|
Author
|
Topic: Could You Be Being Decieved? Exposing False Teaching
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
No, I forgot about it ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
I still haven't read the book I got called "Redefining Christianity" by Bob DeWaay about Rick Warren and all things "Purpose Driven" yet! It's been sitting here beside me for about a month now...
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged | 
|
|
helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
|
posted
Hey, did you ever read that book I told you about here by David Hunt?
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
|
|
helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
|
posted
It was begun before there was one that is how.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
I was looking for a certain 'section' of the article I put together on Apostacy (the first post in this thread) which points out Benny Hinns false prophecies, but this whole thread is just as important to look at, so I'm bumping it up.
I don't know How this got into THIS section???? It should have been in the Exposing Section.
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
http://www.watchman.org/profile/wordpro.htm
Word-Faith Movement - PROFILE
by Clete Hux
Founder/Founding date: As a movement rather than an organized group, there is no founder or founding date, per se. The philosophical roots extend to Gnosticism. E.W. Kenyon (1860-1948) was perhaps the earliest modern exponent to blend the movement's eastern mystical and New Age elements with Christian teaching.
Official Publications: None. Two prominent publications are Kenneth Copeland's "Believer's Voice of Victory" and Kenneth Hagin's "The Word of Faith" magazines. There are scores of books, newsletters, pamphlets by various authors Hagin, Kenyon, Copeland, Capps, Price, etc.
Organizational Structure: Has no key universally acknowledged leader or central headquarters. The teachers of the movement all have their own churches and followings.
Unique Terms: The God-kind of faith; the force of faith; the Anointing; spirit-man; spiritual death of Christ; born-again Jesus; authority of the believer.
Other Names: Word-of-Faith, Positive Confession, Faith-formula, Health & Wealth Gospel.
HISTORY
Born in 1860, E. W. Kenyon is generally recognized as the founding father of the modern Word-Faith Movement. Beginning as a Methodist, he became quite ecumenical, associating with the Baptists. Some of his work even resulted in the founding of a few Primitive Baptist Churches. Late in life, Kenyon moved into Pentecostalism. At the same time, he combined elements of the metaphysical cults, such as Christian Science, New Thought theology, and Unity School of Christianity (D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel, pp. 31-35). "The doctrines of correct thinking and believing accompanied by positive confession, with the result of calling a sickness a symptom (denial of reality supported by a Gnostic dualism) are not found in Christian writings until after New Thought and its offspring had begun to develop them. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to state that the doctrine originated and developed in these cults, and was later absorbed by Christians in their quest to develop a healing ministry" (H. Terris Neuman, An Analysis of the Sources of the Charismatic Teaching of Positive Confession, p. 43).
Though obviously not the movement's originator, some have also called Kenneth Hagin the "grand-daddy of the faith teachers" (Sherry Andrews, "Kenneth Hagin, “Keeping the Faith," Charisma, October 1981, p. 24). In a survey of readers of Charisma (a major Charismatic magazine) concerning those ministers that influence them the most, Kenneth Hagin was 3rd, ranked behind only TV evangelist Pat Robertson, and the heir apparent to the Word-Faith movement throne, Kenneth Copeland (Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Charisma, "Trend Toward the Faith Movement," August 1985, pp. 67-70).
DOCTRINE
God
Word-Faith teachers claim that God operates by spiritual law and is obliged to obey the faith-filled commands and desires of believers. He not only reveals prosperity teaching supernaturally to the Word-Faith teachers, but personally and verbally confirms their unique interpretations of Scripture (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, pp. 60-62).
They say the Abrahamic Covenant is the basis for commanding God to do His part in the covenant. Robert Tilton says, "we make our own promises to do our part, then we can tell God, on the authority of His word, what we would like Him to do. That's right, you can actually tell God what you would like His part in the Covenant to be" (God's Miracle Plan for Man, p. 36). Kenneth Copeland says, "as a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent, because it is His Word" (Our Covenant with God, p. 32). Copeland goes so far as to say that "God was the lesser party and Abraham was the greater" in the covenant between them (Copeland, Legal and Vital Aspects of Redemption, 1985, Audio Tape #01-0403).
The Faith teachers also make God into a big man. Copeland says, "God is...a being that stands somewhere around 6'-2," 6'-3," that weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of a couple of hundred pounds, little better, and has a hand span of nine inches across" (Spirit, Soul, and Body, 1985, Tape #01-0601). Morris Cerillo, in an alleged out-of-body experience, describes God: "Suddenly, in front of this tremendous multitude of people, the glory of God appeared. The form that I saw was about the height of a man 6 feet tall, maybe taller, and twice as broad as a human body, with no distinguishing features such as eyes, nose, or mouth" (The Miracle Book, pp. x-xi).
Man
Word-Faith teachers say that not only is God a big man, but man is a little god. Kenneth Hagin has asserted, "man...was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority.... He made us the same class of being that He is Himself.... He lived on terms equal with God.... The believer is called Christ, that's who we are; we're Christ" (Zoe: The God Kind of Life, pp. 35-36, 41). "God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself...He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even" (Copeland, Following the Faith of Abraham, 1989, Tape #01-3001). He also proclaims, "You don't have a God in you, you are one!" (Copeland, The Force of Love, 1987, Tape #02-0028). Morris Cerillo says "the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself. ...you're not looking at Morris Cerillo, you're looking at God, you're looking at Jesus" (The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God, Audio Tape 1, Sides 1 &;2).
Christ
The deity of Christ is compromised. Kenneth Copeland, in relating what Christ supposedly told him, says, "don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God...the more you get to be like Me, the more they are going to think that way of you. They crucified Me for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God. I just claimed I walked with Him and that He was with Me" (Copeland, "Take Time to Pray," Believer's Voice of Victory, #15, 2 February 1987, p. 9). "Jesus was on the earth just a man, not the son of God" (Frederick K.C. Price, Tape #RP 19, May 1993). And Kenneth Hagin says, "You are as much the incarnation of God as Jesus Christ was" (The Word of Faith, December 1980, p. 14).
Atonement
The very important doctrine of the atonement of Christ is distorted. Frequently Word-Faith teachers unduly over-emphasize the spiritual death instead of the physical death of Christ. "Physical death will not remove sins" (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 29). In other words, it took the spiritual death of Jesus to atone for sins. "Do you think that the punishment of our sins was to die on the cross? If that was the case, the two thieves could have paid our price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God" (K. C. Price, Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, June 1990, p. 7).
According to Word-Faith teachers, when Adam rebelled, or "committed high treason," he not only betrayed God by turning over to Satan what God had given him, he also took on the nature of Satan. So, to redeem mankind and creation from Satan's legal control, Jesus, as the second Adam, had to die not only physically but spiritually. This may be acceptable among some evangelicals. But where it has led Word-Faith teachers is not. They say Jesus not only bore our sins on Calvary, but also took on the actual nature of Satan himself. "Just as Adam died spiritually, Jesus died spiritually. The spiritual death He suffered caused His physical body to die.... When Jesus accepted the sin nature of Satan into His Spirit He cried 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?' He was separated from God... He was ushered into the bowels of hell" (Kenneth Copeland, Classic Redemption, p. 13; emphasis added). "Spiritual death means having Satan's nature" (Hagin, The Name of Jesus, p. 31).
Just a man on earth, and taking on the nature of Satan at the cross, Jesus becomes just a sinner in need of redemption. At the resurrection Jesus is a born again man from the pit of hell. "Jesus was born again in the pit of Hell....The Church started when Jesus was born again in the gates of Hell" (Charles Capps, Authority In Three Worlds, pp. 212 13).
Other Doctrines
1) Positive Confession: The Theology of the Spoken Word (Rhematology), or thought actualization, is commonly known as positive confession. It stresses the inherent power of words and thoughts. Each person predestines his own future by what he says verbally and by how well he uses spiritual laws. As such, it is as if we live in a mechanistic universe instead of a personal one (see, Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 15; Charles Capps, The Tongue A Creative Force, pp. 117-118; Releasing the Ability of God, pp. 98-99, 101-104).
2) The Gospel of Health: Isaiah 53 is used to justify blanket coverage for the physical healing of every Christian who has enough faith. "...it is the plan of our Father God in His great love and His great mercy that no believer should ever be sick, that every believer should live his life full span down here on earth and that every believer should finally just fall asleep in Jesus" (Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing[/i], p. 21). Hagin also denies having a headache for forty-five years, labeling such as "simply symptoms rather than any indication of a headache" ([b]In the Name of Jesus,[/I] p. 44).
3) [b]The Gospel of Wealth: A central tenet of the prosperity gospel is that God wills the financial prosperity of every Christian. If a believer lives in poverty, he/she is living outside God's intended will. "You must realize that it is God's will for you to prosper" (Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, p. 51).
BIBLICAL RESPONSE
1) God is the unique, Sovereign of the Universe (1 Timothy 6:15). God is pure spirit (John 4:24). There is no biblical basis for teaching that God has His own body, as an essential part of His nature or being. This would be more in line with Mormonism than orthodox Christianity.
2) Man is unique from the rest of Creation, but is not Divine. He was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but bearing God's image does not make him a "little god." By definition, God is an "uncreated" or self-existent Being. Obviously, humans were created and therefore are not self-existent or divine; only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalms 8:6-8).
3) Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the Only Incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 15; 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By receiving the limitations of humanity (Philippians 2:6-7) Jesus forwent the exercise of some of His prerogatives as God. But He did not cease to be God. It is also impossible for the natures of God or man (Christ was both on earth) to cease being what they are.
4) The nature of the atonement had to do with Jesus' physical death on the cross being the payment for sins (Hebrews 9:22). Christ said, "It is finished" (John 19:30), which translates tetelistai meaning "paid for in full." Payment for our sins took place on the cross (Matt. 26:28; 1 Pet. 2:24; Col. 1:20-22; Heb. 10:10, 12, 14, 19 20). There was nothing more to pay beyond the cross (Heb. 10:18).
