I am blessed in that I went to school back in the 1970’s and did so back in New Jersey. Back then and back there it seemed that teachers had our best interests in mind and they were tough, stressing that we learn the proper way to use the various subjects that they were teaching. I can remember being in math class wondering when and where I would ever use the mathematics that they were teaching us. Algebra sucked (and it still does for that matter) but it does play into our daily lives if we choose to work at more complex employment chores. For instance, it is easier to cross multiply ratios than it is to write them out in our heads, and it uses a lot less paper. And yes you youngin’s people my age still do math on paper. You’ll regret using electronic devices solely to do math when they are not usable anymore. More on that later…
Another subject that we all hated was English class. It was bad enough having to read those books that were assigned to us, but our lives were enriched by reading them. The book, Animal Farm, helped me to learn about communism, placing it in layman’s terms that anyone could understand. However the real kicker was trying to learn proper punctuation. We use punctuation in our everyday speech and never really know it. We speak sentences and make clear demarcations between the, hence the “period.” We put short pauses in our sentences, hence the “comma.” In addition we ask questions, giving us the “question mark,” and we often elaborate on subjects with our sentences; hence the “semi-colon.” However, knowing what those little jots and tittles are is a chore to learn. Looking at the way that some people write, and/or interpret writing makes me wonder if they chose to ignore the punctuation part of English classes.
It brings me great joy when I am sent little snippets on Facebook or in an email; things showing the mistakes that people make when writing in English. Sometimes those snippets are little laughable moments showing how those that use English as a second language make mistakes, and those thing are not only funny, but they are excusable. If you can’t excuse the mistakes made by people born elsewhere then I challenge you to visit a country where you don’t know the language and look at the people as they snicker at you for your gross errors in their language; this is very humbling, and if you can laugh along with them it makes for enjoyable visits and sometimes leads to lifelong friendships with those people. I found the following amusing because it shows how ignorance of punctuation can be detrimental to the health of “grandma,”:

Without the punctuation it appears that the grandkids are cannibals. With the punctuation they are asking grandma to feed them lunch. BIG DIFFERENCE!
One of my pet peeves is when people write to me to complain about something that I’ve written; they having written a letter that is rife with misspellings and/or bad or missing punctuation. I don’t mind being yelled at, but if a person is going to yell, they had better use correct grammer and spelling to do it or I will either ignore their letter or send a letter back asking them to learn English before they attempt to use it to assassinate me in pen form.
Notice how I wrote “BIG DIFFERENCE,” two paragraphs above. Writing in all caps denotes to most people one of two things; either the writer is trying to accentuate an idea, or, the writer is pissed off and wants to yell at the reader. In most cases (excluding my intention) paragraphs and letters are done for the latter reason. One of my Facebook “friends,” refuses to write anything unless she can write in upper-case. There was a time when she was trying to rebuke me for something that I wrote. I considered what she wrote, seeing that I am human and make mistakes; however the upper-case letter that she sent to me was belligerent letter that she sent was a unneeded rebuke and the upper-case content seemed to show that she was angry with me. I wrote back to her, saying that I wasn’t going to accept her rebuke because of the anger associated with it. Right away some of the other respondents told me that this was the way that she writes everything. Well, one of two things can be assumed by this; one being that she’s perpetually angry, and the other being that she is too lazy to turn off the caps-lock key and type like the rest of the English speaking world. Laziness leads to perpetuation of bad English and the misuse and/or no use of correct punctuation.
So you might ask why this bothers me so much. Well, one reason is that there is no excuse for the misuse of English, either in spelling or in punctuation. Especially in our current day and age when we have computer programs to show us where we have erred in our spelling and punctuation. Even as I write this blog I am constantly having words underlined in red because I spelled something wrong or the program thinks that I have made up a word. Often I will stop typing and go to a dictionary to see if the word that I wrote exists. For instance, in the previous paragraph, in the last sentence, I wrote the word perpetuator, thinking it would be the title of “one who perpetuates,” only to find out that the word does not exist, so I had to change the sentence. Any program that one uses to type using a computer has a spell-checker that screams out “ERROR,” when a word is spelled wrong. There really is no excuse. Many programs can be set to find grammatical errors, including punctuation.
