Chapter 8 – Deception Does Abound

As I have been journeying from Babylon to Zion I have noted an alarming number of
saints who have fallen for the deceit of Satan. It seems that those who have been
waylaid by deception far outnumber those who remain on the narrow path of truth.
Much of this deception is extremely serious in nature, and many have gotten off the
narrow path and are in danger of failing to achieve the goal and prize that has been
set before them.

In the past few years the Father has led me to encounter one group or person after
another who have fallen into deception, and He has led me to examine the teachings
they espouse to discern what is good and what is evil in them. When people are
deceived, they quite often have some truth mixed in with error. Often there is a great
deal of truth, and those saints that are mired in deception and error have in many
cases been given genuine revelation from the Spirit of God. However, a little leaven
will leaven the entire lump, and a little error mixed in with truth corrupts the whole
body of teaching and poisons all who feed on such a mixture.

There is a tremendous amount of deception in the Babylonian church system.
Babylon has mixed the worship of Yahweh with many idols. Babylon wants to serve
the One true God, and also pursue the things that satisfy the flesh and soul of man.

The Feast days of Yahweh, Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles and many others have
been replaced with festivals of pagan origin, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.. The
Babylonian church does not think twice about this substitution, nor of the myriad of
other false traditions that have been imported into the life of mainstream
denominations, and the abandonment of the doctrine of the apostles and prophets.

Entire books have been written that expose the pagan practices of the harlot church
system and I could write volumes just declaring some of the more profound
deceptions that have been foisted upon the church. But it is not Babylon that I am
interested in here. There is a great body of people who have made an exit from
Babylon, and who have aspired to walk in truth, but many of these saints have
themselves embraced great deception and they are in danger of losing much of the
reward that was placed before them.

Not all who journey out of Babylon endure to the end. Not all remain free of
grotesque error and deception. We have many examples in scripture that reveal this
truth. Consider Abram when he was called to come out of the land of idolatry he lived
in, which was Ur of the Chaldees. Abram’s father Nahor also set himself to journey
with his son, and to leave the idolatry of Ur behind. Additionally Lot, Abram’s
nephew, began the same journey.

Abram’s father Nahor failed to go the distance, however. Instead, he settled in Haran
which was far short of the goal. True, he no longer lived in Ur, but neither did he
make it to the land of promise. It takes faith and patient endurance to go the whole
distance to which the Father calls us. Abram continued on from Haran without his
father, and Lot continued the journey with Abram.

The tragic story of Lot is well known. Upon arriving in the land of promise Abram
and Lot separated for they both were very wealthy and had many flocks and servants
and strife was arising between their servants. Abram gave Lot first choice regarding
where he would go and Lot chose that which was pleasing to the eye and attractive
to the senses. He settled in the rich and fertile plains of Sodom and Gomorrah.

When the judgment of God came upon the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot
and his family were brought out at the hand of angels by the mercy of God, but Lot
lost all that he owned. His wife, whose heart had become attached to Sodom,
disobeyed and looked back and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Lot was a man
who was now destitute. All he owned was gone and his wife was dead. He suffered
tremendous loss.

The story of Abram’s journey from Ur of the Chaldees is typical of the journey many
are being called to in this hour. There are many who are setting forth, but not all are
enduring to the end. Like Nahor and Lot, it seems that a majority of those who set
forth to Zion are falling short of the promise. Many are falling short of the goal as
they are falling prey to deception and error. This deception is a mark of the last days.

Matthew 24:11, 24
“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many…
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs
and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”

II Peter 2:1-3
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also
be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive
heresies… Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the
way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit
you with false words…

II Peter 3:17
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so
that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall
from your own steadfastness…

The deception spoken of in these verses is not something that is for future days. It
is here now. I am witnessing false prophets and false anointed ones (Christs) who are
luring many into deception and into spiritual death.

This can be a difficult matter to discern, for there are many kingdom truths that are
being unveiled in this hour that have been hidden from former generations. The best
wine has been saved for last. I read a word that was posted on a prophetic website
this week where the writer was giving a list of signs to discern heretical teachings.
One of his signs of heresy was if the teaching was new. In this the author is wrong,
and his tests for heresy were manmade, not of the Spirit of God.

