Heresies of C.S. Lewis

C.S Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, is one of the most popular authors within Christian circles, and perhaps one of the most loved heretics of our time. However, he accepted the following false beliefs:

Christ did not atone for our sins.

The Bible is not inspired or inerrant.

Pagan religions have truth.

Evolution is true.

The Bible is not literal.

Catholic sacraments spread the life of Christ to us.

Purgatory is a real place.

Hell may be simply a figment of the mind.

Praying for the dead.

White magic is good.

Scripture Refutes these heresies
God's Word teaches us that these beliefs are false, so we must reject them and anyone that teaches them.

Christ atoned for our sin.
The apostle John wrote, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 Jn 2:2, NIV).

All Scripture is inspired.
The apostle Paul wrote, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." (2 Tim 3:16). Also see The Bible is the Word of God.

Jesus is the Truth and the only Way.
Jesus said that He is the Truth and the only way to the Father. He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (Jn 14:6). We can not get to the Father in heaven through pagan religions.

The apostle Paul wrote, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom 10:9).

The apostle Peter said, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Ac 4:12). You cannot be saved by following Buddha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, or any other man. There is no other name but the name of Jesus by which we must be saved. Those other men's bones are still in their graves, but Jesus' tomb is empty, because He has risen from the dead and sits at the right hand of God.

God created the heavens and the earth in six days. 
Moses taught this in his writings, which Jesus said we must believe (John 5:45-47). "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." (Gen 1:1;2:1-2). "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." (Ex 20:11). Also see Oral Account of Creation from Adam to Abraham.

God created man both male and female from the beginning.
They did not evolve from a lower form of life. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27). Jesus Himself taught this. "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female." (Mk 10:6).

We are saved by grace through faith, not sacraments.
There is no Scripture that requires us to take sacraments to be saved. Paul wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9). There are two ordinances that Jesus left for the Church, which are communion and water baptism. He taught us to celebrate communion in remembrance of His death (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24-25), and to baptize new believers in water (Mt 3:13-17; Mt 28:19). He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Mt 28:19). He said, "And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." (Mk 16:15-16). Water baptism is for those who have repented and believed in Jesus, not a sacrament that can save those who have not yet believed. See By Faith Alone - Part I and By Grace Alone.

The Bible teaches heaven and hell as the two possible eternal destinations of man.
There is no Scripture in the Bible that teaches purgatory. "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Heb 9:27). Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned." (Jn 5:28-29, NIV).

Hell is a literal place.
Jesus taught a literal hell. He said that when He judges all mankind, He will send the wicked to the eternal fire.
 
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels." (Mt 25:41).

He said, "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into [ac]hell, into the unquenchable fire, and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." (Mk 9:43-44)

Those who worship the beast and receive his mark will be tormented forever by fire and brimstone, undoubtedly in hell, the lake of fire. “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’” (Rev 14:9-11)

The beast and false prophet both end up in that same place, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev 20:10).

Many others will be in the lake of fire. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:). Also see Where will you go when you die?, Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, and Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell.

There is no Scriptural basis for praying for the dead.
Mercy is only available while you are on earth. Once you die, then comes the judgment. "It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." (Heb 9:27). The only reason someone would pray for the dead is if they either believed that one may be in purgatory and somehow released, or if they believed that hell is temporary. But the Bible teaches that hell is eternal.

All forms of magic are condemned.
Magic is considered witchcraft. Throughout Scripture, all forms of witchcraft are considered wicked and are condemned. (Deuteronomy 18:10–16; Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:27; Acts 13:8–10). There is no distinction made between black magic and white magic, good magic or bad magic. It is all evil. The apostle Paul referred to Elymas the sorcerer as a “child of the devil” full of  “all kinds of deceit and trickery”, "perverting the right ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10). The apostle Peter condemned Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:20–23. When the Ephesians came to Christ, they repented of practicing magic arts and burned the books, which probably contained the magic spells, incantations, and other magic instruction. "And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver." (Ac 19:19).

The Scriptures teach us that the eternal destiny of those who practice magic arts is in the lake of burning sulfur. "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Rev 21:8, NIV; cf. Rev 22:15)

Putting it All Together
As we can see from Scripture, these beliefs of C.S. Lewis are completely false. Therefore, I caution you not to read his books, since this man was an agent of the father of lies, which is the devil. And for that matter, I do not advise anyone to watch movies that are based on his books, such as Narnia. These open doors for demons to enter your life.

As followers of Christ, we must not cling to falsehood or anything that is of the devil. We must repent from our involvement in it and cry out for forgiveness. We must live holy and godly lives for the Lord Jesus. We must not touch any unclean thing. For the sake of your own soul, please do not dabble with darkness. Come out from among them and be separate. Walk in the Light as Jesus is in the Light.

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

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend the following articles for further proof of what I have explained here: Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, Former Pope in Hell Declared a Saint, Pope Validates Evolution and Big Bang Theory, Pagan Symbols of the Popes, The Bible is the Word of God, Where will you go when you die?, Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths, Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead, Harry Potter is the Devil's Snare, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, and The Bible is the Word of God. 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?"

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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.

Rhema vs. Logos – Is there truly a distinction in the word?

Some people use the Greek words rhema and logos in Scripture to teach that our focus should be on words spoken to us personally by God as a rhema or “now” word.  They use these Greek words to build an entire doctrine that is unscriptural and dangerous.  Yet it has been repeated so many times that many people believe it.

There is a teacher who states:

"One translation says, 'For sword take that which the Spirit gives you – the words which come from God.'  The Greek word here for word is rhema, which means 'a saying, that which is uttered by the living voice.' This is the word made alive in our spirit as God speaks to us…Some make the mistake of thinking a mere confession of the Word of God has power in itself." 

He goes on to say that only the rhema will accomplish God’s purpose:

"This kind of word which goes forth from [God’s] mouth is a Scripture which the Holy Spirit makes alive to us.  This personal word to our hearts will produce an effective result.

Apart from the Spirit, the Word is the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death (2 Cor. 3:6).  However, the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power – making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword…(Heb. 4:12)….We cannot presume, however, that spoken words (even biblical ones) in themselves have power."

