false teachers

05
May
2011

Beware of the Godhood Lie

“Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken.” (Eze 22:28)

 

Journal,

It is the immature believers who become potential prey for spiritual mishandling and psychological abuse. This is why it is so important for believers to grow in the Lord. In this growth comes spiritual discernment. Discernment is a thing of the knowing heart.

The mature believer has learned to pay close attention to the ‘cautions‘ of his own spirit. A believer’s intuition alerts him to things that are not right. (Has nothing to do with rational processes.)

But where the immature believer gets in trouble is when he overrides the cautions in his heart. Often this overriding comes from, ‘Something must be wrong with me. Everyone else thinks this is of God.’

 

The longings of the heart

The problem is that we humans long for spiritual realities. But there is a problem. Since the fall of Adam, humanity entered into Adam’s state of spiritual disrepair. Moses speaks of this as a defect.

Listen to Moses:

“They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu 32:3-5).

When a person turns to the Lord, they enter into a new expression of being as a believer. However, there is still work yet to be done to repair what had been lost in the fall of Adam. The Bible speaks of this work as ‘the renewing of our mind,’ or, ‘the transforming life’. A place to begin is in understanding what the Bible means by ‘the lie.’

We need to go back to…

 

The lie that caused man’s disrepair

The original lie that Satan used on Eve can be considered the mother of all  lies. Understand this and you are on your way to realizing how this same lie is making its rounds in certain movements today. The lie is the ‘godhood’ lie. Let’s see if you can pick up on it.

Concerning the forbidden fruit, Satan said to Eve,

“You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, [you will be a god] knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4,5)

The godhood lie was Adam and Eve could be exactly what God is. They themselves would be gods. They could do all the things that God does.

The godhood lie is found in one form or another through the history of the human race. Roman Emperors were worshipped as gods. The Pharaohs considered themselves to be gods. The emperor of Japan was considered a god. Hinduism is a major player in the godhood lie as well as is Mormonism and new age teachings.

Today this very lie is being ‘subtly’  promoted by well-known charismatic speakers. I use the term ‘subtly’ because the lie is covered in Biblical language. It is insidious to the degree that it literally undermines the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we can do everything Jesus does, then why do we need Jesus. (Think about it.)

 

A form of mind control

A lie is a deception at work. A deception is a form of mind control. One Hebrew definition for the term deception means, ‘to steal the heart.’

While the Bible says that God cannot lie, Jesus tells us that Satan’s primary calling card is lying. Satan’s main mode of operation is defined, ‘power and signs and false wonders, and all the deception of wickedness.’

Lying wonders do not do away with the true miracles and workings of God. But the miracles of God are always in a form of bringing glory to Jesus Christ, and not to a man.

Coming back to Satan as a liar, Jesus spoke to a certain group who were religiously serving Satan, though they would certainly deny this. They were willing to believe in Jesus, but it had to be on their terms, and not on the terms for who Jesus really was.

Listen:

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8:42-44)

Self-deification

The godhood lie today is a form of self-deification where humans are made to be god-men. The godhood lie will culminate with the appearance of antichrist. (2Th2:4)

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” (2Th 2:3-4)

 

Noted godhood teachers

Here are sampling of noted teachers of  the past and of today who have promoted the godhood lie. To you in the ‘Word of Faith’ camp, I have a special caution for you. Beware! Beware!

– The Original Lie Seen –

“You don’t have a god in you, you are one.” (Kenneth Copeland, “The Force Of Love”, audiotape #02-0028, Kenneth Copeland Ministries.)

“I am a ‘little messiah’ walking on earth.” (Benny Hinn, “Praise-a-thon Program” on TBN, broadcast.)

Joseph Smith – considered a prophet of the Mormon Church, said: “As God is, man shall become.”

Shirley McClain proudly declared: “I am God. I am God. I am God. I am God.”

Jim Jones (the infamous murder of the Jonestown massacre) – “You are what Jesus was. Jesus said that every human being was a god. It is written that you are gods. I’m a god and you are a god.”

Margot Adler – “We are as gods and might as well get good at it.”

Benny Hinn – “Don’t say you have Jesus. You are everything he was, is and shall be.”

“When you say, ‘I am a Christian, you are saying I am a little Messiah walking on the earth. May I say it? You are a little god running around.” – Benny Hinn

“You are as much the incarnation of God as Christ was….The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” (Kenneth Hagin, “Word of Faith.”)

“Adam and Eve were placed in the world as the seed and expression of God. Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods; we have trouble comprehending this truth. Until we comprehend that we are little gods, we cannot manifest the kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk, “Satan Unmasked”)

“I am a little god! … I have His name. I’m one with Him. I’m in covenant relation. I am a little god! Critics, be gone!” (Paul Crouch, TBN).

