For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. [Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.]” (Rev. 19:7–8).

The Greek translates to “righteous deeds” or “right acts” of the saints. Thus the man without a wedding garment is a man who didn’t have any deeds or works. The King sees through the outward pretense and says to the man, “Friend.” Now that’s odd, isn’t it? It’s almost as if He’s saying, “You look familiar. Weren’t you in My kingdom previously, before I forgot you?” The man has sinned God’s grace away and the hypocrite is cast into the same place as the one-talent Christian without any increase—outer darkness. Neither man had any acts, works, or fruit. Many are called, but after the liars, the hypocrites, and the fruitless are eliminated, few are chosen.

Apostate Salt

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. (Matt. 5:13)

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 14:35)

This is a definite warning against apostasy. How can apostate salt be made salty again? It cannot. Salt cannot be restored.

New Wineskins

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. (Matt. 9:16–17)

New wine requires a new vessel. The new life, the Holy Spirit, cannot be contained within the old, defiled container. If the convert fails to put off the old man of the flesh and be renewed in his mind, the container will break and the Spirit will be lost forever.

Two Masters

If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:22–24 KJV)

After the Lord tells us to store treasure in heaven, He warns us to make a complete break with the old master. You’re either fully committed to His kingdom or you’re not in His kingdom. James says it in a slightly different way: “A doubleminded man is unstable in all that he does,” not just in part. Your eye must be single. Although this parable isn’t an example of apostasy, it explains the failure of the apostates in the previous parables. Anyone who attempts to serve two masters will always end up hating the wrong master. That’s an unbreakable law of Christ.

A Parable in the Mouth of a Fool

You just read the words of the Master you claim to serve. Do you even recognize Him? Does He know you? You were also examined by the Great Physician, and He gave you a diagnosis. Are you blind? Can you hear His voice? You also spent eight minutes with the Sower, and the Enemy is already trying to steal the seed again. He may succeed, depending on where the seed fell. Did the seed fall along the path, on stony ground, among the thorns, or on good soil?

Sixteen of Christ’s thirty-nine parables deal specifically with apostasy. All of the apostates in these parables knew the Lord, but they walked in hypocrisy, trying to serve two masters, which you can’t do. You will end up hating the one that will cast you into hell. Notice these parables only apply to Christians, not to the lost. Note also the theme common to every parable: a man is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. Every apostate in these parables failed to act on his knowledge, or failed to put the Lord’s words into practice, and became a fool. The fool’s first step begins with hypocrisy: You know what you’re supposed to do, but you don’t do it. Our only protection against hypocrisy is to act on the Lord’s instructions. But for some of us, even our love for God isn’t enough to motivate us to put down our flesh and conform to the likeness of Christ. Most of us require the fear of God as an additional motivation, which the truth in the parables provides for us. Remember this distinction: “By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil” (Prov. 16:6 KJV), and it’s only the wicked who have no fear of God (Ps. 36:1). The fear of God keeps us on the narrow path and eventually squeezes us through the narrow door. Recall an old lesson: “By faith Noah, when warned … in holy fear built an ark” (Heb. 11:7). The fearless ones were destroyed.

Apostate Dogs

Look at the description of the apostate in Proverbs: “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly” (Prov. 26:11 KJV). Now compare Peter’s parallel description of the apostate dog: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord … and are again entangled … they are worse off … Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit and A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud” (2 Peter 2:20–22). Jesus also described the apostate as being worse off than at first:

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left.” When it arrives, it … takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11:24–26)

Here’s the end of the apostate dog:

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Rev. 22:14–15 KJV).

Casting Pearls before Swine

You may want a second opinion on what the Holy Spirit just taught you. Your pastor or priest should be able to explain these parables since the Great Commission requires him to “make disciples … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20). His explanations will tell you if he’s a disciple of Christ or the antichrist. There is no middle ground because it’s impossible to serve two masters. A pastor is also entrusted with an office and “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). If your pastor failed to teach you these parables, then he’s proven himself unfaithful with his talent, unfaithful to his flock, and he’s probably twice dead.

If you didn’t understand the parables until now, then you don’t know Christ. He said, “The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” In effect, you experienced the leaven of the Pharisees. The Pharisees didn’t recognize Christ, and neither did you. There are two main reasons why this occurred. First, like the foolish virgins, you didn’t have a sincere devotion to Christ. Second, you were taught false doctrine and you received a different Jesus even after the apostle Paul’s warning:

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere devotion to Christ. For 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. … And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:3–4, 14)

Satan disguised himself as a pastor and deceived you with a counterfeit gospel and another Jesus, and you did more than merely put up with it. You desired another Jesus, and you got what you wanted because hypocrites are lovers of themselves, not God.

Your failure to understand the parables means Christ cast pearls before swine. He tells us why pigs have difficulty seeing:

The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:5 KJV)

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19–20)

You are hiding things beneath your whitewash.

Remember Lot’s Wife

Our moral condition affects our ability to understand God’s Word, and our moral life begins with obeying the first moral law, in which we are commanded to love God with all of our hearts. But this consecration to God demands so much more than what we assume that we have a tendency to deceive ourselves about our motives. That’s why we can be seduced by a different Jesus, a false idol constructed in our minds. It’s an imaginary god who demands nothing from us. Nor can this false idol save us. What we’re actually doing is serving another master under the pretense of serving God. This self-deceit will transform you into an apostate Pharisee, having a darkened understanding and eyes that do not see. You won’t even understand simple parables.

Proverbs describes a person who can’t understand a parable: “As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools” (Prov. 26:9). Just as an intoxicant dulls the physical senses of the drunkard, hypocrisy dulls the spiritual perception of the hardened fool. His warning system malfunctions, as we see in the example of Lot’s wife. She didn’t love God above everything else. She wavered between two masters, and her hypocrisy is what rendered her incapable of sensing the danger when it counted the most. None of us know when our last choice will arrive. There’s a grace clock running for each one of us, and fruitless branches will be cut off. But before that happens, we will receive some warnings. Proverbs tells us, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Prov. 29:1).

How many rebukes can we anticipate? That’s impossible to calculate since the stiff-necked man encounters a disability during the process. He may not recognize the many rebukes that precede his sudden destruction because his heart hardens to the Holy Spirit’s correction as he continues in his moral failure. A creeping blindness overtakes the man’s perception until one day he becomes so dull that he won’t even recognize the arrival of his final choice. For this black sheep, the door closes silently. The day comes upon him like a thief in the night.

Many Protestants don’t think this is even possible, despite what their “Lord” says about it. Even Catholics think repentance is always available, right up to the point of death. Both churches are in error on this point because they have substituted their traditions in place of what Christ taught. That may be why you found the parables difficult to process. In fact, most people won’t understand the parables today because Christ said deception would increase as we near the end, and Paul said the church would be engulfed in a form of godliness. But there’s another event that leads toward this conclusion. It’s an event you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t understand the parables. It’s called the apostasy.

The Rebellion

“Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction” (2 Thess. 2:3). Paul tells us to expect two events before the second coming. One is the apostasy, a rebellion from the faith by Christians. The second event is the unveiling of the man of sin or the Antichrist.

Here’s how the Lord describes the apostasy:

For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against Nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be severe famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matt. 24:5–14)

Luke’s account says:

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you … You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. (Luke 21:11–12, 16–17)

Something else is released before or concurrently with the revealing of the Antichrist: “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back [restrains] will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7). This secret power of lawlessness (“mystery of iniquity” KJV) will cause men to believe a lie and worship the Antichrist as god. Once the birth pangs of economic and geologic upheaval begin, world order will break down, unleashing mayhem between races, nations, and cultures. There will also be persecution against Christians. All men will hate you, and not for any rational reason. That’s why it’s known as the mystery of iniquity. As we enter the growing apostasy, many will turn away from the faith, and the love of most will grow cold. Many and most constitute a majority.

Some Christians believe the restrainer is the Holy Spirit or the church, which is taken out of the way before the tribulation, but no one can prove that from the Word. The Spirit and the church will be present in the earth during the tribulation. (See appendix B: “False Rapture.”)

Consequences of Apostasy

What happens to those who fall away or depart from the faith? Let’s repeat two passages:

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord, and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning … . It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to have turned their backs. (2 Peter 2:20–22)

These men are … autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead … for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:12)

Twice dead means born again and dead again, but now their condition is worse than at first (before regeneration). They cannot return to the faith:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because … they are crucifying the Son of God again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb. 6:4–6)

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy … How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot … treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and … insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb. 10:26–29)

The apostate was enlightened, sanctified, shared in the Spirit and was a branch in the vine. But he fails to continue in the faith and is cut from the vine. That’s why Paul warned the Roman Christians that they could be cut off like the Jews:

But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God … kindness to you, provided that you continue … Otherwise, you also will be cut off. (Rom. 11:20–22)

You No Longer Hear His Voice

King Saul is an image of what we’ll see as we approach the end of the age. When King Saul turned away from God’s commands, God sent the prophet Samuel to deliver the bad news: “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king” (1 Sam. 15:23). “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Sam. 16:14). Then King Saul said to the prophet Samuel, “God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me … So I have called on you to tell me what to do.” Samuel replied, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy?” (1 Sam. 28:15–16).

Saul could not hear because God did not speak to him anymore. Recall what Jesus said: “The reason you do not hear is because you do not belong to God.” What was Saul’s offense? He merely rejected the word of the Lord. How often can a man reject the truth or deliberately continue in sin before he crosses over? He won’t likely know or even care because of the delusion. His foolish heart becomes darkened again, but with a deeper blindness than he walked in before his conversion. It will be impossible to reach him. God puts a permanent chain of darkness on the man—so dark he may not know the Spirit has departed. On the other hand, some apostates do know what has happened. Like the disciple Judas, they will have an inner tormenting fear because they know deep down that all they have left is an expectation of a raging eternal fire. Like Judas or Saul, the inner terror might push them over the edge.

Violence

As the apostasy unfolds, Christ says the love of most will grow cold and many will depart from the faith. That’s better understood if we first define love: “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:3). Our love grows cold when we disobey His moral law. We depart from the faith in the same manner. Faith is our claim we know Him, meaning we obey the moral law of His kingdom. Otherwise we don’t really know God: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4 KJV).

Here’s another piece of the puzzle: Jesus says the end will be like the days of Noah. What was it like in those days? “So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence” (Gen. 6: 13). But look at Luke:

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came … It was the same in the days of Lot … But the day Lot left … fire and sulfur rained down from heaven … It will be just like this. (Luke 17:26–30)

How can the entire earth be filled with violence and still seem normal? First the seed sown among thorns was choked to death by normal things, the cares of the world. That’s why the path to hell can seem so normal. Second, violence has a parallel in the spirit realm: “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good” (Prov. 16:26). A false teacher leads his listener down a path to hypocrisy, apostasy, and eventually the lake of fire. There’s nothing more violent than that, and this is why teaching false doctrine is the only sin noted in the New Testament that will destroy you swiftly. The grace clock stops, and the last judgment has already been rendered for the offender.

2

Lie to Me;

I Like It

Let’s begin with some basics about the Bible. First, God’s Word is without error: “Every word of God is flawless” (Prov. 30:5). Second, there are no contradictions in the text, or as Jesus said, “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35 KJV). There are no other statements in the Word that will contradict the truth found in the parables. Some might seem like they do, but they don’t.

So how did you miss something as simple as the parables? Let’s start with an example to demonstrate how you became blind. Recall the parable of the talents where the wicked one-talent servant was cast into outer darkness. Dr. Charles Stanley, a past president of the Southern Baptists, gives us his explanation of outer darkness:

This place is clearly not hell. Well, then, where is it?[1]

To be in the “outer darkness” is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority. The “outer darkness” represents not so much an actual place as it does a sphere of influence and privilege.[2]

It is simply a figure of speech describing their low rank or status in God’s kingdom.[3]

That might be a relief if not for the simple fact that we knew outer darkness was in hell the first time we read it. There are only six other occasions where the terms outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth appear. The first instance appears in the parable of the narrow door:

Then you will say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he will reply, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth. (Luke 13:26–28)

The second occurrence is in the parable of the unfaithful pastor, where the Christian pastor says:

“My master is staying away a long time,” and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and … He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 24:48–51)

The third occurrence is found in the parable of the marriage banquet, where one guest lacks a garment.

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matt. 22:13–14 KJV)

The fourth occurrence is when Jesus informs the Pharisees of their eternal fate in outer darkness. Finally, the fifth and sixth occurrences are found in the parable of the tares and the weeds and the parable of the net. When the angels finally reap the earth at the end of this present age, the weeds, all who do evil, and all of the bad fish will be “cast into the furnace of fire, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:41–42, 50 KJV).

That clearly places outer darkness in hell, the end of the Christian hypocrite who buries his talent. He never follows Christ as a disciple, he denies Christ by his behavior, and he will receive a permanent lesson in what the phrase “grace abounds” does not mean. He made the same error as the Christian without a wedding garment, a garment woven from righteous acts. This hypocrite didn’t complete his preordained works: “For we are created in Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10 KJV). The banquet guest was called, but he wasn’t chosen because, like so many Protestants today, he was taught that moral purity, bearing fruit, and walking in the preordained works is “works salvation” or legalism.

Now we have a framework for hypocrisy. Our first step into hypocrisy always requires us to violate the truth or disregard it in some way so we can lie to ourselves about our sin. That process works much better, we think, if a church pastor will feed us a lie sprinkled with holy water. That’s because hypocrisy generates such a strong demand for an excuse to whitewash our wickedness that we’ll believe just about anything except what Christ taught. That’s why Baptists pay high wages to a man with a doctorate in theology to tell them hell is in heaven.

The narrow path is narrower than most of us want to believe, and that’s why Dr. Stanley rejected the Word and created false doctrine to substitute for the truth. Now he has taught us that we can be lazy, wicked servants and still enter the kingdom. Unlike the Lord, who wrote the book, Dr. Stanley doesn’t believe wickedness bears any penalty since he’s teaching us to do exactly what the Lord warned us to beware doing. And if Dr. Stanley’s listeners aren’t wicked hypocrites already, they soon will be. You are what you eat, so to speak.

Twice the Sons of Hell

A Christian who fails to increase his talent will be cast into outer darkness. Anyone who teaches differently is exhibiting a trait of the Pharisees: “Woe to you Pharisees … you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matt. 23:13). Dr. Stanley’s doctrine may lead impressionable people and innocent children to believe it’s possible to enter the kingdom without increasing their talent. Unfortunately they won’t because they put their trust in a pastor who shut the kingdom in their faces with a lie. This is comparable to eternal murder, which is why the Lord described the Pharisees as unmarked graves and blind guides.

The child who now believes he doesn’t have to increase his talent, since hell is “clearly” in heaven, becomes confident that the lie sown in his mind is the truth because he heard it from a pastor who claims to know God. Unfortunately, this little boy will likely become twice the son of hell as the pastor, as the Lord explained: “Woe to you Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matt. 23:15). Why will the child be twice as much? The lie sown in his heart will grow into a stronghold. Once the lie is implanted as truth, it becomes twice as hard to convince him otherwise. Satan’s church has just poisoned the heart of a child, which brings us to something else the Lord warned us about:

Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. (Luke 17:1–2)

Annulling the Word

Now our problem gets worse. If we believe outer darkness is a sphere in heaven, then we remove the truth from the parables of the talents, the narrow door, the wedding banquet, the unfaithful pastor, and the weeds and the net. That means we have to believe all of the following characters will end up in the kingdom of God: the Pharisees, evildoers, guests without wedding garments, bad fish, unfaithful pastors, everyone who does evil, and all of the wicked, lazy servants who buried their talents. However, these people won’t make it into the kingdom in spite of the teaching ministry of Dr. Stanley.

The Lord reproved the Pharisees for this same wicked practice:

Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites … These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. (Matt. 15:6–9)

A rule taught by a man is a lie against God’s Word. Over time, the rule becomes a tradition and replaces God’s commands. The Lord said to the Pharisees, “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9 KJV).

Now the truth in six parables has been annulled or rendered meaningless by a rule Dr. Stanley teaches. One of those parables tells us our failure to increase our talents will exclude us from the kingdom. If you missed something that important in one parable, then what was annulled in the other five? At this rate, it’s possible to annul yourself into hell. This should have been evident as you read the parables, unless you have already become twice the son of hell. As you can see, Dr. Stanley’s one inexcusable error will tend to corrupt other parts of the Word, blinding the reader to even more of the truth.

A Form of Godliness

Advancing toward the root of hypocrisy, the Lord said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). That requires a sacrifice from anyone who claims to be a legitimate Christian, and this is where we usually take our first step into hypocrisy. Our flesh doesn’t want give up anything, much less everything, so we start to search for an excuse to justify our refusal to obey our “Lord.” The only real solution is obedience, but since that’s what our flesh wants to avoid, we deceive ourselves. We think we can avoid the required sacrifice and full well reject His commands by distorting the Word to make it mean what God never intended. We create false doctrine, which we think will allow us to do exactly what Christ said we could not do: serve two masters. Then, instead of conforming to the likeness of Christ, we end up walking in a form of godliness.

Look at Paul’s description of today’s church:

In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness. … Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth [morality] … so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds. (2 Tim. 3:1–5, 7–8 KJV)

Paul adds, “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to … doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared” (1 Tim 4:1–2 KJV).

A demonic doctrine includes any teaching against God’s Word. For example, if you continue to believe you don’t have to increase your talent because you think hell is “clearly” a sphere in heaven, then you will discover—much too late—the source of that doctrine.

Finally, let’s add Peter’s description of today’s church:

There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways … In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. (2 Peter 2:1–3)

Now let’s put a practical face on those verses with an example of introducing heresies and exploiting souls with stories. We know blasphemy, or the unpardonable sin, is committed by exhibiting contempt for God, His Holy Spirit, or His Word. The Lord says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32).

Here’s Dr. Stanley’s view on the unpardonable sin:

I agree with a host of biblical scholars that this unique circumstance cannot be duplicated today. The Pharisees had seen proof after proof that Christ was who He claimed to be.[4]

Dr. Stanley goes on to assure us that Christians can’t commit the unpardonable sin today. So how did we resist the truth and full well reject the command of God, for the sake of a lying tradition? We simply made up a story about Pharisees and annulled Christ’s warning. Dr. Stanley and his host of blind scholars overlooked the fact that Jesus said blasphemy would not be forgiven in this age or in the age to come. There’s going to be a rebellion at the end of the coming age—the millennium—and blasphemy will occur then as well as now. Paul also said blasphemers would inhabit the form of the church today. Here both the Lord and Paul warn us blasphemy will definitely occur in this age. Anyone who teaches that it can’t happen today is clearly teaching against the Lord and “the Lord is that Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17 KJV).

Dr. Stanley is correct when he says there are hosts of biblical scholars today who believe the way he does, but they’re wrong. Paul tells us why:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:3–4)

This great number of teachers may not know where hell is. They will know later, along with those who listen to them, since false teaching will seduce them to turn away from the truth and depart from the faith. This form of godliness also means it will become difficult to distinguish Christians from apostates. How do you detect an apostate? “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God” (2 John 9 KJV). If a pastor isn’t teaching according to the Word, then he isn’t in the kingdom. Isaiah agrees: “If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20 KJV).

Hemlock

The first sign of a Christian will be his reverence for what God wrote in His Word. And if we expect to enter His kingdom, then we have to conform to what His Word teaches. When we refuse to do that by distorting His Word, our moral perception begins to darken, and we take our first steps away from the narrow path. God refers to this process as turning justice into hemlock (Amos 6:12 KJV). Most of us have absorbed some false doctrine or poison because the Enemy can transform himself into an angel of light and stand in the pulpit or hide himself inside the pages of a “Christian” book. This means we may believe doctrine that doesn’t originate from the Word of God. In fact, we can simply hear a lie so many times that it replaces the truth. It becomes a tradition that nullifies the Word. It’s better known as brainwashing. For instance, Protestants have heard “faith alone” so many times they think it’s the summation of Christianity, but the phrase only appears once in the Bible: “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:17, 26 KJV).

The one-talent servant believed in Jesus. He had faith alone since he knew his master and he knew his master was coming back. But he lied to himself about works. That means faith alone won’t save you. When a pastor teaches faith alone, he’s teaching hemlock. He’s training you not to act on your knowledge, like the one-talent servant. He’s training you to profess to know Christ but not to obey Him. And if we’re not obeying Him, then we’re serving the wrong master, which is easier to do than we might assume, as we shall see next.

Peter’s Problem

There are two entities working together to pull us into hypocrisy. First, we have an Enemy waging war against our souls. Second, working very closely with the Enemy is something within us, the sin nature (flesh). The Enemy approaches our sin nature, almost below our mind’s consciousness, in the same area where God makes His evaluation of us. King Solomon warns us:

Serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (1 Chron. 28:9)

This reveals the importance of pure motives, as explained in the Sermon on the Mount: only the pure in heart will see God. Our motives have a direct correlation to spiritual warfare, and Peter provides us with an example. When the Lord asked the disciples what they thought about Him, Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you … for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (Matt. 16:16–17).

The Holy Spirit was the source of Peter’s thoughts and words. But look what happens when the Lord explained His approaching crucifixion:

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt. 16:22–23)

First Peter spoke by the Spirit without being conscious of the source of the influence on his thoughts. Immediately after that he spoke by the spirit of antichrist. Peter was operating under the influence of two unseen powers affecting his thoughts, and both of these influences were beyond Peter’s conscious control. People try to excuse Peter by arguing, “Peter meant well. He was sincere.” Well, his words did make perfect natural sense, but they were from the Antichrist. Have you ever received sincere counsel like that from a Christian? Sure—in fact, we’ve already seen some examples in the last few pages.

The Antichrist manifested himself directly through Peter’s soul. Remember Jesus said Peter was already clean (saved). So can a Christian have a demon? Peter did. Our soul can manifest the presence of powers from two different realms. If our motives and devotion to God aren’t pure, then our souls will sincerely manifest the demonic. And like Peter, we will probably assume it’s just ourselves talking since the Enemy can speak in the first person.

How did Peter manage to expose himself to the Antichrist’s power? Paul says:

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Rom. 6:16)

Peter offered himself to the wrong master because his motives weren’t pure. He wasn’t thinking about the salvation of men when he made his remarks to Christ. Peter’s motive wasn’t for God’s purposes at all, but it seemed right. That’s because “all a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Prov. 16:2). And the more our hearts stray from God’s purposes, the more susceptible we become to the influence of the Antichrist’s power, as Peter demonstrated. Your thinking becomes corrupted, when compared with God’s moral order, but like Peter, you aren’t aware of the corruption even while you’re manifesting a demon. You can be serving the wrong master while you are sincerely convinced you’re serving God. All of us experience Peter’s problem to some degree, but it must cease or we will eventually end up hating the wrong master. Unless your motives change, you might end up claiming Christ as your Savior, but He won’t claim you.

Peter’s problem also explains why people might think outer darkness is in heaven. If they really loved God, they would have spent twelve hours reading through the New Testament. A failure to do that means they’re still serving the old master, the flesh, which exposes another interplay. Jesus said, “My words are Spirit,” but we also know our flesh is hostile to the Spirit. That spiritual conflict explains the hypocrite’s reading difficulties. Recall why Jesus said He taught with parables. Those who are purely devoted to Christ will understand them. Those outside of His kingdom will not. The failure of Dr. Stanley, or anyone else, to understand the parables indicates the following: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 4:3), or “hid to them that are lost” (KJV). Here’s another possibility: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Once we misinterpret the Word of God, we usually end up teaching false doctrine to others. That’s not good since Jesus warned us, “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account … in the Day of Judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matt. 12:36–37 KJV). Jesus confirmed this when He included liars on the list of the condemned: “Everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev 22:15), or “whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (KJV). We can spot the hypocrite in that last line. The hypocrite loves lies because he needs them to justify his refusal to serve God. He doesn’t love God, and neither does he want to increase his talent since that would interfere with his pursuit of his pleasures, so when a man tells him outer darkness is in heaven, he likes it. But notice the hypocrite’s reward for intentionally accepting a lie: “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:12).

Charms and Divinations

Believing in Christ requires us to conform to what He taught. Otherwise we don’t really believe, and we’re using God’s name in vain. To avoid facing that indictment, we normally select a church that teaches false doctrine since the whole object of the doctrine is to excuse our hypocrisy. For instance, a church that teaches faith alone, exclusive of any actual conformance to Christ, will produce a flock that thinks believing mentally, without actually changing, is the mark of a saint. That’s dead wrong, but their flesh likes the lie. Since they’ve chosen to delight in wickedness, they will experience a delusion. Now these people can hear the truth, sing about it, and almost touch it, yet they won’t actually conform to it because of the delusion.

Here’s a good example. The Lord says, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me” (John 10:27 KJV). “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). If you don’t hear, you don’t belong to God. Many Christians see these verses and they know the truth, but they aren’t concerned that they don’t hear His voice. They know they heard before, or they wouldn’t be reading this book. That’s the power of the form of godliness, hypocrisy.

These people were probably taught numerous lies that convinced them certain verses don’t really mean what they say—that the words are just figures of speech or aren’t applicable for us today. All of these lies veil the reality of the words right before their sleepy virgin eyes. Yet these people are sincerely certain the words can’t possibly refer to them. Here’s how it plays out today, as it did in the garden of Eden: God tells Eve not to eat the fruit or “You will surely die.” The Serpent says the exact opposite to her: “You surely shall not die” (Gen. 3:4). That’s how Eve was deceived. Simple, isn’t it? Jesus warned us against blasphemy or the unpardonable sin. It can occur and will occur. Dr. Stanley says it cannot occur.

The Sorcerer’s Spell

Here’s God’s warning to false prophets (pastors) who teach lies to His flock:

I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds … I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power … and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. (Ezek. 13:20–23)

The lies or magic charms that men preach have the power to distort your perception and immobilize your ability to obey the truth. The charms can overcome your warning system, just as Eve was deceived. And each lie or divination will spin an invisible veil over your soul that darkens your perception a little at a time until you become blinded to the truth. Then, as Ezekiel said, you won’t turn from your evil and save your life. No, you won’t even detect the evil you have concealed underneath your whitewash. That’s the power of the magic charm; you become spellbound under the power of the Enemy’s divinations. As our previous example of faith alone demonstrates, the process is similar to brainwashing. Your mind conforms to what it feeds upon, even if it’s a lie, and one small piece of hemlock can begin to distort or poison your entire doctrine. For example, if we believe outer darkness is in heaven, then we must annul or reject the truth in six parables. That’s what the Enemy, along with our flesh, wants us to do—reject Christ’s words. Then we stop hearing His voice because He doesn’t speak to hypocrites.

Since our flesh likes lies, we’re susceptible to being charmed and poisoned with hemlock or false doctrine. From there we become hypocrites under a spell. For instance, if you read the parables many times before but didn’t perceive them until now, then you were experiencing the effects of hemlock. You were being transformed into a son of hell, not a son of God. That’s why you might have been trying to deny what you were reading, which is common for a member of the form church. There are two reasons why this occurred. First, the flesh is hostile to the Spirit. Second, the enemy was whispering sincere thoughts to you from the darkness. While you were trying to accept what you were reading, since every Word of God is flawless and your spirit witnesses to the truth, you had other alien thoughts running through your darkened mind. You have Peter’s problem.

For example, most Protestant denominations teach faith alone and the doctrine of once saved, always saved, the modern translation of, “Surely you shall not die.” If you’ve been subjected to that hemlock for an extended period, then you had problems reading the parables. No doubt many older Protestants will reject this book as falsehood even as they read the very words of the Lord they used to serve. That’s because they’ve been taken captive again. They didn’t hate their lives, and now they have forfeited their souls. Paul warned them: “See to it that no one takes you captive through … deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8). The KJV says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through vain deceit, after the tradition of men and not after Christ.” Christ said the same thing: “Hold fast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11 KJV).

Yes, a man can take your crown. He can charm you into hell. For instance, if you believe outer darkness is in heaven, then you immediately annul the truth in six parables. It also teaches you that you don’t have to increase your talent, bear fruit, or complete the works God preordained for you. If that poison takes effect in your soul, then you will eventually arrive at the judgment without a wedding garment, lacking even a pocket in which to carry your one damned talent. But you’re not concerned about any of this because the false prophet stripped the fear of God out of your soul when he said it was impossible to commit the unpardonable sin. Your view on this will change when the Lord summons an angel to have you slain before Him and cast into the lake of fire with the Pharisees and the other sons of hell.

Incidentally, if this is your first attempt to formulate a working definition of fruit, then you haven’t produced any. And there’s no telling when or where you buried your talent.

