Deadly Beliefs

The three friends never intended that their prank would turn deadly. But when they removed a Florida stop sign in February 1996, three teenagers drove through the intersection and into the path of an eight-ton truck and were killed. The pranksters, all in their early twenties, were sentenced to fifteen years in prison. The stop sign was found on the side of the road near the accident.

Like changing traffic signs, Bible truth was hidden by the established church centuries ago, and it has caused untold confusion and led many into fatal beliefs. The church of Rome based these unscriptural doctrines on tradition, and the outcome was a relentless persecution of dissenters, corruption, and spiritual decline. The Word of God describes her false teachings: “Babylon … has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8).

The Roman church defined the head of the church on earth as the vicar [substitute] of Christ. Yet the Bible teaches “Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23). The apostate church also shifted the eyes of church members from the heavenly priesthood of Christ to an earthly priesthood. But the Scriptures state, “We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14).

The fallen church also taught that good works are meritorious and give a person a just claim to salvation. In fact, they asserted that extra good works could be used to benefit others and a shortage of good works could be atoned for in purgatory. Yet God “has saved us … not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9). When we turn away from the signs of truth in the Bible, we put our spiritual lives at risk and will eventually be led down a fatal road.

Apply It:

Have you ever believed something that was false? How did you learn the truth?

Dig Deeper:

Proverbs 14:12; Hebrews 4:14–16; Revelation 18:3

Key Bible Texts

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. (Jeremiah 51:7 KJV)