Back To Main Page | Email Us

 

Perhaps Today Devotional Critiques

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THE CROWN OF LIFE

April 19, 2002

The indented sentences are excerpts from the book, Perhaps Today, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

My mind rushes to the thousands of Christians savagely killed and maimed by the lions in Roman amphitheaters long ago. Their crime? They refused to bow down and worship Caesar. Doubtless some on that day cowered before their oppressors and feigned a rejection of Christ.  Like those who were martyred, they will also be saved. But they will not receive the martyr’s crown their Lord wanted them to have. [bold emphasis added]

Tim LaHaye Teaches Satan's Lie That Christians May Deny the Lord Jesus Christ Before Men and Still Inherit Eternal Life

The authors are teaching that if a Christian outwardly rejects the Lord Jesus Christ, he will still be saved, though he will forfeit the martyr's crown. They are teaching that the Christians in the past who bowed down and "pretended" to worship Caesar (that is what feigning a rejection of Christ would be in that context!) would still be counted among the faithful. They would not receive the martyr's crown, but would remain saved even after denying the Lord Jesus Christ before men.  

It does not surprise me to see them promote the deny-the-Lord-Jesus-Christ-and-still-be-saved theme in their nonfiction book, Perhaps Today, because they also promoted this apostate doctrine in the Left Behind Series. In fact, the "denying the Lord Jesus Christ" theme is a recurring one in the Left Behind series.  Reject this false, antichrist doctrine.  

The Lord Jesus Christ plainly taught his disciples: 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."  Matthew 10:32, 33

Luke also quoted Jesus speaking about this subject: 

"Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God." Luke 12: 8,9

"Pretending" to deny the Lord Jesus Christ in order to save your life IS denying him before men. The person who does this will lose his soul:

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." Mark 8:35

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 16:25

"Every man and woman on earth that take themselves for true Christians, and do not deny themselves for life and all, for the sake of Christ and the hope of everlasting glory, are mere self-deceivers, and no true Christians at all."--William C. Nichols (The Gospel and Martyrdom)

Pretending That Someone Else is the Christ IS Denying the Lord Jesus Christ

The authors are reassuring Christians that even if you outwardly deny the Lord Jesus Christ and pretend to worship a false Christ, you will still be saved. Yes, this "speaking lies in hypocrisy" doctrine was also taught in the Left Behind series as well.

Who is against the Lord Jesus Christ? Whoever denies the Father and the Son:

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son." 1 John 2:22

Pretending that someone else besides Jesus is the Christ, IS denying that Jesus is the Christ!  This is antichrist behavior. This is a denial of the Father and the Son.

"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." 1 John 2:23

You must not ever even pretend to deny that Jesus Christ is the Lord.  Whoever does this (even if only feigning apostasy so as to save his own life in this world) is antichrist. To do so is to guarantee that you will be denied by the Lord Jesus before his Father in heaven.

What About Peter's Thrice-Denial of the Lord Jesus?

Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye did not mention or imply repentance in their deny-Christ-and-still-be-saved Perhaps Today devotional. But the "what about Peter" question has arisen so frequently that it is necessary to address it here.

A Christian who denies the Lord Jesus Christ and goes to his death without repenting of this sin [whether it was committed in sincerity or hypocrisy] will reap the consequences: 

The Lord Jesus Christ will deny him before His Father which is in Heaven. (See Matt. 10:33)

What about Peter? Peter was forgiven because he repented of his denial of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Mat 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

The Bible distinguishes between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, but worldly sorrow leads to death:

2Cr 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Peter's sorrow was not merely a tearful remorse with no change of actions—the sorrow of the world. Peter was filled with godly sorrow. His repentance to salvation was evidenced by his subsequent, lifelong obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you have ever denied the Lord Jesus Christ, repent now with godly sorrow. Please do not purpose to sin in this manner and assume you will have time to repent later. God is not mocked. Premeditated sin is willful sin:

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Heb. 10:26

 

Perhaps Today Devotional Critiques

 Back To Main Page | Email Us  

Liberty To The Captives Established in June 2001