F A L S E T E A C H E R S A M O N G Y O U • R e j o i c e ! R e j o i c e ! T h e K i n g i s c o m i n g !J O Y C E M E Y E RU N M A S K E DA hell boundJesusJoyce Meyer’sWord-Faith Jesus26But I am afraid thatjust as Eve was deceivedby the serpent’s cunning,your minds may somehowbe led astray from yoursincere and pure devotionto Christ. For if someonecomes to you and preachesa Jesus other than the Jesuswe preached, or you receivea different spirit from theone you received, or adifferent gospel from theone you accepted, you putup with it easily enough.2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIVThis article was sent by email in draft form to theAustralian and the international offices of JoyceMeyers Ministries with an invitation for comment.There was no response —Ed.About the AuthorPAULA LINDSAY-DUTCH lives inPalmerston North New Zealandand fellowships at a Baptistchurch established by missionaries.She was saved out of theoccult and a life of sin, six years ago. Herdaughter Sophia was saved shortly after.They both live by faith and rely on the Lordto keep them safe from deception. Paulawrites, “Where the Lord leads we follow.”Jby PAULA LINDSAY-DUTCHOYCE MEYER of Life in The WordMinistries 1 is a popular Word-Faithpreacher. Her website claims:Joyce Meyer began teaching theWord of God in 1976 and enteredfull-time ministry in 1980. She started by developing,co-ordinating and teaching a weeklymeeting as an associate pastor in a church inSt Louis, Missouri. After five years she establishedher own ministry called Life in the Word.In 2003 the ministry’s name was changed toJoyce Meyer Ministries and the television, radioand magazine titles were changed to EnjoyingEveryday Life. 2According to her website 3 , Joyce has authoredover 70 books and conducts close to 15 conferencesper year. In 2005 nearly 3.5 million copies of herbooks were sold, and well over 1 million of her bookswere donated around the world. Her televisionprogram is broadcast to two-thirds of the globe andher radio program is broadcast widely. 4Joyce also states she holds an HonoraryDoctorate of Divinity 5 from Oral Robert’s Universityin Tulsa, Oklahoma and a PhD in Theology 6 from Life<strong>Christian</strong> University in Tampa, Florida. In February2005 she was selected by Time Magazine as one ofthe top 25 evangelical leaders in America. 7As we can see Joyce Meyer has many devotedfollowers and performs many good works, howeverJoyce teaches another gospel. Like all Word-Faithexponents, Joyce Meyer preaches another Jesus,a false Word-Faith Jesus. A Jesus who was born1 According to the business nameoriginally established was “Life In The Word, Inc”.2 http://www.joycemeyer.<strong>org</strong>/faq.html?page=faq&page_ref=Nav§ion_id=NA3 ibid4 C/f http://www.joycemeyer.<strong>org</strong>/bio.html?page=about&subpage=bio&page_ref=TopNav§ion_id=NA5 . See also (page 7) which makesreference to Joyce Meyer’s association ORU TV network.6 , cited 23 Aug 2006.This main page of the universities website includesthe advertising slogan, “Join These Distinguished LCUDegree Holders”. Persons listed, apart from Joyce Meyer,include Benny Hinn (Ph.D. in Theology), Rodney Howard-Browne (Ph.D. in Theology), Kenneth Copeland (Ph.D. inTheology), Gloria Copeland (Ph.D. in Theology), Billy Brim(Ph.D. in Theology), et al.again in hell and Meyer’s followers put up with iteasily enough — cf 2 Corinthians 11:4 (NIV):For if someone comes to you and preaches aJesus other than the Jesus we preached, or ifyou receive a different spirit from the one youreceived, or a different gospel from the one youaccepted, you put up with it easily enough.a counterfeit christI am astonished that you are so quickly desertingthe one who called you by the grace of Christand are turning to a different gospel-which isreally no gospel at all. Evidently some peopleare throwing you into confusion and are tryingto pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if weor an angel from heaven should preach a gospelother than the one we preached to you, let himbe eternally condemned! As we have alreadysaid, so now I say again: If anybody is preachingto you a gospel other than what you accepted,let him be eternally condemned!Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV)In the 1991 first edition of her evangelistic book,The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make,(geared to an unsaved audience) Joyce states thefollowing blasphemies about Jesus:During that time He (Jesus) entered hell,where you and I deserved to go (legally) becauseof our sin. He paid the price there ... no planwas too extreme ... Jesus paid on the crossand in hell. 8There is no hope of anyone going to heavenunless they believe this truth I am presenting.You cannot go to heaven unless you believewith all your heart that Jesus took your placein hell. 97 Other “leaders” selected by Time Magazine includedBill Hybels (teacher of church-growth methodologies,psychological counselling, and self-esteem gospels),TD Jakes (who does not believe in the Trinity), BrianMcLaren (the Emergent Church) and Rick Warren (ThePurpose Driven Church/Life). , cited 23 Aug 2006.8 Joyce Meyer, The Most Important Decision You Will EverMake, Fenton, Mo. Life In The Word, Inc./Joyce MeyerMinistries, August 1991 edition, 35.9 Ibid, 36. (Page 42 of the current edition).
