Unholy Olive Branches

UNHOLY OLIVE BRANCHES

In the past few years evangelical leaders such as Al Mohler and Ravi Zacharias have spoken at Mormon gatherings. Mohler spoke at Bringham Young University and Ravi Zacharias spoke at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. In perspective, this would be akin to allowing 100 years to pass and then evangelical leaders speaking at and befriending the followers of Sun Yung Moon. And this kind of compromise doesn’t just tarnish their reputation. No, there are many more serious repercussions. It is much more serious than smoking cigarettes or going to an R rated movie or even becoming dependent upon prescription medication.

This kind of compromise literally rips the very fabric of the gospel. It opens doors the Spirit never meant to be opened. It lends credibility to institutions built upon spirits of antichrist. It makes friends with the enemies of Christ. It is a compromise that ultimately may lead souls into eternal damnation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints denies the deity of Christ and preaches a salvation of human works, to say nothing of a plethora of weird and absurd doctrines and practices. And all cults long for acceptance and membership as mainstream. And the LDS has found such partners among many evangelical leaders.

For hundreds of years the true church fought hard to keep its distance from the Roman Catholic Church. Even while loving its membership the true church openly taught about the grievous errors taught and practiced by the Roman Church. But little by little the walls began to crumble. And now the walls hardly exist and that kind of information about the RCC is hardly mentioned in evangelical pulpits for fear of losing members.

But no one could ever have foreseen what is happening today. The Roman Catholic Church at least believes in the Trinity and the deity of Christ. But now we are supposed to befriend cults? Who will be next? Will Mohler and Zacharias speak at Kingdom Hall or a Christian Science reading room and accentuate the “common ground” we have with them? This is a monstrous betrayal of the faith. Before I go further let us examine what the Word of God teaches us about being friends with such organizations.

Matt.16: ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This confession that Jesus was the Son of the Living God is the foundation to our faith. There is nothing greater nor anything higher than that truth. Anyone or any group that denies that Jesus was God in the flesh and that He is just as much God as the Father is a spirit of antichrist. Even those who embrace a oneness theology still teach that Jesus was and is God. This is a non-negotiable truth and cannot be compromised, diluted, or accepted by anything but a clear and convincing confession.

Matt.10: ³² Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Anyone or any group that refuses to confess Jesus as the Living Son of God is rejected by Christ. And if He rejects these heretics so must we. There is nowhere in the New Testament where we are given license to cozy up to those who teach damnable heresies. I will address the reasons why this is happening further in this post.

Acts 20: ²⁸ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

²⁹ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
³⁰ Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

The Holy Spirit is revealing the future coming of ravenous wolves who not spare the flock but lead them away from Christ and draw them to themselves. Now who can fit this description better than Joseph Smith? Here is man who supposedly received special revelation about a host of things including that Jesus and Satan were brothers born from a relationship God the Father had with an angel. And that man’s error now imprisons millions of people, and that man’s false church has been exceedingly successful at making disciples of Joseph Smith.

II Cor.11: ¹² But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
¹⁴ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
¹⁵ 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.

Paul says he will cut off those false apostles and deceitful workers. And verse 15 speaks about these heretics being projected as ministers of righteousness. That means they stand for morality in all its forms. They are pro-life and pro-traditional marriage and they embrace the Ten Commandments. And so do the Mormons. However Paul calls them false apostles because they preach another Jesus. But Paul rebukes the Corinthian Church because they do not reject these heretics but in some way accept them.

II Cor.11: For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. (NASV)

These so called leaders in the faith today bow before the leaders of this cult and tacitly refer to the major differences in doctrine and theology and yet call them friends and co-laborers. I will reveal what labor they are engaged in together.

II Pet.2: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

² And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

Again, who fits this description more than Joseph Smith? He brought in many damnable heresies and many have followed his pernicious ways. This cannot be seen as commonplace and just a major disagreement. This kind of falsehood removes the foundation of the faith and attacks the Lord Jesus Himself. They are enemies of Christ and His cross. This is a monumental deception which emanated from hell itself and was brought into the world through this one demon possessed man called Joseph Smith.

The Scriptures are clear. We as believers are to have no dealings with false teachers and cults. Our only dealings with unbelievers must either be on a non-spiritual way (co-workers, Little League, etc.) but we are not to have any alliances with unbelievers. But to speak at a cult gatherings, offer an impotent aside about doctrinal differences, and then claim they are friends is an astounding infidelity as it pertains to God’s Word. It is almost unbelievable. But there is an underlying reason for these unholy partnerships.

What would possess ordained men who are considered as orthodox to shake hands with cultists in their own buildings? Why would they show respect to their leaders and profess much common ground with heretics? How could they say they are friends and even co-laborers? The answer is very simple and profoundly diabolical. It is a common morality and patriotism which provides the glue which cements a relationship between the spirits of antichrist and believers. And this kind of deception is nowhere to be found on most discernment blogs.

Read through the discernment blogs and see if you find nationalism or moralism listed as a deception. In fact most blogs are involved with that kind of deception because they do not “discern” them as compromise or deceptions. This is a very serious deception because it is not obvious and it is embraced by men of God who millions of people admire. But evangelicals speaking at Mormon institutions is just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to come.

Joel Osteen said he believed Mormons are Christians. Millions of evangelicals voted for Romney for president because they esteemed his economic and moral values a higher criteria than his view of Jesus. That in and of itself should expose the heart of the evangelical church. While claiming to espouse Scriptural inerrancy the evangelical church has lost all sense of the gospel. How can two walk together unless they be agreed? How can preachers tell young people not to date unbelievers when they are courting Mormons themselves? This in outrage and yet who is outraged?

God is outraged! God sends His only begotten Son to suffer unspeakable wounds inflicted upon His body and the Father watches as His Son suffers and dies for His enemies. And now those who have become benefactors of that immeasurable grace through His immeasurable sufferings and death offer friendship to those who desecrate the Son of God? Can there be anything more worldly than denying Christ? And we are commanded not be a friend to the world, but today preachers of the gospel walk into temples that are worshiping idols and instead of rebuking the entire system they offer an olive branch? Just what Bible are they reading??

And again, with all the strength I know how, I openly expose nationalism and its Siamese twin of moralism as idols of religion and not part of the kingdom of God’s Dear Son. To embrace blasphemers because they pledge allegiance to the same fallen nation is blasphemy in and of itself. To join hands with doctrines of demons because they are pro-life is a disgrace to Christ and a massive confusion to the body of Christ. It diminishes the gospel of Christ and makes the incarnation of no importance. How deep was God’s self humiliation when He came in the likeness of sinful flesh? And we mock that inconceivable journey of love when we join with those who actually do mock it.

This Trojan Horse called nationalism and moralism has done much damage to the body of Christ. And those who profess to be discerners and watchman remain blind to this diabolical evil. Many of them are participants in the entire religious system. And even while unholy olive branches are being offered and unholy bridges are being built these watchmen are asleep and do not see how nationalism is the mortar by which these bridges are being built. When I was born again ( another lost term) in 1975 no one could have ever imagined that evangelical preachers who are considered orthodox leaders would stand in Mormon pulpits as invited guests and throw pleasantries to blasphemers.

But these unholy olive branches are being offered more and more with each passing day.

They are not God's olive branches, but they are the flowers of deception.