MINI-DESPATCH. May 22, 2000 Rebuttal
From W. B. Howard ...Editor of Despatch Magazine
.

 
 

TO THOSE OF YOU WHO
WANT TO STAND FOR BIBLE TRUTH.

Re. the statements made in Mini-Despatch, May 22, 2000, about
  Jacob Prasch, the One World Christian Movement and C. Peter Wagner.

There have been misinformed & misunderstood comments
sent to us about this Mini-Despatch re. the Prasch inclusion.

The following statement is issued to answer those who wrote.

The work of James Jacob Prasch may be good in a number of areas, we acknowledge this.
That does not mean that he is not wrong in other areas.
Just because Jacob stands against the errors of the fake revivals, stands against the Hebrew Roots Movement ( in part), stands for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and opposes ecumenism, does not mean he then can do as he pleases in other areas.

* He cannot then expect to NOT be challenged if he supports the inroads of Judaizing the Word of God.
* He cannot expect to reImages unchallenged if he seeks to take away from the Body of Christ their glorious right of having the Word of God in their own hands, without need of priest, denominations, pope or rabbi to interpret it for them.

This is the greatest privilege you have, brothers and sisters in Christ.

“These [things] have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. “ ( 1 John 2:26-28).

We have the Word of God in our own hands in the King James Bible in English. Many of us will object always against those who would seek to "reinterpret" the clear inspired Word. This has nothing to do with personalities. It matters not if Jacob is educated, likeable or articulate, trained in Jewish Material - this is not the issue.

* When he says that the old adage used by fundamentals for many years “there is one interpretation, many applications” is WRONG, and that there are many interpretations, and that his Jewish interpretations are paramount, then you must see something is amiss.
* When he indicates that we Christians need his “special” understanding of Hebrew and Greek texts in order to understand what God has clearly revealed to us already in the KJV- something is amiss.

* When Jacob brings to you material like Midrash and insists we cannot understand what God has to say to us unless we get the “goods” from Jews like himself - something is amiss. We do not need Midrash, for any form of understanding, we have God’s Word in our own hands in English.
This is leaving the door open for Hebrew Roots Movement to adulterate etc. our God given rights.

I have been a redeemed child of God for 43 years, and God has spiritually fed fundamental Christians and myself all our lives - and we did not need Midrash or rabbis to instruct in His revealed Word with traditional Pharisee interpretations. We have had the Holy Spirit and God’s teachers - who follow our fully reliable English Bible.

THIS IS ABOUT “SECRET” JEWISH BUSINESS!

In Australia we have a saying which has arisen because of our aboriginals talking about “secret women’s business” to prevent others from having access to their "doings", and to give themselves `clout'.
This Midrash stuff is “secret Jewish Business" because it makes the unwary think they need the “secret key” of understanding that only the Jewish scholars have.

Yet, can Jacob Prasch even really explain Midrash?
It appears to me that the Emperor has no clothes on?

ON THE MIDRASH MYSTERY.

Here are quotes from Jacob Prasch
and from Richard Engstrom....tgd@multipro.com...http://www.apostasynow.com/tgd/index.html

Read both carefully,
your own future happiness in God’s Word and in Holy Truth may well hang in the balance:

JACOB:

“Unless someone has been educated in Judaism, Hebrew, or theology,
it is easier to demonstrate midrash than to explain it.”

“Can’t explain it? Neither can anyone else, apparently.
After doing a brief survey on the subject, I found that some call it just a collection of homiletics. Jacob Prasch calls it an hermeneutic principle, which is the “scholars” term for, “principles of interpretation."

So let’s get down to the nub on this matter:

Mr. Prasch asserts that historical Christian Biblical interpretation has been flawed, almost from the beginning, because we didn’t stick with the Jewish methods of interpretation that Jesus denounced. He says that Jesus Christ, Himself, and Paul, used the midrash system (see Jacob's new book, “The Final Words of Jesus” p. 20)  of biblical interpretation, which he asserts to be superior to the grammatical-historical system, while ignoring the fact that it is the LITERAL-GRAMMATICAL system of interpretation that DEFINES PROTESTANT ORTHODOXY.” ( Emphasis mine R.E.). Amen and Amen.

AN “UNKNOWN” MINISTRY SPEAKS!
Jacob has said that our ministry is unknown in Australia. Not known in his circles no doubt; we are members of the Remnant Church, not denominations, we do not need church circuits; our God provides without compromising our stand by seeking the applause of people. We do not mix in Pentecostal circles. Our people are mostly fundamentals. Actually many people in the Remnant Church have never heard of Philip Powell or Jacob Prasch. It matters not at all, what matters is TRUTH!

