False Prophets...Pseudo Apostles, & A New Gospel
False Prophets...Pseudo Apostles,
& A New Gospel
Fundamental Evangelistic Association
WHAT IS THE FASTEST GROWING religious movement in the world today? The Charismatic movement. What movement is attracting and deceiving more Christians within evangelical and fundamental churches than any other? The Charismatic movement.
What individual has exercised the greatest degree of influence in persuading non-charismatic evangelicals to accept the false teachings and practices of the Charismatic movement? John Wimber, founder of Vineyard Christian Fellowship and head of Vineyard Ministries International.
What supposedly evangelical theological seminary (founded by a fundamentalist) has become a springboard for the worldwide indoctrination of students, faculty members, pastors, missionaries, and key national leaders from many countries? Fuller Theological Seminary of Pasadena, California, founded by the late Dr. Charles E. Fuller. This dear brother's fundamental messages on the Old Fashioned Gospel Hour Broadcasts endeared him to thousands of faithful believers during his lifetime.
Who are the two most active and effective promoters of charismatic doctrines in non-charismatic evangelical groups today? John Wimber (already identified above) and his disciple, Dr. Peter Wagner who is professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission.
Why is this article necessary? Why do these men and the institutions they represent pose such a grave danger to all non-charismatic believers? The correct answer to these questions requires a careful consideration of the history of Pentecostalism which originated in 1901; the Charismatic movement which began in the 1960's; and the current infiltration of Pentecostal/charismatic errors and practices into evangelical and fundamental churches and groups under a new, different label. As this article will clearly reveal, this new, supposedly evangelical, non-charismatic approach is not only a dishonest way of promoting Pentecostal/charismatic teachings, but it is actually promoting some doctrines and practices which are so extreme that even some historic Pentecostal and charismatic people are repudiating and protesting even though most of their leaders either participate or remain passive and silent.
The preceding analysis is in no way the expression of a personal bias, but is fully supported by the writings and recorded messages of both John Wimber and Peter Wagner as well as others who have been; directly influenced by their teachings. Neither Wimber nor Wagner try to hide the doctrines they teach. However, they completely disarm evangelicals who are unfamiliar with their overall ministries by claiming that their only desire is to become more Biblical in their doctrine and practices. The truth is .d that they have become less Biblical. They have not only adopted many of the basic errors of the Pentecostal/charismatic movement-they have added error upon error.
Both Wimber and Wagner do admit to being part of a movement now often referred to as "The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit." What is this third wave? In Signs & Wonders Today, one of the many books written by Dr. Peter Wagner, he gives his own definition: "There is no question that a new and exciting era has come upon Christianity in the twentieth century. It started with the Pentecostal movement at the beginning of the century, a movement which continues to multiply under God's blessing. It was joined by the Charismatic movement soon after mid-century. And now in these latter decades the Spirit is moving in what some o f us like to call the third wave where we are seeing the miraculous works of God operating as they have been in the other movements in churches which have not been nor intend to be either Pentecostal or charismatic."
It is abundantly clear that all three of the so called waves of the Holy Spirit are moving in the same direction--the wrong direction!
From what basic roots did this new third wave movement grow? A careful review of books written by John Wimber and Peter Wagner reveal the amazing manner in which Wimber, an evangelical pragmatist, and Wagner, an evangelical scholar, influenced each other in the late 1970's and early 1980's On page XIX of the introduction in John Wimber' 1986 book, Power Evangelism, he tells how Wagner'; book, Look Out! The Pentecostals are Coming changed his own thinking. Wimber wrote:
"I had always avoided Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, in part because it seemed that often controversy and division surrounded their ministries. Also, my judgment of their ministries was colored by a presupposition that charismatic gifts like tongues, prophecy, and healing were not for today. (As a dispensationalist, I believed the charismatic gifts ceased at the end of the first century.) But in Dr. Wagner, I encountered a credible witness, an accomplished missionary and dean of Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Mission, who wrote that healing and deliverance from evil spirits were happening in South America today. Further, he proved that these miraculous encounters resulted in large evangelistic harvests and church growth. His book forced me to reconsider my position on the charismatic gifts, though I was still skeptical of their validity today."
The following statements by Wimber in the same book on page xx are also very revealing with regard to the faulty doctrinal foundation upon which he constructed his theory of Power Evangelism and built the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Now, these same unscriptural doctrines which caused a revolution in Wimber's theology are being spread around the world. Many are being deceived.
Wimber stated, "While my understanding and practice of evangelism, the Holy Spirit, and church growth were undergoing a revolution, I still lacked a biblical theology that integrated the three, a grid for understanding how they are supposed to work together and fulfill God's purpose on earth." Wimber then amazingly admits that "a solid, evangelical theology is the foundation on which all practice must stand," but sadly he chose the false theological foundation taught by Dr. Ladd. Wimber wrote: "I was already acquainted with Dr. George Eldon Ladd's writings (he was a Fuller Theological Seminary professor), but it was not until I read his book, Jesus and the Kingdom, that I realized how his work on the kingdom of God formed a theological basis for power evangelism."
On page XXI, Dr. Wimber continues his most revealing explanation of the theological revolution which was taking place in his own thinking: "So in 1978 I left the Charles E. Fuller Institute of Evangelism and Church Growth to become pastor of what is now called the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Anaheim, California. It was in this environment, a small group of fifty people, that "I first tested my theories of power evangelism." Note that John Wimber, the pragmatist, admits he was testing his theories, not expounding the Scriptures. Wimber continues this dangerous practice even to this day. He is continually trying to find out "what works" in the realm of healing, prophetic messages, casting out demons, etc., so that he can then teach it to others. Pragmatism is the exact opposite of faith. Pragmatism says, "If it works, I'll accept and believe it." Faith says, "What I accept and believe is based entirely upon God's written Word, the Bible."
In the concluding paragraph, John Wimber also reveals the unscriptural, ecumenical goals he envisions for his power evangelism theories. "In the final chapters I address the implications of power evangelism for conservative evangelicalism, Pentecostalism and the charismatic renewal in mainline denominations and the Roman Catholic Church. Though I write about power evangelism, the most powerful evangelism will come only when Jesus' prayer for Christian unity is fulfilled." The eventual unity of this incredible doctrinal diversity is a recurring theme found in the supposed prophecies coming out of the Third Wave. Could God possibly be the Author of any form of ecumenism where fidelity to the doctrinal Truth of the Word is abandoned? Absolutely not!
