News paper Reg. No. KERENG/2007/22479
REVIVE (ENGLISH) october 2017
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Date of Publication : 15/10/2017
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70th INDEPENDENCE DAY AT INDIA BIBLE COLLEGE AND SEMINARY Vol. 10, Issue No. 10
Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham, President of the Seminary, brings the special message on Independence Day and hoists the Tricolour at IGO Campus
October 2017
Hebron, Kumbanad, Kerala
Bro. C. T. Johnson, Maj. V. I Luke, Mrs. Annie Jacob, Mrs. Lissy Johnson were special guests
Bro. C. T. Johnson
Bro. Joel T. Jacob Pr. Saju Joseph Dr. John Alex Pr. Emmanual P. G. KEAF Board Members, Director, Principal and Faculty of IBC
choreography and patriotic songs by students
Printed, published and owned by Major V.I. Lukose (Retired), published from P.O. Box 31, Hebron, Kumbanad, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India and Printed at Viani Printings, Ernakulam, Kerala, India. Editor: Pastor Dr. John K. Mathew
false christs
www.revivemegod.org
Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham Founder/President India Gospel Outreach
President India Bible College and Seminary
A man looks at a sore on his neck that does not heal. He worries - is it cancer? The thought frightens and horrifies him.
He asks advice from others regarding a good doctor. Someone tells him, “Oh, it doesn’t really make any difference which doctor you go to. Just find a doctor you feel most comfortable with, someone who best suits who you are.” The man hates the idea of surgery, but he does have a problem that doesn’t go away. He wants a doctor, but he decides what he most desperately wants is a doctor who will tell him what he wants to hear.
DANGER OF FOLLOWING FALSE CHRISTS In spiritual matters, this same kind of carelessness and foolishness also happens again and again when we seek out teachers and false messiahs who tell us only what we like to hear.
Cleaning at the Government Hospital Thiruvalla
In the Bible, Jesus is portrayed as the Great Physician. In some ways, Jesus tells us unpleasant things that make us uncomfortable. We all experience problems in life, and we see many problems in the world around us, but we don’t like to hear we are all sinners before a holy God, and we are headed to hell. We don’t like to be told to repent and commit our lives to God through Jesus Christ. We don’t like to be told that we have a spiritual cancer that is killing us and that only Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, will remove it. To many ears, the Good News of Jesus Christ is bad news. Like surgery, Jesus’ death and crucifixion for our sins seems too bloody, ugly and unnecessary. We may not find satisfaction with our lives, but the spiritual surgery that Jesus requires seems too messy, too radical and scary. We don’t like to think about it. To make us feel better, we may even jeer at those who trust in Jesus as their Great Physician.
Unfortunately, six months later, the man dies of an aggressive cancer that has spread from his neck to the rest of his body. The doctor who gave him the “good news” is an unqualified fake who says he practices medicine, but who specializes in telling patients what they want to hear. The diploma that hangs in his office is as fake as the so-called doctor.
Jesus Himself warns us about the dangers of following after charlatans— teachers who exalt themselves over the clear teaching of the Bible. He warns us about those who promote a different gospel from the one He taught—a so-called “gospel” that leaves out sin, the cross and repentance, judgment and hell. He warns us about people who preach God’s love but not His holiness, his forgiveness but not His hatred of sin and the penalty for sin.
When we read such a story, we recognize the
... at Asha Bhavan, a home for special children
total carelessness and foolishness of the man—his stubborn unwillingness to put up with unpleasant news in the short run at the expense of his long term health. Sad to say, this happens more often than we like to think.
The medical practitioner he contacts is a very pleasant man with an impressive looking diploma hanging in his office where everyone can see it. He smiles, has a pleasant, appealing manner, and he assures the man that no, he does not have cancer. He advises him to take a simple remedy, cover the sore with a bandage so he doesn’t see it, and refrain from worry. Elated, the man goes home and says to himself, “My worries are over!”
If the man had gone to a real doctor, he would have heard unpleasant news. He would have faced painful surgery, but he would also have gone on to live a normal and useful life.
our students engaged in community service on 15th august 2017
Cleaning the local Police Station premises
We know we need help, but we seek our help in people who claim to be prophets, who claim to be even Jesus Himself, who tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear.
Much of what the false christ says may be true and right, but even if he deviates just a little bit, avoid him as if he were the devil himself! Any self-proclaimed “christ” who fails to preach the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ is an imposter with a spirit of lawlessness that will show up in some form in his own life such as sexual perversion, abusive behavior, misuse of money or other kinds of moral failures. Continued on page 20
Bus Cleaning at Chengannur Bus Station Cleaning shrubs on the road. All the local and community services were co-ordinated by Rev. Biju Eapen
Gilgal Aswasa Bhavan
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contents editorial Rev. Saju Joseph
Jesus Christ and False Christs – an Introduction
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DIVINITY OF CHRIST
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Pastor Easaw Philip promoted to glory
Pastor K. A. John
Dr. Kris A. Jackson
False Christ – How to Identify Him? Pastor P. T. Thomas
FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE TEACHERS C.T. Luiskutty
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ANTICHRIST AS FALSE CHRIST Rev. Dr. B. Varghese
Vol. 10
Issue No. 10 October 2017
A magazine that will enrich and renew your spiritual life and give Christian perspective on current events. e-mail : revivemegod@gmail.com igotoibc@gmail.com visit us : www.revivemegod.org CHAIRMAN emeritus PASTOR T. S. ABRAHAM CHAIRMAN PASTOR Dr.T. VALSON ABRAHAM MEMBERS BRO. JACOB THOMAS BRO. SUNNY KODUMTHARA EDITOR PASTOR DR. JOHN K. MATHEW
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QUIZ
ADMINISTRATIVE EDITOR PASTOR SAJU JOSEPH ASSOCIATE EDITOR MRS. STARLA LUKOSE MANAGER PASTOR T. J. ABRAHAM CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JUNE THOMAS ANN ABRAHAM PUBLISHER, PRINTER & OWNER MAJOR V. I. LUKOSE (Retired) HEBRON, KUMBANAD, PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA. PRINTED AT VIANI PRINTINGS, LISSIE JN., ERNAKULAM, KERALA PLACE OF PUBLICATION KUMBANAD, PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA - 689 547 DESIGN Beam Design S2dio Ph: 93870 73135 beamfine@gmail.com POSTAL ADDRESS P.O. BOX. 31, HEBRON, KUMBANAD KERALA, INDIA, PIN - 689 547 Phone: 0469 - 2664075, 2665855 Mobile: 94476 08954
The views and ideas expressed in each article are those of the writer. - Editor Pictures Courtesy : Google
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Letters
Abode of Joy
Dear revive, The unique Christian doctrine of Heaven was dealt with in a very scholarly manner in the September issue. The Editorial and each article was hope-filled and encouraging. Although a many things about our future are hidden, the Bible paints very clear picture of heaven. As the writer rightly says, the Bible does not give us a detailed description, but it does offer glimpses, often using metaphors to describe the nature of heaven. It assures us first and foremost that heaven is the present abode of God and the final dwelling place of the righteous. Yes, God is omnipresent and His presence is everywhere. But He is present in a special way in heaven! Scriptures clearly tell us that heaven will be free from the curse of sin, lit by the brilliance of God and the place where the saved in Christ will enjoy eternal life with God. Reading the recent revive renewed my assurance of a future eternity with Christ. Harris Johnson, Canada
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Old Testament Revelation of God
Heaven - the promise of Jesus
Dear Editor, The reality and revelation of heaven as seen in the Bible is something we are grateful to God for. The Epistle to Hebrews states vividly that, in the past, the Lord revealed His truth only part by part. Jison Saju Joseph, in his article, writes clearly the Old Testament people’s nature of hope in life after death and eternity. We see more references of the Jewish beliefs on heaven in the New Testament passages. Most religions of antiquity believed in God for the material and physical prosperity and blessings in the earthly life. The belief in heaven and the rewards for the faithful was very particular to Judaism. Jesus and the apostles attested the Old Testament beliefs in heaven. This article in revive establishes the doctrine of heaven in the entire Bible. Ninan Joy, Mumbai
Dear revive, For a Christian, faith in heaven and a life after death, is strongly based on the teachings and promises of Jesus. Jesus is the truth. There was no lie Jesus ever told. Jesus spoke from His heart. And we have no option but to believe it. Rev. Dr. Mathew Varkey makes this very clear through his article. The concept of heaven is the most vital and important truth of Christian theology. A truth that is for all mankind. Jesus said that He is preparing a wonderful home in heaven for all of the redeemed. “Believe in me, in my father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.... where I am you may be also”. Let’s believe in heaven only because Jesus said so. Joy Mathew, Kollam
Hope of the future
