Showing posts with label godliness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label godliness. Show all posts

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Home

In these days of the Great Deception, when people prefer a reassuring lie rather than the inconvenient truth, this is a collection of articles I have written about the truth found in God's Word, the need for biblical teaching, and sound doctrine.  It includes articles that refute false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the prosperity movement, the eternal security doctrine, Islam, agnosticism, antinomianism, relativism, atheism, humanism, ecumenism, the New Age movement, the Jehovah's Witness, the Mormons, also known as the Latter Day Saints (LDS), as well as the oneness doctrine of Unitarians. This collection of articles also exposes certain other cults and movements based outside the USA. It even exposes the popular, international Hillsong church, as well as certain novels that are popular among Christians.

As the Scriptures say:

“Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”  (Tit 1:9)

"I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." (Jud 1:3b) 

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2Ti 2:15)

"In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." (Jas 1:18)

"Jesus *said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.'" (Joh 14:6)

It is my prayer that these articles will lead you to pray earnestly and seek the Lord's face, as well as search the Scriptures, regarding what you have been taught and have come to believe, so that you will not miss the glories of heaven and wind up in hell for eternity.  “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (Joh 8:32)

Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church New Age-New World Order The Holy Trinity
Pagan Symbols of the Popes Pope Establishes One World Religion The Cult of Mormonism
Pope Francis Supports Homosexuality Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshiping Idols The Cult of Mormonism -- Part II
Accurately Handling the Word of Truth Former Pope in Hell Declared a Saint Children of God
Pope Francis Validates Evolution and Big Bang Theory Why Infant Baptism if Not Scriptural What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?
Exposing Heresy Unbiblical Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church Rhema vs. Logos – Is there truly a distinction in the word?
Not Enduring Sound Doctrine The Nature of False Prophets The Creation Gap Theory
What is Truth? The False Gospel of Eternal Security The False Gospel without Repentance
Restored Truth Gabriel Doufle Issues and Concerns HOREMOW Issues and Concerns
Tradition vs. Truth TGRM Issues and Concerns Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW
Is it Always a Sin to Not Tell the Truth? Heresies of C.S. Lewis Harry Potter is the Devil's Snare
The Shack is an Attack The Message Bible or "The Mess" Catholic Priests Molesting Children
The Truth About the Roman Catholic Church The Truth About Hillsong Is It Possible to Resist God?
Kanye West Issues and Concerns Awaken 2020 Event Exposed Pope Francis Pushing for the Mark of the Beast?
HOREMOW Descends to New Low The Truth About Islam The Truth About Ravi Zacharias' and His Sexual Immorality
Exposing the JMS Cult Refuting the Oneness Christology Heresy Is it a Sin for a Woman to Cut Her Hair?
Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased? The Evil Agenda of the World Council of Churches Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Cult?
Seventh-Day Adventist Heresies New Testament Books Disproving Eternal Security Can You Lose Your Secure Position in Christ?
Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament Andy Stanley's Unbiblical Views on Homosexuality Kanye West Claims to Be God
Issues and Concerns with Deeper Life HOREMOW's Linda Rika "Knows" Whose Names Are in Book of Life The Heretical Hebrew Roots Movement
The Eth Cepher "Bible"?


Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Donate

Monday, January 19, 2015

Restored Truth

In His great mercy, the Lord Jesus Christ has been revealing His standards of holiness to His children in these last days, as I have written about in my articles on Eternal Destinations. He is naming specific sins, such as compromising, not keeping Sundays holy, not tithing, watching secular TV, fashion, women wearing trousers, jewelry, artificial things like wigs, hair attachments, and fake eyelashes, and/or make up, tattoos, smoking cigarettes, addiction to drinking alcohol, worldliness, covetousness, masturbation, immoral practices on the marital bed, divorce, abortion, using contraceptives, idolatry, rock, rap, and reggae music, dancing that does not glorify Jesus or the Father, embezzling money and accepting bribes, gossip, abortion, keeping boyfriends and girlfriends, failing to evangelize, as well as witchcraft, video games, movies, art that does not glorify God, and secular cartoons.

Some people are rejecting these messages as from the devil, while many others are embracing them as from God. Some who reject the messages say that God has not left anything out of His Word, so He doesn't need to give us any new revelations. However, what they fail to realize is that these things have been in the Word of God all along right beneath our noses, although in certain cases the specific sin may not be mentioned by name.  The problem is not that they are missing from God's Word.  Rather the problem is with us that we have been beaten with blindness. The devil has deceived us, so that we have hardened our hearts and rejected the truth.  And over the decades, these truths have been lost, which were once embraced by the Church. Therefore, Christians no longer believe what is written in the Bible.

When God calls us back to the ancient paths written in His Word, which we have strayed from, I call this a restored truth.  God is restoring Truth.  This is no different from when He did so through Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses in 1517.  The religious leaders rejected his disputation protests against clerical abuses at that time in the same way pastors are rejecting these current revelations today.  And it's also like what the Lord did when He restored Truth about perfection and holiness through John Wesley in the 1700's, then around 1900 He restored Truth about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.   He revealed that He is still baptizing believers with the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost, and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still actively distributed by Him today; they did not cease after the first century.  Along with that He has restored the Truth of The Laying on of Hands and Supernatural Power for All Disciples. More recently in the 1990's He has restored Truth about apostles still existing today.  He has revealed that these did not cease to exist after the first Twelve apostles of the first century. And during the past decade, He has restored Truth about the Holy Fire Baptism

Each time God restores Truth, people either reject it or embrace it.  The ones who embrace it and repent find mercy, forgiveness, grace, freedom, deliverance, peace, and all the good fruit the Lord brings about with the growth.  "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jn 8:32,36).

Those who reject the truth that God is restoring get left behind and miss the grace of God (Heb 12:15).  Be careful you are not like the religious leaders who rejected Martin Luther's ninety-five theses. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Heb 4:7b).

