Strange Fire: False Charismatic Doctrines

(1) Charismatic Doctrines

This chapter will discuss some of the false doctrines being taught within the Charismatic movement. Having been raised a Pentecostal, I am a firm believer in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and its gifts, what I object to are lies being taught by servants of Satan.

Many ministers have spoken out against the Charismatic movement, but they object to anything and everything because they are not even Pentecostal. Therefore, they are mostly ignored even when they have a valid point to make. A few Pentecostal and Charismatic ministers are brave enough to speak out against the falsehood, such as David Wilkerson, but he too takes a very hard line, therefore, few are listening. I don’t take such a hard line and try to take a more balanced approach.

Some people object to anything that is not nice and dignified, but they do not understand all the ways in which God works and moves. There are genuine visions from God, and there are visions from Satan and his demons. There are genuine prophecies, and there are false prophecies from Satan. There is genuine holy laughter, and there is demonic laughter. There is a genuine anointing, and there is a false anointing. The false does not cause the genuine to be less genuine.

Moses threw down his rod and it turned into a snake. The Egyptian magicians did the same, but the snake from Moses’ rod ate up all the other snakes. This shows that God’s power is greater than Satan’s, but it also shows that the two may often look the same. The key is having spiritual discernment to know when something is of God and when it is of Satan.

People have always reacted to the power of the Holy Spirit in undignified ways. A hundred years ago, during the birth of the Pentecostal movement, some people rolled on the floor which is why they were called “Holy Rollers.” Laughing, crying, shaking, running around the building, are all within the realm of normal when the power of God hits people. Sometimes a person will act in wild and unusual ways that are not caused by God, but is just a demon in the person or on the person; the demon does not like the power of God and reacts to it. These demonic reactions do not mean it is a false revival.

We have already seen the falsehood of the prosperity gospel. Only a few Charismatic Christians are spiritually mature and wise enough to reject the prosperity gospel and most of the false doctrines which are discussed below. But many Charismatics believe the false doctrines being taught today, and the problem is getting worse. There seems to be more and more false doctrine popping up everywhere, so I cannot cover all of them in this book, but I will discuss the more common ones.

(2) Little Gods

The Word of Faith teachers read the Bible where it says we are gods and take it literally, but it is speaking figuratively.

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came–and Scripture cannot be broken . . . (John 10:34-35) (ESV)

God has given us a certain amount of dominion and power over the world and even over some other people, so that we have the power of life and death; in this sense we act as little gods. When you feed a starving person you give them life, in that sense you become like God to them. God said that Moses would be like God to his brother Aaron (Ex. 7:1; 4:16). The Epistle of Diognetus, long attributed to Justin Martyr, agrees with this interpretation:

But if a man will shoulder his neighbor’s burden; if he be ready to supply another’s need from his own abundance; if, by sharing the blessings he has received from God with those who are in want, he himself becomes a god to those who receive his bounty – such a man is indeed an imitator of God. (Arnold, The Early Chistians in Their Own Words, page 181)

So this teaching about us being a race of little gods, able to speak things into existence, is a bunch of nonsense.

(3) Jesus in Hell?

Another false Charismatic teaching is that when Jesus died on the cross, he went to hell because he had to die spiritually, because the death of his body was not enough to pay for our sins, and he became born again in hell. Here is what one false TV preacher had to say:

I can imagine when Jesus bowed His head and died on that cross, that Satan and all those demons, they gathered in hell for a great victory celebration…. You can see them giving high five’s and jumping around, shouting with great excitement, We did it! … Can’t you see Jesus looking right into Satan’s eyes and saying, “Satan, I hate to spoil your victory party, but I think you’re celebrating a little bit too soon” … Satan says, Listen, Jesus, you’re on my turf now.… Jesus says, “Look, Satan, I’m down here to take care of business.” … Jesus went into the very depths of hell. Right into the enemy’s own territory. And He did battle with Satan face to face. … He went over and ripped the keys of death and hell out of Satan’s hands. And He grabbed Satan by the nap of his neck and He began to slowly drag him down through the corridors of Hell. (E, Sermon CS-002, 4/23/00, posted on his Web site, 5/2004)

Ha, Ha, what a joke! Satan never had the keys to death and hell. First of all, Satan does not have total power of death. If he did then all Christians would never live more than a few seconds; Satan would kill us all, so the first Christians would have been the only Christians. What about Hebrews 2:14 that says, “by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Barnes’ Notes says

I understand this as meaning that the devil was the cause of death in this world. He was the means of its introduction, and of its long and melancholy reign. This does not “affirm” anything of his power of inflicting death in particular instances – whatever may be true on that point – but that “death” was a part of his dominion; that he introduced it; that he seduced man from God, and led on the train of woes which result in death.

Satan is not in hell, nor does he rule over hell. It is not his kingdom. Some angels are bound there in chains, (2Peter 2:4; Jude 6) but Satan is not there. This is just one of many examples that prove these false teachers are stupid. The Bible clearly says that when Christ died his spirit went immediately up to Paradise:

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” . . . Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:43, 46) (ESV)

So there you have it, we know without a doubt where Jesus went, and it was not to hell! Jesus was not a mere man, he was the Son of God, therefore, the death of his body on the cross paid for our sins, as the Bible clearly states: “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28a). Those who like to over analyze will say that his spirit went to heaven but his soul went to hell. They also quote Acts 2:27 that says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption” (ESV). Barnes’ Notes says:

. . . The meaning probably is, “Thou wilt not leave me in Sheol, neither,” etc. The word “leave” here means, “Thou wilt not resign me to, or wilt not give me over to it, to be held under its power.”

. . . The word “hell,” in English, now commonly denotes “the place of the future eternal punishment of the wicked.” This sense it has acquired by long usage. It is a Saxon word, derived from helan, “to cover,” and denotes literally “a covered or deep place” (Webster); then “the dark and dismal abode of departed spirits”; and then “the place of torment.” As the word is used now by us, it by no means expresses the force of the original; and if with this idea we read a passage like the one before us, it would convey an erroneous meaning altogether, although formerly the English word perhaps expressed no more than the original. The Greek word “Hades” means literally “a place devoid of light; a dark, obscure abode”; and in Greek writers was applied to the dark and obscure regions where disembodied spirits were supposed to dwell. It occurs only eleven times in the New Testament. In this place it is the translation of the Hebrew Sheol.

. . . It is remarkable that it is never used in the Old Testament to denote the word qeber, which properly denotes “a grave or sepulchre.” The idea which was conveyed by the word Sheol, or Hades, was not properly a grave or sepulchre, but that dark, unknown state, including the grave, which constituted the dominions of the dead. . . . The word originally denoting simply “the state of the dead, the insatiable demands of the grave,” came at last to be extended in its meaning, in proportion as they received new revelations or formed new opinions about the future world. . . . The most common use of the word is, therefore, to express those dark regions, the lower world, the region of ghosts, etc. Instances of this, almost without number, might be given. . . . this word would better express the state of the wicked dead than the righteous. It conveyed the idea of darkness, gloom, wandering; the idea of a sad and unfixed abode, unlike heaven. Hence, the word sometimes expresses the idea of a place of punishment: Psa_9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell,” etc.; Pro_15:11; Pro_23:14; Pro_27:20; Job_26:6.

