Quote:
Originally Posted by evangelist-77
Following is a super-short version of this information.
God’s method of evangelism was demonstrated in the NT …
preaching the gospel, accompanied by His signs, wonders, miracles!
The truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ was confirmed and verified by SWMs.
Certain believers were “anointed” for this; not everyone in the churches was.
But, Satan hated all of this …
and was determined to stop it, for he has always been man’s mortal enemy:
“the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
“the ruler of this world” (John 12:31)
“he is a liar and the father of it (lying)” (John 8:44)
“the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9)
“the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19)
Satan has always had a tremendous influence in the affairs of man,
and he did not want the churches to continue having enormous spiritual power!
To believe the rest of this, you need to believe that Satan and his demons
can plant thoughts in the minds of men. That is why we are told to be …
“bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).
After the original disciples and apostles died off …
-- some men who were not anointed for SWMs crept in to be church leaders
-- Satan gradually deceived these men into formulating a cessationist doctrine,
i.e. God no longer was involved in SWMs because man had the Canon of Scripture!
The men in charge of the big churches 1900+ years ago wanted to be in control.
They did NOT want:
-- God to be in control of the churches (including Him displaying SWMs)
-- ditto for God’s anointed apostles and prophets (who ran the NT churches)
-- anyone in the church with more spiritual anointing than they had
-- to look spiritually inferior to anyone
-- to risk losing their power, prestige, jobs, etc.
This selfish attitude caused God’s Church to become man’s church!
Now for the disastrous results! … Many many fewer salvations were achieved,
and almost no one was healed of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual problems.
Without the doctrine of cessationism, the whole world would have been evangelized
hundreds of years ago, and many people would have been healed of their maladies.
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This is all so very true.
2TIM 4:3-4 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own desires 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."
The Bridegroom is being delayed/tarried by the very ones who are admonished to hasten the day of His return by believing and living the Gospel fully. But because so many do not, the result is that they not able to preach the full Good News of salvation for mind body and soul. Thus they delay His return by not being a solid witness that imparts faith through love to others.
The proof is in the Scriptures
2PET 3:12 "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
MT 25:5 "While the bridegroom tarried,
they all slumbered and slept." The slumbering and sleeping spiritually speaking is why the Lord is tarried but He is not willing that any should perish, so He waits. Mass communication is what God is using to gather in lost sheep now that in previous generations where neglected but where eventually saved by the next overlapping generation. Soon, God will not use an overlapping generation to do the work of evangelizing because He has provided the means to bring things to a quick end as He promised without leaving behind any of those who will believe.
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