I want to encourage you to embrace the Truth that God is restoring.  He hasn't changed.  He says, “I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a).  And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).  It is we who have changed.  It is we who have gone stray and departed from His Word.  All we like sheep have gone astray. That's why it is we who must repent and turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to cry out for The Knowledge of the Holy and Ask for the Ancient Paths once again.

Attribution notice:Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: I recommend you read the following articles about various restored truths: Baptism with the Holy Spirit, Holy Fire Baptism, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Garments of Godliness, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine RevelationsRock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine RevelationsA Warning for Christian Married CouplesMessages from the Lord for Catholics Worshiping Idols, Tattoos and Body Piercing, The Laying on of Hands, Supernatural Power for All Disciples, and Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II , Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?,   The Forgotten Sin of WorldlinessIs Tithing Required?,   Lifting Hands in PrayerIs Obedience Optional?, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Aim for Perfection. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Accurately Handling the Word of Truth

The Scriptures have much to say about the need to teach sound doctrine, and to abide in the truth, although many people today downplay the importance of these.

Teaching
The apostle Paul wrote to Titus about the qualifications for an overseer, saying that he must be devoted to the faithful word, which agrees with the teaching. “Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”  (Tit 1:9)

The Greek word for teaching in this verse is “didache,” meaning “instruction (the act or the matter): - doctrine, hath been taught.” (Strongs).  This word is also found in the following Scriptures, where it is sometimes translated “teaching” and other times it is translated “instruction,” depending on the context.

We must beware of false teaching. “Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Mat 16:12)

People were amazed at Jesus’ teaching, because He taught with authority. “They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mar 1:22)

The teaching of Jesus was not His own but the Father’s. “So Jesus answered them and said, ‘My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.’”  (Joh 7:16-17)

The early disciples devoted themselves continually to the apostles’ teaching. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  (Act 2:42).  It’s still appropriate and wise to be continually devoted to the apostles’ teaching.

We must be obedient to the sound, biblical teaching to which we were committed. “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,” (Rom 6:17)

We brethren must keep our eyes on those who cause hindrances and dissensions contrary to the sound teaching of Christ and the apostles, and turn away from such people.  “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.” (Rom 16:17)

When we assemble together, someone should have a teaching for the purpose of edification. “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” (1Co 14:26)

The minister of the gospel must reprove, rebuke, exhort with instruction. “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (2Ti 4:2)

One can actually be carried away by strange teachings, so we must avoid this. “Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.” (Heb 13:9)

We must abide in the teaching of Christ, in order to have both the Father and the Son, because those who do not abide in the teaching do not have God.  “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;”  (2Jn 1:9-10)

The Lord Jesus had a warning message specifically for those in Thyatira who were following certain false teachings. “'But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.’”  (Rev 2:14-15)

But for those in Thyatira who did not hold to those teachings, the Lord placed no other burden on them. “'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you.’” (Rev 2:24)

Also see Mat. 7:28; 22:33; Mark 1:27; 4:2; 11:18; 12:38; Luke 4:32; John 18:19; Acts 5:28; 13:12; 17:19; 1Co. 14:6; Heb. 6:2.

There can be no doubt that teaching is important to the Lord.

Doctrine
Equally important as the teaching is the sound doctrine. In the passage I opened with at the top of this article, Paul told Titus that an overseer is to exhort others in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict. “Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” (Tit 1:9)

In the same sentence, Paul refers to both teaching and doctrine.  Since we have already covered the word “didache” in the first half of this message, let’s look at the Greek word “didaskalia,” meaning “instruction (the function or the information): - doctrine, learning, teaching.” (Strongs).  While “didache” refers to the act or the matter of teaching, “didaskalia” refers to the function or the information given in the instruction.  The word “didaskalia” is sometimes translated “doctrine” and other times it is “teaching.”

Some teach the precepts of men as doctrines. 'But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'" (Mat 15:9) 

There are winds of doctrine, which the mature disciple will not be carried away by. “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;” (Eph 4:14)

There are deceitful spirits that teach doctrines of demons. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Ti 4:1)

Sound doctrine nourishes you and you should follow it. “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” (1Ti 4:6)

We are to give attention to teaching. “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (1Ti 4:13)

The minister of the gospel must pay close attention to himself and to his teaching in order to ensure his own salvation and the salvation of his hearers.  “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”  (1Ti 4:16)

Elders who work hard at teaching are consider worthy of honor. “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” (1Ti 5:17)

It is important that our lives are consistent with our doctrine, so that our doctrine is not spoken against. “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” (1Ti 6:1)

The doctrine we advocate is the doctrine conforming to godliness. “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” (1Ti 6:3-5)

These are the times when they will not endure sound doctrine.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,” (2Ti 4:3)

An overseer is to teach what agrees with sound doctrine. “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.”  (Tit 2:1)

An overseer must maintain doctrinal purity and be dignified.  “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,”  (Tit 2:7)

When we show all good faith, it makes the doctrine of God attractive. “Not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”  (Tit 2:10)

Also see: Mark 7:7; Rom. 12:7; 15:4; Col. 2:22; 1Ti. 1:10; 2Ti. 3:10,16; 2:1,7.

The Truth
The truth is not popular but that doesn’t change what it is.  It’s still the absolute truth.

The Truth is not merely information.  The Truth is a Person. “Jesus *said to him, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” (Jn 14:6)

Jesus Christ is the Truth.  Many people mistakenly think that the Lord Jesus has a casual attitude toward sin.  However, there is no "in-between" with Him.  Just as we read in the gospels about His life on earth, He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He said what He meant, and He meant what He said. Everything is either black or white with Him.  There are no "grey areas."

Truth is absolute.  Two plus two will always be four.  What Jesus said cannot be changed or annulled. Here are a few passages about The Truth, which is not open to revision.

