Posted on 02/25/2003 5:57:28 PM PST by Delphinium
As we approach the year 2000 and the end of the age, chaotic events continue to manifest more frequently and with greater intensity like the birth pains of a woman in labor (Matt. 24:3-7). As these events continue to increase, a multitude of different voices are attempting to explain the madness concerning the end of the age. Sifting through the Godless secular voices is not too difficult for most Christians. However, discerning the many voices claiming to be Christian is much more difficult. Scripture teaches us that more and more false apostles, prophets, and teachers would arise within the church the closer we come to the end of the age and the return of Messiah Jesus. Their purpose is to seduce as many people as possible into believing the heresies of Mystery Babylon, which eventually leads them into the great apostasy. Here is where they ultimately succumb to the lies of the man Antichrist (2 Thess. 2). Conditioning people to receive this delusion comes over an extended period of time in which many false doctrines are secretly introduced and practiced among God’s people.
False Teachings of the Apostasy When the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age, He said, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name saying that, ‘I am the Christ,’ but will deceive many” (Matt. 24:4-5). One thing that the Lord was saying here is that many would come in the name of Jesus saying that they were Christians. This would give them the perfect cover to mislead people away from the purity of the Gospel. This was a recurring observation made by both Apostles Peter and Paul. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them...and many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned, and in their greed they will exploit you with false words.” — 2 Pet. 2:1-3 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in the last days some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.” — 1 Tim. 4:1 It’s important to understand that most deception in the body of Christ during the last days will come as a result of seducing spirits working together with doctrines of demons. People who do not regularly study the Scriptures, and allow themselves to be ruled by their emotions and the touchy-feely Gospel, are easily overcome by seducing spirits. That’s because seducing spirits have the power to make you feel good, while the false teacher introduces demonic/Luciferian doctrines. With this in mind, let’s look at some of the Luciferian doctrine that the Bible says we should watch out for.
Luciferian Doctrine #1 Christians are Equal with God
The oldest heresy in the history of the world has recently surfaced again in the church. It puts forth the premise that Christians are equal with God. This teaching takes the term “body of Christ” to the extreme. It teaches that we are the literal flesh and blood body of “Jesus Christ” on the earth, which means we are now Christ/God in the flesh. Christians must never forget that it was when Lucifer said, “I will become like [equal with] the Most High” that God expelled him from the heavenly host (Is. 14:12-17). Then he seduced Adam and Eve into believing that they could be like (equal with) God, which got them expelled from the garden. I find it amazing how Satan can repackage the same old lie with just a slightly different twist and pawn it off as a higher revelation again and again. Although Adam and Eve were created in God’s image (Gen. 1: 26), the Lord clearly states that, “[God]...has made him [man] a little lower than [Elohim] God” (Ps. 8:5). Even though Scripture teaches that we are being transformed from glory to glory into the “image of Jesus,” so that we might attain to the resurrection of the dead (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:10-12), we are not equal with God. Terms for the “body of Christ” also include the “bride of Christ,” the “church,” the “army of the Lord,” the “saints,” and the “New Jerusalem.” All of which God never calls Himself, but is always seen relating to. He died for His bride, that she could become united with him, but she is not Him nor is she equal with Him. This is an extremism, and most heresies result from taking an insight/revelation or a term like “body of Christ” to the extreme. The real tragedy is that, once a person starts down this path, the false doctrine begins to multiply exponentially, and before they know it, they are serving the devil himself.
Luciferian Doctrine #2 Christians Have Revelation Beyond the Scriptures
Once the fallen nature of man comes to the belief that he is equal with God, he starts coming up with new doctrines and mysterious revelations. Because he believes that he is the literal flesh and blood “body of Jesus Christ,” who is the Word of God, he deludes himself into believing that he is also the Word of God. This seduction propels him into the belief that his revelations are now equal to Scripture. Their teaching says, “You don’t need to read the Word (Bible), because you are the Word. You don’t need to take notes from the Word to prepare a message, because you are the message. You can’t trust the Bible anyway, because it has too many mistakes in it.” Most stable Christians immediately reject this teaching for the heresy that it is. However, some are being overcome by the seducing spirit that makes them feel good about the fact that their revelations are now beyond God’s written Word, the Bible. To justify and enhance this position, they add another false teaching that says there is only a select few (a tithe or 10%) who will be awakened to the mysteries of this higher revelation. It is referred to as the “hundred-fold revelation/anointing,” and anyone who wants it must go to one of the “hundred-fold” apostles or prophets to get it. This demonic doctrine is simply a regurgitation of an old Chaldean practice used to obtain the ancient mysteries of Babylon. The Babylonian populace lived according to the written “Law of Hammurabi,” a.k.a., the “Law of Nimrod.” However, if anyone wanted to learn the higher revelations of the mysteries of Babylon, they had to go to one of the anointed Chaldean priests, who just so happened to make up roughly 10% (a tithe) of the population. If a person doesn’t understand, or simply disagrees with the mysteries of the “hundred-fold” revelation, then he/she is told that they have not been awakened yet and are simply a member of the “thirty-fold” club. This form of intimidation is a type of “spiritual terrorism” that false teachers use to force people into accepting the lie. After all, everyone wants to be a member of the elect “hundred-fold” club. Although the Holy Spirit is bringing a fuller revelation of the Scriptures, it is of paramount importance that Christians never allow themselves to think that they have revelation beyond what’s contained in the Scriptures — i.e., God’s written Word, the Bible. “and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings [the Scriptures] which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be equipped for every good work... For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” — 2 Tim. 3:15 - 4:4 Here, the Apostle Paul says that the Scriptures contain everything needed to equip us in righteousness and for every good work. Doctrine which teaches that you are the ongoing Word of God, and that within you are the mysteries of Christ that go beyond what’s contained in the Bible, is a Babylonian myth. I believe that this teaching will be part of the false doctrine of John’s end-time Mystery Babylon that God tells us to come out of (Rev. 17:1-7; 18:4).
