Doctrines of Demons (Part 2)

Please read Part I to get our whole theme.  This is on Ron Matsen’s sermon “Doctrines of Demons.”  We are focusing on Satan’s desire to deceive us away from seeing Jesus as God.  Just a side note to begin:  John 3:16, per KJV:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This was a mistranslation because it gives the impression that Jesus was “begotten,” that He began His life with Mary. Here is the correct reading of John 3:16 per NIV:

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

Now let’s look at specific antichrist cults, whose gospel was perfected by Satan.

Let’s look at the Gnostics first, since that deviation from orthodoxy happened first. Interestingly, the cult was birthed in a seminary in Alexandria, Egypt, during the days of the apostles. So, Satan wasted no time introducing the first heresy.  They believed in another Jesus because their theology taught that material things must have been created by an inferior god, since they believed that no physical thing, no physical body, can be pure and holy.  Those two qualities belong to the spirit realm, which were created by a higher god. (They believed in two gods.) Therefore, Jesus, as a higher god, could not have physically visited the earth, because He was holy. So His “appearance” on earth had to be in a ghost form only. He was an aura. This took away the humanity of Jesus, which was important, as we saw in Hebrews in Part I. Gnosticism was on Satan’s side, because it was against the real, physical Jesus in His incarnation. II John 7 also says:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Another false doctrine that appeared 200 years later is Arianism. It is associated with Arius, a presbyter from Alexandria (that church with Christian “intellectuals” produced some bad stuff). This belief system posits that Jesus Christ was a created being and not of the same substance as God the Father, which fundamentally challenges the traditional Christian understanding of the Trinity.

Arianism came up around AD 300. They taught that Jesus, as the Son of God, is subordinate to God the Father. It asserted that Jesus was created by God and did not exist eternally. Arianism also rejected the concept of the Trinity, which holds that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons in one Godhead; all eternal.

Arianism was condemned as heretical during the Council of Nicaea, in 325 AD, which affirmed that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father.”

Despite its condemnation, Arianism gained traction in various regions of the Roman Empire and influenced several groups, including some Germanic tribes.

• From Wikipedia

Thirdly, let’s analyze the Muslim Jesus.  Keep in mind, if you will, that I am not writing arguments against every one of these “facts” they assert.  I assume that you know enough of the Scripture to know that there is no one named Issa in the Bible, that Jesus’s mother is Mary, etc.  The false stuff that these cults believe is usually because they have an alternative book to the Bible.  It might be the book of Mormon, the Quran, the Watchtower, etc.  Their books they really consider higher than the Bible (they call them “equals,” but if there is a contradiction, their book is correct, the Bible got corrupted).  With lots of Bibles available, how could anyone in this country believe these books were superior to the Bible?  Total disrespect for God’s Word will not do people well on Judgment Day.  We must read it to our kids, tell them that we love God’s Word, that He gave it to us, and it is the only Truth we can be sure of.  Sunday School doesn’t seem to teach theology, except that God is love.

Anyway, here are religious Muslim beliefs surrounding Jesus:  His true name, according to the Quran, is “Issa,” or “Isa.” They did not believe Jesus, or “Issa,” was God.  He was only a prophet, and his main two messages in coming to earth were: Surrender to Allah; and Muhammad is Coming.  God’s original disciples, they say, were Muslims.  Issa’s mother was Miriam (but that name appears in the Bible as a sister to Aaron and Moses, over a thousand years earlier.) Despite the clarity of Scripture and other writings and events as proof, they still claimed that Issa was not crucified and did not die. Those who say otherwise “lied.”  Instead of dying, “Issa” ascended to Allah. This bypasses His death on the cross; thus, it tries to wipe away His redemptive payment for our sin—but that was His main purpose in coming to earth. This doctrine was a serious heresy.  In the Resurrection, they say, Allah will be a witness against Jews and Christians, for believing that Issa died. Muhammad was God’s gift to Christians because he corrected our misunderstanding by writing the Quran.

This hyper-distortion virtually guarantees that religious Muslims are unsaved, and almost all bound for hell if they die believing it.  But some Muslims are additionally a danger to Christians and Jews, because the Quran is extremely antisemitic, and their teaching on End Times is apocalyptic destruction. They also are a State, with their own laws. They believe they are allowed to kill infidels. We do not have the space to deal with it here; just be warned. These people have nothing to tell you.  Turn away from those who preach it.

Next, the Mormon Jesus.  Jesus was conceived, they say, through sexual intercourse between God the Father and a heavenly Mother. Thus He was a created being, not equal to God, and not Eternal.  They believe that Jesus was a “spirit brother” to all humanity, including Lucifer (or Satan). How could anybody believe this? Mormonism rejects the Trinity, teaching that the Father and the Holy Spirit are distinct physically and spiritually. But they are spirits; Jesus came as a human to teach us what God was like, and to die for our sin.

Oddly, they believe that Jesus’ atonement began in the Garden of Gethsemane through the Cross. This takes away from the Cross, alone, as the symbol of our redemption. And you will see few crosses in Mormon iconography. Unfortunately, Mormonism believes in a higher degree of heaven, the Celestial Kingdom–which one can obtain by works, including participation in Temple ordinances. This belief in works to help obtain higher salvation takes away from Jesus’ redemptive power on the Cross.

Yet they have 6.5 million Mormons in the U.S., whose eternal destiny is on the edge of a cliff. If they accept it, and do not think of fighting against this heresy, their destiny is more than likely hell.  Everyone  has a thinking mind; we all have a responsibility to know our Bible, and how our church lines up with that.  If God gives these people the light to see this as insolence against Him, and they are willing to walk away from heretical doctrine, they have a chance for heaven.  Ignorance doesn’t save you from hell’s grasp.