5) God is the only One who ever created reality by the power of His Word (Genesis 1:3). He does not have or need "faith." Faith is depending on something outside ourselves. If God depends upon something outside Himself, He is not Supreme and therefore not God. Man, not God, is in need of faith. The faith referenced in Mark 11:22 and Hebrews 11:3 is clearly "the faith which has God as its object," not "the kind of faith that God has."
6) The use of words for Positive Confession; One may help or hurt another by words of encouragement or condemnation, by telling the truth or misleading, etc. But to treat words as if they were some "star wars" type weapon by which reality is manipulated or altered is not biblical, but occultic.
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
Here is another article on the Heresy of Positive Confession:
http://www.watchman.org/reltop/posconf.htm
Positive Confession
Positive Confession is the belief that if a believer speaks "spiritual" or "faith-filled" words then he can have what he says. Unfortunately, this influence has invaded the church and continues to cause much turmoil and confusion.
Many of the teachers of the word-faith movement believe that words are so powerful that they can influence the physical and spiritual worlds. For example:
In The Tongue, a Creative Force (1976), positive confessionist Charles Capps, teaches that there are powerful "spiritual" words. Such words, which are ordinary words, can under certain circumstances, become vehicles for creative or supernatural power.
When "faith-filled" spiritual words are spoken (as words of power), they can alter the physical and spiritual world. Capps says, "You see there is more to it than just saying it. The words must originate from the inner man where spiritual power is released through words."
He goes on to state that "spirit words can control both the spirit world and the physical world. Because the words themselves have power, they will work for either God or man in the same manner." He goes on:
"The spirit of man is not of this world, it is of the spirit world. The creative ability of man comes through his spirit. He speaks spirit words that work in the world of the spirit. They will also dominate the physical world. He breathes spirit life into God's Word and it becomes a living substance, working for him as it worked for God in the beginning. These spirit words dominate the natural world" (p. 117-118).
What Capps is alluding to in the above statement is his teaching that since God, "by His faith" (using words) spoke this physical world into existence; the believer, using faith, can do the same. That is, the believer can speak things into existence. However, God's word is already "quick and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12), and it is referred to as the "Word of Life" (Phillipians 2:16). It is not necessary to activate it by speaking words of faith as though it were asleep or dead! Rather, it is by hearing the "living" word that one is brought to salvation through faith in Christ. (Romans 10:17)
A number of the prosperity teachers believe that the spiritual world controls and continually forms the physical world. So, if one can learn to control the spiritual world, then he can learn to control the physical world as well. This teaching then becomes the foundation for securing individual prosperity.
That is why in Releasing the Ability of God, Capps states, "You can have what you say! (because) the powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth. This force comes from inside us; the confession of our mouth will cause you to possess it" (pp. 98-99, parenthesis mine). This is why he teaches, "Discipline your vocabulary," and "today your word is god over your circumstances" (pp. 101-104).
Capps also teaches that the power within a Christian, within one's spirit, functions according to unchangeable laws. He says "These principles of faith are based on spiritual laws. They work for whosoever will apply these laws" (The Tongue, p. 103).
D. R. McConnell, in his book, A Different Gospel, directly traces the origin the spiritual laws taught in positive confession to the metaphysics of E.W. Kenyon, a man of 50-60 years ago whose theology was that of Pentecostal Christian (A Different Gospel, pp. 3-56).
McConnell records Kenneth Copeland in The Laws of Prosperity (p. 98, 101) as saying, "You can have what you say! In fact, what you are saying is exactly what you are getting now. If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying. It will change what you have. Discipline your vocabulary. God will be obligated to meet your needs because of His word. If you stand firmly on this, your needs will be met" (Ibid., p. 173).
McConnell further states, that E.W. Kenyon's New Thought classmate, Ralph Waldo Trine, attributes the confession of prosperity to “Occult power." He says that "Trine believed that thought is a force, and it has Occult power of unknown proportions when rightly used and wisely directed" (Ibid., p. 174).
The usage of Occult powers is, of course, a practice that the Word-Faith teachers would publicly reject. Of course, this is not to say that those offering these teachings are Occultists. They are teachers who may never have thought through the implications of the practices they advocate. They may be unaware of the similarities between certain aspects of positive confession and Occultic practices. Nevertheless, the similarities do exist, and these practices are neither Biblical nor Christian.
John Ankerberg's issue of News and Views, June 1988, p. 1, reports that these words are used in religious rituals to influence both the spirit world and the material world. The report quotes Occult magician David Conway discussing the power of magical words to affect these worlds:
quote:
"Unseparable from magical speculation about words is the theory of vibrations, which supposes that certain sounds have a powerful acoustic impact on both the spiritual and astral worlds. Like the spiritual world and astral plane can in some circumstances be affected by sound, so that verbal magic may be said to derive its power not only from the idea contained in certain words, but from the peculiar vibrations these words create when spoken" (Magic: an Occult Primer, pp. 74-75).
Occultists, of course, have long claimed the true inner nature of man is powerful, capable of exercising divine ability. This is why New Ager Benjamin Creme says, for example, "One doesn't pray to oneself, one prays to the God within. The thing is to learn to invoke that energy which is the energy of God. Prayer and worship as we know it today will gradually die out and men will be trained to invoke the (inner) power of deity" (The Reappearance of Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, pp. 135-136, parenthesis mine).
The reason that positive confessionists can place so much emphasis on the inner man and his divine power is that they think the believer is a god. Kenneth Copeland says, "You don't have a god in you, you are one" (Copeland's sermon tape The Force of Love). And Kenneth Hagin says, "The believer is as much an incarnation of God as Jesus Christ” (Hagin, Word of Faith, p. 14).
To the positive confessionist, scripture passages such as Proverbs 18:21, "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue;" and James 3:8-10 are taken as proof of this doctrine, because they believe as "little gods" they have the same power as God through their own words.
Is it any wonder that Charles Capps says "The confession of your mouth even after you have prayed correctly will determine whether or not you receive. You can release the ability of God through the words of your mouth" (Releasing the Ability of God, 1978, pp. 93, 96).
For Christians words and faith are important, but there is a limit to what words can do.
It can help or hurt a close friend or a total stranger by what one says, but to treat words as if they were some "star wars" type weapon by which one alters or manipulates reality is not biblical, but Occultic. If one could change reality by the power of words spoken, then that would put man on the same level with God. This is exactly what teachers of the "positive confession," or word-faith movement, claim.
We are told by God Himself that He spoke the creation into existence (Genesis 1). He has not given that power to anyone else!
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
Amen Whitesands, Amen!
Subtle deception is the worst kind! It's so very hard to detect, like the Positive Confession and Visualization stuff. I'm not sure if the Bible really explains plainly what these practices are, but if it does, I'd like to know where to find that so I can post it! I have a lot to learn of God's Word myself!!! (Believe me, I'm working on it! ![[clap2]](graemlins/clap2.gif) )
If I hadn't read these articles, I probably would not have known that these things are really Occult practices (witchcraft) that the Bible speaks against. This is why I am so Greatful that God has given us Faithful Servents who will Expose such practices for what they are. Especially for those of us who haven't spent years studying the Bible. It's truly the Babe's in Christ who need this information so they'll know what it is; and it's up to those of us who find out to share warn them about it. I pray the Lord will continue to lead me in revealing this stuff for their sakes and for my own.
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
whitesands777
Advanced Member
Member # 3424
|
posted
That's some real good info there...One of satan's most powerful tools is being so very subtle that if someone is not absolutely grounded in God's word and really love the truth they could possibly run the risk of being deceived.
When you see the pope dressed in white and all the other priestly garments worn by those at the vatican it looks very religious and is godly in appearance...The kneeling, the prayers, the statues, the crosses ,and the subtle change in doctrine that sounds good but is far from truth.
I've got alot to work on in my own life and become more aware of my own shortcomings in a quest to be transformed by the renewing of my mind by reading God's Word...
You've gotta just go back to the Word believing that it is truth in its entirety and believe exactly what is written and line upon line put it together.
Posts: 501 | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
Thanks for the book recommendation Sis! It does sound like one I'd like to read ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I posted this in another post, but I feel it's important to include on this thread as well as it explains WHY these New Techniques called Visualization and Positive Confession (which are being promited by many famous preachers as being Christian) are not only Unscriptural, but are Occultic (basically Witchcraft):
”there’s power in what you visualize[/b]” take a few moments each day to visualize things you want in your life so God can bring them to pass.” He then tells a story about a coach and his team “Close your eyes and envision winning the game”, “they produced exactly what they saw” (Joel Osteen Nov.16,2004)
Visualization
In Occult practices intangible images are brought into (physical reality) the material world, our 3rd dimension, by a number of ways. The attainment of this experiential knowledge (gnosis) leads to a self-realization . It has been said by occultists it lead's one to the mastery of spiritual technology and the attainment of psycho-spiritual powers.
The belief is that energy follows our thought. Our mind and thoughts produce energy, which begins to be birth in the spiritual realm first and then is reproduced in the natural. As the image we hold is incubated in thought it becomes birthed in the physical material world. Everything is first spiritual then physical. They claim this is how God created, he first had the image and then spoke it .This is clearly Christian Science and mind science also found in eastern ways of philosophy and metaphysical thought.
(You can look up some of what the Bible says about these Occult practices which it calls Sorcery or witchcraft: 1 Samuel 15:23, 2 Chronicles 33:6, Isaiah 47:9 , Isaiah 47:12, Galatians 5:20, Acts 8:9, Acts 8:11, Revelation 9:21, Revelation 18:23, Revelation 21:8)
Visualization that is Christianized
This is the incubating process. One holds the image in their minds eye and uses faith as a force (see Daniel 11:38) to make it come about. The concept is to have it birthed in the spiritual realm first and then it will come about in the natural. Then one is to speak what they see into existence. with this law of manifestation," thoughts held steadfastly in the mind are spoken aloud, or visualized will "manifest' in the physical world. Napoleon Hill was taught this law by spirits who called themselves Ascended Masters from a School of Wisdom located on the astral plane. Hill visualized nine famous men from the past sitting around a table as his advisers and guess what, it worked. Leaders in the Faith movement are using this same law as well for speaking things into existence. The occult technique of visualization is also the key to inner healing. One visualizes a situation in the past they need to be reconciled, they visualize Jesus coming to them and solving the problem.
