Hijacked Christianity
By Dr. Ken Matto
Matthew 11:12 (KJV) And from the days of John the
Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take
it by force.
Jesus tells the multitude that from John’s time till
the present the Kingdom of God suffers violence. What He is meaning by that is
people were trying to come into the Kingdom of God by their own works. John
preached the baptism of repentance but mere repentance of sins did not equal
salvation. So evil men had tried to enter in of their own way. We can see this
same scenario today where people belong to false churches and are told to adhere
to their rituals and that will make them Christians. Keep in mind sinners are
heinous in the sight of God and are in total opposition to the Kingdom of God.
(Rom 14:17 KJV) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We read that the
Kingdom of God is peace and joy, two things the unbeliever does not enjoy
because they lack the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Isa 57:21 KJV) There
is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. While on earth many had tried to
a attach themselves to Jesus because they saw all the miracles and healings He
performed but they could not attach themselves eternally unless they were the
chosen of God in Christ. The unsaved who believe they are in the Kingdom of God
are Christians in name only because you cannot discern saved and unsaved by
standing them next to each other. The unsaved must come into the Kingdom of God
through Christ, any other way is nothing but force and futility.
True Christianity is when the Lord Jesus Christ came
to earth to die for the sins of His people. Matthew 1:21 (KJV) And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his
people from their sins. Salvation is attained by the Holy Spirit being
applied to the unbeliever whose name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from
the foundation of the world. Then according to John 6:44, the Father draws the
predestined individual. John 6:44 (KJV) No man can come to me, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The word “draw” in the Greek literally means “to drag” which may possibly have a
link to Matthew 11:12 where it talks about violence. Dragging someone is a form
of violence because you are taking them from one place to another against their
will, and being spiritually dead and in unbelief, you are dragging them into the
Kingdom of God to be saved. Once that person is saved, they are glad they were
dragged. Then once we are saved, we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. John
6:29 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent. That is the only work of God we are to do
and you can only do it if you are saved. So true Christianity is quite simple in
its employment. You are saved by no works of your own and you live the Christian
life once the Holy Spirit indwells you at the moment of salvation.
Something happened and the simplicity of true
Christianity has been hijacked by man and his attempts to add or rather to
create his own set of rules for becoming saved. True salvation causes the
recipients to be passive because they receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their
personal Savior without any gospel additives which can shroud the truth of the
Gospel. In this article, I want to convey some of the methods whereby Satan has
shrouded the true Gospel and in many cases caused it to be hid. 2
Corinthians 4:4 (KJV) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them. The great promise that we have is
that those who are chosen for salvation will never have to worry about being so
deceived that they would be unable to be saved. Mark 13:22 (KJV) For false
Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to
seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Even those who arise with
great signs and wonders cannot hold back a predestined person’s salvation. They
could be caught up in a cult like the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses and can
never be so deep into their false teachings or lifestyle that the Spirit of God
cannot regenerate them. Let us now look at how craftily the true Gospel has been
attacked and added to thus making it a man centered gospel which couldn’t save
pennies in a piggy bank, never mind the soul of someone.
Let us look at some of the ways that the true Gospel
has been hijacked by means of these gospel additives that tend to shroud the
essence of the true gospel.
Tongues
This phenomenon has taken the majority of churches by
storm. It is taught by many churches that if you do not speak in tongues, then
you do not have the Holy Spirit which according to Scripture, if you do not have
the Holy Spirit, then you are unsaved. Romans 8:9 (KJV) But ye are not in
the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. The true
tongues of Acts and 1 Corinthians were given at a time when the church began its
ministry and the message was being given in legitimate existing languages, which
is what tongues were. Today’s tongues are nothing but gibberish and are of no
existing language. When tongues were used in the early church, it was used of
those who were given the gift of tongues which means they were already saved
when they received the gift. Not every Christian had the gift of tongues but
today, if any Christian does not speak in tongues, they are considered unsaved.
If you walk into a church which teaches and accepts tongues, they believe every
Christian should speak in tongues as evidence that they are saved. 1
Corinthians 12:30 (KJV) Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with
tongues? do all interpret? Not every Christian had the gift of tongues in
the early church where it was legitimate. Do not be taken in that tongues are a
part of the Christian walk because tongues ceased at the end of the first
century.
Prosperity
Today’s charismatic preachers tend to attach
prosperity to the gospel and they teach that it is your right to have such
wealth. Here is the reason the charismatic preachers continue to preach it:
Net Worth
Joel Osteen - 40 Million
Creflo Dollar - 27 Million
Benny Hinn - 42 Million
TD Jakes - 150 Million
Joyce Meyer - 25 Million
Ken Copeland - Claims he is a billionaire
The reason these preachers keep preaching it is
because the dumb sheep who sit at their feet are expecting to reap the same
financial rewards. I wish these people would get a brain and use it. People send
these false preachers millions every year and they use the funds for personal
mansions, jets, gold toilet seats, limousines, multiple properties, etc. I wish
the people who send these frauds money would ask themselves a simple question.
