Charismatics

The Conflict of Desire and Duty, No. 3 - PH25-01

Advanced Bible Doctrine - Philippians 1:22-26

Today, Satan is in a frantic last-hour resistance against God. You are no doubt aware of the fact that we have constant indications that the world is moving sociologically and economically in directions that are forcing it to become a one-world. This is in spite of itself, and in spite of resistance to the idea. Nations are becoming interrelated economically. We, of all things, as a free nation, are becoming very involved economically with our mortal enemies, such as the communists. We are deliberately seeking to set up a world where nations are economically interdependent upon one another. This is always, as Arnold Toynbee has pointed out, the first step toward political unity. Economic unity forces those who are involved to move toward political unity.

Satan is recognizing these signs that this is the direction in which the world is going to move prior, in some respects, to the return of the Lord Jesus, and completely after the rapture, under the reign of the world ruler. So Satan is intensifying his attack all over the world against God. This attack is being centered upon Bible doctrine in order to discredit the need for believers of knowing the Bible as God's manual for human living. Therefore, it's not the heart-warming experience, which is the most significant thing that people should be seeking. It isn't the feeling of love that's the important thing. It's the knowing of what God has declared in the Bible.

Bible Doctrine Today

Unfortunately, pastors are not alerting believers to the role of Bible doctrine in their lives. Those who do and those who are sounding off are viewed as tiresome alarmists and faddists. They're really viewed, even in seminary circles, as some kind of an odd kind of a kooky creature that's off on some kind of a fad of his own in stressing that doctrine is the important thing in the lives of believers. Not only that, but everything that God marvelously will bring into your life and His use of your life, all of that will flow out of your knowledge of the Word of God and your positive response to it.

So today, doctrine is under powerful discrediting forces on all sides, and Christians are not sure of themselves. That's why I'm taking this up today because I know that what you are being struck with makes you have to stand back and take a look and wonder in your own life, is it possible that you're wrong? This is what Satan is doing all the time. He is sending out signals that are confusing to you. You think that this is true. This is clear. You think that this is wrong, and that's clear. So you reject this as wrong. However, then along comes a very important spiritual leader with considerable prestige, and he comes over here and says, "This that you think is wrong is maybe OK." That is Satan throwing out signals to confuse you.

This ridicule toward doctrine is being carried on extensively on television through the charismatic station that we have here locally in Dallas. I was watching it the other day, and two ministers were carrying on a dialog. All the while that they were carrying on a dialog, they were very careful to show each other that they loved one another. The way they show a person that you love him is by grinning at him like a baboon all the time you're talking to him. Therefore, these two fellows were sitting here carrying on a dialog, and they were smiling at each other continually. I know they could not have done that naturally. Without a shadow of a doubt, they went to smile school because that's the only place you can learn to smile so continuously without coming to a hernia of your cheeks. Anyhow, they were smiling away continually at one another.

One of them knew what he was talking about because he had a clerical collar--one of those turned-around things. You wear it in the front for a while, then when it gets dirty, you turn it around and wear it the other way, and you get a little more wear out of it. So he was sitting there in his clerical collar, and they were smiling at each other, and one of them observed how that before they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, all they could talk about was having doctrine right. He said, "Now it's so different. Now that you and I have had the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we have something so much better to talk about because now we're able to talk about Jesus." He didn't say, "The Lord," or "Lord Jesus," and not "Jesus Christ." He just said, "Jesus." That signaled what the Holy Spirit recorded in the Word of God that the sign of a false spirit is referring to the Lord not as "Lord," but as "Jesus." Now they had something better. They could talk about Jesus without embarrassment. He was implying that he was glad now that he had gotten away from all that doctrinal stuff. That was on the program called "Charisma."

