A New "Jesus"
Text: (Mat 24:4-24 KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. {5} For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. {6} And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. {7} For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. {8} All these are the beginning of sorrows. {9} Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. {10} And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. {11} And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. {12} And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. {13} But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. {14} And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. {15} When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) {16} Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: {17} Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: {18} Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. {19} And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! {20} But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: {21} For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. {22} And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. {23} Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. {24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
For many years I could never understand what Jesus meant by this statement, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:5). Since I have watched this Scripture being fulfilled by much of the modern religious world, it is now seems clear to me. Jesus was prophesying that false prophets and false religious movements would use His name, preach with His name, and even confess faith in His name, but would be serving a different Jesus. I believe He was suggesting that the ultimate deception would be by men and women that actually say, "Jesus is the Christ," but do so only in name, not in reality.
The New "Jesus" has the same name and is preached or promoted with the same great Bible verses, but bears no recognition to the historic message of the cross. The cross-centered life, where the flesh is crucified and the self-life is denied, has no relationship to the flamboyant Christianity of today that looks more like Hollywood.
The Jesus of the Bible, the risen Lord, who is presently at the Father’s right hand, would be totally repulsed by the worldly hype, the godless singers, and all the fanfare that is the heart of today’s church world. He would march into these unholy temples and drive out the false prophets that preach for wealth and gain. He would call them "vipers" and "hypocrites." They would hate Him today just like the Pharisees hated Him in their day. Let’s look at a few clear differences between the Son of God Himself and the new "Jesus" of today’s deception.
The New "Jesus" makes people wealthy, famous, and provides them extravagant lifestyles.
The crucified Jesus says, (Mat 16:24 KJV) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(Mat 19:21 KJV) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
This New "Jesus" says, "Indulge yourself."
The Lord says, "Humble yourself."
(Mat 18:4 KJV) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(Mat 23:12 KJV) And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The New "Jesus" preaches a new law, the law of self esteem. The commandments of God are out and any standard of Godliness is rejected and even repulsed. The commandments are considered more as suggestions or ideals to be considered.
The Biblical Jesus plainly said, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (I John 2:4).
The New "Jesus" apologizes for the standards of holiness, reverence or respect for the house of God that previous generations taught.
For the first time in church history, the dress standard for God’s house has become immodest, confusing, and cheap. People are far more concerned about how they would act in the governors house than in God’s house.
The New "Jesus" has no standard of right and wrong. No fear or reverence
The historic Jesus floods human hearts with reverence and even an awesome fear at the very mention of His name. Our Savior still instills in "saved hearts" a beautiful desire to come before Him in purity, holiness, and godly attire.
The New "Jesus" loves the new music. The "blood" songs are too old-fashioned. Songs about the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, or the Millennial Reign are out and the new dominion songs are in. A favorite is, "Come Ride With Me." It is a "Manifest Son’s of God" song that has the Son of God replaced by this new "Jesus" that is riding through the land. The new songs are Beatles-type music. Beautiful women who are seen dancing down the aisles are now said to be "returning the arts to the church." The music prepares the emotions of these deceived worshipers to receive the spirits of this new "Jesus."
Music is still a marvelous way to worship the Lord of the Church. Our Jesus desires our worship, but will not receive anything but spiritual worship and spiritual music. Fleshly music that feeds the appetites of the carnal man cannot be used for our Lord in praise to Him. Our eternal Savior was the Creator of all things and powerful spiritual music was at the core of the Heavenly scene as all creation was planned. Music that is void of the blood, and the cross can not serve as worship music.
The New "Jesus" says, Take the cross off the wall" so that sinners won’t be offended. The truth is that it isn’t sinners that are offended by the cross; it is the new "Jesus" that is offended.
The true Lord of the church was crucified on a cross of shame as our substitute. His death decided forever that Satan had lost and was destined for defeat. Satan has used every idea that hell could produce to rob that cross of its glory. Every effort has failed.
The New "Jesus" wants a worldly kingdom to take over government (Kingdom Now) (Manifest Sons Of God) and to establish authority over the whole earth. He desires earthly power on a grand scale and will stop at nothing to force everyone to be under his control. This new "Jesus" has no moral principles in operating His religious systems. His followers are already talking about wars, military crusades, and kicking people’s behinds, etc. as they establish his political system on this earth.
The Nazarene we worship has no political design. His kingdom is spiritual and "cometh not with observation" (Luke 17:20) until the time of judgments against sin. It is the Father that will give Him His kingdom and holiness will be the principles of government. The Son of God will sit upon the "Throne of David" and the kingdoms of the world will worship the Lamb of God with everlasting joy.