How come they are riding around in a Rolls Royce like Frederick K.C. Price and I
am riding around in a 10 year old Corolla? A person who belongs to a wealth and
prosperity church or gospel needs to realize that if they have been there for 20
years and are still struggling financially, then wealth has nothing to do with
the true Gospel. Some of the greatest Christians are poor because they focus on
the truth of the Gospel which is the salvation of souls and not a big bank
account. Do not be taken in by these charlatans who attach finances to the
gospel because they are not true preachers, just in it for the money. Stop
sending them money for mansions and limousines and start supporting real
missions. The true gospel is not gauged by how much finances a person has.
Healing
Another gospel additive which appeals to the flesh is
healing. The charismatic movement teaches that healing is a right because of the
atonement of Christ. If that was the case, then why do charismatic churches have
cemeteries? Right now Benny Hinn (3/28/15) is in the hospital with a major heart
condition. Why can’t his people heal him without the use of the doctors? Doesn’t
he have enough faith as those who have come to him for healing? It is true that
God does heal but according to His will and not according to some false faith
healer. God even heals the unbeliever of sicknesses. 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
According to 1 Peter 2:24, we are healed from spiritual death unto life. It does
not refer to physical healing if we are honest and look at the verse. It speaks
about being dead in sins and then living unto righteousness by means of the
crucifixion. Physical healing is not part of the atonement, only spiritual
healing is. If physical healing was part of the atonement, then every Christian
I personally know, has a false gospel. I, myself am disabled, and if healing was
part of the atonement, don’t you think I would claim it. I know Christians who
had colon cancer and leukemia, and who have bladder cancer, blood disorders,
anxiety disorders, kidney stones, eye problems, sciatica, sleep disorders, etc.
If healing was part of the salvation package, then why do we suffer from so many
different physical problems? The answer is simple, physical healing is not part
of the salvation package and is preached by those who want to rake in millions
by appealing to the flesh. People caught up in this movement forget that the
gospel is centered on the salvation of the soul and not the salvation of the
flesh.
Free Will
This is probably one of the biggest shrouds of the
true gospel and that is the belief that man has free will. It is taught that a
person can accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior. My favorite false teaching
from that belief system is that a dead sinner has the ability to “make Jesus
Lord of their life.” Acts 2:36 (KJV) Therefore let all the house of Israel
know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ. According to the Scriptures, it was God who made Him both
Lord and Christ. Dead sinners do not possess the same authority that God has! I
have been saved 34 years at this writing and I am still waiting for someone to
show me the phrase “accept the Lord” or “accept Christ” in the Scriptures. The
reality is that every person on earth is spiritually dead and must be
resurrected to eternal life. Revelation 20:6 (KJV) Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him
a thousand years. The first resurrection is the resurrection of the soul as
Rev. 20:6 states that the second death has no power over it. Ephesians 2:5
(KJV) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;) Every human is dead in their sins but unless God
quickens us (makes us alive), salvation could not take place. Notice the two
verses below:
Romans 6:17 (KJV) But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Romans 6:18 (KJV) Being then made free from
sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness.
These verses give no confusing thought. Either you are
a servant of sin or you are a servant of righteousness, which means that you are
one or the other. Either you are serving sin or you are serving righteousness
which means your will is not free but either in bondage to sin or bondage to
righteousness. Free will is a total myth and has obscured the truth of the
Gospel that it is God who saves us by election and not us by our own “free
will.” Isaiah 42:8 (KJV) I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I
not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. The false notion
that a person has the authority to gain salvation by their will robs God of the
glory of being the true life giver. So many Christian songs are man-centered
when they sing “how their soul made the choice” and statements similar to that.
Religion
If there is one dangerous element on earth, it has to
be religion. Religion has taken the true gospel and shrouded it with many false
teachings. The true gospel has at its heart the person of the Lord Jesus Christ
but if you look at all the world’s religions, you will see that He is missing
from them all, unless He is reduced to something other than deity. Islam sees
Him as a prophet. Some Hindus see Him as an incarnation of the god Vishnu. In
Christian Science, He is the physical man but the divine idea. The Jehovah
Witnesses see Him as a created being. The Mormons see Him as one of the spirit
children of Elohim. The New Age sees Him as one of the ascended masters. Judaism
claims Jesus was not the Messiah and did not fulfill the role as such. Religion
has completely shrouded the person of Jesus Christ and has reduced Him to either
prophet status or lower as just a human. World religions are a highway straight
to hell.
Churchianity
Another entity which has hijacked the message of
Christianity is churchianity. Churchianity is when the true Gospel has become
shrouded by church programs. One way that churches shroud the true gospel is
that everyone in the pews are required to believe the way the pastor believes.
No one in the pews are allowed to think but relegate all thinking to the pastor.
Then there are programs like catechism. I remember when I was 13-14 years old, I
took catechism classes at my birth church and was eventually confirmed in the
faith. The problem is that I did not get saved until I was 27 and that by
election. When taking catechism classes, I was never told that I had to be born
again to get to Heaven. You take these classes and then get confirmed and that
makes you a member of the church. So what! It does not help to be a member of
the church if you are still unsaved. All it did was buy me the permission to
take communion and the Bible warns about unbelievers partaking in communion.