First of all, I believe he is mistaken on these points.  In this teaching, he places great emphasis on rhema as superior to that which is not rhema.  He defines rhema in the following terms: 1) a saying, that which is uttered by the living voice, 2) the word made alive in our spirit as God speaks to us, and 3) a Scripture which the Holy Spirit makes alive to us.  He teaches that only that part of the Bible that is rhema has power to accomplish God’s purpose.  Only a “personal word to our heart will produce an effective result.” Moreover, he teaches that not all biblical words have power. 

Conversely, the implication in his teaching is that if a Scripture is merely logos, then it does not have power to accomplish God’s purpose.  In fact, he clearly states that if it is not rhema, then “the Word is the letter of the law,” and it “causes spiritual death.”  He uses Hebrews 4:12 as a proof text for this.  Yet the Greek in the Hebrews 4:12 passage for the Word of God is logos.  So the Scripture does not support this teaching.  In fact, the very proof text he cites contradicts his own teaching.  The writer of Hebrews teaches us that the logos is alive and full of power, active, operative, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing between soul and spirit, as well as between bone and marrow. 

Paul’s Teaching on the Word of God
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he says: "The entire law is summed up in a single logos: Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14).  If we follow the line of reasoning of the rhema teachers, we must incorrectly conclude that since “Love your neighbor as yourself” is a logos – not rhema – then it is merely “the letter of the law,” and it “causes spiritual death.” 

In Paul’s second epistle to Timothy, he urged the young man of God to “correctly handle the Word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  The Greek here for word is logos.  If Paul wanted Timothy to focus on the rhema or “now” word, why would he direct him as he did here to correctly handle the logos? Some would teach that if it wasn’t rhema, then it was merely “dead letters of the law” “without any power” to accomplish God’s purpose.  But Paul made no such distinction.

Paul also stated: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus…I give you this charge: Preach the Word: be prepared in season and out of season: correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 3:16-4:2).  The Greek word for all in this passage is pana.  According to the Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek Lexicon, in this passage pana is scarcely different in meaning from the word all. The lexicon states that pana here emphasizes the individual members of the class denoted by the noun every, each, and any.  So we can correctly interpret Paul’s words to Timothy to mean each and every Scripture is theopneustos or God-breathed.  Yes, any Scripture!  All of it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It’s all inspired, breathed forth from the mouth of God.  Thus Paul could exhort Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, without distinguishing between reading rhema or logos (1 Timothy 4:13). 

Quite notably, when Paul said, “Preach the Word” in 2 Timothy 4:2, the Greek for Word is not rhema.  Paul charged Timothy to preach the logon without wavering.  Therefore, if we follow the line of reasoning used by the rhema teachers, we must conclude that before God, Paul charged Timothy to preach portions of Scripture that were merely “dead letters of the law” “without any power” to accomplish God’s purpose.

Paul went on to say in the context of that second epistle to Timothy cited above: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit there own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3,4).   One of the dangers of this heresy on rhema is that it gives leverage to those who will not put up with sound doctrine.  It creates a false illusion that parts of God’s Word are merely letters with no power, and which bring death.  To make it even more dangerous, the test to determine which parts of the Bible are rhema and which are logos is very personal and subjective.  In other words, if I feel a passage causes spiritual death, I may conclude it is logos to me, not requiring my attention.  This gives me an excuse to stay away from any portion of Scripture that makes me feel uncomfortable.  Those who embrace this heresy could incorrectly conclude the Bible is not the Word of God, but that only portions of it are the Word of God – only the rhema portions that have become personalized.  This is the very practice that leads men to refuse to put up with sound doctrine, turn away from the truth, and gather around them many teachers who say what they want to hear.

Peter’s Teaching on the Word of God
Peter also had a warning to his readers about the last days, the day of the Lord when scoffers will come.  These scoffers would come, scoffing and following their own evil ways.  In fact, in Peter’s day the scoffers had already emerged.  He said that these scoffers “deliberately forget that long ago by God’s Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water” (2 Peter 3:5).  Was it by God’s rhema that the heavens existed or the earth was formed?  Upon a careful examination of this passage, we find that the Greek for the Word of God here is logos.  It was by the logos that God powerfully created the universe!  Again the rhema teachers have not examined the Scriptures with great eagerness to see if these things are true before teaching them. 

Peter wrote both his epistles to remind his dear friends to “recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2).  The Greek for the holy prophets’ spoken words here is proeiremenon rhematon (proeirhmenwn rhematwn).  In the context of this passage, it is clear that the use of rhema refers to “spoken words”.  This is an excellent example of how the word rhema is to be correctly understood.  The word logos would not make sense here, since Peter was referring to words the prophets had spoken. 

However, if we follow the rhema teachers’ rationale, we must interpret the use of the word rhema in this passage to mean Peter urged his dear friends to remember only the “Scripture which the Holy Spirit makes alive to” them.  Of course, this is not what Peter meant.  Peter used rhema to refer to words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, which had been written down in what was known then as the books of the Prophets.  To verify this is what he meant, all we need to do is look at the context. At the beginning of this epistle he refers to “the word of the prophets made more certain” (2 Peter 1:19).  What word of the prophets?  The Greek for word of the prophets here is propheticon logon.  In the context, it was the words of the prophets predicting the “power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” that had been made more certain by the apostles’ eyewitness of Jesus’ majesty (2 Peter 1:16).  By recalling “the word of the prophets made more certain” Peter’s friends would not be led astray by the false prophets and false teachers among them (2 Peter 2:1).  Thus it is clear that Peter’s use of the term the word of the prophets (propheticon logon) in chapter 1 refers to the same thing as his use of the term the holy prophets’ spoken words (proeiremenon rhematon) in chapter 3.  Peter’s use of the word rhema in one instance and logos in another are two different ways of saying essentially the same thing.  He certainly was not implying any of the things the rhema teachers of today would have us to believe.

