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How to Avoid
End-Time Deception
Everyone
agrees it’s coming, very few have any idea what it really
entails. Most people will tell you “any Spirit that denies
Jesus is Lord,” is the anti-Christ and they have no idea
what they are talking about. If this is what you are
depending on to prevent you from being deceived by the
spiritual imposters that are coming (that are here today),
you don’t have a chance.
Here’s a
quick rule of thumb you can apply to any prophet, teacher,
or ministry to determine if they are true to the Word of God
or of they are attempting to lead you astray, wittingly or
unwittingly. The things that sound “positive,”
“encouraging,” and “uplifting” to men are most likely
totally out of sync with God, His plans, and the things that
are actually about to occur as the End Times play out in
actuality.
When
asked about “when these things would be” in connection with
His Second Coming, and what would be the sign of the end,
Jesus enumerated a number of telltale signs—all of them
negative with the exception of the fact that “this gospel of
the Kingdom shall be preached” everywhere on the earth.
Outside of that, the Lord predicted horrendous affairs
occurring in the natural realm. He said it would be time of
trouble such as never has been before in the history of the
world. He directly addressed “His people” and told them
they should be prepared to “run for their lives” and pray
that they might escape the things that are coming on the
earth.
Is this
the message we are hearing today from most of our “end-time”
prophets? For the most part, we are hearing how we should
be prepared for the “emergence” of some new and greater
manifestation of the power of God—whether it be “Joel’s
Army,” “The Manchild Company,” “The Manifested Sons of God,”
“a Daniel Company,” or whatever. We are told to be ready
for Revival on an unprecedented scale, and warned that those
who are not spiritually prepared will miss it!
I am also
interested to hear great “men of God” who are so respected
by the masses of believers as they spout off prophecies
about what God is about to do and what the next move of the
Spirit is going to encompass as if the Lord had not already
spoken very clearly regarding this topic. Of course, to
these men He has not because they have not taken the time to
study the Word of God as it relates to these issues, or if
they have, they have dismissed the truth of the Word of God
where it does not support their optimistic view of the
present and near-future.
A case in
point is a recent article by an “Elijah List” prophet, Paul
Keith Davis. In an article called “Change is Imminent,” he
says:
The Great
Reformation was launched with a clear prophetic word from
the Lord's heart. A fullness-of-time moment had occurred in
God's plan and the ministry of restoration was set in
motion. That movement has been progressively accelerating to
this present hour. Another crossroads has been met and
great change is imminent.
Such
statements, while probably almost universally accepted by
the “the church” reveal a lack of understanding of the
written revelation of God that has already been give us, and
lack of respect for those of us who have some real
understanding of what has transpired over the last 2,000
years since the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
“Great Reformation” took place in the early 16th century as
the result of a resurgence in the study of scripture on the
part of many, including one Martin Luther. Although it is
generally referred to as “the Great” Reformation, in fact,
it accomplished little besides laying a foundation for the
continued breakup and splintering of God’s people into a
thousand schisms or factions which we glibly refer to as
“denominations.” This statement is in no way a defense of
the Roman Catholic church, it is rather a commentary on the
true “prophetic word” that went out from God regarding the
Reformation. It is found in Revelation 3:1-6.
Brother
Davis makes reference to a “clear prophetic word from the
Lord's heart.” Unfortunately, he does not tell us how that
word came about or who heard it! Therefore it is difficult
to comment more upon it. It would appear however that he is
totally ignorant of the true prophetic word that the Lord
had spoken regarding this “fullness-of-time moment.”
He goes
on to say that once this “fullness-of-time moment” had
“occurred in God's plan,” the ministry of restoration was
set in motion and has been progressively accelerating even
to this hour.
In fact,
there have been two distinct, discernable movements that
have occurred in church history since the Reformation that
have brought us to the present moment. To understand,
perhaps we should take a good look at the “present
condition” of the Body of Christ as it is and not as some
would have us believe it is.
Currently
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, or “Christians” as they
are commonly called, are generally “denominated” or somehow
related to one “denomination” or another. There are
thousands of denominations, but these can be grouped into
several major categories: Roman Catholicism (the
denomination led by “Jezebel” as described in Revelation
2:18-29), which is prophesied to be the longest standing
denomination and to be on the earth when the great
tribulation comes upon it; the protestant or reformed
denominations prophesied in Revelation 3:1-7, which are also
predicted to be on the earth at the advent of the
tribulation period when the Lord shall come upon these
believers as a thief; the premillenial, fundamentalist
denominations that are prophesied in Revelation 3:7-13, to
which the promise is given that they will be “kept” from
experiencing the tribulation that is coming upon all the
earth; and the final “Charismatic Renewal,” totally obsessed
with itself and full of spiritual pride and self-deception
as prophesied in Revelation 3:14-22.
According
to the true Word of Prophecy, then, there is not going be
another “movement” of the Spirit of the scope of the
Reformation, the Fundamentalist Movement, or the Charismatic
Revival. This salient fact is lost to 99.9% of all of the
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers
operating on the earth today. And this is why any of them
can easily lead you astray when it comes to speaking of the
things that are about to occur on the earth. Most of them,
especially those of the amillennial bent Roman Catholics and
Reformation-protestants will try to paint a positive picture
of the future where men of good faith and reason will
prevail over the radical fundamentalist extremists of all
faiths to usher in the kingdom—a world where men live in
peace. Most Charismatic-leaning “prophets” have
transitioned from the previously held traditional
premillennial eschatology to some weird “new” thing—“new”
apostolic, “new” prophetic,” “new” Reformation-based
eschatology which if anyone would take the time to look, is
nothing but old, old, old amillennialism, Dominion, Kingdom
Now teaching dressed up in Fundamental Premilliennial-sounding
terminology. So much so that many people could be fooled,
or deceived, by these teachings without realizing it.
How can
one tell the real thing from the “new” thing? The new thing
will ALWAYS have more of positive element than negative. It
will always tout the great healings that are going to take
place, the great miracles, the “greater things than these”
that are going to accompany the greatest revival the world
has ever seen. In its more bodacious forms, it even touts
“super-apostles” that are about to appear.
My
suggestion: Do NOT follow them. No matter how many people
they raise from the dead “in Jesus name;” no matter how many
people they heal “in Jesus name.” Such a movement of God is
NOT prophesied for our time, while exactly such a ministry
of Satan IS prophesied, and it is prophesied that the lying
signs and wonders and miracles that will accompany the
coming of the antichrist will deceive many who will believe
they are of God—in spite of the fact that God has clearly
foretold us that they are not of God but of the Devil.
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