The charlatans who would “make merchandise” of the saints are the purveyors of “itching ears theology”. Their target is the group of believers with shallow roots; the group most likely to fall for their deceit and “fall away” from the faith altogether in times of tribulation. The direct impact of the charlatans, the fleecing of individual sheep, is bad enough, but a worse problem is the impact they have had on the overall church. To use a Biblical analogy, the “leaven” they introduced and the mainline ministers failed to exorcise, has infected the whole loaf and sullied the reputation of the entire church; or as Paul put it, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. By not running them out of the ministry with the same zeal that Christ expelled the money changers, the church allowed their “itching ears theology” to infect, to some degree, every member and every church. When charlatans are allowed to operate with impunity within the church, the church can’t blame outsiders for tarring us all with the same brush.

The Bible tells us the end of the earth will be preceded by a time of Great Tribulation; the natural consequence of a depraved mankind being led by masters of deceit.

In 1903 government spending as a percentage of all the goods and services produced in this country stood at 7%. In 2009 it was 43%. You don’t have to be a mathematician or a prophet to know this is headed toward complete government control of the economy, and our lives.

The reason salvation is a spiritual experience and not a mechanical process is that “surrender” is not just step three in a three part process; it is a state of mind. First, we have to acknowledge our own limitations to realize the need for a Savior. Second, we have to believe there is a Savior. Third, we have to surrender to His will for our lives. Although it involves steps, these are not mechanical processes. Prescribed words cannot be strung together in some pre-determined order as though one were following an algebraic formula. One can recite “the sinner’s prayer” as though it were a mantra until they are blue in the face, and if the heart is not right, it will not bring salvation. Surrender, and the salvation it brings, is a state of mind, born of humility, and a contrite heart and spirit. Unfortunately, the modern church places all the emphasis on the formula (“the sinner’s prayer”) because it is uniform, simple, and easy. The result is a church full of nominal believers that know nothing of the power, peace, or joy that surrender brings. They may go through the rituals of church attendance and participate in church programs, but they are acting out of self-will and in pursuit of self-interest. They are making themselves do it because they don’t want to go to hell; or perhaps church is their social life. I believe Jesus is referring to these nominal believers when he said; “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

The Bible teaches about a belief that saves and a belief that doesn’t. The difference is surrender. Unfortunately, more often than not, the church is teaching the wrong version.

If we claim to love the God of truth while remaining dispassionate about the pursuit of truth, we contradict ourselves.

Its value is not in appeal, but rather, in its ability to transform the lives of those who get past its inherent lack of appeal.

To insure our peace of mind and support, progressive politicians tell us we can have cradle to grave entitlements without handing over the fruits of our labor or compromising our liberty. To insure our peace of mind and our donations, the charlatans in religion lead us to believe we can have salvation without surrender that leads to eternal life without commitment. They both sound like pretty sweet gigs if you can get ’em. The charlatans and hucksters, like the politicians who push progressive policies, are way out in front brazenly promoting their itching ears theology, while the more conservative ministers, like the so-called conservatives in our political system, are trying to show some restraint in terms of speed; but they nevertheless continue to move in the direction of telling people what they want to hear. It’s another step in the direction of itching ears theology and another step toward financial collapse for the country. No one has the courage to promote the hard truths without which both the political and religious systems will fail. So, on to Armageddon we march.

The modern church pays lip service to spiritual warfare and recruiting for the Lord’s army, but “itching ears theology” will never produce anything but a sense of entitlement, and when the first casualties are taken in the spiritual battle to come, there will be a complete breakdown in morale; a complete and justifiable loss of respect for the chain of command, utter confusion, chaos, and mass desertion. If this sounds a lot like some of the scenes from the Book of Revelation, it probably isn’t coincidence.

I take the position that all references to the Antichrist, the end of days, the desecration of the temple, the tribulation period, etc. are references to future events. This does not preclude them from applying to historical events as well. The Bible and history are literally full of events that are foreshadowings of events to come. History really does repeat itself. Or as the writer of Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 says, The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Delusion occurs when the warm fuzzy feeling we get from the preferred belief is more important to us than truth. God said he would send “strong delusion” to those who “received not the love of the truth”.

The idea that we can be transported from hedonism to heaven on a feather bed is the essence of itching ears theology. The four cornerstones of itching ears theology we have covered so far are “easybelieveism”, “eternal security”, “prosperity theology”, and “escapeism”. I want to call the church to account for these dubious doctrines.

