In today’s world, pastor’s and professed men of God are celebrated. They are held in high regard but this is not what Jesus warned. In order to achieve acceptance from people, pastors speak what the people want to hear. They avoid speaking the truth, knowing that it will result in rejection.
Mark 4:16-17 – Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Matthew 13:21 – But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Many pastors start out with the right intentions, as in they received the word with joy. However, once they are persecuted and rejected by others because of their teachings, they manipulate the doctrine to suit the people, so that they can be accepted by man.
The fault does not lie entirely with the pastor, since the people love hearing these lies, which allows them not to have to repent and change.
Jeremiah 5:30-31 – “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
This is a clear indication that people like the manipulation of scripture from pastors. This is because it suits their intentions of not changing (repenting) for the Lord God. But what will they do in the end, meaning on Judgement Day? This manipulated and perverted gospel will not save them.
The pastors whose gospel does not confront sin and cause us to repent, are useless and cannot save us. They do not come from God. They are delusions made up by the pastors to suit us so that they are not too offensive or upsetting and the people will not reject them.
Jeremiah 14:14 – Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
The truth is that the people have a very large part to play in this. They supported these false teachers and prophets over those who speak the truth. In fact, they persecute those who speak the truth.
2 Timothy 4:3 – For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Amplified Bible – For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,
It is the people who have supported the doctrines and teachings of these false teachers. These doctrines are basically made up of myths, since they are not biblically based. They are dreamed up through the pastor’s delusion in order to receive acceptance by the people.
2 Timothy 4:4 – They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
It is sinful to support any pastor that is preaching a manipulated message just so that we do not have to feel bad (repent). This is happening every day in churches of all denominations. This is the time Paul is warning Timothy of. It is the denominational teachings themselves that have been created out of manipulating the scriptures to suit the people. False teachers (pastors) are reinforcing it and teaching them to the people.
The pastors are more interested in representing their denomination than Jesus. They use their intellect to try and make their denominational teachings fit the doctrine of Jesus. They try to ‘gloss over’ where things don’t align. These men are false teachers, prophets and pastors who represent false apostles and false messiahs (denominational founders).
Matthew 24:24 – For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Matthew 24:5 – For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
Matthew 24:11 – and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
However, it is the people in the end, who cause these denominational teachings to flourish. They mislead themselves and countless others because they only wish to hear a gospel that suits their own beliefs. They do not want to accept the truth. So they hunt around for a doctrine that suits their beliefs, rather than seeking the truth of what the Bible says. They persecute anyone they come across who speaks the truth solely from the Bible, which will not suit their current beliefs (denominational teachings) since everyone must repent to hear the truth, as none are righteous.
Romans 3:10 – As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
We must be careful that through our actions of arguing with people who speak the truth and accepting those who speak denominational dogma, we are sending a message. The same message spoken in the time of Isaiah.
Isaiah 30:9-10 – For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!”and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right!Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
These people were unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They would rather hear a false prophet’s/teacher’s delusions than the truth. Peters speaks of these denominational teachers:
2 Peter 2:1-3 – But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
It is only by feeling bad (guilt and shame) that we are saved through repentance and we will change and stop being sinful.
Isaiah 30:15 – This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
The people did not want to hear a gospel that makes them repent and feel shame and guilt. They want one that makes them feel good. One that does not require them to change. To manipulate the truth is a great sin which is the pastor’s sin. But agreeing with this sin and supporting it, is just as great of a sin and this is the congregations’ sin.
Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
We are meant to stay away from denominational teachings, which have caused all the division in the body of Christ.
Romans 16:17-18 – I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
The denomination followers are naive people, who believe men over the teachings of Jesus. The people who caused this division were the denominational leaders. The false teachers of their doctrine are the ones that continue the division. These pastors only speak to please the people. They know that the people adhere to these denominational teachings and they have to preach these concepts to please the people. For if they begin to speak against their denomination, they will be removed as pastor or no one will attend their church meetings.
Galatians 1:10 – Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
A true man of God must seek to please God and not man.
