Category: theology

by Elizabeth Prata

Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 1
Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 2
Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 3

Today is the last part of a 4-part series on direct revelation. Direct revelation is when God personally and individually and uniquely speaks to a person on earth. He has a personal message for the person which is outside of the Bible. Sometimes people claim to hear God audibly, like Jennie Allen who founded IF:Gathering did, claiming “a voice from the sky”, or they say they hear Him speak in dreams, whispers, visions, or impressions. However the method the claim is “God told me”.

The question I’ve been answering is, “Does God still give revelation today?” The answer is NO.

We can refer to two verses in the Bible. One in the OT in Deuteronomy 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

And in the NT in Rev 22:18-19 where the Bible is closed out with this warning, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

Does God ever call Christian mothers to full time ministry outside of their homes, especially if their children are still young?

Let’s be cautious about using the word ‘call.’ God doesn’t call people to do the opposite of what he has ordained in His word. Anyone claiming that they heard a voice or received a dream, vision, or message from God telling them otherwise is either self-deceived or lying. God does not contradict Himself.

His word is clear that the primary orientation of the woman in the home is to the home. Titus 2 records some principles for the woman/wife/mother, here-

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor be enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,  to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

If a woman follows those verses she will not dishonor the Lord. Now perhaps a woman hasn’t had children or her children are older teens or adults and she has more time at home. Rather than become bored and tempted, she might obtain a job or volunteer. The key is being sensible. If a full time job, removes the mother from the home in ways that cause the home to become fractured or run less well, the verse says the word of God will be dishonored. It is up to each couple to decide what is sensible for them and how the love commanded to her husband and children is best expressed. But in fact I’ve seen few woman be able to manage a full time job outside the home AND raise the children with full attention and energy.

Why is claiming direct revelation from God dangerous?

Allowing ground to the devil makes one drift away. Hebrews 2:1- For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. ANYTHING that drives a wedge between our mind and soul and Jesus is a danger. Satan’s lies do that.

Sinclair Ferguson explains why so many prefer an immediate revelation of God to the ongoing illumination of the word of God by the Spirit of God:

–It is more exciting to have direct revelation rather than Bible revelation. It seems more “spiritual,” more “divine.”
–For many people, it feels much more authoritative to be able to say, “God has revealed this to me” than to say, “The Bible tells me so.”
–Direct revelation relieves us of the need for painstaking Bible study and careful consideration of Christian doctrine to know the will of God. In comparison to immediate revelation, Bible study seems—to be frank—boring. ~Source Ligonier.org, Knowing God

Why is all of this important knowledge for the average Christian mom and wife?

For the name of Jesus and His glory. That is the chief end of man, the Westminster Confession says in number 1. We must glorify Him. Anything that glorifies him is necessary and anything that detracts from it is, well…

I understand the loneliness of the stay at home wife and mom. You are thirsty for an adult to talk to, you want grown up conversation, you feel your mind dulling by the day. This makes a woman a target for voices that are pitched to her yearnings and inner desires for affirmation, attention, or just love in a busy life. Ignore those devilish voices. Say in the word, the sure word. A MORE sure word honor the word by following the prescriptions outlined for women of all ages, no matter what age you are.

Further Resources

Knowing God – essay at Ligonier.org

The Problems with Personal Words From God: How People Become False Prophets to Themselves, by Bob DeWaay

Justin Peters on Divine Personal Revelation – video, 9-minute clip

By Elizabeth Prata

Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 1
Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 2
Is God Giving Direct Revelation? Part 4

I am publishing a 4 part series on Direct revelation. This is part 3. Part 4 will be tomorrow. Next week I have some different topics to cover. People in greater numbers, not fewer, are still claiming God spoke to them personally, or directly. This is known as direct revelation.

Throughout the Bible from Adam to Noah to the Prophets to Saul/Paul to the Apostles even John on remote Patmos, God and Jesus spoke directly to people to communicate His word. He also spoke through angels, a burning bush, and even a donkey.

When the Bible was completed, He ceased speaking directly. We have the word of God now as the final communication from Him.

Yet with the plethora of people claiming God still speaks, even some claiming He speaks to them, offering encouragements and making promises, I am examining whether those claims can be true. Despite the stern warning in Revelation 22:18-19 and despite the clear statement in Hebrews 1:1-2, people are alleging ‘God told me’.

I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19).

God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, (Hebrews 1:1-2).

After Revelation when John penned the words of Revelation, the final book, God concluded that the revelation was complete.

Some people, when they claim God has communicated with them, say they felt a sense of peace about the issue which they discussed. Is a feeling of peace a sure way to determine that a message from God was real?

Is having peace about something a fool proof way for Christians to know God’s will?

No. Firstly, founding any decision or action on a feeling is unwise. Feelings are fleeting. Feelings are deceptive.

Secondly, since we have already determined that God is NOT speaking directly to people these days, therefore any feelings that are evoked from a lying action are also suspect. The ‘peace’ they are feeling could easily be a deceptive feeling of peace, brought on by a seeming affirmation of what their flesh wanted.

