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Rev. Wade has become a regular fixture on these pages, largely because of his scorched earth rhetoric. Once he has branded you a heretic, you become the recipient of a mindless barrage of name calling, personal attacks, and withering condemnation, ironically deemed a "devotional."
But the crucial questions, not addressed by the author, are
- Can God raise someone from the dead?
- Has God informed us that there will be no more raising from the dead?
- Is God capable of raising the dead, but simply unwilling?
- Is there some verse in the Bible that tells us raising the dead has stopped?
Ac. 26:8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
Mat. 12:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
John 14:12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
1Co. 12:7, 9 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 9 To one there is given through the Spirit... gifts of healing...
Ep. 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...
He. 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the raising of the dead, and eternal judgment.-------------------
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. -- Titus 1:9 (ESV)
Earlier this week we had published a devotional ("Devotional?" Hmm. Reproduced below.)
about the events occurring at Bethel Church this past week involving the attempt to pray for the resurrection of an infant child who had passed away. The posting went a bit viral and three people came onto 828ministries to voice their displeasure with the devotional. (Devotional? Read it below. There is no "devotional" about it.
Certainly it was a mistake by these three people to disagree with the author, whose gentle dissent is their sole sin.)
I do not mind trying to educate people biblically but their responses were so telling of a mind that has been warped to biblical untruths while wrapped in misplaced zeal. Calvin once said that zeal without doctrine is like a sword in the hands of a lunatic. Bethel Church is nearly cult like and are creating many biblically ignorant lunatics. I will of course not reveal names but I did want to comment on these remarks so let us reason once more.
"People are praying for life. I'm so sorry that offends you. I admire their courage."
We will start with the short one. This is a common refrain from people deluded by false teaching. They over-spiritualize as they oversimplify. What Bethel is doing (The author does not document that this person is a Bethel person.)
is not merely "praying for life." They are teaching falsely that because Jesus raised people from the dead, so can they. (The author will never make the biblical case for this statement.)
Bill Johnson just put out a video defending this by completely mangling several scriptures. Just because Jesus sent the 12 Apostles out to cleanse the lepers and raise the dead that does not mean He is commanding us to as well. (The author will never make the biblical case for this statement.)
Let's consider three levels of victims here. The first is the unsaved folks in the world who are watching this debacle with morbid curiosity. How many more will dismiss the church when this ends with the proper burial of little Olive? What witness is this bearing for the Gospel and for Christ? (Let's consider the author's presentation, both this one and his past screeds. What testimony does that provide to the lost? What must non-Christians think of a "pastor" who so willingly attacks and vilifies Christians with whom he disagrees?)
Secondly, what affect does this have on the believers in the church? Now that this has been taught, what will they do the next time someone close to them dies? Will their faith be shipwrecked when they perceive that God said no to their resurrection request? (Having failed to demonstrate that God does not raise the dead anymore, Rev. Wade preemptively shipwrecks peoples' faith so that they won't believe.)
The last level of concern is for the family itself. Instead of being shepherded and given God's word to comfort them they have been allowed to go down this path. (Rev. Wade actually has very little regard for the family. He has lumped them in with those heretics who believe God can raise the dead, because they also believe God can raise the dead. Therefore, his withering criticism includes them as well.)
Maybe they survive the additional week's toll of misplaced hope. Maybe they do not. It does not take courage to not follow the bible. It only takes ignorance. Even Johnson admitted that when it came to this situation that he had no idea what he was doing. Amen to that. So let's be clear. Bethel offends me on so many levels because of the untold numbers of people who will be in hell because of their teachings. False signs and lying wonders offend me. Word faith offends me. Experiential Christianity offends me. The New Apostolic Reformation dominionism offends me. The prosperity gospel offends me. Wolves devouring the Lord's sheep offends me. Misguided prayer does not offend me. I only feel abject sorrow for people caught up in the Bethel false glory cloud. (The author finally admits the seed of his discontent. He is personally offended by a litany of things, none of which come to bear on the situation at hand. It is this bitter root of offense that governs his rhetoric. His offense spews from within him. Somewhere in his dark soul there is a polluted well that gushes up, infecting everyone coming into contact with him. His problem is not Bethel, it's his own bitterness.)
