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The World to Come. The Restored Church of God presents David C. Pack. Answering life’s
greatest questions straight from the Bible, and announcing the wonderful good news of
the World to Come.
Does God still heal today? Did this kind of miraculous intervention end with Christ and
the apostles? Is God now working thru medical science? Should Christians ever seek doctors?
If so, when---under what circumstances? What about public "faith healers"? I have prayed
over many who were sick, and have seen powerful miracles of instant healing on numerous occasions.
Others were not healed. Why? Here are all of the most important plain truth answers
about healing!
Why must people be sick? Why do so many move from illness to illness and doctor to doctor
seeking remedies, cures and relief from a host of ailments, often spanning a lifetime?
Why should so many have to spend much of their lives suffering---battling every conceivable
condition from the common cold to life-threatening strokes or cancer?
Consider the average doctor's waiting room. It is filled with people seeking treatment.
They have no idea why they are sick---or what they should do about it. Such people have
been trained---in fact, conditioned---to believe they must seek "expert medical advice" when
sick. As a result, work loss is increasing, hospitals and clinics are full, medical and
healthcare costs are soaring---with a corresponding rise in cases of physician fraud and malpractice---and
there is a constant need for more doctors and equipment to diagnose and treat the skyrocketing
number of patients. Suffering and confusion abound! And many die long before the end of
a full lifetime. Illness and disease have stalked mankind for
millennia. Plagues and sickness have been as inseparable from the history of civilization
as the weather or people themselves. Sadly, today, disease and crippling conditions are
a fact of life for large segments of humanity. Medical science once believed it could control
and conquer disease. It has failed. The reality is that new diseases are continually emerging
and older ones are rapidly mutating into antibiotic-resistant forms. Therefore, the medical world is losing
its main weapon in the war against disease. News media reports are now filled with rising
statistics---and how the battle is being lost. Casualties---deaths and debilitating illnesses---are
exploding around the world. Hardly a week passes without reports of new disease outbreaks
somewhere on Earth. Civilization seems to be taking 2 steps back for every 1 forward.
Is this what God intended? No! Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly." This verse is hardly compatible with a lifetime
of suffering every possible illness and malady known to man. The apostle John explained God's
intent: "I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health."
Yes, God's purpose is that all human beings enjoy robust health. His intention has always
been that they enjoy a life of radiant, abundant living. Yet this has never been the case for
the majority of mankind. This is because humanity is ignorant of what God says about healing.
While people have many opinions about healing, we must look to God and His Word---the Bible---to
see what He says about this subject! All 4 gospel accounts record that Jesus performed
many miracles during His ministry. Some of the most dramatic were healings. He made the
lame walk---gave sight to the blind---healed lepers---and others with the palsy---and "healed
all that were sick." He also healed many minds by casting out demons from those possessed.
He even resurrected the dead. Not only did Jesus heal large numbers of people,
He commissioned His disciples to do the same. We will learn that His ministers, when asked,
still anoint the sick today. Thruout my ministry, I have seen every kind
of sickness and disease. Having prayed over one or more people weekly for decades, I have
probably performed thousands of anointings. Sometimes people were healed---sometimes not.
On certain occasions, I have personally been healed---and on others I have not. I will
explain later. I have also counseled many hundreds who faced
serious illness---some life-threatening. This brought questions. People generally asked
the same basic questions: Does the God of the Bible still heal today? Or has He now
commissioned medical science to be His instrument---to take His place? Has the time of miracles and
healings passed? What are the "gifts of healing" described in I Cor 12:9 and 28? Are today's
faith healers, and their healing revivals, manifestations of these gifts? Is it a sin
to go to a doctor or a hospital? If God still heals today, what part does faith play---and
what is real faith? Genesis contains God's description of the
creation of man. The account reveals what God thought of His work after it was finished.
Notice: "God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and
every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good," and,
"God created man in His own image…male and female created He them." Next comes an important
statement: "God blessed them, and…said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth." This verse addresses---though indirectly---the subject of healing for the
first time. Let me explain. If God had instilled viruses, bacteria, parasites,
inherited traits that led to diseases and degenerative conditions at Adam and Eve's
creation, it could hardly be described as blessing them. This would be more like cursing
them! Now another key point about the original condition
of the first human beings. Genesis concludes, "God saw everything that He had made, and,
behold, it was very good." Think about this. Does this verse leave room for the hidden
presence, within Adam and Eve, of every disease, illness, sickness and ailment known to man?
Of course, not! Disease is not "very good"---it is very bad!
Since God blessed this couple and said that their creation was very good, disease could
not yet have been present. It must have entered the picture later.
It was never God's purpose that He would have to heal human beings of illness and disease.
Later we will learn His Plan for all people is that every form of sickness will disappear
forever. But, since man has brought this condition upon himself, God had to address it and explain
His role as Healer! We will first examine what the Bible---Old
and New Testaments---teaches about healing. If I wanted to learn to fly an airplane, I
would ask a pilot. If I wanted to build a house, I would speak to a contractor. If I
wanted to understand plumbing, I would consult a plumber. The same is true of healing. If
one wants to learn about healing, he should not ask a doctor, nurse, paramedic or any
other "medical expert." They cannot heal anyone---and most will readily admit this! They will usually
admit they do not know what the Bible says about it.
