"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 ____ "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Dr. Michael Brown is a
prominent evangelical Christian apologist and author but is he also a
member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta like his friend, Rick Joyner?
The Order of Malta, also known as the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order with a long history of military, chivalric, and noble tradition.
Rick Joyner's god is Satan and his morning star ministry is part of the NWO ecumenical movement supported and created by the Vatican and muscled by the Jesuit order and he is one of the founders of the New Apostolic Reformation. Templar’s killed more Christians and Jews then any satanic movement ever created. Knights Of Malta are a very dangerous group that are affiliated with the Jesuits.
COMMENT: "As a member of the MorningStar fellowship, I was on the prophetic teams, and I was asked to join the Knights of Malta. We met in a secret room as there were many people that were asked. Rick Joyner told us that the Knights of Malta were not evil, and they were not part of the Freemasonry. I did not join this cult, I was persecuted in the church."
January 2008 photo of Rick Joyner (r) with Jorge Parrot in Knights of Malta regalia. Source
Here's another photo I found here - why is Jorge holding a gun?? "With the Kcucs.org medical team, led by Dr. Rob Kessinger, right, in Guatemala."
ORIGINAL POST
Several years ago when I began swimming in the charismatic 'Christian' cesspool, like many around me, I was intrigued with Rick Joyner and his 'prophetic' teachings.
Then as God began to open my eyes, one of the things that help to wake me was reading on his own Morningstar website, that Rick Joyner had become a Knight of Malta (Why did I join the Knights of Malta? by Rick Joyner) and he totally praised the Roman Catholic pope as a "man of God" who had then recently died (see "A True Saint" by Rick Joyner).
Surprised by this information along with other disturbing revelations about a 9/11 cover-up, I contacted my church leaders because we had connections with Morningstar. However again I was shocked when they said in so many words that it wasn't a big deal and don't worry about it. They may as well have said, "Go back to sleep, Cathy". The school president's advice to me? Listen to Rush Limbaugh for the real news.
So within a few short weeks, I pulled out of that organization, gave most all my belongs to my German friends, left Berlin where I had lived for 3 years as a missionary, and returned to the USA.
That was 2005 and since then, the Lord Jesus Christ has graciously been setting me free and restoring my soul through much prayer, many tears, reading the King James Bible and researching for the truth.
In the process, I have lost many friends who didn't want to hear what I had to say but either rebuked me or cut off all contact. My desire was and is to simply know the truth even if it hurt. Repeatedly I asked them to look into these things and show me where I was wrong. No one did. Now I believe, no one could.
I believe Rick Joyner is one of many deceptive pied pipers who the enemy has sprinkled throughout the Christian community to lead folks astray as the New World Order takes shape right before our eyes.
'Let no man deceive you' and 'Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves', Jesus warns us.
Paul writes to Timothy, 'But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.'
We must not be deceived by false apostles and deceitful workers who transform themselves into apostles of Christ. The scriptures tell us that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light and it should not be a surprise to us if his followers are also transformed as ministers of righteousness.
As we put our complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, He give us the Holy Spirit Who empowers us to obey His Word in all things.
Today, received the following long newsletter from someone who is on Wagner's mailing list and if you can stomach it, read how these deceivers mislead their followers with unbiblical 'apostolic protocol' and 'apostolic alignment' hogwash.
Here is their statement, issued October 23, 2008, four months after the alignment:
PUBLIC STATEMENT ON TODD BENTLEY FROM REVIVAL ALLIANCE Dear friends, several years ago, six leadership couples came together formed a relationally based, non-denominational network called Revival Alliance. When the Lakeland revival broke out Todd Bentley and the revival meetings were coming under much criticism. At the suggestion of Peter Wagner, three of the members of the Revival Alliance team went to Lakeland because the Alliance as a whole wanted to express support for the Lakeland Outpouring and to commission Todd as a revivalistic evangelist. Having been powerfully touched in the Toronto outpouring, and seeing the opposition that came from leaders in the church because of that movement, we wanted to stand with Todd and deflect some of the personal assaults that were coming against him. Many of the attacks were coming from well-respected Christian leaders, people that we still hold in high esteem. Yet the mandate from the Lord was clear. And we stood with Todd and the Fresh Fire Ministries team to both endorse and support this move of God. Rory and Wendy Alec of God TV also took tremendous risk in airing the revival prime time and broadcasting it to over 200 nations around the world. Their heart is to capture and release the move of God, no matter where it happens, or who God uses as His instrument. This unparalleled media attention gave unusual advertisement for the outpouring. But it also put their whole team in an unusual, high-level position of receiving both praise and criticism. The impact of the Lakeland Outpouring has been amazing, and it still continues. The record of conversions and miracles of healing is extraordinarily great in number. And the spreading of the revival to nation after nation has also been very significant. The God TV broadcast stirred up the hunger in people from around the world to go to Lakeland and receive from God, but then bring it home to their local churches. Impartation seems to be one of the unusual markers of a genuine move of God. Revival fires began to spread around the world as a result of the impartation received at Lakeland. But as great as the fruit has been, so have the devastation and fallout from Todd's personal failure. While there must be no toleration or whitewashing of sin, there must also be no allowances for ungodly judgments in the name of Jesus. Hatred often masquerades as a passion for holiness. And while the church has had its share of tragic failures of leaders in recent days and equally tragic reactions, we must get this one right. It is possible to promote holiness and accountability in the spirit of grace. The quickness to condemn and abandon a fallen comrade has caused us as much concernas has the actual sin of our friend. Some want to humiliate and expose Todd before the world. And then there are others who want to point to the obvious anointing on Todd's life as the sign of God's approval of Todd's behavior. Neither is acceptable to us. There must be deep repentance and thorough restoration. The restoration process must be firm but loving, while holding to the Kingdom standards of both holiness and grace. The initial goal is not to get Todd preaching again. It is to get him healed from the issues of the heart that have brought devastation to his family, and such shame and failure to him. His gift will always function when given an opportunity. We just want it to come from a place of personal victory and triumph this next time. Since the announcement of Todd's leaving his wife, Revival Alliance has been working to help restore our fallen brother. Sin is disastrous on any level, but it is well known that "to whom much is given, much is required." Gross sin from someone on Todd's level of influence is devastating. Even so, God is ready to heal and restore. Todd recently spent three days in Redding, California, with Bill Johnson dealing with the issues of his personal life. Following that, he went to Morningstar Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be with Rick Joyner for the same reason. Rick, along with the Morningstar leadership team, has offered to help in his restoration. With great confidence, Revival Alliance recommends this as the appropriate process for Todd's healing and restoration.