The New age teaches that if everyone on earth practiced this to change their reality the world would be a very different place. We would have a potentially several billion godlike creatures in the world all exercising their will competing for their own piece of reality. The force is in the hands of its wielder. Whoever exercises the most power wins. God loves us enough not to put this kind of power or ability in the hands of sinful man.
quote:
Daniel 11: 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
THESE OCCULT CONCEPTS ARE NOW PRACTICED IN THE CHURCH, Sanctified as Christian. We can now visualize, decree, and get direct communication of new knowledge from the Lord just as the Gnostics and new agers! Some go further and will speak the image that they want to become reality. It doesn't seem to bother some people that this is an ancient practice in the occult and other religions and commonly used by the New Age movement today.
"God did not create the world out of nothing, He used the Force of His Faith.” (K. Copeland Spirit, Soul and Body #01-0601, Tape #1)
"What you are saying is exactly what you are getting now. If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying.... The powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth. (The Laws of Prosperity Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Copeland Publications).
Mental imaging is a common practice in the occult. One holds an image in their mind and puts in the details like coloring in an outline. As they envision it each day, meditate on it becomes clearer and will come to pass. This technique is now used for healing traumas that are emotional, cancer and other diseases. One sees the cancer or disease being fought and conquered and essentially leaving.
While mentally rehearsing Scripture and using pictures in our mind for Biblical accounts can be useful, it is not the same as attempting to create spiritual reality, or to cause through any mind technique such as positive thinking. To change, alter, or create reality you are then entering the realm of sorcery.
There are ways to use our imagination in practical and normal ways like Artists and architects need to have a visual image first. Johanna Michaelsen, now a Christian, who was deeply involved in the occult and a personal assistant to a psychic surgeon, states in her book, Like Lambs to the Slaughter , "There are perfectly valid and legitimate uses of the imagination.... An artist 'sees' the finished painting or sculpture in his mind or an architect 'visualizes' the building he is working on.... When we recall past events in our lives, we do so with mental images. Storytellers and books use mental images to get a point across. What I'm talking about is a technique of creating an image in your mind and using that (image as) an effort to create or control reality through mind-powers.”
What the new age is teaching is that one holds an image in their mind and goes in to experience it or uses it to change their reality. This is spiritual manipulation for power and healing. The Bible calls this sorcery, divination and vain imaginations.
quote:
Jer. 14:14 "And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart."
Jer. 23:16-18 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the LORD.
Ezek. 13:7 "Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, `The LORD says,' but I have not spoken."
Heb. 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If we are seeing, then this is the opposite of faith. Nowhere does the Bible encourage anyone to visualize to see the future or to receive an answer in prayer. It has always been found in the occult.
We walk by faith not by sight
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
|
posted
I have been reading a good book by Hunt that you would enjoy Deb it is called the Seduction of Christianity - Spiritual Discernement in the Last Days.
It is really interesting because it is an old book. I think he wrote it 10 years ago. I agree with you about the falling away being the so called church leaving the truth. It is amazing to me that this stuff could be seen 10 years ago, actually some of it could be seen 50 or mor years ago, but Hunt uses a lot of reference to the teaching of secular teachers to show where this is all coming from. Today people are teaching things that I learned from reading Napolean Hill 20 years ago and simply adding to it "Christian lingo" and calling it God's word.
I did not know enough of the scripture 10 years ago to see this stuff, but it is clear to me today. I am very thankful that I never have been one to esteem men; I have always felt that all men put their pants on the same way and this has been a blessing to me or I would have probably rejected some of the things I do see today.
I was thinking about this and I was thinking about Jesus saying to Peter, "Get behind me Satan".
Jesus loved Peter, but Jesus made no mistake about who spoke when out of Peter's mouth came words contrary to God's will.
This life of ours is a war and in war you must know the enemy. Sometimes the enemy comes speaking out of the heart of someone you love.
Peter spoke out of the fulness of his heart at the time:
Mark 8:33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
Peter had to have his heart changed; even Paul had to bring rebuke that would continue to change Peter's heart after the regeneration.
Jesus did not rebuke Satan, Jesus rebuked PETER, whom Jesus called Satan, so the scriptures say.
"thou art an offense to me!"
Jesus knew the will of God because the father had revealed to him the will of God as this is what Jesus came to do.
We know the will of God because the Holy Spirit reveals it to us when we are not conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. I believe that our minds are renewed with the washing of them in the word.
The word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of men.. Thus we may know when the enemy speaks even when the enemy speaks from the mouth of someone we know.
Rebuke should bring about examination and repentance.
This was the very next thing Jesus taught after rebuking Peter: "Dont savor the things that be of men!" Satan said Jesus savors the things that be of men.
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
We know that Peter did repent and did follow Jesus. Eventually Peter was born again and Peter moved from Milk to Meat and we know this because when Paul spoke to him of milk - The principles of the doctrine of Christ - like repentence from dead works - circumcision, Peter repented of his desire to judaize the Gentile Christians.
Further, Peter went on to teach regarding the discernment of good AND evil:
2 Peter 2:1 ¶ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 ¶ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
*************************************************
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
I have noticed something about babies. When you try to feed them meat, they spit it out. Then they look for milk. And when they find it they are satified.
When you feed meat to a rebellious teen who has decided they do not want meat; they shove it back at you and proceed to tell you what a jerk you are for buying meat, cooking meat, eating meat or offering them meat.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
What is the Danger in this teaching?
quote:
BILLY GRAHAM: God's purpose for this age is to call out a people for His name. And that's what God is doing today, He's calling people out of the world for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think that they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven.
I found an Excellent Article here: http://www.diakrisis.org/challenge_to_cm_.htm
Here are a couple of Exepts. One from the beginning of the article, the other from the end. The middle section of this article goes on to explain how this New Doctrine of those who do not know Jesus Christ being saved has come about. This is a lot of what I've been saying about how the New Age teachings have infiltrated the church and are changing the Biblical Doctrines into Doctrines of Devils. I hope you'll read that whole article:
quote:
PROLOGUE
Is it necessary for people to know about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God born in Bethlehem, in order for them to be saved and receive eternal life? Will a pagan who does not believe in Christ but who lives a religious and moral life -- devoted to his or her “God” and practising charitable works - be excluded from heaven? Is it right to refer to unbelievers as being “lost”? Is it only Christians who have the indwelling Holy Spirit or Christ living in them? These are some of the questions being asked today by many evangelicals in church leadership and on the mission field.
Prior to the last few decades such questions were easily answered with a resounding “Yes!” in each case, in the full knowledge of scriptural support. But as relativism, sentiment and psychobabble have become the dominant influences in the life of the Church, many are no longer willing to be guided by the plain teaching of the Bible concerning eternal salvation and eternal condemnation, but instead they have substituted either what they “feel” to be correct or whatever harmonizes with the prevailing trends of the day.
We are now in the process of a massive shift in the religious life of this planet. At the heart of this process is the Hegelian notion that all religions essentially worship the same God and are merely different pathways to ultimate truth and perfection. This notion challenges the uniqueness and exclusiveness of the Christian message concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and the need for the Gospel to be preached to all nations. It is part of a dark, universal process by which the very fabric of the body of truth we call Christianity is being torn apart.
In this brief paper we shall look, first, at the main influences which have led to the systematic global breakdown of the exclusive nature of the Christian Gospel. Second, we shall examine the way that popular teachings in the Church today about the indwelling Christ or Holy Spirit in unbelievers correspond closely with those of the occult and New Age spirituality which have so besotted the world. Third, we shall address the question of whether it is possible for a person who hasn’t heard about Christ to be saved.
quote:
EPILOGUE
Popular ideas about a universal Christ or Holy Spirit unconditionally indwelling people will intensify during the coming years and will be increasingly professed even by leading evangelicals. Most church members today are highly confused about all this, with different ideas coming at them from all quarters - especially from well-known personalities on the lecture circuit: deceptive chameleons who say out of one side of their mouths that no one can be saved apart from Christ, but who say out of the other that unbelievers can have Christ indwelling them anyway.
The obvious solution is to seek out pastors and teachers who will ensure that “we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting...” (Eph.4:14-15). Neither should we allow our beliefs to be coloured by fashion or sentiment but only by what is plainly revealed in the whole of Scripture. The right to become the children of God is granted only “to those who believe in [Christ’s] name” (Jn.1:12). It can only be in Satan’s interests to teach otherwise, as the fallen angel, in his closing days, attempts to prevent souls from being saved by the proclamation and reception of the Christian Gospel.
New Age spirituality authors and teachers make a great deal out of the fact that they see the worldwide Ecumenical Movement as being the main tool to bring Christian churches into the planned global New World Order Religion. Listen to the way in which Djwal Khul, the discarnate “Ascended Master” of the occultists and New Age spirituality people, prophesies the planned Ecumenical Movement, speaking through the influential theosophist Alice Bailey, in her 1934 book, “The Externalization of the Hierarchy”:
“Eventually, there will appear the Church Universal, and its definite outlines will appear towards the end of [the 20th] century. This Church will be nurtured into activity by the Christ and His disciples...when the true second coming has been accomplished. No date for the advent do I set, but the time will not be long. The Christian church, in its many branches, can serve as a St. John the Baptist, as a voice crying in the wilderness, and as a nucleus through which world illumination may be accomplished... Its work is intended to be the holding of a broad platform...”.[36]
The “Second Coming” of the “Christ” of the New Spirituality people is what true Christians will recognise as the revealing of the Antichrist. The preparation for that time is surely taking place in what we see today through the “fascism of enforced oneness” in ecumenism, interfaithism and other developments in the religious and national life of this planet. The present castration of the witness of the Gospel through the notion that one does not need to believe in Christ in order to be saved is also a major component in this diverse time of active eschatological preparation.
