Gnosticism is even found in prophecy where one can hear a voice that can be inaccurate. The reason is because we must move up to a purer level.“There is a prophet named Bob Jones who was told that the general level of prophetic revelation in the church was about 65% accurate at this time. Some are only about 10% accurate, a very few of the most mature prophets are approaching 85% to 95% accuracy. Prophecy is increasing in purity, but there is a still a long way to go for those who walk in this ministry.” (The Prophetic Ministry, Rick Joyner- Morningstar Prophetic Newsletter. Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 2). Is the church is too immature to bear 100% accuracy in the prophetic ministry at this time? I wonder how they handled this in the Old Testament times if they did not have to be 100% accurate? God has not changed his standard for truth has He? The Old Testament tells us if someone prophecies wrong even once we are told by God not to listen to them. Unfortunately people listen to them and not to God.

All these Gnostic concepts are coming in by those who call themselves new prophets and apostles, they are the modern Gnostics in the church.

Copeland recently in word faith church here in Hawaii addressed Islam and Sept.11, 2002 and said something outrageous even for those who follow his new revelation. Consider this statement, “But There are going to be multiplied millions upon millions there’s going to be close to a billion people that have been trapped in that religion, that over the next few months are gonna to come into the kingdom of God. That’s gonna happen, you watch and see what I’m telling you” (cheering)  (Word of Life Christian Center Honolulu Hawaii, dedication celebration service, evening service, Dec.2, 2001.) This is just plain negligent to say, its a false hope based on his imagination. Now it has already been a 2 months lets give him 1 more to see how accurate he is. But I want us to consider how he arrived at this. He heard a voice?

Benny Hinn has recently said that Government of Iran will topple soon, well there’s probably no guesswork on that possibly happening, considering how unstable it has been. But he then goes on to say that God told him that the Muslims in Iran Iraq, and Saudi Arabia will mostly become Christians and he said it is happening already. I beg to differ, I’m hearing more people are becoming Muslim sympathizing for them, this I hear from honest pastors they have lost numerous members to Islam since Sept.11th.

Paul says in Col.3:16 to let the word of Christ dwell in you richly He makes us wise to what is written not beyond it. This why Paul gives the warning in 1 Cor. 4:6 “that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. This means No new revelations for doctrine. But these men and many others are all about revelation. God supposedly spoke to them, yet Benny Hinn can actually say to those who follow him that “God doesn’t speak to us by voices we hear, he speaks to us by His word (Blasdell Honolulu Jan.10, 2002) How can he say this when his whole ministry is built upon things God spoke to him outside of the Scripture? Because those who are under his spell do not pay attention, they don’t care if what he says counters the word of God, because they are not familiar enough with the Word of God to discern wheat from chaff. This also includes so called pastors.

Some other examples of modern Gnostics, D. G. S. Dhinakaran an Indian evangelist of Jesus Calls ministry travels into the spirit world regularly, and describes many spiritual realities, which are recorded in his book, (not the Bible). “Sometimes I have seen Jesus discussing the events that are happening in this world with His apostles in heaven.” On Benny Hinn’s program he explained how he spoke to Paul, Peter and the God the Father in heaven (where else would this be accepted.)

From this experience he is now able to say that “God does not do anything in this world without informing His prophets. He uses His chosen people like me to announce His acts to the people.” When someone puts themselves in the place of authority like this, it is the doctrine that is spoken of in revelation --the Nicolaitans, that can control people by what they say. People who spiritually live by their dreams and visions are mystics, Gnostics. This breeds a superior spirituality, when real spirituality makes one humble and willing to lift up others. This false spirituality makes one think they are never spiritual enough until they have the same experience.

