The World is Accepting Pagan Shamanism

February 15, 2009 in apostasy, contemplative spirituality, Life, new age, occult, religion, The Emerging Church | Tags: , | Leave a comment

many-paths1

 

As Christians we need to be aware of how the world is quickly changing and how fast the new spirituality is emerging. Here in America we are known as a Christian nation…but are we really?

Many are turning to odd and mystical religious systems, because they seek  “The Fundamental power they have within.”

From Huna.com

Huna is the modern or Western label given to the ancient healing and spiritual shamanism of ancient Hawai’i. In these pages you will find teachings that were once secret and carefully guarded.

– Connect with your Higher Self

– Access Universal Sources of Energy

– Awaken your Spiritual Evolution

• Introduction to ancient symbols
• Higher Self Connection
• Hakalau: the shaman state

This video starts with the statement “When God created the world…”,  but the end of the video shows the people drumming and chanting. This has nothing to do with the God of the Holy Bible.

Listen and hear a woman say, “…undeniable harmony, and that has to come from within.”  Then another..”there’s spirits in everything, in the mountain, in the rock or the stone, or in everything or the tree.”

This is panentheism – That God is in all things.

http://www.huna.com/video.php

When people resort to shamanism and easily accept it….the time is short for the return of Lord Jesus Christ.

The statement on one of their photos says ” There are many paths to personal transformation.”

Those who know scripture will recognize  the “many paths” statement as false.

John 14:6  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The world is being prepared for a new spirituality. Cling to the Lord Jesus Christ and do not deny Him by seeking god in rocks or trees or looking within.  Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.

Col 3:1    If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

 

Looking within yourself  to find God, is the oldest trick in the book. Which book? Genesis.  The serpent told Adam and Eve this lie, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

See also: Morningstar Ministries delving into paganism. This one is actually worse.

https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/morningstar-ministries-paganism/

Babylon to be Rebuilt! Are We Living in the End Times?

February 10, 2009 in Christians, prophecy | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

babylon1

 

Not being an expert on Bible prophecy I often need to review what I have already learned about the end times. Just last week I reread some portions of “Are We Living in the END TIMES? Current Events Foretold in Scripture…and What They Mean” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

I would like share an excerpt from this book, chapter 11,  The Rise and Fall of  Babylon.

AS SURE AS GOD KEEPS HIS WORD

As sure as there is a God in heaven who keeps His word, Babylon will live again as “the seat of Satan.” You can be sure that any city mentioned seven times in two chapters, as is Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18, will be a literal city. And since it is seen there as an enormously influential city, perhaps even the capitol of government, commerce and religion, it must yet be rebuilt.

Babylon  will again become Satan’s headquarters for a short time, serving as the governmental and commercial capitol of the world during the first half of the Tribulation….

Even now, in our lifetime, Babylon is being prepared for its final appearance on the stage of human history. The ancient prophecies about Babylon are unfolding before us–just like so many other prophecies of the end times.

And now this is just revealed from Joel Rosenberg’s blog :

U.S. TO HELP REBUILD THE CITY OF BABYLON IN IRAQ

 Largely overlooked by the Western news media over the past few weeks was an enormously significant story. The government of Iraq is moving forward with plans to protect the archaeological remains of the ancient City of Babylon, in preparation for building a modern city of Babylon. The project, originally started by the late Saddam Hussein, is aimed eventually at attracting scores of “cultural tourists” from all over the world to see the glories of Mesopotamia’s most famous city. What’s more, the Obama Administration is contributing $700,000 towards “The Future of Babylon Project,” through the State Department’s budget. 

Read Full Story Here

Prophetic revelations from the Bible are unfolding right before our very eyes.

Come Lord  Jesus

 

babylon

Ishtar Gate: One of the eight gates of the inner city of Babylon,  built during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604- 562 BC).

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)

A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. (Jeremia 50:35)

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (Revelation 18:2)

From Deception Bytes- The Order of the Mustard Seed

February 6, 2009 in contemplative spirituality, Dominionism, Emergent Church, Gnosticism, religion | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 comment

This article from Mishel has a lot of new and fascinating information. Thank you Mishel
The Hidden Agenda of The Order of the Mustard Seed
ring
Here are two excerpts
THE ORDER OF THE MUSTARD SEED by Mishel
Peter Grieg of the 24-7 Prayer Movement, an international, ecumenical movement laced with Gnostic, New-Age, and Contemplative spirituality, is reviving the 17th century Order of the Mustard Seed and encouraging members to take a lifelong vow of commitment. This commitment to the vows of the Order, are to be symbolized with a ring or tattoo. ……….
AGGRESSIVE DOMINIONIST AGENDA
 
 Dominionists possess a radical socio-political agenda, and like a well oiled military machine, they are well organized and financed, and their network vast. Their ultimate socio-political goal is a One World Church and a New World Order. They believe they will go forth like a vast army, yielded to the authority of the New Apostles, and conquer and subdue the world’s Kingdoms’ for Christ, and usher in the millennial reign. These Kingdoms consist of all social and political institutions and those who do not wish to be ruled will be slaughtered for the good of the rest.  With the world under their complete dominion they will hand over dominion to Christ so that he may return to earth. However, the Bible makes it clear that at the time of Christ’s return the earth will be in complete and utter chaos and His return will prevent what would otherwise be the complete annihilation of the world in the Great Tribulation. This doctrine of Dominionism makes the Church the Savior of the world, and not Jesus Christ. Christ alone can institute God’s rule on earth.
Read entire article and comments HERE

How The Shack became the #1 Bestseller in Christianity

February 3, 2009 in christianity, discernment, Life, religion | Tags: , , , | 12 comments

“It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. “

From Eric Barger

TAKE A STAND! MINISTRIES

THE DEATH OF DISCERNMENT

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? – I Kings 3:9

I like Paul Young. Having heard him speak about his life and book three times recently in Portland, Oregon I found him to be passionate, witty and funny. While at Young’s alma mater (Warner Pacific College), I was able to spend a few moments with him privately during which time I asked him to personally respond to several criticisms and concerns that I and other Christians are raising about the theological contents of his book. I wish I could report that he allayed my apprehensions but instead, I went away convinced that The Shack is more than just a little offbeat but is, as Dr. Albert Mohler pegged it on his radio program, “blatant heresy.”

