NOTES ON THE SIN OF ALEXANDER THE COPPERSMITH: LESSONS FOR TODAY’S REMNANT CHURCH IN THE AGE OF ANTICHRIST – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; [but that is no concern of mine, for] the Lord will repay him according to his actions. Be on guard against him yourself, because he vigorously opposed our message.” – 2 TIMOTHY 4:14-15, AMP

KEY TERM: “BE ON GUARD!” ‘Phulassó’ [φυλάσσου]: “From a root word meaning, ‘To be in isolation [in order] to watch or be on guard;’ to preserve, obey, or avoid [that which is evil or harmful]; not to violate (God’s) Precepts; to protect or heed; ‘personally be on guard against, stressing the constant,

personal interest involved with the guarding.’”

QUOTATION. “For when people do not keep watch over The Commons, it is destroyed. It results, then, that they fall into civil faction, compelling one another by force and not wishing to do what is just themselves.” ― ARISTOTLE, The Nicomachean Ethics, 340 BC; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Alexander the Coppersmith’ — Or Brasier; ‘did me much evil’ — This seems to have been the person mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20: [Possibly] he was one of the Judaizing teachers, who violently opposed the True Doctrine of the Gospel. ‘The Lord reward [compensate, punish] him’ — The Alexandrian, and six other MSS., the Syriac and the Vulgate versions, and some of the Fathers, read here, αποδωσει, ‘The Lord will reward him:’And it is probable the words ought to be considered as spoken Pophetically. At least, as Doddridge observes, ‘What we know of Paul’s character must lead us to conclude, that if he did not mean the words as a mere prediction, he did not, however, wish evil to him as evil, but only:

‘That he might be so animadverted [reprimanded] upon as to prevent the contagion of his bad example from

spreading in the Church; and to bring him to Repentance and Reformation, that so he might be preserved from Final Destruction.’ Of whom be thou ware also’ — Be thou upon thy guard wherever thou happenest to meet with him; ‘for he hath greatly withstood our words’ — Hath used every means in his power to prevent the progress and advancement of the True Gospel.” – JOSEPH BENSON, Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

II. TEACHING

ALEXANDER THE COPPERSMITH. This enigmatic figure in New Testament Biblical history as been at the forefront of my attentions for many years for many reasons. Not the least of which were: (1) His powerful impact on the Great Apostle during and even after his death; and (2) His association with two other men, Hymenaeus and Philetus, who Paul the Apostle identified as among the most troublesome individuals to ever cross his path. That is, they ‘got to him’ destructively.

For our point by point analysis of this important man I turn to pastor, author and teacher of advanced Biblical Studies, ROBERT WURTZ II. His essay is titled, “The Spirit of Alexander the Coppersmith” (The Girded Mind, 2021; edited). I propose that this Heretic offers us many lessons for today’s wildly errant American Church.

• CONTEXT. “Paul penned his last words to young Timothy, knowing that his time was short. The sheer strength of this passage demands that we ask, who was Alexander the Coppersmith, and what was he doing that warranted Paul warning Timothy? Why did he pronounce judgment towards him? More importantly, why did the Holy Spirit give the churches this record? These questions are the focus of this entry.”

• IDENTITY. “First, it is uncertain precisely who this Alexander was though it is likely he is the same man, along with Hymenaeus, whom Paul delivered unto Satan in 1 Timothy so he would ‘learn not to blaspheme.’ Hymenaeus taught that the Resurrection was past, ‘overthrowing some peoples’ faith.’ So it is plausible that Alexander shared in this blasphemous doctrine. Some scholars suggest he even testified against Paul before the Roman authorities because of the context of this warning.”

• VENDETTA. “Whoever Alexander was, it is certain that he ‘did great harm’ to Paul and probably harmed Paul’s companions after he died. The late renowned Greek scholar A.T. Robertson suggested that he did this harm or evil mainly for personal reasons for. Having been ‘delivered unto Satan’ (similar to the concept of being excommunicated see 1 Tim. 1:19-20), he didn’t repent but became more antagonistic to Paul and his message. Notice that Alexander did ‘me’ much evil, said Paul. He had overthrown other Christians’ faith before, but now he is vexing Paul. If A.T. Robertson is correct, it was a personal vendetta that drove Alexander the Coppersmith to oppose Paul and cause him much evil.”

