False Prophets = Double minded man

[ZNPaaneah]

The term False prophet or False teacher is confusing. Does this word false mean "phony"? Is a false teacher an unbeliever? This can become very confusing and if you think a false teacher is an unbeliever you might feel it cannot refer to this or that teacher since it is very difficult to believe they aren't really a believer.

James eliminates all the confusion. "A double minded man". I feel that this is what the word false is referring to in every situation. Whether or not they are a believer is no longer the issue. The question is "are they double minded".

This then solves the even bigger question -- how do you know? James tells you that a double minded man is "unstable in all his ways". When you read about any false teacher or false prophet or scam artist, or fraudulent person it is always stunning how many people were duped right up until it was absolutely obvious. However, when you read the biographies and histories it is also quite telling that everyone noticed the person was "unstable" for years prior to them being revealed as a fraud.

With WL there were many notable examples of his outbursts indicating he was unstable.

[ZNPaaneah]

If you want the simplest warning sign, the most common characteristic to all false prophets -- WL, Koresh, Jim Jones, Hitler, Fastow, Madoff, etc it is given to us in the book of James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

They are all "double minded men" and they will all be "unstable". Many of our comments on this forum have discussed the behavior of WL as being unstable. Read the biography of any of these ones and it is the one characteristic that people notice long before the real damage is done. If you see a Pastor or any other leader acting paranoid and unstable, that should be a warning -- double minded (i.e. false).

[ZNPaaneah]

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

I think this is how it starts. It is hard to know with WL, but the research and history of other false teachers and prophets shows this to be the one commonality of all.

They are storing up treasures for themselves, these treasures influence their heart, they become double minded (this word "healthy" is generally translated as single), and they ultimately hit this wall where they are serving two masters and it becomes untenable. They have to lie, they become paranoid, and to the casual observer they are "unstable" in all their ways.

[ZNPaaneah]

Looking at these verses from the Lord and comparing it with our experience:

1. Storing up treasure for yourself -- "for yourself" is clearly an issue, and "treasure" is clearly an issue. Both indicate a compromise. First on seeing Jesus as our treasure, and second on being self centered. James refers to this as "the one who doubts" and gave the image of waves on the sea, reminding us of Peter trying to walk on water. It is a common temptation, let me store up money before I respond to the Lord's call.

2. This error causes our heart to leave our first love and be with this phony treasure.

3. The next step is an eye that is full of darkness. This is like Fastow thinking he "sees" a better way to account for losses and profits, and thinking those that don't agree with him can't "see". It is also like all the "light" that WL would spew about "High peaks truth" and "cows", etc. Peter referred to this when he said "with fabricated stories". Fabricated is the equivalent of "creative accounting" for Fastow, or all the terms coined by WL. It is simply another word for lie. This is what it means that their eye is full of darkness and how great is that darkness. The more successful their lies the more boastful and arrogant they become thinking they are "great".

4. This progresses to where there is a direct conflict. You can't "serve two masters". We saw this in Enron where Fastow had a separate fund from Enron that was paying him millions. We also saw this with WL and LSM. It can explain why he would cover for PL even to the point of pushing JI and the other Anaheim elders out. Those sins indicate he was trying to serve God and money. Peter refers to this step saying "they will make merchandise of you". Making merchandise of the saints is to serve money, not God. This is also what he means when he says they "deny the Lord who bought them". Jesus is our master because He purchased us on Calvary. If you are serving mammon you can't faithfully serve Jesus, hence you are "denying Him". This results in mental instability, which James refers to saying they are unstable in all their doing. Peter says they seduce the unstable, so all of these double minded will tend to flock together. Peter also says they are "experts in greed". People like Madoff know exactly what buttons to push to seduce those who are double minded. In contrast to this James says that when you persevere and reject the temptation you will receive a crown of life from the Lord.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

These are the two big temptations they use to rope people in: money and prestige.

James says that if you have humble means you should be proud of your position in Christ, and if you are wealthy you should humble yourself knowing that all of that is illusory and temporary.

But consider Enron again. Kinder was forced out. "Don't worry about it". He went to work for a different company, smaller, less prestigious, much less money. Yet a few years later he is worth $1 billion and all those that forced him out are either going to prison or disgraced and bankrupt. He may not have had everything he wanted, but he had what he needed.

The Lord knows what we need. Just like when you left the LC, you may not have had everything you wanted, but you had what you needed. The question is not whether it is "right or wrong" to set up LSM, etc. The question is "are you seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness first and foremost?" If you cannot say yes, then you need to leave the LC, otherwise you cannot later complain that "I didn't do anything wrong". Perhaps you didn't, but you didn't do anything right either.

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

One characteristic that stands out about all these false prophets whether it is someone claiming to be "Minister of the Age" or someone else claiming to be "CFO of the year" is this matter of "If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

What you will always see is very complicated, impenetrable doctrines.

