Counterfeit Religion

1 Timothy 4:1,2
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, February 16, 2003
Copyright © 2003, P. G. Mathew

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

1 Timothy 4:1,2

During my 2003 missionary trip to the Far East, I had the privilege of preaching the gospel about ten times to large and small audiences. While I was there, I became aware of the “God Channel” on television. I warned these believers not to watch it because this channel has nothing to do with the gospel. The God Channel presents a perversion of the gospel which is taken straight from the United States of America. Its message is how to get wealthy, healthy and successful in this life-nothing more and nothing less. This false gospel is now on television everywhere, seven days a week. Yet it is not the gospel that saves. It is a different, toxic gospel.

In this study we want to speak about counterfeit religion such as we encountered on the God Channel. There are three points we want to discuss: the false church, the false ministers, and the false gospel.

The Synagogue of Satan

The first point we want to consider in the subject of counterfeit religion is the false church, also known as the synagogue of Satan, and the nature of the people who attend it. The phrase, “synagogue of Satan,” appears in Revelation 2:9.

Characteristics of Members of the False Church

According to 2 Timothy 3:1-5, there are nineteen characteristics of those who attend a false church.

The people who go to that church are lovers of themselves. In the Greek the word is philautoi. They are self-centered who worship themselves, not God. Their self-love governs all their thinking and doing.
Such people are lovers of money. They are lovers of money, or filthy lucre, as the King James Version calls it. So if you go to that church, you will hear the ministers speaking about money all the time. Even before taking the offering, they will tell stories to seduce you and get more money out of you.
This passage says that such people are boasters. They are always bragging about themselves: who they are, what they have, and what they have done. When you go to their houses, you will notice that God is not mentioned. Such people will not pray or speak about the Bible, but they will speak a lot of words about themselves. They will talk about their children, their grandchildren, their new car and everything else. But God is not in their thoughts.
Such people are proud. They are always showing themselves off, saying, “I am the greatest.” They have a high estimation of themselves and a lower estimation of everyone else.
Such people are called abusive. In other words, they are slanderers who speak evil of others, especially of God’s true delegated authorities. These people have an antipathy toward the the rule of the kingdom of God, which they display in their words and actions.
Such people are disobedient to parents. This is unnatural. We are supposed to obey our parents, but these false Christians are marked by disobedience.
Such people are ungrateful. They receive whatever is coming to them, but are unthankful. Not only do they not give thanks, but they demand more, not only from parents, but from God and from everybody else.
Such people are unholy. They have no interest in God and his regulative principle, the word of God. Though they claim to be Christians, they live secular lives. Throughout the Bible, God says, “Be ye holy for I am holy,” but these people have no interest in holiness.
This passage tells us such people are without natural or family affection. If they are parents, they have no love for their own children and if they are children, they have no love for their parents. No wonder 43 million infants have been murdered since 1973 in this country alone! Self-worshiping mothers and fathers don’t want to be burdened with children.
Such people are unforgiving. They are irreconcilable. In Luke 17 Jesus Christ tells us that if a brother sins against us seven times in a day, yet he comes and says, “I repent,” then we are to forgive that person. But the members of the synagogue of Satan refuse to reconcile with each other.
Such people are slanderers. In fact, in the Greek, they are called diaboloi, devils, which means those who falsely accuse God’s people. Such people speak evil of parents, pastors and everybody else.
Such people are without self-control. They indulge in all sorts of bodily appetites without restraint, whether in the area of eating, drinking, sex, buying, or anything else-it doesn’t matter. In the Greek this phrase is translated literally as “they are without strength.” The person who eats too much is a person without the strength to control his appetite.
This passage says such people are brutal. Here Paul uses a Greek term that means they are wild. Such people are cruel, like wild dogs.
Such people are not lovers of the good. They hate God, who is good, as well as God’s truth and God’s people.
Such people are treacherous. It means they are betrayers like Judas. They do not keep covenant. We may trust them but in due course they will betray us.
Such people are rash, meaning they are hasty or reckless.
Such people are conceited. They are puffed up with pride. In the Greek this term literally means “to be wrapped up in smoke.”
Such people are lovers of pleasure. They give themselves to every kind of bodily appetite. Their philosophy is, “If it feels good, do it,” and they do it again and again. They are hedonists.
Such people have a form of godliness, but deny its power. They are baptized, partake of the Lord’s Supper, and participate fully in church life, but it is all for external show. Thus, when we look at such people, we may conclude that they are Christians because they have the correct form. But Paul says that while they have the form of godliness, they “deny its power.” They are like the Pharisees, who appeared very religious. They were always careful to wash their hands and prayed long prayers on the street corners. But, the hearts of these Pharisees were devoid of any power of truth. Thus, they rejected Jesus Christ.