One clear proof of this is that Peter also exhorted his dear friends to recall the “command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2).   The Greek here for command is entolas (entolhs).  We know that the command he was referring to includes that which the apostles had written down and which is found in what has come to be known as the New Testament Bible.  This includes the command given by our Lord and Savior through the apostles Matthew, John, and Paul.  So we know the command given by our Lord and Savior is not rhema, it is entolas.  Thus if we follow the rhema teachers’ line of reasoning, we must come to the following conclusions: 1) Since the command of our Lord and Savior here is entolas, it is not rhema, and 2) In urging his dear friends to recall entolas, Peter was urging his dear friends to recall written portions of Scripture that are merely “dead letters of the law” “without any power” to accomplish God’s purpose.  Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Jesus’ Teaching on His Word

Jesus said a number of things about his Word.  Here are a few of them:

• “I know that His command [entolas] leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:50). 
• "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my Logos shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35.)
• “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my Logos and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). 
• “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear my Logos” (John 8:43).
• "I have given them Your Logos; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (Joh 17:14)
• “Therefore everyone who hears these Logos of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these Logos of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27).  Jesus explicitly taught that we must hear his Logos and put it into practice if we want to survive the storms of life and avoid perishing in hell. 

It is a mistake to teach that Jesus words are dead letters and powerless to bear fruit unless they are rhema.  To the contrary, His logos brings eternal life to those who believe.

Peter’s Teaching on the Word of God
Peter clearly taught that the holy prophets who spoke did so by divine inspiration.  He said, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20,21).  The term “prophecy of Scripture” here is propheteia grapha.  According to the Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek Lexicon, grapha means writing, and here in this passage it is specifically used as a “designation of Scripture as a whole” (p. 166).  Peter states here that the men spoke as the Holy Spirit was carrying them along.  The Greek for being born along is pheromenoi. According to the BAG lexicon, pheromenoi here means to be moved, to be driven, or to allow oneself to be driven (p. 855b). This means Peter’s intent here is to uphold the Scripture as that which was uttered by men while the Holy Spirit was moving them.  In other words, Scripture originated with the Holy Spirit, not with men.  He contrasts this in the very next sentence with the words of “false prophets” and “false teachers” who “secretly introduce destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1).

Peter went on to say, “By the same Word the present heavens are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).  The Greek here again is logos.  If it is logos and not rhema, how could it have such power to bring down fire and judgment to destroy ungodly men?  Those ungodly men about whom Peter wrote were the scoffers, false prophets, and false teachers who scoffed and said, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?” (2 Peter 3:4).  To these scoffers, the logos Peter referred to (or Scriptures about the Lord’s return) were something to be scoffed at.  Yet their scoffing and unbelief does not render the logos any less powerful.  In spite of their refusal to believe the logos, they will be destroyed by it. 

John’s Teaching on the Word of God
Jesus Himself is the Word of God.  Was He the Logos or the Rhema?  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3).  This passage obviously refers to Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.  The Greek here for “word” is logos.  Thus if we follow the rhema teachers’ line of reasoning, since Jesus is the logos and not the rhema of God, he is merely “dead letters of the law” “without any power” to accomplish God’s purpose.  How blasphemous is this logical conclusion to their reasoning, even though they may not teach this explicitly or intentionally.  We know that in Him is Life (John 1:4), and all who believe in Him have eternal life (John 3:36).

Luke’s Teaching on the Word of God
Luke wrote of the incident where Peter preached to those in the home of Cornelius, the Gentile centurion.  "While Peter was still speaking these rhema, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the logos" (Acts 10:44).  While both rhema and logos are used in the same sentence, the Scripture says it was those who heard the logos who received the Holy Spirit.  In other words, correctly interpreted, this passage means that the Holy Spirit came on those who heard the word that Peter was speaking. If the logos produces death, then how could those who heard it be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Mark’s Teaching on the Word of God
Mark wrote, “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat down at the right hand of God.  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord confirmed His logos by the signs that accompanied it” (Mark 16:19-20).  The Lord confirms the logos! He stands behind His Word.

James’ Teaching on the Word of God
James teaches that we should not “merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:22-24).  The Greek here is logou, not rhema. So James taught that we must be doers of the logos, not just the rhema.

James went on to say “the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). The Greek here for law is nomos, not rhema.  In the context, James used logos and nomos almost interchangeably to say that if we do what it says, we will be blessed.  This flies in the face of those who would have us believe we will not be blessed unless it is the rhema we seek to obey.  To them, the logos and nomos are merely “dead letters of the law” “without any power” to accomplish God’s purpose.

James did not use the word logos in this way at all.  In fact, he taught that the Father “chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (James 1:18).  The Greek here is not rhema, but logos through which the Father gave birth to us.  How could the Father give birth to us through dead letters devoid of any power?  Of course, we know He could not.

Paul’s Teaching on the Word of God
Now let us turn to the second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians.  The rhema teachers use the third chapter to teach that apart from the Spirit, the Word is the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death (2 Cor. 3:6).  In the next sentence, they contrast this with the rhema, “the Word that God speaks”.  In doing so, the implication is that any portion of Scripture that is not rhema word is “the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death.”  If we follow that line of reasoning, we must conclude that logos (word), entolas (commands) and nomos (law) are all “the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death.”  In fact, we would have to conclude that all Scripture, aside from rhema as defined by these teachers, is “the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death.”  Is this really what Paul taught?

On the contrary, like James, Paul taught, “the Law is good if one uses it properly” (1 Timothy 1:8).  The Greek here for the Law is nomos.  He went on to say, “the “Law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murders, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers – and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which He entrusted to me” (1 Timothy 1:9-11).  And in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explained the purpose of the law to lead us to Christ as a schoolmaster or a tutor that shows us we fall short of God’s glory (Romans 7). In that passage, he states, “the Law is spiritual” (Romans 7:14).