On the back cover of Peter Wagner's 1988 book, The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit, another very significant statement is made which documents the theological revolution through which he has come and the revolution he is continuing to fuel. We quote: "In The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit Wagner candidly recounts how God changed his mind and the minds of others around the world who were unable to grasp the connection between the kingdom of God and signs and wonders. Here Wagner describes the basic elements of the Third Wave and offers profound theological and biblical insights into the Spirit's work among us" Wimber wrote the forward to this book which closed with his full endorsement: "I highly recommend The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit if you want to learn how to fulfill the great commission in our generation."
Many of the leaders of all three supposed waves of the Holy Spirit have expressed the belief that the task of world evangelization in these last days can not be accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel unaccompanied by signs, wonders, miracles and healings. Such a view not only is a direct contradiction of the truth of Romans 1:16 but would also force the unthinkable, unscriptural conclusion that millions of people have been deprived of the full power of the gospel for nearly 2000 years. This supposed new or complete gospel is not the Gospel of the Bible!
No one can deny that the entire evangelical movement has been undergoing rapid and serious changes in recent years. This ever-weakening position is mainly due to three factors: (1) Compromise with ecumenical apostasy and Roman Catholicism (2) Acceptance and zealous promotion of the many modern Bible versions. (3) A changed attitude toward the false teachings of the Pentecostal/charismatic movement. The last two factors have also adversely affected many fundamentalists.
Note carefully John Wimber's comments as to the changes he observes in both evangelical and fundamental movements:
"The face of evangelicalism is changing and it is changing quickly. Fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals who are noncharismatic no longer can afford to ignore the first two waves of the Holy Spirit in this century. They are surrounded.... The fundamentalists, have insulated themselves from Pentecostals and charismatics. Most fundamentalists (though not all) stand outside of the first two great waves of the Holy Spirit, holding on to fifty-year old criticisms of Pentecostal excesses. As the move of the Holy Spirit grows around them, I believe many of them could become more vocal in their opposition to Pentecostals and charismatics, while some will be anointed and transformed.
The second group, the conservative evangelicals, is already beginning to show signs of being the object of a new wave, the Third Wave, of the Holy Spirit's work in this century. By conservative evangelicals I mean a subgrouping within evangelicalism that is noncharismatic but not necessarily anticharismatic. This is a group of which I was a part for many years." (From pages XXX and XXXI of the introduction written by John Wimber for the book, Power Encounters published in 1988 and edited by Kevin Springer, one of Wimber's closest associates).
One fact stands out very clearly. All three of the so-called waves of the Holy Spirit have done more than any other movement during this century to break down Biblical distinctions between truth and error, thus paving the way for the coming of the one-world harlot church of the Antichrist.
Before taking a closer look at some of the major heresies now being propagated by Wimber, Wagner and other third wave leaders, quotations from the book edited by Dr. Peter Wagner in 1987 titled Signs & Wonders Today with the subtitle, "The Story of Fuller Theological Seminary's Remarkable Course on Spiritual Power," are most enlightening:
"An accumulating body of missiological research is indicating that, worldwide, where the gospel is spreading most rapidly it is doing so with signs and wonders following. At the beginning of the decade of the '80's, I felt that God wanted me to concentrate on the relationship of supernatural signs and wonders to church growth during the decade. I am now amazed by what has been going on that I knew little about.
Evangelicals are changing. One thing that is surprising me is how open fellow evangelicals are to rethinking their position and opening themselves to new dimensions of God's power. Whenever I say this I need to avoid misunderstanding by making my position clear. I am not advocating that we all become Pentecostals or charismatics. I am a Congregationalist and do not intend to change. My belief is that God desires to work through all His people in powerful ways, leaving our denominational commitments intact.
It is now generally conceded that we are living in the time of the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. Whether this indicates that the second coming of Christ is near, I do not know for sure, but it does seem like it. If it is true that the harvest is here and that signs and wonders constitute one of the dynamics which God is using for reaping that harvest, then God's people, no matter what their theological tradition should pay attention. And they are.
Many Pentecostals who have become somewhat nominal in their Pentecostal practices are now getting a new lease on life. Many non-Pentecostals are tuning into the 'third wave' and seeing God begin to use them in healings and deliverances. Traditional evangelical pastors are attending signs and wonders seminars led by John Wimber and others. Seminaries across the nation are taking seriously the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit and introducing courses into their curricula which they would not have considered five or ten years ago. This book is the story of one of them, Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (pp. 23,24). "
Although many other examples which could be given to reveal the manner in which evangelical churches and groups have been infiltrated by Pentecostal and charismatic teachings, a statement made last year by another professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, Dr. Charles Kraft, is especially significant:
"But I am an evangelical and have been for nearly 50 years, and am real happy to report that the things that started happening in the-oh, the 60's or so in the charismatic movement are starting to happen now among evangelicals-and, among evangelicals who don't call ourselves anything else. I don't call myself a charismatic (some other people do), but I just like to call myself an evangelical who's a little more Biblical than I have been before. As Gary said, I teach at Fuller Seminary and so a lot of things I'll be talking about are things you wouldn't expect from a professor at Fuller Seminary."
One must not lose sight of the fact that although Wimber, Wagner, Kraft and other leaders of the third wave refuse the Pentecostal or charismatic label, their close participation with Pentecostal charismatic leaders in major rallies and conferences refute their non-charismatic claims and document their duplicity.
Although there are minor differences in doctrine and practice, it is important to recognize that Pentecostals, charismatics, and third wave evangelicals all believe that all the spiritual gifts bestowed upon the early church are valid and should be operational today. There is no recognition on the part of any of them that the revelatory gifts ceased with the completion of the canon of Scripture. As a result, all three so-called waves of the Holy Spirit leave themselves vulnerable to deception on the part of those today who claim direct word from God through professed "spiritual gifts" such as dreams, visions, tongues, interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, etc.
Early Pentecostals insisted that speaking in tongues always accompanied the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Emphasis upon that teaching lessened when the charismatic movement came on the scene and Roman Catholic influences increased. Today, Wimber, Wagner and other third wave leaders do speak in tongues but do not make it an evidence that a Christian has been filled with the Holy Spirit. Other differences in emphasis also exist, but the same dangerous doctrinal errors are common to all three waves.