Here is comment number two:
"This is a horrible write-up. These people at Bethel were sincerely trying their best. They weren't trying to hurt anybody. They were simply doing what Jesus said to do in scripture. Luke 9, Mark 16. How in the world can you fault them for doing something Jesus explicitly said to do? It's the religious spirit that does this. The only thing that is not biblical is the attack on bethel by this writer. Bethel's ministry has helped so many. Many have been healed and didn't die. So I don't know how you can attack their theology when it kept people from dying and those people because missionaries or pastors for the kingdom. This post is simply from the pit. It's a great example of satan using a "Christian" voice to attack another that is actually doing something that works for the kingdom."
Once again motives are irrelevant. The fact that they were not trying to hurt anyone is irrelevant. The bottom line is they will hurt people with this false teaching. I do not blame the parents as they have been taught so poorly. I blame Bill Johnson for teaching them, and you, this nonsense. Luke 9 is when Jesus sends out the 12 Apostles -- not us. (What about the seventy two (Lk. 10:1)? They did wonders. Stephen (Ac. 6:8) wasn't an apostle. And what about Ananias (Ac. 9:10)?)
(We deal with the longer ending of Mark here.)
The bible does not work like that. Mark 16 was an added part of scripture and not meant to form doctrine with. (A summary rejection of these verses without providing context or any reasoning process.)
It was not part of the original Mark manuscript. (This is a matter of considerable debate, worthy of so much more than the author's dismissal.
We would ask, does Rev. Wade know this passage is not inspired? Why is it in the Bible if it's not Scripture?
Here's a very good discussion of the passage.)
That said, there is no mention of raising the dead in Mark 16. This is the same section of scripture that says we will handle deadly serpents and live so some have actually incorporated this into their services and pastors have died from snake bites. (The author appeals to contemporary practices, which is not the biblical case.)
That is what happens when you do not understand scripture. So Jesus did not explicitly say to do this at all.
Then the usage of the term religious spirit is straight out of Bill Johnson's mouth. To Bethelites, anyone who insists on biblical truth to form doctrine is determined to have a religious spirit. (This is a stupid comment. Yes, we said it. It's simply stupid. The author is making it up.)
Much like "fake news" is used secularly to dismiss truth, the term religious spirit is used to dismiss anyone who is trying to biblically correct false teaching. As for this writer's complaint about my "attack'" being unbiblical, I would direct them to Titus 1:9, the key verse for today, which clearly teaches we are rebuke false teaching. (Let's quote the verse:
Tit. 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.Who is the "he" Paul is referring to? Let's go back a few verses:
Tit. 1:5-8 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless — not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.Titus is an associate of Paul, to whom Paul is giving instruction to finish the task of appointing elders. Paul reminds Titus of the qualifications of elders, then tells us the elder must refute bad doctrine.
Where is this going to happen? In the local church! Paul is not giving a prescription to Rev. Wade to let loose with both barrels at anyone and everyone who disagrees with his doctrine. No, this is instruction that Titus must pass on to the various church elders the duty to refute false teaching.
Rev. Wade is hugely mistaken.)
Look at how brainwashed the person is though. It is their belief that the efforts of Bethel, not Jesus healed the people she is referencing. They also disingenuously conflate a different issue, healing, into a debate about resurrection. If Bethel held a prayer vigil for a week for someone who was dying, or comatose, or needed a healing miracle I would not complain at all. That is not what they are doing however. Olive has died already. Lastly, Bill Johnson is not doing anything for the kingdom of heaven. Note however the disagreement. I disagree using the bible and that is my cause. Their disagreement is personal -- don't speak bad about my pastor! This is the NAR cult of personality in full action. Here is the last complaint:
"828 Ministries is the real demonic danger here. They use their tongue and pen to bash brothers and sisters in Christ praying for others. 828 Ministries declares we are powerless which flies directly into the face of the words of Christ Jesus. Only devils and demons do that. They love it when you believe all power is only for after death. It keeps you bound and subject to demons during life. Christ paid a great price to free you from demonic oppression like this article."