Consider Jesse Duplantis who went to heaven among the many things he sees is God's finger barely move and an angel that was flying near Him was thrown up against a wall. His heaven was missing the Holy Spirit because He is secluded on earth. He sees little babies wearing nightgowns singing and flying around God's Throne that look like they came out of the breath of God. He believes they were new souls who came from the thoughts of God. And hears them saying to God, “Can I be a spirit? Would you send me to the earth so I can be a spirit? I want to be a redeemed person. Can I be a spirit?” (Heaven Close encounters of the God kind p.119). So we have Babies who are not spirits yet talking and want to be sent to earth to be a human. Looks like you no longer have to go to the Mormon church to get this kind of false teaching, its right here in books and on Christian TV and churches if your going to listen to people like this your just throwing your Bible away, (maybe that’s what they want?). Not surprising that it is the Kabala, a Jewish mystical book that teaches that the soul is pre-existent, before conception (The Kabalah, page 17)

Or we can look at Dr. Robin Harfouche another who went to heaven who says pain is a spirit, she learned this directly from Jesus when she went to heaven and Jesus walked with her and talked about any things. He told her that this spirit of pain is the open door to disease, the spirit of pain comes first, then the second thing that comes is the disease. Anyone who knows anything about the body and sickness knows this is not true. Especially with cancer. If you have pain it may be too late. Pain in cancer is a symptomatic working silently. So the Jesus that took her on a tour of heaven does not know the human body, science or medicine that he Himself created. One can only wonder where these people are traveling to.

These are all examples of Gnostic and mystical type adventures in the spirit realm. They have little to do with the Bible and the Jesus who wrote it through the apostles. Trips to heaven are dime a dozen today and people will buy the books up. It doesn’t seem to matter whether its from the Mormon Betty Eadie who ravished the secular world with her book Embraced by the light, or someone claiming a trip to heaven or hell with Jesus for the Christian illiterate. They love stories beyond the Scripture that was written by the hand picked apostles of the Lord.

In the style of Benny’s Good morning Holy Spirit Jesse Duplantis discussed on Hinn’s program on just one of his private conversations with God the creator of the universe, “started off my day with the lord and said 'Lord Lord how you doing today. It’s going to be a great day. And I noticed the lord wasn't acting right, …cause I know God, you know when your child is not felling good, right. Hinn, right! You know when something, you may not know what it is but he wasn't acting right for lack of a better term. I know God I know him and I know the fulness of his presence , and I know him. And I said something’ wrong. And this is what I'm saying, it wasn't with me. And then it hit me, I said Lord you had a bad day? Now watch this (whenever faith teacher says this you need to pay careful attention, here it comes) I said and he said “Yea my children have been disobeying me” then it dawned on me. I said somebody hurt you today, I said lord I don't ever want to hurt you anymore so lord I’m going to cancel all my appointments and all this stuff that we call ministry and I'm gonna sit here and I don’t know how to say this God for a lack of better term, till you fell better. Cause so many people hurt him that day… Lord I said I'm just going to bless you I'm gonna praise you I'm gonna just call your name. And it dawned on me and the Lord went “Thank you Jesse.” (Interview-This is Your day, B. Hinn Feb. 2,000)

This is has all the elements of  gnosticism-- to have a private revelation by conversing with God, the content is not in the Bible and certainly contradicts the God of Scripture. Consider the concept of God having bad day! It appears God becomes more human than we are. Jesse is going to console God for everyone’s else’s disobedience. God is called the God of all comfort, He sent to us Himself, the Holy Spirit who is the comforter for us. But now He needs comfort because he’s bummed. And he gets his comfort from Duplantis of all people! God does not need anything to sustain Him, not food, water, air to breath. He does not need help or comfort from anyone else. Our help comes from the Lord he does not need any help from man least of all Duplantis. Thepeople who do this, as far as I’m concerned, are in competition with each other with their new revelations. 

One of the major figures of the Theosophical movement, Alice Bailey, made an astute prophecy in 1957: “The coming struggle will emerge within the churches themselves....The fight will then spread to thinking men and women everywhere who, in a protesting revolt, have denied orthodox churchianity and theology.” This was a prophecy that I see coming true today with the modern Gnostics that call themselves apostles and prophets. 

