JOHN 8:44 JOHN 4:23-24 MATTHEW 16:1-4 TWO THINGS WORTH NOTING JESUS TOUCHES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

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1 CCLI #

2 JOHN 4:23-24 MATTHEW 16:1-4 TWO THINGS WORTH NOTING JESUS TOUCHES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. SECONDLY, JESUS REBUKES THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND SAYS THAT A WICKED AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION LOOKS FOR A MIRACULOUS SIGN. THE PROBLEM IS APPARENT IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE. THE WORD USED FOR LOOKS IS EPIZETEO AND MEANS TO SEARCH FOR, TO CRAVE OR TO DEMAND. JESUS POINTED THEM TO THE SIGN OF JONAH, WHICH SPOKE OF JESUS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. MATTHEW 12: CORINTHIANS 1:22-23

3 MATTHEW 7:15-16 MATTHEW 24:11 MATTHEW 24:24 MATTHEW 7: THESSALONIANS 2:9-12 ACTS 20: TIMOTHY 4:1-2, PETER 2:1-3, 17-18

4 A WISE BELIEVER PAYS ATTENTION TO THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 1 TIMOTHY 3:15 - THE CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF THE TRUTH. 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD. ACTS 17:11 - WE RE CALLED TO BE LIKE THE BEREANS.

5 2 CORINTHIANS 11:1-4, GALATIANS 1:6-9 WHAT GOSPEL DID JESUS AND PAUL PREACH? JOHN 3:16 EPHESIANS 2:8-9 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-6 HOW IS THE GOSPEL APPLIED TO OUR LIVES? MARK 1: REPENT AND BELIEVE

6 IT S COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE WORD FAITH OR NAME IT CLAIM IT OR HEALTH AND WEALTH OR PROSPERITY GOSPEL MOVEMENT. IT HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE LATTER RAIN AND MANIFEST SONS OF GOD MOVEMENTS OF THE MID 20 TH CENTURY. AND HAS, MORE RECENTLY, BEEN LINKED TO KINGDOM NOW OR DOMINION THEOLOGY. KINGDOM NOW THEOLOGY IS A THEOLOGICAL BELIEF WITHIN THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT OF PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY, MAINLY IN THE UNITED STATES.

7 KINGDOM NOW PROPONENTS BELIEVE THAT GOD LOST CONTROL OVER THE WORLD TO SATAN WHEN ADAM AND EVE SINNED. SINCE THEN, GOD HAS BEEN TRYING TO REESTABLISH CONTROL OVER THE WORLD BY SEEKING A SPECIAL GROUP OF BELIEVERS KNOWN VARIOUSLY AS "COVENANT PEOPLE," "OVERCOMERS," OR "JOEL'S ARMY. THROUGH THESE PEOPLE, SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS (INCLUDING GOVERNMENTS AND LAWS) WOULD BE BROUGHT UNDER GOD'S AUTHORITY. THE BELIEF IS THAT, SINCE BELIEVERS ARE INDWELT BY THE SAME HOLY SPIRIT THAT INDWELT JESUS, WE HAVE ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON THE EARTH. WE HAVE THE POWER TO BELIEVE FOR AND SPEAK INTO EXISTENCE THINGS THAT ARE NOT, AND THUS WE CAN BRING ABOUT THE KINGDOM AGE.

8 OTHER BELIEFS INCLUDE THE IDEA THAT, AS THE BODY OF CHRIST, WE ARE CHRIST. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE HIS DIVINE NATURE. PROPONENTS OF KINGDOM NOW TEACHING ALSO DON T BELIEVE IN THE RAPTURE, WHICH IS EXPLAINED AWAY AS A FEELING OF RAPTURE OR EXCITEMENT WHEN THE LORD RETURNS TO RECEIVE THE KINGDOM FROM OUR HANDS. IN OTHER WORDS, EVERYONE WILL BE "CAUGHT UP" EMOTIONALLY WHEN HE RETURNS. ALSO AMONG THE UNBIBLICAL BELIEFS IS THE IDEA THAT ALL PROPHECIES REGARDING FUTURE ISRAEL BOTH IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS ACTUALLY APPLY TO THE CHURCH.

9 KINGDOM NOW THEOLOGY SEES THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS IN TWO STAGES: FIRST THROUGH THE FLESH OF THE BELIEVERS (AND IN PARTICULAR THE FLESH OF TODAY'S APOSTLES AND PROPHETS). AND THEN, IN PERSON, TO TAKE OVER THE KINGDOM HANDED TO HIM BY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN VICTORIOUS (THE "OVERCOMERS"). PRIOR TO THE SECOND COMING, OVERCOMERS MUST PURGE THE EARTH OF ALL EVIL INFLUENCES. KINGDOM NOW CLAIMS THAT JESUS CANNOT RETURN UNTIL ALL HIS ENEMIES HAVE BEEN PUT UNDER THE FEET OF THE CHURCH (INCLUDING DEATH, PRESUMABLY).