The Christians we write for are the lone, the saddened, the ones who are standing firm and need support, those who will not tolerate the destruction of the Christianity which we have loved all our lives. Those who have come out of denominations and will not compromise either! We do not seek fame, to be accepted by the denominations and to be acknowledged by anyone at all. Praise the Lord. We only want to defend and stand for Christianity and Christ Jesus our Lord. It is not finished yet, though the Rapture be close.
 

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.   Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” (Revelation 3:7-9).

We pray for Jacob Prasch and others like him, who have not come all the way into the glory of Christ Jesus, He is all we need. His writing does not thrill with the Presence of Jesus Christ our Risen Lord, although Jacob is no doubt saved. He writes like a Jewish intellectual, one who is not “saved to the uttermost.” We hold no resentment towards him for his latest outburst, we only feel sadness for him. He has been let down by the Christian Church who should have instructed him in the old-time religion of our glorious faith, which appears many have lost sight of.

If he has repented about his stand taken in months and years gone by, as some have indicated he has, then where is the apology to the Body of Christ for seeking to lead them astray in the past? I see no apology. If he wants now to apologise, we will be delighted and love him for his humility. We love and care for him, anyway. If he is truly a changed man, as some have indicated, where is his repentance shown? I see the same material on his Website, the same links, and his magazine has the same Midrash instructions, the same things  appear in his book recently released, “The Final Words of Jesus.”
I speak here of the MIDRASH fiasco.

The statements arising from the Engstrom discussions have never been repented of or apologised for. Doesn’t it matter to some of you at all? The plain fact is that if you accept Jacob’s propositions about Jewish traditions on interpretations you walk into these nasty dilemmas:

1. You can’t now read and enjoy your Bible, in complete confidence, without the Jewish Rabbis “correcting” the flawed interpretations of the Reformation;
2. You become open to more “Jewishness” instead of more of Christ Jesus from God’s wonderful revelation;
3. You grow in sympathy for the Hebrew Roots Movement, as Jacob holds a lot of their beliefs still, although he speaks against them;
4. And you take backwards steps away from Christianity;
Will you end up saying that our Reformation Bibles are flawed, as Jacob does? I imagine you will eventually. Jacob’s recent book has as part of its title, “And Satan’s Lies.” Sadly, when people insist that the Bible is flawed, and that the Reformers were influenced by humanists, those are Satan’s lies as well, readers.

It is quite beyond us why more believers are not opposing this!  CHRIST JESUS IS ALL!
Could it be because may solid fundamental ministries are not yet aware of the Prasch errors yet?
Certainly! Many others do not have sound enough Biblical backgrounds - its is a shame. A sign of the times.
 

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; “ ( Philippians 3:8-10).

We are shocked at those who call themselves discernment ministries, but who do not “discern” the obvious errors in the J. Prasch teachings on Biblical interpretation.
Some of the errors he brings are outlined in the following questions.
Will you please answer privately, as you pray about this matter before Almighty God,  -  yes or no:

1. Do you believe that the Reformers of the Protestant Movement left us with a Bible which is   NOT trust worthy? Yes or No.
It appears Prasch basically believes this.

2. Do you believe that the Christian Church has suffered through many hundreds of years because it did NOT have a proper Bible interpretation?  Yes or No.
Prasch believes this, he believes the early Church left its Jewish “roots” system of interpretation, so we all have been in darkness since then in many ways.

3. Do you believe that we now have Jewish people who will at last lead us into all the Truth by giving to the Church of Jesus Christ the interpretations which will finally show us the whole Truth? Yes or No.
Prasch believes this, and his “Midrash” is seen as essential to Christians recovering the Truth.

4. Do you now want to submit to Jewish teachers, to allow them to add to, scrap, alter and “transform” the Word of God according to these Jewish traditional “interpretations”? Yes or No.

5. Do you, honestly, really understand the implications of this? Yes or No.

6. Are you really aware of what Midrash is? Yes or No.

7. Are you quite happy to just accept some man’s assurance that Midrash is just another way of understanding the Bible itself? Without looking into this in depth for yourself? Yes or No.

8. If you do accept this (No.7) are you alarmed that this same man makes it plain enough in his own writings, and in his book “ The Final Words of Jesus” that the Protestants have “failed” in their interpretation of Scripture, and that the “the limitations of Protestant hermeneutics” should be addressed - naturally with a Midrash and Jewish re-interpretation?
Are you willing and ready to submit to this? Yes or No.

