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The Spirit of
Error and the Spirit of Truth
Part 1 - The
Wisdom of Solomon
July 24, 2008
Ron and Karen Schwartz
Today, lines are
being drawn in the sand. On one side are places like Toronto
and Lakeland, people like Bob Jones, Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, and
Rick Joyner, and something that calls itself the “modern
prophetic movement.” On the other side are mainstream
Pentecostals and Fundamentalists who protect the status quo.
What makes this battle so difficult to sort out is that the issues in
question have so little applicable scripture to aid in
discernment. Proponents of this new movement claim that what we
are seeing is nothing short of the works of Christ, his apostles, his
prophets, and a final outpouring of God’s Spirit, while
opponents claim it is unbiblical and demonic. Desperately
needed is the Wisdom of Solomon to discern and bring forth the truth.
Matthew 13:24-30 -
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like
a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was
sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds [tares] among the wheat, and
went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the
weeds [tares] also appeared.
"The owner's
servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your
field? Where then did the weeds [tares] come from?'
"'An enemy
did this,' he replied.
"The servants
asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
"'No,' he
answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds [tares], you may
root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the
weeds [tares] and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the
wheat and bring it into my barn.'"
Other than the
parable of the “seed and the sower,” this is probably the
best known parable of Jesus. Some modern versions of the Bible
substitute the word “weeds” in place of the traditional
word “tares.” The Greek word is actually zizanion
[dziz-an'-ee-on]. The origin of this word is unknown; however,
zizanion is believed to be “a kind of darnel, the commonest of
the four species, being the bearded, growing in the grain fields, as
tall as wheat and barley, and resembling wheat in appearance. It was
credited among the Jews with being degenerate wheat. The rabbis
called it ‘bastard.’ The seeds are poisonous to man and
herbivorous animals, producing sleepiness, nausea, convulsions and
even death. The plants can be separated out, but the custom, as in
the parable, is to leave the cleaning out until near the time of
harvest (Vines).”
Over the
centuries, volumes of material have been written, and innumerable
sermons have been preached concerning this parable. There is no
end to the arguments over how exactly this parable should be
applied. Do the tares represent the Pharisees who lived during
the time of Christ polluting the work of God? Are they the
false churches that would arise following the deaths of Christ and
His apostles? Are they speaking of the Dark Age or some time in
between then and now? Or, are they speaking of the end time and
the coming antichrist?
We believe that
scripture is meant to be timeless. The value of Christ’s
teaching, His parables, and all prophecy is applicable to every
generation. As Paul wrote, “All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may
be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy
3:16-17).” This instruction was not meant to be just for
the believers of His generation but for us as well. Peter also
wrote “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation (2 Peter 1:20).”
Twenty-five
hundred years ago, the Jews read the book of Jonah as a warning about
disobedience. They did not necessarily see it as prophecy of
the Christ. Jesus used it (Mathew 12:39-40) as a prophecy
foretelling His death and resurrection. Therefore, regardless
of how the scripture applied to the brethren who read it 2,000 to
4,000 years ago, we must consider how it applies to us today.
Quite often we
hear the tares referred to as people who go to church but are not
really saved and are quite often indistinguishable from the real
Christians who sit next to them. But consider the implications
of such a contrast. In this parable, the tares were very
similar to the wheat – the implication is that they are almost
indistinguishable. If the wheat looked like the unsaved, then
this would mean that the wheat represents carnal and apathetic
Christians who often look no different than the unsaved. If the
wheat were the truly saved Christians – or as Jesus later
explained, “the children of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38)”
– who are disciples of the Lord then could we really say that
they were almost indistinguishable from the lost? Is this
really the contrast we should draw from this parable? We think not.
We believe that
the fruit God (the harvester) is looking for is not a withered up,
rotting, decaying fruit. It is not some emaciated grain that
has hardly any nutritional value. The tree/vine/stalk that God
is looking for - the kind from which He plans to harvest – is
that which “bears much fruit (John 15:8).” Therefore,
if the wheat - “the children of the kingdom (Matthew 13:38)”
- resembles any form of Christianity over the past 2,000 years, then
it resembles the form it held at the purest moment of its history:
its inception. When it first began, it was not dogmatic but
spontaneous; it was not apathetic but evangelistic; it was not
pragmatic but radical; it was not subdued but capricious and
volatile. Consequently, most Christians who fill our cold
lifeless Western churches could not qualify as “tares”
because they do not even begin to resemble the genuine article.
On the other hand,
there are Christians today who operate in the power and anointing
similar to the First Generation Christians. You might not hear
much about them because typically they are too busy lifting up Christ
to promote their own ministries. Many of these people do not
even claim to have a ministry at all. They are just out
“about [their] Father's business (Luke 2:49).” There
is no pretense to their lives. They are not looking to promote
themselves or any ministry. In fact, it’s even difficult
to learn much about them. They are enigmatic!