Then they have what you know as "The 700 Club" also on that same station. They had a man who was interviewing a woman who is a charismatic now who had been a Roman Catholic. He was interviewing her about how her husband had received an experience of healing in a Pentecostal meeting. The woman became so emotional over Jesus. As she talked about Jesus, she became so emotional and her eyes were closing. She began putting her head up; her head was rolling; and, and she was really getting into the swing of things. The interviewer became noticeably embarrassed and ill at ease, and he finally cut her off. She had forgotten herself. She had forgotten that she was on television and that all these eyes were watching, and this is bad public relations to carry on in a Pentecostal charismatic way before the general public. So, it was interesting how he calmed her down very quickly and cut her off with just the closing emphasis, "But your husband was healed, right?" She said, "Right." That was the important thing. Well, the woman's emotions rose in crescendo, and he was noticeably very nervous about it. However, he wanted to get through to the public that it is possible for you to be ill and to have healing. He wanted us to know that it is possible for members of your family to have desperate illnesses, and through this group, you may receive healing.

The liberals, through rationalism, destroyed the authority and the meaning of Scripture. They rejected what to them was not logical or reasonable in the Bible. They decided that their finite minds could decide what was truth and what was not. Therefore, they refused to recognize anything that they considered illogical or irrational. They did not recognize that their minds were disoriented from God's viewpoint of reality because of the old sin nature in them. They rejected the idea of anything supernatural, including a Bible that could be delivered from God through men without error, delivering to us His thinking in propositions of doctrine.

Bible-believing Christians are doing exactly the same thing today that the liberals did to the Bible, except that they're doing it in a different way. They are discrediting the Word of God and its propositions of doctrine by substituting emotion and experience as the criteria for deciding what is truth. This is increasingly becoming widespread. The idea that is conveyed is that, "How I feel about a thing is what God thinks." This is dignified by people who should be sounding a voice of alarm concerning that approach. Satan himself is the source and the promoter of both the error of the liberal and the error of the Bible-believing Christians today.

So as we look upon the scene out there today, I want you to be aware of the fact that Bible doctrine faces some very formidable guns--some really big time opposition. Sometimes it is in directions that you do not entirely relate as being opponents of doctrine because they are theologically sound people, or their intentions are right. Please remember what we are talking about today (our overall interest): Will God protect me from doing wrong if my intentions are to honor Him? Can I be ignorant of the Word of God and still be under God's protection so I won't get in trouble because He knows I'm sincere. The answer is, "No," if you have not already learned that. That's what I'm trying to show you--that the Word of God is very clear on cautioning us not to count on that.

So I want to relate this to the scene where you live. I'm going to mention some names today, and I hope you can be mature enough believers to distinguish between the names (the person) and the issue that this person represents. I have to mention the names because these people represent certain issues. These might slip by you because of the counterfeit deception that Satan has put out. He is putting out things to confuse your spiritual radar, and I'm trying to orient you back so that you can cut through things that distract you, and you'll be able to see what the issue really is.

The Living Bible

You have been bombarded with heavy advertising at Christmas and at Easter urging the Living Bible as an ideal Bible gift. This advertising, of course, violates the law of truth in advertising because this book is neither living nor a Bible. Therefore, people are being given a totally false impression when it is advertised as an ideal gift Bible. If you gave it to somebody as a Bible, you did him a great disservice. It is not the Word of God.

The author of this commentary makes this very clear because he says that he was not enslaved to the literal rendering of the Greek and Hebrew texts. Yet, the exact rendering of the original language is essential to conveying of doctrine. There is the gimmick. A commentary is what a paraphrase is. It's a man's way of saying what he thinks God is saying in a particular text. It is his way of expressing it and conveying his interpretation of it. If he does not have to convey what the actual original text said, then you can't have a basis of coming to doctrine. All you have is a man's rendering of commentary on it.

The publisher recognizes this. Therefore, if you were to ask him about this, he would say, "Oh, I just use the living Bible as my 'reading' Bible. I don't use it as my study Bible." How far do you think that distinction goes for the average public? How many people do you think who watch the ads at Christmas and Easter, and gave each other these gift Bibles, are going to sit down and say, "Now, I'm going to study God's Word." And they pick up the Living Bible, and they say, "Oh oh. Now this is my reading Bible?" Then they come over to a translation, like the New American Standard Bible or something, and they sit down and they read the Word of God. No. they don't make that distinction. This is a rationalization and a subterfuge to justify putting something out on the market that is extremely deceptive.