Anyone in spiritual leadership (e.g. pastors, teachers, elders, directors of Christian organisations) who is not preparing people to mount a defence against the all-out assault on the unique nature of faith in Christ, as effected through the Illuminati-inspired Interfaith or Ecumenical Movements and other promoters of the New Spirituality has abdicated responsibility and is already contributing to the Great Apostasy now in progress. What many fail to realise is that the pretended realisation of peace on this planet toward which these movements are working will merely serve as a harbinger of divine wrath. As the Apostle Paul states:
“For it is when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ that sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess.5:3-6).
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
Another aspect of the Apostacy - Great Falling Away is found in the Roman Catholic Church. Here is another old article that explains some of the doctrines of the RCC which have departed from Sound Biblical Doctrine:
I would like to share an article I found that examines ‘some’ of the teaching of the RCC and weighs it against what Biblical Christianity (according to Scripture) affirms. I do this out of LOVE, concern, and with Sincere Prayer that those who are searching out the truth on the issues surrounding the RCC will See it clearly. There are many other issues that should be looked into as well, but for now, I think this is pretty clear.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/rcc.html
Roman Catholicism Compared To Biblical Chrsitianity
written and compiled by Barbara Wilhelm, 9/01
The following contain excerpts and/or references from Roman Catholicism: Scripture vs. Tradition by Mike Gendron, head of "Proclaiming the Gospel”; James G. McCarthy, author of The Gospel According to Rome and the tract What You Need To Know About Roman Catholicism; and T. A. McMahon of The Berean Call. Mr. Gendron, Mr. McCarthy and Mr. McMahon are former Catholics and present born-again Christians with ministries to Catholics. The author of the following position paper, a former Catholic of 35 years and a born-again Christian of 23 years, has, in recent years, taken a course from the Catholic Church itself dealing with their current beliefs. Annotated references to Catholic doctrine were obtained from the official Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Austin Flannery edition of Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents.
*There is also a section entitled Catholic Doctrinal Guide with definitions of various Catholic terminology. The source book for the Guide was a Catholic family Bible which carries the “imprimatur” (official authorization) of the Roman Catholic Church.
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENTS
“It is important to realize that most of the clergy and lay people that teach Roman Catholic doctrine are not deceiving people with malicious intent. They are simply passing on what has been passed on to them, sincerely believing that they have the truth. Catholics must believe ALL dogmas of their church or be anathema (eternally condemned and accursed) by their church. Prayer, love, compassion and understanding are needed along with the power of the Word of God to penetrate their hearts. Patience is needed to untangle Roman Catholics from the dogmatic web in which they are held captive” (Roman Catholicism: Scripture vs. Tradition by Mike Gendron).
It must also be remembered that there are those in the Catholic Church who love the Lord and have had a genuine born-again experience yet remain in that church out of ignorance of her doctrines.
In 2 Cor 11: 2-4 Paul states: “For I am zealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. But now I am fearful lest even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be seduced from the simplicity of Jesus. For you seem readily to endure it if a man comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you once received, or a different gospel from the one you received and welcomed.”
In what is called the “unity chapter”, John 17, Jesus Himself states that doctrinal truth is to be the primary unifying factor between believers and the basis for sanctification: v.17 “Sanctify them by Thy truth; Thy Word is truth.”
A CLARIFICATION OF TERMS
Before we can even start a meaningful discussion of the differences between Catholicism and Biblical Christianity, it is imperative to clarify what different words and terms mean when viewed from each perspective. Some of the following words may sound the same to Bible-believing Christians as they do to Catholics – but their meanings will differ sharply. In addition, there will be terms totally unfamiliar to Christians but which must be discussed because they play such an integral part in Roman Catholic theology.
CATHOLIC DOCTRINAL GUIDE
Preface: We Catholics maintain that the Bible is not the sole source of Christ’s teaching, but that we have a double rule of faith, namely, Bible and Tradition. Tradition is the sum of revealed doctrine which has not been put down in Sacred Scripture but has been handed down through legitimate pastors of the Church from age to age.
Baptism: the sacrament of spiritual cleansing and rebirth, instituted by Jesus Christ. In baptism a human being is born again spiritually and made capable of receiving the other sacraments.
Church Legislation: (Canons 1391, 1399 1400) the faithful are not permitted to read vernacular translations of the Bible which do not have the approval of the Holy See (Pope) and are not published under the vigilance of the bishops. For the Catholic, the private interpretation of the individual is regarded as worthless, and only the authoritative verdict of the infallible (Catholic) Church, exercising in this sphere its divine commission to teach, is valid. “If anyone believes any scriptures beyond those which the Catholic Church has received are to be regarded as authoritative or held in esteem, let him be anathema.”
Confession to and Absolution by a priest: (Confession is) the clear avowal of all sins committed after Baptism, made to a priest who has the power to absolve (those sins). The priest imposes upon the penitent sinner acts of penance to make reparation for his sins. These acts of penance may include saying specified amounts of “Hail Marys” and “Our Fathers”, self-denial, or performing good works. The priest’s role in this sacrament is as representative of Christ.
Council: The assembly of the bishops (including the Bishop of Rome, the Pope) convoked to define questions of faith, morals and discipline. (Throughout history) there have been numerous councils: Nicea (325), Trent (1545-1563), Vatican I (1869) and Vatican II (present-day).
Dogma: When this word is applied to Catholic teaching, it refers to a formal statement of doctrine, as contained in divine revelation, concerning faith or morals, made by the Pope as universal teacher, or by an ecumenical council in union with him.
Eucharist: From the Greek word meaning to thank, a sacrament of the New Law in which, under the appearances of bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ are truly, really and substantially present, as the grace-producing food of the soul. The priest, who alone has the power given him by God to prepare the ingredients for this sacrament, by pronouncing the words of consecration, changes the substance of bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood. The Holy Eucharist is the living (emphasis in original) Christ: the wafer containing the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ (1374) that is to be worshipped, consumed and sacrificed (1378).
Expiation: The work of expiation continues through the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass for all time. Hence, for us (Catholics), the greatest work of expiation is through the sacrifice of the Mass by which God is placated.
Grace: Grace is lost through mortal sin; it is preserved and increased through prayer and works done under the influence of God, and by means of the sacraments duly received.
Indulgence: The means of remission of the temporal punishment for sins of which the guilt has been forgiven, either in the sacrament of Penance or because of an act of perfect contrition, granted by the competent ecclesiastical authority from the Treasury of the Church to the living by way of absolution, to the dead by way of others prayers for them. When the guilt of a sin is removed from the soul there always remains temporal punishment due to sin and this temporal punishment must be removed before a soul can enter heaven. An indulgence is received by good works and penances and can be applied to the sins of the
living and the dead (1471-79).
The Council of Trent stated – “Since the power of conferring indulgences has been granted by Christ to His Church, this Holy Synod teaches and orders that the use of indulgences is to be retained in the Church. It also condemns under anathema those who say they are useless or who maintain that the Church has not the power to confer them.”
Infallibility: The belief that the pope and bishops are said to be incapable of error when proclaiming definite doctrines involving faith and morals.
Vatican Council I stated – “It is divinely revealed dogma that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra (that is, when acting as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, he, by his supreme apostolic authority, defines a doctrine touching faith or morals, which is to be held by the whole Church) said definitions are of themselves irreformable (infallible). If anyone shall presume to contradict this our definition, let him be anathema”.
Mortal Sin: A grave sin committed with full knowledge and consent (1857 from the Catholic Catechism). Those who die in this state descend into hell (1035).
Penance: (Also known now as the Sacrament of Reconciliation) The sacrament of confessing sins after baptism to a priest and asking for his forgiveness so that you are reconciled back to God (1456)
Pope: this word comes a Greek term for father. As bishop of Rome, the pope is St. Peter’s successor and is therefore the visible head of the Church on earth.
Purgatory: The place and state in which souls suffer for a time after death and are cleansed of their sins, before entering into Heaven. Here, venial sins, which have never in this life been remitted by an act of repentance or love or by good deeds, are removed. The debt of temporal punishment due to grave (mortal) sins, the guilt of which with its eternal punishment has indeed been remitted by God in the Sacrament of Penance must also be removed here. It is of faith that the souls in Purgatory can be helped by the prayers and sacrifices of the Faithful on earth and especially by the Mass.
Rosary: an expression of devotion to Mary which uses beads to count 53 repetitious prayers to Mary, six to God the Father and six to the Trinity.
Sacraments: The Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacraments and each of them contain grace. The seven sacraments are: baptism, penance, eucharist, confirmation (to receive Holy Spirit), matrimony, holy orders (vows taken by priests and nuns) and anointing of the sick. These are the primary means by which God bestows grace upon people in the RCC. Church teaching is that the sacraments themselves are necessary for salvation (1129 –Catholic Catechism).
Venial Sin: a sin that merits only temporal punishment and does not deprive the sinner of grace or friendship with God. Venial sins can be atoned for with acts of penance and good works.
Vicar of Christ: one of many titles claimed by the Pope. This one means representative of Christ on Earth. (end of Catholic Doctrinal Guide section).
ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS - FROM CHRISTIAN SOURCES
Apocrypha: 12 writings were declared inspired by the RCC and were added to the Catholic Canon in 1546. Many of the teachings in the apocrypha contradict the Bible – indulgences, paid masses for the dead, magic performed by Jesus as a child, etc.
Magesterium: comes from Latin for “Master” and refers to bishops who are the teaching authority of the RCC. The magesterium consists of all the bishops including the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. They are the ones who pass judgment on doctrine, state what interpretation a Catholic may give to a scripture verse, and they are the ones who dole out grace in partial payments depending on the amount of good works that are done.
Treasury of the Church: (From The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy: “Another way in which the living can help the dead is by acquiring special credits, called indulgences, that cancel out temporal punishment (1032.1471) Roman Catholicism teaches that the Church has the power to dispense indulgences from a vast reservoir of merit called the treasury of the Church (1476-1477)…The “treasury of the Church” is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God…This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary and…the prayers and good works of all the saints.)