What really bothers me is when people read scripture and they ignore the punctuation within the body of the scripture. A scripture can take on a whole different meaning when punctuation is ignored. Just this last week I ran across a misinterpretation of Daniel 4:27, while perusing Facebook. The author of the comment to a particular thread ignored a comma. Unfortunately, many people have ignored that comma and because of that ignorance it singles out a particular people as being ignorant. Let’s take a look at it:
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:26-27
I included verse 26 because it is integral to understanding verse 27. Without the former verse it isn’t possible to understand who the “he” in the latter verse really is. Of course it is the “prince” that shall come to destroy the city. We can determine that verse 27 is a future event because the prior verse states that wars and desolation will continue to the end. That phrase closes the past and moves verse 27 to the future.
Now let’s look at verse 27. A common mistake that is made is that the colon that comes after “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:” Without the colon, it appears that “he” makes the covenant with the people who are mentioned behind the place where the comma exists. However, the use of the comma denotes that something is being accentuated. Note that the remainder of the passage has no periods, so it is to be included in the entire sentence, but is a period of time within a period of time.
This is done many times in Hebrew; a main point is made followed by further defining of that main point. We see this in Genesis Chapter One, where Yahweh creates all of creation and ends the chapter by creating Adam and Chava, and by explaining rudimentary rules about eating and animals. Then there is a short break and the Scripture again explains in more detail the creation of Adam and Chava and goes into more depth concerning his instructions to them and such. Believe it or not, some have taken the primary account and the expanded account to propose that there were two creations of mankind and that the first denotes a Pre-Adamic creation and the second account denotes the Adam and Chava that all current men know as parents. Some also use this “two creation” theory to try to explain where Cain’s wife came from, instead of using the simple notion that Cain married one of his many sisters who were born to Adam and Chava. Bible perversion is easy; to keep on the straight and narrow and take things in proper context is the hard thing to do, at least anymore.
Now let’s get back to Daniel 9:27. As I mentioned, there is a colon in the passage, the only colon. Colons are often used to start lists or lists of ideas:
Things I did this holiday weekend:
-
Friday I removed large rocks from the backyard
-
Saturday I removed a stump in the yard
-
Sunday I mowed the lawn
-
Monday I rested
I started out by stating that it was a holiday weekend and that I did things; then I progressed to show what I did each day, making four distinct periods of time within that one big period of time. Notice too that it was something that I did, nobody else, and all of these things fell under the auspices of one colon.
The same things occurs in Daniel 9:27; one large block of time is broken down into several events. Another thing to note is that behind the colon it states that the other things occur after half of the time has expired within the whole time. While those events fall within the seven years, and they are loosely associated with the whole time, and with the covenant, they are related only in that during the time of the covenant the events occur.
Now note also that the covenant is made with them “many.” The word many here in Hebrew is “rab” and it denotes that the Covenant is made with those abundant in number; in other words, a vast majority of humanity, not a large amount of a subset of humanity. We see in scripture:
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:3-4
Those who mistranslate Daniel 9:27 often speak that the Man of Perdition will make a special agreement with Israel for seven years. However, one small nation in the midst of the whole world can hardly be labeled as “the many.” Notice the scripture in Revelation that says that “all the world” will wonder after the beast. The Greek word for “wondered,” in the passage is “thaumazō” which means to marvel and hold in admiration. That scripture does not mention a special seven year treaty with Israel, but a seven year covenant with the world to bring peace. Any person who could bring peace to the world, especially the Middle East would be held in the highest esteem, even worshiped by an idolatrous world that would make a deal with the devil if it had to in order to achieve such a peace. Granted, some concessions would be made to Israel to bring around this peace, perhaps granting security and allowing the building of the Temple. Interestingly, the things that the Man of Perdition does after the colon (half way through the seven year period) all have to do with the Beit Ha Mikdash (Holy Temple). This speaks to me that the erecting of the Mikdash would be one of those conditions of guarantee for Israel.
