Can a demon confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh?

[Waggles]

5 hours ago, Don19 said:

So for a spirit not to confess that Jesus is come in the flesh is for a spirit not to confess that I have been set apart, sanctified by the body of Christ,

I have always wondered if testing the spirits is not so much angels or devils but rather human spirits - I believe that Gnosticism was rife in the first century church along with other heresies in doctrine; all within the lifetimes of the first apostles.

2Tim 2:16  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 
17  and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 
18  who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 

1Cor 11:18  For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 
19  for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 

1Cor 15:12  Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1John 2:22  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  [This I understand to be denying the gospel of repentance, water baptism and holy Spirit baptism].
 

[JaneLee]

So a demon definitely cannot say this?

[Waggles]

On 2/11/2021 at 1:10 PM, Traveler said:

A spirit will only confess that which it promotes.

And your evidence for this?

Personally, I have found devils to be rather well practiced at subterfuge, deceit, artifice, cunning, craftiness and of lying wonders, clairvoyance, spiritual revelations, 

do not underestimate the power of the enemy - remember the power and marvel of Fatima 1917 - impressive. 

2Thess 2:9  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 
10  and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 
11  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 
12  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

I read some of the posts on this thread as being very naïve - demons, devils, the enemy, are capable of telling you anything to deceive you, to murder you. 

They know who Jesus is - the Christ - the son of the most high God - Yahweh. They know that they are appointed to eternal punishment. 

Matt 8:28  And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 
29  And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 

Mark 5:7  And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 
8  For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 

It is by the power and truth of the word of God and the Holy Spirit that a Christian disciple has the armour to defend oneself from the power of the enemy. 

[Waggles]

A few years ago some new popular "Christian" books claiming new insights and revelations concerning the next wave of God's plan for faith and churches were published.

They were of course best sellers and almost everybody had to have read this U.S. mega church guru to be a spiritual warrior empowered with the latest knowledge from above.

Started reading a borrowed copy of the first popular bestseller and became suspicious with the use of scripture verses and the absence of clear cut doctrine. Full of imagery and dreams that were "explained" to the author. 

Thank God for the gift of discerning of spirits that God gives for I questioned the veracity of the book's contents. 

So I laid hands on the book and prayed over this copy in the Spirit (praying in tongues) for a while and sure enough Jesus revealed to me that this book was the work of demons, of darkness.

Beware the enemy. They are a lot smarter than us and have thousands of years of practice in rebellion and opposing God. 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Waggles

[Logostician]

1 Jno 4:3 is actually a denunciation of heretical teachings in the young church.  Docetism and Marcionism taught that Jesus was so divine that he was actually a spirit rather than a man, and therefore was not truly crucified as a man.  John is saying that Jesus was all God, and all man.  This is why he says that we must beleive Jesus came into the world, and was crucified "IN THE FLESH".  He is saying that Docetic and Marcion teachings are "antichrist", meaning that they are in opposition to the true nature of Jesus Christ.  Jesus had to die on the cross as God and man to make salvation accessible to all mankind.  He was the perfect man, the second Adam.  As we were once in Adam in a carnal nature, now we can be in Christ.  Jesus is the the bridge between God and man, because he is both.

In your quote of Jno 4:3 you have "spirit of THE antichrist", as if John were talking about the beast the rises from the sea and raises an army opposed to God.  It actually reads, "spirit of antichrist", which means any false teacher and false teachings opposed to the true nature of Jesus and his teachings.

In 4:1 John is telling us to test people for any false teachings.  Anyone who embraces false teachings is clearly not getting them from the Holy Spirit.  Everyone is able to see false teachings that directly contradict the word of God, based upon their knowledge of the Bible.

But there is a gift of spiritual discernment (1 Cor 12:10).  The gifts of the Spirit are not universally given to all beleivers.  God intentionally gives different gifts to different people so that we will come together, and be stronger in the body of Christ by sharing these gifts.  We are interdependent in Christ.  We are individuals who depend on Christ first and foremost, but also on each other.  Whoever is stronger in a certain gift helps others in this area.  If I am strongly gifted in spiritual discernment, I will share what the Spirit of God tells me with my brothers in Christ.  If I am weak in spiritual discernment, I will lean on those in Christ who are strong.  Paul also talks about specific body parts in the body of Christ in a metaphorical way to emphasize this.  The hand could be people with spiritual discernment.  The arm could be prophesy, the foot could be healing.  None looks at the other with jealously or pride, because the gifts of God are to be shared.

Mrk 10:43-45

But so shall it not be among you.  But whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister.  And whosoever of you will be chiefest, shall be servant of all.  For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransome for many. 

Be well.  Seek the gifts of God, and you will receive them.  He can add these things to you during salvation, or after, if you earnestly pray for them.

 

 

[Waggles]

1 hour ago, Logostician said:

1 Jno 4:3 is actually a denunciation of heretical teachings in the young church.  Docetism and Marcionism taught that Jesus was so divine that he was actually a spirit rather than a man, and therefore was not truly crucified as a man. 

THANKYOU 

2John 1:4  I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.  
7  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 
8  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 
9  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 
10  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 
11  for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 

[Waggles]

Marcionism was an Early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope in Rome around the year 144 AD

Marcion was the son of a bishop of Sinope in Pontus. About the middle of the second century (140–155) he travelled to Rome, where he joined the Syrian Gnostic Cerdo.

Marcion believed that Jesus was the saviour sent by God, and Paul the Apostle was his chief apostle, but he rejected the Hebrew Bible and the God of Israel. Marcionists believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament.

Marcionism, similar to Gnosticism, depicted the God of the Old Testament as a tyrant or demiurge (see also God as the Devil).

Marcion's canon, possibly the first Christian canon ever compiled, consisted of eleven books: a gospel, which was a form of the Gospel of Luke; and ten Pauline epistles.[3] Marcion's canon rejected the entire Old Testament, along with all other epistles and gospels of what would become the 27-book New Testament canon, which during his life had yet to be compiled. Paul's epistles enjoy a prominent position in the Marcionite canon, since Paul was considered by Marcion to be Christ's only true apostle.

Marcionism was denounced by its opponents as heresy and written against – notably by Tertullian in a five-book treatise, 'Adversus Marcionem' (Against Marcion), in about 208.

[Waggles]

The Spirit of anti-Christ is still alive and well. 

Are there not sects and churches that deny the truth of Pentecost and Pentecostalism today.

Do not the Jehovah Witnesses deny that the Holy Spirit is available today and there are no longer any more miracles and healings.

Others claim that Jesus was born a man but then after Golgotha he ascended into Heaven and became a god. 

Some preach that Jesus is an angel, or that he was the brother to Lucifer. 

Liberal theologians claim Jesus was just a prophet or an other Buddha. 

The cherry on the top though is that Jesus is an alien who came down to teach us how to spiritually evolve. 

1John 4:1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 
2  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 
3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 

[Waggles]

On 2/11/2021 at 5:12 AM, Waggles said:

I have always wondered if testing the spirits is not so much angels or devils but rather human spirits - I believe that Gnosticism was rife in the first century church along with other heresies in doctrine; all within the lifetimes of the first apostles.

from my previous post

[Duck]

On 2/8/2021 at 11:46 AM, JaneLee said:

Can an evil spirit/demon acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? Is there anything they can't say? Does anyone have any information?

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3)

Mark 1:24

Matthew 8:29

James 2:19