John 12:42-43 – Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
Even the denominational leaders during the time of Jesus were afraid to confess Jesus for fear of being shunned and thrown out of their churches. This is the same situation today. Many denominational pastors are afraid to confess the true Jesus. It is because when the true interpretation of Jesus’ teachings contradicts the denominational beliefs, the church congregation may shun them and have them removed from the role of a pastor. By speaking the truth, God would praise them but they would rather seek the praise of man over the praise of God. Jesus said:
John 5:41-44 – I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God.
As men and women of God, we must only accept the teachings of the one who speaks in the Father’s name, and that is Jesus. Which means, whenever we hear a pastor speak, we must compare it to the teachings and example of Jesus only, and no other, like denominational teachings. Denominational founders come in their own name and many people accept them. This is accepting glory from one another and not God.
John 7:18 – Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
Denominational founders speak on their own. They speak their own beliefs and interpretations. In doing so, they glorify themselves. But the one who only speaks of the teachings of Jesus without the manipulation from denominational teachings, is truthful. This is how it was for Jesus, who was sent by the Father. It is the same also for the true followers of Jesus, those who are not marred with denominational teachings, who are sent by Jesus.
John 20:21 – Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 17:18 – As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
John 13:20 – Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
Jesus was sent by God and we are sent by Jesus, not denominational founders. Paul states the same thing regarding seeking the praise of men.
1 Thessalonians 2:6 – We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.
These denominational teachers today fear men and not God. Jesus instructs us not to fear human beings, but rather only God:
Matthew 10:28 – Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
To truly follow Jesus without conforming to denominational teachings, is a lonely road filled with rejection. This is the road that Jesus, Paul and all of the other apostles traveled. A road where the denominational founders refer to the non-denominational followers as a cult.
Acts 24:1-16 – Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyera Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the governor. 2When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor:
“You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us. 3For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very grateful to you. 4But I don’t want to bore you, so please give me your attention for only a moment. 5We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes. 6Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate the Temple when we arrested him.b 8You can find out the truth of our accusations by examining him yourself.” 9Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring that everything Tertullus said was true.
10The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you. 11You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. 12My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. 13These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.
14“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. 15I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
We must understand that Jewish people were the first followers of Christ. They made up the congregants of the first century church. They were also Jesus’ opposition and enemies of the church. The point I am making is that what made these people enemies of the church and of Christ, was not the fact that they were Jewish. It was that they believed in denominational teachings over Jesus’ teachings (Pharisees & Sadducees).
So in Paul’s case, he is being called a cult leader because he forsook the Pharisee denomination for the teachings of Jesus. But in reality, it is the Pharisees who are the cult as they merely adhere to the teachings and doctrine of man and not God. The same thing is occurring today when denominations fight and denounce one another. In reality, they are all cults for following a man’s interpretation of Jesus instead of following Christ himself through the scriptures, independent of these denominational manipulations.
In reality, it is all the denominations that are cults. Only true followers of Jesus follow the Bible implicitly without adding the denominational manipulations of man.
Luke 12:5 – But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
To be non-denominational is not to fear man, for all denominations band together to try to silence the truth when it does not support the denominational teachings they choose to believe. This also happened with Jesus:
Matthew 22:34-35 – Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question…
Matthew 12:14 – But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 14:1 – Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.
None of the prophets or apostles of God in the Bible were part of a denomination. Not Jesus:
Mark 12:14 – “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and seek favor from no one. Indeed, You are impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth…
New International Version – They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth…
English Standard Version – And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God…
Nor John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Nor Paul:
Galatians 1:1 & 11-12 – Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Pastors are charged with the role of being a watchman for the people of God. They are supposed to announce and declare pending trouble and doom for us. They are meant to investigate discrepancies between denominational teachings and the teachings of Jesus, and warn us. Not to conform to denominational teachings using their intellect to make it fit out of fear of being shunned and removed from their position in the church. Instead, they have become motivational speakers. They merely tell us whatever we want to hear so that they don’t have to experience any rejection – what cowards!
Isaiah 56:10-12 – His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; Tomorrow will be as today, And much more abundant.”
These false teachers are drunk and not sober. They should be examining the Bible to see where their denominational teachings differ with the truth of the Bible, and warning us. Instead, they scheme and devise clever fables to make their denominational rationalities fit.
