Impostors and Beasts

The New Testament warns that false prophets will appear, causing many believers to abandon their faith and betray Jesus Christ.

Jesus warned his disciples to beware of deceivers, the false messiahs and false prophets who are determined to seduce his followers and thus destroy the Church from the inside. These warnings are reiterated and expanded in the writings of the Apostles.

Jesus began his discourse on the Mount of Olives with the stern warning: “Beware that no one deceives you!” And many false prophets have come since then, and unfortunately, they have successfully deceived many Christians over the centuries– (Matthew 24:4-5).

[Wolf - Photo by Ray Hennessy (Clementon, NJ) on Unsplash]

Furthermore, the efforts of Satan to seduce churches and believers will intensify during the final years before the return of Christ. As Jesus warned (note how his words echo the warning of Moses in the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy):

• “For false messiahs and FALSE PROPHETS WILL ARISE, and THEY WILL PERFORM great SIGNS AND WONDERS so that, if possible, even the elect will be seduced. Behold, I have told you beforehand!” – (Matthew 24:24-25).

• “And if there arise among you a prophet or one who dreams a dream, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass that he spoke to you, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you know not; you shall not hearken to the words of that prophet, or the dreamer of that dream, because the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love your God with all your heart and with all your soul” – (Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Septuagint or LXX. Compare Mattew 24:11, Mark 13:22, 2 Peter 2:1-2,, 1 John 4:1).

The same picture is presented in the Book of Revelation. Satan will wage war on the Church by sending deceivers, and when necessary, he will persecute the saints. This process began in the first century. For example, the seven congregations of Asia were struggling with deceptions promoted by “false apostles,” “the Nicolaitans, “the doctrines of Balaam,” and “that prophetess, Jezebel” - (Revelation 2:1-29).

The cosmic agents of deception in Revelation are the Beast from the Abyss/Sea, the False Prophet, and Babylon. The False Prophet uses religious deception and economic control to lead men to swear allegiance to the Beast. Babylon, “the Great Whore,” uses her influence over world commerce to entice members of the churches to compromise their testimony - (Revelation 11:4-7, 13:1-7, 13:11-18, 18:1-7).

Persecution does occur in the Book of Revelation, but attacks on the Church most often consist of deception and pressure to compromise core beliefs. Only those saints who stand firm in the “testimony of Jesus” endure until the end – (Revelation 12:11, 12:17).

False teachers have deceived many members of Christ’s church over the centuries. They infiltrate congregations with seductive lies and the promises of peace and prosperity. They use apparent supernatural miracles to delude as many believers as possible.

Satan is the mastermind of this age-old plot to destroy the Church of Jesus Christ, primarily through false doctrines smuggled into the Church by deceivers and charlatans.

For example, the Apostle John warns that “the Spirit of Antichrist” is at work, and he points to the false teachers who appeared in his congregation as the evidence of this fact, deceivers he describes as “many antichrists,” plural. The result of this effort will be the arrival of the Antichrist. – (1 John 2:18-22, 4:1-3).

Paul likewise warns that “the Mystery of Lawlessness” is working tirelessly to prepare the way for the arrival of the Man without Law, who will cause many believers to abandon the faith – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12).

If we are not familiar with and committed to the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, we remain vulnerable to the deceptions of false prophets and lying apostles. Spiritual discernment is vital - (Matthew 24:4-11, 24:23-24, 24:26).

Deceivers disseminate false information about Christ’s return. They claim Christ “is here” or “there,” “in the wilderness,” or perhaps “in the secret place.” The latter warning of Jesus accurately describes what has become a popular belief in the so-called ‘Charismatic’ and ‘Prophetic’ movements of contemporary Christianity.

Jesus warned us several times of this very thing, the invasion of the Church by false prophets. For example:

• “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but within they are ravenous wolves” - (Matthew 7:15. Compare Micah 3:5).

• “Many will be caused to stumble, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and seduce many. And because of LAWLESSNESS COMING TO THE FULL, the love of the many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end, he will be saved” - (Matthew 24:10-13. Compare Daniel 8:23-25, LXX).

Deception has been a problem since the earliest years of the Church. The Apostle Paul struggled to keep his churches free from false teachings and charlatans throughout his ministry. For example:

• “I know that after my departure, grievous wolves will enter among you, NOT SPARING THE FLOCK. And from among your own selves will men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Wherefore, watch, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears” - (Acts 20:29-31. Compare Jeremiah 23:1, the Septuagint).

