(2 Timothy 4:3-4) “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
At one time C.H. Spurgeon, that great Baptist Prince of Pulpiteers of the 19th Century, said this; “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” False prophets and teachers have always been around. They were very active and numerous in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Jezebel had 450 of them sitting with her when she wined and dined her guests (1 Kings 18:19). Right through the Old Testament we see these false prophets telling God’s people what they wanted to hear instead of what they needed to hear. In the New Testament we see false teachers in abundance, wolves among the sheep, seeking to spiritually deceive the very elect if this were possible? (Matthew 7:15) (Matthew 24:24)
Satan is not after the goats but the sheep. He knows there are plenty of goats being entertained by clowns in the pulpits and he is not concerned about those because he already has them under his spell. The ones Satan is worried about are you and me who want to stay faithful to the Lord Jesus and to the absolute authority of his Word in its entirety. Timothy was a young pastor who had been personally trained by the apostle Paul. In his first letter to Timothy Paul had specifically spoken about deceiving spirits that would be prevalent in the last days within the wider Body of the Messiah. The Holy Spirit was very specific in this matter. Paul writes; “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).
Now in his second letter to Timothy he commanded him to preach the Word of God whether it is done in favourable or unfavourable circumstances and to correct error, rebuke unbiblical behaviour and to encourage with great patience and careful instruction those who are vulnerable to spiritual deception (2 Timothy 4:2). Paul also warned Timothy that a time would come when there would be in effect “clowns entertaining the goats instead of Shepherds feeding the sheep.” It is clear that those who follow these ‘wolves’ in disguise are themselves spiritually deceived and today there is no end to false prophets and teachers peddling their unbiblical doctrines and so called spiritual ‘manifestations.’
If there is not Biblical doctrine taught then there will not be Biblical living. We tend to do what we believe so it is very important we know what God has said in His Word so that we might believe rightly and live accordingly. Now it must be very irritating having an itching ear that has to be scratched. Paul recognized in his time that there would be those within the ranks of believers who could not put up with sound doctrine but instead wanted ‘ear-tickling’ for that which is not according to God’s Word but according to the words and opinions of man. The word Laodicea means “people’s opinions” and this is a conspicuous mark of the end-time apostasy we see today.
Those with fleshly desires that do not want to be governed by the Word of God deliberately seek after those teachers and doctrines that make them ‘feel good’ and pander to their fleshly appetites and desires. In fact they are not satisfied with only one ‘teacher’ or ‘prophet’ but rather enjoy being entertained by many. Just take a look at one of the biggest Christian Broadcasting Network Company on television and the Internet to see this sort of thing where the love of money and covetousness and “having it good” in this world, is propagated and impressed upon gullible naive and spiritually deceived professing Christians by false teachers and profits, I mean prophets! Where is the discernment today? Tragically for the wider Body of the Messiah many genuine believers have been spiritually deceived by the hyper faith money-preachers or those seeker-friendly, hyper- Charismatic and ecumenical churches that preach a rather muted gospel that entertains undoubtedly many goats but does not feed or strengthen the sheep.
Paul also tells Timothy that those who follow after those that scratch their itching ears to hear what they want to hear, will turn them away from the truth and turn them aside to fables or stories that have been made up. Today within the wider Body of the Messiah there is no shortage of those propagating their dreams and visions and prophetic utterances that pamper to the fleshly appetites of those who do not love and obey the truth. False miracles, signs and wonders are not only a mark of the very last days but are paving the way for the man of sin which will bring with him a spirit of deception so powerful that it will bring complete spiritual deception. It will come to the point where those who have yielded to the enchantment of wickedness and lawlessness will no longer be able to believe the truth even when they hear it preached to them. God will have sent them a powerful delusion and they will remain entrapped in the web of spiritual deception. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
The apostle Peter writes; “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping” (2 Peter 2:1-3)
Notice the phrase to “secretly introduce destructive heresies” as this has the idea of laying truth and error side by side. It has been said there is always cheese in the rat trap. Satan does not tell outright lies but mixes truth and error together. It’s like having a beautiful gourmet sandwich filled with all kinds of nutritious ingredients but laced with arsenic, a slow acting poison that after accumulating in the body brings about death. Watch out for those who sensationalize their spiritual experiences. Testimony is a wonderful thing as to what God has done for you but remember always to glorify the Lord Jesus otherwise pride will, by stealth, enter in and turn you aside from focusing on Him and giving Him the credit.
At best, without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit controlling us moment by moment, every one of us are spiritually basket cases! None of us is immune from spiritual deception and we must be diligent students of God’s Spirit-breathed Word because it will prove at the end of this present age to be for us as a light of hope shining in a dark place and the world is getting spiritually darker as the Day of the Lord rapidly approaches. (2 Peter 1:19-21) So Charles Spurgeon hit the nail on the head when he said; “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” How sadly prophetic!