Luciferian Doctrine #3 Lucifer is not Satan
A teaching that is gaining ground in the church today says that Lucifer and Satan are different entities. It’s taught that Satan was never Lucifer, but a separate evil being from the beginning. This allows Satan to portray himself as Lucifer, the light bearing morning star that he was before his fall. As a former Freemason, I am fully versed as to the origins of this heresy. It’s known as Luciferian doctrine, and it has been carried on the wings of Freemasonry since the time of Nimrod in ancient Babylon [Schnoebelen, Masonry Beyond the Light, pg. 162]. In other words, it’s another end-time demonic doctrine that has surfaced as part of John’s “Mystery Babylon.” The name Lucifer means “morning star who is a light bearer.” As an archangel, Lucifer was given this name because he was created to be an expression of Jesus Christ, who is the true light and morning star. Likewise, Gabriel was created as an expression of Jesus the messenger, and Michael was an expression of Jesus the warrior. Unfortunately, Lucifer deceived himself into believing that he was equal to God/Jesus Christ, the Morning Star. For this, he was cast down as Satan, the god of this world, where he continues to express himself as a cheap imitation of the true Morning Star, Jesus Christ. Since his fall, only Satan and his followers refer to Satan as Lucifer. Freemasons, along with a growing number in the church, have become apostles of this false teaching. For example, Albert Pike, the highest ranking Mason of his day, wrote: “The Masonic Religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degree [the “hundred-fold” anointed], maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer were not God, would Adonay (sic) [the God of the Bible] whose deeds prove his cruelty, perfidy, and hatred of man, barbarism and repulsion for science, would Adonay and his priest [Jesus] calumniate [slander] him [Lucifer]? “Yes Lucifer is God, and unfortunately Adonay is also god... Thus the doctrine of Satanism is a heresy; and the true and pure philosophical religion is the belief in Lucifer, the equal of Adonay; but Lucifer, God of Light and God of Good, is struggling for humanity against Adonay, the God of Darkness and Evil.” (Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, pg. 217) [emphasis added] Here we see that the devil has used one of his apostles, Albert Pike, to successfully separate, in the minds of his followers, his origins as Lucifer from his current status of Satan. This allows Satan to portray himself as Lucifer, the bearer and God of light, which is the central theme of Freemasonry. Paul actually warns us that Satan’s apostles will bring this heresy over into the church when he writes: For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light [Lucifer]. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.” — 2 Cor. 11: 13-15 In other words, Satan has come to these men as an angel of light named Lucifer. He has seduced them into believing that Lucifer is not Satan, but the original morning star who was never really expelled from heaven for claiming to be equal with God (Is. 14:12-15). Satan’s false apostles and prophets are now teaching this heresy among the “body of Christ” as a revelation of the “hundred-fold” elect. Pike goes on to teach that those Masons in the high degree (the “hundred-fold” anointed) can also become like God/Lucifer. This is a Gnostic type theology which holds to the belief that the serpent told Adam and Eve the truth in the garden when he said, “You will be like [equal with] God” (Gen. 3:5). This takes us back to our first false teaching which says Christians are equal with Jehovah God. The Masons’ ritual quest for Godhood includes a “fraternal supper” of the Scottish Rite. This supper is a blasphemous distortion and counterfeit of the Lord’s Supper. Concerning this supper, Pike teaches: “...thus the bread we eat, and the wine we drink tonight may enter into and form part of us the identical particles that once formed parts of the material bodies called Moses, Confucius, Plato, Socrates or Jesus of Nazareth. In the truest sense, we eat and drink the bodies of the dead...” (Pike, Morals and Dogma, pg. 539) We see various elements of this teaching in what is called the Eucharist, where Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox teach that the communion elements of the Lord’s supper actually transmutate into the flesh and blood particles of Jesus Christ. I find it interesting to note that many Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox priests are also Freemasons. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so. It’s Luciferian doctrine that has been introduced into the church by false teachers. I know this is all supposed to be part of the “hundred-fold” revelation, but the only “hundred-fold” revelation working here is that of a seducing spirit that is releasing doctrines of demons into the church.
