The Myth Of the End Times Revival...NAR pt 3

The last enemy to be conquered is death. Who will conquer it? A mature church will come forth, with the kind of authority and power that will be able to stand in the very face of Satan. When the church reaches that level of maturity, God will be able to say, “This generation of the church does not need to die. She has reached a place of maturity. I will translate her because her maturity pleases me.” Earl Paulk- Excerpt from “Joel’s Army “By Jewel Van Der Merwe

The NAR movement has been built on a set of assumptions, the one leading to the other. The rise and ministry of William Branham led to the assumption that the true church was going to come into a time when “Signs and Wonders” would increase and bring nations to their knees in repentance, through the Evangelists such as Branham and those who would follow Him.

There would be a revival, believers would learn to tap into the power of God (an occult concept), and the Church would go from being “despised and rejected” to being feared and honored. Around the same time that Branham and the Healing Evangelists were packing tents and wowing crowds of people with healings, miracles, and signs and wonders, a little book came out which added much to these expectations. It was called “Atomic Power Through Prayer and Fasting”.

Here is what I wrote about it in my book,”Weighed and Found Wanting:Putting the Toronto Blessing in Context”;

People like Branham had whetted the appetite of the church for signs, wonders, and New Testament Christianity. A book came out at the same time (1946) that enjoyed widespread popularity among Pentecostals and contributed to the general expectation before.of a “new day.” It was called, Atomic Power with God, Through Fasting and Prayer, by Franklin Hall.This peculiar book taught that those who would learn to control their appetites could come into a supernatural, and miracle lifestyle…To those “who could receive it,” answered prayer, signs, wonders, immortality, and even release from gravity awaited those who would fast and pray. Weighed and Found Wanting; putting the Toronto blessing in Context” By Bill Randles

A tremendous expectation arose among Pentecostals that “a New Thing would spring forth” in the form of a Revival and renewal of God’s people. In 1948 something like what was expected did occur in Northbattleford Canada, as Al Dager describes in His book “Vengeance is Ours”,

On February 11, 1948, a young woman at the Bible school prophesied that a great revival was about to break out. The next day, according to George Hawtin, the Holy Spirit fell with great power. [Quoting Hawtin] “Day after day the glory and power of God came amongus. Great repentance, humbling, fasting, and prayer prevailed in everyone.” News of the events at North Battleford spread and soon people were coming from everywhere in hope of receiving spiritual power.

That Summer the group, called “the Sharon Brethren” put on a camp meeting which attracted several thousand people from the United States, Canada, and all over the world, all wanting to be part of the “New Thing!” In a short time, the Latter Rain Movement was a worldwide phenomena.

The movement came to be known by that name, which comes from several passages in the Bible, such as Joel 2:23, Hosea 6:3 and James 5:7.In both the Old and the New Testament, there is an allegory used for God’s blessing, based on the cycle of rains in the Holy Land. The “former rain” is crucial for planting, it is a type of the giving of the Law on Sinai, on the day of Pentecost. The “latter rain” is a reference to the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2, also on Pentecost. Peter interpreted it so when he said, “This is that spoken of by Joel the prophet.” The former rain, the law, is for softening the ground for planting. In other words, the Law of Moses, and the Ten Commandments can be used to bring conviction to the hard hearted.The Latter rain was considered essential to perfect the crop for the Harvest.

Originally what is now known as the NRA was either called , the Latter Rain Movement, or the Manifested Sons of God. It was an anticipation for that last earth shaking revival, which Branham and the other healing Evangelists seemed to portend.The Revival is just around the corner, we just need to prepare ourselves for it.

The Manifested Sons of God is the same movement, a little further along. It comes from teachings about Romans 8, but with a new (heretical twist),

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ( Romans 8:18-19)

Orthodox Christianity has always considered “the manifestation of the Sons of God” to be something which occurs at the parousia of our LORD. When He finally comes to establish His Kingdom, then the curse will be lifted off of the earth and the true Sons of God will be revealed.”Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun…”( Matthew 13:43) and the Kingdom shall commence.

But the Manifested Sons of God movement teaches that the manifestation of the sons of God must occur before Jesus comes back. The Sons of God come into their own realization of who they are in Christ, a revival breaks out, and the Sons of the Kingdom overcome the Devil and possess the Kingdom in order to turn it over to Jesus at his coming.

The Orthodox hope is God centered, the Manifested Sons of God hope is man centered. They would say things like, “Why are you waiting on Jesus to come back? He is waiting on you to come into the revelation of “Sonship” and to commence the great end times revival?