Yes, The Shack is indeed a novel. And many will wonder what could be wrong since it is identified as a Christian book and authored by a man who claims to be a Christian? After all, The Shack is heralded by many seasoned Christian leaders. Pastors are preaching from it. Sunday School classes and small groups are reading and discussing it. Many Christians are buying it by the case to give as gifts. Some Christian Schools are even sanctioning and encouraging the reading of the book. But this is not just a benign story of man overcoming life’s challenges. Make no mistake, the book presents doctrine throughout its clever and gripping story – something the author clearly intended to do. Therein lays the problem.

Trading the Kingdom for a Shack

For those unaware of the book’s storyline, here is the description of The Shack from Amazon.com.

“Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.

Four years later in the midst of what he refers to as ‘The Great Sadness,’ Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant ‘The Shack’ wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?”

The Shack is a publishing phenomenon but you may ask “is it really any big deal?” This self-published book has sold 4+ million copies since its May 2007 release. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List and has remained there for the past 25 weeks as of this writing. It has also held the #1 position on many other bestseller lists including Amazon.com, USA Today’s Top 150 Books, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books and is the #1 book of 2008 at ChristianBook.com. According to the author, the book is currently selling 87,000 copies a week in the secular book stores alone. All of this has allowed Young and his two publishing partners the luxury of holding out for just the right major motion picture deal as well. But there is a reason why several dozen publishers turned this book down. Here are a few of my observations – and objections.

The Shack’s Trinity

Several chapters into the book, a most unorthodox version of the Holy Trinity is revealed. Young’s tale diminishes Almighty God from His rightful position as a supernatural being. Instead of speaking by His Word and His Spirit, He is morphed into a feminine figure reduced to passing notes to those whom she wants to communicate with.

God is portrayed in The Shack as a large African-American woman named “Papa” also called “Elousia.” (Talk about gender confusion!) Jesus is a Jewish carpenter complete with a tool belt and the Holy Spirit is depicted as an Asian woman named after “Sarayu,” a mystical river in ancient India related to the Hindu deity Kali. Clearly, there is a trinity in The Shack but it is absolutely not the Trinity.

From my first glance at The Shack, it struck me that the idea of God in human form – even in the pages of a novel is more than just theologically questionable. It is forbidden by several passages from both the Old and New Testaments not the least of which is the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5). The Apostle Paul proclaims, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…” (Romans 1:21-23a)

Of The Shack, Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint contributing editor Travis McSherley wrote, “This is the root of the book’s problems. In the course of the biblical narrative, God the Father never reveals Himself in the form of a human. In fact, Christ rebukes His disciples for even suggesting it. (See John 14:5-10)

The Shack would not dispute these limits of understanding – it dedicates many pages to chastising believers who cling too tightly to traditional views of God’s nature. Yet, instead of expanding our thinking and our appreciation for divine mysteries, the book shrinks them quite dramatically by creating a deity so clearly influenced by human expectations of what God should be.”

Sin, Hell, Judgment, Salvation, the Incarnation,
Hierarchy and Authority in the Godhead, a Polynesian
Goddess and other assorted problems

Here are just a few of the many issues raised by The Shack:

– Young’s Papa character insists that sin is its own punishment. This distorts the reality of Hell and discounts eternal retribution for sin.

– Readers of The Shack are told that Jesus is only the best way to know God – not the only way.

– The Shack teaches that when Jesus went to the cross, God Almighty died there too. This is a heresy known as patripassianism. (In our private conversation I challenged Young about this but to no avail.)

– The Shack states that there is no structure or hierarchy within the Trinity and that the three personages of God are all equally subject to one another and to humans as well. I challenge fans of The Shack to open a Bible and try to make that square with the Scriptures!

– Young’s “Papa” character is suspiciously akin to a Polynesian/Hawaiian goddess who also happens to be known as “Papa.” When I quizzed Young on this he denied any knowledge of such a deity. However, the similarities with The Shack’s God character are stunning.

Now lets move on to perhaps the biggest concern.

Is Paul Young still a “Reconciling Universalist?”

I have noticed that in nearly every electronic or print media interview Paul Young volunteers that he is “not a universalist” and does so without ever being asked about it. But is he merely parsing words? Young is obviously nervous about the Christian world becoming convinced of any such thing. That said, it strikes me as odd that on a web page intended to answer critics of the book one of his editors, Wayne Jacobson, acknowledges that Young had previously embraced a form of universalism known as “universal reconciliation” and that this belief indeed appeared throughout the original manuscript. (Jacobson refers to it as “ultimate reconciliation” to avoid using the dreaded “U” word, universalism.)

Jacobson’s website states:

Does The Shack promote Ultimate Reconciliation (UR)?

 

 

“It does not. While some of that was in earlier versions because of the author’s partiality at the time to some aspects of what people call UR, I made it clear at the outset that I didn’t embrace UR as sound teaching and didn’t want to be involved in a project that promoted it. In my view UR is an extrapolation of Scripture to humanistic conclusions about our Father’s love that has to be forced on the biblical text.

Since I don’t believe in UR and wholeheartedly embrace the finished product, I think those who see UR here, either positively or negatively are reading into the text. To me that was the beauty of the collaboration.”  (See: http://www.windblownmedia.com/shackresponse.html)

It is obvious that Young, Jacobson, and partner Brad Cummings all have a great deal to lose by not doing their best to debunk the book’s critics. They are very aware of where Young was theologically when he wrote the book. And that is the point isn’t it? It is the contents of the book (and presumably that of the forthcoming motion picture) that is being criticized here.

In the very beginning, I began to smell universalism in The Shack by simply reading it. These thoughts were more than confirmed through a very scholarly paper critiquing The Shack written by Dr. James De Young. Other leaders who have been critical of the book including Dr. Michael Youssef, Janet Parshall, Jan Markell and Dr. Larry DeBruyn have quoted Dr. De Young’s research – and for good reason.

