Many Heresies Will Arise in Christianity
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many” (Mark. 13:6)
“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (Matt. 24:11)
“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)
Heresies Will Spread Very Widely
“And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:17-18)
“But there were also false prophets among the people (of Israel — note), even as there will be false teachers among you (Christians — note), who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber” (2 Pet. 2:1-3).
Communities of Heretics Will Separate from the Church and Her Unity of Faith
“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us” (1 John. 2:18-19)
“how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions (separate themselves from the unity of faith), not having the Spirit” (Jude. 1:18-19)
The Aim of False Teachers Is to Steal the Believer Away from the Church and Lead Him After Them
“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Act. 20:29-30)
The Methods of False Teachers
1. Pleasant Teachings
False teachers will invent pleasant teachings precisely because their hearers will seek teaching pleasant to the ear, not enduring sound doctrine:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (2 Tim. 4:3)
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1-2)
2. Feigned Piety
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, <…> having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! <…> always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith” (2 Tim. 3:1-2,5,7-8)
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15)
3. Showy Miracles
Abundant powers of working miracles were given to the apostles and the early Christians not for show, but for benefit:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7)
A small group of fishermen needed great help so that in their short lives, as eyewitnesses, they could carry the preaching throughout the whole world. The apostles warned that these gifts would cease:
“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease” (1 Cor. 13:8)
Christ Himself condemned the seeking of miracles:
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matt. 12:39)
In the last times false prophets will draw people away precisely by miracles:
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24; Mark. 13:22)
As a result, at the Judgment many believers will be convinced that they are saved precisely because they worked miracles in the name of Christ, prophesied and cast out demons. But they turned out to have been deceived, taught lawlessness; Christ does not know them and drives them away from Himself:
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:22-23)
How to Recognize a False Prophet
His prophecies are not fulfilled:
“when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:22)
But if a prophet or a dreamer shows some sign, a miracle, or his dream comes true, but he calls one to serve another god, he should not be listened to:
“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ — which you have not known — ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him” (Deut. 13:1-4)