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Volume 19 Number 5 September/October 2008
The Kingdom. The last 20 years has witnessed the teaching on building a Kingdom here on the earth rising to fever-pitch proportions. The Apostles and Prophets have been making kingdom decrees as they are doing far more than just “aligning” Todd Bentley. They are aligning heaven and earth, angels, governments and powers. At the beginning of 2008, Dutch Sheets held a conference entitled “Starting the Year off Right”. Exact quotes from Dutch Sheets: “So when we begin to emphasize the king and the Kingdom rule of the Lord -guess what happens? The church goes to a whole new level of Kingdom authority and that is what is about to happen. If your emphasis is a local church emphasis first it can be selfish- it can be mine- I can build walls. I can emphasize what is best or what is going to benefit me at the expense even of others but if I am emphasizing a Kingdom- you can’t build walls because you can’t build walls around the kingdom- it’s too big. SO God is going to have to shift our emphasis.”
Then he said some amazing things in regard to the Gospel: “EVEN OUR GOSPEL HAS BEEN DEFICIENT. We are always told in scripture to preach the gospel of the what? Do you know we are not told to preach the Gospel of the cross? The word Gospel means what? Good News- s The Gospel of the Kingdom- oh we are told to preach the good news of something. When we preach the Good News of the cross and leave it there- and that’s important- we have to preach the cross but the Good News goes beyond the cross. The cross is the entry point into the Kingdom. He didn’t say preach the Good News just of salvation but preach the Good News that I have come and reestablished the dominion of God in the earth and restored to you the dominion that you lost in Genesis. My Kingdom is now functioning in earth in a people. The cross is the entrance – The Kingdom is the realm. The cross gives us life- The Kingdom gives us something to live for. The cross is about redemption- the Kingdom is about restoration. I want you to think about that- we are not just to emphasize redemption- that gets us in but He’s about restoring everything that has been lost.
We are going to move from a mindset of saving souls and growing churches to producing disciples of the Kingdom. Kingdom disciples have eternity in their hearts and weapons in their hands. They are Kingdom thinkers- difference makers- culture shapers.”
The “Kingdom” teaching has a long history and bodes for a fearsome future. It is this teaching that has undermined the Gospel of Jesus Christ for this generation. The upcoming conference will deal with the roots of the Kingdom teaching and its influences. We are privileged to have special guests at this conference.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Martin Erdmann is one of the foremost experts in the world on the doctrine and practice of “building the kingdom of God on earth.” This phrase sums up what we commonly refer to as “Dominionism.”
Dominionism is a pervasive heresy with many manifestations. In a nutshell, it teaches that what Christ did at the Cross was insufficient; that man must somehow finish and complete the work of Christ. It arises from a false view of man’s Fall in the Garden of Eden as a “mistake,” something which needs to be worked out in the unfolding of history, and that God’s redemptive plan for humanity involves progressively new stages of revelation until man finally “gets it right.” It teaches that man must DO something to defeat Satan –spiritually, politically, socially, etc. In the end, it corrupts eschatology by focusing on man’s efforts here on earth, teaching that we can bring heaven to earth and restore paradise, become gods, or bring Jesus back.
Dr. Erdmann is an expert on this doctrine historically as well as theologically. He has spent the past several years researching the archives of European church history to uncover the roots of this heresy. He is also an expert on how the medical scientific community and occultists are working to create a “New Breed” genetically. Several years ago Dr. Erdmann wrote a book about the early history of this doctrine’s rise to prominence in the liberal Protestant denominations the first half of the last century. We reviewed his book, Building the Kingdom of God on Earth: The Churches’ Contribution to Marshal public Support for World Order and Peace, 1919-1945 (Wipf & Stock, 2005) for Herescope on April 17-18, 2006. Below we have reproduced those two columns. You will note the many parallels to today’s efforts by New Apostolic Reformation leaders and Rick Warren to accomplish this same agenda.
The New Order of the Kingdom
“We believe that we see the goal and we believe that men can get hold of that power to move on to that goal. That goal is the Kingdom of God on earth. The Kingdom of God is a new order standing at the door of the lower order. The higher order, founded on love, justice, goodwill, brotherhood and redemption, stands confronting this lower order founded on selfishness, exploitation, unbrotherliness, with its resultant clash and conclusions. . . it [the higher order] will finally replace this lower order, for it is God’s order. We shall present Christ as the open door to that era. We shall unfold the possibilities of that era both within the individual and the collective will
.(E. Stanley Jones, Federal Council of Churches, Federal Council Bulletin 19, no. 8 (Oct. 1936), New York 5)
There truly is “no new thing under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). The quotation above is from the year 1936. It is cited in Dr. Martin Erdmann’s groundbreaking book, Building the Kingdom of God on Earth: The Churches’ Contribution to Marshal Public Support for World Order and Peace, 1919-1945.
The history behind this quotation is a fascinating look into the rise of liberal denominations 50-100 years ago. They embraced a dominionist doctrine of building the kingdom of God on earth long before it became a New Apostolic Reformation or Reconstructionist “mandate.”
The thesis of Dr. Erdmann’s book is that the rising popularity of this doctrine was substantially influenced and perpetuated by the same academic, political and religious intelligentsia who were busily forming the beginnings of a New World Order on earth. These elites seized upon certain doctrines of the Gospel as a mechanism to forge an international consensus on “moral” ideology.
Dr. Erdmann writes that in 1934 the Federal Council of Churches began a grassroots public relations campaign to further its social gospel. The end goal was to create enough groundswell that another international organization could be formed to replace the faulty League of Nations. Erdmann explained:
“A new commitment to the concept of the kingdom of God on earth needed to be generated among the people at large and from the constituencies of the member churches, a commitment that had been notably absent for some time. Unless the Council succeeded in mobilizing a grassroots movement of socially conscious Christians it would never realize the goals set out in the Social Creed. Thus the new emphasis on propagating the principles of the Social Creed was again designed to attain the kingdom of God on earth rather than to reach lost souls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (p. 154)
The modus operendi to accomplish such a mass motivation is strikingly similar to the methods utilized with today’s evangelicals:
“Without adhering to basic Scriptural concepts. . . the Council’s social appeals were couched in biblical terminology. Although mentioning the sin problem frequently, it was usually in the context of sins against society rather than sin against God. Regeneration was masterfully redefined as a new social awareness. The substitutionary atonement of Christ upon the cross was deemed insignificant and was rarely if ever mentioned. The Reformation dictum, that humankind can find peace with God only by being justified by faith, was simply ignored as without relevance. The residue of evangelical concepts which could be found in their gospel messages were mostly based on Arminian theology. . . .” (p. 155)
In order to achieve this organic unity, the reformers of that era proposed that a “sense of urgency” or “crisis” be created. E. Stanley Jones, who is quoted at the top of this post, proposed in 1935 that the various branches of Protestantism “come together on the simple doctrinal basis found in Matthew 16:16-19. He defended his proposal on the grounds of the urgent necessity to unite, in view of the task confronting the church.” (p. 147)
Dr. Erdmann notes that “Jones was less than candid in his statements.” It was not unlike the call for a Second Reformation that we see today:
“The whole plan rested upon an indifference to the development of Christian theology from the Council of Nicea onwards, and it actually called upon the creedal churches, the Presbyterian and the Lutheran, for example, to surrender the heritage of the Reformation.” P.148
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/04/new-order-of-kingdom.html
The “New Deal” Kingdom“ Upon the men of this time is breaking the light of a new social order. The outstanding fact of today is the rediscovery of the kingdom of God. To the world this comes almost as a new revelation from heaven. For eighteen hundred years men have believed in this kingdom and have prayed for its coming; but now at last conception of its meaning becomes larger and more true. We are coming to see that the kingdom of God in Christ’s conception never means anything less than a righteous human society on earth. Christ has come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. He has come to reveal a kingdom in heaven and to realize a kingdom on earth. He has come not alone to save people out of the world and fill them for a far-away heaven; but to make a heaven here. He has come not to patch up human society and make the world a little less intolerable for men; but to make all things new and to create a new social order.”
(Samuel Z. Batten, The New World Order, 1919, p. 4-5) [emphasis added]
This quotation above is cited on page 151 in Dr. Martin Erdmann’s excellent book, Building the Kingdom of God on Earth, which Herescope began to review in yesterday’s post. Dr. Erdmann explains how, in 1932, the Federal Council of Churches began to revise its outdated Social Creed. This revision bears striking resemblance to current “marketplace transformation” efforts, described last week and in previous Herescope posts:
“Toyohiko Kagawa, a Japanese churchman, asserted in the January issue [of the Federal Council Bulletin] that the propagation of the Christian gospel must include a total reconstruction of society. The Church should aspire to nothing less than the constitution of Christian collectivism. It is evident,’ he wrote, ‘that we must Christianise industry and get rid of the acquisitive motive in economic life. It seems to me that we cannot solve our problems on the basis of individualism.’ His idea was to replace the supposedly defunct capitalist system with a number of Christian co-operatives modeled after the pattern of the medieval guild system. The FCC was enthused about Kagawa’s proposal and incorporated it (in a modified form) in its revised version of the Social Creed.” (p. 151-2) [emphasis added]
This resultant Social Creed adopted by the FCC in 1932 was part and parcel of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. So much so that eventually the FCC was able to move on to other projects. Many of the tenets of this Social Creed called for a radical restructuring of economic, social, cultural, family, and political order.
This “new social order” was being implemented in a supposed “new age of faith”:
“The Commission on the Church and Social Service spearheaded the campaign for a Christian collectivism among the American public by preparing a message which was delivered on Labour Day 1932. This message directly advocated a redistribution of wealth in the United States and also among the nations of the world. It asserted that only by the intelligent regulation and management of finance, credit, and industry could the kingdom of God be advanced for the common good. It pleaded for the extension of minimum-wage laws, and the payment of the highest wages possible in order to achieve the redistribution of wealth and to realize the kingdom of God.
“It became clear that the thinking of a large segment of the leadership of the Council was dominated by political and economic idealism.” (p. 153)
By 1933 the “FCC initiated an amalgamation process which in time blurred the distinction between its new social order and the New Deal.” (p. 159)
The Truth: Some of the rhetoric has changed. Some of the doctrinal focus has shifted so that it now incorporates the “Great Commission” and Stewardship of the Earth “mandates.” Some of the political lessons learned over the past 75 years have changed the initial game plan, the dynamics, and even some of the implementation. And the methods have been updated to use state-of-the-art psycho-social techniques. But the basic “plan” to institute a global “kingdom” in the name of Christ is still the same.75 years ago this plan was a fraud and a sham. It had nothing to do with true Christianity. Today, this same plan — slightly revised and updated — is still a fraud and a sham. It is an antichrist kingdom which is being built upon Earth.
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/04/new-deal-kingdom.html
Read entire newsletter here:
http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NLSeptOct_2008.htm
Their next conference is
Discernment Ministries
Cordially invites you to attend
the
TRANSFORMATION of THE CHURCH
CONFERENCE
October 10 & 11, 2008
The conference is being held at:
The Michiana Christian Embassy
1922 E. Main Street
Niles, MI 49120
269-683-3518
There is no registration fee for the conference. Free-will offerings will be taken.
Inquiries: 765-583-4799/ 765-583-4177
Who’s Laughing Now?
by Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
www.christianresearchservice.com
September 9, 2008
But they mingled with the nations and learned their practices, and
served their idols, which became a snare to them (Psalm 106:35-36).
Years ago, many parents laughed when their children were introduced to Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, relaxation, and visualization techniques in the secular schools and YMCA. Many school teachers and principles shrugged their shoulders and thought the techniques would help develop calmer, better behaved students.
On the job-site, professing Christians participated in company-sponsored “Stress Reduction” seminars. They laughed under their breath and refused to speak out against it–for fear of losing their jobs. Now, many companies across the nation offer Yoga, Tai Chi, Reiki, and other New Age practices as regular motivational courses for employees.
