In a LifeToday with James Robison, a televised Christian program, Mrs Moore said, and this still is from the video of where she is actually saying it with hand pounding emphasis:
"We could live our whole believing lives through, and never make it to our promised land. We get to heaven and go 'You were not faithful to me! You didn't do what you said you were gonna do!' 'Child, I was holding every single bit of that for you. But I will insist that you cooperate with me.' What it says over and over in this particular chapter, the number one hindrance to our calling becoming a reality, is unbelief. This is the heart of our study. Listen carefully. What God began to say to me about five years ago, and I’m telling you it sent me on such a trek with Him, that my head is still whirling over it. He began to say to me, ”I’m gonna tell you something right now, Beth; and boy, you write this one down. And you say it as often as I give you utterance to say it: ‘My Bride is paralyzed by unbelief. My Bride is paralyzed by unbelief’ ... Starting with you.' " ... Amen."Let's examine each part of what she said through a biblical lens.
1. Her 'oh, no', scare tactic, try-harder faith is on display here. This is Legalism, also exemplified here. Example; "We could live our whole believing lives through, and never make it to our promised land." Really? We can lose our salvation and not make it to heaven? That's not what the bible says. (John 3:16, Romans 8:38-39, John 10:28-29). Perhaps she was talking about unbelievers, one may protest. No, she said "believing lives." Another may protest that perhaps she meant believers may not make it to our promised land here on earth. But this is not what the bible teaches, either. The bible says we are not promised ease on earth. (John 16:33; Acts 14:22). As a matter of fact this earth isn't even our home. We should not consider earth our promised land whatsoever.
2. She degrades the holy relationship with an almighty God and promotes an earth-centric focus. Example: "We get to heaven and we might say something like this to GOD: "You were not faithful to me! You didn't do what you said you were gonna do!" Really? When we get to heaven we are going to still be greedy for the things on earth? No. (Matthew 6:20-21).When we get to heaven we are going to argue with God? Not hardly. We will be so overcome by His glory we will fall down. (Revelation 4:10, Isaiah 6:5). Even John and Daniel when confronted with an angel from heaven, they fell down. (Revelation 1:17, Daniel 10:8). But Mrs Moore teaches that when we get to heaven we're going to cry for the things of earth and make a charge against God for their lack. This is ludicrous. In my opinion, it is blasphemous.
In actuality, Zephaniah tells the people, "Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests." (Zephaniah 1:7). And the LORD tells Zephaniah to say it again, "Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."' (Zephaniah 2:13).
3. She says she is a prophet. No, she doesn't come right out and say "I am a prophet". But she uses personal revelation and biblical language about the context of her supposed revelations to teach people that she is hearing from God and has a message from Him to proclaim. Example: "boy, you write this one down. And you say it as often as I give you utterance to say it:"
Read how God interacted with the Prophets:
"Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 1:3)
"Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this." (Revelation 1:19)
"Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it." (Habakkuk 2:2)
"Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD:" (Ezekiel 14:4)
"Boy, you write this one down. And you say it as often as I give you utterance to say it:" (Moore 1:1)
Just kidding on that last one.
Either Beth Moore is a prophet like John and the rest, or she should heed what Ezekiel, a true prophet, has proclaimed from the LORD,
"Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken." (Ezekiel 22:28).
4. She confuses people with internally contradictory statements. Example: "My Bride is paralyzed by unbelief." First, who is the bride? Let's get clear on that. GotQuestions says, "The imagery and symbolism of marriage is applied to Christ and the body of believers known as the church. These are those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior and have received eternal life. In the New Testament, Christ, the Bridegroom, has sacrificially and lovingly chosen the church to be His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27)."
So the Bride is the Church. The Church is the body of believers.
So what Moore is saying is that the global church is in a state of paralyzing unbelief. She says God told her that the church doesn't believe. This is impossible. If you believe, you're a member of Christ's church. If you do not believe, you aren't. She speaks a self-refuting idea.
Also, about being "paralyzed". If we take her statement to be true, then what she is saying is that the global body of believers on earth, the Bride, is not operating in the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit dwells in every believer, (and He does) and every believer is frozen and paralyzed, (what she says) then this means the Spirit is not operating, or can't. She is saying God said the Spirit is paralyzed, frozen, and inoperable. Can this be so? No. (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).
