# 1- - - A CULT WILL SUBSTITUTE MAN FOR JESUS !

First, any cult, whether it is a so-called " Christian " cult [ and I put the word " Christian," of course, in quotes ] or whether it is a New Age cult, any cult will substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Any cult will substitute the human for the divine. Now some New Age cults, for example, will say, " I am God." They substitute themselves for God, or they substitute their own New Age guru, who is teaching them how to meditate, for God. There are many New Age cults that have the idea that as you meditate you develop the god within you, but you need a teacher who becomes your mediator to accomplish that goal. Now I'm well aware that in western Europe, in nations like Germany, France, and Denmark, the New Age movement is exploding. It is taking place rapidly in sophisticated United States, as well.

If you turn from the simplicity of the Bible, if you turn from Jesus Christ, your mind is open to all kinds of manipulation and deceptions. Now listen, for example, to the Merv Griffin Show [ Merv Griffin is an American TV host ]- - - in October of 1985, Mr. Griffin interviewed one of these New Age cult spiritist channelers. Now I want to sweep the curtain aside tonight and look squarely at what New Age thinking teaches..... Mr. Griffin asked, " What is your most important message that you want everyone on this planet to hear ? " Now here is Ramtha, a New Age spiritist channeler guide, who says : " What is termed " God " is within your being, and that which is called " Christ " is within your being, and when you know you are God, you will find joy. "

See, that's the message of the New Age. You, yourself, are God. Now Shirley MacLaine is one of the most famous T V New Age proponents---she's led out in this with books across America, and she had a recent T V ministry. She stood with her spiritual advisor on Malibu Beach in California, and with their arms flung open to the cosmos, they shouted together, " I am God, I am God, I am God ! " What does my Bible say ? In Isaiah 45:22, Jesus says : " Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth ! For I am God, and there is no other ".....there is no other, friends ! The New Age movement deceives people on that point.

Now here are the three points of New Age cults : First, the New Age movement says that there is no death. There is no death ? Well, if there is no death, the Bible then is wrong when it says in Romans 6:23 : " The wages of sin is death. " If there is no death, you do not need.....a what ? A Savior. Secondly, the New Age movement says that man is God. If I am God, there is no moral responsibility, no accountability, no judgment. If there is no accountability, if there is no judgment, again, there is no sin, so I don't need a Savior. Thirdly, the New Age movement says that knowledge of yourself is salvation. See, for cults and the New Age movement, there is no need for a cross, for a Savior, for falling at the feet of Christ in repentance and asking Him to come in and change your life, for accepting His grace.

Indeed, men and women are preparing to accept counterfeit christs. David Koresh said, " I am the Lamb. You are not Branch Davidians, you are Koreshans. " But my Bible says in John 1:29, where John points to Jesus and says, " Behold the Lamb of God. " Point Number One : Cults substitute somebody between you and Jesus. My Bible says in Acts 4:12, " Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. "

Friends of mine, Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. No priest can stand between you and Jesus. No bishop can stand between you and Jesus. No minister can stand between you and Jesus. No religious leader, cult leader or traditional pastor can stand between you and Jesus. Any time you put any human being between you and Jesus, you are preparing your mind to accept deception. Remember when you exalt any human being on a pedestal between you and Jesus, there is only One who had nails through His hands, and there is only One who had the crown of thorns upon His head. Christianity is a matter of coming to Jesus, kneeling before Jesus, confessing your sins to Jesus, accepting Jesus' grace and power and mercy. Cults will have some form of substitute Christ, and in the great cult that's coming at the end, the Antichrist will be a substitute for Christ in that church-state union.