Speaking to the priestly class of the day, In Malachi 1:10 God asked the rhetorical question, Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? His point was that if they weren’t being compensated for it, they’d abandon their post and wouldn’t even bother to close the doors on their way out. From this we get the truism that “no one does nought but for gain”. It is not so much a condemnation as it is a simple statement of fact about human nature. It has been so from the dawn of time. Self-centeredness was the original sin; the one that got Satan expelled from heaven. We learn about it in Isaiah 14:12-15; 12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Note that in two verses the devil uses the phrase “I will” five times. One does not have to have great interpretive skills or a degree in psychology to see the self-centeredness that underlies those statements.

The point, in this context, is that anyone who says their motives are entirely pure is ignorant, delusional, or lying. Make no mistake; self-centeredness is the soil that nourishes the root of all evil. Paul tells us in 1st Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil…” That is certainly true. But let’s take it a step further. Why do people love money? It isn’t for its intrinsic beauty; it has none. We love it because we can use it to lavish gifts on ourselves. Putting it another way, we love money because it can purchase things that can be laid on the altar before the god of self. Why do you think Paul said “covetousness…is idolatry” (Col 3:5)? Idolatry, by definition requires an idol. Self is the idol of which Paul speaks when he says “covetousness…is idolatry”. It explains why “thou shalt not covet” is among the Ten Commandments. Perhaps, it is why the ten begin with “thou shalt have no other gods before me” and end with “thou shalt not covet”. It closes the loop. The love of money may be the root of all evil, but self-centeredness is the soil from which the root draws its nourishment and without which evil cannot survive.

There is something disingenuous about a handsomely paid minister wearing a thousand dollar suit in a gold plated sanctuary preaching on tithing as though we were still a theocracy and under Old Testament law. We are neither. Preaching as though we are, to people who know better, is spreading more cynicism than gospel. Street wise people see the church’s emphasis on tithing as just a way of separating folks from their money. You’d have to be pretty naïve to attribute to coincidence the fact that tithing is the only one of the 613 commands of the Old Testament that is regularly preached in modern churches.

I’m not trying to suggest that spoken public prayer is always wrong, or even inappropriate. Although I can’t really imagine any of us in similar circumstances, we saw from Jesus’ example in the case of Lazarus, that circumstances really do alter all cases. I am suggesting that spoken public prayer is inconsistent with both the teaching and example set by Christ. Furthermore, I am saying it is a very slippery slope that can easily lead to the kind of self-aggrandizing displays the Pharisees were rebuked for.

The love of money may be the root of all evil, but self-centeredness is the soil from which the root draws its nourishment and without which evil cannot survive.

Obviously, I believe the church has a lot of work to do in terms of purging itself of the dubious doctrines and self-serving rituals designed to tickle the ears of congregants and elevate church leaders. Regardless of intent, these doctrines and rituals are more effective at paving the way for the Antichrist than helping the lost. It’s pretty clear from Revelation that the Antichrist will use warm fuzzy promises, signs and wonders, self-promotion, and ritualized piety to cement his status as supreme leader. A church that has been employing the same techniques will have an awfully hard time convincing people they shouldn’t fall for these methods.

Unfortunately, I believe the church of today is much like the one in Jesus’ day; it’s made up of “blind leaders of the blind” (Mt 15:14).

Indulging the insecurities of spiritual pygmies instead of sending them back to the boot camp of surrender is paving the way for the Antichrist.

If anybody, and everybody, is entitled to their own translation, and they are all to be given equal weight, there is no sacred Word of God.

But intentionally cherry picking the Word of God in order to mislead people is neither ignorance nor error; it is a manifestation of evil.

By placing a counterfeit path (acknowledgment, sinner’s prayer, public profession, baptism, church attendance etc.) beside the real path to salvation (faith, repentance, surrender), Satan has done what he has always done; presented “…a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25). The difference between God’s plan and Satan’s plan will always seem subtle to the unsaved. But subtlety is what Satan and spiritual warfare are all about. Genesis 3:1 tells us; “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” I do not expect the Antichrist to publicly deny God or His Word; certainly not at first. I expect him to subtly manipulate the Word of God in a way that elevates him to the status of god, even if he doesn’t lay direct claim to that title. I expect him to employ clever, sophisticated, artful, and strategic deceptions that vary only in subtle detail from the truth. This is subterfuge through subtlety.