There is much heresy, much that is false and deceptive, in traditions and doctrines
of demons that have been around for generations. Being new does not make
something a heresy, nor does a teaching being old and established make it truth.
With Yahweh there is nothing that is truly new, but Yahweh’s unfolding of truth to
man is progressive. Some of the greatest saints of previous ages longed to look into
the things that are being revealed in this hour, but these things were closed to them.

Daniel 12:4, 8-10
“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until
the end of time… As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said,
“My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” He said, “Go your
way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end
time. Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act
wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have
insight will understand.”

Daniel 8:26
“The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true;
But keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future.”

Revelation 10:4
When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and
I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up the things which the seven
peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.”

There are many things that are concealed and sealed up until the end time. These
things will be revealed, and according to the test of heresy that this man spoke of,
these truths of God would be called heresy for they have been sealed up until this
time.

There are numerous reasons why truth may appear new to the church in this hour.
The church has undergone a long dark age where many kingdom truths that were
seen by the early apostles were lost. Much is being restored in this hour, but it is a
remnant that have ears to hear. There are also few saints who are able to eat meat,
for many, though they should by now be teachers, are still requiring milk as they
focus on the elementary (as in elementary school) principles of the Kingdom. What
are these elementary principles?

Hebrews 5:12-6:2
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again
for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of
God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone
who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of
righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who
because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press
on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead
works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and
laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and judgment.

What do the churches focus on week after week, year after year? Is it not elementary
teaching about the Christ, about repentance from dead works and faith toward
Christ? Is it not elementary teachings about washings and laying on of hands, and
the resurrection from the dead and judgment? These are all elementary things. These
things equate to learning the alphabet, counting to ten, learning basic colors and
shapes, reading a clock, and other things our children learn while in elementary
school. It would be totally inappropriate for a high school student to still be sitting
in classes where the alphabet is being taught and students are learning to write out
their letters. Yet many saints have been sitting in primary school for years in their
churches. They have not progressed past drinking milk to eating meat.

I recently had a Christian brother from Colorado fly out to Georgia for some business
in Atlanta. He had read some of my writings and wanted to speak with me. This
brother only knew the elementary principles of Christ and he became offended when
he heard me declare some things he had never heard before. He began scolding me
for getting away from elementary principles. He told me that all I really needed to do
was focus on evangelism and Gospel 101. Everything else he declared to be a waste
of time and a distraction from the true purpose of the saints which he pronounced
to be the winning of souls.

This mindset is a problem among the saints of God. Many saints read the command
of Christ where He stated, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
(Matthew 28:19), and they interpret this to mean “get people born again and
baptized.” But making disciples is much more than getting people born again. It
would be like a hospital that closed all of its facilities except for the maternity ward
where babies were born. Life isn’t complete at birth. There is much left to take place.

There are children to be raised, young adults to be nurtured and taught to walk
before God in the strength of their own relationship. There are adults to be equipped
and released into their callings. There are the aged and wise ones who can oversee
the saints and share from the storehouse of their experience of walking with God.
The “great commission”, as it is often called, is not to birth babies. It is to make
disciples. It is to teach the saints the elementary principles of the Kingdom and then
take them beyond these things. The very next verse after the above commissioning
states:

Matthew 28:20
teaching them to observe ALL that I commanded you…

Yahshua did not just teach that the saints had to be born again. This part of His
message is found in a few short verses in John chapter 3. He taught much more, so
that John declared:

John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Yahshua did, which if they
were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not
contain the books that would be written.

Yahshuataught the elementary principles, but he also fully revealed the Father (John
1:18). He revealed that a mature walk that is pleasing to the Father is one in which
a man is fully conformed to the image of God. God has never given up or been
diverted from His original intent declared in Genesis:

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness…”

Yahshua revealed that man in God’s image will live to do the will of the Father, and
only the Father’s will. He will do nothing of His own initiative. Six times in the gospel
of John we have Yahshua’s words that “I never do anything of My own initiative. I
always do the will of the Father.” Newborn saints know very little of this type of life.
It is the mature who have learned to discern good and evil and to separate the Spirit
from the soul (Hebrews 5:14, 4:12).

