Occult Practices in the Churches

How the occult has been fully integrated into many Christian lives and fellowships

by Sandy Simpson, 6/7/18

 

The Bible is quite clear about occult practices.  Neither Israel nor the Church is to have anything to do with the way the world tries to gain secret knowledge.  The Gnostics were and are known for promoting new revelation that is either loosely tied to Scripture taken out of context or not at all.  The Israelites seeking information from the dead or in omens were judged harshly by the Lord who had warned them numerous times to stay away from that stuff. 

 

Yet due to the influences of heretical teachers in the New Apostolic Reformation, Word of Faith, Emergent Church, and the New Age many have been successful in getting lots of churches and denominations into occult practices that have been thinly disguised as “Christian”.  Many of those who follow these people, I’m sure, have no idea how far they have strayed into the occult.

 

First I want to give the dictionary definitions and then Biblical warnings against these practices.  Then I will give examples in the churches taken mainly from the ElijahList e-newsletter.

 

List of Practices Detestable To God

 

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you.

Isaiah 8:19 When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

 

Using the above list from Deuteronomy and Isaiah, let’s take a look at each individual practice.

 

Divination

 

Divination is defined as:

 

the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divination)

 

Divination generally refers to attempts to learn "hidden things" that cannot be known by normal means.  Divination falls into two broad categories: mechanical and internal.  Mechanical divination uses physical means to acquire hidden knowledge.  Examples of this include such things as gazing into crystal balls, examining the livers or other internal organs of animals, interpreting the way arrows land after being thrown into the air, and reading Tarot cards.  The internal category, sometimes called "soothsaying," involves conjuring up a spiritual entity during a trance or an altered state of consciousness.  Sometimes this spirit entity will appear as a person, no longer living, who returns and speaks words of wisdom.  Sometimes the spirit who is "called up" speaks “through” a medium.  In Acts 16:16 the slave girl had a "spirit of divination." (It is interesting to note that, because there was often trickery involved, in the first century the word used for divination was also broadly used for the act of ventriloquism.) (Divination Finds Further Expression in The Evangelical Church

by Orrel Steinkamp, The Plumbline, Volume 9, No. 3, June/July 

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/divinationfindsfurtherexpression.html)

 

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Leviticus 19:26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.

2 Kings 17:17 Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him.

2 Chronicles 33:6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.

Jeremiah 14:14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds.

Ezekiel 13:9 “So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord God.

Acts 16:16 It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling.

 

Witchcraft

 

Witchcraft is defined as:

 

a : the use of sorcery or magic

b : communication with the devil or with a familiar (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witchcraft)

 

Deuteronomy 18:14 For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

2 Chronicles 33:6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.

 

Omens

 

Omens are defined as:

 

an occurrence or phenomenon (see phenomenon 1) believed to portend a future event : augury 

The dark clouds were considered a bad omen.

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omens)

 

Isaiah 44:25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness,

 

Sorcery

 

Sorcery is defined as:

 

the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining : necromancy (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sorcery)

 

Galatians 5:20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,

 

Spell Casting

 

A spell is defined this way:

 

a : a spoken word or form of words held to have magic power

b : a state of enchantment

2: a strong compelling influence or attraction

(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spells)

 

Psalm 58:5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, or a skillful caster of spells.

Isaiah 47:9 “But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells.

Isaiah 47:12 “Stand fast now in your spells and in your many sorceries with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you may cause trembling.

 

Mediums

 

Mediums are defined as:

 

 an individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medium)

 

1 Samuel 28:3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. 

Leviticus 19:31‘ Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 20:6 ‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

Leviticus 20:27 ‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”

Isaiah 19:3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead and to mediums and spiritists.

