Main Title: Part 3: Joseph Prince into the Occult & Witchcraft; he accuses Jesus, Paul, every Church Father & every True Church to be lukewarm with no saving Faith
Sub Title: Part 3: Joseph Prince into the Occult & Witchcraft – he turns Rev 3:15-16 into a joke and makes Jesus a liar
– By Rev George Ong (Dated 15 March 2024)
@joyceliew4352:
“Those who have been long enough
in New Creation Church
would remember Joseph Prince said
that he would go away for a few days by himself
to spend time with the Lord.
I used to think how much he loved God
as he would go away and wait upon the Lord.
Now, with all his false teachings,
I wonder who was Joseph Prince waiting on
throughout his time alone with his so-called his god or jesus?”
George Ong’s comments:
It has got to be the devil
that Joseph Prince is waiting on and communicating with.
Joseph Prince claimed what he had heard in 1997
is the voice of the Lord,
telling him he is not supposed to preach
law together with grace.
It cannot be God’s voice
but the devil’s voice,
as God will never tell you to teach against His word
(but the devil would),
the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul,
who both taught that we must obey the law
– and all these are covered in this Article (Part 3).
Announcements:
Note there are 3 videos on George Ong
& 1 video on Joseph Prince.
Excerpt No 1 from the Article:
Joseph Prince interpreted
that hot or cold and lukewarm in Revelation 3:15-16,
has to do with law and grace.
This is a joke!
I am absolutely certain that no true evangelical scholar
and commentator or Bible teacher
in the whole of Christendom
throughout the last 2,000 years of Church history
has ever interpreted it that way.
Excerpt No 2 from the Article:
George Ong said:
“Though we are not initially saved by works,
we will finally be judged by them.”
George Ong said:
“Deeds will determine
not just what we will get
but where we will go.”
(Eccl 12:13-14; 2 Cor 5:10; Matt 7:21; Matt 16:27; Jn 5:28-29; Rom 2:5-10; 1 Cor 4:5; Tit 1:6; Rev 2:23; Rev 2:26; 14:13; 22:12)
Excerpt No 3 from the Article:
My Parting Shot to Joseph Prince:
“Hey Joe,
Don’t play play.
How can you accuse every Church Father,
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley,
and Jesus and Paul some more,
for being lukewarm,
and that they are not saved, some more.
How can God speak to you in 1997
that He asked you to preach against the law
that both Jesus and Paul
and every Church Father
are for it?
Make sense or not?
It is the devil who talked to you in 1997
as Satan wants you to preach against God’s word
His Son, Jesus, and his servant, Paul,
and every of His children in the Church Fathers.
Hey Joe, if you still don’t want to turn back
because of your pride to admit you are wrong,
there’s no more hope for you.”
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
This is the third part of a series of articles
to show that Joseph Prince, as a heretic,
is also into the occult and witchcraft.
In a Sunday sermon, Joseph Prince said;
“I remember when I was a teenager
and I was involved in the occult.
You know, New Age stuff and all that,
not knowing that many of them
they used Bible verses,
you know, that’s how they get you.
So, I thought that these things are okay.
After all it’s based on the Bible and all that
and I got sucked in.
I remember attending a Bible study in a church.
And I remember that the minister was actually sharing from
“Remember your first love how you fell.
Remember from where you fell.
Your first love.” (Rev 2:4)
And then all of a sudden, the lord spoke to me.
I felt like on the inside
that what I have been reading
and all that isn’t right.
Don’t mess around with Ouija Board.
That is one of the things I was involved in
and when you try to get out,
it’s like gangsters you know.
Easy to go on in
but once you get out,
they will fight you.
And those powers of darkness
will fight me day and night
and I had all kinds of terrible nightmares and all that.”
In Part 1 (Previous Article),
I unveiled the fact that Joseph Prince,
under the influence of the occult,
claimed that he heard the Lord speaking to him
about Revelation 2:4.
But it was the devil who spoke to him
regarding Revelation 2:4,
which he later used to preach against Jesus
by twisting His words
from
“You have left your first love,”
to
“You have forgotten that God loves you.”
Who would want to preach against Jesus
and twist His words,
except for the devil and his vessel, Joseph Prince?
