In the words of Jesus, can we know if it is the Father’s will to heal today? In the four gospels, all that Jesus taught and the miracles He performed were a purposeful and powerful revelation of the heart and will of God the Father for all who believe. In the gospels we see the fulfillment of the Father’s love and His plan of redemption for a fallen world. Nowhere does the Scripture teach that this period of grace and mercy, including healing and miracles, was intended for the first century Church only, but would continue until His return.

Remember the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus said, “Observing all things whatsoever I have commanded you… even unto the end of the world.” Yes, He did command us to heal the sick and cast out devils! Guess what? The need to be set free from sickness, disease and demonic activity didn’t end after the Apostles died. Man becoming more educated and proficient with technology has nothing to do with the need for the Supernatural power of God. Satan is still alive and well on planet earth!

What troubles me regarding faith for healing is that most Christians will agree that God can heal but they are unsure if it is always His will. Basically, the teaching is all over the map. However, you don’t get that impression at all if you simply read the accounts of the miracles and deliverance in the gospels and listen to the dialogue of Jesus with those concerned. At least I don’t. Since we know that not all are healed who ask, this becomes an important issue for anyone in need.

In my case, I finally had to go to the doctor because there were strange things happening in my body. After months of seeing specialists and finally a muscle biopsy, I was diagnosed with a very rare progressive muscle wasting disease called Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) and put on disability. Needless to say, my world was turned upside down. Believing in the full gospel, seeing miracles and reading testimonies of miracles over the years, my belief system came to a crossroad. I found myself asking questions like:

• Can I practice what I preach?

• Do I really believe what I preach?

• Is it always God’s will to heal?

• Am I being punished for something?

As you can imagine, the list goes on and on. Also, as a result of researching this disease and what it does to a body, I began to experience fear and panic attacks. We know from Scripture that isn’t how we are to live because fear has torment.

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Knowing that I could not live this way and to find peace, I decided to once and for all settle this issue in my own mind. My quest began because there were no answers for my situation from the medical profession, a Church or denomination. I had been placed in a position where my only hope was in God. Without a miracle, my fate would not be pleasant. So the search began to find answers from the Bible, the Word of God. And, if need be, be willing to change or re-think my understanding and belief system based solely on the Word of God and the Word only.

“I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

FATHER’S WILL – A BETTER COVENANT

Hebrews 8:6-13, states, He (Jesus) is the Mediator of a “Better Covenant,” established on better promises. John 1:1,14,18 tells us that Jesus is The Word… and the Word was God. God Himself, in the Aramaic text, who became flesh for the purpose of interpreting God the Father to mankind. In this period of grace and mercy, we are blessed to have been given this knowledge in the written Word, and according to the Scriptures, those who believe by faith in Christ are partakers of this New Covenant and all the promises taught and demonstrated by Christ in the gospels. We are heirs to the promises and have the right to claim and expect God to act on them on our behalf. As Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” and “All the promises of God are yes and amen.” My point regarding healing is simply that if we want to know the will of God on this or any other subject, why not go to the source? So in this work I will further expand on the subject of the New Covenant and how we handle that understanding in light of the question posed: In the Words of Jesus, can we know it is the Father’s will to heal today?

WHY ARE SOME NOT HEALED?

I believe there can be blocks to healing and conditions to healing. God’s timing may be involved where He allows a test in our lives to bring us into relationship with Him so that He can possess our hearts in full. I can’t say how that all works out with each individual since that is between them and God but I do know that God’s ways are not always our ways. Additionally, we should never forget that if we had all the answers, there would be no need of faith. The Scriptures say that it is impossible to please God without faith. These issues are not the main purpose of this work. However, exploring the subject of healing from another angle may shed some light on the belief system that much of the Church has chosen to believe over a period of hundreds of years. This I will attempt to explain with some comments on Higher Criticism, which is a study of the Biblical texts that makes judgments on their origins, history and integrity. This is a real soap-box issue for me.