 

Spiritists

 

Spiritualism or spiritism is defined as follows:

 

a belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living usually through a medium (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiritualism)

 

(In investigating the validity of healing claims by Kathryn Kuhlman) What are we to make of Mrs. Johnson's reference to a spiritual healing which would still be there even if the physical healing should disappear? The expression “spiritual healing” is used by many spiritist healers. Another who writes in a similar vein is a well-known professor of theology at the University of Tubingen who has the reputation among believers of being a born-again Christian. This professor wrote to me, "Kathryn Kuhlman is a spiritist. Twenty years ago you would have said so yourself." (from “Occult ABC” by Kurt Koch, 1978, http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/kuhlman.htm)

 

Kurt Koch, Occult ABC - Years ago (William Branham) told his interpreter, Pastor Ruff, "If my angel does not give the sign, I cannot heal." Ruff noticed several features of spiritism in the work of Branham, and therefore stopped working with him. These "angels" of whom (Harry) Edwards and Branham spoke are evil spirits masquerading as angels of light. As in many areas of the occult, we are here reminded again that the devil appears as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) 

 

Isaiah 19:3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead and to mediums and spiritists.

 

Necromancy

 

Necromancy is defined as:

 

conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necromancy)

 

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

 

Bethel Church of Redding, CA is known for both the pastor’s wife and youth from the church doing what they call “grave soaking” meaning they lay on graves and try to get some kind of impartation from dead people (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y74naogLrxk).  Benny Hinn has the keys to Aimee Semple Macpherson’s grave site and also visits Kathryn Kuhlman’s grave where he has stated he gets a special impartation from their graves (http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/bhnecro.htm).

 

Modern examples of occult practices in the churches

 

Now I will present some older and newer examples from the ElijahList, the email newsletter publication for the New Apostolic Reformation.

 

2005

 

As we were waiting in London for our flight to Nigeria, we looked out the windows and saw an interesting pattern in the clouds. There was clearly a sword emblazoned in white across the sky. We knew the Lord was communicating about the SWORD that had come into the atmosphere over London and England. ... I shared that this was a time that the sword was being awakened in the atmosphere over London. ... I decreed that tradition would not guide the Church from this day forward. I also decreed that false religion (the sword of Islam) would not be able to be the guiding force over England. From this passage I felt like God was saying, "I want to take charge over England and London for this hour. ... Officials do not know why the 147-year-old clock on the banks of the River Thames stopped at 10:07 p.m. Friday. It resumed keeping time, but stalled again at 10:20 p.m. and remained still for about 90 minutes before starting up again, said an engineer at the Palace of Westminster, which operates the clock. ... Note by Steve Shultz: Please observe that the temperature reached 90 degrees and the clock stopped for 90 minutes . . . both a record for the history books. Perhaps there is meaning . . . a sign and a wonder for London, for England -- Steve Shultz (Chuck Pierce: "GOD'S INTERVENTION OVER LONDON AND THE WHOLE OF ENGLAND -- Prophecy and Prayer Directives Coincide with Historic, Unexplainable 90-Minute Stop of BIG BEN CLOCK", The ElijahList, 5/31/05)

First of all, this is false prophecy because it is based on reading omens like a pattern in the clouds or Big Ben stopping briefly. De 18:10  Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in {Or who makes his son or daughter pass through} the fire, who practises divination or sorcery,interprets omens, engages in witchcraft  Second, this contains a definite false declaration/prophecy about Islam not being able to be the guiding force over England.  Islam has only increased its influence in England since 2005.  Case in point: The Archbishop of Canterbury's lecture on "Civil and Religious Law in England: a Religious Perspective" given on 2/07/08 where he says: This lecture will not attempt a detailed discussion of the nature of sharia, which would be far beyond my competence; my aim is only, as I have said, to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state, with a few thought about what might be entailed in crafting a just and constructive relationship between Islamic law and the statutory law of the United Kingdom. ... In conclusion, it seems that if we are to think intelligently about the relations between Islam and British law, we need a fair amount of 'deconstruction' of crude oppositions and mythologies, whether of the nature of sharia or the nature of the Enlightenment. He is basically equating Sharia law with Judeo-Christian law, thus giving his endorsement to instituting it within the laws of England.  Another fact is that more Mosques than churches have been built in the UK since 2005. (Islam, Rome, The Antichrist, and False Prophet? by Bob Mitchell, Moriel Ministries, http://www.moriel.org/articles/sermons/islam_rome_antichrist_false_prophet.htm) In fact Muslims have been buying Christian churches and setting up Mosques in them. (http://eye-on-the-world.blogspot.com/2007/04/england-old-church-becomes-mosque.html) Britain may continue to regard itself as a Christian nation. But practicing Muslims are likely to outnumber church-attending Christians in several decades, according to a recent survey by Christian Research, a group that specializes in documenting the status of Christianity in Britain. (CLITHEROE votes to change a church to a mosque, Posted in: Islam & the Arab World— @ 8:31 am, 2/4/07)  So what Chuck Pierce declared and what "God" allegedly said has not come true.

