SECTION II
Back to The Rise of False Prophets
In Matthew 24 ALL, Christ twice warns of false prophets among God’s people at the end of the age. Modern “prophecy” ministries are multiplying—and thriving—on the edge of the splinters. These deceivers are re-inventing prophetic “meaning” faster than it can be countered with correct understanding. There are more of these men than most realize. Can you recognize them? Can you resist their seduction? Do you understand the extreme danger of false prophets?
In the wake of the apostasy, and driven—actually fueled—by rampant compromise throughout the splinters, various prophecy “ministries” have sprung up like dandelions in the spring. Taking advantage of people’s thirst for understanding and meaning of events and trends in the splinters, they teach every conceivable unsound “fable” (II Tim. 4:1-4) that men could devise.
These prophecy factories are actually a direct fulfillment of Christ’s warnings about “false prophets” deceiving the Church prior to “the end of the world [age]” (Matt. 24:3). The living Head of the Church left His people a very SPECIFIC WARNING.
Notice Matthew 24:11 in Matthew 24 ALL: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” The context at this point in the chapter is entirely about the Church—what will happen in the Church at the end. It is not speaking of the world, but is rather a warning about “many” such false prophets among God’s people, and the damage they can and will do there—how they will affect and deceive “many” there.
Just this verse pictures both “many” perpetrators and “many” victims. Establish this in your mind.
Now notice the warning in Matthew 24:23 and 24: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Christ also knew that these people are not always easy to spot—if one merely looks at the surface. Notice: “BEWARE of false prophets, which come to YOU in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matt. 7:15).
Get this straight. Wolves eat sheep! Christ leaves no doubt that this is a real danger for brethren—the “elect”—GOD’S PEOPLE at the end of the age!
Many have supposed that one must actually declare himself to be a prophet in order to be a candidate for the role of false prophet. Certainly, as you have seen, some have taken the office of prophet to themselves. Section I describes the man who claims to be “That Prophet” of Deuteronomy 18:15 (taking to himself Christ’s role), but some who have left this man have also proclaimed themselves prophets. But this is only one way a man can be a false prophet.
The other obvious way is to stand up—with or without an ordained office—and spew out prophetic “understanding,” heretofore “unknown to the Church.”
Here is how these prophecy deceivers work their magic: Generally through use of familiar prophecies, these unlearned and ungrounded self-appointed teachers believe themselves to have been selected by God to be His vessel for revealing “deeper” or “richer” or “fuller” prophetic insight to scattered brethren, hungering for answers—the “big picture.” These are made to feel that they will see things so much more clearly—be enlightened—if they would just open their heads and hand their brains (and potentially their crowns) to these seducers. Tragically, growing numbers are doing just that.
Invariably, these inventive modern soothsayers seem to take specific prophecies, involving physical fulfillments yet to occur, and dismiss them with very inventive “Church” fulfillment scenarios. Ironically, some “pastors” and others have become, in a certain sense, wonderfully “skilled” at horribly butchering crucial prophecies, some so basic that they would seem to be almost impossible to misunderstand. These teachers reduce electrifying, world-shaking prophecies soon to strike the WHOLE world, into nonsensical “fulfillments” that have supposedly already occurred in the Church!
In other words, some brethren are being systematically taught to LOOK BACKWARD at what has supposedlyalready happened, instead of carefully watching—LOOKING AHEAD!—for enormous events yet to occur (Luke 21:36). (The next section describes a classic example, and one of the biggest.)
Do you see the grave danger that many are placing themselves in?
Approximately one-third of the Bible is prophecy, with somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of it yet to be fulfilled. Consider for a moment. If all of the Church’s previous prophetic understanding can be revisited, reviewed and revised at will, in the name of “better” or “new” or “dual” understanding, the potential for absurd, ludicrous theories, scenarios and alternative applications of well-known prophecies becomes almost limitless. This is what is happening, with it to only grow much worse.
Not only are there more and more of these “prophecy ministries” taking in gullible brethren, too weak in understanding and conviction to resist them, but this is often being done in the name of “holding fast” to the truth. Some of these men even have the gall to invoke Herbert W. Armstrong’s name (as though he would agree with their lunatic ideas) to give themselves his endorsement from the grave.
Astonishing! But people are falling for it.
