The Fruitage of Spiritual Gifts

The Gift of Prophetic Guidance

We now come to a third and we think the chief of the spiritual gifts, that is, the Spirit of prophecy, which, like the pillar of cloud in ancient Israel, is to lead the church today. Although the Roman Church, which claims infallibility for the pope, could not even admit the need of the prophetic guidance of God’s Spirit, yet that church does claim a most intimate relation with things unseen even in visions. She has a host of saints—dead members who have been canonized by the pope. These are held in high reverence by the church, and they are supposed to give revelations to Catholics on earth. In other words, such gift of prophecy as the Roman Church claims, consists of the messages received from the spirits of dead Catholics. Anyone reading Catholic literature will know how exceedingly common this idea is. Take as an illustration a Catholic pamphlet for general circulation called Assist the Souls in Purgatory. In this we read: FSG 21.5

“St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, who in spirit beheld this realm of suffering, said: ‘All the torments and tortures of the martyrs and the most intense fire on earth are like a pleasure-garden compared to purgatory.’”—page 8. FSG 22.1

“Numerous souls who had been in purgatory for twenty, forty and fifty years, appeared to the Venerable Sister Frances of the Blessed Sacrament and implored her assistance. The Venerable Anna Catherine Emmerich had a vision of a soul that had been in purgatory for centuries.”—page 9. FSG 22.2

“A certain priest who had lived a very holy and penitential life was warned of his approaching death and informed that he would have to suffer in purgatory until a Holy Mass had been offered up in his behalf. He told an intimate friend of the warning, and the latter promised to offer a Mass for him as soon as possible after his death. No sooner had the good priest breathed his last than his friend hastened to fulfill his promise. With utmost fervor he offered up the Holy Sacrifice, beseeching God in the name of the Victim of the altar to have pity on the soul of his departed friend. FSG 22.3

“While the friend was making his thanksgiving after Mass, the soul of the deceased appeared to him, radiant with holy joy, but with a sad voice reproached him, saying: ‘O brother, how badly you kept your promise! You left me in purgatory a whole year, and during all that time neither you nor any of the Fathers said a Holy Mass for me!’ Astounded by these words, the Father replied that he had just finished the Mass which he had commenced directly after the priest’s death, and that the remains were still awaiting burial. The soul exclaimed in astonishment: ‘Oh, how dreadful are the sufferings of purgatory, that such a short time should appear to be a year!’”—pages 10, 11. FSG 22.4

In some of these visions or dreams they see both Jesus and some saint, thus: FSG 23.1

“Our divine Savior Himself confirms this teaching. To the Venerable Marie Lataste He once said: ‘You can do nothing more pleasing to God than to aid the suffering souls.’ And to St. Gertrude He said, ‘Every prayer, howsoever poor it may be, if said for the souls in purgatory, is acceptable to Me on account of the great desire I have for their release.’”—page 14. FSG 23.2

“Our Lord Himself appeared to St. Catherine of Siena and revealed to her that she had obtained hundreds of great graces through the intercession of the holy souls.”—page 21. FSG 23.3

These visions and words from dead people called saints certainly are not God’s spiritual gifts. FSG 23.4

The Greek Orthodox Church, too, is favorable toward the doctrine of the gifts of grace, but makes no pretension, so far as we know, to the prophetic gift. The majority of the Protestant churches, including even smaller denominations, do not teach that they have the gift of prophecy in their churches. In fact, nearly all argue that this and other gifts belonged only to the apostolic age, and consequently are not to be found in later centuries of Christianity, including our time. They apparently feel no need of these gifts, and often oppose them as fanaticism or at least as extreme notions. FSG 23.5

But when we speak of spiritual gifts in modern Christianity, we refer especially to the chief topic of this volume, that is, the Spirit of prophecy. Concerning this gift certain Christian groups put forth large claims. This is especially true among the Pentecostals. These religious people are now divided into so many groups that it is somewhat difficult to discern what some of these smaller companies really do believe. They seem to have gone off by themselves because they wanted freedom to follow their own impulses, or the moving of what they think is the Spirit of God. But the main body, or Assemblies of God, do set forth certain claims to the gift of the Spirit of prophecy that we wish to examine. If they have visions from the Lord, these should be received. If they are spurious revelations, they must not be followed. FSG 23.6