Tyranny of the Mind

So far we know that any Protestant church teaching once saved, always saved, is teaching false doctrine. Catholics are also teaching false doctrine when they claim repentance is always an option, right up to the point of death. All humans are susceptible to propaganda, indoctrination, brainwashing, and deception. It’s more accurate to describe this as sorcery because every lie underneath the propaganda has an evil power attached to it, which has an evil effect on the listener. Sorcery may not sound modern, but that’s what brainwashing is.

Thomas Jefferson understood the power of lies, and his words are engraved on his memorial: “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal enmity against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Here are the words of another man who understood the power of the lie: “By clever and persevering use of propaganda even heaven can be represented as hell to the people, and conversely the most wretched life as paradise”—Adolph Hitler.

Indeed it can. Ask a Southern Baptist.

Are you still trying to convince yourself the parables in chapter 1 can’t be true even though Christ taught them? The truth is coming into conflict with your previous brainwashing or what you thought was true. This is known as cognitive dissonance—where the patient sees new evidence that contradicts his core beliefs and struggles to defend his old beliefs. He will try to ignore the new evidence, deny it, or rationalize it away. This is what George Orwell meant when he said it “requires a constant struggle” to see what’s right in front of our faces.

Before you choose to deny what Christ said, consider this:

For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thess. 2:10–12)

3

Stalking

the Sheep

The last two chapters might induce the hypocrite to ask himself how he missed so many simple teachings. Obviously the swine doesn’t love God, as he professed, or he would not have missed those basic lessons. He let himself be deceived. Perhaps it happened to you. For instance, if you didn’t understand your Lord’s parables before now, then someone must have charmed you. No one gets that dull naturally. Somebody lied to you, and it must have happened inside a church because you sure weren’t studying the Word at home, sleepy.

Holding to the truth sets us free, but we can’t hold to it if we don’t know what it is. The Lord said, “My words are spirit and life” and “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (John 8:51). This means the Enemy will attempt to leaven, distort, and corrupt as much of God’s Word as he possibly can. And once the listener ingests the poison, he normally won’t keep Christ’s words, and he will see death. The wolf will take you captive by false teaching. He wants you to go to sleep in your lukewarm state, fail to increase your talent, bear no fruit, fail to do God’s will, and claim to know Jesus while stumbling into hell. He intends to take your crown. The wolf lost his crown, and he wants to take yours because he is now an enemy of God. More than likely you’ve encountered a wolf before, probably without knowing it. You might have read one of his books, viewed his broadcast, or sent him some “seed faith” mammon. Your pastor may be a wolf, which explains why you didn’t understand the parables of your “Lord.” Jesus warned you to watch out for wolves because of the danger, but you didn’t bother to find out what He meant because you’re not His servant. Men shall be lovers of their own selves, not God.

Unmasking the Wolves

Paul reveals the breeding ground of wolves:

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. (Acts 20:29–31)

The wolves will arise from among us. He might be preaching the Antichrist right there in your own church, but you won’t notice if you haven’t studied the Word yourself. You also will not really care what the wolf preaches if you’re serving two masters. You’re merely making an appearance, and you won’t notice when the wolf distorts the truth and builds false doctrine on a few isolated verses. He’s able to do this because most people don’t want the pure gospel of Christ since it contains a cost and a personal cross. The wolves will give them a distorted substitute. It won’t save them in the end, but the sheep may not be aware of that fact. This different gospel and another Jesus are merely what their flesh desires.

Now we know the origin of the wolves. We also know some other things about them, including their teaching techniques. We know men in these last days will abandon the faith and follow things taught by demons. The false teaching will come through hypocritical liars, and the converts who listen to these liars will turn away from the truth and turn aside to myths. For example, we were taught the myth that outer darkness is a sphere in God’s kingdom. This myth or lie is the secret introduction of a destructive heresy. It’s only secret in the sense that the listener is so pathetically dull that he missed it. That’s how heresies are secretly introduced.

We also know “there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways” (2 Peter 2:1–3). That’s why Paul says, “Watch out for those who put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching … Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord … By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (Rom. 16:17–18) or “deceive the hearts of the simple” (KJV). The simple would be the dull ones who missed the parables. The wolves will also teach lawlessness or grace as a license for sin: “They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Immorality refers to any violation of the moral law, not just sexual immorality. In effect, the apostate wolf will actually teach lawlessness under the cover of grace abounds.

The evidence leads us to conclude the wolves are apostate pastors and teachers. Add up the facts: We know the wolves will arise from among us and appear in sheep’s clothing. The hypocritical liar must have known the truth before, or he can’t be a liar. He also knows enough Scripture to deceive the simple, the ones who don’t know the Word. He’s also robbed of the truth (1 Tim 6:5), indicating he had it before. (The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth [John 16:13].) His conscience is seared, implying it wasn’t previously. The wolf is also an autumn tree, indicating he experienced several seasons of growth before he failed to bear good fruit and then slipped into winter. He didn’t know God’s definition of narrow includes a time factor, which ran out. He might as well sin now. In fact, the apostate can’t stop sinning. The Spirit of truth departed from him. “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!” (2 Peter 2:14). They “cannot cease from sin” (KJV).

In addition, these men were bought, but they denied the Lord. Now they’re without fruit, uprooted, accursed, and twice dead. But they will feast with you without the slightest qualm. That’s because they might be your old friends. These men also knew about grace because they turned it into a license for sin. They also knew the truth, for now they distort it. And Paul warns us to keep away from them. Paul wouldn’t refer to lost men in this manner since our mission is to seek out the lost. Paul tells us to shun them because they are evil men, broken beyond remedy.

Members of the apostate churches will have a difficult time with that conclusion in spite of the evidence presented. Instead of conforming to God’s kingdom, they believe God should conform to their vain imaginations. If they really want the truth, it’s right there in front of them. As Paul said, “For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand” (2 Cor. 1:13). Or as Jesus said, “Go and find out what this means.” In other words, we can understand these things if we take the time to study the Word ourselves. But most people abdicate their duty to God and ask the wolf pastor to do it for them because they are hypocrites.

Eating Catholic Sheep

With wolves fresh on our minds, let’s discuss the child predator scandal in the Catholic Church. First, until 1965, Catholic doctrine on two important issues was much closer to what Christ taught than Protestant doctrine. Catholic doctrine formerly held that salvation requires faith plus works and that sanctification is an ongoing endeavor, as the Lord explained in His parables. However, most Protestants incorrectly believe in faith alone for salvation and that sanctification is a one-time event. However, Catholics are wrong to believe repentance is always available for an errant sheep, right up until the point of death. Since this doctrine conflicts with the parables, then it must be false doctrine. It’s not as serious as the Protestant error of once saved, always saved, but it’s still false, and this error is the catalyst for changing grace into a license for sin, which is what fueled the child predator scandal. Christians were appalled by the depravity of the leaders and expected them to repent of their abominable sin and reinstate moral order. But what they don’t understand is that most of these men cannot be renewed to repentance. These men are uprooted trees who no longer possess a conscience, which explains why these men didn’t protect the children for over sixty years and why they fail to exhibit any contrition or remorse for their sin today. (More errors in Catholic doctrine will be explained in a later chapter.)

Catholic readers should consider this: You know Protestants are delusional when they claim to be saved by faith alone, but that’s what their leaders taught them, even though God says, “A person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). In the same vein, Catholics believe repentance is always an option, even though God says there is a point when it becomes impossible to be renewed to repentance. How else can Catholics explain uprooted trees, twice-dead apostates, branches being cut off and thrown into the fire, being worse off than at first, apostate dogs, wolves, seed among thorns, seed on stony ground, and apostate salt, just to name a few examples? Catholics can’t claim repentance as a lifelong option any more than a Protestant can claim salvation by faith alone. But both churches still defend these false doctrines. The Pharisees defended their false doctrines of men, and all of them are in hell.

Let’s make another observation: This predator scandal began unfolding in Peter’s church in the 1950s, and it has taken place on five continents. Four successive popes and the clergy knew all about it and did nothing to stop it. In fact, Pope John Paul II addressed the scandal as follows: “Where sin increased, grace will all the more abound.” This is where Catholics should begin to perceive the effects of the hemlock in their doctrine. If repentance is always available, then the serial rapist gets a serial pass. The Catholic Church will not hold him accountable for his sin since the pope and the bishops have changed grace into a license for sin.

Let’s reconsider the error again and restore some moral clarity: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire” (Heb. 10:26–27). “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have shared in the Holy Spirit … if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance … they are crucifying the Son of God again” (Heb. 6:4–6).

If raping children isn’t deliberate sin, then nothing is. If raping a child isn’t evil at its very core, then evil no longer exists in Catholic theology. All of the American cardinals, the pillars of the church, deliberately fed the souls of children to predators. How did these men become so depraved? The swiftest path to apostasy is to teach false doctrine. Peter warned, “There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive [damnable] heresies … bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1–2). Who would Peter be warning if not Catholics? Protestants aren’t even part of the true church, according to Catholics. Peter also told Catholics about apostates: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and are again entangled in it, they are worse off … Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit” (2 Peter 2:20–22). It’s over. The dog will not be coming back. It’s impossible to renew him to repentance. Arguably, if the bishops can stand aside as predators destroy the lives of little children and not become apostate dogs, then Peter was a liar. Peter also said, “There will be false teachers among you,” meaning the Catholic Church. But the Magisterium taught their sleepy flock that the bishops are “infallible in matters of faith and morals” (doctrine). Catholics should have believed Peter, not the bishops. The Magisterium charmed the sheep.

Peter’s warning again: “There shall be false teachers among you … by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1–2 KJV). The world now mocks Christ and the church as a result of the child sex crimes committed by “holy men.” Catholics brought shame on Christ because their leaders are depraved. The apostle Paul said there would be blasphemers in the church, having a form of godliness, “men who oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected” (2 Tim. 3:8). This could include the entire Magisterium of infallible bishops. It was the leaders, the Pharisees, who led the Jews to destruction. The bishops are doing the same thing to Catholics today.

Test Them and Judge Them

The Lord said to the Ephesian church, “I know your deeds … and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false” (Rev. 2:2). He commends His Church for refusing to tolerate wicked men. Paul endorsed the same discipline at the Corinthian church:

I have written you in my letter not to associate with … immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world … But that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you. (1 Cor. 5:9–13)

Why the expulsion? There’s a penalty for supporting a wicked man: “Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work” (2 John 11). That means you will share in his final judgment for destroying the souls of men—blackest darkness, which is in the lower reaches of hell.

The Lord gives us more insight on the wolves after His parable of the narrow gate. Since we can’t always identify wolves by their outward sheepskin appearance, we have to look at their behavior, their teaching, and the fruit they produce. Here’s the warning:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom … but only he who does the will of my Father … Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matt. 7:13–23)

First, the Lord warns us that few will find it. That means only a few will understand God’s definition of narrow. Second, He tells us to watch out for false prophets or false teachers. From those two warnings, we should expect the wolves to deceive us about the width of the narrow path. Just as you determine a true Christian, do the same for the wolves. Examine the fruit by observing his behavior and his doctrine. If you want to unmask the wolf, look for the prime fruit of his doctrine—lawlessness. If his doctrine doesn’t promote obedience to God’s moral law, then the tree is bad. And once the teacher is found to be false, expel the wicked man. Jesus commends that action, and Paul instructs us to reprove false teachers. We have a duty to contend for the faith and defend the truth, not only for ourselves but also for the protection of younger Christians. They don’t know anything about false teachers, wolves, bad trees, or bad fruit.

Bad Fruit

Before we discuss the wolves’ doctrine or bad fruit, let’s make a few observations. First, not all apostates comprehend their new condition, so the fact that they don’t hear His voice isn’t a concern to them. They can still preach dead sermons and write demonically tainted “Christian” books, but deep inside they sense that life has become an empty charade. They may try to cover their hopelessness, their burnout, and their animosity toward Christians, but it’s still there beneath the surface. The Spirit is gone now, and the apostate has returned to his state of pure flesh, and the flesh is hostile to the Spirit and Christians. It can’t be any other way. As Jesus said, if we try to serve two masters, we will end up despising the true Master, and that’s how the apostate feels inside. He has a predatory drive against Christians. He senses this but can’t control it. He might anxiously read the Psalms to himself, but he’ll never end up beside the still waters again. His cup will never overflow, and he will never return to the paths of righteousness. The apostate will never leave the valley of the shadow of death. You can imagine the anxiety, hopelessness, and fear that might plague the apostate. As Jesus said of the apostate Judas, “He will wish that he had never been born” since he’s the most hopeless being in the universe.

With that background, we can predict certain aspects of the wolves’ teaching. First, in spite of the apostate’s animosity toward Christians, he still needs mammon, and he may lack the skills to earn a living outside the church, so he remains there. One of the first things we might notice about his doctrine will be his opposition toward the Holy Spirit since the Spirit no longer resides in him. He may say the Spirit no longer operates as He did at first and that the gifts were only for starting the church. Of course, the wolf will always say the gifts of pastor and teacher are still active today as he stands there and teaches lies to you.

The wolves also know that very few will remain on the narrow path since they didn’t. They also know a convert can deceive himself about his salvation. They did. They don’t hear His voice and never will again, but they see you sitting there like a Christian for one hour a week, listening to their lies. The wolves also know they can always take advantage of some common weaknesses. For example, the wolves can preach about prayer even though they never pray themselves since it won’t help them now. They know many Christians don’t pray either. The wolves can also teach about the importance of studying the Word because they know you don’t do that either. That’s because you don’t understand it, and now you know why. You have a veil over your heart. The wolf knows this too because he’s the one who put it there with his magic charms.

The wolf will also omit true repentance from his teaching since he no longer has any concept of repentance. His conscience is permanently seared, and he can’t be renewed to repentance. His description of repentance won’t include changing masters. He’ll describe repentance as “changing your mind” or “having faith” in God’s “abundant grace,” a conversion that only affects your mind, not your motives. And after you claim to believe, you’re free to continue in your immorality but come to church occasionally or confession once a year. We won’t be legalistic about it. That way you will feel like a Christian. You even look like one. So does the wolf.

The wolves always omit our obligation under the covenant to conform to the likeness of Christ. Protestants are susceptible to this omission because they’re usually way out of balance on grace, and they wrongly believe in faith alone for salvation. They love to quote the following passage: “If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:14–15). But this passage doesn’t even apply to the apostate. The unfaithful pastor’s works will be burned up, along with his soul. This was also true in the Old Testament:

But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of … he will die. (Ezek. 18:24)

As explained earlier, God can forget souls as well as sins. He’ll say to the apostates, “I never knew you.” Or, “I forgot the deeds you did before you turned, and then I even forgot you.”

On the whole, the wolves’ doctrine will lead you into a form of godliness instead of a transformation of your motives. And as more of your sin is excused under their leavened grace doctrine, your heart will become harder even though you won’t sense it as it hardens. There might not be any signpost indicating where you went wrong, but it happened. You’re just cold now. You never hear His voice, and you don’t care that you don’t. That’s how apathetic your heart becomes under the other master. The wolf crippled you, and now you’re off the path. You see, apostasy occurs secretly. You don’t have to make a public announcement that you don’t believe in God any longer. No, you will probably continue to attend church even though your heart is now beyond conviction. You may not even realize you’ve become twice the son of hell.

Stalking the Young

Wolves attack the easy prey first, which would be fresh converts. Peter points this out:

Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. (2 Peter 2:17–18)

Take the young convert, one who has just escaped from the world. His heart is extremely pure, and his darkened mind has been enlightened to the kingdom. He’s seeing things he couldn’t see before. He’s on the narrow path, and his conscience is clear. You remember that time in your life. It was supposed to continue. What happens? Well, he thinks everyone who calls himself a Christian has a pure heart like he has now. He also assumes the pastor has been walking in this same bright light for decades, so he must be a spiritual giant, especially if he has “doctor” in front of his name. But suppose he stumbles into the “sanctuary” of a wolf. The wolf talks about grace, unconditional love, and tithing, of course, and the new convert starts to bond with the pastor. However, the convert notices some of the man’s teaching seems slightly out of place here in God’s building. It sounds a lot like his old lifestyle. That confuses him slightly because he knows he has a new creation burning inside of him. But Dr. Hemlock chants on, “It’s all grace now. You can’t out-sin the grace of God.” Or maybe Bishop Wormwood hisses, “Repentance is always available.” So the infant Christian shrugs off that inner voice. After all, these people know more about the Lord than he does, don’t they? Maybe not.

Infant lambs tend to be vulnerable because the wolves may have taught from the pulpit for decades before they turned. They know a lot of terminology and dead letters that might impress the infant lamb, which allows the wolf to scheme and distort the Word. The infant might even notice discrepancies between what he reads in the Word and what the pastor teaches. Then he begins to question his own anointing to understand the Word. After all, he thinks, his pastor must be better at this than he is because Dr. Hemlock studied Greek. He stops reading the Word and relies solely on the pastor’s sermons. All the better to eat you with.

This is the danger Paul pointed out when he described his own teaching methods: “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27). The whole spectrum of the Word is necessary to ground us in the truth and avoid deception. Once we do that, Paul concludes: “Then we will no longer be infants … blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).

Without that, we open ourselves up to a different gospel, since that’s what our flesh wants. Trust me—your flesh will seek out a wolf. Soon enough the wolf pulls the infant off the narrow path that leads to the narrow gate. The salt is beginning to lose its saltiness. The infant’s consecration to the true master begins to weaken and he starts looking back. His lamp is beginning to flicker because the wolf is siphoning oil from the lamp of the foolish sleepy virgin.

Stalking the Weak

Now we turn to the second type of easy prey for the apostate wolves. That would be the unstable, which isn’t a reference to someone with a chemical imbalance in his brain, although he may wish he had that as an excuse when he stands at the judgment. No, we’re talking about the convert who wavers between his desire for the kingdom and his desire for the world. James says, “He is a doubleminded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:8).

This little sheep can be seduced quite easily since the wolves are experts in greed. They know the hooks that appeal to the Christian who fails to put his sinful nature to death. That’s how the wolves became apostates themselves. They know the man’s doubleminded instability from his worldly selfish ambition will cause him to disregard the error in the doctrine or the bait. The wolves preach grace as a license to sin along with an endless stream of sermons on “seed faith” prosperity, and the unstable, greedy hypocrite drinks it all in, almost unaware of the trap.

Jesus warned us about greed: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15). Paul concurs: “For of this you can be sure: No greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom” (Eph. 5:5). If that wasn’t quite clear, Paul added, “But they that will be rich fall into a snare, which drown men in destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through” (1 Tim. 6:9–10 KJV). Here’s Peter’s warning: “Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:3K). “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up” (2 Peter 2:3). “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!” (2 Peter 2:14).

Recall these verses when you listen to the Protestant “seed faith” moneychangers when they preach their prosperity gospel. These wolves hide their greed under lessons on faith principles, yet they never teach the most important principle of faith: Obey me and I will manifest myself. No, they’re going to make merchandise of your soul by appealing to the greed of your flesh. If the wolf is successful, then you will eventually err from the faith, just like he did, pierce yourself through, and be drowned in destruction.

Error of the Wicked

The Lord says, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples” (John 8:31 KJV). That’s exactly what the wolves don’t want you to do, so they’re going to teach perverse things against the Word. Our protection will be wisdom or knowing the Word and conforming to it. Proverbs states: “Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways” (Prov. 2:12–13). Notice how the wicked men in this verse are those who were formerly on the straight paths. The straight path is one of moral purity, which is the only path to eternal life. Proverbs says, “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality” (12:28).

This explains why Paul warns us to put our flesh to death and why Peter urges us to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11). That’s the war the apostates lost, and their doctrine of lawlessness will tempt you to do the same thing. However, for you to do that, you must first distort or avoid what God wrote. Now observe the connection: “Unstable people distort the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). That’s why Peter continues, “Therefore, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position” (2 Peter 3:17). The King James reads, “Beware being led away with the error of the wicked.”

Distorting the Word of God or the error of the wicked is one of the more subtle dangers we face because it usually occurs in a place where we least expect it—inside a church. So beware what you hear from many of today’s churches. “Taking the shield of faith … to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph. 6:16 KJV).

Watch out for Wolves

Why was the Lord’s warning so cryptic? Wolves are difficult to detect because of their outward sheepskin appearance. Don’t expect them to behave like the gadarene demoniac, living naked among the tombs and cutting themselves with stones. No, the wolves will teach from pulpits, be presidents over Protestant denominations, sit on church boards, teach your Sunday school, preside over seminaries, and burn incense inside Catholic cathedrals. You will even find them sitting in Peter’s chair in Rome.

That’s what wolves do.

Part II

False Doctrine

In regard to false teachers, Paul said, “As I urged you … command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1 Tim 1:3). “For there are many … deceivers … They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not” (Titus 1:10–11). “Their teaching will spread like gangrene … and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Tim 2:17–18).

If you were blinded to the parables, then someone deceived you. If you don’t understand the truth in those parables, you tend to reduce your probability of entering the narrow door. You should also be incensed about the fact that the one who poisoned you was a pastor or a priest. Of course, part of the responsibility was yours since you refused to endure sound doctrine and turned away from the truth. You did that because your flesh didn’t want to change masters. You wanted to serve two masters, and that impure motive opened the door for the dog pastor to attempt to destroy your faith and take your crown with false doctrine.

You see how hypocrisy generates the need for false doctrine. With that link as our focus, in part II, six short chapters, we’ll examine the core of the doctrine of Christ and provide some examples as to how the Lord’s doctrine can be distorted, opposed, annulled, and leavened to accommodate the hypocrites. This will demonstrate how easily hemlock can be introduced and how it will veil your perception and darken your understanding. Additional passages concerning the danger of apostasy will also be introduced. Almost every passage found in the New Testament dealing with apostasy, false doctrine, and apostate wolves will be incorporated into this short book. Since false doctrine is the main driver behind the unfolding apostasy, then we need to know sound doctrine for a comparison. That means more Scripture will be cited in this book than you might have expected. Comparing Scripture against the doctrine men teach is the only sure way to determine if they’re lying to you. The full text of the supporting passages will be provided for your convenience rather than merely being cited as references.

4

Poisoned on Your

Birthday

Paul describes his preaching as follows: “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience …” (2 Cor. 4:2). “Nor handling the word of God deceitfully” (KJV).

Distortion

Paul preached the whole will of God to avoid imbalances in his doctrine. We practiced the same method when we pulled together sixteen parables to set forth the truth plainly. Now we can safely conclude that we have sound doctrine merely from the repetition. That means we won’t find anything in the Word that will contradict the apostasy taught about in the parables. In fact, the parables, strong as they are, will assist us in defining our doctrine in other areas. All sound doctrine will mesh together because Scripture cannot be broken. Searching for these repetitive themes that run throughout the Word will prevent us from incorporating distortions into our doctrine. This whole will approach—or comparing Scripture with Scripture—is referred to as systematic theology. Even though most pastors learn this basic principle in seminary, they seem to forget all about it in practice. Dr. Stanley demonstrated this when he told us outer darkness was in heaven. That’s an example of a distortion or handling the Word deceitfully.

Let’s look at another example. Many people are taught that salvation is simply a matter of “Believing in the name,” followed by a stanza of “Blessed Assurance.” Well, will that save us? Probably not. Dr. Stanley quotes the following verse all by itself in his book Eternal Security while teaching on the assurance of the believer: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

This one verse, taken out of context, does seem to say, “If you believe in the name of the Son, then you know you have eternal life.” Before we deceive ourselves again, let’s look at the remainder of the letter to see what John means by these things:

We … have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who … does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. … Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. … Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. … Do not love … anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him … The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:3–4, 6, 9,15–17)

No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him … Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God. … Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (1 John 3:6, 10, 14–15)

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them … (1 John 3:24)

This is love for God: to obey his commands … (1 John 5:3)

That’s what it means to believe in the name of the Son. That’s the proof we need in our lives to know we have eternal life. Without that proof, you can forget about assurance. But Dr. Stanley didn’t mention any of these things in his discussion on assurance. It gives one the impression that believing in the name is all that’s required for salvation. It’s a distortion to discuss one verse out of ninety-six in the letter in an attempt to teach assurance.

One last point: “I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray” (1 John 2:26) or trying to “seduce you” (KJV). John is saying, “Don’t lie to yourself. Anyone can say he believes in the name. But if you really want to know if you’re on the narrow path, then measure your life against what I have written here. Men will distort the Scriptures by ignoring large portions of it to advance their own kingdoms. That’s why I am writing these things to you, so you won’t be seduced by a wicked wolf, miss the narrow door, and end up in the lake of fire.”

This simple example demonstrates how we can stand on one verse of scripture and have the assurance of putting ourselves in hell. Truly believing in the name of the Son means we will believe or put into practice the truth in the preceding ninety-six verses.

The Narrow Door

To understand how repetitive distortion affects our perception, let’s look at another example. In the parable of the narrow door, “Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to’” (Luke 13:23–24). “Because narrow is the way unto life and few there be that find it” (Matt. 7:14 KJV). And when the guest without a wedding garment of works was cast into outer darkness, Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:13–14 KJV).

Few means not many. So why do we immediately assume we’re all included in the few? “Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown” (Mark 3:15 KJV). That’s why. That’s also what happened to the apostates in the parables. Satan stole every word that was originally sown in their hearts. But being robbed of the seed isn’t the only reason why we think we’re all part of the chosen few. Most of us have been taught a very serious distortion in regard to the cost of changing masters. The parables tell us the many who try and fail to enter the narrow door will fail because they didn’t count the cost correctly.

Cost

If we were to paraphrase Jesus, He defined the cost as, “Give me your life or forfeit your soul.” Here are the first few passages:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26–27)

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:24–26)

Jesus also taught four parables explaining the cost. The first is the approaching king:

Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:31–33)

The opposing army will blind you, castrate you, ravage your women, slay the old folks, and then sell any survivors on the slave block. Faced with that, what would you do? While the king is still a long way off, the wise man will put down his sword and sue for terms of peace. Surrender everything of value and the king might spare your soul. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? If he has any sense, he will give up everything. He will submit his life to the absolute rule of the approaching king. This parallels the parable of the one-talent servant. In the end, the king says, “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”

Here are the other two parables:

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost … For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him. (Luke 14:28–29)

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he sold everything he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44–46)

Notice how the treasure is found in a field in the first situation as if by accident. But the merchant only finds Christ after a long, meticulous search. Irrespective of the circumstances in which we find Him, He tells us we should pursue Him now as if nothing else matters.

Jesus focused on the cost from many angles. The Lord is like a pearl so priceless that a man will trade everything he has to obtain it. It’s worth more than a man’s life. In fact, that’s the price. There’s even a death involved, like a kernel that dies. But few will understand this, so He tells us to pause and calculate carefully since those who fail to finish the tower will be humiliated. Or those who fail to pay the proper tribute will be slain without mercy by the approaching king.

Calculating the cost will entail an evaluation of the motives of our heart. The other master must be exposed and eliminated. That requires focus, as He explained in three more of His parables. The first says:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19–21)

Here it is again:

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:22–24 KJV)

Here’s a sharper focus: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:32–33).

All This

The Lord concluded by saying, “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. … I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you” (John 16:1, 4).

In other words, “I warned you of the cost. It’s everything a man has. When you stand before My throne, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.” How much is that? It depends on how much a man would actually give in exchange for his soul. What is your soul worth? Look at how you have lived your life up until now. That tells you exactly what you think your soul is worth. That’s how you calculated the cost. What kind of deal did you make for your soul? You understood the cost, and you vowed to pay that cost. After all, you said you loved the Lord with all of your heart. There’s nothing you wouldn’t do for Him. You even prayed, “Your will be done,” no matter the cost. And you took that vow seriously, since He says, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed” (Eccles. 5:4 KJV).

Or maybe you didn’t do any of that, sleepy. Why? Perhaps you heard a distorted gospel delivered by that charming Dr. Hemlock. Now compare all this with Dr. Stanley’s gospel:

All Jesus requires is that the individual “believe in” Him.[5]

Acting like God’s child didn’t get you in. Not acting like one won’t get you tossed out. God’s unconditional love is eternal. Salvation is forever.[6]

The Bible teaches that God’s love for His people is of such magnitude that even those who walk away from the faith have not the slightest chance of slipping from His hand.[7]

If that’s the Lord’s gospel, then why does it contradict His parables? All of the apostates in the parables were “tossed out” of the kingdom because they “walked away from the faith.” Nor is God’s love “unconditional.” But that error is from Stanley’s distorted view of faith:

God does not require a constant attitude of faith in order to be saved-only an act of faith.[8]

Again, saving faith is not necessarily a sustained attitude of gratefulness for God’s gift. It is a singular moment in time wherein we take what God has offered.[9]

Once again, all of the apostates in the parables believed. All of them had an act of faith at first. But the Lord says the cost is a component of faith, which the apostates failed to calculate correctly. Where does that leave one who listens to Dr. Stanley’s gospel, which doesn’t include any cost whatsoever?