We are glad to report that many who were originally attracted to the Charismatic movement have now separated from it. As they studied the Scriptures, they came to see just how cleverly they had been deceived. Many who were in bondage to the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, went into the Charismatic movement, not realizing that they were in a movement which is leading unsuspecting evangelicals back to Rome. Now they see that they have been twice deceived-first by Romanism and then by the charismatic heresies.
We are greatly concerned about what is happening in the Pentecostal/charismatic movement and especially now in the Power Evangelism/Signs and Wonders third wave movement. The teachings of all these movements strike at the very heart of the Bible and the Gospel. Wimber, Wagner and those who follow their false teachings repeatedly claim that they have discovered that God can speak as well as write.
As a result, although claiming the Bible as their authority, they place greater emphasis upon and spend much time in their meetings in the exercise of their supposed gifts of prophecy or word of knowledge. Their deceived followers hang upon every word as they listen to the messages supposedly received directly from God. Wimber, who claims to have the gifts of both prophecy and word of knowledge has been experimenting with these "gifts" for the past two years.
At the Indianapolis conference in 1990, Wimber told them, "It was amazing and astounding to me when I found out that God also could communicate outside of the Scripture and directly to His children-astounding to me-and I have been exploring that paradigm (model) now for a number of years trying to work out the ramifications of that and trying to gain, not only a theological understanding of God's ability to communicate, but a practical understanding so that it can be taught and trained in other people's lives."
John Wimber, the evangelical pragmatist, is always looking for things that work, rather than things which are taught in the written Word of God-the only rule for faith and practice. This is a very dangerous, unscriptural approach. In the providence of God, we have been able to closely follow the words and works of both Wimber and Wagner since their third wave movement was launched. In behalf of Foundation, I covered and wrote a full report on the Academic Symposium on Power Evangelism which was held at Fuller Seminary in December, 1988. It was at that meeting that Wimber recounted his search to find a model for a healing ministry in the church. Where did he look? He said, "We visited 'high' church models, liturgical models, sacramental models. We went to tent meetings and brush arbor meetings. We watched Pentecostals do it . . . We are still thinking, we are still looking at models and trying new things; and we are still training people."
Thinking, looking, searching, trying-does this sound like the gift of healing given to some in the early church? Incidentally, it was at this same meeting that Wagner introduced his theory of "territorial spirits," a new classification of evil spirits not found in the Bible nor in church history. When challenged by one of the scholars on his presentation, Wagner said the intention of his essay was "not to arrive at conclusions but rather to suggest hypotheses." "And," he said, "I trust that the tentativeness of my research will be evident throughout."
Beloved, when any one goes beyond the written Word of God, they are left with no certainties-only theories and tentative answers. All three supposed waves of the Holy Spirit cannot be other than manifestations of a false spirit.
When the Pentecostal movement came on the scene, the emphasis was upon the fact that the special power manifested in the lives of certain believers came as a result of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Tongues, prophecies, healings, etc., were gifts-not something to be learned. But, with the coming of the Charismatic movement and even more so in the Power Evangelism movement, the claim is made that the full use and exercise of these spiritual gifts can and must be taught and/or caught. In the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Wimber is trying to teach many others how to heal, how to hear God's voice, how to prophesy, how to receive and communicate words of knowledge, etc. Wimber's false thesis is that the disciples not only heard Jesus' words but they learned how to do His works by being with Him, etc. From that false foundation, Wimber leaps to the false conclusions he teaches concerning the impartation and use of spiritual gifts today.
From January 28-31, 1991, John Wimber and his Vineyard Christian Fellowship held a big conference at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California with the theme "Revival Fire." We covered this meeting with FOUNDATION press credentials, and more information concerning the same will be forthcoming in future issues. So many significant things were said and done there that a more complete report will have to await a review of my notes and tapes of the messages. I can assure you, however, that I came away from that meeting, convinced that this third wave movement is even more deceptive than the previous two. I cannot recall ever having attended another conference through all these years which more deceptively mixed truth and error. Nor can I recall any previous meeting where it appeared that more people were blindly following unscriptural leadership. The Third Wave is captivated by the idea that in these end times, God is supposedly re-establishing the offices of prophet and apostle with the power and authority beyond anything experienced by even the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles.
God's people need to know how several pastors who claimed the special gift of prophecy and became known as the Kansas City Fellowship convinced John Wimber of their supernatural prophetic gifts and, subsequently, how they placed themselves under Wimber's tutelage when so many inconsistencies came to light as to their abuse of prophetic gifts The result is that these false prophets can continue their unscriptural ministries under the Wimber mantle which gives them "evangelical" status and supposed theological legitimacy. Now they can, together, spread their false teachings around the world Wimber's Revival Fire conference in Anaheim revealed the manner in which false spirits are operating in the name of the Holy Spirit. All the main meetings began with the use of what is often mislabeled as "Christian Rock." Sometimes the music was deafening and produced all kinds of body gyrations on the part of many of those present. At other times, the beat would slow and the sound was reduced almost to a whisper. It obviously was possible to move in a matter of seconds from fleshly demonstration to supposed piety.
At various points in the service, usually near the end when the supposed gifts of the spirit were in operation, several people would begin sobbing loud and uncontrollably. At others times, some would break out in hysterical laughter. On several occasions, people would make animal noises and jump around on the floor. On such occasions, the leader usually John Wimber himself, would quietly say "That's all right-the Holy Spirit is at work." Finally he would shout out - "Come, Holy Spirit-Come," and he would command the Holy Spirit to help or heal and would command Satan to leave. One of the speakers said the Lord had revealed to him that there were a large number of those present who were practicing witchcraft and/or were drug users He invited those who wanted prayer for deliverance to stand up. A young woman who was seated directly in front of me and who had been participating in an apparent reverent manner in all the worship segments, stood up as a public acknowledgment of her sin. She began weeping as did many others in the audience as the speaker "bound Satan" and proclaimed deliverance. Yet, all or most of those present were supposedly already Christians and members of Vineyard Fellowship Churches.
Many contradictions are repeatedly found in the statements of leaders who claim the leading of the Holy Spirit. For instance, John Wimber spoke of the possibility of Christ's return at any moment. But, later he gave an invitation for childless couples to come forward for prayer, saying God had used him in the past to help many such couples have children. Many rushed forward; he prayed for them; then told them the children which would be born as a result of this special gift from the Lord would need special parental attention and care since God had told him that these children would see the coming of the Lord.