Even worse, if possible, is their statement that Jesus earned His salvation while on earth.. This is another proof of salvation through works. Scripture clearly proves, even in Genesis, that salvation is by faith. In a true Christian, it will result in God-works. Also, it again takes away His divinity, since He had to earn His salvation.  But the Bible clearly teaches that through His grace, our obedience to Him and why He died on the cross is the key on the way to our salvation.

They further claim that Jesus is finite, not infinite, saying He began His existence when He was born on earth. This denies Jesus an essential quality of God, that He is Eternal.  They have made Him immortal instead, same as a higher angel. But Jesus is God; He is infinitely higher than the angels–He created them!

And, they say, He had to submit to a moral law that “began before He did.” But Jesus gave a New Covenant, and was not under the Moses law, as they are implying.  He sets the laws; He is sovereign to it.  The purpose of that Law, for us, was to teach us that we, who have the nature of sin, and frequently act on it, can never be perfect enough to follow the Law, to show that trying to follow it, we cannot obtain heaven.  We were not created so we could brag that our obedience to law brought us to heaven. Note Hebrews 7:18—19:

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless

19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

The “better hope” is Jesus, through whom we have a shot at heaven, by true faith. We must admit that we are sinners; trusting that His redemption on the cross initially saves us.  After that, loving and obeying Him, our Savior, is possible with the Holy Spirit helping. If it doesn’t make us a radically different person, we missed what it is to be truly ‘saved.’

To continue Mormon dogma:  They say, beyond death, we will be just like Him. So we will be little gods?  Here is what their sources say:

Mortals themselves may become gods and goddesses in the afterlife, be rulers of their own heavenly kingdoms, have spirit children, and increase in power and glory forever.

We are not, nor will be, gods. It is blasphemy to take away the difference between the only God and us. It would be fun to have our own heavenly kingdom, and increase in power, and have well-behaved kids. But NONE of this sentence has any spiritual support.

Also, Jesus plainly taught that there will be no marriage in heaven. Matthew 22:30:

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven

Next, the Jehovah Witness Jesus.  Jesus was Michael the archangel before He came to earth. In other words, a created being. Same heresy as the Mormons. After resurrection from the Cross, He was again Michael, leading angels in fighting with the dragon (Satan).  Again, we expose their lack of faith–Jesus was not an angel, He was God. They changed the Bible. Their version, in John 1:1, says “the Word (or Jesus) was a god.” The Bible accurately translates “the Word was God.”)  By adding that little word, they are deliberately vague about Jesus being uniquely God.  That’s because they do not believe in the trinity.

True, the Trinity is impossible to understand. But various Scripture compels their equality of character and image. We should admit it–there is no way we can understand everything about an infinite God. Scripture teaches it, so we believe it.  (Don’t get on the hobby horse about how we are mindless, etc.—there are plenty of scientific and archeological facts that Prove the Bible is supernatural). We trust God to tell the truth.  Here’s additional proof that they are lowering Jesus. From my source:

They affirm that God—Jehovah—is the Most High. But Jesus Christ is God’s agent, they say.

But an agent is not God. In explaining Jesus as “a god,” they say, “the Word was a powerful godlike one. Clearly Jesus is not Almighty God.” Unfortunately, this quote was another step backward—godlike isn’t God. The term Almighty God may suggest the Father’s unique trait to some people, but there is no question that Jesus has infinite power as well, so He deserves the title Almighty as well.

Side note:  their fixation on a date for Christ’s return.  Charles Taze Russell, their founder, began the Witnesses in the 1880’s.  He originally taught that Jesus would return to earth invisibly in 1914. They played this up, and got a huge boost in their membership. They shouldn’t have, since the Bible says that when He makes His Second Coming, we will all see Him. The sky will be dark, then suddenly a bright lightning, then He appears on a horse in the sky with His angels (Matthew 24:27ff)–as Judge of all the earth. What is “invisible” about that?  When the anticipated 1914 passed without incident (how would they know?), they were forced to change that doctrine later.  They really, really wanted to set a date for Christ’s return to earth, so they kept setting dates, and when the date passed, they changed the doctrine yet again.  Here again, the Bible teaches that’s wrong. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 

BUT He tells us that there are signs so we will know that we are close, Matthew 24:32-33:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!

The point being, no matter how bad it gets in those last days, there is comfort for a believer if the signs in the world match up, and we can say the Second Coming  is near.  We should not be so enslaved by the future that we forget to live in the present. So we, as Christians, can do some good for the Lord.

When a Mormon or a JW comes to your door, and says “I believe in Jesus,” you shouldn’t fall for the deception and ignorantly say, “Well, I do too.” You have nothing in common with their doctrine, knowing that it was fostered by Satan. They believe in another pseudo-Jesus.  Both cults deny some necessary attribute of divinity, so both cripple the story of His Redemption—because He was God and Human while on earth, and He was sinless and His death could redeem us if we have trusting faith.  Those are anti-Christ, and are bound for hell until they see the Gospel. They have nothing to teach you.

I don’t think most of us could successfully teach such visitors to our door the Truth—they almost always have a second person around to keep you from saying much.  Nothing wrong in you learning how to present the Gospel, but I wouldn’t suggest you engage them if you’re a young one in the Lord.

There are other denominations who have “another Jesus,” but I only had room for the main ones.  Millions of people have been deceived, not only in these groups, but Jesus has been distorted by groups even calling themselves “evangelical.”  Many of my other blogs can tell you about that.  I just hope you will study His Truth, the Bible, before stumbling into a church that betrays Christ. God go with you.