Fatal Deceptions: Are You Susceptible to These Popular Messages

Fatal Deceptions: Are You Susceptible to These Popular Messages

Fatal Deceptions: Are You Susceptible to These Popular Messages

These are perilous times within the visual church and fatal deceptions are being sermonized behind Christian pulpits. Are you susceptible?

fatal-deceptions

After listing nineteen characteristics of men in the last days, Paul tells Timothy that these kind of men would, by trickery and deception, bring under control or take captive the minds of silly women. He wrote, “For of this sort [. . . lovers of their own selves . . . (3:2)] are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts” (2 Tim. 3:6). These men would be able to take one of the greatest virtues of womanhood, the trusting of another, and twist it into a weakness. Fatal deceptions will abound in the last days.

Paul stated that this sort will capture the minds of these women (also many others in the visible church) and bring them under their control. Lovers of their own selves will have the ability to do their destructive work because of a lack of grace flowing in the life of the unsuspecting. Fatal deceptions occur when grace is frustrated in the life of the believer.

It is alarming to see this transpiring before the unsuspecting eyes of the church. It seems strange that this event could possibly occur when there are so many people in the church who have been turned on to teaching and learning. Watch almost any religious telecast, and you will see a people attentively listening and eagerly taking notes. It is as if the speaker  has his congregation spellbound. There is something profound going on, but is it “. . . the power of God unto salvation . . .“ (Rom. 1:16)?

Fatal deceptions will be encountered by all believers.

Paul says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1). Paul is telling Timothy there are going to be some difficult, dangerous times that every Christian will encounter. He writes (2 Tim. 3) of a time that will see Christians being bombarded from every direction by a self-serving, self-centered visible church which has become obsessed with self-actualization, self-sufficiency, and self-satisfaction. “For men [this is the term for mankind not individual man] shall be lovers of their own selves . . .” (2 Tim. 3:2).

Many in the visible church will degenerate to the point where local congregations will become nothing but an individualistic, self-centered, humanistic gathering of practicing religionists. The self-actualization, self-sufficiency, self-satisfaction, and self-righteousness will be sermonized from behind the Christian pulpit. Paul implies the supreme danger will come from within the visible church. When grace is frustrated, lovers of their own selves will flourish.

Paul implies that false teachers cannot succeed unless there are people who will follow. He indicates that in the last days fatal deceptions will abound. People will indeed run after those who promise a quick fix, a cheap thrill, or an easy path. In fact, the temptation of being deceived is so demanding that in almost every letter of the New Testament, whether by Paul, Peter, James, or John, warnings against false teaching and teachers are given. The only remedy for error, as revealed in all of the letters of the New Testament, is truth, the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. Fatal Deceptions can only occur where truth is not known. With the coming light of grace, lovers of their own selves will always flee.

Fatal deceptions come to fruition in a sin-laden conscience.

Paul seems to state that the reason the trafficker of deception would be able to “. . . lead captive silly women” is because these women were laden with sins (2 Tim. 3:6). The word laden means to heap together, to heap up, like loading a wagon. A sin-laden conscience is so loaded with guilt that it is easily tempted to seek any method of relief. In the context of this passage of Scripture, the sin-laden conscience is relieved by the embracing of a form of godliness that satisfies the religious instinct of the individual and at the same time fails to deal with the sin question and the true way of salvation.

It is utterly alarming that the majority of preaching today completely leaves Jesus out of Christianity. The very basic truth of Christianity is the death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Jesus Christ. However, what most congregations, radio and television audiences are getting is a message that success (however, and whatever they define it as being) hinges on a variety of things ranging from the believer’s faith to the believer’s confession.

The individual is baited, motivated, and sold a bill of goods which largely becomes useless under the fire of everyday living. Everything is given in Jesus’ Name, except Jesus Himself. Of course, if Jesus is omitted and grace is frustrated, then sin becomes a matter of preference. Having no means to deal with the sin question (Jesus is the only standard that brings conviction (Isa. 6:5), the people then become easy prey for anything that will lighten the heavy weight of guilt.

Fatal deceptions take root in gullible people who are ever learning and yet never come to truth.

Secondly, Paul seems to indicate that gullible people are “Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). What this so-called easy relief produces is an individual who seems to be always hungering for some new truth, or new guru, but “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The understanding of this verse reveals a tremendous insight into gullible people.

The word knowledge, in “come to the knowledge of the truth,” means a knowledge gained by experience. This knowledge is not merely an intellectual understanding of the truth but a heart submission and appropriation of the truth resulting in salvation. The individual may intellectually understand that the Spirit of God indwells him to provide whatever power that is necessary to overcome any trial, temptation or test. But when the believer has lived through those tests and the Spirit of God has delivered him, he has come to the understanding of that truth by experience. Consequently, grace has produced salvation in his life.