In a nutshell, the Manifested Sons of God teaching, which undergirds the current (false) revival movement which has led to the NAR, is this:

Manifested Sons of God teaching, is “since all creation is waiting for the Manifested Sons of God to appear, so it (creation) can be delivered from corruption, what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry up and realize that we, corporately, are the Christ and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can mature into our full stature and be all that God intended us to be. We can crush God’s enemies, even death, and usher in the kingdom of God and take the world for Jesus through the miracle working power that is within us. Boy, have we been dense! We have been waiting for God to save us from this world in that “helicopter escape,” the Rapture, when all of this time, He has been waiting for us to get it together. We must realize who we really are in Christ, and the power within us and rise up and do what the church down through time has either been too carnal or too immature to ever do. The church must now put all of God’s enemies under her feet.( Randles, Weighed and Found Wanting)

Manifested Sons of God Teachers developed another “revelation” that the End times revival which will take over the World for Jesus, cannot occur until there is a full restoration of all of the so called “Five fold Ministry”, from Ephesians 4:11;

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:( Ephesians 4:11-13)

Supposedly the Church “lost” the ministry gifts of Apostle and Prophet, over the centuries, just as in the Reformation, the church supposedly “lost ” the teaching of Justification by Faith. But the New Apostles and Prophets that God is raising up will get us to the point where we can come into the fulness and restore all things…then and only then ,Jesus can come back.

These are the assumptions undergirding much of the false revival which has raged since the 1940’s and which has radically shaped the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, for the worse. They have filled the pulpits of our churches with false prophets, ridiculously unbiblical Words, pompous and self seeking “Apostles” and worse of all, false converts.

It could be that these developments will contribute to the final Apostasy and the Delusion Paul warned about in 2 Thessalonians.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.( 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12)

I have heard all this from some now former friends who I found out, as I got to know them, that this is the kind of nonsense they believed.

That is why they are former friends. Nice enough people but totally whacked out theology. He was saved, but her? I doubt she ever was.

There are people of who are ripe for deception, looking for signs, wonders and miracles and revival at this point in the Church the Body of Christ.

The simple question is, why would there be a need for a Rapture, Daniel’s 70th week, tribulation, God’s wrath and second coming of Christ if a revival is coming?

We are not Israel. And our walk is by faith, (things not seen); not by sight (signs, wonders and miracles).

I see what you did there...

If seven bands of known heretics had, among all their heresies, proclaimed the sky will be blue when Christ comes in the clouds, you’d be out there denouncing “The Blue Sky Brethren.”

There’s scriptural testimony to believe that a revival of faith is growing in the earth in parallel with the hardening of the hearts of the at last unbelieving.

Why bash something that has scriptural support just because it was echoed by cherry-picked loons? It’s not as if your customized cabal of kooks are the only ones who’ve ever given voice to the idea.

I’m fine ripping out-and-out bad theology, and there’s enough of that among the groups you named, but taking rightful criticism of that, and then trying to extrapolate it to other things they’ve said isn’t necessarily valid.

Your chosen chumps all acknowledge the virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious death and resurrection of Jesus. You wouldn’t rip any of those ideas just because your disfavored group all echoed them.

If you intend to assail the idea of a revival happening on the Earth during the Tribulation, and if your arguments against the idea find clear anchorage in the text, you shouldn’t need to point out that these fringe groups have espoused the idea in order to make a sound rebuttal.

Pointing out that your target idea has been the stance of stooges doesn’t strengthen your assault.

We aren’t in the Tribulation now. Where there will be a revival of those enduring to the end in order to enter into the Kingdom at Christ’s Second Coming.
We are in the last days of the Church the Body of Christ. Where there will be, and is right now, a falling away and apostasy, false teachers, another gospel, another Christ, and signs, wonders and miracles performed by my the prince of the power of the air and his workers.
How will you determine what is from God during this time?
By studying His word and knowing where we are in His timeline for man.

I have heard all this from some now former friends who I found out, as I got to know them, that this is the kind of nonsense they believed.

I think the word of faith movement, is, at the very least, somewhat affiliated with the NAR. I am not sure the NAR people, actually call themselves the NAR. I am just not not this stuff about apostles, prophets, the latter rain, the Toronto blessing, Bethel in Redding, California. I am not into it. Among other things, it is dominion theology. I am not buying what they are selling. Since they have so much wrong, I am sure they probably don’t have the plan of salvation right either.
They will tell you they believe in Jesus. Justin Peters put it correctly, when he said, it’s not enough to believe in Jesus. Mormons, JWs, even Muslims believe in Jesus. We must believe in the RIGHT Jesus. I doubt the Jesus of the word of faith, and NAR, is the right Jesus. I seriously question, if there is anyone in these movements, that is honestly saved? I just don’t know.
Others, who are good at pointing out this false doctrine, are John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Paul Washer, my buddy Amir Tsarfsti, who I met in person a few years ago, as well Barry Stagner and Jack Hibbs. Oh yes, Pastor Bill knows what he is talking about too. 😀

[[Where there will be, and is right now, a falling away and apostasy, false teachers, another gospel, another Christ,]]

There has always been ‘other gospels’ taught by heretics, false teachers, apostates etc- The question is, how bad will it get before we can point to it and say that it is a sign of the end times?

[[and signs, wonders and miracles performed by my the prince of the power of the air and his workers.]]

Not so much yet- no signs and wonders and miracles at this point yet-

No, I don’t think you see what I am doing. In the first place I am not bashing anyone. I am giving a scriptural analysis of a major movement within Christianity, which is gnostic and has wreaked much havoc already. I do not deny that there is always a possibility of revival, (Look at China, Africa and Iran for just a few examples) but I do not accept the myth propagated and prophesied by these heretics, of the “Great Endtimes Revival”. This is a series, therefore it would be hard to judge it until it is complete. Thanks for your input...

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