Dear revive, My appreciation to the REVIVE team for the relevant themes presented in each issue. I see the September issue as a highly beneficial one for the church. Today there are numerous church groups whose focus is on a few popular leaders. Many of these leaders are young, not theologically trained, neither are they disciplined or mentored by any senior, mature or experienced leaders. Sadly, the so called 'leaders' have monetary and material goals all charted out. All attention is on satisfying the emotional feelings and mundane aspirations of the people. And to achieve this the leaders teach false doctrines and introduce false Christs. The only way to counter this trend is for churches regularly engage in Scripture Engagement - conduct sound biblical teaching classes. May the September issue of revive be a catalyst for this new endeavour. Jospeh K.T., Bangalore
Dear Editor, Our earthly life is made meaningful because of the hope of future or living with eternity in perspective. Heaven is a reality and not merely a comforting idea. The Bible clearly promises a literal heaven. Rev.Shiju M. George's article focused primarily on this truth. As we live in this mundane world, it is the hope of the future that sustains us in our Christian life. Throughout the New Testament, it is noted that the believers are encouraged to live with a daily hope about their future (after life) even when they have questions about the delay of the Parousia (the second coming of Christ) and the outbreak of persecution against the church. In the words of Jesus and the Apostles ‘hope’ is the often repeated concept in the Bible. Therefore let’s strengthen our hope and totally committed to lead a holy life, prepared to receive the reward for the faithful. Sherly John, Coimbatore
Need of Sound Teaching
renewing and enriching life
Rev. Saju Joseph
One painful
truth that Church history reveals is the emergence of numerous false teachers who have misled thousands. These false teachers exploited the innocents and gained popularity for their own selfish causes. When a person emerges with a special doctrine and with the intent to dissuade people from the True Christ, he/she is identified as a false Christ. Jesus warned that in the last days counterfeit christs would arise calling themselves as the Messiah and claim to be the savior of the world. “Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,” and will deceive many’ ” (Matthew 24:4, 5) In the New Testament, the original Greek word for Christ is ‘Christos’. The equivalent Hebrew word in the Old Testament is Mashiach, meaning ‘Messiah’. The literal translation of both the Greek and Hebrew words is ‘The Anointed One’. It is the title and identity which Jesus assumed during His ministry on Earth. “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” (John 4:25, 26). Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus preached His great prophetic discourse concerning profound events that would occur at the end of the age just prior to His Second Coming. Among those events, He said, would be false prophets and false christs. Who is the evil power behind these false christs? There is no doubt that it is Satan himself. It is of these false christs and false prophets, Paul wrote, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Is it not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NIV). These false christs masquerade as “servants of righteousness,” just as their master, Satan, masquerades as an angel of light. Woefully, these false christs sincerely regard themselves to be genuine believers, eagerly serving and doing the work of Christ, but are leading many into deception. They will even prophesy in the name of Jesus, cast out demons in the name of Jesus, and work miracles in His name. But they are serving a false Christ—not the real Jesus. “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers’ ” (Matthew 7:22, 23). The followers of the false Christ disregard the commandments of Jesus. In contrast, Jesus declares, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the
When
a person emerges up with a special doctrine and with the intent to dissuade people from the True Christ, he/ sheis identified as a false Christ. one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him”. (John 14:21) Imitating Christ’s life is more important for God than imitating His miracles. False christs can imitate only Christ’s miracles, not His life. October 2017
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Dr. Kris A. Jackson Evangelist and Author, Branson West, Missouri, USA
Jesus Christ and False Christs
– an Introduction
The Samaritan
woman at Jacob’s well had an inherent prophetic insight shared by millions – “I know Messiah is coming, who is called Christ” (John 4:25). Her curiosity and open heart led her to the living Christ, who spoke to her while resting at the well. This Christ-awareness, or we may use a simpler term, spirituality, is vital in preparing the heart to receive divine truth. Humanity yearns a Christ-figure. How can we know an unknowable God unless someone with inside knowledge should reveal Him? How can we hear from God without a spokesperson, a Go-Between, a Christ? Inspired Scripture, historical evidence and Christian faith and doctrine reveal that God has indeed spoken and manifested Himself in human flesh, in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Christ confessed by the woman at the well. He fulfilled over 300
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Old Testament prophecies in His life and death and confirmed His Messiahship by leaving an empty tomb and showing Himself alive by many infallible proofs before ascending to the right hand of God as Administrator of the New Covenant. For those who will receive it, Jesus is the Christ who was and is to come. But He warned the Last Days believers of deception and counterfeits – “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:4,5). Matthew chapter 24, the Olivet Discourse, is a chronological outline of eschatological or Last Days events. Deception is mentioned three times in verses 5, 11 and 24, for deception is Satan’s native atmosphere. He is the father of lies. Our Lord warned that counterfeits would “come in my name”. Using Jesus’ name is the shiny lure used to attract the gullible. Just because something is tagged with the name Jesus, it is not necessarily trustworthy. Not all that glitters is gold. The counterfeiters declare “I am Christ” (Greek – christos), meaning to be anointed or the Anointed One. They claim a special charisma or anointing as God’s unique messenger. Some claim to be channels of gods and divinities. Notice the false Christs always counterfeit Jesus, never any other. The intent of the deception is always to usurp the name of Christ to draw disciples away from Christ – “Every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 John 4:3). There are at least four commonalities of all false Christs. They have…
1. False authority False Christs can be easily spotted because they offer a new or altered bible. Beware the new and improved. If it’s new, it’s not true, and if it’s true, it’s not new. Or if they don’t promote their own “holy book”, they will at least claim special, esoteric or personal revelation from the Bible or from beyond the Bible, in contradiction to Peter’s statement that “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). The devil has been caught quoting scripture (Luke 4:10,11), but he always perverts its clear meaning. False teachers and pseudo-Christs take scripture out of context to forward their own teachings, or else the Bible is quoted as being only one of many coequal “inspired writings”. Most of their purported revelation is extrabiblical, going beyond “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). A false bible births false doctrine which matures into false disciples. Much of the false teaching of our day purports an evolution in man’s understanding of God, just as they claim there is an evolution in the physical world. Many teach we are now entering a new age, the Age of Aquarius, the third wave of human thought, the normal evolutionary process of the divinity of man, and thus all outdated thinking processes and adherence to traditional religious institutions must be cast aside, the main target, of course, being the Christian faith. A new messiah-figure that speaks for God (as God) will sum up the good in all religions and lead modern-man to peace, enlightenment and Godhood. It is the same lure and lie employed by the snake in the Garden of Eden, “your eyes will be opened and you will be as gods” (Genesis 3:5).
2. False anointing Paul spoke of “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6) and “another spirit” (2 Corinthians 11:4). The false Christs are certainly anointed, but anointed by what or by whom? God is a Spirit but there are many other “spirits” in the cosmos. John urges, “Believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God…” (1 John 4:1) Watch whether the spiritual figure’s charisma overshadows his character. Dig deep enough and you will likely find a very dubious past. Magnetic personality, masterly oration or even the performance of miracles do not indicate either a right heart or correct teaching. Pharaoh’s court magicians were masters at tricks and turned their staffs into serpents just as did Aaron at the command of Moses, but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. The question is not whether someone is anointed, but what does their anointing accomplish? Does it lead men toward Jesus Christ or away from God?
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We can
expect the coming False Messiah to embrace all gender specifications, epitomize the good in all religions and seek to unify all ethnicities with a common salvation based on tolerance, lifestyle acceptance and rejection of antiquated religious rules, all of which “turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” 3. False apostles A false Christ is of no value to the kingdom of darkness without
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a following – “also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). The counterfeit Christs instruct then send propagandists in their own image. The devil has a church, Mystery Babylon. He has seminars and healing services, using self-help con-artists, psychic channels and eastern mystic gurus to spread his error. He is a book peddler. Library shelves are lined with volumes of fiction, fraud and lies – “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 12:13,14).
