I would like to point out that much of the knowledge that I have gleaned on this subject is from two sources. One, by first hand knowledge and second, the knowledge I attained from a book written by Andrew Strom, called “Kundalini Warning”. Every Christian needs to get a copy of this book, and read it!
Hopefully when you are done reading this particular blog, you will think long and hard about allowing just anyone, especially those you don’t know but profess to be of God, lay hands on you. You will become especially leery of running to meetings where others who have recently come from “outbreaks”, such as the recent Lakeland Revival, say that they are going to lay hands on everyone and “impart” what they received there. Because of the information that I want to get into your hands, this blog will have to be broken down into three blogs. I find that if a blog is too long, the discomfort of sitting in front of the computer reading distracts you from what is at hand. And this information is way too important to allow this to happen.
I would like to address some of the most outrageous events that have crept into the church over the past 15 to 20 years. When the church or individuals take their focus off of Christ and the Cross, they open themselves up to spirits that are sly and seducing and quite frankly are smarter and more cunning than man. That is how Satan orchestrated the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. But for some reason people think that he is vacationing somewhere until the time of the Antichrist. That he would not dare orchestrate anything new, especially not in our churches. Many believe that Satan or a demon of hell would ignite and burn if they dare step foot in a house of God. Wrong again. And many just believe that we are just too smart to allow this to happen in our church. Sadly, the churches have been inviting these demonic spirits in throughout time by allowing things that are not of Christ to infiltrate the membership. Not wanting to “upset” anyone, they allow individuals that have gone to hear guest speakers that are preaching dangerous material, to come back to their churches and spread false doctrine. It has been a slow process, but a process none the less. The scripture below says it all Galatians 5:7-9 (KJV)
7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
We are all fools if we do not think that the enemy of us all LOVES to work his evil way into all churches both small and great. I am going to take you on a short journey back through time to show you exactly how this has happened in the distant past, and the absolute inundation in the past 20 years. Believe it or not, the devil loves revivals, and has attended many. He loves to destroy any move of God.
First let me give you the description of true revival. The best way to describe it would be “God coming down”. Isaiah 6:1-4 (KJV) 1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 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.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
In this scripture Isaiah describes the Glory of the living God he saw. This is the Glory that descends and saturates a true revival of God. Not one orchestrated by man, but of God. With this glory, conviction follows. Frank Bartleman of the Azusa Street Revival wrote, “The depth of revival will be determined exactly by the depth of the spirit of repentance.” Jonathan Edwards of the first Great Awakening in America preached a sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. All true revival always has conviction of sin and a deep longing for repentance at the heart of it. In these past revivals, people were so moved by the TRUE presence of God they found it impossible to stand in the presence of it. Adults and children alike were slain in the presence of the living God and cried out for purity, holiness, and repentance. It was a cleansing of the church so that it can continue, unimpeded, with the work of Jesus Christ in that a pure and unadulterated gospel be preached unto all the world! And yet TRUE prophets in the Apostolic churches today are told that no “Word” of correction can be given. They are ordered to only speak words that edify the church and only as they determine what they consider edification is. What better edification than a call to holiness?
The Glory of God is not a “Glory Cloud” that is so popular in many churches today. We were visiting a church where a “Glory Cloud” supposedly showed up just after everyone had left the last service. How convenient! But the apostle had the quickness of mind to film the event! A DVD was put on the screen of this event the following service. It showed the spot lights over the stage and bits of “stuff” swirling about the lights. I have seen this before. Leave a light or lamp on that you are dusting and you can have your own “Glory Cloud”. Why don’t I buy this manifestation? Because if our loving Heavenly Father were going to have His Glory descend it would not be to an empty building! Can you just imagine God saying….”oh darn, I missed them!” God knows what He is doing. And had that been the Glory of God the Pastor would have been slain in it, and not running for a camera. And yet we heard over 700 people ooooo!! and ahhhhh!! at the DVD. The first commandment says, “I am the Lord your God and you shall not have any other gods before me.” I would imagine that “dust” would fall into that category if it were worshiped as we witnessed!
Let’s move forward to the, what can only be referred to as the “outburst” of the Charismatic movement. In the early 90’s a man from South Africa appeared on the Charismatic scene. He set up shop in Florida. You may recall the outbreak of “Holy Laughter”. The extent to which this “holy laughter” grew was and is in no way scriptural! This spirit that accompanied Rodney Howard Browne that spread throughout the crowds that mobbed to see him was alarming. I saw videos of people rolling and screaming in laughter. I saw women who with no concern for modesty or the men and children around them lifted their dress clad legs in the air exposing everything. I saw people roaring with laughter that got up and literally walked on people on the floor and falling on top of people on the floor. Does this sound like a move of the Holy God we know? And yet people of the Charismatic movement still today speak of it in awe. But we will leave this subject for now and move on to where this craze was carried, and, like a snowball rolling down a steep hill, has become a destructive avalanche that is burying our churches today. Burying their true purpose that is to preach THE gospel of Jesus Christ and to take it into all the world.
Let’s go back to the beginning of Revivals. Many somehow think that Revival is a recent creation of the church. Why? because it is billed that way to gather many to the church having the revival. “Come expecting a miracle!” “Come to see our special and famous speakers and here our singers who has sold countless millions of CD’s and have appeared on the most popular Christian network on the air today!” Gee, with all that going for this particular “revival” is there even room for the Holy Spirit, the only true provider of revival? The first revival that I could find was in 1744. It was in the Boston area. It was considered the First Great Awakening. Unfortunately, due to the “performance” of the preacher, John Davenport, and others hand picked by him, the revival came to an abrupt end. They would scream and dance and gyrate all over the stage. This became a show that had some laughing and others furious. However, others got caught up in the excess and began swooning and slithering on the floor like snakes and some appeared to be having seizures. It looked like anything but sober Christians worshiping God. Despite the “show” this so called revival went on for three years and almost tore the early church apart and many left the church altogether. This is what happens when the enemy sends a “false spirit” into a revival, and instead of the church recognizing it, they just go with it because “important” people seem to think it is okay. Reminder here…when you follow man, you are doomed.