Todd will be moving to Morningstar Ministries to live for a season. Rick Joyner's wisdom, along with the strength of the Morningstar community of believers, will be a great support to Todd as he deals with the heart issues that brought about his failures. A council of three has also been formed to give oversight to the restoration process. Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson will give oversight as needed. We appreciate the prayers and support of countless numbers of believers who have continued to support Fresh Fire Ministries. We also appreciate the prayer support of so many for the Revival Alliance. We are also very thankful for Rick Joyner and his whole team that will be working to bring about a complete healing to our friend, Todd Bentley.
It should also be noted that effort is being made to ensure that Shonnah (Todd's wife) and children are also cared for and given opportunity to receive ministry and help. As you may imagine, they have suffered great hurt from this failure. There are many in Fresh Fire Ministries who also need help. Efforts are being made to serve them as best as possible. John Arnott recently invited the Fresh Fire Ministries associates to Toronto for their Signs and Wonders Conference to receive personal ministry and encouragement. These kinds of efforts will continue. Bill Johnson, John Arnott, and Rick Joyner have each spent time with the Fresh Fire Ministries board, and will continue to assist them as needed through this tragic season. Fresh Fire Ministries will continue their crusades and conference schedule around the world. They are a group of ministers with much integrity and a great heart for the lost. Pray for them as they maneuver through the challenging season ahead, while serving the church at large. We are thankful for the honor of being involved in this crisis.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 Apostolic Protocol The Todd Bentley situation affords us a good contemporary case study in the proper application of agreed-upon apostolic protocol. Before an international TV audience, Todd affirmed that he desired to be apostolically aligned with Revival Alliance, and then received their apostolic commissioning as a revivalistic evangelist. Almost immediately, the shifting that this alignment produced in the invisible world caused Todd's hidden personal life to begin to unravel until he left the Lakeland Outpouring in early August. Host apostle, Stephen Strader, continued services in Ignited Church until he finally closed it in October. The Revival Alliance took the first steps toward dealing with Todd's discipline and possible restoration. However, Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, a friend of Todd's, offered his services to help in the process. Revival Alliance, then, decided to outsource the long-term hands-on restoration to Rick. Rick brought his friend, Jack Deere onto his team, and Bill Johnson was added to maintain a link with Revival Alliance. After reading the Revival Alliance statement above, some have asked not only who is now in charge of the restoration (Rick Joyner authorized by Revival Alliance), but also who would make the official announcement to the body of Christ if and when the restoration is complete and give Todd clearance to resume public ministry? The answer to this question revolves around responsible apostolic protocol, and the proper answer is that only Revival Alliance would be authorized to make such an announcement. How would I reach that conclusion? Later on, I will explain the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team, but first let me introduce an official statement on apostolic protocol dealing with situations such as Todd Bentley's issued by the group in October:
Statement from the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team Current issue: Paul Cain and his appearance on the platform of the Lakeland Outpouring I.
The background. At one point rather early in Lakeland Outpouring I, prophet Paul Cain was invited to appear on the platform. A few months before the Outpouring began he had prophesied publicly that such an outpouring would break out in Lakeland, and Todd Bentley felt it would be appropriate to recognize Cain on the platform and let the audience know about his accurate prophecy. While Cain was there, he took the opportunity to announce, among other things, that he had been living a chaste life and that rumors about him were not true. This event drew criticism from many observers who knew something of Paul Cain's recent experiences. It turned out that he had been living a secret life which involved problems with drunkenness and homosexuality. Three Christian leaders who had been long-time friends and colleagues of Cain, namely Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle, and Jack Deere, attempted to bring correction and restoration privately, but to little avail. Consequently, they decided that, following the precepts of Matthew 18, they had come to the place where they needed to announce Cain's moral turpitude to the church at large with the hope that this public reprimand would speed the process of his restoration. Cain's response was to place himself under the accountability of other, self-chosen, Christian leaders who after a period of time announced that his restoration had been completed and that he was free to return to public ministry. This was an obvious violation of apostolic protocol. The correct apostolic protocol would have been for the three who first blew the whistle publicly to have been involved directly in any announcement to the body of Christ that Cain's restoration had been complete. Not only were the three not involved, but they felt that the timing for such an announcement had been premature. Bentley knew something of this situation because he reportedly later commented that he had thought (wrongly!) that he had first cleared his intentions of inviting Cain to the platform with Rick Joyner. The problem had become more complicated with Cain's public confession of having lived a chaste life, apparently denying that he ever had been involved in homosexuality. His later explanation that he really meant that he had been chaste only since his "restoration" was not sufficient to change the impression left with the huge international television audience who heard his first words. Our conclusion is that inviting Cain on the platform and allowing him to have the microphone was an unfortunate mistake on the part of Bentley since it was an intended or unintended violation of apostolic protocol.