Paul told the Hebrew believers that he had many things he desired to speak to them,
but they could not receive them for they were yet as babes when they should have
been teachers. He wanted to speak many more things of Melchisedec and how this
king/priest stood as an example of Yahweh’s design for the saints. He wanted to
declare things that only the mature can receive, but they were not able.

Yet, like this man who came to visit me, we have those today that say, “All we really
need is milk. All else is a waste of time.” This is great error. Let us go on to maturity.
The Father has mysteries that He wishes to reveal to us. There are things that have
not been formerly heard that He wishes to declare.

There are some who do have ears to hear today, yet a common reaction they get when
they share what the Spirit is revealing is that their words are heresy. Their words are
not what has been heard and declared in Babylon. They are speaking truths that have
been lost, and revelations that have yet to be expressed, things that have been hidden
and concealed until the last days. Do not write all such things off as heresy. At least
be as the noble Bereans and search the scriptures to see if these things be true. Do
not say, “But this is not what my preacher has told me”, or “My parents did not
believe this way”, or “My church holds to another doctrine.”

Luke 11:9-10
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives;
and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”

James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

There is much truth being unveiled in this hour, and every truth is new to man at
some point. Do not declare something to be heresy unless you have first tested it by
the Word and by the Spirit. Yet there is much deception and heresy present today.
The saints must discern the difference between the true and the false. Look at the
following two scriptures side by side and you will see the narrow path that the Elect
must walk.

I Thessalonians 5:19-21
Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But
examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good…

I John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether
they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world.

We are not to despise prophecy and thereby grieve the Spirit, but we are to examine
everything carefully. Do not throw out a word or teaching because it is new to you,
but also be aware that there are many false prophets and every word must be tested
to see if it is of the Spirit of Truth or the spirit of error.

There are some teachings that I have presented to the body, and because of them I
have been labeled a heretic by some. Some who have called me a heretic are in places
of public ministry, yet these same saints have failed the test of nobility practiced by
the Bereans. They have not searched the scriptures to see whether what was
proclaimed was true. In fact, some have flat out stated that they refuse to discuss
certain issues with me. This is not a fulfillment of Paul’s words to “examine
everything carefully”. It is simply being closed-minded.

At the beginning of this chapter it is necessary to declare the balance that must be
attained by the Elect in this hour. We cannot be so narrow in our views that we
refuse all that is new to us, for much new truth has been determined by the counsel
of God to be unveiled in this hour. Yet we cannot be so open minded that we let our
brains fall out. We are to not despise prophetic utterances and teachings, but we are
to test them all.

In the past couple of years the Father has brought me to various encounters with
individuals who were espousing particular beliefs, doctrines, and precepts. The
Father desired that I should test these words, and I have done so. One such
encounter occurred toward the end of a prolonged period where the Father had our
family relying upon Him for every need to be met.

For a period of a year and a half the Father placed me under the command to not
work in a job to receive wages. He told me to step out in faith and He would take care
of my family. I have a wife and two children, and we had no money in the bank so
this was a real test for our family. When the Father first placed this obedience upon
me I did not know how long He would have me to walk in this manner. Ultimately
it was 18 months, and during this entire time we never lacked for food, clothing,
shelter, or any necessary thing.

Toward the end of this time the Father did an incredible thing. He provided for us
to purchase a motorhome with cash and to live for some months in it. We spent an
entire month at the beach at the orchestration of the Father, and my wife and I
celebrated our 16th anniversary during this month at the very same place that we had
honeymooned 16 years previously. This place was Jekyll Island, Georgia. The Father
showed us that this was a time of new beginnings for my wife and me. Eight is the
number of new beginnings, and two times eight is sixteen, signifying new beginning
for both of us. To further corroborate this it was the sixteenth month since I had
followed the Father in obedience to not work, and we had just received a gift of
$8,000 which made purchasing the motorhome and taking this trip possible.

