Post by Fletch on May 20, 2011 23:21:44 GMT -8
I guess I should preface this by saying if I step on your toes, my apologies, but it needs to be said.
Just finished watching NightLine, the leader of this group Family Radio was being interviewed about his prediction of May 21, 2011 being Judgement Day. It was noted that this is not the first time that he has made such predictions. That in 1994, he predicted that September 6, 1994 would be Judgement Day, that we would be awakened by a trumpet blast and Jesus Christ would return. Obviously, he was wrong then and is most likely wrong once again.
The interviewer stated that in Matthew 7 it notes to beware of false Profits, the question to go along with this statement was "If Judgement Day doesn't come about on May 21st as you predicted, does that make you a false profit? His only answer was it will happen.
It's funny how these things come full circle, a couple a weeks ago my oldest daughter sent me a text saying that they had just finished with Bible Study. I was excited as you might imagine, in my reply I asked what church they had gone to, her reply was they (the church) had come to their house. I of course inquired what church, her reply was the Jehovah's Witness. I was instantly alarmed by the reply, I asked what translation of the Bible they were using. To which she stated it was the New World Translation(NWT). I checked Bible Gateway and found no such translation so I googled it. The first thing on the list from google was a question 'Is the New World Translation a valid version of the Bible?' Of course that was the first link I checked. It was from the website GotQuestions.org. I read through the response and found it very accurate stating only the truth about the NWT. I have gotten a couple of other emails from the site since my initial visit. The scriptural basis of their answers are some of the best I have found. Anyway, today I got an email from the site, the question for the email was: "How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"
This is the answer to the question, in light of the prediction for the 21st, I found this very timely:
Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
After reading the answer to the question of this email, I think we can safely say that the founder of Family Radio fits the cast of being a false profit. He does teach God's word, but with his twist to the truth and yes based on the groups net worth, it's safe to say it is purely for profit. The full circle of this is that if my daughter hadn't been falsely drawn into a "Bible Study" by the Jehovah's Witness, I wouldn't have come across the website or have been emailed this well thought out definition of a false profit.
Will this bold prediction cause some to stop and look at their lives and the choices they've made, certainly it will. Unfortunately, it will also serve Satan, as another bold prediction from one of those over zealous Christians, who will say anything to get you into their fold.
Be Blessed Brothers and Sisters, the end times are upon us, speak out against false profits, the Truth of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ needs to be heard by a lost and dying world.
In Christ
Just finished watching NightLine, the leader of this group Family Radio was being interviewed about his prediction of May 21, 2011 being Judgement Day. It was noted that this is not the first time that he has made such predictions. That in 1994, he predicted that September 6, 1994 would be Judgement Day, that we would be awakened by a trumpet blast and Jesus Christ would return. Obviously, he was wrong then and is most likely wrong once again.
The interviewer stated that in Matthew 7 it notes to beware of false Profits, the question to go along with this statement was "If Judgement Day doesn't come about on May 21st as you predicted, does that make you a false profit? His only answer was it will happen.
It's funny how these things come full circle, a couple a weeks ago my oldest daughter sent me a text saying that they had just finished with Bible Study. I was excited as you might imagine, in my reply I asked what church they had gone to, her reply was they (the church) had come to their house. I of course inquired what church, her reply was the Jehovah's Witness. I was instantly alarmed by the reply, I asked what translation of the Bible they were using. To which she stated it was the New World Translation(NWT). I checked Bible Gateway and found no such translation so I googled it. The first thing on the list from google was a question 'Is the New World Translation a valid version of the Bible?' Of course that was the first link I checked. It was from the website GotQuestions.org. I read through the response and found it very accurate stating only the truth about the NWT. I have gotten a couple of other emails from the site since my initial visit. The scriptural basis of their answers are some of the best I have found. Anyway, today I got an email from the site, the question for the email was: "How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"
This is the answer to the question, in light of the prediction for the 21st, I found this very timely:
Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:
1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”
2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).
3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.
After reading the answer to the question of this email, I think we can safely say that the founder of Family Radio fits the cast of being a false profit. He does teach God's word, but with his twist to the truth and yes based on the groups net worth, it's safe to say it is purely for profit. The full circle of this is that if my daughter hadn't been falsely drawn into a "Bible Study" by the Jehovah's Witness, I wouldn't have come across the website or have been emailed this well thought out definition of a false profit.
Will this bold prediction cause some to stop and look at their lives and the choices they've made, certainly it will. Unfortunately, it will also serve Satan, as another bold prediction from one of those over zealous Christians, who will say anything to get you into their fold.
Be Blessed Brothers and Sisters, the end times are upon us, speak out against false profits, the Truth of our Risen Savior Jesus Christ needs to be heard by a lost and dying world.
In Christ
