OK, so I’m late to the story (as usual) but I’m not buying that there have been resurrections because of the Lakeland Revival:
Hundreds are claiming healing from various ailments, including deafness, cancer, tumors and paralysis. There are also unconfirmed reports of the dead coming back to life. One of the cases involves a 3-year-old girl, dead for two days, who allegedly woke up and coughed as she was being wheeled into a room to have her organs harvested, Strader said. The hospital denied the report. Another case involves a woman in West Virginia who had three heart attacks last Saturday, but was revived after family members had made the decision to pull her breathing tube. The woman’s niece, Darla Pence, told Charisma she received prayers of “healing, revival and restoration for your family†one week prior to her aunt’s heart attacks from someone who had been to Lakeland.
How many times throughout the modern age have we had news of such a revival? Over and over again we hear of an outpouring of the Spirit of God and the healing of many people. People seem to need to be “touched by God” they want emotions and if they can’t see things happening then they don’t believe that God is in their midst. So they go to revivals looking for a closer connection to God. They want to experience God. But is it really God or just an emotional response to a charismatic preacher?Here’s a video of Todd Bentely claiming a 13th resurrection:(via)Where to start? Doesn’t a corpse have to be embalmed before it’s buried? I thought it was the law. And if you are in heaven with Jesus, why would you want to return to earth? Bentley admits that he hasn’t verified it, why allow a story like that to go out over the air until you’ve verified its truthfulness?And as I was watching the video, I kept thinking about his desire for the press to cover the revival. He keeps asking where is the press, as if he’s doing it for the publicity.I’m a cessationist, so of course I’m going to be skeptical but I would think that if God were outpouring his Spirit in Lakeland, then we would be seeing a powerful preaching ministry (that’s what happened with The Great Awakening) instead of focusing on signs and wonders. But here’s an example of Bentley’s teaching:
Here’s what happened. At first I saw heaven open, and as I ascended a ladder into the heavens I saw full vibrant wings and feathers! These feathers were white and as real as they would be in the natural realm; that’s how vivid it was. Then I noticed wings that moved and there was an arm under one wing and another arm under another wing! As the wings lifted I saw every precious gem you could think of under those wings; and then I saw the angel standing, having a body like a man with six wings. I knew it was the angel of finance.Next, I saw a door called “treasure†and the door was open. Without thinking or considering what to do, I found myself in a treasure room in heaven. The only item in this room was gold coins, and I began stuffing those coins into my pockets until they were falling out. Then, after filling up another pocket, I opened my trousers and started filling my trousers with gold coins. After that, I stuffed them into my suit jacket. I even opened my shirt and started stuffing gold coins down my shirt!Still in the trance, I asked the Lord, “What am I doing?†“You’re getting the offering!†He said. Now we weren’t receiving the offering yet in the meeting, but God said that I was getting the offering! Now, we don’t usually, if ever, see it that way, yet God was saying this because the offering, the money, is in heaven. After I heard that answer, I made a conscious decision (in this experience) to get even more gold. Now I was collecting more, stuffing as much as possible anywhere I could fit it, even my ears!
An “angel of finance?” Not exactly Jonathan Edwards, huh?Here’s what Jesus says of those who need signs and wonders to believe:
ESV Matthew 12:39-40 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. or just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.ESV Luke 11:29-30 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
Signs are what unbelievers seek, not believers.Miracles were bore witness to Chirst:
ESV John 5:36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.
The apostles performed miracles as a witness to the power in the name of Christ. They were necessary to establish the church but were no longer necessary when the church was established.
posted June 1, 2008 at 12:11 am
Let me get this straight: you think there are NO contemporary miracles, and you think that the reason for this is that God decided to cease working in the world through the Holy Spirit because the ONLY reason for miracles was to establish the Church? So these days, it’s just too bad if your child has an incurable disease because the deadline for miracles has passed?
What kind of God do you worship? He sounds like a contemptible bureaucrat to me.
posted June 1, 2008 at 1:29 am
God brings healings, revivals, and miracles not because of our greatness and depth of understanding, but because of Who He is. “I am the God who heals you” – “I am the God of signs and wonders.” “I the Lord who does not change”.
And He uses fallible human beings to speak out these things. He acts in spite of their human weaknesses.
What I’ve learned over the years is this: If I focus on the preacher I will be scandalized by something in his/her personality or method. There is always something to criticize. However if I do this I miss what God is doing. I go home empty.
However, if I focus on God and what He is saying and doing then He touches my life, and I go home full of faith and joy. I go home with the miracle God had for me or for someone who I will meet in the near future.
