Does God raise the dead today?

In recent days, Bethel church in Redding, Ca. has come under some well deserved scrutiny. It stems from parents who lost their two year old daughter this last Saturday, December 14, 2019 out of the blue. She stopped breathing, and after calling 9-1-1, the paramedics administering CPR at their home, and revival attempts at the hospital failed, they called the sweet little two year old deceased. Now, before I go any further, let me beg of you to pray for this family. They are (rightfully) grieving, yet placing their trust in God raising her from the dead. They need our prayers, especially with it being this close to Christmas.

 

This brings me to the question in the title, “Does God raise the dead today?” I can find no biblical mandate that in today’s time He still does this. Yes, He raised the dead in the times in which the Bible was written. Yes, His Apostles raised the dead as well. But can we do that which they did? I have to say no. Why you may ask? The Apostles were given the ability to do many things we just cannot do today. They healed the sick by laying hands on them(this was immediate healing, by the way), not the laying on of hands that is being practiced in today’s churches. They even raised the dead, cast out evil spirits, Paul prayed over some cloths and ppl were healed by touching them[Acts 19:11-12]. He raised Euthychus from the dead[Acts 20:9-12]. Peter brought Dorcas back to life[Acts 9:36-43]. Ananias even laid hands on Saul of Tarsus and he recovered his sight[Acts 9:17-19]. Clearly, many, many miracles such as these have been recorded to show us the power, and mercy of God.

 

But why must ppl insist on these being applicable today? What evidence is there of things like this happening today? I have been in many services where someone has asked to be prayed over by way of laying on of hands. I have heard of countless others doing the same. Yet, I see no fruit coming from them. I don’t know the times someone who was seriously ill has been prayed over, only to die later. Let’s examine the passage in James 5:

 

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 

 

Notice how James worded that. It gives affirmative words such as “will restore the one who is sick”, “The Lord will raise him up”, and also “if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him”. I’ve witnessed none of these happening in the meetings I’ve been in where the laying on of hands was used. And I am talking about someone who was alive at the time, not someone deceased. This sweet little girl has been in a morgue for six days now. They prayed, sang, praised God, yet she is still there. I would be elated if she came back to life. No one rejoices in seeing a child die. Well, no one with a conscience that is.

 

Bill Johson, Bethel’s pastor, has a false view of God, and this automatically leads to a false view of man. He believes that the Christ did not do miracles as God, but as a man. And by doing these miracles as a man, He has modeled this for us. That what He did, we could do as well. This is blatant heresy. The Christ is man, I am not denying that. But He is also fully God. He was always God, but His deity was enclosed in flesh. But that does not mean, in any way, that the miracles He performed were as a man and not God. Here is a quote from him: “He performed miracles, wonders & signs, as a man in right relationship to God, not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if he did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle.” This is from “When Heaven Invades Earth”.

 

What if if she isn’t raised again? Then what? Do they (foolishly) blame God? Do they chalk it up to not having enough faith? I watched a video yesterday where Brothers Costi Hinn and Jon Benzinger carefully addressed this. Brother Jon said that if God is holding the healing until they get enough faith, then that makes God cruel(paraphrased that). It’s like God is making them jump through hoops just to activate the healing. And if they don’t conjure up enough faith, enough prayers, then God will not grant their request.

 

So, in closing, I just do not see a biblical mandate for us to do that which Bethel Church is doing. When the last Apostle died, the Apostolic age ceased. We just do not possess those gifts they had.

 

Here’s the link to that podcast from Redeemer church in Arizona.