Usually, he takes advantage of them to feed his sexual lust, though he may also desire power. The Abuser uses his position of leadership to take advantage of other people. The Prophet continues to speak, to lead astray. Sarah Young, author of the top Christian bestseller of the decade, boldly claims that her book contains the very words of Jesus. Personal prophecies are just a phone call away. Today the airwaves are chock-full of people claiming to speak in the name of God through the power of the Spirit. In the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith claimed to receive The Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni. As early as the second century, Montanus and his disciples claimed to speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit. The Prophet appears throughout the history of the church. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Later, John declared that God has spoken fully and finally in Scripture and offered the most solemn warning against anyone who claims to bring revelation equal or contrary to Scripture. Christians must “test the spirits” to determine if they originate with the Holy Spirit or with a demonic spirit. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). John offered an urgent warning about him. In reality, though, he is commissioned and empowered by Satan for the purpose of misleading and disrupting Christ’s church. The Prophet claims to be gifted by God to speak fresh revelation outside of Scripture-new, authoritative words of prediction, teaching, rebuke, or encouragement. Today Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and a host of others peddle the prosperity gospel to enrich themselves from their followers’ gifts. ![]() In the 1990s, televangelist Robert Tilton brought in tens of millions of dollars each year by exploiting the vulnerable and gullible. Peter’s Basilica, but also his luxurious lifestyle. When Pope Leo X famously commissioned Tetzel to sell indulgences, the profits not only funded the reconstruction of St. Since him, the Charlatan has appeared in many forms, always seeking prominence in the church so that he can live in extravagance. Simon Magus was motivated by the love of money when he tried to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24). He uses his leadership position to benefit from others’ wealth. The Charlatan is only interested in the Christian faith to the extent that it can fill his wallet. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:3-5). “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. Paul charged Timothy to be on guard against him. The Charlatan is the person who uses Christianity as a means of personal enrichment. Always, he boldly tampers with “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, he may alter God’s finished word, or like Mormons, he may add to it. He may, like Marcus Borg and other prominent scholars, deny the virgin birth or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He may reframe the doctrine of the Trinity, as Arius did in the third century and as Oneness Pentecostals do today. He continues his evil work today, sometimes by contradicting the truth and sometimes by adding to it. Yet in denying the faith and celebrating what is false, he leads his followers from the safety of orthodoxy to the peril of heresy.įrom the church’s earliest days, she has been afflicted by the Heretic in his various forms. He is a gregarious figure, a natural leader teaching just enough truth to mask his deadly error. ![]() The Heretic is the person who teaches what blatantly contradicts an essential teaching of the Christian faith. ![]() “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Peter warned against him in his second letter. ![]() The Heretic is the most prominent and perhaps the most dangerous of the false teachers. Sponsor Show Your Support Become a Patron The Heretic
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