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The end of the end time is here. Technically, the end time is the time between Jesus' ascension and the moment He calls us to Him in the air in the rapture. It is when the full number of the Gentiles comes in and concludes the Church Age. (Romans 11:25; Acts 15:14-17). But now is the end of the end time, the time when God said,"It will come about after this, That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams,Your young men will see visions. "Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."(Joel 2:28-29)
Many people today claim the ability to prophesy, mistaking the intent of the verse. All revelations are concluded. Jesus was the last prophet and in the latter days God spoke through Him, (Hebrews 1:1-2). Prophets of old were to reveal truth from God. That is what the OT prophets did. Jesus revealed truth to us in His personal ministry on earth; and then He, God and the Holy Spirit revealed all truth to us through the bible. There are no new revelations. The end of the Book of Revelation states,
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book." (Rev 22:18). We are warned not to take away anything from this book, either. (Rev 22:19). Though the correct interpretation of those verses is not to add or take away the prophesies in the Book of Revelation, the concept holds and extends to the rest of the bible, do not add anything to the bible, nor take anything away.
What Joel was speaking of in the end days of prophetic utterances, is that the Spirit would reveal deeper understandings to believers designated to exhort, explain, and above all, be consistent with what is written in the bible.
Apologetics Index defines extra-biblical revelation as:
--Information or content outside the Bible. Thus, any form of knowledge or experience which gives us information concerning God, His Work or His Will, which is not directly quoted in scripture...
--Teachings, concepts and practices claimed to be supported by or taught in the Bible, but which are based on incorrect interpretation. In hermeneutics, the study of the methodological principles of interpretation, this is known as “eisogesis” super-imposing a meaning onto the text), as opposed to “exegesis” (drawing the meaning out of the text).
I've heard people say that they have heard of people who are directly spoken to by Jesus (possible) and that He said to do this or that - which is not in the bible. Uh-oh. If they say they have received prophetic word from the Spirit or Jesus or God that is not consistent with what is already written, they are FALSE. Do not believe what these false prophets say if it cannot be found in the bible and/or is not consistent with what God has already said. He does not contradict Himself. He concluded His revelations to us. The prophesies of which we are not to despise (1 Thess 5:20) are the ones already in the bible and are being exhorted by the strength of the Spirit through Godly men and women who explain them to those who are unfamiliar or do not understand. They are to urge believers to apply the prophesies to daily life, or to illustrate how short the time is so that we may be diligent, and encouraged. The prophesies are not new utterances. People who say they have an inside track and are receiving new utterances are false prophets. I can't be more plain in warning you.
Test all things. If someone comes, saying "I heard a Word from Jesus and He said ..." then be a Berean (Acts 17:11). This is the verse which commended the believers at Berea not to take the Word at face value, but says the believers "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
If someone comes and says "I heard a word from the Lord and it is not in the bible but He specially prepared me to receive it and then reveal it" you know instantly that that person is a false prophet, one we were warned about (Mt 24:11, Mt 24:24, 2 Peter 2:1). Even if the person says something that later comes true, do not believe that person. (Mark 13:6; 21-22)The bible is God's standard. If you want to violate His standard and accept utterances from men who are false prophets giving extra-biblical revelation that tickle your ears, that is your choice. But it is the wrong one.
Thank you for the article. It is well written and I agree. About the Book of Revelation, Les Feldick has a bible study ministry and during one of his seminars in Minnesota said that the Book of Revelation is not for believers. How would Rev 22:18-19 come into play for Feldick who is adding instruction to the book by telling believers it is not for them? How serious is this claim? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Jim
Hi Jim,
DeleteI'm not familiar with Mr Feldick. I don't know why he would say that Revelation isn't for believers, because no unbeliever can understand the bible(1 Corinthians 2:14) and *all* things in the bible are profitable for believers (2 Tim 3:16).
The verses to which you refer are--
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."
Barnes notes explains what it means to add to the book- "If any man shall add unto these things - With a view to furnish a more full and complete revelation; or with a profession that new truth had been communicated by inspiration."
The verse would come into play, via Barnes Notes interprets the verse again, in this way
"God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book - These "plagues" refer to the numerous methods described in this book as those in which God would bring severe judgment upon the persecutors of the church and the corrupters of religion. The meaning is, that such a person would be regarded as an enemy of his religion, and would share the fearful doom of all such enemies."
Other than that, I can't speculate because I don't know what God has in mind, only to repeat what He has said in the book, that He would add plagues to those who add to His word.
The question is not does God speak to us today for every Christian believes that God speaks to us today, but the question is does God speak to us apart from and in extension to His Word, our Bible. And I would like to address that question here ...
ReplyDeletePractically speaking if God still spoke to us today apart from the Bible and new from the Bible one would have to leave blank pages in the Bible to add this new revelation from God. Not only that we would have to add all the new revelation from God that occurred after the Bible was written to date and end up with many book volumes like the encyclopedia britannica with new year books every year! If these new revelations from God are true and to be revealed to us and as such are to be penned down for us to live by are they not? Can you imagine coming to church with a new charismatic "Bible" that contained all of the old and latest "revelations" from God? You would need a truck to bring your newest Bible to church.
If one says that God still speaks new revelation to us today that is not found in the Bible than two questions come to my mind here:
1. How do we know this new revelation is from God and not something we just dreamed up using our own imagination?
2. If this new revelation is God breathed should it not be canonized and added to the biblical canon?
Lets deal with the first question. The only way one can be absolutely sure that a new revelation is from God and not from our own imagination is if it can be tested to sacred Scripture, our Bible to see if it is true and in line with God's Word. If it is in God's Word than it is not new revelation, but just revelation afresh (come to life in the heart and mind of the reader) and if it is not in God's Word than this revelation is false, not from God and just our imagination at work.
Regarding the second question. If continuationists are consistent in their thinking and beliefs than all revelation from God should be part of Holy Scripture as it is God's ongoing revelation to mankind and their Bible should be substantially thicker than our current Bibles with room to grow. After all, why would God's latest revelation to mankind be any less in importance than His earlier revelation that make up our Bible?
Based on the above, but not limited to this, I have concluded that there are many happy inconsistencies and logical fallacies in continuationistic thinking when it comes to God and His revelation to us. Yes, God spoke to Moses audibly and gave him revelation, but there is absolutely no proof that God speaks to us today to give us new extra-biblical revelation and if we look at the Book of Revelation in our Bibles it actually warns us not to add or take away anything to God's prophecy (Revelation 22: 18-19). The last Book in the final verses in our Bibles warns us against extra-biblical prophecy (revelation) and this should be enough to shake any continuationistic dreaming back to God's reality.
Some may argue that God speaks to us in prayer and that this is not recorded in writing either, but again, God does not speak audibly to us in prayer today, instead the Holy Spirit reveals to our hearts and minds what God has written to us in His Word those truths addressed in our prayers.
Finally if the argument by continuationists is that new extra-biblical revelation is true, but not at the same level as biblical revelation and not to be added to biblical revelation as a new canon of Scripture than my question would be why would God speak truth and "sub-truth" and not have the "lesser truth" be part of His written Word? If and when God speaks His truth it is always recorded, because we live, move and have our being by God and His Word. So now we supposedly have God's new revelation and yet it is not important enough to record? This makes absolutely no sense at all. It makes God's spoken word less important than His written Word and we know (or at least believe) that His spoken word is His written Word, our Bible.