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It is written:
2 Timothy 3:1-9-But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
In the Christian Age, there have been three major movements which have swept through Christendom and led many people away from God’s Word. I characterize them as Catholicism, Calvinism, and Charismaticism. In this study, we are going to notice the influence of charismaticism (used synonymously with the Pentecostal movement of our day and age and having reference to alleged bizarre outpourings and manifestations of the Holy Spirit).).
In 2 Timothy 3, Paul talks about events that would take place during “the last days.” The phrase usually has reference to the Christian Age, beginning on Pentecost of Acts 2 and continuing on through the Second Coming (cf. Acts 2:16-21; Hebrews 1:1-2). One of the characteristics that Paul says would take place during this time are influences like Jannes and Jambres. We can search the Old Testament time and again for these names and we will not find them. However, they are listed for us in two of the Hebrew history books referenced in the Bible, the books of Jasher (cf. Joshua 10:12-13) and Jubilees. From Jasher, we read the following:
Jasher 79:27, 36-“And when they had gone Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician and to Jannes and Jambres his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counsellors which belonged to the king, and they all came and sat before the king… And Aaron hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before Pharaoh and before his servants, and the rod turned into a serpent.”
Thus, Jannes and Jambres were the sorcerers who opposed Moses. Several times we are told that these sorcerers duplicated some of the miracles of God performed through Moses.
Exodus 7:11-But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
Exodus 7:22-Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.
Exodus 8:7-And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.
However, the power of God was still shown to be greater:
Exodus 7:12-12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
Exodus 8:18-19-18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.
Exodus 9:11-And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
Amazingly, the book of Jubilees tells us how the sorcerers were able to duplicate these miracles:
Jubilees 48:9-12-9. And the prince of the Mastêmâ stood up against thee, and sought to cast thee into the hands of Pharaoh, and he helped the Egyptian sorcerers, and they stood up and wrought before thee. 10. The evils indeed we permitted them to work, but the remedies we did not allow to be wrought by their hands. 11. And the Lord smote them with malignant ulcers, and they were not able to stand for we destroyed them so that they could not perform a single sign. 12. And notwithstanding all (these) signs and wonders the prince of the Mastêmâ was not put to shame because he took courage and cried to the Egyptians to pursue after thee with all the powers of the Egyptians, with their chariots, and with their horses, and with all the hosts of the peoples of Egypt.
So Jannes and Jambres were able to duplicate the power of God by using the power of a being known as Mastema. So, who is Mastema?
“What is Mastema? In 1 Enoch, Satan and Azazʾel are identified with each other in certain passages, but the name “Azazʾel” does not appear in Jubilees. 38 Instead, the name “Mastema” is used for Satan, and Mastema is never portrayed as being under the authority of a superior evil figure. 39 As VanderKam notes, Mastema appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls: [His] full title is now attested in Hebrew as śar-ham-maśṭmâ (e.g. 4Q225 2.2.13.… the Prince of Mastema.… [The] word “mastemah” is a noun which apparently emerged as a name or title at a later time. It is found twice in the Hebrew Bible (Hos. 9: 7–8) where it means “animosity, hostility.” The phrase “the Prince of Mastema” in Jubilees clearly designates an individual who bears this title, while Mastema alone seems to have become a name. In Jub. 10.11 the context implies that he is identified with the satan. It seems as if he is the counterpart to the angel of the presence. 40 The identification of Mastema with Satan (or the use of those two terms for the same cosmic figure) seems driven by two factors. First, maśṭēmâ is a noun that derives from the verb śṭm, which means “to be at enmity with, be hostile towards.” 41 This verb is linguistically related to śṭn (i.e., śāṭān; “accuser, adversary”)—“ In the OT the root śṭn forms the qal ‘to be hostile to,’ and the nom[ inative] s śāṭān ‘opponent’ and śiṭnâ ‘hostility.… the by-form śṭm produces the qal [verb form] and the noun maśṭēmâ ‘hostility.’ ”42 Second, some Second Temple writers seem to be driven by the assumption that divine hostility is to be considered evil. The author of Jubilees alters several Old Testament episodes to make Mastema the instigator in the place of Yahweh, thereby creating a more pronounced cosmic duality than one finds in the Old Testament.” (Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What The Bible Really Says About The Powers Of Darkness, 97-98 (Kindle Edition): Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press)
When the Jewish people left Egypt, a “mixed multitude” of Egyptians left with them.