Father, whatever you are doing at Lakeland bless it and use it for Your Glory. Let Your miracles flow because sickness is ravaging Your people.
Let the focus turn from the ministers to You Lord. Let many be touched and brought into Your kingdom Lord. Amen
posted June 1, 2008 at 4:23 am
I wouldn’t call myself a cessationist, as I don’t feel it’s right to limit the prerogative of God to act as he pleases; yet any honest look at the majority of these ‘miracles’ shows them to be anything but. Just as I don’t believe every tale of bigfoot or alien abductions that might be heard on Coast to Coast, I don’t believe in every reported miracle performed by a ‘faith healer’; especially from one preaching unadulterated greed, just as this man is assuredly doing.
posted June 1, 2008 at 6:18 am
I’m with you there, ecleticEe. But I’m equally skeptical about people who think they have the Creator of the Universe (if such a being exists, and let’s face it, none of us knows that with certainty) all figured out and neatly whittled down to fit their pet denominational theories about when and where and how He will or won’t act. They need to read some Flannery O’Connor. And dare I say that there are no cessationists in foxholes?
posted June 1, 2008 at 7:37 am
“Let me get this straight: you think there are NO contemporary miracles, and you think that the reason for this is that God decided to cease working in the world through the Holy Spirit because the ONLY reason for miracles was to establish the Church? So these days, it’s just too bad if your child has an incurable disease because the deadline for miracles has passed?”
That’s not what I said and if I believed that I certainly wouldn’t prayer at all, would I? But if you’ve read this blog at all, you’d notice that I do ask for prayer.
I believe that public healing and resurrections which Christ and the apostles did were limited to the establishment of the church.
posted June 1, 2008 at 8:50 am
Doesn’t a corpse have to be embalmed before it’s buried? I thought it was the law.
Just wanted to make a small correction on that. Given the rising popularity of natural burials and religious rituals such as “silent towers” in Zoroastrianism, etc., it is not required to embalm to body due to the poisonous chemicals which seep into the earth during decomposition.
posted June 1, 2008 at 9:37 am
“I’m with you there, ecleticEe. But I’m equally skeptical about people who think they have the Creator of the Universe (if such a being exists, and let’s face it, none of us knows that with certainty) all figured out and neatly whittled down to fit their pet denominational theories about when and where and how He will or won’t act.”
You don’t read this blog enough if you think I’m one of them.
“And dare I say that there are no cessationists in foxholes?”
You demonstrate your ignorance of the cessationist view in this statement.
posted June 1, 2008 at 10:01 am
I wonder if the apostles got the same treatment from the media of their day?
Galilee Times: Delusional Itinerant Preachers Believe Rabbi Raised from the Dead. Woodcuttings at 11.
posted June 1, 2008 at 10:52 am
Just something quick … more later:
People seem to need to be “touched by God” they want emotions and if they can’t see things happening then they don’t believe that God is in their midst.
I feel about extra-biblical Rapture eschatology (Left Behind) the same way as you do about revival:
how much more exciting can it get than what’s described in Scripture?!
posted June 1, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I wonder if the apostles got the same treatment from the media of their day?
Galilee Times: Delusional Itinerant Preachers Believe Rabbi Raised from the Dead. Woodcuttings at 11.
I needed a good laugh today. I think that it’s pretty obvious that barring a genuine miracle, Christianity would never have gotten past the nightly monologue if the ancients had our media.
posted June 1, 2008 at 3:27 pm
So enlighten me, Michele. Do cessationists believe that miracles have ceased or don’t they? Or do they have a list of categories of supernatural phenomena that no longer occur (healing, prophecy, tongues), while other supernatural interventions are allowed for (say, an answer to prayer from the person in the foxhole)? And may I ask, is this an argument from Scripture or from experience, or neither, or both? Given that there are other passages in Scripture that strongly suggest the continuation of (at a minimum) the charismata, I wonder if you are basing your theory more on your experience (or, more precisely, on your lack of experience) with said phenomena.
posted June 1, 2008 at 4:08 pm
They need to read some Flannery O’Connor. Hear, hear! Amen, brother.
Woodcuttings at 11. You must intuit how much I adore Dürer.
Bear with my Roman accent as I try to argue Reformed:
“The witness of the Bible is all we need to believe in God/Jesus, and the Bible chronicles certain (reliable, trustworthy) miracles. Modern-day miracles are superfluous and even suspect.”
However, michele said:
I believe that public healing and resurrections which Christ and the apostles did were limited
This doesn’t rule out private healings, etc.
