In the previous blog post, we saw how Peter and Jude warned of the degeneration that would occur in the young Christianity. These apostles of the Twelve addressed the Jewish people. Initially, there were many believers there (Acts 21:20), but they would soon be led astray from the truth. But what would happen afterward, among the nations?
Paul’s Vision of the Future of Christianity
Paul, the apostle to the nations (Rom. 11:13; 1 Tim. 2:7), also speaks clearly about the future of Christianity. The core of what Paul teaches is profound: Israel’s rejection of the Messiah means reconciliation for the world! (Rom. 11:15). At the same time, he is gloomy about what will happen among the believers and expresses this in several places in his letters.
1 Timothy 4
1 But the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceiving spirits and to teachings of demons,
2 in the hypocrisy of false words, having seared their own consciences,
3 forbidding to marry and to abstain from foods which God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and acknowledge the truth.
Teachings of Demons
Paul warns that in later times some will depart from the faith, being led astray by false teachers and “teachings of demons” (Greek: daimonion). The word “demons” has a negative connotation to our ears, because translations often render it as “evil spirits”. But for the Greeks it did not have that connotation; they called their gods “demons.” When Paul is talking to some Greek philosophers in Acts 17 and he tells them about Jesus and the resurrection, they say in verse 18, “He seemeth to be a preacher of strange gods (daimonion).”
Pagan gods
When Paul declares in 1 Timothy 4 that in later times some will be led by doctrines of demons, he means that influences from pagan religions would creep into Christianity. Polytheism was subtly smuggled into Christianity through the doctrine of the Trinity.
Preachers
The teaching of “doctrines of demons” occurs through people who hold prominent positions and teach, as is evident in verse 3, which speaks of forbidding marriage and abstaining from food. In other words: mandatory celibacy and fasting. In this we recognize, for example, the Roman Catholic Church, which comprises the majority of Christianity, but also other denominations within Christianity.
Christianity was thus influenced early on by pagan influences and by the hypocrisy of false teachers who had seared their own consciences (verse 2). In the Greek hupokrisei, we recognize our word “hypocrisy”: saying one thing but doing something else. Thus, Christianity is saturated with hypocritical teachings: one says one thing but means something else, and often this even affects the core of church doctrine.
Some examples
They say: There is one God.
They mean: There are three gods: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
They say: God does not abandon the works of His hands.
They mean: If you don’t believe, or don’t choose Jesus, you will burn in hell forever.
They say: God’s love is unconditional.
They mean: God loves you, forgives you, and saves you if you believe in Him and choose Him.
They speak and sing about Israel.
They mean the church.
They say: Only Scripture (sola scriptura).
They mean: Scripture must be read within the tradition of the church and in the “light” of writings such as the catechism or creeds.