# 2- - - A CULT WILL SUBSTITUTE THEIR WORDS FOR THE BIBLE !

Secondly, cults substitute human teachings for the Bible. The word of the cult leader becomes supreme. The word of the cult leader takes the place of the Bible, the word of God. The cult leader's own word becomes law for that group. Anytime you let the word of another human being be a substitute for the words of the Bible, you are on very, very dangerous ground. One of the reasons that many young people are being caught in cults today, and one of the reasons that cults are growing on college campuses today, is because in the secular society that we live in, thousands have turned away from God's word. The Bible says in John 17:17 [ read it with me please : ] " Sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth. " God's word is.....what ?.....truth. If you cast off God's word, if you turn your back on the Bible, you have no evaluation of what truth is. You have no barometer to determine what truth is. I become extremely worried when people come to presentations like this, and I speak from the Bible and I say to them, " Is it clear from the Bible ? " They say, " Oh, yes, but my pastor says this. " I say, " Is it clear from the Bible ? " " Oh, yes, but my priest says this. " For example, we may talk about the Second Coming of Christ, and we may read that Jesus is coming in the clouds where every eye will see Him and every ear will hear it.....it's so plain !.....and then they go to their pastor and he says, " Oh, but the secret rapture is true. " Well, there are fifty clear texts in the Bible, which say that when Jesus comes, every eye will see Him, every ear will hear it, etc. And the person says, " But my pastor says this." Anytime you accept your pastor's words rather than what the Bible teaches, you are setting yourself up to be deceived by Satan and the final cult in the end.

One Thought :Take the matter of the Sabbath. There are scores of people who come to meetings like this and read.....it's so plain !.....where Jesus says in John 14:15, " If you love Me, you'll..... " [ do what ? ] ".....keep My command-ments. " God wrote with His own finger on tables of stone the Ten Commandment law and said, " Remember the Sabbath. " Jesus kept the Sabbath, and the disciples kept it, but people say, " Oh, we're under grace, we're not under the law. " And they'll say, " My pastor said this. I know what the Bible says, but my pastor said this." Friends, it is dangerous to accept the word of another, rather than the word of God, because that leads you to a mind-conditioning process where Satan begins to manipulate your mind, so you accept the human rather than the divine. Notice what the Bible says in II Thessalonians 2:10,11: " And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth....." Now what did these people fail to receive ? They failed to receive the love of the truth, ".....that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie." So if I do not receive the love of the truth, if because God invites me to make changes in my life, and if because it's easier to do what I've been doing all my life, I turn from the truth, then I prepare myself for a strong.....[ what is it, everybody ? ].....delusion, that I should believe .....[ what ? ].....the lie. In the end, there are only truth and lies. In the end, there are only God's word and Satan's counterfeit.

Another Thought :While it is true that the word Sunday does not occur in the Bible, nor is the word Saturday to be found there. However the seventh day is mentioned as a day of worship, so also is the first day, as in ACTS 20:7. It is so mentioned as to make clear that this was already the common practice in the Church. [ NOTE: ] If the observance of the first day breaks the law, as seventh-day observers insist, then folks, Paul, Peter, the rest of the Apostles, and the entire early church were law breakers ! As for HEBREWS 4:4, the mention of the seventh day refers only to the past and is purly incidental to the thought of rest, a new rest and a new creation of which the old seventh day of that rest, broken by man's sin and fall, was only typical. It is appropriately changed from the seventh to the eighth day, or the first day of the new week, on which our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, signaling that the new rest into which men should enter through faith in Him. As for other passages of scripture, when else could the Lord Jesus or the Apostle Paul enter a synagogue but on the old sabbath day ? The worshipers there were not Christians and therefore could not be expected to observe any other day. It was the day of the old covenant, which is done away for believers. In MATTHEW 12:6 the Lord Jesus declared Himself to be greater than the Temple, the visible embodiment of God's sovereign power and presence; and the Temple was done away. In the same connection He declares Himself to be also " Lord even of the Sabbath Day. " [ V:8 ]. Therfore, we, His followers, are not to be in bondage to a day also done away with. Read : [ MATTHEW 28:1 & MARK 2:27,28 ]

Now, you can see, that everybody is going to believe something in the end. No matter how sophisticated you are, no matter how intelligent you are, you're going to believe something, and if one rejects the truth of the Bible, that leaves the mind open for eternal lies from Lucifer who sows them in the mind.