Exodus 12:38-A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.
According to Jewish tradition, Jannes and Jambres left with the Hebrews in this mixed multitude! However, they continued to practice sorcery among the Jewish people, bringing their dark craft into Israel and mixing it with the religion of the one true God.
“Jochnes and Mamres (alternately, Jannes and Mambres): The chief magicians of Pharaoh who battled Moses in Egypt (Ex. 7–8). They foresaw the coming of Moses by means of divination and so instructed Pharaoh to kill the Israelite firstborn sons. As the two sons of Balaam, they were true witches; they could fly and make themselves invisible (Gen. R. 86.15; Kid. 49b). Later they joined the Israelites in the Exodus as agent provocateurs and they were that “mixed multitude” that incited the people to construct the golden calf (Zohar II: 191a–2: 191b). They also assisted Balaam in his efforts to curse Israel. Eventually they were slain using the power of the divine name (Men. 85a; Tanh. Ki Tissa 19; Yalkut Ex. 168). They derived their power from the Sefirah of Gevurah (Zohar I: 83a, 249a–b; Zohar II: 28a).” (Geoffrey W. Dennis, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism, 226 (Kindle Edition): Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications)
Putting all of these things together, we learn that Jannes and Jambres brought introduced paganism and pagan practice into the religion of Israel. They had the ability to work seeming miracles by the power of Satan, even though it was disguised under the name of the one true God.
Paul tells us that in the same way that Jannes and Jambres influenced Israel, so there would be those during the Christian Age who would lead people away from the truth of God. What then should we look for in fulfillment of this prophecy?
1). People who would work apparent miracles;
2). People who would or apparent miracles by the power of Satan and demonic forces;
3). People who would work apparent miracles by the power of Satan and demonic forces but in the name of God.
Jesus Himself taught that this would take place during the Christian Age:
Matthew 7:21-23-Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Indeed, He declared:
Matthew 24:24-For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Again, Paul declared:
2 Thessalonians 2:9-The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
John makes it clear that during the Christian Age, demonic forces and activities will increase in the world:
Revelation 16:13-14-And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
The New Testament clearly teaches that there will be a rise in demonic activity showing itself through seeming miracles in the name of Christ during the Christian Age. Indeed, it should therefore not surprise us that there are many in our world who advocate continuing miraculous gifts and revelations today. While acknowledging that God continues to work in the world in many natural-and in many SUPERNATURAL-ways through the prayers of His people, we also readily assert that God’s proven and confirmed Word teaches that the miraculous gifts that God gave to His people in the first century have long since ceased, even though demonic activity continues.
As Cottrell has noted:
“I am not saying that God is not working in the world today. He is definitely intervening in the world in many powerful, supernatural ways. But I am saying that God’s mighty works do not have to be miraculous events. The best understanding of Scripture is that God has not been giving miracle-working power to individuals after the apostolic age. I believe that miracles are occurring in the world today, and that certain individuals do have miracle-working power, often even within Christian contexts. But I believe these powers are demonic in origin, and are the result of demonic deception. See 2 Thessalonians 2: 9; Matthew 7: 21-23.” (Jack Cottrell, Spirits: Holy and Unholy (The Collected Writings of Jack Cottrell Book 8), 557-566 (Kindle Edition): Mason, OH: The Christian Restoration Association)
Yet does the Bible teach that the miraculous gifts were temporary?
Yes.