Paul said God desires all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.  “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (1Ti 2:3-7)

He said that the church of the living God is the pillar and support of the truth. “But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” (1Ti 3:15)

We must accurately handle the word of truth, which requires diligence. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2Ti 2:15)

“Men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.” (2Ti 2:18)

It is God who grants repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. “With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,” (2Ti 2:25)

Some people are “Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2Ti 3:7)

Others actually oppose the truth, “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.” (2Ti 3:8)

“And will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2Ti 4:4)

The truth is not something to simply know, but it must be practiced. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” (1Jn 1:6)

The one who knows the Truth keeps His commandments. “The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;” (1Jn 2:4)

“We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1Jn 4:6)

John said the Spirit is the truth.  “This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.” (1Jn 5:6)

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise," Eph 1:13)

The new self one received when one is born again has been created in the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness of the truth. "And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph 4:24)

"(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth)," (Eph 5:9)

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:23-24)

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (Joh 8:32).  This is what happened to me when I came to know Jesus, which you can read about in The Truth Set Me Free!. It changed my whole life!

"When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” (Joh 15:26)

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (Joh 16:13)
 
Putting it All Together

So from these passages of Scripture, we learn that teaching and sound doctrine are important to the heart of God. This is why we must hold fast to the faithful Word and guard the trust we have been given. 

Many will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.  They advocate a different doctrine and do not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness.  They are paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.  They are carried away by strange teachings. Some of them teach the precepts of men as doctrines, which are merely man-made and artificial teachings, not from the Lord.

However, the faithful minister of the gospel must pay close attention to himself and to his teaching in order to ensure his own salvation and the salvation of his hearers. We must all abide in the teaching of Christ, and devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching, as is faithfully recorded in Scripture.  Instead of coming up with messages that people want to hear, in order to remain popular, we must preach the Word just as it is written, not dissect it into little pieces or twist it to say what we want it to say.  We need to proclaim the whole counsel of God, and not just our favorite topics that we are comfortable with. 

In a day when Truth is being rejected, I intend to continue teaching in faith and truth. Let me admonish every minister of the gospel to be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Image courtesy of Entitled to Revelation in their article What is Absolute Truth?

Author's note:  I also recommend reading The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Tradition vs. Truth, What is Truth?, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, and Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Pope Francis Supports Homosexuality

Francis' 1st address as pope, St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013.


I have written previously about the changing of the popes in Something's Going on in 2013.  In that article, I pointed to the prophetic signs surrounding the resignation of Pope Benedict and the rise of Pope Francis on 13 March 2013.  Recently I heard Elvi Zapata say that the Lord showed him Pope Francis is the second beast of Revelation 13, which is the false prophet.  In that July 2013 broadcast, Elvi predicted that the pope would be pro-homosexual and would say so soon. So I decided to check on the pope's position on homosexuality, and found that he has already vocalized his stance on homosexuality, in fulfillment of Elvi's prediction.  I was amazed to see just how explicitly he has done so!  He has not simply implied his position through innuendo, but come out openly in favor of it.

The Advocate reported on October 10, 2013 that Italian Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group Kairos of Florence wrote a letter to the pope in June, and the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members.

"The group declined to reveal the contents of its original letter or of Pope Francis's response, but confirmed that the pope issued his blessing to Kairos and its members. Kairos also received a letter from the Vatican's secretariat of state, which reportedly said Pope Francis ‘really enjoyed’ the letter and the way it was written, according to The Tablet."

"Pope Francis continues to make headlines for statements that seem more tolerant and accepting of LGBT people than those of his predecessors, though there has been no change in official Catholic doctrine condemning homosexual acts and opposing marriage equality. In September, Francis said the church shouldn't ‘interfere spiritually’ with the lives of LGBT people in a wide-ranging interview in which he also said the church cannot focus solely on opposing abortion, contraception, and marriage equality. A month earlier, the pope told a group of reporters that he wouldn't judge gay priests, asking, ‘If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?’”

Read more at Pope Francis Writes Private Letter to Gay Catholics.

Time magazine reported Pope Francis also challenged Catholic attitudes about homosexuality:

“In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this,” the Pope said before restating his unprecedented July comments about not judging gay people. “Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person.”

“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality,” he continued. “I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”

Read more: Pope Francis Expresses Tolerance of Gays, Support for Women

Codewit reported on October 8, 2013, “Pope Francis said today that he favors the right of gays to marry.”

Pope Francis on 20 March 2013
“In an interview with Lithuanian newspaper Rausva Plunksna, the leader of the Catholic Church explains that since gays are part of God's creation, they deserve the same rights and respect as all human beings.”

"We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years," he told a reporter aboard the papal jet. "We now know that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with. If our Lord decides that someone should come into this world  a certain way, who are we to judge His choice?"

"And for those who do judge, where exactly in the Bible does it say marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships? Is it in the Ten Commandments? I don't see it there. You'd think if stopping gay marriage were so important Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible.

"The Bible mentions not eating shellfish more than it mentions homosexuality. And yet many anti-gay activists - including some Catholics - are running around eating shrimp and telling others what to do with their lives. I view these people as bigoted and ungodly and I will confront them during my time as pontiff. Who are we to tell anyone who to love? "

Read more at Pope Francis Says He Supports Gay Marriage.

It's evident that Pope Francis has done a complete turn around from the position he previously once held as a Cardinal. When he, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, was an archbishop in Argentina, he called that country's legalization of same-sex marriage "a 'move' of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God."  He used to refer to same-sex marriage as a tactic of satan, the father of lies, to confuse and deceive the children of God.  As an Archbishop, the future Pope also once said, “The identity of the family, and its survival, are in jeopardy here: father, mother, and children … At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.”  Look how much he has changed since becoming Pope only a few short months ago.

