“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus–the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

“…I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of
the LORD: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread
and drink water’ (But he was lying to him) …Some people are throwing you
into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we
or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we
preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said,
so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what
you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (1 Kings 13:18; Ga.1:7-9 NIV).

When the apostle refers to an angel preaching another gospel, the bone
chilling narrative in 1 Kings 13 comes to mind. For Bethel (House of God),
had been Israel’s national religious frame of reference for centuries. For, both
patriarchs Abraham and his grandson Jacob had erected an altar at Bethel as
an act of worship of Jehovah (cf. Gn.12:7, 28:18). But in the process of time,
Jeroboam transformed Bethel into one of the most idolatrous places in Israel.

One day, as king Jeroboam was offering sacrifices to his Egyptian calf gods, a man of God came from Judah prophesying against the king’s altar.
As the king turned angrily with his finger pointed at the man of God, his arm
shriveled, the altar in front of him split apart and its ashes poured out just as
predicted. King Jeroboam must have been petrified and at his wits’ end! He
said in fear: “Intercede with the LORD [Jehovah] your God and pray…” (v.6).

Although God answered the king’s petition through His servant, Jeroboam
failed to repent. But instead, he tried to bribe the man of God, who flatly
refused his offer saying, “…I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You
must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came” (1 Kings 13:9).

A certain old prophet, having heard about God’s miraculous show down
with king Jeroboam intercepted the man of God, who was returning home.
The old prophet acted very deceitfully. First, when the man of God declined
his invitation, he made himself his co-equal: “I too am a prophet.” Second,
the man lied. He said that an angel had spoken to him on behalf of the LORD.

The born-again Christian who reads the Old Testament books need to
keep in mind that, the servants of God didn’t have the compendium of the
Scriptures as we have it available in the Bible. During the Old Testament
period God used His prophets to instruct and to reprove His people. So, holy
God has recorded and preserved all the relevant narratives for our instruction.

The prophecies of the man of God were truly remarkable. Whereas the
destruction of the altar and the scattering of the ashes occurred on the same
day, he named a future king, Josiah (cf. 2 King 23:25), three hundred and forty
years prior to his birth. For, God’s Word is holy, irreversible, and immutable!

The tragic end of the narrative in chapter 13 of 1 Kings is self-explanatory.
Both prophets remain in anonymity. Yet their sins still speak loudly through
all generations. So, whoever speaks for God must first know how to listen to
Him. Second, they must obey holy God in accordance with His revealed will.

Therefore, Christians need to apply some spiritual principles to their daily
lives: 1) Never treat prophecies with contempt (cf. 1 Thes. 5:20). Peter wrote:
“…We have the words of the prophets made more certain, and you will do
well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day
dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2Pe. 2:19). 2) Every child
of God who heeds God’s progressive revelation, will be subjected to the test!

According to the Bible, Christians are to undergo several tests. The first
one is to certain whether one is in the faith (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5). Those who are
in Christ need to ask God to test their hearts! (cf. Ps.139:23-24). Then they
need to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (cf. 1 Jn 4:1). Lastly,
God’s children need to test everything and hold on to the good (1 Thes.5:21).

Unlike most postmodern Christians, the apostles knew that there is a real
devil. So, they were aware of Satan’s crafty schemes against God’s churches.

As in the case of the deceitful old prophet, Satan’s tactics are: 1) invite
God’s people to engage in wrong religious dialogues. 2) inject thoughts in
their minds to doubt God’s Word. 3) induce Christians to indulge in sin
conducive to the denial of Jesus! 4) influence false disciples to counterfeit
God’s work. How? By infiltrating local Bible believing, Bible preaching
congregations. What is their false statement of claim? “I too am a Christian.”

In today’s pluralistic and tolerant society, many false teachers occupy
both pulpits and pews. Indeed, they claim to be disciples of Christ. Yet they
advocate inclusivity and dismiss morality and holiness in the local church.
Above all, the false teachers ignore the cross of Christ and the prerequisites
for Christian discipleship! They surely show a form of godliness, but by their
actions they deny the faith. They not only dishonor God, but also deny Him.

Dear reader, in the narrative, the old prophet deceived the man of God
after he had naively confided to him, “…I was commanded by the word of
the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you
came.” The man of God made a fatal error: He listened to the voice of man,
rather than fully obeying the command of the LORD who commissioned him.
Let’s remember that, those who pervert the Gospel of God risk going to Hell!
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