Chapter 4
Dazed by Doctrines of Demons
-Paul warned Timothy that the last days would be times of great deception
-Paul called them “doctrines of demons”
1 Timothy 4:1
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
-Greek word Didaskalia is the word “doctrine” meaning information imparted by a teacher coupled with their authority to instruct
-His instruction on the path we should take is straight, and yes, it is narrow
Matthew 7:14
“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
-His path guarantees protection an promise His ways offer pleasantness and peach
Proverbs 3:17
“Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace.”
-when we accept the authority of the wrong teacher we head down a path paved with deception and lies
-the devil’s doctrines lure us away from God
Doctrine in Difficult Days
-last days will be perilous times will come
2 Timothy 3:1
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.”
-the word “know” is a command, not a suggestion
-Greek Language: “perilous” times will be a global phenomenon
-the word “perilous” brings out the idea of stressed on every front and from every angle
-it means to push hard against another object
-Paul’s personal experiences made him keenly aware of the danger of continual stress
The World is Shifting
-every person has a worldview: beliefs that form the foundation of how they see life and their understanding of right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable-in a word–morality
The Church is Shifting
-Christians need to be able to answer questions about their doctrinal beliefs, the conclusions are disheartening
-religion has cut themselves off from the anchor of the great doctrines of the Bible
-no real understanding of the Biblical doctrines regarding the nature of God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit
-In America, Christianity has fallen victim to those who are supposed to be custodians
-Pulpits are filled with preachers, pastors, and prophets, we now have traders and marketeer of religion who promote anything and everything in the name of Christ
Ex. Black Lives Matter and feminism have become the doctrines of the bedrock of the Word of God
-they care more about social justice than God’s judgment and the gospel that saves mankind from it
-weak, ineffective churches are of little value in the world in which God has placed them
-they have no ability to fight against the destructive doctrines that threaten those whom they claim to care about
-compromise in various pulpits is forcing many to depart from these mainstream denominations to find their source of spiritual strength and disciples in churches and small groups that are faithful to God’s Word
-the world is dazed by deception, vigilance is needed
****we need to pay attention to the signs that will expose the enemy’s hidden agendas
Doctrines Fit for a Modern World
-Satan is wily
-subversion is the undermining of the power and authority of an established system or institution
-subversive practices take hold
-subversive activities that undermine a country’s foundation are spreading into all areas of society
Progressivism in Education
-Satan has covertly operated for decades in education under the guise of progressivism
-progressivism’s subversive doctrines have been entrenched on college and university campuses
-reformation of society that leaves God out of the picture
-Puritans: valued the ability to read and interpret Scripture
1947: Old Deluder Satan Act laid the foundation of the creation of public schools
Enlightened culture: no need for the Bible nor the need for the 10 commandments in our classrooms
-today, we have a higher level of ignorance
-today, no moral guidance or spiritual truths
Judges 17: 6
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.”
-teachers, librarians, and administrators are circumventing parental authority
-parents are told to cede control of their children’s lives because educators know best
-an individual or group wants to relieve parents of their responsibility God has given them, you know that a demonic doctrine is behind it
-government and campuses have influence of progressive doctrines
-stoking imagined inequalities to magnifying real problems, society is now filled with volatile issues
-discord and misinformation are robbing us of civility and tolerance
God’s design:
-parents are to be the primary source of influence in a child’s life
Social Media
-the dark side of emotional addiction
-has done more to usher in a crippling dependency upon the approval of others than anything else in human history to date
-it consumes our thought life in a perpetual, nonstop thinking about self which is now accepted as normal
-it has engulfed our children
-teens are conditioned to care about and respond to how absolute strangers view their media posts
-it is an effective tool for Satan because it causes a person to be highly vulnerable to the opinions and critiques of others
-results in significant damage to children’s psychological and spiritual development
-adults are not immune to the deliberating fear of others that social media’s self-centered, self-absorbed thinking breeds
-results in a narcissistic, domineering lifestyle
-people elevate themselves as the center of their universe finding it necessary to control others to maintain that number one spot
-the craving for absolute power control over others like a dictator
-uses fear tactics like socialism, Marxism, communism, and totalitarians
-tyrants thrive on intimidation
-heightened state of fear keep people in bondage
-purpose of the doctrines of demons
Spirituality
-unbelief of atheism is the doctrine of demons
-atheism is a hopeless worldview
-unbelief severely limits their view to the point of blindness
-they cannot see the deep spiritual meaning and design of life which makes them unable to see God
-unbelief is Satan’s attempt to get people believing in anything other than the God of the Bible
-Old Testament warns humanity has a propensity to worship anything other than God
-every person believes in something and/or theology
-God = Self, Climate Change, Science, etc…
Sexuality
-explosion of aberrant sexuality that the Bible warned would occur in the last days
-perversion and deviant sexual thinking
-eliminating Genesis: God created man and woman
-sexuality is given by God not only to celebrate but to honor
-Satan has perverted sexuality and redefined it in his plot to destroy what God called good
-this is happening at an unprecedented rate on a global scale = doctrines of demons
Science
-alternatives to biological humans
-great deception among the nations and peoples of the world
Matthew 24: 24. 29-30
“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
“Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
-science refuses to recount God’s creation
-they are looking to a way out of having to face the eternal God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End
Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Doctrine is a Matter of Life and Death
-you can’t be just close to being in sound doctrine
-Satan is smart
-he wants to get people to deviate just enough in their thinking to keep them off course
Why God Cares:
-doctrines that pervert the truth about God’s nature, character, and intentions never exist in a vacuum
-God makes it clear that if a prophet delivered false messages will be held accountable with a punishment of death
-false doctrine leads people astray and when fully embraced it condemns them to hell
-it is not God’s intention for humans to occupy the corridors of hell
-battlefield: Satan against humanity versus the love of God for them
Ex. story of Elijah & the altar
-450 pagan gods verses Elijah’ God
1 Kings 18: 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.”
-Baal prophets built an altar, laid a sacrifice, danced, called out, and even cut themselves for their gods to burn up the sacrifice but all the received is a deafening silence
-Elijah built an altar, laid a sacrifice, doused the sacrifice and altar with water 3 times so the water filled up the trenches surrounding the altar, then he called on the one true God. His presence came down and consumed the burnt offering. The fire was so hot that is the sacrifice, wood, and stones burnt into dust.
-Elijah then commanded the false prophets to seized to be executed
-the false prophets were held accountable for delivering false messages so punishment was death
Deuteronomy chapters 13-19
-describe God’s exacting standards of prophets
Ch. 13 Worshiping Other Gods
Ch. 14 Clean and Unclean Food
Ch. 15 the Year of Canceling Debts
Ch. 16 The Passover
Face the Wind:
-God’s love is strong enough to take you through the hardest trials and the toughest temptations
Satan’s Scheme
-any force coming against us to try to break our relationship from His perfect love
-God’s perfect love is greater than any force that comes against us
John 4: 18
“The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
John 4: 1
“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—”
-John begins by addressing you: beloved
-Beloved is in your Bible because you are a His child, dearly loved, designated for His affection and special favor
-Beloved is a term of endearment so full of tender meaning that we humans can’t even comprehend
-Beloved reveals the depth of God’s love
Romans 8: 38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-Jude 21 tells believers to keep yourselves in the love of God
“keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
John 15: 9-11
****Bible = Love Letter to you and me
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”