God is the One who heals. If you want to learn about healing, you ask Him---the One who knows
about it. He says in Hosea, "My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you." All essential
knowledge of God is available to any who seek it. But to get the full picture, the scriptures
must be put together carefully and completely. God says He reveals His teaching to those
mature enough to be instructed. Notice: "Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He
make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk…For precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there
a little." Thus, all verses on healing are not in one place.
The Bible reveals God's will---His understanding and teaching---on every spiritual matter.
It has much to say about healing. Examining many verses strips away the mystery. You can
understand healing. The most often asked questions about healing are addressed in the Bible---and
this series will reveal plain answers! Two vital New Testament scriptures set the
stage for all that we will study. Mark 5 records the case of a chronically ill woman made worse
by physicians. She sought Jesus for healing: "A certain woman, which had an issue of blood
12 years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she
had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse." Jesus healed her and made this
all-important statement: "Daughter, your faith has made you whole."
Doctors did not---and could not---heal her. But Jesus could, and faith was the key.
Matthew 9 shows how healing is always directly tied to faith: "Two blind men followed Him
[Jesus], crying, and saying, You son of David, have mercy on us. And…the blind men came
to Him: and Jesus said unto them, Believe you that I am able to do this? They said unto
Him, Yes, Lord." These men believed Jesus could give them sight. His answer? "Then touched
He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you."
Jesus asked, "When the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" Jesus presents
an open question. He understood most people would not have faith at the end of the age---just
before the establishing of the kingdom of God. He knew most would not be willing to
believe direct statements from the Bible. He recognized that conditions on Earth would
create an anti-faith atmosphere, making it very difficult for people to believe even
the plainest scriptures. He knew very few would be willing to take God's promises at
face value! Jesus promised 2,000 years ago that He would
build His Church. It would be composed of the few---not the many---who would be willing
to believe God, and live by faith and every word of God. Note all these verses. Faith
and healing are inseparable. You cannot be healed without true faith. This series will
make this absolutely clear. But what is faith, the kind sufficient for
healing, or to receive any promise of God? Without knowing what faith is, one cannot
have it. This knowledge comes later. Does healing first appear in the New Testament?
Certainly Jesus and the apostles performed miracles and healed many who were sick. It
is commonly supposed these things first happened in the New Testament, and for the sole purpose
of proving Christ was the Messiah. This is simply not true. Healing did not first appear
in the New Testament. The Old Testament records numerous dramatic healings. It is here that
God first reveals Himself as the One who heals. As we read various accounts and scriptures,
you must be willing to believe what the Bible says. Prepare to be surprised!
Almost immediately after God delivered Israel from Egypt, He had to perform a miracle just
for them to have water to drink. This is when He revealed Himself as the God who heals.
Notice: "If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do
that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all
His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians:
[get this!] for I am the Lord that heals you." In the Old Testament, God uses several names
to designate who and what He is. He just introduced Himself as Yahweh-Rapha, meaning the "God
who heals"---or the "healing God." Soon after, God told Israel they were not
to serve any other gods. Obedience would invoke this promise: "You shall not bow down to their
gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works…you shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall
bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you."
God added this: "The Lord will take away from you [heal] all sickness, and will put none
of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, upon you," and then, "See now that I, even
I, am He, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal." In
these plain verses, God establishes Himself as our Healer.
King David knew this. Notice: "Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal
me; for my bones are vexed," and "Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have
sinned against You." After these kinds of prayers, David could say, "O Lord my God,
I cried unto You, and You have healed me." David also prayed, "Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits." Most today do not understand that there are many wonderful
benefits to serving God, who is often depicted as a God of "Thou shalt nots…" instead of
a God who desires to bless His people. David knew God is always willing to forgive and
heal every sickness and disease. Notice the very next verse: "Who forgives all your iniquities
[your sins]; Who heals all your diseases." Sometimes people become sick thru foolishness---poor
diet, lack of rest or wrong living and thinking. Others are injured in accidents due to carelessness.
God is still willing to forgive such people---and heal them. Consider: "Fools because of their
transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhors all manner
of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their
trouble, and He saves them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered
them from their destructions." Notice Psalm 103:3 said in the same verse
that God forgives all iniquity (law-breaking) and heals all diseases. David asked God for
mercy in Psalm 41. Mercy is required when forgiveness is necessary. Healing involves
the forgiveness of physical sins. No doctor, drug or medication can forgive
sin---only God can do this! Therefore, no doctor, drug or medication can heal. But God
can! It is vital we understand why healing and forgiveness of sin are often mentioned
together. God is the only One who can do either! 3 separate Old Test case histories involved
kings. Critically important lessons come from these accounts.
David was not the only one God healed. King Hezekiah of Judah had been told personally
by the prophet Isaiah that he was going to die. What would you do in such circumstances?
