Attack of the Super Apostles!

Are you hearing phrases like “Obey, Apostolic Mandate, Five Fold Ministry, Tithing, Honor the Pastor, Set Man, Theocracy, Under Authority, Covering, Robbing God, or Submit” at your church?

Cultwatch’s web servers are running hot as Christians rush to download Cultwatch’s in depth expose of the “Super Apostles”. If you are a Christian you need to read these articles. Get informed and get warned about the Super Apostles’ clandestine push to mainstream Mind Control practices in the Christian Church. Protect yourself, your friends and family.

Note: Cultwatch helps people of all belief systems. This article is aimed at a Christian audience and so contains discussions of specific Christian beliefs. People who are not Christian may not find it Interesting.

Warning Introduction

It all started several years ago as Cultwatch began receiving isolated reports of the same Mind Control techniques usually found in the cults being used in certain New Zealand Christian churches. The reports were concerning enough for Cultwatch to start an investigation. Since then these reports have increased in frequency and intensity. Numerous people have independently reported that the techniques detailed in the Cultwatch web site www.HowCultsWork.com are becoming common place in more and more Christian churches both in New Zealand and around the world. Our research has confirmed that certain Christian Pastors have turned to Mind Control as a technique for growing their church. We have copies of their tapes, sermons, seminars, courses, and other documentation, that provide solid evidence of their deliberate employment of Mind Control (see the Cultwatch web site www.HowCultsWork to learn more about Mind Control). Unfortunately these Pastors have done significant damage to individual Christians.

However something was puzzling us. During our investigation we began to notice a disturbing trend relating to the spread of these underhanded techniques. These were not isolated instances; instead their spread seemed to be carefully orchestrated. Were there masterminds behind this phenomenon?

Was someone, or some people deliberately promoting these unchristian practices?

This text you are reading is Cultwatch’s initial warning regarding this threat to the Body of Christ. It is a summary, which avoids mentioning names, for now. Its aim is to alert Christian leaders to the danger of this insidious movement so that they can avoid being tricked themselves. It is also our hope that the Super Apostles themselves will realize the error of their ways and pull back from propagating these illegal practices. Otherwise we will be forced to publicly expose them.

The Warning

False apostles are rising up in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and in other countries. They plan to subjugate (to bring under control and governance as a subject, to conquer) Churches and their leaders. From what we can tell these “Super Apostles” aim to build a fiefdom (a medieval feudal estate) of churches with themselves as the lords, second only to God himself (the King). What these self-proclaimed apostles lack in solid Biblical Doctrine they make up with cultic Mind Control techniques (also known as spiritual abuse) and hyped prosperity preaching.”

The Super Apostles claim that the Biblical ministry of an apostle has been forgotten, and God has called them to restore it. Of course it is presumptuous of the Super Apostles to think that this God ordained ministry has died, but that is what they claim. The Super Apostles are in effect promoting a false apostolic ministry.

Now a biblical model of an apostle can be found in Paul, a hard working humble man who was not rich, except in his incredible passion for the gospel and correct doctrine. Paul was an apostle who knew the bounds of his authority, for example in 2 Corinthians 8:8 where he refrained from commanding the Corinthians to give money.

However these Super Apostles do not follow Paul’s example. They are rigorous self-promoters who see power and wealth as important goals. They demand that you cede (to yield typically by treaty) to their authority. Church members must sign “covenants” stating that they will obey the church leadership. Church leaders themselves must “submit” their lives to the Super Apostles. To not submit is to rebel against God’s will and condemn you to a barren Christian life outside the protection of the Super Apostles magical “umbrella of authority”. For those who do not yield it is claimed God will leave them to fend for themselves when the enemy comes. Also rebels will suffer a life of physical poverty, not to mention terrible accidents and diseases. To reject the Super Apostles themselves is the greatest sin. Do not even suggest that they are wrong; the spiritual repercussions could be horrendous!

