Excerpts : Elijah : Where Are The True Prophets Of God : Part 2 :
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
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One of the main points I emphasize in that article, [ 'Are
The Gifts Of The Spirit For Today?' ], is that the Gifts of
the Spirit are still in existence today. That being the
case, and considering the Scriptural evidence I have
provided in this current article, it seems to me that anyone
who makes the bold claim of being the Endtime Elijah, such
as Mark John Allen, or of being THE Endtime Prophets of God,
such as Father David and Maria, should have some mighty
signs following after them to confirm and prove their work
exactly as the Lord did with all of His past leaders of the
Church. Where then are the signs and miracles which have
confirmed the lofty positions to which these people have
appointed themselves?
. . . . .
Returning to the topic of The Family, while Father David
spoke in tongues, as do many Christians, Paul clearly states
that this is one of the least of the Gifts of the Spirit:
"I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye
prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that
speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church
may receive edifying...I thank my God, I speak with tongues
more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five
words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach
others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
(1 Corinthians 14:5, 18-19)
Based on my knowledge of his ministry, Father David did
claim to possess the Gift of Prophecy; however, as I have
already shown, he made a few major predictions which have
not come to pass; and we already know how we are supposed to
react to such false prophecies. We are to avoid such people
and disregard what they say, because it is clearly not of
the Lord. In my mind, it is a very serious matter to say
'Thus saith the Lord'; and some of these self-appointed
prophets do it all the time. While Father David was a
wonderful teacher in regards to the Word of God; and while
as a leader he inspired many of his followers to win
literally thousands of souls to the Lord, based on the
criteria in the Bible, I still have a difficult time
accepting his claim of being THE Prophet of the Endtime.
Where are the fulfilled prophecies of this Endtime Prophet?
. . . . .
Returning for a moment to the recruitment techniques of The
Family, it seems to me that with this rigid requirement to
accept the Bergs as Endtime prophets in order to qualify as
Disciple Only members, they are placing an insurmountable
obstacle before those who might have a sincere desire to
serve the Lord within their organization. One must truly
question if the Bergs want their followers to serve the
Lord, or rather to serve them? In one sense, we can view
this stiff requirement as a good thing. Hopefully it will
cause some potential disciples of theirs to wake up before
it is too late. On the other hand, if they do win some new
converts, it will be a clear sign that these converts have
been heavily deluded by the false claims of The Family.
Another question which arises in my mind is this: Should
this requirement be understood to mean that David Berg and
his wife Maria are the only Endtime prophets; or does it
simply mean that they count themselves as two of many
Christians who have sincerely dedicated themselves to the
Lord's service in these Last Days? If the answer is the
former, then clearly the Bergs are guilty of the very same
spirit of exclusivity which we have already seen in these
other men. They have placed themselves on the same level as
the Roman Catholic church which requires that its members
adore the pope like a god; or like the Mormons who require
that their members respect and obey the edicts of their
so-called twelve apostles, or like any other worldly
religious structure whose leaders place themselves between
God and man. Remember again the words of the Apostle Paul;
there is only one Mediator; and that is the man Christ
Jesus.
In thinking about this spirit of exclusivity which has
gripped so many churches, organizations and individuals
within the Christian world for literally centuries now, I am
reminded of a few other things from the early days of The
Family, when it was still known as the Children of God. In
the early seventies, one of the sons of David Berg, named
Aaron, wrote a popular song called 'We Are The 144,000'.
This extremely self-righteous song proclaimed in part 'We
are the 144,000; who else, could be but us?' This is the
very same claim made by the Jehovah's Witnesses; and the
Lord only knows how many other churches and groups do this
very same thing. So again we see how Satan, the author of
confusion, is clearly having a wonderful time pitting one
Christian against another. As I recall, when David Berg
became aware of this song, he quickly put a stop to it and
banned it from being sung within the group. I believe he
made a remark to the affect that some of their members
should feel fortunate if they happen to find themselves
amongst the 144,000. If nothing else, this incident serves
to highlight the degree of exclusivity and isolation to
which some churches and organizations will go.
As another example of the extreme exclusivity found within
the Family, in the early days, Father David boasted in some
of his writings, 'We are the only nation upon this Earth
that God recognizes!' Whether he was referring only to the
Children of God, or to the worldwide body of born-again
Christian believers in general, is a matter of speculation.
