PROMISE KEEPERS LEADER PROMOTES PROPHETIC DREAMS

PROMISE KEEPERS LEADER PROMOTES PROPHETIC DREAMS

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June 11, 1997 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - James Ryle is the pastor of the Boulder Valley Vineyard Christian Fellowship, the home church of Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney. Ryle became friends with McCartney as the chaplain of the University of Colorado football team in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he was involved in the formation of the successful Promise Keepers movement. Ryle sits on the PK board of directors and speaks frequently at PK conferences.

END-TIME PROPHETIC MOVEMENT

The same year Promise Keepers was formed, Ryle published a book entitled Hippo in the Garden: A Non Religious Approach to Having a Conversation with God (Orlando: Creation House, 1993, 292 p.). The title describes a dream he allegedly had from the Lord in which he saw a man leading a hippopotamus into a beautiful garden. Ryle claims this dream signified the Lord raising up the charismatic prophetic movement.

"A vast prophetic movement inspired by the Holy Spirit within the church and a validated prophetic message preached through the church in the midst of the world resulting in an evangelistic ingathering--that is the 'hippo in the garden.' ... The prophetic movement will surely be established in the midst of the church, like a hippo in the midst of a garden. ... The hippo in the garden is the indefinable, unexpected, strange and extraordinary work of God! Yet, though it seems so out of place, it nevertheless is exactly what the Lord wants. The hippo is His pet, and it is here to stay" (Ryle, Hippo in the Garden, pp. 262,291,292).

The Vineyard movement founded by John Wimber has been at the forefront of promoting the end-times prophetic movement which can be found in many parts of the Charismatic-Pentecostal world. (To some extent, extra-biblical revelation--tongues, prophecies, dreams, visions, voices, "words of knowledge"--has formed a part of the Pentecostal movement from its inception at the turn of the century.) Though acknowledging that the Bible is the final authority from God and that everything should be tested by it, they believe God is still giving visions and dreams which provide revelation and guidance to His people. They encourage Christians to seek this type of "revelation." They believe this prophetic move is a part of an expected end-times revival of evangelism and miracles which will sweep across the world prior to the return of Christ. Many of the charismatic prophets believe this revival has begun, and they point to things such as the signs associated with the "Laughing Revival" which is manifested in Toronto, Pensacola, and which is literally sweeping through some entire denominations. James Ryle associates the Promise Keepers movement with this revival.

PROPHETIC DREAMS

Ryle's book is filled with alleged "words from the Lord" which he and others have received. A subsequent book, A Dream Come True: A biblical look at how God speaks through dreams and visions (Orlando: Creation House, 1995, 248 p.), contains even more of Ryle's alleged "prophetic words." The cover of the latter book contains a recommendation by Bill McCartney: "James Ryle takes his unique ability for explaining truth and applies it to the mysterious and often misunderstood subject of dreams and visions. The results are inspiring!" McCartney also wrote the Foreword to Ryle's second book.

Note what Ryle believes about ongoing extra-biblical revelation:

"There have been many occasions in my own life when the Lord has given significant insight to me through a dream or vision. These prophetic dreams deal sometimes with the church, with a nation or with leaders in the church. At other times the revelation is focused on a more personal level" (Ryle, Hippo in the Garden, p. 125).

"Though we have looked at the patriarchs and the prophets, God does not exclude Himself to them alone. He is rich in mercy to all who call upon Him. The standing orders of the universe, unrescinded and unopposed, echo throughout the ages--'Let there be light!' There is no class of person exempt from the probing love of the God who longs to reveal Himself to man, whether we be awake or asleep. YOUNG AND OLD, MALE AND FEMALE, BOND AND FREE, RICH AND POOR ALIKE MAY ALL MEET WITH THE LORD IN THE WONDROUS WORLD OF DREAMS AND VISIONS" (Ryle, A Dream Come True, p. 111).

Though Ryle claims that he is not a prophet of God, we see that he speaks of his messages as "prophetic dreams" and he calls them "revelation."

Ryle cites the dreams and visions of Scripture as evidence that God continues to give dreams and visions today. In this he fails to make a most crucial distinction: the giving of divine revelation closed with the completion of the biblical canon (Revelation 22:18-19). Ryle describes the biblical prophet Ezekiel in these words: "Ezekiel stands out among the prophets as being the most charismatic. ... We look back and admire Ezekiel as a man of God, a true prophet of the Lord, but were he ministering among us today we would all be having a fit" (Ryle, A Dream Come True, p. 103). Ryle fails to note that Ezekiel was one of the holy men of old who was chosen by Almighty God for the reception of divine revelation as part of the giving of the Scriptures. The fact is, there are no Ezekiels today! Not one. There is not one man like Ezekiel who is writing divine Scripture. To compare Ezekiel's day with our own is to confuse the times in the most blatant manner. In Ezekiel's day the Scripture was not complete. In our day it is. No charismatic prophet today stands in the shoes of the biblical prophet Ezekiel.