Cults substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human teachings for the Bible.

# 3- - - A CULT MAY USE MIRACLES TO CONVINCE THEIR FOLLOWERS !

Cults sometimes will work unusual miracles to sustain their claims. You know there are some people who have this idea: If a miracle is worked, it must be God who is working it, and their idea is that it's impossible for the devil ever to work miracles. In fact, Jesus said this.....He put it so plainly in Matthew 24:24, " For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. " So Satan is going to use signs, Satan is going to use wonders, so that, if possible, he'll deceive God's own people. In fact, look what the book of Revelation says---can the devil work miracles ? Yes or no ? In Revelation 16:14, let's read it together: " For they are the spirits of devils working miracles. " Let's suppose that a being of dazzling brightness appeared on Planet Earth. Let's suppose that being appeared in some of the great capitals, and that tens of thousands of people were coming before that being, and people were being healed of cancer, they were being healed of heart disease, healed of sugar diabetes, their gnarled arms were being straightened, their crippled legs were being given new life.....and what if that being of dazzling brightness---when those miracles were being worked, those signs and wonders---what if that being said, " It's not necessary to obey the Law of God, because I bring you a message: the Law has been done away with. "

Is God going to work miracles contrary to the Bible ? Isaiah 8:20 [ don't miss this one ! ]- - - this one text can save you from being deceived, from being misled, from the falsehoods of Satan : " To the law and to the testimony !....." [ that's to the Bible ] ".....If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. " How much light is in them ? Just a little bit ? None ! Now, does the Bible say there's no power in them ? No. There may be power there, but it may not come from God - - - it may come from the evil one. Do you think the devil would be willing to work miracles of healing, if he could deceive people and get them to be lost ? Certainly he'd be willing to do that!

The Bible says there is no light in them. It doesn't say there's no power.....neither does it say there's no truth---the devil loves to mix truth and error. If you wanted to poison somebody, you may not give them all poison, you may put poison in their soup, you see. So the devil mixes truth and error, combines lies with the genuine to deceive. So the Bible says, " To the law and the testimony ! If they do not speak according to this word, it's because there is no light in them. " It doesn't say no truth, and it doesn't say no power. Light is what you follow.....if there's no light, in other words, don't go there. If they are not speaking in harmony with the testimony of the Bible, if they are not leading you back to God's word, if they are not leading you to obedience to God's law, there is how much light ? No light !

Cults substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human teachings for the Bible. Cults work miracles to establish their claims and claim that, because they are working miracles, that testifies to truth. Now does God work miracles, friends ? Can God work miracles? But is every miracle that's worked a miracle of God ? Not at all. How do you test the miracles ? Are the miracles in harmony with the word of God ? You never subject God's word to miracles, you subject miracles to what ? God's word.

# 4 - - - CULTS URGE STRONG GROUP COMFORMITY !

Cults often urge strong group conformity. In fact, cults practice a form of mind manipulation. They have a group mentality. Individuals are not allowed to be themselves. They must conform to the cult, must follow the rigid rules and regulations of the cult. The cult tries to put pressure on them from all the members, and the other members of the cult exert enormous pressure. The Bible says in Romans 14:12 : " So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. " Where does your moral responsibility lie before God ? With whom ? With yourself. In fact, in Joshua 24:15, the Bible says: " Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. "

I am really concerned about a mind-conditioning process that's going on right now. There are people who accept God's word and in their hearts they know it's right. There are wives who accept God's word, and in their hearts they know it's right, but they say, " I can't make any decision because of my husband. " There are young people who know what's right but they say, " I can't make any decision until I get permission from my parents. " There are people who live in little villages where everybody in that village is of a certain faith. It might be Orthodox, Catholic, whatever it is, in that village, and the people say, " I can't step out, because I'd be different from everybody else in my village, " or some people say, " It's my family - - -everybody is of a certain persuasion in my family, so I can't step out. "