1 Corinthians 11:29 (KJV) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. So for 13
years I was taking the Lord’s Supper unworthily, in other words, as a reprobate
sinner. Many churches have shrouded the true Gospel with programs and they have
placed their trust in these programs. Instead of being conduits for the truth,
they become conduits of the do it yourself gospel which cannot save anyone.
Anyone can join a church and therein lies the deception that if someone joins a
church that makes them a Christian and that is totally erroneous. What makes a
person a Christian is when they become born again in Christ and indwelled by the
Holy Spirit. There is only one kind of Christian and that is those who are born
again.
Ecumenism
Another method which Satan has fostered upon the
church is the ungodly concept of ecumenism. Ecumenism is where churches and
Christians join hands with an unbelieving church, denomination, or institution.
One of the most evil attempts of joining hands is the Protestant church joining
hands with the Roman Catholic church. It is believed that by joining together,
regardless of doctrine or teaching, it shows a unity of the body of believers.
The problem is that when a true church seeks to join hands with a dead church,
the dead church always wins out and overshadows the true church and the true
church begins to slide into apostasy. The ecumenical movement finds great ground
in the pro-life movement where Christians hold hands with Mormons, Catholics,
and others. While I applaud the efforts of these false churches to stop
abortion, nowhere in Scripture are we commanded to join forces with any
unbelieving or dead church no matter what the common cause may be.
Revelation 18:4 (KJV) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues. Revelation 18:4 speaks about God’s people coming out of false
churches because they will be judged for their false gospels. 2 Corinthians
6:14 (KJV) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14 is a warning to believers not to be
unequally yoked with unbelievers. This is not only a warning about marrying
unbelievers but it is for all alliances in this world. We are to have no
camaraderie with any unbelievers and many churches today are pushing ecumenism
and that is when true Christians are to walk away from the attempted cooperation
before it becomes a snare.
Rock Music
Another method whereby the true Gospel has been
shrouded is Rock and Roll in churches. When you walk into a church and see a
full band including drums and a load of guitars, then you have walked into a
musically compromised church. The old hymns had such solid theology in them that
we learned as we sung them. Today many churches have thrown out the hymnals and
put up the screen for the overhead projector to play the biblically vacant 7-11
songs. That is 7 words sung 11 times. The Bible warns against repetition not
only in praying but the principle carries over into all phases of worship.
Matthew 6:7 (KJV) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Then not
only are these songs repetitive, they are normally at an elevated decibel level
whereby some have to cover their ears. Leviticus 19:30 (KJV) Ye shall keep
my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. In the Old
Testament God had commanded the Hebrews to reverence His sanctuary which means
have a respect and not defile it with worldly things. Walk into a charismatic
church and with the loudness of the music and everyone walking around or jumping
up and down in the pews, it is like you are attending a football game. There is
no reverence for God’s sanctuary. In the old days, when the organ played a
prelude to worship, it put our minds into a spiritual state of reflection on the
Lord but these rock bands in many churches only tend to take our minds away from
a spiritual state and transfers us into a fleshly state by us dancing or jumping
around according to the music. Most of the religious Rock songs in churches are
sung without the congregation even understanding any of the words. These full
bands in churches are nothing but a way for some to show off their talents. The
reason I know that mindset exists is because I attended a church where the
pastor’s son was a lead guitarist in their “praise band.” The next thing I found
out about this guy was that he was a bartender in a night club. The religious
rock and roll really helped him, didn’t it? If he would have been sitting in the
pews listening to some of the old hymns played on the organ and sung, he might
have gotten a different message than the one he was giving out. True Christian
music has definitely been hijacked.
Government Churches
The Government has also helped in hijacking the
Christian message by causing all churches who incorporate to get their 501C3 tax
deduction ability to become government churches. Whenever a church incorporates,
they become vassal entities of the government. In 1954, Lyndon Johnson entered
the Johnson amendment allowing churches to become tax exempt but there were
certain restrictions placed upon them. They were not allowed to speak out
against politicians nor endorse any politicians. Today those restrictions have
become a noose around the church‘s neck. They are not allowed to speak about
anything like sodomy which the Bible condemns and if they do, then they could
lose their tax exempt status. They are forbidden to speak about politics or any
truth which some unbelievers deem as hate speech or they will lose their tax
exempt status. The government should have absolutely no input as to what can be
preached or not. We are commanded by God to preach everything that is in the
Bible. These government churches are run by pastors who live in total fear of
the IRS. They fear the IRS more than they do God and the reason is that they do
not want to lose their tax exempt status or they may have to go out and work if
they don’t get enough donations. Little do they know that the church is exempt
already under our constitution because the government cannot touch it unless of
course it is involved in criminal activity. The First Amendment “Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.” It states prohibiting the free exercise thereof which
means the Government cannot regulate what is taught especially if what is taught
is out of the Bible nor can it interfere in the other workings of the church. If
more pastors would realize this instead of bowing the knee to the sodomites,
atheists, and liberals, the church would once again be a strong church and would
not have to curtail its teachings.