Vatican II: The conference was held 1962-65 and from it came the New Catholic Canon of Laws. After Vatican II there was a strong ecumenical outreach to other churches, culminating in the un-Biblical agreement called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.”
CATHOLICS AND CHRISTIANS:ESSENTIAL DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES
The Roman Catholic Church (much like the Judaizers in the book of Galatians) upholds four fundamental tenets of the Christian faith: the deity of Christ, the Trinity, the virgin birth, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. However, it denies that Christ’s work of redemption is finished and that His atonement is sufficient.
In addition, Catholic teaching opposes the doctrine most essential to the Christian faith – the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The RCC not only denies this doctrine, but also condemns anyone who believes it. The Catholic Church may say that it believes in salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but the doctrines of that church deny these words.
The Roman Catholic Church says it believes in salvation by grace alone. However, their “grace” is not the free gift of Christianity but can only be received by the individual in partial installments dispensed through the “magesterium” of the RCC * (see Catholic Doctrinal Guide for definition). The RCC says it believes in salvation through faith alone - but adds works to that. It says it believes in salvation through Christ alone - but adds, among other things, membership in the Catholic Church, a belief that water baptism, even of infants, is what constitutes being born-again, and unbiblical beliefs about Mary. If doctrine is not discussed, then Christians will never realize that the doctrines of the Bible are different from the doctrines the RCC adheres to, no matter what they say to the contrary. More importantly, if we do not delineate the differences in doctrine between the Christian Church and the Catholic Church, we do an incredible disservice to those Catholics who believe they are born-again yet still continue in the church of Rome. If we evade doctrinal issues, we are not giving Catholics the chance to escape from a deception that will condemn them to eternal death. If a man believes a false gospel, he is not saved and cannot be discipled. The discussion of doctrinal differences is truly a life – or - death matter.
HOLY SCRIPTURE
Bible: “Every Scripture is God-breathed – given by His inspiration – and profitable for instruction, for reproof, for correction of error, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well-fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Ti 3: 16-17). See also 2 Pe 1: 3-10 and 1 Cor 2:13.
Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5,6; Rev 22: 19 are just some of the warnings in the Bible dealing with adding to or subtracting from God's Holy Word. The RCC, however, does not seem to heed these warnings. As just one example, the Catholic Church does not profess the simple Ten Commandments, eliminating the second commandment to have no idols before God and to create no graven images. The RCC then takes the Biblical tenth Commandment and makes it into two instead of one. Hence, the RCC Ten Commandments are not the Biblical Ten Commandments. The Roman Catholic Church believes that there are more than the 66 canonical books of the Bible, adding what they call the Apocrypha*. The Apocrypha contains descriptions of Jesus performing magic as a child, and the Catholic beliefs in praying for the dead and purgatory. “Purgatory is the place of suffering a Catholic enters after death when he may need to make additional reparation for his sins. There he pays for the temporal punishment of sins not previously atoned for by acts of penance* or canceled by indulgences*, special credits obtained from the RCC by performing religious acts” (J. McCarthy: What You Need To Know About Roman Catholicism).
The Catholic Church also adds tradition and papal infallibility* to the teachings of the Bible, thereby placing both above the inerrancy of the Bible. (Mt 15:6 states: “So for the sake of your tradition, you have set aside the Word of God and made it null and void.”)
(following is excerpted from Roman Catholicism: Scripture vs. Tradition by Mike Gendron):
DOCTRINE OF JESUS
JESUS, THE SAVIOR:
Bible: "He saved us not because of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of His mercy" (Titus 3:5)
Roman Catholic Church teaches that "by His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has 'opened' heaven to us" (1026 -references are from 1994 Catholic catechism). Each person attains his own salvation by grace and good works (1477).
JESUS, THE SINLESS REDEEMER:
Bible: "For you know it was not with perishable things...that you are redeemed...but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pe 1:17-18).
RCC teaches that Mary is the sinless co-Redeemer. "Without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and work of her son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with Him...being obedient, she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race" (494)
JESUS, OUR ADVOCATE AND ONLY MEDIATOR:
Bible: "God is one, one also is the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Ti 2:5, 1 Jn 2:1)
RCC teaches that Mary "did not lay aside her saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. She is Advocate…and Mediatrix” (969)
JESUS, HEAD OF THE CHURCH:
Bible: "He has put all things under Christ's feet and made Him, thus exalted, head of the Church" (Eph 1: 22,23).
RCC teaches that the Pope, "by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire church has full, supreme and universal power over the whole church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered" (882). He exercises infallibility when "he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals" (891)
JESUS, THE SOON-COMING KING:
Bible: "This same Jesus, who has been taken away from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen Him go unto heaven" (Acts 1:11).
RCC denies this by teaching that Jesus returns daily to the altars of Catholic churches to worshipped: "The body and blood...soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ...is truly, really and substantially contained" in the Eucharist* (1374-78).
CHRIST’S WORK
JESUS EXPIATES OUR SIN:
Bible: "Through His blood, God made Him the means of expiation for all who believe" (Ro 3:25)
RCC teaches that sins are expiated in purgatory through a "cleansing fire" and that we "must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace" (1030,31; 1472-75).
(It is also noteworthy that the Word of God consistently affirms that sins are expiated by blood and not by fire. Biblically, the “fires of purgatory” cannot purge or atone for sin.)
JESUS FINISHED THE WORK OF REDEMPTION:
Bible: "By one offering He has forever perfected those who are being sanctified" (Heb 10:14). "Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices" (Heb 7:27,28).
RCC denies that Jesus' work on the cross is finished. "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice...the same Christ who offered Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner in the Eucharist"(1367). "Every time this mystery is celebrated the work of our redemption is carried on" (1405). The sacrifice "is offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead" (1414). Over and over again in Roman Catholicism, Jesus dies on the cross as the eternal victim.
HIS LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION PROVIDED THE ONLY WAY TO BE SAVED:
Bible: "There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name in the whole world given to men by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12).
RCC denies this by claiming the Catholic Church "is necessary for salvation" (846).
HIS SHED BLOOD IS THE ONLY REMISSION FOR SIN:
Bible: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin" (Heb 9:22). "Since these sins have been forgiven, there is no further offering for sin" (Heb 10:18).
RCC teaches that "an indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven which...may be applied to the living or the dead" (1471)
This is absolutely contrary to Scripture because it undermines the total cleansing of Jesus' blood. By stating that indulgences are needed to further cleanse the sinner, indulgences make man's actions of higher worth than Jesus' blood.
JESUS CLEANSES US FROM SIN:
Bible: “When He (Jesus) had cleansed us from our sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 1:3). “Christ…presents you to God holy, free of reproach and blame” (Col 1:22)
RCC teaches that “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified…undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (1030)
DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
SALVATION IS PROCLAIMED IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST:
Bible: "It is the power of God leading everyone who believes in it to salvation" (Ro 1:16). It relates Jesus' life, death and resurrection according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15: 1-4).
RCC preaches a different gospel by demanding additional requirements for salvation including: the sacraments (1129), meritorious masses (1405), church membership (846), purgatory (1030), indulgences *(1498), and baptism (1256).
SALVATION IS OF GOD, NOT MAN:
Bible: “When you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). Those “who believe in His name were begotten not by…man’s willing it, but by God” (Jn 1:13).
RCC teaches “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration…without which no one can enter the kingdom of God” (1213, 1215).
SALVATION IS THROUGH FAITH, NOT WORKS:
Bible: "Salvation is yours through faith. This is not of your own doing, it is God's gift, neither is it a reward for anything you have accomplished, so let no one pride himself on it" (Eph 2: 8,9). "Yet in no way can a man redeem himself, nor pay his own ransom to God. Too high is the price to redeem one's life; he would never have enough" (Ps 49: 7,8).
RCC teaches salvation through faith plus works. They say people can obtain their own salvation and at the same time cooperate in saving their brothers through good works and indulgences (1477, 1479).
(The Lindsell Bible Commentary’s introduction to the book of Galatians states: “ When you mix faith with works, the error is of such magnitude that it will result in the loss of the true gospel.”)
SALVATION IS BY GRACE, NOT MERIT:
Bible: "All men are now undeservedly justified by the gift of God" (Ro 3:24). "…But if it is by grace it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace – it would be meaningless.”(Ro 11:6).
RCC denies justifying grace is undeserved. "We can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life" (2027).
(RCC source used is Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994.) (excerpt ended)
NONE OF THESE ARE SECONDARY ISSUES. ON THE CONTRARY,THEY ARE THE PRIMARY DOCTRINES OF OUR FAITH.
While there are a great many other topics that can be discussed in relation to the Catholic faith, only three others will be attempted at this time. The first topic is the difference between Christian Communion and the Catholic Eucharist; the next, the difference between the Biblical Mary and the Catholic Mary. The last topic is the mistaken belief that Vatican II significantly changed the tenets of Catholicism.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNION AS OPPOSED TO CATHOLIC EUCHARIST
There is a very real difference between the Communion and the Lord's Supper as observed by born-again believers as opposed to the Eucharist and the Mass* as observed by Catholics. Born-again believers contend that the bread and wine are the elements and that Communion and the Lord's Supper are done in remembrance of Jesus' "once for all" sacrifice. Catholics, on the other hand, believe that the Eucharist offered at the Mass is the actual flesh and blood of Jesus. This, they state, is done by means of transubstantiation, the Catholic doctrine wherein the bread and wine actually become the real body and blood of Jesus.
The Council of Trent, 13th Session, Canon I stated: “(the Eucharist) is truly, really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Catholic Mass is the “unbloody sacrifice” of Jesus repeated over and over. Yet the Bible repeatedly states that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” The word for the wafer that is offered at Catholic Mass is “hostia” which means victim. Hence, Jesus as the eternal victim is repeatedly being sacrificed at each Catholic Mass.
