If someone quietly twisted God’s Word, would you recognize it?
Most false teachers don’t begin by denying everything the Bible says. They often sound biblical. They quote Scripture. They may even speak about Jesus. Yet little by little they distort God’s truth, avoid unpopular doctrines, or leave out the very truths people most need to hear.
Jesus warned that deception would increase in the last days. That means learning to recognize the voice of the True Shepherd is no longer optional—it’s essential.
Today’s readings show us how believers can develop discernment, avoid spiritual deception, and confidently follow the Shepherd who never leads His people astray.
Imagine sitting at a party when suddenly a hand appears out of nowhere and begins writing on the wall.
No body.
No explanation.
Just fingers writing a message no one can understand.
That is exactly what happened at Belshazzar’s feast.
The king had been drinking, mocking the things of God, and living as though his power and position made him untouchable.
Then God wrote His verdict on the wall.
And before the night was over, Belshazzar was dead and his kingdom was gone.
We may never see supernatural handwriting appear on the walls of our homes, businesses, or government buildings.
But that doesn’t mean God has been silent.
He has already written His warnings in His Word.
And today’s New Testament reading contains another warning—this one about false teachers whose message can be especially dangerous because it doesn’t always sound obviously false.
Sometimes error comes wrapped in just enough truth to make it believable.
So how can we recognize it?
And could we be ignoring warnings that God has already clearly given?
Most of us would never dream of taking a pair of scissors to our Bibles.
We wouldn’t cut out a verse because we didn’t like what it said.
We certainly wouldn’t toss a page into the fireplace because God’s commands made us uncomfortable.
But could we do essentially the same thing without ever touching the pages?
What do we do when Scripture contradicts something we desperately want to believe?
When it confronts a lifestyle our culture celebrates?
When it tells us something about God we find difficult?
Or when it calls us to repent, forgive, submit, change, or obey?
It’s easy to look at a world that increasingly rejects God’s Word and shake our heads.
But perhaps we need to ask a more personal question:
Do I really believe the whole Bible—or only the parts I agree with?
In Jeremiah’s day, one king made his answer unmistakably clear.
As God’s Word was read to him, he took a knife, cut away each section, and threw it into the fire.
But destroying the scroll didn’t change a single thing God had said.
And while we may never physically cut up our Bibles, we can do something surprisingly similar when we ignore, reinterpret, or explain away the parts we don’t want to believe or obey.
So how do you view the Bible?
Is it God’s authoritative Word?
A collection of helpful principles?
A cafeteria where you can take what appeals to you and leave the rest?
Or something to be blended with whatever ideas our culture finds acceptable?
Today we’ll look at a king who tried to destroy God’s Word—and the uncomfortable question his actions should cause each of us to ask about what we do with the parts of Scripture we don’t like.
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in this series of posts. In this lesson, we’ll look at one of the four elements of false teaching being espoused in Colossae, Jewish legalism, and how our union with Christ makes legalist requirements unnecessary.
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in this series of posts. In this lesson, we’re going to look at Paul’s warning to them about the danger of being taken captive by a false gospel.
We’re working our way through the book of Colossians in this series of posts. In this lesson, we’re going to look at Paul’s warning to them about the danger of being taken captive by a false gospel.