Here is how it worked at Enron. Fastow would make this very complicated contract ostensibly designed to hedge an Enron investment (standard procedure). He would then need the auditors to review it. They would reject it saying it was complicated, didn't work, might be illegal. He would claim they were blind and couldn't see his genius. However, Enron is not required to do what the auditors say, they merely are required to advise. So he checked that box off, he then goes to the Board which must approve it. The "hedge" is too complicated for them to understand, but he lies to them saying that the auditors approved it, so they rubber stamp it. So the people running the company think he is brilliant, he takes mediocre performance and makes it look stellar. He does this by calling loans earnings and pretending losses don't exist. What he is doing is illegal and stupid, except that he is making millions off of these deals. But the key point is that these deals he is fabricating are "darkness" and that darkness is very great indeed. It is designed that no one would be able to penetrate that darkness. So for 90% of those that have access to it they simply accept that "greater minds than yours have approved this". The 10% that don't accept that are for the most part working for other companies as analysts and auditors. Fastow then takes away business from these companies based on this individuals comments. Since Enron does millions of dollars of business with these companies the loss of their business is far more serious than the loss of this one analyst, so they fire or reassign anyone who disagrees with them.

This is quite similar to what WL did. The doctrine of the ground of the church is difficult to unwind for someone new to the Bible. Since those outside of the LC are not familiar with this heresy they also have a very tough time dissecting it. So for the 90% that come in contact with the LC they accept that greater minds than theirs have seen "this light". Hence the need to build up WN's reputation as a "great mind". For the 10% that do see it they are mainly outside of the LC writing books like the Godmen and Mind Benders. Lawsuits are able to shut them up. A careful analysis of this doctrine shows it to be superficial and in error. But the value of it is that it gives WL the status of MOTA, a second impenetrable doctrine for those who have not studied church history (again the same 90%) and with that status he now has a monopoly on the saints money and time. As a result they buy his "gold bar", his "hymnal", his "morning watch", his "life studies", etc. He can rake in a million dollars every six months just for training fees. All of his employees are volunteer. The elders he appoints are ranked based on the books they buy and the numbers that attend his trainings. One way he makes his doctrines impenetrable to those outside the LC is to give everyone in the LC a special lingo, catch phrases that those outside don't understand. Also he lays a trap with sound bites that make him sound heretical in his teaching on the trinity. This way those calling the LC a heresy make a lot of noise about the trinity which is a false trail, convincing those in the LC that they don't know what they are talking about.

[Ohio]

Great post. Great analogy.

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Great post. Great analogy.

We need to be wise as serpents, harmless as doves. I see this as the benefit of our experience with WL, PL, and the Blendeds. Saints who don't have our experiences wouldn't really care enough to stick with this for thousands of posts.

[ZNPaaneah]

The context in James where he refers to "a double minded man" is that he is referring to Jewish saints who have been dispersed.

It is very interesting that these cult leaders and false prophets are typically dispersed or separated from the visible church. They have alternative definitions of the church, they have extra biblical ways to be the church, they are double minded, unstable.

Now they will describe themselves as mavericks, pioneers, apostles, prophets, etc.

In verse 2 James describes trials and "patience having a perfect work". These ones lack patience and they don't have a perfect work. One possible outcome of the trials is that it works patience, and that in turn results in a perfect work. But another possible outcome is that you become double minded, you doubt in the midst of trials, you are unstable in all your ways.

Verse 2 also reveals which path leads to patience and a perfect work and which path doesn't. James says "count it all joy". If you are counting all that trials and tribulations and tests as joy, then you are allowing the Lord to work in you. On the other hand if you are suing others, going to court with them, then you are not "counting it all as joy". You have taken the path that leads to being double minded and unstable.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Great post. Great analogy.

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

One characteristic that stands out about all these false prophets whether it is someone claiming to be "Minister of the Age" or someone else claiming to be "CFO of the year" is this matter of "If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

What you will always see is very complicated, impenetrable doctrines.

Yes, I agree. Add Dong Yu Lan, who when pressed on his finances (his children got the contracts at Estancia Arvore Da Vida) got furious. His underlings told the questioner that this was a "black box". The moral of the story: those who can live with the darkness can go on. Those who want the light are expelled.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

It is very interesting that these cult leaders and false prophets are typically dispersed or separated from the visible church. They have alternative definitions of the church, they have extra biblical ways to be the church, . . .

Not to quibble, but when James was written there was no Bible concerning the church, to be extra-Biblical with or from.

Besides, the unknown author -- James who? --was writing to the twelve tribes. Were they Jews or Christians? Is there such a thing as twelve tribes of Christians?

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by awareness

Not to quibble, but when James was written there was no Bible concerning the church, to be extra-Biblical with or from.

Besides, the unknown author -- James who? --was writing to the twelve tribes. Were they Jews or Christians? Is there such a thing as twelve tribes of Christians?

The definition of the church would be quite simple, based on the Lord's word in Matthew 16-18.