This article is written with a heavy
heart. I believe that it is necessary in
order to be clear and “up front” with people.
It is possible that what I write applies to none of my readers. Nevertheless, I do not want to be
misunderstood. I want to be clear that,
as I have made my position fairly clear in advocating a Post-Tribulation
Rapture of the church, I am not advocating some of the teaching that some have
connected with that position. I am
especially referring to the kind of church-triumphant teachings that some
advocate. In order to clarify what I am
discussing, I shall review some history.
I shall not give references for this particular essay. Readers may confirm much of what I say
through various sites on the internet.
THE
PENTECOSTAL/CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT
At the turn of the nineteenth into
the twentieth century, a movement was being born. It came mostly out of movements of the
nineteenth century that sought a deeper and closer and more powerful walk with
God. In Kansas a small group experienced
the first documented instances of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit with
speaking in tongues in modern times (foreign or unknown languages). Some from this group eventually played a role
in the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles.
That prolonged series of meetings eventually led to the formation of a
series of Pentecostal denominations.
Eventually, the Pentecostal movement was mostly “housed” in such
denominations as the Assemblies of God, the Foursquare Church, the Church of
God in Christ, the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), and others.
The Pentecostal denominations became
some of the most dynamic churches in America.
Their doctrine was, for the most part, “standard evangelical” theology—inspiration
of Scripture, deity of Christ, the Trinity, vicarious suffering of Christ to
bring about the blood atonement for sin, salvation by grace through faith, and
so forth. Their eschatology was
generally Dispensationalist and Pre-Tribulational Rapture.
In addition these denominations
taught that a believer can receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the
evidence of speaking in tongues. They
also taught that the Spirit endowed individuals with one or more of the gifts
of the Spirit that are listed in I Corinthians 12.
Through their Spirit-empowered
ministry and boldness, these denominations became some of the fastest-growing
groups in America. They were filled with
missionary zeal and sent missionaries in numbers that were disproportionate to
their size. Some of the largest churches
in Latin America and Africa were Pentecostal.
In the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s,
the Pentecostal experience spread into mainline denominations. This new movement was called the Charismatic
movement. Some people eventually left
their mainline churches and formed small groups, prayer meetings, and even
non-denominational churches. The Jesus
movement of the early 1970’s—which formed among the hippies—tended to gravitate
to the Charismatics. As the 70’s progressed,
a new phenomenon took hold—the church growth movement. In some cases church growth and Charismatic
teaching were wedded. During that time
the mega-churches began to explode.
Along the way, Christian radio and
television began to take off. This
development, along with highly successful pastors, put the spotlight on certain
extremely successful pastors. And so,
the TV evangelist phenomenon was born.
Now, to be clear, not all
mega-churches nor all TV evangelists nor all non-denominational churches were
Charismatic or Pentecostal.
A
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I speak in tongues almost every
day. I believe in the Baptism with the
Holy Spirit. I attended Pentecostal and
Charismatic churches for many years and have no regrets for those years. I recognize that some of the teachings of
these groups have a certain degree of validity.
For example, I believe that sometimes we, under the power of the Holy
Spirit, can speak a word of faith into a situation. I believe that God can heal bodies beyond the
power of medicine. I believe that God
can lead people to give prophecies and to have discernment of spirits and other
exercises of the gifts of the Spirit.
I do not, however, buy into every
teaching of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Nor do I appreciate the behavior of some in
this group. I believe that some are
lifted up in pride and some cater to the fleshly pride of those they minister
to. Some take advantage of willing
followers and exploit them for money and power.
Moreover, I am sometimes aghast at
the fast and loose way that some of these preachers interpret Scripture. These folks can take a phrase or part of a
verse and turn it into a major teaching.
For example, “the tabernacle of David” became popular for a year or so. Related to this is the fact that this group
(they are not the only such group) is vulnerable to the “winds of doctrine.” There are constantly new teachings. I doubt if one can survive as a leader among
these people if he or she cannot come up with some new teaching at least every
three months. This way of living caters
to a flesh that needs excitement, sensation, constant change, and titillation. Such a Christian lifestyle does not promote
maturity in the faith.
So, I do not criticize these people
because I am coming from a non-Charismatic, fundamentalist background. I criticize them for their excesses and, I
believe, in some cases, for their errors.
PIGGY-BACK
TEACHINGS
As all of these developments
unfolded, certain teachings began to ride along with the Pentecostal
teaching. For one thing, the standard
teaching of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit was not taught as dogmatically in
these new groups as in the “old-line Pentecostal” churches. Some groups did not insist on speaking in
tongues as evidence of “the Baptism.”
The new groups tended to emphasize the exercise of the gifts more than
some had done in the Pentecostal denominations.
In the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s certain teachers began to be very popular. They did not all have the blessing of the Pentecostals. There was a group called the “Latter Rain” movement and there was the “Word of Faith” movement. The Word of Faith movement was especially influenced by Kenneth Hagin’s teachings. This group used phrases such as “name it and claim it” and “positive confession” and similar slogans. The idea was that one’s faith had creative power especially through the spoken word (rhema).
One of the teachings that came out
of the Latter Rain movement was the “Manifest(ed) Sons of God.” This teaching was based on Romans 8:19: “For the earnest expectation
of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (King
James Version) The teaching was that
Christians would experience a dramatic transformation in the last days so that
they would be manifested as the sons and daughters of God. This teaching first came out in the 1940’s. I observed a group of people affected by it
in the 1970’s. Today, it still is having
an influence on some in the Charismatic movement.
The New Apostolic Reformation is a
development among Charismatic/Pentecostal groups. C. Peter Wagner has had considerable
influence on this group. The group
believes that there are apostles and prophets operating today. Among the teachings that have come out of
this group are new ideas about the last days.
