Oct NOV JAN 22 2000 2001 2002 23 captures 22 Nov 01 - 2 May 14

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The Prophets Rise Again

Jewel van der Merwe

It is obvious that we are living in times of great spiritual naivete. The church has strayed so far from the pure Word of God, she no longer recognizes that her place in the world is to be "salt" and "light". Instead, of salt and light, she has allowed pernicious doctrines to enter into her midst which have become like "leaven" which is quickly leavening the whole lump.

Leaven is not spoken of in a positive way in the Word of God. Jesus said, "Beware of the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees." Teachings that are contrary to the gospel - are indeed leaven. The Church has been entrusted with the divine task to hold high the Standard for truth. If the Word of God takes second place to "new revelation", it won't be long until we will be reaping the results with many a tear. Our children will grow up confused and disillusioned without the foundation that can only be laid in the Word of God.

"And judgement is turned away backward, and justice standeth a farre off: for truth is fallen in the streete, and equitie cannot enter." Ifaiah LIX:14 (Holy Bible, King James 1611)

Unfortunately, pastors are unwittingly opening their doors to gross error without blinking an eye. Instead of being offended by the blatant perversion of the Gospel, they have cute cliches like:

• Don't throw out the baby with the bath water; and
• Just chew the meat and spit out the bones.

How do their members even have the capacity to "chew the meat" when they haven't even been given the sincere milk of the Word?

Pastors seem to be overwhelmed in even attempting to check out the new teaching that is enmeshing the Church. They are concerned about numbers, building programs, counseling sessions and the every day pressures of the modern age. It is much more convenient to let the District Superintendent or someone who has a best selling book make the decisions. The mentality is that if an author has a best seller and if well respected, people endorse the book, then certainly it must be alright.

Discernment Ministries recently held a conference in Pace, Florida (which is on the outskirts of Pensacola). The guest speakers presented the truth of the gospel in a convincing and loving manner. Yes, we did deal with serious issues of the day. They were dealt with honestly and openly because each one of the speakers realized the seriousness of the hour. We had no desire to be "heresy hunters" or to be "negative" any more than Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel relished their task.

In preparation for the conference, we realized that many of the blatant errors that are being taught today have intensified. Just before leaving for Florida, a large Assembly of God church in our area opened their doors to the "New Apostolic Paradigm" teaching by having "Third Wave" prophets come in for special meetings. Unfortunately, this is happening all over the country - - not only in the U.S. but on an even larger scale in some foreign countries. The shape and form of Christianity is moving into a New Paradigm.

Discernment Ministries was formed in 1989 shortly after witnessing the reemergence of the "prophets". This teaching had seemed to die out for awhile but in the late 80s made its reappearance. Various streams had developed out of the Latter Rain movement of the late 40s and, with the resurfacing of the same teaching, it found fertile ground in the wake of the "streams" that had flowed from the same source (Latter Rain). (Discernment Ministries has back newsletters which go into the subject quite extensively).

The New Prophets believe quite emphatically that God is going to use them to put "governments" into place. They do have a Kingdom Now/Dominion mindset. Their teaching of the five-fold offices is very dogmatic. The Prophets are meant to set the Apostles in their place. The new Apostles do believe they are the spiritual leadership of the Church. They do believe that the day of the denominational church is finished.

At our conference in Florida, we were quite amazed to see a video from a "prophetic conference" where the audience is taught to prophecy. Those of us who have lived long enough to know what happened to so many people who were involved in the "Latter Rain" shudder at the memory of many hapless souls who never recovered.

The NEW APOSTOLIC PARADIGM is not a NEW THING that God is now restoring. All the same teachings were present in the Latter Rain revival of the late 1940s. Deliverance sessions are proliferating today where people are vomiting evil spirits. This is certainly not new. Pastors are even saying that they knew it was God because they had a demon cast out of them and they vomited. No scriptural basis is given for this strange teaching, only experiences. The stories become more lurid with the telling. Experience has become the plumbline for truth.

Dr. C. Peter Wagner has been declared quite a high level Apostle (the Presiding Apostle). He does believe that the government of the church is finally coming into its biblical place for the first time in a long time. Recently he called for a spiritual house cleaning. He has announced September 9^th as JOSIAH DECLARATION SUNDAY. Families should go through their homes and select items that include foreign gods, materials associated with false religions, occult objects, mementos from secret societies, etc. These items should be placed in a receptacle at the Church and then a prayer of authority should be prayed breaking the curses that might be connected with any of the articles. It was suggested that some might want to stage a public bonfire.