The principle. What can we learn from this? The principle is that the prescribed restoration of a fallen leader should be undertaken only by or under the direct supervision of the apostle or apostolic group (whether or not the term "apostle" is used) with which the fallen leader has previously aligned. The practice of the leader, himself or herself, slipping out from under a recognized accountability structure in order to select what would inevitably be a more lenient person or group of persons should be regarded by the body of Christ as unacceptable behavior. The proper apostolic protocol should be for those involved in the initial apostolic alignment, and those people only, to make any public announcement on the progress of the restoration or that the restoration has been completed and that the restored leader be allowed once again to resume public ministry. As a footnote, it should be recorded that in recent years Paul Cain has not been the only high-profile leader to attempt this evasion of accountability. Others have taken similar erroneous pathways, and our opinion is that there should be a general consensus in the church that such behavior will not be repeated or tolerated in the future.
Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team
October 10, 2008 In light of the above statement it seems clear that public reports of the progress or successful termination of Todd Bentley's restoration be made only with the explicit approval of Revival Alliance. Any attempt to circumvent this apostolic protocol (as was done in the case of Paul Cain) should not be regarded as acceptable to the body of Christ. Especially those of us in the charismatically-inclined evangelical stream feel deep embarrassment over a number of recent cases that have taken this deviant route.
Conclusion That is my update for now, and probably the last one I will issue on the subject of Lakeland. Criticisms of what I have done have been severe, but affirmations have outnumbered them maybe one hundred to one. Only a few have been so upset that they have severed relations with me, and I deeply regret this. But I have no regrets over what I have done in the last four months, although there are undoubtedly a few things that I could have done better. Let's move on to new horizons for the kingdom of God!
Pope Benedict with SMOM Grandmaster Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie Read this May 15, 2008 comment (source):
"We have been watching Todd on God TV in Cyprus for the past 4 weeks and really believed it was a move of God. We personally know Trevor & Sharon Baker as we lived only 7 miles from Dudley. We have been to Revival Fires many times. However when Todd started getting people like Paul Cain and Bob Jones on the platform, we got worried. The other night he said that Bob had phoned him and told him that all the 10 virgins in the parable were 13 years old. As we have come out of the Watchtower, we know we load about Freemasonry and its evil effects. So the number 13 rang alarm bells with me and I did a google search and found out that Paul cain and Rick Joyner are Knights of Malta, which is a MASONIC high ranking level of Freemasonry (witchcraft). I no longer want anything to do with any of this stuff and now know it is Satanic."
IS THIS TRUE?
You can read for yourself how Rick Joyner became a Knight of Malta on his Morningstar website here.
Of course, Joyner lies about this satanic organization, so here is more info:
"The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), also known as the original Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, is a closed fraternity of the Roman Catholic Church. Its initiated members must be Catholic and have served in the military. They participate in secret ceremonies and feudal ritual dress, and embrace a strong class/caste mentality as part of their initiation into Rosicrucian dogma." source
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
VIDEO - Vote and be vaccinated Elizabeth Cohen reports on the 200 flu vaccine clinics that are being held at polling sites across the U.S
Is Knight of Malta Rick Joyner leading Christians astray? ........reading on his own Morningstar website, that Rick Joyner had become a Knight of Malta (Why did I join the Knights of Malta? by Rick Joyner) and he totally praised the Roman Catholic pope as a "man of God" who had then recently died (see "A True Saint" by Rick Joyner). Also A Must Read - Why did I join the Knights of Malta?
Melamine may already be in global food chain Humans unlikely to get sick due to low levels of chemical, expert reassures Now chicken eggs have been contaminated with melamine, and an admission by state-run media that the industrial chemical is regularly added to animal feed in China fueled fears Friday that the problem could be more widespread, affecting fish, meat and who knows what else.
Are You Evil? Profiling That Which Is Truly Wicked The hallowed halls of academia are not the place you would expect to find someone obsessed with evil (although some students might disagree). But it is indeed evil - or rather trying to get to the roots of evil - that fascinates Selmer Bringsjord, a logician, philosopher and chairman of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Department of Cognitive Science here.
VIDEO - Parents Upset Over Pro-Gay Pledge Cards Given to Kindergartners in Hayword, CA "I am taking a stand for a safe and harassment-free school for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression," read the pledges. "As an ally, I pledge to not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) language or slurs."
What Are Sarah Palin’s Religious Beliefs? Jesus and Witches - Video clips of Sarah Palin attending Alaska church services have raised questions about her views on Christianity and government. The video clip is from 2005, and Sarah Palin, who is running for governor, stands on the dais of a small church; three pastors surround her in a huddle. They are touching her shoulders, her forehead, her back. The would-be governor is stone still, eyes cast down, palms up toward heaven. The man on her left, the one touching her forehead, bends occasionally to whisper in her ear.
James Dobson's 'Letter From 2012 in Obama's America' James Dobson, you owe America an apology. The fictional letter released through your Focus on the Family Action organization, titled "Letter From 2012 in Obama's America", crosses all lines of decent public discourse.
