Many people have been falsely persuaded right in the midst of God’s word being proclaimed. Upon hearing other words (gospels), they make the decision to ignore God’s word and listen to those (satan is always behind this) who are doing the persuading. Paul said Galatians 5:7 “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.” Paul also said Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” 2 Corinthians 11:3 “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” Adam and Eve knew exactly what God had told them and with their own mouths repeated what God had commanded them, yet they listened to satan and rebelled against God’s word.
After the fall of Jerusalem, there were some who survived the attack and remained in the land. Here we see that even the remnant must obey because it is not guaranteed that they will always be part of a remnant of survivors. Even the remnant must obey. Even though, some will continue to rebel as God told Ezekiel, Ezekiel 12:1 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people,” what is guaranteed is that there will always be a remnant of survivors according to God’s promise to David. This account about this rebellious group of survivors can be found in Jeremiah 40-44. After the assassination of Gedaliah, who had reassured the people (Jeremiah 40:9 “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you,” a group of survivors decided to go to Egypt out of fear of the king of Babylon due to the assassination. That was what they thought best) On their way, they decided to check with Jeremiah, although it would seem their minds were already set on going to Egypt. Even so, they said they would listen to what God would say. They said, Jeremiah 42:2 “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” 4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”
Then the word of the Lord came. Jeremiah 42:9 “He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10 ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’ 13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’”
The leaders then responded to the word of the Lord. Jeremiah 43:1 “When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them— 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’” Jeremiah 44:16 “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would.” They ignored Jeremiah just as they had done before. Jeremiah 18:18 “They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.” These people saw everything Jeremiah said come to fruition, yet they disobeyed and went to Egypt. Jeremiah then said Jeremiah 44:25 “Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27 For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. 28 Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.” In the midst of God using Jeremiah to speak truth to the people, even the remnant who were witnesses to the destruction of Jerusalem, chose to listen to the words of men / satan instead of listening to God’s word and they were destroyed. So, like Adam and Eve, these people heard the word of the Lord and even said no matter what the answer was, they would obey; they did not.
Today the same is happening just like Eve and those from this account. We have the truth of God’s word right in front of us, yet whole groups of people listen to the words of men and women / doctrines of demons over the word of God. They read passages about power and authority but look around and don’t see the passage come to fruition. They then listen to the words of false teachers, and they eat what was offered to them. I have a video of John MacArthur telling all who would listen that Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12 no longer apply to the church. Thus, just like the people said to Jeremiah, MacArthur is telling all who will listen that God is lying. So here God’s word is clearly laid out and these false teachers and their listeners will even read it and tell you parts of it are no longer true. 1 Corinthians 12:4 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Nowhere does God say these gifts have “ceased.” These false teachers / satan want you to believe that these powerful words no longer apply to the church - “to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.” Most do not question, at least out loud, why there is so little healing taking place. It only takes a moment to understand why satan does not want the church to understand that all these gifts apply. So like the remnant who asked Jeremiah for direction, when the answer came, right in the midst of God’s word being spoken, they rejected to God’s word to them that would have given them life and prosperity and chose death and destruction. So basically, people are still listening to leaders who speak for satan and are still saying, we will not listen to the word of the Lord.
Don’t believe the false teachers just because you haven’t seen the power and authority talked about in scripture. People will say yes they believe in healing if God does it but if a disciple does it, that is from satan. Don’t be deceived by what is supposedly happening in charismatic circles. What they miss is the first thing Jesus did, which was to give power to disciples to do the same as He was doing. It is God’s desire to heal but according to His plan as laid out in scripture. The lack of healing in the church is because the church has chosen to listen to false teachers instead of God’s word. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, 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.” 2 Peter 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.” Because of this many have been deceived by their lies and deception, yet it is all done in the name of the Lord as those who listen to the lies sing praise about these false teachers.
The easiest way is to read the Gospels and Acts and this passage from 1 Corinthians 12. If you listen to God’s word, this will lead to repentance and the kingdom will come near once again. Mark 1:14 “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” When the Kingdom of God comes near, the church once again will do as Jesus did with the same power given at Pentecost. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” But if you listen to the false teachers and accept doctrines of demons like cessationism, you are rejecting the word of God just like Adam and Eve, Israel and Judah, the Jews and now the church. As Moses and Joshua said, Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Joshua 24:14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore, you Israelites / church, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel / church? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”