P r e a c h e d a n o t h e r J e s u s , a n o t h e r g o s p e l • T H E T I M E W I L L N O T B E L O N GGod rose up from His throne and said to demonpowers tormenting the sinless Son of God,“Let Him go.” Then the resurrection power ofAlmighty God went through hell and filled Jesus... He was resurrected from the dead — the firstborn-again man” 10Another quote from the publication,His spirit went to hell because that is wherewe deserved to go. Remember in the very beginningof this, I said, “When you die, only yourbody dies. The rest of you, your soul and spirit,goes either to heaven or hell. (1991 first editionof her evangelistic book, The Most ImportantDecision You Will Ever Make)In Meyer’s 1996 edition of The Most ImportantDecision You Will Ever Make the wording differs butthe same false teaching is still held to and remainson her tape, From the Cross to the Throne, despiteher claims that she has never taught the born-againJesus heresy. I have also personally <strong>witness</strong>edher Jesus-born-again-in-hell teaching on an earlymorning Life in The Word TV program.It is interesting to note that much of Meyer’steachings on the “born again in hell Jesus” isidentical to the teachings of the heretic KennethCopeland, who produced a similar tape called,What Happened from the Cross to the Throne, in1984. Meyer copied Copeland, Copeland copiedKenneth Hagin 11 (his “spiritual father”, as hecalled him), and Hagin copied E.W. Kenyon—whoproduced a heretical book of the same name asCopeland’s tape.Meyer preaches another Jesus and thereforeanother Gospel. Meyer’s Jesus went to hell forthree days to pay for our sins taking our place inhell. Meyer’s Jesus became a sinner needing to beredeemed from hell (as only unrepentant sinnersgo to hell). Meyer’s Jesus was tormented therefor three days by Satan and his demons and thenwas spiritually reborn, resurrected from hell by thepower of God.This teaching cannot be found anywhere in heBible. Joyce Meyer and her fellow heretics tacitlyexplain this away by saying this teaching has to berevealed by the Holy Spirit (revelation knowledge)and that is why it cannot be found in the Bible.For in him the whole fullness of God lives inbodily form. And you have been brought to fullnessin him, who is the head of every ruler andauthority (Colossians 2:9–10 NIV).Jesus is both fully God and fully man. Being God, Heis without sin and has complete control over everypower and authority.He committed no sin, and no deceit was foundin his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).For we do not have a high priest who is unable tosympathize with our weaknesses, but we haveone who has been tempted in everyway, just aswe are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).As our sacrifice for sin Jesus was sinless —withoutblemish.10 Ibid, 36.11 Consider, “The Resurrection! What it Gives Us”, TheWord of Faith, April 1977, p.5. For you know that it was not with perishablethings such as silver or gold that you wereredeemed from the empty way of life handeddown to you from your forefathers, but with theprecious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemishor defect. He was chosen before the creation ofthe world, but was revealed in these last timesfor your sake. Through him you believe in God,who raised him from the dead and glorifiedhim and so your faith and hope are in God (1Peter 1:18-21).For Jesus to have been tormented in hell for threedays, taking our place and then having to be rebornby the power of God makes Jesus a mere man anda sinner. We can see from the above scriptures thatJesus was not a mere man, nor a sinner, nor did hetake on a sinful nature in hell.That is exactly whatJesus would have had to have done had He beentormented in hell to purchase our redemption thereas Joyce Meyer falsely claims.Jesus did not have to be reborn as He is Godand without sin. Only man needs to be reborn bythe Spirit of God.In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth,unless a man is born again, he cannot see thekingdom of God. …. Jesus answered, “I tellyou the truth, unless a man is born of waterand the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom ofGod (John 3:3-5).The Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus in JohnChapter 3 explains this. For Meyer’s Jesus to be bornagain in hell, he would have had to have given uphis deity, only to have to take it up again when Godresurrected him from hell. What blasphemy. Jesusis both fully man and fully God. Jesus declaredHimself to be God:I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “BeforeAbraham was born, I am!” At this, they pickedup stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself,slipping away from the temple grounds (John8:58-59).The Jews tried to stone Jesus because He wasdeclaring