ACTS 2:17-21

Some will challenge us on this issue and will ask, "What about Acts 2:17-21?" The is the passage most frequently used as a proof text for the doctrine of an end-times charismatic revival --

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:17-21).

They say, "See, sons and daughters will prophesy and young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams; and all of this is connected with evangelism -- calling upon the Lord for salvation." This verse is ripped from its context, though, when it is made to support a charismatic signs and wonders end-times prophetic revival.

FIRST, PETER SAYS THE JOEL PROPHECY WAS FULFILLED IN HIS DAY WITH THE EVENTS OF PENTECOST. Peter explained to those gathered before him on the day of Pentecost that the events they were witnessing, the tongues whereby "every man heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6) was prophesied by Joel. There are two parts to the prophecy which Peter cited: the prophesying, and the signs in the heavens. Peter tells us in this passage that the prophesying was fulfilled in his own day, at the beginning of the church age. We know from history and from Scripture that the last half of Joel's prophecy will be fulfilled at the Lord's coming. The heavenly signs are described in Revelation and will occur during the events surrounding the Lord's return. The prophesying of Acts 2:17-18 was connected directly with the tongues and the prophesying which occurred on the day of Pentecost. It was connected with the ministry of the Apostles. The rest of the New Testament confirms this. Paul explains that tongues were a sign for the unbelieving Jewish nation (1 Corinthians 14:20-22). "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not..." This is cited from Isaiah 28:11-12. Paul explains that Isaiah foretold the miraculous tongues of the Apostolic era which would be a sign to the Jews. As a nation they rejected the sign and were dispersed in A.D. 70 by the Roman armies. The sign passed away when its function was fulfilled. The great prophetic ministry of the Apostolic era also ceased when its function was fulfilled.

SECOND, THE "LAST DAYS" IS A PERIOD OF TIME WHICH BEGAN IN THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES AND WHICH EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENT CHURCH AGE AND INCLUDES THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF THE LORD. IT BEGINS WITH TRUE SIGNS AND REVELATION FROM GOD, AND IT ENDS WITH FALSE SIGNS AND REVELATION FROM THE DEVIL. The Apostle John said, "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time" (1 John 2:18). John taught that there will be an antichrist, singular, who will arise at the end of this age, and there are antichrists, plural, which will operate throughout this age. This describes the general course of the age. The New Testament Scriptures prophesy an increasing apostasy as the church age progresses. Apostasy, a turning away from the apostolic faith, began during the days of the Apostles and it has increased and spread throughout the age. Ultimately it will blossom into the final apostasy described in Revelation 17-18. Our article "End Times Apostasy is a Bible Doctrine" gives the details of this matter. This article can be viewed at the End Times Apostasy Online Database at the Way of Life Literature web site -- http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/indexfbns.htm

The New Testament Scripture does not prophesy a revival of truth and biblical evangelism at the end of this age; it prophesies religious confusion and error--not revival but apostasy. The Bible warns that the end of this age will be characterised by false miracles. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew 24:24). See also Matthew 24:11; 7:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10; Revelation 13:14. The Lord Jesus Christ said an evil generation seeketh after a sign (Matt. 12:39; 16:4). The signs that men need today are those recorded in the Holy Scriptures (John 20:30-31; Luke 16:29-31). In light of these warnings, we are amazed that John Wimber has conducted "signs and wonders conferences" in various parts of the world.

THIRD, WE KNOW FROM SCRIPTURE THAT THE GIVING OF SIGNS AND REVELATION CEASED WITH THE PASSING OF THE APOSTLES. The Lord Jesus Christ performed signs to authenticate His Messiahship (Acts 2:22). The Apostles performed signs to authenticate their Apostleship (2 Corinthians 12:12). With the completion of the Bible (Revelation 22:18-19) and the departure of the Apostles, the signs and wonders ceased, as did the giving of new revelation. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the "prophets and apostles" form the foundation for our faith. "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." This foundation is no longer being built. Once laid, a foundation is not repeated. It is firmly established and the other parts of the building are planted upon it. When the prophets and apostles laid the foundation for the Christian faith, they passed off the scene. Since then we have had this firm foundation upon which to stand. No one can add to it today.

There was a period of transition, of course, as the canon was recognized and collected, but in general, since the days of the Apostles, God has led His people by the Holy Spirit's guidance as He interprets to us the Bible and impresses us of God's will. God does lead His people, praise His name, but for a Christian to know that God is guiding him in a certain direction is not the same as that Christian saying that he has had a direct revelation from God. Church history supports this view of signs and revelation. Such cannot be traced among Bible-believing saints through the centuries since the days of the Apostles.

