Yesterday I talked about the proof of resurrection power. Acts 4:33 “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” This power should be continuing in the church. Today I want to look at how God’s enduring word should not be changed. Ecclesiastes 3:14 “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.” I also talked about the absence of this proof of power in the church. Even though the bible is full of examples of power, the church today is not, as it has become just a form of godliness and denies the power. This denial affects most churches. While the church is supposed is built on the power of the Holy Spirit, most are content to do without. Much of that is an aversion to the charismatic movement and there should be concern.
Most of what you see in the charismatic movement is deception as satan is the master of deception. There we see tongues as evidence of the Holy Spirit but it is just babble and noise. I once heard a very charismatic minister speaking in tongues during a service, which was babble, as it served no purpose. He then went on to talk about his mission work and needing a translator. I am sure you can see the contradiction there. Speaking in tongues to people who don’t need it but then when the people needed it, a translator was used. Scripture tells us everyone heard in their own language and the gospel was proclaimed. Acts 2:5 “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.” As you see in Acts 2 the gospel was proclaimed to those God-fearing Jews from every nation. We also see people falling backwards yet they fall prostrate the wrong way. 2 Chronicles 7:3 “When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” 1 Kings 18:39 “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” Scripture is on your face, not your back. On your back like a dog is sexual submission. Signs and wonders like gold dust, angels feathers, laughing, barking etc. occur but don’t line up with scripture but with the demonic. 2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.” As far as miracles, be careful. Mark 13:22 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Prophets are foretelling people’s future (fortune telling / divination) but they are just telling them what they want to hear. One prophecy that was common was the person being told they would speak to stadiums of people. The difference is Prophets of God speak His word when the people do not want to listen, even at the cost of their lives, even today. Deuteronomy 18:14 “The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 “You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out.” That is the New Testament. Prophets still exist today just as these verses describe, also notice healings, miracles and tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” Ephesians 4:11 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Another part of prophecy is this. Acts 11:27 “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)” If the church actually followed God’s word there would be more discernment instead of deception.
Just because you don’t agree with the charismatics doesn’t mean you wipe out what the bible states about God’s power because a group of people have been deceived. By doing this you also have become deceived. The video I showed during yesterday’s service is an example of how this works in the church. It seems innocent enough, with men of seeming authority speaking with the appearance of knowledge but in reality 1 Timothy 1:7 “they want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” By speaking out against the deception of the charismatics, they also do the exact thing they are speaking out against and speak deception by changing God’s enduring word to suit their own doctrines, only to bring condemnation on themselves. We have been warned about this. 2 Peter 2:3 “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” Scripture is very clear; you don’t change it without detrimental results. Revelation 22:18 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” Deuteronomy 4:1 “Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.” Deuteronomy 12:32 “See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.” Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” I think you get the point.
Scripture is not up for personal interpretation or denominational interpretation. We don’t change scripture to suit our needs and compliment our desires. 2 Peter 1:20 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Therefore when reading the word of God, we need the Spirit of truth to guide us. John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” Since God has turned his face form shining on us, this means we are missing the guidance of the Spirit of truth. The church is in desolation because of it. Once we are aware of this, we must be very careful how we handle God’s word. Paul said 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
The video (follow this link) I showed was two clips together with John MacArthur and Chuck Swindoll, each with huge followings. I used this video to show how satan works in the church today and yes he is standing behind pulpits throughout the church. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie.” Jesus warned us not to be deceived. John said 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” Just because you disagree or are not seeing it, you cannot change God’s word without severe consequences. If we are not seeing what God has says is available then we repent and turn from our wicked ways.
In the first part of this video we hear from John MacArthur and his definition of ceasationism. Plain and simple this is not the normative view of the church but one that recently appeared. Deuteronomy 32:17 “They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God— gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear.” He wants you to believe the powerless church is the norm but in reality this is not his voice but satan’s voice. John warned us about the presence of antichrists among us. The power gifts MacArthur is so against are from the Holy Spirit. Christ is not Jesus last name but the anointed one. So MacArthur is against the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:22 “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” By denying this power of the Holy Spirit being available, you are denying Jesus the Christ. These “to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues” are all gifts of the Spirit. To deny their existence, is to deny Jesus Christ. In the video he goes on to talk about how the cannon is closed but he talks in circles, revealing his ignorance. Today the world is full of influencers. “YouTube Influencers have built empires around their personal brands.” These men of influence have done the same thing. They have built empires based on the lies of satan, doctrines of demons. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jeremiah 23:21 “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.”
