Each of us wants to build our belief on the Scripture. We all want to be people who build their house of belief on the rock and not on a pile of sand. Otherwise, the first Cape South-Easter might quickly blow our house’s foundation right out from under us. Our understanding is that there is an inherent integrity and harmony in Scripture and that there are no contradictory truths or teachings within the Word of Yahweh. Our understanding is in line with both John 3:16 and 2 Timothy 3:16, which say that Elohim not only sent us HIS SON, but that He also sent us ALL SCRIPTURE. Therefore, we may not approach the Scripture with a pair of scissors and a glue pot to cut out certain things we don’t like or paste in certain things we feel should have been there. But we all know: this is easier said than done. Almost everyone who comes forward with a new and attractive teaching “from the Scripture” has a verse or two they can cite as “proof.” We all know that even the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose! And those of us who do not possess enough knowledge usually have NO defence when someone tries to sway our minds while holding a Bible text under our noses. I have looked at a few examples of this, and I hope it can help us recognize the deception out there more easily.
The following quote can be found on a website called “Roots and Wings”: “This is a quote from the prophet Isaiah… With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people… (1 Cor 14:21). Here, the role of speaking in tongues, as a message from God delivered to His people, is made clear.” The author says that Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 quotes Isaiah 28:11 to bring them the message that Yahweh encourages the phenomenon of “speaking in tongues” and that He uses it to bring a message to His people. However, if one looks closely at the context of Isaiah 28, and also the context of 1 Corinthians 14, that is simply not what either of these passages are telling us. Isaiah 28 speaks about the disobedience and apostasy of Israel. Therefore, Yahweh sent His prophet to them to say: Because you have not listened to my words for so long—words in your own language that you could easily understand—I am going to speak to you in the future through people from the nations, people with strange languages. This prophetic word was fulfilled after the death and resurrection of Y’shua when more and more people from other nations and languages came to belief and brought the message of salvation even to Jews. And in the relevant verse in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is actually trying to discourage believers from speaking in strange tongues (existing languages, not “gibberish”). He does not encourage it, because it does not benefit the congregation if tongues are spoken that most people cannot understand.
“Speaking in tongues” flourishes in environments where the Prosperity Gospel is preached. Prosperity Gospel or Prosperity Theology is an approach to Scripture that takes belief very seriously and proclaims things about belief that aren’t always wrong—but tragically, certainly aren’t always right either. To summarize briefly: The Prosperity Gospel is the conviction that the Creator wants believers to enjoy material wealth, physical health, and overall success as a direct result of their belief, positive confession, and the giving of tithes and offerings. Why can we not trust the teachings of Prosperity Gospel (PG) proponents? The short answer is: Because there are too many things they say that the Scripture does not say, and too many things the Scripture says that they do not say (such as reverence for the Torah, the Sabbath, the Feasts, and the message that Yahweh alone is Elohim). Let’s look at some of the things they say that the Scripture does not say:
PG preachers often say that it is not the Creator’s fault that believers are sick and poor, because He has already done something about it, but that believers do not always do their part. The whole matter is no longer in the Creator’s hands, they say. Our answer is this: In the final instance, Yahweh still remains in control of our lives. According to the Scripture, which strongly encourages us to pray and believe that Yahweh will heal us, sickness and healing are always in Yahweh’s hand and under His control. The Scripture does not give us an instant formula for healing and success, and the reality is that most of our forerunners in belief remained in their difficult circumstances for long periods—some of them until the end of their lives (such as Jeremiah, who was oppressed and persecuted until the end of his life; Paul, whose thorn in the flesh was never taken away; and numerous apostles and ordinary believers who were killed for the sake of their belief). Furthermore, we have pertinent passages in Scripture confirming that belief—not only grammatically but also in practice—is TRUST, not a CONSTANT or a guarantee of anything (it never works according to the pattern: If you do A, then B MUST happen).
The best example we have of this is our Master Y’shua, who shortly before his death expressed his desire to Yahweh not to drink the bitter cup that was before him, but immediately added: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will, my Father!” Proverbs 16 gives us this perspective: The heart of man plans his way, but Yahweh directs his steps. At the moment, we are all part of a reality that is very far removed from a “Name it and claim it” reality. In what reality are we currently? Romans 8 says it is a reality in which the entire creation groans in labour pains and the believers also groan in expectation and longing, until the perfection of Yahweh’s salvation—especially the redemption of our bodies—has arrived. It is not as if Yahweh wants us to remain pathetic until that day. But what He does want is for us to remain dependent until that day, without doubting, for one moment, His greatness and His wisdom. And dependence means this knowledge: He is Elohim and I am a human being who cannot live without Him. Not: I am a human being who appropriates certain things for myself left and right.
One of the well-known PG (Prosperity Gospel) preachers, Kenneth Copeland, once said that the Almighty is a being who is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs a few hundred pounds, and that in the person of Adam, He made a duplicate of Himself. With that, he intended to indicate that man is not just made in the image of the Creator, but that we ourselves are “little gods” and have the same DNA as the Creator. Other PG preachers might not phrase it exactly the same, but within the PG movement, there is generally an overemphasis on human abilities and an under-emphasis on Yahweh’s reign and sovereignty over our lives. Copeland’s view is: “If you say you are sick, you claim sickness; if you say you are rich, you create wealth.” For me, this does not rhyme in any way with the Scripture’s handling of the issues of sickness and poverty, and it will always make me take any other statement from these preachers with a pinch of salt.
Another well-known PG and TV preacher, Creflo Dollar, has denied that Y’shua of Nazareth lived in poverty (even though Y’shua himself said so in Lukas 9). According to Dollar, Y’shua wore a “designer-level garment”—He was not in the category of the poor ones who continued to live in poverty because they did not understand their “covenant rights as children of the King.” For people who hold such a view, one can only point to the words of 1 Tim 6:8-11: Those who, in greediness, run after the carrot of riches, fall into all kinds of snares, and into many foolish and harmful desires that cause man to sink into destruction and ruin. The man and the woman of Elohim ought to flee away from this. And let us add: as fast and as far away as possible!
How should we understand the prophecies about Y’shua (healing by his wounds) and the practice of his day (many sick people receiving healing), when we reflect on sickness and healing today? Our understanding may be improved if we take note of the following: (1) Healing is a sign of the kingdom, not a service contract (2) Y’shua’s answer (“what do you see”) in Mat 11 to John’s question: Are You the one… (3) Healing as a prophetic sign of what is yet to come (4) Y’shua’s words of forgiveness to the paralyzed man in Mar 2 (5) The already and the not-yet principle in the Scripture (6) The perspective of 1 Cor 15 – This corruptible body must still be clothed with incorruptibility (7) Epaphroditus was sick unto death, according to Phil 2, but Elohim had mercy on him – he did not demand his healing (8) We have the privilege and the right to ask for healing, but He has the right to be Elohim and to let His perfect will be done (9) Healing is more than just healing from sickness – for some Yahweh brings healing through a miracle, for others He brings healing through things like deepening in belief, forgiveness, restoration in relationships, and even death (10) When we go through trials, and sometimes remain in them for long periods, we know that His favour is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:9), and He equips us not to experience it like people who have no hope (1 Tes 4:13). May we receive from Him the ability to look at sickness the way He looks at it!
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