Discernment Newsletter

“…how is it that ye do not discern this time?” Luke 12:56

Volume 18, Number 3                                                                                                                              May/June 2007


Joel’s Army

The “New Breed”

Jewel Grewe

 

Children’s Crusade - 1212

The long-standing view of the Children's Crusade is some version of events with similar themes. A boy began preaching in either France or Germany claiming that he had been visited by Jesus and told to lead a Crusade to peacefully convert Muslims to Christianity.  Through a series of supposed portents and miracles he gained a considerable following, including possibly as many as 20,000 children. He led his followers southwards towards the Mediterranean Sea, where it is said he believed that the sea would part when he arrived, so that he and his followers could march to Jerusalem, but this did not happen. Two merchants gave passage on seven boats to as many of the children as would fit. The children were either taken to Tunisia and sold into slavery, or died in a shipwreck on the island of San Pietro (off Sardinia) during a gale. In some accounts they never reached the sea before dying or giving up from starvation and exhaustion. Scholarship has shown this long-standing view to be more legend than fact.”  Wikipedia

 

In researching the subject further there seems to be overwhelming writings that do indicate that a Children’s Crusade did occur and in Cloyes, France there is a stain-glassed window that portrays the same.   However, the important point is that children are not to be manipulated and taught what is beyond what a child is to learn. They must be taught the very basics, line up line – precept upon precept. – and allowed to be a child. They are not prepared to be “trained” in the spirit realm.

 

It is disturbing to witness leaders opening up young children to the “supernatural.” and teaching them to become “prophets”.   From the website below, Becky Fischer, the children’s leader of the controversial Jesus Camp, says:

 

Easily a third of them involved children ages six and under. In trying to determine why this was, I came to the conclusion it's because children are more sensitive to the supernatural world at that age than any other time in their lives.

Their innocence, openness, and lack of pretense makes them perfect candidates to interact with heaven regularly and report what they see or hear. They haven't yet caught on to what's "politically correct" in Christian circles. Peer pressure to be like everyone else is a few years down the road yet. So they just honestly report what they are experiencing. However, because they also naturally have a unique, over active imagination, it's hard for us and them to determine what's real and what's make-believe, because their make-believe is so real to them. For this reason, we adults are far too quick to dismiss almost everything they say as being fantasy. As such I believe we have missed many true things God was trying to tell us through our smallest children
.

 

Jesus Camp

A movie entitled “Jesus Camp” was filmed in 2006.   It was the winner of several awards and called “Riveting,” “Provocative.” “Eye-Opening,” “Startling,” etc. by some of the largest newspapers in the U.S.A.   On January 23, 2007, "Jesus Camp" was nominated for the 2007 79th Annual Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Documentary Feature.

 

As I viewed the movie, there was a choking sensation in my throat.  Children dressed in fatigues with swords in their hands were obviously the “army” that was being raised up.  We have been writing and warning about this Joel’s Army for many years.   Now that children are becoming involved, it takes on a new sense of urgency to again warn parents to be on guard as never before.  In the film children are being encouraged to go into the “supernatural” realm and to prophecy.

 

Yes, growing up in an Assembly of God pastor’s home, I knew about seeking the Lord at the altar after the Sunday Evening services.  Many times I experienced wonderful blessings from the Lord.  But, Jesus was always the focus of our worship.  It was all about our devotion to Him and a desire to live day by day to please Him. 

 

What I viewed in this movie was adults manipulating children to become what Scripture certainly does not teach for children! 

 

There is a reason we do not send children into battle.  Children need and deserve our protection.  One of the things that greatly disturbs me is the current effort to spread many of the manifestations of the prophetic among children.  There are now conferences to teach children to enter altered states of consciousness such as trances, to prophesy and to engage in a number of other experiences…

 

This gentleman goes on to say that he dealt with a number of children from a Christian school in Kansas City.

 

One family spoke of walking into the school and finding children doing “carpet time” in the middle of the hallway, in trance states and claming to visit the second and third heaven.  Another family had their son come home and inform them that his class spent most of the day barking.  This same family had a daughter in the school who told them she went to the second heaven and spoke with her dead uncle.

(www.signofjonah.wordpress.com)

 

There are still so many Christians who don’t have a clue to what is happening.  A magazine ElijahRain Magazine is full of Heavenly “download,” through various prophets, prophetic people, healing ministries, dream interpreters, intercessors, worshippers, and artisans of all types –  demonstrating what God is saying in this very hour to all His Creation.

 

So, in order to understand the “now” Word of God – you must obtain this magazine.  The Word of God (the Bible) is evidently not sufficient for this day in which we live.  We are to “download” direct from heaven for today.