While, therefore, the word does not mean properly a grave or a sepulchre, it does mean often “the state of the dead,” without designating whether in happiness or woe, but implying the continued existence of the soul. In this sense it is often used in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew word is Sheol, and the Greek Hades: Gen_37:35, “I will go down into the grave, unto my son, mourning” I will go down to the dead, to death, to my son, still there existing; Gen_42:38; Gen_44:29, “He shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; Num_16:30, Num_16:33; 1Ki_2:6, 1Ki_2:9; etc. etc. in the place before us, therefore, the meaning is simply, thou wilt not leave me among the dead. This conveys all the idea. It does not mean literally the grave or the sepulchre; that relates only to the body. This expression refers to the deceased Messiah. Thou wilt not leave him among the dead; thou wilt raise him up. It is from this passage, perhaps, aided by two others (Rom_10:7, and 1Pe_3:19), that the doctrine originated that Christ “descended,” as it is expressed in the Creed, “into hell”; and many have invented strange opinions about his going among lost spirits. The doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church has been that he went to purgatory, to deliver the spirits confined there. But if the interpretation now given be correct, then it will follow:

(1) That nothing is affirmed here about the destination of the human soul of Christ after his death. That he went to the region of the dead is implied, but nothing further.

(2) . . . All suppositions of any toils or pains after his death are fables, and without the slightest warrant in the New Testament.

So Acts 2:27 means “you will not leave my soul in the place of the dead, or my body in the grave.” In other words, body and soul will be brought together again in life. There is no evidence that Jesus went to the place we understand as hell. He went down there to release the captives, nothing more (Ephesians 4:8).

The reason these preachers teach so much false doctrine is because God has remove what little understanding they once had, as explained in chapter 8. They are dumb and getting dumber. All they have to do is consult a good Bible commentary like Barnes’ Notes.

(4) Faith Comes by Hearing?

The get-rich preachers teach that one way to get rich is to have a lot of faith, and one way to get big-dollar faith is from the Bible. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17) (ESV). Preacher G said faith comes by literally hearing someone preach or teach. G says, “The reason they are saved by hearing words is because faith cometh by hearing . . . You can’t believe without hearing.” He says in order to be saved we must literally hear the Gospel preached!

This is more over analyzing. If this were true, deaf people could not have faith for healing or salvation! It is true that you can acquire faith by hearing someone teach from the Scriptures, but this verse refers to hearing the Scriptures being read aloud. Most people of the first century could not read, so the Scriptures had to be read to them. Also, they did not have printing presses, so few copies of the Scriptures existed. One copy had to be read out loud for all to learn from.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear … (Rev. 1:3) (ESV)

Today, you don’t have to hear it, you can read it for yourself. G’s interpretation is evidence of his great lack of wisdom and understanding. So don’t think that you have to buy their expensive teaching tapes and listen to them in order to build your faith, just read the Bible for yourself.

(5) King’s Kids

The gospel of greed also teaches, “You are the King’s kids, you can have whatever you want. You should have the best.” Such teaching causes Christians to develop pride and great desire for material things, especially if they are poor. The Bible says God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6). This means God opposes Christians who think they are something special.

The proud are those who have an inordinate self-esteem; who have a high and unreasonable conceit of their own excellence or importance. (Barnes Notes)

Religious pride has not just infected the Charismatics, but many evangelicals and fundamentalists as well. Does this pride come from our wealth? It is hard to be humble when you live in a huge home with plenty of money in the bank. The Bible says that pride goes before a fall, therefore, we need to repent of our pride and seek humility.

(6) A Network Built on a Lie

The founder of one of the Christian networks knows that he is teaching lies, but he does not care. Here is a quote from an article in the Los Angeles Times in 2004, about the prosperity gospel:

“What’s the difference if some believe it or not. It works for many people. Why not? . . . The money comes in and the world is being reached by the Gospel.”

Can you see what he is saying here? He acknowledges that some people prosper but some don’t, just as explained in previous chapters. I have heard him say basically the same thing many times, and that we should not be so concerned with accuracy, that we can sort it all out after we get to heaven. He knows that what he teaches is a lie, but he does not care, as long as people give money so he can preach the gospel. But the gospel he preaches is a false gospel, and his network is built on a lie.

Without the promise of wealth he would not be getting over 100 million dollars in donations each year. God does not need to trick people into believing something that is not true in order for the Gospel to reach the world. It was not Christian broadcasting that planted the seed of the Gospel in China, but the blood of missionaries. It was not Christian broadcasting that caused millions of Chinese to become Christians, but the hard work and suffering of many ordinary Chinese Christians. But Christian broadcasting has managed to create many money-loving, materialistic, Christians around the world who will end up in hell if they do not repent.

(7) God’s Will

The prosperity preachers have been teaching for many years that we should not seek God’s will for our lives, that we can create our own reality by speaking things into existence and commanding angels to bring us money and pretty decide what we want and bring it about. This is why they teach that we should never use the word “if” when asking God for anything. Using “if” shows a lack of faith, say the faith teachers, and if we use it we will not get what we ask for.

But a man with leprosy asked, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus said, “I am willing… Be clean!” (Matthew 8:2-3) (NIV). This passage shows that the man did not have much faith, because he doubted whether Jesus would heal him. It also proves that the faith teachers are wrong! “Maybe he will and maybe he won’t.” He only needed a little faith, Jesus did the rest.

The get-rich preachers teach that the will of God has nothing to do with whether we get healed or get rich; that God wants us to be rich and healed so we should never say, “if God wills” about anything we ask for. They say it is not according to the will of God but according to our faith.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. … (Mat. 9:29-30) (NIV)

They teach that everything is totally up to us. One get-rich preacher, I’ll call him C, says this about the above passage:

If you’ve got one-dollar faith and you ask for a ten-thousand-dollar item, it ain’t going to work. It won’t work. Jesus said, “according to your faith,” not according to God’s will for you, in his own good time. If it’s according to his will, if he can work it into his busy schedule. He said, “According to your faith, be it unto you.”

In the passage, Jesus was not acknowledging that the person had a lot of faith. He was saying, “because you have faith, it will be done.” Of course we need faith to receive anything from God, but to ignore many other passages and create a theology that says the amount of material goods we get is based on the amount of faith we have, is stupidity. We do indeed need faith to receive what God wants for us, but the Bible does not teach that we can have faith for things that God does not want for us.

The will of God is the primary determinate in the life of a Christian. Paul said even the Holy Spirit intercedes for us “in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:27) (NIV). The will of God for each person is the focus of 1 John 5:14-15:

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (KJV)

According to this passage, God does not even hear our requests unless they are in line with God’s will for us! In other words, it is not what we want that is first priority, but what God wants. Perhaps it is the will of God for you to be healed, and perhaps it is not. It is very possible that by your death many other people will be brought into the Kingdom, so for you to proclaim yourself healed and be healed by the power of your own words could cause many people to not get saved! Only God knows what is best, we do not.

To get around this obvious interpretation and make it fit the get-rich message, one get-rich preacher, I’ll call him “O,” says there is a comma in the wrong place in that verse. He says that the passage should read, “if we ask anything, in accordance with his will he hears us.” This would make it say that if we ask for anything, it is his will to give it to us. But there is no comma in the original Greek. The best translations into English have a comma in the same place as the KJV, or word it to say the same thing, “we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will” (GNB).

