The Spiritual Evolution of Those Who Reject The Apostle Paul:
One of the very first lies of Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden was getting her to QUESTION the Lord’s commands to her and Adam in the Garden!
Genesis 3:1-7 says: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, ‘Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil’. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons”.
Translation? Adam and Eve could eat from ANY tree in the Garden of Eden BUT from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For if they ate the forbidden fruit of THAT tree, they would both surely die! So what did Satan do? He went to Eve and TEMPTED HER by MAKING HER QUESTION GOD/GOD’S COMMANDS!
And one thing I’ve always tried to understand is WHY Adam ate the “forbidden fruit” that Eve gave him to Eve. Did Adam truly not know what fruit it was? (Certainly he knew….? Or at the very least, suspected it was forbidden?) Did he feel RESPONSIBLE for Eve “being deceived by the serpent” and so, ate the forbidden fruit as a way to “punish himself?” Or did Adam’s curiosity get the best of him and he ALSO wanted to find out what the forbidden fruit tasted like, after seeing Eve munch away on it? We simply don’t know. But what we DO know is that Eve (being TEMPTED by Satan to QUESTION GOD/QUESTION GOD’S COMMANDMENTS) ate the forbidden fruit, then gave some to Adam and Adam ate it, too! Therefore, by getting EVE to first QUESTION GOD/QUESTION THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, Satan also indirectly was able to get ADAM to QUESTION GOD/QUESTION THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, as well!
So we know right then and there that Satan USES THE POWER OF INFLUENCE TO GET PEOPLE TO SIN/QUESTION GOD! All it takes is just that ONE person! ONE person within a group starts to QUESTION GOD/QUESTION GOD’S COMMANDMENTS. And then, over time, TWO people start questioning, then THREE, then FOUR and so on and so forth. That’s exactly how false, religious movements get started and exactly how false teachings PROLIFERATE (especially in the modern-day age of the internet and social media, some of Satan’s most powerful spiritual weapon these days!)
But yet, how does Satan DO it? How does he MANAGE it? How does he, Satan, manage to get that ONE person to QUESTION GOD/QUESTION GOD’S COMMANDMENTS? Satan starts off by injecting a person’s FEELINGS into it! Satan will have people start JUSTIFYING their feelings on someone/something, and then MAKE those feelings seem “legit” and as though those feelings “came from God himself”. For remember, Satan often masquerades as an angel of light and masquerade, HE DOES!
Satan will appear as:
- that coworker who says, “You’ve been working too hard, you need to take a vacation”
- that fellow Christian online that claims you’re being “too judgmental for pointing out sin“
- that friend, coworker, stranger in line or family member that sees it as “no big deal” that the cashier accidentally gave you too much change back
- that famous “Christian” movie star or famous TV pastor who says, “We don’t really need to follow the commandments, we just need to believe in Jesus and be a good person and be kind to others for only people like Hitler go to hell”
- that “overly understanding” female (if male) or male (if female) who *pays you extra attention* that your spouse/fiancé doesn’t
- that person who says you’re being “too legalistic” in your faith when you say that we must STILL follow Jesus’s commandments
- that person who says you’re saved by “faith only” or by “works only”
- that person that tries to convince you that “Jesus never existed” and/or that “Paul is a false prophet”,etc.
- that person that tries to convince you that you should kill yourself/give in to “same sex sodomy”, have an abortion, get a sex change, try mind-altering drugs or any OTHER sinful thing that the Lord DOES NOT APPROVE OF
- Etc.
Believe me folks, the “Satanic deception” doesn’t happen overnight! It’s a PROCESS! A long, drawn-out PROCESS! It starts out SMALL, then works itself to something greater until the deception becomes SO GREAT, that a person then doesn’t believe in God AT ALL! Satan uses “baby steps” to accomplish his ultimate goal (which is, a PERSON PERMANTELY TURNING THEIR BACK ON GOD/JESUS!)
So then what are these “baby steps”, you may be asking? I’m glad you asked. They are the following:
- He’ll make you feel BAD or JUDGEMENTAL for doing what’s RIGHT in the Lord’s eyes!
- He’ll PUNISH you for doing what’s RIGHT in the Lord’s eyes!
- He’ll INCREASE THE MATERIAL BLESSINGS OF THOSE AROUND YOU WHO DON’T WORSHIP JESUS/YESHUA!
- He’ll make you start to envy what others have that YOU don’t!
- He’ll make you UNGRATEFUL for what you have and RESTLESS!
- He’ll make you feel ENTITLED to receive things that it’s not the Lord’s will for you to receive!