The Pentecostal people have published quite a number of books concerning this gift; one of these, a pamphlet called Visions Beyond the Veil, is gotten out in a deluxe edition which, though it is quite small, sells for a dollar. There are other books printed and circulated concerning visions. The writer of one of these says: FSG 24.1

“The absolutely world-wide character of the Pentecostal revival, probably something unique in history, is a remarkable fact of which the significance cannot but impress the open and the thoughtful mind. This is not a ‘Welsh,’ or an ‘American,’ or an ‘Eastern’ revival. It is a WORLD-WIDE revival.”—Upon All Flesh, Introduction. FSG 24.2

On another page of this same little volume some of these Pentecostal leaders at “Adullam,” in China, write: FSG 24.3

“We moved into the city of Yunnanfu, and continued to rescue beggar boys from the streets. Soon there was a remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the home. This lasted for eight weeks, during which time ‘Adullam’ seemed to live in heavenly places. Nearly all the children in the home were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and day by day were given wonderful visions of the unseen world, the conclusion of the present age, etc. There were repeated visions of heaven, of Christ, of angels, of our mansions in heaven, of Paradise, and the unspeakable glories which shall never pass away. The children also saw hell and its victims; they saw the great seven-headed dragon, that old serpent the devil, cast out of heaven dragging the stars along with him in his descent. They saw the anti-Christ, the Battle of Armageddon, and the great supper of the flesh of the kings, captains, and mighty men of the earth to which the birds of the air were called.”—Ibid., page 41. FSG 24.4

Another larger volume reports from South Africa that one of their members died but was resurrected from the dead. We are told: FSG 24.5

“Sister Stevens testifies that after she passed over the river of death, she was escorted by an angel to heaven. But she was first given a sight of hell.”—With Signs Following, page 161. FSG 25.1

This Pentecostal movement has spread into practically all the world. They assert that their assembly called “Philadelphia” in Stockholm, Sweden, became the largest church in that country. They make similar claims for their work in Norway and other parts of Europe. Those of us who have known them over there have a definite understanding as to what their work in these various lands really accomplished. We do not doubt that there may be some honest people among them, but their spiritual gifts have certainly not made for unity or brotherly love or for general up building of the church and the work of Christ among men. However, the test of the spiritual gifts they think they have is seen the best in the visions which they claim through the Spirit of prophecy. Thus we read, “Many of these visions were given to several at the same time. Nearly all of the visions were seen by quite a number of persons.” Among the things shown in these revelations were FSG 25.2

“Detailed visions inside the New Jerusalem in heaven; angels; the redeemed; hell; the condition of the lost in hell; demons; the devil; the great tribulation and things pertaining to saints and to the subject of the beast during that time; the battle of Armageddon; the binding and imprisonment of Satan in the pit; the binding of the Anti-Christ; the devil cast out of heaven; the Great Supper of God and birds eating flesh of kings and captains of the earth.”—Visions Beyond the Veil, page 29. FSG 25.3

In nearly all these visions we are told that those who are dead in Christ are now in heaven walking on the streets of the New Jerusalem. We know that this is directly contrary to the Scriptures, which state distinctly that the dead are quietly sleeping and will not be taken to glory until the second coming of Christ and the resurrection. It is further taught that the evil spirits so manifest in their workings today are not evil angels but the spirits of wicked men who have died. Of them it is said: FSG 25.4

“The hosts of evil spirits on earth are very different from the devil’s angels. These on earth do not have wings; they can walk and run rapidly; and they move freely but apparently do not leave the earth. They vary in size from a few inches to ten feet in height, wear gaudy colored clothes of many stripes, and have fancy caps of various shapes and colors; some, on the other hand, wear rags or filthy garments. Some of these demons on earth have very little power and are of a rather harmless order. Others, however, are large in stature, fierce in appearance, and have great power.”—Ibid., page 81. FSG 26.1