Pope Gave Blessing to Lobby Group
On his flight from Rio to Rome on the papal jet, the Pope answered questions from reporters about a wide range of topics including his view on homosexuality and lobby groups.  I read the entire transcript of that interview.  In it he expressed his sound disapproval of lobby groups of any kind, saying:

“There is so much being written about the gay lobby. I haven’t met anyone in the Vatican yet who has “gay” written on their identity cards. There is a distinction between being gay, being this way inclined and lobbying. Lobbies are not good. If a gay person is in eager search of God, who am I to judge them? The Catholic Church teaches that gay people should not be discriminated against; they should be made to feel welcome. Being gay is not the problem, lobbying is the problem and this goes for any type of lobby, business lobbies, political lobbies and Masonic lobbies.”

So there are two important points to learn from this statement.  First, he said "being gay is not the problem" Secondly, in spite of the Pope's statement that lobby groups of any kind are "not good" and are a problem, he assured the Italian LGBT group Kairos of his blessing.  This seems rather hypocritical, or at least inconsistent.  Aren’t they a gay lobby group like all the rest of those listed online?

Imagine if a parent said to their teenager, "Being a sexually immoral person is not the problem.  The problem would be if you organize into a group that advocates for the rights of sexually immoral people in the political arena or in Vatican City.  A group of people seeking to influence politicians or public officials on that particular issue would not be good. I won't try to interfere if you want to be a sexually immoral person, but just don't seek to influence a politician or public official like the pope on the issue." Would it make any sense for a parent to say such a thing?  I respectfully submit that I see a definite parallel between that and how the Pope is handling the gay issue.

It's no wonder that The Advocate -- the country's oldest gay rights magazine --named Pope Francis as the "2013 Person of the Year." He is well-liked by that community, and they are pleased with his stance.

Pope Advocates Same Sex Unions
According to Edward Beck, a Roman Catholic priest who hosts "The Sunday Mass" on the ABC Family Channel, the pope's support for homosexuality is nothing secret.  Beck said that at a 2010 Bishop's Conference led by Pope Francis when he was Archbishop, in which he convened all the bishops in Argentina, he (the pope) suggested that the conference vote to support civil unions for homosexuals.  You can see the video where Beck speaks about this in a live CNN interview.

Biblical Truth
We have now heard from the man whom the Catholic Church considers the vicar of Christ.  When this man speaks, his words are considered the Words of God. This is the Catholic dogma of papal infallibility, which says that the pontiff may speak "ex cathedra" on matters of faith and morals without the possibility of error, and his teaching must be upheld by the whole Church.  Therefore he has essentially spoken on behalf of God about his views on homosexuality.  So are his views consistent with Scripture?

The Law of Moses
The Scripture states that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.

Moses, who received the Ten Commandments from God wrote the book of Genesis, including the account of creation.

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27)

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Gen 2:24)

The word that Moses used for "wife" is "'ishshâh," meaning woman or wife.  So Moses taught that marriage is between a man and a woman.

In fact, Moses explicitly wrote: "'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them." (Lev 20:13)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Jesus affirmed what Moses wrote.

And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (Mat 19:4-6; cf., Mk 10:6)

Jesus did teach on marriage, contrary to the pope's remark.  Jesus explicitly said that marriage must be between one male and one female. He said a man is to be joined to his wife, not his husband, and the two will become one flesh.

The Apostolic Teachings
The apostle Paul clearly affirmed the teaching of Moses and Jesus, when he wrote:

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband." (Eph 5:22-33)

In this passage, the apostle Paul used the Greek word "gune" for wives, which means "a woman; specifically a wife" (Strongs).  This is the same Greek word used for "wife" by the gospel writers when quoting Jesus, too. Paul taught marriage between a man and his woman or wife is a sacred and mysterious type of the relationship with Christ and the Church.  It must not be tampered with, perverted, or deviated from. Paul also wrote:

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Rom 1:21-32)

Paul taught what God did to those who did not honor Him as God, or give Him thanks. This was not something they were born with.  Their foolish hearts had become darkened.  So God gave them over to a depraved mind. He gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie. God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent actsJust note all the negative expressions Paul uses regarding homosexuality, in order to see how God views it: "sinful desires," "sexual impurity," "shameful lusts (degrading passions)," "unnatural functions," "indecent acts," and "depraved mind."

If you want to know what their depraved minds were filled with, Paul tells us they were "filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful."

Paul also wrote: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)

He was explicit that effeminate people will not inherit the kingdom of God.  In referring to the effeminate, Paul used the Greek word "malakos," meaning "figuratively a catamite: - effeminate, soft."  A catamite is an adolescent boy used by a young man for the purpose of sodomy.

Paul was also explicit that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. This doesn't mean that God doesn't love them or that we shouldn't love them as people.  But Scripture is clear that for a person to burn in his or her desire toward another person of the same gender is impure, it's a lie, it's unnatural, indecent, and it dishonors their body.  Such persons receive in their own persons the due penalty of their error, which means that they bring on themselves the appropriate penalty in their bodies.

Paul also said that homosexuality does not conform to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God.  He wrote: "We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me." (1 Tim 1:9-11)

And Moses recorded the rampant homosexuality in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which brought down the wrath of God from heaven (Gen 18:20-33; 19:1-29).  Those cities were destroyed because of this very sin, which is now named after Sodom.  The apostle Peter affirmed this account in the New Testament, when he wrote:

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment," (2Pe 2:4-9)

Peter taught that Sodom and Gomorrah  were destroyed and reduced to ashes, because the men of those cities were unprincipled, living ungodly lives of sensual conduct.

Jude taught the same thing, when he wrote: "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7)

Pope's Bold-faced Lie
I hereby challenge the pope's statement in which he said, "The Bible mentions not eating shellfish more than it mentions homosexuality." That is a bold-faced lie that he has told despite the Scriptural evidence right in front of us.  There is only one passage in the Bible about not eating shellfish, found in Leviticus 11:9-12. However, I have just cited at least eight passages of Scripture that explicitly condemn homosexual behavior, and four passages that speak about heterosexual monogamy as God's holy design.