There was a great deal of talk at Anaheim about anointed preaching, teaching, praying, witnessing, etc., and special emphasis was given to anointed music. The obvious implication was that the Vineyard musicians were under God's anointing and that everyone must realize what an important part music would play in world evangelization. A well-known country singer sang and gave his testimony. He explained that through his anointed music he could bring the gospel into the bars and other places of worldly amusement where the gospel would not otherwise be tolerated or heard. He received high praise from Wimber, himself a jazz musician before his supposed conversion. Several times statements were made from the platform which I didn't fully understand until several days later. These statements were to the effect that 'we missed God's anointed music the first time He gave it and we must not make the same mistake when he restores that anointing." It wasn't until later that I discovered that this supposed original anointing of music and musicians involved the infamous Beatles.
Was the Beatles' music "anointed of God"? No discerning believer would have any hesitancy about answering such a question with a resounding, "No'! But, believe it or not, one of the many new false prophets of our day recently claimed that both the Beatles and their new music were the result of; special anointing of the Holy Spirit; and, that although God had to withdraw that anointing from them when they later misused it, God is now looking for others upon whom He can place that anointing supposedly to bring about a worldwide revival through music.
The false prophet who made this astounding claim is James Ryle, one of the growing number of supposed modern prophets associated with John Wimber and his Vineyard Christian Fellowship. Ryle claims that he was instructed by God to give these new "revelations" to the church. The following in formation and excerpts are from a tape recording of Ryle's self-proclaimed revelations given publicly last November at the Harvest Conference in Denver Colorado:
"The Lord has appointed me as a lookout and shown me some things that I want to show you and tell you . . . The Lord spoke to me and said What you saw in the Beatles-the gifting and the sound that they had-was from Me. It did not belong to them. It was my purpose to bring forth through music a worldwide revival that would usher in the move of my Spirit in bringing men and women to Christ ... Now, I'm looking for those who I can place that anointing back upon. And, as surely as I place it upon them, they will come forth with a sound that is distinctive that will turn the hearts of men and women and capture their hearts."
Then, referring to a notable telecast of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show years ago, Ryle said "Do you remember when the camera went off the Beatles into that balcony? . . . Do you remember the people pulling their hair and screaming? Do you remember what they were screaming?-John, Paul George & Ringo! Do you know I saw in a vision this same balcony scene again. I saw the same emotion, the same devotion. I saw the same earnestness on the faces of the people sitting there; but, this time they weren't screaming-John, Paul, George and Ringo-this time they were screaming one name, Jesus,-that's what they were doing. There's a sound coming forth-an anointing upon music that, when those in our midst who are musically gifted begin to employ their talents in the anointing of the Lord, an awesome move of the Spirit of God is going to happen and countless multitudes are going to be thrust into the loving embrace of the Lord Jesus...."
Ryle's statements clearly reveal the Satanic delusions under which he and other so-called modern prophets are ministering. John Wimber and others associated with him in the Vineyard Christian Fellowship are deceiving themselves as well as others. 2 Timothy 3:13-17. The Beatles and their music were clearly of the devil and so is Ryle's false prophecy that millions will be saved through a re-introduction of the "anointed music" originally given through the Beatles. Such a prophecy could not possibly have been from the Holy Spirit!
One of the main teachers at the Revival Fire Conference was Dr. Jack Deere who has become a key figure in the Vineyard ministry. He formerly was a faculty member for 12 years at Dallas Theological Seminary and, along with Dr. Peter Wagner, is one of the top theological leaders of the Power Evangelism movement. However, when you read the following report of what Deere had to say concerning his understanding of the Gospel, you will be shocked as we were.
Deere's remarks were made during a visit of Wimber and his team to Sydney, Australia as reported in the April, 1990 issue of The Briefing. a publication of St. Matthias Press in London, England. During a question and answer session following one of the seminars taught by Deere, he was asked, "What is the Gospel?" Since his answer seemed vague and evasive, a man by the name of Graham Banister questioned Deere further on this matter in a personal interview afterward. We quote his report:
"Let me briefly explain the background to this interview. The Thursday workshop provided a time for questions and during this time I challenged some of Dr. Deere's teaching. In the ensuing dialogue, he asked me what I thought the gospel was. I replied that it was about Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was buried and raised on the third day and that it is this gospel by which we are saved (1 Cor.15). His reply was that this was not the gospel. Somewhat confused, I decided to take up the matter at a future time, hence the following revealing interview.
After introducing myself, I said to Dr. Jack Deere, 'I wonder if you might tell me why you felt my explanation of the gospel was defective yesterday?' To which he replied, 'I'm not really very prepared to talk about that.'
I must admit that I was a little surprised at this initial response, considering he had just finished speaking to five and a half thousand people on false teachers. Added to this was the fact that two days earlier he had informed us of the many ancient languages in which he had become proficient in order to fully understand the Bible. I wouldn't have thought some one with such impressive credentials would need to do all that much preparation for a friendly discussion on the content of the gospel.
Given his lack of preparation, I then asked, 'Well, just off the top of your head, what do you think the gospel is?' Jack Deere replied, 'I'm not prepared to make a formal statement about that.' . . . My next question was, 'Could you perhaps tell me informally what you believe to be the gospel?' Jack Deere answered, 'I'm not sure.' Somewhat stunned, I said, 'I find that quite surprising-that you are not sure what the gospel is.'
Jack Deere then commented, 'I used to be just like you . . . thinking the gospel was simply justification by faith.' I responded, 'Are you saying that the gospel is more than justification by faith?' 'Yes,' he said. 'What would you add to it?' I asked. 'Deliverance,' he said. Then I asked, 'What do you mean by Deliverance?' He explained, 'Things like demons and healing and ....'
Pausing for a deep breath, I said, 'So, let me get this straight. You would add as an essential part of the gospel things like the exorcising of demons and healing?' He nodded. 'Sort of like what John Wimber was saying last night at the evangelistic rally that it's the complete package-the word and the works of Jesus?' 'Yes,' he said. 'But you're not sure exactly what should be included?' I asked. 'No,' he said, 'not yet.'