Pentagon panel says biden was right, prep for 'crisis' from danger room: The McCain campaign pounced the other day, when Joe Biden said that his running mate would be tested by an international crisis at the start of his White House tenure. But the chairman of a key Pentagon advisory panel is sounding a similar warning, telling the next administration to "prepare for a likely first-270-days crisis."
Israeli Archaeologists Find Ancient Text An Israeli archaeologist digging at a hilltop south of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, a find that could provide an important glimpse into the culture and language of the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.
2 Jesuit priests are slain in Moscow Two Roman Catholic priests were murdered in their apartment in an upmarket district of Moscow, investigators said Wednesday.
Knights Hospitallers of the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta - The Ecumenical Order HSH Nicholas F.S. Papanicolaou (left) discusses the Order on a special program on God TV with Rick Joyner, reaching 400 million people worldwide. source
Are we to use the Gospel to make a profit?
It has always bothered me when a Christian counselor charges the 'client' for listening, give hopefully Biblical advice and then prayer. "That'll be $50 and you'll be happy to know we now take Visa and Mastercard!"
And what about Roman Catholic Jesuit controlled Knight of Malta Rick Joyner and his MorningStar 'ministry' which charges a fee to simply watch his 3-ring circus on the internet - can this be right? Click here to see.
If the apostate church would simply read the Bible now and again, maybe they would see the error of their way.
Then again, maybe not.
In any case, read what the Lord Jesus Christ says:
"And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves." Luke 19:45,46
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 10:7,8
I went to the first CALL which met in DC in 2000 along with about 1000 other fellow students from the ministry school at Brownsville in Florida. Over the years I've participated in several CALL events here in the USA and in Europe. Further, my involvement included Mike Bickle's Kansas City IHOP (International House of Prayer); Rick Joyner's church in Charlotte (where FIRE/Michael Brown's school of ministry is now located after leaving Pensacola); Joel's army mtgs in Europe; etc etc etc.
In 2005, the Lord began to wake me up to the deception/delusion I was under. It began after living 3 yrs in Berlin, Germany, as a missionary and within a few weeks, I relocated back to the USA, somewhat in shock over the things I was discovering.
I pulled away from everything EXCEPT what I knew for certain: JESUS CHRIST, LORD, SAVIOR, SON OF GOD WHO DIED ON THE CROSS FOR MY SIN, ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY AND IS COMING BACK AGAIN ONE DAY.
I discarded all my modern "bibles" and returned to the King James Version.
But the hardest part was when I tried to communicate my concerns to my family, friends and ministry leaders. They either rebuked me, tried to argue with me, or they ignored me and I lost many relationships.
What were my concerns back then (and now)?
1. If a Christian, why did Pres Bush not renounce Skull and Bones?
2. At the pope's funeral, why did Bush and his entourage go and kneel before this dead man who was not a Christian?
3. Why did several "Christian" leaders praise the pope like Billy Graham, Rick Joyner, & Pat Robertson to name a few? Jack Van Impe was even selling videos on tv glorifying the pope!
4. Why wasn't there outrage in the Christian community when Rick Joyner became a Knight of Malta, a secret demonic Freemason organization that has ties to the catholic church?
5. What about 911? The evidence of a cover-up/inside job was and is overwhelming. Why wouldn't anyone, esp my ministry leaders, dialog with me about this nor about any of the above concerns? I asked them to show me proof that what I was seeing/reading was not true but no one did (nor could they I now believe).
As one might imagine, it was a painful time. My ONLY source of comfort was and is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all comfort Who has faithfully met my every need and brought healing to my heart.
I don't want to be deceived nor do I want to deceive others, thus my desire to know the truth. Of course, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, so He is my main focus.
My prayer is that the Truth be revealed, the lies be exposed, the church wake up, and souls be saved before it is too late.
This passage from Matthew 7:13-23 are the words of Jesus and puts the fear of God in me:
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
WARNING: God shall send a strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness! (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12)
Following is an email forwarded to me regarding the unholy alliance between Todd Bentley and Rick Joyner - birds/wolves of a feather/pack flocking/prowling together - false prophets/workers of iniquity.
This info came to me a few weeks ago via a youtube video from Bentley's Freshfire channel:
KUNDALINI WARNING - Urgent
email sent by Andrew Strom
I just saw the video of Rick Joyner announcing that Todd Bentley is back ministering every night at Morningstar in North Carolina and now they have so-called "revival" manifestations eerily similar to Lakeland. They also announced that they are streaming these big meetings every night on their new TV channel - and they are greatly promoting the whole thing.
Now I am a tongues-speaking Pentecostal myself - but can I ask a simple question here please? What kind of "spirit" was it operating in the Lakeland revival - when the leader and main focal-point of the meetings (Todd Bentley) was having an adulterous affair behind the scenes? Was it truly the "Holy" Spirit that was anointing something so sensual and unholy? And now that Todd divorced his wife and married his mistress - are we supposed to welcome him back and this "anointing" with him? What is going on here? Rick Joyner has been warned very specifically by high-level ministries not to do what he is doing now - bringing Todd Bentley back into the limelight. And yet it seems he does not care. Apparently the "manifestations" are all that matter.
So what exactly are these 'manifestations' if they are seemingly at home in such an unholy environment? Are they from God at all? (I am talking here about the violent "jerking", uncontrollable laughter, bodily contortions, drunkenness, 'portals', strange "angel" encounters, etc.) Why do we not see such an 'anointing' in the Bible? Why aren't Jesus or the apostles promoting these manifestations if they really are true Revival? Why instead do we see these things all the way through the New Age and Hinduism, etc? Do we not realize that many false religions have their own version of "laying on of hands" that results in these very types of
manifestations? This 'spirit' is not in the Bible - but it is all the
way through Kundalini-type Hinduism! Don't you think this should alarm us? WHAT is KUNDALINI?
