“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps’ clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits…” – Matthew 7:15-16a
MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE GONE out into the world, dear reader. Satan’s ministers, transformed as the ministers of righteousness, deceive many by their pernicious ways. It is they whom the prophet Jeremiah identified as religious imposters who speak lies in hypocrisy and preach the deceit of their heart in the name of the Lord (Jeremiah 14:14). But if their fruits be examined – that is to say, their doctrines, so often doctrines of devils – the believer can readily discern whether these be false teachers or true; whether these be enemies of the cross of Christ, or laborers together with God’s husbandry. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I endeavor to present five characters who masquerade as shepherds of God’s flock, while they lurk privily as grievous wolves. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:18).
FALSE PROPHET #1: BILLY “BALAAM” AND FRANKLIN GRAHAM
The late Billy Graham, and his gospel-perverting progeny Franklin Graham, are among the more well-known names in that neo-evangelical false religion of apostasy which pretends to be true, biblical Christianity.
Owing to the fervent desire of the self-righteous hypocrites who love lies and scorn truth that populate said false religion to boast of what a wonderful Christian they are, and how closely they follow Christ, and how thoroughly they “love” Jesus, it stands to reason the false gospel of the Grahams would be well received thereby. It stands to reason they would warmly accept the Grahams’ lies that a sinner cannot simply come to Christ and receive him as Savior, but must first “count the cost” (Billy Balaam’s own heretical words) and make a commitment to publicly confessing Christ wherever he goes. The pseudo-reasoning behind this moronic myth is a painfully inaccurate interpretation of Matthew 10:32-33, wherein Christ declares that those who confess him before men will he confess before his Father in heaven, and vice versa.
Yet, if going about confessing Christ to everybody is necessary to receive eternal life, why is it never mentioned in the book of John, rightly known as God’s gospel tract to mankind (John 20:31)? Why is it not mentioned as part of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, which defines the gospel? Why did Jesus tell the thief on the cross, “Today, shalt thou be with me in paradise,” when he knew that thief was being executed and would have no opportunity to go around confessing Christ to men? And this is to say nothing of the men mentioned in John 12:42-43, who believed on Christ but refused to confess him publicly because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Please do not pretend that this truth can be circumvented by claiming God made an exception for the thief on the cross. God makes no exceptions for anyone, dear reader. It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgement. All the good works in the world cannot change that men cannot save themselves, and that, unless they receive Jesus Christ as their Savior – apart from all their works and intentions – they cannot be saved.
FALSE PROPHET #2: JOHN MACARTHUR
The late John MacArthur can be referred to as the godfather of “Lordship Salvation” for how relentlessly he propounded the pernicious falsehoods of that accursed false gospel. This is the man who insisted that there is no such thing as a childhood conversion, even though Jesus said that “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). This is the man who declared that salvation is hard, despite the apostle Paul designating the gospel as “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). This is the man who denied the saving power of Christ’s physical blood, though numerous passages of scripture proclaim that we have redemption and forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 9:12, 10:19, Revelation 1:5, 5:9).
It is men like MacArthur that Hebrews 10:29 rebukes as having “trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.” What folly must reign for this enemy of the cross of Christ to be praised as a “man of God”, when the heart of his ministry revolved around perverting the gospel, thereby sending multitudes to the lake of fire, and promulgating the myth that no man can be saved unless God predestines him to be so, and spitting upon the precious blood of Christ!
Contrary to what MacArthur preached, God does not require you hand over the reigns of your life to him as a prerequisite to salvation. He does not require that you commit to making radical lifestyle changes, and surrendering yourself entirely to his will, and vowing to henceforth follow Jesus as your “Lord.” He does not require that you persevere in holy living to “prove” your salvation. You need only come to him as you are, for “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
FALSE PROPHET #3: RAY COMFORT AND KIRK CAMERON
The so-called “evangelist” Ray Comfort, and his slimy sidekick Kirk Cameron, are among the most influential false teachers in the English-speaking world. Through his comically misnamed “ministries” of unrighteousness, The Way of the Master and Living Waters, Comfort has for decades preached the damnable lie that it is insufficient to believe on Christ to be saved, but that turning from sin is also necessary to receive eternal life. Comfort can often be seen publicly pressuring poor sinners with the immense burden of turning from all of their sins, as though how a man lives determines where he spends eternity (the King James Bible makes clear that one has nothing to do with the other).