4. False atonement They introduce a radically different way of salvation. By atonement we mean the expiation of sin by the substitutionary death of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The false Christs normally see no need for atonement for they deny the existence of sin. If there is a recognition of sin, the definition is blurred, sin is seen as failure to see the divinity of self. The human fall in the Garden is denied. The death of Jesus on the cross is seen as a failure. That man has “come short of the glory of God”, as stated in the Book of Romans, means menhave not reached cosmic consciousness or spiritual enlightenment, or lack divine self-esteem. They denounce evil, but it is a twisted concept of evil, calling good evil and evil good. We can expect the coming False Messiah to embrace all gender specifications, epitomize the good in all religions and seek to unify all ethnicities with a common salvation based on tolerance, lifestyle acceptance and rejection of antiquated religious rules, all of which “turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Most damnable, the false teacher and false Christ must delegitimize, if not anathematize, the blood of Jesus Christ.Denying Christ’s work on the cross the new salvation is built on the goodness of man, slavish works of charity, globalistic erasure of nation states, planetary oneness (eco-worship of Mother Earth) and blanket acceptance of personal lifestyle choices. In a nutshell, the false Christs preach the heresy of, “I’m okay, you’re okay”. What must be asked, however, is God okay with it? False Christs must be discerned, discredited and decried, or as Paul said – “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Accursed! A very strong word, but strong because countless souls are at stake.
renewing and enriching life
Pastor P. T. Thomas Writer, Bible Teacher
False Christ – How to Identify Him? Deception and impersonation are the basics of Satan’s modern operandi, especially in his dealings with mankind. In the age of innocence, he successfully used
this weapon to subdue Adam and Eve. Even today he uses it to trap the innocents. While we have to be guileless and innocent as the dove, we should also be wise as the serpent. So we should know how to identify Satan’s deceptive wiles and evil strategies. The Bible is our all-sufficient source of revelation, information and insight in this regard. Jesus Christ Himself has warned us that many will come claiming that he is the Christ (Matt. 24:5; 23-26). The leaders of many religious cults have claimed the same. Such claims or claimants do not pose any threat to an innocent believer, as it is early October 2017
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to identify their true nature. But those who emerge from our own fold pose a real threat. Apostle John has said that “though they went out from us, they were not of us” (1 John 2:18–19). Church history shows that the emergence of false Christs is a repeated story. A spiritual leader rises to prominence in a Christian community. His charisma draws a large multitude to him His persuasive eloquence coupled with signs and wonders keep the multitudes enthralled and enchanted. They feel that a halo of divinity surrounds him. Naturally they become submissive and blindly loyal to him. If one fine morning he asserts that he himself is the Christ, no one will question it many such false Christs have deceived thousands of innocents. Fresh memories of such tragedies linger in our minds.
A more subtle deception stealthily ensnares tens of thousands around the world today. The real Jesus Christ of the Bible is pushed into oblivion and another Jesus is being widely preached. Apostle Paul has warned us against this (2 Corinthians 11:2–4). This false Jesus is more appealing to the popular masses. The real Jesus of the Bible is rather an unpopular figure to them. He calls upon His disciples to forsake everything and follow Him (Luke 14:33) On the contrary, the popular Jesus, who dominates our stages, calls everyone to follow him to get anything one desires. Quite naturally he attracts the masses in thousands an enslaving mantle of worldliness is cast over the innocents. This deception is of current concern and must be exposed for the common good and the glory of God. It is the false prophets of our days who present this false Christ. The presentation may slightly vary from person to person. Nevertheless, they all present false Christs of their own making. The pity is that they twist and distort the holy scriptures to dark up the image of the Christ of their family. All such false Christs share some common features and pursue identical course of action. The Bible gives us clear insights to identify them and escape their snare.
A Christ without the Cross Christ crucified is the core of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:23) the agony of the cross weighed heavily on the mind of the Lord all through His life (Luke 12:49-50). Suppose, the Lord continued to live and minister all through the past twenty centuries, healing the sick and feeding the hungry, and had not offered Himself as the perfect propitiatory sacrifice on the cross, we would not have been much benefitted by His ministry. The good news to the world is that the sin of mankind is atoned for on the cross at Calvary. Suppose, the whole goodnews of all the innumerable altars, holy places, religious rites, rituals, festivals, virtues, offerings, holy penance and all the religious and spiritual assets of the whole human race is accumulated before the righteous god. Alas, all of it amount to no effect before the heinous sin of mankind. But Christ crucified on the rugged cross out-weighs the horrible weight of the whole accumulated sin of mankind. The inestimable wealth of the world in the Lamp of God nailed on the cross at the center of the earth. He is the greatest gift God has given us. Alas! some are so blinded by the devil that they describe the crucified Christ as the weakness of Christian thought! To the majority of the Christian world the cross is just a talisman powerful enough to chase away even the most horrible devil. But a cross without Christ is ineffective. Similarly, Christ without cross is not the true Christ of the Bible.
Healer or Saviour Man is so beset with the problems, pains and diseases of the present life that he is hardly concerned about the life hereafter. exploiting this popular attitude, the false prophets dress up their false Christ in the garb of a miracle healer. Of course, Jesus does miracles
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and heals the sick even today. But He is first and foremost the savior, not the healer. Healing and deliverance from problems are experienced even in other religious places. But forgiveness from sin and eternal salvation is the unique blessing from the true messiah. In Mark chapter two, we see four men doing an adventurous feat. They split opened the roof of a house wide enough to lower a bed cot with a paralytic lying flat on it. Seeing the faith of the four Jesus said to the paralytic ‘son, your sins are forgiven’ (Mark 2:5). A paralytic lying immobile and helpless needed forgiveness of sin first, healing was secondary. Subsequently, Jesus healed him as a visible proof of the effectiveness of the word He spoke to him (Mark 2:8-12). Even today miracles and signs are wrought in the name of the Lord to confirm the word of salvation (Mark 16:20). So anyone who presents Christ primarily as a healer, and not as the only savior of mankind is presenting false Christ.
A Temporal Messiah/Christ The reason why Jesus’ contemporaries could not recognize Him was that they expected a temporal Messiah who would defeat the Roman armies and establish the Jewish kingdom. Even today the large majority believe in the Lord to get their material needs satisfied. They cannot accept a Messiah who would not cater to their mundane aspirations. The words ‘blessings’ ‘deliverance’ etc. are commonly understood in the material sense. There are many who mock at messages on eternal life, heavenly blessings and spiritual renewing. So the popular Messiah is the one who prospers their business, gives hundred-fold increase in all material enterprises, prospers their posterity–the one who ‘makes you the head and not the tail’? But what does the Bible say about the true Messiah? Listen to what Jesus Himself says: “You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world, I am not of this world” (John 8:23). Again in His high priestly prayer Jesus said: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:16) Exhorting the church of God, Paul has said: “If you are risen with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colo. 3:1-2). God cares for all His creations. Then how much more is His care on us? (Roman 8:32). None of our genuine needs and godly desires shall go unmet by the Lord. But we should not take godliness as a means to material gain (1 Tim. 6:5). Covetousness is repeatedly described in the scriptures as idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Colo. 3:5). “Love of money is the root cause of all evil”, (1 Tim. 6:10). The Christ who offers to give more material prosperity in the world is one far different from the Christ of the Bible. He who takes the sense of greed is no true messiah. There are some well-meaning people who present Jesus as one with political aspirations. They speak about whole nations becoming Christian and parliaments being filled with believers. That temporal messiah is not the Lord of the Bible. In Egypt Moses was destined to be the next pharaoh. Once he was on the throne, just a royal order could make all the Israelites free citizens of the nation. They could take over Egypt in no time. But that was not the plan of God. They had a promised land across the shores. Similarly, this tottering earth devastated by sin and curse is not our eternal home. We press on for our promised land on the other shores. The New Jerusalem, New Heaven and the New Earth is to be our eternal inheritance. We are aliens and sojourners here.
Christ, who is not the Promised Messiah Jesus Christ of the Bible is the Messiah promised even from the Garden of Eden. The promise given to Adam and Eve was repeated to saints like Abraham and Moses. The promise was repeatedly reminded through the prophets. The people of Israel kept up that hope all through the centuries. At the fullness of time the promised messiah came. This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is described as promised afore by the prophets in the holy scriptures’ (Rom. 1:1-2). Again at the close of the epistle, Paul describes the
gospel as ‘the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets’ (Rom. 16:25– 26). The apostles and the early evangelists reasoned from the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah (Acts 18:4, 28; 28:23). The scriptures testify that the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law of God to the point.
