David C. Pack in Prophecy
“Foretold” in 1977!
Excerpts from Marion McNair
THE FLIMFLAM EVANGELIST-SPIRIT OF ELMER GANTRY
Each new generation of religious awakening spawns its own hybrid variety of the flimflam man–the Elmer Gantry of the pulpit. The gullible eagerly frequents the medicine show, the rainmaker, the healer, the prophet, one who promises the fountain of youth, the mystic elixir of life or ultimate knowledge of the Divine.
Each flim-flammer will seek his own following, shunning those who question the authenticity of his supposedly divine formula. Those men must be called on to account for the slightest failure of their heavenly claims and left desolate with their own hocus-pocus. Without the blessing of the widow's mite their well pressed garments will become rumpled and their fancy potions appear as ineffectual as they really are.
But how can the youth, the non-initiate, the novice detect and avoid the flim-flam religious practitioner? It is not as difficult as one might think. There are, basically, three things to watch.
IMMINENCY OF CHRIST'S RETURN-BEWARE!
The first to be wary of is the man who predicts the imminency of the literal return of Jesus Christ. Christ warned, “Ye know not the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh” (Matt. 25:13). Christ and all the major apostolic authors warned that Christ's return would be as unexpected as the appearance of a thief in the darkness of night (Luke 12:39, I Thes. 5:2, II Pet. 3:10, Rev. 3:6; 16:15).
Heaven guards that event with such secrecy that neither the angels nor even Christ Himself knows the time of its final fulfillment. God the Father has reserved that knowledge to Himself–alone! “. . . of that day and hour knoweth no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only,” said Christ (Matt. 25:36),
Even though Christ's literal return will come unexpectedly, it need not catch the child of God unaware. Those who are spiritually prepared will not be startled by Christ's return–even if it comes while he is sleeping in the wee hours of the morning. The time or imminency of Christ's return is something about which one just need not be frightened if he is living a Godly life (II Thess. 5:4).
A mighty temptation rests on every minister and layman–a temptation to dabble in the prophetic date of Christ's return. But every minister or layman who has, or ever will do so, is destined to sail straight into the reef of prophetic disaster.
Why then do ministers do it? It is a very easy way to get people stirred up to the point where they will generously support a work with their financial means. In some cases, hundreds of thousands and millions will be donated by a single individual to support this kind of scare-tactic preaching–something which Christ warned should not be done. He said, “ . . . many shall come in my name saying I am (of) Christ; and The time (of Christ's return) draweth near . . .” (Luke 21:8). What then should one's reaction be when self-styled prophets come proclaiming that Christ's Second Coming is just around the corner? Christ said, “ . . . go not after them . . .” (Luke 21:8).
There is no truth so well documented and yet so widely abused by self-styled prophets. Christ labeled it a forbidden area and specifically warned, “ . . . there shall arise . . . false prophets . . . (Matt. 24:23-24).
Ministers who indulge in this forbidden trickery will invariably construct an elaborate prophetic scheme and eventually become purveyors of dooms-day threats–in many cases directing the venom of their strikes against the sanctity of other Christian faiths.
Such men, after misappropriating millions of widows mites become the victims of their own schemes as the scripture of Deuteronomy 18:22 is fulfilled upon them, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt, not be afraid of him.”
SELF-STYLED PROPHET-BEWARE!
The second thing to watch in detecting the Elmer Gantry flimflam type has already been referenced–the self-styled prophet. As his prophetic structure grows it will become increasingly necessary that he be looked upon as having a higher station than the ordinary minister of Christ. Eventually his decisions will be equated with a “Thus saith the Lord.” Those of such esteem will gradually assume the position of the sale keeper, regulator and interpreter of God's Holy Word. They will then exercise the freedom to add to and detract from the Scriptures.
What does God say about such as this? “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book . . . God shall take away his part out of the book of life. . .” (Rev. 22:18-19).
While this scripture pertains primarily to the book of Revelation, the same holds true for the entire Bible At the time of his death, the writer of Revelation, the Apostle John, had compiled and canonized the Scriptures as we have them today. He wrote the above quote. There is no room for special revelation when it comes to Truth. “Grace and truth came (not is coming or will come–but CAME) by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Paul made it clear, while writing to the Hebrews, “. . . (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son . . .” (Heb. 1:2), whose words are recorded in the Bible.
Beware of the self-styled prophet who uses double meaning phrases such as, “God has revealed to me,” If you believe your Bible, you know God is not now giving direct revelation to men. Beware of the man who claims otherwise.
THE WHOLE TRUTH SYNDROME
Thirdly, beware of the organization which thinks or teaches that they are the only ones who have “The Truth.” Further examination will reveal that they teach salvation is generally possible through their closed society alone. They subtly infer that only they hold the key to the Golden Gate of God's Heavenly Kingdom. Hundreds of years–perhaps eighteen hundred years have gone by without the gospel having been preached–according to them. Souls for centuries, have been doomed to their graves without the saving grace of the Gospel of Christ–according to their teaching.
Beware of those who supposedly have a monopoly on heavenly things.….
Beware of the modern space-age flimflam Elmer Gantry as he may some day peer through your space-scope.
Keep your hand on your hip because he is going to reach for your wallet.
If he uses your offerings for any project other than Christ's commission of preaching His Gospel, you haven't donated to the real cause of Christ. You, my friend, have experienced a Religious Rip-Off!
If he uses your offerings for any project other than Christ's commission of preaching His Gospel, you haven't donated to the real cause of Christ. You, my friend, have experienced a Religious Rip-Off!
Excerpts from Marion McNair
See: Armstrongism: Religion or Rip-off?
Submitted by a Restored Church of God source