Another New Ager Marilyn Ferguson: “An increasing number of churches and synagogues have begun to enlarge their context...now the heretics are gaining ground, doctrine is losing its authority, and knowing is superseding belief.” “The radical Center of spiritual experience seems to be knowing without doctrine ... the teacher does not impart knowledge but technique. This is the 'transmission of knowledge by direct experience. Doctrine on the other hand, is second-hand knowledge, a danger'“ (The Aquarian Conspiracy, Marilyn Ferguson, Pages 371, 377.)  

I believe you can see this clearly in the ministry of Benny Hinn where its all about the anointing he dishes out that will flatten you on the ground, make you laugh, shake or just act foolish and think your being touched by God.

The recipients of the apostles letters had the Scriptures. Knowing God through a book was considered Head knowledge, it was inferior to the early Gnostics and it is today to the modern Gnostics! The teachings of the apostles was not sufficient, the spirit was the revelator for the new knowledge by experience. Those who hear God’s voice through the Scriptures are accuse of worshipping a book called by some bibliolatry. But any voice that teaches outside the Scripture, and is not finding its source in Scripture-- will lead one away from the God of the Scripture. The book is to lead us and keep us in correct understanding and in the will of God. His word works with the Holy Spirit. 

Today there are subtle ways in which the Scripture is demeaned by the Gnostics and elevated in its place are new unscriptural interpretations and concepts. For example, 2 Corinthians 3:6 is used that The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life, allegorized to mean that Scripture is a dead letter and what the Spirit is saying now what is important. In the God Chasers, Tenney writes indicative of this viewpoint “A true God chaser is not happy with just past truth. He must have present truth. God chasers don't want to just study from the moldy pages of what God has done; they're anxious to see what God is doing.” He is talking about the Bible compared to what is happening as revival today. This is Gnostic in its approach, belittling the Word and exalting a personal revelation, one supposedly received from the Lord above the Word. But this is not what the Apostle Paul is writing Paul is making a distinction between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The old (the law) brought death, whereas the new brings life through the life-giving Spirit. The letter (the law) killed because no one was able to keep it. It made us guilty, while the New Covenant sets us free from the condemnation of the law. The law was fulfilled in the only person who could have fulfilled it, the God/man Jesus Christ, the person who was all the word and the wisdom of God became flesh.

The faculty of Wagner Leadership Institute is said to be made up of mature and successful apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers of whom Jack Deere is listed under Division of Power Ministries. Jack Deere was once a teacher in a famous Seminary and he is also famous for Surprised by the spirit book is under, here is the direction they are leading the church in. “You know I’m gonna look up every reference to teaching in the Bible. so I just punched it in my computer concordance, looked up every single reference 'taught, teacher, teaching,' every single reference in the New Testament and its astounding. Did you know not one time, not one time does it say that Jesus taught the Bible?.. isn’t that interesting not one time does it ever say that. It says He taught about the kingdom, taught about God, preached the Gospel of the kingdom, and the Good news. Not one time does it ever say He taught the Bible ...Well I thought I’m going to look it up for the apostles so I looked up all the references with the apostles and did you know that with only one possible exception, it never says the Apostles taught the Bible?...” (National Schooll of the Prophets: Jack Deere “Mobilizing the Prophetic office” May 11, 2000 11:30 AM tape #3)

It may not say these exact words but one only has to read to see that Jesus began His ministry by quoting Scripture And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus always quoted the Scriptures as the final source of authority (Matt. 22:29 32; Mark 7:9,13).

He used such terms toward the religious leaders as “It is written,” (repeated 92 times New Testament), “have you not read?” (Matt. 12:3; 12:5; 19:4; 21:16; 42; 22:31), “search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), “is it not written in your law?” (John 10:34; Luke 10:25) You err, not knowing the Scriptures. The apostles appealed to the Bible as well. And there are too many examples of quotes being explained from the Old Testament for anyone who has read the Bible to take Jack Deere seriously, Jack Deere You err, not knowing the Scriptures! This is a willful deception on his part.