I believe he meant the former. While I truly understand and
agree with some of the motivations which cause some of these
religious organizations to isolate their members from the
world, I am also concerned about the way in which they go to
the extreme in setting up themselves as being the only ones
who are bearers of the true Word of God. This seems to run
totally contrary to sound Biblical doctrine. When some of
Jesus' Disciples tried to stop a certain man from preaching
the Gospel because he wasn't counted among the Lord's
immediate followers, Jesus immediately showed them the error
of their ways by saying:
"...Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for
us." (Luke 9:50b)
This incident clearly reveals that Satan has been using the
same divisive tricks for literally thousands of years. It is
this same spirit of exclusivity which has deluded many
churches, organizations, and individuals into thinking that
they are God's only chosen voice for the hour; and that they
are the only ones with the proper interpretation of the
Scriptures, or some new truth, or whatever it is their claim
may be. As can be seen, Jesus simply did not tolerate this
attitude of exclusivity. The writer of Ecclesiastes spoke an
eternal truth when he wrote:
"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and
that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is
no new thing under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
Contrary to the divisive spirit of exclusivity which is
promoted by Satan, the Author of Confusion, Jesus prayed
that the exact opposite would occur amongst His followers.
He prayed that we would all be joined together as one in
doctrine and purpose, with Himself as our only Shepherd:
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them
also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16)
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the
world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be
one, as we are...That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the
glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one:" (John 17:11, 21-22)
While the Lord prayed that there would be one Fold and one
Shepherd, He was not referring to some human leader over
some elitist human organization like Herbert W. Armstrong
and the Worldwide Church of God, or Father David and The
Family, or the Pope and the Roman Catholic church; He was
referring to Himself as that Shepherd, with the worldwide
Body of Christian Believers as His Fold. Through some of
these religions and organizations, it appears as if Satan
wants to set up himself, via some human spiritual leader, as
the False Shepherd upon this Earth; and that is precisely
what the False Prophet will be, as I discuss in many of my
Endtime articles. 'Satan: King Of Tyrus, King Of Empires!'
also covers this topic. To balance this statement out, while
some organization is required in the local Christian body,
and I emphasize the word 'local', even those leaders are to
serve, as in 'servants', with love and humility as per the
words of Peter:
"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords
over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."
(1 Peter 5:2-3)
The Apostle Paul also expressed concern regarding the
division he saw creeping into the Early Church. In his first
Epistle to the Corinthians, he wrote the following:
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be
no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
(1 Corinthians 1:10)
Another way that some churches and organizations exalt
themselves is through the practice of keeping statistics. If
done with the right attitude, there is nothing wrong with
keeping a record of certain statistics such as who has
accepted the Lord, their mailing address, their phone
number, etc. Such information can help you to develop an
effective follow-up program for those who show additional
interest in the Lord's Word. However there is another kind
of statistics which can quickly lead to self-glorification.
This is the kind of statistics which involve numbers, such
as how many people have accepted the Lord, how many Gospel
tracts were distributed, how many Bibles were passed out,
etc. There is a subtle danger in this practice which can
quickly turn into a snare and trap those who are not wary of
Satan's devices. What may have begun as a sincere attempt to
simply monitor the spiritual condition and progress of the
flock, may soon turn into a proud boast of the church or
organization's accomplishments. Before long, they are
comparing themselves to others which only serves to inflate
their self-righteous ego even further. Let me remind you of
a verse I shared towards the beginning of this article:
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare
ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they
measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves
among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Some might argue, 'Well, isn't God interested in statistics?
Didn't he have Moses and Joshua perform a census of the
Children of Israel on at least two occasions? Didn't King
David also perform a census?' This is absolutely true; but a
closer reading of the Scriptures will reveal that this is
only half of the story. Once the Children of Israel realized
how mighty of a nation they had become while under Egyptian
bondage, they became very proud and self-confident. They
began to look to themselves, and to their own strength and
wisdom. Not only that, but it was when they began to grow in
numbers that they also went astray spiritually as well. I
discuss this in a number of other articles such as in 'The
Children Of God And Politics', as well as in 'The Fruits Of
Disobedience'. The Lord knew this was going to happen. This
is why He warned them ahead of time of what would happen
such as in the following verse:
"And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the
stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not
obey the voice of the LORD thy God." (Deuteronomy 28:62)
The above verse is only one of the many curses the Lord said
He would carry out if Israel were to turn away from Him.
