TITLE: Demonology Pt 7
SUBJECT: Trying the Spirits
SPEAKER: Ron Peterson

4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

 11    Now, we do have... And I think it's a good thing for us, as ministers, to follow our order, when we see such things in the world as we see today. And we have an order from God, is for the discerning of spirit, trying the spirit. I believe that that is a very great lesson for the church today, is to try the spirit of anything, have discernment of the spirit. I do not think that we should ever, by any means, ever try to judge a person by the denomination they belong to, or by the group that they are assembled with, whether they be Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or--or whatever they are. We should never judge the man by the denomination that he belongs to. We should always judge him by the spirit he has (See?), the spirit. Whether he's latter rain or former rain or inner, outer rain, or no rain, or whatever it might be, we should never judge him by that, but by his spirit. We are to discern spirits. Watch what the man has in mind, what he has--what he's trying to achieve. If the man, by a gift, no matter how great the gift is...

14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

15 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.

25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.

5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him?

8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

9 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.

11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.

13 And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.

14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.

15 So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

16 And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?

17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?

19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.

28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

9 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

23 For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

The phrase is used respecting idolatry (Deut 29:18), "Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood." A similar expression occurs in Heb 12:15, "Lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you." "Sin" is thus represented as a "bitter" or poisonous thing; a tiring not only "unpleasant" in its consequences, but ruinous in its character, as a poisonous plant would be in the midst of other plants, Jer 2:19, "It is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God"; Jer 4:18; Rom 3:14, "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness"; Eph 4:31. The meaning here is, that the heart of Simon was full of dreadful, malignant sin.

[Bond of iniquity] Or, that thou art "bound by" iniquity. That is, that it has the rule over you, and "binds" you as a captive. Sin is often thus represented as "bondage" and "captivity," Ps 116:16; Prov 5:22, "He shall be holden with the cords of his sins"; Rom 7:23-24. These expressions prove conclusively that Simon was a bound by a religious demon and did not know the Lord.

 329-1    LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9

The second thought that must be impressed on our hearts is that the seven church ages started out with the antichrist spirit as well as the Holy Spirit Who is to be blessed forever.

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

 Did you notice it? The antichrist spirit is identified with false prophets. The ages came in with false prophets and they will go out with false prophets. Now of course there is going to be a REAL FALSE PROPHET in the grand sense of that man mentioned in the Revelation. But as of now before his revelation there are to appear many false prophets.

 "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not."

 These false prophets are earmarked for us in various other Scriptures such as the following.

 "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord That bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."

 "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."

 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."

 Now in every case you will notice that a false prophet is one who is outside the Word. Just as we showed you that 'antichrist' means 'anti-Word' so these false prophets come perverting the Word, giving it a meaning that fits their own devilish ends. Have you ever noticed how the people who lead others astray bind them closely to themselves by fear? They say that if the people don't do what they say, or if they leave, then destruction will follow. They are false prophets, for a true prophet will always lead one to the Word and bind the people to Jesus Christ and he won't tell the people to fear him or what he says, but to fear what the Word says. Notice how these people like Judas are out for money. They get you to sell all you have and give it to them and their schemes. They spend more time on offerings than the Word. Those who attempt to operate gifts will make use of a gift which has a margin of error in it and then ask for money, and neglect the Word and call it of God. And people will go to them, and bear with them, and support them, and believe them, not knowing it is the way of death.

Yes, the land is full of carnal impersonators. In that last day they will try to imitate that prophet-messenger. The seven sons of Sceva tried to imitate Paul. Simon the sorcerer tried to imitate Peter. Their impersonations will be carnal. They won't be able to produce what the true prophet produces. When he says the revival is over they will go around claiming a great revelation that what the people have is exactly right and God is going to do bigger and more wonderful things amongst the people. And the people will fall for it. These same false prophets will claim that the messenger of the last day is not a theologian, so he ought not to be heard. They won't be able to produce what the messenger can; they won't be vindicated by God as that last day prophet is, but with their great swelling words and with the weight of their world-wide notoriety they will warn the people not to hear that man (messenger) and they will say he teaches wrong. They are running exactly true to their fathers, the Pharisees, who were of the devil, for they claimed that both John and Jesus taught error.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

 E-22    Here's what it is, the antichrist spirit is not the communistic spirit. The antichrist spirit is a religious spirit. I have delivered my soul; that's what God was wanting me to, right there. Amen.

