What Makes a Religion Demonic?

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

When you read these verses, what do you picture the Spirit describing? What images come to your mind when you think of these later times? In what activity will these deceitful spirits and demons be involved? In other words, when you hear of demonic activity, what is the worst thing you can imagine?

Were you imagining pentagrams and candles, human sacrifice and such?

If so, I’m afraid you might be outwitted by the devil’s schemes. Paul explicitly tells us in the next verse what demonic activity he is concerned about: “[those] who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” 1 Timothy 4:3.

What?!? Doesn’t that seem like a bit of an exaggeration? A bit over the top to say that the most demonic activity possible in the latter days is a teacher forbidding his congregation from eating a certain food?

If that seems like an exaggeration, again, I’m afraid you might be unaware that your enemy masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). He does his best to get as close to the real gospel as possible, just as long as it doesn’t save. He pridefully seeks a worship he is not worthy of, designing false religions that are close to the truth so that he might be adored in a similar manner as God, though counterfeitly.   Continue at Josiah Grauman