The Christian faithful simply aren’t obligated to believe the private miracles as they are the public ones, Jesus’ resurrection, biblical miracles.
Right?
You demonstrate your ignorance of the cessationist view in this statement.
It’s hardly monolithic. I mean, there are degrees.
Maybe we can talk about John 14:12 – “whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”
posted June 1, 2008 at 5:12 pm
That’s not what I said and if I believed that I certainly wouldn’t prayer at all, would I?
You are not saying that the only purpose of prayer is to give God a wish list, are you?
Doesn’t a corpse have to be embalmed before it’s buried? I thought it was the law.
Are you suggesting that death is not an impediment to resurrection, but embalming would be?
You demonstrate your ignorance of the cessationist view in this statement.
Wouldn’t it be better to explain that view than to insult the commenter? Or do you only want to preach to the already-persuaded choir?
Props to Karen, yalladawg and some of the other commenters on this blog for their willingness to continue to engage in such a substantive and respectful way. I wish you’d respond in kind. And in kindness.
posted June 1, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Wouldn’t it be better to explain that view than to insult the commenter?
I wouldn’t mind an explanation if you get a moment.
I’ve tried to understand cessationism for years … with little success.
posted June 1, 2008 at 9:21 pm
It seems to me that events like this provide a good model of how a group of people can convince themselves of events happening that have no supporting evidence. For example the resurrection claims being denied by medical authorities but believed anyway.
It’s not hard to imagine a similar phenomena at work during the Fatima apparition in 1917. Or during previous miracles in earlier generations.
posted June 1, 2008 at 10:21 pm
It’s not hard to imagine a similar phenomena at work during the Fatima apparition in 1917.
I agree: I haven’t any idea how they separate the events from the hysteria in investigating such things.
Pictures, as those taken at Zeitoun in 1968, don’t necessarily help.
posted June 2, 2008 at 9:11 am
The Lakeland movement was a great experience!
Sometimes people who profess to be christians are afraid to witness his works.Pastor Bentley does not,nor does he proclaim to heal anyone!
Our creator put us on earth to have dominion over this earth.
We worship Him and praise Him and He moves on our prayers,and,unless we believe this then we will pray in the belief of fatalism.
With me so far?
If you believe that God hears our prayers,and wants us to,through his miracles heal us;and,you believe in how God loves corporate prayer,why would one not appreciate the Lakeland movement?
If you are afraid of participating at such an outpouring and not ‘feeling’ what is going on around you???…you may want to consider the word ‘feel’ and the word ‘me’.Your feelings and your pride(me) are one thing;doing and following where GOD leads ya are something different.A person can or may not have the same ‘feel’ that others attending have…heck,you are an individual and He works in each of us differently,of course.
When I hear someone use the excuse of maybe not feeling what some others may feel????Does your faith allow you to be so unsure of God?
posted June 2, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I want to throw-up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K8XjObzfXM
via BHT
posted June 2, 2008 at 7:15 pm
GARBAGE.
posted June 2, 2008 at 9:05 pm
“One of the cases involves a 3-year-old girl, dead for two days, who allegedly woke up and coughed as she was being wheeled into a room to have her organs harvested, Strader said. The hospital denied the report.”
This claim is obviously BS. Organs are useless if a person has been dead for two days.
Moonshadow, that is a really disturbing video. I’m not sure which is worse that he says those things with a straight face or having people smile while watching it.
posted June 2, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I didn’t mean for it to upset you, MH. The video stirred in me the impulse to put this rogue down.
Good catch on the organ donation time frame.
posted June 3, 2008 at 10:10 am
Moonshadow no problem, I understood your intent from your original comment.
posted June 3, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I just watched that video and it also made me want to throw up.
posted June 3, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Excellent post, Michelle.
I’m not a cessationist, but as a Reformed charismatic I’m highly suspicious of preacher who put heavy focus on theatrics and throw Scripture in as garnish to justify their loopy theology.
We need to be vigilant about these things and warn our brothers and sisters in Christ about how dangerous men like Bentley are. Thanks for pointing these things out on your blog.
posted July 30, 2008 at 10:18 am
Huge mistakes are being made in this revival. Too many cooks in the kitchen, too many random prophecies, too many unsubstantiated testimonies. Hype and fanaticism has reached a boiling point. We don’t need to make God look good and powerful. But such is the way of carnal man. The move is in dire need of intercession, reverence and order. For a great read check out “A Step Into Deliverance” by T. Pugh. It’s a riveting autobiography about one pastor’s journey into the deliverance ministy. A real page-turner!