One would assume that with such explicit and numerous prophetic (biblical) warnings against deception and error, we would be more inclined, as believers, to greater watchfulness, vigilance, introspection, and self-examination. But that does not appear to be the case. On the contrary, many believers today assume that they are accurate and somehow beyond the reach of deception, not realizing that they are already deceived. And for the vast remainder that do acknowledge that there is a dire risk, most are ill-equipped to do anything about it. This article was written to address that deficiency and provide you with the tools for unmasking deception.

Deception is Primarily Spiritual

In the prophetic warning quoted in the text above, deceiving spirits are mentioned first as the agents of deception. This indicates that deception is primarily spiritual rather than doctrinal. Deception occurs first in the human heart before it ever becomes manifest in incorrect doctrine. We know this to be true because there are multiple warnings throughout Scripture that emphasize the principal importance of the heart as it pertains to truth and error:

• When Solomon instructed his son to adhere to his instructions or teaching, he followed it up with an admonition to “Guard your heart with all diligence.” Solomon understood that the heart was the source of all truth or error (Prov. 4:20-23).
• The false prophets of Ahab prophesied lies because they were deceived by a lying spirit. And they were susceptible to this deception because their hearts were corrupted by false loyalty. Their loyalty rested in man—Ahab—rather than God (1 Kings 22:20-23).
• When Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for their rejection of not only truth (His teaching) but The Truth—i.e. Jesus, the Son of God—He addresses their internal corruption (lustful and impure hearts) and close identification with the devil as the true source of their error (John 8:42-45).
• According to the apostle Paul, the doctrinal error Timothy was charged to confront in Ephesus was due to internal defilement—a departure from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith on the part of the false teachers (1 Tim. 1:3-7).
• This heart principle is mentioned again by Paul in the very same chapter as the singular reason why Hymenaeus and Alexander—false teachers—were spiritually and doctrinally shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:19-20 with 2 Tim. 2:16-18).

It stands to reason that if deception is primarily spiritual, it must require spiritual sight rather than mere doctrinal proficiency in order to unmask or discern it. Spiritual sight is determined by internal correctness or purity of heart. Any deficiency in internal accuracy results in spiritual blindness (2 Pet. 1:5-10).

This means that our greatest defense against spiritual deception and doctrinal error is not Bible school or seminary training, as profitable as these things can be. Your seminary degree or theological doctorate is not capable of making you impregnable against deception and error, though they can help and be profitable in this regard. If you don’t believe me, you should take the time to re-read the Gospels, paying close attention to the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the law. These were some of the most theologically trained and educated men on earth, yet they rejected the truth and embraced error, all because their hearts were defiled.

Our greatest defense against spiritual deception and doctrinal error, therefore, is a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. To the degree that your heart is defiled will be the degree that you are susceptible to deception and error.

Doctrines of demons: Forked Tongue Theology

If the root or true source of spiritual error and deception is internal (spiritual), then the fruit of it is undoubtedly doctrinal. It is one of the primary ways by which deceiving spirits sow the seeds of error within men’s hearts.

The word doctrines in this context—as in doctrines of demons—”refers not only to that which is taught (the subject) but also to the authority of the teacher (the source).”[1] Not only is the teaching false because of its content, but it is false because of its source—demons! Keep in mind here that in ancient Jewish culture, as is somewhat true today, true teaching consisted of more than just mere words; it represented a lifestyle. Therefore, your doctrine is more than what you teach or write; it is how you live. This is why Paul describes these false teachers as speaking lies in hypocrisy. Not only is what they speak doctrinally untrue (by the Kingdom of Heaven’s standards), but it emanates from an internal disposition of falsehood and error.

But what exactly are these demonic doctrines, and how do we identify them? I’m glad you asked. Most people today, including believers, are not aware that the kingdom of darkness has its own brand of doctrine which, on the surface, looks and sounds very much like God’s. I’m not talking about overt witchcraft and sorcery, or even the satanic bible used by some Satanists. You don’t need an ounce of discernment to identify or recognize the error in those. I’m talking about the doctrines of demons we hear preached from countless pulpits today that many shout amen to. The “Christian” programming and media you have subscribed to, and the books sitting on your bookshelves, written by many renowned and popular Christian leaders (including some not so renowned or popular), which contradict the spirit and doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven. Even some of the songs we sing at church communicate these false, demonic doctrines.

There are basically two types of these doctrines, thus the reason I refer to them as “forked tongue theology”. They are:

1. Materialism & Self-indulgence: Doctrines that cater to our own selfishness, greed, and self-interest by placing our personal desires above Christ’s demands
2. Pharisaism & Asceticism: Doctrines that promote outward conformity and behavioral discipline without internal transformation or true spiritual regeneration (rebirth)

Let’s take a brief look at each of these demonic doctrines individually.

Materialism & Self-indulgence

The best example of this false doctrine can be found in the record of Satan’s own words. We are very fortunate to have an example of Satan’s personal theology of scripture recorded in Scripture for our benefit.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” (Matthew 4:1–11, NKJV)

Without going into any great detail, it is clear from Satan’s own statements where his primary emphasis and motivation lie—self! Notice the clear pattern:

• If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread (v. 3). In other words, if you’re the beloved Son of God, you shouldn’t have to go hungry. You shouldn’t have to suffer the pain of hunger or lack. Therefore, it is your right as a child of God to use (i.e., prostitute) the grace of God for your own personal blessing, benefit, and belly.
• If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ (v. 6). This describes a presumptuous, elitist, and arrogant form of worship where God is tested through the invocation of angelic help or ministry based upon human will. Once again, it becomes about us. In other words, instead of angels—divine resource—being assigned to do the Father’s bidding, they are assigned to do ours in perpetuating our own will and self-interest.
• All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me (v. 9). It is clear that the system of worship Satan promotes is counterfeit and idolatrous. It is a form of worship that is hinged upon what we can get or obtain from God, including personal blessing and breakthrough.