There is just too much ambiguity in the notion that the covenant is only with Israel, for the reasons that I cited above. Yes, as I mentioned above, there will be some sort of provision written into the Covenant that will include Israel because most of the world mistakenly seek Israel as the cause of the problems in that region. One has to wonder if the factions that make up the armies mentioned in Ezekiel 38/39 will still be around to protest much about this Covenant. They might have been destroyed by Yahweh before or right about the time that the Man of Perdition comes onto the scene. It’s possible that he will take credit for the miraculous event that happened during Yahweh’s intervention. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Having worked in the Christian UFO Research community, and having researched much about alien abduction and its origins, I’ve had the pleasure to run into some wonderful researchers, and the displeasure of running into others. People in this community are lumped into one of two categories: the first being those who are into it strictly for the notoriety, fame and the money that can be made by selling books and/or appearing at endless conferences. The other group is made up of those who want people to know the truth so that they can be prepared and so that they can learn how to fight against this demonic phenomena.
I work closely with a brother named Jim Wilhelmsen, and both of us have suffered under the attacks of the former group, yet we have prevailed. I’ve always been of the belief that people can believe in anything that they want to believe in, just as long as they don’t try to take warped ideas and present them as truth. If you’ve been on this earth for any length of time you know that the world abounds with deceivers who want to lead people onto the wide highway that leads to destruction. It’s when these people twist and distort scripture that I have to step in and show where the deception lies. If people want to believe that the sky is purple with green polka-dots that is their thing, but when they try to say that scripture confirms their notion, I have to act.
I’ve been showing how simple errors in reading or interpreting scripture can lead to a world of hurt. The picture near the beginning proves my point; a simple comma made the difference between children being cannibals and them being loving kids that want a meal from their grandmother.
One of the main errors that occur in the Christian UFO Research community is found in Genesis, chapter six. Let’s look at it and then discuss it:
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. Genesis 6:4
The scripture in Genesis is telling us that giants (Nephilim or fallen ones) were in the earth in those days (the days before the Great Flood) and also at another time. That other time has to be after the Great Flood. There are certain uses for semicolons. The one that applies here is: Use a semicolon between two independent clauses that are connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases. The sentence part before the colon is talking about a specific time period, which nobody argues was before the Flood. Then we find a semicolon which denotes a transitional phrase, meaning sometime after the flood. The scripture then goes on to state that the production of the Nephilim came about both times when the fallen angels of Yahweh had sexual relations with human females. There were obviously two incursions by these entities.
In the Book of 1 Enoch we read about how Yahweh caused a delusion to come upon the Nephilim and they killed each other down to and including the last giant. Therefore, there were no more Nephilim in the land. Genesis 6:1-4 is a brief history lesson of the world before the flood. Verses five through seven are Yahweh’s thoughts on the evil nature of mankind and his plans to destroy not only mankind, but the whole earth which had been corrupted because of the teachings of the former Nephilim. Notice that Yahweh says He is going to destroy mankind, and there is no mention of the Nephilim? That is because they weren’t around in bodily form anymore. So, if Nephilim were produced “in those days,” and “also after that,” then there had to be two incursions; one before the Flood and one after. It simply cannot be any other way. The semicolon denotes that there were in fact two different incursions and the context proves that one was before the Flood and one was after the Flood.
So why do I bring that up? Well, there are those who are of the school of thought that there couldn’t be Nephilim production after the Flood, that is by an incursion of fallen angels. One of those in question wants to further his notion that somehow Nephilim DNA was carried by one of the wives that were on the Ark. He doesn’t sell his book or go to seminars if his theory is wrong. Imagine how that makes Yahweh look; like a twisted God who would rid the world of a problem only to allow it to happen all over again by His own doing. Another person wants to further her notion that the giants that lived after the flood were just normal humans with what is known as gigantism, a physical condition where excessive Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released into a person’s body causing excessive height and mass. She didn’t take into account that gigantism always leads to premature death in adults. She also failed to mention in her thesis that Goliath (one of those that she used in her dissertation) also had brothers who were giants. Gigantism is a hormonal defect that is not passed on though DNA, so her Goliath theory is bupkis. There are other theories postulated by people who twist scripture to foster their own theories that are out of the box where scripture is concerned.