Hezekiah, it says, "Trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like
him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him."
Here is the account: "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah…came
to him, and said…Thus says the Lord, Set your house in order; for you shall die, and
not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech
You, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart,
and have done that which is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept sore…It came to pass,
afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him,
saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people, Thus says the Lord,
the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold,
I will heal you…And I will add unto your days 15 years…and he recovered."
Hezekiah tearfully sought God in faith. He did not rush to a hospital or seek doctors.
He sought to overturn God's will thru prayer and faith.
The next account involves King Ahaziah of Israel, son of the wicked King Ahab. His example
is far different: "And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in
Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub
the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said
to Elijah…Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them,
Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baalzebub the god
of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from that bed on which
you are gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah departed."
Baalzebub was the patron god of medicine, located in the city of Ekron. His name literally
means "the lord of dunghills" or "the lord of flies." Anciently, people understood that
flies were filthy and transported many diseases. Of course, they are commonly seen on dung
of all types. Baalzebub's intervention was sought by inquiring thru his priestly representatives.
Yet God says He is the one who heals. God was not pleased that Ahaziah sought a
different god---one that could not heal. The result? Ahaziah died. Hezekiah's account indicates
it may have been needlessly. The final account involves the fascinating
story of King Asa of Judah. Asa was a righteous king who initially trusted in God. As a result,
God blessed and protected Judah for over 35 years. The Bible records, "The heart of Asa
was perfect all his days." His obedience to God was perfect, but his faith was not. This
is the critical lesson here. While God had promised He would always fight
Judah's battles, Asa lost faith and paid tax tribute to the king of Assyria in exchange
for his assistance as an ally. God consistently condemned His people to captivity for seeking
physical alliances with surrounding nations, when He was perfectly willing and able to
defend them---to fight for and in place of them. Almost as consistently, Israel rebelled
and would not seek the true God. Now the account: "Asa in the 39th year of
his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his
disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians." Because Asa ignored God as
Healer, he, it says, "slept with his fathers, and died in the 41st year of his reign."
The rest of the account shows the prophet Hanani had visited Asa to jolt him into recognizing
he had drifted from God. But Asa became angry and threw him in prison. It was only a little
later that Asa fell sick. Many New Testament verses address healing,
but we are not yet ready to understand them. It is important that additional background
material first be brought into the picture. Thruout Jesus' 3 1/2-year ministry, He preached---as
an advance announcement---the gospel of the coming kingdom of God. Mark 1 records Jesus'
purpose and commission---His message: "After that John [the Baptist] was put in prison,
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel."
When speaking to a crowd in the desert, Christ explained His purpose---and responsibility:
"He said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore
am I sent." In the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied
to come as a messenger---He was sent with a message---the gospel. Notice: "Behold, I
will send My messenger [John the Baptist, before Jesus' first coming], and he shall
prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,
even the Messenger [Jesus Christ] of the covenant, whom you delight in."
As Messenger, Jesus' message---the gospel of the kingdom of God---is the very core of
the entire Bible. Notice also: "The law and the prophets [only
the Old Test scriptures had been preached previously] were until John [the Baptist]:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it."
The preaching of Christ's message was accompanied by miracles and healings. These always went
hand in hand. Notice: "Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people." The world is ignorant of the true gospel.
The leaders of this world's brand of Christianity have suppressed it and substituted a variety
of false gospels in its place. The apostle Paul powerfully warned those who would twist
or pervert the gospel, or replace it with a counterfeit: "I marvel that you [Galatians]
are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel
of Christ." It states the gospel of Christ, not about Christ. And Jesus' gospel was about
God's kingdom. Paul warned, "Though we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed." Strong words to any who
would preach a false gospel! Yet for almost 1,900 years, the true gospel was not preached.
It was not until the 20th century that God restored the knowledge of what is the true
gospel to the world as a whole. This extraordinary booklet, Which Is the True Gospel?, removes
all doubt of what gospel Jesus taught. Satan has been able to blind humanity for
thousands of years to the truth of the coming kingdom of God. Speaking of Satan, Paul warned
brethren not to be deceived: "In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ [not about Him],
who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Rev 12:9 says Satan "deceives the whole
world." But how? How has the devil deceived even the
masses of traditional Christianity? The New Test Church was warned to reject those who
brought another gospel, another Jesus or another spirit. Paul explained how Satan deceives
so many: "For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you
receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have
not accepted, you might well bear with him." This other Jesus that professing Christianity
follows does not heal and did not suffer horribly for our sins prior to crucifixion---as we
shall understand later. Of course the devil does not personally walk
down the street and enter churches teaching a false gospel or false doctrines. He uses
his ministers. Let's read: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed
as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
Yes, Satan has ministers---and they appear as ministers of light and righteousness. They
seem to be of God. It is not surprising that those who bring a false gospel would not understand
the miracles and healings that always accompany the preaching of the true gospel.
There is more to understand about the gospel, but we are out of time. We will pick up next
time where we left off with incredible knowledge. Until next time, this is David C. Pack saying,
"Goodbye, friends."
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