"THE NEW THING" by Tricia Tillin
(Global Revival as the Key Element
In Deception in Twentieth Century Pentecostalism)
Part Three : ONWARDS TO GLORY:
THE 'AGE OF THE SPIRIT' (SECOND SECTION)
CONTENTS:
(Click on heading to go direct to that subUL)
An Intriguing Letter
My interest in the
concept of the "third age" was further aroused when
I had a letter from a supporter. She told me about something
she didn't understand; something that had happened to her that
did not make sense. It may not have meant much to this lady,
but BOY did it interest me!
She wrote that a Christian minister of
her acquaintance had been out to Israel to learn about Israel's
feasts and special holydays, and he'd come back preaching -
"it was Jesus' 2000th birthday on May 14th 1994 (1) and
that date began the third year". What did it mean, she
said.
This confused lady said her pastor had
come back from Israel teaching something about John chapter
two, [the wedding at Cana, when Jesus turned the water into
wine], and now he says that is what the Spirit is doing, and
the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh alike, whether believer
or non-believer.
This was all nonsensical to her, but my
antennae were twitching, I can tell you! Here we are, centuries
away from Joachim's theory of the Third Age of the Spirit,
and suddenly it's being taught by followers of the Toronto
renewal movement. There is a consistency in false teaching
throughout the ages.
The Third Day in Scripture
I did understand what this pastor had been saying because
I'd been studying the concept of the Third Day. If you treat
scripture allegorically (as they do) it's possible to work
up a whole theology surrounding the Third Day that relates
to the coming forth of the new age of spiritual transformation.
Here are some instances of the third day (or period of time)
in scripture. There is a TRUE understanding of this concept
and a FALSE understanding which is prevalent in the revival
movement.Below are some scriptures associated with the third-day/third-period
teaching. As you read them, you can perhaps imagine what a
latter-rain symbolic interpretation would make of them!
Gen 1:12
On the third day of creation, God commanded the earth to bring
forth seed-bearing fruit. Jesus, the "Seed" was also
brought forth unto glory "on the third day". Thus
on the third "day" of the world, God will command
the "seed", the New Man to appear.
Gen 42:16-20
Joseph put his brothers in prison for three days, and on the
third day he revealed himself to them. Verses 18-19 say "And
Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for
I fear God: If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be
bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the
famine of your houses" Thus, in allegory, the Church is
confined in ignorance and tribulation three "days"
but on the "third day" Jesus (Joseph) will reveal
himself to the Church and command that "corn" (teaching)
be carried forth to the world to end the famine.
Exod 19:1-3
"In the third month, when the children of Israel were
gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they
into the wilderness of Sinai." Then, God commanded three
days of preparation, and on the third day God descended to
man, and Moses "went up to God".
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the
LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount
Sinai. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning,
that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud
upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud;
so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And
Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with
God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And
mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended
upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke
of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when
the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and
louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And
the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount:
and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and
Moses went up. (Exod 19:11/16-20)
This is a VERY useful passage for the Latter-Rain teaching
on the Third Day, because it describes so perfectly the descending
glory of God on the third day, and the ascent of the specially-prepared
elders of Israel. It also mirrors the description of the Rapture
in 1Thes 4:15-17. (Notice that the "people" did not
share this honour! So, the teaching is that only specially
chosen elders will be raised up to glory in order to rule the
world church.)
Num 19:11-13
He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean
seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day,
and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify
not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not
be clean. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that
is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle
of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
The "dead body" is taken as an allegory of the unrenewed
Church. Whoever does not cleanse himself of this dead Body
on the third day, will not survive the seven-year Tribulation.
He will be judged and cast out.
Josh 1:1-11
After Moses (typical of the Law) died, Joshua (typical of Jesus
Christ) led the people over the Jordan into the Promised Land,
to "possess the land". This took place, again, after
three days of preparation. (see verse 11) It is therefore taught
that the people of God must rise up to "possess the land"
which is spiritually their inheritance of resurrection and
new life, and physically the ownership of all the lands of
the world. This will happen "on the third day".
I King 18:1
The drought in Israel ended in the third year, when Elijah
called down the fire from Heaven onto the prepared sacrifice.
Here we have the ideas again of the three years of trial and
preparation followed by the climax of the fire (glory) descending
from heaven.
Matt 12:40
Jonah was confined until the third day in the belly of the
great fish, but was "resurrected" unto new life on
the third day, and preached to the fallen world. "For
as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;
so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
heart of the earth."This is also applied to the Church.
Esth 5:1-2
On the third day of preparation, Esther put on "royal
apparel" and entered the king's House; and obtained favour
in his sight, so that the golden sceptre (of rule) was extended
to her. Another allegory of the prepared Bride being raised
to glory and rulership on the third day.
Hosea 6:1-3
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn,
and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will
raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we
know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is
prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain,
as the latter and former rain unto the earth."Taken allegorically,
this means that the Church will be renewed and raised to life
on the third day, and this is specifically linked with the
latter and former rains falling on the earth.
John 2:1-9
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee"
This event is often referred to by the leadership because it
seems to predict a symbolic renewal on the third day where
the common "water" is transformed into mystical "wine",
and the event at which this takes place is a marriage - symbolic
on the union of Christ with His Body.