You will notice that in Jesus’s final response to Satan, He quotes a verse (v. 10 with Deut. 6:13) that reveals the biblically profound connection between true worship and obedience. To get the full context and appreciation of this profound connection, it is best to read the entire chapter of Deut. 6. It is impossible to separate true worship from obedience to divine command, so any form of worship that emphasizes personal needs, wants, desires, rights, prosperity, or blessing above the divine requirements of God is not only inaccurate and counterfeit but also satanic in origin.

This is an extremely powerful principle to understand, because there are many today who are teaching and promoting this satanic doctrine and form of worship under the guise of “kingdom”. But even the apostle Paul taught us that the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). In other words, the Kingdom of God is not about our personal needs, wants, rights, or blessing—earthly resource or physical substance. The Kingdom of God consists of divine spiritual resource capable of effecting internal transformation and Christlikeness. Therefore, when we make the Kingdom of God about us and what we need, want, or desire (especially as it pertains to this temporal realm) rather than about Him and what He demands, we have entered into a false and satanic kingdom.

This is not to say that God does not care about our needs or that He does not desire to bless us. The problem occurs when we try to put the proverbial ‘cart before the horse’.

Blessing is the natural—or rather, supernatural—by-product or result of obedience to divine command (Matt. 6:31-33). The very first time God blessed man, it was in the context and condition of fulfilling divine command (Gen. 1:27-30). The last recorded blessing of man by God is also in the context of obedience to divine command (Rev. 22:7, 14-15). This principle is consistent throughout the entire Bible. Therefore, there can be no blessing without obedience. This makes obedience the principal thing. Thus, when we make blessing the principal thing, we are out of divine order and divine government.

Pharisaism & Asceticism

In our opening and introductory text, Paul made mention of a group of false teachers whose ministries and doctrines were rooted in lies and hypocrisy, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods (1 Tim 4:2-3). For the sake of clarity and simplicity, we will interchange marriage (to marry) here with sex, which is clearly the intended prohibition. Essentially, this means that the doctrinal prohibitions here were against sex and food—two of mankind’s most powerful physical appetites.

To bring these two powerful human appetites under subjection would be considered a major victory in righteousness; or rather, self-righteousness, by these false teachers. However, there are several things wrong with this doctrinal approach:

• God created these things to be enjoyed within a biblical framework, not ignorantly abstained from in unbelief (vs. 3-5). Therefore, any doctrine that seeks to encroach on our biblical liberty in the guise of religious piety is categorically false. And anyone who teaches or promotes such false doctrine in an effort to bring us under bondage is false also, as were the scribes and Pharisees who were notorious for this type of false teaching (Matt. 23:4, 13).
• True righteousness is the result of grace through faith. It is a spiritual principle that is internally appropriated before it is externally manifested. Therefore, true righteousness can never be legislated by man-made doctrines or limiting religious systems of control. Furthermore, any religious doctrine or system that seeks to promote righteousness by cleaning the outside of the cup while neglecting the inside is Pharisaical by nature (Matt. 23:25-26).
• True teachers are able to consistently demonstrate and embody what they teach. Remember, true biblical teaching is more than mere words; it’s a lifestyle. Therefore, any teaching or doctrine that cannot be fully appropriated or demonstrated—especially by its teachers or proponents—without hypocrisy or deceit, is questionable by default. At the very least, the teacher(s) should be under suspicion. This doesn’t mean true teachers cannot fail. It means true teachers and, by extension, true doctrine, are never deceitful or hypocritical in their operation. For example, it would be hypocritical for a teacher to condemn gross sexual sin on the one hand while living with his third wife on the other because he divorced the other two. Again, this type of hypocritical inconsistency between teaching (what you say) and practice (what you do) was quite evident amongst the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’s day (Matt: 23:3).

The Subtlety of Deception

The mistake that many believers make regarding deception is thinking that the error has to be blatant, glaring, grandiose, or overt. But that isn’t usually how deception works. Deception is usually subtle and inconspicuous, with the error it contains deeply embedded and hidden away from plain sight. It operates based upon the same basic principle as computer malware in the form of a trojan or virus. Trojans or computer viruses are very tiny bits of malicious code (usually less than a single megabyte in size) embedded in or alongside legitimate data, or made to appear as legitimate data, in order to gain access to your system and execute its malicious intent. There is no way of telling from simply looking at the file (or file name) that it contains malicious code, not unless you do a deep scan of the file contents with a qualified program. Once executed, that tiny, less-than-a-megabyte malicious script has the ability to infect and corrupt every bit of data on your hard drive, regardless the size. Think about that for a moment. It takes less than a fraction of a percent of malicious code (error) to corrupt the whole, very similar to the way just a little leaven (yeast) can permeate the entire dough (1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9). That is how deception works, which is why Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt. 16:5-12).

This means that if we are to be successful at guarding against and unmasking deception, it will require discipline and diligence like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). We can’t assume that because the file (message) or source (ministry) has a reputable or popular name that it is void of malicious content. If the Bereans were willing to judge Paul, then we should be willing to judge ANYONE who teaches or ministers in the name of Christ, even if we think they can be trusted or have been trustworthy in the past. Today is a new day! We no longer have any excuse to be lazy, naïve, or gullible. It will require truth in the inward parts (internal correctness) and a love for the truth to deliver us from the deception of this present age (Ps.51:6; 2 Thess. 2:9-12)

[1] “Didaskalía.” The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, ed. Spiros Zodhiates Th.D. (AMG Publishers, 1991), pg. 1705.