Modern FABLES
Not a pleasing picture, is it?
In our generation, as in no other, the world is FILLED with conflicting, divergent teachings, religions, theological concepts. Today various eastern concepts are making inroads into Western civilization. Such tenets are often embraced by Christian professing ministers.
Seemingly, the trend today is toward RELIGIOUS UNITY — not merely "Christian" unity, but a unification or amalgam of ALL religious ideas that have ever been implanted in any culture. Many westerners seek "new truth" from ancient Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. Even many professing "Christian" ministers look to oriental religions for a basis to bolster their new radical concepts of God.
The Bible is relegated to limbo. Pagan superstition is observed with new awe, new interest, a new fascination.
Sound incredible?
But why? It was prophesied!
The apostle Paul told Timothy to stand fast by the Word of God. He instructed the young evangelist, "Preach the word" — not pagan superstition or oriental mysticism. "Be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (II Tim. 4:2).
Paul then warned Timothy, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim. 4:3-4).
But, as the apostle Peter warns. "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (II Pet. 1:16).
Yet, the world is full of fables, today!
The true source of knowledge — the BASIS of all right knowledge — has been ignored and thrown out the window. Supplanting the instruction Book of God Himself is a growing, weird and wild variety of modernly dressed FABLES.
The biggest MYTH of our age, today, is the MYTH that there is NO GOD!
The biggest FABLE of this generation is the fantastic claim that Jesus Christ is not a historical character.
When will God-rejecting man ever learn?
The apostle Peter had grave words to say about the modern CHRIST-DENYING and God-rejecting theology, and every kindred theology. Peter warned long ago, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there SHALL be false teachers among you, who privily [secretly] shall bring in DAMNABLE HERESIES, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves SWIFT DESTRUCTION" (II Pet. 2:1).
Peter foretold, "And MANY shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of TRUTH shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation [judgment] slumbereth not" (vs. 2-3).
Modern Theologians INDICTED
Even the apostle Jude was inspired to write about the modern proponents of counterfeit gospels, ranging from Bible-thumping, Scripture-wresting so-called "fundamentalists" who reject the real fundamentals of God's Word, to the Godless "Christian" atheists who reject God Himself.
Jude wrote, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [license to do wrong!], and DENYING THE ONLY LORD GOD, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4).
Speaking of such false prophets and counterfeit ministers, Jude says, "These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage" (vs. 16).
Jude then encourages true Christians, "But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be MOCKERS in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. . . sensual, having not the Spirit" (Jude 17-19).
God's Word indicts those ministers who profess to teach the truth of God, and the truth about God, but who proceed to teach their own vain speculations, dreams, and wild ideas. Those who twist and pervert the Word of God are under a severe sentence!
Notice!
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy AGAINST the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; WOE unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" (Ezek. 13:1-3)
"They have seen vanity and lying divination, ,saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them:
and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word" (verse 6). God declares, "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken VANITY, and seen LIES, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD" (verse 8).
God will PUNISH the false prophets that seduce His people, divine lies and see VANITY! (Ezek. 13:9-16)
God says further through the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, prophesy against the SHEPHERDS of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; WOE be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye HEALED that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was LOST; but with force and with CRUELTY have ye ruled them" (Ezek. 34:2-4).
The Almighty GOD of heaven and earth THUNDERS, "Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to CEASE from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; for I will DELIVER my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them" (vs. 9-10).
God will not trifle. These things are SERIOUS to Him!
Those who profess to be ministers of the living God ought to TREMBLE before these stern indictments!
Jeremiah records more of God's thundering condemnation of false prophets and ministers. "WOE be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the EVIL OF YOUR DOINGS, saith the LORD" (Jer. 23:1-2).
Jeremiah continues, "Mine heart within me is BROKEN because of the prophets; all my bones shake . . . For the land is full of adulterers . . . For BOTH PROPHET AND PRIEST ARE PRO FANE; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord" (vs. 9-11).
In this chapter, Jeremiah prophesies against the false prophets of OUR DAY. He declares, ". . . in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly" (verse 20).
DOOM of False Prophets Foretold!
"Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is PROFANENESS gone forth into all the land" (Jer. 23:15).
"I have NOT SENT these prophets, yet they ran," God declares; "I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (vs. 21). "How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy LIES? yea, they are prophets of the DECEIT of their own heart; which think to cause my people to FORGET MY NAME by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal" (vs. 26-27).
Those theologians who DENY God, who do away with His Name — those who preach their OWN brand of Godless "Christianity" — those who proclaim the DEATH OF GOD will answer to God Himself for their deceit and their lies!
God, in turn, will soon proclaim THEIR death — unless they bitterly repent!
God concludes, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall NOT profit this people at all, saith the LORD" (vs. 32).
No, not at all. Instead, their heresies will end in judgment! Instead, their false teachings will end in DEATH!
What About YOU?
Just as Jesus Christ foretold long ago, MANY DECEIVERS have arisen, teaching countless doctrines and gospels — including the "Gospel of Christian Atheism."
How do you know YOU have the truth of God? How can you be sure YOU are not deceived?
Remember, Jesus said that "MANY" would be deceived — especially during this end-time generation! .
There is a WAY you can KNOW the truth of God — and know that you know! The way is revealed in the Bible itself.
"PROVE ALL THINGS," the apostle Paul taught; "hold fast that which is good" (I Thess. 5:21). If YOU will take the time to check up on different teachings you hear; if you will NOT carelessly take for granted the things you hear preached or promulgated; if you will seriously, with open mind, CHECK INTO the teachings you hear — you can KNOW the truth!
But How do you "check up"?
Notice the EXAMPLE of the people at Berea. The apostle Paul says of the Bereans, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed" (Acts 17:11-12).
First, the Bereans had an open mind. Their minds were NOT shut tight to refuse the truth of God, even though they had never heard it before.
When the Bereans heard a particular teaching, they did not immediately embrace it — nor did they, without any evidence, immediately REJECT it. Rather, they put it to the proof! They CHECKED UP IN THE SCRIPTURES! They "searched the Scriptures, whether" something was TRUE or not.
"Thy Word is TRUTH," Jesus said to the Father (John 17:17). "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Jesus said that we are to LIVE "by every word of God" (Matt. 4:4; Luke 4:4).
Therefore, if YOU want to know the TRUTH of God — and know that you really DO KNOW — you need to look into the Bible and search the Scriptures. Check any teachings you hear with the very WORD of the living God!
That way, you can be absolutely certain. You can KNOW beyond a doubt!
Remember, many ministers pound the pulpit, today, teaching differing, contrary, contradictory doctrines and gospels. How can you know WHO is right? How can you know WHO is teaching the pure, plain TRUTH of God?
Look in the BIBLE!
The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write, "To the LAW and to the TESTIMONY: if they speak NOT according to this WORD [God's Word, the Bible], it is because there is NO LIGHT in them"! (Isa. 8:20)
If you will do this, then you can become one of God's own very elect — His chosen — one of those who cannot be deceived! (Matt. 24:24) The days are coming when all but the very elect will be deceived by false ministers and evil men, waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived!
But you can know the TRUTH!
It is up to You! In the face of modern fables and myths, false gospels and counterfeit teachings, it is more important than ever before to HEED the admonition of the apostle Jude ". . . EARNESTLY CONTEND for the faith which was once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
PROVE all things. You can know the truth! It is modern atheism which is about to die!