Matt 15:32-36
The miracle of provision (seven loaves and three fishes) took
place on the third day, when Jesus had compassion on the crowds
following him, for they had not eaten for three days (famine
ended after three days.)Matt 17:23
Jesus was resurrected on the third day. In Luke 13:32-33 Jesus
refers to this as being "perfected" on the third
day. "Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils,
and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall
be perfected". If his words are applied symbolically to
the Body of Christ, then they predict the "perfection"
of the prepared Body on the third day.
John 2:19-21
Jesus spoke symbolically of the Temple, his Body being raised
up in three days:"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.…But
he spake of the temple of his body."This is taken to mean
the Body, the Church, raised up on the third day.
Acts 2:14-17
The Spirit fell onto the prepared disciples "as fire"
during the Feast of Pentecost, at the third hour.Acts 9:9-11
Paul was three days without sight, and "and neither did
eat nor drink" but on the third day his sight was restored
and he was baptised in the Spirit.
Rev 12:1-6
After the first three and a half days of the Tribulation, the
Woman gives birth to the Manchild. This is said to be the Woman
of the worldwide Church giving birth to the prepared overcomers
who are immediately raised up to rulership (God's Throne).
Rev 11:11-12
The Two Witnesses of Revelation are killed, but raised to life
in the sight of their enemies after three and a half days."And
they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come
up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their
enemies beheld them." This passage is not read literally
by the leadership, but yet again is presented as an allegory
of the raising up, or transformation, of the Overcomers of
the church.
The Genuine Third Day
What is the true, biblical "third day?" Remember
I said that there was both a true and a false understanding
to the above scriptures. Actually, there IS a symbolic meaning
(a midrashic interpretation) to these passages, but it is far
from teaching about the glorification of the Body of Christ
on earth.
The Jews and the Early Church believed in the "days of
the world" doctrine, that there would be seven thousand-year
"days" to complete the present cycle of human history
under God. 2Peter 3:8 says that a day with the Lord is as a
thousand years. These "days" began with the creation
of Adam, and will end with a final thousand-year reign of Christ
on earth in power and glory (the "Day of the Lord").
Thereafter, eternity will be restored.
- Day One, from 4000BC Creation to Noah
- Day Two, from 3000BC Noah to Abraham
- Day Three, from 2000BC Abraham to David
- Day Four from 1000BC David to Christ
- Day Five from 1AD Church Era (1) [Church under bondage
to dominion]
- Day Six from 1000AD Church Era (2) [Restoration begins]
- Day Seven from 2000AD Coming of the Lord, Millennial Rule
Jewish history, rather than human history, started with the
Promise to Abraham, and his entry into the Promised Land (Canaan).
This took place around 2000BC. (2) Thus there have been two
"days" for the Jews, (2000BC to 1AD) in which they
were in various kinds of bondage, and these two days ended
with the birth of Christ. Hosea 6 promises to the Jews that
"after two days he shall revive us". Jesus brought
eternal life at that time "On the third day he shall raise
us up", so within that third "day" the life
was offered to the Jews and the Church was formed out of repentant
Jews, the Remnant who carried the life to the world.
However, God's full purpose was not complete, for the majority
of the nation of Israel rejected their king-messiah and in
God's mercy a further fulfilment is planned. Another two "days"
have nearly passed and once again Israel is to be offered new
life and restoration in the Lord Jesus.
Just as before, after two "days" of Church history
(two thousand years more or less, but only God can calculate
this precisely for only He knows the exact dates involved)
he will come again as king-Messiah to deliver his Remnant,
whether Jewish or Gentile. And on the third day (the beginning
of the thousand-year reign of peace and righteousness) he will
raise the dead and they will LIVE and reign with Christ, just
as the Bible promised. So the sequence will have repeated itself,
to bring it to a final end.
So what the Toronto teachers and others are saying is actually
a perversion of this precious biblical truth. Instead of supporting
and teaching the mercy of God on Israel, and the coming deliverance
in the Messiah for all who love Him, they teach that an elite
company alone will experience spiritual transformation and
be set up as world rulers over the remainder of mankind.
A Virgin Pregnant with the Seed
We have seen how the passage in John Chapter Two, the marriage
at Cana, is twisted to mean a spiritual marriage of God and the
Church. Here's a quote from the Destiny Image magazine on this
spiritual marriage, the descent of the ray of glory into the
Bride, the spiritual penetration that brings forth the Seed:
Two women are described in the Book of Revelation. One is
a harlot and the other is a Bride. One is called Babylon
and the other is the City of God. She is married to One who
has overshadowed her with His Glory and has placed a royal
diadem on her head - she has been endowed in her mind with
the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.
This woman, the true church, is pregnant. Her lover will
produce in her His Seed. This Woman is dressed in readiness
for she knows that the Bridegroom has come forth out of his
chambers to be joined to her, the power of the Most High
overshadowing her - this virgin is in travail and labour,
and is about to give birth, for the holy seed within her
is the Son of God - her seed is destined to rule the nations,
and when this seed is brought forth, all powers must bow
down and worship him." [Destiny Image, September/October
1994 Mark Chironna, pastor of Higher Call Christian Centre
in North Carolina.]
When The Third Day Dawns
What do those who believe in a symbolic third-day scenario
expect to happen at the dawning of that day, or the third age?
What events will then take place?