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, many of the Christians at Corinth were misusing their miraculously bestowed gifts. Paul encourages them to focus more on learning to truly love, especially because love is eternal while the miraculous gifts are temporary. He tells them:
1 Corinthians 13:8-10-Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
The Apostle teaches us here that the miraculous gifts would eventually “fail,” “cease,” and “vanish away.” In other words, they were designed to be temporary. Notice that they are going to vanish away when “the perfect” has come. This word has reference to something which is complete and finished, or full-grown. Notice the contrast: something is “complete” as opposed to that which is “in part” or partial: not fully matured or revealed. Well, what is the “complete?” He tells us!
“For we KNOW in part, and we PROPHECY in part.”
The things that Paul talks about are the Word of God which was being revealed miraculously and “bit by bit” (i.e., “in part”) when Paul was writing. Notice that in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us about this miraculously given knowledge and prophecy:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11-But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The miraculously revealed and confirmed Word of God was only partially available when Paul wrote, that is, it had not been fully revealed. But when it was “complete” or fully revealed, then the “in part” miraculous gifts would cease. So, when the New Testament was fully revealed, the miraculous gifts would end!
Other clues in this passage show us that this is Paul’s meaning.
1 Corinthians 13:11-13-When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
To illustrate his point, Paul draws from Old Testament analogies. He says that when the “complete” has come, it will be like looking “face to face.” Many believe that this is a reference to Heaven (that is, they claim that the miraculous gifts will last until we get to Heaven after the Second Coming). However, Paul is actually referring to the Old Testament Scriptures.
Exodus 33:11-So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
Deuteronomy 5:4-The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.
Deuteronomy 34:10-But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
In all of these passages, the idea of “face to face” is to receiving a more full revelation of God. So, Paul draws on the Old Testament imagery of God revealing His full Word to His people to illustrate what the “complete” is: the full Word of God!
Yet this is made especially clear in a passage in the Greek Old Testament that actually uses the phrase “dimly” and “face to face.”
Numbers 12:8-I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?”
Do you see that phrase “dark sayings?” It is the phrase translated as “dimly” in 1 Corinthians 13! In fact, Paul directly quotes from this passage here in 1 Corinthians 13 to describe what the “complete” is. Cottrell explains:
“The key to this understanding is the Greek phrase en ainigmati, translated “dimly.” Literally it means “in a riddle.” (I seriously recommend that everyone read the article on the word ainigma, “riddle,” in Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [TDNT], I: 178ff.) When we follow the trail of the word ainigma, it leads us to the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (the LXX), in Numbers 12: 8. Here Yahweh is explaining to Aaron and Miriam the difference between the way He usually spoke to Moses, in contrast with the way He spoke to most prophets. “With him [Moses] I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles.” The phrase “mouth to mouth” is equivalent to “face to face” in 1 Corinthians 13: 12; and “in riddles” is the same as “dimly” in 13: 12. What we see here is that the apostle Paul is using the language of Numbers 12: 8 to contrast the partial and the complete in 1 Corinthians 13. And the contrast in both cases is between two kinds of revelation: the less clear, and the more clear. It has nothing to do with an alleged heavenly form of speaking as distinct from a this-age revelation. Even the idea of “seeing in a mirror” should be understood in terms of the Rabbinic reflections on Numbers 12: 8. First, we must certainly reject the idea that Paul is talking about seeing “through a window” at all, whether dimly or clearly. The reference is to seeing “in a mirror.” According to the article cited above from Kittel’s TDNT, this concept comes from an idea common in Rabbinic literature, i.e., depicting revelation in terms of occultish mirror-gazing or crystal-ball gazing. This is by no means an endorsement of such a practice, but we should note that in reference to Numbers 12: 8 the Rabbis said that Moses saw God in a clear mirror, while other prophets saw Him in a cloudy mirror (TDNT, I: 178). As applied to 1 Corinthians 13: 12, the distinction is not between (1) seeing ONLY in a mirror—all ancient mirrors being cloudy by nature, and (2) seeing IN PERSON. This is not the point. Rather, the distinction is