Yes — counterfeit teachings are recognized by knowing genuine Scripture so thoroughly that anything false stands out immediately.
Les Feldick teaches that the best defense against false teaching is intimate, firsthand knowledge of the Word of God. Just as Treasury agents study genuine currency rather than counterfeits, believers who know the real Bible will recognize a counterfeit teaching the moment they see it. Satan is the master counterfeiter, so believers must line up every teaching with Scripture.
1 John 4:1 — John directly commands believers to test the spirits because many false prophets are in the world — this is the Bible's own test for counterfeit teaching.
Matthew 24:4 — Jesus answers the disciples' question about the end of the age with a warning not to be deceived, pointing to deception as the primary danger.
2 Corinthians 11:14 — Paul explains why counterfeits are so convincing: Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Scripture repeatedly warns that false teaching exists and tells believers how to recognize it. Jesus warned His disciples, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). John instructs, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Paul explains why counterfeits can look so convincing: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Jude also describes false teachers who “crept in unawares” and “turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness” while “denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Of them he says, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not” (Jude 10). These passages establish that counterfeit teachings exist, are deceptive, and must be tested rather than accepted at face value.
Les Feldick teaches that the most effective way to recognize a counterfeit teaching is to know the genuine article — the Word of God — intimately. He compares this to Treasury Department agents who spend six months studying only legitimate American currency; when they see a counterfeit, they recognize it immediately. He applies the same principle to Scripture: “Be so profound in your knowledge of the Scripture that when the cults come along, when people come to your door with something less than the truth, you'll recognize it immediately as a counterfeit.” Les also explains that Satan is the master counterfeiter. He can transform himself into an angel of light, making something appear to be the original. In the end times, the Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet is the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, performing miracles to deceive the world. Jesus' warning “Don't be deceived” implies that mass deception will mark the last days. The believer's safeguard is to line every teaching up with the Word of God — not with what preachers, seminaries, or even Les himself say.
Les says the United States government brings young people into the Treasury Department to work on counterfeits, but they do not study counterfeit bills. For six months they study only legitimate American currency. The idea is that if they know meticulously how the original looks, when they see something that is counterfeit they will recognize it immediately. Les applies this directly to Scripture: be so profound in your knowledge of the Bible that when cults come along or people come to your door with something less than the truth, you will recognize it immediately as a counterfeit.
When the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus did not say, “Look for globalism and look for the Antichrist.” He said, “Don't be deceived.” Les points out that if Jesus says, “Don't be deceived,” it follows that mass deception is coming on the world in the closing days. People will use the Word of God, but they will be deceptive as they use it — something Les says we are seeing on every hand.
Les maintains that every believer has the wherewithal to discern false spirits, if they line the teaching up with the Word of God. He is explicit: “You don't go by what some preacher says, you don't go by what I say, you don't go by what some seminary says, you line it up with the Word of God.” John wrote that we must try the spirits because many false prophets are gone out into the world, and what was true at the end of the first century is far, far greater today.
Les teaches that the Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son and that the false prophet, the religious leader of the tribulation, is the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit genuinely draws people to God the Son, this false religious leader causes people to worship the Antichrist, the counterfeit Son. The false prophet does much of what the Holy Spirit does legitimately, even making fire come down from heaven, and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by the miracles he has power to do.
The White Horse Rider: Antichrist or Jesus? Revelation 6
Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay.
Treasury Department Illustration
Les says believers should know the genuine Scripture so thoroughly that they recognize false teaching immediately, just as counterfeit-money experts study only genuine currency.
Antichrist and False Prophet as Counterfeits
The Antichrist is a counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit; the false prophet does deceptive miracles to draw people to the counterfeit Christ.
Daniel's Dream, the Antichrist & the Mark of the Beast
The Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet, or this individual we're talking about here, the religious leader, is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Now here you see it. As the Holy Spirit today, as the genuine Spirit of God draws people to God the Son, this counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, this religious leader of the tribulation period, causes people to go to a worship…
Mass Deception Warning
When Jesus said 'Don't be deceived' in answer to the disciples' question, it implies that mass deception using the Word of God will mark the last days.
Test Every Spirit by the Word
Believers must test teachings by lining them up with the Word of God — not by preachers, Les, or seminaries — because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Satan as Master Counterfeiter
Satan is the master counterfeiter who can transform himself into an angel of light, making something false look like the original, so believers should not expect counterfeit teachings to look obviously evil.
False Teachers in the Church
False teachers are so deceptive they can creep into churches unawares, turn God's grace into lasciviousness, and deny the Lord Jesus Christ while speaking evil of things they do not know.
Matthew 24:4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus answered the disciples' question about the end of the age with a direct warning about deception.
2 Corinthians 11:14: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Paul explains why counterfeits can look genuine: Satan disguises himself as something good.
1 John 4:1: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
John commands believers to test every spirit, giving the foundational instruction for recognizing false teaching.
Jude 4: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude warns that false teachers have already slipped into the church and are identified by their denial of the Lord and perversion of grace.
Jude 10: But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jude shows that false teachers speak confidently about things they do not actually understand.
Les explains that the U.S. Treasury Department trains people to spot counterfeit bills by studying only legitimate American currency for six months. If you know the genuine original meticulously, you immediately recognize anything that does not belong. Les applies this to Scripture: knowing the real teaching of the Bible is the best way to spot false teaching.
Les says every believer has the wherewithal to discern spirits if they will line the teaching up with the Word of God. He is explicit that you do not go by what a preacher says, what he says, or what a seminary says; you test it by Scripture. This follows the Bible's command to try the spirits because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Les teaches that the Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet of the tribulation is the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. The false prophet causes people to worship the Antichrist and does deceptive miracles, such as making fire come down from heaven, to deceive the inhabitants of the earth.
When the disciples asked about the sign of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus did not tell them to look for globalism or the Antichrist; He said, 'Don't be deceived.' Les points out that such a warning implies mass deception from people using the Word of God deceptively in the closing days.
Watch the Teaching: The White Horse Rider: Antichrist or Jesus? Revelation 6