They are not sober and alert. Instead, they have become drunk and delusional; filled with manipulation and compromise.
As followers of Christ, we are also warned to be alert so as to identify Satan’s manipulations of the word of God, and specifically, the teachings of Jesus.
1 Peter 5:8-9 – Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
We must be alert in order to identify the manipulations of denominational teachings so we are not following and supporting the denomination over the teachings of Jesus.
Matthew 13:24-25 – Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
While the men of God were sleeping, the enemy sowed his seeds. These men were meant to be alert to see any discrepancies between denominational teachings and the pure teachings of Jesus through the Bible. But instead, they manipulated scripture to suit their denominational beliefs. They chose denominational teachings over the teachings of Jesus. They are lazy, not willing to check the Bible and analyze whether what they are being taught aligns with the teachings and life of Jesus.
The people are also at fault for supporting these messages filled with lies, and in doing so, rejecting the truth. We have been instructed by Jesus to be alert and watch out for these false denominational teachers and founders.
Matthew 7:15 – “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
These teachers seem like followers of Jesus. In reality, through denominational teachings, they are separating the sheep, true followers of Jesus from the Shepherd who holds the correct doctrine. This is what is meant by ‘ravenous wolves’. Paul speaks of these denominational divisions:
Acts 20:29-31 – I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
The state of modern Christianity with its denominational divisions, is exactly what Paul was warning us about. He is telling us to be alert. To see that there are men who will claim to be followers of Christ but really, they create divisions by distorting the truth. They will be men who call themselves Christians. These are the denominational leaders, founders and teachers/pastors of today.
1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
These denominational founders started in theory as Christians. They were among the apostles and their believers but they never really believed the true doctrine of Jesus. Had they belonged, they would not have deviated from the apostles’ teachings and caused divisions. Thus, proving that they were never really in agreement with the apostles teachings.
Acts 20:30 – Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
These denominational founders are speaking a distorted gospel in order to draw disciples of Jesus away from the Good Shepherd and closer to themselves.
These teachers nullify the word of God through their denominational teachings, which are nothing more than the commandments and traditions of man.
Mark 7:13 – Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Mark 7:9 – And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
By accepting their teachings, we reject the true knowledge of Christ. When we do this, we will be rejected by God.
Hosea 4:6 – my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
This is why Jesus is comparing people who speak well of false teachers and prophets to their forefathers. We must not accept false teachings.
Luke 6:26 – Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Jesus is placing the blame on both the false prophets and the people who support their message. We must also understand that while they support the false prophets, they persecute the real ones.
Matthew 23:29-36 – “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
By persecuting Holy Spirit believers that speak the truth, we are heaping upon ourselves, the same sin as Cain, who is the Bible’s first blasphemer. He rejected the truth and persecuted righteous Abel. This is an unforgivable sin. Anyone who rejects the truth and persecutes a Holy Spirit filled believer will be seen as the same as those in the past, who persecuted the prophets of old.
Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
2 Chronicles 36:16 – But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
Acts 7:51-52 – You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
When we discuss the word of God, we must be careful to examine who is speaking directly from the Bible and who is rejecting the truth by merely speaking denominational teachings. This is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. To call the truth evil and rejecting it as false, is blasphemy and this is an unforgivable sin.
Matthew 12:31-32 – And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
These blasphemers support the denominational teachings and treat them as the truth. All the while, they persecute those who are actually speaking the truth due to their message not concurring with their denominational beliefs. We must remember that when we scoff at a truth-speaking Holy Spirit filled believer, we are actually scoffing and mocking God. It is His words that they speak, not merely their own, like the denominational founder. They are not speaking man’s doctrine, like the denominational teacher does.
Luke 10:16 – “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Matthew 10:40 – Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
John 13:20 – Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
It is the truth-speaking Holy Spirit believer that should be held in high esteem, and the false denominational teacher that is persecuted. But this is not the case in this fallen, sinful world.
Ecclesiastes 8:14 – There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.
The majority of the people have always persecuted true prophets of God. Specifically, those who adhere to denominational teachings , they are the persecutors.
John the Baptist understood this:
Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Jesus warns us of denominational teachings.
Matthew 16:6 – Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:11 – How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:12 – Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The same persecution of true men of God, occurred in the Old Testament by false prophets.
