“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no wonder, for Satan himself
TRANSFORMS HIMSELF INTO AN ANGEL OF LIGHT;
therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also
transform themselves into ministers of righteousness,
whose end will be according to their works.”
2nd Corinthians 11:13-15

Satan’s “ministers of righteousness…”   

He sets up his servants to be DISGUISED as ministers of the Gospel.

The parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13 teaches that the wheat and the weeds grow up together and before they are ripe you can’t tell by looking at them which is which. And so it is with false ministers in the churches, or on TV. They know how to talk the talk and use Scripture to appear righteous. They “transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” and few recognize the fact that they are Satan’s plants in the churches. They tell the people what they want to hear. They give such a feel-good message that people go home thinking they’ve heard something wonderful, not realizing they’ve been fed “doctrines of demons.”

“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…”
1st Timothy 4:1-2

Why do they succeed? Because that’s what the people want to hear.

“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,
and they will turn their ears away from the truth…”
2nd Timothy 4:3-4

Think mega-churches, not all, but most. When you see people flocking to a church, that should send up red flags for you. They’re flocking there because they’re hearing feel-good messages: it’s all about YOU, how you can be more successful and how you can be happier. When it’s all about YOU …RUN. The true Gospel is all about HIM. It’s all about Jesus Christ who calls you to take up your CROSS, not your Rolex, and follow him. His message is far from being a feel-good message. FAR. As far as hell is from heaven.

Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. Why? Because the world is lost in sin and Christ paid a terrible price to redeem those who would believe in him. There is only one way, one narrow way, to avoid hell, there is only one way to enter heaven. The sin condition of human beings is incurable, that’s why Jesus came to this earth, he came to bear the judgment on our sins – in our place. It’s not about self improvement, which he would call pride. It’s in realizing our hopeless condition and the fate of those who reject the atonement that Christ provided for all who would believe.

The great revival which swept across the United States under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards began with his sermon, “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God.” That one sermon sparked one of the greatest revivals of all time. Edwards did not preach how to become the best YOU, no, he preached on sin and on hell.

You don’t hear much preaching like that anymore – because it doesn’t fill the pews. Jonathan Edwards was not interested in filling pews and receiving gifts and offerings, he preached the uncomfortable truth, the painful truth, he described the deadly results of rejecting the true Gospel and focusing rather, on self-enrichment. The Holy Spirit quickened his message and revival broke out and spread throughout all of New England and then across the country.

It all started with the truth about sin and about hell.

If you’re not hearing this in your church – RUN, because you’re hearing from “false apostles and deceitful workers” whose feel-good messages will lead you …to hell.