• BITTERNESS. “Paul warned Timothy to ‘be aware’ of Alexander. Whatever antagonism and bitterness Alexander had towards Paul was sure to spill over onto Timothy. It was as if Alexander wasn’t content to see Paul dead; he wanted his legacy and message wiped out. It makes me wonder if he was envious of Paul like the Pharisees were envious of Jesus. ‘Envy’ (Gk. ‘Phthonos’), unlike zeal (Gk. ‘zelos’), is incapable of good and always has an evil meaning. It’s defined as ‘pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence, blessing, or the happiness of our fellow man.’ Envy is a bitter poison that has destroyed many great men and women.”

• RESPONSE. “Regardless of the motivation, Paul viewed Alexander as a serious threat to the ministry, and ‘the Lord would repay Alexander according to his deeds.’ Paul didn’t wish evil on Alexander; he tried everything to get him to Repent. He was making a statement of fact. The Lord is going to repay him. Paul told young Timothy that there was no need to avenge any evil this man committed; vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. The emphasis in these verses is on the Lord. Paul was saying in effect, ‘Watch out for this man but don’t fight Him. The Lord will deal with Him in His proper time.’”

• DISPOSITION. “When I use the phrase ‘The Spirit of Alexander the Coppersmith,’ I’m not suggesting that this is a demonic spirit, although Alexander was probably moving in the demonic and thought it was the Holy Spirit. I’m referring to people who share in his disposition and tendencies. There will always be people like Alexander the Coppersmith, whom the Enemy uses to vex those who labor in the Gospel, so there will always be a need for the grace necessary to respond rightly to such people. We can’t lose our testimony by responding in the flesh to a bitterly envious ‘professing believer’ or ‘minister’ who is moving in the earthly, sensual, and demonic (James 3:15).

• RETRIBUTION. “‘A.T. Robertson suggested that Alexander must have been a Christian because you don’t deliver “sinners” to Satan!’ Alexander was a man who professed Christ and yet ‘caused much evil’ among the churches that Paul and Timothy labored in. He did his own thing and defied anyone to stop him. He wouldn’t accept correction, no matter what happened to him. Therefore, Paul stated, ‘The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.’”

• CONCLUSION. “‘Sheep don’t always recognize Wolves until it’s too late.’ Understand that the Alexanders of the world are not always known to the people because they do their evil deeds behind closed doors while fooling them publicly. Without Paul’s warning, there is no telling what may have happened. Timothy might take matters into his own hands. The natural reaction of a shepherd is to think, ‘Stop him!’ Why? Their sense of protection kicks in. ‘What did Paul do? He gave Timothy Alexander’s name. That’s what we have to do!’ Put people on notice that there is a Troublemaker on the loose and provide the Troublemaker’s name. Beware of them; avoid them; work to minimize their evil effects; and leave them to God.”

DK’S TAKE. I strongly agree with the great part of this, a couple of minor exceptions notwithstanding that endorsement. Now let’s turn our attention, importantly, to what we can learn from the Alexander Event 2,000 years ago for todays Church in Crisis. As importantly, to how to Respond to so many ‘Alexanders’ in our churches around the country.

III. APPLICATION

Now to the all-important LESSONS that the Story of Alexander the Coppersmith offers us in the crucial hour in which we all find ourselves

• TIME IS SHORT. Though I am certainly no Paul, his example of being sort on time toward the end of his life is not lost on this old man – and us all. That is to say, our Last Times are rapidly growing to a close; therefore we must make every moment count, “because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

• MINIMIZING THE RAPTURE. Most historical records show that Alexander and his comrades Hymenaeus and Philetus were teaching that the Rapture had already occurred, ‘I see a strong parallel to today.’ Instead of the Church emphasizing the soon Return of The Christ as we normally have done, now the focus is, I’d say an obsession with, ‘Things of the earth’ (Colossians 3:2).Thus, our fascination with earthly gain and political power.

