They Follow False Prophets: Reason Eleven of Sixteen Reasons The World's False Religions Can Unite
By Brannon S. Howse
Both the New Apostolic Reformation and the Word of Faith believe in prophecies and words of knowledge. We also know the Church of Rome has its own prophets. Although Catholic websites, forums, and blogs assert that “no, the Church of Rome does not believe in modern day prophets or apostles,” in practice, it does. The Catholic Catechism tells how this works:
[quote] When Christ instituted the Twelve, he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them. Just as “by the Lord’s institution, St. Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one another.” [end quote] [source: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=2830]
Roman Catholics believe their current bishops and the pope all continue this office of prophet and apostle, and the Catholic Catechism is consistent with this understanding:
[quote] “Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as first of the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one, so also endures the office, which the apostles received, of shepherding the Church, a charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops.” Hence the Church teaches that “the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ.” [end quote] [source: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=2800]
They believe the offices of apostles and prophets continue to this day and that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ. This means they are speaking for Christ in an ongoing revelation.
The truly biblical view is that when a pastor, shepherd, or other believer opens the Word of God, they speak from God’s Word, but the Roman Church, the Word of Faith, and the New Apostolic Reformation believe in extra-biblical revelation. Hence, they can unite because they all follow false prophets and false apostles. An international directory of the New Apostolic Reformation published in 2009 even lists, by name, hundreds of people they believe are modern-day apostles.
While biblical Christians believe in apostles such as those who are missionaries (“sent ones”), the office of “big A” Apostles like the 12 plus Paul is closed today. We no longer need them because we have Scripture. There’s no more need of signs and wonders to give credibility to the Gospel and the foundational doctrines of the Church. Scripture affirms this in 2 Peter 2:1 which says:
[quote] But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. [end quote]
It’s not a happy outlook for those who follow false apostles and prophets.
Copyright 2015 ©Brannon Howse. This content is for Situation Room members and is not to be duplicated in any form or uploaded to other websites without the express written permission of Brannon Howse or his legally authorized representative.