Another familiar complaint from those taken in by deception is that everyone who can spell Jesus correctly is a "brother or sister" in Christ. (Again, this is stupid. There is no other way to describe it.)
Bethel teaches nothing but false doctrine. Bill Johnson is not my brother in Christ. (Ahh. So more of the truth comes out. First we discover he is personally offended. Then we learn that it is his job to correct the errors of other churches. Now we find out his justification. He is absolutely certain Bill Johnson is not a Christian, and thus he can pour out vile and poisoned commentary, treating him with horrible disrespect.)
He is a wolf devouring sheep. The bible does not instruct me to pray for wolves, coddle them, or ask them to stop being a wolf. (Whoa. Because the Bible does not TELL him to pray for someone, he's exempted? Whaaaat?
Mt. 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...
Lk. 6:27-28 But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you.There is no justification whatsoever to excuse one's self from praying for someone else. That is beyond evil.)
They deserve nothing but my contempt and disdain and the working end of the shepherd's rod. Another ploy is to simply misrepresent what has been said. I of course never said we were powerless. What I did say is we are not God. Usurping His power and glory is the sin of Lucifer and Eve. Look at the lust for power that is imparted into the Bethelite however. It is the same arrogance that would make people form a dead raising team. When Johnson or Bethel claim we can speak things into existence, declare and decree healing and deliverance, or actively war against Satan they are usurping what is for God alone. Bound I am however -- by scripture.
So beloved, this was just a glimpse into the depraved minds of those who have fallen under the spell of Bethel's witchcraft. Keep in mind that their collective rage is simply because I disagreed with their pastor and church. That by definition is what cult members do. Olive Heiligenthal died last week at the age of two in what is a parent's worst nightmare. We pray for the family and rejoice in the fact that little Olive is now with Jesus. We should also keep in prayer however the people who have been snookered by the likes of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church. They are victims too. Hold a vigil for them that they might be born again before their lives are required of them.
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The author's original article, found here:
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Bill Johnson's Biblically Ignorant Response to Resurrection Crisis
So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." -- John 11:3-4 (ESV)
It seems that Bethel Church and Pastor Bill Johnson are catching some heat for the recent prayer vigil for the resurrection of the two-year old daughter of one of their worship leaders. Little Olive passed away a week ago but reports are that the false teacher extraordinaire carries on while the world watches and cringes. The heat must have been pretty strong because Johnson filmed a video trying to explain himself. In it, he mangles the bible at every turn and openly admits he has no idea what he is doing. Lets us reason together as we sift through this statement.
"We have a biblical precedent. Jesus raised the dead. Jesus raised the dead. Not only that, He introduced Himself as the resurrection and the life. In fact, in John 11:40, He says, 'If you believe, you will see the glory of God.' So seeing what Jesus has accomplished, what He did in His lifetime, and then when you add to that that He commanded His followers, His disciples, in Matthew 10:8 to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast off devils, to cleanse lepers. None of those are things we can actually do. He commanded us because somehow in our yes, he gives us the ability to carry out his mission. Being commissioned means we've said yes to his mission. This is our heart. So we've tried to run with a real conviction and devotion to the very thing that Jesus taught us to do. So He modeled it, and He commanded us to do the same." -- Bill Johnson
This is the slickness of the false teachings of Bill Johnson. He routinely leverages scripture out of context to support his overall false screed. It is confusing for most if they do not do the work of a Berean because John 11:40 does say what Johnson claims. He presents it though as if Jesus was teaching that belief in our life requires God to show His glory and then he translates that into believing for the resurrection of little Olive. Let me show you how insidiously evil this is. Lazarus has died at this point and Jesus instructs the people to roll away the stone to which Martha replies with her worldly logic and thinking that because days had passed, there would be a bad odor from the decay of the body. The telling part of verse 40 Johnson leaves out:
Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" -- John 11:40 (ESV)
Did I not tell you? What is Jesus referencing? We have to go back to the key verses today found earlier in the chapter when Lazarus was still alive. Mary and Martha sent messengers to Jesus to tell Him Lazarus was ill. Jesus answers through the messengers that this illness will not lead to death but is for the glory of God to be shown. This is known as historical narrative. John is telling the story of what happened. This is not a prescriptive text that teaches us anyone other than Lazarus can also be raised from the dead if "only you believed." Think of the implications of what Johnson is teaching here. That this story is God telling us that everyone can be raised from the dead. That is most certainly not what God is saying nor teaching here. Jesus introduced himself as the resurrection -- not you, I or even little Olive.