Here’s another faith alone opinion on salvation provided by Dr. Charles Swindoll from his book The Grace Awakening:

And that gift comes to us absolutely free. Any other view of salvation is heresy, plain and simple.[10]

“You’re telling me, Chuck, that by simply believing in Jesus Christ I can have eternal life with God, my sins forgiven, a destiny secure in heaven, all of this and much more without my working for that?” Yes, that is precisely what Scripture teaches.[11]

He has simply taken the gift of eternal life. He has changed his mind toward Christ (repentance) and accepted the free gift of God apart from works. Period. Transaction completed.[12]

The Lord didn’t preach that “precisely.” Was His view heresy? And repentance is certainly more than changing your mind. Lot’s wife changed her mind, once too often. Her heart didn’t change. That was the Lord’s point: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6: 21). Nor do we have a destiny secure in heaven after we “simply believe.” Again, every apostate in the parables simply believed. Neither do we “take the gift” of eternal life as if it’s a physical object. Eternal life doesn’t exist outside of Christ. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

We partake or share in the Holy Spirit. “That ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world” (2 Peter 1:4 KJV). That means we might not continue to partake in the Holy Spirit if we fail to remain in Him. God’s Word “precisely” states in Hebrews that apostates no longer share in the Spirit: “For it is impossible for those who were once made partakers [shared in] of the Holy Ghost … If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance” (Heb. 6:4–6 KJV).

Everything we see is part of a temporary universe, which will become part of the old order (Rev. 21:4). We currently live in two realms. The one we see with our physical eyes is the former things. The one we experience through faith is the new order (Heb. 9:10). The gift is free in the new order through the blood of Christ, but it costs everything a man has in the old order. The gift exists in another realm, which we enter through repentance or by changing masters. Once there, we have to remain in Him, where the life exists, and one act of faith will not keep you there. Faith alone is dead. The narrow path includes repentance, giving up everything a man has, and making every effort to enter. But we just witnessed two men who claim to be Christian pastors who say all we need to do is simply believe. “Transaction completed.” But the Lord’s own parables demonstrate specifically how to put ourselves in hell after we simply believe.

Don’t Come

The blood of Christ cleanses a man’s heart, but that’s not the end of faith, as Christ taught. Who would know better? The cost must be understood or the convert hasn’t heard the gospel. Nor will he complete the tower since Dr. Hemlock told him it’s already finished. If you don’t intend to pay the cost, don’t come. That’s how Christ evangelized. The Lord wouldn’t allow the rich young ruler to come until he counted the cost. He loved him and told him to go and sell everything first, and then come. The Lord wasn’t going to be tortured to death to let this young man deceive himself into hell, living a life of pretense, walking in an imaginary doctrine of unconditional love and a “destiny secure in heaven.” That sort of convert won’t make any effort to cast off his flesh and devote himself to one master. Why should he? I wouldn’t. You wouldn’t either. In fact, you probably haven’t if you believe one act of faith will put you through the narrow door. Christ shoved a personal cross right in the face of that rich young ruler. He declined Christ’s shocking invitation, but he didn’t deceive himself about the cost. Jesus didn’t let him come without merit or apart from works, as we hear today from the wolf’s pulpit. (Apart from works or not of works are phrases that reference the works of atonement practiced under the Old Covenant.)

The rich young ruler still has hope if he decides to give his heart later. Actually there’s more hope for him than the hardened hypocrite because he didn’t encapsulate himself inside a powerful hypocritical form, sitting in some church, eating and drinking in His presence, just one heartbeat away from hell. The rich young ruler had more integrity than that. Don’t come until you have counted the cost or you’ll only deceive yourself further and walk in a form that can make your heart virtually impenetrable. You can walk in that form for forty years, sitting on the pew or standing in the pulpit, writing leavened books, preaching hemlock, and then one day step off that platform into hell. Transaction completed.

Poisoning the Lost

There’s a high probability you were poisoned on the first day you heard some distorted version of the gospel. That means you were set up for apostasy on the day of your “salvation.” And at that point, you didn’t even know what apostasy meant. The wolf slipped some hemlock into your birthday cake. Oh sure, you were exposed to some light from the gospel, but it won’t save you in the end because you didn’t change masters. You didn’t repent. The antidote to eternal corruption is repentance or as the terminally poisoned fools call it today, legalism. But God takes a different view. He calls it “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18).

We can’t help the lost captive if we subtract most of what Christ taught and call it the gospel. We’re only giving the man half of the antibiotics. The evil strain of sin only mutates and becomes harder to eradicate because it takes on another form—a form of godliness. The convert isn’t told he must remain in Him, bear fruit, or increase his talent. Nor will he understand the big deal about this invitation thing. So he says to himself, “Why not take this cheap grace invitation? Besides, I behave just like these hypocritical whores except that I haven’t said, ‘I believe in Jesus.’”

But he has a problem. He was aborted, and singing “Just as I Am” isn’t going to help. He thought repentance was an invitation to change his mind rather than a command to give his life. But he took the invitation, and now the prey thinks he’s saved. That’s pure wickedness, not good news. The cross is still foolishness to the poor man because he never encountered it. The church just found a man lying on the side of the road, stripped, robbed, wounded, and half-dead, and today’s version of the Good Samaritan dog pastor kicks the carcass to see if it moves, rifles through the defenseless man’s pockets, gouges out his eyes, throws him into an open grave, and then brags to everyone about how he put the poor man up at the inn.

The Thief

Some point out the thief who was crucified with Jesus didn’t have any fruit, and he entered Paradise that very same day and all he did was believe. That’s true, but to use this one example as a model of salvation would be a distortion. Christ distributes His talents according to each person’s ability. None of us are hanging on a cross like that thief was. The Lord addresses each person in the unique circumstances in which He finds him. We should not use the example of the thief on the cross to depend on the effectiveness of deathbed conversions. In fact, I question whether older people can be converted at all. Their grace limit expired before mid-life, and their hearts are so hardened at this point that it’s virtually impossible to change.

Hypocrites also throw up the example of the jailer in Acts 16.

There was an earthquake, the doors of the prison opened, and the chains fell off the prisoners. The jailer prepared to kill himself because he would executed for allowing the escape. When Paul and Silas told him that none had escaped, the jailer pleaded, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. (Acts 16:29–32)

What do you think Paul spoke to the soldier’s family? Paul said to others, “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27). Maybe Paul warned them, “No fruit, cut it down.” And since Paul feared being disqualified himself, he certainly didn’t preach “one act of faith” as the gospel.

Summary

Jesus said, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). If your current pastor or priest didn’t drive that point home, then you need to move on to another church. In your search, listen closely to the new pastor, and remember Isaiah’s edict: “If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” If you follow men like this, eventually there won’t be any light in you either, dull one.

5

Exploiting You

with Stories

Peter warns:

False teachers … will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the … Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves … In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up … (2 Peter 2:1–3)

How does a false teacher manage to exploit a person’s soul with stories that have nothing to do with God’s Word? For our first example, let’s revisit the one-talent Christian who is cast into outer darkness and examine Dr. Stanley’s explanation a little deeper:

The final verse of this parable is so severe that many commentators assume it is a description of hell. It is not. Keep in mind that this is a parable. A parable is used to make one central point.[13]

Before we can understand the full impact of the parable, we must first determine what the “outer darkness” refers to in the context of the parable. It certainly does not mean hell in the parable. How could a master throw a slave into hell? This phrase appears in a similar parable in chapter 22. In that parable an unwanted guest is bound and thrown out of a banquet hall into the “outer darkness” (see Matt. 22:13); it clearly refers to being thrown outside a building into the dark. … This place is clearly not hell. Well, then, where is it?[14]

To be in the “outer darkness” is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority. The “outer darkness” represents not so much an actual place as it does a sphere of influence and privilege.[15]

It is simply a figure of speech describing their low rank or status in God’s kingdom.[16]

A Figure of Speech

Dr. Stanley assumes the hypocrite without a wedding garment is merely thrown outside a building into the dark, concluding, “This place is clearly not hell.” But this is one of the six instances in the Bible where outer darkness is mentioned, and all six are references to hell. Dr. Stanley merely made up a story, saying outer darkness is “clearly” not hell, and removed the truth from the parable. If Dr. Stanley is one of the premier pastors of the Southern Baptists, then you can imagine the darkness that must veil the souls of sixteen million members since God says, “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked” (Prov. 29:12 KJV).

Undue Confusion

Dr. Stanley also says a master can’t throw a slave into hell, but Christians understand this King to be the Lord. Jesus is describing His kingdom to us. Did we forget who Jesus is? Now here’s the footnote, referenced earlier, that Dr. Stanley uses to explain why the wicked servant resides in a sphere in heaven:

It is a common error when interpreting parables and illustrations to confuse the figurative details of the illustration with elements in the real world. This tendency to bring details from the realm of the imaginary to the real world causes undue confusion. Jesus’ reference to the branch that was thrown into the fire and burned in John 15 is a good example. Some have interpreted His words to mean believers who do not bear fruit are removed from the body of Christ and eventually thrown into hell. (Zane) Hodges comments, This statement (John 15:6) has caused needless perplexity. The main reason for that is the strong impulse many readers have to identify the reference with fire to hell … There is no reason at all to think of the fire as literal, just as we are not dealing with a literal vine, literal branches, or literal fruit. “Fire” here is simply another figurative element in the horticultural metaphor.[17]

The infant convert may not understand the gravity of what just occurred. The Vine is probably the strongest anchor for sound doctrine in the entire New Testament. It explains our relationship to Christ, and His words can be translated into any language and be universally understood. Every child has seen the leaves wither on a branch stripped from a tree. Dr. Stanley may think bringing the “details from the realm of the imaginary to the real world causes undue confusion,” but little children aren’t confused about it. Corner your eight-year-old, and say to him, “Mommy and Daddy are so dull, so sin hardened, so bereft of sense, and hate God so much that we can’t understand this simple parable.” Then ask him where a place might be that’s dark and where people grind their teeth and wail. He’ll tell you exactly where it is. Eternity is set in his heart, and he still has his integrity. He hasn’t corrupted himself.

Dr. Stanley has now annulled six parables and John 15. Surely we wouldn’t want to believe the “figurative elements” of the Vine have anything to do with Christ’s kingdom or those who are cast into hell. Why would Christ be teaching about those things?

The teaching of Zane Hodges and Dr. Stanley is an example of Paul’s prophecy: “While evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). Or it’s an example of what Peter described: “These matters … contain some things … which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).

The Real World

As to Dr. Stanley’s “real world,” the Lord said, “I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world” (John 17:14). If you believe the Vine, the branches, and the fire are imaginary details that don’t fit your real-world perspective, then you have your worlds mixed up. Christ also said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” but that doesn’t make it imaginary. In fact, if you don’t believe in the unseen world, then you aren’t converted or you’ve become an apostate. John also said this about the antichrist spirit that inhabits the apostate wolves: “They are from the world [lost] and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world [lost] and the world [lost] listens to them” (1 John 4:5). That’s not a figure of speech. Paul also addressed this real-world problem: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8). He also said, “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is … not on earthly things” (Col 3:1-2).

Imaginary Fire

Dr. Stanley doesn’t believe John 15:6 is a reference to fruitless believers being thrown into the fire, but the rest of us understand this as a description of how His kingdom works. He said, “Remain in me.” If you become separated from the Vine, you will not bear fruit, and you will be cut off and cast into the fire. If that’s not what He meant, then why teach the parable? Are His words truth or not? Don’t we have some clues as to what the Lord was actually talking about here? Shall we reject the light and trample John 15 like pearls before swine, as we did those other parables? Why don’t we just cut those pages out of the Book? Some might as well because the charm cast over their souls will prevent them from seeing the truth behind the words.

You can test this. Select a friend from a Baptist church, and ask him his opinion on the parable of the talents. You’ll see a demonstration of the power of the magic charm. You’ll see what the enemy has done to the man who has been enchanted by his own pastor. It will anger you because you know where the Enemy is taking him. It will also be next to impossible now to recover him out of the snare. Reason and truth will have no effect on his darkened mind. You might reach him when the storm comes. That’s what it will take to shake him out of his deadly form and crack his bronze forehead. He might come to his senses in the belly of the whale. Then again, he might not—ever.

Meaningless Metaphors

If Dr. Stanley believes the fire is “simply another figurative element in the horticultural metaphor,” then should we also ignore the other references to horticulture? How should we treat the occurrence of seeds, roots, fruit, crops, vineyards, weeds, tares, grain, trees, sowing, reaping, harvesting, and fire? Should we treat them all as meaningless horticultural metaphors? We want to be consistent, don’t we? Was the garden of Eden real or imaginary? Angels will reap the earth at the end of the age, gather the wheat, and cast the chaff into the fire. Is that imaginary?

Here is how we recognize apostate wolves: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:19–20). These wolves are also uprooted trees. Are all of these metaphors nonsense too? John the Baptist (a true one) said this about apostates: “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 3:10). Is that metaphor merely figurative?

Paul said Christians could be broken off just like the Jews:

Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. (Rom. 11:20–22)

Are we to fear a figurative cutting off? And why would Paul say to the Galatian Christians, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked … The one who sows to please his sinful nature … will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit … will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7–8)? That means a Christian will reap eternal destruction if he persists in metaphorically sowing to his flesh.

Here’s another metaphor: “‘Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the Lord … ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them”” (Mal. 4:1).

That’s not farm talk. There’s nothing figurative about that at all. A failure to see these plain statements indicates hardness of heart, which comes upon a man after he insults the Spirit. It renders him unable to grasp a simple analogy like the Vine. (You must remain in the Vine, where the life resides, or die.) Then he begins to believe even darker things, like the following:

The fact that I don’t take advantage of a gift says nothing about who it belongs to. It still belongs to me. You can take a gift and bury it in the back yard, but it is still yours. Once you accept a gift, you are stuck with it, like it or not.

—Dr. Stanley[18]

The one-talent servant buried his gift, and the Lord said, “Take the talent from him.” It didn’t belong to him anymore. He wasn’t “stuck with it.” He also ended up in that imaginary fire in hell.

What a wicked mess we have now. The only way to fix the ending of the one-talent Christian was to make up a story about hell being in heaven. But that lie annulled the truth in six parables. Then we got our worlds all mixed up, and now we can’t tell the difference between flesh and Spirit or heaven from hell.

More Stories

It’s possible to deceive ourselves about our salvation, so Paul warned us to examine ourselves to see if Christ really is within us. Here’s how you fail the examination: If you don’t hear, then you do not belong to God. But Dr. Charles Swindoll says God no longer speaks to men. From his book, The Mystery of God’s Will:

His Word is God’s final revelation, until He sends His Son and takes us home to be with Him. Yes … final. … Tell me you have determined God’s will from the Scriptures, carefully studied within the context in which it was given, and you’ve got my attention and my respect. … Don’t talk to me about a voice, especially one you heard in the middle of the night while standing in your kitchen. … In all my years of ministry, I’ve never found a reliable incident of such revelation.”[19]

God’s Word provides all the light we will ever need on our journey through this life.” “It helps us think theologically.[20]

If we didn’t have the completed Scriptures, we would certainly need some phenomenal, Spirit-guided evidence that God wants us to do such-and-such.[21]

All this ties in beautifully with our walk with the Lord, for God is not only invisible and sovereign, He is also silent. Some of the great hymn writers have scripted eloquent lyrics on this subject.[22]

God is silent.[23]

Here’s the president of Dallas Theological Seminary saying our God is silent. You won’t find the following verses quoted in his book: “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me” (John 10:27 KJV). “He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). Apparently, when you “think theologically,” you ignore the verses that have a direct bearing on your topic. He merely concludes that we shouldn’t hear the Lord’s voice because he hasn’t, which is a very strange admission. The other “biblically” solid reason he gives for not hearing God’s voice are some hymn lyrics claiming God is silent. He is giving hymns a higher priority than the Word, even though he said, “His Word is God’s final revelation.” Here’s another observation:

Those who have a high view of biblical revelation, I find, have a very low view of any kind of extra-biblical revelation.[24]

And we will continue to stand on the solid rock of God’s Word of truth. All other ground is sinking sand.[25]

So why is he teaching out of hymnals? That last quote might sound familiar because part of the first line and the entire last line are lyrics out of a hymn. Earlier we noted how faith alone has been repeated into the minds of Protestants so much that now they think it’s doctrine. Here we see how the repetition of lyrics can become doctrine. Dr. Swindoll doesn’t stand solely on God’s Word.

If you hear His voice in your spirit while cooking, then spend more time in the kitchen. (It may not help, but it can’t hurt.) You should also ignore the “eloquent lyrics” of the hymn writers who say God is silent. Paul said we must cast down those vain imaginations and “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10). We must also resist those fiery darts from the pulpit.

Dr. Swindoll also says we don’t need any “phenomenal Spirit-guided evidence that God wants us to do such-and-such.” But he didn’t quote the following two verses anywhere in his book: “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God … And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Rom. 8:14, 9). So if you aren’t experiencing some direction from the Spirit in your Christian walk, then you can’t call it a Christian walk. Theologically speaking, you aren’t even a son.

Dr. Swindoll also says we get his respect when the Word is “carefully studied within the context.” But here’s the truth:

All things work together for good … regardless.[26]

He not only ignored the context, but he also changed the text itself. There’s a condition in the verse: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28 KJV). Since he doesn’t understand parables, he lacks a pure devotion to Christ. He can’t claim this verse since it only promises to work things together for good to those who love God.

There was something else strange about Swindoll’s book The Mystery of God’s Will. He didn’t include these verses: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

Why would you omit these verses from a book on God’s will?

A Dog Mystery

Here’s another mystery: Dr. Swindoll casually refers to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jim Elliott (two martyrs) in his book as if he’s in their peer group. He comments that he would not have allowed these men to die in the manner and time in which they did if he were God. He says this rhetorically, only using this to demonstrate that we can’t substitute our own opinions in the place of God’s. He’s using this example to train us to think “biblically.” He says:

That may be sensible, logical, horizontal thinking … but that’s not thinking biblically. … That’s putting God in human garb and giving Him our human emotions.[27]

We’ve had enough humanistic reasoning.[28]

A few pages previous to this lecture on men sorting out God with their human minds, Swindoll tells a story about a man who goes off to war, leaving his dog behind. When he returns, Old Blue comes bounding into his arms. Here’s Swindoll’s “theological” lesson from the story:

If my dog, without any explanation, would love me and take me back after all that time, wouldn’t my God? … Yes, a thousand times yes. Why? Because He is immutable.[29]

So when Christians are martyred, we shouldn’t use horizontal thinking to attempt to fathom God’s sovereign purposes since that wouldn’t be thinking theologically. It would be arrogant on our part to attempt to clothe God in “human garb,” says the scholar in a display of false humility. But when we want to justify our rebellion and desertion from our silent God, it’s fine to resort to “humanistic reasoning” because now we’re going to oppose the truth in God’s parables. Now that the tide has turned, we’re going to drop the context of the entire Bible and stuff our immutable, silent God into a dog skin and give Him a brain the size of a walnut. Suddenly we’re able to plumb the very depths of God’s purposes with our puny human minds. And God is no longer silent. He speaks volumes through a barking dog.

In other words, when we want our theology to guarantee our eternal security, no matter how wickedly we behave and in spite of what God teaches in His parables, we instantly pretend to know God’s mysterious will, purposes, and character, like the back of a cereal box. Then we give God a biscuit for being such a good boy and conforming to our vain imagination each time we decide to return from flagrantly whoring after our other gods. But we didn’t dress up God in human garb. No, it was much worse than that. We did some “biblical thinking” in a very strange sort of way, as Paul said, “They became vain in their imaginations and changed God into an image made like unto fourfooted beasts” (Rom. 1:22–23 KJV).

Here’s another warning from Paul that addresses the case at hand: “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility … disqualify you for the prize … his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head” (Col. 2:18–19).

Watch Your Doctrine

The examples in this chapter were intended to demonstrate how made-up stories can replace the true doctrine of Christ. Dr. Stanley used a story to annul six parables and place hell in heaven. Then he attempted to analyze the kingdom by using the basic principles of this world and annulled John 15. He also told us we could bury our gifts in our backyards. Dr. Swindoll used a dog story to say God will always take us back, which is in direct contradiction to the Lord’s parables.

Recall John’s warning: “Whosoever abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” If you base your theology on the stories in this chapter, then you aren’t following the doctrine of Christ. Where will that lead you? Is that an example of having your soul exploited by stories?

Get your doctrine right. Watch out for wolves. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16).

6

A License

for Immorality

Jude warns: “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only … Lord” (Jude 4).

The Prodigal

Where was the prodigal while he was out frolicking with his whores?

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9–10)

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (Eph. 5:5–6 KJV).

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality … selfish ambition … those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19–21)

Paul wrote these warnings to Christians in three churches, and sexual immorality appears on each list. As Jude states, grace will not excuse moral rebellion. Now let’s examine Dr. Stanley’s view on the prodigal’s status while he was out on his death romp:

On the contrary, there is no hint that the relationship was ever broken, only the fellowship. By “dead” Jesus meant “separated.” That was clearly a figure of speech since the son did not physically die in the parable.[30]

Eve didn’t die either, physically, but God said she was dead spiritually, and Jesus said the prodigal was dead twice. So did Christ mean it or not? If not, then why teach this parable? Dr. Stanley is saying we can live immorally and still remain in relationship with God. What behavior would break the relationship? What if this prodigal tortures children to death as he sexually molests them? Would murdering a child sever the fellowship, or is this monster also “out of relationship”? Can you murder children and still remain a Christian? That’s where the logic leads.

More questions: Should this “Christian” prodigal share his Baptist gospel with these whores, or would that be casting pearls before swine? Can’t these whores have “one act of faith” and then sing “Just as I Am,” and have eternal security? What will you Baptist mothers think of this prodigal when he plagues your daughters with AIDS and illegitimate children? Well, you wouldn’t want to judge this precious prodigal because you want the same exemption from the moral order as you give him so both of you can believe in God’s “unconditional love”—another lie from hell—continue in sin, be lost, die, and be damned. You Baptist fathers won’t think much of this prodigal after he ruins your daughters. You will wish him dead, and it won’t be a figure of speech in that context. You might have thought being “out of fellowship” was fine doctrine when you were sinning, but you won’t think so highly of that antichrist doctrine while you raise that illegitimate child and watch your daughter die from her exposure to that pestilence-bearing wretch, the prodigal.

Here’s something more on point. It comes out of God’s Word, so it may seem foreign to most Baptists: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality …” (Eph. 5:3). Paul also said, “No whoremonger has any inheritance in the kingdom. Let no man deceive you with empty words.” Isn’t that radically different from the story Dr. Stanley just taught you?

The Nicolaitans accepted immorality in their church, but notice what the Lord said to the church at Ephesus:

Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand … But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Rev. 2:5–6)

There’s a subtle hint: Jesus hates immorality. Here the Lord is threatening to destroy a lukewarm church while He commends them for hating sexual immorality. If lukewarm Christians are cut off from relationship, then the whoremonger is certainly removed. You might also explain how to reconcile this “out of fellowship” idea with this warning: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27). Under the law, people were stoned if they actually committed adultery. Under grace, you’re guilty of adultery if you imagine it in your mind. How can the prodigal still be in relationship with God?

Let’s note a few more strong passages: “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 4:7–8). “But the … sexually immoral … their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 21:8).

This will include sexually immoral Christians. Recall Paul’s observation: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray” (2 Cor. 11:3). How was Eve deceived into death? She thought God was too legalistic about the fruit, and the lie still works in the Baptist church. Surely you will not die for sexual immorality.

Here’s another observation: Baptists use the parable of the prodigal as an evangelism tool to reach the lost. So is the man who never heard the gospel lost and dead, or is it just a figure of speech in that context as well? Have you noticed how Baptist pastors generally portray this prodigal with the genital warts as the preferred model of a convert? They treat this whoremonger like he’s a saint while they preach fiery sermons against the legalistic elder brother, the one to whom the Father said, “You I have with me always.” Sort out that one.

Dr. Stanley doesn’t deny that the prodigal and the wicked one-talent servant are both Christians because he can’t. Yet he doesn’t like the ending of those parables. He solves the first case by placing hell in heaven by way of a “figure of speech” or making up a story. The prodigal is addressed similarly. “Dead” is just a figure of speech. It means separated but not in a relationship sense. No, it only means he’s “out of fellowship.” Honest.

Can you really live like the prodigal and still have salvation? It depends on whether you make it back from the world before you’re cut off. But while you’re there, you’re a dead man. You don’t even know God while you’re there: “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6). “Do not love … anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God” (1 John 3:10). And James says, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God … a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

The prodigal was dead. Don’t let anyone deceive you—Christ will not save a whoremonger who deliberately continues in sin.

Faithless and Unbelieving

Changing grace into a license for sin will be a contributing factor in the unfolding apostasy of the church. As noted, faith and love are interrelated. And what is love? “This is love for God, to obey His commands” (1 John 5:3). Faith is our claim that we know God. And how do we prove that we know Him? “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar” (1 John 2:4 KJV).

Remember how Christ described the rebellion (apostasy): many will turn away from the faith and the love of most will grow cold. We lose our faith and love by disobedience or rebellion against God’s law. That’s why using grace as a license for sin contributes to the apostasy. This becomes clearer as we look at true grace. Paul says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (Titus 2:11–12). Grace enables us to live according to His moral law. Paul confirms this: “We received grace to call people … to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 1:5). So grace calls us to obedience and teaches us to live godly lives. Here’s another important point from that verse: Obedience comes from faith. That’s why faith “upholds the law” (Rom. 3:31).

Now we see the foundation for faith and love: morality. When grace is twisted into a license for sin, we incrementally begin to lose our faith and our love. That can progress to the point where neither one remains, and we become apostates. That’s why the Lord said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Paul was afraid the faith of the Thessalonians had failed, saying, “For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid … the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been useless” (1 Thess. 3:5). We see the same example in the parable of the talents. The faithful servants were praised as good and faithful. The faithless, wicked servant was destroyed. Paul warns, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). We are required to prove faithful because God is faithful to disown the unfaithful.

You see the thread that runs throughout the Word. Now read the next passage and Dr. Stanley’s comment: “If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim 2:11–13).

Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy. Christ will remain faithful.[31]

Does that track with Scripture? Let’s review the end of the unbelievers again: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving … their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Rev. 21:8). “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (Heb. 3:12). “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). And recall the reprobates: “They are … God-haters … faithless” (Rom. 1:28–31). The KJV translates faithless as covenant breakers. Here are a few more: “But they put God to the test and rebelled … they did not keep his statutes … they were disloyal and faithless” (Ps. 78:56–57). “Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you” (Ps. 73:27). “For the upright will live in the land … but the unfaithful will be torn from it” (Prov. 2:20–22).

Finally, consider these last two strong passages regarding faithfulness: “Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees … You have neglected the more important matters … faithfulness … You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matt. 23:23–24). “But the fruit of the Spirit is … faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22).

You can be faithless, as Dr. Stanley says, but you’ll end up as a Pharisee without the Spirit. Notice how the faithless are in the same category as the God-haters, the depraved, and covenant breakers. And don’t forget the unfaithful pastor who is cast into hell with the unbelievers. That will always be the end of the faithless. But Dr. Stanley tells us:

God does not require a constant attitude of faith in order to be saved-only an act of faith.[32]

Again, saving faith is not necessarily a sustained attitude of gratefulness for God's gift. It is a singular moment in time wherein we take what God has offered.[33]

The unfaithful pastor began with an “act of faith,” but he didn’t remain faithful. Christ will remain faithful to cast the unfaithful into the fire.

Rebellion

Does God forgive suicide? Yes, He does. … If a person has ever taken that step and received Christ as Savior, nothing can alter the truth that, as children of God, we are forgiven. Even when we rebel against God. He is faithful to keep His word.[34]

Dr. Stanley says rebellion doesn’t affect our salvation. Let’s look at a solemn parade of losers from the Old Testament. Jeremiah warns:

The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore … “I am about to remove you from the face of the earth … you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.” In the seventh month of that … year … the prophet died. (Jer. 28:15–17)

Moses lays it out:

That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the Lord your God, who … redeemed you … he has tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow … (Deut. 13:5)

The obituary for King Saul says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee …” (1 Sam. 15:23 KJV). “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Sam. 16:14). “An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger (demon) shall be sent against him” (Prov. 17:11K).

Isaiah lamented, “And they will … look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched” (Isa. 66:24). He added, “Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy … and he himself fought against them” (Isa. 63:10).

