What constitutes a wolf in sheep's clothing?

[RedTent]

I would just like to point out that simply holding a different theology does not mean the person is a so called wolf in sheep clothing or false teacher etc. People can get too hung up on tiny things, timing of rapture can get ridiculously out of hand and both camps accusing each other of false teaching.

THis is misleading, while this goes on the real false teachers are going unoticed. A good example of wolf in sheep's clothing is Todd Bentley who claims he has a new ministry from God which involves calling spiritual fire down on people, but when you look at how he came about this, it is clear his angel encounters were proberbly Satan himself.

A wolf in sheeps clothing, looks like a sheep, but its not! that also goes hand in hand with the saying you do not forge a $19 bill.

The wolf will say all the right things and do all the right things, but there will be something, a tiny little thing that will go unnoticed, but it is that thing which is poison and will bring demons into peoples lives and take people away from God.

This is where the rubber hits the roadl!! Some people find false teaching in the little differences between brothers and sisters in Christ, and some people miss the true wolfs. We need to be sure! Scripture says we can know them by the love they show.

Personally, I get that protective feeling for my dear God and Savior when someone tells me not to listen to part of His word. So when someone tells the world that Christ got rid of what His Father says I come out of my corner with boxing gloves on. Others say that you must listen to Paul and insist that is Paul's message, so my thinking it is not what Paul is teaching is considered not listening to scripture.

At the same time, I wonder at this feisty old woman I am and her boxing gloves.

 

[kennethcadwell]

This is where the rubber hits the roadl!! Some people find false teaching in the little differences between brothers and sisters in Christ, and some people miss the true wolfs. We need to be sure! Scripture says we can know them by the love they show.

Personally, I get that protective feeling for my dear God and Savior when someone tells me not to listen to part of His word. So when someone tells the world that Christ got rid of what His Father says I come out of my corner with boxing gloves on. Others say that you must listen to Paul and insist that is Paul's message, so my thinking it is not what Paul is teaching is considered not listening to scripture.

At the same time, I wonder at this feisty old woman I am and her boxing gloves.

The thing is also though that we must remember, if some one has been mislead by a wolf into believing a false doctrine without studying the scriptures for truth. Then they turn and teach others that false doctrine as truth turning them away from the truth, they make themselves out to be wolves as well.

 

[chubbena]

If one knows what wolves do amongst sheep in the animal world one would know who the wolves are amongst believers.

 

[JesusIsAll]

The thing is also though that we must remember, if some one has been mislead by a wolf into believing a false doctrine without studying the scriptures for truth. Then they turn and teach others that false doctrine as truth turning them away from the truth, they make themselves out to be wolves as well.

This is especially so pernicious in the age of the web. You see masses of people online, parroting error, parroting cult apostasies, some of them, surely, sincere, just deceived and deluded, but spreading the wolves' filth. Masses parrot the flavor of the week error, from false teachers merely out to sell books by sensationalism, it spreading like a disease pandemic. It's alarming.

 

[kennethcadwell]

This is especially so pernicious in the age of the web. You see masses of people online, parroting error, parroting cult apostasies, some of them, surely, sincere, just deceived and deluded, but spreading the wolves' filth. Masses parrot the flavor of the week error, from false teachers merely out to sell books by sensationalism, it spreading like a disease pandemic. It's alarming.

Yes the true church is falling away just like the bible says, because there are so many false teachings out there leading people astray.

People are growing cold towards others, showing hatred instead of forgiveness, caring only for themselves instead of others.
Some refuse to read and study the bible for themselves, accepting what they hear as truth even when it maybe lies from a false apostle ( wolf in sheep's clothing ).

 

[JesusIsAll]

People are growing cold towards others, showing hatred instead of forgiveness, caring only for themselves instead of others. Some refuse to read and study the bible for themselves, accepting what they hear as truth even when it maybe lies from a false apostle ( wolf in sheep's clothing ).

I find the bad Bible exegesis by some of these people surreal, an irony people so arrogant in their ignorance. They try to browbeat others into the ground, claim exclusivity of truth, often telling people they suffer doctrines of demons and are headed for hell. Generations of settled understandings of Bible doctrine they seem oblivious of, throwing around scripture as if spaghetti, a contorted mass of scriptural disharmony that proves nothing they claim. Whole doctrines based on one word, based on one verse pulled from its context, just unbelievable Bible ignorance. The more you show them what the Bible actually states, the more obstinate they become in their error, often just get angry, ignoring the clear Bible teachings you point out. And yes, very cold and vicious often, if they can't answer with reason, they answer with trying to defame and humiliate you. What, trolls for Jesus? I think not. I am simply amazed how far the fall has gone, in so short a time, very clear to me we are witnessing end times apostasy.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 

