Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
Matthew 24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
Wikipedia
Siberia, September 23, 2020: Sergei Torop or “Vissarion the Teacher” or “Jesus of Siberia” has been arrested. Vissarion is the leader of the Church of the Last Testament and the reincarnate Christ. He was charged with psychological abuse.
Torop was previously a police officer in the old Soviet Union. He lost his job when the Soviet Union went out of business.
1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
“I am not God. And it is a mistake to see Jesus as God. But I am the living word of God the father. Everything that God wants to say, he says through me.” -Vissarion, The Guardian, 2002.
Strict veganism was enforced on the compound so no miracles of fish. Living conditions were poor with limited medical care and suicides.
The Russian government for their part was taking no chances. Special forces, just in case, were sent in to arrest “Jesus of Siberia”. Hooded, armed troops and military helicopters were utilized to secure Vissarion and two of his followers.
Granted, there have not been any miracles attributed to this fellow in Siberia. But don’t kid yourself. One is coming who will be most impressive and deceptive.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Jude 1:4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed…
…persons… ἄνθρωποι/anthropoi in the Greek. This is the plural form of what is translated “man” or “humanity”. It is a broad, corporate term for a human being. It could be a man or a woman.
…have crept in unnoticed… Some people have παρεισέδυσαν/pareisedusan. As Strong’s Concordance defines: they have entered secretly, slipped in stealthily; to steal in.
Pay close attention. Here is some insight into their character. They are quietly sneaky. They are not loud and in your face. Don’t think these are only men. False teachers can be women. Be on guard. The Bible repeatedly warns against false prophets and false teachers whether it is in the Old Testament or the New Testament.
God anticipates these sordid characters are coming in His law. And God has a consequence for false prophets.
Deuteronomy 18:20 “But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.”
Look at all of the authors in the Bible, in addition to Jude, who warn generations about false teachers and false prophets.
Jeremiah 14:15 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them–yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’–by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! -Jeremiah
Isaiah 9:15-16 The head is the elder and honorable man, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail. For those who guide this people are leading them astray; and those who are guided by them are brought to confusion. -Isaiah
Ezekiel 13:3 Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.” -Ezekiel
Hosea 4:5 So you will stumble by day, and the prophet also will stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. -Hosea
Micah 3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; when they have something to bite with their teeth, they cry, “Peace,” but against him who puts nothing in their mouths they declare holy war. -Micah
Zechariah 13:2 “It will come about in that day,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.” -Zechariah
Every gospel author (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) has a statement on false prophets and false teachers.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” -Jesus
Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock… -Luke, author of Acts, quoting Paul
2 Timothy 3:8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. -Paul
2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. -Peter
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. -John
Matthew 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
Dateline: South Carolina, April 2018
Christ Incarnate Arrested in High Speed Chase
“Crump had earlier mentioned that since he was the reincarnated Jesus Christ that he had no earthly possessions and did not claim the coin collection. Because a proper owner of the coin collection could not be identified, it was entered into evidence as found property along with the other property from the vehicle.”
Joseph Kevin Crump was charged with reckless driving, failure to stop for blue light, leaving the scene of an accident, improper lane change and hit and run.
Revelation 2:2-3 I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
Good news from Jesus Christ to the church or local body of believers at Ephesus. He is watching and He knows what is taking place.
Perseverance…This word is used twice in the verses above. Perseverance is the Greek word ηυπομονε/hupomone. Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: constancy, endurance; in the New Testament the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings; patiently and steadfastly enduring.
The people at the church of Ephesus were focused grinders. The text tells us their work and life was difficult from the word for “toil”. It comes from the Greek κοποσ/kopos. It means: a beating of the breast with grief, sorrow; intense labor united with trouble.
…and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false…
False teachers…a topic believers are continually warned about throughout the Bible. Jesus Himself warned against these folks. Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Whatever the future holds will be off the charts in deception.
The New Testament letters of Galatians and 1 Thessalonians warn against false teachers. The Apostle John warns about the ultimate false teacher, the antichrist.
The church at Ephesus “put them to the test”. They had the attitude of the Berean Church. Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
Were the false teachers telling the truth? Apparently not. False teachers are evil, wicked, and destructive.
What was the focus of the church at Ephesus? My name’s sake…The body of believers at Ephesus was focused on Jesus Christ.
These two verses are calls to believers in Jesus Christ today. We are to focus and work for the communication of the gospel of Christ regardless of the circumstances. We are called to persevere, stay vigilant, and focus.
Christians are called to guard against false teachers and verify with Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. “All Scripture” includes the Old Testament. The Old Testament is buried treasure. It will reveal the New Testament to life in the person of Jesus Christ.
…and have not grown weary. Do not become κοπιαο/kopiao. Yes, we will grow weary, tired, and exhausted with toil, burdens and grief.
This personal message is given to us by Jesus is at the beginning of the book of Revelation. This message is one of the first things He tells the church. Difficult times are coming. Don’t quit. It is worth it in the end.
Isaiah 9:13-16 Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, nor do they seek the LORD of hosts. So the LORD cuts off head and tail from Israel, both palm branch and bulrush in a single day. The head is the elder and honorable man, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail. For those who guide this people are leading them astray; and those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
Biblical principle: Deceitful leadership will result in the destruction of the people they represent.
False prophets and teachers have existed throughout the course of time. Jesus Himself explains how to identify a false teacher in Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?”
God has a very simple message for false prophets, death. There are many examples of this in the Old Testament. One of them is Jeremiah 14:15 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end!” The message for false prophets is the same in the New Testament, death. 2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
False prophets and teachers are motivated by greed and money. This concept is noted throughout the Bible. 2 Peter 2:3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. Micah 3:11 Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, “Is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.”
James 3:1-2 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
No man who is a pastor-teacher is going to be pure and 100% accurate in his teaching. It is not humanly possible and it does not exist. Any man who projects infallibility and purity in his interpretation of Scripture needs to be closely examined, period. To think perfection in interpretation of Biblical doctrine exists in humanity outside of Christ is unrealistic.
If a local body or an individual projects that a pastor-teacher is infallible in interpretation and teaching of Scripture, this should result in reflection and examination as well. In either case, Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous not even one”. We are all flawed human beings.
It is the responsibility of individuals to read the Bible and discern. For that matter, don’t take my word for it either. Search and seek, verify.