There are some basic tenants that we have to follow when reading and researching Bible Scripture.
Scripture will always interpret itself:
Scripture will interpret itself in two ways. First, we see that one scripture will have a foreshadowing, an actual event and post event explanation. For instance, Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53 talk about what was then a future suffering servant Mashiach; the Gospels talk about the actual event of the suffering servant Mashiach, and Rabbi Paul reiterates many times in his Letters, especially in Hebrews in regard to the suffering servant Mashiach that had previously atoned for the sins of mankind.
Scripture can interpret itself by the use of two distinct versions; for instance using the Masoretic Texts to clarify the King James Version text of a verse or chapter:
The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. Genesis 6:4 Masoretic Texts
ד הַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ, בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וְגַם אַחֲרֵי-כֵן אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל-בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם, וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם: הֵמָּה הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם, אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם. {פ}
We have already read the King James Version text for Genesis 6:4. We then use the Masoretic Text to verify that the content and the context is correct. Some of you are astute in English and have noted that there is a comma in the Masoretic Text where there is a semicolon in the King James version; right after the phrase, “in those days.” In this case it is perfectly okay to use a comma because it denotes the same character of text as the KJV with the semicolon did. The use of a comma dictates:
Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
We can see that the comma separates two independent clauses, one showing a former and one a latter. In this we know that our interpretation of Genesis 6:4 is correct because both the KJV and the Masoretic Text say the same thing.
This verse can be used to verify another way to check scripture with scripture. In many seminaries it is taught that the “sons of God” is actually the righteous line of Seth (Adam’s son) who had relations with the Daughters of Cain. The first litmus test is to look at the original languages. First, the phrase, “daughters of men,” in Hebrew is “bat adam,” and it literally means “daughters of men,” not daughters of Cain. The phrase, “sons of God,” is a bit more interesting and controversial. The first thing to do would be to see if the phrase is used anywhere else in the Tanakh, and if it is, what is the context in which it is being used. The phrase is “bene elohiym” and it can be found in a scant few places of the Tanakh; Job 1:6, 2:1 and 38:7; all which refer to angelic beings. So, despite what the supposed “scholars” teach, the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis chapter six refer only to angels. You see how easy it is to interpret scripture correctly? In the Brit Hadasha, the term is used again, but in the context that those who follow Yeshua are given the right to become Sons of God.
A scripture is always in context with those around it:
There are those out there who like to use what I call Bible Bullets. In a previous blog I illustrated this quite in depth, so I’ll just touch on it and use the scripture that was used by someone to try to assassinate me and the ministry that Yahweh has given to me.
I feel that I should give a little background before I move forward. I sent out a letter to the listeners of our “Opposing The Matrix” radio show. At that time finances weren’t great and there was a real chance that we’d have to cancel our show because we would not be able to afford the money that we paid yearly to the service that hosted our show. I received a reply from one of the listeners that since I had written in my appeal that finances were tight and I considered eating and taking care of my family first, that I was breaking what this listener saw as a spiritual law and he was going to let me know about it. He said that I was putting my family first, and that the following scripture showed that doing so wasn’t putting Yahweh first, so in essence, I was cursed. Here is the scripture:
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 10:32-39
The shooter of the Bible Bullet quoted verse 37 and inferred that it says that if you take care of your family then you’re not paying enough attention to Yahweh, therefore you have wrong priorities. This was a clear case of taking a scripture out of context, not only that, but not allowing the scriptures before and after that one verse to define the context. It’s quite clear that this body of text in its entirety is talking about allowing things keep one from coming to faith in Yeshua; not taking care of one’s family, which incidentally scripture says that if a man is derelict in that duty they are worse than an infidel. See how important it is to keep things in context?
All scriptures four meanings, referred to as PARDES by Hebrew Scholars. Here is an explanation of what PARDES involves:
Pardes refers to (types of) approaches to biblical exegesis in rabbinic Judaism or to interpretation of text in Torah study. The term, sometimes also spelled PaRDeS, is an acronym formed from the name initials of the following four approaches:
- Peshat (פְּשָׁט) — “surface” (“straight”) or the literal (direct) meaning.[1]
- Remez (רֶמֶז) — “hints” or the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense.