between (1) seeing in a cloudy mirror, and (2) seeing in a clear mirror—which were available in Paul’s day, contrary to a popular myth. See TDNT, I: 179. The point is simply that the present gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge were like looking into the cloudy mirror; whereas using the coming teleion would be like looking into a clear mirror. We should also note that the text does not say that when we look into the clear mirror, we shall “see HIM face to face.” There is no “him,” and no object at all. The expression “see face to face” is not about whom we will see, but how we will be seeing once the teleion comes. The expression refers to the kind of seeing, namely, to the clarity of the revelation. It will be as clear as seeing one’s face in a sharp and clear mirror. (See Numbers 12: 8; Genesis 32: 30; Judges 6: 22; Deuteronomy 34: 10.) Incidentally, the Greek expression for seeing another person “face to face” was kata prosōpon, as in Acts 25: 16; 2 Corinthians 10: 1, 7; Galatians 2: 11, not the expression in our text, prosōpon pros prosōpon. See the article on prosōpon in Kittel, TDNT, VI: 768-779….The comparison with 1 Corinthians 13: 12 is obvious. The piece-meal revelations (tongues, prophecy) are to the completed New Testament what the Old Testament is to the New Testament. Here is an extended paraphrase of the first part of 1 Corinthians 13: 12–“For now, while we depend on occasional revelations through prophecy or interpreted tongues, it is like trying to see yourself in a scratched and cloudy mirror. But then, when the completed New Testament has been given, it will be like seeing a sharp, clear image of yourself in a bright new mirror.”” (Jack Cottrell, Spirits: Holy and Unholy (The Collected Writings), 2241-2294 (Kindle Edition); Mason, OH; The Christian Restoration Association)
Finally, the New Testament itself uses the imagery of a mirror twice: and both refer to the complete Word of God in the New Testament Scriptures!
2 Corinthians 3:17-18-Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
James 1:23-25-For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Both of these passages use the imagery of a mirror, and in both passages it is a reference to the New Testament. (Interestingly enough, notice the word “perfect” in “perfect law of liberty” there in James 1:25…it is the same word “perfect” found in 1 Corinthians 13:10!).
The miraculous gifts given by God to the first century church were designed to be temporary, and indeed, they passed away when their purpose of confirming the Word of God had been fulfilled. Our charismatic friends, fulfilling the prophecy of Paul regarding Jannes and Jambres, thus often make serious mistakes in rejecting the Word of God in exchange for demonic deceptions and misguided feelings and emotions.
Throughout church history, there have been many movements which combined paganism with elements of Christianity and brought forth people who believed that they were being led by the Holy Spirit separate and apart from the Word of God. In truth, they were being deceived by “seducing spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1-5), especially since Satan “transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
John MacArthur documents the history of the more recent charismatic movement known as the Pentecostal Movement in our day and time:
“But, like it or not, contemporary Pentecostals (and by extension, all charismatics) are stuck with Charles Parham as the theological architect of their movement. 40 As Anthony Thiselton explains, “Charles Parham is widely regarded as the founder of classical Pentecostalism. . . . Parham formulated the classic four marks of Pentecostal theology and experience: salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, and expectancy of the ‘second coming’ of Christ.” 41 All this raises significant questions about the claims of the modern Pentecostal Movement, given the dubious nature of its initial beginnings: from the conflicting testimony of those involved, to the nonsensical nature of the “tongues” that were spoken, to the disreputable character of the movement’s first leader. Added to that, Pentecostalism arose out of the defective soteriology of the nineteenth-century Holiness Movement, of which Charles Parham and William J. Seymour were both part. 42 In spite of passages like 1 John 1: 8–10, Holiness theology wrongly asserts that believers can experience a “second blessing” sometime after their conversion, at which point they attain to a state of “Christian perfection” in this life. 43 Some nineteenth-century Holiness leaders also taught a “third blessing,” which they identified with the “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” and which Pentecostalism subsequently linked with speaking in tongues. 