The pope is trying to compare homosexuality to eating shellfish, since he knows that Jesus declared all foods clean (Mk 7:19), and most Christians probably eat shellfish.  Therefore, he wants to make it seem like anyone who condemns the sin of homosexuality is legalistically citing verses from the Law, raising an issue that (he apparently wants us to believe) is not found in the New Testament. He wants to make anyone who opposes homosexual behavior to look like they are making a big deal about something that he claims is rarely mentioned in the Bible. However, Moses, Jesus, Jude, the apostle Peter, and the apostle Paul (who wrote half the books of the New Testament) all taught that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships.

The Evidence of Ex-Homosexuals
In the sixth chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the Corinthians cited above, in which he states that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God, he states: "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1Co 6:11)

Some of the members of the Corinthian church had been homosexuals, before they were washed in the blood of Jesus, made holy and righteous by Him.  And still today there are many Christians around the world, who can testify that they have been delivered from the bondage of homosexuality.  I encourage you to read the testimony of my brother in Christ, Stephen (see here).  For the pope to say that people are born this way is contrary to Scripture.  The fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with.  It is not something a person is born with any more than being a drunkard is.  Millions of people like myself who were once drunkards and much more, have been completely set free by the blood of Christ.

Judging Those In the Church
The Pope does not wish to judge those inside the church, who are leading a homosexual lifestyle. His exact comment was, "Who are we to judge?" Yet that is his responsibility to do so.

The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.  Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1Co 5:9-13)

This is an explicit teaching to expel the wicked man from the church.  If anyone claims to be a brother in Christ, and yet lives a wicked life as defined by God's Word, and is unrepentant, it is the responsibility of the Church, particularly the appointed rulers, to remove that person.  Any pastor or ruler in the church who refuses to do so is neglecting their duty.

Mind Control and Tradition vs Truth
This man is not a novice, but an elder, who has spent over half his life in ministry as a Christian spiritual leader.  He has been trained in theology and Catholic doctrine, and he has taught others.  For him to come out vocally tolerating homosexuality in the Church, it seems as if he has been the object of mind control.  And for those of you who are not aware, the science of mind control is already far advanced into the future.

Worse yet, it seems almost as if the pope is performing a subtle form of mind control on the masses by making such permissive statements.  He contradicts the written position on homosexuality of his own Church, and that of the Bible.  He is essentially creating a new, oral tradition regarding homosexuality by verbally setting direction, casting vision, and sharing his personal opinions.  As with past traditions set this way by the Catholic Church fathers, these teachings are viewed as having the same authority as the Word of God, even though theoretically they would admit that the Scripture is supreme.  As I have written about in Tradition vs. Truth, such man-made traditions nullify the Word of God and cause people to disobey the clear teachings of Scripture.

The Beast on the Throne
On January 21, 1995, the Lord revealed to Dumitru Duduman, a Romanian prophet of God, that the Pope will sit on a throne, fighting against the Protestants.  (Brother Dumitru Duduman was in Romania at this time). He stated:

I fell asleep sometime around midnight.  About 2:00 a.m. I heard a loud voice saying to me "Dumitru!  Wake up!  I must show you something!"  Even though I was ill, I jumped to my feet, without realizing that I was awake.  Then I realized I wasn't even in Romania.   I saw myself in America.

A powerful voice spoke sternly to me, "Why have you become discouraged?  Why did you try to question God, thinking in your heart that I have left you?  Why do you keep so much sadness in your heart, and such a great mourning because I took your wife?  Why have you allowed yourself to become discouraged so that you will no longer be able to work for me as you have until now?  This is why I have come to you, to show you a revelation, which you must tell the American people."

The voice boomed at me, telling me to look to my right.  I was awake - not sleeping.  I was standing, and I turned my head as ordered.  When I looked, I saw that there was a great flock of black birds, with very sharp, large beaks.  Out of the beaks came a blinding light, which you could barely look at.  From their tails I saw flames of fire shooting out.   I became very frightened.  I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was asleep and dreaming. But I was neither sleeping nor dreaming.

This flock of birds suddenly turned into airplanes that did not make any noise.  American airplanes would go up, trying to attack.  But as they would draw close, they would fall to the earth in a blaze of fire.

Once again, I heard the voice, but I could not see who was speaking to me.  The voice said, "Look higher than the black planes."  When I looked, above the planes, I saw a helicopter which hovered above them.  On the side of the helicopter there was a plank, like on a ship, where soldiers were lined up, dressed in black, all armed the same, and of about the same size.  From the center of the helicopter, a platform began to raise up.  It rose higher than the helicopter itself.

On the platform was a throne.  The Pope was on the throne, yelling with a loud voice, "I have been given the power to rule the earth and to fight against the Protestants, that I may overtake them."

As I watched him with terror and fear - because he was surrounded by a powerful force which was formed by planes and personnel - suddenly a white cloud appeared and covered them, so I could no longer see anything.  Out of the midst of the white cloud came a man dressed in shining clothes, wearing a shiny crown on his head.  He spoke to me.  His voice sounded like thunder.  When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground.

He said, "Remember everything you've heard, everything you've seen, and everything you will hear.  Tell my people, because once again I want to work with you more than I have until now.  The armies, and the planes that you saw, and the Beast that sat upon the helicopter - these are the catholic powers which will overtake the holy, that the words prophesied in Revelation may come to passA majority of my people will be overtaken and trampled because their lives are not clean before their Lord.  Tell this message to them!  Do not be quiet!  For if you are quiet, I will punish you!  The churches are fraudulent (counterfeit, fake).  They live a life as their hearts desire, with their hands stained in blood - in adultery, in sodomy, and worshiping strange and foreign gods.   Because they have forsaken the true God, He has allowed them to go as their hearts desired.  Now, tell them!  Cry out loud!  Tell them to stop treading the path their hearts desire - to repent with all their hearts, that in the day of the Beast's anger I may be able to save them, so they would not deny me.  The time is very short, and the army of their salvation is already prepared."