Authority is a key word for this clandestine movement. Everyone must be under authority. That is, under their authority. Now of course apostles did have authority in Scripture, but these new apostles claim that authority as their own, and a great deal more too. Under the catch cries of “Church Governance” and “The Church is a theocracy not a democracy” they employ standard cultic Mind Control methods. They practice “enforced giving”, where tithes and offerings of church members are recorded. Members who do not give the “correct” amount are disciplined and held back from leadership. People are banned from going to other churches and working for Para church organizations not under the apostle’s control. They control relationships, ordering people to stay away from friends and family outside the movement. Some even demand Christian members seek permission to marry each other. They run a reporting structure where members watch other members, and confidential information is passed up through the leadership pyramid. Some members have even had their rooms searched. People who wish to live in cities where there is no branch of the Super Apostle’s church are told not to go. Time control sees endless compulsory meetings. Failing to attend a meeting is noticed and the member is spoken to Breaking sessions are employed where leaders “character assassinate” a member until they break down. Church members are given the impression that they can only be saved by being part of the Super Apostles church. Churches outside the “kingdom” are fallen and dead. Not all of these apostles state this so blatantly, but this is the impression they cultivate within their churches. However some do allude to this in the public arena, so confident they are that God is on their side.

“The term “Local Church” is an important phrase in their onslaught. They claim that no Christian work can be outside of the Local Church. Para church organizations are in error for not being controlled by a “Local Church”. Of course what they really mean is that no Christian work can legitimately exist outside of the control of a Super Apostle. The idea that those Christians under the Super Apostle’s control cannot work outside of a “Local Church” has already lead to an increased disunity in the Body of Christ. Carried through to its logical conclusion this exclusive doctrine will result in extreme disunity since no one will work together. Also their concept of the Local Church will lead to turf wars analogous to those seen in medieval Europe as the lords of that time fought to increase their fiefdoms at the expense of others. Already this sort of behaviour has been reported. For example recently an itinerant preacher who held a seminar in Palmerston North was challenged by a local pastor to what he was doing ministering in their area.”

How do they justify their stance? The Super Apostles look to pragmatism as their justification for practice, rather than Scripture. What works becomes standard operating procedure; hardly any consideration is given to whether it contravenes Scripture. Where a practice is questioned Scriptures are taken out of context, or twisted, to give the illusion that the Bible allows these methods.

These apostles surround themselves with “bodyguards”. People who isolate them from the workings of their churches. In all probability the Super Apostles do not know the extent of damage their reign is causing, since their bodyguards shield them from the hurt that is resulting in their followers.

Finances are an important area they seek to control. Some of these Super Apostles are more open with their church finances than others. These apostles and their families (nepotism is rife) receive significant incomes from their work. They drive expensive cars, live in luxury homes; some are given cash gifts, jewellery, ocean cruises, and other expensive holidays. Some have even formed an inner circle of the very rich within their churches who in return for their significant giving receive privileges other church members do not (James 2:1-9). Apparently being good stewards of the money people give to God is not high on these apostles’ priorities. No one would object to a pastor who has earned wealth through his business, with the caveat that he was not a lover of money. But no example can be found in Scripture of Jesus or the apostles gaining temporal wealth via the taking of gifts given to God. “Do not muzzle the Ox” these apostles retort, but they forget the other side of this biblical word picture, that the ox is a slave tethered to a pole. Christian leaders are slaves to the gospel, they deserve their due, but it is wrong for them to be gluttonous.

Having examined the teaching of the Super Apostles it makes us wonder about their true purpose. So often do the Super Apostles rave about financial matters we must ask if money is not their primary goal. New recruits converted on Sunday sign an automatic payment forms on Monday. Some of the Super Apostle’s ranting’s about “robbing God” by not giving their church your tithe, plus offerings of course, border on maniacal. Members have reported many of these over-the-top speeches are often deleted from tapes and videos of sermons, which implies someone in their leadership knows they are wrong. For those who are fans of the movie The Matrix, Morpheus’s speech to Neo regarding the purpose of the Matrix comes to mind. If we were being cynical we could imagine that Morpheus was talking about the Super Apostles instead of the Matrix.

Morpheus:

“And standing there, facing the pure horrifying precision.

I came to realize the obviousness of the truth.

Continue reading HERE!

The Problem With Rob Bell’s Gospel

The controversial author says evangelical Christians are too narrow. But didn’t Jesus tell us to follow the narrow path?

When former evangelical pastor Rob Bell published his bombshell book Love Wins in 2011, his Michigan megachurch reportedly lost 3,000 members. They scattered quickly because Bell questioned the existence of a literal hell. His point was that Christians need to develop a nicer message with a lot less judgment. But his solution was to throw out 2,000 years of Christian theological tradition.