But this was not the only time
that Joseph Prince was used by the devil
to preach against Jesus.
In Part 2 (Previous Article),
I unfolded the fact that
Joseph Prince preached against Jesus for the second time
and for many times in this same episode.
regarding Revelation chapters 2-3.
In ‘Grace Revolution’, Joseph Prince wrote,
“So what is the Lord saying?
First you need to understand that
these two verses (Rev 2:5, Rev 2:14)
were written to pastors,
so they are applicable only to pastors.
If you are not pastoring a flock,
these verses are not for you.”
Joseph Prince concocted the lie that Revelation chapters 2-3
were not written to members but only to Pastors.
But what is worse is that he put the lie into Jesus’ mouth
when he said:
“So what is the Lord saying…”
Who would do that
except for Satan and his vessel, Joseph Prince?
In Part 3, this article,
Joseph Prince again preached against Jesus for the third time.
He made Jesus a liar by again putting words into His mouth,
that Jesus was saying the following (highlighted in red below):
“The two verses (Rev 3:15-16) would only make sense
when they are interpreted in the light
of the mixture of the covenants of law and grace
in the Church of Laodicea.
The Lord was saying that He would the church
be cold – entirely under law,
or hot – entirely under grace.”
Joseph Prince claimed
that Jesus said that He was teaching the church
about law and grace in Revelation 3:15-16,
when there is absolutely no evidence
for such an interpretation.
Who would do that except for the devil
and Joseph Prince whom he empowers with the occultic?
Undoubtedly, Satan had empowered Joseph Prince
with occultic powers
to blind his supporters to continue to support him,
even though the one Prince is attacking is Christ Jesus.
For those who have missed the following 3 articles,
you are strongly advised to read them:
Joseph Prince involved in the Occult & Witchcraft Part 1
Please click on the 3 links below:
Think with me,
how can someone like Joseph Prince
who claims to be preaching Christ,
be preaching against His teachings,
and making Christ a liar by putting words into His mouth?
Who would preach against Christ consistently?
Only the devil and those such as Joseph Prince,
who are under his control would.
Though Joseph Prince has consistently preached against Christ,
ask yourself
why is he still able to continue to gather and maintain support
from the millions around the world?
Friends, it takes nothing less than occultic powers
that the devil has granted to Joseph Prince
to pull this off.
Now, for the details of Part 3, this Article.
In ‘Destined To Reign’,
Joseph Prince wrote:
“I can’t understand why many believers
are still trying to balance law and grace.
If you are for the law, be for the law completely.
If you are for grace, then be for grace completely.
It is impossible to balance the two of them!
That is why Jesus also said:
Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
15 “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
For years, I have heard preachers preaching
that in Revelation 3:15-16,
Jesus was referring to people
who are not “red-hot for Jesus”.
Have you heard that expression before?
And what does being “red-hot for Jesus” mean?
Traditionally, we have been taught that it means
that you are reading 10 chapters of the Bible a day,
witnessing to your colleagues
and attending every prayer meeting you can find!
To be cold means just the opposite
– you stop doing these things entirely.
The verse has always been preached as though
it were about our actions and behavior.
But Jesus said that He would rather we be cold or hot,
and not lukewarm.
This wouldn’t make sense
if He was referring to actions and behavior,
because wouldn’t being lukewarm for Jesus
still be better than being completely cold?
So why would He want the church of Laodicea to be cold
(if they weren’t hot)?
Come on!
I always tell my church this:
When you come on Sunday,
don’t forget to bring your brains along!
Don’t just take in everything you hear.
You have to test the message
and make sure that it is consistent
with the gospel of Jesus.
The gospel simply means “good news”.
So if what you are hearing is not good news,
but instead deposits fear, doubt, judgment
and condemnation in your heart,
throw it out, my friend,
because it’s not the gospel of Jesus.
Be Hot Or Cold, Not Lukewarm
Now, would you like to know
what Revelation 3:15-16 really means?
The two verses would only make sense
when they are interpreted in the light
of the mixture of the covenants of law and grace
in the church of Laodicea.
The Lord was saying that He would the church
be cold – entirely under law,
or hot – entirely under grace.