Here is why so many are being taken in by the proliferation of false theories. Disillusioned by the confusion and division in the large splinters, many hundreds are opting out—seeking out smaller groups, and looking for “greater insight” into what the overall “Church” is now enduring. These become the best candidates to be victims of false prophets waiting to catch them like ripe plums falling into their basket!
A significant number of brethren, as many as six to eight thousand total, counting those still remaining with the one claiming to be “That Prophet,” are falling for such incredibly absurd counterfeit understanding of so many verses that, again, were seemingly once impossible to misunderstand!
The teachings of one slick, lengthy brochure would be laughable if it were not for the fact that so many are being taken in by its messages. This publication contains a series of articles that truly mangle and destroy correct understanding of events yet to occur.
These articles address such topics as the ten virgins, the spiritual temple, man of sin, desolation of the temple, clarifying the seals of Revelation, the two witnesses, etc. Mixed in with incredibly wrong understanding is an article that does correctly recognize Mr. Armstrong as the Elijah. While much of even that article is wrong, its presence subtly validates all of the prophetic junk that the rest of the publication vomits on the reader by one who calls himself “a prophet of the God of Abraham.” This same man, now claiming to be one of the Two Witnesses, has written, and is now selling, a book titled The Prophesied End-Time, and has been advertising it inReader’s Digest. It is a prime example of cleverly mixing truth with error.
I do “credit” him with the shrewd tactic of wrapping himself with Mr. Armstrong’s office and reputation.
Of course, on a related note, these men do teach a certain amount of truth mixed with error. This also serves to attract potential followers. Believing a false prophet to be a teacher of truth, they become more willing to explore his false prophecies.
After presenting a series of gross distortions and outright perversions of the Bible’s most basic prophecies, the above author asks questions like “Does anyone dare stand before God and deny what we have witnessed in these matters?”—or “Why can’t pastors and Church leaders admit or acknowledge that these verses have indeed been fulfilled?”—or “Do we have eyes to see?”, among others. Statements like “The evidence should be obvious to all, but many will not face this issue or admit its truth” are used throughout. Yet, what he presented was gobbleygook.
In each case, these questions or declarations are preceded or followed by various conclusions that are terribly misguided, confused and PLAIN WRONG!
Like the apostates before them, repetitive high-pressure techniques are used to scare people into accepting nonsense. Before entering the ministry, these inexperienced would-be prophets would have been better served to have spent many more hours studying the truth of basic prophecy from past literature and the other teachings of Mr. Armstrong.
While the above publication is also very poorly written and produced, people freely send this man God’s tithes so that he can continue to take in more unsuspecting minds—just as they were taken in. Sadly, the cycle expands and continues, with every day producing more victims.
I am embarrassed for any author who, however sincere, can dismiss great future prophecies as having been fulfilled in the Church, writing things such as “It has indeed been a sobering revelation for the Church that the first five seals of Revelation have been about itself and that these seals are no longer a matter of future prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled, but are now a matter of history—seals that have already been opened” (emphasis mine).
To read that the “man of sin” (II Thes. 2:3) was supposedly Mr. Armstrong’s successor—or that the abomination of desolation applies to the Church, and “flee(ing) into the mountains” (Matt. 24:15-16) was God’s people fleeing into WCG offshoots—or that Ezekiel’s hair (chapter 5) being divided into thirds also applies to the Church being divided and affected in thirds—or that the Great Tribulation is also a prophecy for what has already happened to the Church—is simply pitiful, ignorant thinking!
A couple more seductive statements are worth noticing: “Have you been given the ability to see and hear something that you are still resisting and fighting against?” This form of reverse psychology is so cunning and lethal in nature that the only thing left unsaid by this man is that if you heed these warnings, “Thou shalt not surely die.”
Finally, the following statement may reflect the most clever use of psychology: “Rather than being faithful witnesses of those things we have witnessed at the end of this age, pride has filled the Church with self-importance about our own good and our own ability in handling the Word of God” (emphasis mine).
This reference to “pride” and “self-importance,” supposedly keeping people from seeing the “worth” of these theories, is truly incredible!
We must ask: Who really holds these attitudes? Pride and self-importance are very much in evidence here. But in whom?