Then last month, Bell made a more stunning announcement from a pulpit in California. He told people gathered at Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal church in San Francisco, that he supports same-sex marriage. His primary reason, he said, was that culture has changed and we need to adapt.

“I am for fidelity,” Bell said. “I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man … This is the world that we are living in, and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

I can appreciate Bell’s desire to affirm people. And I agree that some Christians come off sounding unbelievably harsh when we talk about homosexuality. But Bell didn’t have anything affirming to say to the evangelical Christians who were his support base during the early years of his ministry. He trashed us. And he was judgmental about it.

Describing evangelicals, Bell predicted our doom in his March 17 remarks: “We are witnessing the death of a particular subculture that doesn’t work. I think there is a very narrow, politically intertwined, culturally ghettoized, evangelical subculture that was told, ‘We’re gonna change the thing,’ and they haven’t. And they actually have turned away lots of people.”

If Bell wants to come off as affirming and non-judgmental, he should use kinder words when describing a group of Christians who make up an estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population. Bell seems to be saying:“I’m right, and you evangelicals are irrelevant.” He’s ready to officiate at our funeral.

In response, I offer three points:

1. It’s actually OK to be narrow. Bell accuses us of being narrow. But wasn’t it Jesus who told us the way to salvation is narrow? He said: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Matt. 7:13, NASB). Besides the fact that Jesus refers to hell in that passage, He also says we have to be narrow to avoid it.

Righteousness requires limitations. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being judgmental on one hand, yet He drew lines and demanded holiness on the other. We can’t be like Jesus, nor can we demonstrate true love, if we affirm every lifestyle and embrace every behavior.

2. Our subculture is not dying. The denominations that are losing the most members today are actually the mainline groups that have lost their commitment to the Bible. I’m in a different church almost every week in this country (mostly charismatic or Pentecostal), and I see vibrant faith, growing congregations and the emergence of multiethnic leaders.

(And speaking of multiethnic, some of the most conservative Christians in America are immigrants from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Does Bell think they are irrelevant? They are the real future of our movement. Bell is out of touch if he thinks evangelicalism is just a bunch of old, white, Republican guys.)

3. We do need to change our attitude. I will agree with Bell that there is a segment of evangelicalism that is too politicized. We misrepresent Jesus when we label Him a Republican or a Democrat. He is neither. And we alienate people from Jesus when all we do is pontificate about what we are against.

It is very possible that gay marriage will become the law of the land in this country, just as the Supreme Court sanctioned abortion in 1973. Just because our government legalized the killing of an unborn baby does not mean I have to support that choice personally. But I do have to show love and extend Christ’s forgiveness to a woman who has aborted her child. Yelling at her or condemning her will not bring her to faith in Jesus.

In the same way, we are called to show love and respect to gay people. I don’t have to agree with a person’s lifestyle to love them. Jesus showed amazing compassion to the woman caught in adultery—and He rebuked the religious bullies who wanted to stone her. But when they put down their rocks and walked away, He told her: “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11, emphasis added).

Jesus was totally comfortable using the word sin when He showed love to a person. And that’s the part of Jesus’ gospel that Rob Bell ignores.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project(themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. His book Fearless Daughters of the Bible was just released in Spanish from Casa Creación.

Unraveling the Power of Witchcraft—One Warlock at a Time

J. Lee Grady

How an occult leader in Peru transferred his allegiance from Satan to Christ.

Just a year ago, Victor Hugo Perez Vargas was a leader in Peru’s vast but secretive occult movement. His strange ability to curse people and cause accidents seemed to be increasing. He was being mentored by a well-known satanist master and he attended witchcraft conferences.

But today you can find Victor sitting on the front row of a Pentecostal church in Tarapoto, Peru, with his wife, Deili. He loves to worship God with his hands raised, he frequently goes to the church altar for prayer and his face glows with a bright smile. “Jesus is my Lord today,” Victor says. “The power of the devil cannot be compared to the power of the true God.”

“These satanists want to take over the nation of Peru. The witches come here because there was so much blood sacrifice during the Inca times.” –Teresa Gomez

Victor’s transformation showed me how the Holy Spirit is working in Peru, where occultism has been a tradition ever since ancient Incas sacrificed children on altars to their sun god. Today, occultists from Africa, Europe and the United States attend witchcraft gatherings in Peru because they consider the country a central power center for New Age energy.