- Derash (דְּרַשׁ) — from Hebrew darash: “inquire” (“seek”) — the comparative meaning, as given through similar occurrences.
- Sod (סוֹד) (pronounced with a long O as in ‘sore’) — “secret” (“mystery”) or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.
Each type of Pardes interpretation examines the extended meaning of a text. As a general rule, the extended meaning never contradicts the base meaning. The Peshat means the plain or contextual meaning of the text. Remez is the allegorical meaning. Derash includes the metaphorical meaning, and Sod represents the hidden meaning. There is often considerable overlap, for example when legal understandings of a verse are influenced by mystical interpretations or when a “hint” is determined by comparing a word with other instances of the same word. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardes_%28Jewish_exegesis%29
One good example of how this works is seen in the scripture where Yeshua talks about “The Rich Man And Lazarus.” It should be noted that whenever you read a story that Yeshua relates, and it looks like a parable that includes a person’s name (like Lazarus for example) it is a true story that Yeshua is using as an allegory. The story about Lazarus and The Rich Man tells an actual occurance that can be used for spiritual teaching, that speaks of the dangers of being greedy and speaks to the heart about repentance.
If someone says that a scripture is spiritual only or literal only the are wrong and anything that they say should be examined for flaw using scripture as a basis.
If you’re still in doubt, check the original language:
We know that we need to look at everything through the lens of scripture. There are times however when the lens of scripture seems to be a bit cloudy. We should also ask Yahweh in prayer to help us to understand scriptures which are not quite clear. Many times, Yahweh will direct us to the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) in order to get a more clear look at the meaning and intention that the original writers inscribed as they received. There was a group of people mentioned in the Book of Acts that did just this; they were called the Bereans. In the following account we read:
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. Acts 17:10-12
The Bereans were a group of Jews that checked everything with Scripture. It was because of their knowledge of Yahweh’s Word that caused them to believe in Yeshua Ha Mashiach when they heard the news about Him.
As I mentioned, checking the original languages is very important when things aren’t quite clear, or things just don’t seem to make sense. One such scripture is found in Revelation, and when I did a Greek study of the following scripture I found something very interesting:
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Revelation 10:5-7
Doing a Greek study of the words that I have placed in bold in the scripture above we come to an entirely different idea of what the angel is actually saying. To anyone looking at the phrase it would appear to mean that the angel is proclaiming that the time of Tribulation has come to an end, and in some aspects it is approaching an end at this point in future history. However, the Greek transliteration of those words reveals something very different:
There should be: esomai – shall be or will be
Time: chronos – time or space – space/time as in the continuum.
No: ou – no
Longer: eti – of a thing which went on formerly, whereas now a different state of things exists or has begun to exist
(Source: Strongs Exhaustive Concordance at www.blueletterbible.org)
So, instead of talking about the literal end of the Tribulation Period, it is saying that at the end of the Tribulation Period, Yahweh is going to take space/time and eliminate it, changing it into something else. Perhaps that by eliminating space/time as we know it Yahweh is going to open up the window of the spiritual dimension so that mankind can actually see the demons and fallen angels that they have been idolizing and serving. That’s just an assumption of course.
If you’re getting a message from the a spirit and it contradicts scripture, it is a false message:
It stands to reason that since we’re walking in the Light of Yeshua; there will be spirits, opposed to Yeshua who will want to lead us astray. It is imperative that we test everything, like the Berean’s did when it came to scripture, looking to see if what we are hearing can be verified by Scripture.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
And:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Timothy 4:1
As I mentioned earlier, there are deceivers who will take one scripture and will use it to fulfill their lust, or will use it to create false doctrine. If we know scripture and/or search things out before we take them on as fact, we will save ourselves a lot of grief and we’ll walk in the truth.
Prophecy is finished. There is no new prophecy and anything gotten must have scriptural basis with two or more scriptures.