Despite the complaints and concerns, many bookstore managers and officials within the “Christian bookstore” industry laughed and continued to advertise and promote books written by New Age authors. The “bottom line” (money) was more important than the spiritual welfare of the innocent and unwary.
With the husband off to work, a professing Christian woman turned to a video tape and spent and hour-per-day practicing Yoga. She laughed when her three year old child watched and imitated her moves.
Across the nation, and in many parts of the world, certified Yoga instructors cashed in on the booming Christian exercise craze and introduced churches and denominations to “Christian Yoga.” The postures were the same as Yoga, they said, but it had nothing to do with Hinduism. They laughed all the way to the bank.
During a church-sponsored “Christian Yoga” class, an instructor began bowing to the “god” within her students, and offered the Hindu Sanskrit salutation, Namaste. The students laughed, rolled their eyes, and bowed to the instructor.
Along with Hatha Yoga, a church offered a Labyrinth walk, a Buddhist Teachings and Meditation group, and Yoga for children. During the children’s Yoga class, the adults smiled and laughed when their toddlers tried to perform the Yoga postures.
Average church members laughed when New Age techniques and practices were introduced during church-sponsored retreats, outings, and seminars. They sang the praises of books written by New Age authors, and passed the books around like tea and crumpets at a social event. Those who refused to laugh were encouraged to leave and find another church.
Christian colleges and universities weren’t immune to the New Age Movement. Many presidents and faculty members openly welcomed Kundalini Yoga and other New Age practices as an on-and-off campus course. Students laughed as they performed the Cobra pose, the Scorpion pose, and the Corpse pose in their classes, gyms and dorms.
Many pastors across the land laughed, compromised, and turned a deaf-ear to the “Stress Management” and “Christian Yoga” courses being taught in their own churches. It is just a harmless form of exercise, they said. However, some pastors stopped laughing when they noticed a change-for-the-worse in the attitude and spirituality of some of their members.
In his spare time, one pastor practiced Yoga. Along with regular Yoga classes, the pastor’s church offered a gentle form of Tai Chi. The pastor’s congregation expressed an ever-present joy over his open-mindedness.
Across the world, professing Christians laughed when they were warned about the spiritual, mental, and physical dangers of practicing Yoga and its demon inspired postures. In their stubborn pride they continued to purchase New Age materials and promote New Age practices to untold numbers of men, women, and children.
Years ago, many laughed and brushed-off the New Age Movement as a mere fad that would eventually fade away. But behind the scenes, it slithered into every strata of our society–homes, elementary and high schools, bookstores, jobs, colleges, universities, churches, and pulpits.
But 2,000 years ago, the Apostle Paul refused to laugh when confronted with the New Age Movement of his day. Under divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul provided the following remedy:
Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing
(Acts 19:18-20).
God expressly forbids the practice of New Age techniques and the promotion of New Age materials.
Who’s laughing now?
Related reading:
—This article first appeared as a post on the DiscernIt blog, and has been revised.
Discovering the New Age Movement / New World Order, Part Three
Submitted by Craig “Lee” Dorsheimer
This is the third installment of this introductory series. My intention is to provide a brief overview, not an all encompassing article. The NAM/NWO is too large to contain in one article. You may view the first part here and the second part here if you’ve not read them previously.
False Ecumenism / Religious Plurality
In its best usage, ‘ecumenism’ is a movement of unity among Biblical Christian denominations.[1] I would call this true ecumenism. However, a push to unite all churches who call themselves ‘Christian’ including the overtly new age Unity Church[2] among others, I would call false ecumenism. Further, the attempt to unite Biblical Christianity to any other non-Christian faith I would term false ecumenism. Unfortunately, the practice of much of the attempted unity today is a false kind and the term ‘ecumenism’ is used for this movement.
The term ‘pluralism’ according to dictionary.com is, “a social organization in which diversity of racial or religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated.”[3] So, here I deal strictly with the religious aspect of pluralism in religious pluralism. While it is certainly alright to tolerate other religious views, (although evangelism is our goal) we are not to attempt to unify at the expense of the purity of Biblical Christianity.
Recall that one of the goals of the New Age movement is a syncretism of all religions. Since Biblical Christianity is problematic to New Agers with its insistence on one way to salvation – through Jesus Christ – the only way to merge with this movement is to modify the message. In the Alice A. Bailey esoteric/occultic book From Bethlehem to Calvary she – actually Tibetan Master DK (Djwhal Khul) who channeled through her[4] – states:
Christianity will not be superseded. It will be transcended, its work of preparation being triumphantly accomplished, and Christ will again give us the next revelation of divinity.
…Can there not be revelations of God utterly unprecedented, and for which we have no words or adequate means of expression? The ancient mysteries, so shortly to be restored, must be re-interpreted in the light of Christianity, and readapted to meet modern need…[5] [Emphasis Mine]
Compare this to some statements by Mike Bickle[6] [currently of the International House of Prayer[7] (IHOP)] formerly of Kansas City Fellowship[6, 8] (KCF); Bob Jones, formerly one of the “Kansas City Prophets”[6] of KCF; and, Rick Joyner of MorningStar Ministries[9]:
“The Lord said simply, ‘I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in the earth in one generation.’” [10] (Mike Bickle; Growing in the Prophetic) [Emphasis mine]
“They themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to death itself underneath their feet…a Church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man!…This generation of young people that are coming are going to see the beginning of the worldwide new order…It is going to change the expression of Christianity in a generation.”[11, 12, 13] (Bob Jones; Kansas City Fellowship Interview tape with Mike Bickle, 1988 as quoted by Jewel van der Merwe {Grewe}) [Emphasis mine]
“What is about to come upon the earth is not just a revival or another awakening; it is a veritable revolution. This vision was given in order to begin awakening those who are destined to radically change the course and even the very definition of Christianity.”[14] (Rick Joyner The Harvest) [Emphasis mine]
And, during Todd Bentley’s “commissioning” service on June 23, 2008, Bill Johnson[15] said:
…We shape the course of history by partnering with you giving honor where it’s due. You welcome the glory as well as anybody I’ve ever seen in my life – I long to learn from you in that and I bless you. And, I pray with the rest of these that the measure of glory would increase, that Moses would no longer be the high water mark with the glory shown from his face but instead the revelation of the goodness of God would change the face of the church. And that he would use your voice, he would use your grace, your anointing, to alter the face of the Church before the world…[16] [Emphasis mine]
Has ‘the expression of Christianity’ and ‘the face of the church’ changed? Will it in the future?
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [Hebrews 13:8 NIV]
27But you remain the same and your years will never end [Psalms 102:27 NIV]
19God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change his mind [Numbers 23:19 NIV]
“On October 13, 2007, …138 Muslim scholars and clerics sent an open letter ‘to leaders of Christian churches, everywhere.’”[17] So began Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word Between Us and You – a document signed by ‘Christian leaders’ in answer to this open letter.[18] On the home page of A Common Word, “…Thus despite their differences, Islam and Christianity not only share the same Divine Origin and same Abrahamic heritage, but the same two greatest commandments.”[19]
In an apparent effort not to offend, the ‘Christian leaders’ brought reproach upon Jehovah God. This response sent back to Muslim scholars and clerics references “the Prophet Muhammad” [yes that’s a capital ‘P’ Prophet] and refers to God as “the All-Merciful One.” I don’t recall this as one of the names listed for Jehovah God in my Bible. In addition, Jesus Christ, while mentioned a few times, is never referred to as the Son of God or Savior – again in an effort not to offend.
32Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. [Matthew 10:32-33 NIV]
13…Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips. [Exodus 23:13 NIV]
Here is a quote from “A Christian Response:”
When Freedom to worship God according to one’s conscience is curtailed, God is dishonored, the neighbor is oppressed, and neither God nor neighbor is loved [17] [Emphasis mine]
While Jehovah God – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – gives us all free will to choose to love Him or not, He IS dishonored when we choose not to love Him. And, to truly love our neighbor is to evangelize in hopes of their salvation.
4For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. [Deuteronomy 4:23 NIV]
One more quote from the “Christian Response:”
Abandoning all “hatred and strife,” we must engage in interfaith dialogue as those who seek each other’s good, for the one God unceasingly seeks our good. Indeed, together with you we believe that we need to move beyond “a polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders” and work diligently together to reshape relations between our communities and our nations so that they genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another. [17] [Emphasis mine]
Following is a partial list of signatories beginning with the two individuals who were formerly speaking out against the New Age Movement referenced at the close of part two of this series: Rich Nathan, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Church of Columbus; Richard Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary; Rick Warren, Founder and Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA; Bill Hybels, Founder and Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church; Lynn Green, International Chairman, YWAM; David Yonggi Cho, Founder and Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea; Brian McLaren, [Emerging Church movement] Author, Speaker, Activist; Berten A. Waggoner, National Director, Association of Vineyard Churches; Robert Schuller, Founder, Crystal Cathedral and Hour of Power; Kim B. Gustafson, President, Common Ground; Steve Moore, President and CEO, The Mission Exchange (formerly EFMA); John M. Buchanan, Editor/Publisher, The Christian Century; Leith Anderson; President, National Association of Evangelicals; James A. Kowalski, Dean, Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NY; David Neff, Editor in Chief and Vice President, Christianity Today Media Group.[17] There are about 250 in total.
Here’s more on Fuller Theological Seminary in which they would unabashedly promote religious pluralism as well as New Age ideals and terminology. From a newsletter from 2003 of an event co-sponsored by Calvin College and Fuller Theological Seminary:
Drawing on the resources of scholars from various parts of the world who represent diverse historical and religious experiences of religio-cultural plurality, the consultation will reflect together on its meaning for faithful Christian witness.[17] [Emphasis mine]
In the events schedule of this weekend-long conference lasting Friday through Sunday were topics on Hinduism, Islam, “Primal/traditional religions,” and others.[20] In the newsletter’s ‘Statement of Purpose:’
Since 1945 the forces of globalization have accelerated with the result that people everywhere have become conscious of the ‘world as a whole’ being bound more tightly together. At the same time they experience the “local” more intensely. This global-local dialectic is a key characteristic of globalization.
…This project focuses on religious plurality as an important element in this larger process of globalization and pluralization…[20] [Emphasis mine]
The term “global-local dialectic” is interchangeable with ‘think globally, act locally’ – very common New Age terms. What were the “forces of globalization” which began in 1945? Most likely this is referencing the birth of the United Nations in 1945 which superseded the League of Nations. The UN is “an international organization formed after World War II in 1945 to promote international peace, security and cooperation under the terms of the Charter of the United Nations.”[21] On a website detailing the “Evolution of The Great Invocation”[22] – a prayer to the Antichrist – is found the following:
The United Nations Conference on International Organization convened on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco, for five days right at the time of the Wesak. (That year the Taurus full moon fell on April 27.)[23] [Emphasis mine]
The Wesak Full Moon Ritual[24] is a celebration of the “Birth and Enlightenment of Buddha.”[25] It’s interesting that this initial meeting of the UN was held right smack in the middle of an important occultic/esoteric holiday.
The Charter of the United Nations was signed on June 26 (exactly one month after the Gemini full moon of 1945, on May 26) and enacted on October 24, 1945, with the 51 signatures representing all sections of the planet.[23] [Emphasis mine]
The Pope’s ties to the United Nations
The papacy has had close ties to the UN since its inception.[26] Pope Benedict XVI “supports robust global governance, in a fashion that has long bewildered neoconservative critics of the United Nations in the United States and elsewhere.”[26] [Emphasis mine] Prior to the Pope’s visit of April 18 of this year, the President of the UN General Assembly, Serjan Kerim anticipated that the visit would be “special” since “more than a billion Catholics in the world share many of the concerns and aspirations of the UN.”[27]
The pope and the UN secretary-general “are two eminent moral authorities in the world,” Archbishop Migliore [Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s UN nuncio or ‘ambassador’] said noting that the UN secretary-general [currently Ban Ki-moon of South Korea] “is oftentimes referred to as the ‘secular pope.’”