This vain act of attempting to turn from sin – which no man ever has, nor ever will accomplish – is what Comfort erroneously refers to as “repentance.” But repentance is nothing of the kind. The repentance spoken of in scripture is “to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25) and derives from the Greek word metanoia, which means “to change one’s mind” – NOT to “turn from sins” as religious fools so often say. A change of mind, such as the thief on the cross had, does not require any of the things that Comfort and Cameron insist are necessary for salvation. One simply hears the gospel, realizes he is a guilty sinner incapable of saving himself from eternal damnation in the lake of fire, and believes the gospel – that Christ died for his sins, was buried, and was bodily resurrected three days later unto his justification – as his only hope for heaven.
Observe Comfort’s ridiculous commentary on Matthew 7:21-23 from his infamous The Evidence Bible:
“These are perhaps the most frightening verses in the Bible. Vast multitudes of professing Christians fit into the category spoken of here. They call Jesus ‘Lord,’ but they practice lawlessness. They profess faith in Jesus, but have no regard for the divine law. They tell ‘fibs’ or ‘white’ lies, take things that belong to others, have a roaming eye for the opposite sex, etc. They are liars, thieves, and adulterers at heart, who will be cast from the gates of heaven into the jaws of hell.”
Witness the self-righteous religious imbecility and sanctimonious hypocrisy implicit in these above words! Comfort singles out lying, stealing, and adultery as sins evil enough to keep men from going to heaven, evidently ignorant that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and that “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). Any sin – including whichever sins Comfort commits on a daily basis – is enough to send us to hell forever. The preposterous concept of distinguishing between “venial” and “mortal” sin has no basis in reality, because ALL sin is mortal. And, if men are in danger are going to hell because they “tell fibs, take things that belong to others, have a roaming eye for the opposite sex”, then that must mean Ray Comfort – who shamelessly perverts the gospel of Jesus Christ – has done enough to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
As an aside, Matthew 7:21-23 condemns self-righteous religious imbeciles “which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (Luke 18:9). These very fools followed Jesus as their “Lord”, performed many wonderful works, and preached incessantly in Christ’s name. But they foolishly thought they would go to heaven because they did these things, ignorant that eternal life is not a reward for the righteous, but a gift for the guilty. Ironically, it is the likes of Ray Comfort – not the imperfect believers he hypocritically condemns as being unsaved because they, like him, live daily in sin – who will be “cast from the gates of heaven into the jaws of hell.” It is the likes of Ray Comfort who will be told, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
CONCLUSION
Multitudes of false prophets lurk, dear reader. Of them, it may be observed “for they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3). Lordship Salvation, turning from your sins to be saved, surrendering your life to Christ, inviting Jesus into your heart, and living a holy life all fall under the category of “going about to establish their own righteousness.” But this cannot be done. No man can make himself righteous enough to enter heaven, because “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Salvation is not of works (Ephesians 2:9). Men cannot be justified in the sight of God by works (Galatians 2:16). How much clearer can the word of God be?
Beware, dear reader, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (Colossians 2:8). Pray do not permit these accursed, ravening wolves to beguile you into rejecting the commandments of God to keep the damnable traditions of men (Mark 7:9). Romans 4:5 tells us that “to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” It is only by believing on Jesus Christ – not your good works, not your turning from your sins, not your living a new life, not your inviting Jesus into your heart, not your following Christ as “Lord”, not your being baptized, not your joining a church, not your becoming religious – and Christ alone, that you can be saved.
It is simple to be saved. But acknowledge you are a guilty sinner incapable of saving yourself from hell, believe that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and was bodily resurrected three days later unto your justification, and you will go to heaven. I pray that you do so.