Luciferian Doctrine #4 The Church has Replaced Israel
The seducing spirit of anti-Semitism has deceived numerous ministries around the world into believing that the church has now replaced Israel, and that Christian believers are the only true Jews. Although this subject is broad enough to write a book on, for the sake of time and space, we will deal with just a few falsehoods surrounding replacement theology. The deliberate distortion of Scripture combined with ridiculous hearsay about Jewish heritage are the Siamese twins of this heresy. For example, one so-called Christian teacher made the absolutely ridiculous statement that, “There are no more genealogical Jews. They don’t know who they are anymore.” When I heard him say this, I was embraced for him because of his ignorance. Many Jews can and have traced their Hebrew roots back to before King Solomon’s day. On the evening of April 3, 1999, my good friend, Dr. Leonard Horowitz, was sharing with me that his family has kept up with their lineage from early in Israel’s history. One side of his family comes from the Levitical priesthood, and the other side is a direct descendant of King Solomon from the tribe of Judah. Only a seducing, anti-Semitic spirit will make such a foolish statement about physical Jews not knowing who they are, and only someone who has been seduced by an anti-Semitic spirit will believe it. This false teaching also says that when the Apostle Paul uses the term Jew or Israel in the New Testament he is referring to the church. This is easily disproved by simply attempting to insert the term Christian or church everywhere it refers to Israel or Jew in chapters 9-11 of Romans. It can’t be done. It’s utter foolishness. Israel and the Jews are easily identified, because they are those who keep the commandments of God given in Scripture. Just think about the fact that it’s the Jews/Israel, and not the Christian church that: 1. study and observe Torah (Ex. 20) 2. keep the true Saturday Sabbath (Ex. 1:13; Lev. 23 1-3) 3. dedicate and circumcise male children on the eighth day (Gen. 7:10-14; Lk 1:59) 4. keep the dietary (kosher) laws (Lev. 11 and Deut. 14) 5. keep the Passover and the other appointed feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23) 6. observe the feast of Purim (Esther 9:7-28) 7. observe Hanukkah as even Jesus did (John 10:22-23) 8. have fulfilled over 100 prophecies by returning to the land of Israel and Jerusalem after 2,000 years of being dispersed throughout the nations (Ezek. 36:16-38) 9. have the Menorah as their national symbol All of these things were specifically ascribed to God’s ancient people Israel, and have been practiced by the majority of Jews since they were originally commanded them by God. Even though the church can participate in them, they are distinctly Jewish. Scripture even teaches that the Jews/Israel would reject Jesus as the Messiah (Is. 53:1-4; Rom. 11: 7-32), which means that Christian believers are not Jews and the church is not Israel. Jesus warned the Christian church at Smyrna that this heresy would arise within the church in the last days: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those [in the church] who say they are Jews and are not, but are of the Synagogue of Satan.” —Rev. 2:9 [emphasis added] The church has been grafted into the root of the olive tree/Israel (Rom. 11:17-21) and has become part of the “commonwealth of Israel” (Eph. 2:11-13), but it has not replaced Israel. Long before the church physically came into being, God put an eternal umbilical cord between the Jews/Israel and all the other nations of the world: “When the Most High gave the nations [gentiles] their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.” — Deut. 32:8 From the Spanish Inquisition to the Nazi death camps, Satan/Lucifer has tried everything he could to destroy Israel. Satan knows that by whatever measure he can weaken or destroy Israel, by that same measure he can weaken or destroy the nations. Just think about the three major military hot spots in the world today —Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Korea. These conflicts are all about boundaries, and every nation involved is either hostile toward Israel or their support is weakening. As a result, the blessing of the Lord has been, or is about to be, lifted, and their boundaries are at risk of being changed — this includes the U.S. This truth also flows in unison with the promise God made to Abram by saying, “And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3). History has proven that the heritage (blessings and cursings) of the nations are directly related to their relationship to God’s ancient Jewish people and the nation of Israel This principle is also true in regard to the church. Paul was very clear to point out that anyone, including Christian believers, who violates this truth will be cut off (Rom. 11:18-21). In other words, to whatever degree Satan can perpetrate the heretic theology that the Church has replaced Israel, to that same degree, he can cut off God’s blessings and the boundaries of Christians.