Jeremiah 26:7-9 – The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
It is the people who are unrepentant and take offence at the message of the true gospel.
Matthew 10:17 – Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,
Matthew 24:9 – “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Mark 13:9 – “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
This is what Jesus speaks of in his parable.
Matthew 21:35-36 – “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
This is the kind of persecution that the Holy Spirit believers receive in denominational churches.
Acts 7:51-52 – stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—
The ‘uncircumcised’ ears that Stephen is speaking of is unrepentance. Through unrepentance, we become deaf. We cannot hear the truth, even though we listen to it.
Matthew 13:14 – In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Isaiah 42:20 – You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
Jeremiah 5:21 – Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:
Ezekiel 12:2 – “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
It is only through repentance that we can hear the truth in the word of God.
Matthew 13:15-16 – For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
Through repentance, we receive spiritual ears that can hear and spiritual eyes that can see. We must be careful that we are not blind and deaf through unrepentance. Denominational teachings cause us to believe that we know the truth. This causes us to no longer be able to hear and understand the actual truth. When we do this, we are running the race in vain if we are merely believing in denominational distortions and not the truth.
Matthew 15:7-9 – You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
Mark 7:6-7 – He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
Isaiah 29:13 – The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.
Ezekiel 33:31 – My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.
The human rules, traditions and precepts of men are denominational teachings. They killed Stephen, a Holy Spirit filled, truth-speaking believer, even though he warned them of this fact just a few moments before. They rejected him because their denominational beliefs did not align with Stephen’s truth.
Acts 7:54-60 – When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
We must be very careful about who we support, as in what pastor or denomination we agree with.For no denomination speaks the truth of the gospel. By supporting the false doctrines of man, a delusional pastor, and a denominational teacher, we incur his sin. When we support a lie, we will inevitably reject anyone speaking the truth. We should be reading the Bible for ourselves and not through denominational manipulations and rationalities.
Luke 16:13 – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
These false denominational teachers speak a false doctrine which allows us to keep our wealth. In turn, we support this message while rejecting the true gospel of Christ. The true gospel of Christ requires us to give away our wealth to the poor.
Luke 14:33 – In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Luke 12:33 – Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
When we accept a false gospel that says otherwise, we then despise the truth and persecute the messengers of Christ who speak the truth. Through doing this, we persecute Christ himself.
When the Apostle Paul belonged to denominational doctrine, he persecuted the true followers of Jesus. But when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus, he said “why are you persecuting me?”. When we persecute true followers of Jesus, we are actually persecuting Jesus himself.
Acts 9:4-5 – He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
Luke 10:16 – “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Matthew 10:40 – “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”
John 13:20 – Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
It is the wicked who prosper on this earth. They are the ones with big churches and followings. This is because they have learned to speak what the people want to hear instead of the truth, so that their ministries will be supported and they will be spoken well of.
Jeremiah 12:1-2 – You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? 2 You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.
These denominational teachers flourish while those who speak the truth are persecuted. These denominational teachers speak of Jesus with their lips, but his philosophies are not in their hearts.
Luke 6:46 – Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Jeremiah wished that these wicked teachers and their followers would be punished in this age.
Jeremiah 12:3-4 – Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! 4 How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, “He will not see what happens to us.”
This goes for denominational teachers and those who support their distortions. God’s answer is one of eternal punishment. Not one for here on this earth in this age but rather in the age to come.
Jeremiah 12:5-10 – “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? 6 Your relatives, members of your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.
When we speak the truth, even members of our own family will reject us. Members who are fooled by denominational teachings will reject the true gospel of Jesus.
Matthew 10:35-36 – For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
Jesus is quoting this from the Old Testament.
Micah 7:6 – For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother,a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.
Matthew 10:21 – “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
We must love Jesus more than even our own family. Meaning we must not change our views and compromise the truth to obtain peace within our family. Anyone who does this cannot receive the Holy Spirit. To be worthy of Jesus is to receive his spirit.
Matthew 10:37 – Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Jeremiah speaks of this also:
Cont’d Jeremiah 12:7-10 – “I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies. 8 My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest. She roars at me; therefore I hate her. 9 Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour. 10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
As we can see, it is at the direction of the false shepherds that this desolation has taken place.