Victor, who is 36, was drawn into this occultism as a teenager in the city of Moyobamba, where friends convinced him to have sex with dogs in order to receive supernatural power. Witches told him to do this so he could hear better and see in the spiritual realm. After the perverse initiation rites, he began to hear voices—and he discovered his ability to kill people with his words.

“I didn’t know anything about God,” Victor told me. “I really didn’t understand the devil was using me. I just thought I had a special power.”

One man he cursed had a car accident and ended up with a crushed skull. Another man had a motorcycle crash and died six months later. “Every time I cursed people they would suffer in a terrible way. They wouldn’t just die immediately,” he told me in an interview last Sunday.

Victor eventually moved to Tarapoto, located in north central Peru, and began living with his girlfriend Deili. But she struggled in the relationship because he often flew into fits of rage and sometimes abused her. “When I realized he could kill people with his curses I wanted to break up with him, but something prevented me from leaving,” Deili said.

Deili grew more fearful as Victor climbed higher in the occult heirarchy. He participated in animal sacrifices and went to Cerro de Oso, a high mountain near Tarapoto, to receive satanic authority over the city. He was working to become an occultic master.

Because Victor feared his wife would leave him, he tricked her into participating in a blood covenant, asking demonic forces to track her. She began to feel tormented by ghostly spiritual forces and contemplated suicide often. She even felt unseen powers pushing her to cut her wrists.

All this terror culminated one evening when a group of intercessors from Mision Cristiano Esmirna, a Pentecostal church in Tarapoto, came to Deili’s house to pray for her. The demons that had a death grip on Deili began to manifest. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she became violent. Six people could not hold her on the ground.

Later, Teresa Gomez, wife of the pastor at the Esmirna church, came to Deili’s house and commanded spirits of death to leave her. Deili was miraculously delivered and gave her life to Christ.

Two weeks later, Teresa and her husband, David, prayed with Victor to receive Jesus, and they commanded the demons inside him to go. “When we told the spirits to leave, we could hear booming sounds on the ceiling,” Teresa explained. “There were strange pounding noises. It was like something was leaving the house.”

When Victor shared his testimony with me last Sunday, his eyes were moist with tears. “I came to the Lord because of love—Satan was taking my wife,” he said. “I felt this might be my last chance to know Christ. When I got on my knees and repented, I had a vision of the feet of Jesus.”

Observers say witchcraft is growing in Peru today, and human sacrifice still occurs—although it is rarely reported. (Several weeks ago, a girl’s dismembered body was found in Mayobamba.) Teresa Gomez believes this is all a last-ditch effort by satanic forces.

“These satanists want to take over the nation of Peru,” she says. “Witches come here because there was so much blood sacrifice during the Inca times.” She also noted that poor families, especially in jungle areas, have been known to sell their children to be sacrificed in occult rituals.

But Victor and Deili’s testimony is proof that the gospel of Christ is far more powerful than a network of witches who are trying to renew ancient satanic covenants. Says Victor: “I am not afraid of the devil. I know who I am walking with now.”

J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. Diego Caballero provided translation during Lee’s interview with Victor Hugo Vargas.

Cult of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey debate with Bill Keller of LivePrayer!

Liveprayer founder Bill Keller debates media icon Oprah Winfery on matters of faith. It is the Church of Oprah, versus the Church of Jesus Christ, the lies of the new age gurus versus the Truth of the Bible. Don't miss this engaging confrontation between the world's leading Internet evangelist and the most powerful woman in the media. It is a modern day clash of a prophet of God and a false prophet of Satan.

Doomsday Prophet Camping Leaves Radio Show

Thursday, 23 June 2011 Jennifer LeClaire

The voice of prophetic doom is silenced, sort of.

Harold Camping, the 89-year-old Christian radio broadcaster who three times predicted the world would end—most recently on May 21—is putting an end to his weekday segment called Open Forum on Family Radio.

Camping suffered a stroke on June 9, and Family Radio has been playing reruns of earlier recorded episodes on the radio station he founded since then. Specifically, Camping’s staff aired 20 segments he recorded between May 23 and June 9, according to the Oakland Tribune.

"When those are completed, we will have other programming that is scheduled to run in that time slot," Program Department Secretary Judi Rathbone wrote in a published e-mail. “Mr. Camping is still in the hospital and continues to recover.”

Like many whose prophecies fail, Camping did not admit that he was wrong. In fact, he said that Judgment Day was May 21—in a spiritual sense. Although we didn’t see Jesus crack open the sky and rapture the church, Camping is nevertheless convinced his prediction was accurate.