These silly women and their false teachers could not come to this knowledge because they would not allow the power of godliness (the grace of God) the freedom to work in their lives (2 Tim. 3:5). So preoccupied by a quick fix, the gullible can never wait upon the Lord to produce what He desires in their lives: “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith” (Gal. 5:5). The lovers of their own selves, those who creep into houses, play upon this inability to wait upon the Lord and bait their trap with some form of instant success.

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Fatal deceptions are found in an atmosphere where religion abounds.

Paul makes that exact point in verse five of 2 Timothy Chapter Three. He says that these men had a form of godliness but deny the power of that godliness. The word form means the mere outward resemblance. They had an outward resemblance to what? The outward resemblances of these men were in their reverences, respect, or piety toward God. In other words, they were religious, but did not have the power of true Christianity.

The word power, also, adds light to the proper understanding. In this verse, power means natural ability. It is the inherent power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. It is the same word that Paul uses when he says that the gospel is the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). All the believer has to do is to yield to the power that is within him.

These men and the women who were controlled by them had an outward resemblance of piety toward God. They were religiously inclined but this outward resemblance of piety was not produced by the grace of God.  It was produced by their own personal desire or need to be religious. Thus, they were ever learning; but they could never come to the real knowledge of the truth because that knowledge is only a reality as one allows grace to flow through him. Fatal deceptions had once again frustrated grace.

Fatal deceptions originate out of a corrupt mind.

Finally, after becoming so laden with sin and seeking shortsighted answers, these false teachers and silly women set themselves against the truth. In this context, they set themselves against the power of God that was able to produce real godliness. They had become men and women corrupted in their minds.

One of the great spiritual truths of the Bible is the fact that he who controls the mind, controls the man. These men and women became corrupt in their thinking. They could be nothing less than corrupt in their living, as indicated by the nineteen characteristics that Paul describes.

They became reprobate concerning the faith. Behind this statement is another great truth concerning the gullible. The word reprobate in the original language means rejected after having been tested for the purpose of approval or disapproval. This truth is what Paul is referring to in the phrase “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof” (2 Tim. 3:5). It is exactly what he is talking about when he says, “. . . never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). They had been put to the test for the purpose of approval and they had failed. They were reprobates.

Instead of yielding to the power of God that was able to produce salvation and make them not ashamed, they refused to yield to the power and attempted to produce their own godliness. They had been tested and they had come up short. They denied the power of godliness. They never came to the knowledge of truth.  They had resisted grace and became converts to lovers of their own selves. Fatal deceptions had lead them to be reprobates.

Fatal deceptions will eventually be exposed.

Paul makes one more statement about the silly women and their teachers. He says, regardless of how much progress it seems they have made, they will proceed no further. The reason why their progress will be stopped is that their lack of understanding, their madness, their folly will be exposed to all.

They will meet the same results as Jannes and Jambres met in their encounter with Moses. When Moses was brought before Pharaoh to try to get freedom for the Children of Israel, God worked through Moses in mighty ways. “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers . . . they also did in like manner with their enchantments” (Exod. 7:11). Seemingly, just as Moses and Aaron had done, Jannes and Jambres also “. . . cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exod. 7:12)

Finally, Moses and Aaron:

. . . Took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.  (Exod. 9:20,11)

The magicians were able, like Aaron, to throw down their rods and they became serpents. They turned water into blood, as Moses did. They, also, were able, again as Moses, to call forth the frogs. Finally, Aaron’s rod swallowed the rods of the magicians. The magicians could only produce a very small portion of the total plagues.

Consequently, in the sixth plague brought forth by Moses, the Word of God declares that they could not stand before Moses. They were exposed and fell in their error. Although all religions have some semblance of truth, Paul states that “. . . they shall proceed no further . . .” (2 Tim. 3:9).

Fatal deceptions offer a quick fix, a new formula for success, but eventually will fail.

What a portrayal of many local churches, professing an outward beauty of religious piety but full of death. Life, abundant life by the grace of God, is not being experienced because religion kills. So laden with the guilt of an unsatisfied life, the unsuspecting falls for the quick fix, the new formula for success. They do not know and cannot perceive that what they are trying actually pits them against the grace of God.

Instead of yielding to grace that is able to produce the abundant life of salvation, they became reprobates lost in their own religious zeal. However, religion will always be exposed for what it is: “. . . whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27). How sad there are so many deceived by lovers of their own selves who preach their religious seeds and deeds of death and dying. Fetal deceptions do kill and time will tell.


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Dr. James Stone is the founder and President of Christian Ministries, Inc., a ministry for personal, family, and church growth. He travels extensively across America and several foreign countries sharing his experiences with Jesus. His over 40 year career in ministry has included individual counseling, family counseling, church pastor, Bible college/seminary professorships, leader of revivals, Christian growth seminars & church growth specialist.

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