Dr. De Young is a conservative professor at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is fluent in Greek and Hebrew and also teaches an elective on the early Church Fathers. He is well equipped to expose universalism from both biblical and historical perspectives. Perhaps equally important to our discussion here, is the fact that for several years both Dr. De Young and Paul Young were members of a theological discussion group or “think tank” known as the M3 Forum. In response to the bountiful amount of universalistic ideas found in The Shack, Dr. De Young has published a well-documented 39 page paper which can be accessed at: http://theshackreview.com. Once on the website you will also find several shorter documents and a discussion forum with remarks from readers, many of which defend The Shack. These comments serve to illustrate the tremendous confusion and lack of biblically thinking we see abounding inside the Christian community today.

 

 

After having Young tell me face to face that he was not a universalist, I asked him about Dr. De Young’s paper. He bristled at me and made several accusations about De Young which I now understand to be unfounded. Since the meeting with Paul Young, I had the opportunity to meet personally with Dr. De Young for several hours. In our meeting he shared another yet-to-be-released paper with me which he has written exposing Paul Young’s very bold defense of universal reconciliation. I can best describe the information in it as shocking. In fact, in the Spring of 2004, Paul gave one of the most complete defenses of universal reconciliation imaginable and reiterated this position on at least two occasions – the latest being in May-June 2007 – after writing The Shack.

 

 

Having had no previous indication that a staunch believer was in their midst, Paul Young’s revelations heralding universal reconciliation came as a complete blind-side to the M3 Forum members. After the group contested Young’s ideas, Dr. De Young gave a lengthy rebuttal to all of Paul’s points, branding Young’s position as heretical, citing a church council decision from the 6th century. After this event in 2004, Paul Young ceased participating in the M3 Forum.

 

 

In reflecting on my personal conversation with Young at Warner Pacific in October 2008, I wish I had asked specifically “Are you now or have you ever been an advocate of universal reconciliation?” (Note that classical universalists believe that all religions lead to the same place where as those who hold to universal reconciliation believe that all men <read that “ALL”> are already saved because of Jesus’ work on the cross.) This position purports that there is no penalty for sin, no literal hell and no need to accept Christ and repent of one’s sins. It dramatically undermines the work of the Church, evangelism and the core teachings of the New Testament. It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. Again, it is not how skillfully Young may craft his words in denial of being a universalist or even what he may actually believe today that is the real question. It is the theological contents of The Shack that orthodox Christian critics are concerned with. Besides, universalism is but one of the many glaring unbiblical aspects of the book.In reflecting on my personal conversation with Young at Warner Pacific in October 2008, I wish I had asked specifically “Are you now or have you ever been an advocate of universal reconciliation?” (Note that classical universalists believe that all religions lead to the same place where as those who hold to universal reconciliation believe that all men <read that “ALL”> are already saved because of Jesus’ work on the cross.) This position purports that there is no penalty for sin, no literal hell and no need to accept Christ and repent of one’s sins. It dramatically undermines the work of the Church, evangelism and the core teachings of the New Testament. It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. Again, it is not how skillfully Young may craft his words in denial of being a universalist or even what he may actually believe today that is the real question. It is the theological contents of The Shack that orthodox Christian critics are concerned with. Besides, universalism is but one of the many glaring unbiblical aspects of the book.

 

 

The REAL Problem

The bottom line concerning books, movies, television shows and other input like The Shack is that if our emotions rule and we fail to use scriptural discernment we can be taken captive by “evil imaginations”

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit… – Colossians 2:8

Knowing that the author actually portrayed himself as both Shack characters Missy (the violated-then-murdered six year-old) and her father, Mack (the one searching for God in a painful world) one’s heart surely breaks for what Paul Young has evidently endured in his lifetime. However, if readers fail to think biblically and allow only The Shack’s emotional storyline to grip them, they chance becoming prey to the very thing that I believe has duped many Christians into accepting and even endorsing the book. Empathy towards the author or his characters or becoming enamored by what many testify to as the positive real-world outcome of reading the book cannot trump one’s biblical analysis of the work. Young plays upon emotions constantly in the book and also as he lectures publically equating that because hearts are allegedly being touched that God must be giving approval to The Shack. When speaking to me personally, he emphasized the concept that results are all that matters. I responded that just because people testify that the book is somehow helping them, this does not necessarily mean that it is actually ordained by God. After all, God can use many means to reach people. God regularly uses disasters, accidents and tragedy of all sorts – even unorthodox or cultic books for His glory. This however doesn’t mean that God somehow deems heresy or terrible events as somehow good or positive in and of themselves.

The Nicest Heretic

Paul Young is perhaps the nicest heretic I have ever dealt with personally. That may sound flip but it’s true. He is a very nice guy who is presenting and defending some very dangerous even seductive heresies. As one who wears his emotions on his sleeve and who found himself being swayed by the heartbreaking storyline of The Shack, I must again caution. To allow a gripping story to cloud our ability to detect even the subtle theological errors strewn throughout its pages is exactly what Dr. Michael Youssef meant when he described The Shack as “a deep ditch that’s covered by beautiful landscape.”

The disturbing truth is that books like The Shack would never become a bestseller in the Christian world if Christians were on guard, thinking biblically and were willing to follow the Scriptures! In these dangerous days it is paramount that we actively develop “eyes of understanding” which constantly check everything by the Word of God – especially the stuff that claims to be of God. The Scripture implores us to prove or test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21-22) and this test can only be accomplished one way – by knowing the Bible and then utilizing what we know from it. Every Believer needs to be alert to the reality that in these last days deception is going to come at a rate never fathomed before. Mark my words, as time passes Satan is preparing to use unheralded and brazen trickery that will look and sound very spiritual, even Christian. The only hope we have to successfully avoid the traps is by prayerful, dedicated and aggressive study of God’s unchangeable Word. Otherwise, sooner or later we’ll find ourselves amongst a growing number from previously trustworthy evangelical circles that are heading straight for apostasy.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that if the end days were not shortened by His return even the very elect would be deceived. Can we not assume that many who currently hang around the Church – and even some who preach or write books now popularly accepted in Christian circles – may in reality never endure to the end and are thus actually wolves in sheep’s clothing?