 

2008

 

Right as the last word came out of my mouth, the Holy Spirit said to me, "Go check your gas gauge again." I quickly did and it read "F." It had been full all along. Right then the Holy Spirit spoke to me again and said, "When your perspective is not aligned with Mine, even the things that are full in your life will appear empty." (Kathi Pelton: "God's Perspective in 2008--I Will SING Over My Children and Express My Delight in Them", The ElijahList, 1/16/08)

 

Sounds good, but is this prophecy "aligned" with what God has commanded us to do and not do?  Here again, we have an example of looking at natural occurrences in the world for omens.  We are not to look for omens (De 18:10).  We have the finished revelation (1 Cor. 4:6) of God's Word as our foundation (2 Cor. 2:16-17).  Why?  It is because His Word is living and active (Heb. 4:12).  The Holy Spirit speaks to true believers through His Word which is the Law and the Testimony (Is. 8:20) as written by Holy Spirit inspiration by the prophets, Apostles, and God Himself (1 Cor. 2:13, Rom. 15:4).  We don't need omens from false prophets who are always looking for some way to come up with another new revelation "prophecy".

 

Recently I went into another heart vision and saw people walking inside the heart of God. It was literally a live, breathing, pulsating heart. We were beating as one with Him, engrafted in the core of His innermost heart chamber. God's heart is full of infinite crevices and He is longing for us to discover the many facets of Him as we walk inside the innermost chambers and begin pouring them out. When you walk inside God's heart, you will begin knowing the depths of Him. As you begin walking with the heart of God, you will be walking as one with Him. Your heart will be beating at the same beat of His. You will feel what He feels as He shares the intimate details of His heart. (Julie Smith:"The Greatest Destiny of a Man is the DESTINY OF A LOVER", The ElijahList, 2/13/08)

 

There is no mention here of God's written Word, the Bible.  There is also no mention of the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ.  How can a person "share the intimate details of His heart" if they do not dig deep into the Word of God and obey it?  How can they "feel what He feels" if they do not really know Him as He is revealed to us in the ultimate revelation, the Bible?  This is simply mysticism without truth.

 

Kim Clement: I Speak these Words that I Hear Bellowing, "Whoever had a Grip on You, and Walked on Your Territory--AMPUTATION!"  ... The Spirit of God says, "Would Jacob have enchantment against him? Would Israel have divination come against him?" For God said, "There will be no divination; there will be no enchanting," for the Spirit of God said, "What has been made as a declaration has no signature. Every prognosis that's come against you, it doesn't have a signature. Because the signature of God is all that you need for something to happen to take away the grief." ... I pronounce from the Spirit of God that a new dimension of energy, passion, vigor has been released upon you, this house, the people of God who receive it. "New energy," and God says, "because of the restoration of the energy and vitality and vigor upon My Body, so I will release very soon the new source of energy--the new sources of energy to this Nation. It will only truly come about when My people enter into a new realm of energy that is coming from the oil of the Lord. The oil of the Lord shall bring the flame and your flame shall not go out. Your candle shall not go out. This energy that I bring to America shall cause the candle or the flame to burn continuously and never come to an end," says the Lord! (Kim Clement: I Speak these Words that I Hear Bellowing, "Whoever had a Grip on You, and Walked on Your Territory--AMPUTATION!", The ElijahList, 2/17/08)

So God is "bellowing"?  That sounds very irreverent, perhaps even blasphemous.  How can God be decreeing an end to divination and enchanting when this is the stock and trade of false prophets like Kim Clement?  This prophecy is typical in that it talks about God as "energy", "new energy" and a "new source of energy".  This is teaching people to think of God as a pantheistic "force".  It is good to have times of refreshing and revival from the Lord.  But the true zeal for the Lord comes from a deep commitment to obey Him, not from outside in via false impartations.  This is why the New Apostolic Reformation is so unable to reform anyone.