If you search for Kundalini and Shakti on the Internet, you will find that multitudes of people in the New Age and Eastern religions still experience these powerful manifestations. Often this is with the help of a Guru, who touches them on the forehead so that they can experience a "Kundalini Awakening".
As researcher Robert Walker wrote in 1995: "The meetings which mystic Hindu gurus hold are called 'Darshan'. At these meetings devotees go forward to receive spiritual experience from a touch by the open palm of the hand, often to the forehead, by the guru in what is known as the Shakti Pat or divine touch. The raising of the spiritual experience is called raising Kundalini? After a period when the devotee has reached a certain spiritual elevation they begin to shake, jerk, or hop or squirm uncontrollably, sometimes breaking into uncontrolled animal noises or laughter as they reach an ecstatic high. These manifestations are called 'Kriyas'. Devotees sometimes roar like lions and show all kinds of physical signs during this period. Often devotees move on to higher states of spiritual consciousness and become inert physically and appear to slip into an unconsciousness..."
And as the guru Shri Yogãnandji Mahãrãja wrote:
"When Your body begins trembling, hair stands on roots, you laugh or begin to weep without your wishing, your tongue begins to utter deformed sounds, you are filled with fear or see frightening visions? the Kundalini Shakti has become active."
In China there is a popular Kundalini-type movement called 'Qigong'. When a Chinese Qigong spiritual master spoke in the USA in 1991, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that many in the crowd began to experience "spontaneous movements". The master told his audience, "Those who are sensitive might start having some strong physical sensations - or start laughing or crying. Don't worry. This is quite normal."
When you see videos of these "kriyas" or other Kundalini-type manifestations, you would often swear that you are watching a modern "Impartation"-type church meeting. (And I say this as someone who believes strongly in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I just don't believe in "alien" anointings infiltrating the Body of Christ! There is a big difference between Kundalini and the real Holy Spirit).
Since 1993-4, I believe a foreign spirit has been allowed to invade the church - first through Rodney Howard-Browne's ministry - then Toronto, then the Prophetic movement (which I was part of at the
time) and on into Lakeland and many other ministries and movements. I urge people now to "test the spirits" just as we are commanded to in Scripture. Do not let just anyone lay hands on you. This is a powerful spirit and it has the backing of a lot of big-name ministries. In fact, these men and women are the very ones responsible for allowing it to spread right through the body of Christ. And one day they will be answerable to God for doing so.
We are specifically warned in the Bible that the Last Days will be a time of "seducing spirits," false prophets, 'lying signs and wonders,' and that we always need to watch for "angels of light" masquerading as the real thing. Why does the modern church not take these warnings seriously? Aren't we living in the very days that the Bible warns about?
Right now I need to do something that I have never done in such a way before. I have never before published a list of ministries ormovements to watch out for. But this time I have to. This sickness has gone on long enough. I urge you to cut yourself off from the following ministries and their tainted "anointings" my friends. Even though some of these people say "good things" at times, it is simply not worth having any involvement with them due to the tainted anointing that they endorse or minister in themselves. Here is the list-
(1) Todd Bentley.
(2) Rodney Howard Browne - the so-called "Holy Ghost Bartender."
(2) Rick Joyner or anyone connected with Morningstar Ministries.
(3) John Arnott & any connected with TACF (The "Toronto Blessing").
(4) Peter Wagner of the 'New Apostolic Reformation' who claims to be head of a worldwide network of 'apostles' - who publicly endorsed Lakeland and will soon preach at Toronto TACF alongside other "false anointing" advocates.
(5) Mike Bickle and IHOP Kansas City (-I lived nearby for over two years - and know how much they are into all this stuff. Mike Bickle promotes it in his book).
(6) Bob Jones - the Kansas City prophet whose ministry is utterly tainted by it all.
(7) Patricia King and anyone else from 'Extreme Prophetic.'
(8) John Crowder & anyone connected with "Sloshfest."
(9) Bill Johnson of Bethel church, Redding - who says some good things but publicly endorsed Lakeland and promotes the "false anointing" very strongly behind the scenes.
(10) Heidi & Rolland Baker of IRIS Ministries - who do good work amongst the poor in Mozambique - but who have also carried and promoted this tainted anointing for years.
(11) Randy Clark, Wes & Stacey Campbell, and other key figures from the "Toronto blessing."
(12) The Elijah List - and almost anyone featured on it.
Of course there are a huge number of lesser-known preachers and ministries who carry or endorse this Kundalini-type "anointing" around the world. But I have concentrated here on the most influential that I know of. It really is an enormous issue in the church. I urge anyone who is a supporter of any of the above
ministries to really check them out thoroughly. If you find (as I have) that they carry or endorse this false Kundalini spirit in the church, then please stop supporting them in any way - and whatever you do, don't let them "lay hands" on you!
I am putting everything on the line to be "naming names" like this. But I believe it is that serious. How on earth did we get to the point where "kriyas" just like Hinduism are spreading through the church?
Please forward this email to everyone you know, blogs and boards, etc. These people are trying to "relaunch" this whole thing right now. Help us get this warning out. To see a video showing "kriyas" and other Kundalini-type manifestations, please click on the Youtube links below-
Canadian Todd Bentley, who preached for months on end this year in Florida, is a general in Joel's Army.