The Standard of Lust

In 2 Peter 3:3 we find another description of the people of the synagogue of Satan. In Peter’s last letter we read, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days. . . .” According to the Bible, the last days began at the first coming of Christ and will continue until the second coming of Christ. It is the interim period between the first and second coming of Christ.

So Peter writes, “[I]n the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing. . . .” What are these people scoffing at? The kingdom of God and the truth of the gospel. They come, “scoffing and following their own evil desires.” In a false church everything revolves around the lusts of the individuals who go there. In other words, their own lust is the standard for these people; thus, they will go to the church that best fits in with their lust and will choose a minister who will fit into their lust. Such people scoff at the gospel. They follow, not Jesus Christ, but their own evil desires.

In 2 Timothy 4:10 we are told about Demas, who was a trusted associate of the apostle Paul. But in this last letter of Paul, we are given an understanding of the true nature of Demas. Paul writes to Timothy, saying, “Demas, because he loved this [present] world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” This is the nature of the people who go to the church of Satan. They have no interest in the kingdom of God and the coming world; rather, they are totally interested in this world, which Paul calls “this evil age.” In fact, they are very happy with it. So Demas, once Paul’s trusted associate, became a member of the church of Satan.

What Happens to False People?

In 1 John 2:19 we are told, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” None of these people belonged to Jesus Christ; they belonged to the devil. Oh, these people came to the church, but with what purpose? To inject their venom into it and corrupt it.

Thus, in this church addressed in 1 John, they were not successful. Because the apostle was still living, there was certain control still being exercised, so they had to get out. But many churches do become churches of Satan when false people fill, overtake, and control them. If there is no discipline, though such churches may have started out as true churches, they quickly become “synagogues of Satan.” So such people will try to corrupt the true church, but if they are unsuccessful, they will usually leave to establish their own synagogue of Satan.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul writes that the Scripture is God-breathed and the very word of God, profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Then in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 he instructs Timothy, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.” What was the reason Timothy should do these things? Paul continues in verses 3 and 4, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.” They cannot endure it! Whenever the gospel is preached, such people cannot stomach it. They feel they are caged and imprisoned, and they just want to get out. They can’t wait for the service to be over. Eventually they make their way out of the church. But all the time they are thinking, “Man, oh, man, I am so glad I don’t have to hear this type of preaching of the gospel anymore.”

How amazing it is that the word of God saves some people even while it chokes others! The same word of God does both things. So Paul writes, “for the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.” Then he says, “Instead, to suit their own desires. . . .” As we already said, the lust of the individual is the criterion by which he judges which church he will go to and which pastor he will listen to. This person is not looking for the church which conforms to the standard of God’s word. For that he would have to humble himself and put himself under the word, saying, “God, speak to me; your servant heareth.”

So Paul was telling Timothy that the time would come when men would not put up with sound doctrine. “Instead, to suit their own desires,” which is their inflexible standard, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” We can translate this: “they will heap up or accumulate not just one pastor, but hundreds of pastors.” Isn’t that what we find on God Channel television? Around the clock, day in and day out, you find a multitude of preachers. What are these preachers doing? Saying what people with “itching ears” want to hear. That is something you will never find a true minister of the gospel doing! Remember the charge given by Paul to Timothy in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead? In verse 1-2 we read, “In view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word.”

What is the sound doctrine people will not put up with? The word “sound” is “hygienic.” In other words, it is healthy doctrine. But, as we read in verse 4, these people “will turn their ears away from the truth.” The truth chokes these people. They cannot put up with it because it requires them to repent. God says all men must repent and believe in Jesus Christ alone who died on the cross for them. But false people never want to acknowledge that they are sinners in need of salvation.

These people, then, will turn their ears away from the truth deliberately, “and turn aside to myths.” They desire teachings that support their own evil lusts. They want teachers who will tickle their curiosity. Instead of the gospel that would save them, they look for speculative myths and human ideas. They abandon the water of Siloam and dig for themselves empty cisterns that cannot hold any water.