The get-rich doctrines cause people to give to God out of greed, to command angels to bring them money, to demand that God give them the money he owes them, and it is all the fault of the false prosperity teachers. This teaching is man-centered and selfish, rather than God-centered and selfless. The writer of Hebrews made it clear that we should not even desire more than what God chooses to give us: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5) (NIV). Do the false prosperity preachers tell you to be content with what you have? No! In an issue of Charisma Magazine, a popular Christian singer said:

“Although God has blessed us, I need something that catapults me into the stratosphere financially. I don’t need to be just pretty well off. I need to be wealthy, extremely wealthy, and I don’t even mind saying it.” (July 2000)

God help us. People who are not content with what God provides are in danger of God’s judgment. The false prophets of greed don’t teach you about the judgment of God that came upon the Hebrews because they were not satisfied with what God chose to give them. God provided manna, but the people soon tired of it because they actually ate better while they were in Egypt. The people mumbled and complained and asked for meat (Numbers 11:4), so God sent them tons of quail:

While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague. (Numbers 11:33) (ESV)

Many people died because of the plague that God sent, because they were not satisfied with what God provided. Do you see what is happening? The preachers of the get-rich gospel are causing people to become dissatisfied with what God has provided. Though we are under the grace of the Gospel, people can still bring judgment upon themselves by becoming unhappy with God because of their humble circumstances and wanting more than they should. Perhaps this is why some Christians suffer from sickness and disease.

These passages tell us that we must be very careful when we desire a big house, or big car, or other expensive items, because not only are we in danger of falling into greed, but also God’s judgment. We need to learn to accept God’s will for us.

This does not mean that we cannot pray for a blessing or for God to pay our bills, but if he does not, then we must accept it as God’s will, rather than becoming upset with God. We must not want more than what God desires for us. We must desire and seek God’s will for our lives.

(8) Saying Confessions

This section goes right along with the above section because it involves God’s will for us. The Scriptures do not teach the doctrine of saying confessions to make things happen. You cannot create your own reality. You cannot make things happen by your own power. You cannot make money come to you, that is false doctrine from hell. This leaves the will of God out of the picture, which is the reason most confessions do not come to pass. “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1) (NIV).

G says if you want a particular house, just confess “That house is mine.” How do you know what will or will not happen tomorrow? The day after you buy the house there could be a flood or brush fire that destroys the house. You should pray and ask God if it is within his will for you to have that house. Perhaps God is planning to tell you to take a job in another city, and you go and buy a house without even asking him. Wow! Or you might get transferred or laid off from your job. You cannot know these things in advance, but God does:

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) (NIV)

But the Charismatic preachers ignore these verses and say the exact opposite, that we should not ask if it is God’s will to do this or that, just say it if you want it to happen, because God wants you to have whatever you want. Only God knows what is best for you, you do not! Many good Christians have gotten themselves into trouble by pursuing their own desires, rather than seeking God’s will.

I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. (Jer. 10:23) (NIV)

“I am the LORD your God. I teach you what is best for you. I lead you where you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17) (GW)

There have been many cases of God choosing a person’s wife or husband. He has also chosen cars and places to live, though it is not the norm. I believe God is showing us through these examples that we must seek his advice and will when it comes to making important life decisions. God may in-fact allow you to have or do certain things you desire, provided you inquire of him, and are willing to accept his will. When you presume to determine your own way through confessions, you are saying, “I don’t need God’s guidance, I can make my own decisions.” This is one step away from rebellion. You must be willing to live in accordance with God’s plan for your life, not your plan.

Sometimes God may let you have your way and allow you to get into trouble to teach you a valuable lesson. Don Basham said:

God will allow us to have our own foolish way simply because it’s often the most effective way of teaching us that His ways are better. (The Way I See It, p.102)

There is a proper way to say confessions, which is to make them into a prayer. For example: “I am delivered from alcohol, in Jesus’ name” or “Thank you Father for a good job.” This way you are not trying to make something happen by the power of your own words, but you are in fact saying a prayer from a position of faith; but always in accordance with the will of God for your life. For example, it is always God’s will to be delivered from alcohol or cigarettes.

We don’t always want what God wants for us, but often we have no choice in the matter. Joseph had to suffer in slavery and prison before ruling Egypt. It was not Joseph saying confessions that brought him to the thrown; it was the will of God for him. The dream he had from God gave him the faith to believe that even though things looked bad, God would eventually deliver him and place him in a position of authority over his family. What resulted was far more than Joseph anticipated! He was placed over the whole nation.

The faith teachers say that if you have enough faith and say your confessions, that nothing will ever harm you, that no disaster will ever hit you. They quote Psalm 91:

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you…. no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways … (Psalm 91:5-7, 10-11) (NIV)

The Bible contains many such sayings, but you have to consider everything the Bible says, not just a few verses. Job trusted in God and look what happened to him. He lost his house, his children, his cattle, his health, everything. Sure, God restored all that Job lost, but this just goes to show that you can’t put God in a box. God is God, and he can do whatever he wants, and he can allow whatever he wants to happen.

It not only rains on the just and the unjust, it also floods on the just and the unjust. Show me one house where the water stands up around it without touching it, and I will believe ever word that comes out of the mouths of the faith teachers, otherwise, buy flood insurance because if you live in an area that could flood, next time it floods it will flood your house too!

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19) (ESV)

This passage does not say that God delivers us from afflictions, it says we will indeed have many afflictions but God will see us through them. The letter of Barnabas said:

“So they, says Christ, that will see me, and come to my kingdom, must through many afflictions and troubles attain unto me.” (6:15)

(9) The Truth About Faith

Preacher G said that Jesus did not heal the woman who had an issue of blood in Mark chapter 5, that it was her own faith that healed her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole…” G said:

He didn’t say that His power had made her whole. When I saw this I knew then that if her faith made her whole, then my faith could make me whole.

But what does the verse actually say?

. . . she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” … At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him…. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” (Mark 5:28, 30, 34) (NIV)

The text clearly shows that she was healed when power left Jesus’ body and went into her body. So it was the power of Jesus that healed her, but because of her faith. She was healed when she touched him, not when she believed. She believed long before she touched him. She made a great effort to reach him because she believed she would be healed by touching him; she believed in his power. If it was the power of her faith that healed her, she would never have needed to get anywhere near Jesus. It is truly amazing that such a stupid man could become a successful, popular teacher with his own Bible college.

If faith alone could heal, then faith in Buddha could heal. Faith by itself can do nothing; it must be attached to something with power in it. If you were floating in a lake, weakened from trying to save yourself, holding onto a life line would do you no good unless the other end were attached to a boat with someone who could pull you in. This is why faith in an idol is worthless or faith in your own words or in your own faith; the lifeline by itself cannot save you.

Faith is also like a length of electric wire. With one end attached to a light-bulb, the other end must be attached to a power source. The wire does not light the bulb, it is the power flowing through the wire that lights it. Faith in God is the wire, the power of God is the electricity. Faith in your faith is expecting the wire to light the bulb! All you have to do is have faith in God, he will heal you or not heal you, depending on his sovereign will. This is why you don’t need a large amount of faith. A mustard-seed size wire is more than enough to connect with God; his power will do what is needed.

And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6) (ESV)

Jesus was likely referring to the size of the mustard seed, not to the fact that a mustard plant can grow large from a small seed. It only takes a small amount of faith to connect with God, because it is the power of God that flows through faith that does the work. As long as you have faith, that is the main point. Some people just don’t have any faith.