 

Source:

http://www.ericbarger.com/emailers/2008/update11-22-2008.htm

Apostate Rick Warren – from Files from Toni

February 2, 2009 in apostasy, discernment, Rick Warren | Leave a comment

http://filesfromtoni.blogspot.com

Apostate Rick Warren Utters Qu’ran Inauguration Prayer (Todd Friel Video)


 

Watch Todd Friel go through a skit here of Rick Warren praying a prayer from the Qu’ran at Obama’s Inauguration
The Scripture tells us, “Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.
I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray.
Muslims will tell you god has no son, and he was not crucified, as taught in the Qu’ran, so obviously, Isa, the ‘muslim Jesus’ is not the same Jesus Christ who was crucified, died and rose from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures. So who was Rick Warren praying to is the question?

Morningstar Ministries Paganism

February 2, 2009 in apostasy, discernment, Life, religion | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Here is a video of Rick Joyner at Morningstar Ministries.

This U-Tube video rightly asks if this is revival or paganism. Please watch with discernment.

The young man at the end of the clip  utters between convulsions:

“I need your hearts”

“You’re my people”

“I long for you”

“You are my creation”

Sadly, I do not think these words are from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

Morningstar is linked with IHOP ministries, Freshfire Ministries (Todd Bentley) and many false teachings on godtv.

Twilight – Evil vs. more Evil – by Eric Barger

January 27, 2009 in Church, discernment, harry potter, religion | Tags: , , , , , | 1 comment

Bringing Twilight out into the Son
Blockbuster books and hit movie confuse evil with good

By Eric Barger

 

 

By now most of you have heard about the bestselling Twilight saga series written by Stephenie Meyer. Thus far there are over 17 million books in print from the series. However, if you’ve been hanging around in a cave somewhere just waiting for a reason to flutter, let me sum up the storyline. Vampires are cool. Some may be bad, but in general Vampires are cool and Edward Cullen is the newest heart throb.

High school junior, Bella Swan, moves from Arizona to Forks on the Washington coast (the setting for the majority of the movie) and falls in love with Edward Cullen, who as it turns out, is a member of a family of vampires who have learned to survive from the blood of animals rather than that of humans.

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan
and Robert Pattinson
as Edward Cullen

Meyer, a thirty-something Mormon mother of three from Arizona is the author of the four book series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn), a novel called The Host and the soon-to-be-released book, Midnight Sun which, unlike the Twilight series, chronicles the saga from Edward’s viewpoint rather than Bella’s.

Last Friday [Nov. 21, 2008] the first movie (“Twilight”) debuted in 3419 theaters nationwide. It came in #1 for the weekend, grossing $70 million and crushing the nearest competitor by a three to one margin. The theater that my wife Melanie and I saw it in was a complex of fourteen screens with three of them playing “Twilight.”

Make no mistake this is a buzz among millions of teens right now. One fan website sub heading proudly proclaims it is “For the obsessed Twilight saga fan.”
There is a whole market industry based on the books. Twilight has induced a multi-million dollar cottage industry spawning everything from t-shirts and clothing to tattoos and pod casts. As we have noted with other such phenomena, books are being written about the books! Four days after the movie’s release I went to a local Walmart to find the store sold out of Twilight series books. Same with the Target across the street. It isn’t that they didn’t plan; it’s just that there is no way to keep up with the current demand.
 
 
 

 

Nikki Kinke of Deadline Hollywood Daily reported:

“Exit polling showed audiences were 75%/25% female to male, and 55%/25% under or over the age of 25. Fangirls — or should I say fang-girls — were buying 5 Twilight tickets per second as of early Friday morning, making it online ticket-seller Fandango’s fastest-selling film since The Dark Knight last July. Then the tween and teen females in store bought or homemade Twilight clothes (and even Twilight tattoos) flocked to the first Big Screen version of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling series of Romeo & Juliet-style vampire romance books. Yet the movie adaptation by Melissa Rosenberg was made by start-up studio Summit for only $37M. This will be the start of a big new franchise since a sequel is already in the works — “New Moon,” based on Meyer’s second book in the series. The first box office records have already been broken by Twilight’s girl power. This is the biggest opening for a female director. Catherine Hardwicke is easily beating Mimi Leder’s $41.1M for 1998’s Deep Impact. (But with an asterisk since these figures aren’t adjusted for inflation, ticket prices, etc.) Twilight will have the 2nd best opening day for a November release behind Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, and the 11th best Friday opening of all time, beating the first Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, and the 15th best opening day ever. It also scored the 4th best November opening weekend of all time, and the 4th best opening weekend of 2008. It’s a defining moment for Summit’s start-up studio that had really struggled on its first few releases. On Saturday morning, Summit officially announced the greenlight for the New Moon sequel (I’m told to contain costs the studio is considering making sequels #2 and #3 back to back like other successful franchises have done), and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) and Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) formally thanked fans for their support of what is now a movie franchise. (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/2nd-update-for-the-twilight-zone)

Speaking of Harry Potter, make no mistake: Twilight is the next Harry Potter. In fact, many are saying, “who’s Harry Potter?” Many of the same Potter fans are now loyal to Meyer’s saga and it’s a logical move for a culture craving supernaturalism. From a school of witchcraft to a clan of vampires, readers and movie goers are again proving how broad the thirst is for mystical power whose source is decidedly not God.

Evil vs. Good or Evil vs. more Evil?

The storyline of Twilight is generally two faceted. It is first “boy vampire meets a mortal girl” and secondarily “‘good’ vampires fight ‘bad’ vampires.” Then there are the werewolves introduced in the second book, New Moon.

Many of the characters in the novel possess supernatural abilities such as:
– Mind reading
– Levitation
– Lycanthropy (shape shifting)
– Pre-cognitive knowledge of future events – mediumship
– Super strength, hearing and speed
– They also don’t eat, sleep or need to breath

A quick reading of Deuteronomy 18:9-12 clearly outline God’s final word on many of these vampire attributes. I covered these four verses for over 100 pages in my book Entertaining Spirits Unaware: The End-Time Occult Invasion.

Interestingly, Meyer begins Twilight with the words of Genesis 2:17.