So if Paul did not teach that all non-rhema Scripture is merely dead letter which kills, then what did he mean when he wrote his second epistle to the Corinthians?  In the context of that passage, Paul refers to some apostles who had come into Corinth with letters of commendation (2 Cor. 3:1).  He also referred in that same verse to men who had ministered among the Corinthians and asked them for letters of commendation, so that they would be able to enter other towns where the Corinthian believers had connections.  The word for letters there is epistolon, from which we get the English word epistle.  Paul goes on to say that he did not need such commendatory epistles, since the Corinthians were his epistle.  He said, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:2,3).  Paul was saying that these believers who resulted from his ministry were his letter.  They were written on the tablet of his heart by the Spirit of God, not with ink or on tablets of stone.  This is the first reference to letters written on tablets of stone.  Paul emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit in the Corinthians over and against ink and paper.

He then goes on to refer to the confidence he and Timothy had due to the competence given them by God as ministers of a new covenant (2 Cor. 3:4,5).  He pointed out to them that this new covenant of which he and Timothy were ministers was not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:6).  For the first time in this passage, Paul uses the word grammaton, which also means letter.  At this point we observe here Paul’s repetition of the concept of “letters” which he had just begun discussing.  We might ask why this repetition occurs here.  Perhaps the answer is that there is a parallel between the remarks about epistolon and the remarks on grammaton, both of which are translated by the English word "letter".  The table below shows the parallels observed.  Compare and contrast each line item in the left column with its corresponding item in the right column:

Epistolon Passage (2 Corinthians 3:1-5)	Grammaton Passage (2 Corinthians 3:4-17)
Letters of commendation written with ink	Old Covenant engraved in letters
Letters of commendation needed by those who commend themselves	Old Covenant and those whose minds are made dull
Corinthians were written on the tablet of his heart	New Covenant was written on the tablet of the heart
Corinthians written on heart reflects work of Holy Spirit	New Covenant written on heart reflects a ministry of the Spirit, too.

Having now observed a parallel between the written letters relative to the Corinthians and written letters pertaining to the Old and New covenants, we may observe how Paul begins to contrast and compare the Old and New Covenants.  In the following table, compare and contrast each line item in the left column with its corresponding item in the right column:

Old Covenant	New Covenant
Of the letter (v. 6)	Of the Spirit (v. 6)
Kills (v. 6)	Gives life (v. 6)
Engraved in letters on stone (v.7)	Ministry of the Spirit (v.8)
Brought death (v. 7)	Gives life (v. 6)
Condemns men (v. 9)	Brings righteousness (v. 9)
Came with glory (v. 9)	Came with glory (v. 9)
Fading (v. 11)	Enduring (v. 11)
Has no glory now (v. 10)	Much greater, surpassing glory (v. 10,11)
Moses (v. 13)	“We are not like Moses”, referring to Paul & Timothy (v. 13)
Put a veil over his face (v. 13)	Boldness, no veil on Paul or Tim’s face (v. 12,13)
Veil remains to this day covering their hearts when Old Covenant is read (v. 14, 15)	Only in Christ the veil is removed whenever anyone turns to the Lord (v. 14, 15)

Having used these tables to show the observed contrast and comparison of the Old and New Covenants and the preceding parallel between the living epistles and the letters of commendation, let’s go on to ask some questions.  First of all, why did Paul draw such parallels?  What was his point in doing so?  My answer to these questions is that he wanted to point out the difference between the Old and New Covenants was just as radical as the difference between men’s letters of commendation and the living epistle the Corinthian believers were to Paul.  If we correctly handle this passage, we will not draw the false conclusion that “apart from the Spirit, the entire Word of God is the letter of the law, which causes spiritual death.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It is plain to see what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 3:6, when he said, “for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”  He was clearly referring specifically to the Old Covenant of Moses here, as those outside of Christ, who have not turned to the Lord, read it.  He is not referring to the entire Word of God.

Putting it All Together
In conclusion, I want to be clear that there is some truth in what the rhema teachers proclaim.  Here are the points where I agree with them:

• Rhema in the Greek New Testament refers to a word that proceeds out of the mouth, or a spoken word, when that is the connotation the writer wishes to convey. 
• God speaks to people today through the Holy Spirit and through the Scriptures.
• When the Holy Spirit illuminates a passage of Scripture, it seems to come alive.  At those moments, we may be encouraged, comforted, strengthened, edified, or convicted of sin.
• The Holy Spirit reminds us of Jesus’ words.  He gives us what we need from a practical viewpoint for what is happening in our lives currently.
• When we have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit says to us, we obey and see the good fruit of it.

Here are the points where I believe the rhema teachers are in error:

• The Scriptures do not teach us that rhema is more spiritual, more important, or more powerful than commands (entolas) of Jesus, the logos (word), or the perfect law (nomos) that gives freedom.
• There is no teaching in Scripture to focus our attention on rhema or emphasize it rather than logos.
• The Scripture does not teach that unless it is rhema the Word of God is dead letter.  We cannot section off parts of the Word as dead letter, because we consider them not to be rhema.

Here are some other points on the subject that are abundantly clear from a straightforward examination of Scripture:

• We are to recall the commands (entolas) of Jesus, and His words (logos).  We are to practice them, since they save us from destruction and lead to eternal life.
• He Himself is the Word (logos) and gave us the Father's Word (logos).
• All Scripture originated with the Holy Spirit, whether God speaks it to me personally or not.
• The entire Bible is God-breathed (theo-pneustos), and it’s all the Word of God whether I believe it or not.
• While all Scripture is found written in our Bible today, the first step in the inspiration process for all Scripture was that God breathed forth His Word.  Therefore, it was all a spoken word from the Holy Spirit initially.
• The Word of God is our sole rule of faith, not our subjective feelings and not just certain passages that we select because we consider them rhema.
• The Word of God does not need to be changed, I do.  If there is a portion of it that I am supposed to be practicing and am not practicing, then I am not to disregard it as dead letter that I am free to ignore.  Instead, I must acknowledge that I fall short of the glory of God.  I must admit that I am spiritually depraved apart from God, and completely incapable of obedience to His Word apart from walking in the Spirit. My salvation must rely daily on the grace of God in Christ by faith.
• Every born again believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit dwelling within.  So the ministry of the Spirit should be a regular part of the believer’s time in the Word.
• The Spirit has to reveal to you the thought or concept behind what is being said. 
• Those who espouse this rhema teaching should be careful, because "every idle rhema (word or utterance) that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matthew 12:36.)

