Testing the Spirits of False Prophets

Jesus warned us that in these last days there would be false prophets, who would come to us in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  Now more than ever, we need to be on our guard against false prophets. So I'd like to examine this important task with you from Scripture, and also explain the difference between lies and L.I.E.S., both of which are dangers to the flock.

Shepherds Are Responsible to Guard the Flock
First of all, the Lord gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11 NASB).  They are to prepare God's people for works of service.  And those who are in oversight of the church must guard the flock against these wolves.

I simply mention that, because it is not really the responsibility of the newborn babe in Christ to be able to determine who is a false prophet or not.  The responsibility primarily lies with the shepherds, not the sheep to defend the flock. So if you are in such a role in the church, whatever title you wear, then the onus is on you to test false prophets, who come into range of the flock you are tending.  You cannot ignore the false prophets or neglect this duty of your ministry.  God will hold you accountable.

That said, each sheep does have a responsibility to grow up into the fullness of Christ, who is the head, so that they will no longer be tossed about by every wind of doctrine.  If the ministry gifts are doing their duty, then the members of the church will mature in this way.  Then the sheep will learn to detect potential wolves themselves.

Culinary fruit. Picture by Bill Ebbesen

Fruit Testing
Jesus did not tell us to focus so much on the doctrine of these false prophets, although that is also very important.  He taught us to test the messengers themselves, not just their message, because you cannot separate the message from the messenger!  And the method He gave us for doing so is to test their fruit.

Right after He warned us to beware of false prophets, He said, "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit."  (Mat 7:17-18 NASB).  What He meant here is that the false prophets are like bad trees, which cannot produce anything but bad fruit.  Conversely, the true messengers of God are like good trees, which can only produce good fruit.  So in order to determine if someone is a false prophet, examine their fruit. Jesus said He would cut down all the bad trees.  And He also assured us that we would be able to identify them, when He said, "So then, you will know them by their fruits. (Mat 7:20 NASB)

To check someone's fruit, look at their ways, their actions, and the results of their actions.  Look at their lifestyle, their children, their disciples, their church, and their other works. Find out what the fruit of their works are.  If you see good fruit coming forth from their life, then you can be sure that they are not a false prophet.  On the other hand, if you find bad fruit, then you can be sure they are not a true prophet.

Does that mean this person never makes a mistake?  No!  Even true men of God make mistakes.  The difference is that they correct themselves immediately when they realize they've been mistaken.  And when they realize they've sinned, they repent immediately. They don't go on living that way.

The apostle Paul's credentials were questioned by false apostles, who were disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2Co 11:13-15). Paul's response was to show to the Corinthians his good fruit, which were his labors for Christ, imprisonments, beatings, near death experiences, whippings, being stoned, shipwrecked, being on frequent journeys, in dangers of many kinds, as well as his hardships, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, going without food, in cold and exposure. (2Co 11:23-27). By showing his fruit, he felt he was able to prove his true apostolic calling. Likewise, if someone is loving God with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving his neighbor as himself, then that's the kind of good fruit you want to find!

Fruit testing is essential and cannot be bypassed.  Yet so many times I see people rejecting a message without bothering to check the fruit of the messenger.  My friend, if you are a shepherd over a flock or actively serving the Church as one of the five ministry gifts, you cannot skip the fruit test!  You cannot say that you didn't have time or any personal interest in checking the fruit.  You have to do it.

As the apostle John wrote: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1Jo 4:1 NASB).  Notice he said, "test the spirits."  He then went on to explain by saying that every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.   Conversely, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.  It's pretty basic.

Peter gave examples of some of the bad fruit that accompanies false prophets and false teachers. For example, they often "deny the Master who bought them," while others are involved in sensuality or greed. (2Pe 2:1-3). Paul also described some aspects he had seen, like pushiness, pride, control, and physical abuse (2 Cor 11:20). Those would be the kind of things you're looking for when testing fruit.

But people prefer to simply go strictly on their knowledge of the Bible and what they believe it says, and if someone's message does not agree with that, then they don't accept it.  This is not what Jesus taught. If you don't do what He says to do, and you simply call Him "Lord, Lord," you will be cast away from His presence in the end into everlasting destruction.  All you have to do is follow Matthew 7 to the end of the chapter and you will see what I mean.  Obey Jesus' command on how to test for false prophets, and don't rely solely on your own understanding of the Bible.

Likewise, Jesus wants us to check and see if a messenger obeys the words of Jesus, or whether he only calls Jesus "Lord," but does not do what He says.  That is the true test of a false prophet, in my opinion.  It is not simply making an intellectual evaluation of doctrine (information), analyzing only what a man teaches, and comparing that to your own interpretation of Scripture. It is also not simply a matter of evaluating his gifts.

Now to underscore what I've just said about fruit testing, I'd like to show (in the table below) what Jesus said, by comparing how Matthew and Luke recorded his teaching about dealing with false prophets:

Gospel of Matthew Passage	Gospel of Luke Passage
(Not in Matthew)	"Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets." (Luk 6:22-23 NASB)
(Not in Matthew)	"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. (Luk 6:26 NASB)
(Not in Matthew)	And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? (Luk 6:39 NASB)
"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Mat 7:4-5 NASB)	"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. (Luk 6:41-42 NASB)
"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Mat 7:15 NASB)	(Not in Luke)
"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit."  (Mat 7:17-18 NASB)	"For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit." (Luk 6:43 NASB)
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mat 7:19 NASB)	"Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (Luk 3:9 NASB)
"So then, you will know them by their fruits. (Mat 7:20 NASB)	"For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. (Luk 6:44 NASB)
(Not in Matthew)	"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luk 6:45 NASB)

Here are some of my observations from this comparison:

1. Just because a person is hated and men ostracize them, insult them, and scorn their name as evil, it does not mean they are a false prophet.  The true prophets of God were treated this way.   Don't assume without checking the person's fruit! If they have good fruit, truly living in a way that is pleasing to God, and they are hated, ostracized, scorned for the sake of their devotion to Christ, then they are blessed.
2. Just because a person is well-liked and everyone speaks well of him, it does not mean he is a true prophet.  False prophets are usually treated this way, so you still need to check fruit. And ask yourself if all men speak well of you. If so, then woe to you!
3. If you yourself are blind, you cannot lead others who are blind.  So first be sure that you are not blind.  If you say you can see, when in fact you are blind, the Lord will consider you guilty. Don't attempt to test a false prophet without first testing yourself for possible blind spots.
4. If you've got a log in your own eye, then all you will see will be logs in the eyes of others.  So don't try to test for false prophets until you first get the log out of your own eye!  I call this L.I.E.S., which stands for "Log In Eye Syndrome."  Would you want to have an eye doctor or friend trying to remove something from your eye, if they were blinded by a log in their own eye?  The Pharisees and other religious leaders of Jerusalem had logs in their eyes, and whenever they looked at Jesus, all they could see was logs or specks. In the end, they said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?" They answered, "He deserves death!" (Mat 26:65-66 NASB).  I've seen people jump to conclusions like this about true messengers of God, or about their messages.  Beware of this and don't repeat the same mistake!
5. The final destiny of anyone who does not produce good fruit is the same as that of a bad tree -- thrown into the fire (Mt 7:19; Luk 3:9; Jn 15:6).  This is very serious!  It's not your job to burn them.  God will take care of that. First make sure you are not the one who's failing to bear good fruit.  And then if you test someone else and discover bad fruit, don't follow them or their message.
6. You will know them by their fruits. (Mt 7:20; Lk 6:44).  Bad fruit = bad tree = false prophet.  Good fruit = good tree = true messenger. Their fruit includes everything that comes forth from their life, including attitudes, deeds, and words. 
7. Do not disregard what someone says with their mouth.  That's part of their fruit. Their prophecy, vision, dream, teaching, or message will overflow out of the abundance of their heart, so you should check it for evil. They must preach what is in accordance with sound doctrine. Anything they say that contradicts the teachings of Christ and His apostles is bad fruit and is evil. However, the definition of evil is NOT simply anything you disagree with theologically. If you find any evil, then don't receive the messenger. And listen to their words outside the message they give for the Lord.  If they speak evil, then you know their heart is full of evil also.

