The Principality of Hypocrisy

The principality of hypocrisy is the fifth principality of Satan. The objective of this principality of Satan is to cause mankind to not do what they say (idle words) or believe: to be double-minded or partial; and its attendant power is the spirit of hypocrisy. This prince has at his disposal all lower ranking principalities and powers like rebellion, sedition, entrepreneurship, idolatry, tradition, lying, disobedience emulation, judgment, confusion, hate, bitterness, haughtiness, etc. to use to fulfill his mission.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:25-28)

The spirit of Saul is gives us a clear evidence of evil operating in the church through its leadership. This spirit is one of the main driving forces behind division and folly in the body of Christ. We have pastors who have set themselves up as great and anointed "men of God." They explain that if one does not enjoin oneself to them one may lose out on a blessing. All of this fuels the fire of hatred the world has for the church. The world believes that the church is a cesspool. They think the church is the haven of judges and hypocrites. The problem is that they are partly right. The spirit of Saul causes the church leader to stand in the way of Christ. This sets him in a position he is not supposed to hold. As a result, he cannot hold onto the image he presents and thus promotes hypocrisy. In this section, we want to speak of the leader's hypocrisy and its affect on the body of Christ. Why is the body of Christ a body of hypocrisy? We will see why here.

Defining Hypocrisy

It seems it has become almost acceptable to not have your actions be consistent with your words. This is a tragedy. "Hypocrisy is the act of pretending or claiming to have beliefs, feelings, morals or virtues that one does not truly possess or practice. The word derives from the late Latin hypocrisis and Greek hypokrisis both meaning play-acting or pretense. The word is arguably derived from hypo- meaning under, + krinein meaning to decide/to dispute ... Hypocrisy is a deliberate pretense used to convey sentiments or ideas that are false (acting as if one likes something or someone or agrees with a belief or political position when in fact they do not)."¹⁴ "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not" (Matthew 23:1-3). Some secular sources exclude holding a double standard as hypocrisy, "Truly believing in one's right to a behavior whilst denying others the same right does not fit under the definition of hypocrisy, but should rather be termed as holding a double standard, thus leading to the most common misuse of the word."¹⁴ God's Word, however, includes holding a double standard in its definition of hypocrisy: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Hypocrisy is the use of God's image for one's own purpose: "them which glory in appearance, and not in heart" (2 Corinthians 5:12). In other words, it shows one way of being that seems right, but in actuality it is something else—way more destructive. "The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right" (Isaiah 32:5-7). We see an example of this in Gideon. Though the Lord had wrought great deliverance of the people from the hands of the Midianites through Gideon; and though Gideon, as Israel's new chosen leader, professed that "the LORD shall rule over you"; Gideon's subsequent actions belie his profession. "Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house" (Judges 8:27). Part of the job of a spirit of hypocrisy is to make people think something of a person that does not exist. It focuses on intentional and unintentional deception. This is the reason why the Lord uses the word leaven to describe hypocrisy, "beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1). Leaven or yeast makes bread seem bigger than it actually is. In essence, the bread is the same as it was before; now it just has a lot of air in it. Well the same goes for this spirit. It causes the person to seem like they have substance when they have none at all: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Timothy 3:5).

Results of Hypocrisy

The principality of hypocrisy entrenched as a strong hold works to cause the infected person to hold double standards and to be double minded; as such, judgment and confusion can easily beset the person. Church leaders possessed by the spirit of hypocrisy can spread judgment, confusion, and hate in the lives of their congregation by presenting an image of holiness that cloaks their defiled mind and conscience. "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin" (Proverbs 26:28). The hypocritical pastor wants to outwardly appear righteous to people—to show every pretense of obeying God; however, he is ultimately rebelling against the Word of God; much like King Saul. He wants the people to obey him. To do this, he will emphasize scriptures that discuss what happens when you "touch God's anointed." He will attempt to put fear in the hearts of the people so that they will never question him. All such questions will be rendered as judgments. They will teach that Christians must be obedient and submissive to them, while in actuality they are not that way to God (Matthew 5:19-20). In addition, this type of pastor has moments of anointing (power). People do become saved in churches even where the pastor is under the grip of the spirit of hypocrisy. They may even be able to get God right sometimes in a powerful way; however, scripture dictates that Christians do not judge him by his power, rather, by his fruit. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles" (Matthew 7:15-16)? John Calvin adds the following on hypocrisy:

Those whose inclinations are at variance with the justice of God, knowing that his tribunal has been erected for the punishment of transgression, earnestly wish that that tribunal were overthrown. Under the influence of this feeling they are actually warring against God, justice being one of his essential attributes. Perceiving that they are always within reach of his power, that resistance and evasion are alike impossible, they fear and tremble. Accordingly, to avoid the appearance of condemning a majesty by which all are overawed, they have recourse to some species of religious observance, never ceasing meanwhile to defile themselves with every kind of vice, and add crime to crime, until they have broken the holy law of the Lord in every one of its requirements, and set his whole righteousness at nought; at all events, they are not so restrained by their semblance of fear as not to luxuriate and take pleasure in iniquity, choosing rather to indulge their carnal propensities than to curb them with the bridle of the Holy Spirit.

But since this shadow of religion (it scarcely even deserves to be called a shadow) is false and vain, it is easy to infer how much this confused knowledge of God differs from that piety which is instilled into the breasts of believers, and from which alone true religion springs. And yet hypocrites would fain, by means of tortuous windings, make a show of being near to God at the very time they are fleeing from him. For while the whole life ought to be one perpetual course of obedience, they rebel without fear in almost all their actions, and seek to appease him with a few paltry sacrifices; while they ought to serve him with integrity of heart and holiness of life, they endeavour to procure his favour by means of frivolous devices and punctilios of no value. Nay, they take greater license in their grovelling indulgences, because they imagine that they can fulfil their duty to him by preposterous expiations; in short, while their confidence ought to have been fixed upon him, they put him aside, and rest in themselves or the creatures. At length they bewilder themselves in such a maze of error, that the darkness of ignorance obscures, and ultimately extinguishes, those sparks which were designed to show them the glory of God. Still, however, the conviction that there is some Deity continues to exist, like a plant which can never be completely eradicated, though so corrupt, that it is only capable of producing the worst of fruit.¹⁵

The oppression of hypocrisy is often not recognized by those infected. "But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them" (Job 36:13). Their "walk in the light" is not based on the standard of Christ but on their own definition. "Walking in the light means for many of us walking according to our standard for another person. The deadliest Pharisaism to-day is not hypocrisy, but unconscious unreality."¹⁶ They become easily offended if called on their inconsistency. At face value, they appear to be what they say they are; however, as time ticks on, they perform less and allow their "true" selves to be seen. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully" (Jeremiah 48:10). Hypocrisy results in a bewildered church. "For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail" (Isaiah 32:6). They are, in essence, double minded—"a double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). Hypocritical people, bewildered and confused, will then replace godliness with foolishness. They will do things that are unlike God, believing that they are the exact actions that God mandates. This is what we call witchcraft.

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