- He’ll turn you AWAY from doing the Lord’s will, which will leave you feeling DEPRESSED and HOPELESS!
- He’ll fill up your time, home, space and heart with things/people that AREN’T PLEASING TO JESUS!
- He’ll give you FALSE ambition and dreams that come to naught!
- He’ll try to convince you that JESUS HAS TURNED ON YOU!
- He’ll try to convince you that YOU ARE BEYOND REDEMPTION!
- He’ll make you feel BOGGED DOWN WITH GUILT FOR ALL THE WRONG YOU’VE DONE IN THIS LIFE!
- He’ll bog you down with “scientific articles” concerning Evolution and “Space” in order to try to get you to DOUBT THE CREATION/GENESIS/THE BIBLE!
- He’ll try to make you feel SMALL AND INTELLECTUALLY STUPID for BELIEVING THE BIBLE AND ITS CONTENTS!
- He’ll try to get you to question what faith you DO have so that, over time, he’ll get you to a point of NO FAITH!
- He’ll try to get you to DOUBT the MIRACLES and NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS!
- He’ll use hypocritical Christians to make Jesus/Christianity as a whole LOOK BAD!
- He’ll pressure you to join the “anti-Jesus squad”
- He’ll offer you financial incentives, etc. to “defy Jesus and the gospel of salvation” (i.e. “sell your soul to me and I’ll make you rich” type schemes)
- He’ll try to get you to believe that HE is the “good guy” while Jesus is actually the “bad guy”
- He’ll try to get you to QUESTION THE BIBLE AND ITS CONTENTS OR CERTAIN BOOKS/APOSTLES OF THE BIBLE
- He’ll force you to suffer through a REALLY hurtful experience at the hands of “religion” so you’ll LEAVE RELIGION BEHIND
- He’ll tempt you with OTHER RELIGIONS
- He’ll tempt you to watch the TV show called “Lucifer” in which he’s portrayed as a “good guy”
- Etc.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” – [1 Timothy 4:1-2]
So then HOW do the above “baby steps” start to come into play then? Answer: It’s because the individual in question (or possibly someone in their own immediate household) had unknowingly opened A DEMONIC DOORWAY! Demons “attach” to things! So when we display such “things” in our cars and/or homes, that more or less gives the demon the legal “spiritual right” to occupy that car and/or home! And it doesn’t even have to be a stationary object. It could even be a non-stationary object, such as a movie/TV show, secular music, etc. And when it comes to stationary objects, it could be from a Monster energy drink (which has the Hebrew 666 written on each can), a talisman, SATANIC/VIOLENT VIDEOGAMES, crystals, black candles, Ouija board, books on witchcraft (like Harry Potter – which, btw, contains ACTUAL spells in them – did you KNOW that, people?), posters, Satanic/Wiccan/New Age religions desktop backgrounds, statues (EVEN OF “Catholic saints”, which are actually DEMONS, btw), dream catchers, incense, etc.
Have you ever noticed how it starts off SO SMALL? A fleeting fascination with someone who doesn’t see the true, biblical gospel as important as WE do (BEFORE we’re engaged/married?) Feeling all of a sudden DEATHLY TIRED out of nowhere as soon as we want to try to read the bible, yet we have no problems staying up late at night to read our favorite novel(s), am I right? Feeling as though we don’t NEED to read the bible at all since we “already know what’s in there!” Other members of our friends and family getting down on us saying that we “take religion/the bible too seriously”. People that DO NOT follow the bible or its contents making US feel as though we are nothing but HATEFUL, SPITEFUL PEOPLE *for* obeying the bible and its contents! Those of “other religions” making us feel GUILTY for sharing THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL with them, as if we had stabbed them with a sword and somehow “wounded” them or “hurt them” in the process!
People trying to make US feel INTELLECTUALLY STUPID for BELIEVING THE BIBLE AND ITS CONTENTS. Seeing those around us who DON’T follow Jesus PROSPER! Being threatened by those who do NOT follow the bible! Being made to feel ASHAMED for believing in the bible and its contents! Being made to feel as though WE ARE NEVER GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE LORD, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO! Being made to feel as though WE’LL NEVER MAKE A TRUE DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES WHEN WE PREACH OF THEM THE GOSPEL! Being bogged down by SEVERE health and/or mental issues! Problems with friends, family, work, etc. Those are the MANY WAYS in which Satan the Devil gets the ball rolling when it comes to US starting to QUESTION THE LORD/QUESTION THE LORD’S MERCY & DIVINE PROVIDENCE TOWARDS ALL THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM!
