Bible Teachings That Help To Identify False Teachers

Shalom Everyone,

Some of my Yahoo group and Blogspot blog followers have asked me privately to show some proof that Joel Osteen and Rick Warren are heretics after I mentioned that they were in some of my posts. Others have asked me where to find sound teachings on doctrine. In that regard, there is plenty of teaching material available on the internet that would help others to understand difficult Bible passages, which are also the ones that false teachers usually use to try and deceive the elect saints.

For starters, I highly recommend reading my book “The Language of God in Humanity”, which is an in-depth study of Messianic and Christian Theology that shows believers how to discern the truth and how to spot false doctrine. In a short while, I will be making it available for free on the Internet again if you can’t afford to buy a copy. In the meantime, to buy the paperback or Cd version, go to my POEM web site bookstore here:

Purchase “The Language of God in Humanity:”
http://pillar-of-enoch.com/bookstore/index.html#9780975913116

I have mailed several PDF copies of this book on CD to many international destinations recently using International First Class Mail. With Shipping, the CD version of this 670-page, illustrated and indexed reference book is only $18.00 USD to virtually anywhere in the world. To order a copy, you can send me money using PayPal’s “Send Money” feature in the amount of $18 USD and I will mail the CD to you promptly.

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You can also send an e-mail to me directly at the same address and let me know that you want the book (or all of my books) on CD. When you do so, please include your mailing address and phone number. Then, using this information, I can send an invoice via PayPal that you can pay. This would be the best way to make sure that your payment is received by me. A set of all four of my books on CD containing over 2500 pages of in-depth Messianic Jewish and Christian Theology is only $54 plus $4.00 shipping ($58 total) via US International First Class Mail, while US International Priority Mail, which offers a much faster delivery time, would cost about $24 for shipping worldwide.

Below, I refer you to several web sites that also have some good material on how to detect the False Prophets and Teachers like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren. Here they are:

Beware of False Teachers - Audio Teachings:
http://www.false-teachers.com/audios.html

Deception in the Church Web Site - Written Teachings:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/fprophets.html

The “Got Questions” Web Site - General Guidelines:
http://www.gotquestions.org/false-teachers.html

The “Got Questions” page is great because it shows in general which Scriptures the False Teachers consistently deny or contradict, such as the deity of Yahshua, the exclusivity of Yahshua as the only Way of Salvation, and His place within the Triune Godhead.

What I love about the “Got Questions “page is how it ends. It ends with the comment: “Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.” This is so true! We need to be thoroughly familiar with the Word of God and have Yahshua’s Spirit leading us in order to spot the counterfeit teachers of falsehoods correctly.

Here is a reproduction of the “Got Questions” answer page about false teachers:

Question: "How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"

Answer: Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.

Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:

1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”

2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).

3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).

For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.

Recommended Resource: Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie.

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Hope you find these web resources helpful. God bless you all and Maranatha!

Keep Looking up! Yahshua is coming soon!

Your Sister in Yahshua,
Helena Lehman
Pillar of Enoch Ministry
“Books and Articles with a Vision”
http://pillar-of-enoch.com