If you think of the three sections of the Tabernacle, then
the third, innermost, chamber is of course the Holiest, where
the Ark (Presence of God) dwelt. Between the second and third
chambers was a covering veil. Therefore, passing into the third
age, on the third "day" will entail (they say) passing
through that Veil into the full manifestation of God.
They believe they have to come into the Manifest Presence
of God and worship him in the Shekinah Glory. Attempts are
therefore being made to manifest "the glory" and
reports are being circulated of meetings where the "glory
cloud" actually managed to materialise. These are heralded
as the first signs that the Shekinah Glory of God is coming
to dwell permanently with His People.
A series of meetings to achieve this aim was arranged at the
Whistler Mountain Resort, British Columbia. The first meeting
was entitled "Gathering of the Nations In His Holy Presence"
(3) and was supposed to " kick-off the second stage of
the awakening". They write "The Scripture God gave
for this gathering is Isa. 66:18 - The time is coming to gather
all nations and tongues. And they shall see my glory"
From the brochure we learn that the purpose was: "that
the Holy Spirit will remove the veil from our minds so that:
"We all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18)"
Astute Bible-loving believers will realise that the verse
above has been shortened to avoid giving the biblical context,
[which see below]. Further statements from the brochure emphasise
this belief in passing through the spiritual veil to encounter
the glory, and thus experience transformation:
"While we don't know what God is going to do, there
is a very strong prophetic sense that He is going to reveal
His glory; that He will fulfil Isa. 25:6,7 - 'The Lord of
hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this
mountain...On this mountain He will swallow up the covering
which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched
over all nations.'"
Afterwards, it was reported that:
"Whistler was also a time for the body of Christ to
draw together to bless the Lord - to honour Him - to establish
Him on the throne - to come into His presence - to pass through
the outer courts and to see Him face to face. There was a
strong sense of a new thing happening, a new day. Bob Jones
has said that 'this will be a gathering of the eagles in
the Kingdom'"
Bill Britton's Veil Teaching
The Latter Rain has been teaching this "removal of the veil"
for decades. Bill Britton writes of the event in his book "Eagle
Saints Arise", linking it to the emergence of the "spiritual"
man:
"The Image of the heavenly - the first man is earthly,
but the second man is spiritual - the second man bears the
heavenly image (1 Cor 15) and "We all with unveiled
face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
changed (transformed, transfigured) into the same image…"2
Cor 3:17-18 [Note: Britton is using the same scripture used
for the Whistler Gathering].
From these scriptures we can readily see that our calling
is a heavenly calling…notice the place in the heavenlies
which we are to inherit is now occupied by demons, principalities
and powers, a place they usurped from Adam…but God has
purposed to bring forth a people that will ascend or be caught
up to this place and cast satan and his army down…Notice
that these heavenly places where we are to dwell are not
in some geological location a few billion miles from earth…the
powers of darkness are right here on earth…" (4)
Note, this is referring here to transformation of the body, on
earth, NOT to death or Heaven!!
So just what is being preached here?
What is this veil that we are told must be removed? One thing
is for sure - it can't be the veil of blindness that hides the
truth from unbelievers, for that is removed when we are saved.
The scripture is quite plain on that:
"... their minds were blinded. For until this day the
same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament,
because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this
day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless
when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away Now the
Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding
as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit
of the Lord."(2 Cor 3:14-18)
According to the above scripture, the veil of blindness IS
ALREADY REMOVED! We do not need a conference, a worship session,
a cloud of glory or any other endtime manifestation to remove
something that the Bible tells us is already removed in Christ
Jesus.
The physical type of the veil separating man and God was the
curtain that hung across the Temple between the holy Place,
and the Holiest of Holies, making the passage to God's presence
covert and forbidden. Under Jewish Law, only one specially
chosen individual passed through this veil, once a year. However,
at the death of Jesus on the Cross, that veil was torn from
top to bottom, and a new and living Way was opened up for man
to know and have fellowship with the Father.
To suggest that we need to cut through or remove yet another
"veil" is both contrary to scripture and damaging
to the faith of Christians. It would put born-again believers
back into bondage.
However, the plain truth of the Bible does not seem to stop
the leaders preaching about the need to pass through, or remove,
the veil. The same scriptures are given different meanings.
Today the implication is that Christians have to pass some
kind of initiation into the new revelation, get the gnosis,
have some kind of experience, or spiritual mystical encounter
that enables them to see the glory, to see God face to face.
Plain faith in the Lord Jesus is not enough for these guys!
They have to climb the spiritual mountain to find a higher
revelation of Truth, that will allow them to fellowship with
the Divine.This is Manifested Sons doctrine, pure and simple!
Doctrine of the Entrance Into Glory
Here is an explanation of the teaching from a Gnostic believer,
Lionel Cabral:
Prior to the crucifixion death of Jesus Christ, only the
High Priest himself, a type of Jesus Christ, entered into
the Most Holy Place. After the death of Jesus Christ, ALL
children of God, priests and congregation, may enter into
not only the Holy Place, but also the Most Holy Place. [so
far so good! But now read on…] Entry has been made possible
into the One Place of God through the prophetic rending,
or "dividing asunder" (Heb 4:12), of the veil of
flesh from the spirit; in effect, revealing the spirit, by
freeing the spirit from an earthy prison (5)
We have a new twist on scripture here. He's saying that the way
to God is by releasing the spirit within each man from its prison
of the flesh. Instead of Jesus being the Living Way, through
the veil of his flesh, now the way is by releasing the spirit.