There
are some wellmeaning people who present Jesus as one with political aspirations. They speak about whole nations becoming Christian and parliaments being filled with believers. That temporal messiah is not the Lord of the Bible. But now some deny the inspiration of the Old Testament. They say that the Old Testament should not be read any longer. Then who is the Christ they preach? Without the Old Testament how do we understand the identity of Jesus Christ? Then how do we realize the divine authority of the word of the cross? No wonder, such people go on saying that Jesus is different from Christ. The Christ they preach is not the Contined on page 23 October 2017
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C.T. Luiskutty Author, Bible teacher, former professor at Oral Roberts University and currently General Secretary of Inter Collegiate Prayer Fellowship
FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE TEACHERS History of mankind
is replete with stories of false Messiahs (Christs) who claim to be the incarnation of Almighty God. This happened many times before the coming of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, and has not stopped with His coming to this earth and fulfilling His mission. Jesus Himself knew about the appearing of false Messiahs and false teachers and prophets at various times and issued a warning, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect� (Mat 24:24). This is happening today and the people of God should be extremely careful so that they will not go after the imposters. Some of them are outright antichrists who have no resemblance to Jesus of Nazareth and oppose Him and His teachings vehemently. Others may, to a great extent, teach many things Jesus taught but present themselves as improved versions of Jesus Christ. False Christs are more likely to draw followers from outside the church than from inside. Still church
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people who do not have a solid foundation in the Word of God could be influenced by such imposters. False prophets and teachers in the churches are a greater threat to Christendom than are false Christs. The false teachers, referred to here, are not people who promote false Christs, but the ones who make a false representation of Jesus Christ and propagate a false ‘gospel’. If the believers are not careful, even the elect could be led astray by the subtle doctrines taught by the false teachers. Christians should beware of two things the false teachers try to do. The first is to present a false picture of Jesus Christ. They start with the true Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the historical person who lived about two thousand years ago. Many of them start their ministry teaching the orthodox views about Jesus Christ and the true gospel. However, as the following becomes large and most people in the crowd have no foundation in the Word of God or a desire to learn the true doctrines, the teachers seek for new ideas to appease their itching ears and capture their attention and allegiance.Thus they look for new revelations and new ideas. As they propagate new ideas which have no scriptural backing as new revelations of God, the undiscerning congregation swallows everything because they are enamored by the charisma of the teacher or his or her miracle working power and looking for excitement and instant gratification. When somebody says to an audience that consists of mature Christians that he or she is going to tell them a new truth that they have never heard before, the chances are what comes next is extra-biblical or anti-scriptural. It is unfortunate that the number of teachers who make such statements in Christian churches is increasing these days. What is stated in Acts 17:21 (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new)is about a general pagan crowd assembled in a public place. It is ironic that Christian congregations have degenerated to this level and would spend time in nothing except hearing something new. As a result, their assemblies have become fertile grounds for false teachers who would spend their time in nothing but telling something new which, almost always, is not in the Bible or is an interpretation the person who wrote it or the God who inspired the writing never intended.
Some characteristics of the false teachers who could influence Christians: 1. They deny the authenticity of the whole Bible 2. They present a false picture of Jesus Christ 3. They distort the teachings of Christ and the Apostles 1. It is true that we do not understand everything in the Bible. Listen to what Apostle Peter says, “… our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, … there are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:15-16). It is evident from this statement that some of what Apostle Paul wrote was hard to understand and ignorant and unstable readers distort these writings to suit them. But Peter does not deny the authenticity of what Paul wrote. According to Peter, Paul wrote according to the wisdom given to him and those who distort the teachings just because they cannot fully comprehend them do so to their own destruction.
Some people do not accept whole of the Old Testament or some portions of it as Godinspired writings. The reasons for such a position are: We may not understand what is written there We may not like the writings as they might contradict our view of God or moral values and cultural norms of our time We may consider them unnecessary for our salvation, spiritual growth and stability in our faith.
These are not the criteria to determine the authenticity of any portion of the Bible. Jesus Christ and the New Testament authors quoted from many of the Old Testament authors. When the apostles referred to the God inspired nature of the Scriptures, they were referring to the Old Testament. If what is Scripture and what is not is left to the individual’s choice, we will be opening a Pandora’s box. Anyone who attempts to do this and teach such doctrines should be recognized as a false teacher. By faith we accept that the whole of Bible in its original writing is God-inspired and without error. It does not mean that all the October 2017
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writings are of equal importance in the life of a Christian or the interpretations and commentaries are God-inspired. Some teachers argue that the church needs only the four gospels as they contain the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. They think the rest of the Bible is used to create a religion rather than form individual followers of Christ. The reasons in this case also may be
Now there
is a trend among some preachers and teachers in the Christian church to show a distinction between Jesus and Christ. According to them Jesus lived and performed miracles until His death on the Cross; the resurrected Jesus became Christ. They may be containing only the opinions of the writers We don’t like what is in them because that may contradict our convictions or we may have to pay a high price to put it in to practice. The principles mentioned in the epistles are outdated and irrelevant for the present age There are portions (especially the Book of Revelation) that are beyond our comprehension. The apostles wrote the letters as they were inspired by God and directed by the Holy Spirit. They
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rewrote many of the abstract concepts of the gospels putting them in proper context and giving applications. The epistles challenge the followers of Christ to face opposition and persecutions with boldness and trust in God. They were assured of the hope of eternal life in the presence of God. The letters analyzed the condition of various churches and showed them the way how the followers can achieve Christlikeness. Such inspiring teachings in the New Testament letters are not opposed to the character and teachings of Jesus Christ as given in the gospels, but complementary to them. Even though the allegories and visions of Revelation may not be clearly comprehended by all readers and the interpretations may vary, there is enough spiritual truth that will inspire Christians and motivate them to live a holy life preparing to welcome whatever transpires in the future. They live in the present with the hope of eternity. All the false teachers may not deny outright the authenticity of the Bible, but they will sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the hearers. 2. There are religions, even sects who claim to be Christian, that approve Jesus as a great teacher or even as a prophet but deny His divinity. From the first century there has been a widespread tendency and discussion in order to deny the doctrine of two simultaneous natures of Christ being fully man and fully God. While Apollinarius (Bishop of Laodicea), Nestorious (Bishop of Constantinople) and Eutyches (Monk in Alexandria) tried to attack the humanity, Lucian of Antioch, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Arius of Alexandria denied the deity of Jesus Christ. The Arian view which took hold from the early centuries is that the Logos (Jesus) did not exist from the beginning but was begotten by God the Father at some finite time before the creation of the world. He was a medium through which everything else in the universe was created. According to this view, the Son of God is subordinate to the Father. In other words, Jesus is a being below God but above the rest of the created beings including man. Many modern sects propagate this view in different forms. The Apostolic and Nicene creeds vehemently countered these heresies and emphatically articulated the absolute humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. This is the position adopted by orthodox Christianity from the beginning. The orthodox Christians teach the doctrine of Trinity. It claims, in short, that while there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4) He exists as three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three persons co-exist and are co-eternal and co-equal. All three persons have all the natural attributes (omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, immutability, eternal self-existence) and the moral attributes (love, holiness, goodness, truth, righteousness and justice) of God. The three persons are not competing deities and each fulfills His function in creation, preservation, salvation and provision of eternity for the mankind. The concept of Trinity might not be easily comprehended by our natural mind; this is a Biblical truth that the believers must accept by faith. Anyone who spreads a “gospel” different from this can be considered a heretic and a false teacher. Now there is a trend among some preachers and teachers in the Christian church to show a distinction between Jesus and Christ. According to them Jesus lived and performed miracles until His death on the Cross; the resurrected Jesus became Christ. They contend that one gets the knowledge about Jesus through a study of History, but the knowledge of Christ comes only through revelation. This is an attempt to revise the gnostic ideology that Jesus is distinct from Christ. According to gnostic creed Jesus was an ordinary man, the son of Joseph and Mary. Christ was a spirit of power that descended upon Jesus at baptism and at the time of crucifixion Christ left Jesus and it was Jesus who suffered and died. This was condemned by the apostles (Acts.9:20, 17:3) and they proved that Jesus was the Christ. When we realize that ‘Christ’ is the Greek term used in the place of the Hebrew term ‘Messiah,’we realize that this argument does not hold water. At His birth He was given the name ‘Jesus’ (which means ‘Saviour’) by His mother Mary and adoptive father Joseph. Even though the Jewish scholars and the leaders knew that the Son of God would appear as the Messiah (Christ, God’s Anointed One) some time in history,
