PENTECOSTALS and CAMPBELLITES

In a previous issue of The Flaming Torch I wrote an article called CAMPBELLITES and PENTECOSTALS. Since I was converted out of Campbellism I gave more attention to their heresies and slighted the Pentecostals. This time, in fairness to our Pentecostal friends, we will try to make them unhappy with Bible truth that will shed a lot of light on their loony religion.

“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.” (Proverbs 25:14)

Here in the Ozarks they call almost any church that is “Charismatic:” Pentecostals.

Many are Assemblies of God some are “Jesus Only” (United Pentecostal). Then there is the Fire Baptized Holiness, The Vineyard, The Full Gospel Fellowship, Prince of Peace Charismatic Episcopal Church or you name it. The list goes on and on. Since they all have at least one common heresy, we will just refer to the whole bunch as Pentecostals.

The word “charisma” means gifted. Now these poor souls think they have a gift that you Bible believing Baptists don’t have. They are not likely to ask you if you are saved but “have you received the GIFT of The Holy Ghost since you believed?” They picked up this little gem from Acts chapter 19 where Paul asked some disciples of Apollos, who

knew only the baptism of John the Baptist, a similar question. These disciples had never heard of the Holy Ghost. The question is never asked of any born again Christian in the whole Bible. You get the Holy Ghost WHEN you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, not later.

Most of the heresies of the Pentecostals come from the book of Acts as do the heresies of the Campbellites. All false cults, claiming to be the real thing, get most of their false doctrines from the following four New Testament books: Matthew, Acts, Hebrews, and Revelation. All four of these books are TRANSITIONAL books. Since they know little or nothing about dispensational truth or rightly dividing the word of truth, they roam around like a chicken with his head stuck in a Dixie Cup grabbing any verse that seems to justify their feeling and experience, even if it does not apply to anyone in the church age.

Speaking in a language that one has never learned was one of the sign gifts given to the Apostles and in some cases their converts in the early church. “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.” (2 Cor.12:12)

The word of God says “the Jews require a sign.” God no longer deals with men with signs. A sign is something you can see. Faith is something you cannot see. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Nobody gets saved through signs. The signs given to the nation of Israel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) were to verify the truth of Peters message, which was another offer of the Kingdom. The Kingdom did not come because the hierarchy of Israel rejected the offer backed up by Joel’s prophecy. They got another shot at it in Acts chapter seven when Steven preached and they stoned him during the invitation.

Now jump forward to early 1900 AD. The entire unscriptural, Pentecostal mess started in the Azusa Street Mission in “Los Angeles” California. You know, the city of the “angels.” The pastor of the Azusa Street Mission was William J. Seymour. He got the whole thing started, calling it the “early rain” of the last days, which, of course is nonsense. Seymour, along with others, such as Charles H. Mason, Gaston B. Cashwell, and Jennie Evans Moore tried to keep the “fire” going but the mission went “belly up” within three years like a cold herring in a sardine can. Moore was said to be the first tongue-speaking woman in L. A. She ended up marrying Seymour. Cashwell, (appropriately named J) Went back to his southern home and saw the Assemblies of God and the Church of God jump up like daffodils in the spring.
Seymour got his “early rain” idea from Joel 2:23 which says: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”

There are several things wrong with Seymour’s “stinkin thinkin.” J (To borrow a phrase from Zig Zigglar.)

1. The verse is addressed to “children of Zion” not a bunch of Bible rejecters in Los Angeles.

2. The context of Joel chapter two is the second advent of Christ and the Millennium, not the church age

3. There is no “early rain” mentioned in the verse. There is a “former rain”.

4. Joel’s prophecy SAYS: he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”Pentecost, in Acts chapter two is a Jewish feast day. The “first month” in the Jewish calendar is Abib and starts around the first of April not the last of May or the first of June. Pentecost starts fifty days after Passover. Passover is on the fourteenth day of Abib. Go ahead, count up fifty days after the 14 of April and see where you land. “Youins” is way past the “first month.”

The verse Seymour used to prove his wild fire experiences says the former rain and the latter rain will come down “IN THE FIRST MONTH.” Now did you tongue speakers get that? The former rain and the latter rain is talking about RAIN, not the baptism of the Holy Ghost in Acts chapter two! You know, rain, rain, rain, rain! You can figure it out if you try. It is the stuff God sends down from the sky to water the crops in your garden. It is liquid not spirit. At thirty-two degrees it becomes ice! Sometimes it is called snow!

From Los Angeles the tongues movement traveled to Topeka Kansas and from Topeka to the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. After this, it spread like wild fire across the world.

In the evolution of the WWF of the religious world, the Pentecostals have grown, with the women taking the lead. Claiming to believe the Bible, they ignore such verses as 1 Corinthians 14:34 “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.”(note: the context is speaking in tongues) AND: 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Tell that to: Joyce Meyer, Gloria Copeland and several thousand other women, “preachers.” There are almost 4,000 licensed and ordained women in the Assemblies of God. All of them are rebels against God and His word. The truth of the matter is, if the women would have sat down and had shut up in these unscriptural “fellowships,” the tongues movement would have died decades ago. These beguiled women rule in many of these supposed churches. The Pentecostal churches (especially the more wild ones) are predominately women and children in attendance. Most men are too smart to fall for women gasping for air, rolling around on the floor and a woman preacher pointing her finger and yelling at him. The husband gets enough of that, when he gets home from work, from his wife, so he sends her and the kids off to the revival meeting and he stays home to get something more worthwhile like Monday night football and a six pack.

The Bible is the final authority for all faith and practice. The devil is the author of confusion. The Pentecostals are trying to revive The sign gifts of Acts chapter two which is a one time happening. The devil has slipped them a “Mickey Finn.”

I remember dealing with a tongues speaking woman many years ago. I asked her if I could prove to her that the tongues of the Bible are not for anyone today, would she believe the Bible or her experience. She said “the Bible.” When it was over she said “well, I don’t care what you say, I know I got the holighost!” What she got was fooled by the devil. There are only three persons that know if you are saved or not: GOD, YOU AND THE DEVIL. The devil is a master at fooling people. He wants you to trust in some experience for your evidence of salvation rather than the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood on Calvary. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

One day as I was filling my gasoline tank, a man walked up and started talking with me wanting a hand out. I noticed his chin trembled a lot. I asked him about it and he said it was because he got “slain in the spirit” over at the Pentecostal church. I asked him if he talked in tongues and he said he did. I said let me hear you. He said he couldn’t right now. J I asked him if he was saved. He said “I think so cause I got the evidence”.

I said do you know of anyone who was “slain in the spirit” in the Bible. He said he didn’t. I said, “I do.” Go home and check this out: Mark 9:17-20 "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming."

That is being slain in the spirit but not the Holy Spirit! Nobody is ever slain in the spirit in the Bible. Benny “the chicken” Hinn (and his ilk) slays them in his stage show act in order to dupe the poor misguided dummies out of their money. This act is all satanic and contrary to God’s word. Yet many Bible rejecters fall for it. Hell has a special place for these false prophet “faith healers.” Matthew 7:22,23 “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.”

The devil’s business is to try to take as many people to hell with him as he can. I would not be so presumptuous as to say all Pentecostals are lost. For that matter, I would not say that ALL Campbellites, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians or even all Mormons are lost. Some people get saved in spite of their church affiliation. I did, through radio and reading a King James Bible. However, beware of getting mixed up with this charismatic Pentecostal crowd. What you need is a good King James only, Bible believing, soul winning, BAPTIST church! The size doesn’t matter, as long as they teach and preach The Book and try to reach the lost.

Paul told Timothy: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4)