• “And that because of the false brethren who came in clandestinely, who entered by stealth to spy on our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage” - (Galatians 2:4).

FALSE EXPECTATIONS

Today’s prophetic impostors set false expectations about the return of Jesus and related events, declaring time and again that “the season has drawn near.” They arrogate to themselves the knowledge that even Jesus does not possess - (Matthew 24:23-26, Luke 21:8).

False teachers spread rumors about wars, earthquakes, and similar calamities, citing them as evidence of the rapidly approaching Day of the Lord. However, wars, seismic activities, and famines have occurred regularly throughout human history.

What distinguishes one war or earthquake from another one, prophetically speaking? Such events are not signs by which we may calculate the proximity of the Last Day.  As Jesus said, despite the claims of the false prophets, “the end is not yet!” - (Matthew 24:4-6).

The warnings of Jesus are echoed in Second Thessalonians. The Apostle Paul describes the future Son of Destruction, the Man without Law. This clever deceiver is linked to the final apostasy that must precede the Day of the Lord. Satan will empower him with “signs and lying wonders” to seduce and hoodwink as many believers as possible - (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).

The Son of Destruction will “take his seat in the Sanctuary of God,” the ‘naos theou’ (ναος θεου), the term Paul elsewhere applies to the Body of Christ. He will exalt and even deify himself, alienating many believers from the true Messiah - (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21).

The seductive words of this lawless man will cause many Christians to perish “because they welcomed not the love of the truth.” The way to avoid apostasy is to cling to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles, no matter what. Every man and woman who does so will be saved – (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Paul likewise warned Timothy that, in the Last Days, “some men will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.” In the final years before the return of Jesus, many Christians will reject ‘sound teaching.’ – (1 Timothy 4:1).

We see this today as believers and entire congregations are enticed by sensationalism and promises of esoteric knowledge instead of the principles and teachings of Scripture:

• “For the season will come when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers after their lusts and turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to fables” - (2 Timothy 4:3).

• “Yes, and all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Evil men and howling impostors will become worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” – (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

The Greek term translated as “howling impostors” in 2 Timothy 3:13, or ‘goétes’ (γοητες), originally referred to sorcerers and shamans, practitioners of magical rituals designed to manipulate spiritual beings, including angels and demons. Such ancient practices and superstitions are found in many churches today - (1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:13, 4:3. Compare Isaiah 47:12-13).

EXPLOITING GOD’S SHEEP

Peter likewise warned of false prophets who will infiltrate the Body of Christ and rise to prominence in the Church during the last days:

• “But there arose false-prophets also among the people, as among you also there will be false-teachers, men who will stealthily bring in destructive heresies, even disavowing the Master who purchased them, inflicting upon themselves swift destruction. And many will pursue their destructive ways, by reason of whom the way of truth will be maligned. And in greed with pretended words, they will make merchandise of you for whom the sentence from of old is not idle and their destruction does not slumber” - (2 Peter 2:1-3. Note the verbal allusions to Deuteronomy 13:1 and 32:6, LXX).

Invariably, false prophets are motivated by money, and so, they use their popularity to pick the pockets of unwary saints. Peter’s words accurately describe today’s ‘Prosperity Gospel’, a deception whereby ‘howling impostors’ promise Christians an abundance of wealth as long as they give generously to their “ministries,” a seductive lie and destructive heresy if ever there was one.

False prophets also introduce occult practices, including mysticism, astrology, numerology, and other forms of divination. They have converted millions of Christians into partisan cheerleaders for corrupt political movements contrary to the Gospel. In such ways, Satan’s servants prepare Christians for the arrival of the Antichrist system.

The warnings of Jesus, Paul, and Peter are unfolding before our eyes, and apostasy is advancing rapidly. Only time will tell if this is the final apostasy and the moment when “the Man without Law, the Son of Destruction” is revealed.

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[Citations of Old Testament passages in this article are based on the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint. Text printed with ALL CAPITAL LETTERS represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament. The Septuagint is represented by the Roman numeral for ‘seventy’ or LXX based on the Latin name of the translation, ‘Interpretatio septuaginta virorum’]

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SEE ALSO:

• The Coming Storm - (The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and the Lawless One before the Day of the Lord arrives)

• Seated in the Sanctuary - (The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled when he seats himself in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of the future apostasy which he linked to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)

• The Spirit of Antichrist - (The Antichrist Spirit is working to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by false teachers)