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I. SPEAKING IN TONGUES
A. Revelation 13:13 (and 19:20): Satanic spiritual forceworking miracles to unite theworld in a spiritual effortin the endtime. Rev. 19:20 shows that the lamb-like beast of Rev.13 is motivated by a false religious movement (that's why it's calleda false prophet also).
B. Revelation 16:14: Satanic spiritual forces workingmiraclesto unite the world in a spiritual effort in theendtime.
A1 Revelation 13:13: miracles symbolized by fire coming downfrom heaven
B1 Revelation 16:13-14: miracles associated with Satanicpowers speaking like frogs. They are pictured as coming out of the mouthsof the unholy trinity (word "mouth" is used all 3 times); the mouth isassociated with speaking (see Rev. 13:5-6,11). Frogs are never used symbolicallyin Scripture except here, where they are identified in v. 14 as demonicspirits.
1. To humans, frogs speak an unintelligible language.
2. According to Isaiah 8:19, people speaking under the influence ofdemons "peep" and "mutter."
C. A1 + B1 = obvious reference to tonguesof fire coming down upon the apostles and others on the Day of Pentecost(Acts 2), with the result being their ability to speak in tongues. Acts2 makes it very clear that those tongues were foreign languages. In Revelation,however, the context is obviously a false, or counterfeit, outpouring ofthe "Holy Spirit" and a false, or counterfeit, tongues, which are nonsensicaland unintelligible. And note that this spiritual movement emanates fromallthe false religious forces on the earth in the endtime; since the beastrepresents the false mother Church, the false prophet must represent ApostateProtestantism. The dragon ultimately represents Satan, of course (Rev.12:9), but since Satan is behind all 3 of the world's religious forces,the dragon must represent all the non-Christian religions.
D. Conclusion: The endtime "Christian" charismatic movement (whichfocuses on the "Holy Spirit," "His" gifts, miracles, and the sensational)will be symbolized by a counterfeit speaking in tongues. The common elementbetween false Christians and non-Christians (ie., dragon) is, therefore,spiritualism. This movement will unite the world, and its political establishments("kings of the earth..." Rev. 16:14), behind a type of false worship (Rev.13) and the persecution of God's faithful people (Rev. 13; 16 in symbol),which will result in a final showdown called Armageddon (Rev. 16:16).
II. THE MIRACULOUS AND SENSATIONAL
A. Luke 10:17-20 (especially v. 20): even when miracles are genuine,and come from the Divine source, do not focus on the miracles themselvesand exalt them or yourself (or the human instrument for the miracle). Instead,be pleased that your name is written in heaven. This counsel was givenby Jesus Himself to the 70 apostles He sent out in His name; it representsa serious caution or warning from the Savior.
B. John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15: the Holy Spirit never pointsto Himself or the believer through whom He works, but only to Jesus! Amongother things, this means that miracles wrought by His power are not forpublic show (as in entertainment) because He never displays Himself.
C. Gospels and the entire New Testament: Neither Jesus nor Hisapostles ever focused on their miracles as such. In other words, therewere no spectacular body movements associated with their miracles; theywere spontaneous--there were no "healing services" called to display thisDivine power; and there was always a gentleness and calmness, as contrastedby the modern charismatic movement's near circus (ie., entertainment) atmosphere.
D. Matthew 7:21-23: Jesus will call those professed Christianswho do mighty miracles in His name, but who do not obey His word,those who "work iniquity" (v. 23, KJV), or "practice lawlessness" (v. 23,NKJV). This means that a believer cannot trust his senses! "To thelaw and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, itis because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20, KJV).
III. LIFTING UP HOLY HANDS
A. There are more than a dozen Bible texts which speak aboutbelievers lifting up their hands to the Lord. Most of them explicitly associatethis action with prayer; the context in the other texts imply an interpretationconsistent with prayer, although an association with singing cannot beruled out as inconsistent with the prevailing thoughts.
B. The lifting up of hands to the Lord is paralleled or contrastedwith other thoughts and phraseology also, such as the following: lift upyour soul to God (Psalm 25:1; 86:4; 143:8); lift up your hearts and hands(Lamentations 3:41); lift up your hands to God's commandments (Psalm 119:48);reach out your hands to iniquity (Psalm 125:3); stretch out your handsto a foreign god (Psalm 44:20); and lifting up your soul to an idol (Psalm24:4).
C. The lifting up of hands for a spiritual purpose also includeda blessing pronounced on individuals or groups of God's people. In thesecases, the hand or hands was/were facing those being blessed (see Leviticus9:22) or raised in order to be placed on an individual (see Genesis 48:14-15).