Hosea said, “Woe to them … they have strayed … Destruction to them … because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak lies against me” (Hosea 7:13).

What does the New Testament teach? Paul warns the Hebrew Christians:

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end … do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion … And with whom was he angry … Was it not with those who sinned … So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb. 3:12–19)

Your sin or rebellion against His moral law will harden your heart, and that hardness degenerates into a state of unbelief. A state of unbelief is a state of being in the flesh. Can that please Him? “They that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8).

We could repeat the parables as more examples of rebellion, but let’s conclude with one last verse: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellionoccurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed” (2 Thess. 2:3).

Jesus is faithful to keep His word, as Dr. Stanley says, but you better know exactly what His Word promises to rebels. Remember, He doesn’t show partiality. God will remain just as faithful to condemn rebel Christians as He was to the angelic rebels and to the Jewish race when they rebelled. Paul asks, “Will we not judge angels?” Well, no, not if you follow a Southern Baptist doctrine of rebellion. You’ll be judged with the fallen angels.

Let’s sum this up. Men originally rebelled against God and put themselves in a state of eternal separation. The only way to atone for their rebellion was for God to lay aside His deity, live a sinless life, and be tortured to death, all of which were necessary to deliver and reconcile the thankless, rebelling reprobates who hated their Creator. That is the grace of God. Yet pastors teach their sheep today that they can still rebel against God. Remember the unpardonable sin: “Anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”

Summary

Here we have rebellion, faithlessness, and sexual immorality being taught in the Baptist church as sound doctrine. Is that not an example of changing grace into a license for immorality? Do you have to wonder how the rebellion must come before the second coming? What are the odds of surviving the rebellion when your pastor teaches rebellion as Christ’s gospel?

7

Faith and Works

Since the parables reveal so much about the importance of works, let’s begin by examining another strong parable to build on our knowledge of faith. This should help us trim off a little more of our lying flesh, getting us in the right shape for the narrow door.

Sheep and Goats

When the Son of Man comes … he will sit on his throne … and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance … For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink … I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matt. 25:31–36)

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matt. 25:40)

The Lord makes no mention of faith, only actions. The only question was whether the sheep did the good works God prepared in advance. Here are the faith-alone Christians in the parable:

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink … I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.” … They … will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?” He will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matt. 25:41–46)

Notice the goats’ guilty plea: “Lord, when did we see?” That’s the whole problem; they didn’t look. They simply believed, as Dr. Swindoll teaches, and then they spent their entire lives serving the wrong master. We might have included this parable in chapter 1 since the goats appear to be apostates. It seems they knew what they were supposed to do but didn’t do it. Now recall the parable of the builder: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man.”

That’s our starting point for faith. The wise man performs actions.

Evidence of a Complete Faith

James lays out the foundation for true faith:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. … You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. … As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (2:14, 17, 24, 26).

In contrast, here’s faith alone: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (2:19). Basically, the demons believe in God. They can even see the fiery inferno from their position, but they don’t do His will. Similarly, a man with faith alone is no different, except he doesn’t tremble, unlike the more-perceptive demon. So a man can “simply believe,” like the demon, and not be justified. He must complete his faith.

The Test of Faith

James focuses on our actions:

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered … Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did … and it was credited to him as righteousness … You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. (James 2:20–24)

The proof of faith will always require tests. “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice” (Heb. 11:17). Abraham had a working, complete faith. Noah is another example of a servant who believed in “works” salvation. “By faith Noah … in holy fear built an ark … By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Heb. 11:7).

Noah’s faith resulted in works, or he would have perished. There’s an object lesson on salvation. Noah’s faith was complete by what he did. He obtained righteousness by what he did. The same is true of Abraham. His faith was made complete by what he did, and it was credited to him as righteousness. When God tested their faith, Abraham had to act on the instructions to sacrifice his son, and Noah had to build a boat. Both acted, and both obtained righteousness. These men proved they believed by what they did. They obeyed God. That’s also how we obtain righteousness, even our salvation. James says the testing of your faith makes you mature and complete (James 1:3–4). And Peter tells us that our trials come that your “faith may prove genuine” and that you may receive the “the goal of your faith … salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:7, 9).

That’s why Paul says obedience comes from faith. James says the same thing: Faith without works (of obedience) is dead. And Hebrews says God will test our faith. For instance, has God asked you to stop doing anything? Or has He asked you to do something that requires a sacrifice? That’s just one trial to complete your faith. Success in your trials will prove your faith genuine. Failure in your trials will prove your lack of faith and your hypocrisy, like the seed sown on stony ground; in the times of testing they fall away.

Faith without Works

The Lord says a man who fails to put His words into practice is a foolish man, which is the same as calling him a dead man. But in spite of that, most Protestants still teach faith alone, which throws up a virtual wall of obstacles. For instance, the faith-alone convert is going to begin the race by stumbling right out of the starting gate because he won’t repent since he thinks that’s a form of works, not faith. But Paul says men must prove their repentance by their deeds (works).

Guess what this apprentice goat will do instead of repenting. He’ll change his mind, like Lot’s wife. He will not make every effort to enter the narrow door since that would also be works. He also will not feed the hungry or clothed the naked for the same reason. He’s also going to slip right back into captivity because the Lord says we must hold to His teaching, and then we will be set free. Similarly, we must live by the truth to come into the light. But since those things require works, the faith-alone man won’t actually do any of them. He’s also going to pretend that all righteousness is imputed to him outside of the vine because he has no concept of being in anything since he usually isn’t. He simply believes, as he was taught, and then steps off the path and onto the imaginary street named “Out of Fellowship.” That’s the street with the condemned reprobate whores and the dead prodigals.

Judged by Works

The faith-alone man will also face another serious obstacle in the coming judgment since the Lord is going to examine our works:

And I saw the dead … standing before the throne … The dead were judged according to what they had done … The sea gave up the dead … death and Hades gave up the dead … and each person was judged according to what he had done. (Rev. 22:12–13)

That’s why Paul taught this:

So we make it our goal to please him … For we must all appear before the judgment … that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. (2 Cor. 5:9–10)

Solomon pointed out the very same thing: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Eccles. 12:14). Peter added, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives … here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17). And Jesus said:

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28–29 KJV)

The Lord also rebuked four of the seven churches with regard to their works. He advised Ephesus to return to her “first works” or be destroyed. He exhorted Thyatira to do “His works unto the end.” The Sardis church was dead since Jesus didn’t find their “works perfect before God.” And the Laodiceans were so lukewarm in their works that they were on the verge of destruction (Rev. 2–3 KJV).

When the Lord appears, He’s going to “reward each person according to what he has done” (Matt. 16:27), not according to what the faith alone hypocrite professed, claimed, or simply believed.

Deceitful Scheming in Galatians

Now let’s look at Dr. Charles Swindoll’s evaluation of works:

Their heretical message was that the Galatian Christians should let Moses finish what Christ began. In other words, salvation is not by faith alone … .it requires works. Human achievement must accompany sincere faith before you can be certain of your salvation. … We continue to hear that “different gospel” to this day and it is a lie. A theology that rests its salvation on one ounce of human performance is not good news, it is bad information. It is heresy.[35]

Please let me be absolutely straight with you: Stop tolerating the heretical gospel of works! It is legalism.[36]

How can you have a “sincere faith” with faith alone? The Galatians believed in the blood of Christ, but they were also observing portions of the Old Covenant or Jewish customs. Paul said to them, “We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus” (Gal. 2:15–16). “Observing the law” is a reference to the Jewish law. That’s why Paul asked the Galatians, “Who has bewitched you? … Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing? … After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort” (Gal. 3:1–4).

Human effort was Paul’s reference to the observation of Jewish customs. He then asked them why they were turning back to these miserable principles and why they were observing special days and months and seasons (Gal. 4). Paul described these old customs as a yoke of slavery and told the Galatians that practicing these things would result in Christ being of no value. Now you are alienated from Christ. You have fallen away from grace. (See Gal. 5:1–4.)

As a result, Christ had become of no effect to these Galatians. They were alienated from Christ—not from observing the moral law but from observing the works of the law of the Old Covenant. Their conversion amounted to nothing because the Galatians were actually performing evil works. That’s thee human effort that was destroying them. They were treating the blood of Christ as unholy. That’s why Paul asked them, “Who has bewitched you?” This is very similar to the sin of the apostates in the epistle of Hebrews: “How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (10:29).

The Galatians were actually demeaning the blood of Christ by equating His blood to the blood of animals sacrificed under the Old Covenant or at least to some of the ceremonies observed under that covenant. That was the bewitching error of the Galatians, and that’s why Paul was so outraged about this particular sin. But most Protestants tend to misinterpret human effort (works of the law) and “observing the law” as references to obeying the moral law. This is where Satan’s false doctrine of faith alone originated. As a result, many Protestants substitute faith alone in place of obeying the moral law. In fact, some Protestants will mock anyone who obeys the moral law as practicing works salvation or legalism.

Martin Luther made this same interpretive error with the book of Galatians. Once he poisoned the point, he flung his fiery dart like a javelin, traveling up through five centuries of time, piercing the hearts of Protestants. Did he wound you, saint? Your pastor was supposed to protect you. Maybe he isn’t a Christian.

Human Performance

The parables prove we can fail in our human performance and be cast into hell, which seems to have a slight bearing on our salvation. But Dr. Swindoll says, “A theology that rests its salvation on one ounce of human performance is not good news, it is bad information. It is heresy.” Are the parables bad information? And why is it heresy to teach converts that human performance must accompany sincere faith? Christ certainly taught it. Christ said the sincere man puts His words into practice, which requires works. Why shouldn’t we teach what the Lord taught? He told us to make disciples, teaching them to obey everything He commanded.

But Dr. Swindoll says, “Stop tolerating the heretical gospel of works! It is legalism.” The blood of Christ does cleanse our heart by faith, but we are created in Christ for good works. A failure to complete those preordained works means one of two things. First, you weren’t converted, and you will end up in hell. Second, you were converted but became an apostate. You will still end up in hell, only deeper. That was the point of all of the parables we discussed in chapter 1. The apostates failed in their human performance or their works. And if you recall, only the man who does the will of God lives forever. How does he do God’s will without human performance?

Paul says something else that will actually burn the eyes of a sleepy, foolish virgin: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. … Charge them [command them] to be rich in good works that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:12, 17–19 KJV). If that’s the case, then why does Dr. Swindoll regard works as heresy when Paul says we lay hold of eternal life by our works? Actually, Dr. Swindoll’s doctrine will produce hypocrites instead of disciples. In fact, you will deny Christ. Look at Paul’s description of the man without “human performance” (works): “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:15–16 KJV). “If we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Tim. 2:12K).

Falling into Hell

The Galatians were being destroyed by their error, but Dr. Stanley says they weren’t in any danger at all:

Paul wasn’t threatening them with the loss of salvation, just a loss of freedom (see Gal. 5:1). … Falling from grace has absolutely nothing to do with falling into sin. It has more to do with falling into error.[37]

Paul said, “Christ will be of no value to you.” The Galatians were lost again. Don’t think lightly of the word error because here’s what happens when you fall into error: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the errorof his way shall save a soul from death” (James 5:19–20 KJV). Wait a minute. I thought the brother had a “destiny secure in heaven.” That’s “precisely what Scripture teaches,” according to Dr. Swindoll. But this dull brother is dead again, like the Prodigal. Now the dying sheep needs to be reconverted. What did Paul say? “My dear children, I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). “I am in labor again as a woman in travail” (KJV). Why is a rebirth necessary if falling into error is so harmless? It must have something to do with a “loss of salvation,” to use Dr. Stanley’s exact words.

The Devil’s Faith Alone

In spite of the fact that faith alone is dead, Dr. Stanley spent his entire life preaching it anyway. God warned us not to lean on our own understanding, to the exclusion of what He tells us in His Word. Dr. Swindoll has also taught the Devil’s faith alone instead of Christ’s gospel. In fact, he takes it somewhat further. Observe Dr. Swindoll’s next comment:

What seems so right is, in fact, heresy—the one I consider the most dangerous heresy on earth. What is it? The emphasis on what we do for God, instead of what God does for us.[38]

Can you discern between good fruit and bad fruit? Recall the parable of the sheep and the goats:

The King shall say to them on his right [sheep] Come, inherit the kingdom … For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: thirsty, and ye gave me drink … ye took me in … ye clothed me … I was in prison, and ye came unto me. (Matt. 25:33–36 KJV).

Verily I say … Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:40).

Now look at what He says to the faith-alone goats: “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:45–46 KJV).

When we love our neighbor, we love God Himself, which results in eternal life. But Dr. Swindoll says “an emphasis on what we do for God” is “the most dangerous heresy on earth.” Satan couldn’t have said it better. In fact, he’s the one who said it.

Paul said to charge them to be “rich in good works that they may lay hold on eternal life.” Does that help clarify the parable of the sheep and the goats? Recall the rich young ruler. The Lord told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. Apparently the young ruler didn’t want to “do for God.” Or perhaps he thought the Lord was teaching a dangerous heresy as he turned away toward eternal punishment.

We should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us. Otherwise we never change Masters, and we will eventually end up in hell. What Dr. Swindoll calls “the most dangerous heresy on earth” is actually the very behavior that leads to eternal life. If you don’t “do for God,” then why should you expect to hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant”? You should not.

We’re looking at a perfect example of why Christ warned us to beware of hypocrisy. It sneaks up on you and removes your perception, and then unclean spirits begin to speak out of your mouth.

Corrupting Grace and Law

Let’s take up a point from our examination of Galatians where we noted that most Protestants misinterpret “works of the law” to mean obeying the moral law. “Works of the law,” or a variation on the phrase, is also found in Romans, Philippians, and Ephesians. You can examine these cases for yourself, but any one of them can be used to falsely conclude that the moral law passed away. To refute this error, let’s look at a few passages on the moral law.

“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law … since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” (Rom. 2:14–15). Here’s what Jesus says about the New Covenant: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds” (Heb. 10:16).

Still speaking of the moral law, not the Old Covenant, the Lord also says, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law” (Matt. 5:18). “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments” (Matt. 19:17). “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates and into the city” (Rev. 22:14 KJV).

Now why would a Christian think the moral law has passed away since the earth didn’t disappear? And does he think God removed the moral law from his heart at his conversion? That would defeat the purpose of His covenant—salvation. It would also render the man criminally insane. If your pastor thinks the moral law has passed away, then leave that church. Take your friends with you if you love them. The pastor doesn’t, since here’s the foundation for love: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 6). That could be the most important verse cited in this book. Why don’t you hear it from your pulpit? Wolves.

The Key to Knowledge

The Lord reproved the Pharisees for having taken away the key to knowledge (Luke 11:52). And here’s the key: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you ignored the law of your God” (Hosea 4: 6). We also know we must remain in Him to enter the kingdom. What knowledge is required to do that? “If you obey my commands, you will remain” (John 15:10).

The moral law is the key to the narrow door, to the tree of life, and to the eternal city through Christ. Now since the last-days church will not put up with sound doctrine, they won’t conform to the moral law, which is the same sin as the apostate Pharisees.

How did the Pharisees take away the key? They nullified the Word of God through their traditions and the rules of men. The same thing occurs today when men preach grace as a license to sin. This nullifies their obligation to obey the moral law and takes away the key to the eternal kingdom. Recall Paul’s teaching on the moral law:

Through him we received grace … to call people … to the obedience that comes from faith. … Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather, we uphold the law. … So then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy (Rom. 1:5, 3:31, 7:12).

The moral law is holy (spiritual), so it must last forever. Thus, faith must uphold the law, since the law is eternal. And Paul says obedience comes from faith, which is obedience to the moral law.

Underneath the Whitewash

To experience a personal lesson on the infiltration of leaven into your doctrine, let’s take a short Pharisee quiz on the moral law:

What does faith produce? Obedience comes from faith.

What does faith uphold? “Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather, we uphold the law” (Rom. 3:31).

What is grace for? “We received grace … to call people to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 1:5).

What is the royal law? Well, it’s love. And what is love? “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 6).

What is true love for God? “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1 John 5:3).

What is holy? “The law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous and good” (Rom. 7:12).

How do you know Christ? “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keep not his commandments, is a liar” (1 John 2:4 KJV).

What is required for salvation? Jesus says, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments” (Matt. 19:17).

How do you know if you will be part of the surviving remnant in the end? “And the dragon … went to make war with the remnant … which keep the commandments of God” (Rev. 17:17).

Finally, what is the key to the narrow door? “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter … the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14 KJV).

The moral law figures strongly into these doctrinal basics, unless we overlooked something in one of Dr. Swindoll’s divine hymnals. Do you sense the leaven of the Pharisees? This quiz illustrates how far we can stray from the true doctrine of Christ and still lie about being one of His servants. If you failed the pop quiz, then you have the end-time problem of ever learning and never being able to come to the knowledge of the truth—morality. You need to understand your condition. If you don’t keep His commandments, then you don’t know the first thing about grace, faith, love, salvation, overcoming, or Christ. You don’t even know God. And God doesn’t know you. You don’t hear His voice because you don’t belong to God. You aren’t on the narrow path. “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

Saving a Soul from Death

If you missed the light in the parables or failed the quiz, then you’re playing the starring role in the parable of the narrow door. You ate and drank in His presence, but the dim light of your lamp made the foolish virgin sleepy. You love yourself, not God, and you are walking in a form of godliness. Here’s your portrait: “As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools” (Prov. 26:9 KJV).

You were so dull and sleepy that you didn’t even notice when you stumbled off the path into the darkness. Is there any hope for the narcoleptic sheep? Can they be grafted back into the Vine? Some passages, like those found in 2 Peter 2, Jude, Hebrews 6 and 10, and most of the parables, deny a second regeneration. In those cases, the unpardonable sin has been committed and the apostasy if final. But you may not have reached that point. Recall what Paul tells the Roman saints about Israel’s condition:

But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. (Rom. 11:20–23)

By implication, the dying can be grafted in again. That’s what happened to the dead prodigal. He was grafted back into the Vine and became alive again. Even the apostle Peter was converted again after he denied Christ (Luke 22:32 KJV).

Regeneration also appears in James: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death …” (James 5:19–20 KJV). Galatians presents it this way: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:19 KJV). This is what happened to the prodigal. He was cut off, yet he came to his senses, repented, was converted from the error of his way, and was grafted in again. Christ was formed in him again.

The average Protestant might scoff at this, but he doesn’t realize that he might have experienced this in his own life, perhaps more than once. Baptists typically have an annual revival, enlisting the aid of an evangelist in an effort to breathe life back into the corpse. Unknown to the flock, the Holy Spirit works through the message to convict the world of sin. Once the preliminary invitation is given for the lost, which could include the entire congregation and the pastor, the evangelist asks if anyone would like to rededicate his life to Christ. The evangelist may not realize himself that many of those who humble themselves and recommit their loyalty to Christ are actually experiencing Christ being formed in them again. They were just snatched from the fire again but weren’t aware of it.

This is when the apprentice apostate usually asks, “How many times can this occur?” He’ll have to resolve that for himself. Once he finds the limit, don’t bother praying for him. It’s futile, as John says, “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that” (1 John 5:16). No, don’t bother; you can’t help him now. It’s absolutely impossible to renew him unto repentance. He has committed the unpardonable sin.

Dr. Stanley has some other views on sin that are not scriptural. He believes all of our future sins are already forgiven and we will not be judged for our sins. He also doesn’t believe holiness is a condition for salvation. He thinks this because he believes salvation is by faith alone, God’s love is unconditional, and His grace has no limits. But the parables prove that grace does have limits, and God never tells us His love is unconditional. Peter says we have only been cleansed from our past sins (2 Peter 1:9). We aren’t cleansed from our future sins without repentance. And holiness is a condition: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14 KJV). Not only that, but we can also be judged for our sins sooner than we thought. Should you become an apostate, you’re judged already and condemned for your sins.

Let’s review sin: “Do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous … He who does what is sinful is of the devil” (1 John 3:7–8). “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God” (3:10). “Sin gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived brethren …” (James 1:16).

The Devil’s Gospel

Dr. Stanley tells us that God’s love is unconditional, grace is without limits, all our sins are forgiven, and believers will never be judged for their sins. Dr. Swindoll says what we do for God is “the most dangerous heresy on earth,” which is a goat’s gospel, a gospel that leads to everlasting punishment. He also tells us to stop tolerating the heretical gospel of works. “It is legalism.” But Jesus didn’t think it was legalistic and neither should His followers. Jesus said if there is no fruit, cut it down. We should follow Christ’s gospel, His parables. After all, there is no other gospel. Actually, there is some other gospel, but don’t listen to it, even if an angel delivers it, because here’s what happens to the wicked messenger:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Gal 1:8–9).

And if you continue to listen to it, your heart will become corrupted and you will end up in the same damned situation.

Faith and Works

You have faith alone, sleepy virgin? Even the demons believe that, and they’re going to hell with you because faith without works is dead. It’s pure hypocrisy. What you really want is the faith of Abraham. His faith was made complete by what he did.

Focus on this future event: All who are in the graves shall come forth—those who have done good unto the resurrection of life and those who have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. Now that you’re starting to focus, take one more look at Paul’s sermon: Command them to be rich in good works so they may lay hold on eternal life.

This doesn’t necessarily mean opening a soup kitchen. God may not want you doing anything like that. He has very specific preordained works designed for each servant. It’s your talent and these works are not optional. You must complete them because they were planned before you were born. You must hear God for Him to reveal the specific details of these works. This is your purpose for being here, and if you fail to hear God and accomplish these works, then you will not be entering Christ’s kingdom. “I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you …” (John 16:4).

8

Apostasy Warnings

in Hebrews

Hebrews is an exhortation to Christians under persecution to persevere in the faith. That’s why this epistle contains some of the strongest warnings against apostasy in the New Testament, with more than twenty warnings in this one letter. Invariably, false teachers make it a point to tell us to keep the Hebrew epistle in its historical context as they take us off the text and into some ridiculous historical theory to explain why we’re not supposed to believe what we’re reading with our very own eyes. This dispensational approach to the interpretation of the Word is used to convince people that the warnings against apostasy in this letter aren’t applicable to Christians today in the “dispensation of grace.” The wolves contend that Judaizers were trying to pull these Hebrew Christians back into the Old Covenant of animal sacrifices, circumcision, et cetera, even though there’s no evidence of this in the letter. They typically charm their listeners with the following lie: “The material in this letter is unique; it can’t happen today because the Jewish temple doesn’t exist.” That’s how simply the book of Hebrews has been annulled out of the Bible.

As you read this chapter, remember Paul is writing to Christians who are under persecution. Some of them have been imprisoned, and their faith is beginning to weaken. Consider the exhortations and the warnings given because in the years ahead, you will be repeating these same verses to yourself, your family, and your friends. Let’s address one preliminary issue first.

Dispelling the Wolf’s Lie

Notice this one verse: “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value” (Heb. 13:9). This is the only verse out of 304 in the entire letter that might be remotely construed to indicate that these Christians were reverting back to the ceremonial practices of the Old Covenant. But Paul refers to “strange teachings.” The Jewish Law wouldn’t be strange to these Hebrews. Furthermore, if these Hebrews had been observing the Old Covenant, Paul would have severely rebuked them as he did the Galatian Christians. Since he didn’t, then it’s unlikely that these Hebrews were reverting back to Judaism. But wolves still call this letter unique because it refutes their eternal security doctrine. That enables them to lie to their sleepy flocks and tell them that the following warnings aren’t for Christians today.

How Shall We Escape?

We’re going to list each warning against apostasy in the letter and make some pertinent observations. Here’s the first:

We must pay more careful attention … so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation. (Heb. 2:1–3)

Paul is exhorting these persecuted saints to hold to their faith, reminding them of the penalty for apostasy. But Dr. Stanley says:

The author is comparing the penalty of breaking the Mosaic law with the penalty of “drifting away” from the message of Christ. The law had nothing to do with one’s eternal salvation. Breaking the law in no way jeopardized one’s eternal security. The penalties for violating the Mosaic law were all temporal in nature.[39]

A man did not gain heaven by keeping the law. He did not miss it by breaking it.[40]

First, eternal security is a legitimate concept only if you think outer darkness is a sphere in heaven. Second, the law has always been a factor in salvation. Notice what Isaiah said in regard to the law-breaking Jews: “The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: “Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” (Isa. 33:14). “And they will look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched (Isa. 66:24).

Does that sound like a temporal penalty? Violation of the law prior to grace would destroy you. Deliberately sinning against the moral law today, under grace, will also destroy you. Isaiah said the law-breaking Jews faced a consuming fire, an everlasting burning. Paul says today’s apostate faces a fearful expectation of judgment and a raging fire. Nothing has changed. What makes Dr. Stanley’s explanation so implausible is the fact that everyone knows the moral law exists, including the unconverted. Romans says even unbelievers “show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” (Rom. 2:15), and these dolts didn’t even attend seminary. But Dr. Stanley seems to think this is all a mystery:

Yet the author simply states, “How shall we escape,” without telling us exactly what we will not escape.[41]

There is not the first implication that a loss of salvation is in view here. There is no mention of heaven, hell, judgment, or any of the other things associated with the eternal destiny of a man.[42]

Did we forget the plot? Dr. Stanley talks about context when it’s convenient, but now that it works against him, he’s going to intentionally forget the context of the entire Bible. Why pretend like we’re reading a mystery? Well, until we solve the mysterious riddle, we can always go on sinning like a witless fool under the pretext that we didn’t quite understand simple words. Besides, even if hell were mentioned, it’s somewhere in heaven.

What is this profound mystery?

I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment … In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah … gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 5–7)

There’s the mystery—eternal fire. That wasn’t so hard. You could have merely read the rest of the letter, like an ordinary man would do, to understand the context:

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? (Heb. 12:25)

Failing to Enter Rest

But Christ is faithful … over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage … Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert … That is why I was angry … and I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared … “They shall never enter my rest.” See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from … God. But encourage one another daily … so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Heb. 3:6–13)

The KJV sharpens the picture: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Heb. 3:12 KJV). An evil heart of unbelief is the same as a hardened heart, and that hardness or unbelief is a product of the deceitfulness of sin. In short, sin removes your spiritual perception and your faith. That progresses until you turn away from God in unbelief. And the condition of unbelief is what caused King Saul to fail to notice God’s last rebuke before his apostasy.

This explains Paul’s first warning in the letter: “We must pay more careful attention, so we do not drift away.” That drift begins with disobedience, and that’s why Paul reminds the Hebrews again in chapter 3:

We … come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end … And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Heb. 3:14, 18–19)

Paul used this same example of Israel’s apostasy as a warning to the Corinthians: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us … So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Cor. 10:11–12).

One last note: Israel failed in their time of testing, which parallels the failure of the seed on stony ground. “They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away” (Luke 8:13).

There really is a plot here in this Bible. Hebrews isn’t unique after all. It tracks right along with the parables, as it should.

Falling Short

Don’t drift away:

Since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. (Heb. 4:1–2)

What did Jesus teach in the parable of the house builder? The wise builder puts His words into practice, which includes casting off our sin. That’s what Paul says next:

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. … Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Heb. 4:6, 11)

That should sound familiar: “Make every effort to enter the narrow door. For many will try to enter and not be able” (Luke 13:24).

The Apostate

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because … they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb. 6:4–6)

They were made partakers of the Holy Spirit (KJV). That means they were converted Christians. But if they fall away into apostasy, it becomes impossible to renew them to repentance. God grants repentance but not this time. Which time? Listen for the voice. If you never hear it again, then you will know that it was one time too many. But here’s Dr. Stanley view on the passage:

He does not say that the individuals cannot be forgiven or restored to salvation. The issue here is repentance. … It is a mistake to assume that the author has salvation in mind here simply because he uses the term repentance.[43]

There’s no mistake. Now the apostate cannot cease from sin, and he can’t be forgiven again because the dog has repeatedly mocked the blood of Christ and now “no sacrifice for sins is left” (Heb. 10:26). The fallen apostate dog has “treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him” (10:29). “And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (9:22).

Dr. Stanley doesn’t understand the importance of repentance. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10 KJV). Or as other translations render it, repentance leads to salvation. If it’s now impossible to be renewed to repentance, then you can’t be led back to salvation. Nor is repentance defined as “changing one’s mind.” Repentance is changing your heart, which the apostate can’t do at this point: “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Prov. 29:1). The apostate has no remedy, and it’s impossible for him to repent. And if the apostate happens to be a teacher, then he won’t teach true repentance since now he can’t even comprehend it.