People in the New Testament didn’t usually feel ‘peace’ when they communed with God. Peter shrunk back in the boat and pleaded with Jesus to ‘go away from me!’ Isaiah said he was undone. Even the gentle scene with Hagar, she was told to go back and serve abusive Sarah, was not a decision that would have evoked a peaceful feeling. Paul was told to stay in Corinth and keep preaching, that polluted city of licentiousness and blasphemy.

Not that communication with God audibly was never peaceful, but usually in these communications, God is telling people to do something either countercultural or counter to what the flesh wants. These are difficult things that normally evoke other feelings besides peace.

Further, Paul learned peace. Philippians 4:11, Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

He had to learn it. He learned it the hard way, being beaten in every city, jailed, hounded by false teachers, accused of preaching false doctrine, slandered. He learned contentment. But he didn’t start out being peaceful with every situation. He learned it. So must we.

You can be anxious about a path you know you should take but still be confident in the LORD, but not have peace in ourselves. We often DON’T have peace, because the Gospel and holy living we are called to do is oppositional to our flesh, which still is infused with sin. That there might be an unpeaceful battle in our conscience or our heart about a particular decision is by no means indicative of its error. Though sometimes it is, like everything with the Bible, we don’t determine holy standards by our feelings or experiences.

By Elizabeth Prata

Direct revelation Part 1
Is God Giving direct revelation? Part 3
Is God giving direct revelation? Part 4

The answer to the question in the title is: NO. God is not speaking now apart from or outside of His written word. Take a look at Part 1 for scriptural explanation of this question and answer.

Of the many millions of ‘Christian’ teachers and authors out there who claim that God IS speaking today, they claim also to have the insider information on how to hear him, how to detect if the voice was from God, and how to communicate with him in return.

Again, no. But the question remains, that so many people unfortunately ask:

If we do hear a voice, how do we know it’s from the Lord? And if it’s not from God, then who is speaking?

It is not from the Lord. It is not. There is an entire sub-industry to the Christian Publishing industry of ‘how to hear from God’. Rick Warren, Priscilla Shirer, Joyce Meyer, Mark Batterson, Dallas Willard, and many others have written books and teaching curricula on this topic. The marketplace is flooded with books on how to hear from God. If direct revelation was such an important method of communing with God, why is it so lacking in instruction in the Bible? No, 2 Timothy 3:16 says, says All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;

We can tell by comparing what was said by this voice and how the people reacted. First, the reaction of the recipient-

The Reaction

The true recipients of God’s word or even of His word through an angel was they all fell down, they were crushed and undone as Isaiah was. ‘The trauma of holiness‘, as RC Sproul used to say. An encounter with God always was a traumatic experience. Peter cried out, “depart from me for I am a sinful man!” They hear the word and obey immediately, because they know it is God speaking.

Yet these ladies who claim to hear from God flit around as if it’s a robo-caller on the other side of the phone. When Beth Moore receives a message, she argues with God, so does Joanna Gaines, who actually reported that she flatly told ‘god’ NO. Beth Moore even put ‘Jesus’ on hold saying she’d get to him in a minute and went on with what she was doing first! No, IF it was God first they would fall down in despair for their own sinfulness, and second they would be eager to hear and obey.

The Content

Next, you can tell the voice isn’t from God because of the content of the message. The women (and men) claim to have casual chats with the holy almighty. Sarah Young’s revelations are all things a woman would like to hear, and in a manner that doesn’t even sound like God is speaking, but a 13 year old girl mooning over a poster on her bedroom wall of the latest celebrity teen.

Many times, the content of the so-called message from God is centered around the person to whom God is supposedly communicating- their wants, their needs, their issues. When God communicated in the Bible with people, his messages were mainly concerned with proper worship, His glory, His prophetic plans, His commands, His judgments.

For example, in the New Testament God communicated with Joseph in a dream. In the dream, God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and to flee to Egypt. He didn’t tune in to ask Joseph how he was feeling about Mary’s pregnancy.

In the Old Testament when He spoke to Hagar in such a personally compassionate way, He told her what to do and then uttered a prophecy about her son.

No, Jesus taught his disciples and by extension us, to pray. He didn’t teach us anywhere in the New Testament to seek His audible voice. (Matthew 6:9-13). All we need is in the Bible.

The Deception

People who claim to hear a voice rarely say that it could be a deception. They seem sure that it was God and only God who spoke to them. For example, Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s show Fixer Upper and the Magnolia Empire, said she heard God clearly in a garden no less, and he supposedly assured her that all her dreams of having a large platform will come true. It never occurred to her seemingly, that the ‘voice’ was indulging her flesh and that it could have been a deception. No, because she was being assured of her dreams, that seemed to cement it for her and she went on to tell this ‘testimony’ in a widely circulated video. Here is a sample:

“I hear God say very clearly, he said ‘Joanna if you trust me with your dreams I’m gonna take Magnolia further than you could have ever dreamed so just trust me.’ I remember hearing that and feeling completely peaceful about it…”

Of course she felt peaceful, she was just told by a voice she thinks is the creator of the universe telling her he will make her dreams come true. Wouldn’t YOU feel ‘peaceful’ about that?