Two Attitudes
There are basically two, possible attitudes you could have when testing false prophets.   One is the "Zechariah attitude" and the other is the "Mary attitude." You can find these in Luke 1.

When the angel Gabriel told the elderly Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth would have a baby, he doubted, saying, “How can I be sure of this?" (Lk 1:18a).  As a result, Gabriel struck him with muteness until the prophecy was fulfilled. 

Conversely, when Gabriel told the virgin, Mary that she would conceive a child, she said almost the same words as Zechariah did.  She initially said, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34). Yet her attitude was not one of doubt like Zechariah.  It was one of faith and obedience, because she later said, "may it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38).  The angel and the Lord saw the difference, and she was blessed by God.

When you listen to or read a message, and you are unsure whether it is true, approach it with a "Mary attitude" not a "Zechariah attitude."

Shouldn't We Search the Scriptures?
When Paul preached to the people of Berea, they checked what he said against the word.  The Bible says, they were "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."  So shouldn't we do the same? Yes, but again, your attitude in doing so must be the same as the Bereans. Their attitude was that they "they received the word with great eagerness." (Ac 17:11).

When you listen to or read someone's message from the Lord, until your test has proven them to be false, receive the word with great eagerness and definitely examine the Scriptures to see whether the things they are saying are truly so.

Testing the Spirits
As I wrote in The Rise of Antichrists, the apostle John warned us that there would be many antichrists.  He warned us to test the spirits, and not to believe them all.  He gave us a simple way to test them, saying, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." (1Jn 4:1-3).  According to this simple test, the way you know whether the spirit by which a person speaks is from God is that it confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.  On the other hand, every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.  This is a helpful test.

However, even then we must be careful, because plenty of false religions confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, such as the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.  The Mormons do not believe the Bible to be inerrant, complete or the final word of God; therefore, they have accepted false doctrines that nullify the Word of God.  Likewise, the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and they consider themselves devoted followers of His. However, they too hold to false teachings, such as their belief that Jesus Christ was Michael, the archangel, who came in the flesh!  They do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. Therefore, while John's simple litmus test of the spirits is helpful, it alone will not expose all false prophets.  We should view it as a basic, first-level test of the spirits.  That is why we also need the "fruit test" given to us by our Lord Jesus, as well as the "Berean test," which I have already explained earlier.

When Does Unity Take Priority?
Oftentimes people want to maintain unity in the Body at all costs.  But that is not biblical either.  Jesus said He did not come to bring peace, but division.  "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luk 12:51-53 NASB). So when is it appropriate to set aside differences for the sake of unity?

In the fifth century, Augustine said, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” This really sums it up well, so please allow me to explain what it means.

In Non Essentials, Liberty
If two parties have differing views or practices that are non-essential, and they either cannot come to agreement, or they see no need to be in agreement on those matters, then they should overlook their differences. This is a case where they need to give liberty to one another.

Perhaps one party prefers a choir at their church, and the other prefers a worship team.  Or one prefers pews to cushioned chairs.  Or one likes to shout when he preaches and the other prefers to speak calmly.  Or they differ on whether Matthias or Paul replaced Judas as the twelfth apostle.  Unity takes priority over these differences.

In Essentials Unity
On the other hand, when at least one party believes that the matter is an essential one in the Christian faith, and that it cannot be any other way, then they must work to resolve the difference.  There is no other option.  One party cannot counsel the other to stop focusing on the matter, and expect to silence them on something they believe is essential.  Doing so would violate the person's conscience and deeply held convictions.

One example would be if one party believes that Jesus did not come in the flesh.  Anyone who does not believe that Jesus came in the flesh is not from God. We cannot compromise on this.  So the person who does not believe that Jesus came in the flesh must either get into agreement with the Word or lose the relationship with the other party. The same goes for anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God's Son, or that there are many ways to be saved through other religions apart from Christ.

Another example would be if someone receives a revelation from God, such as the Lord speaking to him or taking him to heaven or hell to witness something first-hand. Such a person would have a testimony about his experience and would speak about the revelation God gave to him.  If someone else has a reservation about his experiences and his message, they cannot simply dismiss it as not from God, unless it clearly contradicts plain Scripture.  Otherwise, they cannot simply say it's not what the Bible says.

The person who is confronted with this other one, who's had the revelation, dream or vision from the Lord must do due diligence to test the fruit of the one they suspect could be a false prophet.  If they find the fruit to be good, and the message does not contradict Scripture, then they need to come into unity with the person receiving the revelation.

In All Things, Love
Regardless of whether the matter is one of essentials or non-essentials, we have to always treat people with love.  We need to treat them the way we would like to be treated (Luk 6:31).  So in the process of checking fruit and making a determination, our attitude and behavior must be a loving one.  The apostle Paul said,

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1Co 13:4-7 NASB)  That's how we should handle someone we suspect could be a false prophet. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of darkness.

When Paul said love believes all things, I think there are at least a couple different applications.  We should believe all things the person is saying, until we have proven them false. Don't begin with the assumption that what they say is a lie. If you do so, then you yourself may have L.I.E.S. Secondly, assume they are innocent until proven guilty.  The US justice system is based on this principle.  Give them the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, lest you find yourself rejecting one of God's true messengers.

You need to love the Truth (2 Thes 2:10). However, bear in mind that we all know just a part of the truth, and we prophesy in part. "For we know in part and we prophesy in part;" (1Co 13:9 NASB).  This means that no single individual or church has a corner on the Truth.  The Lord has given part of it to various members of the Body, so that we are dependent upon each other.  Therefore, don’t just love the part of the truth that you or your church group subscribes to.  Ask the Lord to show you the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  And remember that the Truth is a Person, whose name is Jesus Christ, and who speaks through His mufti-faceted Body.

Rejecting Jesus
You need to be very careful you don't reject Jesus in the process of testing for a false prophet.  If the person is a true messenger of God and you reject them, then you are rejecting Jesus.  He told His disciples, “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects Me.” (Lk 10:16). He also said that whatever you do to the least of these brothers of His, you do it to Him.