Again, He spoke to me, "Look to your right."  When I looked, I saw such a vast army that my eyes could not encompass it.  "This is the army I have prepared to save my people from the Beast's grasp.  Do not forget to tell them the words that I have told you.  I will give you a spirit of remembrance."  The voice continued speaking to me, "I will come and bring you more revelations about the times of the end."

Then again, I heard a thunder.  Then the white cloud and the being disappeared.  I was so terrified that I was unable to sleep the rest of the night.

Calculate The Number of His Name
A website called Biblelight.net shows how the names or titles of the Pope have been calculated and found to be equal to 666:

VICARIUS FILII DEI is a title for the Pope that literally means “substituting for, or in place of the Son of God.”  The value of the letters in each of these three Latin words is 112 + 53 + 501 = 666.  DUX CLERI is another title for the Pope.  Translated means Captain of the Clergy.  The value of the letters in each of these two Latin words is 515 + 151 = 666.  LUDOVICUS translated means Vicar of the Court, and the value of the letters in this Latin word is 666.

"Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." (Rev 13:18)

Testing the Fruit of False Prophets
In a separate post, I have previously written about the biblical way to determine if someone is a false prophet.  We don't just go around calling everybody we disagree with and everybody we don't like a false prophet.  This is a very serious thing to say about someone, no matter how great or small they are, whether they are with or without renown.  Jesus taught us to test their fruit.  So if we test the fruit of Pope Francis, we will determine what kind of roots and tree he has.  If his fruit is good, then the tree is good.  If the fruit is bad, the tree is bad.  You be the one to test his fruit, and decide whether he is a good tree or a bad one.  For more on that, please read Testing the Spirits of False Prophets.  Now here comes the fruit test below.

Putting it All Together
I am grateful that Pope Francis welcomes people to tell him if they disagree with him, as I have just done. He says, "I like people telling me when they disagree with something."  Maybe my little blog will make a difference.

So let's summarize what we've learned today.  A prophet of God said the Lord showed him that Pope Francis is the second beast of Revelation 13, known as the false prophet.  He predicted the pope would be pro-homosexual.  It has since been publicized that the pope has issued his blessing to a Catholic Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transvestite (LGBT) lobby group and its members, even though he has stated that lobby groups are not good and are a definite problem. This is inconsistent. Francis said the church shouldn't interfere spiritually with the lives of LGBT people, in fact he said it is not possible to do so, and that he wouldn't judge gay priests.  In doing so, he directly violates Scripture, and neglects his duty to judge those inside the Church.

He said "being gay is not the problem," which is inconsistent with Scripture. He said, "God in creation has set us free" (implying we are free in the area of sexuality).  He said, "We have learned much about homosexuality in recent years." This is a reference to the beliefs of modern psychology, which contradict the Bible. He is essentially saying he has learned from those who profess to be wise.  And as the apostle Paul said, those who did so became fools.

The pope said that being gay isn't a choice, but something one is born with.  Yet the fact that men and women have been and continue to be delivered from this sin proves that it is not something they were born with. And he has explicitly said it is the Lord Who decides that certain people will come into the world as homosexual.  He also states that the Bible does not say even once that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. He considers anyone who speaks out against homosexuality as "bigoted and ungodly," and he vowed to confront such people, rather than the homosexuals. He also referred to the unnatural affection that men have for men and women for women as "love," and said we cannot tell anyone "who to love." His words on these matters of faith and morals must now be upheld by the whole Catholic Church.

Yet we have seen from Scripture that the Bible does teach that marriage is reserved for heterosexual relationships. Moses, Jesus, and the apostles Peter and Paul were all in agreement that marriage is between a man and a woman, not between two people of the same sex. Therefore, when the pope says, "If stopping gay marriage were so important, Jesus would have mentioned it - I don't know - maybe once in the Bible," he demonstrates either his gross ignorance of Scripture, or his enormous disregard for the authority of God's Word.

Someone might protest that this article is incorrectly titled, "Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality," but I stand by my title. If a pastor does not preach against sin, and does not preach repentance and holiness, then he is essentially permitting sin. Yet the pope has gone beyond that by giving Catholic homosexuals a pass, making excuses for them, giving them his blessing, and tolerating sin in the Church.

There is no other Christian leader in the world with as much influence as this one man.  Over a billion people look to him with great respect for spiritual guidance.  Yet rather than giving them godly counsel and preaching the Word of God, he is deceiving the people and leading them into sin. That is not good fruit.  He is a false prophet, and I believe he is the very same false prophet depicted as the second beast in Revelation 13.  This is what the Lord showed Dumitru Duduman and Elvi Zapata.  His number is six hundred and sixty-six.  A great evil has come into the world, as this man has ascended the papal throne. 

Now that he has vocalized his personal opinions, there is no longer anything restraining the homosexual spirit in the Catholic Church.  It has been unleashed to demonize millions.  All of these priests, who have taken vows not to marry, and who are closet homosexuals, now have permission from their top leader to practice this sin.  He has promised not to judge them, but only to confront those who dare to judge them.  They must be celebrating.  Some of these priests may already be in homosexual relationships with other priests, or at least desire to be.  Meanwhile others may be in such relationships with boys or men in their parishes.  They are all "free" now to do as they please.  Then there are the homosexual parishioners themselves, who have been given a license to sin.  This will bring about the destruction of the family, society, and ultimately contribute to the destruction of the world in a short period of time.

Although Pope Francis seems like a very nice man, and may seem like a lamb outwardly, or claim to represent the Lamb, he speaks like a dragon.  And now some Scriptures to consider, right before I share my closing comments:

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.” (Rev 13:11).

