Zachary said:
Signs and wonders accompanying the gospel can lead away the elect?
Only if it's a false gospel, such as the "name it and claim it" prosperity gospel.
Mat 24:24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mar 13:22
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
This guy impresses me:
Joh 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Joh 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Joh 4:50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
He didn't need a sign. He simply had faith, and it was enough.
I suggest that you join up with a Pentecostal/charismatic missionary group and head off
somewhere in the world ... and get educated about what the Lord is doing these days!
But, He certainly is not doing it in America, which He is getting ready to destroy!
I am 65 years old, and disabled, for one thing.
And I have very little to do with Pentecostal/charismatic groups.
Now, don't get me wrong....as I have already said, I am definitely not a "cessationist".
However, as I've also said, I know about the so-called "Toronto Blessing", and I am acquainted with several people who have helped Benny Hinn pull off his so-called "miracles".
Most of what goes on in the charismatic movement is pure fakery, and quite reprehensible.
Some of it, I very greatly fear, is being done by another spirit, which is not holy at all. People think that they are "being led of the Spirit", but in reality, they have given themselves up to an evil spirit.
Have you ever heard of Jesus slaying anyone in the spirit? Or being overcome by "holy laughter" or being "drunk in the spirit" or any other such manifestation?
Of course, you haven't. Nor have any of His Apostles indulged in such nonsense.
The one and only example of "speaking in tongues" in the Bible feature the Apostles speaking in known human tongues that the people around them heard and understood. There were no senseless babblings going on in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost.
And when Paul says that he is glad that he speaks in tongues "more than ye all"...well, didn't he have reason to be glad? The man traveled all over the known world with his gospel message....I'm fairly sure that the ability to speak in human languages that had not been known to him before came in quite handy, don't you think?
Yes, the Holy Spirit is still alive and well, and active in the lives of believing Christians. But He isn't putting on a show. He doesn't draw attention to Himself, but rather, directs our attention to Jesus, always glorifying Him, and never Himself.
Of course, you need to be led of the Lord to go and do this ...
and have several confirmations from Spirit-filled believers whom you trust.
I only know of one "Spirit-filled believer" that I would trust.
She had volunteered for the suicide hot line, and was talking to a very depressed lady, when, to her amazement, she was speaking in an unknown tongue, although, like me, she has no faith at all in the so-called "charismatic movement".
Before long, the lady on the other end of the phone was in tears, thanking her over and over again.
She was totally amazed that this girl could speak in the rather obscure Hawaiian dialect that her grandmother had spoken in when she was but a child...but not nearly as amazed as my friend, who had never spoken a word of Hawaiian before in her life....