renewing and enriching life
they were not ready to acknowledge that Jesus was the One. But Peter and others came to know by faith that He was the Christ, as it was revealed to them by the Father (Matthew 16:16,17). In the early days of His public ministry Jesus reveals to a Samaritan woman, who had the hope of the coming Messiah that He was the one for whom she was waiting. Now throughout the writings of the Apostles, we see the names Jesus and Christ used either interchangeably or together as a compound name. From this it is evident the those who insist on separating Jesus and Christ are false teachers and may be doing this to claim that they have post-biblical special revelation or higher knowledge compared to the teachers who stick to the true gospel. When a preacher or teacher presents only a one-dimensional Jesus, that person is giving a false picture of the true Messiah. These days many ministers are concerned only about the material prosperity and physical well-being of the crowd. As a result, all spiritual gatherings are venues where self-seeking people (Christians and nonChristians) come together looking for miracles to gratify their desire for material and physical things. Even “worship” becomes a ploy for appeasing God so that He might give what we ask for, rather than being an expression of our devotion, love and honor for a great God who saved us and does take care of us as we are His children. Such false teachers feed on the selfish greed of the masses and exploit their weakness to gain material wealth or fame. Jesus is not a magician to perform a miracle whenever a crowd assembles, a physician to hand out a panacea for every sickness, a banker who erases all debts, a university president who gives away degrees and honors to all or an employer who gives top jobs and high salaries to everyone who professes to be a believer or to every contributor to a given ministry. Since He is God, He is able to do all these and will do as He sees fit. But the most important thing that He wants to do is to save the sinners and help the saints to live a holy life preparing to spend eternity with Him. 3. Apostle Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1Co 15:10). It is beyond question that the mainstay of Christian faith and living is the grace of God. However, there are teachers in the church who over-emphasize the grace to the point of ignoring holy living. According to them we are saved by grace and then grace covers everything. Even though this may sound harmless, implicit in this type of teaching is the error that those who make a confession of faith and receive God’s grace for salvation can continue to follow a worldly lifestyle satisfying the desires of the flesh. What they present is a warmed up version of old docetism which argued that only spirit is good, flesh (body) is inherently bad and what one does in the body has no bearing on his standing with God. Paul insists that the born again believer should not consider the grace as something that has no effect on his or her living. Grace is still needed and available but the believer has to appropriate the grace and enter in to a holy life pleasing to God. In his introduction to the Epistle of Jude, Chuck Swindoll, paraphrasing the statement of the apostle writes, “A number of deceivers with ungodly motives have slipped into the church. They need to be exposed!” He goes on to add, “They were the hedonistic folks of that day. They were the people who said, ‘Pleasure at any price.’ They took the amazing grace of God and twisted it to meet their own selfish desires in their mad scramble to do whatever they felt like doing, whatever made them feel good. And what they felt like doing was to practice immorality. On the top of that, if you look closely they ‘deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.’ Jude screamed out, in effect, ‘We must fight against these lies!’ Strong, passionate words still needed in our day!” No wonder if large crowds go after such teachers! They are looking for eternal life in heaven (or at least escape from hell) and at the same time pleasure filled, licentious, happy living on the earth. False prophets, like soothsayers, prophesy a bright fun filled future, false preachers show them how they can attain it with low investment
and false teachers propagate it quoting selected Scripture verses and giving their interpretations to satisfy their vested interests, while ignoring the overall gist of Jesus’ and the apostles’ teaching. The devil who works behind not only the end-time antichrist but also through all the antichrists of the church age perform miracles to attest to their teachings so that the seekers can be kept away from following the Truth and “contending for the faith.”What
When
a preacher or teacher presents only a onedimensional Jesus, that person is giving a false picture of the true Messiah. These days many ministers are concerned only about the material prosperity and physical well-being of the crowd. Jesus said in His Mount Olives discourse is relevant in the present generation. “False christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect” (Mar 13:22). The elect needs to take extra care that they are not deceived and led astray as there is a preponderance of such ministry and teaching today even in the churches that profess to hold on to Biblical teachings and values. Church leaders and Christians need to wake up from their lethargy and teach and learn “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). October 2017
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Pastor K. A. John Pastor, Oman Pentacostal Assembly, Muscat Faculty, IBC & Seminary
DIVINITY OF
CHRIST
During the early centuries of the church there were groups that denied the true humanity of Christ. But reverse is the emphasis today. In the past two hundred years
liberal theology has vigorously expressed a denial of Christ’s deity. The scriptures are replete with the personal claims of Christ as well as the testimony of others concerning his deity. The Bible teaches that Jesus is eternal (Jn. 1:1), omnipresent (Matt. 28:20), omniscient (Jn.5: 25, 4: 18, 16:30), omnipotent (Matt.28: 18), and immutable (Heb.13: 8). Gnostics believed that Jesus' divinity had a beginning; Jesus was a man into whom the spirit of God came at his baptism and that spirit remained with him throughout his life until the end. But since the spirit of God could never suffer and die, it left him
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before he was crucified. The Scripture says his humanity has a beginning, but his divinity has no beginning. In eternity Christ was with the Father. There was not a time in eternity when he was not. He was there before time. Eternity is the prerogative of God. Since Jesus is from eternity, he is God. Space and time are the creations of God. Even when they cease to exist Christ will continue to exist. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God on a number of occasions. This name for Christ is frequently misunderstood. Some suggest it means the Son is inferior to the Father. The Jews, however, understood the claim Christ was making. By saying he was the Son of God the Jews said he was making himself equal with God (Jn. 5:19, 10:33). Jesus in no way refuted these claims. It is the divinity of Jesus Christ that the phrase, 'Son of God' expresses. Jesus is called the Son of God by the heavenly voice at his baptism (Mk.1: 11) and at his transfiguration (Mk.9: 7). The temptations that came against Jesus were on the belief that Jesus is the Son of God (Matt.3: 11). Demons recognize Him as the Son of God (Mk.5: 7). Recognition by the demons was immediate and direct. It was not grounded upon observation and interpretation of Jesus’ words or deeds. It was not acquired, inferential knowledge; it was rather intuitive recognition of a supernatural kind. The high priest challenges Him with the question of whether He is the Son of the Blessed (Mk.14: 61). Here it is obvious that God, demons and men acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus is worthy of receiving our worship. It is a fundamental truth of the scripture that only God is to be worshipped (Deut. 6:13, 10:20; Matt.4: 10, Acts10: 25-26). The fact that Jesus receives the worship of people is strong attestation to his deity. In John 5:23 Jesus said that He was to be accorded honor and reverence just as people honor the Father. If Jesus were not God, this statement would be utterly blasphemous. The blind man who had been healed by Jesus worshipped him (Jn. 9:38). That Jesus did not reject the man’s worship indicates He is God. In II Timothy 4: 18 Paul refers to Jesus as Lord and ascribes glory to Him. Glory refers to the Shekinah of God and pertains only to deity. In the benediction of II Corinthians 13:14 the blessing of the Triune God is accorded to the believer. The manner of the benediction suggests the equality of the persons (Trinity). Christ is absolutely equal with the father in His person and His work. To affirm that Christ is God is not simply to suggest He is Godlike. What Bible teaches is not merely that God acted in Jesus, even if the action was decisive and conclusive. This would leave only a difference of degree and not of kind. For such men who served as instruments of God’s action in history the descriptive category is ‘man of God’, and the paradigm is Moses (Deut.33:1). But Christ is more than the man of God; He is the Son of God. His relation to God is more than functional, it is ontological (being equal with God). There is more than divine action in Him; He is the divine being. Things, which are in the Old Testament said of Jehovah, are in the New Testament said of Christ. Old Testament offers excellent example of the use of the formula ‘I am’. One of the ways Jehovah revealed His nature to the people was through the revelation of His name ‘I am’ (Ex.3: 14, 6:6, 7, 7:5) In John’s Gospel Jesus appears in the same significant formula of ‘I am’ (Jn.6: 20, 18:5, 6:35, 8:12). Jesus spoke in the same manner in which Yahweh spoke in the Old Testament. John draws attention to the implication of divinity on the use of ‘I am’ by Jesus. After the use in 8:58 the Jews try to stone Jesus and after the use in 18:5 those who heard it fell to the ground. In calling himself ‘I am’Jesus affirms himself to be God and the full realization of what Yahweh had promised to Israel in the revelation of His name. Jesus as Son of God came from heaven to do His mission on earth. He manifested himself to the world as the self-revelatory formula of ‘I am’ just like Yahweh in the Old Testament. B.B. Warfield rightly says, "He declares, in the most express manner possible, to be all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of attributes which make God, God." Attack on the deity of Jesus Christ is an attack on the core of Christianity. Take away from Christ what is divine then no more does Christ remain. At the heart of
orthodox belief is the recognition that Christ died a substitutionary death to provide salvation for a lost humanity. If Jesus were only a man He could not have died to save the world. But because of deity, His death had infinite value whereby He could die for the entire world. Jesus’ question ‘who do people say the son of man is?’ is the question of human history. To the
There
was not a time in eternity when he was not. He was there before time. Eternity is the prerogative of God. Since Jesus is from eternity, he is God. Space and time are the creations of God. Even when they cease to exist Christ will continue to exist.