Paul told Timothy not to permit “novices” to be ordained or used in positions of authority. He gave an important REASON these could not “take care of the Church of God.” Notice this, speaking of elders: “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (I Tim. 3:6). Novices are especially subject to pride.
I have taught prophecy extensively—and correctly—for almost 35 years, probably much more than any other pastor during this same period. I usually taught very thorough class-like workshops in every one of my pastorates, covering all the basics and more from Daniel and Revelation, with many passages included from other books.
While prophecy can be made easy to understand, most ministers never took the time to master the correct sequence of end-time events. They remained woefully ignorant of even the basics, and generally avoided teaching the correct understanding and flow of prophecy to the vast majority of God’s people in the WCG, even when it was on track. (This remains true of most ministers, and therefore brethren, in the splinters today.)
This sets the stage to see how times have actually grown much worse!
Today, ministers long ignorant in even the rudiments of prophecy are suddenly finding that there has developed a growing “market” for people seeking to fill a long-unsatisfied void in this area. After tossing out a few prophetic “nuggets” in sermons or on websites, independent but novice ministers find the money starts rolling in and they are “off to the races.” Pride grips them. They are lifted up, feeling—“knowing”—they are “used of God.” They see themselves on a mission to reach the widest possible audience—even sending materials unsolicited, often through use of their “disciples,” who are almost breathless with excitement to assist their new spiritual captor.
These prophecy “ministries” then move forward, taking on a life of their own.
When such suddenly-elevated leaders give themselves over to urges of “new understanding,” they are actually completing the cycle of “falling into the condemnation of the devil.” Too unskilled in the scriptures (particularly passages about prophecy) to resist the “deeper insights” they feel are coming to them, they wind up yielding to demonic whisperings in their ears. As these men become conduits for fallen spirits, they pour out pure garbage on their followers.
The result is that they destroy far more people than just themselves—and in the end they do always destroy themselves! I have seen it all too often, with name after name—past and present—coming to mind as I write this.
Three other examples—all classic—must be included to show how far some men, considered “knowledgeable” in the scriptures, can go from sound, correct understanding.
Consider all that Mr. Armstrong taught about what the nations comprised of the modern descendants of ancient Israel are prophesied to endure because of their rebellion against God’s Law.
One former WCG pastor, known for supposedly being particularly “deep in meaning” and “good in research,” teaches that there is no future captivity ahead for the nations of modern Israel. In his sermons, this man has asserted that the descendants of Israel have already been in captivity for 2,700 years, and stated that “Mr. Armstrong suffered from tunnel vision” and “viewed prophecy through the eyes of what Nazi Germany did to the Jews—one tribe—and generally applied it to the last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.”
In other words, according to this foolish—and particularly dangerous—theory, Mr. Armstrong fraudulently warned hundreds of millions about the horrific onslaught of nothing more than an imaginary event!
How ridiculous! This man’s absurd counter-teaching slaughters even the most fundamental events of Bible prophecy.
Consider. Any danger of entering the Tribulation evaporates. So does urgency to apply Luke 21:36, because there is nothing to “escape.” Laodiceans need not worry about a captivity that will never come! Few things could please the devil more than seducing God’s people from such proper understanding, and the healthy fear that should accompany it.
The books MYSTERY OF THE AGES and The United States and Britain in Prophecy, and so many more of Mr. Armstrong’s booklets correctly revealing and explaining the meaning of prophecy, are gutted in meaning—made utterly worthless—by the above idea and many other of this man’s deceptive teachings.
This false teaching continues by stating that Israel will ally with the Beast and that the original captivity of 721-718 B.C. is still in effect (i.e., ancient—now modern—Israel is still in captivity today). This idea, if correct, makes Mr. Armstrong himself no less than a false prophet. The only other possibility is that Christ’s ability to lead him was so impotent that He could neither guide nor dissuade Mr. Armstrong from preaching such a colossal error—and centerpiece of so much of what he taught—for 52 years to hundreds of millions of people! In effect, this would have meant that he got nearly one-third of the Bible essentially all wrong.
How many could possibly believe that?
This former WCG minister also asserts that the “blessings and cursings” (Deut. 28; Lev. 26 ALL) no longer apply, proclaiming that they were voided by God’s divorce of ancient Israel in preparation to marry New Testament Israel. Many other false ideas flow from this wrong thinking.