Folks, look: It’s not like people that are deceived by Satan are stupid or anything. Many of them are world-renown authors, scientists, astrophysicists, CEO’s of big companies, college professors, doctors, lawyers, etc. Also as well: While some “willingly” let themselves be deceived by Satan (“If I’m being deceived by Satan, so what, this is how I live and that’s that”), a good majority of deceived people DON’T EVEN REALIZE THAT SATAN TRULY EXISTS!!!!!!!!! So in a way, it’s not their fault, they’re deceived and don’t even know it……..lost souls that need to come back to God!
But yet, I MUST ask this question: How does a person who PREACHES the gospel to others and help bring MANY souls to salvation in Yeshua/Jesus then turn around and think/claim that Paul is a false prophet? Folks, it’s either one of three things:
- Said “preacher” is PURPOSELY trying to deceive people and take them AWAY from Christ/Yeshua since they themselves had their own special “falling out” with Christ/Yeshua and so want to secretly take as many people with them to hell/the lake of fire someday as humanly possible
- Said “preacher” is just doing it for shock/attention value
- Said “preacher” is TRULY depressed (on the inside) and TRULY deceived and is secretly fighting MANY DEMONS that the rest of the world doesn’t see
I’m honestly not sure what type of falling out Justin Best happened to have with Jesus/Yeshua! Did he see too much hypocrisy going on with Adam Fink and the rest of the Parable of the Vineyard and Christian Truthers ministries? Did something really, really bad and terrible happen to him that made him question his entire faith system? Did those of other religions start knocking on his door and “communing” with him in a sort’ve discourse that went like: “You’re Christian, bro, therefore, it is your Christian DUTY to hear us out. Do you REALLY think that an all-knowing, all-powerful God is gonna throw Muslims or Hindus out of heaven for believing in Him in a slightly different way? Come on, bro!”
The truth is, we simply don’t know. Justin Best is not stupid by ANY means! He’s got EXTENSIVE military and business training and is very, very smart, intellectually! But I’ve definitely seen an “Evolution” in him over the years. He used to be so gung ho about preaching the gospel of Jesus/Yeshua and salvation. And then, he joined the Hebrew roots movement. While IN the Hebrew roots movement, he started to be somewhat led astray, in my humble opinion. Why? Because he was debating rather he should follow the moon sabbaths or the sundown sabbaths. That was my first clue. I wanted to humbly say something to him about it in Christian love and Christian mercy but I feared he would take it the wrong way, so I said nothing. Looking back, it’s been one of my life’s most biggest regrets for I now I feel like had I spoken up about this sooner, I might’ve been able to save him from being spiritually led astray!
One major problem with the Hebrew roots movement is that they call EVERYONE “brother”. This is not right! Yes, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, sure. But that does NOT mean that we are to automatically welcome EVERY person into a group with “open arms” for there are MANY spiritual wolves in sheep’s clothing out there, looking to scatter the flock! WE MUST TEST THEM BY THEIR FRUITS! Naturally trusting EVERY single person in the Born-Again Christian/Hebrew roots Movement IS CAUSE FOR GREAT, SPIRITUAL DANGER! Because you NEVER know where all the “Judas Iscariots” are hiding….?
That’s why YOU MUST SPIRITUALLY TEST **ALL** CHRISTIAN/MESSIANIC JEWISH INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU COME INTO CONTACT WITH! And if you see ONE wrong teaching, even just ONE, correct them with Christian love and compassion. If they accept your correction, great. If they DON’T, be weary! Be VERY weary and ON YOUR HIGH SPIRITUAL GUARD! Because if a person DOES NOT care about even just ONE “false teaching”, then that means that their spiritual HEART is NOT in the right place and if their spiritual HEART is NOT in the right place to begin with, should they REALLY be SPIRITUALLY trusted? Think about that, folks!
But anyways, what’s MOST troubling to me about Justin Best’s “fall from grace” (as I call it) is that he said he discussed his “Paul is a false apostle” teaching with OTHER “Christian brothers” who AGREED with him! Well, you know what? These so-called “Christian Brothers” did Justin Best A MOST SERIOUS SPIRITUAL DISSERVICE! Because not ONLY was their spiritual findings “wrong”, but THEY PUT JUSTIN BEST’S SOUL (AS WELL AS THEIR OWN) AT RISK/PERIL! How could this BE? How could such “born-again” Christian “brothers” encourage Justin to dive into such a “false teaching?” I’ll tell you why…….it is because those “brothers” were NOT properly spiritually vetted by Justin and are themselves already spiritually led astray! Justin was basing his/their findings on his/their FEELINGS, rather than on the bible’s REALITY!