…The Holy See is an international actor of rank and has an important role to play in addressing a number of major international challenges,” he said. One of those challenges, he added, is “religious interfaith dialogue, where the pope has taken important initiatives lately.
…Being at the forefront of the U.N. initiative for an alliance of civilizations,” he said, Spain was “particularly pleased with the pope’s call to interreligious and intercultural dialogue based on the dignity of the human being, which can only be of benefit to the United Nations and international community as a whole.[28] [All emphasis mine]
Is it a coincidence that the Pope’s visit to the US and the UN in New York, which commenced on the 15th of April, ended on the 20th[29] which was a full moon[30] tying into what’s known as “the Festival of the Christ?”[25] [Again, “the Christ” is actually the Antichrist.] There are three important festivals to theosophists/esotericists. The first is the “Festival of the Christ” in April, the second is Wesak in May and the third is the “Festival of Humanity” which is in June.[25] All coincide with the full moon.
The Papacy in the New Age
At the 23rd World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia on July 20, 2008 [the trip was actually 6 days total from July 15th through July 20th – note: there was a full moon on July 18] Pope Benedict XVI suggested New Age unity:[31]
“In today’s Gospel, [cf. Luke 4:21], Jesus proclaims that a new age has begun, in which the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all humanity.”[31][Emphasis mine]
In context the Luke verse is referring to the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2 – a Messianic prophetic passage. While there is no mention of the Holy Spirit being poured out in either the Luke or Isaiah verses, I concede that the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry would ultimately culminate in his death on the cross and outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2. However, this quote above sounds suspiciously similar to Latter Rain[32, 33] teaching especially when taken together with the following:
At the Mass, the pope prayed that the World Youth Day experience would be a new Pentecost for all the participants, marking a new outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.[34] [Emphasis mine]
Additionally, Pope Benedict in his push for ecumenism warned we should not let doctrine divide the Church – another aspect of Latter Rain.[35]
“…We must guard against any temptation to view doctrine as divisive and hence an impediment to the seemingly more pressing and immediate task of improving the world in which we live.”[35] [Emphasis mine]
Note that the pope uses the term ‘new age’ three times in the following short passage. Certainly, Pope Benedict must be aware of the negative implications of the term.
“…Empowered by the Spirit, and drawing upon faith’s rich vision, a new generation of Christians is being called to help build a world in which God’s gift of life is welcomed, respected and cherished — not rejected, feared as a threat and destroyed,” the Bishop of Rome affirmed. “A new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty. A new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships.” “Dear young friends,” he urged, “the Lord is asking you to be prophets of this new age, messengers of his love, drawing people to the Father and building a future of hope for all humanity.” The world and the Church need this renewal, Benedict XVI affirmed. “The Church especially needs the gifts of young people, all young people,” he said. “She needs to grow in the power of the Spirit who even now gives joy to your youth and inspires you to serve the Lord with gladness…”[36]
And last, but not least, is the following from an article proposing on a beauty pageant for nuns. The contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 40, “and can be either full members of an order or novices.”[37] Does this mean one is no longer beautiful after age 40? Is this the line of demarcation? At least there will be no swimsuit competition and the nuns would not be wearing anything revealing according to the article. The photos will be placed on a blog and viewers can vote on their favorites.
…Father [Antonio] Rungi said that he expected many who applied to be young, attractive – and non-Italian. He said: “Do you really think nuns are all wizened, funereal old ladies? Today, it’s not like that any more, thanks to an injection of youth and vitality brought to our country by foreign girls.” He said there were nuns from Africa and Latin America who were “really very, very pretty. The Brazilian girls above all.”
…He admitted that not all Catholics were in favor of the idea. “I have had some e-mails from Christians who perhaps have not grasped the evangelizing spirit of the initiative, or the potential of the internet, which is a marvelous tool for spreading the Christian message. Unfortunately, some people still have a closed mentality.”[37][Emphasis mine]
Does this seem like effective evangelism or does this seem wrong to you dear reader? I agree the internet is “a marvelous tool for spreading the Christian message” but not in the way he’s thinking.
[1] “ecumenism.” WordNet© 3.0. Princeton University. 26 Aug. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ecumenism>
[2] <http://www.unity.org/index.php?submenu=What_we_believe&src=gendocs&ref=WeBelieve&category=About%20Us>
[3] “pluralism.” WordNet© 3.0. Princeton University. 26 Aug. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pluralism>
[4] <http://www.lucistrust.org/en/publications_store/alice_bailey_books/about_alice_bailey>
[5] Bailey, Alice A. “Introduction to Initiation.” From Bethlehem to Calvary. Lucis Trust; copyright 1937 by Alice A. Bailey, renewed 1957 by Foster Bailey; 4th paperback edition, 1989; Fort Orange Press, Inc., Albany, New York; p 20-21
[6] <http://www.ihop.org/>
[7] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Bickle>
[8] <http://www.pfo.org/growingpains.htm>
[9] <http://www.morningstarministries.org/>
[10] Bickle, Mike. Growing in the Prophetic. Creation House. Lake Mary, FL; 1996 p 30
[11] (van der Merwe) Grewe, Jewel. “False Prophets.” Discernment Newsletter. May 1990 Volume 1, No.1 <http://www.discernment-ministries.org/1990_FirstEdition.pdf page 35 (Kansas City Fellowship Interview Bob Jones with Mike Bickle 1988)
[12] (van der Merwe) Grewe, Jewel. “A New Breed.” Discernment Newsletter. June 1990 <http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_June1990.pdf page 45 (Kansas City Fellowship Interview Bob Jones with Mike Bickle 1988)
[13] (van der Merwe) Grewe, Jewel. “The Anointed Seed.” Discernment Newsletter. September 1990 <http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_Sept1990.pdf> page 5 (Kansas City Fellowship Interview Bob Jones with Mike Bickle 1988)
[14] Joyner, Rick. The Harvest <http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0883685035/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link> 1993. MorningSter Publications. Charlotte, NC; back cover
[15] <http://www.ibethel.org/>
[16] Johnson, Bill. “Todd Bentley ‘Commissioning’ of June 23, 2008.” <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A05WQYi7aQ> 1:30 – 2:10
[17] <http://www.acommonword.com/index.php?lang=en&page=option1>
[18] <http://www.acommonword.com/lib/downloads/fullpageadbold18..pdf>
[19] <http://www.acommonword.com/>
[20] “Christianity and Religious Plurality in Historical and Global Perspective.” April 25-27, 2003 <http://www.fullerseminary.net/news/html/religiousplurality.asp>
[21] American Society of International Law <http://www.asil.org/resource/un1.htm>
[22] <http://www.lucistrust.org/invocation/>
[23] <http://www.souledout.org/gi/gievolution.html>
[24] <http://www.souledout.org/wesak/wesaklegend2.html>
[25] <http://www.wesak.us/articles.php>
[26] Allen, Jr., John L., “The Vatican’s Relative Truth.” The New York Times. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/opinion/19allen.html> 12/19/07
[27] “UN gets ready for Pope Benedict’s visit.” <http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/9316.html> 04/11/08
[28] Stagnaro, Angelo. “Diplomats welcome Pope Benedict’s visit to United Nations.” Catholic News Service. <http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802122.htm> 08/20/08
[29] Wooden, Cindy. “Pope says trip to U.S. was opportunity to give, receive hope, faith.” <http://www.uspapalvisit.org/stories/cns_0802384.htm> 04/30/08
[30] <http://www.farmersalmanac.com/2007-2008-full-moons>
[31] Flynn, Father John, LC. “The New Age of the Holy Spirit.” Zenit. <http://www.zenit.org/article-23347?l=english> 07/27/08
[32] <http://www.theopedia.com/Latter_Rain_Movement>
[33] <http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain7.htm>
[34] Wooden, Cindy. “Pope tells young people power of the Holy Spirit can transform world.” Catholic News Services. <http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803760.htm> 07/20/08
[35] Wigen, Nancy. “Ecumenism ultimately points toward a common Eucharist, Pope tells Christians.” Catholic News Agency. <http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=13290> 07/18/08
[36] “Pope Prays Closing Mass Will Be New Pentecost..” World Youth Day – Cross Media. <http://wydcrossmedia.org/moduli/popupnews.php?i=602> 07/19/08
[37] Owen, Richard, “Priest Antonio Rungi wants beauty contest – for nuns.” The Times. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4600534.ece> 08/25/08
I grew up attending a protestant covenant church and accepted the Lord as a young girl. I had a strong biblical background. I began to backslide as a teenager and so I wandered for over 30 years. One day I came back to the Lord. I was so convicted of my sin that I wept in repentance. I became hungry for the Word of God. I joined BSF Bible Study when invited to attend. I hungered and thirsted for righteousness.
I was immersed in the Word and loving every minute of it. But something happened. I began to receive open visions. I saw the Lord’s hands. Gigantic numbers appeared in scenery as I was driving.
Then I began to get messages. Oh how I thought the Lord was using me. I told my mother who thought I was being extremely blessed. I began to take the advice from the voice that I was hearing. I told only a few people but one was impressed with how close I was to God and asked if I had a “Word” for him. Not being familiar with Pentecostal theology I had not heard of this. So I asked God for a “Word” for this person. Indeed I was given specific information regarding this person and shared it with him. It was an extremely joyful experience. However it only deepened my delusion.
Since I was a Christian and was “hearing” a voice, I thought surely I was hearing from God. I did not even question my experience. Satan is a tricky and deceptive being. He will use the best devices at his disposal to pull you away from God.
The messages I received were varied. Some sounded like scripture. Some were odd dreams. I dreamt about evil hanging over the city of Kansas City and the IHOP. (That one was true). Satan mixes truth and lies. I had strange manifestations at night. I once had two open visions of water flowing down the hallway in my home. A week later a water hose slipped from the connection and flooded the house. The demonic world can see circumstances around you and make you think you are prophetic. This list could go on and on.
One was an upcoming judgment of a city with a time frame of two weeks. I started to look for others who were receiving similar information.
Oh my! What I found was a whole world of prophetic people. I came across something called the The Elijah List. I poured over their predictions and visions. I was hearing some of the same things others were. I read them all. I did notice that some of the older posts had predicted future events that did not happen. One was a tsunami for the West Coast reaching up into the Willamette valley. That date had passed. I wondered about that.
But something happened…or didn’t happen I should say. The prediction I was given didn’t come true. It was a failed prophecy. I also read that these predictions are not always right that the prophet can be off, but still be a prophet. This is a standard teaching in the hyper-charismatic world. Someone said to me that perhaps my prayers had diverted the disaster. I wasn’t buying it. Something was wrong. I started praying for the truth…constantly.
Research took up most of time at this point. I was learning about all of the false doctrine entering the church. I was shocked. Contemplative prayer, LatterRain, yoga in the church, prosperity teachings, and the prophetic ministries. Mind boggling. While I was trying to find out why I was receiving these false messages, I was learning discernment. I also learned that I already had discernment because of the doubts in my mind.
One day I opened my Bible to Deuteronomy 18. I read in verse 22 where it says, “if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken…” This sent me to the floor. I was devastated. What I had heard was NOT from God. I knew then that I had been listening to the enemy. It is hard to describe the deflation of pride that happens when the Lord reveals HIS truth. He opened my eyes and scales fell off.
I asked the Lord to take away any gifts that I had that were not from Him. The messages stopped.
A couple years before this started, menopause had hit me and my doctor prescribed Celexa, an anti-depressant because I had become rather weepy. I didn’t think much of it… because it seemed to help. Then I started having colon problems. Another doctor prescribed a pill that seemed to take the pain away. This worked too.
I didn’t know it at the time but the second pill was also an anti-depressant. I was on two powerful psychotropic drugs and I was seeing things and hearing voices. These drugs pierce a protective veil in the mind and are mind-altering. I had opened up my mind with drugs. Another factor is these drugs affect the pituitary gland. This also opens up a person spiritually and this is dangerous. I didn’t know it at the time, and I surely did not want this to happen…But it did.
