Review of II Cor 11:4, Our Purpose of Study

In II Corinthians, chapter 11, Paul lays out an argument that the church of Corinth had passively accepted another idea or description of the authentic Jesus Christ. This rendition or interpretation leads us into another doctrine of the Spirit of God and His work, which naturally flows into another gospel. The whole system is made to deceive, beguile and corrupt the mind. Paul uses the example of Eve and equates her thinking and reasoning with that of the passive, biblically illiterate, dumbed-down assembly at Corinth. He call it folly; the inability to think logically and soundly or to comprehend those things which are spiritual. See 1 Cor 2:14.
In II Timothy 4:1-4, Paul warns Timothy of this very thing. It is apparent that the apostate church of the last days will become so corrupted that it actually opposes what Christ and the Apostles taught while at the same time insisting that it is faithful to their doctrine. It is immediately apparent that such a scenario requires certain pre-conditions to make it credible.
Satan's lie (II Cor 11:13-15) must be honored as God's truth without the church "leaders" - who deceive and are being deceived (II Cor 10:12, Eph 4:12-14 and II Tim 3:13) and continuing to deceive - from ever knowing that such a metamorphosis has occured. Moreover, that perversion must have taken place from "within" the last days church (Acts 20:28-31) itself, even before the anti-Christ appears. Could Paul have meant anything less when he warned "Let no man deceive you by ant means; for that day (the rapture "our gathering together unto Him {II Thes 2:1}) shall not come except ther come a falling away first (apostacy - turning from the true faith {Jude vs 3&4} and {then} that man of sin (the anti-Christ) be revealed, the son of perdition" (II Thes 2:3). While the apostacy (another Jesus, another Spirit, another Gospel) of the church is in no doubt related to a simultaneous general moral decay effecting every arena of life from the family, to education, business adn politics, the primary meaning is a DEPARTURE FROM THE TRUTH - GOD'S WORD (John 17:17).
Sound doctrine will be despised. For some, intellectualism (evolution, envinonmentalism, philosphy, etc.) and skepticism (unbelief, various ways to God, self-righteousness, etc.) will justify what seems to be a very reasonable "new" faith. For most people, objective truth will be replaced by feeling, emotions and experience. These will be their authority.
So, how important is it to know the real Jesus? Paul equates it with life and death.
As we have previously stated, the Old Testament is the preperation of the Hebrews to recognize their Messiah. Compare Deut 18:18 with John 17:6-8 or Isa 61:1-2 with Luke 4:16-21 and Isa 35:4-6 with Matt 11:2-6. These authenticate His life. Read Isa 53 and compare this with his death on the Cross. These are but a few examples. As He came before, He will come again (John 14:1-3), this time as a ruling king. Not to authenticate, but to fulfill the oaths and promises of the living God (Isa 9:6-7)
Now it begins! Next week, the Relavency of His Righteousness.