Returning to the apostate in Hebrews 6, Dr. Stanley says:

“Fallen away” clearly implies apostasy; the writer was describing the plight of people who had gone so far as to abandon the faith entirely.[44]

That continued until finally they turned their backs on all that they at one time embraced and returned to Judaism.[45]

“It clearly implies apostasy.” So how do we distort God’s Word to make it “clearly” say what it doesn’t? Dr. Stanley makes up a story and says these Christians “returned to Judaism.” But there’s no evidence of this in the letter. And if these people “abandoned the faith entirely,” then what happens to them? We know: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). What happens when we abandon the faith and follow a demonic spirit? One example is found in Timothy where some widows in the church had already fallen away, resulting in “damnation, because they have cast off their first faith” and “already turned aside after Satan.” (1 Tim. 5:12, 15 KJV).

Dr. Stanley elaborates further on the apostate in Hebrews 6:

If a Jew, who was awaiting the coming of the Messiah, could find salvation through Christ and then walk away from Him without the threat of losing his or her salvation, what do the rest of us have to fear? … It is a dangerous thing for a believer to turn his back on Christ. To do so is to run the risk of drifting beyond the point of return—not a return to salvation, but a return to fellowship with the Savior.[46]

Why does Dr. Stanley make the assumption that these people couldn’t lose their salvation? And if turning your back on Christ doesn’t affect your salvation, then why is it a dangerous thing? Are we back to imaginary fear again? If the Lord can’t fellowship with you here on earth, He certainly can’t fellowship with you in heaven.

Deliberately Sinning

Here’s the strongest warning in the letter:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy … How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb. 10:26–29).

The apostate sins against the blood that sanctified him. That’s past tense. And note the KJV:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of a fearful state of fiery indignation. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy … Of how much sorer punishment … shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood … wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (10:26–29 KJV).

Now notice how Dr. Stanley gets his worlds mixed up again:

To stand at the judgment seat of Christ and see our works burned to ashes would be a “much severer punishment” than death (Heb. 10:29).[47]

Physical death won’t be your concern when you stand at the judgment, and this verse has absolutely nothing to do with works. To see your works burned at the judgment won’t be anything like the second death for the apostate’s soul—raging, eternal fire.

Dr. Stanley continues his explanation:

It is not, however, a warning to believers that their salvation is in jeopardy. The context and the details of the text rule that out as a valid interpretation.[48]

Don’t forget how Dr. Stanley previously used the “context and the details” of six parables to come to the “valid interpretation” that outer darkness is in heaven. When we crucify the Son of God all over again, treat His blood as an unholy thing, despise the Spirit of grace, subject Christ to a public disgrace, are unable to repent because our conscience is forever seared, and have become enemies of God with an eternal future of endless, fiery indignation, don’t worry. It’s merely an invalid interpretation of the text. Your salvation is not “in jeopardy.”

Persevere to Receive the Promise

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be … rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he … promised … But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. … But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Heb. 10:35–39)

God looks for obedience unto the end. These Hebrews were under persecution, which explains Paul’s encouragement and the strong warnings in the letter. He reminded them of their reward and encouraged them persevere to receive what He had promised. He also told them what happens to those who shrink back.

Faith

Hebrews 11 begins with a popular verse: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1). This verse was written to encourage a church under persecution, but today the apostate moneychangers misuse the verse to tell greedy fools to believe for mammon.

In his effort to further encourage the Hebrews, Paul lists the exploits of faith performed by previous servants of God. Noah built an ark by faith. Abraham was prepared to offer his son by faith. Moses’ faith led him to leave the palace, only to enter forty years of exile. As to Joseph, God sent him into Egypt: “And he sent a man before them … They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass” (Ps. 105:17–19).

All of these men had to trust God above their own reason, which was Paul’s point. God expects us to trust Him through the trial, even if it means suffering for twelve years in a dungeon. These men were faithful in their trials, and Christ expects no less from us.

Next Paul advises us to see Christ as our example of faith and perseverance:

Therefore … let us throw off … the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out … Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who … endured the cross … so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Heb. 12:1–4)

Paul instructs us to look at what Christ suffered so we won’t lose heart when it happens to us. He also stresses the importance of persevering unto the end: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest … Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” (Heb. 4:14). “We want each of you to show … diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure” (Heb. 6:11).

Finally we see the true doctrine of eternal security—diligence exerted unto the end. As Paul said before, “Therefore … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).

The Bitter Root

Finally, let’s look at the last two warnings: “Therefore … make every effort … to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Heb. 12:12–15).

To fully understand that we have to know what “bitter root” means: “Make sure there is no man or woman … among you whose heart turns away from the Lord … make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison” (Deut. 29:18).

A bitter root is an apostate. We see the connection between a lack of holiness and apostasy. Making every effort to be holy is the same as saying, “Make every effort to enter the narrow door.”

The last warning in Hebrews says: “Land that drinks in the rain … and … produces a crop … receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.” (Heb. 6:7-8).

This parallels the parable of the sower and the vine. The seed among thorns is choked and does not mature. And like the fruitless branch, the land that produces thorns will be burned. So make sure no one misses what grace is supposed to produce—purity and good fruit.

Dull Of Hearing

Only Christians can commit the following acts in Hebrews:

Drift away; neglect our salvation; turn away; fail to hold to our courage; harden our hearts again; go astray; turn away in unbelief; depart in unbelief; fail to hold firmly unto the end; fall short; fail to make every effort; fall away after partaking of the Holy Spirit; be unable to repent; crucify the Son of God again; subject Him to public disgrace again; deliberately keep on sinning until all we have remaining is a fearful expectation of raging fire; trample underfoot the Son of God; treat His blood as an unholy thing by which we were sanctified; despise the Spirit of grace; throw away our confidence; fail to persevere; shrink back to destruction; fail to please God; fail to throw off the sin that so easily entangles us; fail to run the race marked out; grow weary and lose heart; fail in our struggle against sin; fail to hold firmly to the faith; fail to exercise diligence to the very end to make our hope sure; fail to be holy; miss the grace of God and let a bitter root grow up; be like land that drinks in the rain and produces thorns and is cursed.

The whole theme of Hebrews is, “Don’t give up or you will fail to persevere in the race and you will shrink back to destruction.” But Dr. Stanley believes Hebrews and the book of John support eternal security more than all of the books in the New Testament.

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matt. 13:14–15 KJV)

9

The Narrow Path

It is difficult to define narrow since the Enemy is waging his strongest warfare in this area, and he’s going to succeed in deceiving many. Recall some facts: Many will come in my name and deceive many. Many are called, but few are chosen. Many will try to enter the narrow door and will not be able. Many will say, “Lord, Lord” only after they discover the true definition of narrow. We can establish some general boundaries of the path, but only the Spirit can reveal the specifics of yours. It’s uniquely personal.

Obligations

Narrow begins with, “Love God with all your heart … and your neighbor as yourself … Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:27–28). Since Jesus gave up everything, literally, as our example, He prescribes the same for us: “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

Knowing the hardness of men’s hearts, the Lord explained everything from several angles. First He taught four parables to describe everything as a cost: the treasure, the pearl, the tower, and the approaching king. Second, the price includes a death, as He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The disciple’s old life must die, as Jesus confirmed in the parable of the kernel. Unless the grain (self) dies, it cannot bear fruit for the kingdom. Third, the Lord described everything in terms of a radical separation, saying, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). And, “For whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matt. 6:25 KJV). Fourth, everything requires focus. Once we decide to pay the price, we can’t look back since a backward glance indicates an impure motive or a desire to trade in both kingdoms. To drive that point home, He gave us the example of Lot’s wife, warning us that it’s impossible to serve two masters. Our eye must be single.

All of this distills down to one point: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6: 21). Sacrifices must be made in this life if we want to enter the kingdom. Only one kind of believer will be gathered up when the angels reap the earth. The Lord orders His reapers: “Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Ps 50:5).

Cracking the Kernel

That sacrifice means changing masters. One master is the sin nature, the old self, or the flesh. This is the nature that’s allied with Satan. The true master is the new nature or the new self, the one allied with the Spirit. And there lies the conflict, the race, and the war. Paul says:

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Rom. 8:12–14)

Only those who are led by the Spirit are sons. Paul repeats this in Galatians:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7–8)

What more does this entail? “Because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16 KJV). “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them” (2 Cor. 5:15). “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise … do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph. 5:15–17). Peter adds, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).

That’s how the apostles answered the Lord’s two questions: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–7 KJV). “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25 KJV).

Jesus didn’t teach imaginary parables, and He didn’t ask imaginary questions. Since you wouldn’t be reading this book unless you claim to be in Christ, then how did you answer His questions? How did you define narrow? What evidence exists in your life to prove you answered correctly? Every apostate in the parables answered wrongly or came to the wrong damned conclusion. Many will fail to answer the questions correctly. For example, Dr. Swindoll thinks all we need to do is simply believe. Dr. Stanley says one act of faith will save you. Apparently they think Christ’s questions were figurative, for they foolishly answer the Lord’s questions with, “Nothing.” Otherwise these men say there might be “room for boasting in heaven,” which is something neither man needs to be concerned about.

There’s no excuse not to know the answer: “Unless a man forsaketh all that he has he cannot be my disciple.” You are free to believe one act of faith is a sensible exchange for your soul, but don’t expect to hear the Lord say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Selfish Ambition

Those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them. Most of us assume we do that until He makes a few demands. That’s when the sheep mask gets stripped away, exposing our old master. James defines our old master as the core of our flesh:

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find every evil practice. (James 3:14–16)

The root of most sin can be traced back to selfish ambition. This is the enemy within the gates. In fact, without our sin nature, there wouldn’t be a war:

But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin … gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. (James 1:14–16)

This is an ironclad law: Sin will give birth to death, and sin begins in the self-seeking motives of our hearts. Some of those motives run so deep that we need a supernatural intervention to expose them. That’s the work of the Spirit, and we can experience that intervention if we want it. It depends on whether we are willing to make every effort to obtain it. Once we understand sin gives birth to death and sowing to the flesh reaps eternal corruption, a certain sobriety pushes us toward repentance. We begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. As we begin to turn away from our evil deeds, our concept of narrow starts to come into focus. Now we’re beginning to act like the wise man who digs down deep and lays a foundation upon the rock. And since our motives are beginning to conform to the will of God, the Spirit comes to our assistance or walks with us. Note: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3).

We tend to have a problem understanding just how deep our soul has to agree before we start to walk in the light. It’s so deep Paul calls it a death, and Jesus describes it as taking up your cross. It’s the warfare we encounter when we truly begin to seek the kingdom first or begin to change masters. Paul explains the transition from one master to the other:

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires … and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness. (Eph. 4:22–24)

What does Paul mean by true righteousness?

Do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil. … This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God. (1 John 3:7–8, 10)

Take that literally because this is the only consecration that releases us from condemnation: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1 KJV). As James says, faith without action is dead. You must walk after the Spirit in reality; you cannot just “claim the promises” of Romans.

Repentance

Sowing to our selfish ambition results in reaping corruption: “To those who by persistence in doing good … he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Rom. 2:7–8). This explains what the Lord meant when He told us to take up our cross and deny ourselves or our self-seeking. It’s also what Paul meant by putting the flesh to death or putting off the old man. It’s also a description of repentance at its core, which is the only way to participate in the Spirit, since the Spirit is only given to “those who obey him” (Acts 5:32 KJV).

This repentance or consecration to the Lord also enhances our spiritual perception: “repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). This means we can’t believe much about the kingdom without repentance because we won’t sense anything to believe in. The reverse occurs when we sin. Our knowledge becomes veiled again. Our perception darkens, and our faith takes a plunge. Our chances for entering the narrow door just got narrower, and the odds weren’t favorable from the start—few find it. This means we cannot experience much of God’s kingdom until we start believing or acting on what the Lord tells us. Of course, this will require us to act in opposition to our natural desires: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Acting on the truth brings enlightenment, and failing to act on the truth brings on deception. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Consequently, there’s a dark power associated with any failure to walk in the light that’s been revealed. And here’s the light given to us: “He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33 KJV). If you haven’t acted on that knowledge, then you have already deceived yourself. The word was sown, but you didn’t act on the knowledge, which means you didn’t actually “receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 KJV). That’s where the hypocrite sets his compass for hell. He knows what he’s supposed to do, but it costs too much.

Narrow

Christ wasn’t forced to the cross. He chose to die. Similarly, Christians must choose to deny themselves if they want eternal life since God doesn’t force anyone into His kingdom. That means predestination may not be exactly what you think it is. The Lord explained this when He said, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life … No one takes it from me” (John 10:17–18).

Although Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, He had to freely choose to lay down His own life. Here we have the Father’s predetermined will fulfilled by the Son’s free-will choice. Christ could have chosen differently, as He explained to Peter when He told him to drop his sword:

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? (Matt. 26:53–54)

Jesus wasn’t forced to do what He did. He had to deny Himself in the face of the pressure to turn away from His predetermined future. He prayed the cup would pass from Him, and Satan even spoke through Peter to tempt Him to avoid the cross. Satan will tempt you to avoid yours. He might do it through a wolf pastor who will say, “You don’t need to die. Christ already died.” No, we must choose to deny ourselves, just as Christ did. God has very specific preordained works for each one of us. We can refuse those works, just as Christ could have refused His. This is where it begins to get narrow. Paul called this conflict a contest, a race, and a war.

The Race

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this … I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do … straining toward what is ahead … the goal to win the prize. (Phil 3:10–14)

Several points stand out here. First, Paul describes this life as a race for the prize. Second, he has to emulate Christ by denying his own self-seeking. Third, he isn’t sure he will attain the resurrection, as he hasn’t yet taken hold of it. But he’s training himself:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man … aimlessly … No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor. 9:25–27)

Strict training includes putting the deeds of the flesh to death. You might say evil desires since Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness … so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3–4). We may participate in the divine nature; it’s voluntary. That’s why Peter adds, “I urge you to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11). And James says: “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin … gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived” (James 1:14–16).

Life is a race for a crown of life. Therefore Paul urges us to engage in strict training, which includes conquering our evil desires, since those are what drag us off the path and result in death. Paul strove to attain the resurrection because he feared being disqualified himself. Is that the gospel you heard? Perhaps you listened to a wolf. Recall how wolves stalk Christians: they appeal to the desires of the sinful nature. The flesh must be put to death. The kernel must die or we risk being disqualified. It’s not easy:

As Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1–2 KJV)

Stepping onto the Path

Lose your life for me—that’s our invitation. But don’t forget our self-deception problem: “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Prov. 16:2). It seems like we know God. It seems like we love God, but it often takes some trials before we understand that it really does cost everything a man has. We dig around a little bit and find out God’s blundering emissary forgot to tell us a few things. He told us about grace and some nonsense about a cheap invitation, but the traitor didn’t mention the real cost. Nor did he mention anything about the disciple’s impending voluntary death. Most of us began with faith alone and some lies about grace. We didn’t obey God, and we probably stepped back onto the broad path.

At some point, Christians begin to see we don’t have any options, rights, or plans. There’s only one wise plan, and that’s to bow before the approaching king and do His will. After all, it’s His life that He shares with us. This is when consecration actually begins and we can honestly claim the promises of God. Prior to that, we were only making empty, hypocritical claims.

This is the only way to put the flesh to death and walk on the narrow path. The other alternative is to draft your own moral code, create false doctrine, deceive yourself, and hope God lets you through the narrow door. He won’t. Recall the ones who were so proud of the fact that they ate and drank with Him and that He taught in their streets? They knew what they were supposed to do but didn’t do it. Instead they followed their own selfish ambitions.

Now it doesn’t seem so radical to expect a convert to stop the carnal sins. Even the lost can do that. But loving God above everything else—including yourself—presents a problem. We’re going beyond carnal sins to the very core of our flesh. And books, seed faith money, or even Dr. Swindoll’s divine hymnals won’t kill our flesh. Paul says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24).

The last thing our flesh wants to face is the kernel dying, but without that death, we will never hear the Spirit clearly, and eventually we won’t hear Him at all. The wise builder takes up his cross and acts on the light he’s been given. He starts to dig down to the foundation, through the enemy’s deception, and begins putting off his old man and all that demonic doctrine he heard from the wolf’s pulpit. This is when he begins to see his nasty little idols, things he didn’t see before. He couldn’t see them previously because he hadn’t repented. He hadn’t yet decided to give everything a man has—his life. Now as he starts to repent, the Spirit begins to remove the veil. As Paul said, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Cor. 3:16).

God assists us when our motives begin to change: “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, I should soon have subdued their enemies” (Ps. 81:13–14 KJV). And as we begin to turn to the Lord, the condemnation begins to dissipate. Only then can we truthfully say to ourselves, “There is now no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1K).

As we turn, we experience freedom. The Lord always sets conditions on His promises: “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17 KJV). “If you hold to my teaching … Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21). We see the conditions that must be met before we know the depth of the doctrine, before we’re set completely free and before we walk in the light. This is the problem we encounter when we try to define the boundaries of the narrow path. We can establish some general guidelines from the Word, but the specifics are undefined. That’s because no one can define your path except God. He will reveal or light your path as you hold to His teaching and live by the truth you already know. Those with faith alone won’t do this, as we shall see next.

Double-minded

The faith-alone converts assume they are automatically on the narrow path. Consider the logic: If salvation is by faith alone, they reason, then how can there be any conditions? If they think they have unconditional eternal security by faith alone, then how can they not be on the narrow path? That makes sense to them. A similar disconnection occurs when it comes to the subject of sin. A faith-alone convert often gets the false impression that he has become two separate entities. On one hand, he thinks he’s a spiritual Christian, immune from judgment. On the other hand, he thinks he has a separate carnal man inside of him—the one committing the sin. He does not think God will judge him for the sins committed by this mysterious carnal man. But to share in the divine nature, we must deny our sinful nature, not merely ignore it. We can’t pretend as if we’re innocent spectators, watching this carnal man commit acts of sin that are isolated from our spirit. We choose to sin as a whole man. We walk after the Spirit as a whole man or after the flesh as a whole man. One reaps eternal life, the other destruction. That’s when the whole man will be cast into hell.

Faith alone also trains the convert to assume that all the positive statements in the Word are already true of him, which relieves him of his duty to conform to what it says. For instance, the goat loves the first five words of Romans 8: “There is no more condemnation.” But he ignores the condition: “to those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The faith-alone goat can end up living in conditions that would frighten the prodigal back home, but the goat will still swear to you that he’s under “no condemnation.” Faith alone removes the conditions in the Word, which eliminates most of the Bible. Faith alone even eliminates the need to read the Bible, pray, bear fruit, or conform to Christ. Nor is there any need to crucify the flesh or walk on the narrow path.

A Theoretical Narrow Path

You will meet well-meaning Christians who teach about crucifying oneself. But I have good news for you: That has already been done. You are in Christ. He was crucified once for all. He died for you so you never need die again. … Death to sin is an accomplished act, a finished fact. Theoretically, it has all been taken care of.

—Dr. Charles Swindoll[49]

Is death to sin a finished fact in your life? Paul feared his sin could still cost him his crown. Dr. Swindoll said, “Simply believe and we have a destiny secure in heaven. Transaction completed.” Let’s look at a few theoretically finished facts. Paul told Timothy, “But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax against Christ, they will marry; Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith” (1 Tim. 5:11–12 KJV). Paul added this: “So I counsel younger widows to marry … Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan” (1 Tim. 5:14–15). Paul also warned Timothy not to select new converts for positions of authority in the church, as you risk destroying them: “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6–7). Paul said to the Philippians:

Only let us live up to what we have already attained … For, as I have told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction … Their mind is on earthly things. (Phil. 3:16–19)

Paul is referring to apostates who didn’t live up to what they had already attained or what they “simply believed.” These were all Christians. Some have damnation. Some follow Satan. Some have a destiny of destruction. All of them will fall under the same judgment of the Devil. None of them have a destiny secure in heaven.

Theoretically Dead Isn’t Actually Dead

Where did the black widows, the recent convert, and those who did not attain go wrong? The sinful nature overcame them. Remember Paul’s remedy for the immoral Christian in the Corinthian church: “Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5). If something wasn’t done about his flesh, then the convert wouldn’t be saved in the end. The only thing to do at that point was to expel the wicked man. Perhaps he would come to his senses, repent, and not end up like those black widows.

Dr. Swindoll’s theory didn’t work too well for those apostate black widows because once we start with a little leaven, like simply believing or faith alone, it begins to leaven the whole lump. Paul said to the Galatians, who were practicing error in their doctrine, “This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Gal. 5:8–9 KJV). In other words, a little poison will infect your entire doctrine. In the present case, anyone who teaches faith alone or simply believing must preclude himself from teaching anything that requires human effort, like putting your sin nature to death. Therefore, the faith-alone goat has to continue chanting the mantra, “I’m standing on the finished work of Christ,” while he ignores what Christ’s finished work actually empowered the goat to do. That way he can put himself deep into the bowels of hell, just like those black widows did. Those widows probably listened to an apostate wolf: “For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error” (2 Peter 2:18). The apostate black widows were enticed by their own sin nature, the one they didn’t put to death, until they cast off their faith. And what better way to appeal to the sin nature than to tell people they don’t really have one. Or even better, just tell the sheep their sin nature is theoretically dead.

We should also note that these black widows had an act of faith, as Dr. Stanley teaches. How then did they end up having damnation? After all, Dr. Stanley says, “God’s unconditional love is eternal. Salvation is forever.” He also believes our future sins are forgiven. If that’s true, then how do you explain these damned widows?

Here’s another other observation about Swindoll’s theory: The sin nature is put to death as we remain in Him. But Dr. Swindoll and Dr. Stanley both say we “take” the gift, as if we can walk away with it, perhaps like those black widows. But we share in the Spirit. We are partakers of the divine nature as long as we remain in Him. Nor can we bury the gift, as Dr. Stanley teaches. Neglect your salvation and the sin nature will reign again. All of the apostates we’ve studied so far prove that point.

Christ said the kernel must die, or it doesn’t bear fruit. Peter says, “Whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. They do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). Paul described it as putting off your old self and putting the sin nature to death. Paul knew the danger of apostasy. He even feared being disqualified himself. But Dr. Stanley isn’t afraid at all. He says we can’t get “unsaved.” Dr. Swindoll isn’t afraid either. Death to sin is a “finished fact” at Dallas Theological Seminary, the seminary built over a portal of hell.

Take a pass on man’s theories unless you want to meet the black widows. Theories don’t help us “think theologically.” The Lord said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” What did Paul do? He said, “I die every day … I mean that, brothers” (1 Cor. 15:31). But Dr. Swindoll says we don’t need to crucify ourselves. Christ already died. He even says it’s a finished fact. That means the narrow path doesn’t even exist. If that’s the case, then go ahead and doze off, you sleepy, foolish virgins.

I like the way some saint of old once put it: “Love God with all your heart … then do as you please.”

—Dr. Swindoll[50]

Isn’t that what the Pharisees did? They claimed to love God and did as they pleased, including the murder of God’s Son. But Jesus is our model, and He didn’t do as He pleased. He said, “For I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29 KJV). And Paul tells us, “And those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him” (2 Cor. 5:15). “Asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will … in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him …” (Col. 1:9–10). “That he no longer should live in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2). And, “Be very careful, then, how you live. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph. 5:15–17), since only the man who does the will of God lives forever.

We did as we pleased before we knew God. Only a fool would do that again. If you do as you please, then you won’t obey the first moral law. You’ll only talk about it. You better discern what His will is for you personally and then make sure that you prove faithful. Only those who do His will are going to enter the kingdom. The one-talent, faith-alone servants will be cast into hell, along with the old wolves—excuse me, “old saints”—who did as they pleased.

When we do things we should not, He may administer discipline, sometimes quite severely, but He never turns His back … He doesn’t send His child to hell! … He deals with His own in grace … beautiful, charming, unmerited favor. It is really amazing!

—Dr. Swindoll[51]

I do agree with the charming part but only in the wicked sense of the word. Maybe it’s time to review of some of the children who “simply believed” up to this point. We had seed on stony ground, seed among thorns, the unfaithful pastor, the foolish builder, the barren fig tree, fruitless branches, the one-talent, wicked servant, a guest without a wedding garment, those who ate and drank with Him, the five foolish virgins, the unmerciful servant, apostate salt, and a dead prodigal. And don’t forget the apostates in Hebrews who cannot be renewed to repentance and now have the expectation of a raging eternal fire; the uprooted, twice-dead apostates in Jude; the apostate dogs in Peter who escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord but are now entangled again in the world and are worse off than before; those who did not live up to what they had attained; and the black widows.

What in hell happened to God’s charming unmerited favor? Dr. Stanley even claims in his book that God hasn’t given a single illustration where He has taken back the gift of salvation.

Be Warned

His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords. (Ps. 55:21)

Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; … so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says”—when the Lord has not spoken. (Ezek. 22:26–28)

The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams … They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies … Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence … (Jer. 23:14–23)

After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth … be on your guard!

—the apostle Paul

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious (ravenous) wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them … Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

—Jesus Christ, the Gatekeeper

Part III

Doctrines of Devils

Part II should have provided enough examples to demonstrate how God’s Word can be perverted, distorted, corrupted, opposed, rejected, annulled, and leavened. From there you end up with a false religious doctrine that has nothing to do with what Christ actually taught. You also end up with eyes that do not perceive. You won’t conform to Christ, and you won’t enter the kingdom.

Protestants need to know how this leaven ruined their doctrine. The Enemy sowed the original seeds, but he uses human accomplices in his premeditated murders. In the next two chapters (10 and 11), we’ll examine the origin of some of the common errors in Protestant doctrine. This should help protect you in the future since much of this doctrine is still taught in Protestant churches. This will improve your ability to ferret out false doctrine when you read books or listen to the teaching of others. You will also see some code words that will tip you off to error when a wolf tries to slip some hemlock into your daily bread and poison you.

Many of the errors result from man’s efforts to sort out election, predestination, and free will. The first chapter will examine the relationship between election and free will compared with Calvin’s doctrine of election, which has been adopted into most Protestant denominations. It should be noted that some Protestant denominations are not based on Calvinism. The second chapter includes a brief look at how Calvinism fails to play out in real life with a real God.

Chapter 12, “Doctrines of Devils,” is a brief look at some major heresies in the Catholic Church. Chapter 13 is the conclusion.

10

Election

Protestant Roots

The Protestant Reformation can be attributed to Martin Luther (1483–1546) and John Calvin (1509–1564). Luther, frustrated with doctrinal abuses occurring in the Catholic Church, correctly taught that faith is what cleanses a convert’s heart, not observing rituals within the Catholic Church. Luther taught faith alone as the only requirement for justification, which, as we know, falls short of a complete faith. Catholics formerly held that salvation required more than faith alone and that sanctification was a process. (“Without holiness, no one will see the Lord” [Heb. 12:14].) As you will see in a later Chapter, Catholics began teaching a false gospel after Vatican II. But prior to that, Catholics were correct on faith and sanctification while Protestants boasted of faith alone and criticized Catholics as legalists. They can thank Luther for that. Luther created some doctrine that was in some ways as bad as the Catholic doctrine he intended to reform.

Objecting to the Catholic doctrines of faith, justification, and salvation, Luther began the Reformation by teaching faith alone, which means the Reformation began with a stumble off the narrow path since faith alone is dead. Luther’s animosity toward the idea of works as opposed to faith alone induced him to make an interpretative error in Galatians, the one we examined in chapter 7. Luther also despised the book of James. (“Faith without works is dead” [James 2:17].) He didn’t think James should be in the Bible. Luther wrote The Bondage of the Will, a book that wrongly concludes men lack free will in the Spirit realm. Luther and Calvin shared similar views on free will and on the doctrine of election, which we will examine next.

Calvin concocted a doctrine of election that twisted the lie of faith alone into something worse. He said men lack the capacity to even believe until God gives them faith. This means man must be totally depraved. Therefore salvation must depend solely on God’s “exhaustive foreknowledge” and sovereignty. It then follows that God has decreed, and controls, every single event in the universe, according to Calvin. He even governs man’s thoughts by “secret inspiration.” This means man can’t operate independently from God’s divine decree. If every event in the universe is fixed or predetermined, then Calvin concluded men lack free will, just like Martin Luther. If that’s the case, then man is unable to choose or believe in Christ. God has to be the sole actor in man’s salvation. Besides, as the story goes, if a man could do anything about his redemption, then it wouldn’t be grace. It would be works. But there’s a really nasty catch here. Presumably God preordained some souls to eternal life and other souls to eternal damnation, through no moral fault or choice of their own. And here’s the corollary: Since only few are chosen, then God creates the masses for damnation. That’s known as the “horrible decree.”