While over six hundred thousand fighting men left Egypt, not
to mention woman, children and old people, after forty years
of wandering in the wilderness, their number remained close
to the same, because the Lord had afflicted them a number of
times due to their sins of rebellion and unbelief. The rest
of the older generation died of old age and never saw the
Promised Land. Concerning King David's census, this was a
product of his own pride. Even Joab, the captain of David's
army, warned him that taking the census was not of the Lord.
Despite this, David yielded to his pride and took the census
so he could relish in his own might:
"For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which
was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from
Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may
know the number of the people. And Joab said unto the king,
Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever
they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the
king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in
this thing? Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed
against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab
and the captains of the host went out from the presence of
the king, to number the people of Israel."
(2 Samuel 24:2-4)
After the census had been taken, David repented for having
yielded to his pride; however, as a result of his desire to
keep statistics so he could boast of his own greatness, the
Lord smote seventy thousand men in Israel:
"And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the
people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly
in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take
away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very
foolishly...So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from
the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of
the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men."
(2 Samuel 24:10, 15)
As a final example, consider the story of Gideon. When he
first gathered his forces to fight against the Midianites,
they numbered some thirty-two thousand fighting men. The
Lord told Gideon that it was too many, and that Israel would
try to take the credit for the victory:
"And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with
thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their
hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine
own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the
ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid,
let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there
returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there
remained ten thousand." (Judges 7:2-3)
After another test, the Lord further reduced their numbers
from ten thousand to just three hundred men. As crazy as it
may have seemed at the time, the Lord used those three
hundred faithful men to defeat the Midianite army which was
so large that it could not even be numbered:
"And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men
that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into
thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto
his place...And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all
the children of the east lay along in the valley like
grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without
number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude...Thus was
Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they
lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in
quietness forty years in the days of Gideon."
(Judges 7:7, 12, 8:28)
Clearly then, the Lord is not limited by many or by few. He
can accomplish His purposes regardless of the number of
people He has to work with. What counts with the Lord is
that we are faithful to the task to which we have each been
called. This is precisely what Jonathan said to his armour
bearer when they went against the Philistines:
"And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour,
Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these
uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for
there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by
few." (1 Samuel 14:6)
Nowhere in the New Testament do we find any mention of the
Lord, or His Apostles, or the later Disciples keeping a
record of how many people had accepted the Lord. The Lord
doesn't need for us to keep track of such things for Him. We
are clearly told that He knows those that are His. In fact,
even the very hairs of our heads are numbered:
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19)
"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear
not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."
(Luke 12:7)
If some of these churches and organizations are keeping
track of such things, in my view, it is a proud boast.
Soul-winning for them has become nothing more than a
religion of self-righteous works. Their statistics are
merely to show how much better they believe they are than
everyone else. I was just reminded of a few more verses
which clearly point out the error of adopting this type of
an attitude:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Notice to whom the above verses are addressed. Jesus' words
are directed to those who believe in Him. They are directed
to we Christians, and not to Jews. The Jews don't even
believe in His Name. If we were to modernize the above
verses, they could just as easily read, 'Lord, Lord, have we
not won twenty-five thousand souls in thy name? And in thy
name passed out one hundred thousand Bibles? And in thy name
distributed millions of Gospel tracts? Look Lord, here are
our statistics to prove it! Surely we deserve to be part of
your Kingdom, Lord.' Doesn't that sound absolutely
sickening? Lord help us all! The Lord has His own set of
Books; and they are much larger, more accurate, and more
complete than ours could ever be. You can read all about
them in the following verse:
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and
the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their
works." (Revelation 20:12)
If there is one thought I wish to leave you with before
concluding part two of this article, it is this: No matter
who we are, or where we are, or what we are doing for the
Lord, none of us has the right to exalt ourselves beyond our
measure. None of us has the right to take the credit for
anything positive which may result from our work for the
Lord. We must all constantly remind ourselves of our lowly
state. We must all contantly remind ourselves that we are
nothing but dust. We must all constantly remind ourselves
that we are sinners. If there is anything good about us, it
is only Jesus. As the Lord said, no matter what we do for
Him, in the end, we are still unprofitable servants:
"So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things
which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:
we have done that which was our duty to do." (Luke 17:10)
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