The Word of God is living and powerful. The Living Bible is neither. Young people are the target of this book. You have seen all the varied editions with the different covers to convey to young people, "Now, here is an up to date Bible that's dear to you. This is the Bible that you should be reading." This all is part of a subtle operation of Satan to destroy the validity of doctrine and the source of doctrine. As a matter of fact, The Living Bible is being dignified in publications. Sunday school literature you will find will quote this Bible, and it will give it the "TLB" sign as the identifying mark. Oh, it's okay as an identifying mark but it's another little dignifying factor because it puts it in the same category as the King James Version or the New American Standard Bible and so on--all these other code letters that signify a true conveyance of the Word of God. That's a little subtle thing to find a quotation in Sunday school literature or a book of some kind, and then find these three letters which automatically convey to people, "We are quoting to you from the Word of God."

So, I want you to be aware of the fact that here is one of the big guns out against doctrine. Billy Graham brought The Living Bible to popular acceptance. I think you understand that. This was not a popular book until Dr. Graham began distributing it, and he has distributed well over a million copies in his broadcasts. This is what brought it to fame. All of this adds up to one formidable force against the very source of doctrine itself. We're not going to examine the book itself here, but very often the way the paraphrase has been given, it gives you the wrong idea of doctrine. It actually conveys wrong doctrine. It misrepresents a thought that is actually in the original text.

The Charismatic Movement

Many of you people know something about the Word of God. Just imagine the poor average Christian who is really low on his knowledge of the Word of God. How does he react to seeing a magnificent Oral Roberts spectacular? Imagine how the average Christian reacts, especially when he sees Oral Roberts come to that scene where he's sitting in a chair, and they're across from him sits the famous Billy Graham. They're chatting with one another and exchanging pleasantries with one another. Do you see why Oral Roberts has no compunction about putting ads under which he labels himself as America's number two evangelist?

Kurt Koch had extensive experience in the world of spiritism in the demonic world. At the Berlin Conference, Kurt Koch wrote a letter to the committee and to Billy Graham directly when Billy Graham was sponsoring and lauding Oral Roberts at the meeting. Kurt Koch wrote to the committee and to Graham and said, "I must protest what you are doing, and I feel before the Lord that I must warn you that what is taking place in the healing meetings of Oral Roberts is of a mediumistic nature, not of a spiritual gift nature." This was totally ignored by Dr. Graham. Instead, the next day, Koch says Oral Roberts was on the platform and Billy Graham praised him and lauded him even more. Oral Roberts will be quite ready to be the first to tell you that until Billy Graham took him up on the platform (I think it was in a meeting in Tulsa), and had him lead in prayer to the shock of the evangelical leaders there, that's when Oral Roberts attributes his moving to the big time.

That's pretty rough, isn't it? Who is to deny that Billy Graham preaches a true doctrine of the gospel? Who is to deny that souls are saved? Who can deny that his influence for the Lord is very widespread, and in many respects very good? That's tin foil out there in the skies confusing your radar. Is Oral Roberts right? He says it is so. Billy Graham's association with Oral Roberts implies that Roberts is right. It is so. As a matter of fact, Oral Roberts said, "Billy, if I come up on your platform and pray in that meeting, you know you'll have a lot of opposition." Dr. Graham was reported in the book The Called by Oral Roberts to have said, "I know, Oral, but an aunt of mine was healed in a meeting of yours. You have a great gift from God for praying for the healing of people." That's the new subterfuge. You no longer have a great gift of healing people, but you have a great gift of praying for the healing of people. It comes out the same, but it looks more dignified.