The way to avoid possibly rejecting Jesus is to prepare your own heart through repentance.  Those who had been baptized with the baptism of repentance, by John the Baptist, acknowledged God's justice. (see Luk 7:29).  John's calling was to preach that people should prepare the way for the Lord through repentance (see Mk 1:3-4). Those who did so were well positioned to receive Jesus.

"But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John." (Luk 7:30 NASB).  Beware you are not like the Pharisees and lawyers, who did not repent.  It is possible to repent and to know you have repented, yet, have no fruits of repentance. In that case, you have repented with no evidence. There is no broken heart, no sincerity!  If you are like that, then you are positioned to reject God's purpose for yourself.  You could easily end up rejecting one of God's messengers, and thereby rejecting Jesus.

You’ve got to receive the kingdom like a little child, or you will not enter it at all (Mk 10:15; Lk 18:17).  So have a childlike attitude in the way you receive kingdom messengers.  Remember that Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. He also told His disciples, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. (Mat 10:40). This means that when you receive a true messenger of God, you receive Him.

Therefore, you’ll receive a prophet’s reward, if you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, and you’ll receive a righteous man’s reward, if you receive a righteous man as a righteous man (Mk 10:40). Conversely, if you do not listen to the prophet of God or righteous messenger, it will certainly not bode well for you.  Jesus told His disciples to shake the dust off their feet against the town of those who would not listen to them, as a testimony against them.  And He said it would be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for such a town.

Listening to Input
It’s important to always remain accountable, correctable, and teachable, as I have written about in another blog.  Appolos was like that.  Although he was eloquent, mighty in the Scriptures, fervent in spirit, instructed in the way of the Lord, speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, he was only acquainted with John's baptism of repentance.  "But when Priscilla and Aquila...took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately," he received their input and made the adjustment. 

So does that mean that we do everything that people counsel us to to or believe everything they tell us to believe?  No.  Each of us must ultimately determine through prayer, the Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit what the Lord is saying. 

There will be times when someone holds fast to what they are firmly convinced of in God's Word to be true, and they don't waiver from it.  They sincerely believe the Lord has made it clear that this is an "essential."  If they do not back down from their position, when you try to give them input or share your concerns, you should be careful not to assume they are closed to input or refusing to listen. Consider the other possibility that it could be you who is unwilling to listen.

Even Appolos, once he made the adjustment, went on to "powerfully refute the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ." (Act 18:28 NASB). He stood firm against them in debate.

Martin Luther

Peter and John are also good examples.  The religious leaders of Jerusalem ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. "But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." (Act 4:19-20 NASB). The Council members could easily say that the apostles were not listening to them or not receiving their counsel.  I only use this as an example to show that there are situations like this when we disciples need to stand our ground, because we must always obey God, even if it means disobeying man.

Stephen was like this, too. Some men from a synagogue rose up to argue with him, "but they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking." (Act 6:10 NASB).  He didn't go looking for an argument, yet when they brought one to him, he didn't compromise, but spoke boldly for the Lord.

The Lord did promise to give us words and wisdom that none of our adversaries would be able to resist or contradict (Lk 21:15).  This means there will be times when you need to stand up for what you believe and not back down.  Just be meek and humble about it.

Martin Luther, the reformer that preached against abuses and false doctrines in the Catholic Church, was given the opportunity to recant some of his statements: “Do you defend them all or do you care to reject a part?”

He replied without horns or teeth, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils because they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.” There before the Diet of Worms, Germany in 1521, he took his stand for the truth, knowing he could be burned at the stake like his predecessor, Jan Hus.

Jan Hus

About a hundred years earlier, Hus had preached against the doctrines of the Catholic Church, such as indulgences.  His opponents displayed bad fruit in the way they handled it.  They also failed to check his fruit.  They based their test solely on the fact that he didn't agree with their official position.  When given the chance to recant his teachings, he refused to do so.  He cried out to God for help, and they silenced him.

He later fell upon his knees and asked God with a low voice to forgive all his enemies. His last words were, "Christ, son of the Living God, have mercy on us!"  This is another great example of someone who didn't back down from the truth, and whom the Church viewed as a false teacher.  Consequently, in 1415 they burned him at the stake for it.

Putting it All Together

I have written about this today, because I believe these are widespread issues in the church.  This is not about one isolated incident, but a pattern I have seen in various places.  Let's not be ignorant of the enemy's schemes.

We live in the last days when deception from false prophets is on the rise.  If we were to count all the false prophets in the world today, I suppose it would number in the hundreds or thousands.  They are wolves in sheep's clothing.

The Church needs to watch out for them, and the shepherds are responsible to identify them.  But the Church needs to stop using merely the intellectual test of doctrinal correctness (although that is certainly still needed), and return once again to the true test of the false prophet that Jesus commanded -- the fruit test.

Otherwise you could end up rejecting God's purpose for your life and treat true messengers like false prophets.  This would be a symptom of having a condition known as L.I.E.S.  The Lord knows that this is the evil generation, and that even many Christians are not believing correctly.  So in His mercy, He is giving prophecies, visions, dreams, and revelations to many people on an unprecedented level, in order to warn the Church to wake up.  But you have a choice to either disregard them all, and throw out their message, or test the fruit of these messengers.

There are two dangers affecting the Church -- lies and L.I.E.S.  And you need to do your part to guard against both.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The images of John Hus and Martin Luther are faithful photographic reproductions of original two-dimensional works of art. The works of art are in the public domain and images were taken from Wikimedia Commons.The portrait of Luther was done by Lucas Cranach the Elder, a German Renaissance painter.

Author's note:  Also see Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Discerning the Things of the Spirit, Exposing Heresy, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Scripture Alone, The Rise of Antichrists, Sequence of Signs Preceding the Coming of Christ, and Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?  And I invite you to visit Eternal Destinations, where you will find many testimonies of people claiming to have a revelation from God, a vision, or a dream.  You can find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The New Wine

The Lord has a new wine for us that is unlike the old wine in many ways. It's the new wine of the Spirit.

When Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove and remained.  After he was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil, he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luk 4:14).  He read from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to preach the good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and proclaims the year of the Lord's favor (Luk 4:18-19).  

But the Pharisees and teachers of the law had tasted the old wine.  It was good enough for them, and made them feel good.  So they tried to "put Him into a box," so to speak.  They attempted to place human expectations on Him, based on their old models, which he would not accept.  Instead He told a parable about new wine, which explained what He had that the religious leaders didn't.  Let’s see what the new wine does:

Makes Old Wineskins Burst

We all know that wine is made from crushing grapes, releasing the juices. Then the juice is fermented, so that it converts to alcohol.  This process of fermentation releases gases as the chemical process occurs.  This process takes time, and while it is happening, there needs to be a place for the gases to go.

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.” (Luk 5:37 NASB)

Greek: G4486 rhēssō  - hrace'-so - break (forth), burst, rend, tear.  See Luk 5:37.

