From at least 1844, we have been told that “on this day the Lord Jesus will return to the earth, finally establish His kingdom, then reign for one thousand years from Jerusalem.” Of course, the event failed to materialize. From that time to the present, there have been numerous other false prophets who continue to spew out the doctrine of premillennialism. Untold numbers have partaken of what these false teachers have poured forth. Sometimes, false teachers and their false doctrine must be met directly and bluntly as did the apostle Paul. “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand” (Acts 13:8-11 NKJV). There was much at stake as this man was trying to keep the proconsul from hearing the truth that Paul was preaching.
Note what Jesus Himself taught about His second coming. He stated, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Either the Lord Jesus was telling the truth, or He was lying. Every true believer in Him knows that only truth ever came from His lips. Jesus always stated absolute truth. All who claim to know the time of His coming are either misinformed or liars.
Other false teachers teach error on a variety of subjects. For instance, Billy Graham claimed that to be saved, one needs only to “say the sinner’s prayer,” which wording he also stipulated. Such false teachers are no better than Elymas.
Likewise, those who claim that “baptism has nothing to do with salvation” are also false teachers. There are a horde of television evangelists with their array of false teachings, who are no better than the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus condemned in Matthew 23. Friend, read the Master’s condemnation of these, and then, look at the entire denominational world with its varied claims and doctrines that contradict plain teaching in the Word of God – the Bible. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world“ (1 John 4:1).
