We know from the Scripture that you can prophesy in the name of Jesus, you can drive out demons in the name of Jesus, and you can perform many miracles in the name of Jesus, while calling Jesus Lord! Lord!, and still not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; still have it true of you that the Lord Jesus never knew you; still be considered an evildoer.

That it is possible to use the power of the spiritual world in Jesus' name and still not be known of Christ is a fact very much in need of publication in the Charismatic ranks.

As God and Satan are facing each other in the days in which we live we will witness a tremendous rise in man-centeredness in the governmental-social realm and a tremendous rise in man-centeredness in the Christian realm.

But what about the other religions? Believe me, during the titanic spiritual struggle of our day the religions other than Christianity, in spite of their claims and sword-rattling, are bit players in the scenario. The struggle is between Christ and Antichrist, the Holy Spirit of God and the False Prophet.

What will be the outcome of the man-centeredness in both the governmental and spiritual orders? You guessed it. The two will join ranks!

What we are speaking of is using the power of the Lamb without the Lamb.

Let's take a closer look at our Scripture and give it some careful thought.

Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"(Matthew 7:22,23—NIV)

How can this be?

How can a believer call Jesus "Lord" and work miracles in His name, and then be rejected?

God will honor the name of Jesus. If we are religiously ambitious we can use the name of Jesus to heal the sick, raise the dead, work other miracles, speak in tongues, prophesy, and do all else than can be performed by the faithful.

There are principles that can be exercised in the realm of spirits. They work even though the minister is not in touch with the Lord; the Lord does not know him or her.

We see this in the so-called "faith" ministry of today. It often works! It is not faith in the Lord Jesus but faith in faith.

Some of the proponents of this Christless practice say that the Bible and Jesus are one and the same. Therefore if you speak the words of the Bible you are speaking the words of Jesus. All you need is faith to believe what the Bible states will come to pass. If you want to be popular and make a lot of money, this is the way to go. People will be healed. The deaf will hear. The blind will see. So what is the problem?

The problem is that of placing the head of man on the Body of Christ. Antichrist is the attempt to be like Christ and yet maintain one's self-will. Antichrist is not the opposite of Christ but the imitation of Christ. Antichrist is the worship of self.

The Charismatic people of today, in fact Christian people throughout the centuries to a great extent, have not been taught clearly that it is not enough to work the works of God. Rather we are to work with God as He does His own works. This is what Jesus did. To work the works of God apart from God is the False Prophet.

To be continued.