(Luke 17:20-21 NRSV) Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; {21} nor will they say, ’Look, here it is!’ or ’There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."
The New "Jesus" is spectacular and will do many paranormal things to titillate your flesh. His greatest attraction is the lying wonders that he is already manifesting, but what is to come will be even more convincing to the sign seekers. The few things that are already occurring give us some idea of what he will produce. The characteristics of these paranormal events will best be described as "spectacular nonsense." Here are a few of the things already occurring:
- Angel feathers falling.
- Gold dust falling on his worshippers.
- Gold fillings, gold crosses appearing in teeth.
- Oil appearing in the palms of hands.
- Drunkenness, wallowing in a stupor, etc.
- Doves flying
- Strange events in church, pulpits split by lightning, sound systems shorting out, lightning system short-circuiting.
A perfect way to know that you are worshiping the new "Jesus" is if any of these signs occur to you. If your church is experiencing these signs, your church has changed to worshiping the new "Jesus."
The King of Kings will never titillate your flesh to try to gain your surrender. His Word says, "Come now, and let us reason together (mental activity), saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18).
He saves by the preaching of His Word and your acceptance of His gospel. Satan has no beauty, his offer is deceptive and his promises are lies, so he must deceive you into his false religious system. The Lord of Lords is creator of the earth, but His invitation is based on truth and life changing reality. You must choose Him because you understand who He is and His offer to you.
The New "Jesus" is an "angel of light" from the pit of hell. He will appear on walls and in strange paranormal ways. He will likely appear as some great light or in a strange dream or revelation. Some of the ways this strange "Jesus" appears may sound similar to some Biblical event. Be careful to learn the voice of Scripture because there may well be an event that only a discerning heart can know the truth.
The Son of God will always invite you to discern by truth, rightly divided before you commit your soul. Our Redeemer never mixes a little truth with a lot of error. Every expression of the Lord will be pure, totally Biblical and sensible. He never manifests Himself in "spectacular nonsense." He said, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10:14).
The New "Jesus" loves anything that connects to the Roman Catholic Church. The constant reduction of Jesus as Divine, the changing of Him as Master to merely a teacher, plus thousands of other changes have been a great plus for the new "Jesus."
Many in Charismatic and Pentecostal ranks are calling for a coalition between the Evangelical church and the Catholics. Many have gone so far as to apologize for Martin Luther.
The New "Jesus" is delighted to have Mary as his co-redeemer. Mary and her many false apparitions will continue to gain great popularity. One Catholic priest in Charlotte was speaking to a "Women’s Aglow" meeting. They asked the false priest why Catholics prayed to Mary. He answered, "Mary can con the Father better than Jesus." I heard these words with my own ears or I would be unwilling to print them. The new "Jesus" is Catholic, Charismatic, Evangelical, Mormon, Islamic, Hindu, etc. all put together. The only group that this new "Jesus" cannot tolerate is Bible believing fundamentalists. We are hated by every manifestation of this spirit.
Jesus Christ gave great honor to His earthly mother. She was a genuine saint of God, but is no greater than any other obedient person. She awaits the resurrection and it is nothing but necromancy (communication with the dead) to suggest that she can talk to you or take you to God. The Son of God clearly rejects all such foolishness about His earthly mother.
The New "Jesus" is a sinner-friendly "Jesus." In fact, the new "Jesus" is also "sin-friendly." Nothing is to be condemned or rejected by the followers of this "Jesus." Tolerance is the word they have coined. This new "Jesus" wants you to let him judge the sin and the sinner, but remember his god is the devil and sin is his character.
(Mat 7:20-21 KJV) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. {21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
The Son of God loves the sinner, but comes to him with conviction of sin so the sinner can be redeemed. The first step towards the saving merits of the Lord is to understand that you are a sinner. He will never approach anyone in anything less than His holiness. The true "sinner-friendly" Savior comes in such holiness that the sinner is smitten in guilt. This is the true friend of lost souls.
Conclusion
There are many further differences between the new "Jesus" and the true Jesus. Millions are being deceived. The flesh has no capacity to discern between this titillating "Jesus" that comes in lies and deceiving powers. The Word of God alone is our safety. Every believer has the responsibility to warn souls of this darkness and to help the few that are willing to listen. If Jesus warned of this false or new "Jesus," then everyone should take the facts seriously. Just because a preacher is smooth, soft, and is kind to you does not prove a thing. Is he preaching the new "Jesus" or is he preaching the old-time truth that saves? There is no excuse for the fact that you do not know better.
You can get on your knees right in your own world and surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. Give Him all and be willing to obey all of His Words.