Moving on to Matthew 10:8 we see a similar pattern. What Johnson fails to mention or realize is that these instructions were for the twelve Apostles. Nowhere does the text even infer that these are prescriptive orders for the church. Also within these instructions they were not to accept any money for the services they provide. Considering 2017 tax returns show Bill Johnson ministries raking in over 1.2 million dollars I will guess that Bill thinks only part of verse 40 is prescriptive. I had a member of the infamous dead raising team comment on my latest Bethel devotional and he actually claimed that these four things always are available for Christians. No they are not. Why would Jesus give all of us these instructions and then contradict Himself in James by saying the elders should pray for the sick? You want to see what happens when you try to whimsically cast out devils? Go read about the Seven Sons of Sceva in Acts Chapter 19. Look at what Johnson teaches here -- in OUR yes He gives us the ability to do these things. This is straight up word faith heresy. There is no biblical precedent for this misleading false teaching. Can God raise the dead? Absolutely -- He is God. I would not even say we should not pray for that after the death but realize that five days after little Olive's death they were still hold mystical prayer vigils at Bethel. It is wrong to the parents. It is wrong to the church.
"Some have asked, 'Isn't this interrupting the sovereignty of God?' And my response is, first of all, we don't ever want to violate the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign. He chooses what He wants, and we cooperate with Him. There's no question. But then my question is why did Jesus raise the dead? Did He violate the sovereignty of God? Did we have the Father will one thing and Jesus will another? Of course not. We know that's not true. The reason Jesus raised the dead is because not everyone dies in God's timing. And Jesus could tell. He would interrupt that funeral. He would interrupt that process--that some just call the sovereignty of God--and he would raise the little girl. He'd raise the adult person from the dead." -- Bill Johnson
This is the God complex that Bill Johnson traffics in. he is comparing himself directly to Jesus. The "well if Jesus did it so can I" defense is heresy. Jesus does not violate His own sovereignty Bill. Perhaps the most egregious teaching here is this nonsense about not everyone dying in God's timing! Is God not in control of His own creation? Is Bill Johnson essentially teaching that God is caught off guard or surprised? Does he even understand God's permissive will? The examples he cites are ludicrous. Jesus did use several instances of death to show HIS glory. That means they died exactly when God wanted them to, as does everyone.
"The point is, Jesus set a precedent for us to follow. We rarely know what we're doing, especially when we come into new areas like this. There's no manual that tells us, 'Fast this many days. Pray this many hours.' We don't have any idea. What we do have is a biblical precedent: Jesus' lifestyle and Jesus' commands. Some would ask, 'How long do you pray and when do you quit praying?' And I don't have a good answer. We're kind of in the middle of that journey right now. But there is a biblical precedent to continue praying. Luke 18:1 is a whole story about the importance of persistence in prayer. The end of Hebrews 10 and the beginning of Hebrews 11 talks about enduring faith--the faith that endures past what everybody would expect. It's that need to hold something. So we're in that point." -- Bill Johnson
You rarely know what you are doing? You got that one right Bill. The problem is you have no humility in your ignorance. As the mathematician from Jurassic Park quipped, you were so busy asking if you could you never asked if you should. You claim this as a new area yet cite thousand-year-old scriptures out of context to try and support your claims. I am glad you admit you have no idea but the next step is to act like it. This isn't a journey Bill! You are shipwrecking people's faith! No one is dead in Luke 18! The Hebrews verses are not about raising people from the dead! What you are doing to the bible is spiritually criminal! You admit you have no clue and then strip mine the bible to find a section on faith so you can teach people to just have faith? Good thing your bible wasn't open to Matthew 26 or you might be teaching us to deny Christ three times. Beloved this is hit and run theology followed by an admittedly ignorant and inaccurate application. If you are at the point of needing to hold onto something why don't you hold on to the true promise of the resurrection! Hold onto the fact that while we mourn here on earth for little Olive we know she is with Jesus now! Try just once to correctly hold onto the bible.