Conclusion These are the perilous times that Paul talked about in 2 Tim. 3:1-9, and wading through the mountain of false doctrine is all part of what we have to do in the last days. I do want to encourage you, however, to use this as an opportunity to start studying God’s Word the way you should. We will all stand before God and answer for how we handled His Word. How will you fair? “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Tim. 2:15 TER
The teaching of the Body of Christ goes directly to events such as Saul's encounter with Jesus during which he was blinded. Jesus refers to the Church as Himself. And that's good enought for me.
When someone attacks the Church they are attacking Christ Jesus.
The LDS organization says that the 'great apostasy' happened LONG ago, in the 3rd century when mere men 'ripped' the true teachings about GOD from the world's knowledge of Him.
'Christians' have been following only an emasculated version of the 'truth' that has now been 'restored' to men by the revealing of the 'Golden Plates' and their subsequent translation and publication by the people who are called Mormon by those who do not know the name of the Lord's church.
WHY?
Easy: they don't know the Scriptures!
"My people perish from lack of knowledge" isn't just a platitude, it's the God given TRUTH!!!!!!!!
The Greeks called Set "Typhon," who was the war god assigned to Upper Egypt. This also represents another contravention to the "accepted" etymologies of words like "typhoon" in English, which is erroneously listed as the Cantonese "tai fung" in many dictionaries. English has more commonalties with Greek and Latin.
The Egyptian priest Manetho associated the Jews with the Hyksos and Moses with the Egyptian priest Osarsiph. It was at this time that the belief the Jews worshipped an ass – an animal holy to the Egyptian god Set was established. Both the Jews and the pagan Egyptians used the labels (i.e., Satan, Set, Seth) to defame each other. How fitting that amidst this epic struggle and bloody conflict, the entity known as Satan was born into the World. Such conflict continued through the Maccabean period (with Antiochus Epiphanes), and continues into modern times on several fronts.
There is a recurring theme that alludes to the hostility between the pagan Egyptians and the Judaic. Often it is claimed by the Neo-Pagans that Satan is only found in Christianity. How can this be if Satan is undeniably a Hebrew word adapted from the name of the pagan Egyptian god Set? This cannot be reconciled with the fact that it is a Hebrew word...
Consider this, from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, in 1668:
Part III. Of a Christian Commonwealth.Chap. xxxviii. Of Eternal Life, Hell, Salvation, and Redemption.
[12] And first, for the tormentors, we have their nature and properties exactly and properly delivered by the names of the Enemy (or Satan), the Accuser (or Diabolus), the Destroyer (or Abaddon). Which significant names (Satan, Devil, Abaddon) set not forth to us any individual person, as proper names do, but only an office or quality, and are therefore appellatives, which ought not to have been left untranslated (as they are in the Latin and modern Bibles), because thereby they seem to be the proper names of demons, and men are the more easily seduced to believe the doctrine of devils, which at that time was the religion of the Gentiles, and contrary to that of Moses, and of Christ.
[13] And because by the Enemy, the Accuser, and Destroyer, is meant the enemy of them that shall be in the kingdom of God, therefore if the kingdom of God after the resurrection be upon the earth (as in the former Chapter I have shewn by Scripture it seems to be), the Enemy and his kingdom must be on earth also. For so also was it in the time before the Jews had deposed God. For God's kingdom was in Israel, and the nations round about were the kingdoms of the Enemy; and consequently, by Satan is meant any earthly enemy of the Church.
Part IV. Of the Kingdom of Darkness
Chap. xlvii. Of the Benefit that proceedeth from such DarknessBesides these sovereign powers, divine and human, of which I have hitherto discoursed, there is mention in Scripture of another power, namely, that of "the rulers of the darkness of this world," [Ephesians, 6. 12] "the kingdom of Satan," [Matthew, 12. 26] and "the principality of Beelzebub over demons," [Ibid., 9. 34] that is to say, over phantasms that appear in the air: for which cause Satan is also called "the prince of the power of the air";[Ephesians, 2. 2] and, because he ruleth in the darkness of this world, "the prince of this world":[John, 16. 11] and in consequence hereunto, they who are under his dominion, in opposition to the faithful, who are the "children of the light," are called the "children of darkness." For seeing Beelzebub is prince of phantasms, inhabitants of his dominion of air and darkness, the children of darkness, and these demons, phantasms, or spirits of illusion, signify allegorically the same thing. This considered, the kingdom of darkness, as it is set forth in these and other places of the Scripture, is nothing else but a confederacy of deceivers that, to obtain dominion over men in this present world, endeavour, by dark and erroneous doctrines, to extinguish in them the light, both of nature and of the gospel; and so to disprepare them for the kingdom of God to come.
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