“God made animals and didn’t have the foggiest idea what they were … He brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. … Adam was a speaking spirit like God is.” (Duplantis has Adam creating life in the animals and not God.) See YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DDYyym5tD20

 

End time delusions

I want to be kind in saying that there are men and women who get caught up in the convolution of all the Charismatic error because of their own lack of understanding of the Scriptures. This may even be true for some of the noted charismatic teachers.

These people often come to their senses and began to recognize that much of what they are involved in is super charged flesh. The Lord in His goodness can help these misguided souls to find their way out of the quagmire of deception.

For the sake of my readers who are concerned over how to spot someone who may be operating under a spirit that is not of God, there are certain common traits to look for.  (I’ve provided Scripture resources for your study.)

Place your cursor over the Scripture reference and it will appear.

 

Things to beware of:

(1) People with an arrogant boastful spirit. Pride is always a major working factor in a demonic deception. Cf. Dan7:11; James3:15,16.

(2) Counterfeit gifting. Sorcery manifests itself as a form of spiritual mind control, and in a way of fortune-telling. Cf. Acts 8:9-11; Matt7:21-23.

(3) Sensual and fleshly exhibition with no true reverence or respect for holiness. 2Pet2:2,3.

(4) The preaching of a false Jesus that does not Biblically agree with true character of the Son of God. Cf. 2Co11:4,13-15.

(5) The preaching of a gospel that is not in full accord with God’s testimony as given in the New Testament. Cf. Gal1:6-9; 1Tim6:3-6.

(6) Lifting up personalities who claim to be modern-day apostles and prophets, and, who, in turn, claim authority equal to that of the Bible apostles and prophets. Cf. Eph2:19,20; 2Co11:12; 1John2:6.

(7) Where the preacher uses language that equates himself with God; where he boasts of godlike abilities; where he preaches an earthly prosperity message; where he claims powers of creation, and such like. And it is all done in the name of Jesus.


A true walk of faith

The only remedy for our disrepair is to come to God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”(John 10:10)

And for you are still in fear about your walk with the Lord, keep in mind the great Shepherd promise:

Jesus said:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (Joh 10:27-30 NASB)

Be encouraged. The love of the Lord belongs to you.

As is my custom, I must leave with you an uplifting song. Listen to the Lord. He wants to speak to your heart.

The Hoppers – I’m a Citizen of Two Worlds

 

 

In Christ always,

Buddy

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06
Dec
2010

The Master Key to Life

I received a call, ‘Brother Martin, my daughter is going through a rough time with a divorce. Would you come and share with her?’ After talking with the daughter I soon found there was another need. As I was about the leave the mother said, ‘Brother Martin, I hear believers talk about how alive the Bible is for them, but its not that way for me.’

I knew this lady loved the Lord. What I was about to share would become a life changer for her; ‘Sister, you need to stop reading the Bible like a newspaper to gather information. If you would began reading your Bible like you were looking into the eyes of God, it would come alive for you.’ Then I gave her a Scripture to look at. Hebrews 4:12,13 says,

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

The very next day I received a call from this dear sister, “Brother Martin, the Bible has come alive for me!”



Journal,

The above incident happened about twenty-five years ago. I’m relating the story from memory. Over the many years I’ve often shared this story and this maxim. It has become a life changer for many. But this isn’t some new revelation. It is a truth that belongs to all God’s children. It has to do with an awesome way that the Lord speaks into our lives. What many don’t realize is that the Bible is God’s primary speaking place. The Bible is a book of life. It unfolds around the Son of God.

What prevents the Bible from becoming a living book to many has to do with attitude. We of a western mindset often study the Scriptures to acquire knowledge. We relish in intellectual simulation. We often have scholastics in view. And so we analyze the Bible and love quoting the Scriptures to prove our points of doctrine. It’s not that all these things are necessarily wrong. However, it is easy to miss the very heart of what the sacred writings are about.

God’s ancient people didn’t study the Scriptures for intellectual stimulation or merely to acquire information. To them the study of God’s Word was the highest form of worship. They studied the Scriptures to draw near to God. The sages had a saying that when people are studying the Scriptures they must never ever be disturbed because the Shekinah is passing among them. [The Shekinah speaks of God’s divine presence.]

Concerning God’s Son, the prophet Isaiah laid it out:

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 29:18,19)

Then we have this from Jesus:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40 NASB) — Testify [martureo] To bear witness. Moses and all the prophets bore witness to Jesus as Messiah. —

The short side is to understand that Jesus Christ Himself is the ‘Master Key to the Bible.’ Set aside Jesus and the Bible becomes just another book. The Bible wraps around Jesus like a garment. Learn to clothe your life with the Word of God and you’ll always live in victory regardless of the circumstances about you.