John Wesley said this distorted view of God’s love “makes one’s blood run cold.” If all events in the universe, including man’s thoughts, are predetermined by God’s divine decree, then this makes God the “father of lies” and “worse than the Devil.” John Wesley was right in that Calvin’s doctrine forces us to logically conclude God is responsible for sin. However, Luther and Calvin viewed this secret predestination and God’s divine will as mysteries that humans shouldn’t even attempt to comprehend but merely adore. To them, whatever God decrees must be right, even though the decrees appear to be pure wickedness. Calvin thought it was improper for men to even question the justice of God and Calvin’s theological theory.

If unconditional damnation seems cruel to you, then you must be mistaken. We’re told to deny our own moral discernment, governed by the law that’s written on our hearts and believe something totally contrary to God’s established moral order. We are told to believe that a different, unknown moral law operates in His kingdom, which is not a good foundation for personal integrity and social order. Apparently Abraham was confused when he asked God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 8:25 KJV). Under Calvin’s doctrine, we have no confidence God will do right since now we can’t even define right. That’s only one of the problems with the distorted doctrine of Calvin and Luther. It results in forcing one to accept the idea of a God bent on genocide.

Here are a few more problems with Calvin’s doctrine: We are predestined to conform to Christ or God. Paul also tells us to be imitators of God. Now what should we try to imitate—a destroyer? Or consider this anomaly: If we love our enemies and forgive them, as Jesus commands us, will that make us more like God? Not necessarily because Calvin’s god doesn’t forgive the masses.

If you’re a member of a Protestant church then your pastor probably subscribes to Calvin’s views. Ask him. Be sure and ask him about your filthy, degenerate children who God created, hates and intends to destroy for no good reason because the odds are strongly against your children being part of the chosen few. And don’t bother praying for them. God probably doesn’t love them anyway, or you either. You’re supposed to adore this idea. If your pastor answers your questions with something like, “We just don’t understand God’s love” or “God’s ways are not our ways,” then you should begin to look for a Christian church.

Arminianism

Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) disagreed with the lie of total depravity. Apparently he wasn’t eating the same old moldy rye bread as Calvin and Luther. Arminius believed a man has the free will to choose to accept or reject Christ. Arminius didn’t see a God in the Bible who elects some men to salvation and damns the masses. How could God be just if He holds a man accountable for his actions of believing or not believing if he doesn’t have the free will to do so? Arminius believed man’s action of faith—or his choosing to believe in Christ as his Savior—is the condition for his being elected to eternal life. God doesn’t save a man without his consent, which means election is conditional on man’s response to God. Arminius believed God elected those He foreknew would believe in Christ. Therefore, God’s foreknowledge must incorporate man’s free-will choice into the doctrine of election.

As explained earlier, Jesus was the lamb slain since the foundation of the world, but He also had to choose to be slain. The Lord said He could have called legions of angels to deliver Him, and He wasn’t lying. Here we see God’s foreknowledge working with man’s free will. Once again, that’s beyond our comprehension but not beyond our faith. Similarly, we have been elected in Christ, but we have a choice in that election. The cross existed in the Lord’s future, but He had to choose to merge with His preordained purpose. We are also predestined to conform to Christ. That means very specific works have already been created for us and exist in our future, and we must meet that predetermined future. Recall our purpose: “For we are created in Christ … unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10 KJV). God will reveal those specific works as we obey Him. Those works will be His will, and only those who do His will enter the kingdom.

Arminians also believe Christ’s atonement is provisional for all men who choose to believe in Him. This means grace cannot be unconditional or irresistible. Anyone can willfully choose to resist or reject God’s grace. People can do this even after they believe. Unlike the Calvinists, Arminians believe a man can fail to produce fruit, fall away, or deliberately continue in sin and be damned. Originally Arminius was undecided about the possibility of a final apostasy for a Christian, but his adherents incorporated this into Arminian doctrine. Calvinism has also evolved. While some of them reject the first four points of the doctrine, all of them worship the last point of Calvin: “Once in grace, always in grace,” or in the dialect of the garden reptile, “Surely you can’t lose your salvation.”

The Revelation of God

Is God really a serial killer, as Calvin believed? No. In fact, Jesus is exactly like God. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. I am in the Father. The words I say are not my own, but the Father’s.” Jesus is doing God’s work (John 14:9–10). He said, “The Father commanded Me what to say and how to say it” (John 12:49–50).

Here’s a clearer picture: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb. 1:3). If Christ is the revelation of God, our knowledge of God should start with Him. If we’ve seen Jesus then we’ve seen God’s nature. It doesn’t begin with God’s immutability or His sovereignty, and neither should our theology. What we know about those things is mostly vain imaginations. Nor should our theology begin with a “secret counsel” or “horrible decree” that damns most people to hell. Christ loves the world, and He invites all of us to the marriage feast. Some will refuse. Some won’t be dressed properly. Some promise to come, but they never do. But He invited every one of us. All we have to do is come to Him and continue in the faith unto the end.

Election in the Chosen One

The basic passages on election and predestination are set out below and form a basis for the discussion that follows. First, understand that Christ is the Chosen one and the elect.

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen” (Matt. 12:18). And, “The Christ of God, the Chosen One” (Luke 23:35). “Behold my servant … mine elect … I have put my spirit upon him” (Isa. 42:1 KJV).

Second, the New Covenant is with the Son: “Also I will make him my firstborn … and my covenant shall stand fast with him. (Ps 89:27–28). “I the Lord, give thee for a covenant of the people” (Isa. 42:6 KJV). “I have made a covenant with my chosen one” (Ps. 89:3).

Third, election only exists in the Son where the life resides. “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

Christ is the elect, the Chosen One, and the covenant stands fast with Him. This means our election and salvation hold together in Him: “For in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16–17).

Contrary to Calvin, the question is not whether we’re part of the elect. What’s more correct is whether we remain in Him since the covenant stands with Christ, not with us as individuals. That’s why Christ said we have to remain in Him. Our election in Christ is explained further in Ephesians 1, which is set out below. Notice carefully how our election is effected in and through Christ, the Chosen One, in almost every verse:

Praise be to the God … of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us … with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins … And he made known to us the mystery of his will … which he purposed in Christ … to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth … Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:3–13)

Having believed with your own free will, you were included in Christ. Exercising our faith is the condition for being elected, and Christ’s predestination and election are first and primary. Our predestination and election are secondary in Christ. We are only chosen in Him and elect in Him as we remain in Him. Recall His analogy:

I am the vine; you are the branches … If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are … thrown into the fire and burned. … If you obey my commands, you will remain. (John 15:1–6, 10)

Anyone who fails to remain in the Vine will also fail to share in the divine nature. He gets “unelected.” But in spite of that, most Protestants don’t believe apostasy and exclusion from the kingdom are possible. The lies they have been taught rule out what their eyes see. Many of those lies originated with the five points of Calvinism, which we’ll see in the next section. The primary difference between Calvinism and Arminianism is the issue of man’s free will. Calvinism denies that man has a free will.

The Five Points of Calvinism

Since Calvinism is the doctrine of many Protestant churches, we’re going to do a short review of the doctrine to point out some errors. You will find a more complete analysis in appendix A. In fact, if you still have objections to the doctrine presented in the last nine chapters, then appendix A might address them.

Total Depravity

Calvinists believe lost men are so depraved that they lack the ability to believe in God until God regenerates them. In short, faith comes after the man is born again. This eliminates man’s faith as a condition for salvation, which would be a “work” of man. But man isn’t totally depraved. He’s just a bad liar, since God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom. 1:18–20). Sure, we were dead in our sins but not dead in our ability to sense God. Calvin’s major error, and the basis of his entire doctrine, was a result of the misinterpretation of one passage: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9 KJV). Calvin interpreted “not of works” to mean moral obedience. But Paul was saying that atonement for our sin is now through faith in Christ, not by practicing the works of atonement under the Old Covenant. And when Paul points out that no man can boast, he means no one can tender his tithes or sacrifice some animals and then announce that he has cleansed himself through his own works. If you recall, Luther made the same error in Galatians when he misinterpreted works of the law as moral obedience to arrive at his false doctrine of faith alone.

Calvin, using not of works, along with a few other verses (see appendix A), wrongly concluded that election must come before faith. From there, he concluded that men must lack faith, which, of course, precludes them from exercising any. Therefore, until God “gives them life,” men lack the capacity to even believe, since men are “totally depraved.” This is why Calvin concluded that salvation cannot be based on “any condition on the part of man,” including his faith. What we’re seeing is false doctrine produced from a distortion since Ephesians 1:13 clearly tells us that we hear the word and then we believe. Galatians 3:2 says we receive the Spirit by believing. And Hebrews 11:6 says we can’t please God without faith. He who comes to God must believe first. We are elected or receive the Spirit after we exercise our faith and believe.

Unconditional Election

Calvin concluded that if men can’t act, then election must be based entirely on God’s sovereign act not on any “work” of man. Therefore, election must be unconditional. But Jesus said, repent and believe, in that order. Men are saved or damned upon the condition of their belief or their unbelief, not by any secret decree. Yet Calvin contends that election is based solely on God’s “exhaustive foreknowledge,” not on man’s actions. Yes, it is true that we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Peter 1:2 KJV). But note something interesting about foreknowledge: God says if a nation “does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended for it” (Jer. 18:6–10).

That tends to be a problem. If our election depends on God’s foreknowledge, then election is subject to God’s reconsideration, depending on our behavior, whether it be good or evil. Contrary to Calvin, this means that our salvation is in fact directly conditional on the part of man. Doesn’t that destroy Calvin’s entire doctrine? Actually, we knew this before. Jesus says, “If you obey Me, you will remain in Me.” Otherwise you will be cut off. Since God can, and definitely will, reconsider His foreknowledge in direct response to man’s behavior, then election can’t be defined as a sovereign, “immutable act of God. Unconditional election is a false doctrine.

One other point: Calvinists love to say that their salvation is strictly not of works, indicating a failure to understand parables. By the way, did you notice that repentance is completely missing from Calvin’s doctrine? That’s usually a sign of wolves.

Limited Atonement

If election comes from God alone, then Christ’s atonement must be limited to those God hasn’t already damned. That means the verses that call for a universal atonement have to be distorted by Calvinism. Note the following: “Go into all the world and preach to all creation. Whoever believes … will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). “If any man thirst, let him come” (John 7:37 KJV). Calvin thinks the words world, whoever, and any man are secret, hidden calls directed to the elect, not to men in general. But Peter says, “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). All who are thirsty may come. All they have to do is change masters.

Irresistible Grace

If a man is totally depraved, meaning he can’t believe, then he must be elected and given life by God’s “sovereign act.” That means grace must be irresistible, according to Calvin. But grace can be resisted. Look at the math. “Grace has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). But few will enter the narrow door. That means most men will resist grace. Nor is resistance our only problem. We can fail to continue in grace (Acts 13:43 KJV), fall from grace (Gal. 2:21 KJV), change grace into a license for sin, deny Christ, and be destroyed (Jude 4), desert God and His grace (Gal 1:6), frustrate grace (Gal. 2:21 KJV), miss grace (Heb. 12:15), fail the grace of God (KJV), despise the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29), and forfeit grace (Jonah 2:8–10).

We might also recall that all of the apostates in the parables resisted grace, as did Lot’s wife. Some of us will even be deceived as to whether we’re being led by the Spirit of grace. After all, the Lord warned us, “Not every one that says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom.” And during the present apostasy, many Christians will reject the Spirit of grace.

Perseverance of the Saints

Calvin also contends that we can’t fail in the race or lose our crown because Christ perseveres for the saint. Calvin relies on the following: God is “able to keep you from falling” (Jude 24) and that we are “kept by the power of God through faith” (1 Peter 1:4–5 KJV).

Yes, the Lord is able to keep us by His power, but only if we choose to remain in Him. It’s also true that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39), except, of course, sin. The real problem will be whether we keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21 KJV) since sin brings forth death (James 1:15 KJV).

There’s one other very important argument to refute this false doctrine of eternal security or perseverance: it contradicts the Lord’s parables, and we know Scripture cannot be broken.

Calvinism in a Nutshell

First, man is so depraved that he can’t even think. Even if he’s converted to Calvinism, he still can’t think. Well, he can’t think freely. His salvation then is based only on God’s eternal decree or secret counsel. That’s a secret eternal coin toss with the masses being “unconditionally damned.” This means it is highly unlikely that He died for you or your doomed children. But the lucky few are spiritually regenerated by the Lord’s limited atonement. These people are made alive and given faith without repentance and without their consent. These folks are unconditionally elected and unconditionally loved. Since this happened before they were consciously aware of it, then it had to irresistible. How could you resist something when you didn’t know it happened? Now the dolts can pretend they got saved even before they believed. Since they had nothing to do with their salvation, then they can’t do anything to lose it. Does that sound like, “Surely you shall not die”? Now, just as magically as they were saved, these people believe they will continue to persevere in the same mysterious manner since they believe the Lord’s perseverance is imputed to them. These converts may not even know that all of this happened to them because they don’t need to. It’s all a big secret.

Do you have problems with that doctrine? The Catholic readers are probably crowing out loud at this point, but you have a tutorial coming up in chapter 12.

11

The Promise-Breaking God

Can we do things that affect our future like Noah did his? Can we ask God to change His mind? If our doctrine includes the fixed horrible decree, then it won’t make any difference whether we’re good or evil. Certainly our behavior, our prayers, or our devotion to Christ can’t possibly change the eternal decree. If we don’t think anything we do will affect our future or the future of our children, then why bother? We can only vainly hope God decreed a special life for our children. But didn’t Calvin’s god decree damnation for so many other children? What if our children are part of that group? Here we see how Calvin’s doctrine teaches fatalistic determinism. It tempts you to give up your moral responsibility. If the future is predetermined, then good and evil become relative, like the world believes. From there we have a tendency to slide into a moral vacation—one from which we might not return.

But we don’t really believe God decreed every event in the universe. Only drug users and cultists think like that. We certainly don’t live like that on a daily basis. We expect God to respond to our prayers, or we hope He does. We don’t think our future is fixed in stone. We only feel that way when we’re really depressed. Even the lying Calvinist lives as freely as we do until he steps inside a church. That’s when he suddenly falls into the immutable, sovereign will of God. He sings “Blessed Assurance” again even though he hasn’t had a thought toward his horrible god since he performed this same pretense last Sunday. Deep inside he knows it’s all a deceitful lie, but he quite freely shuts that out of his mind.

Here’s a second problem: If God decreed every event in the universe, then shouldn’t that give all of us sinners a “get out of hell free” pass? We shouldn’t be held accountable for sins God decreed Himself. This means God is responsible for sin since man supposedly lacks a free will. Calvinists try to cover this by saying God has two wills. The first is the sovereign will or decretive will, which is based on God’s exhaustive, immutable foreknowledge. This first will determines every event in the universe. The second will is God’s permissive will, in which God gives man permission to do one important thing outside of His divine sovereign will—sin. Wasn’t that handy?

Of course, we all live each day with free will, but the Calvinist only wants the benefit of his unconditional election lie whenever it comes to his free-will disobedience. That’s the only time the closet free will Calvinist makes the claim that he doesn’t possess free will. Suddenly he’s an innocent victim of fate but still saved.

Oddly, you’ll find that all Calvinists believe in a universal call and an unlimited atonement when it concerns their own children. Why do they pray for their children and take them to church when they don’t even know if they’re part of the elect? Isn’t that rather cruel to the child, to possibly set him up for such a horrible disappointment in his predetermined future?

The Calvinists have also ruined their ability to rely on God’s Word. Their distorted doctrine has rendered the Bible incoherent. For instance, if God truly desires all men to be saved, then why doesn’t He save us all? He has that omnipotent ability. He also has absolute integrity. So why doesn’t He just do what He says He desires to do? And if you think His stated desire is some secret code addressed only to a select group, then how can you trust anything else He says in His Word? If God would intentionally deceive the entire world by saying He wants all men to be saved, then what prevents Him from deceiving you?

The Calvinists have made a god in their own image to avoid God’s true sovereign purpose for us, which is to be conformed to Christ. It would have been wiser for the Calvinists to bow to God from the start because now they have encapsulated themselves inside a false doctrinal prison. To keep the lie of unconditional election or eternal security, they have created a fixed, immutable God who can’t even respond to their fake prayers. Calvinism actually limits God’s sovereignty, power, and love, not that they respect His sovereignty. They only talk about it as the focal point of their doctrine. Calvin’s lie about sovereign election is more important to them than God Himself, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Calvinists worship Calvin’s traditions, not God.

Sin and Fatalism

Let’s look at an example of how Calvinism fails to play out in real life. Here’s Dr. Swindoll’s doctrine, his truly cosmic perspective on the events of life, and a revelation of his fatalism:

The first facet of God’s will is what we shall call His decretive will: His sovereign, determined, immutable will.[52]

How do you know it was part of His decreed will? Because it happened. … In other words, everything that has happened in your life to this moment has been part of God’s determined will for your life. It happened because He has determined it to be so.[53]

I am the walrus. So did God give my neighbor a bad liver, or did it have something to do with his alcoholism? Was it really part of God’s sovereign immutable will for my neighbor’s toddler to die of leukemia? Here comes the horrible decree:

The other realm of the will of God is His permissive will, which represents what God allows.[54]

And I know that some will choose not to accept Christ. That’s part of His plan. From God’s perspective, they are not among the elect.[55]

Here we see Calvin’s imaginary permissive will doctrine and the horrible decree that damns you and your children, taught with a straight face. People like you aren’t special enough to be among the elect, like Dr. Swindoll and his “evangelical” followers. How did Dr. Swindoll come to his doctrinal conclusions?

When you’re in graduate study and are doing intensive work in the biblical text, you must wrestle with and come to terms with certain truths.[56]

Looks more like he got tired early and picked up one of Calvin’s rotten books, which allows you to give up your reason, the biblical text, and then write something like this:

All things work together for good … regardless. So we rest in our sovereign God.[57]

Here we see the true focus of Calvinism. It isn’t Christ. Christianity to the Calvinist is God’s sovereignty. They presume to rest in God’s sovereignty, not in the Vine. Nor do they think you can be cut off from the Vine, no matter what the Vine Himself had to say about it. That’s why they ignore conditions for remaining in the Vine and why they can’t quite wrestle down Christ’s parables in the biblical text. The parables refute Calvin’s doctrine.

Don’t forget how Dr. Swindoll admonished us:

Those who have a high view of biblical revelation, I find, have a very low view of any kind of extra-biblical revelation. … Tell me you have determined God’s will from the Scriptures, carefully studied within the context in which it was given, and you’ve got my attention and my respect.[58]

And we will continue to stand on the solid rock of God’s Word of truth. All other ground is sinking sand.[59]

More Mysteries and Stories

The wolves would like you to do one of two things. First they want you sit there with a devil’s faith alone and do nothing. Second best, they want you to deliberately keep on sinning until God cuts you off forever. Now consider Dr. Swindoll’s opinion on deliberate disobedience and how it relates to his concept of God:

He stays near us when we reject His counsel and deliberately disobey. … His faithfulness is unconditional, unending, and unswerving. Nothing we do can diminish it, and nothing we stop doing can increase it. … Mysterious though such incredible constancy may seem, it’s true.[60]

It’s odd that Dr. Swindoll used the word deliberately, the same word Paul used in Hebrews in regard to the apostate: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.” And in spite of sixteen parables, the unpardonable sin, the black widows, and the apostates in Romans, Timothy, Titus, Peter, Jude, and Hebrews, Dr. Swindoll tells us God’s faithfulness is unconditional and unending.

Did you notice the emphasis Dr. Swindoll placed on God’s incredible constancy? Let’s look at the real God, the one without the flea collar. When the Jews refused to take the Promised Land, God told them they would bear their iniquities in the wilderness for forty years, saying, “Ye shall know my breach of promise” (Num. 14:34 KJV). Did you get that, sleepy? Here’s the unswerving, immutable God flat out breaking His promise. That’s acceptable because the rebel Jews broke with Him first. Why should He keep a covenant with covenant breakers? He won’t, especially with those “who reject His counsel and deliberately disobey.” God is very immutable on that point. God will cut us off for unbelief, just like He did those Jews. That’s why Paul warned us in Hebrews and in Corinthians about the example set by Israel. They hardened their hearts after they were led out of Egypt (the world). That’s why God swore they would never enter His rest. “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” (Heb. 3:19).

The promise-breaking God said something else about the similarity of sinning Christians and the Jews: “Since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it … just as they did” (Heb. 4:1–2). “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11). Finally, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us … So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor. 10:11–12).

Why should we be careful to avoid Israel’s poor example? When men are unfaithful, God becomes a promise-breaking God.

Call off the Adoption

When Israel despised the land, their immutable God said, “I will disinherit them” (Num. 14:12 KJV). Remember these Jews were the sons of God. Well, they used to be sons. God broke His promise and disinherited them, revealing to us a problem with the adoption: “To him who overcomes I will also give him a new name” (Rev. 2:17). “Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). The orphan doesn’t take the adoptive parent’s name until the adoption is complete. This final salvation and adoption will be at the last time. He that endures to the end, to the last time, shall be saved. Otherwise, there won’t be any adoption ceremony.

Here is an incredibly constant warning for Christians: “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility … disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has [not KJV] seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head …” (Col. 2:18–19). Don’t listen to Satan’s manmade traditions about God’s immutable, unconditional faithfulness and unswerving constancy. The man might lead you astray with idle notions and disqualify you from the prize, especially if the man has not heard God’s voice. He may have lost connection with the Head a long time ago.

Here’s another anomaly: If God’s incredible constancy doesn’t change, then was that before He became flesh? God emptied Himself, was tempted in all points as we are, and humbled Himself to death. He toured hell, took on immortality again, and sat down at the right hand of the throne. If it seems mysterious that his incredible constancy doesn’t change, then that’s because it isn’t true. God changed, incredibly, into a human. Wasn’t that the Pharisees’ problem? This event was so far outside of their traditional theology that they ended up killing their Messiah.

How does a Christian exclude that little “immutable” baby in a manger from his theology? He reads Calvin’s manmade traditions until he deceives himself to the point that God’s sovereignty becomes more important than Christ. Unlike Dr. Swindoll, Paul didn’t preach manmade traditions. He said, “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up” (Gal. 1:11). Peter practiced the same pattern of integrity, saying, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). Our knowledge of God should come from the Word, not Calvin. Remember: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8).

In the end, unlike many apostate pastors today, the apostle Paul was also able to say, “We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man” (2 Cor. 7:2 KJV).

In sum, there is no immutable decree that saves some of us and damns the masses, and neither does the secret counsel of God fix our future. Man’s future is determined by his moral choices, and his conversion to Christ enables him to choose not to sin, which is good because sin will not be excused by an imaginary permissive decree.

12

Doctrines of Devils

Vatican II

Pope John Paul II was the first pope to enter a mosque and pray to Allah, the first pope to kiss the Koran, and the first pope to pray at the Western Wall, in the custom of Judaism, a house left desolate, according to the one the Jews crucified. He was also the first pope to enter the Great Synagogue of Satan in Rome, where he heralded the rabbinical Pharisees as the “elder brothers” of Christians. This was all done in the name of “ecumenism and dialogue,” something Peter would have condemned as pagan idolatry. Most Protestants were aghast at his behavior.

The seeds of this fellowship with darkness were planted during Vatican II (1965), when several radical heresies were conceived and adopted into church doctrine. One is the lie that all men have now been divinized by Christ, restoring human nature back to its original state before the fall. Pope Paul VI and the Magisterium put it this way:

He who is the “image of the invisible God” is himself the perfect man who has restored in the children of Adam that likeness to God which had been disfigured ever since the first sin. Human nature … has been raised in us also to a dignity beyond compare. For, by his incarnation, he, the son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man.

—Gaudium et Spes Art 22.

In the human nature united to Himself the Son of God, by overcoming death through His own death and resurrection, redeemed man and remolded him into a new creature.

—Lumen Gentium Art. 7.

All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God's image; they have the same nature and origin, and being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine calling and destiny; there is here basic equality between all men and it must be given ever greater recognition.

—Gaudium et Spes Art 29.

This heresy regards redemption as universal. All men have been transformed into new creatures without a personal belief in Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection. The heretics of Vatican II called this “anonymous Christianity,” which denies the doctrine of original sin because men are now in the same state as Adam was before the fall (that likeness to God that had been disfigured ever since the first sin). Despite the fact that Romans 5 tells us death reigns in all men unless they experience a conversion to Christ, the Vatican says Christ redeemed all men even if they haven’t had a personal encounter with Him. Men are no longer dead in their sins because none are sinners.

This is an example of what Jesus meant when He said, “By your traditions you make the commandments of God of no effect.” Consider what this false doctrine means: If all men are now redeemed, then evangelism is unnecessary. Faith is now nothing more than the anonymous Christian becoming aware of the divine nature that pre-exists within him. The new mission of the apostate church has become the unity of man. Here’s how the wolves explained it:

The encouragement of unity is in harmony with the deepest nature of the Church’s mission … and of the unity of the whole human race.

—Gaudium et Spes art 42

The Magisterium further stated that the Catholic Church is in “communion with God and the unity among all men” and the “universal mission” of the church is to bring men closer together to “achieve full unity in Christ” (Lumen Gentium Art 1). But this is the spirit of antichrist, not the gospel of Christ. And since the clergy say all men are redeemed, then salvation is no longer the mission of the church. The church abandoned the gospel and substituted a false theology—the mission of the unity of mankind.

This secular mission was prominent during Pope John Paul’s reign. He said human nature had been permanently divinized by Christ. He also viewed “the spiritual history of man as including, in some way, all religions,” thereby demonstrating the “unity of humankind with the eternal and ultimate destiny of man.” He also said every human being “is in the faith, whether he knows it or not.” If Christ has united himself with each man, then each man, no matter his beliefs, has the divine nature of the Holy Spirit. This would explain the pontiff’s ecumenical dialogue with pagan religions where, instead of condemning error, he had a continuous dialogue with error. But Christ said there is nothing for us to learn from the world, the kingdom of darkness, since All things hold together in Him. Jesus also had a strong word for the Pope: "He who does not gather with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth” (Matt. 12:30).

If Christ is united with each man, then this also precludes the existence of false religions since all men are now spiritually united. This means Muslims are Catholics, “whether they know it or not.” This radical false doctrine explains the erratic behavior of Pope John Paul II when he prayed to Allah, kissed the Koran, and praised the bloodline descendants of Caiaphas.

Christ said this about men who deny Him: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matt. 10:3-233). In the next verse, He condemned this unity of mankind heresy:

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matt. 10:34–37)

Pope John Paul II, as a cardinal at Vatican II, introduced the false doctrines above, which was sufficient to expel him from the kingdom. His fate was sealed when he denied Christ by confessing Allah as God. He also led many people to believe that bowing to Allah and the Koran is not a denial of Christ. After all, if the pontiff worships Allah, how can it be wrong?

Christ has not “united Himself with each man,” and neither are “all men redeemed and remolded into a new creature.” Christ also did not teach equality among men. Not even Christian converts are equal because Christ gives some five talents and others only one. And the wolves teaching these heresies are no longer members of the kingdom, much less equal. The universal equality, unity, and redemption of man is the spirit of antichrist, elevating man to the center of the universe in opposition to Christ. This was the spirit God opposed at Babel, and it’s the same spirit behind the New World Order. As man rejects God from his consciousness, he worships himself.

The Muslim Heresy

The wolves of Vatican II said this about Islam:

Upon the Moslems, too, the Church looks with esteem. They adore one God … Maker of heaven and earth and Speaker to men. They strive to submit wholeheartedly even to His inscrutable decrees, just as did Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. … In addition, they await the Day of Judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.

—Nostra Aetate's Art 3.

Satan wrote that personally. The church is worshipping another god when they “esteem” Islam because it’s another gospel. Recall Paul’s warning: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:8–9). When the Magisterium says God spoke to the Muslims, they are endorsing the Koran as a revelation of the Holy Spirit. In reality, Muslims reject Christ’s divinity and incarnation and redemption through His death. Muslims only venerate Jesus as a prophet of Islam. Islam rejects all Christian truths.

They value the moral life and worship god, and they await the judgment. “Bow to Allah or we will kill you.” That’s the moral life of Islam, yet the church is presenting Islam as an example worthy of following. The Vatican even tells us to conveniently forget fourteen horrible centuries of Muslim bloodshed. These “quarrels” will continue because the barbaric Jihad is a legal obligation under the moral life of Islam. Only fools, cowards, and apostates would forget the nature of Islam. Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI have all encouraged Western countries to open their borders to violent people from the third world. Western civilization is actually indebted to Catholicism for forming the order of the West and defending her. Now she’s exhorting the Christian West to commit suicide because the clergy is apostate, being worse than at first.