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Even though Meyer says on her website that the cover of the book (the apple) symbolizes “forbidden fruit” and that the Genesis scripture reference is related to Bella’s eventual understanding of the knowledge of good and evil, the inference of this passage is much more. It is about the fall of mankind and about eternal life (something vampires claim to have). Even Mormon theology would be hard pressed to come up with less than this observation.

The Cullen family is led by Edward’s “father” (through vampirism) the “best” vampire, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. The elder Cullen was raised centuries ago by a father who, as an Anglican pastor, hunted witches, destroyed werewolves – and vampires. (Speaking of this in the manuscript Meyer throws a direct barb towards supposedly intolerant, orthodox Christian ministers.) Some believe that due to this background, Dr. Cullen’s character seeks to rise above the nature of a vampire becoming a doctor in order to do good and save people. However, what is actually evident here are two disturbing points. First, Meyer has incorporated in Dr. Cullen’s makeup the Mormon edict that a person must accomplish their own good acts in order to be redeemed. I commonly refer to this as “works salvation” which is a mainstay taught in every Mormon seminary, church and home. In Mormonism the onus for salvation is all about what a person does for the Mormon Church – instead of what Jesus completely finished for us. (Concerning this, it is interesting that more than one Mormon blog entry has complained that Meyer integrates far too much Mormon doctrine into her books.) Second and most disturbing is the notion that the Cullen’s seem to view their state as generally hopeless. This shouts loudly against the omnipotent power of Jehovah God to accomplish deliverance. In a subtle and unspoken manner, the books assert that God is unable to rescue one from an incurable eternal ill such as vampirism is presented to be. Whether vampirism is but a mythical malady or not, this thinking may translate to the reader that Jesus’ sacrifice was not sufficient or that it is only by one’s own righteousness that freedom (or eternal life) can be attained. The truth is that God is indeed able to deliver anyone and everyone and such deliverance is only available through the power of the Cross! One can argue that vampires either do or do not exist. (I know personally of one very credible person whose testimony recounts actually participating in vampirism to gain supernatural satanic power. However, the point here is that no matter how deep the pit of evil and sin one may be trapped in, Jesus’ power is greater. Praise the Lord!

The fact is that the entire Twilight series is glamorizing and promoting vampirism. It is fueling the craving for eternal human life and for dominating super human abilities and strength. In the book and movie Bella powerfully begs her vampire love interest to make her one of his like (by biting her neck of course). Edward restrains himself but only for the sake of drawing out the suspense, for she indeed does join him in vampire status in later books (and in a future movie). Though Meyer is to be commended that Bella’s unwanted pregnancy later in the series does not end in abortion one has to wonder if the union of two vampires could produce a God-created human in the first place?

Twilight has been defended as a positive book because it contains no sex, seems to preach abstinence and includes only mild swearing. Whose version of morality is that I ask? This is simply a lesser-than-two-evils approach and while I readily admit that this romantic styled chick flick is far less ominous than a large number of the books and movies out there today, how can a biblically minded Christian endorse it as acceptable for a 12 year-old?

To revisit a theme I wrote and spoke of many times during the height of the Harry Potter fad, the heroes of today are much like the villains I grew up watching on TV. Gone are the likes of Roy Rogers, Ward Cleaver and Red Skelton. The people who we’re asked to root for at the movies today act more like the thugs portrayed in 1950’s Hollywood entertainment. The marker of truth and what is good and right has surely moved and it hasn’t been pretty.

I will admit that in comparison, the content of “Twilight” seems lightweight in the overall scheme of today’s motion picture industry. The trailers previewing other forthcoming features that were shown before the screening of the “Twilight” film were frankly shocking and full of occultism and gut wrenching violence. However, have we stooped so low as to say “‘Twilight,’ with its vampire heroes and PG-13 rating is somehow more acceptable than the more gruesome R rated jobs?” Is “not as bad as” somehow a prerequisite making something OK for our kids? Since when did the “lesser-of-two-evils” become a biblical principle? One needs to be aware that there are Satanists who in real life practice drinking the blood of humans. To many occultists, vampirism is not just a fairy tale but something coveted. No matter how dreamy Hollywood may present Edward Cullen to be or how obsessed some junior higher may become with him, Twilight is nothing short of Satan’s cloak of evil; appearing good. Remember, the most deceptive evil is not the most obvious. It is the most subtle. It also induces more people who may be repulsed by overt darkness to begin the journey from right to wrong.

Two Scriptures immediately come to mind here.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! – Isaiah 5:20-21

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. – II Corinthians 11:14

Four Life Principles

A friend of mine, Lia Carlile, who teaches at a solid Christian school in Washington State addressed this very issue last Friday. She knew, as I did, that even in this good and godly environment that the crazed idolatry brought on by the Twilight series and movie was thriving. My two oldest granddaughters heard Lia speak warning them and their classmates and for good reason. Several of my 12 year-old granddaughters friends had been trying to convince her to both read these 500+ page books and to then go to the movie with them. Thankfully, both my kiddos have voluntarily rejected Meyer’s books and shunned the movie with parental intervention.

I want to share with you a few of the points Lia brought up to the students last week. They are reminiscent of things I have said over the last two decades concerning what and who we give our time, mind, money and emotions to. More so, the following points speak as a check list to see if we have fallen into making something besides Jehovah our “god” or if we are on the road toward full blown idol worship.

Lia’s points here

Question 1 – Me and God
How is this thing building my relationship with the Lord?
How does my interest in this area compare with my time invested in my relationship with the Lord?
Question 2 – Me and the People Around Me
Is this creating conflict in my family or with others?

Does it offend other believers or is it confusing them in their faith?

What am I saying to my non-Christian friends or what example am I setting for others?

Question 3 – The Bible

What does the Bible have to say about this? Who does it glorify-God or Satan? Jesus or the things of the World?

Question 4 – Me and Twilight (or whatever applies)

How is this affecting what I think about; my attitude, heart, and mind?

Does it help me to do what is right according to God? Or, does it promote things of the World?

Does it distract me from the Lord and my relationships with others? Serving, praying, reading Bible, ministry, etc.

Does it cause me to say, think, or do things that are contrary to Jesus and his life?