Jeremiah 12:11-13 – It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares. 12 Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other; no one will be safe. 13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. They will bear the shame of their harvest because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”
God’s judgment and punishments are awaiting these denominational founders who have caused all the division in the body of Christ, along with their followers, who have believed in mere men over the Messiah, Jesus.
This concept of false teachers is also mentioned in Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 34:1-16 – The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
As we can see, we are not meant to follow false shepherds, meaning pastors that represent denominations (which are false doctrines). We are only meant to follow Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd and no other.
2 Peter 2:1-3 – But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
We are meant to follow The Shepherd who is Jesus and only him. The way to follow the Good Shepherd can only be found in the word of God through a repentant heart. We are meant to test and compare everything that any pastor says, against the scriptures, to see if it aligns with the teachings of Jesus. This is how we accept Jesus as our shepherd and not false shepherds. We are also meant to test and compare all the teachings of any given denomination, to the teachings of Jesus.
If you do this diligently, you will soon find out that all denominations differ from the teachings of Jesus in some way or another. And if we continue to believe in their denominational teachings, then we are following a false shepherd and not Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:23-31 – “‘Then I’ll install one shepherd for them—my servant David—and he will feed them, will be there for them, and will serve as their shepherd. 24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will rule among them as Prince.’ I, the Lord, have spoken this.
25 “I’m going to enter into a covenant with them, one of peace, and I’ll eliminate wild beasts from the land so they can live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests. 26 I’m going to make them and everything that surrounds my hill a blessing. I’ll send down the rain! At the appropriate time there will be a rainstorm of blessing! 27 I’ll bring fruit to the trees in the orchards, the land will yield its produce, they will live securely on their land, and they will learn that I am the Lord, when I break the bar that has been their yoke and deliver them from the control of those who have enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will settle down confidently, with nothing to frighten them. 29 I’m going to prepare for them the best of gardening spots. They will no longer live as victims in a land of starvation, nor will they have to bear the insults of the international community. 30 That’s when they’ll learn that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people,’ declares the Lord God. 31 ‘And as for you, my sheep, the flock that I’m pasturing, you are mankind, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord God.”
We are only safe with the shepherd of God, who is Jesus, and no other (like denominational founders & teachers). Jesus himself, speaks of this:
John 10:11-16 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
To truly follow Jesus, we must not infect our beliefs with denominational manipulations. If we are true sheep of Jesus, we will know when we truly hear his voice and we will refuse to follow another’s false teachings.
True sheep read the word of God and the teachings of Jesus daily. They know the Good Shepherd’s voice and when they hear a contradiction in denominational teachings, they can detect it instantly. But those who have already learned denominational interpretations, must repent by accepting the concept that denominational teachings are nothing more than the manipulations of man. Through this repentance, they can now read the word of God/teachings of Jesus and see the truth in it without the deceptive manipulations of denominations. This is how Jesus’ true sheep only follow his voice and no other.
John 10:4-5 – When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
It is important not to delude ourselves. We must understand that anyone who speaks the truth and causes people to repent, meaning to feel bad and cause shame and guilt, will surely be persecuted. And not many people will support them. Jesus warns us of this.
Matthew 5:11-13 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
When we are persecuted for speaking the truth, we must rejoice for then we are truly like the prophets before us. We must make sure that we do not compromise the message and teachings of Jesus when we experience this kind of rejection. Doing so will cause us to become useless.
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
It is impossible to speak the same truth as the prophets and not expect to receive the same result of persecution.
Acts 7:52 – Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.
Jesus even compares us to himself with the same concept. How can we speak the same truth as Jesus and not expect to be persecuted?
Matthew 10:25 – It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
If we are speaking the true gospel, we will suffer rejection and abuse just as Jesus did.
Philippians 1:29 – For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,
2 Timothy 3:12 – In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
John 15:20 – Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
1 John 2:6 – Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 Peter 2:21 – To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Acts 14:22 – strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
2 Corinthians 4:9 – persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
1 Peter 4:14 – If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
People prefer pastors and prophets who tell them what they want to hear. It has always been this way.