So here you have a couple of really big guns. You also have a lady named Kathryn Kuhlman. Kathryn Kuhlman smiles; she waves her hands; and, she runs revival meetings as a woman preacher. She has healings that take place in her meetings. Katy Kuhlman says it is so. She claims that God is doing the healings in her meetings. That's an assumption, and I hope you understand that. She says, "People are healed in my meetings," and they probably are. She says that God is doing the healing. At that point, she is making an assumption. Very frequently, she's making an assumption that they've been healed too. People are led to believe that all that is good comes from God. But Bible doctrine says, "That is not so." Some good comes from Satan through the old sin nature. Satan heals people; Satan predicts; Satan does good through the old sin nature; and, furthermore, Satan gives God the credit.

If you don't believe that, you better read Matthew 7:21-23. It seems we have a little hard time getting this Scripture through to people. I talked to a man the other day, and finally he grabbed the Bible, and said, "Let me see that." He had heard me say this many times before, but it hadn't sunk in and gotten through to him. After he read it, he said, "That is devastating to the charismatics. You could just see on his face as he was trying to think this through, and trying to analyze this and relate this, because there is Oral Roberts; there's Billy Graham; and, there's Kathryn Kuhlman on television. There is the charismatic television radio station bombarding us and constantly saying, "It is so. Yes, it's so." Here's a passage of Scripture that says that Satan will cast out demons for you; Satan will heal bodies for you in a miraculous way; Satan will make predictions about the future for you; and, Satan will credit the Lord Jesus with every bit of it. Then people move on the basis of that experience in the case of these people. And at the end of the tribulation, when that passage takes place, and they claim to be believers entitled to enter the millennial kingdom, Jesus Christ will say to them those chilling words, "Depart from Me. I never knew you."

Hal Lindsey

The charismatics have been claiming to speak in tongues. Hal Lindsey says tongues do exist today. The only tongue-speaking around today is in the gibberish form, nonsense speaking, and therefore that is tongues to which Mr. Lindsey is referring. Because Mr. Lindsey said in his book on Satan that tongues exist today, the charismatics have been very grateful to him and have gravitated toward Hal Lindsey. Hal Lindsey is reported to have said that he watched Kathryn Kuhlman in action, a woman preacher, leading a religious meeting. Men and women were there, and she was acting as a spiritual leader, and Hal Lindsey said that he found nothing wrong with what she was doing. Lindsey's approval has enabled Satan to give doctrine a very severe blow, and to delude Christians. Dallas seminary, at its 50-year anniversary celebration, had Mr. Lindsey as a featured speaker. At the close of one of the sessions, one of his sessions at which he spoke, he admonished the faculty, the students, and the guests who were present, in effect, not to dismiss too quickly the charismatic gibberish as not being the tongues gift. It was all couched in the cover language of, "Don't try to restrain the expressions of the Holy Spirit." All of us understand that and know that He cannot be restrained. However, we do know that there is something that does restrain God the Holy Spirit, and that is doctrine. He is faithful to the principles of doctrine which He has laid out in His Word.

Such a notion that gibberish is operational today as tongues is totally incompatible with doctrine as well as the experience over the centuries. I think that this suggestion from Mr. Lindsey must stem from the sincere desire to avoid classifying the non-scriptural charismatic movement as merely a religious expression, and thus something that is Satan's game, and not God's. You get to meet these people and see their sincerity; their expressed love for the Lord; their desire to do right; their desire to please the Lord; their desire to honor the Lord; and, all the things that you find in Matthew 7:21-23. It is really hard to look at these people and say, "You know, Satan has put out his deception; he has thrown out confusion to your radar; and, you are playing his game and giving God the credit for what God will have nothing to do with."