We are heading into two of the most rearranging, realigning months that we have ever known in the history of this generation. What occurs during these days will set a course for our lives and this nation. The Lord woke me at 1 o'clock on Tuesday morning, March 4th, 2008. As I walked into the bathroom I noticed a calligraphy verse: "Lean not on your own understanding." This verse lit up even though the light was not on in the bathroom. The verse became red and yellow like fire. When I went back in at 5 AM, I noticed that the verse was actually in navy blue! I heard the Lord begin to say: ... I will show you how evil is working. I will let you hear the voice of evil-- that voice that has been distracting, confronting, and taunting you. My cause will rise up in you. My words will form in your mouth. You will speak it to the atmosphere and the atmosphere around you will change. ... Spheres of authority will be rearranged in these next 40 days. The power of My words in your mouth will cause a breakthrough. Don't miss your window of opportunity or fail to recognize the catalyst I am creating for rearranged momentum. Receive an anointing to leap over the mountain that has been deceiving and intimidating you. ... War for the next 21 days to see My call come forth. ... You will be accosted by the enemy three times to keep you from finding and standing firm on the highway that I am forming to bring you through and into your new! ... Nations are hanging in the balance! My Kingdom government will now begin to rise up and form to influence the government of the earth. ... I am calling for a new release of power over these 40 days. (Chuck Pierce: "CHUCK PIERCE: Important! 40-day Prophecy and 2-Month DECREE to the Body of Christ", The ElijahList,3/9/08)

No fulfillment of the "prophecy" has evidenced itself.  They have had their big meetings but nothing is really happening to change anything.  Again we have Pierce relying on an omen (De. 18:10) in the form of a Bible verse that allegedly lit up and burned.  Why do I doubt this actually happened?  If God were showing Third Wavers how evil is working He would be revealing to them that they are following and promoting false apostles and false prophets like Pierce.  But that has not happened.  You can't be any worse of a false apostle when you claim you have apostolic authority over the Church, in the world and even in the heavenlies like Chuck, C. Peter Wagner and others have claimed.  Read False Apostles for more information.  Suffice it to say that the Biblical definition of a false apostle is one who claims to be equal to (or greater than) the foundational apostles.  

2 Cor. 11:12-15  And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. "

“You will speak it to the atmosphere" is clear Word of Faith "confession" heresy.  It is also New Age terminology.  There is apparently always another "anointing" to be had for every job.  Yet there is actually only one Anointing and that is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ given to those who are born again.  True saints are empowered by God to do His Will and given gifts to do so but they are not given a whole host of "anointings".  That is patently unbiblical.  There is also always the "new" thing brought in by the false prophets.  Everything has to be new, new, new.  It is not God's Kingdom rising up and taking over the "government of the earth".  God's Kingdom will come at His second coming.  The coming "government" will be a global government headed by Satan Himself through the AntiChrist.  All these false prophets are just leading people astray to run after the “woman who rides the beast”.

I was inside of His heart! The incense! The thick heavy smells began to overwhelm my senses.” -- Jill Austin ... Suddenly, I found myself on the chest of Jesus. Like John the Beloved, I could feel my face up against His linen robes--the soft fabric around my face. I could hear His heart--the sound of eternity--that gigantic chamber of love, embracing me. I felt so loved and so protected. This intimacy of His heart went deep into my very being. Leaning! I was leaning deeper into His heart. I could feel His arms embracing me. And then, I could feel His heart open up. And I'm drawn into the literal heart of Jesus--the eternal residence of this tremendous heartbeat. ... (Jill Austin: "SUDDENLY I FOUND MYSELF ON JESUS' CHEST!", The ElijahList, 3/25/08)

