HERETICS, SCHISMATICS, FALSE TEACHERS, DECEIVERS, WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING
There are many of the hierarchy today who abandoned true Orthodoxy and openly preach heresy with little or no resistance from the Orthodox faithful. Orthodox Christians believe in and confess One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and when hierarchs preach another church they preach heresy. When they recognize and embrace the pope of Rome as a bishop, and the papacy as another church, they preach heresy. When they recognie Protestants as brother Christians, and their churches, they preach heresy.
When they deny the truth of the unique nature of Orthodoxy as being the only true Church, the only Body of Christ, they preach heresy. When they recognize the mysteries of the non-Orthodox as being valid they preach heresy. God through Holy Scriptures denounces every form of heresy as will be shown.
Holy Scripture, is inspired by God, however the same Scripture are used actively and deceptively by most nominal Christians, heretics, papists and Protestant to preach their errors. Besides these heresies there exists the pan-heresy of ecumenism, used by some Orthodox whose objective seeks to honor and combine all religions as leading to the same God. Effectively this is a strong declaration against absolute truth. Satan seeks through his minions to destroy pure Orthodoxy from the face of the earth, preventing the salvation of man. Unfortunately, few do not even consider the events taking place in the Church as important.Heresy attacks from both within or outside the church, boldly and openly with little resistance thus encouraging ever increasing attacks which are still occurring.
Because many do not comprehend how deadly heresy will affect each of us, little attention is given to the heresies and their promoters, nor are their heresies recognized. There are many words of Scripture related to the heresies and heretics. From these words it shall become apparent, that God speaking through Scripture, teaches that all false teaching, heresies and heretics, are to be avoided as seriously dangerous to the faithful.
In the sermon on the mount (Matthew chapters 5-7), our Lord Jesus Christ, said, “Guard yourselves from the pseudo-prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves” (Mat. 7:15). The Lord focuses our attention on “the false-prophets and false-teachers . Whether they be clergy or laity, it dopes not matter, heresy remains heresy. There is one Christ, one Church and one Faith.
All heretical teachers spread falsehood, not only by their teaching but also by their very appearance, for they appear as deserving respect, then utter pious words laced with falsehood, seeking to corrupt the faithful. They do not always attack individual sheep but seek to destroy all of them by poisoning the food and water supply of their souls – the saving truths of Orthodoxy. They attack the source of our food and water which is the one Holy Church by claiming that there are two churches. Whether it be Patriarch Bishop or Priest, whoever denies the unique nature of Orthodoxy as being the only singular and only true Church, the Body of Christ, and establishes a second “sister” church, (Balamond agreement) or a second body of Christ are identified by Scripture behave as ravenous wolves and not shepherds. True shepherds of the true Church, teach one Christ not two, one Church not two, one Body of Christ not two, and one Path to the kingdom of heaven not two True shepherds do not recognize the pope and his papacy as a church..
The apostle Paul prophesied, to the elders of the Church of Ephesus:: “I know this: that after my departure there shall come fierce wolves unto you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). The apostle knew of the penetration of the heretics into the Church and he said: I know this, that after my coming they shall attack entering among you as fierce wolves, having no sympathy for the flock. Paul calls heretics fierce wolves, without sympathy for the flock of Christ, but seeking to devour it. Notice that God through St. Paul refers to preachers of heresy as fierce wolves, because it is the nature of wolves to kill and devour sheep, and he forewarns us. Fierce wolves preach two churches, two sources of truth, two leaders of churches, and two sources of sacraments
Behold how the apostle Paul dealt with a sorcerer and “pseudo-prophet”, Elymas who “perverted the straight paths of the Lord”: We read in Acts: “Elymas the sorcerer withstood them, seeking to turn the deputy from the faith. Then Saul who was also called Paul, being filled with Holy Spirit and set his eyes upon him and said: “O you, who are filled with every form of guile and every intrigue, son of the Devil, enemy of all righteousness! When will you stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness; and he went about seeking for someone to guide him by the hand. The deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” (Acts 13:9-12)
The language Paul uses words like sorcerer, full of every form of guile, son of the Devil, enemy of righteous, perverting the right ways of the Lord. This what hierarchs actually accomplish when they recognize a sister church as a genuine church, a fictional head as a real head, and non-sacraments as sacraments.
Peter the Apostle, knowing of the coming of heretics into the Church foretells: “And there came to be false-prophets among the people, so that even as there shall be false-teachers among you, who craftily shall introduce false teachings that are destructive, even to deny the Lord who bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction, and many shall follow their pernicious ways” (2 Peter 2:1).
The apostle calls heretics “false-teachers” because they use contradictory falsehoods to overthrow truth. Only the truth can save man for truth is from God while all lies are from the Devil. Heretics spread lies always seeking to drown the truths of God. The truths of Orthodoxy save us, the heresies introduced by many hierarchs lead them and their followers and all of us who accept them into perdition and eternal misery. Peter also calls heretics deniers of Christ!
The above Scriptural testimony is derived from one of Orthodoxy’s treasury of written tradition, the Bible. Though different language is used, they who openly deny the Church and preach other churches as true, fit into all the categories listed. Who are those who are wolves in sheep clothing, fierce wolves, enemies of righteousness, false prophets and teachers
1. Hierarchs and others who deny Orthodox as the only and unique Church, the source of everything, doctrine, truth and testimony from God.
2. Hierarchs and others who recognize two churches instead of Orthodox being the only true Church.
3. Hierarchs and those who recognize and celebrate with the pope the, head of the papacy.
4. Hierarchs who recognize sacraments of those outside the Church as being effective Truth has always recognized one Church, one doctrine of mysteries, including orders, baptism and chrismation. One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, one unique source of grace, and one source of doctrine and dogma
No comments:
Post a Comment