THE TRUE AND FALSE JESUS

Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

November 10, 2018

In 2 Corinthians 11:2-4 Paul warned us about a false jesus, gospel, and spirit. He wrote: Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

In 2 Corinthians 11:13-14 Paul identifies the men who taught the counterfeit jesus, gospel, and spirit as ministers of Satan. He wrote: 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. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Why would a minister of Satan preach about Jesus? To deceive you into believing they are true ministers of God. They use the name of Jesus to make you think they are credible. They also use his name so that if you expose them they can accuse you of attacking Jesus. But do they preach the true one? Of course not. How could they, for the true Jesus condemns false apostles and teachers like them. The jesus they preach is a false jesus who promotes their false doctrines, but the average person sitting in the pew today doesn’t know the difference. There are people sitting in the pews that believe in jesus, but their jesus is the wrong one. They believe in the jesus preached by the ministers of Satan. This is the ultimate deception.

The way we expose false teachers and apostate churches is by comparing the true Jesus with the false jesus they preach. Banks teach their tellers to spot counterfeit money by first teaching them what real money looks and feels like. Once they know what real money looks like and feels like it’s easy for them to spot counterfeit money.

If you know who the real Jesus is, it’s easy to spot the false jesus. When you hear a man preaching the false jesus then you know he is false teacher and a liar.

The ministers of Satan have created a jesus to fit their false doctrines. Their jesus promotes the false doctrines and the false gospels they preach. These wicked men are found in many different kinds of churches, but they all have a false jesus and their jesus is like them, he is a counterfeit.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRUE AND THE FALSE JESUS

*The death and shed blood of the real Jesus is all that is necessary to save you and keep you saved forever. The death and shed blood of the false jesus they preach is not sufficient, but you must do your part like taking the sacraments, keeping the commandments, living a good life to be saved.

*The real Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. The false jesus is a great teacher, prophet, angel, or enlightened one, but not God.

*The real Jesus is eternal, never having a beginning or end. The false jesus is a created being. He has a beginning and end.

*The real Jesus is the beginning of the church because he is the head of the church. The false jesus is not the beginning or head of their churches. The head of their churches are men like the Pope, Joseph Smith, Charles Russell, Helen White, or Mary Baker Eddy.

*The real Jesus is the creator of heaven and earth. The false jesus did not create heaven and earth, for they are the results of evolution not creation.

*The real Jesus abolished the law and its animal sacrifices forever by His death on the cross. The death and shed blood of the false jesus they preach did not abolish the Law, because they say God will re-establish the Law of Moses again in the future including animal sacrifices.

*The real Jesus said He alone has all power in heaven and earth. The ministers of Satan say they have the same power as their jesus and even more.

*The real Jesus said He came to die to save sinners from hell and the wrath of God. Their jesus died to make them healthy, wealthy, and prosperous and to increase their “self esteem”.

*The real Jesus said he will come again in flaming fire to take vengeance against those who do not believe in Him. The false jesus does not take vengeance on anyone, even those who do not believe on him.

*The real Jesus said He will cast sinners into the lake of fire. The false jesus will not cast anyone into such a place for many say that such a place does not exist.

*The real Jesus has a Father in heaven He prayed to. The false jesus does not have a father, but many of them say he is the father, son and spirit!

*The real Jesus suffered poverty throughout His life on earth. Their jesus wore designer clothes and lived like a king and they say we should also.

*The real Jesus descended into hell to preach judgment to fallen angels and sinners. Their jesus went to hell to be tortured by Satan because his crucifixion did not fully atone for sins.

*The real Jesus is so awesome and big that heaven is his throne and earth is his footstool. Their jesus is a small cracker that you can eat, chew up, digest in the stomach and flush down the toilet.

*The real Jesus condemned false religion. Their jesus does not say anything bad about any one’s religion. He “respects them all”.

*The real Jesus called false teachers names like; serpents, vipers, hypocrites, whited sepulchers, wolves, and children of the devil. Their jesus would never call people by such names. He is very politically correct.