If you answered “yes” to the above questions you may make Jacob Prasch and others like him very pleased indeed. But are you, however, pleasing the Lord God, Who has given us His completed, infallible Word in an English translation, the KJV?

Now, we are NOT talking Ruckmanism here.
[access our Website to understand this issue]
 http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Articles_D/Ruckman_tabcon.htm

Ruckmanism does not see the need to look into Hebrew and Greek word meanings et al.
But we affirm this language scholarship, as the Christian Church has always done through the centuries.
We do NOT affirm extra-Biblical Jewish material which is NOT mere Scriptural word meanings. The most important thing all of us must understand is -  WHAT IS MIDRASH! It is a mystical “key” that will allow the Jewish teachers to take authority over our own Bibles!

The Christian believers are the ones at fault here really.

* You have not corrected Jacob, you left him to struggle in the grave clothes which still adhere to him from Judaism.
* You have allowed him to slander the Reformers and their wonderful work. You have not pointed out that we grow in Christ by the Holy Spirit, not by intellectualism and education.
* You have allowed him to walk right into the plans for NWO Judaism, and to become a collaborator with these plans.

It is not enough for Jacob to say he does not agree with all the HRM stands for. He must give a clear trumpet call by standing apart from the errors of all the HRM. He cannot do this at present because he is mostly still with them! We are alarmed, shocked and amazed at the ease with which people we respect are accepting extra- Biblical “interpretations” from Jacob Prasch. Also we are alarmed at the links on his Website, which includes Arnold Fruchtenbaum [see below] links and through him the extremes of the Hebrew Roots Movement. Why aren’t you alarmed?

The nitty-gritty of this whole business is this, either we need Jewish traditional interpretations of our own Bibles, or we do not. Either the true Protestant Movement is sound and solid, and has been all along, or it has not been and is not now. There is no room for error here. These are not matters which cannot be ascertained to everyone’s satisfaction, the truth is there for us to look at carefully.  This is our own sacred book, the Word of God, we are discussing, and Christianity which we love and know. The only absolute Truth we have is ours NOW, in God’s Word. If you are now going to toss aside the KJV in order to have a higher knowledge Jewish-Midrash Scripture, say so! As for ourselves we will serve the Lord God of the Word, and none other will we serve. But don’t expect us to support or fellowship with those who deny God’s Word, and slander the Reformers of our faith. Of course they weren’t perfect scholars, but they weren’t stupid scholars either, and they did NOT give us a inferior text in our Bible. [Access our site here for info on the preservation of our Textus Receptus
(http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Books_V/Greek_text_preserved.htm)]

We do not care about anything but pleasing God in this matter, and the destruction of the revealed Word is not the way to please Him. Philip Powell and Jacob Prasch will both have to give an account of themselves to Almighty God on this issue. There are no sound reasons for the Midrash heresies. The Remnant Body of Christ will NOT submit to this outrageous denigration of the Reformation Faith without protest! Jacob Prasch declares that the Protestant Reformation is over - it is not over for us, I can assure him. Do you really imagine that Christians who have been God’s people all their lives will just lay down and give up their Bibles?
Will they deny their own reformation? Without a protest?
Others will join with us when they get the message, and they are getting it.
Repent now, Jacob, make things right.

Prasch’s comment to me in an E-mail, March 30, 1999:

“As non-conformists have always said Protestanism never went far enough back to the bible, but it is a dying religion taken over by liberals. The Reformation, like Sardis, had a name of being alive, but was and is for the most part dead. Let it die.”

Philip Powell is quite wrong in imagining that we are taking “tit for tat” vengeance against J. Prasch because of some recent attacks upon myself, and others. All those who have opposed this Judaizing of the Church have been targeted by Prasch in Moriel newsletter. Richard Engstrom, Vicky Dillen, Timothy and Barbara Aho to mention but a few. I have been around far too long to even notice or care about this sort of thing!  No, it is the Hebrew Roots movement that motivates our deep and sincere concern about Prasch’s unbelievable stand on Midrash and his denouncement of our Bibles, that only. YOU should have shown him the absolute reliability of the Bible we hold in our hands in English. Or don’t you believe and trust in the Bible you have yourself? It is not too late, stand strong in the Lord and defend His Word. Pray for Jacob and others like him.