[kennethcadwell]

I find the bad Bible exegesis by some of these people surreal, an irony people so arrogant in their ignorance. They try to browbeat others into the ground, claim exclusivity of truth, often telling people they suffer doctrines of demons and are headed for hell. Generations of settled understandings of Bible doctrine they seem oblivious of, throwing around scripture as if spaghetti, a contorted mass of scriptural disharmony that proves nothing they claim. Whole doctrines based on one word, based on one verse pulled from its context, just unbelievable Bible ignorance. The more you show them what the Bible actually states, the more obstinate they become in their error, often just get angry, ignoring the clear Bible teachings you point out. And yes, very cold and vicious often, if they can't answer with reason, they answer with trying to defame and humiliate you. What, trolls for Jesus? I think not. I am simply amazed how far the fall has gone, in so short a time, very clear to me we are witnessing end times apostasy.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Yes, and the other thing that has caught my eye is the false teaching of the NT scriptures where they try to say it does not apply to us, it was only spoken to them not us, and/or just because the specific words saved, salvation, savior, or eternal life are not in those scriptures that is not what the scripture is talking about.

They have been so blinded to the truth from the false teaching they have fallen for it reminds me of ;

Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

It is hard to bring them to the truth, because they are so caught up into what they were taught as truth that they are blinded by the real truth and put what Jesus said to an open shame because they don't follow it.

 

[JesusIsAll]

They have been so blinded to the truth from the false teaching they have fallen for it reminds me of ;

Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

It would seem so, though who can know who was even once saved, as opposed to subscribing to some philosophy they think Christianity they obtained off apostate web pages? You can trace a lot of error to sensational books or cults, the latter nothing really new. There is only one thing that emerges as evident, that these people lack spiritual eyes, neither do I believe the Holy Spirit is failing to lead them into all truth, for that reason alone strongly question the salvation of anybody, at least not a complete baby Christian, clinging to error. And many of these trolls make claims of being lifelong Christians, some of the worst of pretty advanced age, but who knows? It's not as if the world has a dearth of liars, either. Some I've seen a pattern of tearing down, day in and day out, trying to destroy faith, obsessed often, angrily so, with one major doctrinal error and the spreading of it, while trying to appear sanctimonious, your proverbial wolves in sheep's clothing written all over these. I firmly believe some are the real thing of the devil, the malicious deceivers, tares among the wheat.

 

[sacraig67]

Now this isn't new but picking and choosing what we want to hear. Picking one verse and basing a theology on it. Changing the wording to what we want it to say. These are but some of the things we see. One of the biggest things I see is the church conforming to the world and to world views. We are changing our truth from Biblical truth to world truth. Are we not called to be "not of this world"? We have become so afraid of offending someone that we are willing to abandon the Word of God.
The people who teach these things are the wolves. Saying only what the masses want. Because it's what they want to hear they teach it as truth.

 

[JesusIsAll]

It's sort of funny, sometimes, when reading the appalling error and rhetoric, I picture some drooling green troll with big, bloodshot eyes, big round head, pointy ears, warts and only a whisk of hair, sitting at a keyboard, hammering away for the devil.

 

[JesusIsAll]

Now this isn't new but picking and choosing what we want to hear.

This is a tragic intellectual or character flaw of mankind, believing what we want to. Even Madison Avenue executives know this, much advertising just a lie they know you want to hear. Politicians do this too, if their lips are moving... But truth is absolute, reality is reality, the word of God and nothing, really, subject to what we want to believe. There's so much blindness that goes beyond stupidity, that people don't see things like this simple and obvious to see, even about themselves.

 

[kennethcadwell]

Now this isn't new but picking and choosing what we want to hear. Picking one verse and basing a theology on it. Changing the wording to what we want it to say. These are but some of the things we see. One of the biggest things I see is the church conforming to the world and to world views. We are changing our truth from Biblical truth to world truth. Are we not called to be "not of this world"? We have become so afraid of offending someone that we are willing to abandon the Word of God.
The people who teach these things are the wolves. Saying only what the masses want. Because it's what they want to hear they teach it as truth.

Yes and when we point out the truth by giving scriptures from the bible, they start calling you judgmental and have no right to point out others flaws.

How are you suppose to help others as we are called to do, if we don't show them where they are in error, and through love show them how they can change and walk a better life.

Plus didn't Paul even point out to Peter when he was in the wrong in his teachings ? Yes he did.

 

[JesusIsAll]

Yes and when we point out the truth by giving scriptures from the bible, they start calling you judgmental and have no right to point out others flaws.