He continues:
At the conclusion of this second advent of our Lord Christ
Jesus, we shall be made completely dead to the fleshly soulical
self, completely rendered, separated soulical flesh from Spirit,
that the revealed spirit may return to God who gave it, above
the ark of the covenant. Praise God.
Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has been abandoned here,
in favour of a life-long process of "releasing the spirit"
from its bondage to the flesh. Those who teach such things "deny
the Lord who bought them".
"But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." 2 Pet
2:1-2
Lionel Cabral, again, teaches that believers are to enter into
the full anointing, at the symbolic Feast of Tabernacles, and
thus be transformed:
The Feast of Tabernacles is the seventh feast, ushering
in the 1000 year millennium. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates
the beginning of man's reinstatement into the paradise of
the garden of Eden. The natural soulical beast man reigns
in this present world order.[Note: compare this with Joachim
of Fiore's scheme].
However, a change is coming. His name is Jesus. This change
is happening now and soon shall become a completed transformation,
a completed transfiguration. During the 1000 year millennial
Kingdom of Heaven on this earth, the spiritual man shall
reign.Jesus was initially born with an earnest of the Holy
Spirit, and received the fullness of the holy spirit when
He was born again. [???] We too are growing into and shall
receive this fullness that He received, at the crest of the
next stage of our evolution. The corporate body of Christ
must inexorably follow the Head to which it is connected.
The Anointing that Christs a Man
Lest you think that Lionel Cabral is such an off-the-wall rank
outsider to the Church that his teaching will never receive popular
acceptance, I will now compare it with the teaching of the Word-of-Faith
Movement, which has a huge following.
Ken Copeland, famous Word-of-Faith preacher, has long taught
that Jesus was born a (divine) mortal who needed to receive
the Holy Spirit at Baptism in order to do His miracles. (Just
as above.) He also teaches, like Cabral, that we are growing
into a fuller anointing - and Copeland says this anointing
is the same "christing" that Jesus the Lord received.
One of his latest and most pernicious ideas is that the word
"Christ" in the New Testament simply means "anointed"
and thus can be applied both to Jesus and to believers, regardless.
He teaches his followers to replace the word "Christ"
with "anointed" in the Bible and thus see themselves
in the place of Jesus Christ, having his power and authority.
The Toronto Blessing is seen as a handy source for receiving
this "anointing", and Copeland expects things to
escalate until the glory "covers the earth".
Copeland: the Christ is the Anointing
"Jesus isn't the only one anointed anymore! It was
never God's intention to simply anoint Jesus with his power
and leave it at that. God on one man was not enough!- that's
why he sent Jesus to the cross and then raised him from the
dead. He wanted to open the way for us to get born again
and become a whole race of anointed men and women. He sent
Jesus to be the anointed head over an anointed body of people
who would take God's devil-busting, yoke-annihilating power
to every corner of the earth.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of the Anointing: Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto
a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness
of the anointing(verses 7, 11-13).
According to this scripture, we're headed toward a time
when we'll be walking in the anointing to its fullest expression!
I want to see that, don't you? I want to see the whole Body
of Christ flowing in the anointing so powerfully that the
whole earth is filled with God's glory. I believe with all
my heart, we're the generation who will see that! But before
we do, we must lay aside the things that block that anointing.
We must rid ourselves of religious traditions that cause
us to take offense at the idea that ordinary believers like
us, or the fellow across the street, or the pastor of our
little church can operate in the anointing of Almighty God.
We may consider such teaching as a mere aberration that we
can safely ignore. However, there are serious implications.
In the word of God we see that the apostles "preached
Christ" to the unbelievers, and when they "received
Christ" they were saved. If we replace this word, as Copeland
suggests, then salvation becomes a matter of "preaching
the anointing", and getting people to "receive the
anointing" or in other words, offering people the Toronto
Blessing.
There is a second and even more dangerous implication in this
teaching, which I shall consider in the final section below.
The Coming of the Glory
Things have undergone a change. Once the goal of salvation was
being taken to be with the Lord in Heaven. Once the expectation
and hope of the Church was the physical Coming of Jesus in power
and glory. Now, however, the goal of believers is mystical enlightenment
and supernatural empowerment that will transport them into an
altered state of consciousness beyond this mortal world. And,
likewise, the physical coming is now overshadowed (or even replaced)
by the spiritual coming of "the glory" - when the Church
enters into "fulness" and God in spirit inhabits his
earthly Temple, the Church.
The Scripture says: "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come
Lord Jesus" but the Church is now saying "Come Holy
Spirit". Jesus is perceived as a Spirit, is coming spiritually,
and they believe he will eventually come in fulness to incarnate
into his Bride.
Songs that once looked forward to the glorious day when Jesus
would return bodily in power to overthrow all his enemies,
now focus on a fulness of anointing that will release the glory
over the earth. Here is one Vineyard song as an example:
"raise up a generation that will march through the
land. All of creation is longing for your unveiling of power;
[Rom 8:19-23] Would yourelease your anointing, Oh God let
this be the hour....Ruler of the nations the world has yet
to see: the full release of your promise, the Church in victory....Let
your kingdom come...let us see on earth the Glory of your
Son."
