The False Gospel of Joel's Army and the New Apostolic Reformation By Jewel Grewe http://www.discernment-ministries.org/
 
BLOW THE TRUMPET! Hear the noise of the chariots! The
chariots are leaping across the mountains! The army of the
Lord is approaching! The earth will quake before them; the
heavens shall tremble…. A great people and a strange; there
hath not been ever the like.
Utterly awesome, this army is mentioned in Joel. This is the
verse used by teachers and "prophets" to declare that God is
raising up an army in these days. The Endtime army. Do you
want to be a part of it? Just think – you will supposedly be able
to climb the wall like men of war. Even when you fall on the
sword you will not be wounded. Crowds clap and cheer as they
visualize the wondrous feats they will be able to perform in the
Name of the Lord! No one wants to miss God and not be a part
of what He is doing! It all has such a "spiritual" ring to it. Tears
well in the eyes of hungry seekers as they wait for a new
experience. Perhaps, they imagine, even tonight the heavens
will open and that Endtime "anointing" will be poured out.
There is always an expectancy that perhaps this is the time "it"
will happen.
The imminence of such a supernatural manifestation was
shared with Charismatic Christians overseas. Latter Rain
"prophets" from the Vineyard Ministries International visited
England as part of their world outreach. Their "prophetic"
message was that God is raising an army in these last days
to execute judgment and dominion throughout the Earth.
They declared that the time is at hand for God to pour out His
Spirit (the Latter Rain) on the Church in an unprecedented
scale, in fulfillment of Joel 2:28, marking the beginning of the
great "new thing" God is doing on the earth.
Vineyard Ministries have held conferences overseas and
throughout the U.S.A. Churches and denominations have been
proselytized and preyed on with a "gospel" that leaders claim is
ordained to bring forth:
JOE L ' S AR MY
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1. the greatest revival the church has ever known;
2. the greatest baptism of the Spirit the Church has
ever experienced;
3. the greatest Army (Joel's Army) distinguished by
invincibility, immortality and divinity;
4. the greatest purging (inquisition) in the history of
the Church;
5. the greatest ministry – the Prize of all Ages; and
6. the greatest miracles, supernatural signs and
wonders, far exceeding that of the Apostles and
Prophets of old.
This false gospel shows no regard for:
1. Israel as an everlasting chosen nation of God and
their national repentance and restoration, both
physically and spiritually, in one day at the Second
Advent of Jesus Christ (their Messiah). (Gen.
17:7,13,19; Is. 66:7-8; Jer. 31:35-37; Zech. 12-14;
Rom. 11:1-2,25-27);
2. The great outpouring of the Spirit on Israel (the
Jewish nation) and on all flesh, Jesus Christ returns
from heaven with His saints (the Church) at the end
of the tribulation period. (Zech. 12:10-13; Joel 2:28;
Acts 2:16-21);
3. The Rapture – the catching away of both the dead
and the living saints to meet the Lord in the air (I
Th. 4:23-18; 2 Th. 2:1; John 14:11-3; Cor. 15:51-
56);
4. The Judgment Seat of Christ (II Cor. 5:10; Rom.
14:10-12);
5. The Seven-year tribulation (Dan. 9:24-27; Matt.
24:21-22; Jer. 30:4-7; Dan. 12:1; Rev. 6-19); and
6. The descent of Christ from heaven with His saints
(His TRUE army) at the Battle of Armageddon. (Zech
14:5; Jude 14; Rev. 29:14)
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According to this false gospel, the great out-pouring of the
Spirit mentioned in Joel 2:28-29 is to have its complete
fulfillment in these days (this generation) when God will pour
out His Spirit in full measure on an unprecedented scale – even
exceeding that of the Disciples and Apostles on the Day of
Pentecost. In fact, they believe that this baptism will empower
a "New Breed" of people ("Joel's Army") with supernatural
qualities. Their entire Last Days scenario contradicts orthodox
dispensational views. Even more serious, this view undermines
the Gospel of the Deity of Christ. Anything that even remotely
undermines the Deity of Christ, or ascribes deity to man (or an
army of men) is an antichrist doctrine.
References in the book of Joel pertaining to Israel and the "Day
of the Lord" are spiritualized to apply to the Church. Literal
Israel becomes "the Church" and the "Day of the Lord" is seen
as the manifestation or "incarnation of God" in this Joel's Army.
This is antithetical to the dispensational view which holds that
the "Day of the Lord" refers to the literal Second Coming of
Christ with His saints. The proponents of the "Joel's Army"
heresy are notorious for reading between the lines and
spiritualizing Scripture. They are even spiritualizing global
events to parallel their outlandish prophetic views. It seems to
give them a deep feeling of being spiritually perceptive. In
researching their materials, we see this time and again. By all
accounts this belief system is "Gnosticism" to the core.
In the New Wave (New Apostolic Reformation) theology, we
find that whatever God says or promises Israel is dogmatically
applied to the Church; and in some cases this done to such
extremes that the Church is deified. The danger is that
spiritualizing God's Word in this way can result in idolatry and
fanaticism. Because they rely upon the old Gnostic 2nd-century
allegorical method of interpreting the Scriptures, the modern
"prophets" have come to believe that the Church is the
exclusive beneficiary of all God has promised to Israel. The
Latter Rain false prophets and teachers are so bent on
spiritualizing Scripture that even the "sun turning dark," the
"moon turning to blood" and the "earthquakes" in Joel are
spiritualized to apply to the Church. It is absurd, if not outright
blasphemous, the way these leaders spiritualize God's Word.
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This Gnostic approach to the Bible diffuses into the Church to
the point where some groups have lost the literal meaning of
Scripture completely.