Smith Wigglesworth’s end time prophecy about Pentecostalism
What was Smith Wigglesworth’s end time prophecy about Pentecostalism?
On 23 December 1922, Smith Wigglesworth prophesied of the last days Church in his sermon The Words of this Life the following: “I want you to see that in the early church, controlled by the power of the Holy Ghost, it was not possible for a lie to exist. The moment it came into the church, there was instant death. And as the power of the Holy Ghost increases in these days of the Latter Rain, it will be impossible for any man to remain in our midst with a lying spirit. God will purify the church; the Word of God will be in such power in healing and other spiritual manifestations, that great fear will be upon all those who see the same.”
This shows that the final Church on Earth cannot be full of modern versions and their heretical doctrines. The lying spirits behind the modern versions will be driven from the midst of the Church, so that there is a restored purity along the lines of Traditional Pentecostalism. Those who have been open to error and delusion have let in the lying spirits. “Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.” (1 Kings 22:23). This has been the judgment of God upon a disobedient people. God is now leading people to repent for not believing His truth.
God will purify the Church through His Word, namely the King James Bible. “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26).
Some gainsayers say that there are no lies in the modern versions. “They all say the same thing. There is no error.” Such people are deluded. Look at the following example (out of thousands of possible examples) to once and for all see that lying spirits are at work in the modern versions. Note that the King James Bible says exactly the opposite to what the NIV says in Isaiah 9:3. Can both be from God? A choice must be made — either for the pure traditional Bible (the KJB) or the modernist words lying to men.
“Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (Isaiah 9:3, King James Bible).
“You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.” (Isaiah 9:3, NIV).
Smith Wigglesworth spoke of “the biblical standard of the Word of God” in his August 1927 sermon God’s Treasure House: “If you have held anything on a human plane, no matter how it has come, if it is not according to the biblical standard of the Word of God, let it be weeded out. If you do not get it weeded out, there is a time coming that wood, hay, and stubble will be burned and the gold, the silver, and the precious stones will stand the fire.” [Author’s emphasis].
With the King James Bible as that standard, then we can measure things against it. This means the modern versions can be measured against it. There are whole sections of so-called Pentecostalism that needs extensive weeding because the biblical standard has been forsaken for another word. It has been Satan’s strategy to take away the Word of God from the people and the churches: “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15).
The authority of the Bible is very important. If a Christian cannot rely totally on what the Bible says, then there are cracks and fissures for the enemies of God to take advantage. A firm foundation relies on an authoritative Bible, which must, of necessity, be a pure Bible. “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it.” (Psalm 119:140). A pure Word of authority relates completely to loving the things of God and loving God Himself — this must not be forgotten.
“We must not measure ourselves by ourselves, if we do we shall always be small. Measure yourself by the Word of God, the great measurement that God brings to you. Don’t be fearful. He wants to make us strong, powerful, stalwart, resolute, resting upon the authority of God. It is on this line that I can only speak, and shall we not equip ourselves like men?” (Smith Wigglesworth 1925 sermon Faith, Author’s emphasis added).
Like Smith Wigglesworth, we can only speak along the lines of an authoritative Word, that great measurement that God brings to us. Praise the Lord that the foundation has been given, laid down and preserved providentially, so that as we take the King James Bible as authoritative, we will be firm in our future state. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24).
In his sermon, The Deliverance of Multitudes — How?, Smith Wigglesworth said: “God has established truth in His Word. Men have tried to bring it to nought. God has His Word in the earth, it is also settled in heaven. If you are on the Word, you are eternally fixed. God has said it, it is established, the Word of God abideth forever. Men pass away, things change, but God’s Word abideth forever.”
Smith Wigglesworth touched on a very important point, namely that the Word of God is fixed, even though other things change. If a person at the time were to ask him where the Word of God was, he would have pointed to his King James Bible. Those who are Traditional Pentecostals should do the same. The final form of the Bible is here and fixed. If we are to be fixed, we must have a firm, fixed Word. We must have an authority we can point to, not something that changes each year according to the whims of man.
To have a fixed heart Christians must have a fixed Bible. “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalm 112:7). Christians trust in the Lord by trusting in His Word. This is clear. “Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear. … So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.” (Psalm 119:38, 42).
“IF there is no foundation in the Scripture of Truth for the teaching on the affirmative side of this question, then whatever men may say, and however honest they may he, the teaching must he condemned: Is there such a foundation? Without answering this question, let us examine The Word. And there we find —
(1) Prophecy of the events which occurred at Pentecost.
(2) Promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(3) The declaration of the fulfilment of the prophecy and promise, and statements of the effects of that fulfilment.”8
The foundation of the doctrines of the Church must be the Bible. If doctrines, such as salvation, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the deity of Christ etc, are not found in the Bible, then they cannot be foundational. Traditional Pentecostalists use the King James Bible as the foundational Scripture of Truth. Thus, searching of the Scriptures for the truth is something that will be evident in such churches. There will be a forsaking of trust in man’s words and way and a holding onto truth as given by the Holy Ghost in line with the Bible.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15).
THE KING JAMES BIBLE ONLY POSITION AND TRUE PENTECOSTALISM
Craig Savige
Pages 12-14
8 The baptism of the Holy Spirit, Redemption Tidings, Vol. 6, No. 1, Jan 1930, Published by the Assemblies of God in Great Britain and Ireland