Naturally, sooner or later, you know that somebody is going to say, "Well, why would we have tongues today, Mr. Lindsey?" When that question is put to him, he does have an answer. His answer is that tongues today is on the scene because God is again verifying the Bible as His Word. He says that God has to do this because the liberal attack upon the Bible has been so widespread that the Bible has been discredited in the eyes of people, and so God has had to re-authenticate his word. This is pure speculation without any scriptural ground. I noticed that Pat Boone, when he was asked this question used to say, "Well, the reason we need tongues is because it's nice to tell God you love him in different languages." When he was on the religious radio station a few weeks ago here in Dallas and he was asked that question, he didn't give that answer. He said the reason we have tongues today is because God is re-authenticating His Word. I began to suspect where he got the idea, and who has helped give legitimacy to the charismatic movement. That's what Hal Lindsey has done, perhaps more than anybody else. The Pentecostals recognizes this. He has given legitimacy to the movement of tongues and healing.

I want you to notice that in New Testament times, God was authenticating His messengers, and He was warning the Jewish people that the fifth stage of their cycle of discipline was about to come upon them, where they would not only be under military domination, but they would be scattered out among the nations of the world. I want you to notice that God authenticated that with real foreign languages that were existent in the world. He did not authenticate it with gibberish. If God is re-authenticating His Word today, it would seem logical that he would re-authenticate it with foreign languages again being spoken by the charismatics which they themselves did not know. Why would God come along and re-authenticate it with gibberish? What kind of authentication is that? If the charismatic could come along and start speaking in foreign languages, they would have a tough act to follow. They would have some real thunder on their side, and it would be tough to answer.

This is an assumption that God is re-authenticating with gibberish. It's a pure assumption, and it has no ground in the Word of God at all. I want you to remember that Satan can cause people to speak in foreign languages. He can counterfeit the gift of tongues just as slick as a whistle. It is obvious that Satan is not doing that with the charismatics today. Wouldn't this be, to quote Archie Bunker, a real kick in the head for the charismatic to suddenly be standing up and speaking in German; French; Spanish; Hindu; and, all kinds of languages? Wouldn't that be something? Do you think Satan can't do that? Yes, he can. There are occasions when Satan comes through, like through a medium who is pretending to contact somebody who's dead. He will talk that person's language and that person's tonal inflection and everything else through the mouth of that medium. Satan can reproduce it. Why does he not do this in the charismatic movement?

Well, I think the reason is that God is restricting Satan at this point. This is just as when he dealt with Job. God said, "You can go this far." Then God moved his hand and said, "Okay, you can go a little further. Okay, you can go a little further." But always there was the hand of God saying, "You can't go that far now." Satan could have made Job desperately deathly sick the first day. Why didn't he do it? Because God said, "You can't go that far." He could have killed him anywhere along the line. Why didn't he do it? Because God put his hand down and said, "You can't kill him." I think that the same thing is happening today. God is telling Satan, "It's your day. It's your deception. I've given people a manual full of doctrine, and I hold them responsible for knowing it. Then they will know that I have ceased with prophecy; I have ceased with tongues; I am not giving any more revelation; and, these gifts are out. If they refuse to learn the Word, then I will not interfere with the consequences to that ignoring of what I have said."

Therefore, God is refusing to let Satan enable the Pentecostals to speak in foreign languages because that would be a true confirmation. If there is anything that is an authentication today, it is the authentication of Bible doctrine by the fact that the charismatic cannot speak in foreign languages. Therein, I would say, lies the real authentication, and I think that Mr. Lindsey has missed where the authentication lies. God is authenticating something through the tongues movement all right. He's re-authenticating the Word of God indeed, but in a different way. He's re-authenticating that what He has said in this book concerning the end of tongues and healings is the truth, and that's why the charismatic cannot speak in anything but gibberish.

We also have the confirmation in Luke 16:19-31 that we won't look at now, but it's the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man, when he discovered that he was in Hades and in the place of torments, said, "I have five brothers. Would you please raise Lazarus from the dead and let him go back and say, 'This was true?' And Abraham said, 'No, he will not go back.' Such a miracle as somebody rising from the dead would be dismissed also. The only thing that we have to guide them and that has been given to guide them and that will be given to guide them is Moses and the prophets--the Bible. If they will not obey the Bible," the rich man was told, "they are doomed." That's frightening. It might be well to read that incident again to recognize that that is exactly what we're talking about. God holds you responsible for knowing this book and its propositions of truth from one end to the other. He will not protect you if you do not know this book and if you violate it.