This wacky vision comes from an old Gnostic idea.  I was in a restaurant and a man was witnessing to a group of people at a table near us.  I was grateful that he had the boldness to witness until I heard what he was telling them.  He was saying that you can't really understand the Gospel until you experience it.  He said that the reason John was a close friend of Jesus and had more revelation than any other disciple was that he laid on Jesus’ breast at the Last Supper.  He got some kind of Gnostic special revelation ability from being in physical contact with the Lord.  This man was teaching lies.  (1) The "laying on Jesus' breast" incident occurred at the Last Supper (John 13:25) yet all the disciples would have touched the Lord repeatedly during His time on earth, i.e., Thomas.  But this laying on Jesus' chest had no power transfer, slain in the spirit, or magical connection attached to it.  (2) The Gnostics always claim special ability through false prophecies and visions to be able to impart special new revelation knowledge beyond the Bible.  (3) For Austin to compare herself to the Apostle John is simply a way to try to glorify herself.  (4) Thick heavy smells are often reported in occult situations and apostate churches that traffic in the false anointing.  God is not into perfuming rooms full of people to prove He is there.  “Where two or three are gathered” He has promised He is already there (Mt. 18:20).  There is no evidence of perfuming from God in the Bible.  (5) No one has or will literally be "drawn" into Jesus' heart.  Jesus Christ is the God-man and is now in His glorified body at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  Since this is presented as the "literal heart of Jesus" then it cannot be figurative.

God Spoke in My Bathroom, "THE TIME OF ACCELERATION IS AT HAND!" ...  My bathroom is one of the places in the house where I spend a lot of time in prayer and worship. In fact, I spend so much time in there being in the presence of the Lord, that often times I can just walk into that room and immediately hear His voice speaking insight and revelation to me. It makes sense to me that if the Lord was going to grab my attention by disrupting the time on a clock, it would be the clock in that particular room. ... the Lord said to me, "The time of acceleration is at hand." (Taffie Furr: God Spoke in My Bathroom, "THE TIME OF ACCELERATION IS AT HAND!", The ElijahList, 3/26/08)

I could make a joke here about "acceleration" in the bathroom but I will refrain.  Not sure if the bathroom is the best place to be "worshipping" the Lord.  This is a prophecy based on an omen.  She should probably get a new clock since clocks are meant to tell accurate time, not be fast or slow.  This is akin to other Third Wave prophecies based on birds flying over, cloud shapes and any other natural occurrence that can be misconstrued into a "prophecy".  

De 18:10  Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in {Or who makes his son or daughter pass through} the fire, who practises divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft ...

As I woke up, I had several "knowings" as a result of this dream experience. Again, there were no audible words in this dream. But the feeling dimension was very alive! I did feel a word dropped inside of me, though, as I woke up: "Get positioned for an open Heaven."(James Goll: "Confessing Generational Sins and Positioned for an Open Heaven!", The ElijahList, 4/12/08)

So now prophets are going by their feelings from the "feeling dimension".  Where is there any example of this in the Bible among the true prophets?  Where is this "feeling dimension" evidenced in the Bible?  It is not, and in fact, the Bible states that false prophets are driven by false visions and delusion of their minds.  

Jer 14:14  Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries {Or visions, worthless divinations} and the delusions of their own minds.  

Then we have this "open heaven" taught by a number of Latter Rain false teachers and false prophets.  There is no such thing.  God the Father and Son are in the third heaven also called Paradise.  This third heaven is only "open" to those who have died in Christ and to those born again and awaiting His return.  God works with His Church but the access they have to heaven is through prayer in Christ Who intercedes for us with the Father.  But the core issue is that people like Goll are trying to get people to come under the false apostles and get squarely into the center of the Dominion doctrines of the NAR. 

 So, get positioned for an open Heaven! Get into Kingdom alignment for such a time as this. (James Goll: "Confessing Generational Sins and Positioned for an Open Heaven!", The ElijahList, 4/12/08) 

"Kingdom alignment" is their code for pressuring people into getting the "anointing" passed on by the laying on of hands (slain in the spirit), coming under the authority of the false NAR apostles and prophets, and obeying their edicts and false prophecies.  There is no such thing as "Kingdom alignment" in Scripture.