This also comes from the Deliverance teaching that also teaches that Christians can be demon possessed. Again, personal experiences are used as the basis for the teaching. Yes, there are items that should not be in a Christian's home. Many things today have occult undertones and definite satanic meanings. But, let us keep our theology straight and not give place to the devil. During the 60s this teaching was popular and there are no end to the horror stories from that time as the devil received so much undue attention as there were "demons" seen in every corner of the house.

So many erroneous teachings are being revived as we enter this new millennium. Apostles have been set in place who have no idea how that teaching has been bandied about for the past 50 years. It is expedient now to revive it as part of an on-going revelation restoration process. Yes, the saints of the Lord are being processed.

Let us look at what lies ahead for 2001 according to "Prophet" Chuck Pierce:

1. We are entering into a TRANSITION OF POWER. This is a day where the apostolic-prophetic mantle of the church is being fully restored for the next season of demonstration of power throughout the world.
2. There will be a RESTORATION OF THE WAR MANTLE of the Body of Christ. . . God will prepare us for this warfare. During this time I believe He will call 21 day fasts individually, corporately and territorially . . . a biblical pattern in Daniel where 21 days overthrew a principality that was holding back revelation for the future.
3. There will be a supernatural reposition of the Body so we are standing in our proper boundaries . . . Supernatural alignment produces deliverance that propels us into God's purposes in our lives and our region.
4. There will be a supernatural linking, binding and passing of mantles between the generations.
5. A great move of God to restore the Tabernacle of David in the earth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. The ability to produce the next move of God is within you. The next move of God is already in the earth. WE are carrying it within our blood by the Spirit of God. . . Do not be afraid for Him to manifest for when He manifests His glory through us, this glory covers all earth and brings change.

Do you discern what is happening? The glory that is being talked about in The New Saints Movement is Manifest Sons of God - - recycled. The "present" truth that has caused so many well-versed Christians to be led astray only shows how the very elect can be deceived. It is a New Age gospel that takes the glory from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our only Savior and the cross, our only hope for salvation. As Jesus is dethroned, His deity is given to another. Who now sits on the throne? The great End Time Church? The Anointed Seed? They are the generation that has it all together. They are going to rid satan off the earth. They are moving into deep "intimacy" with God and out of this union they are birthing the new thing. Sadly, that which has been tried and proved over the past two thousand years is being discarded as not being on the "cutting-edge".

There are many so-called theologians today who do not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. These theologians state their position in no uncertain terms. However, the new Apostles and Prophets are just as certainly undermining the Deity of Jesus Christ by their neglect of the simple gospel in favor of promoting mysticism, revelations, visions, dreams and experiences.

For example, A couple were involved in a "prophetic" church in Atlanta, Georgia (Family Life Church), that is part of Christian International (Bishop Bill Hamon). Their involvement started with a prophecy given to the wife that she would be a "prophet". She became very excited and puffed up with her "revelation knowledge". She was told that she was more "spiritually advanced" than her husband, so thence, she should become the spiritual head of the family. The couple became involved in a ministry group. In this group they were required to prophecy when they were called upon to do so by the leader. They would, in fact, feel so pressured to "perform" that even at the time they were prophesying, they felt they were doing it in the flesh.

The couple were involved in the music program, so immediately they were thrust into a "prophetic-deliverance" ministry. The music ministry team were required to go through "deliverance". During the deliverance session, things were called out that this lady did not have a problem with until the deliverance session. For weeks afterward, she had panic attacks and extreme anxiety as a result.

In the music group there was a young man, who supposedly, was an ex-satanist. His behavior was bizarre and he was "manifesting" a demon. As a result, he left the group. A leader in the church told the other members of the group to not pray for this young man as by praying for him they would have a "soul tie" which would cause the man to astral-project to them.

One learns to prophecy at a Prophets School where, for a fee, you can learn to "hear the voice of God". People get cards made which have "prophet" or "prophetess" in front of their names. One young man left his church to go from church to church doing parking lot prophecies.

Another friend of this couple receiving an "impartation" from the "prophet" Kim Clement. She recruited some young men and formed a Christian break dancing team. She controlled these young men to the point they had to get her permission for everything they did. This "prophetess" also had everyone dress in black because they had "the warrior anointing". Black was supposed to be a warrior color and give the devil "fits". At another meeting she turned out all the lights and had everyone come with candles and sit in a circle.

