When the disciples asked Jesus about His coming and the end of the world, Jesus said, Take heed that no man deceive you! These powerful words of Jesus contained both a warning and a command for all believers. Although these words of Jesus were repeated by His disciples back then, these words should still be repeated by His disciples to warn the believers. We live in a dangerous time in which many Christians are deceived without knowing. What does the Bible say about deception in the church and how can you take heed that no man deceive you?
Why do you have to take heed that no man deceives you?
These words of Jesus, that you have to take heed that no man deceive you, echoed in the hearts and minds of the believers in whom Christ dwelled by the Holy Spirit and that followed their Lord, and were spoken through their mouth.
These words still echo in the hearts and minds of the born again believers and are still spoken through their mouth.
The same Holy Spirit that spoke through Jesus Christ, and spoke through His disciples, still speaks and still warns the believers to take heed that no man deceive them and they leave the true faith.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5)
Unfortunately, the devil has deceived many Christians, by making them believe that you may not criticize other people’s works and speak negative or evil in the church, but be silent.
But if you may not speak evil and negatively and criticize the works, then you must throw away the Bible, since the Word condemns the way and works of the wicked (ungodly), and the words and warnings of God and the prophecies concerning the lives of people (including the believers) and the end time were (and are) not always positive and pleasant to hear. However, the words of God are the truth and have come to pass and still come to pass.
Did Jesus only speak positive and kind words?
When we look at Jesus’ life, His words were not always positive, kind and pleasant to hear, but hard and confronting, and often gave a negative prospect concerning the future and the last days on earth.
Even the people were not left out of the firing line. Jesus called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32), the Greek woman a dog (Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27), and the (spiritual) leaders of the house of Israel hypocrites (actors of life), whited sepulchers which appear beautiful outward but were within full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness, serpents, generation of vipers, and sons of the devil, because they had the same nature as their father and did the same works.
The (spiritual) leaders looked beautiful from the outside and acted religiously as servants of God and of righteousness, who were supposed to guide and feed the sheep of the house of Israel, while in reality they were blind leaders that were full of hypocrisy, extortion, excess, and iniquity and didn’t serve God but themselves and deceived the sheep and led the sheep to the abyss.
They denied God and made His words and commandments of none effect through their tradition and drew the attention to themselves. They solemnly focused on their name, state, fame, power and wealth (a.o. Matthew 6:5; 15:3-11; 23:1-36; Luke 11:37-54).
Jesus didn’t keep His mouth and didn’t stay silent, but Jesus warned the people for them.
“Get behind Me satan!”
Get behind Me satan (adversary of God), said Jesus to Peter, when he was an offense unto Jesus and didn’t have a mind for the things of God but for things of men (Matthew 16:23)
These are just some of the many things that Jesus said, Who is our King and the Lord of our lives and speaks words of Spirit and life.
The disciples and apostles of Jesus, in whom the same Holy Spirit abode, followed their Savior and Lord.
They walked in His footsteps and spoke the same words as their Master.
The disciples and apostles of Jesus Chirst also called the people by name and the wicked works of the believers in the church and called the ungodly cursed, which they are (a.o. Acts 13:4-12; 23:3; 1 Corinthians 5; 6:9-11; Galatians 1:8; 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 4:10-14; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1-3; 3 John 1:9; Jude 1).
They didn’t keep their mouth shut as many church leaders and believers do today.
They spoke and walked like Jesus and confronted the cunning foxes and the grievous wolves in sheep’s clothing that were crept unaware in the church, and they exposed their false doctrine and evil works by speaking and writing openly about it.
Nothing was covered up and kept silent in darkness! Everything was brought into the light by the voice of the true witnesses in order to keep the church holy and awake and the faith of the saints pure.
Paul warned the elders of the church at Ephesus and commanded them to take heed to themselves and the flock
In acts 20:17-38, Paul warned the elders of the church at Ephesus to remain watchful and to take heed to themselves and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers, to feed the church of God, which He had purchased with His own blood.
Paul warned the elders for the grievous wolves (false teachers) that would enter in among them after his departure. These grievous wolves didn’t have the best intentions for the flock and wouldn’t spare the flock.
Even among the elders would men arise, speaking perverse (twisted) things to draw away the disciples of Jesus after themselves.
Paul warned the elders for these false teachers that would deceive the believers with their vain words and called the elders to watch.
Paul reminded the elders, how he ceased not to warn (admonish) every one night and day with tears for the space of three year. Because the preaching of the gospel of God’s grace and the preaching of the Kingdom go together with admonishing to keep the church pure and walk holy in righteousness.
In the letters of Paul, he warned, corrected, and admonished the believers constantly and mentioned the (hidden) sins and iniquities in the church and confronted them and called the church to repentance and a holy life, which is the will of God.
Peter warned the saints to take heed and let no man deceive them
Peter also warned the saints to take heed and let no man deceive them. Because as there were false prophets before (in the Old Covenant), there would also be false teachers among them.
These false teachers would give their own interpretation to the word and bring in alongside of the true doctrine, which they use as a coverup, destructive heresies, even denying the Lord Who purchased them, whereby they would bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Peter said, that not some but many shall follow their pernicious ways (their licentious conduct to its consummation) so that on their account the way of truth would be reviled.
These false teachers were led by greed.
Through covetousness they would with feigned words (deceptive words) make merchandise of the saints.
However, Peter wrote that for a long time their judgment had not been idle and their destruction didn’t slumber. They would receive their reward for their iniquity.
Because if God had not spared the angels that sinned and the old ungodly world, and turned the ungodly cities of Sodom and Gomorra into ashes and making them an ensemble unto the people who live ungodly, God wouldn’t spare the ungodly but punish the ungodly on the Day of Judgment.