Avoiding False Teachers

In Romans 16:17 Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” Even in first-century Rome there were teachers and preachers who were contradicting the true gospel that Paul was preaching. In essence, Paul was telling the members of the Roman church, “Keep away from these false teachers! Their teaching is toxic! It will pollute you, corrupt you, and kill you! Have nothing to do with such people!”

Then in verse 18 Paul explains, “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” Such false teachers are hedonists who serve their own lusts. They don’t want to preach the word of God. They only want money, and they will seduce people until they get it. How do they do it? “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

What is smooth talk? “Well, Mr. So-and-so, you are not a sinner. You are such a nice man. I mean, I always thought-I can’t even understand how wonderful and great you are! I don’t know what we would do without you.” Such preachers build people up only so that they can grab their money and give themselves to their own appetites. They have absolutely no interest in the true welfare of the people entrusted to them. If they did, they would preach about sin and repentance.

I do not possess the gift of smooth talk. A friend once told me, “Pastor Mathew, I don’t think you are going to be very successful, because to be successful, you will have to learn to speak smooth words. You will have to take children in your arms and say such wonderful things about them that the parents would say, ‘What a good pastor he is!'” But I never received this gift, so when I come to the pulpit, I tell it like it is.

So Paul writes, “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive people.” Those who are mindless and feeling-dominated will be deceived by false teachers.

The Ministers of Satan

Having considered the church of Satan and those who go there, we now want to consider the ministers of Satan. Throughout the Old Testament we read about false prophets, beginning in Deuteronomy 13. In fact, the majority of prophets mentioned in the history of Israel were false. Where did these false prophets get their message? They spoke out of their own imagination. They hated God’s revelation and never stood in the council of God or studied his word. They always spoke smooth things, which were really lies, things people loved to hear. So in Jeremiah 5:30-31 the Lord says, “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.”

People love lies; therefore, they love false prophets. “Come on, tell us lies,” they say. “Don’t tell us that we are sinners. Don’t tell us that we need a Savior. Don’t speak about the wrath of God revealed against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Don’t tell us about the judgment that is coming. Don’t tell us about any of these things. Instead, tell us nice things, smooth things. Tell us how great we are, how wonderful we are, how generous and beautiful and rich and famous we are.” What does God say about those who listen to false prophets? “My people love it this way.”

So false prophets do not receive God’s revelation. They always speak smooth things, things people love to hear. But they will oppose the true ministers of the gospel violently.

In 2 Peter 2:1-2 we read:

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

Just as there were false prophets in the Old Testament, there will also be false teachers-self-appointed and self-anointed-in the church today. But there are also true teachers and pastors who are appointed and anointed by God as gifts of the risen Christ for his church. Thus, people must make a distinction. To say, “Oh, this pastor is the same as that pastor; this church is the same as that church; this teaching is the same as that teaching,” displays great ignorance.

The Inspiration Behind False Prophets

In 1 Kings 22 we read about Ahab, the king of Israel, who had four hundred court-appointed prophets. When he told them, “I want to go and retake Ramoth Gilead from Syria,” all four hundred prophets understood what Ahab wanted to do. As we said, in a false church, the desire is the criterion. So when Ahab expressed his desire, he then asked his court-appointed prophets, “What do you say about this plan?” In unison they replied, “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious, for the Lord wil give it into the king’s hand.”

Was Ahab victorious? No, he was killed in battle. All four hundred prophets had lied. In fact, we read that Micaiah, the one true prophet, had a vision in which he saw a lying spirit coming and resting upon all the false prophets. In other words, the inspiration of these prophets came directly from demons.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit came and rested like flames of fire upon God’s people, causing them to speak about God’s great acts. But there is counterfeit inspiration also. Modern false prophets may wear designer clothes and big expensive diamond rings. They may own several cars and have houses in exclusive locations. But don’t ever misjudge their inspiration. They are inspired by a lying spirit which comes and rests upon them, and their prophesies are intended for their own advantage to deceive, fool, exploit, and treat like merchandise those who listen to them. As we read in 2 Peter 2:3, “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” Oh, but they would say, “The Lord told me. . . .” or “The Holy Spirit spoke to me early this morning. . . .” Such people are seducers. They are inspired by the evil spirit resting upon them.

In 1 Kings 22:22 a spirit said to God, “I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all [Ahab’s] prophets.” This situation still occurs today. Wherever the true gospel is preached, there are also false prophets speaking lies. False prophets will never speak about sin, repentance, or the need to believe in Jesus Christ. False prophets will never speak about the judgment of God. False prophets only speak lies, stories they made up in their imagination.