This truly is like the “Camel’s Nose.” Once you let the nose ( Midrash) of the camel into your tent you will end up with the whole camel in your tent, and you squashed up in a corner (or out in the cold). The whole camel? Hebrew Roots Movement and Rabbis.
See Richard Engstrom’s excellent articles on this on our Website... or his own above

Midrash expose
[ http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Articles_V/midrash.html]

Rebuttal re reformation
[http://www.despatch.cth.com.au//Articles_D/CorrespondencewithJacobPraschMidrash.htm

Philip Powell has suggested we apologise to Jacob. We can no more apologise to Jacob than we can to C. Peter Wagner, or to Benny Hinn et al. This has nothing to do with a personal attack or a dislike etc. Jacob attacks on a personal level, we do not. We are no doubt older than a lot of you are, things come pretty clear when you have lived as long as I have in Christian circles. There is TRUTH here, get that and forget about the rest. Times are serious, this is a serious subject, very serious. I do not want to face a Holy God and have to say I assisted and applauded when His Word was being adulterated. Do you?

We will say this to Jacob.
The true Christian Church has resisted being brought back under Roman Catholicism and its teachings;
it has refused to give up to the modern Bible versions; and I know it will not go under to those who would seek to bring us back to Judaism with its ‘interpretations” of the Pharisees either.
 

PRASCH ATTACKS THE VERY BASIS
OF OUR PROTESTANT FAITH!
THUS LEAVING US OPEN TO THE “JEWISHNESS”
OF THE ONE WORLD CHURCH ERRORS.

Just as the Protestants “protested” against the Roman Catholic Church’s destruction of the Word of God, so we now “protest” at the attacks upon the Reformation Bible. E-mail writers have said that Jacob Prasch is not the same as he was last year, they say he has changed since the last “protests” came his way. Not so! His book “The Final Words of Jesus” hot off the press contains the same denigration of the Protestant Reformers, and the same “Midrash” apostasy. He actually accuses the Christian Reformers of being victims of Humanists, and that because they had missed out on Midrash they had led the Christian Church into philosophies of darkness.

We shall read from his book, p.19:
“As the church became more Gentile after the gospel spread throughout the Greco-Roman world, it began to lose sight of its Jewish origins. People with a different world view, based usually on either the philosophies of Aristotle (called Aristotelianism ) or Plato (called Platonism), began to re-define biblical truth on the basis of these Greek philosophies instead of explaining in Greek terms the Jewish philosophies that produced the gospel.”

NOTE:  (The Catholics followed Aristotle, Protestants did not.
............Today scientists still appear to follow Aristotle philosophy, Creation Scientists do not ).

These insults against Protestant Theology deny the fact that the Protestant Reformers were utterly dependable and stood firm in literal-grammatical interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. They  did not drift into the spiritual darkness of Greek philosophies! Decidedly not. Choose you today whom you will serve, reader. Will you too deny the Word of God delivered to you by the martyrs, given in their blood, paid for by their burning bodies? Yes or No. Will you say they were dupes who did not know philosophy and humanism from the Word of God, as Jacob Prasch does. He suggests that the reformers had only taken one step, but without Midrash they didn’t go far enough,

I quote from Prasch:

"Midrash incorporates a grammatical-historical exegesis, vaguely similar to the western models of Biblical interpretation that the Reformers borrowed from 16th century Humanism, but it sees this as simply a first step.”

Richard Engstrom comments:

“In the first place, the Reformers defended “literal-grammatical” interpretation not “grammatical-historical.” I want you to notice that the author begins his slander by innuendo against the Reformers by suggesting that they were little more than disciples of the Humanists, and that without midrash that they had one step which did not carry them far enough and that without the principles of midrash, we are still in the clutches of medieval darkness.”

In his new book, “The Final Words of Jesus”  on page 25,26
Prasch makes this statement:
"This book should not convey the impression that Midrash is simply a mechanism for refuting error. It is rather a general approach to interpretation that can be used to refute error ( as Paul’s Midrash on Sarah and Hagar in Galatians chapter 4) or to uncover a deeper level of doctrinal truth (as in the epistle to the Hebrews where it is used as a commentary on Leviticus ).... Grammatical historical exegesis, which Reformers derived from humanism, is a valid hermeneutic for interpreting epistles, because the epistles themselves are simply inspired commentary on other scripture.”

In the above statement Prasch is saying that Midrash is essential to refute error, to “uncover” ”deeper” levels of doctrine and truth, and to save us all from the philosophical blunders of the Reformers who delved into humanism!

Will you agree and support this heretical teaching? Yes or No.
 

This is a most important issue.
Is it true that our Protestant Reformers were NOT really the sound and literal-grammatical interpreters that Church history has presented them as being?
Jacob is utterly wrong here, for it is well-known that they certainly were.