There are so many stories we could tell in relating how very cultic and controlling this teaching really is and how those who are naively following the "music" will get ensnared unless they heed the clarion call God is sending out through those that are faithful to the Truth.

We thank God for the opportunity that was given to us in Florida and are certain that as you avail yourself of the videos and/or audios, you will be thrilled to have materials you can make available to others. The new research books that have been recently compiled will also prove to be a source of help as you take a stand for truth.

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THE FINAL QUESTION?

Kevin Reeves

(A review of Rick Joyner's book THE FINAL QUEST)

"Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced (ridiculous as the expression may seem) more true than truth itself." Irenaeus

An interesting little book has been making the rounds of the Christian community for a few years now. Written by Rick Joyner, this volume, titled "The Final Quest" states of itself that it is a trance/vision/prophecy concerning the last days. Many previously unknown revelations are in this book, and it has taken the Christian reading market by storm. Despite Rick Joyner’s vocation as a prophetic voice in the Charismatic movement, the book has found its way across denominational lines with its message of personal holiness, the love of God, and following Christ.

But things are not always as they seem.

Due in large part to a variety of powerful movements within the Church during the 1990's, Christianity itself is undergoing a dramatic redefinition. Despite its description for the pure doctrine of the gospel once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), the word "orthodox" has taken on almost profane connotations. For a Christian to stand up and declare a simple faith in the written text of Scripture is to invite almost certain ridicule in some sectors of the believing community. It is becoming an increasingly common practice to openly denigrate adherence to the Scriptures alone. The familiar mantra of "God is doing a new thing", has effectively squelched sincere examination of certain doctrines making an impromptu appearance in the average congregation. The peer pressure to "jump into the river", no matter how muddied the theological waters, has proven to be an impetus hard to resist. No one wants to be thought "unspiritual", and that is exactly the inference applied if a church member refuses to "get with the program" - - even if the program is Biblically flawed.

"The Final Quest" has presented, perhaps for the first time in more than fifty years, an orderly dissertation in story form of a movement that rocked the Pentecostal world back in the late 1940's. Known as "The Latter Rain", it impacted church groups nationwide by its doctrines of:

1. Habitual use of personal, directive prophecy;

2. Jesus coming "into" His Church instead of "for" His Church;

3. Taking dominion of the kingdoms of the world;

4. Overriding use of allegory when interpreting the Scriptures;

5. "Impartation" theology--i.e. to pass along or "impart" a specific "anointing";

6. Denial of the rapture of believers at the return of Jesus Christ;

7. Self-styled elitism; and

8. Heavy involvement with mysticism "Restoration" of the

five-fold ministry, with strong emphasis on submission to a new breed of "apostles and prophets".

These few distinctions, all of which are contrary to the orthodox understanding of Biblical truth, barely scratch the surface of Latter Rain teachings, which has many adherents in varying degrees. This movement was condemned in 1949 by the Assemblies of God. Due in large part to the bad reputation of aberrant doctrine and the spawning of numerous church splits, the Latter Rain teaching went underground. However it never fully disbanded - - biding its time until its proponents could develop its doctrines slowly enough so that an appropriate mindset would form within congregational ranks. It is a movement whose time has come, and now lists such notables as Mike Bickle, Paul Cain, Morris Cerullo, Bob Jones (not of Bob Jones University), Earl Paulk and--you guessed it--Rick Joyner, among many others.

As the author of a 1980's "prophecy" entitled, "The Harvest", Rick Joyner proclaimed, "It was said of the Apostle Paul that he was turning the world upside down...it will be said of the apostles soon to be anointed that they have turned the world right side up. Nations will tremble at the mention of their name."

Even a cursory reading of "The Final Quest" will reveal Joyner’s Latter Rain beliefs. A take-charge mentality, culminating in virtual immortality for a choice group of elite "overcomers", is the main theme of the book. Joyner’s sequel, "The Call", is even more blatant, stating that a sinless group of "overcomers" will remove sin itself from the earth (Page 78 of "The Call").

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." I John 1:8.

The prophecies of Jesus in Matthew 24 concerning the end times dictate a decidedly different scenario. "Then shall they deliver to tribulation and will kill you; and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name" (Matthew 24:9).