Israel
In 1948 when Israel became a nation, it became the
literal Mecca of Christianity. There is more taught on Israel in the churches
than there is on the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that Israel has become the new
Savior for many churches and Christians. As one of my friends put it, it has
become the new “American Idol.” Nowhere in the New Testament and that includes
Revelation, are we ever introduced to a country called Israel that will be
formed at some future date. Then there is the idea that if the United States
wants to remain strong, then we must support Israel at any cost. If anyone looks
at the reality of the situation that since 1948 and our slavish support of
Israel, our nation has gone downward in all areas. That nonsense is based upon
some farcical interpretation of Genesis 12:1-3 which never mentions Israel at
all. So it seems that our blind support of Israel has been a cause of our
country sliding into rebellion and apostasy. The warmongering in the churches to
bomb every country that seems to threaten Israel has also brought the disfavor
of God and the church has also been in a slide into apostasy because of its
support for a rogue state. If we continue to listen to salvationless preachers
like John Hagee without using the mind God gave us, we can expect the church to
slide downward much more severely. The modern nation of Israel has nothing
whatsoever to do with our salvation or our spiritual growth. It is time to burn
those “Christian-Israel” Romance novels known as prophecy books and get back to
the Scriptures. The center of prophecy in the last days is not that false nation
of Israel but if one would take time to study Revelation, you would find that it
is about the church and the persecution it would face until the return of Christ
on the last day. The Gospel of Israel is a false Gospel and has shrouded the
truth by fanciful interpretations. So many Christians are looking forward to the
building of some temple in Israel when animal sacrifices would continue. That is
a slap in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ who was the final sacrifice. Animal
sacrifices can never take away sin because they were only looking forward to the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Prophecy
If there is one subject in the churches which has
caused total diversion it is prophecy. We already mentioned Israel and how that
nation has become center stage in the majority of Churches. Spurgeon’s take on
prophecy is below:
"In many cases sheer fanaticism has been the result of
exclusively dwelling on prophecy, and probably more men have gone mad on that
subject than on any other religious question." --- (Charles H. Spurgeon)
The true definition of prophecy is found in Revelation
19:10:
Revelation 19:10 (KJV) And I fell at his feet to
worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant,
and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Then in the last phrase we read “for the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The reason for the spirit of prophecy is to
bear witness throughout the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels were never
witnesses for Christ only the redeemed of God are the true witnesses. Every true
believer has the spirit of prophecy as all true believers witness for the Lord
Jesus Christ. John is being told by this person not to worship him. In fact,
John is being commanded not to worship. Maybe the information that John received
was so overwhelming to him that he prostrated himself in front of this person.
This is also a very important verse and teaches us that we are never to worship
a bible teacher or any human being on earth as so many Christians today have
relegated their minds to teachers and preachers.
I remember as a new Christian, the first area of study
I got into was prophecy and the return of Christ. Prophecy books are mainly all
Hollywood scripts because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t sell the amount of
books they do. I remember as a new Christian back in 1981 a Christian told me
that the rapture was going to be in August of 1981. This was based on Israel
becoming a nation in 1948 and them throwing around the number 40 as a
generation. So 1988 minus 7 years for the Great Tribulation comes to 1981. Then
we were given 88 reasons why Christ would return in 1988. When that did not
happen the same guy wrote another book that Christ would return in 1989 giving
us 89 reasons. Then Harold Camping told us that Jesus would return in 1994 and
then again in 2011, now his mindless minions are predicting October 7, 2015.
Then we were told to keep our eyes on the Middle east because Armageddon would
start over Oil. Then we were told to watch Russia because it was going to invade
Israel. I could go on and on because there is no end to these Hollywood scripts.
Each of these subjects were taken from the Scriptures but not according to
proper interpretation and has caused a major shrouding of the gospel. These
prophecy books have diverted the Christian from true bible study to
sensationalism and false story telling while completely skewing true Biblical
understanding.
Pre-Trib Rapture
Another item which has caused many Christians to err
in their Christian walk is the concept of a pre-trib rapture. It is believed
that Jesus can return at any moment and take the church home to Heaven while the
world is plunged into chaos under some mythical physical Antichrist. This idea
causes many Christians to do nothing with their lives because they are just
sitting around waiting for the rapture which they claim could happen at any
moment. The problem is that Christians are not to be sitting around doing
nothing but they are to be fully involved in Christian work because the world
needs to be reached with the Gospel. Luke 19:13 (KJV) And he called his ten
servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
The other aspect is the Lord Jesus told His followers to occupy till He
returned. They are not supposed to be sitting around waiting for the rapture.
This pre-trib rapture concept has come to the forefront in many Christian
teachings rather than living a godly life in concert with the Christian
testimony. It is an escapist mentality whereby we do nothing in hopes that the
rapture occurs so we can get out of this world. The problem is that is nothing
but western Christian thinking because Christians in many parts of the world are
facing serious persecution and thousands are being martyred in communist
countries and dictatorships. Go into fundamental churches and you will hear more
about the rapture than you do Christian involvement in missions and other
ministries.