You see, if you were at least completely under law,
it would lead you to despair
and into the saving arms of Jesus.
The law would unveil to you your sinfulness and inability
to keep the full measure of it,
and this would cause you to see your need for His grace.
But when you have mixture,
where you believe in grace,
but still hold on to the law,
you neutralize the convicting power of the law
to bring you to the end of yourself
so that you will cry out for the grace of the Savior.
That is why you cannot be cold and hot at the same time,
or be for both law and grace at the same time.
The moment you attempt to balance grace with the law,
you neutralize both and each covenant
is robbed of its full effect in your life.
You become lukewarm because of the mixture,
and God hates mixture
because it robs you of the power to reign in life
through the abundance of His grace!
You cannot put new wine into old wineskins.
You will lose both!”
In a teaching session, George Ong said;
Please click here
“This is another joke. This is another joke.
How he (Joseph Prince) twisted this verse.
Joseph Prince is making the Lord Jesus a liar
– alleging that Jesus was teaching
the issue of law versus grace in Revelation 3:15-16
when there isn’t an iota of evidence in the passage.
It was never the focus of Jesus or even hinted at in the passage.
This one is another twisting.
I don’t think probably you have not heard about it.
This verse:
Revelation 3:15-16 ESV
15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Do you know how he (Joseph Prince) interpret this cold?
I think you probably have not come across this.
Cold to him (Joseph Prince),
he interpret as you are all for the law.
You are against grace.
That’s being cold.
Have you heard? Have you heard or not? No.
Hot, what is hot?
Means you are for grace; you are against law.
What is lukewarm?
Lukewarm are people like us.
We are both for law and grace.
We are lukewarm.
That’s why I said when you hear such things,
just ridiculous!
Put everything inside.
Because it’s law and grace, he reads into it.
He reads law and grace into it.
Just impossible.
How is that people still do not know he’s a false teacher?
Impossible!
I can even dare to “bet” with any people.
I think no true evangelical scholar or Bible commentator
will ever come to this kind of interpretation
because there’s nothing about law and grace
in that passage, nor in (Revelation) chapters 2 to 3.
You see that. You give up, right?
You sigh and you shake your heads,
how come people can take it?
You ask (Rev) David Liew,
where got evangelical scholars interpret like this?
He just throw in.
Where got cold referring to law and grace,
law, grace, grace, law.
There is nowhere; he just read his ideas.
Please understand evangelical scholars will laugh.
Any Bible (scholar) will never interpret like that.
He just throw it in, to prove his theology.
As I said in 2,000 (years) of church history,
I don’t find any evangelical scholar
ever interpret in this way.
Let me surface what ought to be the interpretation of the text.
A bit of history and geography will help in understanding the text.
Besides Laodicea, there were two other nearby cities:
Colossae and Hierapolis.
Colossae was located at the foot of Mount Honaz
where its cold mountain water poured down
to supply the city of Laodicea with fresh water.
Hierapolis was situated on hot springs
that emitted mineral-rich waters,
attracting visitors to its therapeutic baths.
So, Hierapolis had hot water,
which had therapeutic value.
Jesus says it’s good.
And Colossae had cold water which refreshes
as a cold drink,
which Jesus says it’s okay.
But by the time the waters from Colossae
comes down to Laodicea,
it becomes lukewarm.
And because it’s lukewarm,
when you tried to take the lukewarm waters,
you could vomit it out.
So, Jesus is using this example
to say the church of Laodicea have become so lukewarm
that He cannot take it,
He had to vomit them out of His mouth.
So, this is the right interpretation.
Joseph Prince wrote:
“The verse has always been preached
as though it were about our actions and behavior.
But Jesus said that He would rather
we be cold or hot, and not lukewarm.
This wouldn’t make sense
if He was referring to actions and behavior,
because wouldn’t being lukewarm for Jesus
still be better than being completely cold?
So, he (Joseph Prince) was saying
that the verse has nothing to do
with actions, behaviour, or works.
Nothing to do.
He’s going against the context
because it’s all about works.
I know your works.
You are neither hot nor cold.
You see, he (Joseph Prince) can go against the text like this.