LAKELAND, Fla. — Todd Bentley has a long night ahead of him, resurrecting the dead, healing the blind, and exploding cancerous tumors. Since April 3, the 32-year-old, heavily tattooed, body-pierced, shaved-head Canadian preacher has been leading a continuous "supernatural healing revival" in central Florida. To contain the 10,000-plus crowds flocking from around the globe, Bentley has rented baseball stadiums, arenas and airport hangars at a cost of up to $15,000 a day. Many in attendance are church pastors themselves who believe Bentley to be a prophet and don't bat an eye when he tells them he's seen King David and spoken with the Apostle Paul in heaven. "He was looking very Jewish," Bentley notes.
Tattooed across his sternum are military dog tags that read "Joel's Army." They're evidence of Bentley's generalship in a rapidly growing apocalyptic movement that's gone largely unnoticed by watchdogs of the theocratic right. According to Bentley and a handful of other "hyper-charismatic" preachers advancing the same agenda, Joel's Army is prophesied to become an Armageddon-ready military force of young people with a divine mandate to physically impose Christian "dominion" on non-believers. Closeup of Todd Bentley's 'Joel's Army' Tattoo
"An end-time army has one common purpose — to aggressively take ground for the kingdom of God under the authority of Jesus Christ, the Dread Champion," Bentley declares on the website for his ministry school in British Columbia, Canada. "The trumpet is sounding, calling on-fire, revolutionary believers to enlist in Joel's Army. … Many are now ready to be mobilized to establish and advance God's kingdom on earth."
Joel's Army followers, many of them teenagers and young adults who believe they're members of the final generation to come of age before the end of the world, are breaking away in droves from mainline Pentecostal churches. Numbering in the tens of thousands, they base their beliefs on an esoteric reading of the second chapter of the Old Testament Book of Joel, in which an avenging swarm of locusts attacks Israel. In their view, the locusts are a metaphor for Joel's Army.
Despite their overt militancy, there's no evidence Joel's Army followers have committed any acts of violence. But critics warn that actual bloodletting may only be a matter of time for a movement that casts itself as God's avenging army.
This video was posted on Youtube by a detractor.
Those sounding the alarm about Joel's Army are not secular foes of the Christian Right, few of whom are even aware of the movement or how widespread it's become in the past decade. Instead, Joel's Army critics are mostly conservative Christians, either neo-Pentecostals who left the movement in disgust or evangelical Christians who fear that Joel's Army preachers are stealing their flocks, even sending spies to infiltrate their own congregations and sway their young people to heresy. And they say the movement is becoming frightening.
"The pitch and intensity of the military rhetoric of this branch of the global Dominionist movement has substantially increased since the beginning of 2008," writes The Discernment Research Group, a Christian watchdog group that tracks what they call heresies or cults within Christianity. "One can only wonder how long before this transforms into real warfare with actual warriors."
'Snorting Religion' Joel's Army believers are hard-core Christian dominionists, meaning they believe that America, along with the rest of the world, should be governed by conservative Christians and a conservative Christian interpretation of biblical law. There is no room in their doctrine for democracy or pluralism. Dominionism's original branch is Christian Reconstructionism, a grim, Calvinist call to theocracy that, as Reconstructionist writer Gary North describes, wants to "get busy in constructing a Bible-based social, political and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God."
Notorious for endorsing the public execution by stoning of homosexuals and adulterers, the Christian Reconstructionist movement is far better known in secular America than Joel's Army. That's largely because Reconstructionists have made several serious forays into mainstream politics and received a fair amount of negative publicity as a result. Joel's Army followers eschew the political system, believing the path to world domination lies in taking over churches, not election to public office.
Another key difference between the two branches of dominionism, which maintain a testy, arms-length relationship with one another, is Christian Reconstructionism's buttoned-down image and heavy emphasis on Bible study, which contrasts sharply with Joel's Army anti-intellectual distrust of biblical scholars and its unruly style.
"Some people snort cocaine, others snort religions," Joel's Army Pastor Roy said while ministering a morning program at Todd Bentley's Lakeland, Fla., revival in late May.
As this article went to press, Bentley's "Florida Outpouring" had been running for more than 100 days straight. Many attendees came in search of spontaneous physical healing and a desire to be part of a mystical community marked by dancing, shouting, gyrating, speaking in tongues and other forms of ecstatic release.
Snide jabs at traditional church services are fairly common at Bentley's revivals. In fact, what takes place onstage at the Florida Outpouring looks more like a pro wrestling extravaganza than church. On stage, Bentley and his team of pastors, yell, chant, and scream "Fire!" and "Bam!" while anointing followers.
"The Call," a 12-hour revival of up to 20,000 young people held in a different city each year, is led by Joel's Army pastor Lou Engle. The audience members behave as if they are at a psychedelic counterculture festival. One couple jumps up and down twirling red and silver metallic flags. Dyed-haired teenagers pulled in by the revival's presence on Facebook and MySpace wander around looking dazed. Women lay facedown on the floor, convulsing and howling. Fathers wail in tongues as their confused children look on. Strangers lay hands on those who fail to produce tongues or gyrate wildly enough, pressuring them to "let it out."
Bentley is considered a prophet both by his followers and by other leaders of the Joel's Army movement, whose adherents claim to be reviving a "five-fold ministry" of prophets, apostles, elders, pastors and teachers, as outlined in the Book of Ephesians. Not every five-fold ministry is connected to the Joel's Army movement, but the movement has spurred an interest in modern-day apostles and prophets that's troubling to the Assemblies of God, the world's largest Pentecostal church, which has officially disavowed the Joel's Army movement.
