MODERN FALSE PROPHETS AND WORLDLY ECUMENISM : 2
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
The Anti-God Jews, Jesus Is The Main Door, Father And Son: A
Package Deal, The Devils Also Believe, God's Creation As A
Pointer, True Doctrinal Unity And False Worldly Ecumenism,
One True Doctrine, Holding Fast The Faith, Restoring Those
Fallen In Doctrinal Error, The Grave Responsibility Of Being
Bible Teachers, Doctrinally Stumbling The Weak, Conclusion
I can only wonder if Billy Graham has ever been publicly
challenged since making his erroneous statements. If he has
been, and if he has personally given a public response to
these things, and not just relied upon his associates to
answer for him, can someone please tell me exactly how he
has responded? I must also wonder if Reverend Schuller
challenged Billy Graham on live television immediately after
he made these misleading statements. The transcript I have
read indicates that he did not. If Schuller didn't do this,
then I must ask why he didn't. I know absolutley nothing
about Reverend Robert Schuller. Is he just another one of
these politically-correct tele-evangelists of our modern
era? The final point which disturbs me concerning Billy
Graham's statements, is the fact that he seems to further
alienate Jesus Christ from the picture of Salvation when he
says 'I've met people in various parts of the world ...that
have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, and never
heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that
there was a God.'
While Mr. Graham states that these people believe in 'a
God', we must ask ourselves if he, and they, are referring
to the one and only true God the Father, or if they might be
referring to some other local god or diety to whom they
attribute creation and all life and breath. Even if they are
referring to God the Father, as Bible-believing Christians,
we know that just believing in God the Father is not enough.
The Jews also believe in God the Father; at least they claim
to believe. Are they saved? Not by any definition of the
word! Jesus very clearly said that they were of their father
the devil! Consider the Lord's own words:
"They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father.
Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye
would do the works of Abraham...Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it...He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore
hear them not, because ye are not of God."
(John 8:39, 44, 47)
Notice the Lord's key phrases in those statements: 'Ye are
of your father the devil...ye are not of God'. Jesus made
very clear in the Gospels that believing in God the Father
is only half of the Salvation Equation. Because the Jews
rejected, and continue to reject, Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, they are damned to hell unless they repent; and this
goes for anyone who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ! The Lord,
as well as others, have made it very clear that in order to
get to God the Father, we must go through Him first. There
are no detours; there are no side entrances; there are no
secret passageways known only to a few initiated ones like
we hear in some of these occult groups; we all must enter
through the Main Door; and that is the Lord Jesus Christ! He
is the only Mediator between God and man. Consider the
following verses:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
(John 14:6)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber...I am the door: by me if any
man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture." (John 10:1, 9)
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." (Acts 4:12)
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)
Thus again, we can only conclude that unless we personally
make a conscious effort to openly confess our belief in the
Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are not truly saved. There is
no such thing as unconscious Salvation. There is no such
thing as being saved simply because God has chosen us. If He
has chosen us, it is because He knows that in His appointed
time, we will each accept Him through choosing to openly and
consciously believe in the Sacrifice of His Son. There is
simply no such thing as being saved without a conscious
knowledge of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ. This is
totally unScriptural doctrine. There is no such thing as
being saved simply because we believe in God the Father, or
some other local god or diety. By God the Father's very own
design, Jesus Christ His Son must be a part of the Salvation
Equation. In discussing faith and works, the Apostle James
also emphasized this point in his Epistle when he said:
"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)
You see that? Even the devils believe in one God. They know
that He is real. They have seen Him! In fact, as I point out
in the four-part series 'Is Jesus The Only Begotten Son Of
God?', they also know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!
When the Lord cast those devils out of the demoniacs, they
clearly identified Him as the Son of God:
"And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do
with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to
torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29)
"And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before
him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God."
(Mark 3:11)
"And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying,
Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them
suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was
Christ." (Luke 4:41)
"When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him,
and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee,
Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me
not." (Luke 8:28)
So why is it that these demons are not saved? It is because
they have not submitted themselves to the authority of Jesus
Christ. They are in rebellion against God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ. In like manner, these people, whether
they be Jews or anyone else, are not saved unless they not
only believe in the one true God, but also in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They must accept the Sacrifice of
Jesus Christ as the only Valid Atonement for their sins. As
Jesus said in the Gospel of John, 'I and my Father are one'.
