Bruce Cook: The 8th Mountain of the Lord
Bruce Cook writes on the Elijah List saying: it is important to remember that ultimate success depends upon how familiar they are with the Mountain of the Lord, also known as the 8th Mountain. It has been almost 43 years since August of 1975 when Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright, and Frances Schaeffer received separate but nearly identical visions of the 7 Mountains. Yet, in over four decades, significant and sustainable societal transformation has not yet happened. Why is that? He asks a good question and here is an answer. So why has the seven mountains teaching not produce significant societal change? (Or should one now say eight mountains teaching?)There is a simple answer: It does not matter how many people gave the same prophecy at the same moment in time, that prophecy must be tested against the Word of God. The Word of God is the Bible and not some word which someone offers and proclaims it to be the Word of God. If it is not in the Bible then it is not a word from God. Also if there is no discernible change in society as the seven mountains philosophy predicts then it simply cannot be a word from God and the three persons Bruce Cook cites are all false prophets, including Bruce Cook.
Jesus himself, never decreed anything which did not come to pass immediately. Jesus did not send blind people home with an expectation of being healed - each left him seeing. Jesus did not send the man with a withered arm away with a vague notion that his healing was on the way - no, the man stood in front of Jesus and the Pharisees and they watched his arm grow.
Buying into the idea of a seven mountains culture is to buy into a deceitful and blasphemous idea. It is deceitful because it cannot be tested as true against God's Holy Word and will deceive many. It is blasphemous because the end result is the idea that Jesus will be invited back to reign by MAN! Is Jesus anything but sovereign? Firstly, Jesus clearly existed before creation In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been mad. John 1 vv1-2.
Secondly, could Jesus have walked down a street in Jerusalem and passed someone with a need for which they were crying out? Could the Creator of the World ignore his own creation when he saw its helplessness?We are not God. If our presence and prayer can change the world then we could claim some form of messiahship. That is to say, we would be little messiahs, which we are not. We are wholly dependent on God at every point in our lives. Of course, Bruce Cook and many others would argue that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decreeing, but nowhere in scripture does it give us authority to decree.
Jesus mentioned many commandments during his ministry but the only new commandments we have been given from Jesus are: to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28 vv18-19. Notice that it is I have commanded you and not "I will command you". Yet these same false prophets proclaim that we simply need the presence of God. This modern fad of experiencing 'the presence of God' is simply a false conversion.
Consider, if millions were repenting and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and continuing in their new found faith then we might begin to see a revival. But because these false prophets, proclaiming their seven mountains philosophy, proclaim also a coming revival, then that revival simply cannot happen. If it happened then these same false prophets would claim responsibility for it. Therefore, there can be no revival.
5th April 2018