Of the Mass, the Council of Trent also stated (Session 22, Chap.2): “In this divine sacrifice the same Christ is present and immolated (sacrificed) in an unbloody manner on the altar of the Cross…only the manner of offering is different.” Heb 9: 22 and 10:10-17 totally contradict these Catholic doctrines. Therefore, how can Biblical Communion be equated with the Catholic Eucharist and Mass?
Also, instead of centering worship around the Person of the Lord Jesus and His redeeming work on the cross, it is the Catholic Church that makes the wafer of bread – the Eucharist – the “centerpiece of worship” and actually says, in its catechism, that their communion is the “sacrament of redemption” (1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church section 1846) and the place where “ the work of our redemption is accomplished” (Vatican II Austin Flannery p.1). When the priest holds the wafer and presents it to the congregation saying “Behold the Lamb of God”, he truly means that that wafer is the real Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church emphasizes this adoration of the wafer – not the Person of Jesus – during the feast called Corpus Christi, a Latin term meaning “body of Christ.” On that day a procession of Catholics follow the priest in adoration of the Communion wafer which is carried in a vessel called a “monstrance.”
In simple terms that means that Roman Catholicism believes that redemption comes through ingesting the Eucharist –the wafer which they say is Jesus – not through Jesus’ work on the cross. Hence, Catholic Communion is not Biblical Communion: they may use the same words, but the meaning is totally different.
MARY OF THE BIBLE AND THE MARY OF CATHOLICISM
(the following information is excerpted from T.A. McMahon’s article entitled Mary Who?):
“…The only trustworthy account of Mary is found in the Scriptures where information is presented by those who knew her personally and, more importantly, whose writings were under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Fewer than 90 Bible verses address the life of Mary. In them we find a wonderful humble servant of the Lord who rejoices in Him as her Savior (Lk 1:47)… Mary’s ministry was simply the birth and nurturing of the child Jesus. Once He reached adulthood, she played no influential part in His earthly service. It’s at the wedding feast of Cana, which began the public ministry of Jesus, that her last words are recorded. Fittingly, she tells the servants, ‘ Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it’ (Jn 2:5)… Mary then fades into the background.
Search the Scriptures as you will and you will find no leadership role for Mary among the Apostles. She taught no doctrine. We never hear of the Apostles seeking her out for counsel. Other than the gospels, Mary is mentioned only once in the New Testament, where the Book of Acts tells us of her simple participation in a prayer meeting along with her sons. The teaching that Mary was a perpetual virgin is contradicted by many verses (Mt 12:46; Mk 6:3; Jn 7: 3,5; 1Cor 9:5; Gal 1:19; Ps 69:8,etc.)…The Apostle Peter, a contemporary of Mary and regarded by Catholics as the first pope, wrote nothing about her.
The Apostle Paul…made no mention of the alleged importance of devotions or reparations to Mary…The Apostle John, who wrote the last book of the Bible and was given the care of Mary by Jesus Himself, says nothing about venerating her…Although mankind is being drawn into every kind of spiritual deception in the last days before the return of Jesus, it is especially sad that the real mother of Jesus, the remarkable ‘handmaiden of the Lord’ (Lk 1:38) is so terribly misrepresented, thereby drawing millions away from her Son…
(Conversely), the Mary of Catholicism was immaculately conceived, the Mother of God, a perpetual virgin, Mediatrix between God and man, and the Queen of Heaven…The ‘Mary’ who spoke to Father Gobbi, the founder of the Marian Movement of more than 100,000 priests, declared, ‘Each of my statues is a sign of a presence of mine and reminds you of your heavenly Mother. Therefore it must be honored and put in places of greater veneration…’
Consider Our Lady of Fatima: (she said) ‘Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world…God wishes to establish in the world the devotion to My immaculate heart. If people do what I tell you, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.’
This is not the humble and submissive Mary of the Bible. The rosary invokes prayers to Mary ten times for every one for the Lord; Jesus is the Prince of Peace; only Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice saves souls from hell; neither is Mary’s heart immaculate, nor are we to be spiritually devoted to anyone other than our Lord and Savior” (excerpts ended).
The Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is NOT the Christian doctrine which states that Jesus was born without sin. Rather, it states that Mary was born free of any sin: “O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The prayer specifically presents her as intercessor. In addition, Catholics believe that as a special privilege Mary was preserved from all sin, even venial sin*. Catholics also hold to the doctrine that Mary, after her death, was “assumpted” bodily into heaven and, therefore, never saw corruption.. Both the Feast of the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception are “holydays of obligation” in the Catholic Church and require Catholics to attend a Mass on those days under penalty of “mortal”* sin.
One of the titles the Catholic Church gives Mary is “Queen of Heaven.” In chapters 7:18 and 44:19 Jeremiah actually speaks of the people of Israel making offerings to a “queen of heaven.” Yet a simple reading of the chapters shows that God was exceedingly angry because of this heathen worship.
There is also a mixing of what is Biblical and what is Catholic in the “Hail Mary,” the prayer used repeatedly in the rosary. It states: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou among women…” This is actually found in Luke 1:28. However, the rest of the prayer is not Biblical. It states “…Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Mary is “holy” only as she is holy in Jesus. She was not the mother of God, but of the child Jesus - stating it as the Catholic Church does confers upon her a title that denotes her superiority over Jesus. She cannot pray for us sinners because she herself was a sinner, and because only Jesus “ever liveth to make intercession for us” (Heb 7:25).
WHAT DID VATICAN II REALLY CHANGE?
In the 1960’s after Vatican II was convened, the Roman Catholic Church made some sweeping reforms that attempted to bridge the gap between Catholicism and Protestantism. The Sacrifice of the Mass could now be offered in the local language instead of in Latin. Catholics were no longer forbidden to read a Protestant Bible or attend a Protestant church service. The priest now faced the congregation at an altar instead of having his back to them. There were no longer just old Catholic hymns and responses sung. Now up-beat folk songs were allowed.
But notice what did not change. There is still the mandatory priest who stands at a mandatory altar, still offering Jesus up as an eternal victim at the Sacrifice of the Mass. The crucifix with Christ still on the Cross is ever-present. Yes, Catholics can now read a Protestant Bible but no private interpretation is allowed and only the magesterium’s interpretation is permitted. There are still novenas(nine-day prayer vigils) and rosaries offered to Mary, who is still co-Redeemer, co-Mediatrix, Queen of Heaven. The Pope is still considered to be infallible, even when his encyclicals contradict the Bible. Tradition is still given equal ranking with Scripture. The adoration of the wafer – not of Jesus – still continues at Catholic Communion, as does the priest’s ability by means of transubstantiation to transform the bread and wine into the living Body and Blood of Jesus. Some things changed, but not one fundamental doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church changed at all.
Vatican II is thought by most Catholics and non-Catholics to have changed centuries-old doctrines of the Catholic Church, especially those that evangelical Christians were troubled by. As has been seen, however, this is not the case.
“It fact it reaffirmed the canons and decrees of previous key councils: ‘This sacred council accepts loyally the venerable faith of our ancestors…and it proposes again the decrees of the Second Council of Nicea, of the Council of Florence (purgatory) and of the Council of Trent (masses said for the dead , papal infallibility, Catholic sacraments necessary for salvation)’ (Austin Flannery, Vol. 1, p.412). The Council of Trent denounced the Reformation and damned evangelicals’ beliefs with more than 100 anathemas. All of these condemnations of the gospel of God’s grace are endorsed and reaffirmed by Vatican II” (Dave Hunt: A Woman Rides the Beast).
(excerpt follows from T.A.McMahon’s tract Why It Matters, Part I):
“The following citations are from the Council of Trent, which met over a nineteen-year period primarily to denounce the teachings of the Protestant Reformation. Although the Council met in the sixteenth century, its decrees were reaffirmed by both Vatican I & II. Consider Catholicism’s position on what evangelicals uphold as the gospel (that is, salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone who, through His sacrificial death on the cross, paid the full penalty for all the sins of humanity):
6th Session, Canon 9: If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification…let him be anathema (accursed, eternally condemned).
6th Session, Canon 12: If anyone shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ’s sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.
6th Session, Canon 30: If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema.
7th Session, Canon 4: If anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law [canons and decrees of the Church] are not necessary for salvation but…without them…men obtain from God alone through faith alone the grace of justification, let him be anathema.
As the above decrees demand, Roman Catholicism requires more than faith in Christ for salvation…The clear denunciation of the Biblical gospel by the Council of Trent, with its more than 100 anathemas, and reaffirmations by the Second Vatican Council of the 1960’s, comes from the highest Roman Catholic authority (College of Cardinals and the Pope)…Few lay Catholics are familiar with the Code of Canon Law, containing more than 1,750 laws which dictate Church rules and practice. (Yet these rules and practices must be obeyed in order for a Catholic to be considered a Catholic by that Church).
(Since Vatican II) Rome has donned evangelical apparel and added some biblical accessories (although her unbiblical salvation remains the same). (Seemingly), her goal has been to seduce evangelical Christians into believing that Roman Catholicism is proclaiming the same gospel and the same Jesus…
(Yet it might be asked) Haven’t the modifications instituted by Vatican II, the ecumenical dialogues with evangelical denominations and the ‘Evangelicals and Catholics Together’ accord at least demonstrated that the Roman Catholic Church is indeed changing and becoming more biblical? Augustin Cardinal Bea, president at the time of the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, makes clear Rome’s intentions:
‘The Roman Catholic Church would be gravely misunderstood if it should be concluded that her present ecumenical adventuresomeness and openness meant that she was prepared to reexamine any of her fixed dogmatic positions. What the Church is prepared to do is take…a more imaginative and contemporary presentation of these fixed positions’” (excerpt ended).
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Our greatest responsibility is to pray and to do so with deep compassion and love. When we share these truths with Catholics, we must do so with a tenderness of spirit for unless the truth is told with love they will not be able to receive it. We do not need to come to them with “lofty words of eloquence or persuasiveness of human wisdom…(we need only share) Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Him crucified “ (1Cor 2: 1-4).
