TESTING THE SPIRITS --- in This Age of the ANTICHRIST

1 John 4: 1 – 3

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of GOD: because  many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Wicked spirits DO NOT NEED

a human being to torment us;

they can do a thorough job of it themselves.

SHOCKINGLY, some modern versions omit the WAY one will know that a spirit is NOT of CHRIST:  That spirit will NOT acknowledge --- will NOT confess --- that JESUS CHRIST (as) having come in flesh . . . as a human being. . .  as the MESSIAH-MAN.

These modern versions do this in two ways.

The first way is to OMIT that  this passage is addressing SPIRITS.

The second way is to REMOVE that the spirits are tested by this confession: JESUS CHRIST has come IN FLESH.

 In 1 John 4, some versions glibly insert “messages”, “teachers”, “teachings”, and even “prophets” INSTEAD of what the Greek text actually states --- pneuma (pneuma or its forms = spirit).

It is “spirit” in all manuscripts,

Alexandrian and Byzantine alike, and what the Greek Text implies throughout the verse in 1 John 4:3.

 

Now then, the very first sentence in 1 John 4 STATES the topic:

the Christian’s duty is to CONFRONT 

the antiChrist SPIRITS.

Obviously, the Apostle is talking about SPIRITUAL WARFARE  and dealing directly with the SPIRIT of the antiChrist. . . not merely teachers , prophets, and a host of others who deny that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh and who are openly enemies of CHRIST.

Scripture is SO CLEAR in 1 John 4 .

The Apostle plainly tells us to TEST the spirits.

Here is a testimony from a Christian on the Spiritual Battlefront.

“When I was a new Christian, just baptized in the HOLY SPIRIT,  I became distressed and oppressed about something. I was really being tormented.  I could find no peace. I didn’t know what exactly was going on, only that I was extremely oppressed. I finally called out to The LORD JESUS for help.

  HE+ swiftly brought to mind: " TEST  THE SPIRITS."

I knew The WORD+, so I addressed the spirit:  

" SPIRIT, do you confess that JESUS CHRIST has come in the flesh ? "

I was NOT PREPARED for what happened next. That wicked spirit actually ANSWERED ME and spit back at me . . .

" NO ! "

In shock, I began to tremble and called on The LORD JESUS. That tormenting spirit FLED from me. I had NEVER had hand-to-hand combat with wicked spirits before that day.

NEVER have I forgotten that frightening encounter with that tormenting, wicked spirit.  I didn't SEE anything, but that was a good thing; I probably would have fainted with fear.

I learned VERY EARLY in my walk with CHRIST JESUS that 1 John 4:3 means exactly what it says.”

+  +  +

For  many centuries the traditional text has equipped Christians for combat  with wicked spirits DIRECTLY as Our LORD JESUS CHRIST DID . . .  as WELL AS  to stand against lying, pride-filled human teachers, preachers, prophets, and all the other hostile enemies of The Living CHRIST. 

At this point in human history, when  GROSS darkness is flooding the earth and over-whelming all of mankind, Christians --- new-borns and mature --- need to walk in ALL the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT available.

 

We NEED the strong , unadulterated, LIVING WORD+ of GOD in order to do this. 

If we do not walk in His+ Power-filled WORD+ by the strength of His+ POWERFUL HOLY SPIRIT, we are going to be over-whelmed and taken in the battle.  We will NOT be able to stand. 

We must be able to KNOW WHO the enemy is, where he is coming from, and HOW to defeat him, whether he comes in human form or comes without human form as the out-right, plain and bold antiChrist spirits themselves.

 

Yes, it IS POSSIBLE that the "very elect"

can be deceived.

REMEMBER:

Wicked spirits DO NOT NEED to use a human being

to torment us;

they can do a thorough job of it themselves.

Modern versions  weaken the Body of CHRIST  when they omit or refuse to translate clearly ALL we need to know to WIN in spiritual combat with the actual antiChrist spirit. These natural-minded versions TRULY  are helping the deception take root which will deceive the very elect.

The Apostle sets out the test in clear language so that even a school child can understand it.  He tells us how to RECOGNIZE the SPIRIT from GOD. Likewise, he tells us how to RECOGNIZE a spirit of the antiChrist.

  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of GOD: because  many false prophets are gone out into the world.

² Hereby know ye the Spirit of GOD: Every spirit that confesseth that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is of GOD:

³ And every spirit that confesseth NOT that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is NOT of GOD: and this is that spirit* of antiChrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

 ( Spirit* is “understood” in the Greek grammar. See “Disarming the Saints” on Textual Warfare blog.)

 +  +  +

In these three verses, spirit is used 5 times directly and one time “understood” by the Greek grammar. 

 FURTHERMORE ,there are NO variations for the word “spirit” in these verses, as listed in Nestle-Aland’s 26^th and 28^th eclectic [Alexandrian-based] Greek text editions and Robinson-Pierpont’s 2005 and 2017 up-dated Byzantine Textform. 