• DOING ‘GREAT’ HARM. Beloved, we are not speaking here of minimal spiritual crimes such as naysaying or even slandering the truthful followers of Jesus. Rather, like Alexander who was on a vendetta to do Paul and the Gospel real damage: “Alexander the coppersmith did me ‘great harm’ [severe wrongs]” (2 Timothy 4:14). As his goal was to destroy Paul’s Message, so are the Trump Brigades out to destroy the Orthodoxy of the Biblical Canon and the Gospel Message. They may not think that they are, but that is the real impact of their Christian Nationalist Agenda, to create a Theocratic Dictatorship, thus savaging the Real message of The Cross.

• LEAVEN OF BITTERNESS. Of all the things that could have destroyed Paul’s (and Timothy’s) witness was the cancer-like infection of bitterness and the concomitant spread of False Doctrines. Paul wrote: “Let all wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). The avalanche of Dark Speech about the Remnant Christians will soon reach a crescendo and if we understand the reign of Antichrist, ultimately to persecution, imprisonment and even death. That is why my wakeup calls are so severe, beloved. ‘This is Real Christianity,’ as differentiated from the Play Time nonsense we hear virtually everywhere.

• GOD WILL AVENGE. Ever so wisely, Paul instructs Timothy to not take his own revenge for their viciousness, which is so easily our natural inclination. But rather, we must remind ourselves that “The Lord will repay him for what he has done” (1 Timothy 4:14). Rightly or wrongly, when severe damage is being done not to me, but to the Name and Gospel of our King, I resort to Imprecation: Prayers for God to deal severely with those spiritual rebels who are causing people to stumble and very possibly end up falling away to Hellfire. I take the gloves off for such condition, thus leaving it to God to protect potential victims and choose the right punishment.

• MOVING IN THE DEMONIC. Clearly the current Maga Insurrection has left the realm of American Politics as Usual and entered into the Dark World of Satan and Antichrist. Thus are we up against Demonic Power that most believers are not prepared to face and overcome. Jesus warned us of “False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Beloved, they are everywhere today, even inside the otherwise hallowed halls of God’s own sanctuaries, seminaries and households of the vast majority of God’s elect. ‘Be therefore watchful for them!’ (Matthew 7:15).

• EXPOSE THEM PUBLICLY! This of course is anathema to the clubbish protocols of the American Church: Never speak correctively of a Heretical (or failing) brother. This recalls to mind a concept introduced to me by a dear journalism colleague, Dr. Marvin Olasky, currently Senior Fellow at the Discover Institute, author of 29 books and Chair of the Zenger House Foundation. His book, The Prodigal Press (1988) presents something he calls, “Truthful Defamation:” Speaking publicly and accurately about a serious violation of the Biblical Canon. This presumes that private meetings failed to achieve repentance (cf. Matthew 18:17).

DARKER CONSEQUENCES. But beyond these horrendous implications for the American Church today is a Doctrinal Poison that I see evidence for more and more in this Era of Falsehood fueled by Trump Christianity. We shall conclude with a brief note about that and how to counter it.

IV. LAST THOUGHTS ON HYMENAEUS

I have been concerned for the past nearly ten years about how the entire idea of The Rapture of the Church has so rapidly fallen out of disfavor with the American Church. We have discussed some of the Modernist reasons for that – a shift from the Spiritual and Doctrinal to the more Material and Dominion Views introduced over that past couple of generations.

But beloved, there are ‘much deeper roots’ to this disastrous theological error leading to outright Heresy that traces back to the times of Alexander and his rebellious cohorts. And it has a name:

“HYMENAEN PRETERISM.” I first came across this insidious theology a couple of years ago for the first time, and now its time for a fuller exposure has come. For that important task, I turn to an excellent essay by pastor and reform theologian NATHAN ESHELMAN, titled: “Preterism Exposed: The Heresy of Hymenaeus” (Gentle Reformation, June 10, 2024; edited).