I want to add that while the drugs were the catalyst for my deception the same problems can happen by being open to false teachings, eastern-style meditation, and receiving impartations from occultism.
A friend alerted me to the predicament I was in and informed me of the influences I was under with the drugs…I had my answer. Praise God for this friend of mine. I went on a tapering program to get off the drugs and now I am totally free of them.
But here is the deal. I was joyful at the thought that I was being used by God. I felt “special”. What rises in a person is thinking that you have spiritual information not available to others. This is a form of Gnosticism. Special knowledge. Now I can see that this was actually spiritual pride. What a lesson. I had only discussed my situation with a handful of people but I had to confess to those I given a “word” to. Confession…..repentance…….restoration.
I was yet to receive another blow to my pride. One night I opened to 1 Samuel and read 15:23. “Rebellion is like the sin of divination.” I had been in rebellion to God by the loving the false messages. It was sin. Later the Lord instructed me on the next step of my undeceiving.
Because I had been reading my Bible every day for six years, I was able to find the truth. Prayer was a staple I needed to get through this situation. But I can see how beguiling the prophetic movement is and how much it actually harmed me and others spiritually. What if I had decided to try to post my “revelations“, lies from Satan, on one of the prophetic sites? I would have mislead many people.
Unfortunately, my problems did not totally stop here. While the messages and visions stopped I still was suffering from some manifestations. Once while commenting on this blog with a student of “A Course of Miracles” this young person said he was going to send me a benevolent spirit that night. A spirit did show up that night but it was anything but friendly. A cold bony hand gripped the back of my neck. I slipped to the floor and prayed it away in the name of Jesus.
It was an interesting experience. The deceived student thought the spirit he was communing with was good but as a born again believer it appeared to me in its true form as an evil spirit. But again I began to wonder, why I was able to discern the spirit world? Is this also a form of divination?
I had a written personal journal of “messages”, or “visions” that I had received over those three years. I was then led to Acts 19:19 which said that the people burned their magic books. This would be my next step. The very next morning I took my journal and burned it on the back porch on a pizza pan. That night I saw the angry red eyes of a demon. They turned away and left. Now I was also free from the manifestations that had lingered. This demon could see I was still reading his messages to me.
This gave me much freedom from the confusion this situation had been causing. I need to warn the reader again…some of the personal visions I received, did actually happen, and I think this was to enforce the delusion. Satan can see our personal instances and the world we live in and can make us believe that we have received a personal revelation confirming circumstances surrounding us. Some of the messages I received sounded very scriptural, but this is how Satan deceives, by mixing truth and lies together. Satan twisted scripture when he tempted Jesus, but Jesus resisted by using the Word….”It is Written” he replied. We need to resist temptation also, and we can use the Word of God and prayer as our strength and power to defend ourselves.
With all the false teachings that are abounding the one thing I fear most for the church at this time is the “anointing”. Those who desire this “impartation” must be prayed for. I have heard the stories of how these so-called prophetic powers can be passed onto someone by the laying on of hands. My situation was only one way that a person can open themselves to deception. But there are many ways. There is the impartation, false anointings, drugs, alcohol, eastern meditation, repetition of word, hypnosis, visualization (very occult) , and the seduction of today’s hypnotic music. The church is being bombarded with all these deceptions and spiritual influences. Sadly the church is embracing many of these occult methods because these methods create an “experience” of feelings, like the “soaking” we hear so much about today. Instead of serving God in humililty we are being taught to soak in ecstasy.
Whenever I hear of the church participating in something that sounds like a “spiritual awakening,” I cringe. New age techniques almost always accompany these gatherings.
It was not long ago I prayed…”Lord, why did I have to go through this? Why me?”
I knew immediately…I had been tested. Who was I going to turn to? The Lord and His Word in the Bible, or Satan and his false words outside scripture?
The church is being tested right now!….Are you being refined or are you being mislead? Can you spot deception and avoid it or are your participating in it? Are you reading and studying the Bible for truth from God or are you following the wicked paths of man?
The deceptions today will pull you AWAY from Jesus Christ if you know Him. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord then you will have much difficulty finding the truth. Those who have compromised themselves by a false spirit cannot pray or have difficulty reading the Bible. Christians following this false spirit or desiring its power, have lost all desire for these two mainstays of the faith. If this is the case then you need to repent and turn back to the Jesus of the Bible.
Truth found in the Word of God has to be paramount today. Accept nothing else.
Please show patience and mercy to those caught up in these deceptions. Pray for them. Some truly want to serve the Lord and walk with Him. But the evil one knows who to go after. Those who want the truth will eventually listen to it. It may be a process for them. Others are not sheep and need salvation first. Some who come out of deception seem to recover quite quickly. Others suffer for years learning Biblical truth. The Lord works in His ways to draw His sheep back to Him. Not one will be lost.
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By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Aug. 20 2008 05:41 PM EDT
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This amusing but sad article was forwarded to me from TimH…thanks Tim…..
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Already in its second printing, a newly released book by one of the country’s most innovative pastors is fast-becoming a must-read for church leaders who really want to have it.
After seeing his church grow from a two-car garage worship experience to now services at 13 different campuses in six states, Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch.tv, talks about a transformational agent he calls “it” in his new book It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It .
“We didn’t have a nice building. We didn’t have our own office. We didn’t have a church phone number … What did we have? We had a few people … We had enough Bibles to go around. And we had it,” Groeschel writes, describing his church start in 1996, in the first chapter of the book.
You can name today the churches that have it, churches that had it but lost it, and some that don’t have it, the LifeChurch pastor said at a recent leadership summit.
So what is it?
“The answer is ‘don’t know,'” Groeschel said as he addressed thousands of leaders at Willow Creek Community Church. “Honestly, I’m not totally sure.”
It has a lot to do with the Holy Spirit, Groeschel believes, but that’s not everything.
What he does know is that organizations that do have it possess seven qualities. They have a “laser focus,” see opportunity where others see obstacles, have a willingness to fail, are led by people who have it, and have unmistakable camaraderie, among others.
Moreover, it is not a system or model, nor is it something that can be created, copied or manufactured, he says. God makes it happen.
And when churches have it, they see transformed lives but at the same time, those churches with it attract critics, many of whom misunderstand.
When LifeChurch was expanding to multiple different locations and incorporating satellite video teaching into the services, the church drew its share of critics, some of whom felt video sites created distance between the churchgoer and pastor or that video venues directed all the attention to one pastor (on screen).
Still, while LifeChurch was growing, not every campus had it.
“All of our campuses were under the same leadership. The buildings were similar. The worship pastors were unique but had consistent styles. The kids’ curriculum never varied from campus to campus. All were experiencing exactly the same weekend teaching. But some campuses had it. And some didn’t,” Groeschel, who says it is still a growing idea, states in his book.
He illustrates this by showing that there was phenomenal growth at every LifeChurch campus except the one where Groeschel taught at live, in person.
He realized, “If you don’t have it, you can get it. If you have it, you can lose it.”
During the biggest periods of growth at LifeChurch, Groeschel had lost it, he says.
“When you do start growing, it really is easy to lose it,” he says. “It’s so easy … to start focusing on numbers and start looking at the big picture rather than focusing on some of the individual stories and neglecting your individual relationship with God.”
“Make sure you don’t fall so in love with success [that] you fall out of love with Jesus,” Groeschel warns church leaders.
Today, he says he has it.
But it wasn’t a “one-point process” to get it back. Over a period of a year, he stopped listening to other pastors’ messages and books and sought out God’s Word; and he saw starvation in another country and death, he explained.
“Some of you, it’s time to let God break your heart again,” Groeschel told leaders. “I pray you don’t sleep until you get it and fall in love with Jesus again.”
http://christianpost.com/article/20080820/some-churches-have-it-some-don-t.htm
I first heard this comment or one similar some time ago. I had just taught a lesson in Bible Study in Matthew 13 about the parable of the yeast. With this bible teaching fresh in my mind, the idea of being able to extract truth from false doctrine, rang the alarm bell.
kim
“CHEW THE MEAT;
SPIT OUT THE BONES….”
Lynn & Sarah Leslie
We were astonished when we first heard this statement. In all of our 50-plus years we had never encountered this phrase before. It immediately conjured up graphic images of sharp teeth roughly biting off and devouring a tough piece of meat, and rudely spewing out pieces of bone. Surely there were better table manners than this!
We first heard this retort when we had expressed a concern about a curriculum. Ostensibly this curriculum was a book that would embody the teachings of our local church, and it was written by a man highly esteemed and respected – a man who held many positions of leadership in parachurch groups. Yet embedded throughout his curriculum were heresies. We worried that teaching these heresies could adversely affect families in our church.
Like most material in the evangelical world today, this particular curriculum didn’t teach flagrant and obvious heresies. Rather, it subtly introduced new terms, new understandings, and new ways of thinking about traditional biblical concepts. When we read the curriculum we immediately recognized that it had integrated the teachings of an evangelical leader who is noted for his controversial teachings and cult-like practices. When we looked in the bibliography, sure enough, we found references to this leader – and worse! The writer was clearly influenced by these outside teachings and importing them into our group.
But “chew the meat, spit out the bones”? We were being told that this is the method by which the church members should read this man’s book. Where did this phrase originate and how did it become a catchphrase that so easily dismisses concerns about biblical error? A quick Internet search does not reveal the origination of this expression. But it always seems to be used in the context of justifying the inclusion of error in otherwise biblical-sounding teachings.
Is chewing meat and spitting out the bones a sensible plan for eating meat in everyday life? Is it a biblical concept? We’ll get to the answers later…. First, let us look at how truth gets mixed with error.
The Off-Center Bullseye
One analogy that helps to visualize the trouble with slightly off-base teachings is the shooting of an arrow at a target. A bullseye is in the center of a target. It seems like some leaders purposefully aim their arrows just a little bit off to the side of the bullseye. What they are teaching isn’t quite biblical truth. It contains just a tiny glimmer of untruth, a somewhat off-kilter idea, or a novel interpretation of Scripture that runs a little askew of traditional doctrine. Most of these little “off” statements go unchallenged, as we would like to give the writer or speaker the benefit of the doubt. It could be that we just misunderstood.
But if the slightly off-target statement is repeated, included throughout, or a foundational error, it becomes a matter of doctrinal concern. Below we explain why it is so subtle and hard to identify at first:
TRUTH (THESIS) . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ANTITHESIS
\ /
SYNTHESIS
Here is what happens: The opposite of Truth (Thesis) is Anti-Truth (Antithesis). A small-appearing lie forms in opposition to the Truth of God’s Word (1 Tim. 6:20). To create a Synthesis, this initial lie must be accepted instead of rejected. To justify the error, man will attempt to merge it into biblical Truth. It usually feels like just a tiny compromise, no big deal. What results, however, is a new “truth” – a synthesized “truth” in which a bit of error has been mixed in. This process is called dialectics; it has been around ever since Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan’s temptation in the Garden of Eden.
Once a Synthesis is established, more syntheses can come about by adding in a New Antithesis to the Synthesis. This creates a New Synthesis, which is even further from the original Truth. It works like this:
NEW TRUTH (SYNTHESIS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANTITHESIS
\ /
NEW SYNTHESIS
The sequential process of adding Antithesis to truth, and creating new Syntheses can go on and on to create progressive “new revelation.” After a while, the original Truth becomes lost. In fact, we sometimes get letters at Discernment Ministries from people who believe we are seriously deluded because we hold to the old biblical Truth. They have only been taught the New Truth (Synthesis) to the point where it is a total Antithesis to the Gospel of Salvation. They believe their false gospel is the true Gospel and that we are the ones who are deceived.