No, nothing about actions or deeds.
I mean some ESV translates it as works,
others translate it as deeds, so, it’s the same.
It’s not only in this church, four other churches,
it’s about works.
Church in Ephesus, I know your works.
Church in Thyatira, I know your works.
Church in Sardis, I know your works.
Church in Philadelphia, I know your works.
Preaching against the context itself blatantly.
Because you know why?
He’s always interested in right believing.
Always say, right believing, right believing.
But did Jesus say right believing?
I know you believe rightly?
I know your works.
Jesus is interested in our works, sanctification.”
1. Joseph Prince accuses Paul and Jesus of being Lukewarm and possesses no saving grace.
Joseph Prince said:
“That is why you cannot be cold and hot at the same time,
or be for both law and grace at the same time.
The moment you attempt to balance grace with the law,
… You become lukewarm because of the mixture,
and God hates mixture
… You will lose both!”
George Ong’s comments:
Joseph Prince said
those who want to have law and grace at the same time,
would become lukewarm
and in the end, besides losing law,
they would also lose grace;
in other words, they are not saved,
when he said:
“… You will lose both!”
This means that Joseph Prince is saying
that both Paul and Jesus,
who taught that believers must obey the law,
are not saved in the first place.
This is a monstrous accusation
that could only originate from the pit of hell!
It could only come from someone like Joseph Prince,
who is empowered by Satan
with occultic powers
to be so daring as to utter such heinous blasphemy!
It is so easy to prove
that Paul isn’t just not against the law,
but he also strongly stressed
that obeying God’s law or commandments
must be a believer’s top priority.
In a teaching session, George Ong said;
“It is not important if a man is circumcised or not,
the important thing is obeying God’s commands.” (1 Cor 7:19b NCV)
And then, this is a clear text.
I don’t know how Joseph Prince can miss it.
The important thing is obeying God’s commands.
This is the moral law.
How he (Joseph Prince) can miss that?
This is another version, ISV.
“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing,
but obeying commandments is everything.” (1 Cor 7:19 ISV)
You have to remember this text.
This is a clear text
that speaks against his (Joseph Prince’s) teaching.
“It is not important if a man is circumcised or not.
The important thing is obeying God’s commands.” (1 Cor 7:19b NCV)
Obeying God’s command, Paul said that.
How did Joseph Prince got the idea
that obeying God’s command is No Pakay (not relevant)
for New Covenant people
when his so-called mentor,
the person (Paul) he (Joseph Prince) claim to learn from;
he said the important thing (is obeying God’s commands).
Another translation, ISV, same verse.
“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing,
but obeying God’s commandments is everything.” (1 Cor 7:19b ISV)
Said by Paul.
How can Joseph Prince be blinded to this text?”
Seriously speaking, just one text, 1 Corinthians 7:19, alone,
is enough to expose Joseph Prince’s grace without law heresy,
and hanged him as a false prophet.
Let me show you 3 more translations on 1 Corinthians 7:19:
1 Corinthians 7:19 MEV
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God is everything.
1 Corinthians 7:19 NRSVA
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything.
1 Corinthians 7:19 NLT
19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.
So, Paul did not do away with God’s law or commandments
as Joseph Prince has done,
but, on the contrary,
he stressed the vital importance of obeying it,
as it is everything.
As with Paul,
Jesus treats the obedience to the law very seriously.
This is because He teaches that we must obey the law
better than the Pharisees in Matthew 5:20,
or we won’t enter God’s kingdom.
In a teaching session, George Ong said;
“Here it (Jesus) says,
“You must obey God’s commands and laws
better than the Pharisees,”
because they were lawbreakers.
“If you don’t, I promised you,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
And yet, Joseph Prince can say
there’s no law to obey.
So, he’s leading people to hell, right.
Because people say no law,
they don’t obey the law.
Here it says you must obey the law
better than Pharisees
or else you cannot enter God’s kingdom.
Is it serious?
That’s why he’s leading people to hell.
There are plenty of his teaching that leads people to hell.”
Now, it becomes absolutely clear
that Jesus and Paul didn’t teach as Joseph Prince does
that the law has become obsolete;
but, on the contrary,
they teach that obeying God’s law
is of prime importance.
