Vol. H-0002 No. H-0010 October 1997

TAKE HEED!  October 1997​

​"...And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Take heed that no man deceive you...' 'For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'" Matthew 24:4, 24, KJV*

"...Take Heed That No Man Deceive You..."

The first thing to be noticed about this part of the verse is that it is a command!He didn't say we should heed if thus and so. He said, "...take heed...". That is pretty direct! "Heed" in this verse means: ..."to look, see, usually implying more especially an intent, earnest contemplation, is rendered "take heed" in Matt. 24:4...*

The next things He lets us know are that we are to "let"..."no man"..."deceive" us. "Let" means to "allow". "No man" means exactly that NO MAN, not friend, nor preacher, nor statesman, nor enemy. "Deceive" in this passage means: "to deceive, by leading into error, to seduce".*

To be considered here is another "man", who can "deceive" us the most...our "old man". "Self" is one of the biggest enemies that the Holy Spirit has to conquer once we turn our lives over to Christ and His Holy Spirit. We can deceive ourselves so easily because we like to say and do that which makes us comfortable and happy!The saying "I am my own worst enemy" is closer to reality than we would like to think! When Christ says "no man", that is exactly what He means!

Now that we've looked at the meanings, let's paraphrase: "Take earnest contemplation that no one, friend or foe or self, learned or unlearned, lead or seduce you in to error."

This is not a passive statement, and obedience to it is not to be passive! This, according to Jesus, is our responsibility through His Holy Spirit. It is, purely and simply, His command to us.

"...There Shall Arise False Christs, And False Prophets..."

This is also a very clear Word. His Word makes a statement of fact, "...there shall arise...". "Arise:" "cause to rise".* There needs to be no doubt on our part that this will come to pass. He's all ready told us false christs and prophets will arise.

There are currently many false prophets and false christs. If we are attentive to what is being said and done around us we can easily see their activities. But we have to want to see!

"...And Shall Shew Great Signs And Wonders..."

"Shew": "to give," is rendered "to show" in Matt. 24:24*. "Signs": a sign, mark, token* and "wonders": a prodigy or omen*. We must remember that things that appear as "signs" or "wonders" are not always performed by God and His Kingdom. We need to take a review of Scripture in Exodus 7:9-12. Just because an act is supernatural does not mean it is the act of God.

Right now, as you are reading this, satan is busy at work deceiving people in to believing that the things of the supernatural, among other things, are aliens. He wants us to believe the lie because he is going to use it for the anti-christ to come on to the scene of the whole globe. Unfortunately, many who would call themselves Christians are right in the middle of his plan and believing every word!

"...Insomuch That, If It Were Possible, They Shall Deceive The Very Elect"

Insomuch simply means "so as to". Deceive in this verse means "to deceive, by leading into error, to seduce," e.g., Matt. 24:4,5,11,24*. Looking at the word "elect" we find that it means (c) believers (Jews or Gentiles), Matt. 24:22,24,31.*

Okay. Let's put it together: "So as to, if it were possible, they (the false christs and false prophets) shall lead (or seduce) into error the very believers".

How could it be possible to deceive the elect? What do you think? I believe the key is this: "if it were possible". What would cause it to be possible? How can a person be lead away from the truth and most especially The Truth? There are several possibilities.

One way is by brainwashing/mind control! Now don't click off on me at this point. There's more to this than you might think. Even if you disagree, keep on reading!

Mind control comes in many forms or disguises. We can be told something so well, for so long, that without even realizing it, we begin to accept it as truth. It may be truth and it may not be. But that we "perceive" it as truth is what makes it truth to us.

In the movie The American President, an interesting statement is made: "Politics is perception."** Well, truth is merely perception to those who don't know Truth. Whether or not it is truth is not important to them because they have all ready decided that what they perceive is truth.

How is it possible that the very elect can be deceived? What have they believed in the past and how does that relate to what they believe in the present or in the future? Have they truly believed or have they merely perceived?

Others, of course, have seen the Glory of God in Christ Jesus and deliberately turned away from their Creator God. They are reprobates in the purest sense of the word. "...If it be possible..." where they are concerned, is easy...they turned against their Salvation!

The Holy Spirit of our Lord is the only One Who can reveal Truth to us. We must stay in God's Truth...God's Holy Word... Jesus promised us, "...And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you...But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you... J ohn 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26* ...Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you..." John 16:13-16 KJV*

God's Chosen People

Do you ever pray for the Jewish people? Do you spend time with God through the Holy Spirit on their behalf? If you do, don't stop. If you don't, start! They are God's Chosen People. We as Christians, saved by Jewish Blood, have a responsibility to intercede on their behalf. Don't allow someone else's prejudice to affect your prayers for the Jewish people. You don't have to go far to find that antisemitism is alive and well. Pray for those for whom Christ died...just like He died for you and me!

Look At Current Events

As we consider the current events of life, what shall we learn from today that can educate us for tomorrow? Can we change tomorrow? Do we want to? Should we? Many questions and seemingly many answers. But what would God have us do? That is the only question that matters. And His answer to that question is the only answer that matters.

The following excerpt gives us an idea of where the "church" is heading.  

"The World Council of Churches"

'For those who still doubt that the religious elite in the largest denomination are planning to create an ecumenical one-world church, they should carefully consider...' this information. Several years ago, Archbishop Ramsey, president of the World Council of Churches, addressed a public meeting at the Roman Catholic Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York attended by Archbishop Lakovas of the Greek Orthodox Church and Cardinal Cook of the Catholic Church. Incredibly, the president of the WCC declared, 'I can foresee the day when all Christians might accept the Pope as Bishop of a World Church.'

