He Knows Part 2

REVELATION Number 40
He Knows Part 2

The Lord Jesus goes on to say that He knows that the Church cannot tolerate evil people and has put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and found them to be false.

What drew the harshest criticism from the Lord Jesus when He walked the earth was those religionists who taught false doctrine that hindered people from knowing God. He said things like:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15 (NASB 2020)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27–28 (NASB 2020)

“You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Matthew 23:33 (NASB 2020)

Even today we find many who bestow upon themselves titles of authority, but who are not the messengers (angels) they claim to be. Like the church in Ephesus, we do well to test those who teach. Like the Bereans, we are wise to “receive the word with all readiness of mind, and search the scriptures daily, whether those things are so.” (see Acts 17:11)

We want to count ourselves among those who have ears to hear. We want to be teachable always. At the same time, we want to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (see Matthew 10:16)

We are given keys to knowing when we hear false teaching. We are told that “the Spirit of truth… will guide us into all truth.” (see John 16:13) Holy Spirit within us does not sit idly by in the presence of false teaching. Those subtle unsettled feelings we get are never to be ignored. Rather, they should serve as caution signs that urge us to carefully examine what has been taught in light of what we know from and can discover in scripture. In addition, in the verses that immediately follow Matthew 7:15 that we read above, the Lord Jesus continues, saying, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:16–20 (NASB 2020)

We do not need deep knowledge of the original languages. We do not need formal theological training. All we need is the Holy Spirit of Christ living in us and a willingness to be led by Him in searching the scriptures to see if what we are being taught is the Truth.