To a Gnostic the Bible can be spoken of as inspired, inerrant, infallible-- but not the final authority, Satan will not allow this because Satan wants authority. When it comes to a spirit speaking, or dreams and visions, or there experience of the spirit, the Gnostic will always allow them to have a greater place, and be the final authority because they disregard the Written word-- it is experience that counts. As a matter of fact most who call themselves charismatic involved in this movement would probably agree with the antichristian philosopher Joseph Campbell who said, “I don't have to have faith, I have experience.”

We can see how dangerous this is now. It is challenging the very words of life Jesus gave to live by, it is the same spirit that went to Eve in the Garden and said, “has God said?”

Any time you have correct doctrine presented alongside the false, you're going to have division occur. Paul states clearly in Romans 16:17 Those who teach contrary to the teaching that has been given through the Apostles and Prophets, are those who are causing dissensions and conflicts. The only way to find this out is to side with the Scripture and use it to legally examine those questionable teachings. It's NOT those who are teaching sound doctrine, who are teaching the truth of the Word of God that are divisive. Rather it's those who teach contrary to the Word of God, contrary to what has been revealed by God in the Scripture.

Today some have made it either “the Spirit” or “doctrine”, but it is not either or, they work together or not at all.

When you see people do and say what no one has in the history of the church, and change the meaning of Scripture by teaching us to look for a new revelation from the spirit instead of the Scripture; that’s Gnosticism.

Gnosticism began to flourish in the second century as competition to Christianity, but proto-Gnosticism had begun before the first century. Over the centuries following Christ it has surfaced in many different forms but we are now faced with the challenge face to face. The Holy Scriptures are challenged as the completed revelation of God to mankind, continual revelations still occur to those who hear from God.

All ideas have consequences when practiced. Right Biblical doctrine expounded in the Scripture conforms us to be in right relationship with Christ, wrong doctrine has us look elsewhere. The Word is very clear in how we are to approach or spirituality. When left unchallenged these new practices redefine our Christianity. It can come from a book, a tape, a meeting but you will leave with a new paradigm. How we learn the knowledge and truth of God is crucial to understanding whether we are in the faith or have new way  to practice our Christianity, removing us from the true faith.

The enemy not only wants to change Christianity but remove it from the earth, he does this by having us neglect or deny the written Word. Gnosticism is a natural alternative as many are already predisposed to hearing voices longing for more revelation. Interpreting the Scriptures allegorically or by personal revelation from the spirit can change the meaning of what is written. A voice heard from within or audibly that is put above the Scripture or used to interpret the Scripture can easily persuade someone into another view. We often hear God told me this, God told me that, when in fact it could be there own soul or spirit or something else. Certainly God can speak to us, He is alive and well, but when the voice speaks concerning doctrine or practices and gives new meanings, we must question it.

Gnostic Christ’s

By denying Jesus came in the flesh the Gnostics had a Jesus of their own imagination and in its place of his unique Christhood was a personal Christhood for each. There are numerous old manuscripts available with reference to Gnosticism dating back to the early Church, they provide important insight into the teachings and influence of gnosticism on the world and in particular, the Church. These were numerous apocryphal writings that wrote where the Bibles gospels left off. They named them gospel and added whosever name they wanted it to be from.  The Gospel of the Egyptians, The Gospel of Truth, The Gospel of the Twelve, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Judas, The Gospel of Bartholomew, The Gospel According to Mary, The Gospel of Nicodemus, and The Questions of Bartholomew. There were many others without the name gospel in them.

In the “Christian Gnostic” writings they all had Scripture passages with just a twist in them. The common denominator: the Bibles doctrines were reinterpreted into a mystical view. Then there is the gospel of Thomas. That has been made famous today by the liberal Jesus seminar that denies almost everything Jesus said.

