The Devil Is A Beautiful Liar

2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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.”

Remember, the Devil is a beautiful liar! The preceding passage of Scripture to me is fascinating. I marvel at THE TRUTH. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this truth certainly fits that proper description. It goes contrary to our human concept of Satan (who is the embodiment of pure evil), that such a dastardly individual could also masquerade and disguise himself as one of God's righteous angels. But why not, knowing Scripturally that the Devil is in fact Lucifer, the fallen archangel. Isaiah 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” By the way, the word “Lucifer” has been removed from most of the Devil's modern English Bible revisions! Now why would they do that? If you go back and read our text passage from 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15, you'll have your answer! Satan is a master counterfeiter, the evil father of all liars, a shady con-artist of all con-artists!!!

If I were the Devil, I would fabricate my deceptions and lies as close to the truth as possible, to deceive my victims. Dear friend, that is EXACTLY how the Devil operates! Satan knows that if he makes his deadly deceptions too obvious, then people will avoid his traps.

I have been trying to catch some pesky rats and mice that scurry around my kitchen night and day. They got into my bread a few times, eating right through the plastic bags, so I bought a big hard plastic container at Lowe's to put all my bread inside, which is working well. I caught one of the bigger rats in a glue trap last week. So I put some more glue traps out, but the other rats and mice have been avoiding them. I did some reading online to see if rats can learn to avoid traps, and sure enough, they do! Rats learn quickly. People are the same way when the Devil tries to entrap them, so Satan gets even more clever and sneaky.

Billy Graham Was Satan's Minister Of Unrighteousness

Here are the heretical words of perhaps the world's most famous modern evangelist, Billy Graham (1918-2018), from his own website. Tragically, this is a false Gospel which cannot produce the new birth...

How To Be Sure You're Saved

First, you must recognize your need.

Second, you must understand the cross.

Third, you must count the cost.

He also said, “Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost? … So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:28, 33).

Many people come to Christ without first counting the cost. The cost includes repentance, the forsaking of sin, and a continual, daily, open acknowledgment of Christ in your life.

Fourth, you must take a definite step.

One day at Stanford University, a student of a non-Christian faith came to me and said he was convinced that Jesus is the Son of God but said he couldn’t confess Him publicly. He said that back in his own country the cost socially would be too great.

I had to tell him that the Bible says: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Like the rich young ruler of old, the student went away sad. He had counted the cost and was not able to pay the price of open acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as his Savior.

We ask people to make a public confession of Christ in our meetings because Christ demanded a definite commitment. Christ had reasons for demanding that people openly follow Him. He knew that an unwitnessed vow is no vow at all. Until you have surrendered to Christ by a definite act of your will, you are not a Christian.

SOURCE: How to Be Sure You’re Saved | Decision Magazine | BGEA

Liar, liar, soul and body on fire in Hell!!!

Billy Graham has woefully confused discipleship with salvation, mixing the two, which is another gospel that cannot produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God. One of my very favorite quotes, comes from one of my favorite Gospel preachers, John Bunyan:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Every pastor and every layman should memorize that precious quote, as I have also.

The apostle Paul writes to the saints in Rome (Romans 1:7). Paul pleads with the saints in Rome to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2). Now if discipleship were required to be saved, then these people could not have been saints. The Bible tells us that Paul wrote (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) the book of Romans to the saints (meaning they were saved):

Romans 1:6-8, “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

Clearly, the Bible teaches that a person CAN be born-again, and yet sinfully CHOOSE to be conformed to this world, failing to present their body as a living sacrifice to serve God. If it were not a choice, a matter of freewill, then Paul wouldn't be making an appeal unto the saints at Rome to choose to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to serve God. You see, the Apostle Paul is rightly keeping discipleship completely separate from salvation. Paul is keeping sanctification (growing in grace), completely separate from justification (being born-again).

Yet, Billy Graham is corrupted theologically, big time! In the same article and link that I just shared with you earlier from Graham's website, he errantly teaches that the rich young ruler in Luke 18 “had counted the cost and was not able to pay the price of open acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as his Savior.” That is trash theology ladies and gentlemen!!!

Would you please read John 12:42-43 with me, proving that Mr. Graham a fraud:

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) taught me in his Bible commentaries a wonderful truth. Dr. Rice is the only preacher I know of, so far, whom I've heard comment on The Rich Young Ruler, who interprets this passages correctly. Dr. Rice says that Jesus was using the Old Testament law the way God intended for it to be used, to show this young man that he is a needy sinner incapable of perfectly keeping the law to merit Heaven. Thus seeing his inability to measure up to God's perfect standard of righteousness (the law), a man is brought to Christ to be saved by grace through faith (Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:24-26). Jesus wasn't giving this young man a plan of salvation (as Billy Graham falsely claims); but rather, Jesus was using the law as intended, to show the young lad that in fact he hadn't perfectly kept the law since his youth. Notice what the lad said to Jesus in Luke 18:21, “And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.” You see, the young man was self-righteous, just like Billy Graham.

