Cessationist

PROS

+ Great production quality, images, visualizations and music.

+ Some good discernment on the excesses of (extreme) Pentecostalism and Charismatics (Aimee Semple Mc Pherson, Alexander Pagani, Benny Hinn, David Diga Hernandez, Eric Shonebarger, Isaiah Salvidar, Jeremiah Johnson, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert, John G. Lake, Kathryn Kuhlman, Mark Taylor, Michael Brown, Mike Bickel, Mike Signorelli, Morris Cerullo, Paula White, Robin Bullock, Ryan Rufus, Sid Roth, Smith Wigglesworth, Todd Bentley, Todd Smith).

+ Correct exhortation on not speaking gibberish, not having the primary focus on tongues, and not confusing ecstatic experiences -which occur even in Pagan religions- with Christian salvation.

+ Quote Dan Phillips: "In biblical times when you stood up and you spoke in G-d's name and it was not G-d's word, you were stoned to death. Today if somebody does that, either it's inconsequential or doesn't come true, nothing happens. It's just another day ... in the Charismatic community. At least they should be excommunicated." I fully affirm this notion.

CONS

• This documentary is a Calvinist gong-show (see list below). Practically all of the speakers are Calvinists. The same method has been noted in many books and movies by that group, when a cult-like mentality is applied by exclusively selecting / endorsing Calvinist interview partners. A documentary on discernment should be balanced and not just come from like-minded people.

• Min 05:10: Appeal to emotionalism when Elijah raises the widow's son. Here they still pretend to accept miracles.

• Min 06:20: "There were times, 3 of them in Scripture, where G-d gave to man the power to work miracles"

5500-1400BC No miracles 1400BC Moses & Joshua 65 years of miracles 1400-800BC No miracles 800BC Elijah & Elisha 65 years of miracles 800BC-30AD No miracles 30-100AD IESOUS & The Apostles 65-70 years of miracles 100-2024AD No more miracles

The interview partners are essentially claiming that miracles in biblical history only occurred during 195-200 years in total!! This is one the most ridiculous claims ever heard and every serious reader of the Bible will instantly have one's hair stand on end when hearing such a claim.

Not only does the Bible tell us countless miracles of Samuel, Samson and many others in between those 3 times, most importantly the Bible itself refutes their erroneous claim in Jer 32:20: "You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and TO THIS DAY in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day." Jeremiah was written ~585-570 BC, meaning 800+ years after the Exodus and 200+ years after Elijah/Elisha.

• Min 10:30: Here Sam Waldron manipulates the viewer by confusing IESOUS being the cornerstone and foundation of the church, with the spiritual gifts itself. The foundation of a church building has little to do with the gifts used inside, but Waldron suggests that because the foundation was laid in a specific moment, so spiritual gifts ceased instantly after that moment. A truly ridiculous comparison.

• Min 11:20: Here Tom Pennington explains the qualifications of an Apostle, but he either unintentionally or rather intentionally leaves out the Spiritual Gift of Apostleship, which definitely continues to be a gift for believers selected by the HOLY SPIRIT. The mission is to have authority over unclean spirits and healing (Mat 10:1-2), and further to encourage and strengthen other churches, to plant new ministries and churches, go into places where the Evangelium is not preached (missionaries, 'apostello'), raise up and develop leaders, and call out and lead pastors. Their own Conrad Mbewe, whom they sent out to plant Calvinist churches in Africa, is pretty much in such a role (although on the bad side).

• Min 14:20: Steven Lawson and Tom Pennington tell us that there is no mention of signs and miracles once you pass the book of 1Cor. This is a highly ignorant claim, knowing very well that the narrative of the Bible was nearly closed with the 4 Evangelia and the book of Acts. Everything that follows are simply letters and the next narrative is Revelation, which is our future. To now say that because we have no narrative between Acts and Revelation, we have also no use of Spiritual Gifts, is a straw man fallacy.

• Min 18:40: Nathan Busenitz endorses Augustine and uses him to strengthen the argument for Cessationism (while leaving out that Augustine changed his view ...). Augustine was one of the most problematic figures in ~Christian~ history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism .... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution.

Busenitz shows therefore a fundamental lack of discernment, which is sadly very common amongst academics. Solely based on Chrysostom and Augustine, he then suddenly concludes: "The view of the (early) church has been decidedly Cessationist". This is a very poor scholarship.

We have to be aware of the fact that quoting history and / or historians opens the gate for every kind of false teaching, because we can find a historian for nearly every theology we want to propagate. This would not be such a problem if we would only use reliable historians. But this is definitely not the case as perfectly seen by the common use e.g. Of those church fathers 'Augustine' or also very often 'Origen', both very problematic figures of 'Christian' history. At the end of the day we have to go back to the Word and avoid extrabiblical sources - what is possible in the vast majority of Bible studies.

Busenitz then drifts into primitive manipulation, by putting Continuationists into the role of those desperately searching for historical reference points and associating them with a heretical movement which literally no Christian of our day has ever heard of:

"In order to find evidence of miraculous gifts throughout church history, the modern continuationist has to redefine what those gifts are. They generally do so by pointing to french movements and french groups like the Montanus movement, which was declared a heresy by the early church."

• Min 32:30: Sam Waldron goes here as far as to open war within their own rows, by discrediting D. A Carson, John Piper, Sam Storms and Wayne Grudem as having 'reformed inclinations' simply because they describe themselves as 'open but cautious' (so as to say 'Second-class Calvinists' in his eyes; later they sequence a video of Sam Storms with Mike Bickel, and even use the repentance of Sam Storms from Cessationism to discredit him; David Lovi/Les Lanphere have obviously a serious issue with him). Firstly, all of those are problematic teachers (and Calvinists) and this is an inhouse discussion. Secondly, one like John Piper can hardly be anymore Calvinist than he is. This war within their own rows shows that they are divided even on that issue.