FAITH AND UNBELIEF

Faith, doubt and unbelief are also very, very important. But in this work, I will let the Words of Jesus do most of the talking. I would suggest you read one of the gospels and pay close attention to the words of Jesus when dealing with healing and deliverance after reading this article. It doesn’t take a PhD in theology to understand what He says about faith and unbelief. Simply put, at some point, one has to discard outside influences, man-made theories and believe Him. Along this same line, I recently came across a quote by Gandhi, a Hindu and definitely not a believer, who said that Christians have a book that has the power to change the world, and if my memory is correct, he called it a bombshell, but they treat it or read it as mere literature. Ouch! I don‘t know about you, but that is a profound statement from a non-believer! I must say that one doesn’t turn the world upside down by reading mere literature. I reference a favorite Scripture, Acts 17:6, “…These that have turned the world upside down are come hither (here) also…” The text in Hebrews 4:12 should settle that issue for a Christian:

“For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

It is absolutely imperative as believers that we read and study the Scriptures as a God-breathed, God-inspired book that is living, powerful and able to change our life in every way. This is why Paul’s words in Romans 10:17 are so important:

“So the faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Keep in mind that it is not the purpose of this work to study healing in general from Genesis to Revelation. I don’t believe the two Covenants can really be separated on this subject or the promises of God. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” and I realize that the title of this article narrows the scope of the work down somewhat. That was done on purpose. But to reinforce my point, there will be some quotes and examples from other New Testament eyewitnesses that confirm what Jesus did and spoke.

THE NEW COVENANT IN ACTION

As you read through the Gospels, you will find that Jesus is a living demonstration of the New Covenant by His life and actions in the Gospels. In Him you see the New Covenant in action. He destroyed the work of the devil and healed all who were oppressed. Deliverance from oppression included freedom from the curse of physical and emotional sickness, disease and those demonized by the devil. As you would expect, He covered all the bases.

“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8

In Acts 10:38, Peter said, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus said, “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

HE MIGHT DESTROY

The word translated “He might destroy” in 1 John 3:8 is in the first person of the verb luw (Gk. Luo) “I loose” or “I untie.” Jesus was manifested to loose or untie the works of the devil. In Luke 13:12-16, the same verb is used when He said, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” Jesus went on to say, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Again, He uses the same verb “Luo.” We see here that sickness is from the devil and Jesus always did the will of God by setting the captive free. Ref. Job 2:6-7; John 10:10.

GIVEN POWER AND AUTHORITY

In Luke 10:19, the word power is used twice. The first time is the Greek word for authority, “power (authority) to tread on.” The second time power is used it is the Greek word from which we get dynamite when He said, “over all the (dynamic, mighty ) power of the enemy.” Yet Scripture states that the enemy is defeated.[1] However, if we don’t know it or believe it, then the second word for power in Luke 10:19 becomes a weapon, an open door to be used by the enemy to defeat and oppress us and literally take us out of the fight physically and spiritually.

In Genesis 1:26, God gave man authority and dominion over the earth. By Genesis chapter three man had disobeyed God and fallen. When man sinned, the authority and dominion, given in chapter one, was transferred to Satan. He is the one who brought in disease, sickness, poverty, pain and death. Because of the cross, that authority has been returned to all who put their trust and faith in Christ. In my opinion, all the undeserved and unmerited love, grace and mercy of God is culminated in the one person, Jesus Christ. Somehow the Church has to realize that when we trust in Christ, the salvation of the soul also includes deliverance from and power over the curse of death, sickness and disease. This power is a free gift that needs to be activated and used in an offensive move against our enemy who hates the creation of God and is relentless as a destroyer.[2]

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEW COVENANT

By the shedding of His blood, Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant between God and mankind. Remember, God’s covenants are unbreakable and this New Covenant was made between God the Father and His Son. It is unconditional and unbreakable.

“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.” Hebrews 9:16-17

Now when we believe on the Lord Jesus, we become partakers of that Covenant. Remember, under the Law, God had made Covenants with Abraham and Moses on the part of the people of Israel and kept His part of the agreement; but in each case Israel “continued not in my Covenant.” (Hebrews 8:9) God in His grace and mercy issued a New Covenant. In this new agreement, Jesus was the sacrifice whose death was necessary to make the Covenant binding and a “surety of a better testament.” (Hebrews 7:22) We now have an everlasting Covenant:

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant…” Hebrews 13:20

In the New Testament (Covenant), you may try but you will not find anywhere that God has withdrawn the promises of this Covenant written in His blood! To the disillusionment of many, especially those of so called higher education, His atoning sacrifice on the cross clearly covers salvation and physical healing as witnessed to specifically in Matthew 8:16-17, and again in 1 Peter 2:24, then throughout the Gospels, the book of Acts and the Epistles. Education does not automatically equal revelation or illumination. In the context of Matthew and Peter, they were referencing Isaiah 53:4-5, where a more literal translation from Hebrew reads:

“Surely our SICKNESSES He hath borne, and our PAINS -He hath carried them, and we have esteemed him plagued, smitten of God, and afflicted. And He is pierced for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace [is] on Him, and by HIS BRUISE THERE IS HEALING FOR US.” Isaiah 53:4-5

The Hebrew word used for healing is from the prim-root, “Raphah,” which means “to mend, to cure, cause to heal, repair thoroughly, make whole.” So if a person wants to say that Isaiah 53 is pertaining to salvation of the soul only, then that is their prerogative, but I believe the Scriptures are clear that healing or being made whole physically and spiritually are both covered in the atonement and part of the New Covenant. Surely that can be backed up by the testimonies of physically and emotionally restored Christians throughout the ages.

Another interesting side note in relation to Isaiah 53:4-5 is that there is no future tense in the Hebrew. God is timeless and operates in the present. That means the promises of God are for us today and forever!

A COVENANT OF LOVE

God is love and that is the core of His nature and the New Covenant. [3] That is why I titled this article, “In the Words of Jesus,” because it is Jesus, the Word who became flesh, God Himself who explodes on the scene of history with the message that God the Father is reaching out to reconcile fallen mankind to Himself. God the Son came to physically declare it and personally demonstrates it to us throughout His ministry. Actions speak louder than words. Make no mistake; God is not the problem in our lack. If what we ask or pray for does not come to us in a timely manner, then we need to seek Jesus, trust His Words and actions and believe His everlasting promises found in the New Covenant, not the traditions and doctrines of man.

DOES IT TAKE A SEMINARY DEGREE?

We can be led by the Holy Spirit. Even “unlearned fishermen” learned to understand and be led by the Spirit after Pentecost. It is ultimately the responsibility of every Christian to search the Scriptures daily to verify the teachings of men against the words of God inspired writings.[4] If we cannot trust the words of God, then we will be led down a road of ignorance and unbelief, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7) The words of Hosea are still true:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” Hosea 4:6

In regards to ignorance and unbelief, unbelief is no small matter. Jesus addressed this issue many times in the Gospels when chastening His disciples. In the book of Hebrews, Paul warns against having an “evil heart of unbelief,” and Jude talked about those who were destroyed in the wilderness due to their unbelief. In context, both are referring to the wilderness experience of Israel, but still very real in the modern Church world of today. Unfortunately, doubt and unbelief are as real in today’s Church as it was in the wilderness experience of Israel due to Higher Criticism.

Likewise, in the context of Israel in the wilderness, Paul further states, in Hebrews 4:2, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being MIXED WITH FAITH in them that heard it.” (Emphasis mine) It’s one thing to hear and read the Word and another thing to know or believe it by faith. We desperately need to readjust our thinking, our attitudes, and our understanding as to what God has revealed to the Church in the New Covenant. Jesus is the Word of God and He is the totality of the New Covenant that is unbreakable. In His Word He speaks loud and clear, need only to listen.

EFFECTS OF HIGHER CRITICISM

Moving on from the New Covenant, I want to continue to lay a foundation as to why I believe most of the modern day Church thinks and believes the way it does. Our modern theology has really been developed over the last five hundred years or so. Much of it comes from an arrogant religious and humanistic belief system. The thing that really fueled the fire for the modern Church was a humanistic philosophy and carnal mindset which came on the scene in the sixteenth, seventeenth and up into the eighteenth century with Higher Criticism.

In the modern church, the eighteenth and nineteenth century experienced a sharp increase in this attitude of Higher Criticism, and a period also known as the time of “Enlightenment,” where reason and science ruled the day. The belief in a personal loving God, miracles and the supernatural were thought to be for the uneducated and the superstitious. In short, man’s God was within each individual and man could be his own God. Notably, this work of the enemy had always been working in the Church from the beginning in the garden when Satan said, “You shall be as gods” and into the New Testament era by mystics like the Gnostics in Alexandria and spread their teachings beyond Egypt where they were confronted by Paul and the other apostles. This old movement had gotten a new and fresh spark in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and doubt and unbelief quickly spread like wildfire through religious colleges and universities of higher education worldwide up into the late 1800’s. So what was true of the Pharisees’ in Jesus’ day is still true today.

“Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition... teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:6, 9

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Today we refer to these Higher Critics as Modernists in our Post Modern Church. They freely propagate their unbelief and twisting of Scripture with the help of the Emerging Church movement, who teach what they call an “Authentic Christianity” with their mysticism, Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Prayer etc. These liberal theologians mix the doctrines of ancient mystics from Rome and the early Alexandrian Church with some truth but have deliberately destroyed and diluted the teachings of Christ and the apostles. Here is clearly an example of carnal minds that cannot receive the things of God, being blinded and deceived by the enemy.

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Rom. 8:5

“And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of you mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Rom.12:2

In our day, these so-called men of Higher Education having picked up the mantle of rebellion and unbelief have many things in common, but none more revealing than their open disbelief in the supernatural and disbelief in the inspiration of Scripture. Their approach to the inspiration of Scripture was purely technical and scientific. I firmly believe this attitude leads to deception, unbelief and eventually to the doctrines of demons.

Like the Higher Critics from the past and the Modernists of our day, we too have learned to cherry pick the Scriptures. We pick and choose the Scriptures that meet our needs or agree with our worldly or doctrinal beliefs and decide what is inspired and what is not! The most evil opponents to the Gospel, the Gnostics from Alexandria, added and subtracted thousands of God-breathed Words from the Scriptures. They purposely corrupted the Scriptures because of their impaired understanding of the supernatural and their humanistic and mystic belief system. They purposely degraded the authorship of the Torah and the Prophetic books of the Old Testament and diluted the essential doctrines of Christ taught by the apostles. This was all done with a direct and perverted plan to discredit the Scriptures pertaining to the Supernatural Origins, the Resurrection, the Deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, the Holy Spirit, The Bodily Resurrection of Christ, and The Trinity.

OLDER IS MORE ACCURATE

Another way for the Higher Critics to accomplish their agenda was to point out the earlier ancient manuscripts discovered in Egyptian or Alexandria. Their theory was that if a manuscript is older, it must be more accurate. In the 1800’s they purposely set out to shed doubt and destroy the reliability and the trustworthiness of the “Received Text,” universally accepted for well over 300 years worldwide. As mystics and Gnostics, they despised the Received Text or Authorized Version. Furthermore, what is deliberately covered up and ignored, then and now, is the character of these people and what they believed in handling these corrupted manuscripts. They were responsible for putting together these so-called “ancient manuscripts” to be used to create a “more accurate” Greek Text for translation purposes. It is important to realize that most, if not all, of their theories are based on conjecture, lies and the fantasies of their own arrogant religious and non-believing minds. Eve was beguiled in the garden by the serpent with the question, “Ye hath God said?” They assembled these early manuscripts and were controlled by their humanistic and Gnostic religious mysticism, preaching and teaching, as Paul states, “Another Gospel.” The apostle John said, “They went out from us but they were not of us.”

It is important to note that the same rebellious and Anti-Christ spirits that controlled and influenced these deriders of the truth are still working in the modern day cults and the New Age deceptions that have infiltrated the modern Church, Christian schools, Christian colleges and seminaries in such a big way. Make no mistake; they have faithfully and consistently done damage to Truth and Faith by what they put forth in the construction of these dubious manuscripts.

It is interesting to learn that these so-called earlier, more accurate manuscripts were not used by the earliest translators, including the noted scholar Erasmus, because they were deemed corrupt with serious errors, omissions and inconsistencies. The two main manuscripts in question were tampered with as late as the twelfth and fifteenth centuries by numerous questionable individuals like the known forger Constantine Simonides, who admitted forging Codex Sinaticus and the equally corrupt Codex Vacticanus. Does being older and make it more accurate? Yet here is the basis for much of our modern day theology and the never ending flood of newer Bible translations.