In spite of the obvious, here is one translation (among many) which replaces the WORD of GOD with the thoughts of man. 

This particular translation was developed to help foreign and native missionaries translate the New Testament, and at last report, is so being used. The italics are written in this translation. The RED VERSES are the King James Version.

[ Quotation taken from A Translator’s Translation , copy-right 2008 by Ellis W. Deibler, Jr. Used by permission. Mr. Deibler is a retired  Wycliffe Bible translator. ]

1 John 4: 1-3

“Dear friends, many people are teaching false messages. So, don’t trust every message someone claims God’s Spirit gave him.  Instead, think carefully about the teachings you hear, in order to know whether they are from God or not.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of GOD: because  many false prophets are gone out into the world. ~KJV

2) I will tell you how to recognize teachings that come from the Spirit of God: Those who affirm that Jesus Christ came from God to become a human like us are teaching messages that are from God.

² Hereby know ye the Spirit of GOD: Every spirit that confesseth that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is of GOD: ~ KJV

3)  But those who don’t affirm that about Jesus are not teaching messages from God. They are teachers who oppose Christ. You have heard that people like that are coming to be among us. Even now they are already here.”

³ And every spirit that confesseth NOT that JESUS CHRIST is come in the flesh is NOT of GOD: and this is that spirit* of antiChrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. ~ KJV

Although all will recognize that Mr. Deibler has stated important truths about false messages from false teachers, preachers, and prophets, this former Wycliffe translator actually re-stated 2 Peter, chapter 2   INSTEAD OF   1 John 4: 1-3 !

The Apostle Peter warned us very thoroughly  about  false teachers, preachers, and prophets  in 2 Peter, chapter 2.

However, HERE, in FIRST JOHN 4, the Apostle John was warning us about SPIRITS, specifically the spirit of the antiChrist. 

By injecting the translators’ own understandings in 1 John 4, the modern translations  FAIL  to equip the saints to stand against these wicked spirits.

At least 10 other modern versions have changed the traditional text of 1 John 4:1 to make THAT VERSE read like we are to test persons or the message.

Courtesy of www.Biblegatew.com, these 10 versions include:

AMP - The Amplified Bible , 2015 -- the Lockman Foundation

CEV --- Contemporary English Version, 1995 --- American Bible Society

GW --- God’s Word [ to the Nations] Translation, 1995– Baker Publishing House

GNT ---  Good News Translation, 1992– American Bible Society

TLB --- The Living Bible, 1971 – Tyndale House Foundation

MSG --- The Message, 2002 – Eugene H. Peterson

NOG --- Names of GOD, 2011 – Baker Publishing House

NLT -- The New Living Translation, 2015 –Tyndale House

TPT – The Passion Translation, 2017 -- Broadstreet Publishing

VOICE – The Voice, 2012 – Thomas Nelson

It seems obvious that these versions HIDE that Christians are engaged in a war with demonic spirits.  Thus, these modern versions are translated by people who must have NEVER dealt in the warfare taking place in the SPIRITUAL realm; they are natural-minded. 

 This group of scholars and translators and publishers has never confronted these demonic spirits of the antiChrist DIRECTLY, neither personally nor with any church nor in or with any direct ministry of The WORD or in evangelistic out-reaches.

  If they WOULD have, they would have recognized the NEED to deliver GOD’S unadulterated WORD to the Body of CHRIST.  Giving these translators the benefit of the doubt, we can say these  scholarly, sincere men  think they are doing right.

How, then, can we discern that these translators and publishers are bereft of spiritual discernment ?

They remove the CLEAR and SIMPLE test Christians need to discern the spirits.

They obliterate the DIRECT COMMAND which the Aged Apostle John ,

through the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT, gave to the Saints of GOD

to EQUIP THEM FOR DISCERNING OF SPIRITS,

specifically, the spirit of the IMPOSTER, the antiChrist,

the COUNTERFEIT CHRIST.

Yes, The LORD gave us His+ Word through the Apostle John to us SO THAT WE CHRISTIANS WOULD BE ABLE TO RECOGNISE THAT IMPOSTER.

 INDEED , we should then be armed and ready to stand against those wicked spirits of antiChrist when they attack. The Apostle John knew that they would attack us and our work for The LORD. They will attack the folks we are attempting to reach for CHRIST JESUS because . . .

the mission of the antiChrist

is to gain ALL WORSHIP unto himself.

Only a follower of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

has authority over these wicked spirits of the antiChrist.

Of all men on the face of this earth,  only  Christians have this authority and power because The LORD gave it to us. Even the richest, most powerful, most learned person is not able to confront, rebuke, and strip of power these spirits of the antiChrist.

Matthew 28:18

And JESUS came and spake unto them, saying,

All power is given unto ME+ in heaven and in earth.

Luke 10:19

Behold, I+ give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

+  +  +