First off, I’m not saying that all prophecy has been fulfilled. I’m saying that what Yahweh has said in the way of prophecy is complete. Modern day prophets are bound by this and there is nothing that can be added to prophecy. We are warned in this regard at the end of the Book of Revelation:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19
Some of you are probably saying that this warning only has to do with the Book of Revelation. But notice that these are the last words of the Bible itself. The whole Bible; Tanakh and Brit Hadasha is part of one book, the whole Bible, which incidentally means “BOOK.” Therefore I take it quite literally to mean that if anyone takes away or adds to any part of the Bible as a whole, the plagues and loss of being numbered with the Saints is valid.
There are those, particularly those in the NAR (New Apostolic Revival) who call themselves prophets and have laid out a hierarchy of prophets. They have said that there can be new prophetic revelation; that is, new revelation as opposed to old revelation brought to light through dreams, visions and words of knowledge. If any of those three are experienced or uttered, they had better well have verification through scripture that already exists. One good source that talks in depth about the NAR, states:
The primary role of prophets, as taught in the NAR movement, is to receive new divine revelation. Thus, prophets are seen by many NAR leaders as filling the second highest office in church governmentsecond only to the apostles.
Though prophets are often viewed as second in authority to apostles, it should be noted that some prominent NAR leaders, such as prophet Bill Hamon, see prophets and apostles as equal partners. This difference aside, most NAR leaders, including Hamon, teacheither explicitly or through implicationthat apostles and prophets together fill the two highest offices in church government. The reason for their greater authority is because these two offices alone receive and implement new divine revelation. Pastors, teachers and evangelists — in contrast — do not generally receive new revelation, according to NAR leaders. Thus, their roles are limited to teaching the new revelation that has been received by the NAR apostles and prophets and the older revelation contained in the Bible.
NAR prophets are not expected to be 100 percent accurate in their predictions. Thus, they still can be considered legitimate prophets even when they make errors. Critics of the NAR movement believe this toleration of false prophecies is in direct contradiction to the Bible’s teaching that a key sign of a false prophet is giving erroneous, or false, predictions (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). Some NAR prophets who have made highly publicized, erroneous predictions — yet still are considered true prophets — include Kim Clement and Rick Joyner.
Yet, the majority of prophecies given by NAR prophets today are not specific predictions. Rather, most of their predictions are worded so vaguely that it would be difficult to determine whether or not they were ever fulfilled. Critics of the NAR movement view this practice — of giving vague, non-specific prophecies — as a tactic designed to cover up failed prophecies.
Not holding false prophets accountable for their falseness is unbiblical and dead wrong. If a person is hearing from the Ruach Ha Kodesh they will be right 100% of the time. Perhaps the problem today is that false prophets aren’t treated like false prophets should be treated. If they were stoned, like scripture tells us to do then there would be a lot less people running around flapping their lips and trying to gain recognition.
In Summation:
The sum of all things where this blog entry is concerned is that we need to be careful. We need to realize that those little punctuation points are there for a reason, and making a mistake by not reading them or not using them could mean the difference between correct and incorrect interpretation. If you are going to refer to a scripture so as to use it for correction of someone you had darn well better know the whole context of the body of scripture that surrounds the one that you’re focusing on.
In addition, scripture is never intended to kill or destroy another brother or sister. It can be used against Satan and his adversaries quite effectively; just refer to Yeshua when he was tempted out in the wilderness; he always answered the enemy with the Word of Yahweh. Scripture can be used to judge the fruit of a person, whether they are bearing good fruit or bad fruit. It is the litmus test as to what is right and what is wrong. It then can be used to instruct those who are using it out of ignorance and to chastise those who are deliberately twisting to suit their own agendas, or the agenda’s of others.
I believe however that whenever we study scripture and we think that we are being led to use it for instruction and/or reprimand, or just for plain old studying; that we pray for Yeshua to send the Ruach Ha Kodesh to instruct us in all righteousness. We should never be quick to offer a word or a reprimand and we should do as King David practiced; he meditated on the Word (Law) of Yahweh day and night. As we get to know the author of Scripture more and more we get to know His reason and intent for everything that He has dictated to man through His Holy Word.