As with the rebellious Jews, no one can say that they truly
believe in God the Father if they reject the Sacrifice of
His Son. To reject Jesus Christ, is to reject His Father as
well. They are both a part of the same package. They are the
yolk and the albumen:
"I and my Father are one." (John 10:30)
"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me." (Matthew 10:40)
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and
my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but
the will of the Father which hath sent me...But I have
greater witness than that of John: for the works which the
Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do,
bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the
Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of
me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen
his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom
he hath sent, him ye believe not." (John 5:30, 36-38)
"...If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I
proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself,
but he sent me." (John 8:42b)
Unfortunately, it may surprise you to know that Mr. Graham's
wayward walk from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ did not
begin with his 1997 interview with Robert Schuller. Believe
it or not, twenty years ago he was already going off-track
in his doctrine. In a 1978 interview which appeared in
McCall's Magazine, Reverend Billy Graham made the following
startling statement:
----- Begin Quote -----
"I used to think that pagans in far-off countries were lost
-- were going to hell -- if they did not have the Gospel of
Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that ...
I believe there are other ways of recognizing the existence
of God -- through nature, for instance -- and plenty of
other opportunities, therefore, of saying yes to God."
----- End Of Quote -----
Just like his other statements, the above quote from Billy
Graham is another half-truth. Reverend Graham's words are a
sick compromise. This is one of Satan's favorite tactics. He
will tell you a little bit of truth, but then he will throw
in his terrible lies! Unfortunately, many people who are not
familiar with the Word of God as they should be, will fall
for this kind of subtle delusion. It is indeed true that
many people recognize the power of God through His Creation.
Undoubtedly, this is a part of God's Plan in order to cause
them to realize that there is indeed Someone greater than
themselves. It also causes people to lift up their voices to
Him in praise, and in thankfulness for the wonderful world
which He has given them in which to live. Writers such as
King David and the Apostle Paul spoke all about this.
Consider the following verses:
"...The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handywork." (Psalms 19:1)
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they
are without excuse:" (Romans 1:20)
Once the Lord does draw our attention to Him through His
wonderful Creation, is that supposed to be the end of the
story? No; not by any means! Once He has our attention, God
wants us to start listening to Him; and what will He tell us
if we are listening? He will tell us of the story of His
great love for us. He will share with us the story of His
beloved Son, Jesus, whom He sent to die for the sins of the
world. He will tell us that His physical Creation is nothing
compared to the wonderful world He has waiting for those who
accept His token of love through His Son Jesus Christ:
"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." (John 3:16)
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down
his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren." (1 John 3:16)
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love him."
(1 Corinthians 2:9)
Thus we see that believing in God the Father through the
proof of His Creation is not enough. It is only a vehicle He
uses to point us to the Whole Truth. It is so terribly sad
to see these kinds of things happen. It is really pitiful.
Some of these evangelists start out so sincerely dedicated
to the Lord and to His service. They are full of the Lord's
spiritual fire, and they want to do what is right. They want
to preach a pure Gospel; but then they are either tempted
and led astray by their desire for wealth and power, or else
they start wanting to take a little bit of the credit to
themselves. They become more interested in popularity, so
they begin to soften and compromise their message. In the
case of Billy Graham, it sounds like he has been deceived by
this false ecumenical spirit which has invaded modern
Christianity.
For those of you who are not familiar with this term,
'ecumenism' is simply a worldwide movement which hopes to
achieve spiritual unity amongst the various religions of the
world, whether they be Christian or not. Many Christians are
convinced that this evil movement, which has received the
approval of some of the major religious figures of the
world, including many prominent American Christian leaders,
is nothing more that a major step towards the creation of a
new One World Religion which will nicely fit into the scheme
of the New World Order. Everyone knows that many wars have
been fought, and that millions of people have died over
matters of religion. Ecumenism seeks to resolve this problem
by creating a One World Religion which will appeal to, and
which will be acceptable to, everyone; and that means that
there will be no place in it for Jesus Christ to be viewed
as the only Lord and Saviour of all men, as we are clearly
taught in our Christian Bible. By his above statements, it
appears that Billy Graham may very well be in support of
ecumenism. If so, how sad! He really needs our prayers!