When James Ryle attempts to find God giving revelation through dreams and visions after the passing of the Apostles, he is forced to dig through the strange record of Roman Catholic "fathers," "saints," and mystics. In his book A Dream Come True, Ryle attempts to give evidence that God has continued to give extra-biblical revelation. He names false teachers such as Augustine (p. 159), Jerome (p. 158), Thomas Aquinas (p. 165), "saint" Benedict (p. 198)--even "saint" Nicholas (pp. 129-131)! (We have documented the heretical position of Augustine and Jerome in our book Rome and the Bible.)

Coming to more modern times, he claims that John Bunyan's allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, is an example of extra-biblical revelation (A Dream Come True, p. 166). That is an amazing leap of logic! He mentions dreams by John Newton and Charles Spurgeon (A Dream Come True, p. 171-173), but neither of these men supported the Vineyard-type concept of extra-biblical revelation. Spurgeon did not preach "prophetic dreams"; he preached the Scriptures. Period. If Spurgeon were still alive, he would, no doubt, do precisely what his church continues to do today; he would expose the error of the Vineyard confusion. The pastor of Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle today is Dr. Peter Masters, and he has authored two books exposing the danger of the modern charismatic movement and correcting the error represented by James Ryle. Consider what Dr. Masters states in The Charismatic Phenomenon --

"Even where modern prophecies are simple restatments of biblical Truth, they undermine the Scripture, for God has said that the Bible is the sole vehicle of revelation, and it is completely sufficient for all our needs. God has said that there will be no more Truth revealed by direct messages or voices on occasions when we need guidance, comfort or encouragement. We will not be provided with extra revelation of any kind, for we are to use the doctrines, promises and comforts already revealed in the Scripture to guide us in every case.

"It is not good enough for charismatic teachers to say that their 'extra' messages do not actually contradict the Bible. They certainly undermine it in another way--they provide an alternative fountain of light and help, and they train the people of God away from the one source of objective Truth. The Lord has spoken to us clearly through Paul in Romans 15:4 -- 'For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.'

"The fact is that charismatic teachers do not grasp that the Scriptures are (a) complete, (b) totally sufficient for all our needs, and (c) deep and profound enough for every possible problem and situation. Whether they have done it consciously or not, they have joined the ranks of heretics in their downgrading of the Word of God. The Roman Catholic Church has added to the Bible by trusting her own church traditions and leaders as authoritative. Liberal theologians have placed their reason and the science of the day on a par with Scripture. Heretical 'pietistic' movements have put their own 'inner light' on the same level as Scripture--and that is exactly what countless charismatic leaders do to an ever increasing extent" (Peter Masters and John C. Whitcomb, The Charismatic Phenomenon, London: The Wakeman Trust, 1982, pp. 42-43).

We have read enough of old Spurgeon to know that this expresses his own position on the matter, and Ryle's attempt to put him in the line of prophetic dreamers is great confusion. Spurgeon would never have given the following advice to his people: "If you believe God speaks in dreams and visions, and your heart longs for Him to speak to you--ask Him to do so!" (Ryle, A Dream Come True, p. 200).

MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON DREAMS

In his books, Ryle admits that he has made many of his key decisions based on "prophetic dreams and visions."

He alleges that he was called to preach through a prophetic word situation (Hippo in the Garden, p. 91).

He aligned his church with John Wimber and the Vineyard movement because of a dream (Ryle, Hippo in the Garden, p. 27).

It was a dream which caused him to stay in Boulder, Colorado, in the late 1980s when he was tempted to move to another part of the country just before he met Bill McCartney (Ryle, A Dream Come True, pp. 41-43).

He claims that in a dream in 1989 he saw that the University of Colorado football team would have a winning season (Hippo in the Garden, p. 181). It was this dream and its subsequent fulfillment that impressed Bill McCartney with Ryle and established their friendship. McCartney describes this in his Foreword to Ryle's book A Dream Come True.

Ryle claims that he had a dream which predicted the success of the Promise Keepers movement (A Dream Come True, pp. 192,193).

It was a voice from God, allegedly, which caused Ryle to make a difficult decision to move his church to its present location in the face of widespread resistance within the congregation (Hippo in the Garden, pp. 195-199).

Ryle describes how an alleged prophetic word from John Wimber released him "as a seer in prophetic growth and ministry" in January 1989 (Hippo in the Garden, pp. 12,13). Since then, he says, "The frequency, scope, accuracy and fulfillment of dreams, visions and prophetic words has been staggering."

Ryle claims that he first heard God speak audibly to him when he was an unsaved 14-year-old boy in an orphanage (Hippo in the Garden, p. 15).

DO YOU HAVE A REVELATION, OR DON'T YOU?