Counterfeit Bibles
Another way that Christianity has been hijacked is
through the false bibles used in all the churches save a very few. Churches have
thrown out the King James Bible and have replaced it with Vatican versions such
as the NIV, ESV, NASV and others. The King James Bible was used of the Lord in
the great Missionary movements of the 17th and 18th centuries. The King James
Bible built our own country and wherever it was used, God blessed that country
or that church which preached it. Today, we are told by a group of
pseudo-theologians that we do not have the Word of God and we need to piece
together manuscripts to find out what God had given us in the Bible. Men like
Dan Wallace who heads up the Center for the Study of New Testament manuscripts
claim they have to travel all over the world so they can find New Testament
manuscripts. They err because they don’t even read what is before them.
Psalms 119:89 (KJV) LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
The Bible is very clear that the word of God is settled in Heaven. The word
“settled” in the Hebrew carries with it the meaning of “established.” While
these deluded scholars are still looking for the word of God, it is right before
them, totally established in the King James Bible. All these modern versions say
something different and are translated from inferior manuscripts. Even their Old
Testament is translated from the Leningrad Codex which has about 20,000 changes.
Many of them are minor changes but they are still changes. Ever since 1881 when
Hort and Westcott created their critical Greek text, it became the basis for the
modern versions and if you notice, or even if you don’t want to notice, that
since these modern versions have come into the church, there has been nothing
but confusion and weakness. The sting of the Gospel has been reduced to a pinch.
Go to a Bible study and see if you get passed “what does your version say?” Even
home bible studies have been hijacked by these false versions which do nothing
but engender confusion.
Women Preachers
Another way that Christianity has been hijacked is the
slew of women preachers, many of them self-appointed, which have come on the
scene courtesy of the false gospel of the charismatic movement. Not only women
preachers but elders too. God has forbidden women to rule over men in the
congregation and yet many have usurped authority to become rulers. It is also
true that the majority of men in these congregations are very feminized and fear
the women more than they do God. In marriage, the woman is to be subject to her
husband as the Bible teaches so when a woman becomes a preacher or elder, they
are exercising authority over their husbands and all the other men in the
congregation. They are reversing the order of authority which God gives in the
Bible. Of course, if you don’t go along with the feminine agenda, you are
labeled as one who does not show love. In other words in these churches, love is
defined as disobeying God. Try to find that in the Bible, I mean the real Bible.
Loss of Salvation
Another teaching which has found its way into the
church is the concept that you can lose your salvation. First of all you did not
earn it because you could not earn it, therefore you cannot lose it. The Lord
Jesus Christ makes many statements in the Bible which shows that the true
believer is totally safe and can never lose their salvation. This teaching which
is endorsed by Methodism and spread through old time preachers like Charles
Finney. It actually can be traced back to James Arminius who lived in the 17th
century. The problem with people who think they can lose their salvation is that
they can never grow in the faith. They are constantly losing their salvation and
have to continually renew their salvation, so their main focus is never on
ministry but self.
John 6:37 (KJV) All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 10:28 (KJV) And I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my
hand.
These are just two verses that the Lord Jesus gives to
us for comfort. In 6:37, Jesus states that He will never cast anyone out that is
His child. In 10:28, Jesus tells us that he gives us eternal life, what is
eternal? Is it temporary? The answer is no, it is eternal! He states that they
shall never perish. A person perishes without salvation but this verse teaches
that there will never be a time the true Christian will be without salvation.
Then He states that no man will pluck them out of His hand, which also means
that we cannot pluck ourselves out of His hand. The loss of salvation teaching
is a complete fraud and makes Christianity to be as a world religion where one
has to continually work for their salvation. Salvation is by grace and never by
works. Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby
ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. The true believer is sealed unto
the day of redemption and that is a divine seal which means it can never be
broken by anything man can do.
Dominion Theology
Dominion theology is the belief that the Lord Jesus
Christ will return when the world has become completely Christianized. This of
course will never happen, simply because the Scriptures teach a different ending
to this world. 2 Timothy 3:1 (KJV) This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. The word “perilous” carries with it the meaning
of fierce or dangerous. So if the scriptures teach that times are going to get
worse and we do see this with the world wide war on Christianity, it is
impossible therefore for the world to become completely Christianized. The Bible
also states that the Lord will return at a time when we think not. Matthew
24:44 (KJV) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh. If the world becomes fully Christian, then we would know
when He was coming back but the Scriptures teach harmoniously that it will come
as a surprise since no one will ever know the day or the hour.
Preterism
Preterism teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ returned
in 70 A.D. and all the prophecies in the Bible took place before 70 A.D. In
other words, there is no resurrection, no return of Christ, no future judgment
and no rapture on the last day. This view of Scripture is the most impossible
view that one can hold because to claim that Christ returned in 70 A.D. is total
nonsense. Where is He and where did He return? Preterism had its start in the
middle ages when after the Reformation the reformers started to refer to the
Pope as the Antichrist. So a Catholic priest took all the prophecies and twisted
the timing of them and the explanations and placed them all back before 70 A.D.
