How to Keep Your Head on Straight in a World Gone CrazySample

Day 4: Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils

Throughout the New Testament, the Holy Spirit foretold of the great deception that would come in the last days. As we have noted previously, the apostle Paul voiced this warning in 1 Timothy 4:1, saying, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (King James Version).

Today I want to look at that last part of the verse and talk about what it is that will lead people away from the faith. We’ve talked before about the Greek word for “seducing” in this verse, which means deception or a moral wandering. It tells us that at the end of the age, some people in the Church are going to veer so far off track morally that they’ll lose their way and not be able to make it back.

In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he continued this idea, saying, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3, King James Version).

The phrase “itching ears” essentially refers to people with a mindset that says, I’ve already heard all this doctrinal teaching, and I’m tired of it. It’s old and outdated. I want to hear something new, something different that I’ve never heard before. In the last days, there will be people in the Church with “itching ears” who will have a greater desire to hear nonsense rather than the sound doctrine of Scripture.

The word “heap” here tells us that these individuals will gather together piles and piles of errant teachers who modify the truth in order to appeal to what people want to hear, and as a result, Paul says, “...they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:4, King James Version).

The meaning of this verse reminds me of a shift that occurred in Russian art at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. Prior to that event, talented artists painted beautifully detailed artwork depicting biblical truth. Illustrations from Scripture adorned the walls of churches and homes all across Russia, but in 1917, the communists came into power, and their atheistic mindset purged the Russian world of all things biblical, and thousands upon thousands of biblical paintings were ripped from homes and churches and destroyed.

From that time on, the same talented painters decided to use their incredible gifts to create magnificent illustrations of Russian fairy tales. They went from creating exquisite works of scriptural truth to creating resplendent works of fairy tales! This parallels what Paul prophesied will happen at the end of the age: The truth of God’s Word will fall out of fashion and be exchanged for fables.

Make no mistake, Satan hates the truth, and he is doing everything he can to sanitize it from society. Like those beautiful biblical paintings, he wants it thrown away or placed out of sight because it is a threat to his kingdom. He loves “progressive thinkers” who alter the Gospel in the name of political correctness.

Friend, the decision is yours. Do you want the transforming power of the truth, or do you want fairy tales? Regardless of the generation we live in or of societal trends, truth is always truth, and we need to make a decision that we are going to stick with the teaching of Scripture even if popular opinion says otherwise.

For Your Consideration:

• What sound doctrine have you begun to replace with fables? What discomforts, injuries, or weaknesses are causing you to compromise on that doctrine? Take time to discuss these things with the Holy Spirit.
• The truth is, everyone, including you, is leading someone. Stop and think: Who are you leading? Who is looking up to you, watching your life, and listening to your words? What kind of influence are you offering?