 

In the U.S. we now get God TV through DirecTV.  Yes, you didn’t know God now has a television station all of His own where you can also “download” His latest revelation.  One program after another takes one on a journey of the supernatural realm.  Elijah List Ministries parade their prophets through this channel.  The grand line-up is there.  Now I understand why I heard some of these “prophets” say that the Apostle Paul would stand in line to shake their hands.  The Apostle Paul certainly did not prophecy on such a grand level.  Would he have flourished on God TV?  I wonder if they would have shown the part where Paul describes his life.

 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.   (Romans 8: 35-39)

 

The truth of the Word of God is sound – causing the soul to flourish.  We walk on this earth in flesh as men and women.  We fail and falter, but God in His wisdom gave us Jesus.  We learn to walk in His ways and become lights in this dark and perverse generation. 

 

Ye are the light of the world. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  Matt. 5:14(a), 16.

 

We are not “supernatural” and are forbidden to go into that realm.   In Christ are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Don’t let anyone come and deceive you with enticing words. (paraphrased from Col. 2:3&4).  The 18th verse of the same chapter warns us against going ito the supernatural realm (intruding to those things which he hath nor seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind).  What happens when folk go into this supernatural realm?  Verse 19 shows that they lose sight of the Head – which is Christ – “from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God”. 

 

Pastors, know what your “sheep” are getting in to when they start going to other meetings that give them a “spiritual” air.  Are they running after “prophets” who will give them a “fresh Word”?   Do you have women in your church who now have an anointing to be a prophetess qhilw their family is neglected?   Are your youth being influenced to set up Prayer Rooms that are Occultic rather than true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  One mother recently wrote:

 

Not long ago I ran into Pete Greig's book, "Red Moon Rising", along with 24-7 prayer site, releventmagazine website, and other "Emergent/APOSTATE" websites on our church's youth choir director's profile. After noticing this on his site, I completely investigated those sites thoroughly along with the shocking site connections to other "occult" sites that deceitfully appeal to youth. My son sometime after my looking into this "profile" info, came to me to tell me the youth group had created a special "prayer room" that "freaked him out" because of the darkness and material within. Of course I investigated this prayer room only to find Pete Greig material, along with other "Contemplative" authors.

      This 24-7 prayer site with it's boiler rooms universal and it's connection to "The order of the Mustard Seed" (totally occult) which promotes a vow to be mailed in, a ring to order, and tattoos etc. is NOT anything of the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us so much that he died on the cross for our sins to give us eternal life!  It is OCCULT

 

Don’t let your young people run here and there without discernment.  What does the House of Prayer down the street teach?  Are they taking the young people into the “supernatural” realm.  It isn’t what you remember as the Pentecostal church when you were young.  There has been a paradigm shift.  You need to understand that shift and be on the alert.  

 

Some of my greatest memories are of Bible quizzes and challenges that made me study the Word of God.  Also, a Sunday School teacher who debated with the students and would take an opposing view and we had to find the scriptures to defend our position. 

 

Many years ago we had the clues that things were changing.  One of the songs that was sung over and over was “Listen to the Music.”  Yes, indeed – why has the music changed?   On the same GOD TV – the music programs are called “Extreme Prophetic.”  Slowly the music has woven its’ web around the hearts and minds of the youth.  Unless they are being entertained, they can’t sit in church.  It is a burden to actually sit and listen to a sermon that makes one think.   The seduction has come in through every door.

 

Prophetic Connection

The website www.kidsinministry.com is the official ministry for this group.  On this site there are many “prophecies” by various prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation as well by what is called the “pee-wee prophets”.  This all follows the familiar pattern.  The “prophets” speaking the “new word” for this generation.

 

This scenario is so grieving.   Children who are so easily influenced and who need to be learning the basics of the Scriptures are being rather taught to be part of “the New Breed.”  On this website it is called the “Samuel Generation”.  (look under the prophetic teachings of Catherine Brown): 

The birthing of the Samuel generation represents an increase in apostolic/prophetic authority in the church and speaks of a people willing to lovingly submit to Christ's governmental authority. This Samuel generation will have impeccable character and be honest and virtuous and will be a testimony to God's righteousness (1 Samuel 12).

 

In 1990 we published a newsletter entitled A New Breed.  Already then we were seeing the developing of what we are now witnessing. 

 

A New Breed

The children are the best of all the generations that have ever been upon the face of the earth. . . those ELECTED SEEDS that will glorify Christ in the last days. . . they will move into the things of the supernatural that no one has ever been in the Bible – they’ll move in it consistently….they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet. . . a church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man!”  (Transcripts, Kansas City Fellowship 1988 interview Bob Jones with Mike Bickle).