Once you allow external forces, the forces of the church you were brought up in, the forces of your family, once you allow anybody else to shape your mind, to make your decisions, you are preparing for the group pressure that will come at the time of the end to get you to conform to a certain way. Is that clear, friend ? Does that make sense ? If I allow my family to shape how I believe today, as wonderful as they are, if I allow the church I was brought up in to mold my belief today, if I allow anybody else to shape my belief today, that prepares me for when the world and society in general in the future enforce the beast's mark. The only safety is Joshua 24:15, " Choose for yourselves. "

Oh, my brother, my sister.....come to Jesus. Only His blood can save you ! Come to His word, the Bible, and let it guide your life. Do not be misled by anybody who leads you from obedience to God's law, and have the courage in your own heart to make decisions for Christ today yourself ! Did you read that story about the truck drivers going up that mountain pass in the west ? A truck driver on a foggy night following the tail lights of another.....the first truck doesn't see the turn - - - off the cliff !.....the second truck follows the lights off the cliff.....the third truck follows the lights off the cliff.....seven trucks in a row, off the cliff, because they followed one another ! Oh, to be different, to have the courage to say, " God, I'm standing for You. I'm not going to let anybody else shape my thinking. I'm going to give account of myself to God. I'm going to stand for God and live for God and follow God's truth, because I know this is the only way that I will not be deceived by a cult in the future. I will not follow any earthly leader, but I'm going to follow Jesus Christ. I'm going to walk in the footsteps of the Bible. I'm not going to allow my group, family, church, village, city or society, to shape and mold my values. " The only hope is to follow Christ. The Bible says that we should no longer be " children. " What are children ? Children are those who must be told by another what to do - - - but " we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting " [ Ephesians 4:14. ]

How can I keep from being tricked ? The answer is here in Revelation 14:12. Aren't you glad that God makes it simple, friend ? Aren't you glad that God makes truth plain ? We need not be confused ! The book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible, was written for the last generation of men and women who live on the earth. Here it's so simple.....Revelation 14:12.....if you followed this one text, you could keep from being deceived by a cult : " Here is the patience, ....." [ that means endurance ] ".....of the saints......" [ In the Bible, ] " saints " are often believers, like Paul says, " To the saints at Ephesus " [ Ephesus was a church ] or " To the saints at Colossae ".....believers. ] Here is the endurance of the believers.....these are the end-time people of God, the end-time believers.

" Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. " Here it is.....these people love Jesus, these people have come to the cross, these people are forgiven - - -" washed " by Christ and " cleansed " by Christ's blood - - - they have found forgiveness, they have found mercy, they have found grace in Christ, they have the faith of Jesus. His grace is entered into their hearts, His grace has changed their lives, His grace has made them over again, and that grace has led them to keep the commandments of God. Because they love Him, they want to obey Him, to follow Him. Because they love Him, they don't ask for a ten percent discount in the Ten Commandments, by leaving off the Sabbath. God does not give us discounts. The Bible says, " Here is the endurance of the believers. " God has a group of believers. They have not accepted the counterfeit, not accepted falsehoods - - - not followed the beast leader with the great masses at the end, who puts pressure on everyone to break the commandments. The Bible says, " Here are they who keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus Christ. " They are God's end-time people. They are God's final people on earth today.

Cults substitute a human teacher for Jesus. Cults substitute human teachings for the Bible. Cults work miracles to sustain their claims. Cults urge group conformity.

# 5 - - - CULTS ATTEMPT TO COMFUSE THE COMING OF CHRIST !

Cults are all mixed up about the Second Coming of Christ. Some cults say that God is going to establish heaven on earth. Other cults say that we're going to have Armageddon, and earth will be destroyed. They're really confused. The New Age cults all talk about heaven on earth - - - they talk about an Age of Euphoria or an Age of Aquarius here.