1 Kings 22:5-6 – But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” 6So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
In the time of Jehoshaphat, prophets were merely telling the King of Israel what he wanted to hear, not the truth.
1 Kings 22:7 – But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
But Jehoshaphat was not fooled. He knew that they were 400 false teachers, who were merely speaking lies to gain favor.
1 Kings 22:8 – The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.
The king of Israel only wanted ‘yes’ men, false prophets and teachers around him. People who would tell him only what he wanted to hear because the King despised anyone who spoke the truth. This is what people are like today, who only seek pastors that suit their own beliefs and not the beliefs of Jesus.
1 Kings 22:9-12 – So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 11 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”
12 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
The false prophets/shepherds spoke lies, words and prophecies that suited what the King wanted to hear.
1 Kings 22:13 – The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”
Even the King’s messengers were pressuring the true prophet, Micaiah to speak what the King wanted, and to agree with the false prophets.
1 Kings 22:14 – But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me.”
The prophet Micaiah’s answer is one of a true man of God. He will only speak what God tells him and will not take any man’s wishes into consideration. This is a true prophet of the Lord. These types of men are true pastors. Not ones who are people pleasers.
Galatians 1:10 – Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 – On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.
John 12:43 – for they loved human praise more than praise from God.
Proverbs 29:25 – Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Matthew 22:16 – They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.
Acts 4:19-20 – But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
John 5:41-44 – “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
John 7:18 – Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.
This is what the true prophet Michaiah was like. He did not fear man but rather only God.
Matthew 10:28 – Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Luke 12:4 – “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
Hebrews 13:6 – So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 118:6 – The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.4 In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
1 Peter 3:14 – But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”
Philippians 1:27-30 – Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Our pastors today should have this kind of courage. Rather than being cowards who twist the word to please others, so that they don’t have to face rejection.
1 Kings 22:16-28 – The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
The King, who represents the people in this circumstance, will only accept a message that he agrees with and not the truth.
19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
These false prophets are led by deceiving spirits and not by God, just like denominational founders and teachers. The King, who represents the people in this case, would rather believe their false, pleasing message over the prophet of the Lord’s truth.
22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
23 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
24 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.
The messenger of the Lord who speaks the truth is then persecuted.
25 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”
26 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son 27 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”
28 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”
The 400 false prophets are left unmolested but the one true prophet of God is shunned. The same thing happened during the time of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 28:1-4 – In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
This is a false prophet speaking with the intention of only pleasing the King and the people of Judah, so as not to face rejection. It is the same thing that the false denominational teachers do today. To truly be non-denominational, is to be persecuted and rejected by the denominations.
Jeremiah 28:5-9 – Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. 7 Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.”
The true prophet Jeremiah speaks an unpopular message, which is opposite to the false prophet.
Jeremiah 28:10-17 – Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Hananiah, in front of all the people, said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way, within two years, I’ll break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.
12 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet: 13 “Go and say to Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You have broken wooden yokes, but you have made iron yokes in their place.” 14 For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I’ve put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll serve him, and I’ve even given the wild animals to him.”’”
15 The prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord didn’t send you, and you are causing these people to trust in a lie.
This is what the false denominational teachers do. They cause people to believe in a lie.
16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I’m about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you will die because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”
17 So the prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year.
Unfortunately, later on, Jeremiah suffers persecution for his message. As usual, anyone who speaks the truth will be contrary to the false prophets, whose message caters to the will of the people but is against the will of God. They will always be persecuted. Jeremiah’s message was not one of hope but rather one of God’s discipline against the people’s rebellion. Due to this, Jeremiah was persecuted many times.
Jeremiah 32:1-2 – This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.
Jeremiah 37:11-16 – After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there. 13 But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”
14 “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.
16 Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time.
The people say false evil things about Jeremiah. Jesus warns us that the same thing will happen to us if we speak the truth. Just like what they did to Jesus and the prophets of old.
Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jeremiah 38:2-6 – Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’ 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”
4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
5 “He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
Once again, Jeremiah was persecuted for speaking the truth. We see the same thing happen to the prophet Amos because of the message he spoke from God. He was persecuted by the local priest, who was a false shepherd. This is what happens to men of God who speak the truth. The false teachers will speak evil of them.