"On May 21, this last weekend, this is where the spiritual aspect of it really comes through," Camping said. "God again brought judgment on the world. We didn't see any difference but God brought Judgment Day to bear upon the whole world. The whole world is under Judgment Day and it will continue right up until Oct. 21, 2011, and by that time the whole world will be destroyed."

I'm Jesus, Riverland man says

David Murray | Sunday Mail (SA)

A COUPLE who say they are Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene have set up base in Queensland's Bible Belt.
   

The pair, real names Alan John Miller, who once lived in Loxton in South Australia's Riverland, and Mary Suzanne Luck, operate from rural Wilkesdale near Kingaroy, where they have been joined by an increasing band of followers.

"My name is Jesus, and I'm serious," Miller said in a video recording from one workshop. Cult watchers and the Anglican and Catholic churches are alarmed the pair, who ask followers to make donations to sustain them, could draw in the vulnerable.

Miller bought a 16ha property at Wilkesdale in 2007 and his Divine Truth followers have since been buying nearby blocks to be close to the charismatic leader, 47, and alluring Luck, 32.

Locals and real estate agents confirmed the group had sparked an unlikely property boom, with estimates they have bought up to 30 blocks and with new properties in high demand.

Followers joined forces in 2009 to buy a $400,000, 240ha property where they hold weekly meetings and plan to build a centre catering for international visitors.

In a bizarre coincidence, land clearing has created a giant cross on neighbouring properties that can be seen from space using Google Maps. Local residents insisted it was not carved deliberately. Police are said to have been called to investigate screams in the area, only to discover members taking part in a healing exercise where they shout to help process "past soul damage" and ill feelings. Some residents complain they are being driven out of the quiet hamlet by the group, which resembles Debra Geileskey's Magnificat Meal Movement that drew scores of followers to Helidon near Toowoomba.

Queensland has a tradition of fostering fringe religious movements. Fugitive killer Luke Andrew Hunter was recaptured in February after 15 years on the run in which he hid out with the separate Jesus Group in the state's far north.

Concerned relatives and friends have been contacting the Cult Awareness and Information Centre to warn of Divine Truth followers selling family homes to move to Wilkesdale. Centre spokeswoman Helen Pomery said: "The moment someone becomes God or God's voice on Earth it gives them another level of authority to enforce submission to them."

Anglican Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall and the Catholic church, unaware of the group until contacted by the Sunday Mail, urged people to be cautious when exploring new movements. "This is especially true for people who are seeking meaning in their lives and, as a result, may be vulnerable," Dr Aspinall said.

Mr Miller was born in Loxton and has two children from a previous marriage, which he says ended after he "began to remember details" of his past life. Tailoring his appearance to look like Jesus, he yesterday held a workshop in Albury, New South Wales, where he stood by his claims and said at least "30 or 40" people had bought blocks around Wilkesdale. "Mary and myself haven't ever encouraged people to move out there. Some of the people we don't even know," he said.

In one recording he said: "There's probably a million people who say they're Jesus and most of them are in asylums. But one of us has to be. How do I know I am? Because I remember everything about my life."



Alan Miller cult - A Current Affair 16 May 2011


Related: Alan John Miller - Divine Truth

Should Your Pastor Be A Member Of The Freemasons?

Washington Bureau 12/21/2010


On a recent episode of Church Folk Revolution Radio the topic of “Should your Pastor Join the Freemasons” cause a very heated exchange between the host and a member of the masons. Several issues and concerns were raised about the conflict of spiritual interest that arises when a Pastor is also a member of the Freemasons.

The Freemasons are now back in the spotlight of discussions and debates not for something that they have done or said, but for what they are not willing to say.

What’s The Big Secret?

Why is it that masons are never willing to give a direct answer whenever they’re pressed about their need for secrecy? And why is it that within certain lodges the members are not allowed to discuss their allegiance to Jesus Christ?

Throughout the history of the United States 16 of the 44 U.S. Presidents were Freemasons. Even within the African American community many very influential figures like Booker T. Washington, Jesse Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Al Sharpton, and Congressman Charles Rangel are all included on the rosters of varies degrees of Freemasons.