The Unveiling of Christ as the Glory
Francis Frangipane, writing in River of Life ministry newsletter
about Signs and Wonders (August 1995) says:
"the most awesome unfolding of glory yet awaits the
church...the name and the word are preparing the church to
reveal the glory of Jesus (John 17:22).
...then he quotes another verse: John 14:23
" - my father will love him and we will come to him
and make our abode with him". I am just completing a
book entitled 'The Days of His Presence' which chronicles
what I believe will be the greatest manifestation of all,the
unveiling of Christ, the Word THROUGH HIS PEOPLE.
In the advert for this book by Frangipane, it says.
"Prior to Jesus Christ's physical return, his living
presence will companion the Church in ever-increasing power.
During this time, the visible glory of the Lord will rise
and appear upon God's people. This unique event will be known
as the Days of His Presence."
Now I ask a simple question, because I think simply. How
can Jesus return as a spirit? When he returned
to heaven, he was a man of flesh and bones that you could feel,
touch. He had a body. He sits at the right hand of the Father
as a glorified man in a resurrection body. He and the Father
sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in those who believed in him (the
true meaning of John 14:23) so he did come and make his abode
in them that loved him. But what then can Jesus do to return
spiritually, as a glory, as a power?.
Does that not suggest to you that behind the latter
rain idea of the spiritual return of Jesus, the glory cloud that
transforms the church, there is the old gnostic belief that Christ
is a Spirit, an anointing, that he did not have a body of flesh,
but that he was A SPIRIT. So now, instead of "Come Lord Jesus",
we have "Come Holy Spirit" Some believe the two are
synonymous and let me tell you, they are not. If you invoke a
spirit who is not present in and within his church, a spiritual
power outside of your salvation experience, you will get just
that - a spirit, a power, but not of God!
The Rapture: Transformation of Man
Another change has taken place. Now, instead of believers being
taken up in the Rapture to be with the Lord, the Rapture is an
experience of transformation whereby Christians become glorified
and receive resurrection bodies right here on earth! In the Rapture,
they say, believers do not GO anywhere, but they are simply transferred
into a spiritual third dimension.Bill Britton describes the Rapture
using biblical types like John of Revelation and Paul caught
up to the third heaven. He argues from these that the bodies
remained on earth, but that they had a spiritual experience.
He says therefore, heaven is not somewhere you go, but a transformation
into a spiritual realm, on earth. Richard Riss - author of book
on Latter Rain and avid Toronto supporter - in answering questions
on the Vineyard new Wine Bulletin Board reiterates the same belief:
"For those who are prepared for His coming, it will
be a time of unmitigated joy. He has given us a foretaste
of this heavenly bliss in those moments when He has visited
us with His presence during times of "revival"
or spiritual awakening. If you have ever experienced the
presence of God, or an infilling of His Spirit, then you
have been given a hint, or intimation, of the ecstasy awaiting
those who eagerly await His appearing.
"As far as the rapture is concerned, throughout the
history of the church, there has been a wide spectrum of
views concerning the events at the end of the age, but as
far as I know, few, if any of them taught a bodily removal
of the saints until 1830, when John Nelson Darby started
promulgating views of this kind.
"To be caught up in the clouds of glory to meet the
Lord in this atmosphere of spiritual authority does not necessarily
entail a literal bodily removal from the earth. In fact,
if it did entail our removal from the earth, it would be
a permanent removal: "and thus we shall always be with
the Lord" (I Thess. 4:17). But the entire thrust of
Scripture is that we will have a resurrected body on earth,
and that the heavens and the earth will both be regenerated,
or renewed (Acts 3:21, Matt. 19:28). If there is to be a
bodily removal of the saints at all, it can only be temporary.
"The statement "and thus we shall always be with
the Lord" tends to suggest, at least to me, that we
will always be in the "caught up" state, i.e.,
we will be in heavenly places with Him from this point onward,
and forever more. To my way of thinking, we can be in heavenly
places while we're still on the earth."
The Return of the Glory
Summarising two separate messages, "The Divine Unveiling
of the Church" by Rob Wheeler of Aukland, New Zealand, and
"Old Testament Promises" by Bill Britton, we can see
clearly that the expectation is for the Shekinah Glory of God
to return to its spiritual "ark" in the Living Temple
of the Church in the last days.
"In Ezekiel 44 we read of the Sons of Zadok who ministered
in the Most Holy Place. So shall it be for those who inherit
the promises; they shall see God face to face and be the
habitation of the living God."
In II Cor 6:16 we read, "For we are the temple of the
living God; just as God has said, "I will dwell in them
and walk among them and I shall be their God and they shall
be my people.
" Thus, we have the promise that God will dwell in
us, and the Holy Spirit is given us as the pledge, or firstfruits
of that fulness. It is Christ in you that is the hope of
glory (Col. 1:25-27). We are approaching the climax--the
time at which God will dwell in us that we might be the vehicle
of His manifest presence.
The latter-rain sequence has the return of the Shekinah to the
Temple (Church) producing the Corporate Christ which then harvests
the world by a signs and wonder revival, while simultaneously
bringing judgement on the Harlot (disobedient Christians).The
Glory, in their understanding, is the visible manifestation of
the Spirit. Now, in light of the satanic nature of this deception,
it is not surprising that deceived Christians are being led to
expect a manifested SPIRIT and not the visible return of the
Lord Jesus. I believe the way we are headed is into teaching about
the return of the "lord" to his church, in glory, BEFORE
(or perhaps even instead of?) the physical return of Jesus.