Here is a quote from Luther:

“I here once more repeat, what I have so often insisted on, that the Christian should direct his efforts toward understanding the so-called LITERAL sense of the Scripture, which alone is the substance of faith and of Christian theology, which alone will sustain him in the hour of trouble and temptation, and which will triumph over sin, death, and the gates of hell, to the praise and glory of God.”

DO WE REALLY NEED MIDRASH?

Of course we do not!  WHAT IS IT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND IT?
Has Prasch removed this teaching from his Website? No
Has he repented of his error? No

Prasch:

“The clearest set of guidelines in Midrash are the Seven Midroth attributed to RABBI HILLEL, the founder of the Pharisaic School of Hillel, where RABBI SHAUL (St. Paul) was educated as a rabbi by RABBI GAMALIEL, the grandson of Hillel.”   [Engstrom quote from Website material]

The experts Prasch presents (excepting Paul) are “exponents of the Pharisee" school on interpretation that Jesus repudiated. Paul the apostle is now being called “Rabbi Paul” a title never assigned to him in the New Testament.”  (Engstrom).

Read what the real Paul thought of Judaism in Philippians 3:4-9.
He certainly wouldn’t want to be called “Rabbi Shaul” as Jacob calls him:
[He was "Saul" or "Shaul" before he was converted.]

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them  but dung, that I may win Christ,”  (Philippians 3:2-8).

The Apostle Paul was a minister of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, not a Jewish rabbi!
The Apostle to the Gentiles. He was out-lawed by Judaism.
Please read... Colossians 1:23:

Here is Prasch again on Midrash:

“Midrash makes heavy use of allegory and typology to illustrate and illuminate doctrine, but never as a basis for doctrine. It sees multiple meanings in Bible texts found in strata,”

This “many interpretations” concept which Prasch presents brings confusion. Although he continues to state that this is different from the occultic gnostic ideas of “hidden” meanings, many, many meanings of texts, this is what he is presenting in his own fashion.
 

“but this is very different in certain fundamental respects from the gnostic and Alexandrian uses of figurative interpretation associated with Philo and Origen, reflecting more of Hebraic, rather than Helenistic philosophical world-view and view of theology.”

What have we got above?
No longer should we read the Bible, relying on the Holy Spirit to open the revealed texts, all there in front of us, plain and simple given by the Lord, NO. We must rely on Midrash to “illustrate" and "illuminate" doctrine, we can’t just read it from God’s Word. You have to have a Jewish rabbi who can explain Midrash before you can have the “secret key” that will open the door to understanding. If you are to have the “multiple meanings” you must have and desperately need Midrash or else you will NEVER get God’s proper meanings and truth.  Jacob insists that we must have something superior to the Alexandrian and gnostic hermeneutic. But Jacob presents what is classical gnosticism in his Midrash errors! Gnosticism is mysticism which holds that the Bible cannot be understood as it is presented, but has to have a “secret key” which unlocks the hidden mysteries in the texts.
This is precisely what Prasch presents.

What is Alexandrian?
Our KJV Bibles are NOT Alexandrian, they were not tampered with. We have the texts of the approved Textus Receptus in our hands in English.
[Access our site here for info on the preservation of our Textus Receptus
(http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Books_V/Greek_text_preserved.htm)]
Yet Prasch would again bring in BIBLE CORRUPTIONS.
By mixing Jewish traditions with the pure Word of God, that is with REAL SCRIPTURE:
 

“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” ( Mark 7:13).

SERIOUS MATTERS ARE BEING DISCUSSED HEREIN.
WHERE WILL YOU STAND?
 

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” ( Galatians 1:6,7).

“We are not as many which corrupt the word of God.” ( 11 Cor. 2:17).

THE KING JAMES BIBLE.

In passing, J.P. will comment that he uses the King James Version.
Do not be confused here.

* He does not say he accepts the KJV as the completed, authoritative,
infallible Word Of God in English.
* He sees it as needing a Midrash over-haul!
* He sees our reform Bible as lacking the last step of Jewish interpretation,
as it is confused and needing correction.

 
“Your arguments for the KJV only ( not that I have a problem with the KJV. I often use it myself ) are silly and unfounded. God gave Hios (sic) Word in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic - not Elizabethan English. People do not even talk that way any more, You remind me of the Roman Church with their vulgate, so uneducated people could not understand it.”

 Jacob’s co-worker?
Arnold Fruchtenbaum calls our KJV “old King Jimmy!” [source meetings in Brisbane last year 1999]

Prasch indicates that Fruchtenbaum’s scholarship is vital in his book, “The Final Words of Jesus”, page 24. NOTE: the emerging One World Church, with its World Christian Movement,
lists Arnold Fruchtenbaum and his Ariel Ministries!