With the influence of the modernist, we tend to base much of what we think and believe on what has come down to us from these Higher Critics and so-called “Enlightened Ones” without leaving out the early textual criticism that begun directly after the writings of the original Apostles. Sadly, I want to point out that these unbelieving and deceived men along with their attitudes are openly welcomed and accepted with little or no investigation into their backgrounds or belief systems. How many of the leaders today pay attention to the educational and religious backgrounds and personal beliefs that influenced their teachings and conclusions? History reveals that their esoteric backgrounds were a horrible mixture of carnal religion and satanic mysticism from the pit of hell! Yet to our shame, we accept them and their claims solely on their word, because of their degrees of Higher Education in so-called religious colleges, and their ordinations into a corrupt and worldly church system.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3

WESTCOTT AND HORT

I stated in the beginning that this is a soap-box issue and have debated for some time whether to mention two heretics by name that have done more in modern times to destroy faith and the Word of God than anyone else I can think of. Keep in mind that they were not the first by any means. The debauchery began by the end of the first century, but in the 1800’s, these two were the spark that set the forest ablaze in the modern day Church. Will discussing Westcott and Hort take away from the purpose of this work? I truly believe that exposing these two will shed much needed light on the enemy’s success in the use of deception and the ability of depraved individuals to pull the wool over the eyes of a passive and easily swayed, itchy-eared, end-times Church.

In modern day seminaries and colleges, Westcott and Hort are considered the fathers of modern Higher Criticism. Their textbooks and theory’s are what fuel the never ending fire of deceit. We received the Revised Version from their manuscript produced in the 1881  in which they mainly utilized the Codex Sinaticus and Codex Vacticanus, two corrupt Gnostic manuscripts from Alexandria. Without going into detail here, let me explain that these two did not believe in the Deity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, the Trinity, the reality of Hell, the Resurrection, and the Atonement just to name a few. They tried to destroy these essential Christian doctrines which they personally despised. To give you additional information into their mindset, they were both fans of Charles Darwin, were involved in the occult and were members of spiritist societies like tthe Hermes Club and the Ghostly Guild. Jude’s words are timeless on this issue:

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4

The apostle John stated very clearly how to handle such individuals:

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 9-11

I am tempted to expound on these Scriptures in light of what we see going on in the Church today but I will not because they are clear on the deception and how it should be handled. No beating around the bush. The work of Westcott and Hort, or I should say their lies and theories, along with the Revised Version, is the basis for all modern Bible versions. Not only is their theology a complete sham but they were morally and spiritually bankrupt individuals. Is that too harsh? How do I know this? Well, there has been much written about them that is easily attainable. And possibly more important, their own letters and correspondences’ have been published by their families which confirm what many already knew about them. There is nothing like getting it from the horse’s mouth! Yet the information has generally fallen on deaf ears of those who are charged with caring and protecting the flock of God! Adding to the deception of these deceitful men and their doctrines is the fact that all the major Christian publishers are now owned by secular companies. They have only one thing in mind, profit! There is no concern whatsoever for truth or preserving the Word of God. Suffice it to say, if one is interested, the proof is overwhelming as to the purposeful destruction of the Word of God and Faith. Isn’t it possible that after hundreds of years of diluting truth and faith, while promoting doubt and unbelief unchallenged, can affect the way people believe and think?

THE MAIN SUBJECT

First, I would like to make a side note regarding healing that I fully understand there are conditions to the Promises of God, both Old and New Testament (Covenants). The Promises of God are covered in two other Studies: The Promises of God and Appropriating the Promises of God.  

As Jesus ministered in the Gospels, was He working independently of the Father? The apostle John says “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.  (John1:18) Here the Aramaic reads, “the only begotten God” (even stronger). The word we translate “declared” in Greek is “exesegesato,” which means to lead out or make known. Therefore, the Word was made flesh for the purpose of making known God the Father to mankind.

If we need clarification, Jesus makes this statement to Philip:

“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” John 14:7-9

THE FATHER’S WILL IN THE WORDS OF JESUS

Moving on to the meat of this work, I want to explore the Words of Jesus, for in reality, why do we need further explanation? After all, He is the Creator, Lord and Master of heaven and earth!