Indeed, we must be very careful in the way we handle the original Greek and Hebrew languages of the Bible.  We should be very careful not to add to the Word or teach things based on meanings of words in the original languages that were not taught in Scripture. As with the Biblical languages, there are also English words that carry similar meanings but have different connotations.  For example, take the words vehicle and car.  A car is always a vehicle, but a vehicle is not always a car.  Similarly, an oil painting may be considered a picture, but a picture is not always an oil painting.  While I admit they have different connotations, I would also be mistaken to exaggerate or misuse the grammatical differences between these words to make distinctions that were never intended in the English language.  For example, it would be incorrect to state that all vehicles get poor gas mileage, but all cars get good gas mileage.

Likewise, one can also show that these two words – logos and rhema – have different and distinct connotations.  But one would be mistaken to exaggerate or misuse the grammatical differences between these words to make distinctions that were never intended in the Greek language.  The Scripture does not teach all of the points being made by the rhema teachers, nor does it create this false separation of itself into the rhema and logos categories.  It’s my responsibility as an individual to combine the Word with faith.  But my lack of faith or lack of hearing does not make the Bible or any passage of Scripture any less the Word of God. 

By once again embracing all Scripture as useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, we are free to Preach the Word, not just certain portions.  When this begins to happen, the Holy Spirit will move in a mighty way in our lives and in the Church, so that the people of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. "Wise and Foolish Builders" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: I also recommend my other articles, Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Is Obedience Optional?, The Scripture Must Be Fulfilled, The Bible is the Word of God, Scripture Alone, The Law of Christ, Faith Works!, What Then Must We Observe?, Obedience by the Spirit, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, The Rise of Antichrists, Called to be Blameless, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Ask for the Ancient Paths, and What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel? See the Home page of this blog for more. You can also find my complete collection of blogs 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

The False Gospel without Repentance

Are repentance and obedience part of the gospel?

I saw the following quote from H.A. Ironside, which is posted on a website that obviously holds to the belief in eternal security. Here's what they posted on their home page:

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”  SOURCE: Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel? Henry Allen "Harry" Ironside was a Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, pastor, and author, who died in New Zealand in 1951.

---

I shared this with my family and here are the responses I got back from them separately without conferring with each other:

“That is error!” – Charity Lacroix, age 18.

“That is incorrect! Many people could be and probably have been led astray by that teaching! I'm sure that the Lord is not happy with that at all!” – Faith Lacroix, age 14.

My wife replied, “Now after John had been taken into custody, 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.’" (Mark 1:14-15).

She continued, "I can understand that a person can simply better their life without believing the gospel, but according to Jesus and His gospel, repentance can't be separated from believing the gospel.” – Jennifer Lacroix

My son wrote: “This is downright FALSE!!!! It is totally crazy to say that the gospel is not a call to repentance or that it is not to be obeyed. Jesus himself said, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 3:2). He didn't say, ‘If you want to you can believe in me,’ or [merely] ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ He told us to repent and it was said as a command not a request. Sure we need to believe, but we also need to obey.” – C.R. Lacroix, age 11.

If you still do not see that in Scripture, as these comments of theirs have so aptly pointed out, then let me share three more, simple Scriptures with you that explicitly teach it:

For Jesus Himself said, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." (Luk 24:46-47, NIV)

That is also what the apostles preached. The apostle Paul said, "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." (Act 20:21, NIV)

Paul wrote in his epistle to the Thessalonians that the Lord "will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." (2Th 1:8-9)

When the apostle Peter was asked by his listeners what they must do in response to hearing the gospel, he replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Act 2:38, NIV)

Beware of this false gospel without repentance or obedience. It is very popular these days and very widespread. If you still have any doubts whether repentance and obedience are an essential part of the gospel, then please read the following articles of mine on the subject:

If -- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
The False Gospel of Eternal Security 
Is Obedience Optional?
The Obedience of Faith
Repentance That Leads to Life 

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Others taken from the Holy Bible NIV. "Wise and Foolish Builders" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: I also recommend my other articles, The Rise of Antichrists, Called to be Blameless, Keeping a Good Conscience, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Ask for the Ancient Paths, and The Law of Christ. I also recommend by daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You can also find my complete collection of blogs 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

The False Gospel of Eternal Security

One of the most popular teachings in the Church worldwide today is the doctrine of eternal security, which is the teaching of once-saved-always-saved. They teach that once we get saved, there is nothing we can ever do to lose our salvation. It is taught as if it is the gospel. If you are in a church that teaches this error, or if you yourself teach it, then I would like you to consider the following articles of mine. In these articles, I explain from Scripture what the Bible actually teaches on this topic:


If -- A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
Drifting Away
Is Obedience Optional?
Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven
You Must Be Born Again (see the section on New Life)
Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian
The Apostasy Parables

New Testament Books Disproving Eternal Security
Keeping Power of God

The Fruit Test of a Genuine Disciple

Can You "lose" Your Secure Position in Christ?

Is It Possible to Resist God?

These articles clearly show that eternal security is not taught in the Bible. However, if after reading them you still need more proof, then you may also read the following articles:

Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?
Walking in the Perfect Will of God
Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God
The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer
Having a Servant's Heart
Holy Living in a Perverted World
The Cost of Discipleship 
Salvation with Fear and Trembling
Faith Works! 

Being Blessable 
No Turning Back

The enemy uses the false teaching on eternal security to deceive many people to hell. Please don't let that happen to you or those you love. Prayerfully read these articles and share these articles with others who believe in eternal security, so that they will not perish but have everlasting life.

Author's note: If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. 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.

Gabriel Doufle Issues and Concerns

The time has come for me to publicize my concerns about Gabriel Doufle Kokou's messages.

I have previously written about the revelation of heaven and hell he received on December 9, 2011. Then in my article on the topic of divorce, I also used excerpts of a subsequent message he received about Nelson Mandella. I had accepted these as being genuine revelations. However, for about a year now, I have had some serious concerns about some of his other messages, and have kept silent about those concerns until now.