Bible translations that encourage the wrong interpretation
Unfortunately, modern translations of the Bible help in this
deception. The Authorised Version has the blessed hope as the
appearing of our great God in glory. Many other translations
have the return OF THE GLORY!!
KING JAMES: Titus 2:13 13 Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ; (KJV)
NEW ENGLISH BIBLE: Looking forward to the
happy fulfilment of our hopes when the splendour of our great
God and saviour Christ Jesus will appear...
REVISED STANDARD VERSION: Awaiting our blessed
hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ....
JERUSALEM BIBLE: while we are waiting in
hope for the blessing which will come with the appearing of
the glory of our great God and saviour Jesus Christ....
GOOD NEWS BIBLE: as we wait for the blessed
day we hope for, whenthe glory of our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ will appear....
Is it any wonder that new Christians are confused on this issue,
when the very scriptures they read seem to confirm that we are
awaiting the "return of the glory" instead of the return
of the Lord Jesus in a physical Body.
False Prophecy of the Return of the Glory
"The Glory of God, my Glory, says the Lord, after a
sacrifice had been prepared and offered up, shook the very
foundations of Hell as I defeated Death, Hell, and the Grave,
I shall bring my Glory once again back into my dwelling place,
the heart of a sinless man. Such as this you have become...Haven't
I said If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, a new
type of man who has never before existed? And this existence,
says the Lord, is as my dwelling place and my home. For the
Glory of God, my Glory, says the Lord, the Heavy Presence
that shook the very foundations of the earth as I proclaimed
Goodness and Mercy, has come once again to dwell in a tabernacle
of flesh...
"You are temples, you are vessels, you are receptacles,
you are containers of the very Fires of Heaven, measured
into you as you will receive it. Some taking much, moving
from Glory to Glory, changed by the nearness of my Glory,
ever growing, ever changing, ever allowing Me more of you.
"Do not be afraid of my Glory, of my Heavy Presence
says God, the God of Glory, for a time when I could not allow
you to come near Me has passed. No longer must I hide you
in the parting of the Rock as Moses was hidden, but today
I bring you face to face with my Glory... For the Glory of
God, my Glory says the Lord, is soon to come in His fullness,
and where once men were shielded as I proclaimed Mercy and
Grace, finally I will proclaim righteous judgement.
"Wait..... do you say `rejoice'? NO NO NO...weep and
cry out, for then the souls of all who would not hear Me
will be devastated, their lives destroyed, for every mans
life, every mans work shall be judged by Fire, and only what
has been straked and splattered by the Blood of Redemption
will stand as a testimony to my Righteousness, and what is
wicked, what is sinful, yes, even all that is not of Faith
will burn in the very presence of my Glory in you, in you,
in you, in you, in you, in you, IN YOU! [Carl Killingsworth
on the Vineyard's New Wine BBS.January 1995:]
When Richard Riss wrote to explain his views on the Rapture (an
earthly spiritual transformation) Bill Benninghoff replied to
comment: (6)
"So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling
in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy,
and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. I
believe that this refers to the church, the Israel of God
(Galatians 6) which will be purified by the Lord and indwellt
by the Glory and Presence of Jesus....The Lord will dwell
in His church in a marked and noticeable way as a result
of the great outpouring of the Spirit, and the nations will
know that Jesus Christ is God Almighty!
The feast of Passover is experienced by the believer at
the moment he or she is born again. The individual is brought
out of Egypt (the world) and into the Kingdom of God and
into covenant relationship with God through Christ. The feast
of unleavened bread and the feast of firstfruits are also
fulfilled at this time as the new Christian is cleansed of
all his/her sins. The feast of Pentecost is experienced by
the believer when they are baptized into the power of the
Holy Spirit.
The feast of Tabernacles (which actually has three parts:
trumpets, day of atonement and tabernacles) is something
that to my knowledge has not yet been experienced by individual
believers or by the church corporately. Some leaders in the
Body of Christ have taught that trumpets will be experienced
by the church as the rapture, the day of atonement is the
pouring out of God's wrath on the earth while the church
is in heaven and that tabernacles represents the return of
the church with the Lord to earth to begin the Millenium.
I don't believe that the Scriptures teach this at all I believe
that the feast of trumpets represents the prophetic flow
of God among His people. This is something that the church
really began to walk in as a result of the 1948 latter rain
revival
The Day of Atonement was a time in which the sins of the
covenant nation were cleansed and in which in the year of
Jubilee (every 50th year) debts were cancelled, slaves were
set free and land was returned to its original owners. It
seems that this present move of God is one in which men and
women who are already members of the covenant nation of God
are being delivered from their sins, healed of their woundings
and strengthened by the Spirit of the Lord. It seems to be
a time of corporate cleansing and restoration in the Body
of Christ.
(So today is the time of the Day of Atonement) I believe that
all seven feasts must be experienced by the church on earth
before the work is completed and the Lord returns for His bride.
He will not return for her until she has completed her mission
to become the expression of the Glory of God in the earth and
until disciples have been made of all the nations.
YOU are the Antichrist!
