The Path of Truth Forum

(This is an archived correspondence at The Path of Truth. We have sent notification to the correspondent.)


To whom it may concern,

I have been raised in a "Christian" household for the entirety of my life and recently came across your webpage. I read up on it, upon the urging of a close friend of mine, and found it hard to reject much of your abnormal teachings.

As I read, I came across the list of false teachers you have posted. I was troubled when I found that I recognized many of them, that I even respected many of them.

In reaction to this, I decided to read many of the articles and found that I couldn't refute the fact that their (the false teachers) teachings were not biblical. I was initially worried that your site was an attempt, by the Devil, to draw me away from Christ. But I've decided against that and have a few questions regarding the many false teachers.

You claim these men are not of the Lord, they are of the devil and that they "have never known the Lord". Are you saying that none of those men be saved? I'm convinced that many of them are instruments of the Devil, although I can not understand how all of them are damned and evil.

Is everyone who is saved perfect in knowledge and speech? Just because they do not understand every aspect, does that make them "of the Devil". If one is "saved" does that mean they agree with everything your site has said? Are they not permitted room for error? Not to say it's acceptable. It's not.

Just to say that they are not yet perfected, and therefore are not perfect in everything they do. Must one be perfect before death to enter the pearly gates? Also, if these men were not "teachers" would they be saved, because you would not expect them to be perfect in their theological view? Is it impossible that the Lord of Heaven is speaking though them? Is it possible any of these men know the Lord?

Thank you for your time in advance,

Ethan

Ethan, I once had respect for some of the men we list, whom I believed were of God until the Lord gave me His Holy Spirit, removed me from their midst, and began to instruct me solitarily in the following several years. For example, I was in awe of Billy Graham and aspired to be as great an evangelist as he, if not greater. I thought highly of Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggart. The list goes on. I'm so thankful I wasn't granted my aspirations.

But I understand the quandary you were in when first reading at our site. Now, you say:

“You claim these men are not of the Lord, they are of the devil and that they 'have never known the Lord'. Are you saying that none of those men be saved? I'm convinced that many of them are instruments of the Devil, although I can not understand how all of them are damned and evil.”

Did I say they were not saved but damned and evil? I don't recall doing so explicitly with many of them; not saying I didn't do so. You'll have to give me the quotations, in context.

However, you may be right to come to that conclusion. Let's reason with the plain statements of Scripture and see what cannot be escaped or rightly rationalized away:

What do you mean by “damned”? Do you mean, “condemned”? The original Greek words listed in Strong's Concordance of the KJV Bible are “krino” (G2919) and “katakrino” (G2632), which mean “condemned, damned, concluded, esteemed, punished, avenged, decreed, distinguished, decided, judged against.”

Two examples of the word “damned” or “condemned” in the KJV and MKJV:

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 MKJV).

“So that all those who do not believe the truth, but delight in unrighteousness, might be condemned” (2 Thessalonians 2:12 MKJV).

If men claim to be teachers of God and preach falsity, philosophy, or egregious doctrinal error (like eternal torment, Sunday-keeping, naming the Lord's Passover after a pagan goddess - Easter, and observing the anti-Christ's birthday - Christmas), aren't they in unbelief of the Truth and found to be liars, leading souls astray?

Does God send forth men to preach lies? Isn't that misrepresentation of Jesus Christ? The Body of Christ has often been compelled to expel such men from their fellowship for insisting on error. In other words they are damned, or judged against.

What did the Lord Himself say of such men who preached in His Name without knowing Him or more importantly, His knowing them? Here it is:

“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your Name, and through Your Name throw out demons, and through Your Name do many wonderful works? And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22-23 MKJV).

“Those working lawlessness....” Is that not sin? Is that not evil? Is doing evil not of “the evil one”?

Sin is the breaking of the Law of God (lawlessness). What does John say about such?

1 John 3:4-8 MKJV
(4) Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.
(5) And you know that He was revealed that He might take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.
(6) Everyone who abides in Him does not sin. Everyone who sins has not seen Him nor known Him.
(7) Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as that One is righteous.
(8) He who practices sin is of the Devil, for the Devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the Devil.

So evil doctrine and practice = of the Devil. If of the Devil, they really don't believe, do they?

Psalms 14:1-4 MKJV
(1) To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, There is no God! They acted corruptly; they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.
(2) The LORD looked down from Heaven on the sons of men, to see if there were any who understood and sought God.
(3) All have gone aside, together they are filthy; there is none who does good, no, not one.
(4) Have all the workers of iniquity not known, eating up My people as they eat bread? They have not called on the LORD.

How then can they not be damned and evil? How can they be saved? Never mind how good they look, how religiously successful they seem to be, how much and how many men praise them, how much knowledge they have of Scripture, or even the good works they apparently do. For example, are souls truly being converted to Christ by their influence or are they becoming proselytes of men in Christ's Name? I was a short-lived proselyte of Billy Graham but by God's grace and will, I've become the Lord's everlasting convert.

Are the fruits counterfeit or real, the wrong or the right kind to be judged? How do we tell what these men are all about? Can you tell the difference? Do you judge by appearance or do you have discernment and are you receiving revelation from God? If we're to beware of false brothers and prophets, then we must be able to tell the difference. Doesn't that make sense?

“Is everyone who is saved perfect in knowledge and speech?”

No, but perfection is well on the way while saved and being saved.

“Just because they do not understand every aspect, does that make them 'of the Devil'?”

No. It's not about carnal understanding or about even spiritually understanding everything in the beginning, or ever, for that matter. However, John does say this:

“But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him” (1 John 2:27 MKJV).

“If one is 'saved' does that mean they agree with everything your site has said?”

Not doctrinally, at least not at first, but spiritually, all believers come to be of one heart and mind because they all have the Mind of Christ. The agreement is not one of the flesh but of the spirit in the Spirit.

“And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32 MKJV).

“Also, if these men were not 'teachers' would they be saved, because you would not expect them to be perfect in their theological view?”

It has nothing to do with “theological view” or what we would expect of them. It is a matter of the heart and their relationship to God, which is told by their fruits, and these things are not determined by doctrine or religious affiliation, though those things are telling, but are discerned by the Spirit of the Lord.

“Is it impossible that the Lord of Heaven is speaking though them? Is it possible any of these men know the Lord?”

Anything is possible. As you likely know, God spoke through Balaam and his ass (Numbers 22).

Have you red these articles?

Counterfeit Christianity
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The Cross - Only the Death Sentence Will Avail
Devils Also Believe in God
The Good News
Jesus Christ, Almighty God
Diabolical Doctrines
The True Marks of a Cult

Finally, consider this:

Malachi 3:16-18 MKJV
(16) Then those fearing the LORD spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And the LORD listened and heard. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD, and for those esteeming His Name.
(17) And they shall be Mine, says the LORD of Hosts, for the day that I will make up My treasure. And I will pity them as a man has pity on his son who serves him.
(18) Then you shall again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God, and him who does not serve Him.

Victor