Old wineskins will easily crack, if they are put inder high pressure from gases of fermentation.  So nobody would ever put new wine into old wineskins.  Instead, the new wine should be put into new wineskins.  The new wine represents the Holy Spirit and his operation.  This will never fit into the rigid forms of godliness and old structures of traditional religion. If we attempt to do so, it would result in a burst and spillage, since the old forms could not contain it.

Breaks Old Nets

Although the disciples had been fishing all night, they knew Jesus had power and authority, so they obeyed when He told them to put out into the deep water and let down their nets.

"When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;" (Luk 5:6 NASB)

The Greek word here for “burst” is diarrhēssō (dee-ar-hrayce'-so), meaning "to tear asunder: - break, rend." (Strongs). See Luk 5:6

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men." (Luk 5:10 NASB). So this miracle was meant to illustrate how the Lord will enable us to catch men for Him.  It’s a picture of bringing souls to Christ, under the power of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the Lord’s command.  It’s in contrast to the old, traditional church system and way of operating.

After Peter got the new wine on the Day of Pentecost, he preached and the Holy Spirit brought thousands of souls into his net for Christ.  The new wine breaks old nets.

Breaks All Barriers to the Spread of the Gospel 

Although Jesus told the leper, after he healed him, to “tell no one,” the news about Him spread even farther.

“And He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” (Luk 5:14-15 NASB)

The new wine breaks through all barriers to the spread of the gospel.

Makes “Holes in the Roof” (Bursts Buildings)

I remember once when I was in the small village of Gradina, Bulgaria back in 1993.  This was soon after the fall of communism. I was part of a Spirit-filled missions team that was ministering there, and I was privileged to be the one to preach on that occasion. The house where I was preaching was full, and the people outside removed the windows, so they could stand outside to watch and listen.  All glory to Jesus!  It was not about me, since I was completely unknown to the people of this village.

During Jesus ministry, there was a paralytic man whose friends heard that Jesus was healing people at a certain house. So they brought the paralytic to the house, but could found the place full of people, and the entrance blocked.

“But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.” (Luk 5:19 NASB)

Notice how Jesus always stayed connected to the Father, where the flow of this wine came from by the Spirit.  But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. (Luk 5:16 NASB)

It was because of His communion with the Father that the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. (Luk 5:17 NASB)

Due to the crowds, the desperate people made a hole in the roof, so they could let their friend down in front of Jesus.  The new wine is like this.  It bursts buildings.  People will make a new opening in the building to get some of the new wine.

Breaks Old, Religious Barriers 

Matthew Levi, the tax collector followed Jesus, and all his sinner friends wanted to do the same along with him. It was not typical or accepted for a rabbi to keep company with such sinners.

The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luk 5:30-32 NASB)

The new wine breaks all those man-made social barriers, so that sinners will be attracted to righteousness, getting radically saved, and bringing many of their friends into the kingdom.

Makes Old Garments Tear 

“And He was also telling them a parable: No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.’” (Luk 5:36 NASB)

The word "tear" here comes from the Greek: schizō - skhid'-zo - break, divide, open, rend, make a rent. See Luk 5:36. This word "skhidzo" is also used in Luk 23:45: “the veil of the temple was torn in two.” The veil was part of the old, and could not contain the new.

So the new wine is like a new piece of cloth, which will shrink when it is washed.  If it is sewn to an old garment, then when it shrinks and the old garment doesn't shrink with it, this will cause the new cloth to tear.  Besides, the color of the new will not match, since the old cloth is faded and the new is not.  So the new wine or new garment doesn't fit at all with the old.

 

Putting it All Together

This new wine is so much better than the old wine, however, those who have already tasted the old wine prefer that to the new one.  But for those who have not tasted the old wine, when they taste the new one, they leave everything for it.

The disciples Peter, James, and John did this. “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” (Luk 5:11 NASB). They had the best day ever in their fishing business, and that’s the day they left all that to follow the Lord. 

Matthew Levi also did the same thing.  “And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.” (Luk 5:28 NASB)

This new wine cannot be put into old wineskins.  It makes old wineskins burst, old garments tear, and old nets break.  When we follow the Lord obediently in the power of the Spirit, it will make holes in the roof, because the old entrances will not longer be big enough. It will burst buildings, so they cannot contain it.  It will also break down man-made, religious barriers that keep sinners from coming to Christ, and will break all barriers to the spread of the gospel.

This new wine flows from the Father in heaven by the Spirit, so you have to stay connected to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.  It means that when the Lord is doing amazing things through you, that are blowing everyone away, you have to get alone with the Lord in prayer to seek His face.

Don’t settle for the old wine, although it may taste good and make you feel good.  Cry out for the new wine that is much better and more powerful beyond all comparison.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The "Celebrate the Bloom" fine art © 2013 is by Dee Lessard. All rights reserved by the artist. The "Miraculous Draught of Fishes" image from the Wikimedia Commons is a photograph by Alexander R. Pruss of an oil on canvas painting by Jacobo Bassano in 1545, which is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. The "Jesus Laughing" image © 2013 is from Praise Prints by Ralph Kozak.  All rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note:  For more about the new wine, also see Baptized with the Spirit, The Bubbling Forth of the Spirit's New Wine, Ten Divine Expressions for Spirit Baptism, and Holy Fire Baptism. If you enjoyed this post, you  may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Discerning the Things of the Spirit

Alleged angel on water

Sometimes I share testimonies of my own or others, which some people consider to be bizarre.  I am well aware that these testimonies may seem strange.  That should not come as a surprise, since the Scriptures tell us that God has prepared for those who love Him things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man. (1Co 2:9)

However, whether or not they are strange is not the indicator of their origin.  A person’s experience may or may not have come from God.  It could be a product of their imagination or could even be inspired by demons. But you cannot determine the source of their experience through logical analysis or natural, human methods.  The apostle Paul said, “…a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1Co 2:14)

Two women allegedly see angel

Yet we know that God does sometimes give dreams, visions, prophecies, and even performs miraculous signs.  And we need to be careful not to despise these things.  As Peter said, “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;” (1Th 5:19-21).  The range of things the Holy Spirit does is quite broad.  When we gather together, one should have a psalm that the Lord gave, a revelation, a prophecy, a teaching, a tongue, or an interpretation (1 Co 14:26).  These are all to be given in order and for edification. So be careful not to quench the Spirit or reject people’s experiences and testimonies without proper examination.  The only way we can know whether something is authentic is to examine it carefully. 

Most Christians understand that the Word of God is our standard used to test all things.  But even when you read the Bible, you cannot rely upon your human intellect to understand the Word.  Only the Holy Spirit can give revelation, illumination and understanding of the Word and supernatural experiences. This is why we must not make a hasty judgment of anything, but rather pray much about it and seek the help of the Holy Spirit to determine if it is genuine.  Many people spend time in the Bible and have accumulated much knowledge of it, but they do not have a deep prayer life.  They are not spiritual men.  And we know that knowledge has the ability to puff us up with pride. So we must be careful to maintain a strong and vibrant prayer life, being spiritual men and women. He who is spiritual appraises all things (1 Co 2:15).

