Letting Go of Worldly Things Separates Us from Siver Tongue Devils

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• It sounds like foolishness to talk about a virgin bride.
• Satan deceives against the simplicity in Jesus Christ.
• This world has chosen their own version of Jesus.
• Knowing Christ is more important than a “silver tongue.”
•  Letting go of self-gain separates the real deal Believers from the deceivers.

It sounds like foolishness to talk about a virgin bride. “Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me.” 2 Corinthians 11:1 Paul is about to talk about a virgin bride. Nowadays, if I mention bride and virgin in the same sentence I would be made-fun-of for having a total lack of common-sense. Casual sex is so rampant that there are hardly any virgin brides, and living together without a marriage ceremony is common. The “democratic” society of the mark of the beast no longer honors the Biblical teaching on marriage. “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 Being married to Jesus Christ is about as much folly as a virgin bride, and the Corinthians were filled with sexual immorality. Even so, as Christians we are married to Christ and live by the teachings of God’s word.

Satan deceives against the simplicity in Jesus Christ. “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3 Satan used the lure of being as wise as God and physical pleasantries to deceive Eve (Genesis 3). The thing that is able to form what we think, feel, and do gives uncanny knowledge, heightened intuition, and sensual pleasures. It empowers a person with a sense of knowledge, wisdom, and sexual liberty. In exchange, it demands to be worshipped as God, “…it opposes and exalts itself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that it sits as God in the temple of God, showing itself that it is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4 The mind of the masses have been blinded to the simplicity of Jesus Christ, which is, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

This world has chosen their own version of Jesus. “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” 2 Corinthians 1 The other Jesus is the one that uses a lot of humanitarian and churchy sounding words to promote their “democratic” society. They use words like peace, support, tolerance, acceptance, democracy, love, kindness, etc. to build their immoral society. It speaks of being “made whole” when reimbursing depositors money when banks fail, it speaks of “Reproductive Rights” when referring to the killing of unborn babies, it uses the “Respect for Marriage Act” to promote the LGBQT+ lifestyles, and so on.

The other Jesus is Satan’s version of the Holy Spirit seen through the “two horns like a lamb,” “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.” Revelation 13:11 Those two horns are like humanism and the churches. That is not the Jesus we see in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, nor in any other book of the Bible. Following humanism rooted in the mark of the beast gives a person a totally different spirit than that of the Holy Spirit. The Holy spirit only comes through Jesus Christ by the remission of sin. There is only one Gospel, and it includes the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ who atones for our sin and gives us eternal life. The churches of today have thrown out that Gospel.

Knowing Christ is more important than a “silver tongue.” “For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.” 2 Corinthians 11:5-6 The knowledge we have in Jesus Christ is more important than being a motivational speaker. The other Apostles had the knowledge of Christ as well as being good orators, but still, it’s about knowing Christ not having a “silver tongue.”

Sharing the Gospel is not about being in a speech contest or public debate, it’s about sharing Christ who died to make atonement for sin and was resurrected as a demonstration of the eternal life given to us. “Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?” 2 Corinthians 11:7 It’s not a sin to be humble, meek, and gentle, unlike those who live by the mark of the beast and boasts, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?” Revelation 13:4 I’m sure they can talk better, debate better, and motivate better than anyone.

 Letting go of self-gain separates the real deal Believers from the deceivers. “I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.” 2 Corinthians 11:8 Paul received money from other Believers so he would be able to travel to minister to the Corinthians. He didn’t want to ask the Corinthians for anything. “And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.” 2 Corinthias 11:9 As followers of Christ, we don’t want to burden anyone in the name of sharing the Gospel of Christ. Whatever those burdens are, we put them aside to make the testimony of Christ front and center.

“As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows!” 2 Corinthians 11:10-11 It’s worth boasting about to forego money, possessions, physical comforts, and social approval to share the Gospel of Christ. That boasting is not done to make others look bad, but to make the message of the Cross the main focus. “But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.” 2 Corinthians 11:12 The thing that separates us from those who have their own version of Jesus is that we care nothing about worldly benefits and care everything about the Gospel message.

The system of humanism, rooted in the mark of the beast, uses money, possessions, physical comforts, and social approval to reward those who live by the mark of the beast. The churches of today are funded by the “democratic” society, who also make up the congregations, as they have tossed out the message of the Cross. Being paid to preach a Christless Gospel is called fraud, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Their end is eternally in hell.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1