Revelation 22:18-19 clearly declare that no further revelation is to be added, and a penalty (an anathema) is declared upon anybody who would add to the book of the Revelation. Well, the book of the Revelation is the capstone book of the Bible. It ties together things that began in Genesis. It is obviously God's closing declaration and statement. Therefore, in a way, what it says about the book of Revelation not being added to, also implies that we don't add anything more to the entire Bible, which has now been finished and completed by this book.

Well, Mr. Lindsey has another reason, incidentally, that he suggests for tongues today. That is that so many people have come out of Satanism where they had experience with the supernatural, and that they will not be impressed with Christianity if the Lord can't show that he can do as well as Satan in the supernatural. You can take either one of those reasons for tongues today. One, God is proving the Bible to be true again; or, two, God is proving that He has as much supernatural power and He can pull as many tricks out of the bag as Satan can. So you and I have freedom to learn God's manual, or we can ignore it. However, God is not going to overrule your will, nor is he going to prevent the consequences of our decisions.

A seminary student told me that he talked to Mr. Lindsey about the problem that not only is tongues spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13, but along with it is connected the ceasing of the gift the prophecy. He asked him, "How would you now explain that prophecy is closed if you say that tongues still exist and prophecy exists? That means you can add to the Bible. You can give more revelation." His answer was something less than conclusive. He finally said, "Well, I interpret the word 'prophecy' as simply being giving of information and an explanation type of thing rather than being predictive--illuminative of information rather than predictive information from God." That you cannot do because when 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of prophecy in that context, it means of getting revelation information from God that was then recorded in the Bible.

A minister on the west coast told me that when speaking to Mr. Lindsey, Lindsey said, "I go to the charismatic meetings, and I tell those people, 'Do not look for an experience. Do not be searching for an experience. Look for the Word of God.'" Well, the charismatics smile; they nod ascent; and, they keep chasing their experiences. If you haven't been to a charismatic meeting lately, then you will find that a little hard to understand. However, if you get into one, you will see that the main thing is the experience in the meeting. That's a small price to pay for the dignity and the legitimatizing of their movement that comes from having Hal Lindsey's associations in their conferences and at their centers.

What if Hal Lindsey were to go into tongues tomorrow? What if all of a sudden tomorrow he were to be caught up and start speaking in tongues as John Sherrill was on the staff of Norman Vincent Peale's "Guideposts Magazine" when he was investigating the whole tongues movement? Suppose that Hal Lindsey should suddenly begin speaking in gibberish and go into tongues, and he would discover that the experience he would consider then would be real. Do you think the charismatic would have to say, "Oh, now we must change our mind about what Hal said? We must go back to experience." No, they wouldn't have to change a thing. They would just go right on doing what they've always done, and he would be able to join them in what they're still doing--chasing experiences. I doubt that the charismatics are too impressed with not chasing experiences. This is a multiple offensive which is given to us against doctrine by the charismatics by the sympathizers and those with prestige. And it's hard to resist this if you're an uninformed Christian.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because I don't want you to be trapped in it. I'm concerned that you would be shot down by having your radar confused because men who carry great prestige are implying that it is so--tongues is for real. The wife of a minister recently came and said, "Do you have anything on audio recordings on tongues?" She said, "My daughter has gone into tongues. She came home and visited us and I thought we would have some fellowship, and she was just as cold as she could be because she feels she has come into a superior way of life. My daughter has gone into tongues." I told her, "Yes, we have a series on tongues, but I'm sorry to say that generally my experience has been that once people get into tongues, they feel that they have advanced so far spiritually that they are seldom responsive to anything from doctrine again. They cannot be reached, and they are gone.