While we were at Jekyll Island and staying at an RV park, we met another family who
were wintering there. This family were “Name Keepers” and “Sabbath Keepers”. This
means that they held to a doctrine that taught that the divine names Yahweh and
Yahshua should be used, as well as some of the Hebrew references for deity such as
Elohim and Adonai, but that other titles that have been substituted for the original
names as recorded in scripture should be avoided. To this family the titles God and
Lord were considered pagan and were strictly avoided. This family also believed they
were to keep the Sabbath according to the Law of Moses and that no work was to be
done from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday. They also practiced other
aspects of the Torah such as eating kosher.

This family was in the RV park the whole time we were, but we didn’t meet them
until after we had been there several weeks. The husband was very outspoken in his
beliefs and he invited us over for a chat. He told us all about his beliefs regarding
name-keeping and he gave me several teachings in printed form, as well as some files
from his computer and I began doing what Paul commanded, to examine the
teachings carefully. What I found was that there was much truth in the teachings he
held to, but there was also leaven present, and the leaven needed to be removed.

I did not go looking for this encounter. The Father brought it to me, and He wanted
me to look at this issue. I have since found that there are a lot of people who call
themselves name-keepers, and many have their own distinct beliefs that keep them
separated from one another. One thing that I noted is that those who are name keepers

often think they are the only group with the truth of God, and everyone else
are heretics. Some of these groups unabashedly declare that their group is the only
group approved of God, and the only ones who are truly saved. This, of course, is
error.

This issue of using the divine names of God as recorded in scripture was something
the Father wanted me to look into. I had long been interested in it, but I had not
taken the time to really dig into it. When I was still a teenager I began to go through
my King James Version of the Bible and write down the actual name or title as
recorded in the original Hebrew in every verse beginning with Genesis 1:1. I would
look the name up in my Strong’s Concordance and write it above the word
substituted by the translators. This was a daunting task, however, and I never
finished it. The name Yahweh alone occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament.

I was ready and eager to look into this matter when this man broached the subject
with me. I took all that he gave me and read it, comparing every statement with
scriptures, and praying earnestly that the Father would lead me into truth regarding
the use of divine names. The Father was faithful and the Spirit revealed many things
to me during this study. The conclusions of this study can be found in an article titled
“The Usage of Divine Names” which is freely available at the website
http://heart4god.ws/.

There is some profound truth in what these groups taught, namely that the actual
name of God (Yahweh) has been obscured and lost to multitudes of professing
believers due to the practice of the translators of replacing it with titular substitutes.
Many saints falsely think that Yahweh’s name is God or LORD. These words are
titles, not names, in the same way that Dad is a title, but all Dads have proper names.
I believe it has been a deceit of Satan to obscure the name of Yahweh, but it has also
served the purpose of Yahweh. Knowing someone’s name is a sign of intimacy and
the masses of professing Christians are not intimate with Him.

However, this man, his family, and the groups of which he was a part, though they
had some truth, they also had much error. They teach that it is sinful to use the title
LORD to refer to Yahweh or Yahshua because Baal is often translated into English
as lord. But they have overlooked numerous scriptures where the word baal was
actually used in reference to Yahweh, for baal was a rather generic term that could
refer to any lord or master. On the other hand, a word that they state is acceptable,
Elohim, is also a generic term referring to deity and it is used in various places in
scripture to refer to false gods, such as the elohim of Egypt. Their logic in accepting
one term and refusing another is nonsensical.

They also teach that Jesus is a pagan name and that it was derived from either the
name Zeus or Isis and it should never be used. I searched this claim with a great deal
of persistence and I found it to be unsubstantiated. Other logic employed by this
man, and the groups that believe as he did, is not sound. This man told me that
names don’t change over time or across languages, so we are only correct when we
use the original form of a name recorded in scripture. This is easily disproved, for
even alphabets change, and the Hebrews themselves have had several quite
remarkably distinct variations of their language and alphabet. Also, it is a simple
matter to show that names do change over time and across languages, sometimes
quite drastically.