If we, or any organization, continue to call Catholics Christians, the true gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ alone will never be presented to those deceived Catholics, nor will born-again Catholics ever know the truth of Catholicism. They will perish. In Christian love must we not draw the line between what is true Christianity and what is not? To continue to accept Catholics as Christians is not the love of God Who wishes all to be saved and come unto a knowledge of the truth (1 Ti 2:4).
The purpose of this paper was simply to make the truth known. The love that will be needed to share it can come only from prayerful time with the Lord. He has a deep burden for those caught in the web of the Catholic Church. As we pray He will share that burden with us that we may share His love and truth with them.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
BOOKS:
All Roads Lead to Rome by Michael de Semlyen
The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy
Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree? By John Ankerberg and John Weldon
The Secrets of Romanism by Joseph Zacchello
The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
A Woman Rides the Beast by Dave Hunt
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
I felt this post from another section speaks directly to the post above:
2 Corinthians 6:14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
1 Corinthians 10: 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
There are Many Churches now days that deny the very deity of Jesus Christ. Unity can not be had at the cost of doctrine. One can not sacrifice their faith on the alter of tolerance for the sake of what appears to be something good… but is really something evil. The New Age Movement has infiltrated the Church and has watered down the gospel and even preached another Jesus and another gospel.
It would Really Help if Christians would learn what the New Age Movement is and what it's all about. They claim "Peace, Love, Unity, Goodwill, Charity" It sounds good... but there's a very rotten core!
The New Age Movement is nothing more then Occultism/Gnosticism/Mystery Religion under a new title. The very religion that was observed in Babylon - it is Mystery Babylon. God Hates It! It is the religion of Anti-Christ and it has infiltrated the Majority of churches.
If you Really want to understand what's going on, how this Horrid religion has almost taken over Christianity, then I would recommend reading Constance Cumbey's book "The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow." It's an out of print book (written in 1983(?)) but you can still find it as a used book. It explains Soooo Much. I'm not even done reading it and already I can see so much New Age Blasphmey in so many different denominations and MOST of the Christian books that are produced nowdays.
New Agers believe that humans can obtain godhood... What do the faith teachers teach? "Ye are gods" "I am a little messiah" New Agers also believe in Jesus, but they claim that he was only a man who achieved "christ consicenceness" (which they believe all humans are capable of) but that it left him at his death. Therefore they deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. That makes sense if you look at it from the WOF point of view... how could The Christ have gone into Hell to suffer if he were the Christ? Sorry... that's just plain Anit-Biblical Anti-Christ!
New Agers believe that you can manipulate "The Force" by guided visualization (just imagine what you want and you'll create it). This sounds Exactly like the "Positive Confession" stuff in the WOF Movement... there is no difference... it's Socery/Witchcraft and God Abhores it!
New Agers believe in repetitive prayers (Speaking things into existence). "The Prayer of Jabez?"
New Agers believe in "Positive Thinking" - negative thoughts create bad karma. Same thing Robert Schuller and a few others teach.
New Agers seeks "Spiritual Experiences" over teaching. So do those in the Toronto Blessing/Pensacola Outpouring, Third Wave, Vineyard Movement. No one will Ever convince me that mooing like a cow, barking like a dog, or writhing like a snake on the floor is a manifestation of God's Holy Spirit! It's Demonic!
True New Agers HATE Christians and Jews (and Moslems too) because each of these groups believes there is only one god. They have an Ancient agenda handed down throughout the ages to exterminate any and all who would oppose the rise of Anti-Christ (which they are Eager to bring about! They think he's the real god). Their god is Lucifer (Satan). Their goal is to "Cleanse" the earth of all opposition to their master and they are doing this in many different ways. Weather manipulation, man-made earthquakes, purposeful plagues. Their goal is to 'cleanse' 2/3 of the earths population. And this is only a Fraction of what is happening.
PLEASE don't allow yourself to be decieved!!!! Find out for yourself what is going on! Do the Research!
God said
Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
|
posted
Note: I changed the Title of this Thread to one I think better explains the purpose of this Thread
Mark 13:22For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
There are SO MANY Deceptions out there now days that it's overwhelming to try to search them all out. We were warned this would happen, and that it would come from 'wolves in sheeps clothing' - even preachers. Some of these deceptions are So Subtle that they Could Possibly decieve even the elect! That is why it is so important to know what they are and where they're coming from. If I had not done this research, I could have very well been taken in by a few of these deceptions myself (and I have been in the past).
I've always heeded the call to "Expose. (Eph 5:11)" I do this to hopefully shed Light on the Darkness thats overtaking the church. There are some who want to know what the deceptions are (just like me). They may not even participate on the baord, but they read. Also, (and this is my sincere prayer) if exposing these things causes just one persons eyes to be opened to a deception they may have fallen under and this causes them to Repent and Return to their First Love, then TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
In light of some of the discussions going on in another thread, I thought I'd repost this research I did on The Apostacy:
Apostasy Now – The Great Falling Away
2 Thessalonians 2:2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
I believe we are seeing the Great Falling Away, but not the way most have expected it to happen.
A lot of people have expected that people will be leaving the Church. What I see happening is that people are leaving the Truth of Scripture and heaping unto themselves teachers to scratch their itchy ears... Therefore Falling Away from Sound Doctrine.
Jesus dealt with heretics harshly, publicly and immediately, as did Paul and the other disciples. And, keep in mind; we’re talking New Testament here friends. In the Old Testament, false prophets were simply taken out and stoned to death for their lies. That’s how serious God is about His Word being rightly divided and properly proclaimed. Jesus and the Apostles are Our Example. They Named Names.
Jesus didn’t rebuke the Scribes and Pharisees privately, HE condemned their blasphemy before one and all and repeatedly warned His disciples about their leaven. The Apostles warned of specific people by name as well. (2 Timothy 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:14-15; 1 Timothy 1:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 3 John 1:9-11; Jude 1:11; 2 Peter 2:15 – and there are numerous accounts in the OT as well.)
Should we ‘name names?’ "Yes, it is right to expose error and to name those “...who privily shall bring in damnable heresies...” (2 Peter 2:1). The whole Bible abounds in examples. It is right to “...earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). It was once delivered, and it has never been rescinded, repealed, or deleted! Ministers of the Gospel have been charged with a sacred trust to present the Word of God with courage, honesty, and a good conscience. Faithful messengers will warn the sheep of these heretics and identify them by name. It is not enough to broadly hint of their identity, for the young lambs will not understand and will be destroyed by the wolves!" (Note: I am quoting something from another post from 2004 here. This isn't mine)
Here are some examples of what I’m talking about. I’m only going to deal with the WOF movement in this post. There are Many, Many more strands of this Web of Deception that is catching so many believers in it’s snare. It’s absolutely HUGE. Some of the other ‘strands’ include: Freemasonry, New Age Teaching, Manifest Sons of God doctrine, Third Wave movement, Latter Rain movement, Vineyard Movement, Purpose Driven ‘everything’ Movement, Roman Catholicism, the Ecumenical Movement (headed by Rome), and even mainline denominations and Evangelicals. I urge everyone to investigate these things for themselves. Find out what their teachings are and then hold them up to the Straight and True Teaching of The Bible (which is the Very Word of God – God Breathed).
The following quotes are representative of New Age/Freemason teachings that have been adopted by WOF teachers by the twisting of Scripture:
Benny Hinn: "When you say, 'I am a Christian, you are saying, 'I am mashiach' in the Hebrew. I am a little messiah walking on earth, in other words That is a shocking revelation.... May I say it like this? You are a little god on earth running around." ("Praise-a-Thon" program on TBN [6 November 1990].)
Kenneth Copeland : "Adam was made in the image of God. He was as much female as he was male. He was exactly like God. Then God separated him and removed the female part. Woman means 'man with the womb.' Eve had as much authority as Adam did as long as they stayed together." (Sensitivity of Heart [Fort Worth, TX: KCP Publications, 1984], 23.)
Rory Alec : "This represents the fact that Jesus, when you partake of this, this represents that his blood has wash you clean of all sin. And therefore you are gods you have been purchased by the blood of Jesus." (The Christian Channel Europe "Good Morning Europe" Date Unknown)
We will not attain “Perfection” until we receive our Glorified Bodies at the Resurrection/Rapture… and even then, we will Not Be gods. This is what the verse about “the corruptible (our bodies) can not enter Heaven” is talking about.
1 Corinthians 15: 51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible (our bodies) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
New Age and Freemasons believe that all humans have a “divine spark” and are therefore little gods on Earth. I see their teachings creeping into many different churches and it really concerns me. I see this as leading the masses into the one world religion. I’m only dealing with the WOF teachers here in this post, but there are many other ‘divisions’ which are all starting to come under the Ecumenical umbrella of Rome as well.
In this next section of quotes, I have to ask… ”May the FORCE be with you?:
Fred Price : "If you keep talking death, that is what you are going to have. If you keep talking sickness and disease, that is what you are going to have, because you are going to create the reality of them with your own mouth. That is a divine law." (Fred Price, Realm, 29).
Kenneth Copeland: "Faith is a power force. It is a tangible force. It is a conductive force." (The Force of Faith [Fort Worth, TX: KCP Publications, 1989], 10.)
Kenneth Copeland : "What you are saying is exactly what you are getting now. If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying.... The powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth." (The Laws of Prosperity, Kenneth Copeland, Ft. Worth: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974).
New Agers, Wiccans, and Freemasons also believe that they can ‘create’ what ‘they speak’ and that the ‘spiritual forces’ must obey the ‘spiritual law.’