I will quote here from Vicky Dillen [Seek God Website for more info re Prasch]

“The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelism Website identifies an ecumenical array of past speakers for the LCJE (The Lausanne Consultation of Jewish Evangelism ) which include Lausanne Committee Chairman, Paul Cedar, Messianic faculty and associates from Fuller Seminary, the directors of Jews for Jesus and ARNOLD FRUCTENBAUM (sic) of Ariel Ministries.”(See more on this last Mini-Despatch, May 22, 2000).

Prasch was asked by Richard Engstrom this question.

"Can a group of sincere, literate, English speaking people in isolation from the rest of the world, come to a COMPLETE understanding of ALL that God deeds to us through the Bible, if all they have in their possession is a KJV without notes (without Midrash, without Eidersheim, without Josephus)?”

Jacob’s answer was complicated, high-handed - but his basic reply was “NO!”

Engstrom comments:

“No matter how you slice it, his answer was NO! He denies that YOU, dear reader, can come to a COMPLETE understanding of ALL that God deeds to us through the Bible, if all you have in your possession is a KJV without notes (Midrash, without Eidersheim, without Josephus). You be the judge. Did I misrepresent his answer or not?”

Jacob’s full answer is now given:

“The Word of God was given in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic - not Elizabethan English. I accept the infallibility of the original manuscripts in the original languages, and not the infallibility of any translation, be it KJV or otherwise. Literacy in English is not a major factor, scripture demonstrates the importance of bringing out the original meaning in the original languages (e.g. Neh. 8:8 where after the captivity most people no longer knew Hebrew so the original Hebrew meaning had to be explained ). Hence, because I believe in the priority of the original languages (I have more faith in the bible than I do in translations of it ) MY ANSWER To YOUR FIRST QUESTION IS NO.”

This is exactly what any Jewish Rabbi will tell you.
They say, “do you speak or write Hebrew? If you don’t you have no understanding and cannot comment!” People, we have the inspired Word in our own hands, in English. Don’t be deceived.
We have cited many email discussions in our magazine from such Rabbis.

NOTE: Jacob acknowledges the Textus Receptus, but does not accept it as the oldest, or the predominant text of the early church etc...see the "Preservation of the Greek Text" online address above and our comments at the end of this article from `Foundation' site and IVF Bible commentary
 

OUR REFORMERS TIED IN WITH THE ERRORS OF
BENNY HINN, COPELAND et al AND THE NEW AGE?

On page 209 of "The Final words of Jesus" Jacob brings to the reader the inference that the "flaws" in our own Protestant Theology, as presented in Christendom in the early centuries of the Church, led to the New Age Gnosticism we now have in the churches. This is completely untrue. Our Christian Bibles have not led into Gnosticism. That is accusing our English Bibles of being corrupted and even occultic! Now, he and others must lead us, he suggests, into a more godly and correct understanding. He has told us again and again that the early Church fathers were influenced by Greek philosophy, now read his own words:

"Gnosticism and the  New Age.
"Alexandria was the crossroads where Hellenistic, Judaism, and Christianity converged to meet the religions and philosophies of the Orient. There were both Hellenistic and eastern expressions of Gnosticism influencing Christendom in the early centuries of the Church dating back again to Philo but climaxing under Origen.
The Greek versions of Gnosticism were tied to the philosophical concepts of Dualism."

The chapter deals with false teachers in the Church. Although he says "The gospel, however, stands completely against this Greek world view" page 210, he  believes and trusts in the original manuscripts, and sees our KJV as being corrupted by Greek philosophy.

People, our English Bibles have not been influenced by Greek Gnosticism. The terrible apostasies of Christendom today are due to evil deceiving demons and their false "prophecies" which are given in visions and messages to the false prophets of our day, and false modern versions of scripture! The false teachers have spawned this evil because they departed from our English Bible, not because they were influenced by it! This has been exposed by many christian writers. We do not need midrash and Jewish traditions to rescue us from the errors in our English Bible.
* Could this be one of the reasons Prasch exposes the false prophets and teachers in Christendom today? To give him a good platform, a spring-board, to lead us into the Jewish traditional interpretations?
He is virtually saying, look what a mess has happened because of flawed Bibles, dear Gentile Church?
 

JACOB PRASCH AND BIBLICAL PROPHECY.

The horrors of what Jacob Prasch is slowly bringing into the average church-goers minds and hearts should be dawning upon you! Is it? Do you yet understand? ARE YOU STRAINING AT A GNAT AND SWALLOWING A CAMEL’S NOSE?