As I stated in my article about his first revelation, "It is my opinion that he is sincere and this testimony is genuine. (see Testing the Spirits of False Prophets). Having said that, this does not mean I give a blanket endorsement of all other revelations he has received. Each one must be judged individually, based on its own merits, as I have explained in my article, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies." That is why I did not initially remove my article about him until now. However, the following things from other revelations he received are just a few areas about which I had concerns.

The Only Christian on Earth
First of all, on March 25, 2015, I got an email from Gabriel Doufle's natural brother Benjamin, regarding Gabriel.  In his email he said, “…for the moment the Lord is considering him [Gabriel] as the only Christian on this earth.” That obviously cannot be true.

Marry or Burn
Secondly, there is the issue of a prophetic word that Gabriel has given publicly to two people that they must either marry or burn in hell. In order to help make my point, let me begin with a story my wife has written, which is based on the true story of what Gabriel Doufle has done, in order to illustrate his error:

Three characters:

Matt - a man who has dedicated his life completely to the Lord, is in ministry, and has made a decision to remain single so that he can serve the Lord

Pam - a woman who also has dedicated her life completely to the Lord, is in ministry, and has made a vow to remain single so that she can serve the Lord

Ed - the one who prophesies

The story

Ed gives a public (not private) prophecy (as if speaking the very oracles of God) to Matt and to Pam.  He insists, in the name of the Lord, that Matt must let go of his decision to remain single and that Pam must break her vow to remain single and that instead Matt and Pam must marry one another.

It is imperative that they marry one another. In fact, if they do not obey the Lord in this they will..........burn in hell.

Moreover, it is communicated in the prophecy that, while Matt is a spiritual leader in his area, only one person in his area is going to heaven.  So, Matt should be ashamed of this.  This is also evidence that Matt really needs Ed to input his life, just as Jethro gave input to Moses.

Questions:

1)  Do you believe the precious Holy Spirit of God would speak through a third party to demand that the other two parties (who are seeking to love and follow the Lord) to change a decision and break a vow so that they can do something they possibly have not even heard the Lord indicate for them to do?

2) Do you think Paul would have tolerated this kind of behavior among the early church when it came to prophesying?

3) Would you be apt to receive a word from Ed concerning your life or ministry or anything about the things of God, for that matter, if you knew he prophesied like this?

So that is my wife's story of Matt, Pam, and Ed, and her questions related to Ed's prophecies. It should be obvious to anyone reading it that "Ed" is not speaking a message from God. He is in serious error.

The True Story of Gabriel Doufle Kokou
Now here is the true story of Gabriel Doufle's prophecy to Dr. David Edward Owuor (in Kenya) and sister Claire Andoun Atongo (in Ireland) given sometime in December 2015. In Gabriel's new "message from Jesus", Gabriel Doufle says that if brother Owuor doesn’t get married to sister Claire, he will go to hell. This conflicts with Scripture.

He said to brother Owuor something like, "Which Jesus told you to make a decision not to marry?  I, Jesus, say..." (this is probably not the direct quote, but it's the essence of what was said).  Then at one point in the word, he said, "I, Gabriel,.."

In response to His disciple's statement, "It is better not to marry," Jesus said that this is not a word that everyone can accept, but that he who can accept it should accept it (Matt. 19:10-11). Therefore, based on Scripture, the true Jesus is not at all against those who chose to remain single.

In his prophecy, Gabriel says that not only will brother Owuor and sister Claire go to hell if they do not marry one another, but that anyone who stands in they way of this from being fulfilled will go to hell.  He says that he prophesied that Paul and Linda Rika were to be married.  At first they did not see it to be so, but then it came to pass.  Now when this word comes to pass, it will be recognized as being from God.  Isn't it strange that he puts everyone who opposes this word in a place of damnation, if the word does not come to pass?

By pronouncing damnation on anyone who opposes this word, isn't that implying that the word cannot be challenged?  If a word cannot be challenged or opposed, isn't this putting the word above the Scripture that says that prophecy should be tested (1Co 14:29)? See my article, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies.

You are welcome to listen to his message yourself on You Tube, titled "Message from Jesus to Dr Owuor," and judge it according to Scripture, particularly 1 Corinthians 7:

7:8  "But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I."

7:34b  "The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband."

7:35  "This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord."

7:36  "But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry."

7:37  "But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well."

7:38  "So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better."

As these Scriptures clearly show, it is not a sin for two people to remain single. In fact, the apostle Paul said they would do even better to remain single than to marry, because they will be able to devote themselves to the Lord without distraction. Moreover, Paul counseled single people to remain single like him.

All revelations must be in agreement with the Word of God, or else we must dismiss them as false. Since this prophecy Gabriel gave to brother Owuor and sister Claire is not in agreement with Scripture, I do not accept it as true or genuine. It does not bear witness to me or my wife as coming from the Spirit of God, but instead seems like manipulation, mind control, and spiritual abuse. That is why I have removed Gabriel Doufle's revelations from my blogs.

If you would like to educate yourself about the mind control techniques commonly used by cults to control their members, please see the article by Cult Watch entitled "How Cults Work." Brethren, let us be careful not to let anyone manipulate us.

Forbidden Fabrics 
Gabriel says there are forbidden clothing fabrics that will take you to hell, such as "jeans" and "nylon." He states: "About the nylon, I saw a woman of the Church 'Deeper Life' in hell, saying that the Lord had shown her the nylon is equal to the bite (nylon is not different from the bite that is snake) for her to tell the Christian women no longer use [nylon], but rather the old wire braid to braid hair. But she had not said and that is what led her to hell. Then the Christian advised to use the old thread to weave in order to go to heaven." He also speaks of something he calls "the demon of nylon from Paris"

What is the demon of nylon? What Scripture is that based on? It leads us to believe that certain fabrics are sin, which is not supported by Scripture. There is no scriptural basis for such a revelation. The type of fabric we wear cannot in itself send a person to hell or heaven. The issue is whether something is modest or immodest, godly or worldly, not what fabric it is made from.