To complete our conversation about the Great Sin of Alexander the Coppersmith then, we shall review the KEY IDEAS of one of his close doctrinal henchmen, Hymenaeus.

• INTRODUCTION. “I hope to present a Polemic against what is called Full Preterism. Let me begin with some definitions. ‘Polemics’ are that part of theology that deals with controversy and False Doctrine as the Christian minister is called to contend for the faith and as a shepherd. A shepherd is called to kill wolves and to kick the dogs while protecting and comforting the sheep. As the heresy of Full Preterism is exposed; the sheep of Christ’s flock will be comforted by the comfort of Jesus Christ and his Spirit.”

• THEOLOGY. “I want to draw your attention to 1 CORINTHIANS 15:13-14 which says: ‘But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.’ Full Preterism is the False Doctrine or Christian Heresy that teaches that all of the Last Day Prophecies ended in 70 AD: The Second Coming, the Resurrection, and the Great Judgment. It is sometimes called Hyper-Preterism [or Hymenaean Preterism], or Covenant Eschatology or Full Preterism.”

• REINTRODUCTION “This idea that all of the New Testament Prophecy has been fulfilled is because of what is called the New Testament ‘Time Stamps.’ The Preterist misinterprets the already-not yet nature of Christian prophecy, misunderstanding the way that prophecy unfolds in history … ‘Preterist’ comes from the Latin for ‘past.’ This False Idea first came into theological writing in 1614 as a Spanish Jesuit Priest, Luis de Alcasar, attempted to write against the Reformation’s Historicist position of the interpretation of Prophecy. This False Doctrine sat quietly for many years and then in 1878 James Stuart Russell wrote a book called ‘The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry Into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord’s Second Coming.’”

.

• POLYCARP. Remember Polycarp? Polycarp [and a large number of Church Fathers] said that ‘Jesus promised to raise us from the dead’ and then wrote of those, who like Hymenaeus in the Pastoral Epistles, Denied the Resurrection, saying: ‘Whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord for his own lusts, and says that there is neither resurrection nor judgment, this man is the first-born of Satan.’” 

• CONCLUSION. “For the Apostle Paul the great hope of the Christian life is that the whole order of the world would work towards the Consummation of All Things. There is a Creation that ‘groans in travail’ asit awaits the Full Redemption of the sons and daughters of men—the redemption of our bodies.  ‘And this has been the Hope of all Christians of all time.’ We anticipate a ‘Telos’—an End or a Purpose—and that End as we see in I Corinthians 15 is that the whole of Christ’s Inheritance—the Kingdom—would be delivered up to the Father in display of the Fulness of Redemption over a whole Redeemed Kingdom [and Universe!]. ‘Preterism is not that! Christianity is a Religion of Hope. Preterism is a false religion without hope.’”

CODA. Christian theologians, Dominionists, and Hyper-Grace Prosperity Movement hacks have been writing against The Rapture Doctrine for generations now, and longer. Is it any wonder that Satan’s Dark Seeds planted in the Church Age have now borne much seditious fruit?

And why has our Enemy fought so vigorously against this particular Doctrine of the True Church? Because upon it rests what every genuine follower of The Messiah the Apostle called, “OUR BLESSED HOPE!”Take that away, and you leave the Christian flailing about for a New Gospel of the Earth rather than the Eternal Hope of Heaven.

“For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [lives with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age, awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, Who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good.” – TITUS 2:11-14, AMP

Equally poignant are the verses from the great Puritan allegorist, JOHN BUNYAN, in his epic tale, The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678; edited). We close with his lyrical Reminder.

“Prudence inquired, ‘And what is it that makes you desirous to go to Mount Zion?’ Christian replied, ‘Why, it is there that I hope to see alive my Savior who hung dead on the Cross. It is there that I hope to be rid of all those things that to this day are an annoyance to me. They say that in that place there is no death, and I will dwell there with the Company that I like best. For, to tell you the truth, I love Him because He eased me of my burden. I am weary of my inward sickness. I desire to be where I will die no more, with a Company that will continually cry, ‘Holy, holy, holy!’”

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/hag8Yll1408