Yet, Joseph Prince can accuse Jesus and Paul
for being lukewarm and not possessing true saving faith,
when he said,
“The moment you attempt to balance grace with the law,
… You become lukewarm because of the mixture,
and God hates mixture
… You will lose both!”
Only a heretic, Joseph Prince,
who practices witchcraft and possesses occultic powers
would be so emboldened to utter such blasphemies
against Paul, the premier apostle
and the Lord Jesus, who is God Himself!
2. Joseph Prince accuses all the Church Fathers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley for being lukewarm and not possessing true saving faith.
George Ong’s comments:
In the same way as Joseph Prince
has accused Jesus and Paul
for being lukewarm and not having true saving faith,
he is doing that to all Church Fathers, such as
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley,
because all of them believe that Christians
ought to obey God’s laws.
In ‘Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol. 4,
Martin Luther said:
“Hence those foolish souls (Antinomians)
are entirely wrong,
who allege that the Law is not to be preached
under the New Testament dispensation…
… But besides, we must bear in mind
that the doctrine of the Law
is not to be entirely done away with,
even in the case of those who are Christians,
… In the next place,
when we have received such grace and salvation,
have been baptized into Christ and believe,
his will is that we should afterwards live accordingly,
obey God and do what is commanded of us
in the Ten Commandments…”
In ‘Selected Works of John Calvin Vol. 3 Tracts Part 3,’
John Calvin wrote:
“Whosoever shall say that the commandments of God
are impossible of observance even to a justified man,
and to one constituted under grace,
let him be anathema (cursed).
Whosoever shall say
… that the ten commandments do not apply to Christians,
let him be anathema (cursed).”
In ‘the Sermon on the Mount, Discourse 6, Sermons on Several Occasions (1810), pp. 75-76,’
John Wesley wrote:
“‘Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil’” [Matthew 5:17] …
… But the moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments,
and enforced by the prophets,
He did not take away.
It was not the design of His coming
to revoke any part of this.
This is a law which never can be broken,
which stands fast as the faithful witness in heaven.”
It is clear that Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley
all believed in the obedience to God’s laws.
Hence, when Joseph Prince said:
“… You will lose both,”
he is saying that
those who want to have law and grace at the same time,
would become lukewarm
and finally, not just losing law,
they would also lose grace;
in other words, they are not saved.
This means that Joseph Prince is saying
that all the Church Fathers,
such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley,
who taught the believers must obey the law,
are not saved to begin with.
That being the case,
whoever still chooses to go with Joseph Prince,
would have no excuse
when they stand before God in judgement.
3. Joseph Prince makes Jesus a Liar.
Joseph Prince wrote:
“The Lord was saying that He would the church
be cold – entirely under law,
or hot – entirely under grace.”
George Ong’s comments:
I find Joseph Prince such a sickening fellow
who has the unholy dare
to put words into the Lord Jesus’ mouth,
making Him say things that He didn’t.
I will show in the ensuing discussion
that the issue of law versus grace
was never in the mind of Jesus or even hinted at
in the passage (Rev 3:14-22).
Joseph Prince is making the Lord Jesus a liar
– alleging that Jesus was teaching the issue of law versus grace
when there isn’t an iota of evidence in the passage.
4. Joseph Prince’s out-of-context interpretation.
Joseph Prince wrote:
“Now, would you like to know
what Revelation 3:15-16 really means?
The two verses would only make sense
when they are interpreted
in the light of the mixture of the covenants of law and grace
in the church of Laodicea.”
George Ong’s comments:
Joseph Prince’s view is that the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans
has to do with the mixture of law and grace.
Joseph Prince’s view is completely way off
in the context of the passage.
He is full of hypocrisy
as he has again interpreted a passage out of context,
something that he frequently tells others not to do.
The balance or mixture of law and grace
was never the focus of Jesus,
both in the church of Laodicea
and the other six churches in Revelation.
To further expose his deception,
I checked whether Jesus ever used the two words,
‘law’ and ‘grace’ in Revelation chapters 2-3.