And that’s where I’m going with this whole entire post, folks! We have to base the scriptures on the bible’s REALITY and NOT our own feelings! Satan and his demons THRIVE on our “feelings!” Why? Because the bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”. So in other words, FEELINGS can be VERY EASILY MANIPULATED while the bible’s TRUE reality can NOT! That’s WHY Satan and his demons choose FEELINGS to work on/work with when it comes to human deception! Because when we THINK about what the scriptures SHOULD say, or about what Jesus SHOULD do/say, it’s VERY EASY for Satan to come in and DECEIVE US, who “…..walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
But again, I’m sure this whole entire “deception process” with Justin didn’t happen overnight. It was apparently a VERY long, drawn-out process. My guess is that it all likely started with “spiritual burnout”. Many priests and pastors and spiritual leaders experience this. And it’s hard for many of them to be under a microscope AND to be held up on a sort’ve pedestal all the time. In fact, it can sometimes be quite exhausting. Not to mention it’s ALOT of pressure. I think more than likely that Justin started to buckle underneath all the pressure a bit. Running a full-time ministry on top of one’s daily job is ALOT of work! It all starts out small. A spiritual leader wants to take a week off. Then a week becomes 2 weeks, becomes a month, then becomes a few months. And before ya know it, as a spiritual leader, if you’re not careful, you’ll enter into a stage of lukewarmness due to all the overwhelming responsibilities that go along with running a full-time ministry. (Believe me, I know, I’ve been there!)
So my theory is that it started off as burnout, then eventually morphed into lukewarmness, which then eventually morphed into doubt/lack of faith, which then morphed into “Jesus and Dionysus are one and the same”. And unfortunately, this is very, very sad and unfortunate! Many upon many people have tried to warn him that he’s wrong, that he’s been spiritually led astray and that he’s honestly in danger of the Mark of the Beast and possible Eternal Judgement someday if he doesn’t soon repent and come back to a saving faith and knowledge of Yeshua/Jesus before it’s too late.
But like any wounded spiritual child, he (for the past several months anyways) hasn’t seemed to want to listen. So I guess all I can do at this point is continue to pray for him in the name of Yeshua/Jesus and encourage others to do the same. Because usually, when people are THAT defiant towards Yeshua/Jesus/etc., it’s because of a very personal struggle or event that’s just between he and Yeshua/Jesus. Something very bad or traumatic must’ve happened to him to make him so defiant towards Jesus/Yeshua and Paul. Because usually “defiant ex-Christians/Messianic Jews” on the OUTSIDE are actually SECRETLY HURTING on the INSIDE! So who or what is this young man, Justin Best, running from? What hurt him so bad that he turned his back on Jesus/Yeshua? One can only guess. That’s WHY we must still continue to pray for this young man!
And once again, if ANY of you are struggling with inner pain or conflict, have critical questions of the faith, or are still wondering what your purpose is and rather or not Jesus truly loves you or not, etc., then PLEASE, pretty please, take up those questions, concerns and “inner hurts” WITH/TO Jesus! DON’T SHUT JESUS OUT AND TURN HIM AWAY, THAT’S THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IN THAT CASE! Jesus knows you’re human, Jesus knows you got questions. And ya know what? HE’S GOT ANSWERS! 😉
“Almighty Yeshua, I pray for all of those who are struggling with inner pain and conflict today…..For those who are DESPERATELY hurting inside, yet, don’t yet know how to verbalize or pray about it to you or even how to admit it to you…..For those who got some serious questions about the validity of the bible, its contents or its many prophets…..For those who turned their back on you due to anger, hurt, guilt, uncertainty or misunderstanding…….For those who don’t yet know their true purpose in life…..Please heal them, help them get back up on their spiritual feet again and re-welcome them with open arms. Because I don’t think in my heart of hearts that they TRULY want(ed) to turn away from you – they just want(ed) their pain and struggles to end. Please help them at this most difficult time in their life. Please help them to know that you LOVE THEM and that you’ll ALWAYS be there to welcome them back with open arms, when they’re ready. Please let them know that you haven’t forgotten them and that you still patiently and lovingly wait to welcome them back with open arms. Remind him or her of the parable of the prodigal son if you must. Show them the many ways in which you still love them and haven’t forgotten them. Use as many glorious signs as you have to in order to bring them back into the fold and back into your loving, divine, compassionate arms. Amen”.