"Apostolic" misinterpretations

I believe the Lord has made it clear to me often that I am never to come against something He may be doing. That's pretty dangerous. So my task today is to work under the umbrella of Ephesus, that exposed people who said they were apostles, but were not.

I tell you the truth, I do not know who is and is not. Not by name. But I do have serious questions about teachings that are floating around in the name of "apostles" and their many followers.

Take Joel 2, for example. The "end time army" of the Lord. This is more than off base. It's scary. Take a few minutes to read the chapter. Ask for enlightenment from the Spirit. See if you come up with, on your own, the idea that Joel is talking about a bunch of super-believers at the end of history.

A better exercise is to keep your finger in Joel 2, then flip over to Revelation 9. There to your wondering eyes will appear a near carbon copy of Joel. Not copied, though. Given by the same Spirit to Joel and John, a preview of a horrendous throng of something that will one day invade this earth as a part of God's judgment on sin.

These "things" can scorch the earth with fire for miles in every direction. They have wings. They cause incredible pain. The sky is darkened. The closest thing Earth has seen that is like them is the swarming of locusts in the part of the earth where Joel prophesied. Actually, swarming had already occurred, and Joel therefore had a context in which to describe the end-time "locusts".

You can take it from there. But please don't take it where men like Todd Bentley have taken it. Read it. Believe that each word is what it says it is.

Or Romans 8:18-25, the whole thing about the sons of God that are soon to be manifested. Apostolic take on this passage: a little bit like the Joel thing. There is going to arise an end-time army of saints that will be so spiritually powerful that they will be able to make dynamic positive changes in the Kingdoms of earth. Righteousness will be exalted. Jesus will be uplifted. The world will actually be changed!

Yes, Paul had it right. The world is waiting for God's people to be manifested. And manifested they will be. Daniel talked about it in his visions. Kings, His own people, will reign with Jesus when He returns. Jesus said, "the meek will inherit the earth." One day indeed the people of Jesus, those who have suffered with Him in particular, will take over the planet and change it from A to Z.

But not now, Kingdom folks. Not now, apostles. Your timing is off. Your theology is off. Your mission is off. Jesus never changed the marching orders of the church to go and preach the good news about His death, burial and resurrection. Call folks out, tell them of the Kingdom that is coming, and send them to do what you are doing, going into all the world preaching. Eventually they will be lifted up, manifested before the world, and the world will never be the same.

What about the notion of Jesus "singing over His people." It's not a bad thing. And I believe that Jesus surely must be pleased with obedient sons and daughters. Unfortunately the only Biblical passage that even hints at this is Zephaniah 3:14-20, a passage outlining what will happen when the Jews finally return, redeemed, to Zion. This is at the end of history, the beginning of the reign of Christ over this earth.

Yes, at that time, the people of God will actually hear the Lord their God rejoicing over the triumphant church with a song. What an amazing day that will be.

Some may have heard bits and pieces of that song today, we must add. Jesus has "Kingdom" people, full of the Holy Ghost, in this generation, who, because they seek, and/or because they suffer and need His present Presence, have heard His voice, have experienced the Comfort of the Paraclete.

My objection to the doctrine among us is that Zephaniah simply does not say what they are saying.

Perhaps the worst of all perversions of our day, the one that needs to be identified and thrown out immediately upon hearing it, is the idea that when Paul said "the letter kills and the Spirit gives life," he was talking about the Bible vs the Spirit.

The Bible and the Spirit must never be allowed to be at war in our thinking. The Bible points to the Spirit. The Spirit gave us the Bible. We must work within that narrow but freeing perspective.

What then is "the letter" ? And how does it kill? Paul uses "gramma", a writing. And in this context, it is the Scripture indeed. But the rest of the context shows that he is addressing those who trusted in the "gramma" to save them, through their perfect obedience to it. In that sense the Bible can surely "kill." Jesus accused the Pharisees of searching the Scriptures to look for life and bypassing the true life in Jesus.

Though most of these teachers know all this, the impression they often give is that we are to follow their new understanding of Scripture as opposed to the old ways we have trod. That would be a serious problem.

The only part of Scripture that is ever said to be "death" is the law. But even the law is quoted at times to explain Christian responsibility. Quoted by Spirit-filled apostles who laid the foundations of our faith.

Yes, if we try to keep some written code for salvation, we will die. And if we try to walk in the Spirit, He will live. But the point we need to hear made is that that Spirit will lead us to the written words of God. Every apostolic teacher uses the Bible, and encourages us to do the same, but to change everything we have believed about it up until now. Following the apostles of old would be the "letter" that kills. Following the new apostles will give life.

Again, it is never preached that way. But the implication is strongly there and very dangerous.

The literal interpretation of Scripture is considered by these men and women to be very problematic. Old "rules" about women in ministry and principles of holiness, and Millennial timetables are out the window. That's the letter. It robs us of the "greater truths". Freedom in Christ, the Kingdom NOW.

Jesus used literal Scriptures against Satan. The Gospel writers used literal Scriptures to prove Who Jesus is. Paul did the same, and Peter.

Paul says that whatever was written was for our learning, that we would have hope. And that these things were written for our admonition, since the ends of the world have come upon us. We need direction. It's all written.

"These things I have written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may believe on the Name of the Son of God, says John. Written is good. Literal is good. It is not "the letter that kills" unless you trust your flesh to obey every word of it perfectly or else.