“I
have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I
have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ “How
long will this be in the heart
of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, Jeremiah 23:25-26 NKJV
Are
you familiar with the old saying about “taking the good along with the
bad”? The good in this case is the hope
within all of us of our deliverance from this world by way of the rapture of
the Church. Without question, the vast
majority of pastors and teachers, as well as those in the body of Christ,
believe we are living in the season of the return of Christ and the end of this
age. The bad, unfortunately, is that it
seems more and more people are making claims of knowing exactly when this is
going to happen because they have received this “knowledge” by way of their
dreams.
Of
course, if that in itself was not bad enough, rather than acknowledging their
error when their dates come and go they simply have another dream and say God
changed His mind. Rather than admitting
that quite often our dreams come from our own desires and not necessarily from
God, they continue to share their “revelations” seemingly without concern for
the harm they may be doing to the body of Christ. This is why we as believers are warned
repeatedly to watch for apostasy within the Church as a sign of the end of the
age, and teaching something that contradicts what God has already said is most
definitely apostasy.
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. 1 John 4:1
NKJV
The
following is an excerpt from a study on apostasy in the last days by Andy Woods
of Sugar Land Bible Church.
“Of course, the command to “test all things”
in this manner is replete throughout the Bible. This exhortation is as old as
1405 B.C. when Moses on the plains of Moab exhorted the Jews who were on the
verge of entering Canaan not to believe every prophet. He explained, “If there
arises among you a prophet or dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or
wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you,
saying, ‘Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve
them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet…” (Deut 13:1-3). Here,
Moses explains that the test of truth is not an experience or even a miraculous
manifestation from a prophet who “arises among you.” Rather, truth is
determined by whether the prophet’s message is in conformity with prior divine
revelation.”
When it comes to the subject of the rapture
of the Church, I personally do not believe God could be any clearer about the
question of the possibility of knowing the day or the hour of our
departure. By claiming that God has
revealed such knowledge contradicts virtually every passage of scripture that
relates to that event and in essence makes God a liar. While protesting that they are simply
fulfilling their role as “watchmen”, these individuals seem to forget that
Jesus called on us to “watch” because we don’t know when this event will occur.
“Take
heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “It is like a man going to a far
country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his
work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. “Watch
therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the
evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—“lest,
coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. “And
what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:33-37 NKJV
With
these things in mind, the question we must answer is how should we respond to
individuals who make these sorts of claims?
If we look to the scriptures for an answer we find God has already given
us the steps to take in situations like these.
But
we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the
tradition which he received from us. 2
Thessalonians 3:6 NKJV
Our
first response to someone who attempts to teach something we find to be
contradictory to revealed scripture is to “withdraw”
or pull away from contact with such a person.
In this internet age, it would mean simply that if you believe someone
is teaching a position that the Bible does not support, you simply avoid
visiting their website anymore. If a
situation arises on a more personal level and this occurs in your church or
local assembly, you withdraw from contact with them. If this seems harsh or spiteful I suggest you
look closer at the admonition Jesus gives the church at Thyatira in Revelation
2.
And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
Ephesians 5:11 NKJV
The second thing we must do is to take a stand
against apostasy by speaking out in a spirit of love to make known the error
that is being taught. It is our
responsibility as believers to safeguard the doctrine which has been revealed
to us in the Word of God and to make known in situations like these exactly
what the Bible truly says. This is not
done in a confrontational way but rather in a simple explanation of what God
has already said. Personally I have
always found it more convincing to let the Bible do the talking.
Now
I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to
the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
Romans 16:17 NKJV
Lastly
we are told by Paul that we need to avoid these people. If someone has chosen to proclaim doctrine or
positions contrary to what the scripture has already revealed, it is a given
that conflict will follow. The easiest
way to avoid the “divisions and offenses” that are a result of teaching
apostasy is to simply avoid all contact with those who choose that path. Rather than becoming part of the problem, by
avoiding these people we become part of the solution.
John
Macarthur, in his book on Romans explains it this way;.
“The right response of
believers to false teachers, especially those who teach their heresy under the
guise of Christianity, is not debate or dialogue. We are to turn away from
them, to reject what they teach and to protect fellow believers, especially new
converts and the immature, from being deceived, confused, and misled.”
As
watchmen, one of the signs we need to watch for is the apostasy we are warned
will occur as we approach the return of Jesus for His bride. We do this by always comparing the claims we may
hear with what God has already chosen to reveal to us in His Word. If the message is contradictory, withdraw, expose, and avoid.
Keep
watching.