 

In the newsletter, we wrote a newsletter about the “New Breed” of Apostles and Prophets who were arising to perfect the “New Breed” of people and usher in the New Order of government on the earth.  Seventeen years later, it has been amazing to see how this strange fire has spread around the world, seemingly unchecked. 

 

Characteristics of the New Breed Revival

1.  Uses the Scriptures deceitfully. 

2.  Revival of “sorcery” (the magic art of manipulating).

3. Wants to see the walls of Churches and Denominations crumble and come under the authority, structure and network of the “New Breed” (which we know now is the Apostolic Network).

4.   Rejects the literal Rapture of the Church.

5.   Rejects sound doctrine as a basis for unity.

6.  Teaches that it is wrong to judge the prophets according to the Word of God.

7.  Says that the Church (corporately) is the literal presence of Christ.

8.  Says “Touch not God’s Anointed” so no matter what is said or how wrong it is, do not question. 

9.  Obsessed with a “New Breed” of people and a political agenda on the earth.

10.  Bent on turning the youth into a militant people with war-like mentality designed to take dominion of the world and, if need be – by force.

11.  Owes its character to a group of specific persons who are misinterpreting the Bible, and like the cults, supple-menting it with their own dreams, visions and mystic ideas. 

 

The plot has indeed thickened.  In 1995 we published a book which is on our website entitled Strange Fire – The Rise of Gnosticism in the Church.  The following brings us to the crux of the whole matter.  My late husband worked with me on this book and it was published shortly after his death. 

 

New Breed = The Elite Concept

No matter how we view Gnosticism, it is always an elitist faith. Each member esteems himself superior to heaven (no wonder the “Gnostic Christian” shows no interest in heaven or the personal return of Christ). Only the “elite” (the subjectively illuminated ones) can achieve godhood.

 

All evidence of the writings of the Gnostics leads to an egocentric direction which is a religious life, with self as the object of its devotion. It is a form of narcissism with an escape from the real world into a world of myth and fantasy where no absolutes, parameters or judgments apply. This is why “spiritual warfare” as promulgated today has such an appeal to many. The imagination is titillated as the “spirit realm” is unveiled, and excited warriors find they can do battle with creatures of the netherworld.

 

The essence of a “Gnostic” is a life-long journey into self. His (imaginary) pursuit is perfection, immortality, godhood and an “elite” form of godliness that sets him apart from the flesh and the world and takes him into the “unknown.”

Elitism.  There are certain groups of Christians that fall into the category of “elitism” notwithstanding their affiliations. They use the same catch phrases: “Come out of your man-made systems,” “Denominational walls are breaking down,” and “Christians need to be ‘delivered’ from ‘Spirits of Religion’ and sound doctrine.” The guilty groups are primarily among the Charismatics. They go by many names and sometimes no name at all. We spot them by the teachers that are involved and by similarities in their teachings. There may be some variations among the different groups; however, the common denominator that ties them together is the “elitism” concept. This is set out as follows:

God is forming an overcoming company within the body of Christ called, among other names, “The Manchild Company”, etc. (Revelation 12:5). The Manchild is the true church. Those that are the real Christians are the Overcomers (Revelation 2 & 3) and are becoming more and more perfected so that they will be able to drive Satan from the world. This must be done before Jesus can return. They believe that the church is not ready for the coming of the Lord. They are not looking for His imminent coming. They believe that Christ must come TO His Church before He comes FOR His Church.

All do not necessarily use this terminology, but the premises are the same. The language is becoming increasingly militant as the “Army of God,” “Gideon’s Army,” or Joel’s Army” take shape. A common thread is that they are expecting a “New Order”: “In all revolutions there are noisy and dangerous times as the OLD ORDER is replaced by the new . . . after the dust settles, we can proceed to build the beautiful kingdom that the Lord has purposed from the foundations of the world”, says Vinson Synan, one of the leaders of A.D.2000.” [Fulness, Jan-Feb 1990, Vinson Synan, p. 24]

It all has such a spiritual sounding ring. One of the modern day prophets, Paul Cain, calls this elitism the “inner court experience.” He announces joyfully that there is an empty place on Jesus’ bosom for those who can “enter in”. The problem with this “elitism” theory is that Christians are to enter into the “inner court” of God, not by the way of the Cross, through faith, but through a subjective experience of a “nirvana” experience. A Manifest Son adherent says:

“But the purpose of God reaches from before the foundation of the world. It plans the transplanting of his sons and his daughters. It plans the creation of a NEW ORDER (the elite) on the earth and thus it transplanted celestial children to a physical world. It brought them forth into being in the bodies of the Adamic race. (Tape recording by William Swift)

A “prophet” from the Kansas City Fellowship in an interview session in 1988 proclaims that the Lord looked at him and said, “I have called the best of every blood line in earth unto this generation . . . I have elected to bring them forth in this generation . . . the ELECT GENERATION.” (Bob Jones transcribed from 1988 tapes)

This “New Breed” does not believe in the Rapture eschatology. According to Rick Joyner, one of the “Prophets”: “the doctrine of the Rapture was a great and effective ruse of the enemy to implant in the Church a retreat mentality . . . already this yoke has been cast off by the majority in the advancing church, and it will soon be cast off by all. (The Harvest, Rick Joyner)

The Scripture, Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. (Luke 17:34-36) is being construed to mean that the imperfect one shall be taken (removed from the Earth) and the perfect one left. Since the Elite (The Manifest Sons) are being perfected on Earth, the true Church is to become The Christ – the ongoing Incarnation of Christ. Therefore, the Church as “The Christ” is empowered to drive all demons from the Earth, perfect the Church and establish the Elect’s reign. The emphasis is always on the super spiritual race rather than on the person, Jesus Christ. One well known teacher summed it up as follows: “It is time to take him (Jesus) off and move up into the place God has ordained for us.”   This is heresy in its diabolic essence.

The Foremost Danger in Elitism.  The foremost danger in these divisive teachings is that Jesus Christ is removed from His high place as God the Son, to the level of all the sons of God. The sons of God are moved up to Christ’s place. The truth of the humanity of Christ is taken to an extreme. This is one of Satan’s chief ways to discredit and finally destroy God’s Word – to add to His message by pushing it to the extreme. History shows that the worst danger in Gnosticism, especially in the concept of elitism, is its inherent propensity to extremism. Given free reign, it inevitably leads to moral, political and spiritual extremism. An immediate case in point is its extremist abuse of the Scriptures. Gnosticism has a notorious reputation for riding roughshod over the Scriptures then adding and subtracting in pursuit of extreme religious ideals. Revelation 22:19 clearly reveals what happens to anyone who adds to God’s Word.

And if any man shall take away from the Words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Undermines Evangelism.  The new Elite doctrine undermines the message of evangelism. Everyone is just where he is supposed to be – where God wants him at that time. Recruits for the movement are not obtained from the ranks of the unsaved, but are plucked off one or two at a time from Christian groups by phrases like “Wouldn’t you like to learn new, deep truths?”, “Have you entered in?”, “Come into the inner court”, or “Surely, you want to move on with God?”. These phrases stir spiritual pride and elitism in most, as well as a sense of inferiority or feeling of being unspiritual if we do not understand and want to participate. Everyone else seems to understand, why not us? Spiritual pride comes to those who think they understand and are part of the “New Thing” because they have these “new deeper truths” and the rest are just poor babes.

The Restoration Movement has had a profound impact on the Charismatic movement. With the new call to “unity” with no regard to doctrine, the influence is flooding all aspects of evangelical Christianity. Restorationism presents a great challenge to conservative Biblical interpretations and is successful because it appears to be more “spiritual”. This “spirituality” actually causes a deterioration, becomes divisive and splits churches. A spiritual “elitism” is formed. Others who do not get into the same “deep revelations” of the hidden meanings of Scriptures are left out and made to feel that they are not “spiritual.”

Elitism Undermines the Word of God.  The new and yet old elite doctrine that has suddenly burst forth in the church is in actuality the brain child of New Age Christian Gnostics. Many of them do not even realize they are Gnostics. At the expense of God’s Word, the Scriptures are spiritualized to illustrate “The Church” (as they define it) as a special “breed” of God’s people.

The Bible is perceived as a symbolic book. As a result of symbolic interpretations, preposterous thoughts and blatant cultish concepts have emerged. Rejecting the literal sense of the Word allows the Scriptures to be interpreted and applied indiscriminately. For example, 2 Corinthians 3:6 (The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life) is allegorized to mean the Scriptures is a dead letter without the Spirit. However, that is not what the Apostle Paul is saying. Paul is making a difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The old brought death whereas the new as a life-giving spirit.

To the mind of the Gnostic, the true meaning of the Scriptures appears only when they are allegorized or spiritualized. Unless this rule is applied, the Scriptures remain a dead letter. By this non-literal method of interpretation, the neo-Gnostics have spiritualized themselves into being “Sons” equal with Christ and part of the “elite order” in the Church.