Faith comes from the Word of God, true, but how much? God has given everyone a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:4), but obviously not mountain moving faith. The false preachers spend a lot of time trying to get people to have great faith. There is not one Scripture that says anyone can have great faith. Perhaps we can pray to God for more faith, but God is the one who decides whether we have mountain moving faith or not. If many Christians had mountain moving faith, they would do more than heal the sick and raise the dead with it, they would use it like a genie in a bottle. So only the most spiritually mature, knowledgeable, and strong, will ever have that kind of faith.

God wants you to have faith and he wants you to trust him, but he understands people and knows that they will occasionally doubt. The false teachers say you must have nothing but faith, and the moment you doubt, everything stops and you have to start all over again. False! If Abraham never doubted that Sarah would have a child he would not have had sex with a servant girl. That proves he did doubt. Did he have to start over and wait another twenty or thirty years? No. Some people who do not even believe that God can or will perform miracles, have been healed; which is proof that you will never be able to completely figure out God.

However, the more you know about God, the more God expects from you. God performed many miracles for the Hebrews, such as delivering them from the Egyptian army, yet they did not have the faith to believe that God could win the battle against the giants of Canaan. Doubting cost them more than a delay of weeks, months, or years. None of those who doubted were allowed to enter the Promised Land, regardless of how much they repented afterwards, or how much their faith grew during the 40 years in the desert. So in this case, their disbelief did not delay the will of God for them, but totally shut off the plan of God for that whole generation. We don’t have to have mountain moving faith, but we must have at least a little faith in God.

(10) Holy Laughter and Pensacola

At this point I diverge slightly and defend Holy Laughter and the Pensacola Outpouring, simply because some Pentecostals and Charismatics oppose them. (Holy Laughter did not start there but did occasionally appear there.) It should be understood that Satan can produce a counterfeit of anything that the Holy Spirit does, so there is demonic laughter which we will learn about shortly.

There have been several defenses of Holy Laughter already published, those who do not want to believe will not believe regardless of the amount of evidence presented, and those who do want to believe will believe even without any evidence. Therefore, I will not rehash the whole argument here, but will only present a little evidence for those who desire the truth on this issue.

Some people believe that Holy Laughter came into the Church through Rodney Howard Brown, but it probably has always existed, and has been known about for hundreds of years. History tells us that laughter occurred during the early American revivals, and even in England. Congregations would sometimes roll with laughter. There is an account of laughter occurring in John Wesley’s revival which is given as evidence of demonic laughter, but it is likely the opposite:

Years earlier, in 1740, an epidemic of laughter had broken out during a gathering in Bristol. Wesley said, “I was surprised at some, who were buffeted of Satan in an unusual manner, by such a spirit of laughter as they could in no wise resist.” A short time later the “spirit of laughter” returned. One lady present was “so violently and variously torn of the evil one” that “she laughed till almost strangled; then broke out into cussing and blaspheming; then stamped and struggled with incredible strength, so that four or five could scarcely hold her.” (Counterfeit Revival, Hank Hanegraaff. John Wesley, as quoted in Nick Needhan’s appendix, “Holy Laughter – The Experience of John Wesley,” Was Jonathan Edwards the Founding Father of the Toronto Blessing? Welling, Kent, England: self-published, 1995, page 39)

Sometimes when people praise and worship God, demons will come out of them. Most of the time, the people do not even realize when a demon has come out during praise and worship; they just think they yawned or coughed for normal reasons. Anytime the anointing is present, demons do not like it and some will leave on their own without being intentionally cast out. But other demons will not want to leave and will cause a person to act in strange ways when the Holy Spirit’s power is present.

The fact that she struggled with incredible strength is evidence that she had demons in her, not merely that there were demons present who were causing people to laugh. Demons can influence people from the outside, but an occurrence such as this is caused from a demon on the inside. When the Holy Laugher hit, the demons did not want her to laugh so they reacted violently and angrily by causing her to choke. When people act in violent or disruptive ways during a church service, they need to be taken into another room and have the demons cast out.

Derek Prince presents a good defense of Holy Laughter because it happened to him as part of his salvation experience which was not even in a church, and occurred while in the military in the 1940s. Some people report being brought out of depression through Holy Laughter. But laughter can also occur at the wrong time or the wrong place, because demons can certainly use it to disrupt preaching or disrupt prayer. We must have understanding to know when it is of God and when it is not; when to allow it and when to stop it. Like apostle Paul said, everything must be done in order and we must not allow things to fall into disorder and confusion (1Co 14:40).

Some Pentecostals and Charismatics were against the Pensacola Outpouring because a few people had unusual manifestations, but those were rare and likely caused by demons either inside or on the people who were manifesting. But as previously stated, it is normal to react with shaking and even rolling on the floor when the power of God hits someone. I personally visited Pensacola and saw none of those manifestations which must have been a one in 10,000 event.

Having attended a Pentecostal church while growing up that had a regular move of the Spirit, I was able to recognize a very strong presence of conviction of sin inside the Brownsville Assembly of God church. Regardless of who was preaching, or even without preaching, sinners would run to the altar and repent. Only the Spirit of God would do that. The church also preached against the gospel of greed, which is very much contrary to other churches and “revivals” today.

Andrew Strom reports that God told several prophetic people in New Zealand to stay away from the “laughing revival” because it was just a Laodicean revival:

Several of us prophetic types from New Zealand and Australia stirred up quite a bit of controversy several years ago because we did not go along with the “holy laughter” movement that spread through the church at that time. God had actually warned us in NZ about this movement six months before it arrived, calling it a “Laodicean revival.” (The Coming Street Revival, by Andrew Strom, page 35)

Being of Laodicea does not make any of the recent revivals false, but it tells us their true spiritual condition. They think they are getting revived, but they are still rich, still seeking after more riches, and so they are spiritually poor, blind, and naked. Even though some people are getting healed and saved, because of their wealth and desire for wealth, they are slowing going farther and farther into deception, and the longer these revivals go, the more deceived they will become. This is why you should stay away unless you are spiritually mature enough to get healed without getting any deceiving spirits. These revivals which started in the early 90s, did not start out deceived, but are becoming deceived because they will not repent of the false gospel of greed. As pointed out above, Pensacola never preached that false gospel, but others are preaching it and welcoming many false spiritual experiences. Let me explain a little more.

(11) The Prophetic Movement and Toronto

Andrew Strom wrote a book while visiting the U.S. from New Zealand in 2007 about how the prophetic movement has gone off track. He was very much apart of what is termed the prophetic movement, but because it got off track and mixed up with New Age false spirits, he left and wrote the book, Why I Left the Prophetic Movement. The prophetic movement began in Kansas City in the 1980s but is now global, with many well known prophets. But it became infected with the operation of false spirits who have been doing things that are closer to the New Age movement and witchcraft than Christianity. Andrew Strom writes:

People are getting all kinds of counterfeit spiritual experiences. There seems to be almost no discernment at all. The ON-STAGE DANCING . . . like a sensual ‘Harem’ dance. . . . And by Day Three they were doing dance items with just loud voodoo-style drums only – and leaping around in a frenzied circle making weird cries to the super-amplified beat. (Ibid, page 8. Emphasis and ellipsis in the original.)

Andrew urges people to get out of the movement before it gets worse and that there should be a totally new, genuine, prophetic movement to take its place.