As I examined this matter I found that a Latin form of Yah was Iah, Yah being a form
of Yahweh used in numerous places in scripture, and the word for salvation, or save,
was pronounced “soose”. Combining these two we get Iesus (ee-ay-soose) which
literally meant “Yah’s salvation” to the Greek speaking people of the Roman Empire.
“Yah’s Salvation” is the meaning of the name of the Son of God recorded in scripture
(Matthew 1:21). If you look at Matthew 1:21 in the Greek you will find that to the
Greek, Iesus, from which we get Jesus, held the meaning mentioned here. It was not
as this man asserted, some devilish plot to replace the name of the Son of God with
the name of a Greek or Roman god or goddess. Yahshua would have been the name
Jesus was known by among the Hebrews to whom He was sent. In Hebrew Yahshua
holds the same meaning as does Iesus in the Greek.

This man, his family, and the groups that teach the same things, have become islands
unto themselves. They declare in many instances that you are not saved if you were
baptized in the name of Jesus, God, or Lord. This man was re-baptized after he
learned the names of Yahweh and Yahshua, and he suggested that others should be
as well. This man was friendly to me and my family as long as I was reading the
material he gave me, but when I came back and shared some of the error in the
conclusions he was espousing he became angry and did not want to talk to me
anymore.

I have found this to be a pattern among those who are walking in deception. They are
often very closed to an honest examination of the scriptures, and they get angry very
quickly with those who do not come to agreement with them. In adopting this
attitude of impatience they effectively commit themselves to remaining in deception,
for they will allow no light to enter into their spirit.

This encounter was merely one of many of which the Father has brought me to in
recent years. I learned much through the encounter and, through the things the
Father revealed to me as I carefully examined what was being taught, I have been
able to help others who were dealing with the same topic. It would have been wrong,
and detrimental to my own understanding, had I simply perceived error and rejected
everything this man was saying. The Father does not want us to have this type of
knee jerk reaction to the things we encounter. He desires that we should be diligent
and faithful in our examination of prophecies and teachings.

We should not be frightened by teachings that are new to us, nor fear that we will be
swept away into deception. Those who are faithful will be led into truth by the Spirit.
People who are deceived are that way for a reason. I have found that there are three
things that particularly open people up to deception and error. Bitterness, a failure
to walk in the truth that has been given, and rebellion against the governmental
order of God will all open the saint up to deception.

I know of one brother who has a website with many teachings, and he has a small
following of people. For a time he was given many revelations from the Father that
were quite profound. However, a root of bitterness was present in this man’s life and
this led to the defiling of his ministry. I have watched as his teachings have strayed
off into greater degrees of error and deception until he is now declaring that he is the
Elijah for the last days, and that he is also the true apostle that replaces Judas.

Such claims should be patently absurd to the saints, but there are a small number of
people who have gotten caught up in his deception and who believe his words. I
visited with this man in his home, and he has a precious family. Later, when I tried
to show him from scripture how his claims could not be true, he became angry and
refused to discuss the issues with me, declaring that my attitude was wrong toward
him and that I was attacking him. Again, an unwillingness to faithfully examine the
scriptures was present and has resulted in this man being hardened against the truth
and it has kept him from coming out of deception. I believe bitterness in this man’s
life against fellow ministers who mistreated him was the open door that opened him
up to the deceptions of Satan.

We are also told in scripture that failing to have a sincere love of the truth will lead
one to embracing deception. If the saint has been given light and truth, but has failed
to walk in it, even what they have will be taken away and the Father will
consequently send delusion to these saints who did not love the truth.

II Thessalonians 2:10-11
Because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For
this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they
will believe what is false…

There are other things that open the saints up to deception: rebellion against the
governmental order of Yahweh; harboring idols in one’s heart; and a spirit of
unbelief are some of the more evident things.

In the hour in which we live it is somewhat paradoxical that truth and error will both
increase alongside one another. The elect of God must not be closed to the unveiling
of things previously hidden, but at the same time they must guard against the deceit
of Satan. They must not despise or reject prophecies and teaching, but they must
carefully examine every word. A failure in either direction will hinder the saint from
reaching the goal the Father has set before them.

Guard your heart, put away bitterness, walk in the light you have been given, put on
a heart of humility, and earnestly seek the Father that He might guide you into all
truth and you will do well on your journey to Zion.