Only Fifty People Ready for Heaven
He has also made some questionable statements that there are only fifty people in the world who are ready for heaven. He said that according to the Lord, in the whole world right now (at the time the word was given), there are only 50 souls ready for heaven. He emphasized that if the Lord does not come right away, if He wastes one minute, then even these 50 souls will be lost (the enemy will find a way to cause them to sin, and then they will die in their sin).

This makes it seem as if the Lord is unable to keep those who are His own. It contradicts Scripture that tells us of His keeping power. For example, "I am confident of this: He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in you." and "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--" (Jude 24). And "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." (1 Cor 1:8-9). See Keeping Power of God.

This message from brother Gabriel makes it seem like the devil is greater than the Lord Jesus. I don't agree with that, because the Bible says, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." (1 Jn 4:4).

There are a number of errors in this message:

1) The Lord showed him how many people in each nation are ready for heaven, and he listed nations, giving the numbers of souls going to heaven. In that list of nations, he inserted names of cities, which are not nations, such as Paris and Berlin.

2) He stated that in "North and South America - only 1 soul" is ready for heaven.

Then he indicated that in Canada there is one soul ready for heaven.  North and South America are continents, not nations, yet they are included in a list of nations. And since Canada is in North America, it is quite odd that he would first say only 1 person in North and South America is ready for heaven and then say only one person in Canada is ready. This would mean that not a single person here in the US is ready.

3) Among all the 1.357 billion people in China, brother Gabriel says that not a single one is ready for heaven. We know that some of these people are suffering under communist persecution and many are probably dying for their Christian faith, but supposedly they are going to hell...

4) Meanwhile, in Gabriel's home country of Togo, which has only a population of merely 6.8 million people, there are supposedly 12 people ready for heaven. That is very strange, since that one nation has more people ready for heaven than any other nation on earth, and it happens to be the nation where brother Gabriel lives.

Lack of Accountability
In my opinion, Gabriel seems to lack accountability. What I mean is that nobody is allowed to challenge or question any of this prophecy given to brother Owuor and sister Claire. Those who do are threatened with hell fire.

No matter who gives a prophecy, it must always be tested and judged, not only by the individual who gives it, but also by others. Paul said, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.” (1Co 14:29). He also said, “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (1Th 5:19-22). In fact, Paul himself, who wrote half the New Testament, went up to Jerusalem to submit himself to the apostles there and ensure that his gospel message to the Gentiles was valid. He wanted to ensure that he had not been running in vain. He said, “Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.” (Gal 2:1-2)

The apostle John warned us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1Jn 4:1). The Berean disciples were commended for seeking to find out if Paul’s messages were Scriptural. It says, “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Act 17:11). We must always be free to examine everything carefully, test it, and pass judgment on every single prophecy. If anyone puts themselves above that process, threatening anyone who attempts to do so with hellfire, then that is dangerous. That person is not accountable to others in the Body of Christ.

Therefore, Gabriel needs to submit to authority and make himself accountable to others in the Body of Christ. He must also be correctable and teachable. He must allow others to speak into his life and bring adjustments as necessary. (Please see Accountable, correctable, and teachable).

Condemning the Man?
I have been accused of condemning this man, which is patently false. Go back and re-read this article and you will find no place where I have condemned him. In fact, I was careful not to do so. The very title of this article indicates that it is about my "issues and concerns" with his teachings, prophecies, and practices. I do not judge him, but if he does not accept the words of Christ, then the very words the Lord has spoken will condemn him at the last day (Joh 12:47-48). In fact, If anybody, even an angel from heaven, is preaching to you a gospel other than the one recorded in Scripture, let them be under God’s curse! (Gal 1:9).

Although I could reveal much more than I have published here, I have not even disclosed everything that I know about Gabriel, including some other very serious things, because I think that what I have written is enough to help thinking people to arrive at the correct conclusions themselves.

Because of this article, either he or someone else has come out with a prophecy against me condemning me. That should help you see the spirit behind this that is lashing out at me for exposing these things. Interestingly, before I published this article, back when I had only published Gabriel's first revelation, he had a glowing prophecy from the Lord for me, in which he spoke very highly of me. In it he said, "The Lord showed me brother Leonard Lacroix’s house in heaven." And he said many other very positive and uplifting things about my ministry that were supposed to be directly from the Lord. But now that I have come out exposing the things I have exposed in this article, they come out with a condemning prophecy against me.

I don't need to defend myself against these false prophecies and lies that have been published about me. The Lord is my refuge and strength, and He is my strong tower. He will protect me from their slander. I care very little if I am judged by Gabriel or by any human being. My conscience is clear. As the apostle Paul said, "It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God." (1 Cor 4:4-5, NIV).

Putting it All Together
Dear people, I think I have said enough. Gabriel Doufle said a year ago that the Lord considers him the only Christian on earth, and then he later said there are only fifty people on earth ready for heaven. He forbids certain fabrics, saying that they can take you to hell. He has prophesied publicly to two, single people, counseling them in the name of the Lord that they must marry or else burn in hell, which is a form of manipulation. He also seems to lack accountability and forbids anyone to judge his message to these two people. These are major issues and concerns, and Gabriel does not have Scriptural support in saying such things. Therefore, you should beware of this man!

This is my judgment on the matter, which I humbly submit to you, but ultimately the Lord Jesus alone has the last word or judgment. Please go back to the Lord and ask Him about this man and his ministry, whether his messages are truly from the Lord. He is faithful, and He will show you.

Afterword
On May 10, 2017, sister Claire Andoun Solomon passed from this life into glory after a brief illness. She had just recently been married on April 6, 2017 to an evangelist named Solomon. She did not marry Dr. David Owuor, as Gabriel Doufle had prophesied she must do. On Sunday, April 17, 2017, the Lord gave her a wonderful dream of the rapture, which I would encourage you to read at this link. On April 22, 2017, she had a supernatural experience during intercessory prayer with her husband at 3:00 AM, in which she saw the Holy Spirit. I strongly encourage you to read about that as well in my article, The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit. Then on May 11, 2017, the day after she passed away, a sister in Christ in Norway, who did not even know sister Claire, had a vision of her during prayer, and the Lord identified to her the woman she was seeing in the vision as sister Claire. In the vision, sister Claire was going on into glory.