Lia outlined many Scriptures in her notes. One passage that I have pointed out often is Colossians 2:8 which warns us to guard against being taken captive by the deceptiveness of the world. This is up to us to do or not do. What will your decision be?

 

 

 

 

(If you want all of Lia’s notes on Twilight click here.)

Why Blood?

Leviticus 17 tells us that life is in the blood. This Old Testament teaching from The Law finds unfathomable depths of meaning when one thinks of what Christ’s blood represents for all who will believe.

Satan is very interested in the mockery of God’s Word, His name and His Cross. Lucifer, as with vampires, is blood thirsty. He would love nothing more than to deceive young, impressionable people – whom God loves and Jesus died for – into somehow believing that eternal life can be attained some other way than through Jesus and His once-for-all sacrifice on Calvary.

Until the final battle has been fought and the Lord has come with His everlasting and perfect peace, Satan will attempt to prevail through manipulating those who he may. Stephenie Meyer is just one in a long line of those who, without any understanding of it, the Evil One has paid big money to for their services. Twilight is more than mere entertainment. To some it has become every bit as important and as captivating as a religion.

The most famous line from the book and movie is Edward Cullen’s statement to Bella “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.” This is Meyer’s crafty, yet sick play upon biblical words. The truth is that when Satan is vanquished and evil is defeated, then and only then will the lion and the lamb live in harmony – not as a hundred year old vampire and his wanna-be girlfriend. While Meyer’s character Bella so flippantly decides that nothing is more important than spending eternity with Edward – regardless of the consequences, shouldn’t we be focused on our future eternity with God and on introducing as many to Him before it is too late?

___________________________________

Rick Warren: Politically-correct prayer idolatrous

January 27, 2009 in apostasy, Christians, discernment, Rick Warren | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Take Heed” Ministries

Cecil Andrews, PO BOX 13, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AL, Northern Ireland.

Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL – takeheed@aol.com

WEBSITE – http://www.takeheed.net

Rick Warren: The art of ‘politically-correct’ praying

Invocation at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama

20th January  2009

 

When the Apostle Paul came to the city of Athens we read “his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” [Acts 17:16] and later in verse 22 we read of how he stood up on Mars Hill in that same city and to a people whom he described as “very religious” he proceeded to proclaim the Biblical God of creation and His appointed coming judge of all people, His crucified but resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. Yesterday, along with countless millions around the world I watched on television the inauguration of President Barack Obama and not surprisingly I was particularly interested to listen to the ‘Invocation’ delivered by Rick Warren. As I listened to him speak, like Paul of old, ‘my spirit was stirred within me’ for this was not a prayer offered to the One true God of Heaven, Father, Son and Spirit but rather it was a cunningly crafted idolatrous prayer designed to placate and please many of the false ‘gods’ worshipped in Washington DC, in America in general and around the whole world.

 

This was a supreme example of ‘the art of “politically-correct” praying’. I want now to set out the text of what Rick Warren ‘prayed’ as downloaded from his church website and I will intersperse it with my own comments in red in the hope that readers will realize that this was simply a further attempt to idolatrously unify people of ‘faith’ and not an attempt to “earnestly contend for THE faith” [Jude 3].

 

“Let us pray…

 

Almighty God, Our Father, [God is only ‘The Father’ of those who have been “born again” of His Spirit and are trusting alone in His Son, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” for their eternal salvation – these opening phrases were designed to put everyone of every ‘faith’ or even none at ease] everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of You alone. It all comes from You; it all belongs to You; it all exists for Your glory. History is Your story.

 

The Scripture tells us, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God.’ [In Deuteronomy 6:4 this verse in many versions begins “Hear O Israel, The Lord our God” – in a few other versions it does read as Rick Warren stated, ‘The Lord IS our God’. The full declaration of Deuteronomy 6:4, also repeated by the Lord Himself in Mark 12:29, actually tells us “Hear O Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord”. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states, ‘This verse has been called the SHEMA from the Hebrew word translated ‘Hear’. The statement in this verse is the basic confession of faith in Judaism. The verse means that the Lord (Yahweh) is totally unique. He alone is God’. The Commentary goes on to say, ‘This confession of monotheism does not preclude the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. “God” is plural (Elohim) possibly implying the Trinity and “one” (ehad) may suggest a unity of Persons in the Godhead (see Genesis 2:24 where the same word for “one” is used of Adam and Eve).  In the printed text of Rick Warren’s prayer, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God’ is in inverted commas/quotation marks indicating a direct biblical quote but the phrase that then follows is not in inverted commas/quotation marks suggesting that it is not meant to be a quote from Deuteronomy 6:4. What is Rick Warren up to by only partially quoting the basic confession of faith of Judaism and then following it with this statement ? The Lord is One [Having quoted an important portion of the basic confession of faith in Judaism Rick Warren now asserts that ‘The Lord is One’ – it seems to me that he is trying to tell ‘Israel’ that their ‘God’ is the same ‘One’ claimed by other monotheistic religions such as Islam and Christianity and his next words are the basis for my claim for this] and You are the compassionate and merciful One [EVERY Sura in the Koran except one begins with this dedication “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” – Rick Warren’s use of this terminology was I believe intended to ‘strike a chord’ with  the followers of Islam] and You are loving to everyone You have made [this was I believe Rick Warren’s ‘overture’ to Christians who are constantly but erroneously being told that God’s greatest attribute is ‘love’ whereas His greatest attribute actually is ‘holiness’. In these few phrases Rick Warren was I believe using terminology that, as I said earlier, would “placate and please” the followers of many ‘gods’].

 

Now, today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African-American President of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequalled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And, we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven! [Scripture does not indicate that those in heaven are aware of what is currently happening down here on planet earth and we are told that the focus of praise, rejoicing, singing etc in heaven is “the Lamb” who was crucified to save sinners – see Revelation 5: 5-14 and 7: 9-10. To suggest that the attention of the saints already in heaven would be directed away from their worship of the Lord Jesus Christ to the installation of an American President is very close to if not actually blasphemy].