But you say, “Wait a minute, I heard Billy Graham say many times that eternal life is a free gift, which we cannot earn by works.” Yes, but as Michael Bowen rightly points out in his helpful book titled: “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” Billy Graham's demonic false gospel subtly teaches grace plus works for salvation (please read this carefully, it will open your eyes):

Billy says that we cannot earn our salvation no matter what we do, no matter how many good deeds we do, but immediately afterward he tells everyone that they must change their behavior, submit their inner wills to Christ, and to stop sinning. He gives verses that tell us to believe on Christ alone and that salvation is a free gift given to us the instant we believe, such as John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9, yet he turns right around and says that we must make a 180-degree change in our direction, that it takes a lot of effort on our part to do these things, and that we should determine with all of our efforts to follow Christ.

He then says that we don’t have the power to follow Christ unless the Holy Spirit enables us to do so. Billy will then usually tell us again that we must commit our lives to Christ and that we must become practicing disciples of Jesus in order to be born again, but at the same time, he knocks everyone off balance when he turns right back around to tell his audience that salvation is free and that it is received by faith alone and that we cannot do a single thing to earn it. Then Billy demands again and again that we must quit sinning in order to be saved, but directly afterward he rotates back and forth from “quit sinning” to “you can do nothing of yourself to earn it.”

He says that salvation is free, but immediately afterward he says that we must carefully consider the costs of following Christ. “Costs” is the opposite of “free,” yet, nobody will dare to question Billy Graham about the validity of what he is saying because he is, in fact, so forceful in his tone of voice and in his facial expressions that I am convinced people are afraid of him. The glare alone from his stern stare that one can easily see in his eyes as they sweep across the masses of people in his audience is enough to keep people from ever questioning the validity of his teachings.

Again and again, Billy says that salvation is not of yourselves, that it is a free gift, but then quickly does a U-turn and makes your salvation dependent upon quitting your sins and devoting your life to discipleship. Then, to make matters worse, Billy makes everlasting life in heaven dependent upon your walking down the isle and making your decision to follow Christ “as your Lord” public. Billy says that Christ will not acknowledge you before His Father if you do not acknowledge Him before other people, which, in context, means that you will not go to heaven unless you tell other people that you have made a decision to follow Christ.

Then Billy will usually tell his audience that salvation is, again, a free gift that cannot be earned no matter what we do. It is, by far, Graham’s terse persona that captivates and influences an audience rather than the Holy Spirit of God. Hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if you were in a car with someone the likes of whom I am about to describe? Imagine you are trying to get somewhere that you’ve never been before and the person next to you says this:

“Okay, take a left, and then take a right, and then stop, back up, take another right. Wait. Take another left. My map is correct! Trust me! Stop. Go right again, then turn left. Can’t you go any faster? Okay, turn right here. Stop. Take a left, then take another left. Wait. Go back. Can’t you do anything right? Start over. Go right, then left, go sharply right now. Stop! Can’t you follow my directions? Back up and take another right. Wait, go left. Trust me, I know where I’m taking you!” That, reader, is the sad yet accurate equivalent of the plan of salvation according to Billy Graham. It will get you nowhere. “There is an increasing number of ‘evangelicals’ today who are preaching that in order for a man to be saved he must not only receive Christ as his Savior, but also must make Him absolute Lord and Master of his life. This doctrine has been termed “Lordship salvation” and has absolutely no support from the Word of God. It is, in fact, another subtle way Satan has invented to get Bible-believing men to add works to salvation without, perhaps, their realizing it, and to do it in such a way that it sounds spiritual and good” (Stanford, 87-88).

We would all agree that quitting sins and bad habits is the right thing to do, and that following Christ and doing the things that He says to do is the right and honorable way to live in every case or situation we might find ourselves in, but quitting your sins and bad habits, as well as following Christ to the best of your ability, are not part of God’s simple plan of salvation. As good as the Christian Lifestyle is, no aspect of it is included in God’s salvation contract with humankind. Living the Christian Lifestyle and doing all of those wonderful deeds that we are supposed to do as born again Christians comes “after” we are saved, not before.

SOURCE: I NEVER KNEW YOU (.pdf), by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; pages 137-138

Hard Copies Are Available!

I've never read a better explanation of what is wrong with Billy Graham's heretical plan of salvation (or better said, “plan of damnation”). Remember what I said at the beginning of this blog—the Devil fabricates his lies and deceptions as close to THE TRUTH as possible, to deceive his victims. 

Michael Bowen is absolutely correct, quitting your sins and bad habits, as well as following Christ to the best of your ability, are not part of God’s simple plan of salvation. As good as the Christian Lifestyle is, no aspect of it is included in God’s salvation contract with humankind. Dear reader, YOU must decide whom to believe and trust. Are you going to trust Billy Graham's very different plan of salvation than the Bible's? Or are you going to trust what Jesus Himself said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Either faith alone in the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ crucified on a cross, buried and bodily resurrected the third day is enough to save a needy sinner (1st Corinthians 15:1-6); or else it is not enough, and Billy Graham is right, who says that to be saved, you must forsake your sinful behavior, serve God and for the rest of your life continue to openly confess the name of Jesus everywhere you go, paying the price. Whom are you going to believe my friend? Will you believe JESUS, who has already paid the price for your sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19)? Or will you believe Billy Graham, who says YOU must count the cost and pay the price to be saved? The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Always remember, the Devil is a beautiful liar!

Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935)