Amos 7:10-13 – Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
Elijah, after speaking a powerful word from God, is forced to go into hiding.
1 Kings 17:1-4 – Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
Then after speaking a powerful word from God, Elijah became a fugitive again.
1 Kings 18:1&2, 17-19 – After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,…17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
Many times, men of God are painted and treated by denominational teachers as troublemakers. Even though they themselves are the actual deceiving troublemakers. King Ahab was one of the most evil kings in Israel’s history.
1 Kings 16:30 – Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
It is the denominational teachers who view the truth speaking, Holy Spirit filled believers as trouble. They desire to drive them out of their churches, claiming that they are deceivers. When in reality, they are afraid that these true men of God will open the eyes of the people. Most denominational followers do not even know this kind of rejection and persecution is taking place by their church pastors, leaders and elders. They are too oblivious to see. But these people act just like in the time of Jesus when they betrayed and arrested Jesus at night.
John 13:30 – As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
This kind of evil is conducted in the dark, in secret, away from the eye of the people, where no one can witness the injustice of the pastor and elders.
Matthew 21:45-46 – When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Instead, King Ahab was willing to follow the words and counsel of 400 false prophets and refer to the true prophet of God as a troublemaker. We do the same thing today when we choose the perverted gospel of a denominational false teacher over the actual meaning from the Bible. By doing this, we reject the truth speaking Holy Spirit filled believer and render him a troublemaker.
Cont’d 1 Kings 18:18 – “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Now Elijah confronts the false prophets of Baal, whom King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel believe in.
1 Kings 18:20-39 – So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. 22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
God performed such a powerful sign! He did this for his one true prophet over four hundred false prophets of Baal. The prophets of Baal had deceived the Jewish people and you would think that after this sign, King Ahab and Jezebel would finally listen to Elijah. But as usual, when people do not hear what suits their own beliefs, they persecute.
1 Kings 19:1-3 – Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
Once again, a true prophet of the Lord is persecuted for speaking the truth and 400 false prophets are accepted. Now let’s move to the New Testament to the story of John the Baptist.
Mark 6:17-28 – For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.
21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.
For speaking the truth, this prophet of God was persecuted and killed for speaking an unpopular message about divorce. It is still unpopular today and most pastors will not truthfully speak in regards to this subject due to fear and cowardice. Instead, they distort the truth to suit the people.
The Apostle Paul was also persecuted:
2 Timothy 4:14-16 – Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.
The people even deserted the Apostle Paul because of his message of truth.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 – You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. 2 We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.
True men of God always face opposition for speaking the truth.
Acts 19:23-41 – About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Once again, Paul, a man of God, is persecuted for speaking the truth against idol worshipping.
Acts 17:1-10 & 13 – When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue…13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
Paul was persecuted by denominationally minded Jews, who rejected Paul’s teachings of Jesus being the Messiah. The Bible speaks of Paul’s persecution several times.
Acts 9:29 – He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
Acts 13:50 – But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
Acts 14:19 – Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
Acts 18:12 – While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
Of course, Paul’s teachings were not contrary to the law. Just like Jesus’ teachings were not contrary to the law. Their teachings were against the denominational views of the time on how to fulfill the law, but not against God’s law itself. In truth, the denominational views were against God.
Acts 22:22 – The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” 23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.
Acts 23:10 – The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
All of the apostles were abused, persecuted and reviled. They were all murdered (except for the apostle John, who was imprisoned and suffered torture for the truth of the gospel). Finally, we all know how our Savior, Jesus suffered for the truth he spoke. He paid for it with his very life, at such a young age. We must transform our minds away from the world’s position that the masses (denominations) must be correct.
Exodus 23:2 – “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd,
Our testimony of Jesus and our beliefs in his doctrine must not be influenced by the crowd. It must not be perverted due to us wishing to side with the masses belonging to our denomination. We must have the courage to denounce denominational teachings and follow Jesus’ doctrine alone, without man’s manipulations.
James 4:4 – You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
The moral majority is not a biblical concept. We must not have a ‘bandwagon’ type mentality. Instead, we must search for the truth even if that makes us part of an unpopular, persecuted minority.
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