Chewing Meat With the Bones Still In It
How does this Synthesis process happen to the local church today? Very cleverly, deceptively and subtly. New doctrines, practices, and concepts are “sold” to the church as a promising new way to build the kingdom of God, reach the lost, attain personal satisfaction in your Christian life, reach a higher level of spirituality, engage in a deeper walk, acquire psychological health, and even grow in prosperity!
The “sales” routine appeals to the five senses. Here is how it goes: You will “feel” better if you adopt this new theology. It will “meet your needs.” There is an easier way, a bypass that will save you that uncomfortable conviction of heart and dying to self. In fact, the old Truth is dead tradition. It is hindering you; it stifles your self-expression. It is too rigid and restrictive. You don’t need a bunch of dry, dead formulas for dos and don’ts. You can select which theologies meet your needs and discard the ones that seem too legalistic. This teaches you to mix and match doctrines. You can create your own Synthesis to establish your own comfort zone in the faith.
Churches and mission groups are susceptible to this Synthesis process, too. New programs and plans promise more effectiveness through networking, partnering, coalitions, ecumenical councils, joint efforts, etc. Your group must set aside a few of its principles, convictions or beliefs. The ends will justify the means. The other groups can hold to their own beliefs, you can practice yours – this has the appearance of separation. The two of you might even find common ground through aligning your basic core beliefs. This Synthesis particularly appeals to those who are mission minded. You are promised that fewer people will be in poverty, more people will be aided, and you would heighten your evangelistic impact – if only you would overlook a few minor doctrinal discrepancies in your partner’s theology – Synthesis.
Many evangelical leaders today have actually been trained to publicly present solid statements of faith, but in their writings and teachings you can catch a glimmer of another gospel. This is deceptive, but the evangelical world worships its leaders. Some men are placed on pedestals, exalted to icon status. It is not unlike the fervor over rock & roll stars or Hollywood celebrities. These men are so exalted that people flock after them en masse. Their popularity serves as a measure of protection from scrutiny. Who would dare to criticize this man? If you find fault with their teachings, you quickly learn that you are not popular. We get letters daily at Discernment Ministries from people who have been told – He’s such a wonderful man! If everyone else likes him, why are you finding fault with his teachings? He might be off on a few points, but everything else seems just fine. You are just being too picky. What is the matter with you? Perhaps you are just too “fundamentalist.” You are paying too much attention to doctrine. C’mon go with the flow!
What’s the Matter With A Little Bit of Leaven?
In our modern age of Christian bookstores and media, it is outside leaven that begins to weaken good local churches at the foundation. New “truths” come in like leaven. The whole lump becomes permeated with a perverse teaching. It is very insidious. This is also Synthesis. New doctrines can be so integrated and infused throughout a book, teaching or sermon that it is difficult to separate truth from error. One sentence could contain both truth and error! Just as one cannot take yeast out of a lump of dough, one cannot easily extricate the yeast out of a leaven-saturated teaching. We have often been asked, “What is the matter with a little bit of leaven?” as if it were a harmless little annoyance which could be easily discarded.
Several years ago in the Fall of 2004 Sarah performed a “science” experiment for several Discernment conferences. First she tried it in our warm kitchen at home. She mixed up a small recipe of bread dough but left out the yeast. She picked out a walnut-sized lump of dough and added a tiny bit of yeast to it. She carefully set this little lump off to the side of a big bowl. On the other side of this bowl was the big lump of unleavened dough. Soon that little lump began growing. In only a few minutes it got so big that it touched the side of the big lump. Just a short while later it was pressing in on the other lump, forming it into a crescent shape. Within an hour the two lumps had begun to mingle, and by 1½ hours the two lumps were virtually indistinguishable.
When we tried this experiment at the first conference in Niagara Falls, a chilly air conditioner was blowing from overhead in the room. The yeasty lump just didn’t grow. So we tried it again at the Albany conference a month later. Once again, there was a chilly duct above so we took steps to try to keep the dough more protected. An hour later, although the smaller lump had grown large enough to contact the larger lump, there appeared to be no intermingling of the doughs. We thought our object lesson had failed again. But later that night when we went to dump out the bowl we were shocked to discover that underneath the surface, which had become somewhat encrusted and dry, there was a seething, bubbling mass of leavenous dough. Although it appeared to be “separate” on the top layer, underneath the leaven had thoroughly penetrated the entire lump. The Lord had given us a great object lesson!
Likewise, new “truths” often come into churches under the surface, sometimes hijacking a ride on a good-sounding book, idea or program. Increasingly we are hearing reports from people that even the most conservative groups are bringing in these new teachings. New “truths” have been re-packaged in their own denominational garb, piggy-backing on familiar terminologies that are given new meanings. We have even heard reports that churches that wouldn’t have gone “purpose-driven” with Rick Warren’s programs are receiving training in the exact same concepts. This, too, is intentional, deceptive Synthesis.
“Foreign Body in Throat”
At http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse0313.htm one can read about the medical procedures that must be followed to extricate a fish or chicken bone from someone’s throat. It is not a pleasant description! The patient must endure a series of painful and intricate examinations that can cause gagging. If the bone is not located and fully extracted, pain, fever, bleeding, and breathing and swallowing difficulties will commence. The esophagus can be punctured, and bones could become embedded in the tonsils, the pharynx, and the tongue. Complicated and invasive surgical procedures are the only way to remove the bone.
*update…upper link is no longer active.
Why, then, would anyone suggest that we can “chew the meat, spit out the bones”? Do you eat this way? No one should do this in real life! Especially, no one in their right mind would ever give a child a piece of chicken or fish with small bones in it. How cruel to even think of such a thing! So why would it ever be acceptable to give a young believer in Christ, or a youth, a book that contains heresy? Yet, daily we hear reports from concerned Christian believers that this practice is widespread in the churches.
Hebrews 5:11-14 explains how to eat meat in a biblical fashion. It uses a real life analogy and applies it to spiritual principles:
12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the Word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14But strong meatbelongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
A baby will put anything in its mouth, both hurtful and nutritious. Similarly, a spiritual babe is unable to distinguish between sound and unsound doctrine and is more vulnerable to being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”(Eph. 4:14). Solid biblical instruction is an antidote to this. But, negligence and idleness, or apathy towards the Word of God, especially by those entrusted with teaching “the Word of righteousness,” means that even longtime believers can be immature in understanding the most rudimentary doctrines. A babe in Christ is acknowledged to be “unskillful in the Word of righteousness,” but this should not be the case with “them that are of full age.” So what it the matter here?
Just as adults separate meat from bones before putting meat in their mouths, mature believers should be able to discriminate truth from error and separate themselves away from heretical doctrines. But many who should be mature believers by now have not exercised their spiritual senses “to discern both good and evil.” The word “exercised” is connected with the training of athletes. Christians should be well instructed, practiced, prepared and ready for a defense of the Gospel. They should be able to “rightly divide the Word of Truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Sadly, in the evangelical world fulfilling your physical senses has supplanted the “exercise” of your spiritual “senses.”
Hebrews 6:1-2 goes on to say that it is important to understand the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. It is these foundational doctrines which are subtly being twisted and synthesized with new “truths.” Daily we hear reports of how churches and families are being corrupted by an influx of new “truths,” eroding the Gospel of Salvation. Unless one has had “their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” they could easily fall prey to “seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1). The “Word of righteousness” offers daily assistance with the task of exercising your spiritual senses so that you are able to discern error when it comes in. You do not need to be an expert at understanding heresies. If you know the Bible, and study it intimately, you will recognize error.
***printed by permission***
At the Discernment Conference at Spring Hill, Florida, February 2007. Speaking were Lynn and Sarah Leslie, (center and right)
Volume 19 Number 4 July/August 2008
What Language Do You Speak?
Jewel Grewe
Our spoken and written language is the most important aspect of our culture and identity as a people. In 1997 The Summer Institute of Linguistics noted that the Bible had been translated into 2,197 languages. The Ethnologue Institute has a detailed list of 6,809 distinct languages. In the U.S. we recognize what part of the country someone comes from by their accent. As an American traveling overseas, my ears always perk up when an American accent floats across a crowded airport (Americans seem to speak quite loudly, especially overseas). We identify one another by our language. Our knowledge of the spoken and the written word enables us to hear and understand each other.
Likewise, true knowledge is gained through understanding. Understanding comes through applying oneself to the Truth. Proverbs 24:5 states that: A man of knowledge increaseth strength.
The Word of God is the very fountain of all knowledge. The study thereof should be of utmost importance in the believer’s life. It will identify us as believers. Our knowledge of the Word will enable us to hear and understand His will for our lives.
The Language of the Redeemed
In I Peter 2:9 we are told that we are a peculiar people: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
This means that we have been set apart from the world. We are part of a different world than that which is around us. We speak a different language; it is the language of the Redeemed. True holiness before God is the daily goal of the true follower of Christ. I Peter 1:13&14 says: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.
The language of the redeemed binds us together even closer than the language of our native country.
It is because of this understanding that our hearts break over so many dear Christians who are not steeped in God’s Word today. They are not satisfied with the simplicity and beauty of walking by faith daily in the joy and blessings that He gives. This is the reason why Discernment Ministries has plodded along these many years weeping in the dreary dust of the crowds flittering here and there like the Athenians who spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.
Oh, but they say, God is doing a new thing in the earth. That does not mean to jump ship without a life jacket. When you hear those words, follow the admonition of Scripture – rather prefer to err on side of caution. Listen to the language spoken. Oh, yes, websites of many errant teachers can copy a statement of belief that looks genuine. But is this what they really believe? They can make many claims that will suck in the gullible. But what are they really teaching?
After studying these things for so many years, it is hard to know who is deceived the most. Is it the Leaders who have moved so far away from the knowledge of the Holy and instead, promote the profane and call it holy; or, is it the Followers who blindly run to and fro?
As a young girl, I grew up in Minnesota. The Voice of Healing had just started. Evangelists visited Minneapolis on a regular basis and my father, an Assembly of God pastor, supported every campaign that came through. My eldest sister was born with spinal bifida and was paralyzed from the waist down. Naturally, the greatest desire for our family was that she be healed. We attended meetings by: William Branham, Oral Roberts, AA Allen, the Cerullo brothers, Raymond Richey, Velmer Gardner, Kathryn Kuhlman, and I could go on and on. My sister was usually relegated to a back corner somewhere as she was considered a “difficult case.” I wondered about that. William Branham told my father that “it wasn’t God’s will to heal her.” I wondered about that. In some meetings I would observe “set-ups” where people would walk in a side door, sit in a wheelchair and when the healing lines would form, they would be wheeled up and be proclaimed “healed” and walk off the stage. I wondered about that.
At 12 years of age we moved to Zion, Illinois where there was a lot of fascinating history. My father had known John G. Lake personally when he had lived in Zion in his younger days. My piano teacher would relegate us with stories of John Alexander Dowie. During this time the Charismatic movement started, and my father and I visited many Full Gospel Business Men’s Conventions as he was active in the local chapter. A whole new set of individuals became known to my father as he would drive speakers to their next engagement, and I would sit in the back seat drinking in every word. Derek Prince, Don Bashan, Nicholas Bhengu and many others passed our way.
Latter Rain
Stanley Frodsham, a dear man of God and the Editor of the Pentecostal Evangel for many years, became part of the Latter Rain Movement that started in 1948. He and many others left the fold of the Assemblies of God and joined with those who were part of the “new thing” that came out of that particular time. Stanley Frodsham and his wife moved to Zion and attended our church. Mrs. Frodsham became my Sunday School teacher. Rev. Frodsham was the biographer for Smith Wigglesworth. He and his wife had traveled extensively with him and I was fascinated with the many stories they told. When I went to Central Bible College, the Frodshams had moved there and they introduced me to the Latter Rain group called The House of Prayer. At CBC attending Brother Kessel’s class I learned one side of the story of the split in the Assemblies of God http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_January1997.pdf. After attending this particular group for awhile, I learned the Latter Rain side of the story. I now realize all of this was part of God’s teaching process in my own life, even attempting such a ministry as Discernment Ministries. (Many years later I questioned Stanley Frodsham’s daughter about his involvement in the Latter Rain. Her answer was: “My father was a glutton for the supernatural”).