*The real Jesus warned us that he will chastise us for our sins. The false jesus does not chastise anyone for sin.

*The real Jesus asked us to remember His death on the cross by observing his supper. The false jesus tells them not to observe any supper to commemorate his death.

*The real Jesus says that all believers are members of His body for He dwells in all believers and they in Him. Their jesus says some believers are not members of his body even though he dwells in them and they in him.

*The real Jesus said that He would curse any man and even an angel from heaven who preached a gospel different from Paul’s. Their jesus sends men to preach a gospel that contradicted Paul’s.

*The real Jesus says His blood forgives and removes the sins of all believers forever. The blood of the false jesus does not remove or forgive the sins of all believers; it merely covers them up and hides them temporarily.

*The real Jesus secures the salvation of all believers. Their jesus does not secure the salvation of all believers.

*The real Jesus frees all men from the law when they believe on Him. Their jesus does not free all men from the law who believe on him.

*The real Jesus saves sinners by faith alone without works. Their jesus saves men by faith and works.

*The real Jesus tells us that when sinners believe on Him they will never come into condemnation. Their jesus tells believers they can come into condemnation after they believe on him.

*The real Jesus tells us over and over again to follow what He said and did while on earth. The false jesus says don’t you dare preach what I preached on earth and don’t you dare follow what I did on earth. Just ignore it for “its not for us today”.

*The real Jesus said He is our Great High Priest. Their jesus says he is not our great high priest.

*The real Jesus says that if you will repent and call on Me, I will save you. The false jesus says you don’t have to repent or call on me or confess me to be saved.

*The real Jesus says I have prepared a place for you in the kingdom of God. The false jesus says we don’t have a place in the kingdom of God.

*The real Jesus says we can expect to suffer tribulation in this world just like He did, until He comes again. The false jesus says we will not suffer tribulation, but we are exempt from it even though millions of saints have suffered it throughout history.

*The real Jesus says when He comes again the whole world will know it for He will come with millions of saints and angels, with the blowing of the last trumpet, with a loud shout, with the voice of the archangel, dead people being raised up from their graves and the alive caught up into the clouds. The false jesus says no one will know when he comes because it will be “secret and silent”.

*The real Jesus said I have placed in the Old Testament many promises and blessings for you to claim and enjoy today, especially the ones concerning Me. The false jesus says there is nothing in the Old Testament for you. That’s not written to you, even though Paul quotes it 200 times and based at least 60 major church doctrines on it.

*The real Jesus says I died to institute the New Covenant and in the New Covenant you will find a once for all sacrifice for your sins. The false jesus says the New Covenant is not yours to claim, even though Paul was a minister of the New Covenant.

*The real Jesus says you must be born again to get into the kingdom of God. The false jesus says you do not have to be born again to get into the kingdom of God.

*The real Jesus says we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world. The false jesus says he is not interested in the way we live.

*The real Jesus offers us rewards, crowns, and blessings that are based on our service to Him in this life. The false jesus says everything is free under grace and nothing is based upon your works and service to him in this life.

*The real Jesus promised us a mansion in His Father’s house. The false jesus says those mansions are not yours to claim.

*The real Jesus told us we should not expect the world to treat us better than Him. The false one says we should expect the world to treat us better than him.

*The real Jesus says the closer you get to God the more the world will hate you. The false jesus says the closer you get to God the more the world will love you.

When a man, any man, says he preaches Jesus, ask him which one? When someone tells you they believe in Jesus, ask them which one? There is a false jesus who is the opposite of the true. Christ warned us about the coming of false Christ’s and they are here, not only in the flesh, but in the preaching and doctrines of false teachers, apostate churches, and deceived believers. They have created a “jesus” in people’s minds today who bears no resemblance to the real Jesus found in the Bible. That is why we must judge men and churches by the Jesus they preach and believe in. The true one is found throughout the New Testament. 

(The ultimate deception and horror is when people find themselves in hell after believing in a false jesus. And the sad fact is many will.)