by Dr. Dave Breese

A Final Warning

We might all wish that it would be possible to say that every person who comes speaking in the name of Christ or God is a teacher to be trusted. The Scripture is clear, however, that this will not be the case. Christians are repeatedly warned that they must be always on the lookout for the enemy of their souls who comes disguised as an angel of light. These are days in which, in a new way, we should note the warning of Scripture, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:1-3).

A careful study of 2 Peter chapter 2 is recommended to the reader. Many additional indexes of the cult and the false teacher are noted in this passage. The false teacher is candidly described in the Word of God as being unstable, sexually oriented, covetous, heretical, a slave to corruption and damned forever. God has judged these sinister messiahs already and for them is reserved “the mist of darkness forever.”

The believing Christian will give himself to a careful study of the Word of God so as to develop spiritual maturity. The alternative may be that he is carried away by the pernicious doctrine of the cults.

One Final Question

One final question remains. Have you stepped out of darkness into light by receiving Christ as your Savior? If you do not know Christ, or are unsure of Him, you can become a Christian today. If you, by an act of faith, will accept His finished work on Calvary’s cross as the sole basis for your salvation, recognizing yourself to be a sinner and unable to save yourself, you will receive this moment the gift of imputed righteousness. This gift makes it possible for God to bring to your heart His indwelling Holy Spirit by which you are born again and receive eternal life. The Gospel is the wonderful message that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). No other basis will serve as the grounds for eternal life, all other ground is sinking sand. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will receive forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.

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Introduction

1. Extra-Biblical Revelation — False doctrine from outside the Bible

2. Salvation by works — Denial of salvation by faith alone

3. Uncertain Hope — Cultistis are never sure of heaven

4. Presumptuous Messianic Leadership — Arrogant religious rulers command others

5. Doctrinal ambiguity

6. Denunciation of Others — All others are infidels, reprobates

7. Claim of “Special Discoveries”

8. Defective Christology — Denial of the Deity or humanity of Christ

9. Segmented Biblical Attention — Ignoring the whole counsel of God

10. Entangling Organizational Structure — Membership equals salvation

11. Financial Exploitation — Money is the object

Conclusion

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This 1981 booklet is an early version of what later became the full-length book, The Marks of a Cult: The Warning Signs of False Teachings, published by Harvest House.
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