In a 2001 position paper, Assemblies of God leaders wrote that they do not recognize modern-day apostles or prophets and worried that "such leaders prefer more authoritarian structures where their own word or decrees are unchallenged." They are right to worry. Joel's Army followers believe that once democratic institutions are overthrown, their hierarchy of apostles and prophets will rule over the earth, with one church per city.
Warrior Nation According to Joel's Army doctrine, the enforcers of the five-fold ministry will be members of the final generation, for whom the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade constituted a new Passover. "Everyone born after abortion's legalization can consider their birth a personal invitation to take part in this great army," writes John Crowder, another prominent Joel's Army pastor, who bills his 2006 book, The New Mystics: How to Become Part of the Supernatural Generation, as a literal how-to guide for joining Joel's Army.Both Bentley and Crowder are enormously popular on Elijah's List, an online watering hole for a broad spectrum of Joel's Army enlistees, from lightweight believers who merely share an affection for military rhetoric and pastors who dress in army camouflage (several Joel's Army pastors are addressed by their congregants as "commandant" or "commander") to hardliners who believe the church is called to have an active military role in end-times that have already begun. Elijah's List currently has more than 125,000 subscribers on its electronic mailing list.
Rick Joyner, a pastor whose books, The Harvest and The Call, helped popularize Joel's Army theology by selling more than a million copies each, goes the furthest on Elijah's List in pushing the hardliner approach. In 2006, he posted a sermon called "The Warrior Nation — The New Sound of the Church," in which he claimed that a last-day army is now gathering and called believers "freedom fighters."
"As the church begins to take on this resolve, they [Joel's Army churches] will start to be thought of more as military bases, and they will begin to take on the characteristics of military bases for training, equipping, and deploying effective spiritual forces," Joyner wrote. "In time, the church will actually be organized more as a military force with an army, navy, air force, etc."
In a sort of disclaimer, Joyner writes at one point that God's army "will bring love, peace and stability wherever they go." But several of his books narrate with glee what he describes as "a coming civil war within the church." In his 1997 book The Harvest he writes: "Some pastors and leaders who continue to resist this tide of unity will be removed from their place. Some will become so hardened they will become opposers and resist God to the end."
Two years later, in his book The Final Quest, Joyner described a vision (taken as prophecy in the Joel's Army world, where Joyner is considered an "apostle") of the coming Christian Civil War in which demon-possessed Christian soldiers enslave other, weaker Christians who resist them. He also describes how the hero of the novel — himself — ascends a "Holy Mountain" in order to learn new truths and to acquire new, magic weapons.
Kids on Fire Bentley, who claims to be a supernatural healer, is no less over the top, playing his biker-punk appearance and heavy metal theatrics to the hilt. On YouTube, where clips of his most dramatic healings have been condensed into a three-minute highlight reel, Bentley describes God ordering him to kick an elderly lady in the face: "I am thinking, 'God, why is the power of God not moving?' And He said, 'It is because you haven't kicked that women in the face.' And there was, like, this older lady worshipping right in front of the platform and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and the gift of faith came on me. He said, 'Kick her in the face … with your biker boot.' I inched closer and I went like this [makes kicking motion]: Bam! And just as my boot made contact with her nose, she fell under the power of God." The atmosphere is less charged with violence at "The Call," a 12-hour revival of up to 20,000 youths led by Joel's Army pastor Lou Engle and held every summer in a major American city (this year's event was scheduled for Washington, D.C. in August).
Attendees are called upon to fast and pray for 40 days and take up culture-war pledges to lead abstinent lives, reject pornography and fight abortion. They're further asked to perform "identificational repentance," lugging along family trees and genealogies to see where one of their ancestors may have enslaved or oppressed another so that they can make amends. (Many in the Joel's Army movement believe in generational curses that must be broken by the current generation).
As even his critics note, Engle is a sweet, humble and gentle man whose persona is difficult to reconcile with his belief in an end-time army of invincible young Christian warriors. Yet while Engle is careful to avoid deploying explicit Joel's Army rhetoric at high-profile events like The Call, when he's speaking in smaller hyper-charismatic circles to avowed Joel's Army followers, he can venture into bloodlust.
This March, at a "Passion for Jesus" conference in Kansas City sponsored by the International House of Prayer, or IHOP, a ministry for teenagers from the heavy metal, punk and goth scenes, Engle called on his audience for vengeance.
"I believe we're headed to an Elijah/Jezebel showdown on the Earth, not just in America but all over the globe, and the main warriors will be the prophets of Baal versus the prophets of God, and there will be no middle ground," said Engle. He was referring to the Baal of the Old Testament, a pagan idol whose followers were slaughtered under orders from the prophet Elijah.
"There's an Elijah generation that's going to be the forerunners for the coming of Jesus, a generation marked not by their niceness but by the intensity of their passion," Engle continued. "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Such force demands an equal response, and Jesus is going to make war on everything that hinders love, with his eyes blazing fire."
Although Joel's Army theology is mainly directed at people in their teens and early 20s via events like The Call and ministries like IHOP, sometimes the target audience is even younger. In some of the most arresting images in "Jesus Camp," a 2006 documentary about the Kids on Fire bible camp in North Dakota, grade school-aged kids dressed in army fatigues wield swords and conduct military field maneuvers. "A lot of people die for God and they're not afraid," one camper told ABC News reporters in a follow-up segment.