Alleged angel on hospital security camera

So we can only know spiritual things through the Word and the Spirit.  Paul said, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1Co 2:10-13).  He said we have received the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 

This is key to understanding everything, including the Word of God and experiences recorded outside the Bible, such as modern day ones we hear today.  God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9) We must not expect that God’s ways or thoughts are like ours or on the same level as ours. But the Spirit of God gives us the mind of Christ, so that we may know His thoughts and His ways. 

Alleged angel by car

These things do not lie on the surface. They are revealed to those who earnestly seek the Lord in prayer.  "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' (Jer 33:2-3), If you want the Lord to tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know, you must call to Him fervently and He will answer you.

Biblical Signs,Wonders, and Oddities
Consider the following examples of things in Scripture that most Bible believing Christians accept as genuinely from God, but which natural men without the Spirit of God would consider foolish or odd.  As you read these things, think about how you would perceive or view them, if you were present when they actually happened, and had never read them in the Bible.  Or what if you heard testimonies about such things at the time that they happened?  Think about how you would judge these things:

1. A man lying on his side, tied with ropes, for over a year (390 days), and cooking his own food there on a fire made from excrement (Ezek 4:9-12)
2. A man going around in public stripped and barefoot for three years and saying God told him to do it (Is 20:2-3)
3. A man offering his son up to God as a human sacrifice, and being prepared to kill him in obedience to God (Gen 21:1-9)
4. A man building an ark that floats on water when it had never rained before (Gen 6:14-22)
5. A donkey that talks (Num 22:28)
6. Putting spit on someone’s tongue to heal him from muteness (Mk 7:33)
7. Spitting into someone’s eyes to heal him from blindness (Mk 8:23)
8. Angels with wheels within wheels that are full of eyes round about (Ezek 1:15-21)
9. Four living creatures in front of God’s throne with eyes all over their body (Rev 4:8)
10. The feet of Jesus being like polished brass glowing in a furnace (Rev 1:15)
11. Jesus having a double-edged sword proceeding from His mouth (Rev 1:16)
12. Tongues of fire appearing over each person in a prayer meeting (Ac 2:3) 
13. People speaking in tongues (languages) that they have not learned (Ac 2:4) and which they could not understand (1 Co 14:14).
14. A man of God taking for his wife a prostitute and saying God told him to do it (Hos 1:2).
15. A bush that burns without being consumed (Ex 3:3)
16. A staff that turns into a serpent (Ex 4:3)
17. A sea parting when a man lifts his staff and his hand (Ex 14:16-21)
18. A city shaped like a foursquare cube that is about 1,500 miles high! And its length and width are equal to its height. (Rev 21:16)
19. Mighty walls of a city being brought down flat by men shouting (Jos 6:20)
20. A man not being allowed by God to cry when his wife dies (Ezek 24:15-18)
21. A shepherd boy killing a mighty giant with nothing but a sling shot and a smooth stone (1 Sam 17:49)
22. Fire coming from the mouths of two men and killing their enemies (Rev 11:5)
23. A man being swallowed by a big fish, remaining inside of it for three days, and living to tell about it (Jonah 1:17; 2:1)
24. A man being thrown into a den of hungry lions, remaining their overnight, and coming out the next day without a single scratch (Dan 6:16-22)
25. A man escaping from prison without being seen, when all the doors are locked and he is chained to guards (Act 5:5-12)
26. A man wrestling with God (Gen 32:24-30)
27. A man saying you must drink his blood and eat his flesh in order to have eternal life (Jn 6:53)
28. Making man from the dust (Gen 2:7)
29. Creating a woman out of a man’s rib (Gen 2:22)
30. Turning water into wine (Jn 2:7-9)
31. A river parting when a man strikes it with his cloak (2 Kin 2:8)
32. A man rising from the dead and walking through walls and locked doors (Jn 20:26)
33. A man walking on water (Mt 14:25)
34. Multiplying a few fish and loaves to feed thousands of people (Mt 14:17-19)
35. Speaking to stormy water and wind and making them calm (Mt 8:26)
36. Jesus saying He is coming to bring a sword not peace (Mt 10:24)
37. A man being told that he cannot go to bury his dead father if he wants to follow Jesus (Mt 8:22)
38. Being told that you must hate your parents to follow Jesus (Lk 14:26)
39. Drawing a city on a clay tablet and laying siege to it (Ezek 4:1-2)
40. Making an iron axe head float (2 Kin 6:6)
41. Laying on top of a dead boy, hand to hand, eye to eye, and mouth to mouth, and raising him from the dead (2 King 4:34)
42. Calling down fire on soldiers (2 King 1:12)
43. Being fed by ravens (1 King 17:6)
44. Earth's rotation stops and time stands still (Josh 10)
45. Making the shadow go backwards, back in time (2 King 20:9-11)
46. Three men are bound and thrown into a blazing furnace that is so hot that the heat kills the soldiers throwing them in, but the three men walk around inside the furnace unbound and unharmed.  They come out alive without smelling like smoke, without damage to their trousers, or even a hair on their body being singed. (Dan 3:27)
47. Being caught up into Paradise and coming back to tell about it (2 Cor 12:2-4)
48. A man claiming that through his sufferings he is filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col 1:24)
49. Tears being stored in a bottle in heaven (Ps 56:8)
50. A man disappearing from a desert road to Gaza outside Jerusalem and reappearing far away in Azotus without natural means of transport (Ac 8:39-40)
51. Running faster than a chariot (1 King 18:46)
52. Quail and flaky food called manna falling from heaven (Ex 16:4,13)
53. Water coming out of a rock (Num 20:11)
54. Slaughtering every man, woman, and child in a city during war (Josh 8:24-26)
55. The Lord speaking face to face with a man (Dt 5:4)
56. God writing something on stone tablets with his own hands, so that it can be seen, read, and touched (Dt 5:22)
57. A human hand appearing and writing on a wall (Dan 5:5)
58. The Lord coming to a city on earth to confirm reports about wickedness that have reached His ears in heaven (Gen 18:20-22)
59. Striking a proconsul with blindness for interfering with the preaching of the gospel (Act 13:11)
60. Two Christians dropping dead before the elders for lying (Acts 5:5,10)
61. A wooden rod that suddenly sprouts and puts forth buds, blossoms, and almonds overnight (Num 17:8)
62. An army prevailing over their enemy only while their leader’s hand is raised up, and their enemy prevailing when his hand drops down (Ex 17:11)

As you consider the implications of all these things for today, remember that God is the same God.  He hasn't changed.  He says, "I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a).  The psalmist said to the Lord, "You remain the same" (Ps 102: 27a).  And "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hb 13:8). He still does supernatural things in the world today like He did in days of old. 

The Concern Over Things That Are Extra Biblical

Angel with drawn sword caught on security camera

It's very important to keep the Word of God as our sole rule of faith and our ultimate authority for judging everything outside the Bible. But does that mean we cannot trust anything extra Biblical? 