people Jesus speaks of Himself in the third person while to His disciples He refers to Himself in a personal relationship in the first person. ‘But who do you say that I am?’ (Matt.16: 13-17). So for Jesus the view of those who had put their trust in Him was more important than the opinion of all the leaders of the world. He is the ultimate revelation of God. He is not only ontologically equal to God but also superior in all ways to every other religious figure. October 2017
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Pastor Easaw Philip promoted to glory Pastor Easaw Philip,
affectionately known as ‘Kochumon’, son of late Pastor P.M. Philip and Saramma Philip was born on July 5, 1945 in Kottayam and passed away on September 10, 2017 at his residence, surrounded by his loving family in Toronto, Canada. He grew up in Kerala with a rich Pentecostal heritage. His parents were one of the pioneers of the Pentecostal movement in India. He spent his childhood with his older siblings, Glory Philipose and Mathew Finny. Easaw accepted the Lord as his Savior, was baptized in water in 1955 and filled with the Holy Spirit in 1956. As a young man in school and college, Easaw was very active in the Sunday school and youth ministry. He gave excellent, spiritual leadership to the youth and was the PYPA Secretary of Kottayam district when Pastor T.P. Varghese was the President. He was a greatsinger, he sang and taught old Malayalam and English hymns and many remember him leading worship for the Kottayam district conventions. His favorite hymn was ‘O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder…..’He was a true, passionate worshipper of Christ, often seen with tears rolling down his cheeks. He was an outstanding translator, and translated for many foreign missionaries. Easaw earned his bachelor’s degree from Kerala and his Master’s degree from Rajasthan University. From 1967 to 1969 he did Fisheries training in Sweden. After
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First generation Malayalee immigrant evangelists of 1970s and 1980's: Dr. C. T. Luiskutty, Dr. Thomson K. Mathew, Pastor Easaw Philip Toronto, Dr. Valson Abraham and Dr. E. C. Samkutty at 1985 PCNAK Tennessee Conference. These five young evangelists preached and led the seminars in the 1985 PCNAK held at Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee.
this he returned to Kerala and married his bride, Aleykutty on May 7, 1970. They immigrated to Toronto, Canada in March 1974. Easaw began working for IBM and became an active participant in two local churches, Agincourt Pentecostal Church and Zion Gospel Assembly. In 1979, Easaw became the senior pastor of Zion Gospel Assembly where he faithfully served for 22 years. He resigned from IBM in 1991, so that he could devote more time for ministry. Pastor Easaw Philip was a pioneer among the Keralites in Canada. He remained true to his heritage and his own personal spiritual convictions. He has been a Pastor, mentor, and a helping hand for decades to many who came to Canada, especially to Toronto for a better future. He was a friend and well-wisher of Kerala Christian Fellowship in Vancouver, Canada and was a speaker at the Western Pentecostal Conferences held in Vancouver. We thankfully remember his life of deep faith and committed service. Pastor Easaw Philp was the Convener of PCNAK in the years 1992 and 2012 – both conferences were held in Toronto and his leadership has been a tremendous blessing. He had a servant’s heart and ministered to people regardless of their backgrounds. He had a special love for the youth and endeavored to provide programs to strengthen and empower the youth in their walk with the Lord. Pastor Easaw Philip’s wisdom came from the Lord! As we read in Daniel 12:3, he turned many to righteousness. And we are sure He will shine like a star for ever and ever. Like his father, Easaw had a passion for reaching the unreached, especially in North India. Pastor P.M. Philip started Shalom Bible School in 1956. When his father passed away, Pastor Easaw Philip assumed the responsibility of Principal of Shalom Bible College in Kottayam in 2001 and visited India as often as he could. This institution
has trained hundreds of servants of God who are laboring in HIS vineyard today. The last few years of his life, he struggled with physical ailments. But even in his physical pain, he never complained, but continued to proclaim that ‘God is good’ even until his last days. He is survived by his beloved wife Aleykutty, four childrenLisbeth & Anu Mathew, Wesley &Gladis Philip, Josh & Ruby Philip, Joyce & Josh Samuel and eight grandchildren. We pray that the peace of God will guard their hearts and strengthen the family. Pastor Easaw Philip has gone on to receive his imperishable reward. He has left a great legacy behind. We have the blessed hope that through Christ we are victorious and we will meet Easaw on the other shore. October 2017
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Just one Minute Contined from cover 2
Jesus warns us that some false teachers may even perform miracles. They may awe us with great signs and wonders. They may read minds, forecast the future, even heal others from illness. But if they deny the fundamental gospel of the cross, Jesus says, “Stay away from them.” They are phonies. In the face of so many deceptive christs-some who even claim to be Jesus returned to earth-how will we know when the real Christ has appeared?
Jesus
warns us that some false teachers may even perform miracles. They may awe us with great signs and wonders. They may read minds, forecast the future, even heal others from illness.
We will know by the manner of His second appearing. When Jesus still walked with His disciples, He told them He will return in a Second Coming. Jesus makes the manner of His Second Coming very clear in Matthew 24:27: “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
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Faster than a lightning flash, He will come “in the twinkling of an eye,” that is, with great suddenness. Everyone will go about his daily business, and all at once, there will be a great blast from an angel’s trumpet, and Jesus Christ will appear in all His glory, with millions and millions of glorified men, women and children from every time and place. The sign of His Second Coming will be unmistakable. It will surpass all power to imagine or describe. The splendor of Jesus’ Second Coming will outshine the combined splendor of the sun and all earthly rulers. He will make them all look like paupers and pretenders. (1 Corinthians15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 1:7; 6:15-17; 19:16) It is an event that will happen in time. Every eye will see Him, we are told. Every person will know who He is. Everything on earth will screech to a halt. There will be no doubt. His Second Coming will be an event like no other event in history. No other so-called “christ” can match it. Those who were willing to undergo the surgery of the gospel will welcome the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in jubilation. It will come as a terror to those who refused His spiritual surgery and healing power. Those who are unprepared for it will try to flee. They will even cry out to the mountains to hide them, but it will be in vain, and it will be too late. Such a Second Coming puts to shame all other so-called “christs” and reveals these people for what they really are—fakes, imposters, charlatans. There are many signs which will precede this Second Coming of Jesus. We do not have the time and space to describe these signs in detail, but they include (this list is not exhaustive): The coming of false christs. Wars and rumors of wars. An increase in famines and earthquakes. An increase in lawlessness. The preaching of the gospel to all peoples around the world. The re-emergence of an independent nation of Israel (when Jesus walked the earth and years afterwards, the territory we know as Israel was under the control of other nations and empires. This prophecy was fulfilled in 1948). The coming of the biggest false christ of all, the so-called anti-christ who will deceive many. All of these things indicate how important it is for us to become familiar with our Bibles and with the portrait of Jesus Christ we read both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The more familiar we become with the “real thing,” the easier it becomes to spot the counterfeits. While you study the Bible, be sure to ask God for a spirit that discerns the real from the counterfeit. When we find the “real thing,” make sure that you let Jesus Christ become your Great Physician. When we discover the true Jesus Christ as taught in the Bible, let us make sure we tell others about Him, that they may also welcome Him and stand before Him one day in joy and gladness. *** Father God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, to rid us of sin, death and hell through His life, death on the cross and His resurrection. Give us eyes to see Jesus Christ for who He really is that we may one day stand before you whole and complete because of what He alone has accomplished. Help us to better share His Good News to others who have yet to hear it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen
renewing and enriching life
Rev. Dr. B. Varghese Principal Emeritus, Faith Theological Seminary, Manakala
ANTICHRIST AS FALSE CHRIST 'Antichrist'
or 'false messiah' is generally regarded as a mythical- historical figure controlled by Satan, who will falsely claim to be the Christ ( Messiah). He will be demonic human adversary of Christ who will appear as the oppressor and persecutor of both Christ and His followers but will definitely be defeated and overcome by Christ in His second return. The prefix ‘anti’ itself shows the nature and work of antichrist. It comes from the Greek term, aνti which is used in two senses : ‘opposed to’ and ‘in the place of’. Primarily he is in opposition to Christ , against his people as well as against his teachings. At the same time he is an evil substitute for Christ. He will be acting in the place of Christ by being seated in the holy temple claiming to be God. In the N.T the expression, antichrist, appears only in the Johannine epistles (1 Jn. 2:18, 22, 4:3 2 Jn. 7) although the concept occurs elsewhere. October 2017
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1. Jewish Prototypes
2. His Identity
There are few antecedents of false messiah (christ) in the Jewish writings. In Book of Daniel we read about Antiochus IV, a cruel persecutor of God’s children (Jews) depicted as little horn (8:9), appears as a demonic figure, who magnifies himself against God. Similarly in the Testament of Twelve Patriarchs there is a reference to Beliel, a demonic figure from the tribe of Dan, causing Israel to turn aside from the worship of God. However, the Messiah of the tribe of Levi will bind him and cast him into the eternal fire (Test. Dan. 5:10-11). According to Jewish perception, antichrist is a false messiah who will appear in the end against God’s children but he will totally be vanquished by our Lord from the face of the earth.