He speaks of Isaiah 10 ALL as though a detailed description of Assyria (modern Germany) is merely referencing “spiritual Babylon.” A host of enormous problems necessarily accompany such terribly misguided thinking. The “seven times” (or 2,520 years) that passed over Israel, and ended in 1800-1803, now have completely different meaning—or are totally meaningless—in light of the above teaching…and on and on it goes. No wonder this man states that his teachings, and I quote, are “massively different from Mr. Armstrong’s.”
Another local church elder, who openly takes the title of prophet, loudly proclaims in his sermons and writings such silly nonsense as the idea that the Day of the Lord (foretold in numerous scriptures to last for ONE YEAR, following the Great Tribulation) began in October 1997, with Christ having secretly returned some time after this. This man aggressively writes people who have not solicited his ignorant opinions (he did this to me). His hope is to prey upon brethren too weak to see through his ramblings, portrayed as “new truth”—so that he can gain more followers by appearing to have an inside connection to revelations from God. This man also left following the one claiming to be “That Prophet” and, severely damaged in thinking, asserts that God revealed tohim that his former leader is really the head of the Laodicean Church. This is truly appalling ignorance!
In late 1991, another former WCG pastor resigned and created a new organization (The Church of the Great God), the second to form after the apostasy.
An interesting and effective speaker (and in this case meaning a seductive speaker), this man decided to specialize in giving “in-depth” sermons. However, having accepted from the beginning a number of the apostates’ doctrines, this man eventually fell into a host of absolutely preposterous prophetic ideas. Consider just one, because it well illustrates how far afield so many have gone: This man has actually come to the conclusion that the “great whore” of Revelation 17:5 is the many nations of Israel today. He has given ten separate sermons explaining in excruciating detail why this is “true.”
Think for a moment of all the basic understanding of prophecy that Mr. Armstrong had to have wrong for this theory to be correct. The whole framework on which hangs the one-third of the Bible that is prophecy implodes into a pile of rubble if this thinking is correct. The Catholic church and the Protestants are no longer identified in this chapter as the “great whore” and her “harlot daughters.”
Now try to comprehend how a person’s—a senior minister’s!—understanding of basic prophecy can so completely collapse. In fact, it is the very ridiculousness of it that makes it attractive to certain kinds of people. How is this? This particular idea is so outrageous that some would naturally want to investigate it out of curiosity—just to “see what he said”—almost “for laughs.” Tragically, the end result is that a weak person is taken in, a splinter that should not be able to attract five people grows—and a wolf can enjoy a meal!
Again, we must ask: How could even one person fall prey to such outrageous, ludicrous false prophecy from these “teachers”?
But hundreds love their sermons—and there is a reason.
Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun. Consider for a moment.
Like Saul consulting the witch of Endor, millions in the world routinely consult psychics today. They want answers, which seemingly no one else can offer. Hoping to learn more about what the future holds for them, and the meaning of life, many people are willing to pay money for the services of seers only too willing to help them consult with “the other side”—i.e., DEMONS! Once hooked, many become captured by the fascination of what they will learn—what will be revealed—next! Thinking they are receiving special understanding unknown to the masses—potential “enlightenment” others are too “close-minded” to see—patrons open their minds to dangers worse than they could possibly dream.
God’s people live in this world, and are surrounded by influences bombarding them on a daily basis. This has an effect beyond what most realize.
In several ways, many former WCG brethren have become no different from their counterparts in the world. Believing their fellow brethren too narrow-minded to understand what they are willing to be shown, many seek out modern “Church psychics” so readily available today through the power of the Internet and various marketing campaigns.
In a related strange twist, just like the world, many brethren are no less willing to “pay”—through a distorted application of tithing—for the services of these “Church psychics.”
As with palm readers and astrologers, various false prophet “ministers” crouch like so many spiders waiting to pounce on flies.
This is exactly why Christ warned His people to beware of “prophets” in the last days. He simply calls these “Church psychics” by what they are—FALSE PROPHETS.
Mr. Armstrong taught over and over again that Christ only brings truth into the Church through apostles. This has been covered at great length in several other of our books to the splinters, including in Section I here. He was most plain—and correct!—about this doctrine!