His deity. “I am” is how God introducedHimself to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15. The Jewsof Jesus’ day fully understood the implications ofJesus’ comments. They rightly considered suchstatements as blasphemous if they came fromsomeone who was a mere man—the categoryunder which many of the Jews placed Jesus. JohnChapter 1 declares Jesus’ humanity:The Word became flesh and lived for a whileamong us. We have seen his glory, the glory ofthe one and only Son, who came from the Father,full of grace and truth (John 1:14).Jesus could not have given up His deity in hell. If Hedid he wouldn’t be God and if He wasn’t God thenHe would have been a sinner. That is not the Jesusof the Bible; however, it is Joyce Meyer’s Jesus, thefalse Jesus of “word-faith”, a satanic counterfeitwho will not, and cannot, save anyone.To teach that Jesus became not just sin, but asinner, was tormented in hell, and had to be bornagain is the same as saying “Jesus be cursed.”Those that teach such have a different spirit, aspirit other than the Holy Spirit.Therefore I tell you that no-one who is speakingby the Spirit of God can say “Jesus be Cursed”and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except bythe Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).The word-faith teachers misapply and take out ofcontext 2 Corinthians 5:21:God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,so that in him we might become the righteousnessof God.In the correct biblical context this means to be “asin offering”. The Old Testament sacrificial systemfor sin, explains this, pointing towards the final andperfect sacrifice for the sins of man, Jesus Christour sacrificial lamb. 12We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of ushas turned to his own way; and the Lord has laidon Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).The Lord laid our sins on Him. Jesus bore the penaltyfor our sin on the cross. Jesus did not become sinas the word-faith ministers teach. Their Jesus hadto give up his deity and subject himself to tormentby Satan and his demons. Jesus Christ, as revealedin Scripture, did not. Word-faith’s Jesus had to paythe penalty of our sins in hell, Scripture’s Jesus paidthe penalty of our sins on the Cross.Atonement for sin was made on the cross, notin hell afterwards.Jesus said, “It is finished”. With that, he bowedhis head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30b).“It is finished”. 13 14 Jesus did not say, “It is not yetfinished because I have got to go and be tormentedin hell for three days then be reborn there takingback my deity and making the atonement for sinin hell”.12 Editorial Note: While it may be argued that Paul had thisas ONE idea in mind when he wrote it needs to be saidthat the Greek of this verse does not lend itself for “sin”to be directly translated as “sin offering”. The contextmust be associative. Christ became sin, in the likeness ofsinful man, but yet was righteous, so that sinful man maybe made in the likeness of the Righteous God, throughHim. CWM plans a full article on this later.13 “Finished”. Greek tetelestai: verb indicative perfectpassive third person singular of teleõ. “(1) as completingsomething bring to an end, conclude, complete (Mt 7.28);(2) as obeying a rule or ritual carry out, fulfill, perform (Lu2.39); (3) of obligatory taxes, tolls, dues pay (Mt 17.24);(4) passive, of duration of time be over, end, be finished(Rv 20.3)” [Friberg, Friberg, Miller, Analytical Lexiconof the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: BakerBooks, 2000), 377, 378]. Further, the “perfect” tense, inthe Greek, means, “a past completed action that has apresent effect. … The essence of the Perfect is the ideaof completion. This is an aspect – it conveys the natureof the action … the action is now completed. … thefact that the action is completed says something aboutthe past (it was done in the past) but also somethingabout the present (it is completed).” [Jeremy Duff,The Elements of New Testament Greek (Cambridge,Cambridge University Press, 3rd Edition, 2005),178, 179].14 Note also that tetelestai is used two verses earlier inJohn 19:28, which says, “Later, knowing that all was nowcompleted, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled,Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’” Notice that Scripture says thatJesus knew “that all was now completed”! Verse 30’s,“It is finished,” is the pronouncement, by Jesus, that allthat God required had been accomplished. Further, thewebpage notes,“Bible Knowledge Commentary: Telestai is the wordin Greek translated here ‘it is finished’. Papyri receiptsfor taxes have been recovered with the Greek wordtetelestai written across them, meaning ‘paid in full’.27
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