This idolatry has infected the entire clergy. “If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked” (Prov. 29:12K). Cardinal Law bowed to Mecca and prayed to Allah inside a Boston mosque, saying, “I feel very much at home with my fellow fundamentalists here, who are convinced that God must be at the center of our lives.” Cardinal McCarrick prayed to “Allah the compassionate, the merciful” at Georgetown University. Paul warned us, “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” John says, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 10:10–11K). Isaiah agrees: “If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20 KJV).

The Jewish Heresy

The wolves of Vatican II said this about Judaism:

True, authorities of the Jews and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ; still, what happened in His passion cannot be blamed upon all the Jews then living, without distinction, nor upon the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as repudiated or cursed by God, as if such views followed from the Scriptures.

—Nostra Aetate Art 4

The ruling authorities of the Jews, the Sanhedrin, the supreme leaders of Israel and the Jewish race, rejected the Messiah, orchestrated His crucifixion, and mocked Him as He died on the cross.

When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns … As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” … Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:5–12)

All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25)

In the parable of the tenants, Christ said the Jews always killed the prophets and they were going to kill Him too. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them” (Matt. 21:45). Upon hearing this, the chief religious and political leaders of the Jews set out to kill Him. The Jews killed Christ and incurred a curse, which Paul confirmed:

You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. (1 Thess. 2:14–16)

That curse is on the Jewish race since they make no distinction between their race (chosen people) and their religion. Jesus told the future of the Jewish race: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt. 21:43). Once Israel rejected Christ, the Jewish race fell into spiritual darkness. Christ said to the Jews, “Look, your house is left unto you desolate [without any spiritual or moral value]” (Matt. 23:38). God abandoned the Jewish race and enlisted the Gentiles to bear fruit. Yet the false gospel taught in today’s church has blinded Christians to the dark side of God’s nature and His view of the Jews:

For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. (Rom. 11:21–22)

Who Are the Chosen Ones?

The true seed of Abraham depends only on the inward spiritual condition of the individual, not on the genetic DNA of the Jewish race (Rom. 2:28–29). The promise of blessing through Abraham was Christ Himself (seed, singular). The promises of God were made to Abraham’s seed (Christ), not to the Jewish race in the flesh (Gal. 3:16). The promises come down to Christians, not to the Jews. Christians are sons of God through Christ, where there is “neither Jew nor Greek.” And those in Christ are “heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:26–29).

Judaism is nothing more than the traditions of the elders (Pharisaism). Jesus wasn’t speaking to a chosen race when He said, “You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matt. 23:33). The genetic members of the Jewish race are not the same as spiritual Jews. Christians are now the spiritually chosen ones, and this is how Jesus described the condition of the genetic Jews today: “I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9).

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Rev. 3:9)

God told the apostate Jews six hundred years before Christ’s arrival, “You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name” (Isa. 65:15). That’s why Christ called them the children of hell and why Paul said, “The wrath of God has come upon them at last,” referring to the prophecy of Isaiah.

When Isaiah referred to the chosen ones, he meant the “chosen generation, a holy nation” of Christians, who are now the “people of God” (1 Peter 2). Jesus says to Christians, “I have chosen you out of the world” (John 15:19). They will carry out Christ’s divine mission, the mission the Jews betrayed. Recall the parable of the tenants. God plants a vineyard and leases it to tenants (Jews). God sends His emissaries (prophets) to collect His harvest and the tenants kill every one of them. Finally, He sends His own Son, and the Jews kill Him too. That’s when the landowner takes the vineyard from the Jews and gives it to new tenants (Christians). “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt. 21:43). The end is yet to come: “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? … He will bring those wretches to a wretched end” (Matt. 21:40).

For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. … There will be great wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. (Luke 21:22, 24)

In God’s coming days of vengeance, all of the wretches will be brought to a wretched end for their cosmic crime. The wrath of God will come upon them at last. That being the case, then why do the bishops say the Jews cannot be blamed for the crucifixion? God surely blames them, and He makes no distinction between those from the past or those in the future. The bishops also wrote, “The Jews should not be presented as repudiated or cursed by God, as if such views followed from the Scriptures.” But all of this is clearly stated in the Scriptures.

The Magisterium is teaching lies, not the gospel of Christ, and these lies cause Christians to overlook the dark nature of the Jews and their animosity toward Gentiles, especially Christians. God showed Ezekiel what the apostates were practicing at the temple. Seventy elders were worshipping idols inside the temple itself. At the north gate, women were mourning Tammuz, the underworld god of the harvest. Men in the inner court were worshipping the sun with their backs toward God’s temple. This was the spiritual condition of the Jews six hundred years before Christ, giving us an idea of their depraved spiritual state upon Christ’s arrival. Here’s how He described their spiritual condition:

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

The Jews were warned to remain faithful to God or He would cast them off, resulting in the condition Christ described above:

Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord … And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside … to go after other gods … (Deut. 11:26–28)

Apostate Christians still fawn over these wretches because of confusion over the promise in Genesis: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3). But God abrogated this promise when the Jews rebelled. If they continued in their idolatry, God said they would “know my breach of promise” (Num. 14:34 KJV). God also promised to “disinherit them” (Num. 14:12 KJV), which He fulfilled when the Jews crucified Christ. At that point, the Jews were left desolate. God set aside the Genesis promise, rendering the old Jewish covenant extinct “because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them [I regarded them not KJV]” (Heb. 8:9). God made the first covenant “obsolete” (Heb. 8:13).

The wretched end is yet to come. “These things happened to them as examples and … as warnings for us … be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Cor. 10:11–12).

The Pope’s Idolatry

When the Magisterium esteems the Koran or addresses the Jews as their elder brothers, they are endorsing false religions and giving honor to people who murder Christians. In the quest to achieve the antichrist unity of man, the church has rejected history, the Scriptures, and Christ. Catholics didn’t object to the pope praying to pagan gods because few Catholics are familiar with the Bible (or Christ). They believe the Scriptures are reserved for the clergy, and they neglect their personal duty to study the Word for two reasons. First, the Magisterium claims to be infallible in doctrine by a special gift of the Spirit. Here’s how the catechism states it: “The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him” (CCC 100). Second, the church claims the priests have been mysteriously changed by ordination and “remain priests forever.” Catholic soothsayer George Weigel says ordination makes an indelible mark on the priest’s soul and he is “ontologically” changed in an irreversible way. Unlike the medieval peasants in the sanctuary, the priests are immune from judgment (priests forever). All of this is why Catholics accept the theology of their clerics instead of studying the Word themselves. The average Catholic is also a lazy swine. He wants the wolf to explain the Bible to him instead of reading it himself.

Catholics should have been appalled at the cleric’s idolatry. God says salvation through Christ is exclusive: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And Jesus declared: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Catholic Scandal

The church’s long-standing concealment of the depraved sex crimes committed against male children unraveled in 2002. The victim count grew until it spilled over the wall of secrecy maintained by the clerics for five decades. The clergy had threatened the victims’ families with libel suits to silence them. Since the priests were always alone with the boys, there were no witnesses to corroborate the victims’ charges. If the threats failed to intimidate the families, they were offered secret settlements in exchange for their silence. This explains how a monster like Father John Geoghan was able to molest several hundred male children over a thirty-year period without being reported to the police. There were at least six other pedophiles in the Boston area who molested more than one hundred male children each. There were several hundred more with lower victim counts. There were 250 offending priests in the Boston Archdiocese alone.

Boston Cardinal Bernard Law claimed in 2001, “Never was there an effort on my part to shift a problem from one place to the next. No one is welcome to serve in this Archdiocese who presents a risk to minors.” We learned later that Law employed 48 of the 250 Boston priests who were guilty of molesting minors. As the men were exposed by the parents, Law would transfer them to another parish without warning anyone of the priests’ past conduct, enabling the priests to continue to molest more children, a pattern repeated in dioceses all across America. This same criminal behavior occurred in Ireland (fifteen thousand victims), Canada (three thousand victims), EU nations, Australia, South Africa, and Latin America. Fr. Francis Maniscalco said, “This is a very complex matter that the bishops have been trying to deal with for nearly twenty years.”

The bishops feigned contrition and promised reform while hoping the outrage would fade with time since it always had before. In 1988, after thirteen hundred priests had molested boys during the previous two decades, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called it a “tragedy” and said the bishops were “deeply committed” to preventing the abuse. They denied a cover-up then, as they do now. In 2002, Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the USCCB, said the bishops were “deeply committed” (again) to stopping the sexual abuse of children, and he called this whole affair a “grace-filled opportunity,” citing Paul’s words, “Where sin has increased, grace has far surpassed it.” Pope John Paul said, “Now you must ensure that where sin increased, grace will all the more abound (Rom. 5:20).”

Do you Catholic readers see it? Child rape is licensed and excused under the grace doctrine of the infallible bishops, and every member of the church agrees with this. Grace abounds was Paul’s prescription for the newly freed captives from Satan’s kingdom of darkness. Paul has a different standard for those already within the church: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Rom. 6:1–2).

Moral Apathy

After a year of revelations of the depravity practiced by hundreds of Boston predators, a few priests reluctantly requested Cardinal Law’s resignation because they were having difficulty fundraising. It was mammon that motivated them, not their consciences or their concern for the flock. Greed coaxed them into the normal realm of morality, if only for appearances. And most Catholics were as apathetic as these priests. They weren’t outraged by this moral depravity. Of the two million Catholics in the Boston area, only thirty people picketed Cardinal Law’s lair demanding his removal. This is what Christ meant when He warned, “Many are called but few are chosen.” These were the only people in Boston who were exhibiting Christian behavior.

Under media pressure, the American cardinals offered a “proposal to recommend” the dismissal of a priest if his sex crimes became “notorious, serial, and predatory.” In other words, the predator would not be dismissed unless he was a serial rapist and exposed by the media. The cardinals were shocked when their proposal was greeted with the derision that it deserved from the media. This reaction by the cardinals proves they don’t regard child rape as evil. Don’t forget that apostates lose the ability to discern immorality. Even the lost know right from wrong, whereas apostates lack that ability. This is why the prostitutes and thieves recognized Christ while the apostate Pharisees did not. In fact, apostates are actually hostile to innocence and decency, a symptom on display in the cardinals’ insulting proposal.

After the firestorm, the cardinals reluctantly agreed to remove predators when exposed. The orders immediately said they would not comply with this policy. The orders (Dominicans, Jesuits, Franciscans, etc.) said the bishops were ignoring Catholic doctrine on redemption, which we know is false doctrine. This means one-third of the forty-six thousand American priests will not remove a predator because they think ordination is permanent because it “irreversibly changes” a priest. Pope John Paul supported this falsehood. He said, “The priesthood is forever. We do not return the gift once given. It cannot be that God who gave the impulse to say yes now wishes to say no.” Obviously, the pope and the Magisterium do not understand the Lord’s parables, while claiming to be His disciples. These apostates have also lost the ability to recognize sin.

Christ Died for Our “Mistakes”

Washington Cardinal McCarrick said, “Unfortunately, we’ve learned through our mistakes. We’re admitting the dumb things that we’ve done.” Cardinal Law said, “I wish that I could undo what I now see to have been mistakes.” Cardinal Egan wasn’t even sure if the bishops had made mistakes. Here’s his sincere apology: “If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made, I am deeply sorry.” Bishop Gregory said, “We continue to learn from our experiences and, hopefully, even more from our mistakes.”

He described these crimes as a tragedy, but a tragedy is unforeseeable, like an earthquake. What we have here is deliberate crime, foreseeable and preventable. And calling a crime a mistake removes the moral component of what these men did. There’s no recognition of their premeditation, their conspiracy, and their deliberate deceptions over five decades. Here’s why these apostates can’t admit to their sins: “An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin” (Ps. 36:1–2).

Complex

The pope described the child sex crimes as a “complex and difficult situation.” Since when did a depraved sin become something complex? The pope also claimed there was a “lack of knowledge of the nature of the problem” and actually blamed clinical therapists for the decisions bishops made in protecting the predators. But the catechism exposes these claims as false: “Only the light of divine revelation clarifies the reality of sin” and without that revelation “we cannot recognize sin clearly and we are tempted to explain it as … a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake …” (CCC 386). Or if you’re an apostate, you will be tempted to explain child rape as a “complex situation” and blame the therapists for their mistaken evaluations of the psychological weaknesses of your morally degenerate priests.

The bishops established a National Review Board to assess the extent of the abuse. But the NRB lost all credibility in 2004 when they said it’s “not possible to pinpoint any one cause of the abuse.” They also said, “There is no test that will identify a pedophile or a sexual predator.” They even said the abuse was partly the fault of the clergy’s legal counsel because the priests didn’t know it was a crime to molest a child. This might have been offered to try to explain why there was not one case where a cleric notified the police to report any of the sixteen thousand felony crimes.

The bishops also hired John Jay College of Criminal Justice to investigate the causes, and they released their study of the clergy in 2011. The final tally: six thousand priest perpetrators and sixteen thousand young male victims. The college said, “No single cause of the abuse could be identified,” and they ruled out homosexuality and celibacy as causes. The college also said potential abusers could not be prescreened by psychological tests or by “sexual history data.”

Everyone is reading from the same propaganda script. The bishops and the pope said in 2002 that this is a complex problem. The NRB said it’s “a very complex, nuanced problem.” And John Jay College said the abuse was a “complex interaction of factors.” If you don’t know the cause, then you can’t say who assaulted the children. The bishops are saying they don’t know who raped the children, and 1.2 billion Catholics agreed with them as they stared at sixteen thousand male victims who were raped by six thousand male priests. We will leave it right there.

It’s not an exaggeration to say the Magisterium and the laity of this church have reached a point where the inmates of our prisons have higher moral standards. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matt. 5:13).

People at this level of corruption and decadence don’t deserve to be warned. I included this chapter in hopes of reaching some of the innocent young people in the church.

Jesus Was a False Prophet

The bishops are now saying sexual orientation is a recent concept that’s “unknown and not addressed in the Bible.” So when Christ prophesied the end would be “just like the days of Lot,” He was wrong. He was operating under the antiquated knowledge of the first century, which means Christ was a false prophet (liar), not God’s divine Son. This means He did not rise from the dead because He was not the perfect sacrifice. And the empty tomb must have been a hoax perpetrated by His followers, including Peter, the man who founded the church that now denies the deity of Christ. One lie is told to obscure the identity of the ones who raped the children, and that one lie will eat down to the very core. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9 KJV).

I Am the (Anti) Christ

The bishop is bound to present the whole of Christian doctrine (Canon 386), and he is to be watchful lest abuses creep into the ministry of the word (Canon 392). But the clergy doesn’t preach the whole doctrine of Christ, and they use the error of endless repentance or grace as a license for sin. This strips the moral law from Catholic doctrine. Talk about creeping abuses.

Fruit bearing has a fixed time limit. It’s even shorter for trees bearing bad fruit. Once the time limit expires, no more grace exists. But the average Catholic doesn’t know this. An uprooted tree or an apostate wolf is outside the realm of his understanding. When the wolf comes in sheep’s clothing, or dressed in the robes of a pope, the Catholic sheep is defenseless against his attack because he doesn’t know this is even possible. And that’s because the bishop didn’t teach him the whole of Christian doctrine, even though the liar vowed he would.

This error of endless grace was obvious in statements made with regard to the priests who molested the children. Bishop Harry Flynn defended the predators, saying, “We need to believe in the possibility that people can grow, people can turn a corner. We would be fools if we were to say that someone cannot grow.” Very prominent lay Catholics parroted this repeatedly in defense of the offending priests in the abuse scandal. One said, “A closed mind to any possibility of moral growth is a departure from the Christian way.” Another said, “As Catholics, we believe redemption is always possible.” But this is against what Christ taught. Christ said fools wouldn’t understand His parables, and those parables tell us grace does end and the twice-dead trees will be uprooted. Christ said there are multitudes of men who would have been better off stillborn. The souls of infants are received into heaven whereas the adult apostate cannot change his eternal fate. Christ said, “It would be better if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24).

The heresies in Catholic doctrine bring us to a dark conclusion: Since teaching false doctrine will destroy you swiftly, then every member of the clergy may be a wolf. This might explain part of the reason why the priests molested sixteen thousand American male children. What better way to destroy the faith of a child than to be molested by a monster bearing the name of Christ? Catholic doctrine states that the priest stands in persona Christi, or stands in the actual person of Christ. Now recall Christ’s warning: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matt. 24:4–5).

Do you need the infallible Magisterium to explain that? The doctrine of the Catholic Church is going to get much darker under the reign of these bishops. Now that the bishops have effectively abandoned the gospel (rejected the light), God promised them a delusion, and that delusion will cause them to wonder after the Beast. They may tell Catholics that the Antichrist is the real Messiah who will bring about the unity of man. They will persecute and murder Christians under this antichrist spirit because they are already guilty of persecuting Christ: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40 KJV).

Reform

Let’s remember Paul’s warning again: “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared” (1 Tim 4:1–2 KJV).

Can this church be recovered? The leaders can’t discern between good and evil, and they will not resign out of conscience. They don’t have one. And why bother when Catholics are content with the situation? As explained in chapter 2 (“Lie to Me; I Like It”), Catholics prefer lies to the truth. This church doesn’t believe men are sinners in need of repentance and a rebirth through the blood of Christ. How can you reform a church that rejects God’s Word?

If you stay in this church for the sole purpose of turning this beast around, fine. The others who think they can passively attend this church and support the false doctrine are wrong: “Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work” (2 John 11). The Catechism confirms this. You are “responsible for the sins of others” when you cooperate in them. You join their sin by “participating directly or by approving,” by “not disclosing or not hindering them,” and by “protecting evildoers” (CCC 1868). The bishops are teaching false doctrine, and your presence in this church makes you “responsible for their sins.” Paul said, “If any man consent not to the words of our Lord and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, destitute of the truth, from such withdraw thyself” (1 Tim 6:3–5 KJV). “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness” (2 Tim. 3:19). This is not an option: “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James 4:17). And sin brings forth death (James 1:15K).

The Priesthood

Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; … so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says”—when the Lord has not spoken. (Ezek. 22:26–28)

The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, declares the Lord. They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies … Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence … (Jer. 14:14, 23:32, 39)

After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth … So be on your guard! (Acts 20:30).

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them … Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matt. 7:15–20)

Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise me, “The Lord says: You will have peace.” And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, “No harm will come to you.” But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? (Jer. 23:16–18)

Response of the Catholic Laity

They say to the seers … and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. (Isa. 30:9–10)

A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end? (Jer. 5:30–31)

13

Conclusion

No one can say the material in this book is complicated. It only seems that way to readers who have been poisoned with hemlock by false teachers, which happens to be the majority. You can blame the wolves for blinding you, but you could have protected yourself by reading the Word yourself. Recall what God said about the dark power behind the magic charms (lies) of the false teachers:

I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds … I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power … and you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. (Ezek. 13:20–23)

There is power behind the lie because lies come from the kingdom of darkness ruled by the Father of Lies. This is why teaching false doctrine is the only sin noted for bringing swift destruction on the perpetrator (2 Peter 2:2). For some of you, the veil obscuring your perception has been removed as you simply read the words of Christ. Truth removes the veil by breaking the power of the divinations and charms. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). And this is because His “words are spirit” (John 6:63), which counteract the evil spirit behind the lies.

All of us who accepted Christ were set free initially, but most of us were poisoned along the way because most churches have fallen away. This means most “Christian” books are also contaminated with poison. The cable channels are also filled with wolves spreading poison. For example, Christ says you can’t serve God and mammon. “Do not love anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Here’s Paul’s warning: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Flee these things” (1 Tim. 6:10–11 KJV). The cable wolves are worshipping mammon (world) under the guise of faith teaching. Listen to them or read one of their books and you will find that not one of them understands a parable. If they did, they wouldn’t be teaching people to worship mammon.

A majority of Protestants are now calling themselves evangelicals, which is a sure sign of apostasy. Their doctrine is Calvinist, and they believe they’re saved forever, meaning none of them understands the Bible. You will also hear them say, “I’m a grace Christian, not a law Christian.” All of them are so poisoned with the idea that grace is a license for sin that they have inverted morality, like the Pharisees. Nobody is guilty of sin in the evangelical world because grace and compassion license all of their sins. Unfortunately, this is what passes for Christianity in most of Protestant America. You will find this poison in all of the Grace, Bible, and Fellowship churches, in which the form of godliness has been institutionalized.

Consider the disaster in the Catholic Church. There are three hundred cardinals, five thousand bishops, and four hundred and ten thousand priests worldwide, and not one of them understands a parable. The bishops have PhDs in theology, requiring seven years of seminary, and they don’t know Christ’s doctrine. No wonder only thirty Boston Catholics demanded Cardinal Law’s resignation. The other two million Catholic apostates in the Boston area are on the broad path to destruction. This is not a surprise since the bishops don’t know who killed Christ. They think Muslims are Christians. They don’t know that molesting a child is a felony crime, and they claim they don’t know who raped sixteen thousand male children. It’s a “very complex and nuanced problem.”

It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee. (Matt. 11:25 KJV)

Inverting Morality

On the first anniversary of 9/11, Dr. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Church, said America’s military strike on Afghanistan was “morally tainted” and an “embarrassment.” He said terrorism “can have serious moral goals” and “It is possible to use unspeakably wicked means to pursue an aim that is intelligible or desirable.” So the head of the Anglican Church justified the Muslim murder of three thousand innocents while calling the defensive response immoral. God’s opinion: “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 17:15).

Pope John Paul prayed to God to show “mercy and forgiveness” to the nineteen Muslims who murdered three thousand Americans. But Christ never taught us to forgive every sin or every heinous crime without condition. God is a God of order, and this demonic philosophy of the pope would destroy civilization. God didn’t forgive these men. Jesus said, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). Forgiveness can be offered only if he repents first. None of the terrorists repented. We saw Bin Laden celebrating and Muslims dancing in the streets in the Muslim world, including those living in America.

Rowan Williams and Pope John Paul cannot discern good from evil, and they have become enemies of God, Christians, and civilization. These are the “holy” leaders of the Anglican and Catholic churches, and both of them have inverted morality. They elevate murderers while mocking Christians and the moral order. Rowan Williams condemned the innocent and praised the murderers just as the Pharisees condemned the innocent and called for the release of a murderer. Yet both of these men claim to be serving God. “The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God” (John 16:2). The churches are going to grow very dark, and these apostates are going to kill faithful Christians.

Remember how this unfolds. People hear the gospel or some distorted version of it, and most of them think they can still serve two masters. They want the world and Christ. This is where hypocrisy begins. Now they need something to stop their consciences from reminding them of their dual loyalty and betrayal. The wolf provides false doctrine to help them whitewash their hypocrisy, and he also teaches them grace as a license for sin. Each time the hypocrite sins, it gets easier because his conscience is getting weaker or “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Heb. 3:13). He’s now walking in a form of godliness, and he’s completely unaware that he’s in serious danger. His condition will degrade until he inverts morality and loses the ability to discern good from evil. He has now “treated the blood of the covenant as an unholy thing and has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29). He has fallen away and it is impossible for him to repent because he has crucified the Son of God all over again (Heb. 6:6). He is broken beyond remedy, and his sight goes dark. Once severed from the Vine, these men become dangerous like the Pharisees, seven times worse than at first. They become antichrist, hating Christ and His followers.

Leaders of the largest Christian churches are going blind. Let’s repeat some verses to see if they mean more to you now:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim 4:3–4)

In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. (1 Tim 4:1 KJV)

Judging

The churches are falling away and no one is confronting them because most of the members are under spells and divinations. For instance, some may be reluctant to judge because they were taught a lie about judging. Christ said, “Judge not that ye be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). This is not a command to tolerate immoral behavior or to give up our moral discernment and ignore the difference between good and evil. It’s the very opposite. Christ is telling us how to refine our judgment, saying, “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (v. 5). He tells us later, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24 KJV). Christ wasn’t telling us to refrain from making moral judgments since a few verses later He judges people as pigs, dogs, and wolves. He judges the Jews as a brood of vipers, children of hell, offspring of the Devil, sorcerers, murderers, and the synagogue of Satan.

Others claim no one should cast the first stone, but look at the context. The Pharisees brought an adulteress to Christ and expected Him to have her stoned, but the male adulterer was missing, which means the Pharisees were violating their own law. That’s why Christ said the one without sin among these hypocrites should cast the first stone. He then judged the woman and told her to “leave her life of sin.” People also claim Christ could judge because He was sinless, but Paul never claimed to be sinless and he expelled people from the church.

“Judge not” is used to silence condemnation of evil. Look at the folks who used the invective the first time:

All the men from every part of the city of Sodom … surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” Lot said, “Don’t do this wicked thing …” “Get out of our way,” they replied … “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge.” (Gen 19)

Watchmen

The church is collapsing. If your pastor teaches the false doctrines in this book, then he’s no longer in the kingdom and he isn’t going to do anything about this situation. The ravenous wolves in the hierarchies of the churches are going to protect their kingdoms and continue to fleece the sheep and devour souls. It’s your duty to stop this degradation, and you can start by protecting the people in your local church. Some of you can reach a larger audience. All of you now have the confidence to confront your pastor because you know more about Christ’s doctrine than he does. You know what the churches are teaching, and it’s not even close to what Christ taught.

As watchmen, we all have the duty to confront the wolves and expose them:

Son of man, I have made you a watchman … so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, “You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved. (Ezek. 33:7–9)

Recall what Christ said about the Pharisees: “For they do not practice what they preach” (Matt. 23:3). The KJV says, “For they say, and do not.” Christ commanded His followers to oppose evil. If you can’t oppose evil in your church, then you are worthless salt. You know the cost of discipleship: “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33).

You have other obligations besides this one. Has God asked you to do something that costs more than you were willing to sacrifice? It flashed through your mind as you were reading this book. You probably told yourself that it wasn’t really God’s voice. But it doesn’t go away. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” He also said, “You cannot serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other.” After God spoke to you, which master did you decide to hate? And didn’t you pray, “Your will be done”? Your first step back toward the narrow path will be to stop praying lies to God and do what He told you to do. You cannot produce good fruit or complete the preordained works He has established for you without obedience to His voice. “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Prov. 29:1 KJV). When that voice stops lighting your path, you will become twice dead. Then it would be better if you had not been born.

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.

Appendix A

Calvinism

The five main points of Calvinism are: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance (TULIP).

Total Depravity

Calvinists teach that lost men are incapable of perceiving God until God gives them life. In fact, Calvinists say men do not have the free will to even believe in God until God gives them faith. Calvinists say faith comes after the man is born again. They claim this eliminates man’s faith as a condition for salvation. Otherwise faith would be an unholy work of man.

Let’s start our refutation of this total depravity lie by reviewing some simple examples. Recall the Roman centurion, Cornelius. “He and all his family were … God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts 10:2).

Obviously Cornelius wasn’t Jewish, meaning he didn’t know anything about Israel’s Jehovah or the coming Christ, but he was capable of following the moral law written on his heart. As a result, God sent Peter to preach Christ to Cornelius after it was revealed to Peter “that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34–35). But according to Calvin, God already damns men before they even have the chance to do what is right. Now don’t try to make any sense out of that. We’re just supposed to adore it.

Lydia’s example also refutes the total depravity of man. Lydia didn’t know Christ, but Lydia was a worshiper of God, and as a result of her purity, the Lord opened her heart (Acts 16:14).

Solomon gives us another example to refute the total depravity of man. When he dedicated the temple, he asked God to answer the prayers of strangers, those not belonging to the nation of Israel, “If they come and pray in this house” (2 Chron. 6:32 KJV).

Cornelius, all of his family, Lydia, and the stranger are all examples of good soil. Here’s a principle: “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17K). “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (John 3:21). How do you like these works and merit verses?

None of these people were totally depraved. They all had the ability to obey God since God receives all men who do what is right. And when they did, the Lord saved Cornelius, opened Lydia’s mind, and answered prayers from strangers. If Calvin’s god doesn’t respond to “any condition on the part of man,” then why was God responding to all of these damned people?

When God instructed Peter to go and preach to Cornelius, He told Peter not to call any man common or unclean (Acts 10:28 KJV). Why would God say that since Calvin says God creates them unclean? We also know God doesn’t tempt any man (James 1:13). So if God wouldn’t tempt any man, which would result in his destruction, then why would He create them for destruction? And why do Calvinists think they have the right to say God damns the majority of people as unclean? Peter certainly didn’t, and neither did God.

Part of the reason why Calvinists believe in total depravity is a result of misinterpreting the following verse: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9 KJV). The gift is salvation, not faith, but this simple error leads Calvinists to say a lost man doesn’t have the ability to believe.