2018

Dear Empowered Ones:

We could not have experienced a more amazing start to Pentecost...the heavens broke open early in the morning and poured down rain in great abundance! On our eighth time celebrating Pentecost on this land, we witnessed the floodgates of Heaven opening to release God's blessings in the earth.

 

Peirce, the new head of the New Apostolic Reformation after C. Peter Wagner died, is using a natural event to say it was actually a spiritual event.  God only releases blessings where the Gospel has been preached and people are making professions of faith.  He is not in the business of confirming the false prophecies of false teachers or giving physical or financial “blessings” to those who disobey Him.

 

At the harvest feast of Shavuot, we celebrate God's physical provision by bringing our firstfruits and thank offerings. We also celebrate His provision of revelation by reading the Word (Torah) and meditating on it. Finally, we can celebrate His provision of the Holy Spirit by welcoming His empowering presence and being filled afresh.

 

Sounds like they are practicing part of the Law, the Law that Jesus came to liberate us from.  Practicing part of the Law will not benefit anyone, in fact no one can be saved by the Law.

 

Romans 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

 

If you want to please God, obey His commands and bring the spiritual firstfruits of the Law of Christ, which is love.

 

Key Dream: You Are Breaking Out of Captivity and into Enlargement!

 

As I mentioned yesterday morning (at church), my daughter, Rebekah Faubion, had a dream that I believe is for all of us. The enemy may be hassling you and making you think you can't move forward during this time of increase and enlargement. Although the enemy is saying he will break through the barrier between you and him and hold you in captivity, know that the Lord says: You are coming out of captivity completely!

 

This begs the question: Why were they not set free from captivity when they were born again?

 

Take time to read Rebekah's dream and hear God's word to all of us:

 

"I was at a zoo, and there was an open-air exhibit featuring a white tiger. People waited for hours to get through the gate to look at this white tiger from the platform. I got through, and the moment I did the white tiger locked eyes with me. And I knew he wanted to kill me.

 

"Then I was back in time, still in the line to get in. I made it inside again. He locked on me again and this time he ran up and hit the platform, knocking me over the edge and into his enclosure. And suddenly I knew that he wanted to murder me, and I knew how to climb to escape. I began to place my feet in the fence grooves, and as the people on the platform panicked and scrambled away, I fought to get free.

 

"His fangs latched onto my arm and he yanked, but I held on because I knew that I was supposed to escape. Then I managed to climb out, and when I did, the zookeepers took me aside and tried to make me accept their version of what had happened. But it didn't matter how they spun it, news outlets picked up the story. And it was all over the news how I had escaped. –end of dream

"I have always been a dreamer, and I often experience dreams through visuals and dialog, but also with strong impressions about the thoughts or emotions of characters in the dream. During this dream in the midst of my terror, I could feel not only the tiger's hatred of me, but I could sense his anger that I existed at all. His anger that he was in this pen and I was standing above him. He specifically wanted my life; there was something about me he couldn't stand. His attack was calculated and executed perfectly.

 

"When I woke up, I was shaken by my terror, but even more by the feeling of being stalked by an enemy...of being selected by this enemy to be destroyed.

 

"The tiger had to get me into the pen with him in order to devour me. The line I stood in to observe the tiger put me in a place of vulnerability, and when I made it through the doors, the tiger devised a plan to get me in the pen and kill me. But God took me back in the line, and even though I ended up on the platform again, and this time the tiger was able to get me into the pen with him, God showed me the strategy to escape. He used my escape to make me famous."

 

God is saying:

 

"I am getting ready to place My people at the top of the news cycle, and with that comes enemies who will plot and plan attacks, but My people will have strategies to thwart them. (ElijahList, May 23, 2018)

 

All this is allegedly from a real zoo followed by a visionary zoo, followed by an alleged message from God.  Are not the strategies for success already in the final revelation of the written Word?  Why would Christians need this omen/vision to proceed in their lives in Christ?  This is an example, as are all of them from the ElijahList, of false prophets bringing forth messages not from God or the Bible, but from their fertile delusional minds, if not from the enemy himself.