Are prophecies, dreams, visions and revelations from the Lord extrabiblical? Are testimonies of salvation, healing, deliverance, and miracles extrabiblical? Sure they are.  But we can judge these to determine if they are valid or not. Just because they are extra Biblical does not automatically mean they are unbiblical.

Here are some other things that are extrabiblical that are commonly accepted by many preachers:

• The Works of Flavius Josephus, the first century Jewish historian who wrote Antiquities of the Jews, which refers to Jesus in books 18 and 20.
• Foxe's Book of Martyrs, which affirms that the apostle John "was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury." 
• Various Bible commentaries
• Greek dictionaries and lexicons
• Bible dictionaries
• Bible Encyclopedias
• Various Christian books, including testimonies of salvation, healing, deliverance, and miracles
• Christian hymns, poems, and songs
• Christian art forms of all kinds, including paintings, videos, drama, dance, etc.

Quoting from these sources does not generally receive any backlash, since it is understood that the Bible is the final authority, not these.  And quoting these sources or mentioning them does not constitute agreement with everything they say, nor does it mean we consider them infallible.

Putting it All Together

You cannot put God in a box.  His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than ours. Man needs to go to God’s level of thinking and acting, instead of God coming down to man’s level. The Lord has revealed these things to little children, not to the wise and learned. We must have childlike faith to enter the kingdom of God. 

Don’t forget that it was the learned elders who knew the Scriptures well that rejected Jesus and said he did miracles by the power of satan.  They also rejected the message of the cross that the apostles preached.  The cross is a stumbling block to Jews, who cannot fathom their true Messiah dying such a shameful death.  And it’s foolishness to the Greeks, who think that anyone who believes in a God that died on a cross is a fool.  The Lord chose a very unlikely way to save the world through the cross.

And the Lord will often use vessels that we consider unlikely. He may reveal deep things to the uneducated, the simple-minded, the outcast or the poor.  He could even reveal things to someone who is not accepted by the mainstream church. So watch out not to toss out something from one of these people whom you think could not be used by God.  With that said, it does help to know the life and character of the vessel, and whether they are living a life of devotion to the Lord without compromise.  It’s also important to humble yourself and double-check your own life as well.  If there is some hidden sin in your life that you don’t see, this could definitely impair your ability to correctly judge the things of the Spirit.

Prophecies, miracles, healings, dreams, visions and revelations from the Lord did not stop after the first century.  The dead are still raised. Believers still speak with new tongues and cast out demons. The apostle Paul was not the last or only person to be caught up into Paradise. These things still happen today.  And they may seem foolish, bizarre, or strange to us initially. So be careful not to quench the Spirit or despise the supernatural things the Lord chooses to do in His own wisdom and love for His people.  Be very careful not to reject a supernatural phenomenon as though it is from the devil, unless you are certain.  Doing so could be blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, if the manifestation is in fact a work of the Holy Spirit. 

If some manifestation or experience does not agree with your theology, first consider the possibility that your theology could be wrong.  Examine these things carefully. Test them with much prayer and the Word. Search the Scriptures. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, determine whether they are from the Lord.  If they are from the Lord, then they are meant for the edification of the Body, even though they will not become part of the Bible.  Therefore, it's appropriate to share them in any format that will be effective, so that others can benefit from it, knowing that there will always be those who will consider these things to be bizarre.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  Also see A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Exposing Heresy, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and Eternal Destinations.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog, such as Baptized with the Spirit, Holy Fire Baptism, The Holy Spirit Speaks, The Holy Trinity, and The Spirit without Limit. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

___________________________________________________

Photo Credits: 
 "Angel on hospital security camera" from Heavenly Angel visits dying girl, Angel caught on video!
"Two Women Seeing Angel" and "Angel by Car" from Angels and Demons Captured on Film
"Angel on the Water" from Real Angels Caught on Tape.

___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Holy Fire Baptism

I was first introduced to the holy fire baptism through a book by brother Yong-Doo Kim, called Baptize by Blazing Fire.  I encourage you to read all five books, as I have described in another blog (see here).  There you will see from one church's experience how we receive it, why it is so important, and some of the practical aspects of it in the life of the disciple of Christ.

I have personally experienced this and it has changed my life.  But sometimes I meet people who say that the holy fire is not found in the Bible.  I realize this is controversial, but I want to ask you to be very careful not to deny the Holy Spirit's work.  Consider this matter reverently in fervent prayer to the Lord, searching the Scriptures and seeking to know whether it is truly from God.

In order to help you, I would like to first show you the Scriptures about God's holy fire.  And then I would like to share some people other than brother Kim, who have had divine revelations regarding the holy fire that further corroborate this teaching, and confirm my own experiences.  Lastly, I would like to explain what usually happens when a person receives the holy fire.

Jesus Baptizes in Holy Blazing Fire
John the Baptist said, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mat 3:11)

John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luk 3:16)

Some people make the mistake in thinking that when you are baptized in water, you simultaneously receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is an incorrect belief.  There is a second experience in which the Lord baptizes the believer with the Holy Spirit.  Those who refuse to acknowledge this are missing one of the greatest blessings God has for His people.  For more about the Holy Spirit baptism, you can read my blog about that (see here).

However, some people who have received both water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit also fail to realize that the Lord has a third baptism.  They assume that the fire baptism is one and the same as the Holy Spirit baptism.  This too is error.  The Lord truly has a third baptism for us.  And John the Baptist made that clear when he said, "He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

God a consuming fire
For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:29)  Therefore it should not surprise you that the Lord is able to baptize His people with fire.  In this same passage, He says that He is once again going to shake both the heavens and the earth, so that everything which can be shaken will be shaken.

Since God is holy, we know that He is a holy fire, as well.  And when He baptizes you in fire, it is a holy fire.

Refiner's Fire
The Lord says that before He comes, He will send His messenger to prepare His people.  We know that He did this through John the Baptist before His first coming, and He is doing it again now right before His second coming.  "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness." (Mal 3:3; cf., Zech 13:9)

When a refiner purifies gold or silver, he places it in a vessel and then puts intensely hot fire beneath it.  The precious metal melts, and the worthless material inside of it comes to the surface, where it is scooped off and removed.  Then the metal is cooled, and the process is repeated again later as many times as necessary until the gold or silver is pure.

I, for one, desire the refiner's fire to burn up all the worthless dross within me.  I hope you do also.

A Burning Coal Purified the Prophet Isaiah

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." (Isa 6:5-7)

When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord, he was ruined.  He sensed his own uncleanness.  But when he cried out in repentance, a seraphim took a burning coal in his hand and touched Isaiah's lips with it.  When this flaming coal touched his lips, it purified him.  The holy fire has a purifying effect, because it is from heaven where Jesus serves as our Great High Priest.

Now for a moment, I would like to share some extra-biblical testimonies that further corroborate this Biblical teaching.  These are people who have had divine revelations.  If you believe the Lord gives divine revelations like dreams, visions, prophecies, and visitations, according to Joel 2 and Acts 2, then you must acknowledge that this is one of the works of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, we need to test these experiences.  But if they are genuine, then we need to heed their message.

