By David W. Daniels

It is possible I never would have become a Mormon if only I had known Galatians 1:8-9:

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)

Let me explain.

Back on June 7, 1972, I was led, using a Chick tract, This Was Your Life, to confess faith that Jesus died for my sins and to ask Him to save me. The soul winner told me to "Go to a church that teaches Christ." So I went to the Church of Jesus Christ... of Latter-day Saints. I became a Mormon! (What can I say? "Jesus Christ" was on the sign!)

Mormonism is "another gospel of Jesus Christ." How did it come about? Supposedly it was revealed by an angel named Moroni to a questioning Joseph Smith. Allegedly, following the dictates of this angel, Joseph found what he says were "ancient golden plates" of "another gospel," in a hill near his house in upstate New York and "translated" it as the Book of Mormon.

But Joseph didn`t stop there. He also wrote, supposedly by various kinds of "revelation," what became the "Doctrine and Covenants" and "The Pearl of Great Price". But according to Galatians 1:8-9, any deviation at all from the teachings of the Holy Bible and the Jesus of the gospels clearly stated in it, and you must toss that angel out on his ear! That`s no angel: that`s a devil!

But Mormonism isn`t the only religion that came from an angel. So did Islam! It`s "another gospel," that teaches "another Jesus" (Isa) in their holy book, the Qur`an. It was also supposedly revealed by the angel Jibril, said to be the biblical Gabriel.

When Jibril first choked Muhammad in the cave of Hira, demanding he "recite," Muhammad ran for his life, afraid he had been bewitched by jinn or devils. Surprise! He was! He should have known better. Galatians 1:8-9 was written almost 600 years earlier to keep us from being deceived by devils about the Lord Jesus Christ.

These religions don`t follow God`s clear pattern. First He revealed Himself through prophets, but then God`s Son came, the image of God (Hebrews 1:1-2), and showed us the way to the Father through Himself alone (Hebrews 1:3; John 14:6). Jesus came Himself to remove all doubts. Accept no imitations, by spirit or angel or any other false messenger.

I wish someone had shown me Galatians 1:8-9, sometime during the four years I was a Mormon.

But God was faithful, and He eventually led me to the truth, even when family, friends and acquaintances didn`t. So let me ask you: what are you going to show your friends, to save them from a false religion or a cult, now that you know?

One of the purposes of Chick Publications is to provide tools for witnessing to the true gospel. Besides tracts that only present basic truth, other tracts are designed to expose the false gospels that are deceiving people into hell.

When you hand someone a Chick tract you can be sure you are delivering the true gospel from God`s preserved word.