As already mentioned, Ryle does not claim to be a prophet. This is what he says:

"I am a dreamer. I certainly do not posture myself as an expert on the subject, nor do I declare myself to be a prophet. I merely affirm that the Lord has been pleased from time to time to speak to me through dreams and visions. ... The poet Yeats wrote, 'But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.' AND IF, IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, THESE DREAMS AND VISIONS I TELL ARE NOTHING MORE THAN THE RESULTS OF A HIGHLY ACTIVE IMAGINATION, OR THE CLEVER CONTRIVANCES OF A GIFTED WIT--THEN AT LEAST AGREE WITH ME IN GIVING GLORY TO GOD FOR ANY GOOD THAT MAY COME OF THEM. On the other hand, whatever they may do that proves harmful or irresponsible--I shall bear that alone in humble repentance. Nevertheless, I cannot but speak the things that I have seen and heard" (Ryle, A Dream Come True, p. 176).

This is unacceptable. Nowhere in Scripture are we told that we can allow a man to speak in the name of God and take or leave his message as lightly as Ryle requests us to do. If a man says "God has spoken" or "I have received a vision from God" or "I have been given a dream from God," that message is to be taken seriously. Either it is a genuine word from Almighty God, or it is a false prophecy. There is no middle ground here. The happy-go-lucky, take-it-or-leave-it position Ryle would have us follow is unscriptural.

By the way, to cite William Yeats (1865-1939) in this context is very strange, because Yeats did not claim to speak in the name of God, nor did he claim to offer prophetic dreams and revelations. Furthermore, Yeats was an unbeliever who was involved in many forms of pagan and satanic philosophies and practices.

"In 1887 he [Yeats] moved with his family to London and became interested in Hinduism, theosophy, and occultism. He wrote lyrical, symbolic poems on pagan Irish themes, such as The Wanderings of Oisin (1889) and The Lake Isle of Innisfree (1893), in the romantic melancholy tone he believed characteristic of the ancient Celts. He also wrote The Celtic Twilight (1893) and The Secret Rose (1897), which deal with Irish legends. ... His later writings are generally acknowledged to be his best. They were influenced by Georgie Hyde-Lees, his wife since 1917, who had a medium's gift for automated writing. A Vision (1925) is an elaborate attempt in prose to explain the mythology, symbolism, and philosophy that Yeats used in much of his work" (Microsoft Encarta 96).

Friends, I have no doubt that James Ryle and John Wimber and Bill McCartney are sincere men who believe they are serving Christ faithfully in obedience to His Word. It is our responsibility, though, to prove all things by the Scriptures (1 Thess. 5:21). We must judge every prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29). We must search the Scriptures and measure everything by them (Acts 17:11). I have been examining the charismatic doctrines and claims for 24 years. My decision to mark and reject them as unscriptural is not a quick or light decision. I was led to Christ by a dear Pentecostal brother. None of this is easy. I have nothing personally against these men and I have no animosity toward them. Even so, I know from experience that I will be mocked and derided unmercifully by the supporters of these men simply because I speak these warnings. I will be labeled a hate-filled Pharisaic monster who is resisting the Holy Spirit and dividing the "body of Christ." Nevertheless, I must stand for what God has shown me, and I must raise my voice to warn against the type of "prophetic" ministry represented by James Ryle. Beware of those who claim to have prophetic dreams and revelations! The Word we need from God has already been given. It is the Bible, and it is perfect and complete and sufficient.

THE ERROR OF EXTRABIBLICAL REVELATION

I will conclude with the following brief overview of why I reject extra-biblical revelation as described by James Ryle:

1. IT IS DANGEROUS. The groups which have allowed for extra-biblical revelation have always gone into error and confusion. For this reason alone I would avoid it.

2. IT IS UNSTABLE. If James Ryle or some other charismatic preacher is indeed receiving prophetic dreams and visions from God, how can we know for certain how to interpret it? The Vineyard movement illustrates the instability of this type of thing. It has lurched from one strange practice to another, from signs and wonders evangelism to the prophetic word emphasis to the "laughing revival." When we are loosed from the absolute anchor of the Bible, we are launched upon the seas of confusion and instability.

3. IT IS UNNECESSARY. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 plainly states that the Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God "perfect, throughly furnished to all good words." Extra-biblical revelation is absolutely unnecessary. Away with your alleged prophetic dreams and revelations! They are mere whimsical nonsense compared to the perfect Word of God.

4. IT IS UNSCRIPTURAL. Passages such as Ephesians 2:20; 2 Peter 1:19-21; and Revelation 22:18-19 tell us that the completion of the Bible ended the revelation of God to man for this present time. The Book is complete and it is sealed. We desperately need a word from God, and we have it. We have the Bible.

"But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas" (Matthew 12:39).