It is David who gives the prophetic insight into how the Bible enfolds and unfolds with Jesus. Jesus is the alpha and the omega of life. Listen:

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; My ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” (Psalms 40:6-8 NASB)

— This is a Messianic prophecy. The word ‘scroll’ in Hebrew, megallah, means ‘volume’ or ‘writing’ or ‘roll’. This Scripture is quoted in Hebrews. (Heb10:7-9) The Greek for ‘scroll’, kephalis, speaks of the head of the rod and the spindle around which the scrolls were rolled. Thus we have that Jesus is the center around which all the sacred scrolls are wrapped. —


Do you remember the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Jesus joined with them without revealing who He was. The Lord then speaks to them through the writings of Moses and the prophets. Listen:

“And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27)

— To begin with Moses meant He began with the book of Genesis and then walked them through all the prophets. What was their response? When Jesus vanished they said,

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32 NASB)

There you have it. The Lord meets with us in the Scriptures. He opens our hearts and minds to behold the treasures of our salvation in Christ. Jesus is a personal Savior. He speaks to us in personal ways. And His primary speaking place will always be the Bible.

So, what I shared with the lady was not anything new. It has to do with what Augustine called…


The Internal Testimony

The doctrine of the ‘internal testimony of the Holy Spirit’ goes back to Augustine and to other early Church theologians. It is part of the evangelical perspective of the Scriptures. This doctrine sets forth certain things in particular.

  1. That the Bible is self-authenticating; that the Scriptures bear witness to their own authority; that the Holy Spirit both awakens and deals deeply with the human heart through the use of Scripture.
  2. That the Bible has been shaped by God as a meeting place between God and man. Where Paul says, “All Scripture is inspired by God,” he is including the thought of the Scriptures being an oikos (dwelling place) of God.
  3. That the reader must become open and honest hearted before God without preconditions; meaning it is dishonest to try to make the Scriptures mean something that they don’t mean.

 

The internal testimony revolves around the witness of righteousness and the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Heb 11:4)

Jesus said,

If any man is willing to do His [God’s] will, he shall know of the teaching [reality of the gospel] whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” (John 7:17)

There are several Scriptures where the internal testimony is set forth. Cf. Isa. 29:11-14, 18,19; Jer 1:11,12; 1Co. 2:9,10,14-16; 2 Co 3:15-18.



Warnings against unprincipled men

In addition to the internal testimony, every believer needs to be aware of how the enemy tries to distort the truths of God. The apostle Peter gave a caution and a warning with regard to ‘unprincipled’ men. Unprincipled men include the false prophet and the false teacher.

Peter knew that Paul had been given awesome insights into the work of Christ and into His kingdom. (Keep in mind that Paul had been caught up to the third heaven. Cf. 2Co12:1-4) Peter also knew that some of what Paul had been permitted to share could be twisted into distortions of the truth.

Listen and take to heart Peter’s warning:

 

 

…and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2Pe 3:15-18)

Carried away [sunapago] – Idea of being led astray; beguiled.

Unprincipled men [athesmos] – kjv has ‘wicked men’. These are deceivers who lead into error.

Paul spoke of these men: “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2Tim3:13)


Guiding Principles for studying God’s Word

Here are some principles for studying the Bible that should be kept in mind —

Principle #1 – It is important to understand that the Bible has a story to be told to all people. God communicates to us in terms we can best relate to. Much of the Bible is analogical in nature. (Shepherd/sheep, body of Christ, building upon a rock, etc.)

Principle #2 – All study should be done in a framework of coming to know God and with a special view to the work of Christ. When this framework is followed the outcome will be Scripture clarity.

Consider these portions:

 

Peter wrote,

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:2-3 NASB)

Then we have this from Jesus:

‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.'” (Luke 24:44-47 NASB)

 

Principle #3 – Understand that revelation is the general pattern of the Bible. Therefore most doctrines found in the Old Testament do not come into maturity until they are brought into the New Testament. This does not mean there are no mature doctrines in the Old Testament. It means we must keep Christ at the center of our theology. Augustine said, ‘Distinguish the times and you will harmonize the Scriptures.’

Principle #4 – ‘Believe in order to understand.’ Augustine taught that love is a form of spiritual intuition necessary for a deeper apprehension of Scriptures. He also taught that the obscure passage must yield to the clear passage, and that no Scripture is to be interpreted so as to conflict with other Scripture. Then we have this adage, ‘Where the Bible is silent we are to be silent.’


Well, thats enough for today.

The only question left is, ‘Have you been looking into the eyes of God lately?’


Here is a special song for your meditation. Listen with your heart. ‘Revelation Song.’

 


Love in Christ Jesus,

Buddy

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