How do we identify antichrist as false christ? Jesus has already warned that in the last days counterfeit (false) christs would arise claiming to be the messiah and savior of the world. Jesus answered , “Watch out that no one deceives you. ‘ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘ I am the Christ ‘ and will deceive many’.(Matt. 24:4,5 NIV) Also he said , “For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible” ( Matt. 24 : 24). One of the ways we may identify false christ as the one claiming to be Christ, performing signs and wonders and deceive many, even the elect ones (Mk.13:6; Lk.21:8).
3. His Nature False christ is indeed an imitation of antichrist, a pseudo-christ , who will deceive and lead many astray by his pretensions to be the original Christ , by his super natural performances and by his false teachings. Jesus says that the deceptions of these false christs are so carefully planned and skillfully carried out , even God’s elect would be deceived if possible. Who is behind these false christ? We all clearly know that it is the work of Satan in the end days. No doubt, he is absolutely controlled and motivated by Satan as he remains as the embodiment of evil forces. Apostle Paul writes, “ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light . It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve”. ( 2 Cor. 11: 14, 15 NIV). In other words, the false christ masquerade as ‘servant of righteousness’ just as Satan masquerades as an angel of light (Christ). It may be true to say that as Christ is the incarnation of God, he may be a kind of incarnation of Satan. He appears as pseudo-christ, a demonic imitation of Christ. Apostle John describes him as a spirit ( 1Jn.4:3) or collective force of evil in the last days (1Jn.2:18).
4. His Activities In the Synoptic Apocalypse (Mk. 13; Matt.24; Lk.21) Jesus has forewarned that false christs and false prophets will appear in the last days. They will perform signs and wonders and lead people astray even the elect ones. At the same time, there will be wars, famines, tribulations and persecutions. Paul says “Do not let any one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed , the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called or is worshipped so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2; 3,4 NIV). It says that there is going to be a rebellion, an apostasy, a great falling away from the faith. In conjunction with these events, man of lawlessness will appear in great power . He will oppose every one including the Almighty
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God. Empowered by Satan , as said earlier, he will perform signs and wonders. Both Jesus and Paul maintain that performing signs and wonders is his chief business This man is truly false christ of the greatest magnitude . He will set up himself in God’s holy temple and assume worship from people claiming to be so called God.
5. His Destiny What would be the destiny of false christ? Bible clearly explains the destiny of this evil force. In 2 Thessalonians Paul says, “ And then the lawless one will be revealed , whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming . The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance of the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” ( 2:8-10 NIV). Paul ascertains that when our Lord returns , he will slay the false Christ or man of lawlessness with the very breath of his mouth. The Jewish people have also affirmed in the same way that Messiah will appear at the end of the age and vanquish the force of peudo- messiah (false christ) and establish the Kingdom of God on the face of the earth( Dan.11:36, Ez.28:2).
Relevance Of course this sort of study is quite relevant today because many so called gods or self-claiming gods are appearing today. Like false christ they too claim that they are certain god- incarnate with extravagant supernatural power. Hence, many followers blindly turn in and surrender their lives to such heroes. How shockingly we listen to certain news that these self-claiming gods are indulged in sexual abuse
False Christ – How to Identify Him?
and corruption, hence locked up in prison. They will, however, gather to themselves deplorable miseries and heinous shame. In this context, how privileged we are to call upon a Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is perfect in everything. He is no more a man- incarnate to be so called god but God -incarnate in the form of a perfect man for the salvation of entire humanity. He is the most holy and the Son of living God who never indulged in any form of corruption or impurities. He was never locked up in any prison of this world. He has exclusive authority over sin, sickness, death and even every evil force. He is the one who has claimed victory over any form of evil force at work and he will ultimately defeat and vanquish the force of even false christ in the end. We, the children of God, have always victory through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Continued from page 11
true Christ of the Bible. When confronted they try to make out that the revelation about Christ is a deeper revelation than the one about Jesus. To a true believer Jesus of Nazareth is the messiah promised in the Old Testament scriptures. Any deviation from this brings in a different Christ. Beware of such detractors!
A Christ who Reconciles with the World, not with God The cross of Jesus Christ reconciles the sinful man with the holy God. Even today this ministry of reconciliation continues. The reconciliation is effected not by ignoring the law of God but by fulfilling it. Before God, a sinner is like one standing on a death row. When he accepts Jesus’ death as his own death, the demand of the divine law gets fulfilled in him. The believer counts himself dead to the old sinful self and becomes a new creation in Christ henceforth he knows no one after the flesh (2 Cor. 5:14–21). In Galatians Paul puts the same idea in other words: “… Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I into the world” (6:14). The believer is dead to the way of the world. John Bunyan’s Christian in ‘Vanity Fair’ is a typical image of a true believer in the world. Apostle John exhorts us ‘not to love the world and the things of the world’ (1 John 2:15). Apostle James states that “Friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). The true Christ of the Bible reconciles us to God which in turn antagonizes the world. On the other hand, the so-called Christ presented by the popular preachers of the day seeks to build a bridge between the church and the world. They twist the scriptures and evolve another gospel whereby they try to convince the hearers that they can please God and at the same time please the world too. The whole world remains under the
evil one (1 John 5:19). So, anyone who tries to befriend a believer with the world deceives him into Satan’s shackles. Anyone who seeks to reconcile a believer with the world is the false Christ. Today all the world over, another gospel is gaining popularity under the influence of another spirit and a different Christ is being preached. Consequently, the church is slowly drifting away from her single hearted devotion to the Lord (2 Cor. 11:2–4). We should realize this subtle deception of the old deceiver and protect the church of God from getting defiled with the world. May the good God open the eyes of our understanding to examine ourselves so that we may not be judged with the world. October 2017
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news Uzhunnalil to meet Prime Minister Modi on September 28
New Delhi, September 22, 2017: Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who is resting in Rome after being rescued from Islamic militants in Yemen, is all set to visit his native country, Vatican sources revealed September 22. The 59-year-old Catholic priest, who spent 18 months in captivity, will first meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 28, the same day of his arrival. He is expected to express his gratitude to the Indian government for its concerted and consistent efforts to free him. The priest is also expected to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and officials of her ministry before flying to Bengaluru to address the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. The member of the Salesians’ Bangalore province will also spend some time with his confreres in the capital of Karnataka state. He will then head to his native state of Kerala and visit the headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church in Kakkanad, a suburb of Kochi, the state’s commercial capital. He will then time with his relatives in Ramapuram, his village in Kottayam district. The village plans a grand welcome for him.
24 October 2017
Father Uzhunnalil will also call on Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. He was released from captivity on September 12 with the assistance of Oman government and Vatican intervention. He went to Rome the following day where he met Pope Francis.
Three American Hospital Workers for Christian Charity Shot Dead by Afghan Guard Three American hospital workers for a Christian charity, among them a father and a son, were shot dead by an Afghan security guard on Thursday in Kabul. The suspected killer shot himself but survived and is currently in custody, officials said. CURE International and the U.S. embassy confirmed the deaths. "We are grieved to confirm, as has already widely been reported, the CURE Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, was the site of a shooting this morning. Three individuals, including a doctor who served at the hospital, were killed, and two others were injured," the Christian nonprofit said in a statement. The attack outside the CURE Hospital, which specializes in maternity and pediatric care, occurred without warning, according to reports. The security guard, a member of the Afghan Police Protection Force assigned to the hospital, reportedly opened fire on the Americans as they walked by outside. The security guard was treated at the CURE Hospital after shooting himself and is now in the custody of the Afghanistan government, according to CURE. Health Minister SuriyaDalil condemned the attack on the hospital, which is considered one of the leading medical facilities in Afghanistan. "They were not the people carrying guns, they did not have military uniforms, they came here under immense pressure and were here only to serve the people of Afghanistan," Dalil said. "This was an inhumane and brutal action, and unfortunately will impact our health services." CURE International, a non-profit organization which operates in 29 countries worldwide "where patients experience the life-changing message of God's love for
renewing and enriching life
them," says that it offers surgical treatment regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, or ability to pay. "Please join us in praying for the families of the victims and those affected by the shooting as well as the ongoing peace of Afghanistan," the nonprofit stated. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against foreigners in recent months, though it has not yet commented on the latest shooting. Two Associated Press journalists were shot in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province on April 4, resulting in the death of German photographer Anja Niedringhaus. Last month, Taliban fighters set off a deadly car bomb and stormed a guest house in Kabul, where they held a number of foreign hostages, including three Americans. And in January, eight Afghans and 13 foreigners were killed by a Taliban suicide bomber and gunmen who attacked a restaurant in Kabul.
