adminnow many anti-Christ have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.”
From the very time the book of 1 John was written the little anti-Christ have been slowly building up a deceitful system in preparation for the coming of the real anti-Christ.
Let me hasten to point out that system will be a very well orchestrated, deceptive system that it will take the eyes of the highly spiritual who meditate on the word of God day and night to discern it.
The counterfeit as we know it, is very close to the real that is why the word of God says in 1 John 4 vs. 1 “Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The question of whether false prophets are here or not, is hereby answered by scripture. The question remains what do we do and how do we discern them.
A real prostitute dresses like a pastors’ wife and when she seduces and manipulates a man it is only when things get sour that the man learns the true character of the lady he got involved with.
In Proverb 5 v 3-5 “For the lips of a strange woman drop as honeycomb and her mouth is smoother than oil. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two edged sword. Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell.” It’s very important to know that all that glitters is not gold. A genetically modified banana looks better than the real one, but it appeals more to the eyes. There are many guys who can sweet talk a lady to love them yet guys of substance are rejected and given no attention. The beast (anti-Christ) system which will be preceded by false prophets and miracle workers point to the above mentioned characteristics.
Let me mention some of the characteristics of the anti-Christ system that will however be dealt with in future editions. The anti-Christ will work miracles, signs and wonders to deceive those who dwell on earth. He will cause great deceptions, cause craft to prosper, control money, riches, religion and worship in his own realm. He will speak boastful and open his mouth to blaspheme.
He will cause commotion and refers things to himself to exalt his own name. Two verses that describe him in a nutshell are Revelations 13 v 14 – 18 “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on earth to make image to the beast who was wounded by sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast that the image may speak and cause as many as would worship the beast to be killed.” This scripture shows us that even the devil and his system can perform out of this world miracles. To then judge a prophet by his or her miraculous powers only proves suicidal.
2 Peter 2 v 1 “but there were also false prophets among the people, even as they will false prophets, teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of how the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words, for a long time their judgement has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber.”
I want here to highlight the word “many” because it shows exactly how this system will attract multitudes. The word “covetousness” also depicts the true characters of the perpetrators of the system. They preach for pay and divine for money.
Many have questioned how we separate the counterfeit from the real. First and for most let me look at their cover up that we should not judge a prophet of God. The verse popularly used is Matthew 7 v 1 which says, “Judge not that you may not be judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” They however do not read the whole verse because Matthew 7 v 5 says, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers’ eye.”
This merely discourages hypocritical judgement or the holier than though attitude where by someone loves to judge others before examining him or herself. This means when one removes the speck in his eye he is justified to remove that in another person’s eye or he is now justified to judge his friend. In John 7 v 24 it says “do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” 1 Corinthians 6 v 3 also says “Know you not that we shall judge angels?”
How much more things that pertain to life? These verses clearly show how the body of Christ is mandated to proclaim judgement especially on wayward sheep. As earlier alluded to, it is clearly shown that the Bible requires us to test every spirit. It is a requirement and we only ignore it at our own peril.
The Bible says we shall know them by their fruits, the false prophets and miracle workers. Recently we have sighted bad fruits in practice and behaviour.
This has become a world phenomenon. How do these prophets of today justify issues like redemption offering? The Bible tells us there is only one who paid for our sins once and for all, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They now require material things and money to purchase what Christ paid with His blood.
Some mention the issue of Abraham to justify bowing down for the pastors. Abraham was human and was subject also to error. However in the context of the passage in Genesis 18 Abraham was bowing down more in a cultural set up than religious. In Rev 19 v 10 explicitly shows that man should not bow down to any other except God.
There are also bad fruits like formation of breakaway ministries. Starting a church by breaking another church. God is not an author of confusion. A kingdom divided among itself will fall. Appearing at two places at the same time (astral projection) and hypnosis (whereby one is controlled in a trance like manner) these practices are not Christian and are consistent with the occult practices.
The issue of pride or exalting the name of the prophet above that of Christ. God is a jealous God and he shares his glory with no other. There are also issues of preferential treatment by virtue of financial status. People are compartmentalised into classes in order to try and yield higher financial returns. This is unlike the first church that would break bread and were in one accord.
The issue of towels was never something that was kept by recipients in the early church. When the job was done that was it. Anything one keeps becomes an idol. Also of concern in the issue of body guards. This defies the ministration of the Holy Spirit in a Pentecostal Church. It would appear if body guards were necessary then, those in the time of Peter who had no protection from the authorities needed them more than pastors of the present dispensation. The system has hallmarks of a worldly nature.
The fashion shows in the church, the worldly dances it would appear churches are being turned very soon to night club atmospheres. James 4 v4, 1 John 2 v 15 clearly warns the church not to bring the world into the church.
The system is very conspicuous by its main subject (prosperity) as the expense of holiness, hindering other prophets by proclaiming supremacy over any other system. The pride, thus striving to be recognised as being great among man. They are divergent, avoid great and weighty things both of law and gospel and stand upon those things that are of the last moment and concernment to the souls of men.
They are man pleasers, preach more to please the ear, sweet talkers and above all they are exploiters of their followers as quoted earlier in 2 Peter 2 v 1-3. It is good that many focus on Matthew 7 v 14 which says narrow is the path that leads to heaven and few find it. It’s not a picnic and child play as they can live by miracles without an ounce of faith. Faith come s by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Make while the sun shines and look for the real Christ.
Online Reporter