This way when the Antichrist is viewed through this belief system, it removes
any inclination that he could be the Pope since all the fulfilled prophecies
were fulfilled before 70 A.D. Leave it to Protestant Christians to accept this
type of view without even knowing its roots. The man who created this system was
a Jesuit named Luis De Alcazar (1554-1613). He relegated all prophecy to the
time of the Roman Empire before the end of the first century, namely 70 A.D. His
work was called “Investigation of the Hidden Sense of the Apocalypse,“ which
totaled about 900 pages.
Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation
Another hijacking has taken place in the area of water
baptism. Many churches such as the Church of Christ, Christian Church, Disciples
of Christ, Roman Catholics, Russian and Greek Orthodox, Mormons (LDS),
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), Apostolics
(Jesus Only or United Pentecostals), Lutherans and others. If water baptism is
necessary for salvation, then what these people are saying is that the sacrifice
of Christ was not sufficient enough to cover all my sins because I have to do a
work to become saved, that is, water baptism. If one must be baptized in water
for salvation then that belief precludes some people from getting to Heaven. The
thief on the cross did not get baptized so he could not have gone to paradise as
the Lord said he would. Then what about those who become saved on their
deathbed, well they can’t go to Heaven because they could not be baptized in
water. There is not one Scripture verse which teaches the belief that Christ’s
sacrifice plus works is necessary to get to Heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
may be very popular verses but we must never minimize the truth that they teach.
It is by grace not of works and that means even only one work.
Emergent Church Movement
The emergent church movement is one of the most
satanic hijackings the church has faced and it is a shame that many churches are
accepting the tenets of this movement without any spiritual conscience. It is
reintroducing catholic mysticism along with meditation techniques. It rejects
the Bible and emulates Hinduism with its method of concentration. It seeks to
have a person empty their mind and begin to keep their mind open so God can
speak to them which leaves the door open for demonic invitation. Below is a list
of the most dangerous people to pose as Christians who are bringing this evil
into the churches:
Rob Bell - Grand Rapids, MI - Mars Hill Bible Church
John Burke - Austin, TX - Gateway Church
Mark Driscoll - Seattle, WA - Mars Hill Church
Tony Jones - Edina, MN - Unknown Church
Tim Keel - Kansas City, MO - Jacob’s Well
Dan Kimball - Santa Cruz, CA - Vintage Faith Church
Joel McClure - Hudsonville, MI - Water's Edge
Ivy Beckwith - Cleveland, Ohio - United Church of
Christ
Brian McLaren - Spencerville, MD - Cedar Ridge
Community Church
Doug Pagitt - Minneapolis, MN - Solomon's Porch
Mark Scandrette - San Francisco, CA - Reimagine
Mark Oestreicher - Le Mesa, CA - Youth Cartel
Dave Sutton - Newport, United Kingdom - New Duffryn
Community Church - Emergent U.K. is directed by Jason Clark
Karen Ward - Seattle, WA - Church of the Apostles
Rick Warren - Lake Forest, CA - Saddleback Church
Dallas Willard - University of Southern California -
Church unknown
Dieter Xander - Novato, CA - Church: Quest
Chris Seay - Waco, TX - University Baptist Church
Tony Campolo - Professor Emeritus at Eastern
University - St. David’s, PA
This list is only a partial list because there are
many who are accepting this system. The people in the pews will also accept it
because the majority of Christians refuse to do any study or research to make
sure they are not being given a false gospel. Some of the teachings of this
movement are very dangerous. One teaching is that they believe that since the
world is changing, the church must change to keep up with it. They believe they
need a new kind of Christian. One who is attuned to the world around it. This
means that they reject the Bible because that would constitute the old ways.
Jeremiah 6:16 (KJV) Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask
for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find
rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. God states in
Jeremiah that we are not to seek the new things the world has to offer but the
old paths. The old paths being the true Gospel which has the power to save
unlike the new age approach of the Emergent church movement.
Under the Emergent church movement, all doctrines and
teachings which have stood the test of time must be questioned and removed if it
stands in the way of a new understanding. One of the most dangerous beliefs of
this system is that there is no way of knowing absolute truth, therefore, we
cannot be dogmatic about any doctrines, even if they come right out of the
Bible. On the heels of that belief, they have also shredded moral beliefs and
even condone watching pornography and even using profanity as a way to show the
world that we are not on a higher plane then them. They also view absolute
standards on homosexuality to be obsolete which means more and more churches are
going to be accepting and even promoting homosexuality. They believe in the
rejection of all preaching and instead, have dialogue with those of different
beliefs. Remember the big problem Eve had in the Garden? Instead of rejecting
what Satan was telling her and clinging to what God told her, she had a dialogue
with the devil which resulted in the entire human race being plunged into sin
and death. They also believe in restoring ancient ways of worship including
burning candles and silent retreats. The Emergent church has a goal of making
this world a utopia instead of pointing people to the Savior. It is a worldly
based, godless system which seeks to bring in the writings of the Roman Catholic
mystics such as Thomas Merton, John of the Cross, Thomas Aquinas, Theresa of
Avila who was seen levitating by many which means she was under direct demonic
control. The Emergent Church movement is a very dangerous movement and must be
rebuked and rejected. It is a conduit to send people straight to hell.
