teaching will appear to the unbeliever to be wisdom, but “ this wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish” (James 3:15). Thus, in contrast to the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth, Satan has his lying spirits who influence the minds of men to give heed to false teaching. Let us beware of this army of evil spirits. They come to a man at a time of intellectual doubt, or of devastating sor row, or of spiritual failure, or even of bodily weak ness. None of us are immune from such attacks. “ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false proph ets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1). These spirits are “ demons.” The word Paul uses is not “ devils," for Scripture speaks of only one Devil, but rather “ demon,” a term never applied to Satan in the Word of God. They are supernatural evil spirits, and their wiles [or methods] are those of trickery and deceit (Ephesians 6:11). The human agents through whom they work are said to come “ speaking in lies in hypocrisy." There was to be no doubt in Timothy’s mind, nor should there be in ours, that hypocritical liars who depart from the faith are controlled by de mons. Their chief aim is to draw others away from that body of teaching which forms the basis of what all true Christians believe. So rapidly has their num ber increased in recent years that we have found our selves among strange bed-fellows. This apostasy will reach its full maturity immediately before Christ’s second coming to the earth (2 Timothy 3:5-8). Christian, beware! There is a deadly conflict now in progress over the mastery of man’s mind. The evil spirits of error are increasing in strength as they go all out in a final assault against God's truth, for Satan knows his time is running out. We need more and more to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit says in the Scriptures. He has spoken the truth. Jesus said, “ Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all tru th ” (John 16:13). But many do not want the truth. Mod ern intellectualism has a strange hold upon many re ligious leaders, so that the voice of the Holy Spirit is not being heard in some areas. The spirit of the world-system is more acceptable to most people than is the Holy Spirit of God. In some churches it seems that the Holy Spirit has been displaced. He is no long er depended upon. Committee meetings are held where every one is asked an opinion except the Holy Spirit. We had better consult Him for He has some thing important to say, and when He speaks, He speaks expressly. It was necessary for Him to stir up the saints in the churches throughout Galatia by ask ing them, “ 0 foolish Galatians . . . are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Yes, “ The Spirit speaketh expressly,” and if we are not hearing His voice, we will be picking up the voice of another spirit. He speaks in clear tones through His written Word, the Bible. Give Him a hear ing. Heed what He says. KB THE KING’S BUSINESS
iel to give a similar prediction (Daniel 8:23). Jesus spoke by the Spirit when He predicted that the end of the age would be marked by deception and false prophets (Matthew 24:4), 5, 11, 24). The Spirit in spired the Apostles to write about it (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 9-12; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 John 2:18; Jude 18). The strength and importance of this warning lay in its authority. Only the Holy Spirit can foresee the future, and it is He who is speaking. Man may guess at what the future holds and offer his conjectures, but the Spirit knows, and these elements of future events He has set forth in specific terms. That the events were future from the time when Paul wrote them is clear from the expression “ latter times.” How distant that future was in the mind of Paul we do not know. We do know, however, that the times were subsequent to his own. He did warn the Ephesian elders about the imminent danger of false teachers when he said, “ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29, 30). The Spirit did not speak through Paul to Timothy just for the sake of speaking. He had something im portant to say. Whether the “ latter times” has refer ence to the immediate future, or to the period at the very close of this age at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are not inclined to argue. The important thing is that we heed the warning and be ready at all times. Evidently the beginnings of the apostasy took place in Paul’s day, for he wrote elsewhere, “ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work . . .” (II Thessa lonians 2:7). The substance of the prediction is that some de liberately and intentionally will withdraw from the Christian faith they once professed. These apostates will not necessarily give up their profession of being Christians, but they will forsake the great truths of the historic Christian faith. From time to time during this present age of grace men have been victimized away from their original profession. They are the nominal professing Christians who reveal their true nature by their departure. The Apostle John wrote, “ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have con tinued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19). To revolt from the truth once heard and con fessed is no slight error, but a heinous crime. When anyone deserts the fold of God, he proves that he never was one of God’s sheep, but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Many a so-called backslider has never been born again. Paul has a timely word when he says, “ Ex amine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves . . .” (2 Corinthians 13:5). The source of the peril is described as “seducing spirits.” Satan will put into the mouth of a false prophet a lying or deceiving spirit, and that false prophet will in turn deceive many. Such demonic 10
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