Section I explained in detail how Mr. Armstrong understood and taught that prophets could only work within the New Testament Church when there was a living apostle to whom they could report. Any prophet claiming to function independently of an apostle is automatically a FALSE prophet! I urge you to carefully read and review the book THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD, whether or not you have been associated with the organization led by the one claiming to be “That Prophet.”
Recognizing this, it should be easy to see why Christ warned of false prophets active among God’s people at the end of the age. He certainly understood that His twentieth-century apostle would die before the falling away struck the Church, and that another would not be appointed for many years. He also knew that the rise of the seventh era, with its many scattered, divided organizations, compromising in a variety of different ways, would create a fertile environment, perfect for the work of these deceivers.
Christ knew that people would be hungry for “answers” amidst the confusion surrounding them in the last days. Like Saul himself, they would seek modern witches—or more like wizards—of Endor to fill the void. Awaiting these people would be a prophecy smorgasbord of every shape, flavor, color, texture and size of seduction—and SEDUCERS!
All this compounding confusion would disappear if people would simply remember just the very basics of what Mr. Armstrong taught about the framework of true prophetic understanding.
To help people eliminate this confusion is one of the reasons we have rewritten and preached all of the basic principles, including details, of prophetic understanding, once known to the entire Church, but now forgotten by so many who want “new things” (Acts 17:21) and falsehoods in their place.
Isaiah’s words have come to pass in the Church: “This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: which say to the SEERS, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy DECEITS” (Isaiah 30:9-10).
What Paul foretold about conditions in the Church in the “last days” (II Tim. 3:1) regarding “evil men and seducers” (2 Timothy 3:13) has also come to pass. The context continues into chapter 4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, havingitching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned UNTO FABLES” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
At the beginning of this section, we discussed Christ’s warning in Matthew 7:15 about false prophets in reality being wolves in sheep’s clothing. That passage continues with Christ offering vital clues that assist, in one additional way, those seeking to identify false prophets for who and what they are.
Take a moment to first read Matthew 7:16-20: “You SHALL KNOW them by their FRUITS. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you SHALL KNOW THEM.”
Several points emerge. Jesus explains (twice) that a man’s fruits allow us to “know him.” Acknowledging that a man is a false prophet is not judging him—not assigning him to the lake of fire—condemning him—it isKNOWING him for what he is! So says the Head of the Church.
The way this is done is to examine the types of people that the man “gathers.” Instead of being the luscious, beautiful, delicious fruit of “grapes” and “figs,” his followers are usually better described as “thorns” and “thistles.” So it is with so many people who go with today’s false prophets. Note them well. They are usually bitter, angry, accusative, gossip-mongering, self-righteous to the point of pompous, and self-congratulatory, among other things. Their “fruits” are readily available for examination in the many “chat rooms” they frequent on the Internet. So many of these people could only be described as completely unteachable andungovernable—thorns and thistles! Any who doubt this should simply try to tell some of them where and how they are wrong. Such will never doubt again!
Matthew 7 ALL is a truly serious warning to all who fall prey to false prophets. Could Christ one day consider you to be the equivalent of a thorn or a thistle? These are the kinds of people “gathered” to false prophets. Whether they were always this way or became this way is not relevant. This is what they are after remaining very long with such false leaders.
I can only hope that you are sobered by what is at stake if you miscalculate in your response!
In a very important way, the false leaders of the Worldwide Church of God were more honest than their counterparts in the splinters. But how could this be?
Carefully consider for a moment. The WCG leaders who succeeded Mr. Armstrong eventually became more plain about their disagreement with Mr. Armstrong and the fact that they were changing the doctrines that he taught. As time passed, circumstances made it better that they just openly disagree with the Church’s previous view of who and what he was. They simply declared that he was wrong about virtually everything. Of course, at first, they were more careful, and steered clear of appearing to denigrate or undermine his office and role. But in the end, they spoke openly and without fear of identifying him as one they simply did not agree with.
The leaders of the splinters have been less honest—actually much less honest than the WCG apostates. These men knew a generally supportive position regarding Mr. Armstrong was the best way to capture larger numbers. Therefore, they have at least generally portrayed themselves as loyal to him, as recognizing his office of apostle and his role in bringing truth to the Church.