Following Deceiving Spirits

In 1 Timothy 4:1,2 we read that the Holy Spirit expressly revealed the truth about false prophets to Paul. So Paul writes, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” Jesus Christ told his disciples, “Follow me.” But these people will abandon the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel and follow “deceiving evil spirits.”

I believe demons are still active in the world today. As in the days of Jesus Christ, these fallen angels can control people. Notice, then, Paul writes, “some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits.” And not only do these people follow deceiving spirits, but they also devote themselves to “things taught by demons.” In Acts 2 we read that the early church devoted themselves, first, to the apostles’ doctrine. But these people are devoting themselves to doctrines taught by demons. In verse 2 we read that the consciences of these people are seared or cauterized. Their consciences are dead. They have no moral discernment, no sense of right or wrong.

Discerning False Teachers

How can we recognize false teachers in the church? Let me assure you, they will not come to us and say, “I am the false prophet, a messenger of Satan. I just want to visit you this morning and talk to you about a message I received from Satan.” No, in Matthew 7:15 Jesus said they will come as wolves in sheep’s clothing.

In 2 Corinthians 11:4 Paul writes, “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.” There is a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel, and we need to learn to distinguish between real and counterfeit.

How can we make this distinction? First, in 2 Corinthians 11:13 and following we read that those who bring this false gospel are false apostles.

Second, Paul says they are “deceitful workmen,” meaning workmen whose job is to deceive us. They want to deceive us so that we will never hear truth about ourselves, the way of salvation, the atonement that Christ made for us by his death on the cross, and the second coming of Christ to judge the living and the dead.

Third, Paul says they are “masquerading as apostles of Christ.” That is why these people don’t come and announce, “I am a false apostle.” In fact, what they say is, “I am an apostle of Christ, a preacher of the truth.” Who listens to these people? Those who are gullible, feeling-centered, arrogant, hedonistic, and full of lust. Such people do not want to hear the true gospel. PGM Then Paul says, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Satan is the prince of darkness, but he will put on sheep’s clothing and appear to us as an angel of light to enlighten us. Paul concludes, “It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.”

Fourth, these ministers of Satan flatter people. That is why some people like to go to such churches. But false ministers use flattery in order to seduce them and turn them away from the true gospel. This happened even in the first century. In Romans 16:17 Paul wrote, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.” He was speaking about certain people who contradicted the apostles’ doctrine. In verse 18 he continued, “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” Such people are only interested in their lusts. Those lusts determine what church they want to go to, what pastor they choose, and what teaching they will receive.

Notice, then, Paul says “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” Smooth talk is not gospel preaching. When Jesus Christ preached the gospel, his first word was “Repent!” When the apostles preached the gospel, the first word was “Repent!” That goes counter to our idea of nice speech. God looks upon people as sinners and demands that all people everywhere should repent. But today people hate to hear the word “repent.” They don’t want to hear that they are sinners. They don’t want to pray as the publican prayed, “Have mercy upon me, a sinner!” They want smooth talk. What about flattery? It is the same as lying. That is why Paul says the intent of the false preachers is to “deceive the minds of naive people.”

Grumblers and Faultfinders

In Jude 16 we read more about false teachers. Jude begins, “These men are grumblers. . . .” Against whom are these people grumbling? Against God’s true preachers. Additionally, Jude says, they are faultfinders who “follow their own evil desires,” meaning sexual desire and every other evil desire. In Philippians 3:19 we read, “Their god is their belly,” again referring to appetites and desires.

Jude continues, saying, “[T]hey boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage,” meaning their only interest is in taking money from you. They have no interest in you or in the welfare of your soul. The only interest they have is to get your money through flattery and deception. They prey on those who are naive and mentally empty. That is why I want to warn you: If you are not getting into the word of God, eventually you will go to this other church.

The Greed of the False Preachers

Why don’t the false preachers preach the gospel? Why don’t they say that people are sinners and need to repent of their sins? Because they do not get money that way. A minister should always say nice things. These false ministers have only one interest: money.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke about ministers who only wanted to profit from the sheep. In Ezekiel 34:1-6 we read:

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

These false shepherds were dominating and slaughtering their sheep. Their job was to take care of the flock, but they decided to use the sheep to take care of themselves. This is why God also promises in this chapter that he would send a good shepherd. He came in the person of Jesus Christ, who, in contrast to a false shepherd, laid down his life for the sheep.