Yes, there are wonderful sincere people who are genuine in their love of the Lord but are always looking for “supernatural experiences and revelations,” but in doing so cause division and harm to the body of Christ. Yet, God in His infinite mercy has a way a working in the lives of His children who are humble and remain low at the Master’s feet, which I know was true of the Frodshams.
After several years of processing and growing in my Christian walk, I left for South Africa as young eager missionary to work with a 75-year-old lady with a genuine “apostolic ministry gift.” I say that because Ruth established many churches along with other wonderful missionaries, and the work of God in the Northern Province in South Africa is a testimony to their lives and sacrifices. Those people truly laid down their lives for the Gospel. They gave their all! Many times Ruth would go out and spend her last mite to fill up the little pick-up truck with vegetables that she could pass out to the hungry. They gave unstintingly of their time and resources for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It distressed me greatly when new innovative thinkers came on the scene and denigrated the work of these pioneers with a “new way of doing missions.” They then would maneuver to get rid of those who had gone before.
Marriage in 1971 and arrival of a family took our lives into a different set of circumstances and new ventures in our ministry – even to then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Ultimately we came to the U.S. where many things already had changed in the church. While pastoring in the States, we quickly became aware that Christian television was changing the whole direction of the church. A language was being spoken that somehow sounded foreign to our ears. Thankfully we realized that what at stake was the preaching of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Language of the Apostasy
It is grieving to me to write this as there are so many sincere people involved. It is so hard for me to understand why so many get caught up in these things. My heart cries with Paul who said, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (I Cor. 2:1-2).
Please don’t dismiss me as a heresy hunter and shut up your mind to anything but your preconceived notions. This is about Truth. Whether you are Todd Bentley, C. Peter Wagner, Bob Jones, Paul Cain or a pastor of a church, you can be deceived. None of us escape Satan’s devices. As simply as I possibly can, I will attempt to lay out some of the unscriptural language of the apostasy.
Let us examine the foundation for what we are now witnessing – from a 1993 Discernment newsletter,
www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_JanFeb1993.pdf
In the newsletter there is a review of a book by William DeArteaga entitled Quenching the Spirit. DeArteaga makes the assertion that “God brings new truth to the church by first revealing it to cults and occult groups.” He already had written a book in 1983 entitled Past Life Visions in which he lauds Agnes Sandford’s incredibly heretical The Healing Light and defends her belief in a pre-earth human existence (pp 145-6); seems to embrace evolution of man from a lower species (p. 126); declares the “ghosts” are “earthbound souls” (p 187) who may legitimately communicate with the living (p 182) and that the dead should be ministered to by the church (p 183). He argues that reincarnation is Biblical and was “validated by Jesus” (pp 197-209) and that such a gospel is helpful for India because it allows “the Hindu to maintain… the concept of Karma-reincarnation” (p 215); and he recommends regression into past lives as a standard method of spiritual healing for the church to adopt (pp. 151-163). [The Berean Call, Nov. ’92.]
The language of the occult
At the time this Discernment newsletter was written (1993), DeArteaga’s book was legitimized by the TBN, obviously to back up many of the teachings being promoted. There are ministries active today who have no problem introducing occult practices and call it “truth,” and claim we can use these experiences for a deeper “relationship” with God.
Satan’s language
I heard about one ministry that boasted, when invited to a Luciferian Initiation, that really Lucifer just means “angel of light” and after all, we all want “light”! Do you wonder why there is no mention of sin any longer? Has it grieved you that the cross is a subject avoided like poison?
Patricia King (Extreme Prophetic) influenced Todd Bentley after his conversion. I personally do not think he had any opportunity to sit under sound doctrine and learn the first principles. He was “channeled” into the supernatural realm to hook up with what taught him as getting “connected.””.
Her itinerant pastor, who doubles as a travelling DJ, calls the show “Club Mysterio” on an online video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2i5k6WuwX4 Please compare this to the New Age version at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxDebb9dLKY&NR=1
This newsletter could actually be a large book to do justice to this vast subject. However, if it just makes one person stop, think and repent, it is worth the effort. It is about souls for whom Jesus died that our hearts grieve. The days for “playing church” are over, folk.
Revival Language
“Well, revivals can be messy you know”. This is the way the weirdness is excused. After all, we want to “move higher” into God. We hear sincere folk saying things like: We have to move into a ‘higher place’ – a place of intimacy with God. Jesus did the things the Father told Him to do. WE MUST MOVE INTO THAT PLACE. A place of the knowledge of the Lord that the Lord yearns us to come into. Teachings on “intimacy with God” have sold many books. But just stop here a moment. Isn’t that what any “religion” requires? Always striving after something? Bringing offerings to the many gods in Hinduism, faithfully bowing low in the mosques, dancing into a frenzy to obtain “oneness”?
Let us take a breath and rest in the Scriptures a moment. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: Which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (I Peter 2:9&10)
The language of the Scripture tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the power of God unto salvation. This is what this is all about. The perversion of language is the ploy of the enemy to subvert the body of Christ to follow another gospel.
Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
II Thess. 2:9 Him, whose coming after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders.
Language of Angels
Dear ones, nowhere in Scripture do we find angels appearing out of nowhere to just keep in communication with us. The culture right now is crazy about angels and Hollywood is churning out movies to satisfy that desire. To read and listen to the stories about Todd Bentley’s angels really denigrates the truth of Scripture. On his website in 2002 he talks about a particular rock on Rick Joyner’s property at Moravian Falls. This rock supposedly has some power, and as they approach it there are three young angels “horsing around, wrestling, getting each other in head-locks and giving noogies.” He learned from others that these were the worship angels who oversee the worship center.
Sorry, but this isn’t biblical. The worship angels are before the throne of God… and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. They give glory to God night and day without rest. We serve a Holy God. His holiness NEVER CHANGES. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And some cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kSlt0_8HwMk
Yet Todd Bentley says, “they [the angels] have nothing in heaven to do but waiting to serve God’s purpose in you!”
Language of the Lie
Bob Jones, who obviously has had a huge influence in Todd Bentley’s life, even introducing him to his angel in 1988, said, “the children will possess the Spirit without measure – for these are the best of all generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth. And the best of all generations are those ELECTED SEEDS that will glorify Christ in the last days… they will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before. Every miracle, sign and wonder they’ll move in the power that Christ did…. They themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet and to glorify Christ in every way and the church that is raising up in the government will be the head and the covering for them… the chosen generation of history that will go beyond all the others in power.” He goes on to say, “This generation of the young people that are coming are going to see the beginning of this World-wide New Order… it is going to change the expression of Christianity in the earth in a generation.”
From a Discernment newsletter in 1990, www.discernment-ministries.org/NL_Sept1990.pdf you will read that Gnosticism has again entrenched itself in the thinking of Christendom. Mystical knowledge is replacing the truth of the Word of God. And they are talking of taking over the WORLD?
Language of Heresy
The greatest sorrow of all is that the deity of Jesus Christ is undermined by this teaching. The divine purpose of the Holy Scriptures is the revelation of Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God. Gnosticism gives way to “higher knowledge”. It brings about disinterest in the Bible and Bible teaching. The “anointed seed” is now said to be connecting with the supernatural realm, and this heresy draws the masses with its instant gratification.
The door is being opened, Eat this fruit and ye will be as god. Accept this lie and you will find yourself at the altar of mysticism where all of the religions of the world worship based on subjectivity, humanism and brotherhood.
What Language do you Speak?
It is time to examine ourselves – whether we are in the faith or not. Have we been led astray by “strange fire”? Has the siren’s sweet song lulled your senses and caused shipwreck to your walk with God? Repent and return to your first love that you may be found worthy to stand in His Presence.
The following are two recent podcasts that I did on the subject of The “revival” and The New Apostolic Reformation. http://sliceoflaodicea.com/slicecast/
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, …For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God…. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (I Cor. 1:10a, 2-3)
****This article was posted with the permission of Jewel Grewe****
http://www.discernment-ministries.org/NLJulyAugust_2008.htm
- Jewel Grewe (left) and myself at the conference in Spring Hill, Florida.
Archaeology
In what ways have the discoveries of archaeology verified the reliability of the Bible?
Over the years there have been many criticisms leveled against the Bible concerning its historical reliability. These criticisms are usually based on a lack of evidence from outside sources to confirm the Biblical record. Since the Bible is a religious book, many scholars take the position that it is biased and cannot be trusted unless we have corroborating evidence from extra-Biblical sources. In other words, the Bible is guilty until proven innocent, and a lack of outside evidence places the Biblical account in doubt.
This standard is far different from that applied to other ancient documents, even though many, if not most, have a religious element. They are considered to be accurate, unless there is evidence to show that they are not. Although it is not possible to verify every incident in the Bible, the discoveries of archaeology since the mid-1800s have demonstrated the reliability and plausibility of the Bible narrative.
Here are some examples:
- The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.
- The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.
- Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon’s wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon’s prosperity was entirely feasible.
- It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon’s palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.
- Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus’ son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel “third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the “eye-witness” nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html
Manuscript evidence for superior
New Testament reliability
The New Testament is constantly under attack and its reliability and accuracy are often contested by critics. But, if the critics want to disregard the New Testament, then they must also disregard other ancient writings by Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. This is because the New Testament documents are better preserved and more numerous than any other ancient writing. Because the copies are so numerous, they can be cross checked for accuracy. This process has determined that the biblical documents are extremely consistent and accurate.
There are presently 5,686 Greek manuscripts in existence today for the New Testament.1 If we were to compare the number of New Testament manuscripts to other ancient writings, we find that the New Testament manuscripts far outweigh the others in quantity.
| Author2 | Date Written |
Earliest Copy | Approximate Time Span between original & copy |
Number of Copies |
Accuracy of Copies |
| Lucretius | died 55 or 53 B.C. | 1100 yrs | 2 | —- | |
| Pliny | 61-113 A.D. | 850 A.D. | 750 yrs | 7 | —- |
| Plato | 427-347 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1200 yrs | 7 | —- |
| Demosthenes | 4th Cent. B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 800 yrs | 8 | —- |
| Herodotus | 480-425 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1300 yrs | 8 | —- |
| Suetonius | 75-160 A.D. | 950 A.D. | 800 yrs | 8 | —- |
| Thucydides | 460-400 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1300 yrs | 8 | —- |
| Euripides | 480-406 B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 1300 yrs | 9 | —- |
| Aristophanes | 450-385 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1200 | 10 | —- |
| Caesar | 100-44 B.C. | 900 A.D. | 1000 | 10 | —- |
| Livy | 59 BC-AD 17 | —- | ??? | 20 | —- |
| Tacitus | circa 100 A.D. | 1100 A.D. | 1000 yrs | 20 | —- |
| Aristotle | 384-322 B.C. | 1100 A.D. | 1400 | 49 | —- |
| Sophocles | 496-406 B.C. | 1000 A.D. | 1400 yrs | 193 | —- |
| Homer (Iliad) | 900 B.C. | 400 B.C. | 500 yrs | 643 | 95% |
| New Testament |
1st Cent. A.D. (50-100 A.D. | 2nd Cent. A.D. (c. 130 A.D. f.) |
less than 100 years | 5600 | 99.5% |
NUMBERS OF COPIES
2, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10, 20, 20, 49, 193, 643, 5600
ACCURACY OF COPIES
Homer 95%
New Testament 99.5%
As you can see, there are thousands more New Testament Greek manuscripts than any other ancient writing. The internal consistency of the New Testament documents is about 99.5% textually pure. That is an amazing accuracy. In addition there are over 19,000 copies in the Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic languages. The total supporting New Testament manuscript base is over 24,000.