• Min 58:30: Here Sam Waldron underlines his evil intentions, by criticizing Sam Storms' correct preaching of 1Cor 14:1, where Paul commands to earnestly desire the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT. Waldron then states that "All commands of the Bible come to us within an assumed context" and terribly twists the Bible when stating that Paul violated IESOUS' command to not take money on the journey (Mat 10:9-10), but had accepted donations on the journey. Even to the most naive viewer it should be obvious that there is a huge difference between taking money along, and receiving it. IESOUS never forbade any apostle to receive money or material gifts, He only said that they ought to start with essentailly nothing.

• Min 62:50: Scott Aniol creates the false notion that speaking in tongues is always referring to known languages. He uses Act 2:8 which correctly refers to known languages and then extrapolates this to be the general rule for all expressions of tongues, while ignoring 1Cor 13:1 !!!

Speaking in tongues includes both 'foreign languages' and an 'ecstatic / heavenly language' (see 1Cor 13:1 with the clear differentiation btw. A) tongues of men and B) tongues of angels who obviously do not primarily speak earthly languages; and 1Cor 14:2 with the remark 'no one understands' the 'mysteries in the Spirit'). Speaking in tongues serves as A) Communication with, and impression of unbelievers (Act 2:1-15, 1Cor 14:16, 22), B) Edification of the church (1Cor 14:5-6, 12, 24) and C) Edification of yourself (1Cor 14:4, 27-28). Tongues spoken in public must be interpreted (1Cor 12:10, 1Cor 14:2, 11, 13, 27-28), but we see this almost never being practiced in today's churches.

Nathan Busenitz then supports their perceived abolition of ecstatic languages by stating that it occurred for the first time in history ever when noted through the Charismatic Movement, which is an unsubstantiated claim.

Min 95:55 confirms their de-facto abolishment of Spiritual Gifts: "Well, if we don't have the Spiritual Gifts, what do we have? We have the self-authenticating Word of G-d. When we have the HOLY SPIRIT promised to bless that Word, there is no reason for disappointment ... that is all we need."

LIST OF INTERVIEW PARTNERS

Andreas Wiget (not Wigit ...; Calvinist) Brian Borgman (Calvinist, Grace Community Church) Chad Vegas (Calvinist; Sovereign Grace Church Conrad Mbewe (Calvinist; Kabwata Baptist Church) Gabriel Hughes (Calvinist; Master's Seminary) Geoff Thomas (Calvinist; Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) Jim Osman (Calvinist) Joel Beeke (Calvinist; Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) John Piper (Calvinist) ... John Reuther, Jonathan Master, Josh Buice, Justin Peters, Mike Riccardi, Nathan Busenitz, Phil Johnsons, Robert McCurley, Ryan M. McGraw, Sam Waldron, Scott Aniol, Steven J. Lawson, Tom Pennington, Virgil Walker, William VanDoodewaard...

Probably one of the saddest documentaries I've seen... Just one camp in the church trying to prove a point while trying to sever itself from the other parts of the body that they believe are wrong.

It's pretty interesting how they pick all the scriptures that back of their theology when there's many more that would actually contradict the theology they came up with. But they don't talk about those.

One being the gifts of the spirit. The gifts weren't for the apostles to approve their message, though that did happen. The gifts are for the church for the benefit of all 1 Corinthians 12:7. And the Holy Spirit is the one who gives those gifts and last I checked the Holy Spirit didn't die.

I do agree that the church has a lot to get in order, I just don't think the message this documentary displayed was the right answer.,.

I pray we can overlook our differences with issues that aren't salvific. And that every side would humble itself and realize it needs the other and that it would stop trying to cut each other off and tear each other down.

I spent many years in the new apostolic Reformation and the Uber charismatic circles and this was very well done. There are certain people who want to protect these heretics displayed in the movie. I'm not sure why but this movie was very accurate and well done. I know that there are certain individuals that marked it negatively and didn't see it only because they are trying to spread misinformation. It's unfortunate but I recommend watching it. If you are someone who loves God and loves his word then you will definitely love this movie. I would suggest praying before you watch it. Read every scripture in context that is a brought up and pray after you will see for yourself that this is a great movie.

This documentary film takes the Bible and explains the context for the verses that continuationists use to claim that spiritual gifts and prophecies are still occurring to this day. The cessationist viewpoint is the only way to rightly understand that A) there are no living Apostles, B) the spiritual gifts and prophecies ceased after 1 Corinthians, and C) anyone who is claiming that A & B are not true have AWFUL Hermeneutics and are making a mockery of God by claiming that the Holy Spirit is working through them.

And tongues, by the way, means discernible language. It's an actual dialect, not gibberish that someone claims is a real language. They're fooling themselves and weak-minded individuals who aren't looking for God, but rather to have their infirmities taken away from them. That's not what God and the Bible is about. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an apostate. Period. Full stop.

If you're a born again believer and you're unsure how to back up your belief that the gifts of healing, prophecy, and tongues has ended, this movie is a wonderful resource! Wonderfully filmed and I love that they take you to the scripture. The history behind the charismatic movement is so revealing and it exposes the deceitfulness and danger of believing that God gives man the power to heal in this currant age. The mental gymnastics (misusing scripture) they have to do to make people believe that the gift of speaking in tongues is still around is crazy. So many people grow up in the charismatic word of faith movement that they don't even know anything different. I hope this documentary reaches the right people and will give those who believe in the truth to give a defense.

The word of God is sufficient for everything. No new revelation is needed.