As we saw earlier, the idea of spiritual unity in the faith
is indeed a Scriptural doctrine. Not only did Paul and
others encourage their followers to speak the same thing,
but even Jesus Christ prayed for our spiritual unity.
Consider the following verses found in the Gospel of John:
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the
world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be
one, as we are...That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
(John 17:11, 21)
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16)
In the previous verses, it is important to realize that
Jesus is not praying for the religious unity of the world
through ecumenism. This is a lie of Satan! It is a lie of
the world and of false religious leaders! In fact, Jesus is
not even praying for the people of the world; He is praying
only for those whom His Father has given Him out of the
world. While we Christians are in the world, because we
physically live in it at this current time, we are not a
part of it; we are not to participate in its affairs; just
as we saw earlier in this article. Please understand this,
because it is very important in order for you to grasp the
deception which is being promoted by these ecumenists. We
Christians are the only ones for whom Jesus is praying for
spiritual unity in the above verses. This is why He also
said in that very same prayer:
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
(John 17:9)
The Lord is simply praying that we will be one in spirit,
mind, purpose and doctrine, with Him and the Father. When He
talks about One Fold and One Shepherd, He is referring to
one Christian fold with Himself as the One True Shepherd. He
is not talking about some worldwide ecumenical fold of some
One World Religion in which different worldly religions have
put aside their differences in order to come together to
support the New World Order. Again, these are utter lies of
Satan! These people will probably get their one shepherd,
but it certainly won't be Jesus Christ! It will most likely
be either the Beast, the False Prophet or the Antichrist;
and two of these may be synonymous terms! I encourage you to
read my Endtime articles in order to gain a much better
understanding of these terms. The point is, the Apostle Paul
tells us quite plainly that there can only be one true Great
Shepherd of the flock; and we all know who that is:
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant," (Hebrews 13:20)
This One Fold is united by the Love of God, by their faith
in Jesus Christ, and by the One True Doctrine taught by the
Lord and His holy Apostles. As the following verses reveal,
the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is powerful, it is astonishing,
it is good, it is sound, and it is to be obeyed, cherished
and guarded by those to whom it has been entrusted:
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings,
the people were astonished at his doctrine:"
(Matthew 7:28)
"And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at
his doctrine." (Matthew 22:33)
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught
them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes...And
they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among
themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is
this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean
spirits, and they do obey him." (Mark 1:22, 27)
"And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how
they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the
people was astonished at his doctrine." (Mark 11:18)
"And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was
with power." (Luke 4:32)
"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but
his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know
of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself." (John 7:16-17)
"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
(Acts 2:42)
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they
marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)
"Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not
teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem
with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood
upon us." (Acts 5:28)
"Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being
astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." (Acts 13:12)
"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to
be a Christian." (Acts 26:28)
"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but
ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which
was delivered you." (Romans 6:17)
"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things,
thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up
in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou
hast attained. ...Take heed unto thyself, and unto the
doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
(1 Timothy 4:16)
"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of
me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
(2 Timothy 1:13)
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that
he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to
convince the gainsayers." (Titus 1:9)
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"
(Hebrews 10:23)
"But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
(Revelation 2:25)
Sadly, despite the fact that the Founding Fathers of our
faith gave their very lives in order to preserve, protect
and promote the Truth taught to them by Jesus Christ, as we
have now seen, this sound doctrine is being corrupted,
perverted, twisted and changed more and more each day by
those who are either novices with the Word of God, or who
are too lazy to faithfully and prayerfully study the Word in
order to gain a proper understanding of it, or by those who
are purposely seeking to lead the Lord's sheep astray for
whatever their reasons. Very few are holding fast to the
sound doctrine with which we have been entrusted. As we saw
earlier, both Jesus Himself and Paul told us that the time
would come when there would be a great falling away from the
faith as more and more people become deceived by the lies of
the enemy. In His Endtime message found in the eighteenth
chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the Lord said:
"...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b)
What a sad testimony for those of us who are now living in
the time of which Jesus spoke. While I have once again found
myself in the position of having to expose a false doctrine,
I ask you the reader to please understand that I do not do
it with any degree of malice in my heart toward Reverend
Graham. I have no doubt that Billy Graham has done a great
deal of good in his many years of faithfully walking with
and serving the Lord. I am sure that many lives worldwide
have been touched and transformed by his inspiring sermons.
