Yes — the way to recognize a spiritual counterfeit is to know the genuine Word of God so thoroughly that an imitation becomes immediately evident.
Les Feldick compares this to the U.S. Treasury Department's training of counterfeit experts: new agents study only legitimate American bills for months, so one small mark reveals a fake. The believer must do the same with Scripture, becoming so familiar with the genuine that any teaching falling short is instantly recognizable. Scripture commands believers to test the spirits because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1), and Les warns that Satan, the master counterfeiter, can transform himself into an angel of light. The believer's only criterion is the Word of God — not a preacher, not a seminary, not even Les Feldick.
1 John 4:1 — The biblical command to try the spirits because many false prophets are in the world — the verse Les uses as the believer's starting point for discernment.
Matthew 24:4 — Jesus' warning 'Take heed that no man deceive you' is the answer He gave when asked about the sign of His coming — mass deception will precede the end.
Scripture commands believers to test every spirit because false prophets are already in the world. First John 4:1 states, 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.' Jesus answered His disciples' question about the sign of His coming and the end of the age with a warning — 'Take heed that no man deceive you' (Matthew 24:4). Paul adds that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 12:3). Scripture also warns that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and Revelation describes a counterfeit religious leader who does great wonders, making fire come down from heaven, and who deceives those who dwell on the earth through his miracles (Revelation 13:13-14).
Les Feldick teaches that the way to spot a counterfeit is to know the genuine so thoroughly that an imitation becomes obvious. He illustrates this with the U.S. Treasury Department's method of training counterfeit investigators: for months they do nothing but study legitimate American bills, not counterfeits, so that one little mark not in an original identifies the fake. 'And that's the way we have to do with the Scripture,' he says. Satan is the master counterfeiter from day one, and a master counterfeiter is so like the original that only an expert can tell the difference. Les insists that the believer's only criterion is the Word of God: '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.' Because John wrote around A.D. 90 that many false spirits were already in the world, Les says the situation today is 'far, far greater.' Every believer has the wherewithal to discern these spirits when everything is lined up with Scripture. Les also warns of the end-time counterfeits: the Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, performing great wonders and deceiving the world. Since Satan can transform himself into an angel of light and appear to be promoting the Scriptures, outward appearance is no proof of truth. Believers sort these things out by the direction of the Holy Spirit and by searching the Scriptures.
Les Feldick teaches that the key is knowing the genuine, not studying the fakes. He uses the U.S. Treasury Department's method of training counterfeit investigators: for several months they do absolutely nothing but look at legitimate American bills. Once they have studied the originals meticulously, one little mark that is not in an original identifies a counterfeit. 'And that's the way we have to do with the Scripture,' he says. Because Satan is the master counterfeiter and can transform himself into an angel of light, appearing to promote the Scriptures, the believer must be an expert in the genuine Word of God to spot the imitation.
Les Feldick insists that every believer has the wherewithal to discern spirits if he lines everything up with the Word of God. He cites 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.' If this was true around A.D. 90, he says, it is 'far, far greater' today. Les's rule is simple: '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.' Even in Corinth, gifted believers had to separate spiritual things prompted by Satan from spiritual things prompted by the Holy Spirit, and Les applies 1 John 4 as being just as relevant today.
When the disciples asked Jesus for the sign of His coming and the end of the age, He did not say, 'Look for globalism' or 'Look for the Antichrist' — He said, 'Don't be deceived' (Matthew 24:4). Les concludes that mass deception is coming in the closing days, and it will use the Word of God deceptively. He identifies the Antichrist as the counterfeit of God the Son and the false prophet as the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit draws people to God the Son, this religious leader causes people to worship the Antichrist. The false prophet does much of what the Holy Spirit does legitimately — he does great wonders, making fire come down from heaven, and he deceives those who dwell on the earth through his miracles (Revelation 13:13-14). The Holy Spirit never deceives; this counterfeit does.
Les Feldick says the Lord has given believers the direction of the Holy Spirit and a mind and intelligence so that by searching the Scriptures they can sort these things out. He notes that people call his program and suddenly realize that things they thought were part and parcel of the Christian experience are not according to the Book. Believers have an innate ability to ask, 'Is this scriptural, or is this something that man has thought up?' The answer never comes from human authority — it comes from lining every teaching up with the Word of God.
The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment
So this follows them all the way through Scripture. So Cain, of course, was the beginning of the natural, or the non-spiritual aspect of the human race. But now Seth comes on the scene to become the head of the spiritual line, and we pick it up, as I said, in verse 6 then, where Seth lived 105 years, and he begat Enos, and so on down the line. We aren't going to take all these names.
Master Counterfeiter and the Treasury Illustration
Les explains that a master counterfeiter looks so much like the original that only an expert can tell the difference, and he applies the Treasury Department's method — studying only legitimate bills — to Scripture.
Test Every Spirit by the Word of God
Les urges believers to test whether spirits are of God because many false prophets are in the world, and he makes the Word of God the believer's only criterion — not preachers, seminaries, or Les himself.
Separating Satan's Spiritual Things from the Holy Spirit's
Les shows from 1 John 4 that even in Corinth believers needed gifted discernment to separate spiritual things prompted by Satan from those prompted by the Holy Spirit, and he says the same need exists today.
Innate Discernment and Jesus' Warning
Les says believers have an innate ability to discern what is scriptural and cites Jesus' 'Don't be deceived' warning in Matthew 24 as proof that mass deception is coming, with false teachers using the Word of God deceptively.
Antichrist and False Prophet as Counterfeits
Les identifies the Antichrist as the counterfeit of God the Son and the false prophet as the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, who does great wonders and deceives earth's dwellers through miracles.
The Counterfeit Holy Spirit Who Deceives
Les repeats the same teaching: the false prophet is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit who performs great wonders and causes deception, whereas the Holy Spirit never deceives.
Satan as an Angel of Light
Les reminds listeners that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and can appear to promote Scripture while leading millions astray; believers sort these things out by searching the Scriptures with the Holy Spirit's direction.
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.
This is the biblical command to test every spirit, and it is the verse Les points to as the foundation for discerning false prophets.
1 Corinthians 12:3: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Paul gives believers a concrete test for whether a spiritual utterance is from the Spirit of God — the area Les says Paul and John were both addressing.
Matthew 24:4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus' first answer to the disciples' question about the end of the age is a warning against deception — mass deception Les says we are already seeing.
2 Corinthians 11:14: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Les cites this verse to show that Satan can appear as an angel of light, making outward appearance an unreliable test of truth.
Revelation 13:13: And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
The counterfeit religious leader of the tribulation does great wonders that mimic legitimate miracles.
Revelation 13:14: And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
The false prophet's miracles are the means by which he deceives those who dwell on the earth — whereas the Holy Spirit never deceives.
Knowing the genuine. Les Feldick compares it to Treasury agents who study only legitimate bills until a single flaw reveals a fake. The believer must know the Word of God so thoroughly that any teaching that falls short becomes immediately evident.
No. Les warns that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light and make it appear that he is promoting the Scriptures. A master counterfeiter makes the imitation look like the original, which is why outward appearance is never the test — the Word of God is.
It means testing every spiritual message against the Word of God. First John 4:1 commands, 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.' Les says the believer's only criterion is Scripture — not a preacher, not a seminary, not even Les himself.
Les teaches that the false prophet of the tribulation is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. He does much of what the Holy Spirit does legitimately — great wonders and miracles — but the Holy Spirit never deceives, while this counterfeit deceives those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 13:13-14).
Watch the Teaching: The Days of Noah: Understanding the "Sons of God" & Coming Judgment