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat (purpose) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34

 “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” John 5:19

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” John 6:38

“When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught Me, I speak these things. “And he that sent me is with me. The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” John 8:28-29

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day…” John 9:4

Jesus spoke at the tomb of Lazarus:

“…Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” John 11:41

“And he who seeth me seeth him that sent Me… For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” John 12:45, 49, 50

HEALING IN THE WORDS OF JESUS

Before Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus spoke to Martha about the glory of God.

“…Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Is not raising someone from the dead seeing the glory of God? Remember what happened when Jesus was in His home town? He did very few miracles there because of their unbelief.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask any thing in my name. I will do it.” John 14:12-14

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye be my disciples… These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full… Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 15: 7-8, 11, 16

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt.10:8

A Gentile comes to Jesus and asks for mercy:

“…It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs.” Matt. 15:26

In context, healing and deliverance are the children’s bread. If you are a believer you are one of the children and an heir to the promises.”

“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham… So then they which be of faith are blessed with fruitful Abraham… And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:7, 9, 29

“…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:18

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15

“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give a serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matthew 7:9-11

The Greek word for “ask” means to keep on asking.

“Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.” Matt. 7: 7-8

The disciples were unable to heal a lunatic and asked Jesus why:

“Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20

Jesus speaking about a rich man:

“…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God… With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:24, 26

Concerning the boy whom the disciples were unable to heal, Jesus said to the boy’s father:

“…If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils… they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17-18

NONE REFUSED

Jesus never refused or failed to heal anybody who asked Him. Read through the gospels and check out that statement. Matt. 4:23; 8:16; 9:35; 12:15; 13:14; 19:2; 21:14; Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40; 6:17-19; 9:11; John 6:2.

THE BOOK OF ACTS

Here is the heart and will of the Father in the New Covenant.

Acts 2:43, Many wonders and signs done by the Apostles.

Acts 3:6-10. A lame man Healed.

Acts 5:5; 5:10, Ananias and Sapphira.

Acts 5:15, The shadow of Peter Heals the sick.

Acts 9:32-34, Aeneas Healed.

Acts 9: 36-42. Tabitha raised from the dead.

Acts 13:11, Elymas blinded.

Acts 14:3, Miracles by Paul

Acts 14:8-11, Crippled man at Lystra Healed.

Acts 16:18; 19:11, Deliverance from a spirit of divination.

Acts 19:11, Miracles by Paul.

Acts 20:10, Eutychus restored to life.

Acts 28:8, Father of Publius healed.

MORE EXAMPLES AND TESTIMONIES FROM THE APOSLTES

EYE WITNESSES ACCOUNTS

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life… That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John1:1, 3

“…We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” 1 John 4:14

APOSTLE PAUL

Regarding gifts given to the Church: “gifts of healing,” “working of miracles.”1 Cor. 12:9-10

God appointed in the Church: “after that miracles, then gifts of healings.” 1 Cor. 12:27-28

The apostle Paul on the Father’s will:

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”  Rom. 8:32

“For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Cor. 1:20

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Phil 4:9

Take note that Jesus didn’t say all things except healing, deliverance and miracles. He said to do all things!

Paul is listed as the author of Hebrews according to the 1^st and 2^nd century Aramaic manuscripts. Now that is really old! Isn’t older supposed to be more accurate?

“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” Heb. 2:4

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2

The Greek word used for “health” means to have sound health, be well in body, be uncorrupted, be in health, wholesome or whole. Furthermore, the Greek word “prosper” means PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL health and has the sense of a prosperous life journey.

CAN YOU ANSWER THIS?

Were the apostles out of touch with the will of God? In certain instances but not when it came to laying hands on the sick and performing supernatural healings. After the cross, which Covenant were the apostles under?

HEALING HELPS UNBELIEVERS TO BELIEVE

“Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” John 4:48

“And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.” John 11:43-45

“And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.” Acts 9:34-35

“But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.” Acts 9:40-42

A LESSON FROM JOB

There are many lessons we can learn from the book of Job but I believe that one of God’s purposes for putting the book of Job in the canon was to teach us that Job came to the point where he rested in God apart from all outside input and explanation. In that context, we need to rest in God’s Word apart from explanation or unbelieving outside influences.

