How to Avoid End-Time Deception
Everyone agrees its coming; very few have any idea what it really entails. Most people will tell you "any Spirit that denies Jesus is Lord," is the anti-Christ and they have no idea what they are talking about. If this is what you are depending on to prevent you from being deceived by the spiritual imposters that are coming (that are here today), you don't have a chance.
Here's a quick rule of thumb you can apply to any prophet, teacher, or ministry to determine if they are true to the Word of God or of they are attempting to lead you astray, wittingly or unwittingly. The things that sound "positive," "encouraging," and "uplifting" to men are most likely totally out of sync with God, His plans, and the things that are actually about to occur as the End Times play out in actuality.
When asked about "when these things would be" in connection with His Second Coming, and what would be the sign of the end, Jesus enumerated a number of telltale signs-all of them negative with the exception of the fact that "this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached" everywhere on the earth. Outside of that, the Lord predicted horrendous affairs occurring in the natural realm. He said it would be time of trouble such as never has been before in the history of the world. He directly addressed "His people" and told them they should be prepared to "run for their lives" and pray that they might escape the things that are coming on the earth.
Is this the message we are hearing today from most of our "end-time" prophets? For the most part, we are hearing how we should be prepared for the "emergence" of some new and greater manifestation of the power of God-whether it be "Joel's Army," "The Manchild Company," "The Manifested Sons of God," "a Daniel Company," or whatever. We are told to be ready for Revival on an unprecedented scale, and warned that those who are not spiritually prepared will miss it!
I am also interested to hear great "men of God" who are so respected by the masses of believers as they spout off prophecies about what God is about to do and what the next move of the Spirit is going to encompass as if the Lord had not already spoken very clearly regarding this topic. Of course, to these men He has not because they have not taken the time to study the Word of God as it relates to these issues, or if they have, they have dismissed the truth of the Word of God where it does not support their optimistic view of the present and near-future.
A case in point is a recent article by an "Elijah List" prophet, Paul Keith Davis. In an article called "Change is Imminent," he says:
The Great Reformation was launched with a clear prophetic word from the Lord's heart. A fullness-of-time moment had occurred in God's plan and the ministry of restoration was set in motion. That movement has been progressively accelerating to this present hour. Another crossroads has been met and great change is imminent.
Such statements, while probably almost universally accepted by the "the church" reveal a lack of understanding of the written revelation of God that has already been give us, and lack of respect for those of us who have some real understanding of what has transpired over the last 2,000 years since the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The "Great Reformation" took place in the early 16th century as the result of a resurgence in the study of scripture on the part of many, including one Martin Luther. Although it is generally referred to as "the Great" Reformation, in fact, it accomplished little besides laying a foundation for the continued breakup and splintering of God's people into a thousand schisms or factions which we glibly refer to as "denominations." This statement is in no way a defense of the Roman Catholic church, it is rather a commentary on the true "prophetic word" that went out from God regarding the Reformation. It is found in Revelation 3:1-6.
Brother Davis makes reference to a "clear prophetic word from the Lord's heart." Unfortunately, he does not tell us how that word came about or who heard it! Therefore it is difficult to comment more upon it. It would appear however that he is totally ignorant of the true prophetic word that the Lord had spoken regarding this "fullness-of-time moment."
He goes on to say that once this "fullness-of-time moment" had "occurred in God's plan," the ministry of restoration was set in motion and has been progressively accelerating even to this hour.
In fact, there have been two distinct, discernable movements that have occurred in church history since the Reformation that have brought us to the present moment. To understand, perhaps we should take a good look at the "present condition" of the Body of Christ as it is and not as some would have us believe it is.
Currently believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, or "Christians" as they are commonly called, are generally "denominated" or somehow related to one "denomination" or another. There are thousands of denominations, but these can be grouped into several major categories: Roman Catholicism (the denomination led by "Jezebel" as described in Revelation 2:18-29), which is prophesied to be the longest standing denomination and to be on the earth when the great tribulation comes upon it; the protestant or reformed denominations prophesied in Revelation 3:1-7, which are also predicted to be on the earth at the advent of the tribulation period when the Lord shall come upon these believers as a thief; the premillenial, fundamentalist denominations that are prophesied in Revelation 3:7-13, to which the promise is given that they will be "kept" from experiencing the tribulation that is coming upon all the earth; and the final "Charismatic Renewal," totally obsessed with itself and full of spiritual pride and self-deception as prophesied in Revelation 3:14-22.
According to the true Word of Prophecy, then, there is not going be another "movement" of the Spirit of the scope of the Reformation, the Fundamentalist Movement, or the Charismatic Revival. This salient fact is lost to 99.9% of all of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers operating on the earth today. And this is why any of them can easily lead you astray when it comes to speaking of the things that are about to occur on the earth. Most of them, especially those of the amillennial bent Roman Catholics and Reformation-protestants will try to paint a positive picture of the future where men of good faith and reason will prevail over the radical fundamentalist extremists of all faiths to usher in the kingdom-a world where men live in peace. Most Charismatic-leaning "prophets" have transitioned from the previously held traditional premillennial eschatology to some weird "new" thing-"new" apostolic, "new" prophetic," "new" Reformation-based eschatology which if anyone would take the time to look, is nothing but old, old, old amillennialism, Dominion, Kingdom Now teaching dressed up in Fundamental Premilliennial-sounding terminology. So much so that many people could be fooled, or deceived, by these teachings without realizing it.
How can one tell the real thing from the "new" thing? The new thing will ALWAYS have more of positive element than negative. It will always tout the great healings that are going to take place, the great miracles, the "greater things than these" that are going to accompany the greatest revival the world has ever seen. In its more bodacious forms, it even touts "super-apostles" that are about to appear.
My suggestion: Do NOT follow them. No matter how many people they raise from the dead "in Jesus name;" no matter how many people they heal "in Jesus name." Such a movement of God is NOT prophesied for our time, while exactly such a ministry of Satan IS prophesied, and it is prophesied that the lying signs and wonders and miracles that will accompany the coming of the antichrist will deceive many who will believe they are of God-in spite of the fact that God has clearly foretold us that they are not of God but of the Devil.