This led many to flee Baghdad whether to other parts of Iraq or to other countries, she added. Melkonian said that violence against Christians continues till the present time and was especially demonstrated in the case of an old Christian woman who lives alone in Baghdad. In the first week of August, this woman was brutally beaten by a group of armed men and robbed. “This was a message for Iraqi Christians who fled to Kurdistan or Lebanon or other neighboring areas never to come back,”
Philippine soldiers rescue priest from Islamic militants
The disappearing Christians of Iraq
Iraq, September 6, 2017: The liberation of Mosul was heralded as a new era for Iraqi Christians who could go back to their homes following the defeat of ISIS. However, this much-publicized triumph overshadowed a significant defeat that seems to shed a more realistic light on the fate of Christians in Iraq. The capital Baghdad was, meanwhile, witnessing the permanent closure of eight churches. After a delegation from the Catholic Church regional authority visited those churches and following investigations that showed that attendance, if any, kept dropping in the past seven years, the Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate announced that the churches will be closed for good. While such decision seemed to have made a lot of sense, it leaves little space for optimism as far Iraq’s Christian community is involved.
Manila, September 18, 2017: A Catholic priest held hostage for almost four months in besieged Marawi, a southern city in the Philippines, has been rescued hours after a deadly battle between Philippine soldiers and Islamic State-allied militants. Father Teresito “Chito” Soganub was found abandoned with another hostage near a mosque early September 17. Marawi is among three militant strongholds that have fallen to government forces over the past several days. Father Soganub had been held captive since militants attacked his Saint Mary’s Parish during the siege of Marawi on May 23. On May 30 he appeared in a propaganda video pleading for his life and asking the military to cease aerial bombardments. The Philippine forces have held back launching a fullscale attack on rebel strongholds, fearing for the lives of Father Soganub and several hundred other hostages. Some hostages who escaped or were rescued said the militants forced them to convert to Islam, cook food and carry wounded fighters. October 2017
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Answers for Quiz - 55
QUIZ–56 A GALLERY OF GODS 1. What fish-shaped god of the Philistines was disgraced when his statue was broken by the presence of the ark of the covenant? 2. The god of the Moabites also had child sacrifice as part of his worship. Solomon erected an altar for him, but Josiah tore it down. What was he called? 3. The people of Lystra were so dazzled by Paul and Barnabas that they called them by the name of two Greek gods. What were the names? 4. This fertility god of Canaan is mentioned more than any other foreign deity in the Bible. The prophet Elijah and, later, King Jehu of Israel, worked hard to stamp out his cult. What was his name? 5. In Paul’s speech to the men of Athens, he mentions the altar of a god. What is the altar’s inscription? 6. Ezekiel saw a women weeping for what god? 7. Who worshiped Succoth-benoth? 8. What was Nehushtan? 9. What was the god of the men of Hamath? 10. What nation was Bel a god of?
The ABC of becoming a Christian
Admit that you are in
need of someone to save you from guilt, shame and bondage or addictions. Admit that you have violated God’s Laws.
visions of god 1. 2. 3. 4.
Daniel (7:9) Stephen (Acts 7:55) Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2) John, author of Revelation (Revelation 4:2) 5. The train of God’s robe (Isaiah 6:1) 6. Moses (Exodus 33:23) 7. The prophet Micaiah (2 Chronicles 18:18) 8. Ezekiel (1:26) 9. Jacob (Genesis 28:13–13) 10. Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 of the Israelite elders (Exodus 4:9–10)
Believe that Jesus Christ is the
only One whois able to save you and to bring deliverence and offer forgiveness of sins. Believe that Jesus is the only One to conquer death and is the risen Saviour.
Confess with your
mouth that Jesus is your Lord and submit to His rulership in your life.
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26 October 2017
Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham Founder/President India Gospel Outreach
President India Bible College and Seminary
A man looks at a sore on his neck that does not heal. He worries - is it cancer? The thought frightens and horrifies him.
He asks advice from others regarding a good doctor. Someone tells him, “Oh, it doesn’t really make any difference which doctor you go to. Just find a doctor you feel most comfortable with, someone who best suits who you are.” The man hates the idea of surgery, but he does have a problem that doesn’t go away. He wants a doctor, but he decides what he most desperately wants is a doctor who will tell him what he wants to hear.
DANGER OF FOLLOWING FALSE CHRISTS In spiritual matters, this same kind of carelessness and foolishness also happens again and again when we seek out teachers and false messiahs who tell us only what we like to hear.
Cleaning at the Government Hospital Thiruvalla
In the Bible, Jesus is portrayed as the Great Physician. In some ways, Jesus tells us unpleasant things that make us uncomfortable. We all experience problems in life, and we see many problems in the world around us, but we don’t like to hear we are all sinners before a holy God, and we are headed to hell. We don’t like to be told to repent and commit our lives to God through Jesus Christ. We don’t like to be told that we have a spiritual cancer that is killing us and that only Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, will remove it. To many ears, the Good News of Jesus Christ is bad news. Like surgery, Jesus’ death and crucifixion for our sins seems too bloody, ugly and unnecessary. We may not find satisfaction with our lives, but the spiritual surgery that Jesus requires seems too messy, too radical and scary. We don’t like to think about it. To make us feel better, we may even jeer at those who trust in Jesus as their Great Physician.
Unfortunately, six months later, the man dies of an aggressive cancer that has spread from his neck to the rest of his body. The doctor who gave him the “good news” is an unqualified fake who says he practices medicine, but who specializes in telling patients what they want to hear. The diploma that hangs in his office is as fake as the so-called doctor.
Jesus Himself warns us about the dangers of following after charlatans— teachers who exalt themselves over the clear teaching of the Bible. He warns us about those who promote a different gospel from the one He taught—a so-called “gospel” that leaves out sin, the cross and repentance, judgment and hell. He warns us about people who preach God’s love but not His holiness, his forgiveness but not His hatred of sin and the penalty for sin.
When we read such a story, we recognize the
... at Asha Bhavan, a home for special children
total carelessness and foolishness of the man—his stubborn unwillingness to put up with unpleasant news in the short run at the expense of his long term health. Sad to say, this happens more often than we like to think.
The medical practitioner he contacts is a very pleasant man with an impressive looking diploma hanging in his office where everyone can see it. He smiles, has a pleasant, appealing manner, and he assures the man that no, he does not have cancer. He advises him to take a simple remedy, cover the sore with a bandage so he doesn’t see it, and refrain from worry. Elated, the man goes home and says to himself, “My worries are over!”
If the man had gone to a real doctor, he would have heard unpleasant news. He would have faced painful surgery, but he would also have gone on to live a normal and useful life.
our students engaged in community service on 15th august 2017
Cleaning the local Police Station premises
We know we need help, but we seek our help in people who claim to be prophets, who claim to be even Jesus Himself, who tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear.
Much of what the false christ says may be true and right, but even if he deviates just a little bit, avoid him as if he were the devil himself! Any self-proclaimed “christ” who fails to preach the gospel as taught by Jesus Christ is an imposter with a spirit of lawlessness that will show up in some form in his own life such as sexual perversion, abusive behavior, misuse of money or other kinds of moral failures. Continued on page 20
Bus Cleaning at Chengannur Bus Station Cleaning shrubs on the road. All the local and community services were co-ordinated by Rev. Biju Eapen
Gilgal Aswasa Bhavan
News paper Reg. No. KERENG/2007/22479
REVIVE (ENGLISH) october 2017
Price
Date of Publication : 15/10/2017
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70th INDEPENDENCE DAY AT INDIA BIBLE COLLEGE AND SEMINARY Vol. 10, Issue No. 10
Pastor Dr. T. Valson Abraham, President of the Seminary, brings the special message on Independence Day and hoists the Tricolour at IGO Campus
October 2017
Hebron, Kumbanad, Kerala
Bro. C. T. Johnson, Maj. V. I Luke, Mrs. Annie Jacob, Mrs. Lissy Johnson were special guests
Bro. C. T. Johnson
Bro. Joel T. Jacob Pr. Saju Joseph Dr. John Alex Pr. Emmanual P. G. KEAF Board Members, Director, Principal and Faculty of IBC
choreography and patriotic songs by students
Printed, published and owned by Major V.I. Lukose (Retired), published from P.O. Box 31, Hebron, Kumbanad, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India and Printed at Viani Printings, Ernakulam, Kerala, India. Editor: Pastor Dr. John K. Mathew
false christs
www.revivemegod.org