Yes, the old out of context "Judge not, that ye be not judged" canard, though the Bible is replete with telling us to judge the right from the wrong, the true from the false in people, to rebuke, throw the apostate out of the church, don't sit down with the evil man, I could go on all day. I always find this take "Judge not, that ye be not judged" that you check your mind and spirit, all discernment, at the door interpretation as, sadly, amusing. It throws out whole chunks of the Bible, and is used as an excuse to behave in sin and error, without being called out on it.

 

[RedTent]

This is a tragic intellectual or character flaw of mankind, believing what we want to. Even Madison Avenue executives know this, much advertising just a lie they know you want to hear. Politicians do this too, if their lips are moving... But truth is absolute, reality is reality, the word of God and nothing, really, subject to what we want to believe. There's so much blindness that goes beyond stupidity, that people don't see things like this simple and obvious to see, even about themselves.

Truth is reality, it is absolute, and what any of us believe it is does not change it one little bit. Yet scripture tells us it would be better for millstones to be put around our neck and we be drowned if we teach what is false. It puts a huge responsibility on us to learn only from the Lord and check everything against His word.

When we love the Lord with our entire heart and soul, we want to talk about the one we love. God is so complete, so awesome, so beyond our ability to know Him that each of us only sees darkly, even when we do the very best we can.

I have been told, as all of us have, that something we believe about the Lord is not truth. Sometimes, it means that when I go back to the source, to scripture, and check it all I find that they are right. There was something I believed that was only true in part, I must know the entire truth of a subject. Sometimes, I check myself out and find what I saw is truly in line with every scripture I can find, scripture proves them wrong.

I am watching my beloved friend I have known for a lifetime and always admired her ability to learn, but now has been taken in by a TV evangelist that I don't think checks out with scripture at all. We went to college together, even, she always has achieved more than I have, now I feel she is wrong. It is frightening for me to see. It makes me frightened for myself.

Each poster on this thread seems so sure they see correctly, that they are not part of falseness. I don't understand how each of you can be so sure??? I feel like a little child (I am 89!) kneeling before my Lord, asking Him to check me all the time.

 

[sacraig67]

Yes and when we point out the truth by giving scriptures from the bible, they start calling you judgmental and have no right to point out others flaws.

How are you suppose to help others as we are called to do, if we don't show them where they are in error, and through love show them how they can change and walk a better life.

Plus didn't Paul even point out to Peter when he was in the wrong in his teachings ? Yes he did.

They don't want the truth they want what they want and only the Holy Spirit can show them the truth. All we can do is plant the seed.
Some of the best sermons I have ever heard begin with "now this is gonna hurt" plain simple Biblical truth!
The church needs people now more than ever, I think, that are not worried about status or prestige. People who are willing to stand upon the Word of God. If Jesus is our rock why do we see His word as a trampoline bouncing to whatever feels good.

 

[kennethcadwell]

They don't want the truth they want what they want and only the Holy Spirit can show them the truth. All we can do is plant the seed.
Some of the best sermons I have ever heard begin with "now this is gonna hurt" plain simple Biblical truth!
The church needs people now more than ever, I think, that are not worried about status or prestige. People who are willing to stand upon the Word of God. If Jesus is our rock why do we see His word as a trampoline bouncing to whatever feels good.

Kind of like the phrase, " tough love. "

Even Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, He came to bring division.

The division He brought was separating those who truly love Him from those that deny Him and don't believe in Him.

 

[sacraig67]

Kind of like the phrase, " tough love. "

Even Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, He came to bring division.

The division He brought was separating those who truly love Him from those that deny Him and don't believe in Him.

So true so true. We must remember, and I think this is becoming forgotten, we are here to glorify God not man.
People distort the Word of God and it upsets us. Just think of what this does to God!
It's funny how "people" sometimes refer to Christians weak. What requires great strength? Following the world or standing up for truth?

 

[Flamingspirit]

Anyone that has knowledge and an outward appearance of God, but they cause division among the people instead of togetherness.

You know them by their fruit. Does any teacher here cause strife envy or division? Then these are your false prophets who produce the fruit of the flesh.

 

[kennethcadwell]

Anyone that has knowledge and an outward appearance of God, but they cause division among the people instead of togetherness.

You know them by their fruit. Does any teacher here cause strife envy or division? Then these are your false prophets who produce the fruit of the flesh.

Yes, but we are also called to help people to turn away from false doctrine and come to the truth in Jesus Christ.

Some will call this causing strife or division, but we are to help others come to repentance not to sit back and let them wallow in the false teaching they have been taught.

 

[Flamingspirit]

Yes, but we are also called to help people to turn away from false doctrine and come to the truth in Jesus Christ.

Some will call this causing strife or division, but we are to help others come to repentance not to sit back and let them wallow in the false teaching they have been taught.

Thats not what you were told to do. You were told to spread the goodnews. We are to love one another as He loved us. Simple doctrine indeed my Lord!