The end result is that this deceitful approach has permitted these leaders to more easily take in—seduce—larger numbers of unsuspecting brethren who thought they were following loyal ministers of God who were “standing up for the truth.”
All those who understand that the WCG completely departed from God, and became a spiritually dead church, must recognize that people of two eras—two ways of thinking—fled that church in a co-mingled condition. Numerous of our other books (especially the book The True Church – One Organization, or Many? and “Anoint Your Eyes” – Christ’s Warning to His People) explain and prove this in detail. Even Laodiceans, though in a weak and miserable condition, are God’s people—are true Christians. They are described as “keep[ing] the commandments of God, and hav[ing] the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17).
Notice again what was described in Section I—the two signs identifying Laodiceans. There is no question what are the commandments of God, but what is “the testimony of Jesus Christ”? Let’s allow the Bible to interpret itself. Notice a few chapters later: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
Also note again. Even Laodiceans understand the “spirit of prophecy.” If people lose either of these two critical qualities, they fall short of the minimum standard to remain true Christians. Can you see that the subject of prophets is much more important than you may have believed?
Jesus states that those of the seventh era understand the essence—the core—the “spirit”—behind the third of the Bible that is prophecy. Certainly this includes the knowledge of all the prophecies surrounding events that occur prior to Jesus Christ’s Second Coming—including those affecting the Church. Recognize that the majority of Bible prophecies are embodied within His Return. Christ setting up His kingdom is the very core of theGOSPEL—and this has always been the central focus or “spirit of [all] prophecy”!
Here is the point. Once a Christian loses track of the rudiments of prophecy, he has lost “the testimony of Christ”—and is in grave danger of passing out of Christianity altogether!
Much, much more is at stake than meets the eye when you allow your understanding to be perverted regarding the unfolding of events prior to Christ’s Return! Whether or not they believe it, growing numbers are being set up to fall prey to much worse deception in regard to events soon to strike the whole world. Do you see this? (The last chapter of our book to the splinters I Will Send Elijah to Restore All Things will take the reader into a scenario that will almost surely engulf the whole world at the time the Beast and False Prophet come on the scene. The reader should prepare himself to be shocked upon learning what no one else seems able or willing to talk about.)
One cannot follow a false prophet and remain a true Christian. This is ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE—and there areother reasons for this.
Some explanation.
Invariably, those who either claim to be prophets or who lead ministries based on revised prophetic understanding, teach that the long-understood Work of God—as Mr. Armstrong did it—is over. I know of not a single exception. These men are no longer interested in taking the gospel of the kingdom of God to the world or the Ezekiel Warning to the modern nations of Israel. They have become too lazy, blind, selfish—and self-focused.
Conveniently, these men love to claim that Mr. Armstrong’s death ended all further obligation for anyone to continue what they believe is now finished for the Church. Yet, Mr. Armstrong said that neglecting to do God’s Work was enough in itself to disqualify one from being part of the Church of God. (Again, I cover in careful detail what Mr. Armstrong actually taught about continuing the Work of God in our thorough book The Work of God – Its Final Chapter!)
But the danger of following false prophets still does not end there. Tithes belong to God. And they are for the purpose of doing His Work and feeding His flock, where His government and the full truth—His Church!—are in place.
When a person: (1) Follows a false prophet, (2) loses the testimony of Jesus Christ, (3) abandons the Work of God, (4) rejects the government of God, the only place where Christ is working, (5) sends tithes that belong to God to one of His enemies in doctrinally-compromised organizations, in other words, where He is not working, (6) refuses correction from His faithful (or even lukewarm) ministry, (7) usually, then, neglects to assemble together on the Sabbath when a congregation of faithful brethren is nearby, (8) rejects the one true Church and Body of Christ understanding and, because this is always the case with such people, (9) has taken on a host ofother wrong doctrines and ideas (wittingly or unwittingly), which are generally but not always related to prophecy, such a person has FALLEN AWAY from true Christianity—ALTOGETHER!
Ironically, in an amazing quirk of blind human nature, such people often see themselves at the very pinnacle ofholding fast—the “truest Philadelphians.” The reality is that many of these have fallen away—or very soon will if they do not repent and break free of the false prophet’s death grip on their eternal life!
It is that serious!
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