“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Mt. 24:2
“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” 1 Peter 2:1

COMMENTS:  We are warned in scripture to be alert to dangerous deceptions of false religions and their prophets and teachers.  We are told to test their teachings and the lives of their prophets and teachers.  The fruit of their lives indicates the validity of their teachings.  This applies to pagan religions, but also to false teachers and prophet pretending to be Christ followers but are not.  We are taught Christ is the Head of His Church while satan is the head of his church.

So, let compare the characteristics of Christ and then of satan so we can judge:

Christ:                                                             Satan:

Sacrificial love                                               Self-love and hatred for God and His Followers

Joy in obeying the Father                             Self gratified serving himself

Gives peace, life, and healing                       Gives conflict/war/death/sickness

Shows patience and forgiveness                  Shows anger and intolerance and unforgiveness

Shows compassion and kindness                 Quick to condemn without compassion

Shows goodness, life, and building up        Shows evil, death, tearing down-blowing up

Shows faithfulness to Father and to us       Shows unfaithfulness to all with lies

Shows might with gentleness – mercy         Shows might with force and violence

Shows humility by serving                           Shows pride by demanding being served

Shows fairness by offering redemption       Shows unfairness by harming innocent and

to any and all who receive it                         deceiving followers

Shows honesty and truthfulness                  Shows dishonesty and lies without restraint

Is dependable and trustworthy                    Is undependable and totally untrustworthy

 

Is content with things but desires                Wants more power and control and possessions

    deeper relationships with people

Shows sacrificial love and generosity          Shows selfishness and steals from others

Shows purity and Holiness                           Shows only evil unholy sinful behavior-motives

Shows confidences in love and goodness    Shows confidence in pride and evil

Is available 24x7x365 to help – give life      Is absent when help is needed and available

                                                                                      to hurt and destroy.

Is attentive to us ready to show wisdom     Is only attentive to his own selfish wants

        and compassion-forgiveness                

He is enthusiastic about us                           He is enthusiastic only about His ambitions

He plans and works for eternal                   Satan only plans and works to hurt God and

         Purpose and goals of life                                  feed his own pride and ambitions

Christ obeys Father totally                           Satan will not submit or obey anyone

Christ only demonstrates good –                 Satan may pretend to be good but can’t

    Perfect behavior                                                   sustain good behavior. 

Christ is trustworthy-dependable                Satan will not keep his word – never has

God knows and control the future              Satan doesn’t know the future and doesn’t

                                                                                       believe God. 

Christ shows integrity and encourages       Satan lacks integrity and discourages integrity

             Integrity in followers                                     in his followers

Christ’s purpose is to honor the Father     Satan’s purpose is to defeat God – destroy us

        and give eternal life to us                                 and rule over God’s creation

God creates and builds                                 Satan only knows how to destroy and tear down

Christ brings hope and a bright future      Satan destroys hope and promises a bright

                                                                                    future but never delivers.  He can’t.

This list of comparisons is far from complete and we both could continue to add to it with our own experiences as well as examples from scripture and lives of others before us.  The common result of satan’s conduct and actions and work are destruction, death, pain, disappointment, disappointments.  Temptations he offers promises but never delivers those promises but only consequences.

Granted, Christians disappoint and fall short of Christ’s example, which is due to their failings (not God’s).  But what other religion’s founder demonstrates or claims to be what and who Christ does or accomplished what He did and does?  Consider the good those who did demonstrate Christ-like behavior accomplished?  Consider all the hospitals and schools and life giving and life transforming work accomplished over the centuries by Christ followers.   The fruits of their labor compared with fruit of faithful followers of cults or pagan religions.  Likewise, those claiming to be Christ followers who fail to reflect His example should be held accountable and their actions judged to determine how genuine their work is. 

We are to judge the work by the results.  If results and conduct match Christ’s teaching, then work and teaching can be trusted.   If not, then such should be rejected and avoided.

I dare say we should judge Islam by this standard and judge Mohammed by the standard Christ gives us too.   I share this journal with many Christian pastors in Islam dominated countries.  They share Christ’s Gospel message and is embraced by great numbers who only have found empty lifeless teaching from Islam faith. Large numbers of faithful Islam followers have received revelations directly by visions or encounters with Christ without any input from a Christ follower and immediately become a Christ follower.  

We serve a Christ who redeemed us from our sins and God’s judgment with His own blood.  His Holy Spirit is available to guide and help us 24×7.  He offers us life and an abiding love that gives us the capacity to love.  He builds up our lives and families and encourages and helps us give hope and experience and share His love too instead of destruction and hate and division. 

So, who do you believe and follow.  I will use Joshua 24:15 when he challenged the Israelites, when they crossed Jordon River into promised land to either choose God or choose the pagan gods offered by their neighbors and enslavers they followed in past.

Joshua 24:15 “¹⁵ And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

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