"We're kinda being trained to be warriors," added another, "only in a funner way."
Cain and the Intellectuals Both Christian and secular critics assailed the makers of "Jesus Camp" for referring to the camp's extremist, militant Christianity as "evangelical." There is a name, however, that describes Kids on Fire's agenda, if you're familiar with their theology: Joel's Army. Pastor Becky Fischer, who runs the camp, said that a third of the kids at her camp were under 6 years old because they are "more in touch in the supernatural" and proclaimed them to be "soldiers for God's Army." Her camp's blend of end-times militancy and supernaturalism is perfectly emblematic of the Joel's Army movement, whose adherents believe their cause is prophesied in the Old Testament chapter titled "An Army of Locusts." The stark, evocative passages of that chapter describe a locust swarm that lays waste to Israel (to this day, the region suffers periodic locust invasions): "Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come." As remarkable as the language is, most biblical scholars agree that it is a literal description of a locust invasion and resulting famine that occurred sometime between the 9th and 5th centuries B.C.E.
In the Book of Joel, the locust invasion is described as an omen that an Assyrian army to the north may attack Israel if it fails to repent as a nation. But nowhere is the invasion described as an army of God. According to an Assemblies of God position paper: "It is a complete misinterpretation of Scripture to find in Joel's army of locusts a militant, victorious force attacking society and a non-cooperating Church to prepare the earth for Christ's millennial reign."
The story of how an ancient insect invasion came to be a rallying flag for 21st-century dominonists begins just after World War II in Canada. Out of a small town in Saskatchewan, a Pentecostal preacher named William Branham spearheaded a 1948 revival in which he claimed that his followers lived in a new biblical time of "Latter Rain."
The most sinless and ardent of his flock would be called "Manifest Sons of God." By the next year, the movement was so strong — and seemed so subversive to some — that the Assemblies of God banned it as a heretic cult. But Branham remained a controversial figure with a loyal following; many of his followers believed him to be the end-times prophet Elijah.
Michael Barkun, a leading scholar of radical religion, notes that in 1958, Branham began teaching "Serpent Seed" doctrine, the belief that Satan had sex with Eve, resulting in Cain and his descendants. "Through Cain came all the smart, educated people down to the antediluvian flood — the intellectuals, bible colleges," Branham wrote in the kind of anti-mainstream religion, anti-intellectual spirit that pervades the Joel's Army movement to this day. "They know all their creeds but know nothing about God."
The Gates of Hell Branham was killed in a car accident in 1965, but his Manifest Sons of God movement, the direct predecessor of Joel's Army, lived on within a cluster of hyper-charismatic churches. In the 1980s, Branham's teachings took on new life at the Kansas City Fellowship (KCF), a group of popular self-styled apostles and prophets who used the Missouri church as a launching pad for national careers promoting outright Joel's Army theology.
The Joel's Army movement began with the 1940s preaching of William Branham, whose group was banned as heretical by the Assemblies of God. Ernie Gruen, a local pastor who initially promoted and gave citywide credibility to KCF pastors in the early 1980s, cut his connections in 1990. Concerned about KCF's plans to push its teachings worldwide, Gruen published a 132-page insider's account, based on taped sermons and conversations and interviews with parents who had enrolled their kids in KCF's Dominion school.
According to Gruen's report, students at the school were taught that they were a "super-race" of the "elected seed" of all the best bloodlines of all generations — foreknown, predestined, and hand-selected from billions of others to be part of the "end-time Omega generation."
Though he'd once promoted these doctrines himself, Gruen became convinced that the movement was turning into an end-times cult, marked by what he summarized as "spiritual threats, fears, and warnings of death," "warning followers to beware of other Christians" and exhibiting "a 'super-race' mentality toward the training of their children."
When contacted by the Intelligence Report, Gruen's spokesman said that Gruen stands by everything he published in the report but no longer grants media interviews.
The Kansas City Fellowship remains in operation and has served as a farm team for many of the all-stars of the Joel's Army movement. Those larger-than-life figures include John Wimber, the founder of a California megachurch, The Vineyard, who, before his death in 1997, proclaimed that Joel's Army would not only conquer the earth but defeat death itself. Lou Engle founded The Call based on the Joel's Army visions that KCF "prophet" Bob Jones (not to be confused with Bob Jones III of Bob Jones University) received while at KCF. Mike Bickle, another KCF member, stayed in Kansas City to form the International House of Prayer.
IHOP members and other Joel's Army adherents are well aware of how their movement is perceived by other conservative Christians.
"Today, you can type 'Joel's Army' into a search engine and a thousand heresy hunter websites pop up, decrying the very mention of it," writes John Crowder in The New Mystics. Crowder doesn't exactly allay critic's fears. "This is truly warfare," he writes. "This battle is not a game. They [Joel's Army warriors] will not be on the defense; they will be on the offense — and the gates of hell will not be able to hold up against them."
So far, few members of the secular media have taken notice of Joel's Army, even as they report on Protestant dominionists like Pat Robertson or the more outrageous calls for the stoning of gays and lesbians emanating from Reconstructionist circles. There are exceptions, however. On the DailyKos, a well-read, politically liberal blog, a diarist has been blogging for two years about her experiences as a walkaway from a Joel's Army church. She writes under a pseudonym out of fear of physical reprisals.
She may have real cause for concern. As Wimber, the late founder of The Vineyard, put it in one of his most famous and fiery sermons, one that is still frequently cited by Joel's Army followers: "Those in this army will have His kind of power. … Anyone who wants to harm them must die."