The World Council of Churches (WCC) was founded in 1948 as a Christian organization dedicated to bringing about a universal cooperation among Christian churches worldwide. However, over the last forty-seven years, liberal and socialist theologians have taken control of the WCC until today the organization is barely Christian in any sense that would be recognized by Christians in the early Church. Universalism and secular humanism has replaced biblical Christianity and its emphasis on teaching a lost humanity about the need for personal repentance. We are witnessing the creation of embryonic organizations that will ultimately produce the Mystery Babylon church of the last days. An article in the April 5, 1993, edition of Christianity Today by Tokunboh Adeyemo indicated the direction that the World Council of Churches is now pursuing. Significantly, the WCC Life and Work Slogan is "Doctrine Divides - Service Unites" indicating its rejection of biblical doctrine as divisive in the interests of achieving a common consensus on the basis of the lowest common denominator theology. The WCC Secretary for Evangelism Raymond Fung indicated that evangelism encompassed every effort to improve the human condition whether it was made by Christians or non-Christians. He declared that Christians have no monopoly on evangelism. The Bible teaches that evangelism is the proclamation of the good news of salvation in Christ for the express purpose of conversion. The WCC teaches an implicit universalism and believes that the best of the non-Christian pagan religions is equal in value to (if not better than) the best of Christianity. As a result, the WCC believes dialog and cross-fertilization are their highest goals. In contrast, the historic teaching of Christianity is that all non-Christian religions are products of fallen human cultures.

Dr. David Gill, a WCC representative based in Geneva, Switzerland, announced to a radio audience during a 1974 British Broadcasting Corporation interview that the most important goal of the WCC is to 'De-Protestantize the Churches' to prepare them to join the coming World Church. The true priority of the Church is to evangelize the world and create churches everywhere for teaching, fellowship and worship of Jesus Christ. However the WCC has now declared that cross-cultural evangelism is wrong and presumptuous. The WCC now demands that western Christian churches declare a 'moratorium' on 'evangelism' so that non-Christian cultures will not be offended by the claims of the gospel of Christ. Obviously, the leaders of the WCC assume a universalism where everyone will be saved in the end whether or not they respond to the gospel of Christ.'

The 1973 Conference on World Mission in Bangkok articulated a new Christian world mission. This new WCC view taught that salvation should be replaced by a dedication to socio-political-economic well-being. The historic Christian focus on the need of sinners for reconciliation to God, sanctification, and the hope of heaven were replaced by a radical secular humanism that focused solely on improving the social, political, and practical conditions of life. Incredibly, the leadership of the WCC declared at the Bangkok conference that this was 'the close of the era of missions and the beginning of the era of mission.' " (Taken from Final Warning, by Grant Jeffrey, pages 167, 168. Frontier Research Publications, Inc., 1995)

This shows us a little of what is happening in the religious circles of leadership. Men and women are in powerful positions and because they claim they are Christians  we assume they are Christians. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ASSUMPTION IN THE CHURCH! Jesus gave us explicit instructions in the above Scripture. We cannot afford to accept whatever information is placed before us and follow blindly into total deception. Christianity is to be active, not passive. The Bible makes it very clear that eternal life can come only through the suffering, atoning blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other Savior! Not man nor doctrine, but Jesus Christ saves!

Take the time with the Holy Spirit and give Him the opportunity to show you in your spirit what is Truth and what is not truth. Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit would show us. Make yourself available to His leading and guiding and revelation of all Truth. Truth is not perception. Truth is JESUS CHRIST! 

Bottom Line

Does this message seem trite to you? Do you think it is over simplistic? Do you think you are above and beyond such information? Do you think you are informed with truth?

We are currently being led astray by our government, the education system, the media (sometimes including the (so-called) Christian media) by our employers and employees, by the church...everywhere we turn we see deception. This deception is leading people to HELL. This is not a game. If information in this newsletter makes you angry, GOOD! You should be angry. You should be angry enough to seek God's Holy Spirit in Wisdom and in Truth and let Him show you that Truth. Don't sit back and do nothing....why?...Because there is no such thing as "sitting back and doing nothing"! Many years ago the Christian community "sat back" while prayer was taken out of the schools. There is no such thing as sitting back: the Christian community gave away the right to pray in the schools.

How long are we as Christians going to give away our Christian responsibility? Is it too late? Look around...you'll see the devastation and death encompassing you! If you sit back you may die... And you may take a great many with you.

Look in to the flames of hell and hear the voices cry out to YOU..."Why didn't you tell me"?

The bottom line is simply this:

"...And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Take heed that no man deceive you...' 'For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'" Matthew 24:4, 24, KJV*

TAKE HEED!

Choice

What is your choice? You can choose to remain in deception and darkness. Or you can choose to be in Truth and Light. Are you confused? Have you succumbed to someone's methodical manipulation of your mind? Do you question your salvation even though you truly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and He died, rose and ascended for you?

Get in to the Word of God. Seek Him through His Most Holy Spirit to show you Truth. He longs to show you all that He has from the Father.

Jesus died for YOU. Jesus rose for YOU. Jesus ascended for YOU. If you had been the only person on Earth, Jesus still would have died for YOU and you alone! He loves you. Allow His Love to ascend within your being. Accept and acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of His Saving Grace. Accept that He is the Son of God born of a virgin through the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to forgive you and come dwell within your heart. Ask Him to fill you with His Love and His Precious Holy Spirit.

Seek Jesus and you will find He's been waiting for you all along.

In Jesus' Name, Be Blessed!

Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai

Blessed Is He Who Comes In The Name Of The Lord!