In support of the hundreds of “plans of salvation” being put forth by the two-headed, multi-bodied church we find a variety of “gospels” being preached. Except for the Gospel being proclaimed by God’s tiny rejected church, all of those gospels are counterfeit. Today we find different denominations preaching the “gospel of grace,” the “gospel of salvation,” the “Preterist gospel,” the “social gospel,” etc. Not one of these versions of God’s “good news” is the Gospel Christ preached. Question: Why do not the churches proclaim the message God sent Jesus to preach? Answer: They listen to, obey, worship and serve the wrong god–“the god of this world”–2 Cor. 4:4). Jesus warned that this would happen within the church before His return.

In Matthew 24 we find the disciples asking Him for a sign that His return to earth and the end of the world were immanent. The first sign Jesus mentioned was religious deception in which SALVATION SEEKERS WOULD BE DECEIVED BY SATAN’S PROPHETS (vss 4,5). The vast majority of believers would be led astray as He had earlier warned in Matthew 7:13,14. And as is clearly seen today, He was right. I will summarize the situation in my words. The church masses want to hear the Lord’s “headlines” but not His “fine print.”

What they are not told in church is that without the knowledge of and obedience to the “fine print,” the ‘headlines” are meaningless. If you have not done so, read the “If” series. Key word–If. As stated in Pt. 8a, the early church was being taught a false gospel just as the Apostle Paul warned the Galatian churches about in 1:6-9. They heard a message about the person of Jesus, not about His Word from the Father–THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WHICH INCLUDES INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HOW TO ENTER THAT KINGDOM (THE “COMBINATION” TO THE “SAFE).” Without the “fine print” relative to God’s promises, the believer is, as we say in Texas, “all hat and no cattle.” Jesus describes the modern day (Laodicean era) church as living that same reality in Revelation 3:14-18. Simply stated, the modern church has billions of hats but only make-believe cattle.

A deceived person does not know he is deceived. Otherwise he would not be deceived. When one is deceived into embracing a false Gospel, he also embraces a false god, false savior and false salvation.

Some 20 years after the founding of the New Testament Church we find Paul pronouncing a double curse upon ANYONE who taught a Gospel which deviated in any way from Christ’s Gospel. False prophets, which today number approximately 450,000 church officials globally, are operating under a double curse and do not know it. The Lord proclaims “Woe unto the pastors and prophets” who lead His people astray (Eze. 13:3/ Jer. 23:1). Such people and those who follow them have in the past and will in the future hear God’s voice. Read The “Voices” of God. Key word–Voices.

By 70 A.D. the True Gospel of Christ was no longer being preached to the world. God’s true church was forced to go into hiding where they held services secretly and communicated God’s Truth privately. However, a false gospel was continuing to be preached publicly and had become “God’s truth. Today many perverted gospels (a different one for each cult, denomination, faith, church, etc.) are being presented as “the word of God” by those who call themselves His church. In Second Corinthians 11:3,4 Paul warns us about those who preach “another gospel” about “another Jesus,” while operating under the power of “another spirit.” Here he perfectly describes the church of the Laodicean Church era in which we live. Paul gave us a solemn warning relative to those who proclaim their own version of God’s Truth: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, and no marvel, for Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers are also transformed into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Unfortunately, those who believe and follow them will also be judged according to their works, which reveal which god they obey. Let us keep this in mind as we choose whose words we will hear, read, believe and obey. Our eternity depends on our making the right choice. The wrong choice leads the salvation seeker into idolatry, which is the subject of the next posting. L.J.