Almost all biblical scholars agree that the New Testament documents were all written before the close of the first century. If Jesus was crucified in 30 A.D., then that means that the entire New Testament was completed within 70 years. This is important because it means there were plenty of people around when the New Testament documents were penned who could have contested the writings. In other words, those who wrote the documents knew that if they were inaccurate, plenty of people would have pointed it out. But, we have absolutely no ancient documents contemporary with the first century that contest the New Testament texts.
Furthermore, another important aspect of this discussion is the fact that we have a fragment of the gospel of John that dates back to around 29 years from the original writing. This is extremely close to the original writing date. This is simply unheard of in any other ancient writing and it demonstrates that the Gospel of John is a first century document.
Below is a chart with some of the oldest extant New Testament manuscripts compared to when they were originally penned. Compare these time spans with the next closest which is Homer’s Iliad where the closest copy from the original is 500 years later. Undoubtedly, that period of time allows for more textual corruption in its transmission. How much less so for the New Testament documents?
| Important Manuscript Papyri |
Contents |
Date |
MSS Date |
Approx. Time Span |
|
| p52 (John Rylands Fragment)3 |
John 18:31-33,37-38 | circa 96 A.D. |
circa 125 A.D. |
29 yrs | |
| P46 (Chester Beatty Papyrus) |
Rom. 5:17–6:3,5-14; 8:15-25, 27-35, 37–9:32; 10:1-11, 22, 24-33, 35–14:8,9–15:9, 11-33; 16:1-23, 25-27; Heb.; 1 & 2 Cor., Eph., Gal., Phil., Col.; 1 Thess. 1:1,9-10; 2:1-3; 5:5-9, 23-28 | 50’s-70’s | circa 200 A.D. |
Approx. 150 yrs |
|
| P66 (Bodmer Papyrus) |
John 1:1–6:11,35–14:26; fragment of 14:29-21:9 |
70’s |
circa 200 A.D. |
Approx. 130 yrs |
|
| P67 | Matt. 3:9,15; 5:20-22, 25-28 | circa 200 A.D. |
Approx. 130 yrs |
If the critics of the Bible dismiss the New Testament as reliable information, then they must also dismiss the reliability of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Caesar, Homer, and the other authors mentioned in the chart at the beginning of the paper. On the other hand, if the critics acknowledge the historicity and writings of those other individuals, then they must also retain the historicity and writings of the New Testament authors; after all, the evidence for the New Testament’s reliability is far greater than the others. The Christian has substantially superior criteria for affirming the New Testament documents than he does for any other ancient writing. It is good evidence on which to base the trust in the reliability of the New Testament.
http://www.carm.org/evidence/textualevidence.htm
Illustration of Bible text manuscript tree
and variant readings
The following diagram illustrates manuscript corruptions in the biblical texts that are produced, for whatever reason, and copied down to later manuscripts. The purpose of the illustration is to show how errors are copied down from one manuscript to another, how they are counted, and how we can determine which is the correct reading.
In this example, of the 26 existing manuscripts (represented by solid black and red sheets) nine of them have a textual problem where a phrase was incorrectly copied. Therefore, in this illustration, we would have a total of nine variants in 26 manuscripts. But, it is really only one.
However, manuscripts can be categorized in family trees by analyzing their location of discovery, jars found in, type of papyri written on, type of ink used, style of writing, etc. Therefore, daughter manuscripts can be matched very accurately to father manuscripts.
In this example we see that the word “only” was omitted from a 3rd century document and copied in subsequent, daughter documents. All we need to do is to take a look at the manuscripts and even though we see nine variants here, actually we can tell that there is only one which has been copied. Also, we can accurately determine which is the correct reading by looking at the father document from the 2nd century.
With this type of method, the New Testament documents can be reconstructed with an incredible accuracy. Furthermore, the New Testament is approximately 99.5% textually pure. This means that of all the manuscripts in existence they agree completely 99.5% of the time. Of the variants that occur, mostly are easily explainable and very few have any effect on the meaning of passages. In all, no New Testament doctrine is affected by any variant reading.
http://www.carm.org/index.html
What archaeological discovery has had the all-time greatest Biblical impact?
“Probably the Dead Sea Scrolls have had the greatest Biblical impact. They have provided Old Testament manuscripts approximately 1,000 years older than our previous oldest manuscript. The Dead Sea Scrolls have demonstrated that the Old Testament was accurately transmitted during this interval. In addition, they provide a wealth of information on the times leading up to, and during, the life of Christ.
—Dr. Bryant Wood, archaeologist, Associates
What is the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls?
One of the most important contributions of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the numerous Biblical manuscripts which have been discovered. Until those discoveries at Qumran, the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures were copies from the 9th and 10th centuries AD by a group of Jewish scribes called the Massoretes. Now we have manuscripts around a thousand years older than those. The amazing truth is that these manuscripts are almost identical! Here is a strong example of the tender care which the Jewish scribes down through the centuries took in an effort to accurately copy the sacred Scriptures. We can have confidence that our Old Testament Scriptures faithfully represent the words given to Moses, David and the prophets.
Cave 4 at Qumran where approximately 15,000 fragments from some 574 manuscripts were found.
These articles contain compelling evidence of the truth of the scriptures and that we can truly rely the books of the Bible. Many just don’t know that the evidence is out there.
I have a book from Josh McDowell called “More Than A Carpenter.” I read this little book from the lending library in a resort in Mexico. I wanted this book and found it on-line and ordered the evangelization packet of 8 books.
On page 55 he says:
“After personally trying to shatter the historicity and validity of the Scriptures, I have been forced to conclude that they are historically trustworthy. If one discards the Bible as unreliable historically, then he or she must discard all the literature of antiquity. No other document has as much evidence to confirm its reliability.
A book that every Christian shoul have in their library is Josh McDowell’s “Evidence That Demands A Verdict.”
The forward says:
Thus, it is the Christian who will derive the greatest benefit from reading “Evidence That Demands A Verdict.” It will not only strengthen his own faith in Christ, but it will also provide evidence that will enable him to share his faith more effectively with others.
The goal of Bible study is to meet God daily through the study of his Word. First I pray that the Lord will illuminate the Word of God to my mind and my heart and then I pray for understanding.
There are many ways to study the Bible and here are some suggestions.
1. Read through the entire Bible. This is highly recommended. At a discernment conference I attended we were told to read through the Bible and when we were done, start over again.
2. Read an entire book. Look through the book first noting the subjects. Take notes and write down any applications you may find that apply in your life. Commentaries are great. You may want to read this AFTER your initial reading. God may want to show to something and when we read commentaries first this may obscure what the Lord wants to show us personally.
3. Concentrate on a passage. This is great for understanding of scripture but you should see how this passage fits in with the rest of the book or chapter you are reading. Many poor interpretations come from taking a single verse and using it out of context diminishing its proper meaning.
What is the content and facts of this passage? Who? When? Where? Why? What is the truth that is being conveyed in this passage? Is it a warning, or are we being commanded to do something? Does God give a promise or an encouragement in this passage? What are the parallel passages?
The parallel passages are important because scripture interprets scripture.
What are the specifics in this passage that we can pray about?
4. The Attributes of God. Go through a part of the Bible and look for attributes that describes the nature of God. Here is a sampling:
Light
Shepherd
Reconciler
Voice
Holy
Wise
Judge
Eternal
Truth
Love
Joy
Creator
Comforter
Forgiver
It is through these attributes that we begin to understand the character of God.
Lets look at Psalms 119: 114-117. I was looking at verse 114 specifically but noticed the many attributes in this passage.
“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Away from me you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God! Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live.”
Refuge
Shield
Hope
Word
Sustainer
Law
Promise
Life
Just look at the fountain of information is this single passage. There is a wealth of attributes about God that you can consider and thank Him for.
5. Word Study. Perhaps you want to study faith, perseverance, hope or fear. Whatever it is you want to concentrate on, you might start by looking up the word in a Bible dictionary. Look in your concordance or invest in a topical Bible. There are great websites that allow you to pull up every verse that has the word “holy” in it. Compare all of the verses asking: Who? What? Where? When? How? What can I apply what I have learned to my own life?
The applications of Bible study to our life is where the meat is. What is it that you learned that you can apply to your daily life? What specific action can you take? If you decide you want to spend more time in study, you may want to be specific by setting aside a certain time each day from 7:00 – 7:30 to pray and read God’s Word. Taking specific action is helpful to accomplish this goal.
You may want to apply something you learned to your work, (honesty on a time card), co-workers, ( being kind to someone who dislikes you), or maybe in your personal life, ( waiting on God’s time not your own.) Well, you get the picture. We need to apply the truths we find God’s Word to our everyday lives.
I often sit on my sofa, pillow on lap, with my Bible resting on it. I have 3 translations all handy. KJV, NIV, and a NRSV. Of course there is the computer for on-line versions of the Bible, commentaries and Greek/Hebrew concordances. I use http://www.blueletterbible.org but there are many others.
Many times I am filled with awe and love that God’s precious word is right before me. I am sitting at the foot of my Lord clinging to His feet and worshiping Him and His Word. Last week before writing this I felt like Mary who sat at the feet of the Lord when Martha was busying herself with chores. This is what I sense with Bible in hand. Communion with the Lord. I run my hand over the onion-skin paper and enjoy the crinkle of the pages. Such a sweet sound.
It is here that I find God. It is here Jesus Christ, God’s son lives for me. It is here the Holy Spirit illuminates the words that convict, instruct and compel me to live only for Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.
If a follow someone’s dream…I may be following another. If I hear another voice….I may be led to the wrong conclusion. If I follow another persons vision….I follow illusion which quickly turns into disillusion. That is why God’s voice is the written word.
We must use the Word of God as a measuring rod against all of man’s wisdom, thought, and actions. If it doesn’t line up with scripture it must be discarded. The Bible is the great discerner. It is the Truth, and so it is rejected by most of the unbelieving world.
But to those who love the truth it contains joy, salvation and guidance for living for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Homiletics.
What is homiletics?
Homiletics is a study system often used by pastors to extract key information from a passage. This is done by analyzing the passage for key phrases and condensing it to determine its basic content. Once you have the key words or phrases try to summarize the entire passage into a single composed sentence.
Next write down lessons or truths that can be learned from the passage. It is amazing how many truths can be lifted from a single passage when you really begin to study and contemplate it. Pray before you start that God will open your heart and mind to receive his Word.
Once the key truths are realized then you can start to expand the passage back out with applications that you can use in your life. Think of situations where you can actually apply the truth. How can your behavior be changed to glorify God?
Here is an example using homiletics from Matthew.
First read Matthew 17: 1-13 —-The Transfiguration
Where is it? High on the mountain.
Who is it? God – Jesus – Peter – James – John – Moses – Elijah
Key words in each verse.
1. Jesus 3 disciples mountain
2. Jesus transfigured bright light
3. Moses Elijah Jesus talking
4. Peter build shelters?
5. Voice Son Love Pleased Listen
6. Disciples Terrified
7. Do not be afraid
8. Saw only Jesus
9. Don’t tell raised
10. Why Elijah first?
11. Elijah will restore
12. Elijah & Son suffer
13. Elijah/John the Baptist
The Sentence summarizing the passage.
Matthew records that Jesus is transformed showing the disciples His true glory.
The Lessons
1. Jesus is the light
2. Jesus will reveal himself to you.
3. Jesus knew the OT prophets.
4. Jesus is truly God.
5. God the Father made it clear his Son is Jesus.
6. We are to listen what Jesus says.
7. Even though we love God we are to also fear him.
8. Do not be afraid of what God reveals to you.
9. Do not be afraid to tell others about Jesus Christ.
10. Jesus would be rejected like John the Baptist.
Possible Applications – I Will’s
I will get to know Jesus by reading His Word, listening to sermons, or fellowship with others. I know that Jesus will reveal Himself to me as I follow Him.
I will be confident explaining to others that Jesus is truly the Son of God, since these word came from the Father Himself.
I will listen to what Jesus tells me.
