Prophegandists and The Propheganda, Part 2: Secret Words That Kill

[continued from Part 1]

As stated in the previous post, if the things I state in these two posts do not check off all the blocks for discernment....the person you’re dealing with is clearly sketchy in character and should be avoided in terms of Biblical truth and salvation. In the last post we spoke the origins of the prophet or teacher’s message and the actual message itself. In this post I’ll be discussing the remaining things that should be taken into account when trying to discern if a speaker is speaking for God or is just a godless hack.

The Position

In what position will the Prophegandist's message leave you? Would you be saved having heard it? Would it point you in that direction? Would the words if obeyed condemn you? Notice the word 'secretly' again in 2 Peter again. 

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

It’s rare for someone in church to openly deny Jesus. No, over the last few generations there has been a movement away from the centrality of Christ. I call it ‘doctrinal creep’. It is subtle and damning. That is how we ended up with the Summer of 2020 or what I call The Summer of the Social Gospel. The false teacher will speak about how other people can help change your life, but if you listen carefully to what he is saying, you will see that Jesus Christ is not essential to his message. Warnock just happened to be blatant about it four days ago on Easter. He’s such a bad false teacher that he made it easy for everyone to see. I suspect that is because the powers and principalities of this world are getting brazen and careless in their evil. The mask has been torn away and the monster underneath has been exposed.

The true Christian “escapes the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4). Listen to how Peter describes the counterfeit Christian: “They promise . . . freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity, for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19). The true believer is escaping corruption, while the counterfeit believer is mastered by it.

The Character

What kind of people does the message produce? The person speaking should be embodying their own message and should be rooted in Scripture. What kind of person is delivering the message? A true prophet is friends with the poor and the powerless. A false prophet keeps company with the rich and powerful. Jesus was criticized for keeping company with tax collectors and sinners. “Put no trust in princes,” says the psalmist in Psalm 146. Prophets should not get in bed with politicians. The true believer pursues goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brother kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5). The counterfeit Christian is marked by arrogance and slander (2 Peter 2:10). They are “experts in greed” and “their eyes are full of adultery” (2 Peter 2:14). They also “despise authority” (2 Peter 2:10). This is a general characteristic of a counterfeit believer.

The Appeal

Why should you listen to the message? What redeeming value is in their message? The true prophet and teacher always appeals to Scripture.

2 Peter 1:19 “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”

A prophegandist makes an altogether different claim to truth. Their appeal is not to God or your salvation’s sake but rather they appeal to the desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. The true teacher asks: What has God said in his Word? The prophegandist asks: “What do people want to hear? What will appeal to their base desire? What propheganda can I use to mislead them for my need(s)?

The Fruit

What result does the message have on a person’s life? What does the person’s words do, save or damn people? Do the person’s words lead to life or to death? The true believer is effective and productive in his or her knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Prophegandist will be lacking in this. Also, please note that most of the time that they speak they fail to mention the name of Christ or Jesus in their ‘spiritual diatribes’. They make a ton of promises and follow-through on little.

2 Peter 1:8-9 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

2 Peter 2:18-19 These are waterless springs [Prophegandists] and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption.

The End

Where does the message ultimately lead a person? Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The true believer will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. The false believer will experience swift destruction.

2 Peter 1:11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The Deafening Silence

What Topics Do They Stay Silent On? Prophegandists generally never mention or call out sin. Paul’s warning about false teachers shows us how to identify them through signs other than the falsehood of the teaching itself. The first sign the Apostle gives is that false teachers serve their “own appetites.” Literally, Paul says the teachers serve their bellies. He refers here, by way of metaphor, to a lifestyle that reflects indulgence and egocentrism. Christian teachers are not prohibited from enjoying nice things, but they are prohibited from living ostentatiously—from making their paycheck their chief end in their labor. As Paul teaches elsewhere, men fit to fill the office of elder will not be lovers of money (1 Tim. 3:1-7). I cannot say this for man including Senator Warnock nor those of his ilk in Congress…or sadly the Church.

To wrap up this two part post I present to you a more specific checklist of Biblical principles for analyzing false teachers and their followers…especially their charisma or demeanor. We are often told in Protestant Christianity that baptism is an outward act or action to show what is already an inward reality. Like everything else a Prophegandist does it is a direct inverse or rip-off of Christianity in the same way the Devil mimics God. Frankly, that is where the Prophegandists power to captivate and their charisma is coming from. It is Christianity in reverse. Spiritual parasitism. Where actions like baptism are manifestation of internal fruit of true faith, the outward appearance of the false teacher and false prophets are not a projection of the inward reality. Their outward appearances are nothing more than deception and smokescreen. The outward act is nothing more than bait on a hook. Some of the things to look for in their character are…

1. There is undeniable zeal in some teachers of error. Their “earnestness” makes many people think they must be right. Zeal doesn’t equal accuracy. People can seem sincere and still be sincerely wrong.

2. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge–many think that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe to listen to. This is a fallacy called an Appeal to Authority.

3. There is a general tendency to completely free and independent thinking today–many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing the newest ideas, which are nothing but novelties. Just because you're book smart doesn't mean you have spiritual discernment or commonsense.

4. There is a wide-spread desire to appear kind, loving, and open-minded–many seem half-ashamed to say that anybody can be wrong or is a false teacher. There is a push to trans-friendly, socially conscious, etc. Even to the point of being unbiblical. We saw a lot of this last summer with BLM.

5. There is always a portion of half-truth taught by modern false teachers–they are always using scriptural words and phrases, but with unscriptural meaning. The best counterfeit is the one closest to the original but not distinguishable from it.

6. There is a public craving for a more sensational and entertaining worship–people are impatient with the more inward and invisible work of God within the hearts of men. People just love their signs and wonders.

7. There is a superficial readiness all around to believe anyone who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, forgetting that Satan often masquerades himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). 

8. There is a wide-spread ignorance among professing Christians–every heretic who speaks well is surely believed, and anyone who doubts him is called intolerant, narrow-minded and unloving. People would rather hear a flowery lie than a hard truth.

Jesus tells us that there will be many who have been involved in ministry in his name, to whom he will say, “Depart from me; I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21). Who are these people? Surely Peter is describing them in these passages I cited for these two posts?