"The Final Quest" challenges basic Scriptures on manifold levels. To be quite candid, this is no unimportant book. It is radically altering the Biblical understanding of multitudes by substituting a solid Scriptural foundation with esoteric wisdom and mystical experience.

"To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word (the Scriptures), it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20 KJV).

With all this in mind, let us proceed into "The Final Quest", with an open Bible in our laps.

Page 7--Joyner had a dream in 1997, then a "series of visions and prophetic experiences that were related to it." He gave a condensed version of the first dream in The Morning Star Prophetic Bulletin and The Morning Star Journal, under the title, "The Hordes Of Hell Are Marching". He later published parts 2 and 3, after his series of "prophetic experiences. Determined to write a book, he "...set about to fill in all that had been left out in the condensed versions".

Question--How do you condense a vision from God? Is any of it not important enough to publish? How can you edit a vision?

Levels

Page 10-11--Speaks of different "levels" of prophetic revelation, speaking with authority about the subject, although the Scriptures never hint at differences or levels of divine inspiration. First is "impressions". Second is a "…conscious sense of the presence of the Lord, or the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which gives special illumination to our minds." Joyner notes that this state has often come in his writing and speaking. He states his belief that it was in this state that the apostles probably wrote the New Testament epistles. Despite the record of apostolic revelation, Joyner states that this "level" is one in which "…we can still be influenced by our prejudices, doctrines, etc."

This entire sentence strikes at the heart of Scriptural inerrancy. Are the Scriptures inspired by God and perfect, or are they not? (2 Timothy 3:16-17) In the times Paul spoke of his own opinions, he said so quite plainly so there would be no mistaking his words for the word of the Lord. Joyner would have us believe that although we are told to adhere to the word of God and not stray from the Scriptures, some of them are colored with the perceptions of the human vessel who wrote them down. This is very dangerous as it gives way to disregard certain passages by saying they are only the man’s opinion, and not God’s perfect word to His Church.

Joyner states that the greatest part of the "revelation" was "…received in some level of a trance." He has already laid the groundwork for the supposed superiority of a trance. Having a trance nearly places him above reproach of any kind, and he then states that trances themselves have levels, claiming that he could interact with the physical world during the trance (like answering the telephone). He could even walk away from the trance at will, then sit down and pick up where it left off.

It seems that he can put a vision on hold while he answers the phone. During one particular episode of the vision, he actually left for a week and when he returned, the vision immediately picked up at the point at which he had interrupted it.

Doctrine

Page 12—Joyner notes "emphatically" that neither his or any other kind of revelation should be used to establish doctrine. But this is precisely what he does throughout the book. In his alleged encounters with angels, spirits of the dead, and the risen Lord Jesus Himself, he is told repeatedly to go back to earth with the knowledge that he received while in the "third heaven". Any genuine man of God would want to implement knowledge or wisdom from heavenly spheres. The fact that he publishes what he learned in a volume that likewise teaches these doctrines to his readers, indicates quite clearly that he believes what he learned enough to allow his life to be guided by it. By saying, "The Lord said", as Joyner does repeatedly throughout the book, he is lending the weight of heaven to his testimony. Like it or not, using such a phrase establishes doctrine, because doctrine dictates behavior. If the words of Jesus Christ Himself are contained in this book, then we are bound to live by them. That is doctrine, pure and simple.

Page 14 - "At times I have questioned my own memory for certain details in this vision. . . " "Separate any chaff that may be present from the wheat."

These statements should provoke a genuine alarm in the discerning reader. This man is offering a vision/prophecy of great magnitude, marketing it to the Christian world. The prophecy presents specific and detailed conversations with Jesus, the spirits of departed saints, and angelic beings. The questions that this should bring up for Christians are the following:

1. Which parts of the vision may be tainted by forgetfulness? Joyner himself does not appear to know for sure.
2. If he had forgotten some pieces of the vision, did he fill in from his own imagination what he believed the details should be?
3. Why did the Lord give Joyner a vision/trance that included unnecessary details? The angels, the "Lord", and the spirits of those in heaven continually told Joyner how important it was for him to take the messages they gave him back to the Church when the vision ended. The apostle Paul" tells him this exact thing on page 134 by saying, "There are two things that we attained in our time (the apostolic era), that were lost very quickly by the Church, and they have not yet been recovered. You must recover them. You must recover the ministry and the message." If Joyner doubted his own memory regarding certain points of the vision, how can we be certain he got the message right?
4. How could anyone forget any part of a vision like this? Remember, Joyner was taken up to the "third heaven", spoke with the risen Christ face-to-face, and received wisdom from angels and the spirits of the departed. Would you have difficulty recalling a vision like this? Especially in the short space of time between receiving the "revelations" and writing them down?
5. This leads to yet another upsetting inquiry--Is God able to make certain His servants get the full message right, and to remember a vision which He (God) gave to a man? If God cannot make certain of communicating to His people in exact precision, then He is not the God of the Bible. Not one prophecy recorded in the Scriptures is tainted with self. They are the very thoughts and words of God. The fact is that God is well able to make certain His message remains undiluted by human preferences, prejudices, and frailty. If Joyner cannot guarantee this, then the vision of "The Final Quest" cannot be of God.

One more thing that becomes painfully clear is that, saying one’s memory may be flawed is a convenient dodge when it comes to accountability. In a court of law, a man is judged according to his testimony. To state, "This actually happened", then add a bit down the road, "Well, maybe not exactly like that", effectively dismantles the person’s testimony. I would not do business with a person whose memory of financial affairs cannot be trusted. How much more would I avoid someone with a possibly flawed spiritual memory, when the course of my eternal soul may rest on his testimony of God?

There is a great deal that could be said about the first part of the book, but to just touch on a few subjects:

Page 34 and 35 Joyner enters a lovely garden and sees the Tree of Life guarded by the cherubim. One of the guarding angels tells him, "Those who make it to this level, who know the Father's love, can eat."

So, Joyner proceeded to do just that.

Here is the amazing part of the story. Joyner does what no man since the beginning of time has ever done - eats of the fruit of the Tree of Life! I would suppose that this now makes him immortal. Remember the words of the LORD in

Genesis 3:22:

"And the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…."

As far as Joyner even getting close enough to the tree, verse 24 tells an entirely different story.

"So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden, He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life."

The Cherubim were put there for the express purpose of keeping man away from the Tree of Life! Eden was not symbolic or allegorical. It was a real place in a real time, with real angels assigned with a real duty. No human being has ever been permitted to eat of the fruit, nor will be allowed until the reign of Christ on the earth (Revelation 22:1-2).

Spiritualizing

Page 45--The angel "Wisdom", who turns out to be "Jesus Christ", explains to Joyner the differences between the first, second and third heavens. Supposedly these are not places, but time periods, or epochs, ranging from the Fall of man to the Millennium. This is a convoluted interpretation. The third heaven in Scripture is equated, not with time, but with place. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul is taken to a real place, "paradise", the same place Jesus spoke of in Luke 23:43. According to the words of Jesus, the thief on the cross was going to a literal place, not just a time frame. Joyner’s "angel" or "Jesus" misinterprets the word of God. Something is terribly wrong here.

Last Day Army

Page 56--Joyner tells of being left in the middle of a group of angels, standing on the level of the mountain known as "Salvation". He then states that as he strode past them, "… they bowed to one knee and showed me great respect."

Joyner was supposedly wearing the "mantle" of humility, that qualified him for the homage of the heavenly host. It takes a massive ego to believe heavenly beings will bow to a man. According to the scriptures, angels bow before God alone. However, according to Joyner, one angel tells him that he and his company of end-time overcomers that, "You are the dreaded champions." This scenario is echoed throughout the book, as the last days army becomes the focus of God’s power more than in any other generation. Over and over the focal point in the book has to do with the "overcomers", rather than Christ. This is basic Latter Rain doctrine.

Part III of the book: Here is where we see the blatant conflict with the Word of God.

Eternal Punishment

Page 87-- Standing amidst the great cloud of witnesses from generations past, Joyner says that he recognized an acquaintance he had known on earth (indicating again that he is not in a time, but a place that exists even now.)

Page 89--Joyner then gets into one of the most controversial portions of the book. He is speaking with and getting wisdom and revelation from the spirits of the dead. This is necromancy which is condemned as abomination throughout the Scriptures. King Saul in I Samuel 28 sought out the counsel of the spirit of Samuel and was severely judged.

This "spirit" told Joyner that he and the crowd he stood with were the "foolish virgins", who, although they had received Christ as their Savior, had wasted their lives by living their own way.