I found out that they were not used at all,
not only in the church of Laodicea
but also in all the six other churches in Revelation.
This shows that ‘law’ and ‘grace’
were not the subjects of discussion
or the focus of Jesus
in the church of Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22).
Joseph Prince has dishonestly and ‘forcibly’
imposed his own ideas of ‘law’ and ‘grace’ into the text (Rev 3:15-16)
in order to twist it to support his Pseudo-grace doctrine.
I am absolutely certain
that no true evangelical scholar
and commentator or Bible teacher
in the whole of Christendom
throughout the last 2,000 years of Church history
has ever interpreted it that way.
I challenge you to ask Joseph Prince,
which true evangelical Bible scholar or Bible teacher
would hold the same view as he does?
I’m quite sure he would not be able to name you even one.
If Joseph Prince throws up the name of an Antinomian ‘scholar’
who subscribes to the same view as he does,
you are to throw it out as all Antinomians,
just like him, are false teachers.
5. Joseph Prince had gone out-of-context the second time when he said our actions & behaviours are not what Jesus referred to in Revelation 3:15-16.
Joseph Prince wrote:
“Traditionally, we have been taught that (to be hot)
it means that you are reading 10 chapters of the Bible a day,
witnessing to your colleagues
and attending every prayer meeting you can find!
To be cold means just the opposite
– you stop doing these things entirely.
The verse has always been preached
as though it were about our actions and behavior.
But Jesus said that He would rather we be cold or hot,
and not lukewarm.
This wouldn’t make sense
if He was referring to actions and behavior,
because wouldn’t being lukewarm for Jesus still be better
than being completely cold?”
George Ong’s comments:
Again, Joseph Prince has gone out of context.
By what Joseph Prince wrote,
he blatantly denies the issue of works or actions or behaviour,
which is the very context of Revelation 3:15-16.
Revelation 3:14-16 ESV
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Joseph Prince is contradicting Jesus
as it was Jesus Himself who said in Revelation 3:15
that it was the works or actions or behaviour
that was the issue in the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans.
There Joseph Prince goes again
– contradicting Jesus so blatantly
and without batting an eyelid.
The fact that Joseph Prince
contradicted and preached against Jesus so many times
only proves that he comes from the camp of Satan
to disrupt the teachings of Jesus.
Works or behaviour or actions were the issue
not only in the case of the church of Laodicea
but also in most of the seven churches of Revelation.
In Revelation chapters 2-3,
regarding Jesus’ letters to the seven churches,
take note that He uses the word ‘works’ (or deeds) 12 times.
To five of the seven churches,
He says,
“I know your works” (Rev 2:2,19; 3:1,8,15):
Revelation 2:1-2 ESV
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 “‘I know your works…”
Revelation 2:18-19 ESV
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 “‘I know your works…”
Revelation 3:1 ESV
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works….”
Revelation 3:7-8 ESV
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
8 “‘I know your works…”
Revelation 3:14-15 ESV
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
15 “‘I know your works…”
If Jesus took the trouble to say the same phrase,
‘I know your works’
as the very first words
to five of the seven churches in Revelation,
you bet it must be a top concern to Him (Rev 2:2,19; 3:1,8,15 ESV).
Jesus says,
“I know your works…”
What Jesus is probably saying is,
“I am well aware of what you are doing.
I have been keeping track of your works or deeds.
I know the record of your behaviour.
I can see what you have accomplished
and also the bad deeds that you have committed.
I have looked over everything you have done
and those that you have failed to do.”
This plainly shows more than our belief,
Jesus takes a keen interest in what we do,
how we behave,
and the accomplishments of good
or the bad deeds of His people.
If Jesus is keeping a close track of our works,
it will be foolish if we don’t (Rev 2:2,19; 3:1,8,15).
Some have misguidedly believed
that our works do not matter
as much as the grace we have received.
The truth is they matter a lot
simply because they matter to the one
who will judge us – Christ Jesus!
When Jesus repeatedly said to his churches in Revelation,
“I know your works,”
He is dead serious about judging them (as He would to us)
based on what they did and what they didn’t do.