While the language and terms may be different today, they all arrive at the same place. We can see this same view held by the religions and sects that had a new revelation. “Jesus is no different from other men.” (Divine Principle and its Application, Moonies (HSA-UWC, 1968), p. 75.) “It is far more important that men should strive to become Christ’s than that they should believe that Jesus was Christ.” (Mystic Masonry, by J. D. Buck, p. 62). “May this manifestation lead you to see each other as the gods you are” (Maitreya Message 13 Feb. 1982) “...Jesus became what all of you must be. ...Is he the Christ? O yes, along with you” (The Course of Miracles pp. 83-84).

This concept is alive in other religions in competition for true Christianity and it finds itself a resting place inside the church at large as well. “Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge....you are god” (Benny Hinn, “Our Position In Christ”, tape # AO31190-1) “Christians are little messiahs (christ). Christians are little gods.” (Benny Hinn Praise-a-thon (TBN),11/90, “Our position in Christ,” tape A031190-1) 

Elizabeth C. Prophet Who headed up the Church Universal and Triumphant Saint Germaine being the patron saint(or Christ) said, “So you become like your elder brother, who was the  Anointed One,  Jesus, the Christ.' If you are to ascend to the heart of God, you must do so by first ascending to the level of your Christ Self” (The Lost Teachings of Jesus, pp. 241-243). Elder brother is from Mormon teaching and held by other Mystic groups.  

The Gnostic learns through direct revelation and experience of the Spirit. The ultimate Gnostic revelation is that you discover God within, or Christ in you (individually), or that the Divine Spark dwells within each one of us. All of this, in whatever form, is a rehash of Satan's Lie to Adam and Eve in the Garden. For example, Kenneth Copeland brings the concept of the Gnosis out clearly as he explains, “We are partakers of the divine nature.” “Well, now, you don't have a human, do you? You are one. You don't have a god in you. You are one.” The Gnostic revelation YOU are God. 

I’ve got an old revelation for you, we aren't God, never will be! We not equal to God in any manner; never have, never will be. He created us, and He alone is the object of our Faith, and we are to obey him.

Some teach we're in the God class, having the faith of God. I’ve got a revelation for you, we aren't God, never will be! We not equal to God in any manner, never have never will be. He created us, and He alone is the object of our Faith we are to obey him. God has made us as much like Himself as possible…He made us the same class of being that He is Himself!” (Kenneth M. Hagin, Zoe: The God-Kind of Life (Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc., 1989), 35-36, 41. The idea that man is a little god, “small g” or created in God's class of being is Gnosticism, rehashed and revitalized in a different package. The present gospel of Gnosticism is that, though Adam and Eve and all of us, were created in “God's class” of being, when man sinned, he fell “below the God class from which he was first created.” Jesus came to redeem us and restore us back to our rightful dominion, as little gods. 

Creflo Dollar echoes Hagin as he states on Ps.82 “Now, notice what He says here, “Ye are gods” small g. You are gods? Somebody says “You trying to say we’re gods?” No, I’m not trying to say we’re gods. He already said it. But what I want to know is Lord, how can we be gods?  And He answers it in the next phrase.  Because you are the children of the Most High.  See if you are truly a child of God, if you were born out of God, you got to be a part of the God class.  I know I’m not God.  But I’m a child of the Most High.  Hey, glory.  And I’m a part of the God class” (Our Equality with God Through Righteousness 1/21/2001)

Gnosticism's appeal to the spiritual seeker is that God can speak to apart from God’s word. This can come from without or within. What makes this interesting is that people hear a voice believed to be God, giving them a revelation to confirm a extra biblical teaching. Everybody wants to be “in the knowing” and this can be traced back to the Garden and mankind's first encounter with a spiritual being other than God. The first couple were offered enlightenment and equality with God, through a “forbidden” knowledge. Satan offered the secret  by a whisper (this too was a quiet voice) “you can be like God.” After one is trained in the gnosis they see everything differently this is why Kenneth Copeland can say, “ When I read the Bible where He says, I AM, I just smile and say, Yes, I AM too.” 