Then there are the
tares who in many ways have the appearance of First Generation
Christians. They are anything but obscure. Their ranks
include Bob Jones, Rick Joyner, JoAnn McFatter, Paul Keith Davis,
Patricia King, John Paul Jackson, Bobby Conner, etc. The words
used earlier to describe First Century Christianity easily define the
antics of this crowd: spontaneous, evangelistic, capricious,
volatile, radical. But the similarity ends with the
definition of those words.
The First
Generation Christians were not popular entertainers looking to expand
their ministries, increase their revenues, shock and stun audiences
through hype and hysteria, and outdo each other through their
(claimed) visitations by angels, dead prophets, and even Christ
Himself. Their only goal was to bring salvation to the lost and
holiness to the Church. They would have been appalled at the
ridiculous performances and antics these people use to sensationalize
their ministries, draw larger and larger audiences, bring attention
to themselves, and distinguish to their ministries from others.
One thing is
certain: they do not have the Spirit of God. They run a
pageant, a show. It is all about who can outdo the others and
get away with the most outlandish form of mockery. You will
find Christians dancing sensually and worshipping to pagan and voodoo
drums. You find New Age music, transcendental meditation, and
mysticism. You will see people manifesting Tourette’s
Syndrome, practicing “Holy Ghost hypnosis,” falling under
spiritual convulsions, and men cracking jokes at the Holy
Spirit’s expense, making a mockery of God and the scripture
supposedly because the Holy Ghost has “intoxicated”
them. And Christians are being sucked into this because the
adverbs and adjectives used to describe this “modern
movement” are the same ones used to describe First Century
Christianity. Does this not sound like the parable of the wheat
and the tares?
Consider what this
“modern prophetic movement” teaches: a restoration of the
five-fold ministry described in Ephesians 4, a restoration of the
Church back to its former First Century (man-child and dominion)
glory, and the blessing and favor of God upon His people (word of
faith). All of these teaching have biblical merit. They
are carryovers from the teachings of William Branham, A.A. Allen,
Gordon Lindsey, and Oral Roberts. It is an overly simplified
and unrestrained form of Latter Rain doctrine with an uncontrolled
emphasis on shock and hysteria. In short, (what is known as)
the “modern prophetic movement” has effectively hijacked
Branhamism and is using it to promote men instead of God. It
uses a Biblical foundation to promote the pretences of pernicious
men. It has “a form of godliness, but denying the [true]
power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5).”
The Influence
of Post-modernism
Our modern age is
generally viewed as beginning about two hundred years ago when the
Western nations abandoned their religious wars and began to embrace
personal religious freedom. Along with this, Western nations
began moving from an agrarian to an industrial economy, and science
began to provide answers to long-asked questions. Personal
religious freedom brought about personal fulfillment, and the
industrial revolution brought the promise that utopia was finally
within reach. Combined with science, these values created a
belief that “truth” could be and finally was
understood. Therefore, the concept of truth became an
unquestionable standard.
But two world
wars, empowered by the industrial revolution, shattered our visions
of utopia, and one man’s personal religious views brought about
the genocide of six million Jews. Instead of becoming our
security, science brought about the atomic and hydrogen bombs and put
us at the brink of self-destruction. Consequently, the
“truths” and standards that promised security and utopia
caused instead our undoing. The modern age was perceived to
have failed, and thus the post-modern age was born. Unlike
modernism, post-modernism rejects that any broad sweeping truths can
save us. Post-modernists point to unquestionable and
broad-sweeping truths as modernism’s weakness.
Throughout the
modern age, religious truth was rarely questioned. The Bible
was always used as the textbook in the classroom, and “separation
of Church and State” was never an issue. Truths, whether
scientific, economic, or religious, were esteemed and valued.
But all of that changed when the modern age appeared to fail.
The perceived failure has lent justification for some Christian
leaders to embrace post-modernist thinking.
It has been
suggested that “post-modern” means “to ask.”
Because the values and truths of the modern age failed, it has
become our nature to be skeptical of long-held beliefs, “to
ask” questions (i.e., question everything). Therefore, the post-modern
ideology rejects all forms of “universal” truth or dogma
because, at one time, so-called “truths” almost led to our
destruction. Consequently, the post-modernist views biblical
accounts (that are frequently surrounded with generalities but
nevertheless accepted by Christians to contain absolute truth and
certainties) with incredulity. Relativism (the idea that
values do not exist except in the mind of the individual or the
culture that values them, and that ideas such as “truth,”
“right/wrong,” or “large/small” are merely
opinions from the observer’s point of view) is a byproduct of
this post-modern age. Truth, if there is such a thing, is
situational and has largely been substituted for situational
ethics. Therefore, the closest one can come to truth is merely
one’s own personal opinion.