Just over 50 years later, the Second Great Awakening occurred. It was centered in Kentucky. In the beginning there was a tremendous move of God which was followed by a great conviction of sin and repentance. People were unable to stand in the presence of this true glory of God. Many would cry out for purity and God’s mercy. And after a time, many felt the true forgiveness of God flood their souls and they were changed. This is what can be expected in a true revival! This revival in its purest state lasted for about a year. As the revival spread through Kentucky and the Camp-meetings became much larger, strange manifestation began to take place. And as this revival spread west the entire revival was almost destroyed by the enemy. The Kentucky revival had enough knowledgeable preachers that the manifestations were warned against and when the enemy doesn’t have an audience, and it told to leave, he must flee.
So you ask what were these manifestations? An eyewitness by the name of T. W. Caskey described these in detail. There was uncontrollable laughter, what appeared to be uncontrollable body gesturing as quick body jerks. People were barking like dogs and roaring like lions. People looked almost terrified as they would begin to laugh, jerk, dance uncontrollably until they fell in a death-like swoon. HOWEVER, these wise people didn’t just assume that all of these manifestations were of God. They began to search the Scriptures and “TEST THE SPIRITS”. Finding that these “spirits” were not of God, they prayed against them and refused to take part, thus saving the move of God. We have free will folks and we must all “test the spirits” and not just go along with whatever is happening for the sake of fitting in. Or worse yet, wanting what is happening to others that is not of God!! Unfortunately these bizarre occurrences made people leery of anything that even looked like a revival for years. So the enemy had done his work.
In 1904, The Welsh Revival took place and it only lasted 18 months before the enemy destroyed it as well.
Let’s move to today’s church. All should heed the words of the great revivalist John Wesley who said, “At first revival is true and pure, but after a few weeks watch for COUNTERFEITS!” I will now share some of what is going on in so called revivals and camp-meetings today.
You may or may not recognize some of the names that I am going to give here. Google them and read and learn. What they are carrying and dispensing in the churches today is evil. And yet countless millions are following these men and not God and they are most assuredly not TESTING THE SPIRITS!! This includes prominent pastors and Christian TV personalities as well!!
It is 2010. A huge Christian event is taking place. Two leaders are on stage and they look like they just left the nearest bar. They are reeling all over the stage as if drunk or stoned. They are laughing uncontrollably. The audience, instead of being shocked, is screaming its approval at what they are seeing. One of the men, John Crowder (who’s followers proudly call themselves “Crowderites”) has something in his hand that he appears to be smoking. It is white like a cigarette or joint. In reality it is his favorite prop. It is a small plastic Jesus doll. Crowder calls to the crowd and claims that he is “drunk in the spirit” because he is “toking the Ghost”…meaning what? The Holy Spirit, or Jesus’ spirit? What blasphemy! His partner in this insanity is Ben Dunn. This is the RIVER MOVEMENT. They hold “sloshfests” and “drunken glory” tours. The Charismatic movement has embraced this movement as a “move of God” and they are targeting our youth. Have you ever wondered why churches today do not teach the scripture? 2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV) 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” Why some churches, especially those that are a part of the extreme Charismatic movement, welcome in the youth, and then tell them that they do not have to change, that God loves them just the way they are? If God loved them just the way they were, then salvation would be a farce. Jesus did not have to die on the cross. Why would men like Crowder get up on stage and act like a drunken fool? Why would they mock Jesus in front of our youth? Are you saying now that these are just a couple of guys? Are you saying that you have never heard of them so how much harm could they really do? I tell you, one lost sheep is one too many! What if I were to tell you that the following supposedly respected men and women of God have appeared with these men. Do you recognize the following names? James Goll, Heidi Baker, Cal Pierce (of the Healing Rooms), Bobby Conner, Patricia King and those two men are personal friends of Todd Bentley. And Ben Dunn has been invited to teach at Bill Johnson’s famous “Bethel School of Ministry” in Redding, CA. How about these well known and respected Charismatics standing by and accepting the publishing of Mr. Crowder’s new book, The New Mystics!? What place does mysticism have in Christianity? And all this mess is just in one recent “new move of the spirit”. I assure you that this “River Movement” is not of THE Holy Spirit! Here is a list of studies provided by Crowder’s “Mystical School”; (and let me say here and now that thousands have gone to these classes including our precious youth) This is a three day course that covers…
How to Operate in Trances,
How to Experience the Physical Phenomena of Mysticism,
Get “activated” in Creative Miracles and Signs and Wonders,
Access New Creation Realities,
Attain a Historical Grid to Miracle Workers and Mystics,
Get Activated in the Seer Realm, Prophecy, and Spirit Travel,
Learn to Receive Open Heaven and Revelatory Understanding,
Learn how to Access and MANIFEST the Glory Realm.
Before I was saved in 1986, I spent 10 years in the New Age Movement. The most dangerous and frightening doctrine on the face of the Earth and it is demonic. All of what is listed above is pure New Age. Do you think that anyone, any pastor that knows that his flock is attending these “shows”, any of the participants, ever thought to TEST THE SPIRITS? Have they held the things that go on at these meetings up to the Word of the Living God? Watch for Part II, sadly it gets worse…much worse.
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