Roman Catholicism
Another hijacking of true Christianity is the shroud
placed around it by Roman Catholicism. The world sees it as another denomination
but it is a totally satanic system which is also a conduit directly to hell.
They do not believe in the gospel of grace but they teach you must add works to
it. Their idea of being born again is being baptized and the priest places salt
on the baby’s mouth to signify the Holy Spirit indwelling that person. Some of
the ungodly and unbiblical teachings are:
1) The worship of Mary as the mother of God - 1 Tim
2:5; Isaiah 45:5
2) Veneration of angels and deceased saints - Psalm
29:2
3) A belief in purgatory where souls go to be purged
of the leftover sins of this Life - Hebrews 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:8
4) Worship of Relics and Images - Exodus 20:4-5
5) Fasting on Fridays and during Lent - 1 Timothy 4:3
6) Forbidding the Priests to marry - 1 Timothy 4:3
7) The Inquisition where millions of true Christians
were tortured and murdered - 2 Timothy 2:24
8) Transubstantiation - 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Hebrews 10:12
9) Bible forbidden to be read by “laymen” - 2 Timothy
3:16-17
10) Emulating the priesthood of the Old Testament by
setting up priests as intercessors and the beliefs that they can forgive sins -
Mark 2:7; Romans 8:26; 1 Peter 2:9
11) Council of Trent declares that Roman Catholic
Dogma has equal authority as Scripture - Mark 7:7-9
12) Immaculate conception of Mary meaning she was a
sinless as Christ - Romans 3:10; Luke 1:46-47
13) Mary proclaimed Queen of Heaven - See Jeremiah
7:18; 44:17-19, 25 for information on this abominable practice. The queen of
heaven was Ishtar of the Babylonians and was a fertility cult. It was also
Astarte or Ashtoreth which was a Canaanite goddess of sexual love, maternity,
and fertility. All these were abominable practices in God’s sight just as the
continuation of these cultic goddesses in the modern form of Mary.
Roman Catholicism is by no means a Christian church or
denomination. Many of her beliefs have come from the ancient system of Babylon
with all its false gods and teachings. It is to be rejected and not even
considered Christian. It is just another gospel seeking to cling to the name
Christian when it does not have the right to do so. Can someone show me in the
Scriptures the following? Popes, Cardinals, Arch-Bishops, Prelates, Nuns,
Abbots, monasteries, cloisters, etc. Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; The ministries in the church are listed in Ephesians 4:11 and I
do not see any Roman Catholic offices there.
Annihilation
Another tenet of biblical Christianity which has been
hijacked is the teaching of eternal damnation. Annihilation has replaced eternal
damnation based on the belief that God is a loving God and would not allow
anyone to suffer eternally. It was adopted by cults such as the Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Christian Science, Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventists, New Age. It is
the total denial of the doctrine of eternal damnation in favor of a person being
judged for their sins on the last day and then annihilated forever. This is
nowhere taught in Scripture instead the doctrine of eternal damnation is totally
taught in Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 1:9 (KJV) Who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power;
Matthew 25:46 (KJV) And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Matthew 18:8 (KJV) Wherefore if thy hand or
thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for
thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet
to be cast into everlasting fire. - If annihilation was the true teaching then
what would be the purpose of having fire burn eternally?
Revelation 20:10 (KJV) And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Annihilation is just another attempt by man to somehow
reject and then hopefully do away with the doctrine of eternal damnation. Man
wants to sin for his entire life and then not be accountable so Satan gives him
this false teaching and it is palatable, so it is adopted. The thing that man
will never understand is that God establishes truth and not man.
Christian Psychology
Always beware when the noun Christian is used as an
adjective. Psychology is a secular discipline and has nothing to do with
Christianity. The problem is that these psychologists meld a few Christian terms
along with some bible passages and make a new area of study called Christian
Psychology. Since when does a true Christian need the mind manipulation of these
psychologists when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to guide us every step
of the way. 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The Bible teaches
that the Christian has been given a sound mind but the problem is that instead
of feeding our minds the truth of Scripture, we try to live our lives according
to the ways of the world and then when we get into situations which confuse us,
we either run to these psychologists and hope they can hold our hand and bring
us back to spiritual sanity or we blame God and claim that He does not love us
or that He has abandoned us. If we want to really get to the bottom of why we
run into so many problems in our life it can be boiled down to this, that we
don’t get our own way so we become rebellious instead of seeking God’s ways, we
just feel sorry for ourselves and pay these Christian psychologists big money,
(which could be used for missions if we chose obedience to God) to help us get
our own way or to commiserate with us. Psychology tends to cause its patrons to
look for the blame everywhere else but on themselves whereas the Scriptures
teach personal responsibility. Psalm 26:2 (KJV) Examine me, O LORD, and
prove me; try my reins and my heart. Psalm 26:2 is the Lord’s method in
helping us deal with problems in our life. How many want the Lord to examine
them and bring to light the real source of their problems? I didn’t think so!