D. The evidence of Scripture is that the lifting up of handsto the Lord represented the giving of your heart and soul to Him, to serveand obey Him. The same practice on or toward individuals or groups of believerswas to bless them in the name of the Lord. In both cases, this practicesymbolized giving--not receiving!
E. The lifting up of hands for either holy purpose (see above)was a custom of the Biblical culture. Even in I Timothy 2:8, the only NewTestament passage to mention it, the emphasis (in context) is onprayer being conducted on a holy basis and "without wrath and doubting"(NKJV)--not on the fact that prayer must be given with one's hands liftedup.
F. The lifting up of hands in prayer or praise is not a pervasivecultural practice today, at least not in Western nations. Its origin amongmodern Christians is associated with the popular charismatic movement,and is designed to get its practitioners to feel a type of tingling sensation(beginning in the fingertips) as the "Holy Spirit" comes in a special wayinto his being. This puts the emphasis on 2 wrong counts: (1) on feelingand the senses (see section V); and (2) on receiving the Holy Spirit insteadof giving oneself to serve and obey God. Because of this association withthe counterfeit charismatic movement, the believer would be wiser not topractice the lifting up of hands in prayer or praise.
IV. DANCING (MUSIC), HAND-CLAPPING, AND DRAMA
A. DANCING: There are more than 25 references in the Bible todancing. The great majority are mentioned in a positive way; some are mentionedin a neutral way (as simply mentioning it in contrast to mourning); and4 are mentioned in connection with the wicked (Exodus 32:19; Job 21:11;Matthew 14:6; and Mark 6:22).
1. In Scripture, approved dancing is never shown as occurring betweenthe opposite sexes, or among them. The probable reason, given sinful humannature and human history, is that this would lead at least some of God'speople to think in sexual terms, which in turn, would lead to immorality.
2. The swaying of hips, or other similar dance movements, are definitelysexually provocative behavior, which the Lord would certainly not haveendorsed.
3. Although we do not know the precise nature of the approved dancesin Bible times, much of it may have been closer to modern ballet--whichis not usually sexual (or sensual) in nature. All we can be certain ofis that Biblically approved dancing could not have been such as would leadGod's people into immorality.
4. Music usually, although not always, accompanies dancing (or similarmovements). Music may appropriately be lively, and evoke emotion, but ifit encourages actions referred to in #1 and #2 above, it should be avoided.Most of the time, for music to encourage such behavior--including shoutingor jumping up and down, etc.--it has an excessively strong beat (oftensyncopated), which produces much dissonance (ie., lack of harmonious sound).All such music and behavior during a worship service violates the "decencyand order" principle because God is not a God of confusion (I Corinthians14:33,40).
5. The "dancing" (or other behavior) which often accompanies moderncharismatic worship services involves at least 3 problematic areas: (1)the congregation (both men and women) engage in certain movements together,in the same room (see #1 above); (2) the movements often include the swayingof hips (see #2 above); and (3) often there is jumping around and/or shoutinghere and there, with or without music, which produces sounds more likethe world than the church (see #3 above).
B. HAND-CLAPPING: There are 9 references in Scripture to hand-clapping.One was on the occasion of the coronation of a new king (II Kings 11:12);two of them are metaphorical, in which nature praises God (Psalm 98:8;Isaiah 55:12); five of them refer to hand-clapping as a sign of scorn,or derision; and only one (Psalm 47:1) tells God's people to clap theirhands in praise of God. But note that Psalm 47, like all the Psalms, aresongs which were sung. Thus, its reference to hand-clapping may have beenmetaphorical; or, if literal, it probably was done during the song in rhythmto it. There is no example of actual hand-clapping in a worship servicerecorded in the Bible.
1. In modern Western societies, as in Biblical times (see II Kings 11:12,and the metaphors of Psalm 98:8 and Isaiah 55:12), hand-clapping directedat someone constitutes praise of that person--unless the occasion is negative,and then it becomes sarcastic scorn, or derision. And in modern times,it is also associated with applauding a performer after a performance (ie.,entertainment).
2. When anyone does something in a religious service (speak, pray, sing,act out a parable or drama, etc.), he does it to honor the Lord. Therefore,applause inappropriately gives honor and praise to that person insteadof to the Lord. Furthermore, the believer would not want to encourage otherswho do things in a worship service to think of themselves as entertainers--which,in our modern culture, would be the tendency if applause were given.
3. Some Christians may argue that the practice of saying "amen" duringor after a believer has spoken, prayed, sang, etc. constitutes the samething as hand-clapping. But that is not the case. The Old Testament Hebrewword for "amen" means "sure, so be it." The New Testament Greek word for"amen" means "firm, so be it." (And the Greek word for "amen" originatedfrom the Hebrew word for "amen.") In other words, when someone says "amen"during or after a segment of a worship service, he is really affirmingthe truth of what the person is saying, singing, etc. Thus, while sucha practice does tell the person who led out that what they did was appreciated,it does not directly give honor or praise to that person. Instead, it isdirected at the Lord, and telling Him that those in the congregation agreewith the honor and praise which was just given to Him.