Not only is satan standing behind pulpits; he is standing behind the lecterns in schools. In the video you saw MacArthur’s Masters seminary, which they say stands for Christ and Scripture yet denies the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the available power of God. What he is has done is look with His eyes but refused to stand firm on God’s word because his views do not line up with God’s, so they make the bible say what they want it to say. By doing this they reject God’s enduring word. Because of this the church lie in desolation. Jeremiah 22:8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’ 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshiped and served other gods.” His teaching is deadly and there are many like him. Students are going through colleges and seminaries and learning the ways of man and doctrines of demons. They then teach others to do the same.
Yesterday I also showed you a cartoon of a Trojan horse with the name Scofield on it.
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Dispensationalism has spread throughout the church like cancer. “The Dispensational system was formulated by John Nelson Darby and popularized by Cyrus I. Scofield” Then Scofield’s study bible was spread by Dallas Theological Seminary. One writer said, “Dallas Theological Seminary has long been the premier center of dispensationalist thought, exercising an intellectual influence far out of proportion to its relatively small size. The Scofield Reference Bible, dispensationalism's seminal text, first published in 1909, was the work of colorful Dallas pastor Cyrus Scofield, whose protégé Lewis Chafer founded DTS in 1924. DTS graduate Hal Lindsey in the 1970s, the idea found its biggest venue in the Left Behind books, the blockbuster Christian fiction series conceived by dispensationalist preacher Tim LaHaye. ” The danger of study bibles is they change the meaning of passages to suit their own ways. Always remember that a study bible is only the bible above the study part, the rest is mans words. You have to be very careful as many are making study bibles. They don’t necessarily change the word, they change the meaning of the words, which is just as dangerous.
“In a 2009 study conducted by LifeWay Research, Protestant pastors named preachers who had most influenced them. Three Dallas Theological Seminary alumni were among the top ten: Chuck Swindoll ('63), founder of radio broadcast Insight for Living; David Jeremiah ('67), founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries; and Andy Stanley ('85), founder of North Point Ministries. John MacArthur was also on that list as having influence. I have already talked about David Jeremiah the pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church who succeeded Tim LaHaye the writer of the Left Behind series. As far as Andy Stanley, since he was on the list I took a look and it didn’t take long to see that you should turn and run! Are you seeing the influence the likes of these have on those seeking truth? This is what happens when satan reigns.
The second person in the video was Chuck Swindoll (second on that list of influencers behind Billy Graham) who was also president of the Dallas Theological Seminary. “His leadership as president and now chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation for ministry.” Unfortunately for those listening to him, they will in fact have their lives ruined as he said in the video. He said, they had the language, they are now equipped. He then tells you you don’t need this; that was then. He then states He doesn’t see this commanded in our lives today. This is not truth yet many have listened. The command was wait and be clothed with power. Then at the Spirits discretion gifts would be given. At the end he says “and now that I have messed up your lives”, that is the only truth of his message on the video. He is not preaching God’s word but His own empty and powerless ways handed down for generations. Instead of going out into the world clothed with power seminaries are sending leaders out powerless and empty handed. The influence these men have is incredible but it is not God who influences them but satan.
The good news is that no matter how influential these men and woman are, God’s word endures forever. Those who distort God’s word will feel the wrath of God. 2 Peter 3:16 “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” Jeremiah 23:36 “But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
2 Peter 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
Thankfully we can be saved from God’s wrath but we must be adhere to His word and follow wholeheartedly. Romans 5:9 “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” The good news is that God’s word endures forever so we have hope. 1 Peter 1:24 “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached to you.” Paul praised the Thessalonians because they 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” We must stand firm on God’s word and turn from those who do not adhere to God’s word. There is hope but we must turn from our wicked ways. Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” Isaiah 30:19 “People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
It is not hard to see the deception throughout the church. We must understand that because those who have gone before us have not adhered to God’s word, He is angry. 2 Kings 22:13 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” Even though truth has been thrown to the ground, God’s word will prevail. 1 Samuel 1:8 “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Malachi 2:4 “And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. 5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. 9 “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.” Psalm 135:13 “Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. 14 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants.”