The truth is, the Spirit indwells every believer, (Romans 8:4, Ephesians 1:13b-14), and we already know that the body of Spirit-filled believers are the Bride, so what Moore is saying is that the church failed. This, also, is blasphemy. I'm serious. Only satan would say that the Holy Spirit is frozen and unable to work. It is the Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
"A way to perceive this would be to see it as a contrast to what we see in Matthew chapter 12, for example. The leaders of Israel committed the unpardonable sin and what was that unpardonable sin? It was attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit. You remember that? It was attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 12:31-32. What’s going on today is the opposite, attributing to the Holy Spirit the work of Satan. That’s what’s going on. Attributing to the Holy Spirit the work of Satan. Satan is alive and at work in deception, false miracles, bad theology, lying visions, lying dreams, lying revelations, deceptive teachers who are in it for the money and power and influence. Satan is alive and well and the work of Satan is being attributed to the Holy Spirit, that is a serious blasphemy just as attributing to Satan the work of the Holy Spirit is a serious blasphemy."
5. Extra-biblical revelation is not to be trusted. I've focused on Moore's claims of personal revelation before, here and here.
What does the bible say about forthcoming revelation of God? (Hint: It ain't happening).
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"But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 10:7)
Did you catch that? Just as he announced (past tense). God announced to His prophets what He was going to do. (Amos 3:7). That announcement is contained in the bible. He has been working and will continue to do work. God's work is not finished yet on earth as Revelation shows us, but the announcement of it was. Yet Beth Moore is making more proclamations from God. Either God is lying, or Moore is. (Hint: Jesus IS the Truth, and the truth is in Him; John 14:6, Ephesians 4:21). Friends, the canon is closed and the announcement of what God plans to do was already proclaimed.
Gill's Exposition on Revelation 10:7 says: "As He said to Isaiah 60:3, &c. and Isaiah 66:8; and to Daniel, in Daniel 2:44 Daniel 7:25; and to Zechariah, in Zechariah 14:9, and others;" Beth Moore's name is not on that list.
For those who want to cling to Beth Moore as a teacher and defend her, saying perhaps that she didn't mean what she said: I'm sorry. The bible says that teachers are held to a higher standard. (James 3:1). In order to even BE a teacher one must be mature, self-controlled, vigilant and possess a host of other qualifications that qualify a deacon/teacher/overseer. This is so they will teach rightly and they can spot a false doctrine in the first place- one aspect of protecting and feeding the flock. (Acts 20:28, John 21:17). Teachers are supposed to teach rightly. (2 Timothy 2:15).
The word is all-sufficient. (2 Timothy 3:15-17). That's why we rely on it!
We don't judge a teacher as false by one thing they said, once. We give the benefit of the doubt, and watch carefully for a long time, comparing their words and teachings to scripture. One misstep does not make a false teacher, perhaps, but a long pattern of variance with the bible, does.
Mrs Moore has passed the time of benefit of doubt and has proven over long years that her words, doctrines and actions are not to be trusted. I am not the only person who has compared what she says and does to the sterling Word and found that she is not to be recommended. The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry has found the same, and so has Rev. Mike Abendroth of Bethlehem Bible Church, and Rev. Jim Murphy of First Baptist Church at Johnson City, NY, and Shai Linne, and Pastor Tim Challies, and so on.
In this post, I've striven to not only open your eyes to the poor theology and confusing doctrines of Beth Moore, but I've also striven to show you how to parse these things for yourself. To stop and really think about what a teacher is saying, phrase by phrase, and to compare it carefully to the bible. The Bereans sought the scriptures to see if these things were so, and that bespeaks of having a constant stance of asking 'are these things so?' If they believed Paul on his face they would not have sought the scriptures, would they? Constantly testing all things, all spirits, is what we are called to do. (1 John 4:1). And don't stop there. If you have found things that are NOT so, don't keep it to yourself. The church at Thyatira tried to do that, (Revelation 2:10) and were charged by Jesus for it. Speak up. Be brave.
Do not rely on external feelings or teachers who claim to have had an experience. This today from No Compromise Radio, quoting BB Warfield:
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"In the history of Christian thought mysticism appears accordingly as that tendency among professing Christians which looks within, that is, to the religious feelings, in its search for God. It supposes itself to contemplate within the soul the movements of the divine Spirit, and finds in them either the sole sources of trustworthy knowledge of God, or the most immediate and convincing sources of that knowledge, or, at least, a coordinate source of it alongside of the written Word . . . There is nothing more important in the age in which we live than to bear constantly in mind that all the Christianity of Christianity rests precisely on “external authority.” (Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, The Biblical Review, ii. (New York: The Biblical Seminary, 1917), 169-191.)
And what is that external authority? The One True God as revealed in the Holy Bible. Sola Scriptura!