C. DRAMA: Spiritual truth can sometimes be made clear when itisacted out. After all, baptism acts out the identification of the believerwith the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ; and the Communion service(with its foot-washing preparatory service) acts out the identificationof the believer with the crucified Savior. Dramatic productions may alsorepresent a type of parable which is acted out. Therefore, they are notinherently wrong in a religious setting. However, dramas should be usedsparingly, and not as a substitute for the straightforward teaching andpreaching of the Word, for the following reasons:
1. It is very easy to confuse an acted-out parable (ie., religious drama)with the world of entertainment, especially in our modern age. Slippinginto an entertainment mode brings with it the evil tendencies of givingpraise and glory to the performers as performers rather than to the Lord.Encouraging the congregation to say "amen" instead of applauding couldbe one way to minimize this danger. Another way would be to have them conductedoutside an actual church sanctuary. And, of course, using drama sparinglywould seem prudent in this context as well.
2. Frequent use of religious dramas runs the real risk that some believerswill come to view them, not only as religious entertainment, but also assomething which competes with worldly entertainment. The church cannothope to compete with Hollywood's ability to bring excitement; nor doesthat kind of excitement make it conducive for the reception of the HolySpirit.
3. There is no record of Jesus or the apostles using drama as a wayof preaching the truth, even though dramas were a part of the culture oftheir day. Instead, they preached, taught, and told stories in order toconvey spiritual truth. Their example should make us cautious in our useof drama for that purpose. It seems reasonable, then, to avoid using dramaas a substitute for the regular teaching and preaching services of thechurch. It would be wiser to conduct them during special occasions calledjust for that purpose.
V. FEEL-GOOD RELIGION
A. Many modern churches, even outside the major charismatic movement,are using worldly marketing techniques to increase their attendance andmembership. This is because modern Christianity has slipped into the worldlyhabit of thinking (at least subconsciously) that numbers are the proofthat good things are happening at church. But even a superficial glanceat both the Old and New Testaments should make it clear that the majorityhave rarely been on God's side. This includes the majority of those whohave professed to belong to Him!
B. Focusing on numbers partly reflects the modern seculargeneration in Western nations, which in turn, then also contributesto its adoption in the church. The result is that many churches are doingalmost whatever it takes to put the emphasis on making people feel comfortable.This includes giving away material prizes, having hot drink and donutsjust before the worship services, the adoption of worldly music (see IV.A. 4 above) with Christian words, encouraging freer movement of the bodyduring singing, etc. (see III.; IV. A., B. above), the increasing use ofdrama to replace straightforward Bible teaching and preaching (see IV.C above), etc. In other words, the motto seems to be: "Ask not what youcan do for your church; ask what your church can do for you."
C. The following Bible principles should warn us against thesemodern trends, and against the modern charismatic movement in general:
1. Acts 20:35: When Scripture declares that "it is more blessed to givethan to receive," it is also warning churches not to attempt to attractpeople by an intentional policy of giving them material things that appealto their senses; such activity encourages a selfish "Me generation" attitudewhich needs no encouraging. That does not mean that churches should goout of their way to provide uncomfortable surroundings. What it does meanis that the simple message of Jesus Christ and His truths, both preachedand lived out by members of the congregation, should be what attracts peopleto your church.
This Bible passage also is a restatement of another principle, whichis even true in the secular world: you get out of something what you putinto it. Jesus probably would not have gotten much out of "church" duringHis public ministry, when church leaders generally rejected Him and wantedto get rid of Him. Yet it was His habit to go to "church" every week (Luke4:16). He put His presence, and sometimes His words, there for those honestsouls in attendance.
2. I Corinthians 2:14: This text announces the principle that spiritualthings are spiritually understood. If people come to church largely becauseof an appeal to their physical senses, they won't get as much spiritualfood as they should.
3. II Timothy 4:2-5: This passage is both a warning against wateringdown Bible truths and a prophecy which particularly applies to our modernera. Timothy was a pastor, and the apostle Paul encouraged him to "preachthe word" (v. 2, NKJV), for the alternative was to preach to those with"itching ears" (v. 3), who demand religious teachers who only preach smoothand comfortable things, and not "sound doctrine" (v. 3).
An emphasis on appealing to the physical senses to attract people to church and to be comfortable, most of all, will eventually lead to a trend toward watering down the messages of God's Word. And that's exactly what we are witnessing in so many churches today. May God help us!
©Builders of Faith 1997 | 