Joyner answers, "The foolish virgins gnashed their teeth in the outer darkness."

The "spirit" replies, "And that we did."

This is a dangerous deviation from Scripture. Joyner here is confusing the two parables--the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents. (Matthew 25) It is in the parable of the talents that the man is cast into outer darkness. The outer darkness is never mentioned in connection with the virgins. Even if Joyner didn’t know the context of this Scripture, the "spirit" (if he were really in heaven) would have corrected Joyner. Secondly, Joyner and the "spirit" would have us believe that the outer darkness is only temporary. But, consistently in Scripture, the outer darkness is shown to be a place of eternal separation from God--i.e. hell. The entire context of the passages of both the talents and the virgins is eternal separation. Continue reading from verse 31 and the meaning of the entire chapter is unavoidable. Jesus is speaking of separation, i.e. the foolish from the wise virgins and the men who use their talents from the one who does not. Verse 41 states emphatically, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels..." Also, weeping and gnashing of teeth are always mentioned by Christ Himself in the context of eternal separation from God. See Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, Matthew 25:30, Luke 13:28.

In the parable of the virgins, Christ (the Bridegroom), shuts the door, and when the ten foolish virgins came back later, Christ says, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you."

To claim that the outer darkness is a temporary punishment of grief for a wasted life, as this "spirit" does, contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture. No heavenly spirit could have said this to Joyner.

Page 90--This is perhaps the most dangerous part of the book, for it strikes at the heart of the salvation message. This same "spirit" continues to speak with Joyner, telling him that, after death, he had stood before the Judgement Seat of Christ and had all his sins of which he had not repented, paraded before him. The "spirit" then describes his version of the "outer darkness", which entails a feeling of being "in the deepest dungeon of hell", until his entire life had been gone over in the presence of Christ. Then, the spirit says, "…I said I was sorry and asked for the mercy of His cross…"

Here is a whole company of men, who have had to repent after they had died. Brothers and sisters, this is not Biblical! It goes contrary to a host of Scriptures that speak of full and complete redemption in Christ, with no review of sins committed on earth.

Romans 3:24-28, Romans 4:5, 25, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 17, Ephesians 2:13-16, Colossians 1:13-14, 1 John 1:12, Revelation 1:5. The book of Hebrews speaks beautifully about our full redemption in Christ Jesus. It was written to disciples who were being impacted by the Old Testament Law, and who were wrongly being told they needed to add to the salvation purchased for them by the blood of the Son of God. Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him"(Hebrews 9:28).

"Then He (Jesus) said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Thy will, O God.’ He takes away the first (covenant) in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but He (Jesus), having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down on the right hand of God; waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ says the LORD; ‘I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind will I write them’, He then says, ‘and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more’. Now, where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from and evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:9-22).

It is impossible, from the standpoint of the Word of God, to make a case for repentance of sin after death. "And as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgement..." Hebrews 9:27

Our sins are either fully forgiven this side of the grave or we bear the eternal brunt of them when we die.

Page 134 has "Paul" the apostle telling Joyner that he (Joyner) is the hope for those company of believers that "Paul" stands with in eternity. The Scriptures tell us that Christ alone is our hope (I Timothy 1:1).

Page 155 - Joyner says to "Jesus",

"Lord, please help me to remember this. Please do not let me forget what I am seeing here when I return, I begged."

"The Lord" answers, "That is why I am with you here, and I will be with you when you return."

"Jesus" is telling Joyner that He will make certain Joyner recalls the vision of a man he knew on earth. But wouldn't He also be able to see to it that Joyner would remember the entire episode of being caught up into the "third heaven"?

We are faced with an alarming prospect. We must either believe Joyner and take him at his word that he really did see Christ face to face, was translated to the third heaven, received revelation from angels and the spirits of the departed, and was given a very precise message to take back to earth for the Church, or we do not believe him. There is no middle ground. A single error in a purported "revelation" is enough to cast a huge shadow of doubt on the entire vision. God does not offer mixture to His Church. In "The Final Quest", Joyner, the angels, the spirits of the deceased, and even "Jesus" Himself conflict with the Word of God. If the Bible was given to us as the only written record of God’s thoughts and instructions to man, then we must go with it. No straddling of the fence is permitted.

Popularity is a shabby substitute for the truth. Let us return to the primacy of the Word of God. The blessings of Jesus Christ our Lord be with you.

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21)