Not sure of what to say next, I asked, 'Would it be fair to say that you're in a state of flux since you joined the Wimber thing?' He quickly responded, 'We're always in a state of flux-you are too ....' 'But on the gospel message?' I said. 'Surely that's one thing we should have worked out ... Don't you think we can reduce the gospel to some sort of summary statement like Paul does in say 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 or 1 Corinthians 15 or 1 Thessalonians 4 or Romans 5 or...' There was no response except a shrug of the shoulders.
Continuing to be amazed, I said, 'Are you saying that you couldn't go back into that pavilion and tell those people the gospel?' He replied, 'No not yet.' I responded, 'When do you think you could do it?' And he said, 'maybe five years, maybe ten....'
After this we chattered on about a few other things but I remained stunned that one of the leading minds, if not the leading theological mind in the Signs and Wonders Movement, did not know what was the gospel."
How could any true believer not be stunned by such statements? But, John Wimber and other power evangelism leaders apparently were not stunned nor even concerned. Why? It appears that this power evangelism third wave movement has spent so much time trying to hear God speak (prophetic messages) that they are ignoring what God has written (the Bible).
When Pentecostalism (the first wave of the Spirit) declined in influence, it was rejuvenated by the Charismatic movement (the second wave.) When it was rocked by the Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart scandals and appeared to be on the down grade, along came Wimber and Wagner with the so-called third wave of the Spirit. With their seemingly more evangelical approach (but with the same false teachings of the Pentecostals and charismatics) multitudes are being taken-in who would have had nothing to do with the first two "waves"; even fundamental churches are noticing a sinister pull on their people-Believers, beware!
[By M.H. Reynolds, reprinted from
FOUNDATION magazine, Vol. XII, Issue 1]Fundamental Evangelistic Association
P. O. Box 6278-Los Osos, California 93412
Doctrines of Demons
Doctrines of Demons
by Günther Juncker
INTRODUCTION
Regrettably, as the very existence of apologetics ministries attests, the need sometimes arises to “exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9) and to “contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The word “refute” is admittedly somewhat of an argumentative term, while the single word translated as “contend earnestly” was a technical wrestling term in ancient Greece for the intense struggle of the contestants. We can understand why they contended so earnestly, and also what a strong term Jude used in commanding us to defend the Faith, when we realize that the losers in such wrestling matches were often put to death. This task is occasionally overdone or done unlovingly, yet it is more often neglected or looked down-upon as an alleged barrier to unity though it is a scriptural command to every believer. In fact, F. F. Bruce, one of the greatest biblical scholars of the last century, notes that over 47% of the New Testament is apologetic or “negative” in nature, refuting and contending against errors of legalism, false doctrine, backsliding, sin, as well as against unbiblical requirements for salvation and progress in the Christian life (sanctification).
Before going on to address the specific reason for this inquiry, and after seeing the scriptural importance of contending earnestly for the Faith, let us clarify an important parameter we must keep in mind in level-headedly following this biblical command. The Bible in many areas of what is called “Peripheral Theology” allows for healthy differences of opinion, interpretation, and even personal or cultural preference. However, there are many other areas of “Central Theology,” as it is called, in which the Bible does not tolerate differences of opinion (see, for example, Gal 1:6-9). These areas deal, for example, with the Nature of God, with the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and with the Gospel. Because of their importance these cannot be treated with the same open-mindedness as areas of Peripheral Theology. But even in Peripheral Theology, where disagreement is generally acceptable, there are still boundaries beyond which disagreement can become sin or heresy. One example that comes to mind on which considerable disagreement is allowable is that of eschatology. One can be a Christian in good standing and hold to many different views of when Christ will return. Can one then conclude that in the area of eschatology anything goes? Hardly. For to take the view that Christ is not going to return at all, or that He is only going to return “spiritually” or “within the Church,” is at once to deny the Faith, the inspired Word of God, and the risen Lord.
Now we can see what clearly unites those who disagree agreeably (within biblical limits) from those who disagree outside of the limits. It is such people and their errors only that we must refute and contend against. In fact, to do so is to truly follow Christ. But to contend against or within the first group of acceptable beliefs is to be disobedient, unloving, and divisive.
THE ROOT ISSUE
The view questioned in this paper involves essential areas of theology. This view is known specifically as “Christian Possession” or, more positively (and therefore more deceptively), as “Christian Deliverance.” The common denominator is the root belief that a born again believer can “have a demon in them” that can be “cast out of them” in the name of Jesus. It is solely on this root belief that we are commenting, and we have defined it narrowly to avoid useless disputes and evasion of the root issue. This is necessary because those in “Deliverance” Ministries often incorrectly redefine the issue solely in terms of the total possession of Christians by Satan, which both sides of the debate deny; or they weaken the Greek term daimonizo by rendering it as “demonized” instead of as “demon possessed,” which goes against New Testament usage and the best Greek dictionaries; or they simply confuse the dividing line between external demonic oppression and internal demonic habitation and influence. Thus, without the root issue clearly in mind and clearly defined, those teaching this error can seem (even to themselves) to be saying orthodox things; while those denying this error can seem to be denying the existence or influence of the demonic altogether, which is hardly the case. The root issue is the location of the demon: Is it inside or outside of the believer? That is the only question that matters to the present inquiry.
THE KEY PASSAGE
The key passage in Scripture that deals with the root issue of whether or not a Christian can “have a demon in them” is 2 Corinthians 6:14-16:
“what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Satan, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE.’”
One of the first rules of sound biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) is that clear doctrinal passages have priority over parables, idioms and figures of speech, unclear historic references, Old Testaments types and shadows, etc. And here in Second Corinthians we have just such a clear doctrinal passage: a black-and-white passage, if you like, regarding the believer’s intimate relationship to a holy God, and this holy God’s non-intimate relationship to darkness, demons, Satan, and idols. To say or imply that such a Spirit-filled believer could have a demon dwell “in them” is essentially to say that righteousness has partnership with lawlessness, that light has fellowship with darkness, that Christ has harmony with Satan, and that the very temple in which God Almighty now dwells has agreement with idols. Such things are far indeed from historic Christianity.