JAMES, LIKE JOB WAS SINGLE-MINDED

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:5-8

We have to come to a place where we shake off the doubt and unbelief that is programmed into us from a carnal and evil minded theology perpetrated by modern day Higher Critics over a period of hundreds of years. They have helped place distrust and doubt on the inspiration of Scripture as a whole which automatically leaves the door open for doubting the promises of God and not understanding of the New Covenant and the will of God. These same spirits have plagued the Church of God during these hundreds of years. That influence explains why so many, including religious leaders, put much of their trust in man-made doctrines, traditions of men, reason and science over against an omnipotent, omniscience God and His written Word.

CONCLUSION

I know that I am a work in progress and don’t claim to have all the answers but I do believe that the Scriptures say what they mean and mean what they say!

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38

I believe that the Scriptures plainly teach us to press in and trust God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and expect an answer, even the impossible. We have to come to the place where we truly believe and are convinced that the Scriptures are true and the Words and actions of Jesus and the promises of the New Covenant are still alive and real for us today and not some pie in the sky. The Second Covenant is an unbreakable and everlasting Covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus. It states that it is the Father’s will that we are whole and complete in body, soul and spirit. The red letters and promises in our Bible are not dispensational in time. We won’t need them anymore when we finally see Him face-to-face. We need a powerful revelation as to who God the Father is and a revelation of His love that is expressed and declared to us by the Lord Jesus. One way to get this revelation is to know His Word because the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Word are inseparable. In order to do that, a person has to be in the Word and know what it says. With the help of the Holy Spirit, that’s where the revelation will come from. For I believe it is a supernatural revelation.

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)

RESTATING A FACT

As I shared earlier regarding the Bible new translations, it is important to understand that these versions are all based on the 1881 text from Westcott and Hort and put together from a handful of corrupt and forged works from Alexandria. So if you are studying and memorizing scripture from them, you are reading verses that have been purposely altered to leave out key words and phrases and add or change words that are not in the original text to dilute and weaken their intended meaning. I have personally read verses in some of the new translations that are supposed to be easier to understand and find that many times are too wordy and confusing. This should be a major concern! Or to say it another way, here you have non-believers embedded in a carnal religious system falsely calling it Christianity and deliberately imposing their twisted views on the proven Word of God. That sounds impossible, right? But no, they got away with it and are still going strong!

“…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

I have tried to show how the enemy has been hard at work to beguile the Church for more than nineteen centuries with information based on the damage of Higher Criticism and diluting of the precious Word of God. This brief work is directly based on Scriptures in the New Testament (Covenant) and the Words of Jesus. There is only one author of the Scriptures and the Word tells us He never changes.[5]

The “I AM” of Exodus in the Old Covenant is the same “I AM” of the New Covenant. When the Church finally rids itself the teachings of the modernists and becomes single-minded, then we will see great things happen in these last days.

FAITH – A REVELATION OF JESUS

Why don’t we just come into agreement by faith with the Word and the promises of God for a change? Remember, mustard seed faith will get the job done. Jesus said:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I am beginning to understand more and more that the only way to enter into rest is by revelation. Rest won’t come by making demands, striving to get more faith or trying to be righteous enough to please God. These are works of the flesh and living under the works of the law. That is a problem in the Church as we still try and mix law with grace, effectively canceling out faith. It just won’t work! One example of revelation knowledge is the woman with an issue of blood in Matt. 9:20-22. Why did she believe that by just touching the garment of Jesus she would be made whole? That can only come by revelation of who Jesus is. Don’t forget Peter’s confession of faith when Jesus asked the disciples  who people said He was.

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 16:16-17

Faith is a revelation of who Jesus is; He is the totality of the New Covenant. On the mount of transfiguration, a voice came out of the cloud, which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM.” (emphasis mine) That can or should change the way we think and understand the New Testament (Covenant).

Jesus taught an important lesson in Luke 5:4-9. To see God’s power at work, we must be willing to venture into the deep water, beyond the shallow water of reason, the status-quo and the outside influences of doubt and unbelief. Tired and defeated from a night of unsuccessful fishing, the disciples acted on the Words of Jesus by faith and were astonished at the catch. It was far beyond what they imagined was possible but the impossible happened. So much so that they had to call for help and almost sunk two boats trying to get the fish to the shore. One thing is certain, miracles happen in the deep water of faith! Not in the shallow water of traditions and doctrines of man. Amen.

Volume 15, Issue 2