 

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility; the courage to lead us with integrity; the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him [The One true God declares in 1st Samuel 2:30,  “them who honor me I will honor”- in his eulogy to Barack Obama and his ‘god’, the Religion Correspondent of the Belfast Telegraph, Alf McCreary wrote last Saturday (17th January 2009) ‘Obama appears to be a man who is not afraid to think beyond the narrow confines of one religious outlook…He said “I am a Christian so I have a deep faith. On the other hand…I believe that there are many paths to the same place and that there is a higher power, that we are connected as a people’. These are not God-honoring statements worthy and deserving of blessing from the One who said quite clearly in Matthew 7:14 “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it” and who in John 14:6 declared Himself to be the ONLY way and path to His Father in heaven]. his family, Vice-President Biden, the cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders.

 

Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans united not by race, or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget You, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims [This I believe was a subtle plug for the global P E A C E initiative championed by Rick Warren and others that he is involved with such as the ‘Tony Blair Faith Foundation’ where he serves as a member of the ‘Advisory Council’], responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ. Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all [Does the ‘all’ include the ‘common good’ of unborn babies that Barack Obama is content to see aborted (murdered) on an ongoing massive scale?].

 

May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. [Tolerant co-operation does not exalt a nation or even a planet – according to Proverbs 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a nation” and righteousness is certainly not embodied in the ‘prayer’ offered by the actively ‘gay’ Bishop Gene Robinson who was invited by Barack Obama to pray at an event a couple of days before the inauguration – the following is a posting from the Christian blog of Ingrid Schlueter called ‘slice of Laodicea’] –

 

I [Ingrid Schlueter] just received this mailing from Bill Wilson at http://www.DailyJot.com and wanted to pass it on to Slice readers.

A big Amen to Mr. Wilson.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Greetings in the Name of Him Who Is Truth!

Sunday, January 18 marked the beginning of the U.S. presidential inauguration. Kicking off the ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial was homosexual activist and false minister of the gospel “Vickie” Eugene Robinson, the apostate Episcopalian. Robinson was charged with opening the event with a prayer. He began his prayer for the new administration at the White House with these words, “O god of our many understandings. . .” From then on, Robinson called on this pagan god to “bless” America, but each “blessing” was actually a curse pronounced over the nation, a prophetic call from the abyss to the one world order and the encoding of the true gospel into words that tickle the ears, but destroy souls.

Robinson asked god to bless our nation with tears, anger and discomfort that we might not accept: poverty around the world; women being raped because they seek an education; the discrimination of homosexuals, transgender people, immigrants and people of color; simplistic answers rather than the truth about ourselves as a nation. Robinson then asked for the blessing of patience to understand that our problems will not be fixed anytime soon; with humility to embrace with respect our differences and to know that our national needs must be balanced with the needs of the world; and compassion, “remembering that every religion’s god judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable.”

It is with these curses embraced by the new administration that our nation begins another chapter in its history, a chapter that when it is written will say that Americans stepped outside of its underpinnings as a Christian nation and its leadership fell apostate to a strange word. Even the man who claims to lead evangelical Christians served as an apologist for the apostate. Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life and pastor of SaddlebackChurch, praised the choice of Robinson to pray, saying that the president-elect “has again demonstrated his genuine commitment to bringing all Americans of goodwill together in search of common ground.” Warren could not be more incorrect. Robinson is not a man of goodwill. He is an apostate that mocks the word of God. And in lacking discernment by promoting common ground with such a man, Warren is deceived and is deceiving others. What has occurred is the cursing of our nation and its leadership with heresy. And it is a sad day that Christian leaders would embrace such compromise. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Discern that you may not compromise.

Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com

 

 

And, may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before You. [This of course is the ‘One Lord’ conjured up by politically-correct interfaith activists such as Rick Warren]

 

We now commit our new President and his wife Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into Your loving care. I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life [The only Saviour of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God The Son not only changes lives but He changes eternal destinies through the redemption He purchased for His people on Calvary’s Cross, even the forgiveness of their sins] – Yeshua (Hebrew), Isa (Arabic), Jesus (Spanish), Jesus (English) – [The use of these names for Jesus was designed to convey or imply a supposed ‘common bond’ between Judaism, Islam, (Hispanic) Roman Catholicism and Protestantism through some measure of common recognition of Jesus Christ – this was devious as of course Judaism rejects Jesus Christ as the Messiah, Islam rejects the deity and death of Jesus Christ and the Jesus Christ of Roman Catholicism is a ‘false christ’ embodied in a supposedly transubstantiated piece of bread – there is absolutely no common bond and recognition of Jesus Christ flowing through these differing religions] who taught us [The Lord Jesus Christ taught HIS disciples to pray this prayer] to pray, “‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’”

 

Rick Warren’s ‘witness’ on Capitol Hill, through this ‘prayer’, bore no resemblance to that of the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill and I do not believe for one minute that anyone in heaven would have been ‘shouting’ as this prayer was offered, and certainly not the Triune God, for we read in John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, AND DOETH HIS WILL, him he heareth”. Being ‘politically-correct’ when it comes to praying is certainly not “doing God’s will”.

 

Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries – 21st January 2009

The Deception of False Teachers

January 24, 2009 in Bible, Bible Study, Christians, discernment, religion | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

 

As I studied the entire book of Matthew last year, I was amazed at how much teaching there is about false teachers, false doctrine and false prophets.

Let’s start in Matthew 7 verses 15-21. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ….by their fruit you will recognize them….Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.'”

The parable about the weeds in Matthew 13 explains that the weeds are among believers and that the kingdom of God will have yeast, and the yeast is worked through the dough.

Of course Matthew 24 is full of various end-time warnings to watch for deception. Verse 4 says “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”

Verse 11 and 24. “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people…For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible.”

There many verses in the New Testament, so here is a list…I implore you to take the time and look up every verse and prayerfully read through them. At one time we have all read these verses, but focusing a few minutes on a subject that was obviously very important in the Bible, will give you defense.