By comparison, my ministry is but a small speck in the sea
of humanity hardly worth mention.
While sometimes it is indeed necessary to expose the lies
and deceptions of false brethren, or of true brethren who
have been sincerely misled in their understanding of the
Holy Scriptures, we really need to be careful and prayerful
concerning what is motivating us to do this. Are we doing it
simply to make ourselves look better or more spiritual by
comparing ourselves to others; or are we truly doing it in a
spirit of love and meekness for the sake of protecting the
Lord's precious sheep from error; and to restore a brother
or a sister who has fallen from the Truth? Consider the
following verses:
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare
ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they
measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves
among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one
convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the
sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from
death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."
(James 5:19-20)
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one
another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a
man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he
deceiveth himself." (Galatians 6:1-3)
It is so easy for us to become lifted up in our pride when
the Lord uses us to point out the error of another brother
or sister in the faith; however, we all need to remember
that we are all sinners. We have all committed our share of
serious mistakes in this life; myself included. For those of
us who have felt called to be preachers and teachers of the
Gospel, there is an even greater degree of responsibility;
for as the Apostle James wrote:
"My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall
receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we
offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a
perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
(James 3:1-2)
As I point out in other articles, that word 'masters' is
actually referring to spiritual teachers, and not to a slave
master as some might assume. It is derived from the Greek
word 'didaskalos', which is pronounced did-as'-kal-os. As in
the Gospels, the word 'offend' also has a slightly different
meaning from its modern definition. In these verses, it is
derived from the Greek word 'ptaio', which is pronounced
ptah'-yo. This word means to cause one to stumble or fall.
It also means to err, to make a mistake, or to sin. In other
words, James is saying that those who seek to be teachers,
are most vulnerable to the danger of not only falling into
doctrinal error themselves, but also of causing others to
fall away from the Truth due to their erroneous teaching.
Not only that, but the more we teach and preach, the more
this is likely to happen; for as King Solomon wrote:
"In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he
that refraineth his lips is wise." (Proverbs 10:19)
To cause one to fall away from belief in Jesus Christ is a
very serious sin in God's Eyes. This is quite evident from
Jesus' own words in the Gospels when He said:
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which
believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were
hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth
of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it
must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by
whom the offence cometh!" (Matthew 18:6-7)
In the previous verses, the word 'offend' also means to put
a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which
another may trip and fall; but in this case, it is derived
from the Greek word 'skandalizo'. The Lord is issuing this
warning to those false teachers who cause His followers to
stop believing in Him as their Saviour through their
deceptive false doctrines. This is evident by the fact that
He uses the phrase 'which believes in me'. In other words,
those who are falling into error, or stumbling, are those
who believe in Him. One would think that such a serious
warning from the Lord would be enough to stop anyone from
intentionally leading His sheep astray; but sadly, this is
not the case. As it was prophesied almost two thousand years
ago, the world today is full of false prophets and teachers
who are doing this very thing at a very alarming rate. Some
of these deceivers are found within our very own churches
and Bible classes; while others are New Age psychics and
gurus, Hindu and Buddhist monks and 'Ascended Masters',
EVILutionists within our public school systems, Native
American shamans and many others.
What about you? Are you a faithful student of God's Word? Do
you depend upon the wise leading of His Holy Spirit as you
carefully and prayerfully compare Scripture with Scripture?
Do you rightly divide, or balance, the Word of Truth? I
certainly hope so, as this is the only way to come to the
full knowledge of the Truth. Without God's Spirit, you can
read and study the Bible as much as you want, but you will
never understand any of it properly; at least not very much
of it. Consider the following verses:
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2:2)
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line
upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"
(Isaiah 28:10)
"A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just
weight is his delight." (Proverbs 11:1)
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth." (2 Timothy 3:7)
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13)
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him." (James 1:5)
With these verses, I am going to bring another article to a
close. I truly hope that it has been an inspiration and an
encouragement in your life; and most of all, I hope that it
has been a sobering lesson which has alerted you to the fact
that we must all be extremely careful and prayerful
concerning what we believe, in whom we believe, and what we
choose to teach and preach.