44 But here is the point of all this history: If the Holy Spirit intended to re-create the day of Pentecost, is this really how He would do it? Even a basic comparison between what happened in Acts 2 and what took place nineteen centuries later in Topeka, Kansas, highlights striking contrasts between the two events. The original day of Pentecost did not arise from a defective soteriology, nor did it result in contradictory eyewitness accounts. The apostolic gift of tongues was not some form of irrational vocalization. Rather, the apostles miraculously spoke in authentic foreign languages they had never learned (Acts 2: 9–12). Moreover, the Spirit’s power was not only exhibited in their fervent preaching, but it was also evident in their godly character—as the Spirit continued to sanctify them over the course of their entire lives. The “new Pentecost” of the Charismatic Movement could not have been more different. It grew out of the deficient soteriology of the Holiness Movement; it was marked by inconsistent eyewitness testimony; it produced counterfeit religious experiences; and it was initiated by a disreputable spiritual leader. Such factors call its legitimacy into serious question.” (John MacArthur, Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship, 26-28 (Kindle Edition): Nashville, TN: Nelson Books)
Another author, Doug Batchelor, discusses his knowledge of the charismatic movement:
“My exposure to this charismatic “tongues team” reminded me of some things I had read in my history books growing up. This modern manifestation of tongues finds its roots not in the Bible, but rather in ancient pagan spiritualistic rituals. In the sixth century b.c., the Oracle of Delphi was housed in a temple built near the foot of Mt. Parnassus. Delphi was also sacred to Dionysus, the god associated with wine, fertility, and sensual dance, and to the nine Muses, patron goddesses of music. While exhilarating music was played, Pythia, the chief priestess, would breathe intoxicating vapors, go into a frenzied trance, and then begin jabbering. The weird sounds the priestess muttered were then interpreted by a priest, who usually spoke in verse. Her utterances were regarded as the words of Apollo, but the messages were so ambiguous that they could seldom be proven wrong. 1 While living with the Native Americans in New Mexico, I witnessed a similar ritual several times. The Indians would eat the hallucinogenic peyote, then sit in a circle and chant and pound drums for hours. Before long, several were spasmodically muttering as they experienced their tormenting visions. Today the charismatic churches are by far the most popular among the Native Americans because it is such an easy and natural transition from their old religions. Among many heathen African tribes, in order to invoke the blessing of their gods, the people would sacrifice a chicken or goat and then dance around a fire for long hours, chanting songs to the hypnotic rhythm of a pounding drum. Eventually some of the people would become possessed by their gods and begin speaking the eerie languages of the spirit world. Then the local witch doctor or priest would translate the messages. This ritual is still practiced today among the Voodoo Catholics in the West Indies. This pagan practice first found its way into the North American Christian churches in the early 1800s. Many of the African slaves who were brought to America and forced to accept Christianity were unable to read the Bible for themselves. Even though they came from a variety of tribes in Africa, one practice most tribes held in common was the “Spirit Dances” with the “spirit-possessed” person muttering. The slaves mistakenly associated this with the Christian “gift of tongues” and began to incorporate a modified version into their meetings. These frantic services, which were accompanied by heavy rhythmic music, began to spread at first only in the South and the participants were mocked by the mainline denominations as “Holy Rollers.” Some even went so far as to grab venomous serpents during their possessed trances as a means of proving that they had the “spirit.”…The national expansion of the Pentecostal movement among Caucasians began in Los Angeles at the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission on Azusa Street in 1906. The leader was a black former holiness preacher named William Seymour. From there, leaders continued to refine the doctrines and make them more attractive and palatable to other mainline Christians….It is important to note the prominent role music plays in all the pagan religions that practice glossolalia. This counterfeit gift of tongues first found its foothold in mainline churches through “baptized” pagan music and worship styles. The dominant, repetitious rhythms and syncopated beat disarm the higher reasoning powers and put the subconscious mind in a hypnotic state. In this vulnerable condition, the spirit of ecstatic utterance finds easy access.” (Doug Batchelor, Understanding Tongues, 248-279 (Kindle Edition); Roseville, CA; Amazing Facts, Inc.).
The revival of Charismaticism in our world is fulfillment of Bible prophecy. It reminds us yet again that the treated need we have is to return to the Bible, the confirmed and all-sufficient Word of God.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.