* You don’t read modern Bible versions,
* reject extra-biblical directive prophecies,
* defend the revealed Word of God -

But the worst of it is yet to come,
the most troublesome of all of Jacob’s heresies is PROPHECY:

“Midrash interprets prophecy as a cyclical pattern of historical recapitulation (prophecies having multiple fulfilment), with an ultimate fulfilment associated with the echaton, which is the final focal point of the redemptive process.....Not prediction, but pattern the Jewish idea of prophecy is not prediction, but pattern.”

I see in his new book, “The Final Words of Jesus” p. 21, that  Prasch is now saying,

“Pattern, not just Prediction.”

“pattern” NOT “prediction.”

Which is it Jacob?
I quote from him earlier:
“Not prediction, but pattern the Jewish idea of prophecy is not prediction, but pattern.”

“The “patterns” that midrash would bring to our attention are clearly there, but to use this fact to change the definition of prophecy from predictive to primarily a commentary on the cycles of history is obviously an attempt by traditional rabbinicism to evade the mountain of predictive prophecy that was fulfilled in Christ.” (Engstrom).

Where will you stand Jacob?
With Christian understanding of prophecy or with Jewish traditional ideas?
 

WHAT IS THE REAL  AIM OF JACOB PRASCH?

It is hard to imagine really.
We can see quite plainly his stand against Benny Hinn, Archbishop Carey and the Pope - bravo!
But then in his writings appears this MIDRASH confusion and error. It sticks out like a sore toe, one cannot avoid it. Why does he persist? Perhaps it gives a certain edge to his ministry, a mysterious something that is all his own, a Semitic flavour. It makes the unwary thrill to his mystery, and gives him kudos along the way. Itching ears again, believers?

“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. “ ( 11 Timothy 4:3-4).

The true Body of Christ should not be entertained however by this. Christ is ALL.
The Remnant Church can give J. P. room to repent and be humble before the Lord, and no more will be said. There must be a call upon him to do so. Those who are aware of these dangers call on those who will not face the real issues to repent also, the Lord is at hand.

Be reasonable:

“Let your moderation [ sweet reasonableness ] be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.” ( Philippians 4:5).

WHY HAVE WE TAKEN THIS STAND?

Here in Australia the Hebrew Roots Movement is growing stronger. There is an insistence from these people that the Christians must submit to the teachings of the Jewish Rabbis, who are supposed to have the Jewish documents and training from the Pharisees to lead the Christians into correct Biblical understanding. They insist that we are ROOTED IN JUDAISM. We have many documents here from a Brisbane group of HRM. The HRM seems to have money to spare, a file of teachings was given to a relative after only a vague show of interest, it was worth at least $25. Jacob Prasch is presenting this same platform in a lot of ways, under the legitimising teachings which most evangelicals and fundamentals will support - i.e. denouncing ecumenism and the false Pentecostal prophets of these sad days. Prasch will have a ready ear from many who have not yet realised the dangers of his subtle departure from the foundations of our Faith. Many will be led into this “rooted in Judaism” error and the Midrash fiasco as they yield to the other teachings of Prasch. This will “prime the pump” for a flow of erroneous Jewish teachings through the HRM! NO, we cannot sit and say nothing.
Access material on our web site...
The Olive tree is Jesus Christ and we are rooted in HIM.

http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Despatch/vol83_tree_branch.html
http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Despatch/Jews03.htm
http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Despatch/Jews09.htm
http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Despatch/jews13.htm

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. “ ( Revelation 5:5).
“And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. “ ( Romans 12:15).

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:  ROOTED and built up  IN HIM, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  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 2:6-8). (Emphasis added).

TURN BACK TO THE WORD OF GOD, and resist the inroads of the “secret key” teachings of Jewish “gnosticism.” If you doubt our glorious Reformation with its wonderful translators and the price they paid to give us the Word of God in our own hands, then I suggest you buy an easy to read, exciting book called “God's Outlaw ... the Story of William Tyndale” by Brian H. Edwards [Evangelical Press, Great Britain, 1988].

Or perhaps the more lengthy but detailed history of our English bible found on David Cloud's Website [http://www.wayoflife_cloud/~dcloud.html] called the "Annals of The English Bible"  by Christopher Anderson [pub. London 1845, 1861 ... online public text]

Hopefully you too will refuse to say these loved ones of God would “re-define biblical truth on the basis of Greek philosophies” although Prasch does. It is time to stand up and be counted, believers. As for myself and our ministry we will serve the Lord and adhere to His authorised Word and His Truth.