Within the current Church, very wealthy and powerful Pastors are now being linked to the Freemasons. Kenneth Copeland, T.D Jakes, Bishop Eddie Long, Pat Robertson, Robert Schuller 33rd degree, Oral Roberts, Louis Farrakhan, and Billy Graham all have been linked to the secret society known as the Freemasons or Illuminati.

Much of the criticism of the Freemason is a direct result of what appears to many observers to be a sub-religion or cult. Symbols, litanies, oaths, and apparel have contributed to what many critics would call an organization that is rooted in paganism or occult traditions. The mason have defended their rituals and use of symbols as nothing more than universal archetypes that predate Jesus Christ, but does that justify their recruitment of Pastors?

Read more: http://www.pimppreacher.com/Should-Pastors-Be-Freemasons.html

"What is a Cult?" | War of the Worldviews with Eric Holmberg (Episode 3)

Oprah and Tolle fuel New Age revival

An East/West Blend of A New Earth Spirituality

By Berit Kjos

"This book’s main purpose is ... to bring about a shift in consciousness.... Not everyone is ready yet, but many are, and with each person who awakens, the momentum in the collective consciousness grows."[1,p.6-7] Eckhart Tolle

“Oprah is helping propel the spiritual enlightenment book [New Earth] to dizzying heights, thanks to an unprecedented online promotion that includes a 10-week interactive Webcast discussion.... Oprah: 'I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity.'"[2]

"Jesus said... 'No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" John 14:6

Remember the lasting symbols of the sixties? Beatlemania? "Free love"? The peace sign? Maharishi Yogi (the subject of John Lennon's song, "Sexy Sadie")?[3]

The New Age revolution seemed to fade away, didn't it? But instead it was spreading its hidden roots across America. Now its mysticism and sexual "freedom" are back in full bloom! And countless ex-hippies -- who cut their hair and joined mainstream America -- are reviving Eastern meditation, yogic "breathing" and other pathways to "collective consciousness."

This "awakening" is a natural part of the postmodern rejection of truth. Neither facts, logical thinking, nor Biblical faith are relevant to the new spirituality. So it's not surprising that Eckhart Tolle, celebrated author of A New Earth, dismisses them all as "form" or "ego": distracting "attachments" that block awareness of human Divinity and oneness with "God."

Tolle's teaching is anything but new. One of his sources of inspiration was the 13th century “father of German mysticism,” Meister Eckhart, who wrote, "He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment."[4] It's interesting that Tolle did "let go" of any attachment to his original first name, Ulrich. He changed it to Eckhart.

To validate his message, Eckhart Tolle reinterprets history. Notice how he blends Eastern and Western mysticism -- praising Zen as well as the Kabbalah:

"The greatest achievement of humanity is... the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness. In the distant past, this recognition already came to a few individuals. A man called Gautama Siddhartha, who lived 2,600 years ago in India, was perhaps the first who saw it with absolute clarity. Later, the title Buddha was conferred upon him. Buddha means 'the awakened one.'”[1,p.14]

"...religions, to a large extent, became divisive rather than unifying forces. ... They became ideologies, belief systems people could identify with and so use them to enhance their false sense of self. Through them, they could make themselves 'right' and others 'wrong'..."[1,p.15]

"...movements developed within all major religions that represented not only a rediscovery, but in some cases an intensification of the light of the original teaching. This is how Gnosticism and mysticism came into existence in early and medieval Christianity, Sufism in the Islamic religion, Hasidism and Kabbala in Judaism, Advaita Vedanta in Hinduism, Zen... in Buddhism....

"Only a small minority of people had access to them. Their numbers were never large enough to have any significant impact on the deep collective unconsciousness of the majority."[1,p.16-17]

Since the spiritual climate has changed, "enlightened" prophets expect the current awakening to reach a critical mass that will usher all of humanity (except uncompromising resisters) into the New Earth -- a physical manifestation of the New Heaven (which has nothing in common with the Biblical heaven). Detached from "form," all will know their identity as "I AM," or universal "Consciousness."

Of course, if you're more comfortable with God's Word than with occult experiences, you won't share in this awakening. You can't stand with one foot in each camp.

Into the darkness

But Carla Siegel tried. "I was a Christian," she told me. "But when we moved to New Mexico, I started questioning my beliefs and exploring some of the New Age bookstores. Soon I was seduced by the teachings of Emmet Fox and others. Satan's favorite trick is to twist what God says. I know that now." She continued,

"I joined a meditation group. Some of the new age is being driven by the Alice Bailey type of occultism, but most of the people in my group were fans of "Abraham," the demonic spirit guide behind The Secret -- which is all about getting what you want.