Within this movement there is a wide range of ideas and doctrine,
varying from Post-Millennium teaching to Dispensationalist Pre-Tribulation
Rapture. Many have been influenced by
the Dominion teachings (a group generally non-Pentecostal and often
Calvinist). A number subscribe to Post-Tribulational
Rapture teaching.
As background in understanding some
of these movements and teachings, it is helpful to know that most of these
groups are not denominations and, in some cases, not even local churches. Some of the teachings come through sermons,
some of which get audio- or video-recorded and passed on to followers in the
nation and around the world. The
teachings tend to continue to evolve and so what might have been exciting last
year is now old hat. Thus, it is
difficult to pin some of these folks and their teachings down.
One particular teaching that caught
my eye is a twist on Post-Tribulational Rapture teaching. This teaching is that the church will go
through the Tribulation. However, at
some point the church will be transformed in a Rapture-like miracle. The result is the Christians will be
invincible. They will be able to
withstand anything. This is probably an
outgrowth of the old Manifest Sons of God teaching.
In some cases, the teaching ignores
the idea of the Tribulation. The triumphant,
transformed Christians will subdue the whole world and take over, just as the
Dominion movement hoped. The difference
is that the Dominionists thought it would years and years—even centuries to
bring about Dominion. Some of those in
the New Apostolic Reformation believe it can happen in decades.
ROMANS
8:19
Paul
declares that we shall have glory “revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
We are God’s children (8:16), and this makes us joint-heirs with Jesus
(8:17). We share Jesus sufferings so
that we may also share His glory (8:17).
The whole creation is waiting for
our glory—for us to be fully manifested as the sons of God (8:19). After all, the creation itself has been
frustrated (8:20) and has been locked in a bondage that brings about decay
(8:21). But, God put creation into this
condition with a hope. Hope is one of
Paul’s favorite words. It evokes the
future. It is not a wishy-washy, “hope
so, maybe so” kind of hope. It is one of
the virtues that lasts forever (I Corinthians 13:13). So, though the universe slowly winds down,
entropy (disorganization) ever increasing, there is deep down in the fabric of
the universe a hope that there will be a release from this bondage into the
same kind of freedom that God gives to His children.
In the midst of all this decay and
bondage, the universe groans, as though trying to give birth (8:22). What does that mean? I do not know. I sense that there is a spiritual dimension to
the physical universe. God spoke and
there was light. How could matter-energy
obey the voice of God unless there is a spiritual dimension to the universe? And we are groaning also (8:23a). Are you aware of your groaning? I’m not sure I am. I know that I am discontented. Sometimes I’m discontented because my flesh
wants something. But sometimes I am
discontented because I know this is not the best of all possible worlds. This world is not right. There are weeds and thorns, viruses, cancer,
death everywhere—tornadoes, earthquakes, drunk drivers. God made this universe and it was very
good. Someday He is going to put it
right.
Paul clarifies what it is we are
groaning about (8:23b): we are waiting
for the “redemption of our bodies.” Now
we know that our redemption has already been paid for on the cross of
Jesus. Paul admonishes the Corinthians
to remember that they are bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20). But the full impact of that redemption has
yet to be realized, especially in our bodies.
That awaits the resurrection. “In
this hope we were saved.” (8:24a) That could be taken in more than one
way. One way to understand it is: “We were saved into a complex of salvation
benefits which included the hope of the resurrection.” Another way to understand it is: “We were saved through our belief in the
gospel message, which included a belief in the resurrection of Jesus and our
eventual resurrection.” In other words
our faith is a faith that has a future component, and that future includes our
resurrection (see I Corinthians 15).
That future is obviously not our present. We hope for something that will be ours some
day, but is not ours now (8:24b). So, we
wait patiently for the resurrection (8:25).
In this present order of existence,
we are aware that we are not yet whole. “We
know in part and we prophecy in part.”
(I Corinthians 13:9) So, in this
time we have the Holy Spirit, who is our helper. We do not even know what to pray for. Though that may seem strange to some, I have
found myself many times recognizing that I really did not know God’s will for a
situation or how God was going to work, and so I could only name the person or
the situation and say, “Lord, I just pray for that,” and give it to God. In this condition—not seeing or knowing or
understanding, only sensing an inward groaning—the Spirit deep within us also
groans and prays (8:26). And so God the
Father knows us and knows the Spirit and receives the perfect prayers of the
Spirit who intercedes for us (8:27).
This remarkable passage gives us a
perspective on the present order of existence.
It looks forward to a new day, a great day of victory, but it also looks
with eyes wide open at how we live today.
Now we know that someday Jesus is going to come back for the
saints. Those who have died will rise
and those who are alive will be changed and we will meet the Lord and be with
Him forever (I Corinthians 15, I Thessalonians 4:13-18). We have these assurances from Scripture of
the Rapture/Resurrection. We generally
understand that the present order of existence will continue until that day. I cannot see anything in Romans 8:17-27 that
changes our concept of that. It seems
that when we experience that new body and our son-ship is fully manifested, the
universe itself will also experience a transformation (8:21). If one advocates that Christians will be
transformed in advance of the Second Coming, then how could the universe be
renewed in that time frame? I believe
that the proper understanding of Romans 8:19 is that, when the church is
raptured and the deceased saints are resurrected (either at a Pre-Tribulation
or Post-Tribulation time setting), then will take place the “manifestation of
the sons of God.”
I do not believe that an
understanding of the timing of the Rapture/Resurrection as Post-Tribulational
affects my interpretation of Romans 8:19.
Furthermore, I do not want to be misunderstood. When I present evidence for a
Post-Tribulational Rapture/Resurrection, I am not attempting to give support
for the various theories of the New Apostolic Reformation or the Manifested
Sons of God teaching.
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