NO, we will not enter into long discussion on this matter. The subject is closed.
This is all we have to say, we will NOT be drawn into these errors to gain popularity.
The above statements are true.
We cannot “dialogue” with any person to change what is real and obvious.
Wake up, beloved of God.

From “Forever Settled. A Survey of the Document History of the Bible.”
Part Three: The Witness of Early Church Fathers to the Received Text.
From the Bible Believers Resource Page. Foundation [FEA]: [ http://www.tcsn.net/kcondron ]

“Edward Miller  writer of “The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels” concludes -
 "As far as the writers who died before 400 AD are concerned, the question may now be put and answered. Do they witness to the TR [Textus Receptus] as existing from the first, or do they not?
The results of the evidence, both as regards the quantity and the quality of the testimony, enable us to reply, not only that the TR [Textus Receptus] was in existence, but that it was predominant, during the period under review. Let anyone who disputes this conclusion make out for the Western Text, or the Alexandrian, or the text of Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, a case from the evidence of the Fathers which can equal or surpass that which has now been placed before the reader."

This quote from Intervarsity Fellowship’s Bible Commentary
is a fitting end to this call for reason:

THE REFORMED DOCTRINE....

“The emphasis upon the supremacy and sole sufficiency of the Bible was clearly designed to destroy the mediaeval assertion of an authority of tradition and of the Church side by side and on an equality with that of Holy Scripture. A further step in the same direction was the insistence that the Bible must be understood only in its plain and literal sense and not according to the fourfold scheme of mediaeval exegesis. This did not mean that a symbolical or metaphorical sense could not be accorded to what was plainly symbol or metaphor,
What it did mean was that a more than literal sense must not be introduced into the ordinary statements of Scripture except in cases where the Bible itself expressly sanctions it for example, in the understanding of the Red Sea crossing as a type of baptism, or the reference of the Old Testament priesthood to Christ. Parallel types might be drawn for the purpose of spiritual edification but they were not to be regarded as authoritative for Christian belief or conduct. Should difficulties of interpretation arise they were to be resolved by the comparison of Scripture with Scripture the more luminous and straightforward passages being used to illuminate the more difficult and obscure. These exegetical rules were important for two reasons: they cleared away much of the confusion inevitably caused by the mediaeval scheme, thus making possible the erection of a genuine biblical theology- and they destroyed the authority of the official interpreters of Scripture who alone could manipulate successfully the complicated fourfold technique.

 The Reformers accepted all parts of canonical Scripture as inspired and authoritative, although they did not accord an equal degree of importance and relevance to every part. The insistence that all canonical Scripture is inspired was directed against some of the Anabaptist groups who could not agree to the full inspiration of the Old Testament. The Reformers saw clearly that the Old Testament is a most important part of the divine witness to Jesus Christ and to saving truth. They argued that the moral teaching of the Old Testament is eternally valid as an expression of God's will for His people. The theological principles underlying God's dealings with Israel are also the same as those underlying His dealings with Christians and the Christian Church, thus providing further illustration and confirmation of divine truth. The Old Testament and the New belong together, the one as preparation, the other as fulfilment.
 All parts of the Bible are inspired and authoritative, the Reformers taught, but not all parts are of equal importance. The Mosaic legislation in Leviticus had not the same spiritual or theological value as the Gospel of John, or even the Decalogue. In this respect the Bible is in some sense analogous to the Church as the body of Christ. All the members constitute the body and are necessary to it. But although all the members are necessary they are not all of equal importance. Some members are more used than others, and some may be regarded as vital: without them the body would perish altogether. So it is with the Bible. We cannot mutilate the Bible without loss, but some parts are more dispensable than others. If the evangelical message is given it is possible to be a Christian with only a fragment of Scripture; but to be a full-grown Christian it is necessary to have the whole counsel of God."

II Corinthians 11 ... Read Please ...especially vs. 13-15 the warning against false teachers

I feel saddened for Jacob. He is like a man coming from another world, into ours. He is  a Jewish intellectual moving in a Christian world which he hardly understands. This is why his writing is only great swelling words, but nothing thrills with the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no "Wonder" at the Holy Spirit Who opens the Word of God, he sees only manuscripts and documents. God reveals His Word, and has given us the preserved Holy Word in English.
 

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."  I John 2:27
 

Love you all, in Christ Jesus our soon coming Lord and Saviour.
Wendy Howard [Director/Editor]- for and with Wendy Beuster. [publications]

Editor of `Despatch' Magazine & "Beauty for Ashes" Booklet
Childrens Devotions also access daily email devotions

Return to Mini-Despatch TOC

Click Here