Father, we thank Thee. Now, I--I am Your servant, and I believe with all of my heart as sure as I believe I'm standing here with my hand on Your Word, that that's what You wanted me to say. And I waited, stumbling around, until You spoke the Word. Now, we thank You, Lord. And we pray that You'll let men and women here tonight, be careful, walk careful. For we know it's written in these days of what would come to pass. And true to my mind now, it comes afresh that over in the book of Matthew Jesus said, "The two spirits would be so close together it would deceive the very elect if possible."

And Father, we know that those things are now. And we thank Thee, and may we have this warning in our heart to watch everything that we do. In the Name of the Lord Jesus we thank Thee. Amen.

 24    Now, I want you to notice, he found himself trying to make his way. We had, this morning, how Cain tried to make his way. He brought down some apples, and pears, and peaches, and pumpkins, ever what it was, laid it upon the altar and said, "Now, there, Lord, I built an altar. I built a church. I'm a good church member." See? "I go to church every day. I come here, built the altar. I put the sacrifice upon it. Now I'm going to kneel down and pray. And now, Lord, I want You to receive me." But God refused him.

And that same old religious spirit lives right down amongst the church today, the very same thing, just as religious as it can be, and knows no more about God than the Hottentot would know about Egyptian knight. You know that's the truth: religious spirits. Don't think that Stalin is the antichrist. The Bible said the two spirits would be so close together, deceive the very Elect if possible.

 241    Don't you see how religious the devil is? The devil's not no anti-, great big thing like communism, all against Christianity. That's not. That's just all of the devil, sure, but it's not the antichrist. The antichrist is very religious, very religious. It was a religious spirit that crucified Jesus. It's always been a religious world, a religious people, that crucifies. It's the religious people that was against the true Christ. It was the religious prophets that was against Micaiah. It's the religious people of the day that's against the Message of God.

 224      Next day it come out, said, "It shows what they're made out of," the Houston Chronicle. Says, "Shows what they're made out of, they're afraid to take up for what they're preaching."

225    Old Brother Bosworth come up to me, being way in his seventies then, lovely old brother, put his arm around me, said, "Brother Branham," he said, "you mean you're not going to take that up?"

226    I said, "No, Brother Bosworth. No, sir. I'm not going to take it up." I said, "It don't do no good." I said, "Just causes fussing when we leave the platform." I said, "I'm holding a meeting now, and I don't want to get things all tore up like that." I said, "Just let him go ahead." I said, "That's all, he's just rattling." I said, "We've had them before, and it doesn't do any good to talk to them." I said, "They'll go right away, holding theirself." I said, "If they once receive the knowledge of the Truth and then they won't receive It, the Bible said they've crossed the separating line and they'll never be forgiven in this world or the world to come. They call It 'the Devil' and they can't help it. They're possessed with a religious spirit which is the Devil."

227    How many knows that's true, that a devil spirit is religious? Yes, sir, just as fundamental as they can be. And so, then, that didn't go very good when I said "fundamental," but that's true. "Having a form of godliness and denying the Power thereof." That's right. Signs and wonders is what vindicates God, always. And He said it would be in the last days the same thing. And notice!

 E-24    And when a man ever crosses that line and borned again of the Spirit of God, he becomes a son of God. And then he believes what God says to be the truth. And he says, "All the Word's inspired."

Borderline, halfway, watch that religious spirit. You say, "Brother Branham, do you mean to tell me that the antichrist spirit, will be a religious spirit?"

Jesus said, "It'd be so close, like the real thing, till it would deceive the very elect, if possible." Matthew 24.

That throws a little different light to it, doesn't it? It's a religious spirit, a spirit that can shout, a spirit that can dance in the spirit, a spirit that can cast out devils, a spirit that can do all kinds of miracles, and still not be borned of the Spirit of God. Jesus said, "In that day (Listen at this.) many will come to Me and say, 'Lord, have I not cast out devils in Your Name? In Your Name haven't I done many mighty works?' And I will confess unto them: depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I didn't even know you."

 151      Then listen, man, you bunch of rickies! If you were born to be a man, then act like a man. These bangs hanging down in your face, and curled up like some sex appeal, why, you perverted generation of snakes! What's the matter with you, anyhow?

My God will judge this nation someday with fire. He'll sink it beneath the ocean. The hour of His judgment is at hand. The whole world will go.

152    Religious perversion! Human perversion; men don't even know what sex they belong to, neither does women. Stand up with a pair of man's overalls on, or a pair of little old shorts, clothes that's... her every move and form of her body, and call herself a Christian. She's not even a lady, let alone a Christian. She's a street prostitute used by Satan, inspired by Satan, to send the sons of God to hell, to fulfill the Word that Jesus Christ said would take place. I didn't mean to say that, but He said it, anyhow. See where this religious spirit comes from? The mixed tree.