Holy Fire of God – from Anna Rountree’s books
The first one I will share is that of Anna Rountree.  In the mid-1990's she visited heaven.  During one visit, the Father said to her:

"The fire of My holiness, the fire of My love, the fire of My compassion, the fire of My wisdom, the fire of My understanding, the fire of My knowledge, the fire of My zeal, the fire of My purity, the fire of My mercy."

This fire will burn all that is wood, hay, and stubble in the lives of His children (1 Co 3:15). They must desire the fire and long for His holiness. His heart is turned toward them, and the fire of His love will reveal this. The hearts of the children will long to turn toward Him, to walk through the fire of purification, and to rest in His arms. As the enemy hates the fire, so must God’s children love it, for in and through the fire, they will see God. She went on to say that we must learn to live in the fire by allowing it to burn away all that will not pass through it as purely of the Lord.  Learn to love the fire of God.

In her vision of judgment, she saw a plumb line being let down to earth.  "As the plumb line reached earth, great rejoicing began in heaven. It was as though every created being there was singing, and the sound began to shake the celestial realms: 'His righteousness is from everlasting to everlasting. His judgments are sure and will be withheld no longer.' As the thunderous rejoicing increased, fire came out of heaven and traveled the plumb line, passing before us and sweeping down the line to the earth. Suddenly the whole world was aflame."

Her books are available online (see here and here).

Holy Fire -- from Yong-Doo Kim’s books
As I mentioned earlier, I first heard about the holy fire through brother Yong-Doo Kim in his books called Baptized by Blazing Fire.

In his book, he and other learned the following lessons:

• Shout, “Holy Fire” whenever unnecessary or hindering thoughts come to you during prayer.
• If you are having a bad day, feeling sick, or anxious, then shout out, “Holy Fire!”
• The Fire that you long to receive is the power that the evil forces are most afraid of and fear. Therefore, once you receive it, you have to continuously accumulate it daily. Charge it up everyday!
• One of the most powerful weapons used in Spiritual Warfare is Blazing Fire.  When this gift is granted to a saint, their entire Spiritual Body is fully engulfed in holy fire, with a blazing intensity.   The fire is so intense, that a mere touch of a demonic spirit will incinerate it to ashes.
• The Holy Blazing Fire is enormously, unimaginably powerful and can be used as offensive weapons.
• The Fire that the Lord grants us can completely devastate the forces of evil. In fact, it is more than just fire. The fire is a powerful layer of light that can burn up all kinds of diseases on earth, which can heal.
• Any person who prays diligently and persistently will receive the power of fire.
• The fire ministry is a ministry that has the greatest reward in heaven, as well as on earth, but also the trials and testings are highest.
• Even though we once confessed and accepted the Lord as our Savior -- even though we believed in Him -- if we cannot get out from our sinful habitual lives, then our lives are not completely holy. The only way to save ourselves is to repent. If you repent and shout out, "Holy Fire," the evil spirits will have to leave and healing will come.

Holy Fire – from Howard Pittman’s testimony
Then there is a pastor named Howard Pittman, who was raised from the dead.  You can listen to his complete testimony online (see here).  But one of his conclusions is this.  He says, "He’s going to shake this world one more time.  These things He did, you will do greater than these.  But the church must be without spot or wrinkle or blemish.  He’s getting ready to cleanse the church.  How will He do it?  He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire, according to Matt 3:11.  You’ve been baptized in water.  You’ve been baptized in the Holy Ghost.  But now He’s going to baptize you with fire.  Get ready.  Yonder comes the fire!  The third and final baptism with which He’s going to clean up His church is the baptism of fire.  He’s going to take a blow torch!  He’s going to scorch us up one side and down the other to make us ready to turn loose this world.  But if you think God can do this with carnal-minded Christians, you’re mistaken.  God’s got enough fire to get rid of all the chaff.  If you don’t want the fire, get rid of the chaff."

Holy Fire – from James Agboola
In my article, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, I wrote about how this brother was shown the international conference of the kingdom of darkness, presided over by the devil himself.  Here is an excerpt of James Agboola's testimony about what he heard in that conference:

"Now, as they were saying all these things where I was seated, I was not happy at all.  One demon said something that gave me a little joy.  He said, 'Master, we are having some problems in the world.'  The devil said, 'What is it?'  The demon said, 'Master, we have discovered there are some end-time evangelists and they are just appearing.'  He said there are some end-time evangelists and they are just appearing, and they are clothed with clothes of fire.  He said, 'Master, these end-time evangelists, we find it difficult to talk to them.'”

Holy Fire – from a woman named CJ
A woman named CJ, who saw Jesus in person and was born again, testifies to her experience in an interview online (see here).  It's a very powerful testimony.

She had searched for the Lord all her life.  And on the night she saw the Lord in her friend's living room, He spoke the following things to her: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13:5); “You must keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17; Jn 14:15; 15:10); and “I will not share My temple with idols” (2 Co 6:16).  She then repented and gave her life to Jesus.

In 1981, after she saw Jesus and had become born again, she had another experience where she had about 40 days of tests and trials.  At the end of that time, Christ was really pleased with her obedience.  He came and laid His hands on her and His fire went all through her. This is consistent with the experiences of many others who have received the holy fire.

She also gave warnings the Lord has given her in 2008 or 2009 about coming judgment against the United States (video 33:39).  The Lord also gave her two Scriptures from Ezekiel and Jeremiah to confirm this: And say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. "Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. "Thus all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again."'  (Eze 21:3-5) "Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people." (Jer 36:7)

Holy Fire in the Arctic

Pond Inlet is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada and is located at the top of Baffin Island.  On February 28, 1999, in Pond Inlet, believers had gathered for a week of revival meetings at the Anglican church, hungry for God and troubled by new reports of community drug use.  They decided to add a special Sunday afternoon youth service.  An invitation was offered for youth who wanted to come closer to God.  The worship leader was praying over youth who had gathered around the altar.

Something started to happen that was out of their control.  A sound like a jet started softly and gradually became very loud.  It was so strong!  The whole place was shaking and everything in it.  The youth leader says that fire went right through him and he started to shake.  He began to shout, "Fire!! Fire!! Fire!! Hallelujah!"

All of this was recorded on a dual cassette deck used to record the service.  In fact, it continued to record the event, even after the sound board was turned off.  You can watch and listen to a short, three-minute video about this event, which includes the original recording of it (see here).

Holy Fire - from Charles and Frances Hunter
Charles and Frances Hunter "spent nearly forty years leading 'healing explosions,' where they prayed for the sick and taught Christians about the ministry of healing. Known as the Happy Hunters for their ready smiles and quick humor, the couple wrote more than 50 books about divine healing, including the best-seller How to Heal the Sick." -- Charisma Magazine, July 14, 2009. "Charles and Frances Hunter were the most effective couple I ever saw among healing evangelists," said Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the Regent University School of Divinity.