Immortality for the Elite.  This teaching is becoming more widespread as popular circuit “Prophets” proclaim in Kansas City

. . . There is a ministry after the five-fold called the ministry of perfection – the Melchisedek Priesthood . . . your children will be moving into the ministries of Perfection . . . coming into that Divine Nature of Jesus Christ . . . they themselves will be that generation that’s raised up to put death itself underneath their feet . . . because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the GOD-MAN! (Bob Jones, (Kansas City Fellowship, transcribed from 1988 tape)

Those who are overcomers believe they will never be sick or die, and they will be here when Christ returns. They believe they are now living in the prophetic time when the Church is being restored and perfected by the five-fold ministries (apostles, prophets, etc.). The Elite (Overcomers) are now in the process of putting on immortality, perfection and godhood and taking dominion of the earth. The Church is about to birth the Man-child – the Sons of God, the incarnation of Christ and brotherhood of Christ.

The essence of this concept is pure Gnosticism and actually accords with the following New Age thought (Gnosticism):

The real object of man’s life on earth is primarily his self-improvement and his own ultimate perfection. This perfecting process depends upon the attainment of unity within himself, a harmonizing between his physical and spiritual forces; the unity of human with the Divine nature, which is the essence and, in a spiritual sense, the NEW BIRTH. This perfection, or unity, becomes a STATE of the Soul, a degree of being, a SENSING and FEELING rather than a mere belief. This condition or state of being is possible only through the development of the divine nature of man from WITHIN himself and is the result of a process by which whatever is evil and unworthy is transmuted, i.e. changed or SUBLIMATED into the higher or spiritual entity – IT IS A BECOMING; the change from the purely animal-human to the human-Divine.

The second object of man’s life on earth is to lead other men VIA the same path so that ultimately all men shall have developed and brought into manifestation and activity this same nature and thus will God’s church or universal Brotherhood become an established fact. (The Sons of God by R. Swinburne Clymer, Published by The Philosophical Publishing Company [emphasis theirs])

Secret Coming for the Elite.  The neo-Gnostic believes the manifestation of the Sons of God comes about in a secret inner coming of Christ TO some Christians which would transform them into “Overcomers.” “Christ should visit the saints . . . and minister His life ‘in secret’ before He is openly manifest.” (The Feast of Tabernacles, George Warnock, Springfield, MO – Bill Britton, 1951, pp 108) In doing this they reject the literal Resurrection and Rapture (the personal coming of Jesus Christ FOR His Church). It is interesting to note they will acknowledge Christ is coming, but His coming is off in the future. The emphasis is not on Christ’s soon appearance but on the great “power” or “new anointing” that is to be manifest in the Church. Again, a subtle change of emphasis.

An Old Order Christian.  Change is not always positive.  As I write this newsletter there is chaos on the campus of a university in Virginia.  Young students are being killed randomly by a crazed individual.  Students whose whole lives are ahead of them.  Families are stunned by the tragedy.  What is the only comfort in this hour?  The Words of Jesus, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”    It is only by pointing souls to Jesus that there can be hope and comfort.   “Prophets” can prophesy until they are blue in the face, but those words do not compare with the majesty and glory of the Word of God spoken through His son, Jesus Christ. 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;   Heb. 1:1-4

Yes, I chose to take my place at the foot of the cross.  A spirituality that bypasses the cross is deception.  There is no other way other than building our faith on that which has proven true throughout the generations.  Mans’ methods will come to naught.  When the heavens and earth pass away – God’s Word will remain. 

The hymns of the church are timeless.  This one gives us the assurance and confidence we need as it is based on absolute truth! 

No Other Plea

My faith has found a resting place, Not in device nor creed;             I trust the Everlasting One, His wounds for me shall plead.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,  This ends my fear and doubt;       A sinful soul I come to Him, He’ll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the word, The Written word of God, Salvation by my Saviour’s Name, Salvation through His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick, The lost He came to save:       For me His precious blood He shed, For me His life He gave.  

Chorus                                                                                                 I need no other argument, I need no other plea,                               It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

New Book Introduced                                               IDOLATRY IN THEIR HEARTS                                  Startling Evidence of Idolatry and the Worship of False Gods in Every Culture Throughout the History of the World   Answers important questions like “Has God always been in the process of redeeming cultures from the time of Babel of placing in them a true revelation of Himself?

      by - Sandy Simpson and Mike Oppenheimer                           $17.00

Memoriam                                                                                    In the memory of Donald John William Leo                South Africa                                                                     Born February 22, 1924 – Died December 29, 2006       Frank & Bonnie Cullen