Titus speaks about the greed of false shepherds in Titus 1:10-11, where we read, “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach-and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” The only goal of false shepherds is to make money, and they will say anything to do so.

In 2 Peter 2:14-15 we find another reference to the greed of false prophets. Peter begins, “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning. They seduce the unstable. . . .” In Romans 16:18 Paul said false prophets deceived those who were naive. Here Peter uses the word “unstable.” Unstable people are those who will never open the Bible to study it. They are the ones who are likely victims of false prophets. So Peter continues, “They are experts in greed-an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and have wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.”

Do you see that? The false shepherds, the ministers of Satan, have only one purpose: to seduce the unstable for the sake of their own greed. Who are the unstable? They are those who will not pray, who will never read the Bible carefully, and who will not hear the word of God. The unstable are people who will never grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The unstable are people who are interested in entertainment rather than in the word of God. “Tell me another story,” they say.

Greed, then, is the main interest of the false teachers. In 2 Peter 2:3 we read, “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” In the King James we read that the teachers “make merchandise of you.” To false prophets, people are just goods to be bought and sold. They exploit them! We see modern televangelists doing this all the time, but it is not a new thing; it has been present throughout the history of God’s people.

So there will always be naive, unstable people who will send money to false preachers. Nowadays false prophets may wear designer suits and big diamonds because that is what modern people like to see on television. At the end of the program the preacher will say, “Send me money.” He will never tell the audience to study the Bible. He will say, “Send me the money, and I will send you my latest Satanic teaching.” Oh, the label will not say, “Satanic Teaching, Tape One,” and“Satanic Teaching, Tape Two.” No, it will be a series on “Love and Forgiveness.”

In Philippians 3:18 we read, “For, as I have often told you before and say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.” False teachers hate the cross of Jesus Christ because the cross speaks about our sin and people do not want to acknowledge they are sinners. The cross means Christ died for our sins. But those who do not acknowledge they are sinners are enemies of the cross of Christ. What happens to such people? In verse 19 we read, “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.”

In reference to the false ministers Paul writes, “Their god is their belly.” So they flatter people to seduce them so that they can get large amounts of money from them. They always have a need, but they are never satisfied.

In this church, we do not ask for money. We do not have to, because I have a principle: When God goes in, money comes out. If God doesn’t go into one’s heart, money is not going to come out. It is that simple.

The Secrecy and Subtlety of False Ministers

What else do we know about false ministers? They love to deal in secrecy and in subtlety. Oh, they appear in the church as if they were true ministers. They don’t announce that they are ministers of Satan; in fact, they usually wrap themselves in garments of great piety. But, as Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:15, they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing, and their lives are filled with deception and secrecy. False teachers are not transparent; they always have a hidden agenda. But when you speak to them, they will sound very holy.

In Acts 20 we see Paul speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus. In verse 29 he said, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.” In other words, Paul was saying, “It is a sure thing that that after I leave, not just wolves, but ferocious, savage wolves will come in from outside and be among you.” Oh, you look at these people and they always appear to be very pious, nice, wonderful people. They always smile and speak in a saccharine sweet way. Everyone loves them and says, “Isn’t he such a nice pastor? I mean, he always says such wonderful things about me.”

False ministers are ferocious, savage wolves who have no interest in the welfare of God’s people. They will look at you, smile at you, and say nice things about you. But the only thing they are interested in is to tear you, kill you, and eat you. So Paul says, “I know that after I leave savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.”

In 2 Peter 2:1 we find out more about these ministers and their tactics. There we read, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them. . . .” These people will bring their destructive heresies right into the church! But they will title their false teaching, “The Love of God,” or “The Way to Success.” They package it in a nice way but it is pure poison. In Jude 4 we read, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.” They come in disguise. “They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality. . . .” As we said, what governs these people-the preachers as well as the congregation-is lust. They want a church where there is no government so that they can commit immorality. False preachers and false Christians will be so happy in a church where they can do whatever they want.

In 2 Corinthians 11:13 we find mention again about the secrecy and subtlety of the false apostles. There we read, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” These people do not declare who they really are; they masquerade as apostles of Christ. Oh, they pretend to be interested in preaching the gospel but it is all a cover-up. Then Paul writes, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” In reality, then, these people are servants of Satan. They will fornicate, lie, cheat, and live just like pagans outside of the church. There is no difference.