And, as we should expect, there are many other clear doctrinal passages of Scripture agreeing with the passage quoted above and denying the view that Christians can have demons in them of which they can be or need to be “delivered.” We will give some of them below, but first let us address three ways in which the above passage is misunderstood or twisted to allow for the unbiblical view:
First, those holding the unbiblical view may say that of course a Christian cannot have a demon in their spirit (where, according to them, the Holy Spirit dwells); however, they can have a demon in their body or soul. This argument is either based on a misunderstanding of the biblical words for soul (psyche) and spirit (pneuma)—terms that are essentially synonymous in the New Testament in that they refer to the same immaterial part of man—or it is based on a misunderstanding of the human person as in some way resembling the three-part Old Testament temple. That is, the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Holy of Holies of the Old Testament temple allegedly correspond to each believer’s Body, Soul, and Spirit. Thus, in this view, God the Holy Spirit could dwell in a believer’s spirit right alongside any number of unholy demons in the body or soul. But the Scripture does not allow for such fine anthropological or architectural distinctions and compartmentalizations as have arbitrarily been made here. For in the key passage in Second Corinthians, it simply and generically says that, as born again believers, “we are the temple of the living God” and also that God “will dwell in us.” Elsewhere it says, in case there is any doubt, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price” (1 Cor 6:19-20).
These passages are just as black and white as they seem for the additional reason that the Greek word for temple in all these passages is “Naos,” which means “Holy of Holies” or “innermost sanctuary” of the Temple. Thus, Scripture nowhere limits the indwelling presence of God to the human spirit or in any way likens the believer to the three-level Old Testament temple. Instead, Scripture clearly teaches that the body of each believer is the very Naos, the Holy of Holies, of the Holy Spirit. The body of the believer is the innermost sanctuary in which dwells the very presence of God Himself. (Not to mention that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death to symbolize the permanent abolition of the three-level Old Testament temple [Matt 27:50-51]). Again, the New Testament evidence is clear: the believer, that is, his whole body or self, is now the Holy of Holies which the Holy Spirit dwelling in us cannot and does not share with unholy demons.
Second, those holding the false view can argue that if light really cannot have fellowship with darkness, how then can the Holy Spirit live in a believer who still sins? Isn’t sin darkness? They attempt to show that Christians can have demons in them. All they show, however, is that in their own hermeneutical “darkness,” they have inadvertently denied the saving work of the Savior along with the holiness of the Holy Spirit. Christ paid the infinite price of Calvary to atone for sin and open up fellowship with sinners. He made no such provision for demons from Hell. The believer and the believer’s body have been bought and redeemed with an infinite price (1 Cor 6:19-20; 1 Pet 1:18-19). For this reason we can be the residence, sanctuary, and temple of the living God who says without reservation that “if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17). How was this possible? Because “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:20). As a result, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:6, God has “seated us with Christ in the heavenly places.” It does not say that God has “seated us and maybe a couple or so demons from the pit of Hell with Christ in the heavenly places.”
Third, it is illogically argued that if believers cannot have demons dwelling in them then Satan and the demons could not have any influence at all on them. While it is obvious that demons can exert some influence on believers, it is neither obvious nor scriptural to say that they can only do this by dwelling in believers. For example, we ourselves can influence people around us in all kinds of physical, emotional, psychological, and verbal ways without ever once “dwelling in them.” Likewise, even the Holy Spirit convicts, guides, and influences people in all kinds of ways long before they are born again and actually indwelt by Him. Thus, demons can also influence or oppress believers without being inside them. A fine line? Yes, indeed—as fine as the line between light and darkness, truth and error, God and Satan. (See further Job 1-2, Ephesians 6:10-17, and 1 Peter 5:8-9, which all suggest that the devil is an external rather than an internal foe.)
THE PERSON OF CHRIST &
THE BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
It should be pointed out, both from what we have said above and from the Scriptures we have cited, that in this particular area of theology the Bible makes little or no distinction between the works of the three Persons of the Trinity. Thus, to deny the Person or work of one is effectively to deny them all. Note the following related sets of verses which will clarify this easily overlooked point:
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“God is in us” 2 Cor 6:16; 1 John 4:16 |
“We are in God” John 17:21; 1 John 4:16 |
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“Christ is in us” John 17:23; 2 Cor 13:5; Col 1:27 |
“We are in Christ” John 17:21; 2 Cor 5:17 |
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“The Holy Spirit is in us” 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19 |
“We are in the Holy Spirit” Rom 8:11; Eph 2:18 |
This intimate new relationship that believers have with God through the shed blood of Christ has serious implications for those who would say that God’s New Testament temple, his new Holy of Holies, has demons dwelling in it. One such implication relates directly to the fact that we are now “in Christ” and He is now “in us.” It is found in Mark 3:28-30.
“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Because the Persons of the Trinity are so closely related and because, as shown above, we are “in Christ” and “He is in us,” to say that a born again believer can have a demon in them is virtually indistinguishable from the clearly defined sin of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit—that Christ had a demon in Him. This is especially true in light of Christ’s own words on this very subject in John 14:30 which say, “the ruler of the world [Satan] is coming and he has nothing in Me.” And while we still personally happen to believe that the error of Christian possession or “deliverance” can be distinguished from Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, it is not an error that we would not wish to make or to condone. Rather, this is par-excellence a deceiving doctrine of demons that denies the Person and work of Christ—a doctrine that we must contend against to the extent that we love Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit whom He has sent to dwell in us. Note that the Holy Spirit not only dwells within us but he also seals us for the day of redemption (Eph 1:13; 4:30). Who is powerful enough to break this seal and get to what is inside in order to infest and indwell it? Is Satan? Are unholy demons? Not if the Holy Spirit is holy. And not if he is omnipotent God, the third Person of the Trinity.
Moreover, Jesus explicitly said in John 14:16 that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) whom He would send to dwell in us would be “another-of the-same-kind” as Himself (the Greek word for “another” being “allos” as opposed to “heteros”). Thus, if Satan has nothing in Jesus he most certainly has nothing in the Holy Spirit who was sent to carry on the work of Christ. In fact, Jesus said in John 16:7 that it would be better for us if He left and sent the promised Holy Spirit to dwell in us forever. Perhaps this is one such way in which we are better off.
DELIVERANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?
Having thus noted several clear doctrinal passages which deal with the root issue of whether or not a Christian can have a demon in them that can be cast out of them in the name of Jesus, let us now look at some other kinds of passages that will show how Scripture is typically twisted or allegorized in order to support this unscriptural doctrine of demons. Below we have selected two such representative areas, one from the Old Testament and one from the New.