It is important to
understand that we are ALL children of a post-modern culture.
We are like Lot [“For that righteous man dwelling among them, in
seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with
their unlawful deeds (2 Peter 2:8)”] and have been affected by
the influences of post-modern thinking.
Post-modern
ideology holds that there are no universal standards but that each
individual must decide for themselves what is right and wrong, good
and evil, acceptable to them as an individual. It holds that
everyone may hold a different opinion, but that is okay. Right
and wrong is subjective. This means that what may be wrong in
one church may be right in another church, and that is alright as
long as the people within those churches all agree. Humanism
and relativism are both different manifestations of post-modernism.
What has all this
to do with the subject at hand? The lack of any cohesive
standards and the ability to perform any outlandish act as a form of
worship in the “modern prophetic movement” is a result of
our generation of Christians embracing post-modern ideology.
You can dance to voodoo drums, listen to New Age music, engage in
transcendental meditation, and practice mysticism all in the name of
God. And none dare judge you.
Also, the
widespread embracing of this “modern prophetic movement”
has come about similarly to the embracing of post-modernism.
Post-modernism was the result of the failure of modernism. In
like manner, the “modern prophetic movement” has come about
largely because of the failure of Pentecostalism that stretches all
the way back to Azusa Street.
“What God
hath cleansed”
Acts 10:9-15 -
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and
approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He
became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was
being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and
something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four
corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well
as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him,
"Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
"Surely not,
Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure
or unclean."
The voice spoke to
him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has
made clean." Or, according to the KJV: “What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common.”
Years ago, God
showed us that we should make a distinction between the word that is
taught and the man who teaches it. An old preacher once said
that it is like “picking the meat from the bones.”
The idea here is that no one is perfect. There are many
“good” men who are striving toward holiness, and even they
can have problems and issues.
There are those
who condemn Todd Bentley because of his past: he has tattoos, he was
a biker, he was arrested for immoral acts, or perhaps he does not
have a good enough biblical education. A past can be
forgiven. A past can be washed away. A past is behind the
man. So let’s get past the past. Todd Bentley is not
a bad man because of his past or his looks. We have known many
brothers who were criminals and even involved in organized crime, but
if God choose to accept them, then who are we to reject them?
In addition, we
should also remember that it does not take perfect men to preach the
gospel. We are by nature imperfect. This does not mean
that we are sinners. It simply means we are not perfect.
So for us to find out that certain men are struggling should not
diminish their message, as long as their message is true.
When considering
the men behind the “modern prophetic movement,” the real
question that must be addressed is not their past nor their
education, but their hearts.
2 Peter 2:1-3,
14-19 - But there arose also false prophets among the people, even as
also among you there shall be false teachers, who will be of such a
character as to bring in alongside [of true doctrine] destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who purchased them, bringing upon
themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentious
conduct to its consummation, on account of whom the way of the truth
will be reviled. And in the sphere of covetousness, with fabricated
words they will exploit you, for whom from ancient times their
judgment has not been idle [i.e., it is being prepared], and their
destruction is not sleeping.
Having eyes full
of an adulteress and which are unable to cease from sin, catching
unstable souls with bait, having a heart completely exercised in
covetousness, children of a curse. Abandoning the straight road, they
went astray, having followed assiduously the road of Balaam, the son
of Bosor, who set a high value upon and thus came to love the hire of
unrighteousness, but was the recipient of an effectual rebuke for his
own lawlessness; the inarticulate beast of burden, having spoken in a
man's voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.
These are springs
without water, and mists driven by a tempest, for whom the blackness
of the darkness has been reserved. For when they are uttering
extravagant things that are in their character futile, they are
alluring by means of the cravings of the flesh [the totally depraved
nature], by means of wanton acts, those who are just about escaping
from those who are ordering their behavior in the sphere of error.
While they are promising them liberty, they themselves are slaves of
corruption. For by whom a person has been overcome with the result
that he is in a state of subjugation, to this one has he been
enslaved with the result that he is in a state of slavery.
“Licentious
conduct”
Licentious means
“unrestrained by law or morality; lawless or immoral; going
beyond proper bounds or limits; disregarding rules.” The
KJV uses the word “pernicious,” which means “causing
insidious harm or ruin; injurious; hurtful; deadly; fatal; evil;
wicked.” The NIV simply uses the word
“shameful.” The idea here is that they demonstrate an
obvious disregard for law, self-control, God’s law and His
Spirit. Let’s remember that the apostle Paul when dealing
with the Corinthian church – a church suffering from a lack of
self- control and self-discipline – imposed compulsory man-made
restraint on their persons as well as their meetings. When
discussing the issue of fornication in their church, he wrote,
“Put away from among yourselves that wicked person (1
Corinthians 5:13).” When dealing with the chaos in their
meetings (1 Corinthians 14:23-40), he wrote, “Let all things be
done unto edifying (1 Corinthians 14:26),” “Let all things
be done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40),” “And
the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is
not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the
saints (1 Corinthians 14:32-33).”