Calvinists also use the following two verses to bolster their claim that salvation comes before a depraved man believes or has faith: “There is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:11 KJV). “No man can come to me, except the Father draw him” (John 6:44 KJV). That’s all true. All of us sinned, and we all died spiritually. Like Adam, sin separated us from God, but we didn’t lose all of our ability to sense God. Unregenerate men and women, like Cornelius and Lydia, still perceive God. We were certainly dead in our ability to merit mercy but not dead in our ability to believe. And besides, Christ said He would draw all men, not just a select few.

Calvinists also use the next verse to claim Christians were regenerated before they exercised any faith: “But God … even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us” (Eph. 2:4–5 KJV). But we actually exercise faith after we hear. Notice this passage: “In whom ye also trusted, after ye heard the word … in whom also after that ye believed” (Eph. 1:13 KJV). Obviously we are regenerated after we exercise our faith. Galatians 3:2 tells that we receive the Spirit by believing. We are elected by faith, not elected prior to faith.

The next argument is found in Acts 13:48 (KJV): “And as many as were ordained [appointed] to eternal life believed.” However, in verse 46, Paul preached to the Jews first, but they refused to believe. Paul said to them, “You judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life.” Thus God didn’t ordain these Jews to destruction. It was their unbelief that destroyed them, not total depravity.

The remaining verses Calvinists use to try to prove total depravity usually center on the fact that a man can’t save himself, with which we don’t disagree, but that still doesn’t prove total depravity or eliminate the need for man to repent and believe. Besides, even God says all men are originally created upright, not totally depraved. Solomon explains, “God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Eccles. 7:29 KJV).

Without this lie of total depravity, Calvinists can no longer pretend eternal election is through God’s work alone. That means they will have to repent and actually submit themselves to God. You should also notice that repentance is prominently missing from Calvin’s doctrine. This usually indicates a doctrine of wolves. Recall Christ’s first sermon: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent’” (Matt. 4:17 KJV). “The kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15 KJV). Now observe how the Pharisees judged themselves unworthy of life: “But the Pharisees … rejected God’s purpose … because they had not been baptized by John” (Luke 7:30). They missed salvation because they refused John’s baptism of repentance. Thus, when Calvinists omit repentance, they preclude themselves from salvation since faith without works is dead. We also know faith upholds the law, so true faith means the convert will stop his evil deeds. That’s what God calls “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). And if you missed repentance unto life, then you didn’t understand the gospel. And if you didn’t repent and believe, then you aren’t saved, since Jesus said, “I tell you, except ye repent, ye shall perish” (Luke 13:3 KJV).

Calvinism is an attempt to obtain salvation without exercising any faith, since faith begins with repentance. And the Calvinist who deliberately continues in sin will become an apostate, unable to cease from sin. Then the Calvinist will finally have a valid argument for total depravity. But at that point, it won’t really matter anymore.

Unconditional Election

From the first error of total depravity, Calvinists say God alone must elect men, since men can’t act. Thus salvation depends solely on God’s election, without “any condition on the part of man,” such as repentance or faith. They proudly say, “It’s strictly not of works,” indicating an inability to understand parables.

To support “unconditional election,” the Calvinists have painted graffiti all over Romans 9–11. They begin by confusing God’s election of the nation of Israel as a vessel for His plan and service with the election of individuals for salvation. Observe the following:

For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; It was said … Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Rom. 9:11–13 KJV)

Obviously what we see here is God calling two nations, not two individual persons. God said, “Two nations are in thy womb … and the one people shall be stronger than the other people …” (Gen. 25:23). The election applies to the nation out of Jacob (Israel). This verse also does not imply that any individual within that nation is elect (saved) since Paul admitted that he had sorrow for his kinsmen, the Jews, “to whom pertaineth the adoption … and the service of God … For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (9:7–8 KJV).

But now, not even the nation of Israel is elect for service, and only a remnant of individuals within the nation of Israel believe and are currently elect in Christ. Paul says, “Even at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (11:5 KJV).

Calvinists introduce even more confusion by misinterpreting the following: “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” (9:18 KJV). Yet this is another reference to the nation, not individuals. Paul continues, “Hath not the potter power over the clay … to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (9:21 KJV). Calvinists prefer to interpret this as God hardening individuals, but Paul is referring to God’s power to shape the course of nations. This is clarified as Paul says the Gentiles have obtained righteousness by faith but Israel hasn’t, “Because they sought it not by faith” (9:31 KJV). And as we know, not every individual in the Gentile nation is saved either.

Paul also says there’s a present hardening (11:8) of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles. But Israel’s hardening was not because of God’s election or choice. It was a direct result of Israel’s disobedience, for the Lord says, “All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient people” (10:21 KJV).

Here we see exactly what Calvinist tries to avoid—conditional election. The entire nation of Israel was set aside because of their disobedience. God could no longer use Israel as a vessel for His redemptive plan because they refused to believe in His plan. But each individual within the nation can still be grafted in “if they abide not in unbelief” (11:23 KJV). By the way, since these Jews were God’s chosen people, why didn’t Calvin’s god elect them all?

Even the nation of Israel as a whole isn’t beyond salvation. Paul says, “For blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (11:25–29 KJV). But once again, the phrase “gifts and calling of God” is not a reference to individuals. The calling of the nation of Israel has been abrogated, or a partial hardening has occurred, for the purpose of calling the Gentiles.

Another reason why the “gifts and calling of God” cannot be a reference to individual unconditional election is the fact that most of the Jews are still lost. Only a tiny remnant will ever believe. Incidentally, this also refutes another myth about the gifts of the Spirit. Some believe that men who left the path and now live in sin still retain the gifts of the Spirit. But we only share in Spirit where the gifts reside. And when the Spirit departs from a man, he can’t possibly manifest the gifts any longer, even though the apostate might have exhibited them previously.

The Potter selects men or nations for His service. He can also reject both. The seed of Abraham now includes anyone who believes and follows Christ. Nor do these verses indicate God is creating some vessels for salvation and others for damnation. God’s original election of the nation of Israel with regard to service was by sovereign choice. But their hardening as a nation was a result of disobedience. And as before, individuals within the nation of Israel are saved or damned upon the condition of their belief or their unbelief, not by any secret decree.

The Potter Changed His Mind

Let’s tie in some loose ends from Romans 9–11 concerning Jacob, Esau, and pottery making. In Romans 9, Paul says, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (9:21 KJV).

Calvinists mistake this as God’s power to unconditionally elect men to salvation or to damnation. But this verse proves just the opposite because it’s a reference to Jeremiah 18, where God responds conditionally, solely according to the behavior of Israel as a nation. Observe:

O … Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? … Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand … If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be … destroyed, and if that nation … repents … I will … not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if … I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up … and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. (Jer. 18:6–10)

Here we have Calvin’s God changing His election according to His own foreknowledge in response to a condition in man. God says He will reconsider. But Calvinists believe God unconditionally elects or damns without regard to any condition on the part of depraved man by His exhaustive foreknowledge. Otherwise it would be a religion of works.

Another error springs from, “Jacob I loved. Esau I hated.” However, this isn’t a reference to the birth of the twins in Genesis but a reference to Malachi 1, fifteen hundred years later. The nation of Edom emerged from Esau, and Edom behaved very wickedly. That was the problem. Hated also does not necessarily mean hostility. Note this example: “If any man hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26 KJV). But the parallel gives the Lord’s true intent: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37 KJV).

God doesn’t arbitrarily hate one vessel and love another. He builds up or tears down in direct response to man’s behavior or works, if you will. You should even say free will. And notice something important about election: We are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Peter 1:2 KJV). That’s a problem since God can reconsider His foreknowledge and change our elected status. It’s a bigger problem for Calvinists since it proves God can reconsider his foreknowledge in response to man’s behavior.

That’s why the apostle Paul explains the true doctrine of election as follows:

Let every one that nameth Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are vessels of honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these [iniquity], he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. (2 Tim 2:19–21 KJV)

That means the believer can stop sinning, become a vessel of honor, and save himself. Alternatively, he can continue in sin and be a damned vessel. We see from this that God doesn’t indiscriminately harden men. Men quite freely elect to do that to themselves.

Even though some other passages might speak of Christians being chosen, we can’t use them to prove “unconditional election.” Election only results when the man consciously exercises his faith. Election doesn’t occur by some imaginary secret decree. We are chosen to salvation, but Paul says it’s also by “belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13 KJV). Hebrews plainly says men must elect to come and be saved by their faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe” (Heb. 11:6 KJV).

You may have objected to phrase “save himself,” which attests to the influence of Calvin’s doctrine. Contending that man has a personal responsibility in his salvation is viewed by many as heresy. Yet Christians are predestined to conform to Christ. If that’s not occurring, then the Spirit’s work is absent. That means the man’s doctrine is in error, or he isn’t living up to what he knows. That’s why Paul says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16).

Limited Atonement

Since Calvinists believe election is by God alone, then Christ’s atonement must be limited specifically to those God hasn’t already damned. Christ didn’t die for the entire world, says Calvin, so the verses that order a universal call for repentance and those that seem to provide an unlimited atonement aren’t what they seem. There’s a secret, hidden call behind the words. God isn’t calling the entire world, just the elect. But the following passages do call all men, and they do offer atonement for all who believe.

Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father. (Matt. 10:32 KJV).

Go into all the world and preach to all creation. Whoever believes … will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15–16)

Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. (Luke 17:32–33 KJV)

He came “that all men … might believe” (John 1:7K).

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. (John 1:9)

I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. (John 12:46 KJV)

If any man thirst, let him come. (John 7:37 KJV)

If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. (John 8:51)

God commands all people everywhere to repent. For he … will judge the world … by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead. (Acts 17:30–31)

The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Rom. 1:16 KJV)

For there is no respecter of persons with God. (Rom. 2:11 KJV)

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. (Rom. 11:32)

He died for all. (2 Cor. 5:15 KJV)

The gospel was preached to every creature under heaven. (Col. 1:23 KJV)

For the grace of God hath appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11 KJV)

Jesus, who by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Heb. 2:9 KJV)

The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

And he is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 KJV)

If any man open the door, I will come in. (Rev. 3:20 KJV)

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone … Repent and live! (Ezek. 18:32)

Calvinists think all of those words like world, all, everyone, all men, and whosoever are secret code words that only apply to the secret elect, the only ones Christ really died for in His limited atonement. Do you see a secret call or a limited atonement in the evidence just presented?

Let’s look at some more anomalies: If Calvinists were honestly consistent, then the words, “light came into the world” would mean light came into the elect, but the elect loved darkness instead of light. That means Calvinists are condemned. Under scrutiny, the doctrine collapses, as we see in the next little twist: “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6 KJV). That would have to mean that Christ didn’t die for righteous men but only for the ungodly Calvinists.

Here’s another example: “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV). Of course, the Calvinists say God means He isn’t willing that any of his elect should perish. But God is the only one who can keep them from perishing, which makes it His fault if they do. And when God commands all men to repent, He can’t be speaking to all men. He can’t even speak to the totally depraved Calvinists. They can’t repent, according to Calvin. So why would God command men to do something they supposedly cannot do?

Christ’s atonement is universal in its provision. God loves all people, and Christ died for the sins of the whole world. That means the church could potentially encompass everyone in the world if everyone believed. The Lord stands at the door and knocks, and whoever is thirsty may come. That means all men are personally responsible for their own moral choices, which rules out total depravity, unconditional sinning election, and a limited atonement.

Let’s note one more interesting point. Here’s John’s revelation: God is love. Here’s Calvin’s: God isn’t love, for the most part, since He already damned most men. That means He doesn’t really love the world. If He did, then He would have elected all men.

Simply (Not) Irresistible

Calvin cannot justify his fourth point of irresistible grace because grace can be resisted. Stephen said to the Pharisees, “You always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51). In fact, the majority of men will resist grace. First, grace has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). Second, we know that few there be that find it (Matt. 7:14). Thus, the majority of men will resist grace.

Resisting isn’t the only thing we can do with grace. We can fail to continue in grace. “Paul urged them to continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13:43 KJV). The Galatians had “fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4 KJV). We can desert God and His grace. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ” (Gal. 1:6). We can “frustrate grace” (Gal. 2:21 KJV). We can change grace, deny Christ, and end up in hell. “For certain men … change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). We can miss grace. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root (apostate) grows up” (Heb. 12:15) (“fail the grace of God” KJV). We can despise grace, like the apostate in Hebrews: “Of how much sorer punishment … shall he be thought worthy, who hath … done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (10:29).

In fact, every apostate in the New Testament resisted grace, failed the grace of God, missed grace, and eventually despised the Spirit of grace. And Jesus warned us about another prominent apostate who resisted grace. He said, “Remember Lot’s wife!”

God’s grace is not irresistible. The Calvinists deceive themselves by distorting the following verses to try to prove election as an “irresistible” move of God’s grace: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me” (John 6:37 KJV). “No man can come … except the Father … draw him” (John 6:44). “No man can come … except it were given him … of my Father” (John 6:65).

No doubt God does draw us since grace has appeared to all men. Neither is it His will “that one of these … should perish” (Matt. 18:14). That’s why Jesus said, “I will draw all men.” But not all men will choose to come to Him, and neither will God forcibly elect men into the kingdom, as Calvin falsely taught. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets … how often I have longed to gather your children together … but you were not willing” (Matt. 23:37).

God repeatedly sent prophets to Israel, and Israel repeatedly killed them. Jesus knew they were going to kill Him too, but He called them anyway, repeatedly. They just weren’t willing to come. He said to the Pharisees, “You refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:40). John says, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11).

Men resist grace for one reason: They love darkness because their deeds are evil. That’s man’s real dilemma. If he comes to the light, his deeds will be reproved. That means grace exposes his evil deeds, and stopping those evil deeds is repentance. And without repentance, the evil man won’t enter the kingdom. That means he will continue in a lifestyle of sin, which is idolatry. “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8–10). There’s one more thing we can do with grace.

Calvinists offer some other passages in an effort to defend irresistible grace that center on the word chose. For instance, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (James 1:18). However, this only demonstrates the source of salvation. We are birthed through the Word, but James adds another important factor: “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (1:21). We can receive the word of grace to no avail, or to no profit. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb. 4:2 KJV). They heard, but they didn’t act in faith, resisting grace.

In summary, we can resist God’s grace and fail to remain in Him. In fact, we can even deceive ourselves about whether we’re being led by the Spirit of grace since the Lord warned us, “Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom.” Actually, God warned us that resisting grace would be one of the signs of the end. Just before the flood, God said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man” (Gen. 6:3 KJV). That means Noah’s generation resisted the Spirit of grace, and God says it will be just like this in the end. In fact, we’re now seeing the apostasy, or a rebellion against the Spirit of grace, by the elect themselves.

Perseverance of the Saints

Perseverance is the only point of Calvinism that was almost sound doctrine until they removed the free will of man again. Here are the verses they use to prove that Christ perseveres for them: “He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Christ” (Phil 1:6 KJV). “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 24). “To an inheritance incorruptible … reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4–5 KJV).

Yes, it is God’s power working in us until our final salvation is revealed at the last time, but it’s through faith, and faith requires us to remain in Him. We play a major part, as the parables teach.

Nothing Shall Separate Us—Except Sin

Calvinists use the following passage to absolve themselves of any personal responsibility to persevere by their own faith: “For … neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39).

Even though Romans lists many things that cannot separate us from the love of God, sin will certainly cut us off. Observe: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God … that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2 KJV). The real problem will be whether we keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21 KJV). This is why Jesus said it would be better to cut off our hand if it causes us to sin than to have our whole body cast into hell. Wouldn’t that tend to separate us from His love? James confirms this: “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15 KJV).

Here’s one last verse Calvinists use to argue that Christ won’t let us fail to persevere in the race: “I kept those that thou gavest me … and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition” (John 17:12 KJV). Christ was referring to the twelve disciples minus Judas. But even if Christ was referring to everyone who believed in Him, He can’t mean none would ever be lost since Judas would contradict His statement. There’s also another reason why we can’t interpret it that way for every believer at that time or in the future: it would contradict the Lord’s teaching in His parables, and His divine Scripture cannot be broken

Assurance falls in the same area as perseverance. We want the assurance we’re living in the Chosen One, but Calvinism teaches us that only God knows the elect. Not only that, but it’s a secret call according to the divine will of God, which you aren’t supposed to even inquire about. How is that supposed to give you any assurance? Here’s some more bad help: If you take a look at Calvin’s rotten books, then you will find Calvin believed in a “false work of grace” and a “false assurance.” He also taught that some people would be temporary believers or an “inferior operation” of the Holy Spirit. Apparently that’s the category where Calvin stuffs the five foolish virgins and presumably every other apostate in the New Testament. Calvin had to dream up this fictional temporary category—primarily for the apostates in the Bible—to say they weren’t converted in the first place.

That only made the problem worse. Now we have to ask, “How long is temporary in God’s eyes?” You might not know you’re merely temporary until you feel the heat of the lake of fire. And what if you’ve been deceiving yourself about your election and it turns out you were only a pathetic, inferior operation of the Spirit? Basically Calvinists are accusing the Spirit, who created the universe, of not quite knowing how to regenerate a man. Shouldn’t that force God to cast the Calvinists into hell for their blasphemy?

Jesus also said we would know Christians by their fruit. But what if it’s only some of that damned temporary fruit? And since Calvin’s God destroys men through no moral fault of their own, we might live our lives in moral obedience and still be damned. That means we weren’t even temporary believers. We just thought we were. The Calvinist can’t objectively rely on his behavior, his fruit, or his faith as conclusive evidence of his election. None of that can prove he wasn’t already damned before he was born. All he can do now is stand in the wolf’s pulpit, dressed in a stupid robe, talk about the sovereignty of God, and collect money.

The Calvinist will have to wait until his heart stops before he finds out if his election wasn’t a temporary, inferior, and false work of the Spirit and a tragic delusion on his part because he can’t even be sure if he’s elect himself. His own twisted doctrine prevents it. Had he repented, he would be hearing the Master’s voice. Then he would have some evidence of his election. But repentance isn’t found in Calvin’s doctrine. His only response at this point is to say something like, “God’s ways are not our ways” as he returns to his free-will whoremongering while believing he’s kept by the power of God. That’s what he calls assurance.

Summing Up

Men may be prolific liars, but they are not totally depraved since “God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18–20).

The Son provided an unlimited atonement that’s available to anyone who freely chooses to stop lying to himself, repents, and follows Christ. But anyone can resist God’s grace. In fact, many will despise the Spirit of grace after receiving it. Only the man who endures unto the end shall be saved and never separated from God’s love. This means true Christians will have to consciously persevere in the race marked out since salvation doesn’t occur by some secret decree of election. Perseverance also is not solely the responsibility of Christ. We are only the elect in Christ as we remain in Him by obeying His commands. Otherwise we will fail to continue in the faith, fail to live up to what we have attained, and then be disqualified from the prize—the eternal kingdom.

Appendix B

The False Rapture

There’s a false theory that predicts a pretribulation rapture of the saints that’s formulated upon questionable verses. The saga begins in the Thessalonian church, whose members mistakenly thought Christ had already returned. Paul told them Christ will not return until two events occur: “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed” (2 Thess. 2:3).

Now we’re going to do exactly what Paul told us not to do. First, we’re going to lie and say we “can’t lose our salvation,” stripping out the apostasy from Paul’s prophetic sequence. Then we’re going to remove the man of sin from the sequence. The following verse refers to the second coming: “While we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). We’re going to pretend this verse refers to a pretribulation rapture before the second coming. We have no reason to do that, but we’re going make the same false assumption again with the next verse, a verse that merely makes a distinction between salvation and the eternal fire: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord” (1 Thess. 5:9).

Toss in the following verses:

For the Lord himself shall descend with a shout and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess. 4:16–17 KJV)

Once again, we have no reason to assume this passage indicates a pretribulation rapture as opposed to the Lord’s second coming, but we’re going to do it anyway. Then add the next passage to the sorcerer’s potion:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed … in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible. (1 Cor. 15:51–52)

Can we take this mystery to imply a pretribulation rapture, or is this just a reference to the fact that, surprisingly, some of us will still be left alive? We don’t know one way or the other, but people want to believe this is a reference to a pretribulation rapture, so they do.

Here’s another assumed reference to a pretribulation rapture that’s addressed to the church at Philadelphia: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world” (Rev. 3:10). Of course, we don’t know if the phrase “keep you from” means protection through the trial or if it means outright removal. In fact, as sleepy as I am, I’m not sure if I can prove that this church at Philadelphia has any connection to me at all. Can you?

A similar passage follows. Jesus says:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:34–36)

Most likely this refers to escaping the snares of dissipation, the anxieties of life, and those things that pull us into apostasy. It could be a reference to escaping the tribulation, but then again, as above, escape may only be a reference to protection through the tribulation. Also, protection through the trial, rather than removal, would seem to be supported by the Lord’s intent in the following passage: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Finally we come around to the last passage: “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed” (2 Thess. 2:7–8). This is the passage some use to remove the Spirit and the church before the man of sin is revealed. If that’s true, then we must conclude that the Spirit won’t be available to regenerate men during the Tribulation, which can’t possibly be true. But now we’ve managed to strip out the revealing of the man of sin along with the coming rebellion, in direct contradiction to Paul’s warning, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of sin is revealed.”

But we didn’t let anyone deceive us. We did it to ourselves.

There’s another argument from silence the pretribulation rapture sect relies on to justify their theory. They think it’s very significant that the church isn’t mentioned after Revelation 4. But “saints” appears thirteen more times in the book, and saints make up the body of Christ or the church, so this silent argument lacks credibility. Besides, Revelation isn’t chronological in all respects. This could mean the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet at the end of the Tribulation, which I suspect is more probable. Remember, after the seventh angel sounds, “The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Rev. 11:15 KJV). This would also prevent us from placing the seventh trumpet before the tribulation or even in the middle of the tribulation, as some do.

That concludes the entire doctrine of the pretribulation rapture sect. We aren’t leaving. You might find it interesting to know that most of the people who believe in this theory also believe in the false doctrine of once saved, always saved. They can’t see the parables. That alone should raise suspicions about their rapture theory.

The faith-alone teachers also leave out the following verse that includes a last trumpet after the tribulation: “And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matt. 24:31). This is the last trumpet of major importance since “at the last trumpet the dead will be raised” (1 Cor. 15:51–52). “For the Lord himself will come from heaven with the trumpet” (1 Thess. 4:16). This seems to be the same trumpet found in 1 Corinthians and Thessalonians, which would undermine the case for a pretribulation rapture.

Here’s another problem with the theory: 1 Thessalonians 4:1 specifically tells us, “the dead in Christ shall rise first,” indicating a resurrection of the saints. But in Revelation, the first resurrection occurs after the great tribulation (Rev. 20:5). If this first resurrection occurs after the tribulation, then how can the rapture occur seven years earlier? You can’t have a rapture of all the saints, including the dead in Christ from the tribulation, before the tribulation.

There’s another “rapture” passage the teachers commonly use to support their false theory even though it’s not a rapture for Christians:

I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken … two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken. “Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:34–37)

In another error, some use the Greek words apokalupsis and parousia to differentiate between two raptures, claiming that parousia refers to the Lord coming secretly for His saints while apokalupsis refers to the Lord coming later with His saints. But both of these words are used interchangeably with regard to the second coming. Observe: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy by the splendor of his coming [parousia]” (2 Thess. 2:8). Here the word parousia is used in the context of the elements melting with a fervent heat and the heavens passing away with a great noise. That doesn’t fit the secret silent model.

Here are some verses that directly contradict a pretribulation rapture:

For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. … No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. … Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40, 44, 54)

There’s only one last day, but a pretribulation rapture, and another at the end, requires two last days.

The Lord also taught two parables that directly conflict with the pretribulation theory. The first is the parable of the wheat and the tares:

Let both grow together … and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. … The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. In the end the Son shall send forth his angels, and gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire … Then shall the righteous shine forth. (Matt. 13: 30, 39–43 KJV)

The second parable is the parable of the net. The Lord says:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net … and gathered of every kind. … So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come … and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire. (Matt. 13:47, 49–50 KJV)

Notice how the wicked are dealt with first in both parables. We see a similar sequence in these verses: “I will early destroy all the wicked of the land” (Ps. 101:8 KJV). “For the day of the Lord shall come and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it” (Isa. 13:6–10 KJV).

Psalms and Proverbs provide some other passages that track directly with the parables: “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth” (Ps. 104:35). “The righteous shall never be removed but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth” (Prov. 10:30 KJV). “For the upright shall dwell in the land, and remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and rooted out of it” (Prov. 2:21–22 KJV).

Let’s note one other point on the timing sequence. Jesus will come with all His holy ones (1 Thess. 3:13). “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels” (2 Thess. 1:6–7). “He will punish those who … do not obey the gospel … with everlasting destruction … on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed …” (2 Thess. 1:8–10).

He will be marveled at among all those who have believed, which would have to include all of the Christians converted during the Tribulation. This event also coincides with His judgment on unbelievers. From these verses, it seems the rapture must occur at the end of the tribulation, at the second coming.

Now we come to a difficult verse. The Lord says, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Luke 12:40). Some use this verse to argue the rapture can’t occur at the end of the tribulation since we would be expecting the Lord’s arrival at that time. But we won’t know the exact time. Besides, Christ says Christians will know the approximate time. He gave us some signs to expect, so it won’t be a surprise to Christians. Paul confirms this: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night … But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:1–4). This seems to deny a secret rapture.

The doctrine of immanency also springs from “not knowing the hour.” This doctrine assumes Christ can return at any moment, which can’t be true. Christ set out specific events that must occur before His return, and Paul said the apostasy must come first and the man of sin must be revealed before the return of the Lord. The last event has not occurred. Peter also was not looking for a secret immanent rapture since Christ already said Peter would be taken in chains later in his life. The teaching of Christ and of two apostles directly contradicts immanency.

We can’t prove this pretribulation rapture from the Word, which makes it a false doctrine. Those who repeat it become false teachers, and that incurs a swift death sentence.

Let’s look at one last point. The Thessalonians thought Christ had already returned, and Paul wrote the second letter to correct them. Isn’t it ironic that the pretribulation rapture proponents base their theory on verses from the first letter? These teachers have the same character traits as the Thessalonians: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). The Thessalonians were deceived because they had the same inferior character traits as the apostates today who spend their time reading Left Behind wolf novels instead of studying God’s Word.

Notes

Chapter 2

[1] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 125.

[2] Ibid., 126.

[3] Ibid., 127.

[4] Ibid., 132.

Chapter 4

[5] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 67.

[6] Ibid., 54.

[7] Ibid., 74.

[8] Ibid., 80.

[9] Ibid., 81.

[10] Chuck Swindoll, The Grace Awakening. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1990), 28.

[11] Ibid., 29.

[12] Ibid., 44.

Chapter 5

[13] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 124.

[14] Ibid., 125.

[15] Ibid., 126.

[16] Ibid., 127.

[17] Ibid., 129–30. Interior quote from Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House 1989) 135.

[18] Ibid., 81.

[19] Charles Swindoll, The Mystery of God’s Will. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1999), 34.

[20] Ibid., 35.

[21] Ibid., 191.

[22] Ibid., 98.

[23] Ibid., 99.

[24] Ibid., 34.

[25] Ibid., 35.

[26] Ibid., 211.

[27] Ibid., 204.

[28] Ibid., 212.

[29] Ibid., 153. First sentence originally quoted from David Redding, Jesus Makes Me Laugh. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977), 101–2.

Chapter 6

[30] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 52.

[31] Ibid., 93.

[32] Ibid., 80.

[33] Ibid., 81.

[34] Charles Stanley, The Glorious Journey. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996), 49.

Chapter 7

[35] Chuck Swindoll, The Grace Awakening. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1990), 88.

[36] Ibid., 89.

[37] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 141.

[38] Chuck Swindoll, The Grace Awakening. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1990), 21.

Chapter 8

[39] Charles Stanley, Eternal Security, Can You Be Sure. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), 158.

[40] Ibid., 160.

[41] Ibid., 158.

[42] Ibid., 160.

[43] Ibid., 166.

[44] Ibid., 164.

[45] Ibid., 166.

[46] Ibid., 169.

[47] Ibid., 176.

[48] Ibid.

Chapter 9

[49] Chuck Swindoll, The Grace Awakening. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1990), 120.

[50] Ibid., 52.

[51] Ibid., 12.

Chapter 11

[52] Charles Swindoll, The Mystery of God’s Will. (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, 1999), 18.

[53] Ibid., 22.

[54] Ibid., 26.

[55] Ibid., 27.

[56] Ibid., 75.

[57] Ibid., 211.

[58] Ibid., 34.

[59] Ibid., 35.

[60] Ibid., 148.