Unfortunately, we cannot give a clear Scripture reference for the first because it covers in one imperialistic sweep the entire Exodus and entry of God’s people into the land of Canaan. It is argued that this is an allegory, a type and a shadow of each individual believer’s life. The “Canaan Land’ in this view is actually each believer’s physical body, over which he or she must now take dominion by casting out all the evil “Canaanites” and “uncircumcised Philistines,” which are actually . . . demons. God becomes personally responsible for this state of affairs because, by the clear light of the (types and) shadows, He deliberately left some of “the Canaanites” (=demons) in “the Promised Land” (= our bodies) so that “the next generation” (=Born-again believers) would learn the necessary art of “War” (=deliverance and spiritual warfare), and so that God could test us to see if we would obey Him (see Judges 3:1-4).
Apart from having missed or ignored the clear doctrinal passages regarding the believers personal New Testament relationship with God, such allegorizers of the Old Testament have also conveniently not noted (for example in Judges 3:5 and following!) that the “next generation” of Israelites, as well as “later generations” for centuries, continuously relapsed into intermarrying with “Canaanites,” “uncircumcised Philistines,” etc., being conquered by “Canaanites,” “uncircumcised Philistines,” etc., and idolatry of the grossest kind. Thus to be totally consistent with their fanciful allegory of typifying the individual believer’s life on that of the nation of Israel, they would have to condemn all born again Spirit-filled believers to the most horrendous spiritual life imaginable. (Indeed, “the Canaanites” have returned seven times worse!) For a more Biblical approach to the Canaan Land and other Old Testament types and shadows see 1 Cor 10:6, which suggests that such material exists to provide examples for Christians rather than complex allegories about Christians. And, specifically, see Heb 4:8-11 which contrasts the inadequacy of Joshua and the Canaan Land with the infinite adequacy of Christ who gives us true deliverance and Sabbath Rest in the Kingdom of God, our Promised Land. In the New Testament the Promised Land is never the individual believer’s body but a type or picture of salvation and eternal life.
DELIVERANCE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
Before losing our objectivity in the face of these hermeneutical antics, let us move on to a typical way in which the New Testament has also been used to lend “Scriptural” support to the doctrine of demons being questioned here. Those in “Deliverance” Ministries often use the following biblical-sounding terminology in explaining their work: they say that in order to deliver a Christian from demons, the one doing the deliverance must first “bind the strong man.” This, for them, means that demons almost always come in related groupings or hierarchies under such headings as “lust,” “rebellion,” “greed,” and even “mind idolatry” and “independent thinking.” Within each grouping of demons there will always be a “strong man” or ruling demon which must first be “bound” before the and the rest of the lesser demons can be “plundered” or cast out in Jesus name.
The passages which have themselves been plundered are found in Luke 11:14-26 and Matt 12:43-45. These passages clearly contradict this interpretation of the demonic realm. For here we learn that Jesus is the “stronger man,” and He alone has bound the “strong man” who is none other than Satan. Satan, in other words, is the only strong man the Bible talks about—and Jesus is the stronger man who has already bound him. Jesus bound and plundered Satan in His earthly ministry. The proof of this was his ability to cast demons out of people, and perhaps also the fact that he had already seen (past tense) Satan falling from the sky like lightning (Luke 10:18). Jesus cast demons out of people to manifest the presence of the Kingdom of God, which had come in the person of himself, the King, and to demonstrate his infinitely superior power over Satan and demons. Jesus entered Satan’s kingdom (=the world), he bound the strong man Satan, and he plundered Satan by delivering those whom Satan and his demons had infested. But here is the most important thing: those who believe in Jesus enter into His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, the moment that they believe and are born again. “He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). For Satan or demons to indwell believers (believers who have already been delivered from darkness and who are now living in the Kingdom of God) they must first enter into that Kingdom to get at the believers where they live. But this they cannot do. Then they must bind the Stronger Man, Jesus, which they also cannot do. And then, and only then, can they infest or reinfest those who are in His Kingdom. In other words, only by first defeating Christ can they invade His kingdom and inhabit His possessions. This, as Dr. Richard Collier of Toccoa Falls College has pointed out, is the essence of New Testament Kingdom theology. And it is a theology that is evidently not well understood by those who claim that Christ’s possessions, born again residents of the Kingdom of God, can have demons in them that need to be cast out of them in Jesus name.
Note further that Jesus said, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” No more of a divided house can possibly be imagined than a house in which the Holy Spirit from heaven and unholy demons from the pit of hell are simultaneously dwelling. Jesus then adds that when a demon is cast out of a “house,” that is, a person, if it returns to find the house empty, it will bring seven other demons with it to live in that house and the state of such a man will be worse than before. But the passage in Matthew makes clear that by this Jesus was referring only to unbelievers, to people who clearly reject Him. Their houses were empty, they were whitewashed tombs, and their final state would be worse for having rejected Him and the message of His Kingdom. However, and this is the very essence of the Gospel, no one who believes in Jesus has an “empty house.” Their house is now a temple (Naos) filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. And should any demon be foolish enough to return to his old house, he will find God Almighty Himself answering the door! For this reason alone, Scripture can tell us in 1 John 4:4 that each believer has “already overcome” the false prophets and the deceiving demons because “greater is He that is in us than he [Satan] who is in the world [i.e. not in us!].” It was not by anything we or any self-appointed human “deliverer” could do, but by the free gift of our great God and Savior who personally “delivered us [past tense] from the dominion of darkness and transferred us [past tense] into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). There is indeed deliverance ministry in the New Testament, but of a very different kind than that promoted by so-called “Deliverance” Ministries, for it is a deliverance that has already been accomplished by our glorious Savior and Redeemer and Deliverer, Jesus Christ.