The scripture has clearly revealed
that God will ultimately judge our faith/beliefs
by looking at our works/behaviour:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV
13 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV
13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
If works or behaviour does not matter in our salvation
and the only thing that matters is faith or belief
as postured by Joseph Prince,
why is God judging us based on our works or behaviour
and not on our faith or beliefs:
(Matt 25:14-30; Matt 25:31-46; Rom 2:5-11; 1 Cor 3:11-15; Jas 2:14-26; Rev 2:23; Rev 2:26; Rev 20:11-13; Rev 22:12)?
George Ong said:
“Though we are not initially saved by works,
we will finally be judged by them.”
Scripture consistently teaches
that all divine judgement is based on works or deeds:
(Eccl 12:13-14; Psa 62:12; Prov 24:12; Matt 7:21; Matt 16:27; Matt 25:14-30; Matt 25:31-46; Jn 5:28-29; Rom 2:5-11; 1 Cor 3:11-15; Jas 2:14-26; Rev 2:23; Rev 2:26; Rev 14:13; Rev 20:11-13; Rev 22:12).
Didn’t Jesus say that wrong behaviour
would be that which could cost people
their eternal inheritance (Rev 22:14-15)?
Didn’t Jesus say that it was the wrong behaviour
– that those who don’t do good deeds to fellow believers
will be banished to eternal punishment (Matt 25:31-46)?
Didn’t Jesus say that it was the wrong behaviour
– that those who don’t do the will of God
will be barred from the Kingdom of God (Matt 7:21)?
A top concern of Jesus
has become the least concern of believers,
all because people have been deceived by Joseph Prince
that works, while they are good to have,
do not matter in our salvation.
If behaviour is the criterion for our final judgement,
why is Joseph Prince deceiving the people
that right believing is the only thing that matters in salvation?
George Ong said:
“Deeds will determine
not just what we will get
but where we will go.”
(Eccl 12:13-14; 2 Cor 5:10; Matt 7:21; Matt 16:27; Jn 5:28-29; Rom 2:5-10; 1 Cor 4:5; Tit 1:6; Rev 2:23; Rev 2:26; 14:13; 22:12)
In summary, in Part 3 (Current Article):
First, Joseph Prince contradicted and preached against Jesus
when he said that Revelation 3:15-16
is about the issue of law and grace,
when there isn’t a shred of evidence
to support such an assertion.
Joseph Prince committed a grave sin
when he said it was Jesus who Himself said it:
“The Lord was saying that He would the church
be cold – entirely under law,
or hot – entirely under grace.”
This is tantamount to making Jesus a liar.
Jesus could not have held to such a view
as Joseph Prince does
because it is clearly out of context.
Furthermore, no Evangelical (true) Bible scholar, commentator and teacher
through the centuries of Christianity
have held and would hold to such a stand.
Second, Joseph Prince again contradicted Jesus
when he said that Revelation 3:15-16
is not about our actions or behaviour.
On the contrary,
the issue of works was mentioned by Jesus Himself
not only in the case of the Laodicean church,
but in 4 other churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
So, in Part 1, Part 2 and now Part 3 – 3 Articles,
I have proven that Joseph Prince
has consistently opposed the teachings of Jesus.
This is not all.
In my future articles,
I will unfold more of such contradictions
by Joseph Prince against Jesus.
Despite this,
why is Joseph Prince still able to garner loyalty and allegiance
from millions of supporters.
There could be other reasons,
but I have no doubt in my mind
that one key reason
is the occultic powers and the powers of witchcraft
that the devil has empowered him
to blind and control his audience
to continue to support and stay loyal to him.
My Parting Shot to Joseph Prince:
“Hey Joe,
Don’t play play.
How can you accuse every Church Father,
Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley,
and Jesus and Paul some more,
for being lukewarm,
and that they are not saved, some more.
How can God speak to you in 1997
that He asked you to preach against the law
that both Jesus and Paul
and every Church Father
are for it?
Make sense or not?
It is the devil who talked to you in 1997
as Satan wants you to preach against God’s word
His Son, Jesus, and his servant, Paul,
and every of His children in the Church Fathers.
Hey Joe, if you still don’t want to turn back
because of your pride to admit you are wrong,
there’s no more hope for you.”
Rev George Ong