But many, many cults arising today talk about Armageddon coming and many of these cults stockpiled weapons, like David Koresh, like the Order of the Solar Temple in Europe, and like the cult in Japan stockpiled weapons. These cults are confused about the end times. They are confused about the Second Coming of Christ. They are either talking about an Age of Love, an Age of Aquarius, or they talk about total destruction. The Order of the Solar Temple .....in the United States you remember reading about it not so long ago.....in France, Switzerland and Canada, they said the end of the world was approaching, they said the whole world would be destroyed in fire, and they began that fire by torching themselves. There were only a few survivors in that cult and a fiery death of 53 people. Again, the whole idea of this Armageddon at the end.....

See, these cults are exploding around the world. Why ? There's only one reason : Satan is getting people conditioned to have the great cult come with the beast power at the end. You see, Japan's own cult.....again, it was very New Age, very high tech....they attacked the subways of Japan with nerve gas, because they thought that would unleash Armageddon. So many of these cults are talking about Armageddon, the final destruction. The Bible does not give us such a dismal picture of the end. The Bible does not talk about this earth going up in flames and finally being destroyed, and nothing else happening after that.

Certainly God will create a new heaven and a new earth! Certainly !.....and that's why it's so important for you not to miss.....about what will happen at the end, the destruction of the earth and so forth. But the great message of the Bible is right here in Titus 2:13 : we should be "l ooking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. " The Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ comes, He will stream down the corridor of the sky, and the sky will be illuminated with His glory. The Bible teaches that when Christ comes, the righteous dead are resurrected. The righteous living are changed, and together they ascend into heaven. This earth is destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming, and then later made over again.

The Bible says that we should know this earth will not end in an Armageddon, know all life will not be destroyed on Planet Earth, know there is not some euphoric and utopian New Age coming. Yes, friend, something is coming....or Someone is coming, and that someone is Jesus Christ. Would you like to say to this Lord and Savior tonight, " Lord, I am yours. Lord, there's nobody else who can forgive my sins but You, nobody else who can cleanse but the blood of Jesus. Modern sophisticated New Age theories do not lead you to repentance, to open your heart to God's love.

Christ can come into your life tonight. There is no other Savior in the world but Jesus, and this divine Christ can enter your life and change you. Would you like to tell Him, " Lord, tonight I'm giving You my life. " Would you like to tell Him tonight, " Lord, Your word is my only guide. I'm not going to listen to the teachings of men, even to my pastor or even my priest.....Lord, Your word is my guide. Lord, I'm not going to let anybody else manipulate and force my choices. Lord, I have the courage to step out from my family, the courage to make a decision. " Sir, even if your wife doesn't.....the courage, ma'am, to make a decision, even if your husband doesn't.....it's wonderful when the husband and wife make decisions together, but there are times when God asks us to make decisions alone.

Are you willing to be different even if you're the only one in your village, the only one in your city - - - willing to be different even if you have to step out of your church group ? That's what God is asking you to do. He's asking you to make Christ first in your life, asking you to make the Bible central in your life, asking you to look forward to the day when He comes, and to open your heart to Him and to sing all the way, " Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at his word. " Tonight, would you like to say, " Lord, I am taking you at your word. "

Tonight, as we pray, we bow our heads quietly.....deep within your heart, do you sense that for you personally, for you individually, there is no Savior but Jesus ? Do you sense that tonight, friend ? Deep within your heart, do you sense personally that the only safety is following the Bible ? Deep within your heart, would you like to tell Jesus tonight, " Lord, I don't know what other people are going to do in my family, I don't know what other people are going to do in my village or city, I don't know what other people in my church are going to do, but as for me, I'm going to follow Jesus. And I'm going to accept the Bible as God's infallible word and live in harmony with its teachings, and, Lord, tonight I'm committing myself to do that, because I love You. " Just quietly raise your hand, wherever you are tonight.....God is speaking to you. You need not be deceived by some cult. You can say, " Jesus, I'm accepting You, I'm accepting Your Word, I'm making a decision to walk individually with You no matter what others may do. " Just lift up your hand.

" Oh, my Father, tonight deep within our hearts, we want to follow You. Deep within our hearts, we sense that there is no other Savior but Jesus, our Lord, so humbly we put our lives in His hands.....because it is so sweet to trust in Jesus. In Christ's Precious Name, Amen. "

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