Chapter 4: The Trojan Horse

 

    In 1982, through a series of circumstances, I began a Scriptural study over the church of the last days. No, not the world events such as plagues, wars and rumors of wars, but the church itself as it will appear on the inside, in the final days before Jesus returns to the earth.

    The true Christians of those days will have a special way of interpreting the scrip­tures. With a passionate focus they will seek the testimony of Jesus, which will transform their lives in every way (Ephesians 4:13). As the return of the groom draws near, anticipation will run high; the glorious bride will yearn for her husband and make herself ready, to admire Him at His appearing and rise to the great wedding feast with Him, when she is called to meet Her glorious husband in the sky:

    “And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" … He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

(Revelation 22:17, 20)

    We all love the tales with happy endings and none could be happier than this one. But there is another side to this story and unfortunately I must share it with you now:

    In those days of heavenly anticipation and joy, we must also contend with an enemy who is determined to hinder that glorious marriage and prevent as many as possible from attaining to it. Indeed, the same Spirit who rises in our hearts to call for the Lord’s return has issued a solemn warning:

    “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry …”

(First Timothy 4:1-3)

    With the initial stirring toward Jesus in those days, the enemy will be roused to mischief. In a diabolical plot against the Lord’s bride, he will introduce teachings that ‘forbid’ to marry – the Greek word actually meaning to 'hinder strongly,' or to 'prevent.' If that is his goal in the microcosm of single Christians, his ultimate goal is for of those ill effects to ‘filter up’ and infect the larger relationship between Christ and the Church, itself.

    The key to overcoming this challenge is to recognize its form and learn to avoid the entanglement. According to the scriptures, it will rise through a series of false teachings; and additional Biblical passages tell us more about them:

• They will be so extensive that one could study them forever, but without ever coming to the knowledge of the truth by them (Second Timothy 3:7).

• They will appear in the form of morals, or little case studies, which the Bible refers to as ‘fables’ (Second Timothy 4:4).

• They will always speak to our desires, while focusing on ‘self’ so seductively that our ears will be turned away from the real truth (Second Timothy 4:3-5).

• Nevertheless those teachings will have a form of godliness, so that those who hear them will be easily convinced that they have come from God (Second Timothy 3:5).

    In other words, the adversary will introduce a very extensive, modern substitute for scripture itself, and use this counterfeit to infiltrate the church. Nor will it lack teachers to proclaim it, some of them innocently and some otherwise (Second Timothy 4:3). But for the sake of those who at least mean well by it, let us focus on the approach itself rather than the teachers:

    In 1879, a new type of wisdom was introduced to this world, called ‘psychology’, which means, ‘the study of the soul’. Beginning in the 1950’s it found widespread acceptance in our society. As it grew, it seemed to offer promise; yet the divorce rate and many other social woes grew at a pace that seemed to match its progress, begging the question of whether the ‘cure’ was not actually a part of the disease.

    For a while the church remained a bastion against this new worldly wisdom, but eventually psychology infiltrated the pulpit as well. Indeed, it grew highly favored as a strong new friend to Christianity and was said to be ‘completely compatible with scripture’. Some began calling it ‘Christian’ psychology, though in fact it remained secular in nature. In other words, those who practiced it may have been Christian but the wisdom itself was not.

    Soon, the same social woes began rising in the church. Astonishingly, the divorce rate among Christians today has matched and in some places exceeded the failed marriage rate among non-Christians. Yet somehow, our respect for this dubious wisdom and its harmful approach still grows.

    Psychological self-help books on Christian relationships abound. Almost no church today will perform a marriage without pre-martial counseling based upon it. Troubled marriages are counseled by Christian psychology, and Christian matchmaking websites rely on its guidance to promote their relationships.

    Over the years, the influence of psychology has been ‘spiritualized’ and repackaged under many different names, in applications that clash with the gospel itself: The deliverance ministry, iniquities or family curses, ungodly soul ties, and possibly others – all of them merely psychology in a different garb. And the destruction goes on.

    Oh beloved church, God has rejected your trusted allies and you will not prosper by them!

    Psychology has gained this acceptance because, at its core, it is a genuine spiritual counterfeit: a clever pretender to the spiritual gift of prophecy, which explains its dynamic effect and appeal:

    “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”

(First Corinthians 14:24-25)

    When someone hears the thought of their heart revealed and an evaluation follows, they react with astonishment and immediately conclude that God has spoken to them. But please note, dear reader, that this occurs whether they are Christians or not! So it doesn’t depend on our spiritual standing. It is simply a human reaction, felt by men and women of every standing.

    In a similar way, through careful study, psychology has plucked the general trends of human thought from our hearts and seems to evaluate them wisely. On hearing them expressed in such a way, our natural mechanism leaps to the same conclusion: that God has just spoken through the counsel we’ve heard. Through this, the ‘form of godliness’ appears (Second Timothy 3:5).

    Beloved, I have studied this matter very deeply and could speak on it for hours, but let us settle the matter simply. Let’s say you’ve just met two people and they’ve both asked to out. One of them is looking for the Lord’s return and is becoming more like Him in His love and respect for others. As such, he looks like this:

    “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”

(First Corinthians 13:4-8)

    But the other person matches Paul’s description of those who follow the self-seeking scriptural counterfeit:

    “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

(Second Timothy 3:1-5)

    Which of those two persons would you rather go out with? If you’re looking to Christ and the church, obviously your heart will be drawn to the same; while of the latter person Paul would say, “And from such people turn away!” (verse six).

    The simple truths are these: Psychology seeks love from others, while Christianity gives love freely. Psychology requires perks and compliments; Christianity offers edification and serves others willingly. And even though Christianity does not seek love, it will find it in this manner more readily than any other; and it will achieve a comfort that can only be surpassed by the Divine love of Christ Himself for those who are blessed in knowing Him.

    Let’s end this chapter with some applications for the Internet:

    When you log onto a Christian meeting service, you’ll immediately find a broad circle of potential matches. Many of them will be into psychology because that’s the nature of our times; but with literally thousands of people to choose from, you can afford to be selective.

    Everyone’s search will be facilitated through member ‘profiles’: scripted autobiographies provided by each member to describe themselves. But the better meeting services have essay questions as well, which allow their members to express them­selves in unscripted ways.

    In filling out your profile, you might specify that you believe in a relationship based on Christ and the church, or that you are ‘down’ on psychology, or perhaps some other points that you’ve picked up from this book. If enough people do this, it will eventually create a subculture in the on-line community. Others who are like-minded will see your comments and catch your drift, and will be much more likely to respond to you.

    Between your profile and theirs, an adequate pair of ‘screens’ will be con­structed for the sort of influence you’re seeking or avoiding in others. In fact, it works out better for everyone.

    And if you don’t find a good match immediately, don’t worry. New people are logging onto the meeting services every day, so your ‘circle of possibilities’ will constantly refresh. A large meeting service may post a couple of hundred new profiles daily. Having such an endless circle of possibilities will give you enough hope, from enough directions, to save you from making romantic compromises which you may regret at a later time.