It is actually worse than I ever imagined. . . . We are talking here about a movement where it is encouraged for people to interact with “Orbs of light” that come hovering down (- a major prophetic ministry does this) or to pay money for personal “dream interpretations”. We are talking about a movement that teaches people how to “visualize” their way into the ‘Third Heaven’ and sometimes holds ‘Presbytery’ days where you can book a half-hour personal appointment with a prophet for a hefty fee. We are talking about a movement that majors on ‘manifestations’, “portals” and weird ‘visitations’. In every way it more closely resembles the New Age movement than anything Christian. In fact, more and more I am seeing that this movement is utterly dominated by a spirit of DIVINATION and fortune-telling. (Ibid, p. 14-15) (Emphasis in the original)

After he announced in an article that he was leaving the movement, many people sent him emails telling about their experiences. Here is what one email from someone identified as MS had to say:

“I read your article, “Why I left the Prophetic Movement,” and it was so similar to an experience and a reaction that I had at a recent “Prophetic” conference last year. Every observation you had is exactly what I observed! These so-called prophets and worship leaders were ushering in lude and familiar spirits, worshipping angels and opening and going through ungodly spiritual portals. I have never been so grieved and disturbed by anything in my life! And nobody else seemed to notice or care other than my fellow peers/disciples who discerned this also! I was so upset I strongly considered confronting . . . [the big-name leaders].

The disturbing thing is that other respectable leaders were not able to discern and bring to correction what was going on. The weirdest part about everything is that one of the spirits that was causing some creepy laughter at the conference followed us to the mall after we left the conference and caused a girl working one of the little booths that sells stuff in the middle of the mall to manifest when we walked by and laugh the same exact way. God showed me that the only reason some of the other leaders could not discern this is that they accepted money and thus the spirit of mammon had blinded their eyes to see what was going on. . . . (page 27-28, emphasis and brackets in the original)

Andrew states:

It is very dangerous for Christians to seek anything but a deeper and purer relationship with Christ Himself. Any seeking after mere touches or experiences is really nothing but “soulishness”, and can result in great spiritual deception. (page 48)

It is easy for some people with a talent for putting words together to come up with great sounding prophecies, even on the spur of the moment, as a result, the prophetic movement includes some totally false prophets who give out false prophecies. But if you think about what the false prophets actually say, it really amounts to nothing of substance, just hot air. Just smooth sounding words to make people feel good and buy their books and tapes.

There are false ministers in every denomination who preach merely as a means of making a living, and people can be deceived by false teaching just as easily as false spiritual experiences. The demonic is just as much involved in either case, whether false doctrine or false spiritual experiences. But when it comes to the present prophetic and Charismatic movement, both false doctrines and false spiritual experiences are on the increase, therefore, I suggest that most Christians stay away. They started out on the right track, but got off track and are now in major deception.

I have to disagree with Strom on his total condemnation of the revivals which took place in Toronto and Pensacola in the 1990s, because of the “manifestations.” I visited Pensacola and saw none of those manifestations, which Strom states plagued past revivals as well, and even caused one to abruptly end. He attributes the manifestations which bothered past revivals to evil spirits attempting to disrupt them, but merely attributes the manifestations of the recent revivals to evil spirits of deception, while it was likely the very same as with past revivals; the evil spirits were merely trying to disrupt and cause people to reject the revivals, which is what happened. At least that is how things began.

The problem is, the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) started out right but got off track because it allows demons to operate through people during the services. People have acted strangely, pretending to fly, walk on all fours like a dog and pretend to pee on a post, act like a chicken, and make all kinds of animal noises. These people are being influenced by demon spirits who are trying to disrupt the revival. The demons need to be rebuked and the people prayed for immediately.

Similar things happened in past revivals which have been documented in Christian history books. Demons do not have to be in you to influence you. They can whisper in your spiritual ear and put thoughts in your mind and cause you to have an urge to do or say something you would not normally do or say. If a demon causes you to say or do something you did not plan to do, rebuke it in the name of Jesus (James 4:7).

The problem with Toronto is that the church refuses to rebuke the demons and allows them to operate freely. Because it allows demons to operate, it was kicked out of the Vineyard denomination. It then began teaching the false prosperity message in order to pay for a new building. As a result of these two things, demons being allowed to operate and the gospel of greed, the revival has become infected with the demonic. Now we have tooth fillings turning to gold, and all sorts of other strange signs and wonders that are not of God, because it is also part of the prophetic movement that has gone off track.

Although a person can get healed at TACF, it is best to stay away from churches such as this because they are going to continue going farther away from the truth and farther into the demonic. Churches connected to this revival are likely spreading demons to people who attend. Remember the lesson we learned from Moses and the Egyptian magicians. If God can heal, it is likely that Satan can also heal. The Bible does not say that Satan cannot heal, only that he cannot cast out demons.

(12) Supernatural Signs of Delusion

Contrary to what some people believe, Kenneth Hagin was not one of the founders of the Charismatic movement. The founders were people like Kathryn Kuhlman, Dennis Bennett, Don Basham, and a few others. Hagin was originally an Assembly of God minister who traveled around teaching the wealth gospel, then crossed over into the Charismatic movement. So the Charismatic movement was not originally dominated by the wealth gospel, but thanks primarily to TBN, the wealth gospel has infected the Charismatic movement like a deadly virus.

As mentioned previously, no minister or movement is 100% accurate in all its doctrines, who would that be? No two ministers agree on every single point of doctrine! Therefore, God does work through ministers who teach false doctrine, but how false can a minister get and still be used of God? How far away from the truth can a movement get and still have God’s approval?

The Bible tells us that the desire for wealth is idolatry, therefore, all ministers who teach the gospel of wealth are involved with idolatry and those who have the gospel of wealth as a major focus of their ministry have idolatry for their foundation. Because the Charismatic movement has been taken off track by idolatry, it will continue to go farther and farther away from sound doctrine unless those in the movement repent of their false doctrines. Paul said that God himself will give people who refuse to believe the truth, powerful reasons to believe false doctrines to insure that they go to destruction:

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) (NIV)

What are some of the strong delusions that will lead them to destruction? Counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders such as weeping statues, visits from angels, false dreams and visions, and other supernatural occurrences. The Catholic Church has had these for hundreds of years, but now they are beginning to happen in Protestant churches, such as gold dust, gold teeth, orbs of light and other phenomena.

Many people believe the gold dust and gold teeth are from God, but consider this, two of the primary gold dust related ministers both died of cancer within a year of each other: Ruth Ward Heflin (10-2000), and Bob Shattles (7-2001). This is not proof that the gold dust and gold teeth are not of God, but I would consider it a major warning we should not ignore.

Charisma Magazine reported on the death of Bob Shattles: “The pastor emeritus of Souls Harvest Worship Center in Douglasville, Ga., had experienced the gold flakes phenomenon for two years after attending a meeting led by revivalist Ruth Heflin” (Sept. 2001). The false spirits of sorcery and divination are apparently easily transferable.

Many Charismatics believe that the gold dust and gold teeth and visits from angels are signs from God, and so they follow the strange fire ministers and believe whatever these ministers teach. But those signs are likely among the signs which are powerful delusion.

Mormons also have a lying sign which is a burning in the bosom. When Mormon missionaries go into a home they instruct people to ask God to prove that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and the Book of Mormon is genuine scripture. The proof they say will be a burning sensation in the chest. This has been a part of Mormonism from the very beginning (Moroni 10:4), without which there would not have been as many converts. Many foolish people do as instructed and ask for the sign, and low and behold they get the burning sensation in the chest. This is a lying sign, do not believe it.