I promised to reveal a dangerous aspect to the teaching of Ken
Copeland, that the "christ" is the "anointing"
upon all believers. This leads him to the belief that all who
rebel against the anointing, or the anointed ones, are THE ANTI-CHRIST!Scripture
identifies the antichrist as those who deny that Christ "is
come in the flesh". If an anointing, or a glory cloud, is
believed to be the coming of Christ into a Body of Flesh (his
church) then anyone who denies the reality of such a thing could
be labelled, scripturally, an antichrist.Because we deny that
Christ has come invisibly into this Body of people - thus we
are the antichrist and we must be destroyed. Far-fetched? Unlikely
ever to be applied to us? Well, this reasoning has already been
applied:Earl Paulk writes in "The Wounded Body of Christ"
"Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit
of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is
now already in the world. (1 John 4:3) When John dealt with
identifying the antichrist, he said the spirit of antichrist
was already at work. This spirit was identifiable by the
fact that it...does not confess that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh. This is the area in which we must test the
spirits. The greatest test of the antichrist is its attitude
towards the church - Jesus Christ himself is not a threat
to any community unless there is a living thriving church
in that community. Therefore, the spirit of antichrist refuses
to recognise that GOD IS HERE IN THE FLESH. Attacking such
figures as Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker and Kenneth Copeland
are attacking the Church of Jesus Christ - such mockery and
criticism are the means by which the spirit of antichrist
operates."
Ken Copeland makes the same application. He goes to great lengths
to try to prove that the word christ means anointing, so every
time you come to the word christ in the Bible you should retranslate
it, the anointing. Jesus was a man who was christed, he had the
anointing. Now that same anointing is coming upon the Church,
and if you oppose it you are anti-anointing, and that makes you
an anti-christ!
"Once you start re-translating the word christ, as
anointing you'll realize how the message of the anointing
permeates the entire new testament. Even in those early days,
the devil sent people in to steal that message,-------- people
with the spirit of anti-christ (anti-anointing). For if you
reTranslate the word anti-christ you'll realize it's referring
to someone who is opposed to the anointing."(7)
Now we have to consider what this all means for us, and what
it means in terms of the events of the endtimes.
Similarities to the Reign of Antichrist
If this were just another heresy it would be doomed to wither
and die, like all the others. BUT, this is more than just a heresy
by a few isolated groups. It is so widespread that almost every
large group and ministry today has been infected by at least
a part of the latter rain teachings,We cannot deny that we DO
have an outpouring at the moment - this is not just fantasy but
fact. So whatever the human thoughts and beliefs behind this,
there is a spiritual power that fuels it - a power so great that
it is able to influence the entire Church and bring about signs
and wonders.I want you to consider the latter rain teachings
in the light of the book of revelation. You will notice some
similarities.
1. THE WHITE HORSE: (Rev 6:2)
THEY CLAIM:
That the White Horse is the victorious church going out to
conquer the world, at the beginning of the renewal, the beginning
of the latter rain revival. (Bob Jones claims he saw a vision
of a white horse in 1982, ready to ride - he believed this
was the start of the revival.)
WE KNOW:
The white horse is clearly no Jesus Christ, but the spirit
of antichrist! It closely resembles the Lord Jesus, but the
Lord Jesus doesn't come at the start of the seven years, but
at the end! The white horse is one of the four judgements sent
out by God - it is the great apostasy that must come before
the end.
THUS THEY HAIL THE ANTICHRIST APOSTASY AS THE VICTORIOUS
CHURCH.
2. THE RETURN OF THE GLORY TO THE TEMPLE
THEY CLAIM:
that the Spirit of Christ will incarnate into a Body - his
church (and maybe one representative of that church, its new
head - see Appendix and this
is seen as the entrance of the christ spirit into the Temple.
And it is also seen as the spiritual marriage of the Bridegroom
and his perfected bride.
WE KNOW:
Antichrist comes to a Temple, as God! "he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God".(2
Thess 2:4)He will also have a counterfeit bride - the Harlot,
Mystery Babylon.
THUS THE CHURCH IS BEING PREPARED TO ACCEPT ANTICHRIST AS
HER LORD AND CHRIST
3.THE TRIBULATION
THEY CLAIM:
The second half of the last seven years will be the reign
of the manchild as the corporate christ, ruling over the rest
of the Church and the world. It will be a time of purging for
the Church and the world of anyone who refuses to bow and worship
the glorious Manchild, the corporate christ. They say God will
be cleansing out the tares from his church! AND WHILE THIS
IS HAPPENING, the manchild company will be ruling over the
world, meting out God's judgement, immune to all this suffering
and disaster, using their powers to produce signs and wonders
to bring the world to christ.
WE KNOW:
On the contrary the last three and a half-years are the reign
of antichrist - not of Christ. The Tribulation is a result
of satan and his demons coming down to earth, and the Tribulation
is not primarily God at work removing wickedness, it is satan
at work removing those who are righteous. Anyone who refuses
to worship satan will be killed. And his False Prophet will
be producing lying signs and wonders to deceive if possible
even the very elect.
THUS THE CHURCH IS BEING PREPARED TO WORK ALONGSIDE ANTICHRIST
IN SLAUGHTERING THE RIGHTEOUS.