Contrast
Paul’s admonition to the church at Corinth with the meetings
orchestrated by the “modern prophetic movement.”
Their meetings are notorious for a lack of accountability,
self-control, and order. In fact, to them, the more outrageous,
the more lawless, the more confusing, the more controversial a
meeting appears, the greater the anointing and blessing that is upon
it. It is evident that “span>licentious conduct”
has replaced the Holy Spirit in their meetings. If Paul were
writing under the authority and mind of God, then it is evident that
the leaders of the “modern prophetic movement” are not
bound by scripture nor the mind of the Lord.
“Having
followed assiduously the road of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who set a
high value upon and thus came to love the hire of
unrighteousness.” And, “for when they are uttering
extravagant things [or, promised liberty] that are in their character
futile they are alluring by means of the cravings of the flesh.”
The issue here is
motive. Are their motives to bring profit to themselves in the
form of visibility or popularity to their ministries? Are they
in competition with others for the greatest respect, influence, or
preeminence? Are they driven by ego and fame? Are they
motivated by the size of the crowd? Profit can be sought in
many forms, not just financial. In addition, it is easy to see
that it is not just the “modern prophetic movement” that
falls into this definition but also many of the prominent Christian
leaders who oppose them.
It is evident
that, though we should not judge a man’s past, we are to judge
his current state. We are to seek to understand his motivation
because “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(Matthew 6:21).”
But if the
“modern prophetic movement” is driven by individuals who
fall into the category of false prophets, how then can we explain how
some people going to their meetings are actually touched by God?
Dividing the Child
1 Kings 3:16-25 -
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One
of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house.
I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after
my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there
was no one in the house but the two of us.
"During the
night this woman's son died because she lay on him. So she got
up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I
your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead
son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son
— and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the
morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."
The other woman
said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours."
But the first one
insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is
mine." And so they argued before the king.
The king said,
"This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while
that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'"
Then the king
said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the
king. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and
give half to one and half to the other."
King Solomon knew
that, like the wheat and the tares (once they are planted among the
wheat), a child cannot be divided and survive. It will die.
With this analogy,
it is important to understand that even in the most bizarre, weird,
and outrageous meetings that take place in this “modern
prophetic” community, you will probably find people who truly
love God. Many of these people may be plagued by the same
devils that control much of these meetings but that does not prevent
them from also receiving something from God! This may seem just
too fantastic, but remember the words of David:
Psalms 139:7-8 - 7
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy
presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my
bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
God does not and
never has recognized Satan’s territory. If He did, then He
would have nothing to do with this world. He is very able to
pick out a person in a meeting where demons run amuck to touch and
heal them. So do not try to decide who is Christian and who is
not. That is God’s job. When considering the parable
of the wheat and the tares, it is God and His angels who do the
separating. Our job is to water the field. Our job is see
that, as with Solomon, the truth comes forth. It is not easy,
and I am fairly certain that not even Solomon knew which mother was
the real mother.
Solomon was faced
with a particularly difficult situation. If he simply
adjudicated the matter, it is likely that one of the mothers would
not have accepted his decree and would have continued to fight.
He needed the truth to come out, clearly and finally. He needed
the false mother to expose herself. So Solomon used wisdom in
the situation to allow the false mother to expose herself.
In this current
“revival,” there are people who claim to be “slain in
the Spirit,” “drunk in the Spirit,” or participating
in “Holy Ghost laughter.” We do not deny that these
things take can, have, and do take place. There is biblical
precedence for these and many other spiritual manifestations.
The question is not whether or not the Spirit of God can/does
manifest in this nature but which of these manifestations is the
Spirit of God. What is demonic mockery, and what is simple man-made
hype and hysteria? Now, more than likely no one can know for
sure the difference. So what do we do? We allow the wheat
and the tares to grow together and leave it to the angels of God and
His Holy Spirit to separate the two. If we go in with a sword,
we will certainly kill some of the wheat along with the tares –
we will kill the baby. Remember, Solomon most likely did not
know which mother was the true mother, but he did know how to find
the truth and so his goal was to bring it out in every situation.
Today we are in
desperate need of men like Solomon, who can present the wisdom of God
in the hope that it will both save the baby and bring forth the truth.
Amen.
Ron and Karen Schwartz
kmsrjs@triton..net
(use the same address for MSN Messenger)
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