Where does the wisdom of man who is a creature made by God from the dust become a God come from? Madame Blavasky, who died in 1891, but whose writings are held in high esteem in the New Age Movement, attributed true spiritual knowledge to Satan. The appellation Satan . . . and “Adversary” belongs by right to the first and cruelest “Adversary” of all other gods-Jehovah; not to the serpent which spoke only words of sympathy and wisdom .... The Great Serpent of the Garden of Eden and the “Lord God” are identical .... Satan, the serpent . . . is the real creator and benefactor, the Father of spiritual mankind. For it is he who opened the eyes of Adam. (Helena Blavatsky, The Secret doctrine vol.3 p.386) Here we have the concept of Masonry, Mormonism and all other religions that contain an illumination which reject the true God and His word. A Voice heard that you put above the Scriptures to govern your life, would certainly not lead you to what God said but away from it. Simon Magus a magician in Samaria (Acts of the Apostles 8:9) the people said had the great power of God. He professed conversion and was the first to propose this idea of Oneness teaching. He stated that there was only one person in the Godhead. The twist was that he was that person. Claiming to be the Father in Samaria, the Son in Judea, the Holy Spirit in the rest of the nations (from John Gill, sermons and tracts vol.3 p.513). He was denounced by Peter for trying to buy the Holy Spirit to have the power he had seen Peter possess (called the sin of simony today).

The effect on the average Christian has them question whether they have been taught the word correctly. It makes them want to pursue a new course where they follow these teachers of the gnosis because they want to be spiritual like them, they want to hear from God in a special ways. They want to have visions and the power to do miracles as Christ's. All ideas have consequences when practiced. Right Biblical doctrine conforms us to be in right relationship with Christ, wrong doctrine has us look elsewhere. The Word is very clear in how we are to approach or spirituality. When left unchallenged these new practices redefine our Christianity. It can come from a book, a tape, a meeting but you will leave with a new paradigm. How we learn the knowledge of God, the meaning of the core doctrines like faith, salvation, how we pray, and numerous other facets of the true Christian life can become “redefined” by the Gnostic view; when put in practice our Christian faith has been changed. An example: to the Gnostic redemption is not the  transformation of the old creation by God's grace through a new spiritual birth. It is a new understanding that comes from a spiritual experience. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not against experiences when they are Biblical but we have need to qualify them by the Scripture before we go running off thinking its God. 

Today this is called a new paradigm, or critical mass, both of which are new age terms. With some of the language and teaching today one could almost assume that these Gnostic letters are being read and practiced. Kenneth Hagin states it this way, “"One almost has to bypass the brain and operate from the inner man, which is our heart or spirit” (Right and Wrong Thinking, Rhema, 1986, p.27). This is the opposite of what the Bible recommends, it never says to operate from our heart by itself, which is deceitful, but from God’s Spirit and Word.

There are those who propose “new” teachings and tell us to leave the “old” behind for the new? The current trend of revelation is operated by dreams, visions and prophecies that entice numerous believers away from the objective truth found in the already revealed Word of God (the “old”). The “new truth” is subjective and its merit is accepted on experience. While experience may be a good teacher at times, it cannot be a correct teacher of truth in and of itself. This is why it is not the Word of God plus, it is the word of God period. 

The Gnostics assumed to give the Holy Ghost as a seal the candidates against the attacks of the archons, they were driven away by the sweet odour which is above all things. The balsam was supposed to have flowed from the Tree of Life, which was mystically connected with the Cross; the chrism is in the “Acta Thomae” was called “the hidden mystery in which the Cross is shown to us.”

Much like what is offered today with having this new anointing it will keep Satan away from you and your family.

Doesn’t this sound vaguely familiar; a new and fresh anointing, a fire anointing. Translated in today's genre’ it is called the “(New) anointing”! Contrary to this the Bible teaches we as Christians are already anointed and complete by it. The real matter is our giving up ourselves over to God’s will and ways to be filled with the Spirit. He needs more of us, then we will have more of Him.