[Also see Appendix]
4. SPIRITUAL WARFARE
THEY CLAIM:
that the manchild company have to cleanse the heavens - they
have to be raised spiritually so they can war with the evil
heavenly powers and cast them out, so they can take their place
and rule over the earth territorially. All this teaching about
territorial spirits is leading to that moment, which they call
the war in heaven (Rev 12:7)
WE KNOW:
that the war in heaven is not conducted by the saints, but
by the Archangel Michael and his angelic hosts. And the result
is that satan and his fallen angels are cast out onto the earth
to create havok there - Notice also they say the spiritual
elite, the manchild company will be transformed into spiritual
beings with resurrection bodies. So I do wonder if some of
these people will so open themselves to the demonic before
the end that the fallen angels actually possess them, as in
the days of Noah - and you will have spirit beings walking
the earth again.
THUS THEY WILL HELP IN THE SET UP OF THE SATANIC KINGDOM
AND ACTUALLY PLAY HOST TO THE DEMONS.
CONCLUSION
My intention in writing these articles is not to criticise
individuals associated with Toronto or the false revival -
for they answer to God. Nor do I intend to tar everyone with
the same brush, for many people get involved because they have
a zeal for God - they want to see the world and the church
changed and improved. They have no idea where these teachings
are coming from. (Yet they fail to respond when they are told
it is not biblical. )We do have a responsibility to alert believers
to the true nature of these teachings. If God chooses to reveal
to us the roots of heresy and the possible outcome of deception,
we have the task of exposing these things in order to SAVE
PEOPLE FROM A HORRIBLE FATE. If you saw a kitten about to stumble
blindly across a busy main road, would you stand by and do
nothing, telling people that it would be unloving to scare
the kitten into fleeing to safety? Or would you turn aside,
hoping somebody else would go to its rescue? If you would have
compassion on a kitten in danger, how much more so should we
seek to "rescue the perishing" - in this case, those
who are at risk of perishing from the antichrist deception
now running rampant in the Church and world. All who love the
truth have a responsibility to denounce these teachings and
to avoid all those who teach them - even part of them.
A Little Leaven Leavens the Lump
Once you accept part of the teaching, the rest becomes necessary
and inevitable. If this is an antichrist doctrine, it is the
doctrine of demons and we should have nothing to do with it.
We MUST remain true to the light of scripture - to the basics:
- SALVATION BY FAITH
- THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON THE CROSS FOR OUR REDEMPTION
- INDIVIDUAL CONVERSION AND SALVATION
- THE GREAT COMMISSION TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY MAN
- THE EVENTS OF THE END - THE APOSTASY, THE TRIBULATION THE
RAPTURE, HEAVEN AS A LOCATION, HELL AS JUDGEMENT FOR THE
WICKED
- THE KINGDOM AS THE LITERAL RETURN OF JESUS TO ESTABLISH
RIGHTEOUSNESS;
- THE ROLE OF ISRAEL AS A NATION
- THE MILLENNIAL RULE OF CHRIST, NOT THE CHURCH
- THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST, ALREADY UNITED, ONE WITH
CHRIST, TO WITNESS, TO ENDURE AND IF NECESSARY TO SUFFER
AND DIE - ALWAYS HATED AND REJECTED AND ULTIMATELY TRIUMPHANT
IN HER ALLEGIANCE TO CHRIST.
- THE CHRISTIAN HOPE IS THE RETURN OF JESUS PERSONALLY IN
GLORY AND OUR INHERITANCE IN HIM ALONE.
We must continue to preach the great truths of the Bible, undeterred,
believing that God is with us and will support, inspire and help
us - and protect us. He will honour his word, honour those who
hold to his word.We must call on anyone involved in these teachings
to abandon them and repent of them.
We must remain open, patient, kind, helpful and forgiving
- not become hateful, proud and elitist.
We must remember that we can all be deceived - by all means
save some; if they will not hear you, move on.
2 Tim 4:2 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and
his kingdom; Preach the word, be instant in season and out
of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering
and doctrine - for the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts will heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall
turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables. But watch thou, endure afflictions, do the work
of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
And may God bless you in your understanding of these things!
FOOTNOTES
(1) The dates of these predictions change all the time. False
teachers adjust their prophetic clock to suit events. The teaching
on the beginning of the third age and the time for the "next
wave" of global revival has been dated to 1994, 95, 96,
97, 98 and so forth, as the predicted "revival" fails
to occur. Now some teachers are warning people "do not date
the revival" as it is becoming an embarrassment to the whole
movement.(2) See Gal 3 where Paul argues that the promise of
redemption was made before the Law, to Abraham, and therefore
pre-dates and transcends the legal requirements of Judaism. (3)
The Whistler Gathering brochure states: It is safeguarded by
four spiritual "fathers" - Pastor Bob Birch, Pastor
Jim Watt, Dr. John White, and Peter Jordan of YWAM. The leadership
of this gathering includes Dr. Mohsen Demian and Pastor Gideon
Chiu, and worship leaders David Garrett, David Ruis and Brian
Doerksen. Others involved include Bob Jones, Reuven Doren, Andy
and Melody Green Severight, Alistair Petrie and John Dawson.
There are 1,700 registered participants, over 1,000 have been
turned down due to space limitations. This gathering is truly
multi-national and multi-cultural. At a leadership pre-gathering
in February, there were representatives from Canada, USA, Africa,
China, Australia, South America, and others I probably don't
know about. (4) Britton "Eagle Saints Arise" Pp8-9(5)
from a message on the Religion forum of Compuserve. (6) from an
Internet report on the Shekinah Ministers Conference, Jun 94(7)
Ken Copeland, writing in Voice of Victory: Vol 2ULo 4, April1995
|