The Need for Government

A true church has government. If you cannot endure sound doctrine when it is preached, you must ask yourself why. Is it because the minister is telling you to commit sin? No. It is because the pastor says you cannot do certain things. There are rules in the church of God.

The other day someone gave me a thirty-page article. The pages were loose and falling out of my hands, so I put them all together and then put a staple into them. That is what government is all about. Now the article stays together; it doesn’t fly away.

If you are a father, you are to govern your family. If you are ministers, you are to govern your congregation. Yes, people like license because they like to do whatever they want to do. So false ministers masquerade as angels of light, as ministers of righteousness, when, in truth, they are ministers of unrighteousness.

In the true church there is government. In Matthew 7:22 we read that many people will come on the last day to Jesus and say, “Lord, Lord. . .” Notice, they don’t just say, “Lord,” but “Lord, Lord,” showing the intensity of their love for him. On the day of judgment, these people will come to God, saying, “Lord, Lord, we have prophesied, cast out demons, and performed miracles.” They won’t be saying, “We prayed” or “We read the Bible”; they will be speaking about the miracles they performed. But miracles are not always inspired by God. The Egyptian sorcerers of Exodus were able to do certain miracles, and in 2 Thessalonians we read that the antichrist will perform miracles.

These false apostles will appear on that day along with their followers, declaring, “Lord, Lord,” and the Lord will tell them, “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity!” All their prophecies, wonders, and miracles will be proved false, having been animated by Satanic energy.

A Plethora of Prophets

What do people do who love false prophets? In 2 Timothy 4 we are told that they will accumulate a multitude of teachers who will teach them what they want to hear. In this church, we do not do that; we teach what God wants us to hear from his everlasting word.

Ahab is a good example of someone who accumulated false teachers and prophets. How many court-appointed prophets did he have? Four hundred. I am sure he needed only one or two, but he had four hundred of them. Shouldn’t we think that Ahab was a very spiritual person? No. As we read in 1 Kings 22, all four hundred of his prophets received their inspiration from an evil, lying spirit, which came upon each of them so that each spoke exactly what he knew Ahab wanted to hear.

Among all the prophets surrounding Ahab, there was only one true prophet, Micaiah. I want you to understand the rarity of true ministers of the gospel, and, therefore, true churches. Don’t think that all churches and pastors are the same. It simply is not true. There were four hundred false prophets and only one Micaiah. So if you find a true minister who will preach the word to you, love that person, listen to that person, go to that church, and support it, because such ministers are a rarity. They are around, but you have to look hard to find them.

Waterless Springs

Finally, in 2 Peter 2:17 we read, “These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm.” When a very thirsty person hears that there is a spring nearby, he is so happy. But if there is no water in the spring, imagine the disappointment of that person.

This is what happens with false prophets in the church. They will say, “This is the church, here is the spring, and I have the water of life for you.” But when you drink of their teaching, what do you discover? It is a spring, all right, but its water is bitter. These false ministers make promises but they never deliver. They may temporarily make you feel good through their flattery and seduction. But they cannot give you the living water.

What do these false prophets promise? In verse 19 we read, “They promise them freedom. . . .” Isn’t that wonderful? Freedom-oh, Americans love freedom! These ministers promise freedom, but then Peter says, “while they themselves are slaves of depravity.” Think about that. They are promising what they cannot deliver because they themselves are depraved. Peter adds, “for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”

So these false teachers promise freedom but they can never deliver. In fact, as we said earlier, such false ministers aim to destroy the lives of those who listen to them.

May God Grant Us Discernment

I hope that we will have some discernment and be able to distinguish between the real Jesus and the false one, between the real Holy Spirit and the false spirits, between the real gospel and the false gospel, between the real church and the false church, between the real minister of the gospel and the false minister of the gospel, and between the real doctrines of the apostles and the doctrines of demons. This is serious business. We have only one life, and what we do here and now matters. Any moment God can call us and we will go to our eternal destiny.

Therefore, may God enable us to understand who the devil is and who our Savior is! May we thank God daily for granting us new life and faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation; for granting us a spirit of repentance; for enabling us to repent of our sins and to forsake evil; for forgiving us the guilt of all our sins; for saving us and adopting us as his sons and daughters. We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. May we thank God for giving us his holy word, the very word of God, the word that liberates us, enlightens us, and trains us how to live righteously. God has delivered us from the slavery to Satan and has given us the glorious freedom we have in Jesus Christ. Praise God for his great mercy to us! Amen.