The Antichrist is not going to show up on the world stage with horns, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork. He won’t be wearing a name tag saying Antichrist. He is infinitely more likely to have an angelic appearance. Think of 2nd Corinthians 11:14; “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” He will not be touting his way as the way to eternal damnation; he will be promoting it as the path to enlightenment and utopia; in other words, heaven. I expect he will be promising just about everyone just about everything. It’s no different from the false promise of enlightenment he held out for Eve in the garden. “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.” (Gen 3:5). In other words he’ll be preaching “prosperity theology”. Just follow my lead, and you’ll be healthy, wealthy, and wise; “ye shall be as gods”. He even promised Eve a version of everlasting life or “eternal security”. In Genesis 3:4 he tells Eve; “Ye shall not surely die:”

Don’t take my word for the destructive nature of dependency or chalk my comments up to conservative ideals. The liberal icon of the left, the patriarch of all progressives, and the father of “The New Deal” stated in his 1935 State Of The Union speech that, “The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fibre. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit.”

With the church failing in its commission, with society becoming more secularized by the day, with government creating dependents by taking over our lives and consuming our liberty, with economic collapse on the horizon, with terrorism on the rise, and knowing about the world’s date with Armageddon, it would be easy to get discouraged. But we should not. The world is going to hell in a hand basket and all we can hope to do is perhaps delay the inevitable. However, we can still win on the two fronts where it really matters. We can avoid being among the duped when the Antichrist comes to power, and we can know that when the period of tribulation that separates the wheat from the chaff is over, we’ll be among the wheat. It’s a pretty good deal when you think about it; the same deal God has always offered. We can’t rewrite the script to change the overall story line, but we can pick the role we wish to play. If we stand on His side throughout, even if we’re among the martyrs during the tribulation, we’ll be among the winners in the end.

Most promote a form of “itching ears theology” that is based more on filling the pews and coffers than on sound doctrine. To compete for “contributors”, they have stretched the positive while glossing over and watering down the hard truths. This has gone on to the point that much of what emanates from pulpits today is bordering on fairy tale and many believers have been “turned unto fables” (2nd Tim 4:4).

Doctrinal error is just like leaven; once it is introduced, it spreads almost supernaturally throughout the loaf. Such are the fables that pass for doctrine today. Apart from a remnant, that God is never without, the whole church is infected.

When the question of appeal becomes a factor in determining doctrinal positions, we don’t just invite error, we invite evil.

In a very fundamental way, the main aspects of the gospel are well beyond unappealing; they are downright offensive; intentionally so.

While they would be repulsed by the notion of overtly lying, they routinely create false impressions by over emphasizing the simple and positive, while omitting the difficult and negative. They are being sucked into the vortex; the downward spiral that starts with shaving the rough edges off the truth, and ends with wholesale deception.

We live in a time when deception has been elevated to an art form. Politicians hire people called press secretaries whose sole purpose is to distort facts in such a way that the politician will be viewed more favorably than warranted. In point of fact “press secretary” itself is a deception. Press secretary is really a euphemism for “spin doctor”, which is a euphemism for liar. Face it; any endeavor, the purpose of which is to place a degree of separation between an individual and the whole unvarnished truth, is a lie. We should not allow it to escape the label just because it is clever or subtle.

Many passages of scripture lend themselves to more than one interpretation. This is quite apparent from the number of denominations within the Christian community. Ambiguous passages of scripture must be interpreted by considering the overall context and making a decision based on a preponderance of all the Biblical evidence. But, no amount of energy or scholarship can remove all uncertainty from every text. There will always be different logical interpretations of difficult passages. Some interpretations will always be more appealing than others. Human nature will always predispose us toward adopting the more appealing interpretation. The problem doesn’t arise so much from a specific or isolated instance of selecting a doctrinal position on the basis of appeal. The problem occurs when selection on the basis of appeal becomes systemic. When a whole series of possible interpretations are selected on the basis of appeal and then woven together, the result won’t be sound systematic theology or doctrine; it will be a fairy tale. I believe that modern competitive pressures and human predispositions have turned us away from sound doctrine and toward fables. The industrial and information ages opened the Pandora’s Box of judging doctrinal positions on the basis of appeal. I believe this is what Paul foresaw when he said, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Tim 4:3-4).

Far too many people are going to be looking for the personification of the Devil, but he will be well disguised as “an angel of light”.