For the vast number of Christians who are not in the charismatic movement, and who are wondering if the Pentecostalists are right, I want to point out that these are mutually exclusive positions. No matter the hedging that you may see on the part of some people, the charismatics are either right or wrong. And those who are biblical Christians are either right or wrong. And we may make this comparison on many points.

Biblical Christianity vs. Charismatics

1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is either part of salvation, or it's separate and after salvation. Only Bible doctrine can determine this. The charismatics say that baptism of the Holy Spirit comes after you're saved.
   
   
2. New Testament tongues speaking in Acts and 1 Corinthians was either known languages of the world, or ecstatic gibberish. Only Bible doctrine can determine this. The charismatics say, "Yes, in Acts, it was foreign languages being spoken, but in 1 Corinthians, it was ecstatic syllables being uttered." There is no ground from the Scriptures and from the Greek for that at all. As a matter of fact, in that very 1 Corinthians 14 passage, Paul pointed out the reason for tongues as a testimony to the Jews as a warning of the fifth stage of the cycle of discipline which was coming upon them. The warning would be that they would hear God's truth being spoken to them in gentile languages. So what was spoken of in 1 Corinthians must obviously also be the same known languages that Acts refers to.
   
   
3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues, or it is not. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The charismatics say, "You'll know you have the baptism the Holy Spirit when you stand up and your mouth pours out this gibberish." Those are mutually exclusive positions. Either that's true, or it is not true.
   
   
4. If tongues exist today, everyone should seek the gift, or only some can have it. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The charismatics say, "Everyone can speak in tongues." The Bible says, "Not all can speak in tongues," even if it were on the scene today.
   
   
5. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit are the same thing, or they are not. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The Word of God indicates that baptism and filling are two different things. Baptism is at the point of salvation. Filling constantly reoccurs.
   
   
6. God periodically re-authenticates His Bible, or he does not, once it is completed. Only Bible doctrine can decide. Doctrine says that once the Word is written, God does not prove His Book again.
   
   
7. Satan can cause sickness and healings, or he can't. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The Word of God makes it very clear that Satan can create illnesses; he can cause people to get sick; and, he can make them well.
   
   
8. Satan can perform miracles, or he can't. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The Bible makes it very clear that Satan can perform miracles such that even believers can be deceived.
   
   
9. Satan manipulates people through their emotions, or he cannot do so. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The Word of God says, "Yes, he does manipulate people through their emotions.
   
   
10. Miracles are in continuous operation throughout history, or they are present only at certain times. Only Bible doctrine can decide. The Bible says that miracles occur only at certain stated points in time.
    
    
11. Satan is willing to let God get the credit for the good things that Satan does, or he is not. Matthew 7 makes it quite clear that he does not mind people giving God the credit.
    
    
12. A feeling of joy; love; sacrifice; devotion to Bible reading; church attendance; Christian service; and, giving can be produced by Satan as religion, or they cannot. Only Bible doctrine can decide. Bible doctrine says, "Yes, indeed. That is exactly what he does; he does it all the time; and, it serves his purpose to do so."
    
    
13. The gift of prophecy as revelation from God still exists along with tongues, or it does not. Only Bible doctrine can decide. Can God give you some revelation as the charismatics constantly stand up in their meetings and say they receive?
    
    
14. People still receive visions from God and they hear his audible voice, or they do not. Only Bible doctrine can decide. Does God speak to you? Are you going to wake up and see a warm glowing light at the foot of your bed and hear a voice speaking to you?
    
    
15. The gift of healing still exists today so that the dead can be raised, or it does not. Only Bible doctrine can decide.
    
    
16. A women can be a spiritual leader of a local church or a religious service of a mixed audience, or she cannot. Only Bible doctrine can decide.
    
    
17. God's viewpoint on all matters is determined by one's experience, or it is not. Only Bible doctrine can decide. Experience does not give us truth. It is the Word.
    
    
18. Finally, the charismatic movement and its claims are either of God the Holy Spirit, or they are not. Only Bible doctrine can decide.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1973

Back to the Advanced Bible Doctrine (Philippians) index