"But I was more attracted to Eckhart Tolle's Buddhist angle. Though I had explored both sides, I wanted more of a personal experience with God. Like other New Agers, I would twist the Bible into something that fit my new thinking. So I believed that the Bible's statement about losing your life to save it meant you must dissolve the ego to gain peace.

"I stayed with it for a couple of years and faced constant emotional torment. The pain supposedly meant I was growing. (Ha!) I was told that my ego was the problem -- and that the meditation (for stilling your mind or detaching from your thoughts) would alleviate the depression. But it kept getting worse. The feelings of dejection and despair were overwhelming."[5]

Carla's story is sadly familiar. The "beautiful side of evil" deceives "even the elect" -- if only for a season. Confusion, depression, anger and nightmares often follow the initial euphoria, since Satan has no mercy for his victims! Read Pat's story, then Valerie's testimony and learn more about his cruel ways. Only by God's loving grace did they escape the darkness of today's false "light."[6]

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness," warned the prophet Isaiah (5:20). But as "awakenings" spread, fewer will listen.

Tolle's top-selling books may draw more people into the occult than any previous guru the world has known. Yet, it's all part of an ongoing spiritual war! Our eternal sovereign God reigns over all, but His created opponent does all he can to tempt, trick and test humanity during his allotted time.

"Imagine"

John Lennon's most famous song outlines the heart of this New Earth deception. Notice how its lines match Tolle's occult teachings.

1. The New Earth: "Imagine there's no heaven; it's easy if you try...."

"...heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness.... Earth, on the other hand, is the outer manifestation in form, which is always a reflection of the inner.... 'A new heaven' is the emergence of a transformed state of human consciousness, and 'a new earth' is its reflection in the physical realm."[1,p.23]

"The arising of a new heaven and by implication a new earth are not future events."[1,p.308]

That's not true! In contrast, God's Word points us to "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven..." Colossians 1:4

2. No sin nor hell: "No hell below us. Above us only sky…"
"If evil has any reality... this is also its definition: complete identification with form.... This results in a total unawareness of my connectedness with the whole, my intrinsic oneness with every other as well as with the Source. This forgetfulness is original sin, suffering, delusion."[1,p.22]

"Recognize the ego for what it is: a collective dysfunction, the insanity of the human mind.... Nobody is wrong. It is the ego in someone, that's all."[1,p.76]

Actually, evil is real, and God does judge sin: "The wicked shall be turned into hell..." (Psalm 9:16) But God has provided a way to heaven through the cross. If we repent and trust in Jesus' atoning death for us, we become part of His family.

3. Living in the NOW: "Imagine all the people, Living for today..."

"...only the present moment can make us free. That realization is the awakening.... A new heaven and a new earth are arising within you at this moment...." [1,p.308]

"There exists only the present instant... a Now which always and without end is itself new."[4] Meister Eckhart

"The Now is also central to the teaching of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. Sufis have a saying: 'The Sufi is the son of time present.' And Rumi, the great poet and teacher of Sufism, declares: 'Past and future veil God from our sight; burn up both of them with fire.' Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century spiritual teacher, summed it all up beautifully: 'Time is what keeps the light from reaching us. There is no greater obstacle to God than time.'"[7]

There is no obstacle to our God, who sets our hope on the future, not the present: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face." 1 Corinthians 13:12

4. A United World: "Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do."

"The only actions that do not cause opposing reactions are those that are aimed at the good of all.... They are not for 'my' country but for all of humanity, not for 'my' religions but the emergence of consciousness in all human beings..."[1,p.290]

But our God tells His people, "...nation will rise against nation.... Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.... And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.... And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:7-14

5. No creed, no doctrine: "And no religion too."

"...religions, to a large extent, became divisive rather than unifying forces. ... They became ideologies, belief systems people could identify with."[1,p.15]

But Jesus, who enables us to follow Him, said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him...." John 14:21

6. Peace. All is One: "Imagine all the people, Living life in peace..."
" At that deeper level, all things are one. It is the Source, the unmanifested one Life. It is the timeless intelligence that manifests as a universe unfolding in time."[1,p.276]

"You realize your true identity as consciousness.... That's the peace of God. The ultimate truth of who you are is not I am this or I am that, but I Am."[1,p.56-57]