Jesus said, “an evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign” (Matthew 12:39). That statement strikes me as though Jesus were a bit angry when he said it. Yet, Mormons specifically tell people to ask for a sign, which is against God’s Word, and God allows demons to give the sign because they refuse to believe the truth and be saved.

Teeth began being filled with gold many years ago, then in the 1990s the pastor of TACF prayed for it to happen and it has happened many times. Whoever heard of God putting an artificial hip into someone with a bad hip? No, God only gives a new hip, so God would merely give you a new tooth. But the teeth being filled with gold fillings are not bad teeth, but teeth that already have dentists’ fillings are being changed into gold fillings.

Toronto dentist Robert Clark says he has heard similar stories of fillings turning gold in the past, but they were from a New Age rather than a Christian context. One woman told him a few years ago about silver fillings turning to gold, but “what she was describing didn’t sound like anything tied to a movement of the Holy Spirit.” (”Dental miracles” the latest to hit Toronto, by By Debra Fieguth. Christian Week, Vol. 12, No. 24. May 1999)

This sounds like the sort of thing that could happen by the power of a spiritual shaman of several other false religions. Similar gold miracles happen to worshipers of Mary:

On June 24th 1987 one lady stated that her rosary had turned gold while she was visiting Medjugorje, Yugoslavia [a site of Marian visitation]. . . This same woman claims that over forty people whom she ministered to have had their rosaries turned to gold. This phenomenon is not at all unusual…. thousands have come back from Medjugorje testifying that their rosaries turned to gold … the chain or beads often turn to gold immediately during a prayer service in the presence of hundreds of witnesses. (Voices, Visions and Apparitions, by Michael Freze S.F.O., page 61)

The dental fillings turning to gold is so similar to rosaries turning to gold, that they must be in the same category. Teeth that are filled with anything but God’s original enamel is counterfeit and it only happens as a false sign; it helps people believe the false teachings in the churches where it occurs. If those churches are not yet preaching false doctrine, they soon will be.

The pastor actually prays for teeth to be filled with gold. Why not pray that God will cause the teeth with regular fillings to be filled with natural enamel? People can actually watch the fillings change into gold. This too is evidence that it is a false sign and wonder. God does not perform magic tricks, he prefers to do his miracles out of our view (though not always). This is why most angels appear as average humans, and seldom identify themselves as angels.

In addition to false miracles, God will also allow people to be led astray through false doctrines. A preacher was infected with the idea that financial success was an indicator of success in ministry, but he was not a successful preacher. Finally one day he had a revelation about the 100-fold return and began preaching it and became what he always wanted to be, a wealthy preacher. And so he also became an instrument for leading others down the road that leads to destruction, because they refuse to believe what the Bible clearly teaches on this subject. He became a favorite of TBN.

A former wealthy preacher, Carlton Pearson, said on TV in 2000, “Who wants to be a Millionaire? ‘Operation No Lack’– Send for the tape series . . .” Pearson soon began to teach the doctrine of Universalism, that all people will eventually be saved, even Hitler. As a result, his congregation left and his large church in Tulsa closed its doors and went into foreclosure. I guess he did not have enough faith, or did not give enough money to other get-rich preachers! He says that it was God who told him that all people will be saved. God will not be mocked. All the get-rich preachers will eventually go down the tubes; one way or another.

All ministers who refuse to stop preaching the gospel of wealth, in spite of numerous calls of correction from many people, will be led down the path of counterfeit miracles that will ultimately lead to destruction. Some ministers actually have spirits of sorcery and divination at work in their ministries. People who have their hands laid on them by these ministers may believe they have been healed, but could end up worse off.

(13) The Almost True yet False Prophet

Some of the ministers described above fall into what the book of Deuteronomy describes as almost true yet false prophets. Most people are aware that false prophets in the Old Testament are supposed to be stoned to death, but another statement will shock many people. There are some seemingly true prophets that God works through, but God considers them false prophets because they teach false doctrines:

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5) (ESV)

Notice that the prophets God speaks about have genuine visions, dreams, and perform signs and wonders that come from God. Do you suppose that these have done some good to people? Surely, they are genuine results of God’s power working through these ministers, but at the same time these ministers are teaching damnable doctrines that lead to hell. If you apply the above passage to Christianity, then we have a preacher who preaches that Jesus is the Christ, he holds crusades and gets people saved and healed, but the man also preaches false doctrines that will lead people away from the truth, such as the prosperity gospel.

Why would God work through such a minister if he teaches false doctrines that will lead people away from God? According to verse 3 and 4 it is because God is testing us to find out if we will follow a man or follow what God has already told us in his Word.

Even though God performs miracles through him, it does not mean that everything the preacher says agrees with what God says in the Bible. God allows this because he expects us to follow what he has clearly told us in the Bible. Even though we should listen to preachers to learn from them, in the end, we are responsible for knowing what is right and following God. Therefore, we should not believe everything that a big-name preacher says. Millions of people have been deceived into believing the gospel of wealth merely because of the working of the Holy Spirit in the ministers who teach it. Clearly, the working of the Holy Spirit, by itself, is not proof that we should listen to or have any association with those preachers. No, the true test is not miracles, the true test is whether they teach correct doctrines. He very well could be teaching something that will lead you into idolatry, or witchcraft, or divination, or the worship of angels. He could be one of the almost true yet false ministers described in Deuteronomy.

You may consider that elsewhere I point out that no one teaches 100% accurate doctrine, yes, but the false doctrines mentioned here are not just any doctrines; they are doctrines that lead people away from God, such as idolatry. The Bible has warned us repeatedly that seeking wealth is idolatry!

Jesus gave a parable of a great field with grain growing in it, but this field also had weeds that had been put there by Satan. The workers asked if the owner wanted the weeds pulled up, but the owner of the field said not to pull up the weeds because they might pull up some of the grain along with the weeds. This gives us one of the reasons why God does not destroy the false ministers. There are many good Christians who get saved in their meetings, and if God were to cause all the false ministers to be discredited some of their followers who are genuine Christians would become disillusioned and turn away from Christianity. A percentage of those who were saved in the meetings of the false prophets will read their Bibles and seek God and will eventually turn away from the false doctrines of the ministers who got them saved. I have read many such testimonies.

Based on what we have learned in this section, it is no mystery that we find Charismatic preachers who have many signs and wonders happening, but who also preach the wealth gospel. But, we must define them as false prophets because of what God tells us in the Bible. And we should not participate in their ministries, even though they are getting a few people healed and saved! God said in his Word, “You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer…. he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.” Do we really want to have any connection to the wealth gospel movement? No.

One preacher connected to the Toronto / prophetic movement sparked a revival in Lakeland, FL in April of 2008. He did not grow up attending church and the first books he read after getting saved were books from the false wealth preachers. Even though a few people got saved and healed, the revival in Lakeland was a false revival because the minister holds to many false doctrines, such as the idolatrous wealth gospel. The minister involved is also connected with gold dust, gold teeth, and angels who teach him how to get more money in offerings. He even practices astral projection of the New Age movement which the prophetic movement is calling third heaven visitations.

He says he saw a vision where he saw the angel of finance and visited heaven’s treasure room where he began filling his pockets with gold coins. He was stuffing the coins in everywhere he could put them, even in his pants and shirt. He asked the angel what he (the preacher) was doing and the angel said he (the preacher) was taking the offering, at which time he tried even harder to stuff even more coins onto himself: “After I heard that answer, I made a conscious decision (in this experience) to get even more gold. Now I was collecting more, stuffing as much as possible anywhere I could fit it, even my ears!” (www.freshfire.ca).