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."  (Matt 24:24, NKJV)

"...they have misled My people by saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace..." (Eze 13:10b)

"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,' declares the Lord GOD." (Eze 13:8)

"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the LORD! 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.”’” (Eze 13:2-3)

Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered." (Eze 34:1-5)

"For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered And his right eye will be blind." (Zec 11:16-17)

But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." (Mat 15:13-14)

A message to homosexuals
If you are a homosexual reading this today, I want you to know that Jesus loves you, and died for you on the cross. He suffered a lot, so that you would not have to go to hell. But the only way you (as with every other human being) can avoid your just punishment is to repent and believe on Him as your Lord and Savior, for the forgiveness of your sins.  When you repent, you turn from your sin. His blood not only cleanses you from sin, but gives you power over sin.  When you make Him Lord, you promise to do whatever He says, obeying Him in everything.

He still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high.  He requires truth, righteousness, and holiness, without which no man will see God. 

DisclaimerI do not agree with the LBGTQ lifestyle, but that doesn't mean I hate anyone. As Christians we are called to love everyone -- even our enemies. But we have reached a dangerous point in society that if we disagree with something, because of our religious beliefs, it is wrongly viewed as hate speech. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and that homosexual behaviors are sinful. I love members of the LBGTQ community, and so does Jesus. I am not gay bashing at all. I am just writing about my sincerely-held religious beliefs based on Scripture. The message of every Christian to every LGBTQ person is that God loves you so much that He would sacrifice His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sake. If any one of you would be willing to change through repentance and believing in Jesus Christ, the Christian community would be more than willing to help you. 

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The photo of Francis giving his first address as pope at St. Peter's Basilica, 13 March 2013, is used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The photo of Pope Francis on 20 March 2013, one week after his inauguration, is also courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading my articles Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, Catholic Priests Molesting Children, The Truth About the Roman Catholic ChurchExposing Heresy, Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven, Angelica Zambrano's Second Visit to Hell, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, The Peace and Love I've Come to Know, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies, Dare to Believe, The End Has Come, Pope Establishes One World Religion, and New Age-New World Order. I also recommend The Next Pope and Pope Francis is the False Prophet From Revelation, as well as my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?

The prosperity gospel is very popular today in America.  Everyone wants to be rich.  I am not advocating poverty or saying all Christians should take a vow of poverty.  But the test of prosperity is even harder than the test of poverty.

The prosperity preachers say that wealth is evidence of godliness.  Yet Jesus taught that we cannot serve God and wealth.  We have two 6:24 verses, which record His warnings about this in the gospels of Matthew and Luke:

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mat 6:24)

"But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full." (Luk 6:24)

And Jesus [also] said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  (Mat 19:23-24)

The eye of a needle was the gate into a city.  When camels returned from abroad, loaded with merchandise, they had to get down on their knees outside the city gate, so that all the merchandise could be unloaded from their backs, so they could enter through the narrow gate. 

Jesus said we must "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." (Mat 7:13)

Jesus said riches are deceitful.  This deceitfulness and desire for other material things chokes the Word, making it unfruitful. He said, "but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." (Mar 4:19)

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." (Luk 14:33)

The apostle Paul said, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1Ti 6:10; cf., 1Ti. 3:3; Heb. 13:5).

Some of the prosperity preachers are living in luxury, in multimillion dollar homes, often flying in their own private jets.  I know of one Christian couple that run a non-profit Christian ministry, and own his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community.  I know of another preacher who built a three million dollar home for himself, paid for by the church he pastors.  Don't they read these same Scriptures?  What men value highly is detestable in God's sight (see Luke 16:15).  If you want to know where their heart is, then just look at where their treasure is.  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mat 6:21)

The Lord commanded us, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." (Mt 6:19). He gave this same command to the Hebrews regarding their future king, when He said, "He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." (Dt 17:17b, NIV). We who have been made by Christ to be a kingdom and priests must be careful to heed this warning.

The psalmist said of the wicked, "Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth." (Ps 73: 9).  And at one point he envied the prosperity of the wicked.  But after the Lord revealed to him their final destiny, he said of himself, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." (Ps 73:25).  Let me encouraged you to read the entire Psalm 73.

The apostle John put it like this: "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1Jn 2:15)

The apostle Paul described himself and his ministry team as "poor, yet making many rich" (2 Co 6:10), just as our Lord Jesus Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake He became poor" (2 Co 8:9b).

Paul said, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed." (1Ti 6:17-19)

James said, "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?" (Jas 2:5-6)

He said God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith, which is A Biblical View of the Poor. And it is true that the poor are still more open to the gospel than the rich.  Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.” (Luk 4:18) James said that it is the rich who oppress you and drag you into court.

James also said, "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ...You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." (Jas 5:1-3, 5)

I feel sorry for those Christians who live like this, especially the preachers, because they are storing up treasure on earth, which our Lord warned against.  And they seem to avoid the teachings in Scripture about The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer.

The spirit of the wealth lovers
I would like to show you from Scripture how the love of money causes people to harden their hearts to the gospel.

Luke 16:13-14 - The Pharisees were lovers of money, so they scoffed at Jesus teachings on wealth.  Out of envy they falsely accused Him and had Him crucified.

Luke 16:19-31 -  The rich man who lived in luxurious splendor every day did not care for Lazarus, the beggar at his gate, who lived in poverty and misery.  He hardened his heart to the needs of Lazarus, and only took care of himself.  The same way that he hardened his heart to the poor, he also hardened it to the Scriptures.  Just as he would not listen to the cry of the poor, he would not listen to the Law and the Prophets, so he ended up in hell. But the poor beggar was comforted after he died.

Acts 16:16-24 - The masters of the fortune-telling slave girl saw that their hope of making a profit was gone, due to Paul's actions, and they proceeded to have the apostles beaten and imprisoned.

Acts 19:23-34 - The silversmith Demetrius and workmen of similar trades felt that their prosperity from their business of making silver shrines of Diana was endangered by Paul's preaching against false gods.  So they reacted angrily and started a riot to oppose the apostles.

John 2:14-21 - The money changers were angry because Jesus took away their ability to earn money selling sacrifices in the temple, so they retorted to Him, asking who gave Him the right to do that to them.