 

Jeremiah 14:14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

 

The Zion Realm

 

The Zion Realm—this set of words stood out to me as I was reading Hebrews 12 recently in the Passion Translation. It is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. We are reminded that we have not come to a mountain burning with fire, smoke, and darkness like Moses did, and we have not come to a place where only one man could enter the atmosphere. Instead, Hebrews 12:22 says:

 

"By contrast, we have already come near to God in a totally different realm, the Zion-realm, for we have entered the city of the Living God, which is the New Jerusalem in Heaven! We have joined the festal gathering of myriads of angels in their joyous celebration!"

 

Zion is referenced as God's dwelling in several Scriptures. We are said to be seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), and a head cannot be seated without a body. When I think about this realm, I think about the glory of God. I had been pondering on this for weeks, and then about a week ago during a corporate gathering, it made sense to me why this was linked to unity.

 

First of all, the “Passion Translation” is not a legitimate Bible translation.  It is a commentary on the Bible written by NAR false teachers.  Here is the real verse she is referring to:

 

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

 

There is no such thing as a “Zion-realm”.  This is written by Dominionists hoping to convince people that Christians are to take over every aspect of life on this planet.  Far from it, this verse is talking about what is taking place in heaven.

 

Ver. 22. But ye are come unto Mount Sion, &c.] The Alexandrian copy reads, as in # Heb 12:18 "for ye are not come"; which may seem to favour that interpretation of this passage, which refers it to the heavenly state; to which saints, in this present life, are not, as yet, come: but, by "Mount Sion", and the other names here given, is meant the church of God, under the Gospel dispensation, to which the believing Hebrews were come; in distinction from the legal dispensation, signified by Mount Sinai, from which they were delivered: and this is called Mount Sion, because, like that, it is beloved of God; chosen by him; and is the place of his habitation; here his worship is, and his word and ordinances are administered; here he communes with his people, and distributes his blessings and this, as Mount Sion, is a perfection of beauty the joy of the whole earth; is strongly fortified by divine power, and is immovable; and is comparable to that mountain, for its height and holiness: and to come to Sion is to become a member of a Gospel church, and partake of the ordinances, enjoy the privileges, and perform the duties belonging to it: (John Gill Expositor)

 

… Not to take over the world.  It is a picture of what is physically, if you will, already taking place in heaven and spiritually takes place in the lives of the born again and the Church as a whole.  This is a good example of the havoc that can be caused by pragmatically and purposely mistranslating the Bible.

 

On Earth as it is in Heaven

 

When we understand this revelation, then we can more fully understand what it means—that we have come near to God in the Zion realm. This is not for an elite group of people. This is for every Believer in Christ. If we truly desire to see "on earth as it is in Heaven" then we must operate as a unified Body. Right now, we are seeing pockets of glory bursting forth all over the world. Many Believers are existing instead of cohabiting with His presence.

 

Nice sentiment, albeit from a person who, along with her Latter Rain cohorts, is actually causing division in the body of Christ.  When true Bible-believing Christians pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” they are not saying that the earthly physical kingdom of Christ is already here in the form of the body of Christ.  They are praying for the future fulfillment of the return of Christ and His reign on earth for 1000 years.  The NAR adherents also love to quote “as above, so below”. This is what they actually mean by “on earth as it is in heaven”.  “As above, so below” comes from Gnostic Hermes Trismegistus originator of Hermeticism, also called Hermetism, which is a religious, philosophical, and esoteric tradition based primarily upon writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great").  It later inspired a number of New age authors, and lately was inserted into The Message “Bible”. Hermes Trismegistos was identified with both the biblical Enoch and the Egyptian God Thoth. The text itself is a short Alchemical piece describing the preparation of the Prima Materia, inferring that processes in Nature or macrocosm (that which is Above) are analogous to processes in the alchemical lab or microcosm (that which is Below). On a superficial level it is atmospheric dew (e.g "The Golden Chain of Homer"), but the deeper meaning is that the Prima Materia is the Anima Mundi, or consciousness itself. “As Above So Below” in magic is the explanation of the traditional magic. It was an inscription of the emerald tablet by Hermes Trismegistus. It is the key of all magic systems. All things come from one thing.

