The Bible should be our final authority in all matter of faith and practice. Anything we practice as followers of Jesus the Messiah should come from the Scriptures alone.
The moment we go beyond the Bible it is a certainty we will be carried away with false doctrine and contrary doctrine. The Pauline epistles warns of this constantly.
John the Apostle, who penned the gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and the book Revelation gave warning to a group he called, “little children”, obviously believers.
He stated in 1 John 4:1,
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
John the Apostle admonishes us to test every single doctrine by the authority of the Word of God. If it does not line up with Scripture, it must be rejected.
This is what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11 when Paul the Apostle took a night journey to Berea. The Christians at Berea were more noble, or fair-minded than those in Thessalonica,
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
The Bereans did not consume every wind of doctrine that came their way. They did not fall for fancy talk or some philosophy from an educated individual.
They looked to the Word of God to examine a belief to see if it lined up with the Bible. They were astute students of the Word of God. They were on guard against false doctrines.
God warns against those claiming to receive extra revelation. To claim you receive revelation today is to go beyond the final revelation of the Scriptures.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12 states,
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
“Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.”
“For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
On June 13, 2024, former President Donald Trump was in Butler Pennsylvania for a rally. A 20-year-old got by the Secret Service and took a shot at Trump.
Because of the position of Trump’s head the bullet just grazed his ear. If Trump would have been looking straight ahead at the crowd it would have been a head shot.
The would-be assassin was taken out by the Secret Service as he was perched on a roof top. The shooter fired at 6:11 PM in a near assassination attempt before he was killed.
Now suddenly, we have Christian mysticism coming into play. Even a Pastor at the Republican National Convention was shouting out this mysticism in his speech.
He said at the convention, Trump was shot at 6:11 PM. Now read Ephesians 6:11,
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11 is not talking about Trump surviving an assassination attempt. It is talking about the Christian arming themselves with the word of God to ward off satanic attack.
That is Christian mysticism. Well, what if you were living in the mid-west of the US, it would have 5:11 PM. Do you aplly Ephesians 5:11,
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
What if you were living on the west coast of the US? It would have 3:11 PM. Do you apply Ephesians 3:11,
“According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”
You cannot misuse Scripture in that manner. Christian mysticism is a practice of experimental knowledge of God. The Bible does not have hidden meanings.
The Bible says what it means and means what it says. If the Bible is silent on something, then you be silent. Leave your thoughts and your opinions at the door.
Jesus warns about this in Matthew 5:37 when He speaks about going beyond plain speech or taking secret oaths,
“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
We experience God through prayer, reading God’s Word, fellowshipping with one another. Not through experiments or so called “Bible codes”, or hidden meanings.
Having a closer walk with God does not involve Christian mysticism which tends to elevate experimental knowledge and revel in the mysterious. Focusing on mysticism for spiritual growth.
Christian mysticism tends to be an individual, subjective practice whereas biblical Christianity is both an individual relationship with God and obeying His Word.
A relationship with God involves a close intimate walk with God and it does not involve some solo Christian receiving modern revelation in a form of veiled practice.
The Charismatic Movement, with its emphasis on dreams and visions, feelings and experiences, and new revelation are the biggest practitioners of Christian Mysticism.
Because we have God’s completed word and final revelation to man, we are not to seek after visions and dreams or extra revelation from God. We have all the revelation we need.
Anything a Christian practices must line up with the truth of the Word of God. God will not contradict Himself or His Word. He is not the author of confusion according to 1 Corinthians 14:33.
There are things in the Bible we might not know now in this lifetime. But when we get to heaven, we will know everything. Paul the Apostle tells us this in 1 Corinthians 4:5,
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
This mysticism is the doctrine of demons because it contradicts the Word of God. As the Rapture of the Church approaches these doctrines of demons will continue to infiltrate the Church. We see in 1 Timothy 4:1,
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"
During the tribulation period they are practicing these doctrines of demons in the face of divine wrath from God. We read in Revelation 9:20,
“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:”
Revelation 16:14
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
Revelation 18:2
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”
Let us get back to the plain sense interpretation of God’s Word and apply it appropriately. We should be busy winning souls, not engaging in spiritual experiments or misusing Scripture.
Jesus is coming soon, and the Rapture is so close at hand. We must keep looking up as the Shofar, the trumpet from heaven could sound at any moment!
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