Glory in Nothing Except the Cross

By Hazel Holland

Why is it that neither the prophet Daniel in the book of Daniel, or the apostle John in the book of Revelation, ever mention a great spiritual revival of believers in the last days?  Neither does Jesus in Matthew 24, or the apostle Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians, even hint of a great end times revival where multitudes are brought into the church.

Instead, the time period before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is characterized as a perilous time of great deception.  It’s a time of apostasy from faith in Jesus Christ.  It is a time of persecution for the saints.  Scripture clearly says that this end time departure from truth is spearheaded by false prophets who use miraculous signs and lying wonders to support their false teachings, and lure many away from saving faith in Jesus Christ.

So where did this idea of a great Christian end time revival come from?  After studying the Scriptures I wish that I could say that I found the answer to this question, but I did not.  Apparently God never foretold of this happening.  Instead, Jesus asked the question, "When the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth?" 

In other words, when Jesus Christ returns will He find saving faith in you and me?  Surely He wouldn't be asking this question if there was going to be a great end time revival where the preaching of the new covenant gospel brought multitudes to Jesus Christ, would He?

So I decided to do a little research into the background of this teaching of a great end time revival that is prevalent in the body of Christ today.  What I discovered dismayed me greatly.  This great push for an end time revival where millions will be swept into the gospel net is a controversial teaching originally taught by the Latter Rain/Manifest Sons of God movement, and is part of Dominion Theology.[1]

 

Apparently, these questionable teachings from the fifties and sixties have made their way back into the mainstream church.  They have gained a large following, not only in the Charismatic body of Christ, but also in the Evangelical world as well.  False prophets have been able to get in under the spiritual radar of many unsuspecting believers, and are dispensing many “new” and “sacred truths" that are not being questioned by many in the larger body of Christ.  

These “truths” are often prefaced with familiar words such as, “Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.”  Since the spiritual experiences and words of these “prophets” are believed to be given by the Holy Spirit, they are not examined by fellow believers in the light of Scripture, and often take precedence over the written Word of God.  It seems that these “prophets” do not have to necessarily line up their messages with Scripture, because the Spirit tells them that this is what the word of God means when it says such and such…  

One of these alarming "new revelations" is that the end-time Church is God’s Joel 2 army being recast in the context of Ezekiel 9.  This end time army is supposed to judge the Old Order of things and bring in the Kingdom of God.  It teaches that an elite army of "overcomers" will subdue or destroy all the enemies of Christ until the they gain power and authority throughout the world.  Then when all the secular authorities, governments, and kings have finally submitted to them, Christ will finally return, and this elite army of "overcomers" will present the Kingdom to Him.

Unfortunately, this revelation of an end times Joel 2 army that subdues and destroys the enemies of God is not a picture of God’s agape love revealed in the Bible, or in the lives of His followers.  God’s agape love that calls believers to love even their enemies is not found in this end time teaching at all.  Revelations like this are not only inflammatory, but totally undermine the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and the unity of believers. (John 17)

So could it be that  “revelations” like this are given by another spirit to those who do not receive the love of the true gospel that they might be saved?  Could it be that God will send strong delusion upon those who refuse the new covenant gospel so that they will believe the lie? (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11)  Could it be that these “revelations” have been given by another spirit to awaken those who will radically change the definition of Christianity, but not in a good way?  

Captivated by miraculous signs and lying wonders I believe that these false prophets and their agendas are leading many in the body of Christ to be easily assimilated into the Mystery Babylon religion, foretold in Revelation 17 and 18.  These false teachers preach about ANOTHER JESUS, and a DIFFERENT GOSPEL which the apostle Paul says is no gospel at all. (2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians1:6).         

Miraculous signs and lying wonders are the fruit of a "gospel of works" rather than the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ alone.  To believe that the new covenant gospel of Jesus Christ now includes our works, and a militant church that executes Tribulation judgments is not only heresy, but pure fantasy!  

I believe that this is happening because the fruit of the gospel (and this fruit is bad indeed) has taken the place of the Root, Jesus Christ!  This false gospel of works which is no gospel at all is leading a vast religious system into terrible spiritual deception! 

The belief that God’s going to end the last days just before His Son returns with a prophetic movement of elite "overcomers" that will sweep the entire face of the earth, and will eclipse anything we have ever seen before, is a seedbed for pride, greed, adulation and power.  It is a false gospel that appeals to a prideful heart, and will continue to bear bad fruit within the church.

Gone is the cross of Jesus Christ and the understanding that we are called to be cross-bearers.  Gone is the agape love of God that expresses itself by loving others as He has loved us…even to loving our enemies.  Instead, cold love is seen to be the order of the day in these end times, and expresses itself in subduing and destroying the enemies of Christ, enemies for which Christ died.  

This false gospel of vain imaginations is leading many within the body of Christ into terrible spiritual darkness.  Sadly, it is so camouflaged by deceptive words like “spiritual growth” and “paradigm shifts” that believers need the agape love of God in their hearts, and the power of the Holy Spirit to help them discern these counterfeit teachings from the true gospel.   

We must not glory in the vain imaginations of a church that has bought into the world’s ways of achieving power and recognition by using the sword.  Instead we must glory in nothing except in the cross of Jesus Christ our Lord!

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[1] Kingdom Now/Dominion Theology, Progressive Revelation, Revival/Harvest, Joel’s Army, Replacement Theology, Post-Millennial Eschatology, Signs and Wonders, Territorial Warfare, Ecumenism, Restoration of Apostles and Prophets, Jubilee/Feast of Tabernacles, and the Post-denominational Church.