In their video series, "How to Heal the Sick," Frances talked about the time when she saw liquid fire coming forth from the hands of her husband Charles in a meeting.  It appeared like blue flames about four inches long, coming off his finger tips.  Although the flames were not visible to him, she could see it.  He prayed for the sick at that meeting, and they were powerfully healed.  Many of them fell under the power of God.  You can watch the three-minute section of that video (31:30 - 34:15), where she shares this wonderful testimony (see here).

On October 16, 1984, the Happy Hunters ministered at a church in Rotterdam, Holland, called Kom en Zie.  On the final day of the conference, they ministered the baptism with fire. Let me encourage you to read what they said at that meeting on my other post called The Happy Hunters on Fire (see here).

Holy Fire - from Neville Johnson
A minister from Australia by the name of Neville Johnson, who has gone to be with the Lord, has an excellent testimony about being baptized in fire in the audio clip below:

  

If you would like to read more of Neville's preaching on the baptism of fire, you can find it on my post called "The Burning Ones."

Experiential Evidence
When people receive the holy fire, they usually sense some sort of tangible evidence.  I have personally experienced this and witnessed it in others.  It is not the same for everyone.  Some people feel warmth or heat in their hands.  It sometimes feels like heavy fireballs in their hands. Others get a stinging feeling in their hands, as if they have just clapped them together.  Still others feel the fire on their lower back and a tingling sensation over their entire body. Others feel the presence of the Lord or a peace that passes all understanding. Still others find it difficult to stand straight.  Some find it difficult to hold out their arms or even to stand.   Some are completely unable to stand under the glory of God. Others begin to shake beneath the power of God. Some people begin sweating. Others feel the great joy of the Lord inside. The glory of God falls upon many who receive the fire. Most people have wonderful experiences receiving the holy fire.

It should be noted that if the person has any demons in their life, they cannot stand the holy fire and sometimes manifest themselves, so sometimes there can be demonic manifestations when the holy fire is imparted. Once the demons are cast out of their life, they will experience a wonderful freedom they did not know before.

Here is an article I've written containing Testimonies of People Who've Received the Holy Fire after I've prayed for them, as well as a video playlist of some more amazing testimonies like that.

Other Scriptures:
Now let's continue with more Scriptures about the holy fire.

Fire will devour Your enemies
Isaiah said, "O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies." (Isa 26:11).  So we know that God's holy fire will consume His enemies.  It does not consume His people though.   But in warfare against spiritual forces of wickedness, the holy fire certainly consumes God's enemies.

Fire consumed the 250 rebels
Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense. (Num 16:35)

The holy fire of God consumed the 250 rebels that came against Moses and Aaron.  They are an example to us not to rebel against the Lord.

Fire consumes Sabbath breakers
"But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'" (Jer 17:27)

The Lord hates it when His people don’t listen to Him and make money on Sundays.  In doing so, they fail to keep the Sabbath day (now Sundays) holy.  So He will kindle a fire in the gates of their city that will not be quenched.  It’s the judgment of God against the disobedient.  You can read more about keeping Sundays holy at my blog on the topic (see here).

Elijah commanded holy fire to consume the captain and his fifty
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'" Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, 'Come down quickly.'" Elijah replied to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. (2Ki 1:9-12)

In this passage, we learn that the holy prophet of God was able to command holy fire to come down out of heaven and consume the enemies of God, which in this case were soldiers.

Shouting, "holy fire!"
The disciples of Jesus knew that Elijah had called down fire on the Lord's enemies, and they were ready to do the same.  When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them (even as Elijah did)?" (Luk 9:54).  The Lord did not tell them that this is impossible.  He simply told them that they were operating in a wrong spirit to think they should do such a thing to people.

Yet this is something we can do to our invisible, spiritual enemies. When we have genuine faith and desire a weapon against the enemy (demons), we can call for it aloud and it will be given to us.  We simply shout “Holy fire!” or "Fire of the Holy Spirit!"

How is that possible?  The word is near you, even in your mouth.  I believed therefore I spoke.  When you speak what you believe, and you do it in genuine faith, there is spiritual power.

Your fire or God’s holy fire
“Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the Word of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”  (Isa 50:10-11)

If you fear the Lord and obey His Word, you must trust in the name of Jesus, rely on Him, and walk in His Light. But if you kindle your own fire and surround yourself with it, then the Lord says to go ahead and walk in the light of your own fire.  He will let you do that, if you choose your own light, your own fire instead of His holy fire.  Here is what you will receive from His hand: in the end, you will lie down in torment.

God’s holy fire or strange fire
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. (Lev 10:1)

And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD. (Num 26:61)

The punishment upon these two newly inaugurated priests was very severe.   Their sin was that they offered unauthorized incense with fire that was not holy.  This is why we must be very careful that we receive God's holy fire and do not operate with strange fire.

Fire to consume gates of Nineveh, the bloody city of lies
Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. (Nah 3:13)

This verse speaks of the gates of the city of lies consumed by holy fire.  Lying spirits cannot stand before the holy fire of God.  They are consumed by it just as the gates of the city of lies were.

Fire to burn and devour God’s enemies
Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day. (Isa 10:16-17).

His holy fire terrifies the sinners in Zion.  As the Holy Spirit said through Isaiah: "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: 'Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?' Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion     and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil..." (Is 33:14-15). 

One commentator says, “The same God that is a rejoicing Light to those that serve him faithfully will be a consuming fire to those that trifle with him or rebel against him.”  Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?  The righteous who serve Him faithfully.

"Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about." (Psa 97:3)

God will repay our enemies with flaming fire when Jesus returns
"For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire," (2Th 1:6-7)

We know that when the Lord returns, he will be revealed from heaven with His angels in flaming fire.

Fire from the mouths of the two witnesses
And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. (Rev 11:5)

This is how the two end-time witnesses will function.  They will have a gift to be able to devour their enemies with holy fire that comes forth from their mouths.  Notice there are only two who will do so against human enemies.  But the idea is the same when dealing with evil spirits. This should not seem strange to anyone acquainted with the Word of God and spiritual warfare.

The Lord appeared as a fire
At the burning bush. “The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” (Exo 3:2)

The angel of Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire.  Just as the bush was on fire but was not consumed, when a child of God is baptized with holy fire, they are not consumed.  Only the chaff in their lives and the demons are consumed by it.

The Lord's Fire is in Zion
The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying that the Lord is the One "whose fire is in Zion" (see Is 31:9b).

Putting it All Together
The Lord is going to shake this world one last time.  He is coming right away.  Only the ones who are truly seeking the Lord with all their heart will be spared from the coming judgment.  The Lord is coming only for a holy people, ready, without blemish, without wrinkle and without defilement.  He is not coming for those who have walked away from Him.

The only way we can have purity in our lives in these last and evil days is through repentance and the holy fire.  The third and final baptism with which He’s going to clean up His church is the baptism of fire.  He’s going to make us ready to turn loose this world. 

It is a holy fire, because it is not produced by man. It is produced by the one, true, holy God.  It is a promise for the believer, according to Mt 3:11.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Songs of the Holy Fire, The Refiner's Fire, The Three Elijahs, The Burning Ones, Living Sacrifices in Consuming Fire, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, and Restored Truth. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Revival painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.