10 PROPHETIC SCRIPTURES ARE DENIED OR FULFILLED IN 70AD. ARMAGEDDON IS THE ONGOING BATTLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. THE ANTICHRIST IS A SPIRIT, NOT A PERSON. WE ARE ALREADY IN THE TRIBULATION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE IN THE MILLENNIUM.

11 RATHER THAN FOLLOWING TRADITIONAL BIBLE PROPHECY, THEY FOLLOW NEW REVELATIONS. MODERN-DAY PROPHETS MUST BE OBEYED AND NOT JUDGED FOR THEIR INACCURACY. THEY WANT TO RESTORE THE EDENIC NATURE EVEN THOUGH EDEN IS WHERE SIN BEGAN. MORE RECENTLY, THEY VE REPACKAGED THINGS AS THE NEW APOSTOLIC REFORMATION OR NAR ALSO CALLED THE THIRD WAVE.

12 MANY WORD-FAITH TEACHERS CLAIM THAT SINCE GOD MADE US IN HIS IMAGE AND AFTER HIS LIKENESS, CHRISTIANS ARE IN FACT LITTLE GODS. FOR INSTANCE, KENNETH COPELAND HAS SAID, YOU RE ALL GOD. YOU DON T HAVE A GOD LIVING IN YOU; YOU ARE ONE! WHEN I READ IN THE BIBLE WHERE GOD TELLS MOSES, I AM, I SAY, YAH, I AM TOO!

13 FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE GENERATION BEFORE HIM, BILL JOHNSON TEACHES (AUGUST 15 TH, 2010) THAT JESUS WAS BORN AGAIN. IN HIS NOVEMBER 21 ST, 2014 ARTICLE IN CHARISMA MAGAZINE, JOHNSON SAID: WHILE JESUS IS ETERNALLY GOD, HE EMPTIED HIMSELF OF HIS DIVINITY AND BECAME A MAN (SEE PHIL. 2:7). IT S VITAL TO NOTE THAT HE DID ALL HIS MIRACLES AS A MAN, NOT AS GOD. IF HE DID THEM AS GOD, I WOULD STILL BE IMPRESSED. BUT BECAUSE HE DID THEM AS A MAN YIELDED TO GOD, I AM NOW UNSATISFIED WITH MY LIFE, BEING COMPELLED TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE HE HAS GIVEN US. JESUS IS THE ONLY MODEL FOR US TO FOLLOW. JOHN 1:1-2, 14 MATTHEW 1:23

14 TODD WHITE IN A RECENT VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, ANNOUNCES THAT HIS LIFESTYLE EVANGELISM TRAINING CENTER, FUNDED BY COPELAND, WILL SOON BE OPENED. IN THE VIDEO HE CALLS COPELAND A FATHER IN THE FAITH AND A MENTOR. TODD WHITE, FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS MENTOR, COPELAND, ALSO DENIES THE DEITY OF CHRIST ON EARTH. IN ANOTHER VIDEO, HE CLAIMS, JESUS, YOU KNOW, HE WALKED AND LIVED, AS A MAN. AND HE DIDN T, HE DIDN T LIVE AS GOD ON THE EARTH. JESUS IS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY. HE IS BORN AS A MAN. HE S NOT BORN AS GOD. HE S GOD S SON, BUT HE HAD TO DO WHAT HE DID AS A MAN IN ORDER TO MAKE ME RIGHT WITH GOD.

15 BILL JOHNSON, AUGUST 15 TH, 2010, SAID, I REFUSE TO CREATE A THEOLOGY THAT ALLOWS FOR SICKNESS. HERE WE GOT A PROBLEM. ONLY ONE. IT S A SMALL ONE. THE APOSTLE PAUL GIVES A WARNING IN GALATIANS. (HE NOW PARAPHRASES GALATIANS 1:6-9) WHAT GOSPEL IS IT? IT S THE GOSPEL OF JESUS. LET ME ILLUSTRATE. PAUL REFERS TO HIS THORN IN THE FLESH, WHICH HAS BEEN INTERPRETED BY MANY AS A DISEASE ALLOWED OR BROUGHT ON BY GOD. THAT S A DIFFERENT GOSPEL. JESUS DIDN T MODEL IT AND HE DIDN T TEACH IT. YOU CAN T CHANGE THE STANDARD. GALATIANS 4:13-16

16 STUDY THE FOLLOWING FOR NEXT WEEK S STUDY: MATTHEW 8: CORINTHIANS 12:1-10