"We admittedly are just trying our best. We want to honor mom and dad. We want to honor their heart for the resurrection of their child. So we've said yes. We've partnered with them. The child has been in the morgue ever since the child died. She's not here. We don't surround the baby and perform some ritual. We're together, honestly, to worship Jesus. He's the miracle worker. We're not. He's the grace giver. We're not. He's the one from whom all perfect gifts flow. And we simply are here to honor the name of Jesus. We know enough about this process through the years. We know enough that when there's a breakthrough, when there's an answer, when there's a miracle of any kind, he gets the glory. He gets the credit. He's the one who performed it. It may have been our hands, it may have been our words, but honestly, He's the miracle worker. We're just tools in His hands. But when it doesn't work, we don't blame God. We give Him the glory. We give Him the praise. We celebrate His goodness, His kindness. Because nothing about our experience, difficult or not, changes who He is." -- Bill Johnson
If you want to honor the name of Jesus you should start by honoring what He has said in His word. I do not mean verse fragments designed to prop up your false teaching. If you really wanted to honor mom and dad you would be honest with them. I will be honest -- if you had spent the first day after her death praying for this miracle I would think it was misguided but I would take no issue with it. It is close to a week now and the nation is watching this display at Bethel with morbid fascination that will bring no glory to God when you finally admit that little Olive has gone on to be with the Savior.
"We are spending our life trying to discover this wonderful, wonderful Father who is perfect in every way, and our passion, our heart, is to discover that and to make it known. We've got a plant of people that are hurting so deeply because they just don't know what this heavenly father is like. So we've given our life to this. We're going to get some things good [and] right, we're going to get some things we won't do so well. But we're in a journey like you, like many of you, and we're in this pursuit to see Jesus exalted and a whole generation of people that can accurately and responsively demonstrate the love, the purity and the power of God. This is our passion. Thank you again. So many of you have helped us. You've prayed with us. You've joined with us. Some of you did so a couple years ago, when we had little Jaxon Taylor in the crisis and the miracle that God performed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Others of you have sent challenging questions to us, and I thank you as well, because we never want to take anything for granted. We just have this heart to walk in purity, to walk in love, to walk responsibly, and we've said yes to that call, and you helped us. So I want to thank you and I want to bless all of you in Jesus' name. Thank you for being part of our global family." -- Bill Johnson
Johnson tries desperately to deflect responsibility by constantly referring to this "journey" theology. Well we will get some things wrong? Some things you may not do so well? You have told the world that you are believing in faith for something Jesus never promised. You have leveraged scripture way out of context to appear biblical when you most certainly are not. Instead of shepherding this grieving family and your church of thousands, you are leading them astray. Maybe the parents survive this horrific loss with their faith intact but what have you taught everyone else in the process? What will they do the next time someone they love dies? Will they hold a seven-day resurrection service and then walk away from God when Jesus says no? The miracle you reference with Jaxon Taylor involved a living child who was healed, not a deceased child who was resurrected. Like I said in the first devotional about little Olive -- there are always victims of false teachings. How many in the world will dismiss the church as lunatics when this public resurrection plea goes unanswered? Once again beloved we call for prayer for this family who should be grieving. We pray for those trapped in the dangerous teachings of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church. We pray they come out from among them and into the glorious light of Jesus Christ.
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