Mt 8:28-34 - The herdsmen and all the people of their town, who heard about Jesus sending the legion of demons into their pigs, implored Jesus to leave their region.  They did so, probably because of the negative impact it had on their pig business, and the financial loss they took, when all the pigs drowned in the sea.

1 King 21:1-16 - Jezebel used spirituality (a fast) as a ruse to have Naboth falsely accused of evil, in order to get him executed, so that her husband could take his inheritance (assets), because Naboth would not give or sell his inheritance to her evil husband Ahab the king.

The same way these people hardened their hearts because of wealth, people today reject the gospel for it.  They may not even think they are rejecting the gospel.  Perhaps they think they already believe the gospel.  But if someone preaches the truth of God's Word to them, such as the verses I shared at the opening of this post, they may disregard it.  And if someone speaks to them about God's standard of righteousness and holiness, they might actually become angry with that person.  If a Christian becomes angry with another believer for proclaiming in Jesus name that we must live holy lives and seek God's righteousness, this reveals their spirit.

I believe God blesses His children and prospers us.  I don't believe He wants us to live in lack of anything.  In fact, in Christ, we possess all things.  But in my opinion, the so-called "prosperity gospel" that is being preached today is not the true gospel.  It causes people to wander from the truth.  And in the end they pierce themselves with many griefs.

The Secret of Contentment
We must be content, as Paul was, whether living in plenty or in want.  He said, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Phil 4:12).  He not only knew what it was to have plenty, he knew what it was to be in need.  They key was that he had learned the secret of contentment in any and every situation.  He said that godliness is great gain, when it is accompanied with contentment (see 1 Tim 6:6).

The Pattern
The prosperity preachers are preaching self-ism, the fastest growing religion, which they have disguised to look as if it is Christian.  Their teachings make it seem as if God existed for us and not the other way around. They talk as if God is our trained seal who has to jump through our hoops. They speak only of blessings and not about the need to suffer.  In fact, they don't believe in martyrdom. As Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.”

Being Rich Yet Very Poor in God
Unfortunately the Church of the western world in these last days has become like the wealthy Laodicean church. Jesus said to the messenger of that church, "Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Rev 3:17-18)

The messenger of that church said, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing." But the Lord said, "you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." They were not cold toward God!  They considered themselves disciples.  But they were not hot either.  The Lord said they were lukewarm. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. o because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." (Rev 3:15-16)

They thought they were wealthy, but in God's sight they were not.  Rather, they were just the opposite.

Howard Pittman's Testimony
On August 3, 1979, Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister for 35 years, died while on the operating table during surgery.  He appeared at the gates of heaven, and believed that he had served God faithfully for many years.

Howard said, "God proceeded to tell me just what kind of life I had really lived. He told me what He really thought of me and even others who did as I had. He pointed out that my faith was DEAD, that my works were NOT ACCEPTABLE, and that I had labored in VAIN. He told me that it was an abomination for me to live such a life and then dare call it a life of worship. Furthermore, He said to those who do it, they are in danger of experiencing His everlasting wrath."

He continued, "I could not believe He was talking to me in this manner! I had served Him for years! I thought I had lived a life pleasing to Him! As He was enumerating my wrongs, I was sure He had me confused with someone else. There was no strength left in me to even move, let alone protest, yet I was panicking within myself. No way He could be talking about me! All of these years I thought I was doing those works for God! Now He was telling me that what I did, I did for myself."

"God told me that He would not accept this kind of worship in the day of the Pharisees and He certainly was not about to accept it now in this the Laodicean Church Age. He put it to me as plain as words and actions could make it."  

In the end, Howard was given another chance to live for the Lord. He went all over the world, testifying about this experience. He said, "For those who call themselves Christians, this is the Laodicean Church Age in which we live. A high majority of so-called Christians are, in fact, living a deceived life. They talk Jesus and play church, but do not live it. They claim to be Christians and then live like the devil. They have bought the great lie from Satan who tells them that they are alright. He tells them that it is alright to go to church on Sunday and attend mid-week services but as far as the rest of the time is concerned, they are to get all they can out of life. As far as their Christian life is concerned, they believe they are comfortable and have need of nothing and as a result, they are only lukewarm Christians if Christians at all."

I encourage you to listen to his entire testimony on the video below or read Howard Pittman's testimony here.



Prosperity Preachers Headed for Hell
As I wrote in my article Ibrahim's Experience in Hell, brother Ibrahim saw the present condition of lost ministers who are going down to destruction.  I recommend reading that article about his experience, in which many of the lost ministers he saw were prosperity preachers, including Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and T.B. Joshua, as well as Joel Osteen, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Rod Parsley, Myles Munroe, Mike Murdock, Paula White, Donnie McClurkin, Duncan Williams, and many others!

Putting it All Together 
As we have just seen in God's Word, you cannot serve God and wealth. We are commanded not to love this world or the things of this world. It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. Therefore, to be a disciple of Jesus, a man must first give up all his own possessions.  You need to learn the secret of contentment in any and every situation.

Jesus and Paul both became poor, and were not like the prosperity preachers of today.  God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Truly the kingdom of God belongs to the poor (Luk 6:20). Sadly, miseries are going to come upon the rich in these last days.

Beware of "people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain" (1 Timothy 6:5).  If you are caught up in the teachings of the "prosperity gospel," please consider what you have just read in God's Word today, and amend your ways.

Take care, brethren, that you are not like the Laodicean church.  And if you are, then buy from the Lord gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.  The Lord said, 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev 3:19)

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:13)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other passages taken from the Holy Bible New International Version (NIV).

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend reading my articles, A Biblical View of the Poor, Wisdom for Wealthy Preachers and Prosperity TeachersIbrahim's Experience in Hell, Exposing Heresy, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Better a Little, All Things Handed Over to Jesus Christ, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Holy Fire BaptismAvoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Rhema vs. Logos – Is there truly a distinction in the word?, and Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations. I also recommend Kenneth Hagin’s Forgotten Warning by J. Lee Grady, as well as my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.