Why do these direct messages – especially the ones to women – never seem to have anything negative to them? God told Hagar to go back and serve Sarah who hated Hagar and abused her. Not so ‘peaceful’. Did God tell the Angel Gabriel to tell Mary that all her dreams would come true? No, he told her what would happen to her body and what to do next. Rebekah inquired of God why her pregnancy was so painful, God told her that 2 nations were in her womb and one will be stronger than the other. He didn’t take time to assure her of her feelings about it.

That dreamy, sentimental faith which ignores the judgments of God against us and listens to the affirmations of the soul is as deadly as cyanide. Faith in faith is faith astray. To hope for heaven by means of such faith is to drive in the dark across a deep chasm on a bridge that does not quite reach the other side.

AW Tozer (Of God and Men)

If someone hears a voice it could be the devil or his unholy angels. Satan masquerades as minister of righteousness, after all, and so do his fallen angels. (2 Corinthians 11:14). Eve was deceived by satan masquerading as a serpent. Demons spoke through men, (Acts 9:13-15). There is such a thing as lying spirits who speak through the mouth. (1 Kings 22:19–23).

Peter said we have a “more sure word”. (2 Peter 1:19). You can be SURE that it is God speaking when you read His word. You don’t have to take courses to learn how to determine if what you are hearing is from God or not. (It’s not). You can be sure that His written word is sufficient for your life. Read it, enjoy it, be confident in it!

Further resources

Direct revelation Part 1 The End Time

Does God Still Give Revelation?

Toxic Devotion: A Review of Sarah Young’s—Jesus Calling by Bob DeWaay

The Problems with Personal Words From God: How People Become False Prophets to Themselves by Bob DeWaay

By Elizabeth Prata

Is God giving direct revelation? Part 2
Is God giving direct revelation? Part 3
Is God giving direct revelation? Part 4

I’ll do a short series to finish out this week on the dangers of direct revelation. I’ve written about this subject a few times. Why do I return to this subject? First, because it is a pervasive issue in the faith; second because it is a dangerous practice; third, because it betrays either a massive ignorance on the part of the person who claims God talked to them or a massive self-deception; and fourth, because I still get push-back every time I write on it, showing the continuing need for teaching on this subject.

Look up the subject of ‘god spoke to me’ or ‘god whispers’ or ‘god told me’ anywhere online and you will receive millions of results purporting to teach you how to hear God’s voice, or from people who claim to have already heard it. I googled ‘God whispers’ and received 15 million results, starting with books on Amazon that teach it.

No. God is not speaking now, except by His Spirit who illuminates the truths in His written word, the Bible. (And not the Catholic Bible and not the Mormon Bible).

1. What is the “God told me” religion?

It is a conviction that God is still personally speaking to people today, that He delivers new revelation, He guides in personal, individual matters such as where to go or what job to take, or who to marry, and the general notion that He speaks to His people directly, outside of scripture. But He doesn’t. The 1689 Baptist Confession Chapter 1 number 1 says,

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.

( 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Isaiah 8:20; Luke 16:29, 31; Ephesians 2:20; Romans 1:19-21; Romans 2:14,15; Psalms 19:1-3; Hebrews 1:1; Proverbs 22:19-21; Romans 15:4; 2 Peter 1:19,20 ).

This is known as ‘Cessationism’, from ‘ceased’, meaning stopped. The podcast from G3 Ministries discussing that the miraculous gifts of the spirit have ceased can be listened to here.

2. Does God talk to us audibly?

No. Hebrews 1 refutes the idea that God is still speaking in various ways as He did in the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Then, He spoke through a burning bush, a donkey, angels, Prophets, visions, voices, and circumstances such as earthquakes or brimstone, etc. It should be noted that God did not speak directly to His people often. He only spoke during times of great change, as with Moses, the period of Elijah and the Prophets, and when Jesus came in his incarnation. There were hundreds and hundreds of years where God didn’t speak in any way directly or indirectly.

It was not a common thing then and it is not a common thing now. His word is final. Jesus is the ultimate message. If we insist that we hear from heaven now, it renders Jesus less than the pinnacle of God’s written revelation. If He speaks now, it renders the scriptures as we know them open and insufficient. It renders Jesus’ message incomplete and needing additional stopgaps, patches, and additions.

Further, IF he is speaking now, then which people do we believe? How are they authenticated?

God’s Final Word in His Son: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

G3 Ministries is coming out with a film on this issue in September. It is called, aptly, Cessationist. Here is the trailer:

Further resources include:

Is God giving direct revelation? Part 2

God’s Final Word essay from Christian Library

Does God still give revelation? Grace to You essay