God delivers the godly but punishes the ungodly
God delivers the godly (people, who fear and love God and obey His words and keep His commandments and walk in His ways) out of temptations, but God reserves the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished.
Especially the people, who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise (heavenly) government (authority).
People, who are presumptuous and self-willed, and are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
However, these people, as natural brute beasts that are made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not. They shall utterly perish in their own corruption. They’ll receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.
Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceiving while they feast with the believers.
False teachers have eyes full of adultery and can’t cease from sin
These false teachers have eyes full of adultery, and can’t cease from sin. They guile unstable souls and have a heart that have exercised with covetous practices; they are cursed children.
They have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
These false teachers are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for who is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity (emptiness), they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
The false teachers promise liberty, while they are slaves of corruption
These false teachers promise the believers liberty, while they themselves are the slaves of corruption aka slaves of sin and live in the power of the devil. For of whom man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
For if they escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2).
The words of the false teachers lead to apostasy and a ungodly and lascivious life
Peter spoke all these words about the false teachers that would twist the words of God in a subtle way and bring false doctrines into the church that cause Christians to walk by faith in man on the broad way of unrighteousness and lasciviousness that leads to eternal death, instead of causing the believers to walk by faith in God on the narrow way of righteousness that leads to eternal life.
Jude also wrote about the false teachers. However, Jude didn’t warn the church for false teachers that would enter the church, but he warned for the false teachers that had entered the church and defiled the faith with their false doctrine.
Jude warned the saints to not be deceived by false teachers
Jude exhorted the saints to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. For there were certain men crept in unawares (privily), who had defiled this faith with their false doctrines.
These false teachers, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, were ungodly men, that turned the grace of God into lasciviousness and denied the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude reminded the saints, how God destroyed the unbelievers of His people after God saved them out of the land of Egypt, and didn’t enter the promised land.
Likewise the angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation had God revered in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Even as Sodom and Gomorra and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
All these things are set forth for an example and a warning for the ungodly (people who live without God in disobedience to His Word in sin) that are not saved, but lost.
Jude continued and wrote that these false teachers aka filthy dreamers likewise defiled their flesh (body), despised dominion (authority), and spoke evil of dignities. Yet Michael the artsangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
But these false teachers spoke evil of those things which they knew not: But what they knew naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupted themselves.
They walked in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward
They had gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
These people were spots in their feasts of charity, when they feast with them, feeding themselves without fear.
They were clouds without water, carried about of winds. Trees whose fruit witheet without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
What had Enoch prophesied?
Even Enoch had prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
Jude admonished the beloved to remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told them there would be mockers in the last time, who would walk after their own ungodly lusts.
These mockers would be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit (Jude).
The false teachers misuse the grace of God for their lascivious lives
The false teachers are ungodly people, who don’t have the Spirit of God and misuse the grace of God for their lascivious lives and keep doing the works of the flesh.
They don’t nurture and keep the saints on the narrow path in the righteousness of God and don’t lead them with the truth to a holy life and eternal life, but they keep the saints on the broad way of the world in sin and lead them with their lies to apostasy and lasciviousness and eternal death.
They are not keepers of the souls and are not concerned for their eternal destination. But they consider the souls as merchandise and a source of income that fulfill their carnal lust and desire.
How can you take heed that no man deceive you?
The only way to take heed and prevent yourself from being deceived is to build yourself up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourself in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Through the abiding of the Holy Spirit and knowing the Word you shall discern good and evil and by looking at the fruit of someone’s life you shall discern true teachers from false teachers. (a.o. Matthew 7:15-21; 12:31-37; luke 6:39-45; John 15:2-8; Romans 6:; Ephesians 5:1-14; Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 5:14; 1 John 2:3-6, 15-29; 3:4-12; 4:1-6; 5:1-8; 2 John 1:6-11).
If you don’t renew your mind with the Bible and don’t feed yourself daily with the words of God but only depend upon the sermons of others, which you hear in the church or hear occasionally via (social) media channels, you shall be deceived.
But whoso keeps His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him
1 John 2:5
Many false teachers in the church follow their own spirit and speak from their carnal heart
There are many false teachers behind the pulpit, in front of the camera and/or on the web, who are full of themselves and preach a message from their own knowledge, perspective, and experience, that deviate from the sound doctrine and the message of the cross and oppose God’s Word.
These false teachers follow their own spirit and speak their own empty words from their carnal heart, which don’t produce strong and holy lives devoted unto God that can overcome the storms in life and stand in the persecution, but weak and sinful lives that are blown away by every little disruption and succumb in persecution.
They preach their own opinions and testify of themselves instead of speaking the words of God and testifying of Jesus Christ. Because of this, the people exalt and worship these preachers and follow their example (a.o. John 7:18).
But the Holy Spirit doesn’t testify of Himself, let alone that the Holy Spirit testifies of a person that is full of himself and exalt this person.
The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ and preaches His Name and does what He says and speaks His words, which are Spirit and life and call to a holy live, devoted unto God, instead of a sinful life that revolves around man and the lusts and desires of his flesh. (a.o. John 15:26-27; 16:13).
If you read and study the Bible daily, and renew your mind with the words of God, you shall discern good and evil. Through the truth of God’s Word, you shall discern the words and works of God and the words and works of the devil.
When you fill yourself with the words of God and be filled with the truth, you shall recognize the lies of people, which derive from their vain mind. You shall discern the lies from the truth and then it’s up to you what you do.
“Be the salt of the earth”