Because he has not even been saved very long, he does not realize how deceived that vision is. He does not know how far away from sound Biblical truth it is. The Bible is clear that greed is idolatry, and this preacher is very much a wealth-gospel preacher. Therefore, he is leading people into idolatry and he must be classified as a false prophet even though a few people are getting saved and healed in his meetings. But those healings may actually be from Satan; remember the Egyptian magicians who performed miracles. This means Satan’s false ministers can also perform signs and wonders.

But even if God is the one who is performing the miracles at Lakeland, as we have seen, we still must classify the minister as a false prophet. It is like God is saying, “the preacher is teaching false doctrines that are harmful, but he is also teaching some stuff useful for the Kingdom, so I will let him go and expect people to test the spirits and not fall for the false doctrines, and those who do are not following my Word but are following teachings of men.”

The Bible tells us not to accept every preacher or every teaching, but to test them to see whether they are genuine or not, but many Charismatics will swallow anything and follow anyone who comes with signs and wonders. They are just asking to be deceived, and will be deceived.

For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us! (2Co 11:4) (GNB)

Dear friends, stop believing every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1) (ISV)

When some people pretended to be apostles, you tested them and found out that they were liars. (Revelation 2:2) (CEV)

Attempts have been made to bring correction to him, but he has refused to believe the truth and has chosen to follow false spirits and angels of deception. Therefore, he is no longer merely a false prophet; he now falls into the category of one who comes with lying signs and wonders. We must stay away from any preacher who teaches the wealth gospel because he or she will eventually end up gross deception.

Derek Prince commented about the Toronto revival where they first started acting like animals:

Now, I would like to give briefly my summation of this whole phenomenon /movement/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, based partly on personal observation and partly on what I believe to be reliable reports. My summation is very simple: it is a mixture of spirits, both the Holy Spirit and unholy spirits. They are mixed together. . . .

I have observed that the result of mixture is two things: first of all, confusion; and then division. For instance, we have this mixed message, part of which is true, part of which is false. People can respond in two ways. Some will see the good and focus on it, and therefore accept the bad. Some will focus on the bad, and therefore reject the good. In either case, it does not accomplish God’s purposes. (Protection from Deception)

With orbs of light, gold dust, gold teeth, third heaven visualizations, epileptic-like convulsions, people acting like chickens and dogs, and visits from angels giving us false doctrines, the Charismatic movement must reform or it will be worse than the New Age movement. Don’t be surprised to see weeping pictures of prosperity preachers that don’t stop weeping until you send in an offering.

The Bible warns us in many places to watch out for false prophets. Here are some verses we need to keep in mind in these last days:

“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheeps’ clothing but inwardly are savage wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) (ISV)

“For false christs and false prophets will appear and display great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24) (ISV)

Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons, 2 and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:1-2) (ISV)

Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. (2 Peter 2:1) (ISV)

We now change from verses warning of deception to verses about actual deception already in the Church in the first century:

13 Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doom will match their deeds! (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) (ISV)

I have written to you about those who are trying to deceive you. (1 John 2:26) (ISV)

But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel . . . 15 You also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (Rev. 2:14-15) (ISV)

But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and who teaches and leads my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20) (ISV)

Some people will want to accuse me of being a heresy hunter, but as these verses show, the apostles and Jesus chastised and attempted to correct churches for their false doctrines. Right doctrine is very important. Jesus even threatened judgment upon the churches if they did not repent of their false doctrines. Remember Ruth Ward Heflin and Bob Shattles!

(14) Spiritual Effects

The Lakeland revival has generated strong opinions in those who are for it and against it. Here is some online posts of some of the spiritual side effects of being prayed for by the Lakeland minister:

He said recently, “This man has just received the anointing for prophecy.” The man was on his hands and knees barking like a dog. (http://gordwilliams.com/ monthlymessages c162.php)

A personal friend of mine, very stable mature woman who goes to our church, married with kids and grandkids, very outgoing…went to a [false prophet] meeting in Orlando back in January. Has hands laid on her by [false prophet].

Soon after, she began having panic and anxiety attacks. She sought medical help, but the attacks always came back. She started going to the Lakeland meetings. Her symptoms worsened. She was an emotional wreck. We, her pastors and her husband did not understand what was going on.

While researching [false prophet], really wanting to see if the meetings in Lakeland were truly a revival I came across this from Anderw Strom’s website: www.revivalschool.com/florida.html:

“A Spirit-filled pastor that I know from the UK who has been following [false prophet]’s ministry closely for some years wrote to me about what he himself has observed since the year 2000: ‘When [false prophet] conducted a healing meeting in a large charismatic church here in England in 2005, he laid hands on many people who were apparently healed. I know of at least one instance where a pastor’s wife with cancer was prayed for by [false prophet]. Soon afterwards she heard voices in her head telling her to ‘drown herself just like her father did’. The poor woman ended up in a mental hospital, I believe she still has the cancer.’”

Things started to add up. I myself, after watching the ‘revival’ several times, started ’seeing things’ in my home. It seemed as if someone was slowly turning just outside my peripheral vision. when I turned to look, nothing [was] there. I told my wife who in turn told me she had been experiencing the same thing. She said she was also seeing things ’scurrying’ across the walls.

This went on for two weeks. In that time I was also having nightmares and weird dreams with ‘angels’ and [false prophet] himself. The woman from our church I was telling you about, she too was seeing things in her home. She was also seeing spider-like creatures scurrying across the wall, but when she would turn to look, they would be gone.

I got a testimony from a minister friend who told me of a woman who engaged in an affair with her 20 something year old personal trainer after coming back from the Lakeland meetings. She broke off her years long marriage to her husband to ‘run-off’ with the young man. According to my minister friend, this woman has been in a state of emotional confusion since the meetings.

Two other ministers I know have been experiencing severe pain in their legs and hips. One man had hip replacement surgery months ago, was recovering really well and without complications. After attending the Lakeland meetings he began experiencing bad pain and having severely demonic nightmares (extremely unusual for this gentleman).

The other fellow, a long time follower and supporter of [false prophet] has been having difficulty walking (extreme pain) since going to the meetings (I thought this was a ‘healing’ revival?). . . .

Did you hear his comment Saturday night about the ‘angel’ that stood around his pulpit that would heal you and COME INTO YOU if you were up there? What crazy weirdness is that? This is lunatic! (http://forums.charismamag.com /viewtopic.php? f=25&t=2452)

Other testimonies like the above are appearing on numerous web sites. It is surprising that anyone would ever defend this guy after reading testimonies like this, but they do! I would run from Lakeland and not have anything to do with anyone who has started an offshoot revival. Do not let them lay hands on you! Even watching their videos online can have the same results as those described above. Just rebuke the devil and command him to leave and the problems should stop. This does not mean that the people bothered have demons in them, it means demons come upon them after being prayed for by the false prophet or when they attended one of his meetings.

(15) A Leader Speaks Out

As previously mentioned, Satan has the power to heal. There are New Age healers, and some people get healed praying to Mary or one of the Saints. So just because someone gets healed, is not proof that it is from God. There are great claims of healings at Lakeland but they cannot be verified, because few people are actually getting healed there.

