-----------------
With sadness we present another Elizabeth Prata article. Why are we sad? Because Ms. Prata is so self-assured in her error. It's one thing to have an opinion about the Bible, but it is entirely something else to proclaim it from the mountaintops as unassailable truth. This is what she does, and she does it time after time.
Like many in the infamous group we have deemed the Doctrinal Police, she does not like to be disagreed with or challenged. So it is with some surprise we find her actually answering a mild challenge to her position. However, her answer completely avoids the Scripture contained in the question, and she then wanders off in search of a point.
She does quote some Scripture, which is a happy departure from her usual practice. Unfortunately, they are well-worn cessationist proof texts.
Lastly, the title of the article is "Revelation, or Inspiration?" However, we will find she actually wants to discuss revelation vs. illumination.
A reader kindly asked me a question from something she heard on my podcast. I appreciated the thoughtfulness which which she had asked, and also used scripture. Nothing makes me happier than this (except salvations and baptisms!) It’s the goal, constructive discussion on theological topics.
She said I was sharing that Beth Moore speaks of having (false) revelations and she wondered “if the Holy Spirit does not give His people revelations anymore? Especially on the Word of God, meaning enlightens us with deeper meanings or understandings about the Word? That He shines a brighter/clearer light on it, than say, perhaps what has been traditionally taught? Not negating it, necessarily, but being able to see, as enabled by the Holy Spirit of God, into the meaning of the written Word on a deeper level.“
“I do not support Beth Moore, or listen to her, but when you said one of the biggest problems with her was her receiving revelations from God, I wondered if you believe or not whether He gives them. I am thinking of the Scripture, of 1 Cor.14:26-“How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” (This is the Scripture we mentioned. Ms. Prata completely avoids discussing it.)
The way she described revelation, I think she meant illumination. Her description was super, too. The description is just assigned to the wrong word, but it’s exactly what the Spirit does when opening our mind to understand God’s word. (We now await the biblical explanation of revelation vs. illumination.)
As for revelation, that means new knowledge of God’s mind, word, intent, plans, etc. (This is incorrect. "Revelation" is apokálypsis:
("revelation, unveiling") is principally used of the revelation of Jesus Christ (the Word), especially a particular (spiritual) manifestation of Christ (His will) previously unknown to the extent (because "veiled, covered").
Revelation isn't "new knowledge," it is the uncovering or unveiling of something that already exists but was hidden before.)
He speaks, and it’s revealed by Him. His speaking in the past was through angels, prophets, even a donkey. In this current age of the closed and finalized Bible, He spoke through His Son Jesus, and then He stopped speaking. (No, Jesus did not stop speaking. He continues speaking to sustain the universe [He. 1:3].)
All we need to know is already in the word. God declared it so:
Deuteronomy 4:2, You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I am commanding you. (We are certainly glad the OT prophets and the NT writers did not obey this Scripture, at least in the manner Ms. Prata applies it...)
Revelation 22:18-19, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (This passage refers to "the words of the prophecy of this book" - i.e., the book of Revelation.)
Hebrews 1:1-2, God’s Final Word in His Son: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. (Ms. Prata is incorrect. We explain this Scripture here.)
What we do have for revelation from God is sufficient. We do not need to ask for more, look for more, or expect more.
2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; (We also explain this Scripture here.)
What Beth Moore and others say is that God gives her NEW knowledge straight from Him, and even worse, she is to turn around and teach it. She quotes what He has supposedly said. This makes her a false prophetess. God is against people attributing things to Him that He did not say. (Jeremiah 23:21, Revelation 2:20). (Let's quote the cited verses to see if Ms. Prata applies them correctly.
The first verse:
Je. 23:21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.
Ms. Prata wants to apply this verse to present-day prophecy. Let's see if she's right.
We first notice that Jeremiah refers to "these prophets." A careful reader would want to determine which prophets Jeremiah was talking about. We need to go back to vs. 9, where Jeremiah tells us about his personal anguish regarding the prophets.
Because the land is full of adulterers, judgment rests upon the land [vs. 10]. The prophets are evil [vs. 11]. Why are they evil? They prophesied Baal [vs. 13]. They committed adultery [vs. 14]. They actually encouraged evildoers, so much so that all the people became offensive to God, even like Sodom and Gomorrah. [vs. 14]
So God pronounced judgment upon the people [vs. 15].
Then in vs. 17 we discover how the prophets were encouraging evildoers. They prophesied peace and safety to those who despised the Lord! God repeats His judgment against the people [vs. 19-20].
This brings us to the verse Ms. Prata cited, vs. 21. I did not send these prophets. These prophets were not of God because they did not preach repentance to the people of Israel, as it says in the very next verse:
Je. 23:22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.
This is the crux of the matter. The prophets of Israel, engaging in sin themselves, preached peace and safety when they should have preached repentance. It wasn't that they were prophesying, it was that they prophesied something completely offensive to God, which led the people of God into sin. God judged both the people and the prophets.
We can clearly see that this verse has nothing to do with Ms. Prata's point. Further, we should note that these Doctrinal Police often admonish us that the promises given to Israel are for Israel, not us. If this is true, then the condemnations spoken to Israel are also for Israel and not us.
Now for the next cited verse:
Re. 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
What we notice here is that Jesus does not condemn Jezebel for claiming to be a prophetess, He condemns her for the sins of false teaching and immorality. The fact is, she was teaching things that led people into sin.
This does not speak to present-day prophecy.)
However, revelation from God is different from illumination. (At this point Ms. Prata's scriptural documentation, previously sketchy, now completely disappears.)
The Spirit illuminates what is already revealed, applies it to our mind to transform it. (Perhaps this is true, but where does the Bible tell us this?)
He makes scripture clear, and brings scripture to mind. (Perhaps this is true, but where does the Bible tell us this?
Illumine is phótizó, I light up, illumine, (b) I bring to light, make evident, reveal. The word is used here ["make plain"]:
Ep. 3:8-9 Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Paul was not talking about the illumination of Scripture here, the subject is the mystery of Christ, previously hidden but now made clear.
It seems that apokálypsis and phótizó share some similarities and can even be used interchangeably.)
Illumination is the Spirit helping us to understand what has already been revealed. (Perhaps this is true, but where does the Bible tell us this?)
Revelation is the giving of new knowledge about God from God. (As we have seen, this is false.)
As mentioned, what we know about God has already been revealed. But the Spirit goes on with helping us understand it. (Perhaps this is true, but where does the Bible tell us this?)
Picture going into a dark room. There is a dimmer switch on the wall. The furniture is already there, but when you turn on the dimmer, a soft glow illuminates the outlines of the furniture. Then as you study, the the switch turns on more light. It gets brighter and you see more details in the room. Finally when we are glorified, then the light is on all the way and we know all that God had intended for us to know.
This link from GotQuestions explains further (That would be Compelling Truth, not Gotquestions. And these folks do no better than Ms. Prata.)
What is biblical illumination?
No comments:
Post a Comment