Evolution
Another way the truths of Christianity have been
hijacked is the belief in evolution which many churches have begun to adopt. Oh
but you say you have never heard of that. Have you heard of some churches
adopting the belief that the six days of creation were not 24 hour days but are
as long as 1,000 years? Some in the Presbyterian Church in America hold to this
view. Some hold to the belief that there is no specific time frame involved in
these days. It is called the day-age theory. It is all to coincide with the
belief that the world evolved and was not created in six 24 hour days. Some
believe in theistic evolution where they believe God created the world but
walked away from it and allowed it to continue on as it does today. According to
the Pew Forum in 2007, 51% of the mainline denominations believe that evolution
offers the best explanation for the existence of the earth. 24% of evangelical
Protestants also hold to that view. Evolution has been used of Satan to hijack
the first three chapters of Genesis causing many Christians to believe that it
is only a narrative and not truth.
Clergy/Laity Distinction
Another hijacking of Christianity is the church based
belief that there is a distinction between the ordained clergy and the laity.
There is no such distinction in the Bible as all Christians are equal at the
cross but we all differ only because we have different spiritual gifts and
talents. The idea of a clergy/laity distinction originated in the Roman Catholic
Institution where their clergy are supposed to have the ability to forgive sins
and intercede with God for a parishioner. Then the Protestant Clergy saw the
power that the Roman Catholic priests had over their people so they adopted the
same mindset that ordination meant they were of a different class. However,
ordination is not found in the Bible for some super spiritual class of clergy.
John 15:16 (KJV) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The Lord Himself has ordained every believer to be a witness for Him. Acts
13:48 (KJV) And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the
word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Acts 13:48 makes this abundantly clear that every born again believer is
ordained of the Lord. In fact the Pastor is given as a spiritual gift and not a
ruling office in the church. Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; If pastors are looked upon as kings in their churches then
shouldn’t teachers be looked at the same way or even evangelists since they are
listed in the same verse and on the same level as pastor? The result of
clergy/laity distinction has created dictators in many churches where the pastor
has absolute rule which is not scriptural at all and has caused many churches to
derail. True Christians whether they are pastors or teachers or evangelists are
all on equal footing and there is none greater than the other. 2 Timothy 4:5
(KJV) But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. Timothy was the pastor of the
Ephesian church and here Paul is telling him to do the work of an evangelist.
God loves You
Another hijacking of truth is the man centered belief
that God loves everybody. God’s love is qualified as He does not love the
unbeliever. He loves those who are Christians, born again in His Son the Lord
Jesus Christ. John 14:21 (KJV) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21
makes it clear that God the Father loves those who love the Lord Jesus Christ.
His love is not a random love for everyone in the world. The man-centered
concept of “God loves the sinner and hates the sin” is nowhere found in
Scripture. It is another tenet of the free will belief system.
Psalm 5:4-6 (KJV) For thou art not a God that hath
pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. {5} The foolish
shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. {6} Thou
shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and
deceitful man.
When we look at Psalm 5:4-6, we read three eye opening
verses where it plainly teaches that God hates all workers of iniquity. Who
works iniquity? It is everyone who is not born again having their sins forgiven
and removed. To say that God loves everyone mollifies the truth that God is a
God of vengeance when it comes to those who have rebelled against Him. Psalm
94:1 (KJV) O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance
belongeth, shew thyself. He is also a righteous Judge who will judge every
unbeliever according to their sins. Romans 2:16 (KJV) In the day when God
shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Even
the secret sins will be revealed and judged. The love of God is shown only
toward those who are in Christ, the rest of the world is in rebellion to God for
which they must be judged. God hates the sin as well as the sinner and this
message should not be softened to make the unbeliever feel better.
Summary
We have looked at 25 ways which Christianity has been
hijacked. What I mean by hijacked is that the truth has been covered up by some
type of man made teaching. However, we have the Lord’s assurance that no matter
how hidden the truths of Christianity are, it still has the power to save
because it is by grace. We have looked at man’s vain attempt to cover over the
stinging truths of true Christianity. If a Christian wants to see past all these
additives which has been added over the years, there is a way to do it. All one
has to do is go to the Scriptures in the King James Bible and you will see a
biblical refutation of the man made doctrines which have been overlaid on true
Christianity. It is time Christians stop accepting everything which comes from
the pulpits and the seminaries and start taking responsibility for their
spiritual walk by doing their own biblical studies because the Bible can help us
avoid all false teaching as we have seen in this study, that each of these added
teachings can be refuted properly by just a few Scriptures. The hour is late and
laziness is no excuse for not taking personal responsibility. Acts 17:11
(KJV) These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so. The Christians in Berea were serious students of the
Scriptures because they were checking out the teaching of the Apostle Paul. A
true Berean Christian is one that checks things out before they accept any
teaching and if needs be to reject and refute the teaching and the teacher.
Searching the Scriptures goes far beyond just looking to match the latest news
about Israel to Scripture. It goes to the heart of exposing false doctrines
which are conduits to Hell. It is time you realize the difference between true
Christianity and the tommyrot which is being passed off as biblical teaching. It
is far too serious to accept false teachings simply because they are palatable.
False teachings should leave a bitter taste in your mouth.