Jonathan Edwards once wrote “It’s the experience that counts” and that is exactly the point of this post. Satan is also a spiritual being who tries to twists and deceives people into what he wants. His primary target is to butcher the brethren’s (ecclesia) personal walk in the Lord. Satan was there for all the events recorded in the scriptures, and by the spirit of antichrist seeks to stumble and destroy the Lord Gods testimonial within His actual people!
The Apostle John first coined the phrase antichrist(s) speaking about those who had started with Christ, yet became diverted to “another gospel”. The Apostle Paul called these people “enemies of the cross” and grieved for those who no longer followed the “Spirit of Truth” as in the book of Galatians as an example. These early brethren started with the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, yet started moving independently within the flesh to another form of godliness, which I commonly call religion.
For the lost, it is the preaching of the gospel “which will ring right” in those who God has chosen to find Jesus Christ, the ones who have a love for the truth that they might be saved! The rest of humanity the scripture refers to as the wicked, who have no love for the truth (who is Christ crucified) that they might be saved.
This is strictly a spiritual condition, and no man-made (Bible) institutions are able to have any effect in those whom the Lord God has not chosen to do a work in! I have said before that you cannot teach people into Jesus Christ, as we have not the power to alter the will of God. We who know Him, are instructed to simply follow Him, and no other!
The Bible is simply the “owner’s manual” for those who by grace alone, God has chosen to do a work in.
We should never set out to try and prove God by using Bible doctrines, or even Bible apologetics (unless we are led of the Lord) to those who will never know Him: as the scriptures and fellowships should only ever exist for the actual brethren, the ones who actually know and follow Christ, in Spirit and in Truth. The rest are but false brethren, and should be excluded (no matter how well read) from the actual disciples!
Most would never guess that the “Spirit of Antichrist” would be embedded within “the church” even using the Bible in trying to justify themselves unto God, claiming Christ’s name as savior – but in (spiritual) actuality are none of His!
This is the Most Dangerous trap which Satan has ever devised since the Garden of Eden, designed specifically to derail and destroy those who once put their faith in Christ alone, and used by enemies of the cross, the mother of Harlots and her daughters!
Elders in the Lord must be able to spiritually discern of what spirit someone is of, as in 1 John 4 Chapter. This has nothing to do with intellect (natural understanding) and everything to do with an elder’s ability to discern the spirits, specifically the spirit of antichrist. The western mind specifically, operates by intellect – what I call “the tree of knowledge crowd”. The “WORD of God” is in spirit and in truth, as in John 1:1, In the beginning, Was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This passage is specifically referring to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not referring to a text on a page, as commonly espoused to be the Bible.
The Bible was intended to be used for reproof and correction of the brethren using sound doctrines, and not to be taught to the world and his wife by institutionalized systematic theologies or even Bible Colleges’, which have now cranked out all sorts of false brethren, as they have moved independently of God in using the intellect (natural mind) rather than being led by the Holy Spirit, whom they were instructed to follow by Christ himself.
This whole quagmire has gotten very complicated over the centuries, just go online and take a look at Luke Chapter 8 for example ; Calvinists will explain this chapter by using Bible cross references to show that the first 3 references of the sower and the ground, were not really saved to begin with. Whereas Armenians say that anybody can be saved, provided they continue to follow Christ, yet they disregard Luke 8:10, which speaks about the elect.
This is just one of many examples of learning up Bible doctrines by using natural understanding, walking independent of the Holy Spirit, who is Jesus Christ himself! He was the one who taught about the sower and the seeds, so is not He able to teach us in greater truth? Or do we need a bunch of Old Testament style Priests for such a task?
This is what the “Church industry” has become, and it is most destructive to an actual child of God, who only wishes to follow his father.
Lightship Ministries 
At the risk of being “labeled” as a “Calmenian” by people who would rather do theology in their heads and be lord of their own lives, in keeping their intellectual & doctrinal filing system up to date naturally; rather than following Christ in spirit and in truth… I offer the following explanation to Luke chapter 8 and others.
All four “types of ground” started with Christ in initial regeneration. But only the fourth type of ground will “enter in”, as they have a love for the truth (Jesus Christ) that they “might be” ultimately saved in the end.
Good article brother. When it comes down to it Almighty God is all that we have on this journey. Even a bible becomes a useless tool if we do not have the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us.
Aaaamen!