Today for one to get the anointing they must come to a certain preacher to receive it (and often give a good sum of money). What does the Bible have to say about this?

John uses the word anointing 3 times in Jn.2:20, through 27. The gift of the Holy Spirit (who by the way is God) leads the believer to be in the knowledge of the truth found in the Word, and give us power to live it. The Spirit helps us to understand the truth of Jesus' teachings and when someone understands God’s word they can apply it, walk in it and reap the benefits.

This anointing is God himself, and is now for everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is not for an exclusive group of leaders. This anointing is our seal (Eph. 1), being “in Christ” makes us all anointed. There are not some anointed and others not. The Bible does not say go to this preacher or that one to receive it. No apostle ever said I’m anointed, or suggested to come to him for the anointing or more of the Spirit. There is no special anointing mentioned for any apostle. The New Testament writers understood what it meant to be anointed in Biblical terms, today it’s another story. They recognized the same anointing was to the whole body of Christ, they never said they possessed a special anointing: 2 Cor. 1:21 “Now he which establishes with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God; Who has also sealed us, and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” Those who are established in Christ are anointed together having the same spirit. It is this same anointing John refers to in 1 John 2:26-27 “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide (remains) in Him.” John tells us this anointing “abides” or remains with us v. 27. He is continually with you as he first began. This anointing we have already received, He is in us. The anointing teaches us that we are not to look to any certain person to be our only “teacher” or imparter. The Holy Spirit is the umpire making us discern what is spoken as true because he makes us understand Christ’s words.  The anointing protects us from false teaching, because we are letting the Holy Spirit teach us from the Word. Do not quench the Holy Spirit by putting off judgment. Why do people keep coming back for more of this “experiential anointing?” It was a temporary experience not from God. The Holy Spirit who is the anointing is to lead us into truth, to God’s Word and point to Jesus Christ-- not anything or anyone else.

I want the ancient anointing the one that doesn’t corrupt, fade or take my mobility or thinking away.

Our Faith

Today many make a distinction between logos as the written word and rhema as the fresh word of God a word with power. This is a form of Gnosticism; they are making a dichotomy between the two. Logos is used in the New Testament as an utterance just as Rhema is used as an utterance and it is used as a command used in a revelation. It is used for the words of Jesus, as well as the words from the Father, the prophets, the apostles, the angels, and the church members.

The world was created by “the Word,” which is the “logos” of God. The Logos is the Word of God used from Genesis to Revelation. All the books of Scripture are the Word; Jesus Christ (John 5:39). By reading the logos from Genesis to Revelation you can receive all the spiritual revelation you need about God and His promises. As you receive knowledge and understanding about God, you receive faith. In John 1 the Word that is God is not rhema, but logos. In James 1:18 it says we were begotten by the Word of truth (logos). So there is absolutely no justification for regarding the rhema word as superior to the word logos. Especially a fresh, new word outside the Scripture.

When our spiritual walk and understanding are guided by fresh “words from the Lord” and so called “anointed revelation,” we become dependent on particular men and meetings. Instead, we should be fostering our personal walk with the Lord through a more sure word, by the Scriptures, which Jesus said is life itself. Our faith that was delivered to all the saints comes from “His Word”, God speaks to us by His Son (Heb.1), it is written down for equal access to all. Our faith comes from hearing the Word of God, the logos, not a Spirit with “another word” outside Scripture, that some may call the Rhema.

So what do we do?  If the roof is leaking do we keep on changing the rug? No, we need to fix the leaks in the roof and keep the rug.

Its time for those who call themselves Christians to stand up for the truth, otherwise you find that you will soon be sympathetic with the Gnostics. Then you will be sitting down with them, the next step is you will be practicing Gnosticism. If you do not resist this wind of doctrine you may soon find yourself becoming a Gnostic new ager.