Praise the Lord! Our sister Claire has made it on into glory, and the Lord gave a vision to a woman who did not even know her in order to confirm it. Shortly afterward, a brother in Christ, who had just recently gotten to know Claire, also had a vision of her making it to heaven. (To read the full text of these two visions, please see my article, The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon). For those who question the message and the ministry of sister Claire, let this be a sign to them that she carried the message of the Lord and was pleasing to Him. And for those who would condemn her to hell for not marrying Dr. David Edward Owuor of Kenya, let this be a reproof to them from the Lord.

As for Gabriel, a video was posted on his channel (the Dahoe Agbossou channel that publishes his videos) on May 13, 2017 that claims Claire Andoun Atongo was seen in hell fire on May 12. The video is simply a still photo of a young girl sitting down with the text of this short message on the screen and no sound at all. It contains a reference to Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, which states, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

It states that a video testimony would follow about this that would give the reason for Claire's death. Then on May 29, 2017, that same channel posted a twelve-part video by Doufle called, "Five hours in the afterlife, Apostle Gabriel Doufle, the father of the nations." Incidentally regarding that title, Gabriel cannot be the father of the nations, because that would contradict the Bible.

Gabriel Doufle, May 29, 2017

To make matters even more bizarre, in the video series under that title, the self-proclaimed "apostle and father of the nations" (pictured left) is sitting under a tree outdoors on a huge sofa chair, wearing a military combat fatigue uniform and combat boots. He is wearing an orange bib scarf and what appears to be something on his shoulders that looks like rank insignia. He is holding a Bible and preaching. The description of the video in French says it is directed "to the children of Claire," apparently referring to her spiritual children.

Although I do not understand the words that he is ranting in the video, since it is in the ÉwÉ language, he repeatedly says Claire Andoun's name. At one point, he appears to be imitating a demon mocking her in hell. He also  apparently speaks of her crying out to the Lord asking forgiveness, as well as crying out, "Papa Gabriel!" He also says the word "marriage" in French and mentions the name "David," which is apparently a reference to Dr. David Owuor, the man whom Gabriel prophesied must marry sister Claire or else both David and Claire would perish in hell.

Then in another video in this series, he is standing up someplace outdoors wearing the same uniform and this time has a red beret cap on his head. He appears to preach for a while with the cap on, even though the Bible says that if a man prays or prophesies with his head covered he dishonors his head (1 Cor 11:4). He also sings a song while saluting with his eyes closed. Apparently according to one of his videos, his reason for dressing up in a combat uniform is because he considers himself a soldier of Christ. However, it reminds me too much of the tyrants who liked to dress up in military uniforms like Lybia's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Uganda's Idi Amin Dada, the former Soviet Union's Josef Stalin, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Germany's Adolf Hitler.

The Lord Jesus did not wear a combat uniform, and neither did any of His apostles that are recorded in the Bible. They walked in great humility and never did such things that would only serve to draw attention to themselves. Gabriel Doufle is not acting in line with Scripture by dressing up as a soldier, and he is not imitating Christ or the apostles by doing so.

The video about Claire Andoun was not the first or only time Doufle appeared in this uniform. He apparently first began wearing it publicly in April 2017, as part of a theme, according to some of his published videos. In the first public worship service where he appeared in uniform, when he walked to the front of the meeting, the people applauded loudly and wildly for a long time, shouting and dancing, while some took pictures of him. He stood there and allowed them to do this to him. They had been in the midst of worship, singing and praising the Lord, when he walked to the front of the group. Their excessive admiration and praise over seeing him was greater than the praise they had been giving to the Lord before he interrupted them. While someone may say that this is all completely innocent, I think wisdom would sound a word of caution. This sort of adulation seems to me like man worship, but God knows their hearts. I hope that all who care about their own souls will take heed to this warning.

When Cornelius fell at the apostle Peter's feet as he walked into the centurion's house, Peter would not allow it. He said, "Stand up! I am only a man myself." (Ac 10:25-26). When the people of Derbe praised the apostles Paul and Barnabas as gods, wanting to offer a sacrifice to them, the apostles "tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 'Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.'" (Ac 14:14-15). Yet Gabriel Doufle did not seek to stop the people from doing what they did to him.

Finally, Doufle's twelve-part video series, in which he is wearing a combat uniform, is not the only video produced about sister Claire, her recent marriage, and subsequent death. Doufle's brother Benjamin also has a video on his channel published in French on May 28, 2017 that shows a photo collage of sister Claire, her husband Solomon, Dr. David Owuor, and Gabriel Doufle. Once again it identifies Doufle as apostle and "the father of the nations." Sadly this man whom sister Claire called "Daddy" and his brother Benjamin have spent a lot of time broadcasting these false messages about her to the world.

In fact, I tried to warn her about this. In my last email to sister Claire on March 10, 2016, to which she never replied, I sent her the link to this present article with a short message that simply said, "If this man is someone you call Daddy and consider your spiritual father, this is going to have a negative effect on your life and ministry." Although she never responded to that email from me, I have learned that within five months after I sent it, by August 2016 she had parted ways with Gabriel Doufle and no longer associated with him.

Let me conclude by saying I believe that the so-called revelation about someone seeing sister Claire in hell is completely false, as was Gabriel's original prophecy about her in 2015. Now that I have warned you, I hope that this article has helped to open the eyes of those who still follow him.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where noted otherwise. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, King James Version.

Author's Note: I also recommend reading Exposing Heresy, The Nature of False Prophets, A Tale of Two Kings, What Then Must We Observe?, Scripture Alone, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Accountable, correctable, and teachable, Accurately Handling the Word of Truth, By Grace Alone, Righteousness by Faith not Law, and The Home Going of Sister Claire Andoun Solomon. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

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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.