But our God offers His peace to all who trust and follow Him -- not to the world with its false teachings. He says, "I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate...” 2 Corinthians 6:16-17

God's ultimate victory

Eckhart Tolle is not our enemy in this spiritual war. Like countless other "false teachers," he's merely a useful servant to a far more menacing foe. Since Satan continues to masquerade as "an angel of light," this reminder is worth repeating:

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:10-12

Those who truly love God's Truth (the first part of God's armor) will not open their minds to demonic intrusion or oppression. And by God's grace, Carla* has learned that lesson well. After two years of "experiencing a universal "God" -- accompanied by intensifying depressions, misery and confusion -- the true God has set her free:

"The feelings of dejection and despair were overwhelming, but God kept calling me back to Himself in the midst of it. Finally, a few weeks ago, I threw out $400 worth of books. That was a toughie. But I was tired of needless suffering. ... The saving power of my Lord Jesus Christ is incredible -- far beyond understanding!"

Most of the people trapped by the enticing lights of the occult will never find the exit. So don't follow those lights! Test all things through the filter of Truth! Put on God's armor! Then delight in the victory our Lord has won for us through the cross!

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" asks the apostle Paul. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution...? The answer is NO! Nothing can sever us from God! For "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Romans 8:35-37

A SUBTLE AND DANGEROUS SHIFT

A Subtle and Dangerous Shift in Christianity [Excerpts]
By Marsha West

It seems everyone's practicing yoga meditation these days. Physicians recommend it to their patients which means it's beneficial...right? Meditation is said to relieve stress, anxiety, hypertension, acne and post-nasal drip, so go for it! Just tighten those abdominal muscles, inhale deeply and chant Maaaaaaaaa all in one breath and your concerns will drift away like a feather floating on the wind...

But what if you're a Christian? Should you practice the same sorts of things as Buddhist, Hindu's and New Agers?

Listen to what the Bible says: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh.1:8).

Firstly, meditating day and night does not mean to stay awake for 24 hours a day. Secondly, Christian meditation is very different from Eastern meditation. Followers of Jesus Christ are not to sit in the lotus pose in an altered state of consciousness seeking the "God within" like pagans do. The Bible teaches that when Christians meditate our minds are to be fully engaged. We are never to go into a trance-state.

What does meditation involve? "The word 'meditation' in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to yourself the Word of God day and night and to speak to yourself about it."

Sometimes you need to read a passage over and over...reflect on it...analyze it...and listen while the Holy Spirit speaks truth to you. A word of warning: Listening to God does not require that you "empty" your mind. This meditative practice, called Lectio divina a.k.a. spiritual formation...the silence... best known as contemplative (centering) prayer (CP) is a growing trend in evangelical churches despite the fact that this sort of prayer ritual comes from teaching associated with Catholic mystics such as Meister Eckhart, Ignatius of Loyola, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Avila. CP was reintroduced by Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Henri Nouwen, William Meninger, Basil Pennington and other mystics.

Many in the Emergent Church movement (ECM) are advancing Roman Catholic mysticism as well. Yet they insist on being seen as mainline evangelicals. ECM has not only introduced aberrant teaching into our churches, it undermines the authority of Scripture....Few have bothered to deny the Bible itself, they just misquote it, abuse its meaning, force their opinion on it, and if necessary mistranslate it to give the appearance that the Scriptures are backing their claims.

http://www.newswithviews.com/West/marsha198.htm

[TBC: "Meditation" as Arthur W. Pink once wrote, "stands to reading as mastication does to eating." As a diligent "chewing" breaks up food so that the body may utilize all of its nutritive value, so meditation in the Word of God enables us to gain the maximum benefit.]

"Does God Approve of Yoga?"

"Do What You Want"..? (Exposing Satanism in Society) [1of3]

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" is the Satanic philosophy derived by the founder of modern Satanism Aleister Crowley. In fact, it is the law stated in the Satanic Bible. These three videos expose how prevalent this demonic philosophy has crept into society.

Sounds of War - Rock, Rap And The Spiritual World

HELL'S BELL'S - The Dangers of Rock 'N' Roll

The Dangers of Rock 'N' Roll (1989)

Documentary: Journey thru the dark side of Rock 'n' Roll music and its negative influence on society from a Christian perspective.

Eric Holmberg; Reel to Reel Ministries