Frederick K.C. Price : "When I first got saved they didn't tell me 1 could do anything. What they told me to do was that whenever I prayed I should always say, 'The will of the Lord be done.' Now, doesn't that sound humble? It does. Sounds like humility, it's really stupidity. 1 mean, you know, really, we insult God. 1 mean, we really do insult our Heavenly Father. We do; we really insult Him without even realizing it. If you have to say, 'If it be thy will' or 'Thy will be done'--if you have to say that, then you're calling God a fool because He's the One that told us to ask. . . . If God's gonna give me what He wants me to have, then it doesn't matter what 1 ask. I'm only gonna get what God wants me to have. So that's an insult to God's intelligence." ("Ever Increasing Faith" program on TBN [16 November 1990].)
Kenneth Copeland: "As a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent because it is His Word." (Our Covenant with God [Fort Worth, TX: KCP Publications, 1987], 32.)
Almighty God operates in HIS WILL, and if we ask in Jesus’ name and in accordance with HIS WILL, He will grant it. Jesus himself taught us to Pray: Thy Will Be Done ( Matthew 6:9-13 ). I don’t believe it is HIS WILL that these preachers live in Mansions paid for by the ‘faith seeds’ of the poor and widows. I believe the Bible refers to this as “Fleecing the Flock,” and there are Many Bible verses that speak judgment against any “Shepard” who would do this.
Here is evidence of False Prophecies:
Benny Hinn: The Holy Spirit has spoken, He told me He is about to show up. Oh, I gotta tell you this just before we go. I had a word of prophecy from Ruth Heflin, you know who Ruth Heflin is? Ruth prophesied over me back in the seventies. Everything she said has happened. She just sent me a word through my wife and said: The Lord spoke to her audibly and said, That He is going to appear physically in one of our crusades in the next few months. Yeah, She... I’m telling ya,.. she said, the Lord spoke to her audibly and said, tell Benny I’m going to appear physically on the platform in his meetings. Lord, do it in Phenox Arizona in the name of Jesus! And in Kenya too, Lord, please, Lord, in fact, do it in every crusade. In Jesus’ name." ("This is Your Day" - Television broadcast, 03-29-00 From 700 Club Studios, Virginia Beach, Va).
Matthew 24: 4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24: 23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Benny Hinn: "Now I am going to read one scripture and then I am going to preach and the Devil is going to drop dead." (The Christian Channel Europe "Praise The Lord" (TBN) 22/2/98)
The Bible says (In Revelation) that the Devil, the False Prophet, and the Anti-Christ will be thrown in to the Lake of Fire to suffer Torment for all Eternity.
Just Plain OUT THERE False Teaching:
Frederick K.C. Price: "Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God. . . . Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound. And they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence." (Ever Increasing Faith Messenger [June 1980], 7; quoted in D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988], 120.)
John 1: 29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Luke 23: 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Kenneth Copeland: "God had no avenue of lasting faith or moving in the earth. He had to have covenant with somebody. . . . He had to be invited in, in other words, or He couldn't come. God is on the outside looking in. In order to have any say so in the earth, He's gonna have to be in agreement with a man here." ("God's Covenants With Man II" [Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1985], audiotape #01-4404, side 1.)
Kenneth Copeland: "I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is....The biggest one is God....I mean, He lost His top-ranking, most anointed angel; the first man He ever created; the first woman He ever created; the whole earth and all the Fullness therein; a third of the angels, at least--that's a big loss, man. . . . Now, the reason you don't think of God as a failure is He never said He's a failure. And you're not a failure till you say you're one." ("Praise-a-Thon" program on TBN [April 1988].)
Kenneth Copeland: "So before Jesus came to the earth, God spoke His Word and then spoke His Word again. How many times did He say the Messiah was coming? It was prophesied over hundreds, even thousands, of years. He kept saying, 'He is coming. He is coming.' The circumstances in the earth made it look as if there was no way He could accomplish it; but He just kept saying it. He would not be moved by what He saw. . . .God would not relent." (Ibid., 9-10.)
Kenneth Copeland (through whom Jesus allegedly delivered the following prophecy): "They crucified Me [Jesus] for claiming that I was God. But I didn't claim I was God; I just claimed I walked with Him [the Father] and that He was in Me." ("Take Time to Pray," Believer's Voice of Victory 15, 2 [February 1987]:9.)
John 1: In the Beginning Was The Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
E.W. Kenyon : "Jesus was conceived without sin. His body was not mortal. His body did not become mortal until the Father laid our sin nature upon Him when He hung on the cross. The moment that He became sin, His body became mortal, only then could He die. When this happened. spiritual death, the nature of Satan, took possession of His Spirit....He was to partake of Spiritual Death, the nature of the Adversary. . . .Jesus knew that the moment had come, and He was to he made Sin. He must partake of that dread nature of the Adversary. His body would become mortal. Satan would become His master. . . . He [Jesus] had been lifted up as a serpent. Serpent is Satan. Jesus knew He was going to be lifted up, united with the Adversary." (What Happened from the Cross to the Throne [Lynnwood, WA: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1969], 20, 33, 44-45.)
Copeland and Hinn also teach that Jesus went to Hell and was tormented by Satan and demons. Others may as well, I do not know, but the Bible does not say this. They even teach that Jesus was “Born Again” in Hell!
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
Kenneth Copeland: "You don't think earth was first, do you? Huh? Well, you don't think that God made man in His image, and then made earth in some other image? There is not anything under this whole sun that's new. Are you hearing what I'm saying? This is all a copy. It's a copy of home. It's a copy of the Mother Planet. Where God lives, He made a little one just like His and put us on it." ("Following the Faith of Abraham I" [Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1989], audiotape #01-3001, side 1.)
Benny Hinn: "Adam was a super-being when God created him. I don't know whether people know this, but he was the first superman that really ever lived. First of all, the Scriptures declare clearly that he had dominion over the fowls of the air, the fish of the sea--which means he used to fly. Of course, how can he have dominion over the birds and not be able to do what they do? The word 'dominion' in the Hebrew clearly declares that if you have dominion over a subject, that you do everything that subject does. In other words, that subject, if it does something you cannot do, you don't have dominion over it. 1'11 prove it further. Adam not only flew, he flew to space. He was--with one thought he would be on the moon." ("Praise the Lord" program on TBN [26 December 1991].)
John Avanzini: "Jesus had a nice house, a big house--big enough to have company stay the night with Him at the house. Let me show you His house. Go over to John the first chapter and I'II show you His house. . . . Now, child of God, that's a house big enough to have company stay the night in. There's His house." ("Believer's Voice of Victory" program on TBN [20 January 1991].)
John Avanzini: "Jesus was handling big money because that treasurer He had was a thief. Now you can't tell me that a ministry with a treasurer that's a thief can operate on a few pennies. It took big money to operate that ministry because Judas was stealing out of that bag." ("Praise the Lord" program on TBN [15 September 1988].)
John Avanzini: "John 19 tells us that Jesus wore designer clothes. Well, what else you gonna call it? Designer clothes--that's blasphemy. No, that's what we call them today. I mean, you didn't get the stuff He wore off the rack. It wasn't a one-size-fits-all deal. No, this was custom stuff. It was the kind of a garment that kings and rich merchants wore. Kings and rich merchants wore that garment." "Believer's Voice of Victory" program on TBN [20 January 1991].)
Benny Hinn: "Christians are "Little Messiah's and "little gods" on the earth. Thus [Encouraging the audience]...say "I am a God-man....This spirit-man within me is a God-man..." say "I'm born of heaven-a God-man. I'm a God man. I am a sample of Jesus. I'm a super being. Say it! Say it! Who's a super being? "I walk in the realm of the supernatural." Say it!...You want to prosper? Money will be falling on you from left, right and centre. God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness....Say after me, "everything I ever want is in me already." (Benny Hinn, TBN, 1990)
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Curse thy enemy? Benny Hinn:
"Those that put us down are a bunch of morons" (Praise-a-Thon, TBN, November 1990);
"Somebody's attacking me because of something I'm teaching. Let me tell you something, brother: You watch it! ...You know, I've looked for one verse in the Bible; I just can't seem to find it. Once verse that said, 'If you don't like them, kill them.' I really wish I could find it! ...You stink frankly- that's the way I think about it! ...Sometimes I wish God will give me a Holy Ghost machine gun; I'll blow your head off" (Praise-a-Thon, TBN, 8th November 1990);
"The Holy Ghost is upon me....The day is coming when those that attack us will drop down dead....Don't touch God's servants; it's deadly....Woe to you that touch God's servants. You're going to pay" (Miracle Invasion Rally, 22nd Nov '91).
"Now I'm pointing my finger with the mighty power of God on me….You hear this: There are men and women in Southern California attacking me. I will tell you under the anointing now, you'll reap it in your children unless you stop….And your children will suffer. You're attacking me on the radio every night- you'll pay and your children will. Hear this from the lips of God's servant. You are in danger. Repent! Or God Almighty will move His hand. Touch not my Anointed…." (World Charismatic Conference, 7th August 1992.);
"You have attacked me, your children will pay for it." (TBN, October 23rd, 1992.)
"That got me so angry- if I could have killed him, I would have" (Orlando Christian Centre, Aug 12th 1992).
Is anyone else seeing this?
A few Scripture to remember when considering the teachings of these folks:
1 Timothy 4: 16Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Matthew 15:8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Isaiah 29:13Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: 14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
2 John 1: 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
Galatians 1: 6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
2 Peter 2:1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
Anyone else here feel like ‘merchandise’ sometimes? With all the so-called ‘Christian’ reading materials, instructional books, and false translations of the Bible; All the movies and CDs, etc. etc… A few names definitely come to mind when I read that passage…
Some would say that we should not speak out on these teachers because “Christ is preached.” But even if Christ is preached (regardless of who’s preaching or what their intentions are) we are Still admonished to keep our Doctrine Pure and Mark those who teach Contrary to the Faith Delivered to us by the Apostles.
The Word-Faith movement is far more dangerous than any of the cults because they have infiltrated the church and leave the distinct impression with the secular world that their brand of "Christianity" truly represents Christianity.1 In truth, it represents the worst teachings ever to go under the name "Christian. This is a Prime example of the Scripture: 2 Peter 2:2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Jude 1:2Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. 3Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
--------------------
Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
| IP: Logged |
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