Robert Ricciardelli, a member of Peter Wagner’s International Coalition of Apostles, who has written for Charisma Magazine, denounced the Lakeland meetings online in June and July of 2008:

Truth is there are very few people being healed in Lakeland. I have worked with Charisma Magazine editor Lee Grady in discovering how many false reports have been released as facts. These are our brothers and sisters involved in this, but this move of God has been a move of men with God still touching some who come to seek Him.” (http://jasonclark.ws/) (www.revivalschool.com)

Charisma reporters and a few others like myself have tried to get these [claims of healing] verified and cannot. At one point, I was told that [it] is God’s job and not the ones reporting these invalidated and now some have been found out to be fraudulent claims.

We actually had offered to help, because any news of a resurrection in my opinion is world news if it can be validated. But then when the totals continued to mount which led to hype and embellishment, they began to ask us to stop asking questions. Hmmmm?

Friday night, [false prophet] said that God said there were 1000 people that were to give $1000, and they were to receive a 1000 fold blessing. The one hour drama on this giving subject was so deceptively evident that it was embarrassing to watch. On top of that, those that would give that money were able to come to the platform to be recognized.

I know that there is mixture, I know that God is still touching despite the deception and manipulation of people, but results do not equal righteousness. Remember Jannes and Jambres producing snakes to come against Moses. . .

There is far too much of mans negative influence and character that is far from Him, for me to endorse Lakeland. But I will endorse a God who will touch people, and is touching people in the midst of deception, manipulation and the marketing of His glory. I will continue to pray for all of us who represent Him, and represent each other to the world. (http://stevehickey.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/)

It is my opinion that it was man orchestrated and demonically influenced from the very beginning. The worship has been good and Roy Fields is an awesome worship leader, so many in the worship and even watching from afar can sense God in the worship of His people. The truth is God has been engaged in the worship and has touched and healed some. This is why it has been so confusing to some. I have heard that Roy Fields has stated a few times that when the worship ends, God’s presence leaves the platform, and then [false prophet] operates void of His presence. That is why most all of what they have claimed cannot be verified, because it just is not happening.

We have heard a few people getting well, being touched and so on. There is a church here in North Carolina that brought 27 sick down there for a week. Some with cancer, leukemia, diabetes and such. None got healed and most were worse when they came back. The emperor is not wearing any clothes and the truth must be known. Many are claiming that [false prophet] is the new thing that God is doing. The fact is he is still operating in the old thing, and operating with less integrity and character than the previous one man shows.

God is about nameless and faceless people who are operating without any agenda but the Lords. Preaching about the King and His Kingdom, and moving supernaturally after Him, and as they do, signs and wonders follow. The problem in Charismania is that they seek the sign, they seek the thrill, they seek the craft supply quality gold dust, feathers and gems. They may get the chills and frills, but leave with nothing more than goose bumps and really little spiritual change. When they seek the King, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, you begin to see transformation take place at the heart level. This is God’s way and always has been. (revivalschool.com)

Did you notice that the Lakeland guy was trying to get a million dollars in one offering! Wow. How greedy can you get? The 100 fold return was not big enough, so he has come up with the 1,000 fold return! The falsehood just keeps getting worse and worse. Flee from anyone who teaches the prosperity gospel. Flee from anyone who teaches third heaven visitations which are very much like the New Age movement’s astral projection. Flee from anyone who has gold teeth and gold dust appearing.

Since you cannot serve both God and money, who is the one behind this guy’s ministry? The Lakeland Revival has started to bring division within the Charismatic movement as people are speaking out for and against it. It only lasted as few months, ending because Bentley was having an affair with a staff member and abusing alcohol, and is getting divorced. He also lied about resurrections taking place, so Satan was the father of this revival.

(16) Healing Crusades

The above quotes say almost the same thing that I wrote about another fellow, N, while writing this book. Healing is genuine, but is not taking place in the extremely large healing crusades you see on TV. N makes many claims, few of which can be verified. Several news organizations have tried to verify the healings reported by the world’s most famous “healer” but they are unable to do so. Kathryn Kuhlman published several books filled with documented healings that were investigated by journalists and confirmed by doctors, but not this guy. He claims to have documented cases but never provides this evidence to the news media, even after repeated requests. Many times N has declared people healed of cancer or AIDS on the platform but when they are followed by journalists to their doctors, they discover they were not healed.

What about the people on stage who say they have been healed? They truly believe they have been healed because the symptoms have gone away, but when they return home the symptoms return. This is the reason that the healings cannot be verified. This happens because our minds make us think that we have been healed. I will explain.

Let me tell you what happened to me many years ago. I was staying at a fellow’s house and he had forgotten to turn the heat on and it became very cold during the night. I was sleeping on the couch with a blanket, but it was not enough to keep me warm. But I did not know that the heat was not on, I thought I heard the heat come on frequently during the night, but as it turned out, it was not the heater but the refrigerator coming on in the kitchen not far away from the couch. I was shivering in the cold and then I would hear what I thought was the heater come on, and because I expected to get warmer, I actually got warm. I stopped shivering and went back to sleep. But some time later I would wake up cold and shivering and I would wait until the “heater” came on again, then I would get warm again and go back to sleep. This went on all night. But I never actually got warm, it was my mind which made me think I was getting warm because I was expecting to get warm.

This is exactly what is happening to the people who believe they have been healed. Their symptoms go away because they are expecting their symptoms to go away, but they are not really healed. They feel the presence of God and think that it is taking away their problems, and so their symptoms go away like I felt warm, but it does not last.

Another similar reason is that the symptoms go away because of the presence of God. God said in his Word that where two or three are gathered in his name he will be in the midst of them. God’s presence will come down and people can literally feel the presence of God as they worship him. And the more people there are in one place worshiping God, the more of his presence there is. It is in this atmosphere that the symptoms go away, but when they leave the service their symptoms return.

There are, of course, a very small number of people who get healed, probably because of their own faith and God’s sovereign will, in spite of the false prophet who is leading the service, but the vast majority of those who go onto the platform and declare that they have been healed, later find that they have not been healed.

This is why only inward healings that cannot be seen from the outside are ever claimed. No one who is totally paralyzed is ever proclaimed healed. No one who was badly burned is ever shown with new skin; the list goes on. Only people with arthritis who can now move their arms or can now walk, or who have asthma but can now breathe without difficulty, etc. But the symptoms return a few hours later.

God still heals today, but rarely through N. His anointing has become sterile because of his greed. He is able to knock people down with his anointing but he cannot heal them. When he takes offerings he tells people that if they need a really big miracle, they should plant a really big seed, inferring that you can buy a miracle. People who give this way will not be healed.

If he was not becoming wealthy through his crusades, people might actually get healed. He claims that he never touches a penny of the ministry’s money, but the ministry pays for his house overlooking the Pacific Ocean, including the property taxes. It has over 7,000 square feet with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms worth $10 million dollars. The house is located in a private cove with security guards (Canadian Broadcasting Company, CBC).

According to documents smuggled out of the ministry offices by employees who want people to know the truth, he stayed in the Presidential suite at the Savoia Hotel in Milan, Italy that cost over $10,000 American dollars for one night. It was recorded as a ministry expense. The ministry even pays for a phalanx of body guards and a police escort! How full of self-importance and pride can you get? No wonder people are not being healed the way they were in Kathryn Kuhlman’s services. God does not honor greedy ministers who are full of pride. Therefore, N is nothing but a charlatan. N is one of the almost true yet false prophets who lead people into idolatry because he is also a wealth gospel preacher who spends a lot of time pulling for money in all his crusades.