I will boldly tell others about Jesus because I was told not to be afraid.
I will expect that the very presence of God would cause fear and trembling.
I will go into the valleys to serve as I descend from the spiritual highpoints.
I will ask God what truth He wants me to know so that I can share with others.
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I want to tell you that this was one of the homiletic lessons that I prepared last year for my students. Some see other truths that I did not see so I wanted you to know that this is only an example. The students are to do the above procedure on their own worksheet. At the end of the year there were students who could pick out the content words on their worksheet, write a sentence, find at least one lesson and application and more during discussion, in the 30 minutes we were allowed for this part of the evening. The age group I taught last year were 10-11 year olds. To watch what God has done in these children who seek the Lord is nothing short of amazing. It is totally a blessing and filling of the Holy Spirit.
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My personal summary of Matthew 17:1-13
The transfiguration revealed to the disciples the Glory of God and of Jesus Christ. It looked to the past and it looked to the future. Jesus left the glory of heaven to come to earth as man and then to return after His work on the cross to His resurrected glory. He now abides at the right hand of the Father till He returns and someday we will witness Jesus in all His glory just as the disciples saw Him that night.
The transfiguration gave the disciples a witness account of what he actually and truly looks like. What a gift this was for the disciples who at Pentecost would remember His glory so they would profess to the world as eyewitnesses, the significance of His majesty.
Peter had earlier proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and he did so without seeing anything like the splendor that had been later revealed to him, and John and James. But once they believed by faith they were given a spectacular view of His glory. He revealed Himself to His servants, and they saw His radiant face and garments, Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God.
A cloud enveloped them and the voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
What a wonderful confirmation of who Jesus truly is. God Himself assured the disciples and us, that Jesus is truly the Son of God.
The disciples fell face down into the ground in terror. (What does this tell us today about those who say they communicate directly with God?) However, Jesus told them not to be afraid, and when they looked up Jesus was alone. How could they ever look at Jesus the same way again? What awe this must have created. And to see Moses and Elijah. What an unspeakable honor to see the Old Testament prophets. Oh, to hear what they spoke of. We are told very little in Luke about their conversation.
They asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first? Jesus explained that Elijah did come as John the Baptist to prepare the way for Him, but he was killed just as Jesus would also be killed.
They then went down from the mountain and back into the world. After this spiritual high point they were to move on and were immediately met by a needy person. What a lesson in itself right here, that after a glorious experience, one is expected to help another.
How many people are continually seeking spiritual mountaintops? Meeting after meeting, conferences, seminars, always seeking signs and wonders, desiring only the high points, never serving.
There are times when all I want to do is sit in my little room and think about God’s glory. But I know that this is not what I have been trained to do. I can only serve God by coming down off the mountaintop and into the valleys to serve. But one of things I take away from this passage is the commandment to listen and to obey Jesus. His commandments are laid out in the Word of God. When I have a spiritual highpoint in my life now I take it as an encouragement to go forth and serve God. It is not something to bask in like we see so much of today. We are not to be afraid to do what He asks of us. He showed His glory to the disciples so that they would go out and preach the Gospel.
We can apply what we have learned here by listening to God’s voice in the Bible. We can boldly go forth and tell others because God has revealed himself to us through his Word. Doing so will please God.
Luke adds that Jesus was praying after ascending the mountain. Jesus prayed at all the important steps in His life and this time was no exception. This is a reminder that when we are facing an important decision or step in our life, we need to go the Father in prayer.
Peter later wrote:
“We were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain”
2 Peter 1:16-18
What an affirmation for the disciples who actually heard the voice of God and saw the Shekinah glory. What a confirmation to them that Jesus not only knew Moses and Elijah, but that He was fulfilling their teachings. What a glorious vision to recall as they went out after Pentecost knowing what Jesus truly looked like in all his glory as He sits at the right hand of the Father.
Bible study is your personal time spent with God. Pray first for understanding from the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit guide you into the Truth.
This was taken from the International House of Prayer’s website.
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4/18/11 update
I see that the link below has been broken and that IHOP has pulled this information from their site. If another link can be found I will post it. Please know that this was copied word for word from their site.
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| Contemplative Prayer—–Communing with the Holy Spirit who lives within you
I. Know He Lives Inside of You
II. Pray the Scripture
The goal is to search for the Spirit of Jesus in the Word and have depth, not necessarily length, in understanding the passage. Jesus is the Word (John 1) and we want to know Him, the Truth. In Him is life; it is His Spirit who gives life. The words of Scripture are Spirit and they are life (John 6:63). The entrance of the Word gives light and life (Psalm 119:130). As the Word of God enters your heart, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal body (Romans 8:11). Make sure you are searching for the Spirit of Jesus, not just searching for knowledge. Just pray the Scriptures. In simple terms, prayer is turning your heart toward God. In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You do not have His Word abiding in you … you search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” Method #1 Choose a short phrase in Scripture. Begin slowly praying the Scripture in silence. Focus your prayer toward the Spirit who lives inside you (John 7:38). Remain on the phrase as long as you feel the Lord’s presence on it. Then move with Him, slowly praying through the passage phrase by phrase. Method #2
Choose a short story in Scripture. Read through the story several times silently. Close your eyes and acknowledge the Spirit who lives in you. Use your imagination to imagine yourself as one of the story characters or as an onlooker. Play out the story in your mind applying all five of your senses. Method #3
We call this “Beholding the Spirit Within.” The goal is to search for and feel God’s presence inside you, not necessarily to gain more understanding in God’s Word as with the first two methods. Begin by gently praying a short passage of Scripture in silence while focusing on the indwelling Spirit. The Scripture is used to quiet the clamoring of your soul and draw you to God. It is the connection point, the springboard into the spiritual realm. Once you feel God’s presence, focus on it in a concentrated way. You will be able to notice His presence now; He has always been there, but now your attention is on Him within you. The outward senses are quiet and your surface thoughts are gone. You are beginning to be consumed by the Spirit. In this time, feel the freedom to stay quiet. Silently ask the Spirit to show you a vision, or slowly and silently say to Him, “I love You. I love You. I love You.” Overcoming Distractions
Your mind will have to be trained in practical ways to not wander and think on other things. To overcome a wandering mind, simply begin thinking on the Scripture you have been meditating on, and focus your prayer to the Spirit within you. The Lord sees your heart as it searches for Him, and He is smiling upon you. You may become sleepy during prayer. To overcome, sit up straight instead of slouching and do not lie down. You can also begin speaking the Scripture you are meditating on under your breath until you feel the drowsiness subside, then return to the silent prayer. Diligence in Prayer
In time these methods of praying will become easy. You will find the Spirit who lives in you if you search for Him with all your heart, but it will require time and your whole heart. Keys to Progress
Humility-the high and lofty One dwells with the lowly in heart (Isaiah 57) Disciplined life of prayer, fasting, giving and loving your enemies (Matthew 6) Total abandonment in love to Jesus and loving nothing of this life (Matthew 7:14) |
The New Age and Christianity
“Occultism has always involved
three techniques for changing and creating reality:
thinking, speaking, and visualizing.”
(Dave Hunt – Occult Invasion)
* * * *
three techniques for changing and creating reality:
thinking, speaking, and visualizing.”
(Dave Hunt – Occult Invasion)
* * * *
“…imaging and visualization are increasingly appearing as Christian meditation, “mind-stretchers,” or a consciousness-awakening experience in Christian workshops, and you’d better believe that visualization as a cultivated exercise comes with all sorts of metaphysical and spiritual baggage in tow.”
— Visualization and Imaging, Jon Trott****
“It’s not difficult to trace the practice of meditative imaging and visualization back to the mystics.”— Visualization and Imaging, Jon Trott****Jon Trott is correct here. If anyone has started to indulge themselves into meditative practices, just ask them what books they are reading.
Christians are being duped into mysticism because a sentence has the word Jesus in it or there is a phrase of scripture.
The well-known catholic mystics are Brennan Manning, Henri Nouwen, Richard Foster, Thomas Merton, and Matthew Fox. If these authors are in your library then you know that you are entering a mystical realm that will only draw you AWAY from Jesus Christ. They want you to focus on a centering prayer which will invite a feeling of divinity within yourself. This is the lie, that you are divine. You may not think that this is where they are leading you, but this is what Eve thought when the serpent suggested, that “You will be like God.” Watch out for the new charismatic coined term of DNA which actually means “Divine Nature Activated”
Contemplative prayer sounds so biblical, but it is a dangerous occult method of contacting the spirit world, which is off-limits to the Christian. Visualization is a technique that speeds up the process of reaching into another dimension to either experience visions or transport oneself.
Christian beware, the wolves are telling you that you are divine and holy. What does the Bible say?
Jeremiah 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?”
So why should we center ourselves on our own heart looking for our divinity? We shouldn’t.
Instead…..we can have righteousness through faith….
Romans 3:21
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known to which the Law, and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
These phrases from the IHOP article bother me.
“Make sure you are searching for the spirit of Jesus.”
Jesus wasn’t and is not a spirit. He came to earth as fully man and fully God, but He never came as a spirit. But those who meditate using TM methods often contact a spirit guide named “Jesus”. This is deceiving spirit because Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father.
“Play out the story…apply all five senses”
This is an exercise in guided imagery. Read what Dave Hunt says about this:
“Visualization and Guided Imagery have long been recognized by sorcerers of all kinds as the most powerful and effective methodology for contacting the spirit world in order to acquire supernatural power, knowledge and healing. Such methods are neither taught or practiced in the Bible as helps to faith or prayer.” (The Seduction of Christianity)
Yet here we see it openly being taught and embraced.
“Begin by gently praying a short passage of Scripture in silence while focusing on the indwelling Spirit.”
How can you do these two things simultaneously? Actually the Scripture becomes meaningless as one focuses on something else entirely.
“The springboard into the spiritual realm.”
What is the springboard?…it is the silence, the quiet. They are trying to fool you into thinking it is the scripture, but this is not the case here. The silence is a void used in eastern meditation to stop you from thinking or concentrating. So now what spiritual realm have you just entered? You have entered a void. It is this void that allows you to enter a spiritual realm that is forbidden in the Bible. This is the realm where the white light enters, and if you know your Bible, then you know that this is Satan. He comes with joy and peace and fills you with ecstasy. If he came any other way he would be instantly rejected.
“Your surface thoughts are gone”.
The Bible never tell us to quit thinking or to empty our minds. In fact we are told the quite the opposite.
1 Peter 5:8
“Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour.”
“Ask the spirit to show you a vision.”
This is exactly how those involved in TM ask to be shown their demonic spirit guides. Exactly. This is so dangerous……
The section describing how to overcome distractions is the same method chanters use when meditating. If they actually have…a thought…oh no…start the chant again to empty the mind.
Anyone who does not see the eastern mysticism in this occult prayer method…does not want to see. Even a cursory study of meditation easily shows the parallels but people aren’t listening, or they don’t care, or maybe they hate to admit they have been deceived. This pride is fateful. It is eternal. It keeps you in touch with the New-Age Jesus, (who does not exist) and separates you from the true Jesus Christ in the Bible.
“It is not an advanced spiritual state, but one that is primitive and regressive, and consequentially results in bondage to spiritistic powers.” ( Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs) Ankerberg and Weldon pg. 238
How is it that the church has fallen into such a sad state of affairs? It is simple. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not being preached anymore. Without repentance, without turning away from sin, without faith, there is no conversion.
The unconverted are hungry for God because they have no way to be sanctified. So in order to hear from God, in order to fill the void, they need to resort to false fire. Gnostic strange fire. This spiritual false fire replaces a true move of God which would cause conviction and make us fall on our faces and weep. We would weep because when the holiness of God shines His light on our sin, magnifying our true nature, it is unbearable. This in turn causes us to hate our sin, and search the Word for how live a holy life pleasing to the Lord.
When the Word of God is not enough, when it is not sufficient, the alternative is deception.
DiscernIt 
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