 

Matt. 6:10 (Message Bible) Set the world right; Do what’s best—as above, so below.

Matt. 6:10 (NASB) ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

 

This is another example of why we have to warn people away from false translations of the Bible such as The Message and The Passion “translations”.

 

About 10 years ago, the Lord gave me a dream where I saw very young people being recruited into an army. They were given guns and knives by their evil recruiters who commissioned them into a mission of destruction to destroy one another. The Lord then gave me a revelation through that dream that the enemy was on course to pervert the enemies of the young ones in the UK and that His saints needed to pray to decree an end to the plans of the enemy in their lives, and call forth their destinies to be the voice of God instead of being an army of destruction.

 

The enemy cannot be defeated now.  The only way to stand against the attacks of the enemy is to put on the armor of God (Eph. 6) and persevere through his attacks because of continued trust in Jesus Christ.  It is not by “calling forth of destinies”.

 

When I had the dream 10 years ago, there were also reports of many youths involved in gang violence in London who were killing each other. Many saints of God prayed, and a lot of the violence abated in an answer to our prayers with many of the young people turning in their weapons and some gave their lives to Jesus!

 

As usual, claims are made of their answered prayers that do not reflect reality.  For instance, “assault with injury offenses” in London went from 5.6 per 1000 in 2000 to 9.5 per 1000 in 2008, which is the year she claims “a lot of the violence abated”. (Wikipedia, Crime in London, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_London) I have seen this type of lie many times among the false prophets.  I guess they never expect anyone to check out their claims.

 

Recently while I was in prayer, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "A new apostolic edge is coming to the Church!" An apostle is one of the 5-fold Office ministry gifts given by Jesus. In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul writes of the impartation of grace Jesus affords to those He calls into ministry service. One of those gifts and graces is an apostle. The Greek word for apostle is apostolas. Apostolas in Strong's dictionary means: a delegate; an appointed ambassador of the Gospel; a messenger who is sent by God to build, equip, and advance the Kingdom of God. Jesus assigns men and women with special graces to accomplish His will upon the earth. As New Testament Believers, the working of the 5-fold office gifts in unity, holds the keys to how the Spirit of the Lord is moving through the Church in this hour. When the apostles fulfilled their mandate to go into all the world and preach the Gospel upon the fulfillment of Jesus' resurrection, many came into the Kingdom through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the apostles (Acts 4:33, Mark 16:15). The apostles built the New Testament Church on the foundation of Jesus Christ as being the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Apostles are empowered with the miraculous working power of the Holy Spirit to change and transform the world around them (Acts 5:12)!

 

This is false prophecy because there are no more foundational apostles today, only church planting missionaries and evangelists.  Also, the five gifts were not present in all the Apostles.  Those gifts sometimes are present in certain individuals except that there are no more foundational apostles or prophets.  Read my article on this issue here: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/gracegifts.html

 

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Dreams and visions can be revelations from God that connect straight to our hearts. Spoken in the language of Heaven - the language of our spirits - you first need to learn the language before you can truly understand the power and purpose of these messages. With wisdom and insight, pastor and author Sandie Freed helps you do just that.

Laying out a Biblical framework for interpreting dreams and visions, she shows how God uses these to:

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     •  Impart direction and guidance
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     •  Prepare to hear from God
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Sandie Freed is a female co-head pastor.  That is not allowed according to Scripture.  If she would teach people to study the written Word that would be of benefit but to teach them some secret language in order to understand what the Holy Spirit is saying in their dreams is Gnosticism.  She tries to make a case that God uses dreams to “impart direction and guidance”.  But the Holy Spirit clearly teaches and directs from the written Word, which is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

 

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

Conclusion

 

There are countless more examples I could give.  But this random sampling ought to be enough to convince you to avoid the New Apostolic, Word of Faith, Emergent Church and other movements producing these false apostles and false prophets.

 

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.