Some evangelical churches have lapsed into cold, lifeless formalism. They may be doctrinally right, but they may have lost their fervent love and zeal for God. If a Pentecostal/Charismatic church has a high regard for the Bible, prayer, soul-winning zeal and a willingness to attempt great things for God, then this fills a void left by less-emotional churches. Among these good things there resides a deceiving cancer that undermines the good that is being done. This cancer is the matter of new revelations from God, of tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, visions or dreams.
Neil Babcox, a former charismatic pastor left the charismatic church because of this issue. He says, "When a prophet said "Thus said the Lord"", he meant that the very Word of God was being proclaimed, with infallibility, purity and divine authority. The prophecies that I had spoken and heard others speak paled and diminished to the point of nothingness compared with the Bible".
Ezekiel protested "Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!" Ezekiel 13:3.
Isn't that what we were -- "prophets who had seen nothing?"
When the genuine prophets of God spoke, they spoke with certainty regarding every word. This finds no parallel today. The Bible's prophets knew with 100% certainty that they were speaking the very words of God.
"The spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me." Ezekiel 2:2.
Many who prophesy and claim to speak new revelations from God today know in their own hearts that they don't have the certainty of the Bible prophets, yet they continue to speak "new" revelations.
"Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart". Jeremiah 14:14.
It is no small thing to claim to speak new revelation from God, given the deception of Mormon prophecy.
This emphasis on new revelation undermines the authority of Scripture. Dave Hunt rebukes the positive and possibility thinking of Paul Yonggi Cho and Robert Schuller with their occultish visualisation techniques, temptation to power and deification of man which is invading the church.
Charismatics teach that a proper understanding of Scripture does not come through correct interpretation, but through revelation (only to certain leaders), and that these new revelations supplement the Bible, and that these must be accepted as a "great move of God".
- Charismatics often say: "...we have revelation knowledge as God continues to speak to His people". This sounds really spiritual, but it is in fact adding to Scripture.
- John Wimber states: "rational control (of the mind) must be forfeited for tongues speaking to occur, for ecstatic worship, for messages from God to be received directly into the mind, and for miraculous healings to happen".
- Charismatics Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin's heresies were exposed in "The Agony of Deceit". (available at www.amazon.com)
- John White, a famous author, claims that Jesus Christ personally appeared to him on three occasions to give new revelation that would become part of Scripture.