2 Corinthians 1:14

2 Corinthians 4:1-5

2 Corinthians 11:4,13-15

Galatians 1:8-9

Galatians 5:7-10

Ephesians 4:6-7

Colossians 2:8

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

1 Timothy 1:3-4, 7

1 Timothy 4:1-2

1 Timothy 6:3-10

2 Timothy 2:17-18

2 Timothy 3:12-13

2 Timothy 4:14-15

2 Peter 2:1-3

2 Peter 3:17-18

1 John 2:18-23, 26

1 John 4:1-3

2 John 1:7-8

Jude 3-16

Paul, Peter, Jude, John. Are these men divisive? Yes they are. They are dividing truth from lies. They are warning us to divide ourselves, to stay away from the false prophets and to avoid and not listen to them. We are told to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness.

Ephesians 5:11 says “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

An interesting aspect to the end times is that good, will be called evil, and evil, good. There will be a reversal of thought. Those who are trying to point out and expose the heresies of today are the ones being accused of division. But in truth it is the false prophet who is being divisive by introducing false doctrine into the church.

Romans 16:17-18 says “I urge you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching that you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

This verse tell us something quite contrary to what many are saying today. Many are saying that we need unity in the church no matter what and doctrine is not an issue. Those who compare the new teachings against the Bible are called heresy hunters and dividers. But this verse tells us that the opposite is true. It is those who are teaching contrary to scripture, that are the dividers, not those bringing it to the attention of the church.

The Personal Testimony of Cathy Fowler – “I was a trueblue New Ager..”

January 24, 2009 in Christians, discernment, Life, new age, Testimonies | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

The Personal Testimony of Cathy Fowler.————-

I was a trueblue New Ager for 20 years. Over those years I
had many experiences with spiritual powers — or “forces,” as
they say. And I know they exist and are extremely powerful. If
someone had told me at that time that I was tampering with
Satan’s kingdom, I would have laughed in their face!

In fact, the reason I moved to Sedona, Arizona, was because
it is such a strong metaphysical area and community. Sedona is
advertised widely in metaphysical and occult circles as one of
the few “vortex areas” in the United States. (A “vortex area” is
an area where the veil between this world and the spiritual world
is allegedly very thin, so to speak. New Agers believe there is
a higher concentration of psychic or cosmic energy in such
areas.) I thought I could really find and experience “higher
consciousness” in Sedona. And guess what! I did. But through a
totally unexpected source — the Lord Jesus Christ!

The funny thing is that I grew up attending a Baptist church
and spent the first 18 years of my life going to church at least
three times a week. I was even baptized. But I never had a
personal relationship with Jesus. How do I know? Because I have
one now — and I know I’ve never had this before.

Many Christians ask me how I ever could have left the church
for “New Age” thinking. Didn’t I realize what I was mixed up in?
The answer to that is a big NO! I was always the curious sort and
even when I was very young, I sensed the spiritual side of life.
However, when I asked too many (or “wrong”) questions in Bible
studies or at home — or asked for genuine, credible reasons for
the Christian faith — I was always hushed with blanket answers
like, “Because the Bible says so, that’s why!”; no further
explanations were ever given. What all this really sounded like
to me was, “Shut up and don’t ask questions.”

So I started looking for answers elsewhere. And I thought I
had found answers too — in astrology, eastern religion, yoga,
reincarnation, crystals, channeled information, and meditation.
_I had arrived in the New Age._

As I look back over these years, I can say that channeling is
probably the most dangerous of the New Age practices from my
experience. New Agers take every word that comes out of the
channeler’s mouth as the “New Gospel.” I was no exception to
this.

It took me 20 years to build up a New Age belief system, with
new ideas being added all the time. Would you like to know how
long it took the Lord to knock this belief system down? Just
three months! I was led to books written by Christians about the
New Age movement, and I also had a very close Christian friend
who prayed for me on a regular basis. The books quoted Bible
verses and led me back to God’s Word which I hadn’t looked at a
single time in 20 years.

My Bible was on the bookshelf along with my more than 180 New
Age books. And guess what I found inside it when I opened it up
for the first time? A little daily devotional book opened to a
page entitled, “Test The Spirits.” All those 20 years, the
warning was there waiting for me to see it.

I could go on and on, but let me just wrap this up by saying
that I praise God every day for loving me enough to rescue me —
even though I had turned my back on Him by my involvement in the
occult. How gracious the Lord is! My life has totally changed
since a year ago last summer.

My daughter, who is now 16, was also interested in some of
the occult activities I was involved in and showed some genuine
ESP-type abilities. But now she’s deeply involved in a youth
ministry here which is an extension of the Bible church we now
attend. She has accepted Jesus Christ and can see the evil
deception going on under the guise of the New Age movement.

One last thing. Many church-going Christians either ignore or
are afraid of people involved in the New Age movement. Many
Christians are so wrapped up doing their church activities that
they rarely attempt to tackle the “outside world.” But New Agers
are easier to convert than most people might think. Why? Because
unlike the average person, they already have a strong belief in
the spiritual world; they just don’t realize exactly _what_
spiritual world they are mixed up in.

So please don’t ignore New Agers or laugh at them or give up
on them. Give them one of the many fine books on the New Age
movement written from a Christian perspective as well as a pocket
Bible. Miracles happen every hour of every day through Jesus.

 

—————————————————————-
Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
—————————————————————-
COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:
This data file is the sole property of the Christian Research
Institute. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may
be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as “freeware,”
without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain
the copyright notice (i.e., “Copyright 1994 by the Christian
Research Institute”). This data file may not be used without the
permission of the Christian Research Institute for resale or the
enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its
content with the exception of a few brief quotations not to
exceed more than 500 words. 

 

If you desire to reproduce less than 500 words of this data file
for resale or the enhancement of any other product for resale,
please give the following source credit: Copyright 1994 by the
Christian Research Institute, P.O. Box 500-TC, San Juan
Capistrano, CA 92693.
—————————————————————–

“Rescued from 20 Years in the New Age Movement” (an article from
the Christian Research Newsletter, Volume 2: Number 6, 1989) by
Cathy Fowler.
The editor of the Christian Research Newsletter is Ron
Rhodes.

January 2026
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Archives

Top Clicks

  • None

a

Blog Stats

  • 1,791,393 hits

Donations

I do not ask or want donations for this blog. God supplies all I need to share His Word and His Way of Salvation. Revelation 21:6 says, “..I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. “