AN ARGUMENT FROM SILENCE
If demonic deliverance is as true and important as it is claimed, or even half as true and important, it is very strange indeed that no deliverance of any kind is mentioned or taught or practiced on any born again Spirit-indwelt believer in the New Testament. And not only is it very strange indeed, it positively strains credulity to think that such an absolutely indispensable means of progress in the Christian life can be found nowhere in the New Testament. Nowhere! Not in the Gospels, not in the Epistles, not anywhere. If the New Testament contains all that is needed for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3), and for equipping the Saint for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17), then deliverance is at best completely irrelevant and unnecessary. The argument from silence is not necessarily a strong one, philosophically speaking, unless there is silence where one expects speech or noise—and lots of it—as is clearly the case here. Spiritual progress, sanctification, and increasing godliness and separation from evil are dominant themes everywhere in the New Testament and especially in Paul’s Epistles. Yet the first and most important thing is the very thing that is nowhere mentioned—how to get the filthy swarms of demons out of born again Spirit-indwelt believers. How can a believer possibly make progress in the Christian life if he or she has demons living inside them and influencing them from the inside out?
One can debate whether people in the Gospels prior to the Resurrection were delivered of demons in order to make them believers or whether a few of them were in some limited sense believers already. (The term “belief” in the Gospels refers to all manner of saving and non-saving beliefs about Jesus.) But this has no direct bearing on us today. We live after the Resurrection and after Pentecost when God changed the way He seals believers and indwells them the moment they believe and are born-again. It was, we may recall, at the death of Jesus that the veil was torn that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. And it was only after the death and resurrection of Jesus that he sent the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). To miss or ignore this fact or to compare our relationship with the Holy Spirit today to that of believers in the Old Testament—or even to believers in the Gospels prior to the resurrection—is to misunderstand the role of the Holy Spirit and much of the New Testament as well.
THE NEW TESTAMENT SPEAKS
It can hardly be a coincidence that when the New Testament does speak, it with one loud voice ascribes to the deeds of the flesh all of the names and attributes of the demons that allegedly need to be cast out of believers. The flesh, however, cannot be cast out. The sin nature cannot be cast out. The “old man” cannot be cast out. The flesh and its deeds must be mortified and crucified and “put off,” as Paul says, but never exorcised or cast out. The New Testament model for progress in the Christian life is diametrically opposed to the “devil-made-me-do-it” deliverance model. In fact, the deliverance model is, in practice if not in theory, a virtual denial of the flesh or sin nature. For, according to the New Testament, our evil thoughts and intentions arise from the human heart and not from indwelling demons that can be conveniently cast out:
“That which proceeds out of the man, this is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).
Quite frankly, even if Christians could have demons in them, those demons would have precious little to do given the pervasive evil that arises without their ever lifting a finger! In a word, the New Testament model for sanctification and progress in the Christian life is in every way opposed to the deliverance model for the simple reason that the problem being solved in the New Testament is a very different problem from that which is allegedly being solved by the “deliverance” model. It is the flesh and its deeds that need to be overcome, not the devil and his demons that need to be cast out. In fact, people who think that the evil thoughts and desires in them are coming from demons have not yet begun to read their Bibles as it speaks of human (not demonic) sin. “The heart [not the demon!] is desperately wicked; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). To solve this problem one must stop listening to teachings that tickle the ears and start the painful process of taking up one’s cross daily. And one must read and take seriously not what modern authors and self-styled human “deliverers” would say but what Paul says by divine inspiration about the fruit of the Spirit and the deeds, not of demons, but of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21).
CONCLUSION
In light of the above non-exhaustive but conclusive evidence there is no need to digress into irrelevant passages about Satan filling the heart of Judas, for according to John 6:64, 70-71; 12:6; 13:10-11; 17:12 Judas was never saved. Nothing could be clearer. How ironic it is, then, that the one whom the New Testament calls “a devil” and “the son of hell” (the same title Paul gives to the Antichrist in 2 Thess 2:3) has become a model and test case for born-again, Spirit-filled, Spirit-sealed, Kingdom-dwelling believers having demons. There is also no need to digress into non-literal figures of speech such as “you are of your father the devil” (referring to disobedient Jews who were acting murderously); or “get behind me Satan” (referring to a disobedient disciple who, to say the least, was never the object of any “Deliverance” Ministry, but whose rebuke of Christ resembled Satan’s temptation of Jesus to gain the kingdom’s of the world by avoiding the Cross); or “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (meaning that the behavior of Ananias and Saphira—for which they alone were responsible and for which they were not candidates for “Deliverance” Ministry—imitated the known modus operandi of the Father of Lies).
We thus stand firm in maintaining that those who sincerely teach that Christians can have demons in them that can be cast out of them in Jesus name are sincerely mistaken. With reference to this difficult issue they “know neither the Scripture nor the power of God” (Mark 12:24), nor do they understand the difference between spiritual bondage and the true spiritual deliverance that Christ our Deliverer has already won for us.
Immediately after Jesus warns us to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” He tells us that, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not . . . in Your name cast out demons’” (Matt 7:15-22). Just because there are deliverances (so-called) taking place is no guarantee that the power of the Kingdom is present or that the Holy Spirit is at work. For
"the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the Faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim 4:11).
Originally written for The Apologetics Resource Center, Sacramento, CA.
Revised edition ©2002 by Günther Juncker.
Dr. Günther Juncker is Associate Professor of New Testament at Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa Falls, GA 30598.
Signs and Wonders Meeting
March 26-30, 2007
Agape Church, Wentzville, MO
A Major Report by the ACCC
by Dr. Ralph G. Colas, Executive Secretary
The full page advertisement in Charisma magazine which promoted the Signs and Wonders meeting indicated that those who attended would even learn how to make "Dead Corpses to Rise." Apostle Mel Bond, who led the meeting, was asked by a reporter just how many he had raised from the dead. With a little bit of hesitation, he responded by saying, "I have raised four or five people." But when questioned how long those lived after they had been raised, his reply was "About 5 minutes and the one was about 10 minutes."
Several times during the five-day meeting the Apostle would say to those in attendance, "Now you folk do not die on me here - for my track record of raising the dead in the USA is not very good."
Twelve issues purchased of the magazine Charisma promoted this SOUND THE ALARM-A NEW SCHOOL OF SIGNS AND WONDERS. The leader of the meeting shared that it cost $5,500 each time they placed a full-page ad in Charisma. A little arithmetic reveals the large amount spent to place these advertisements. (However, the usual cost is $6,200 for each page.)
One issue of Charisma quoted Apostle Bond as declaring, "I am building an army equipped with the ministry of Signs and Wonders to go to the world and openly on platforms demonstrate the power of God by healing the blinded eyes, deaf ears, crippledness, incurable pain and the dead corpses to rise-ALL INSTANTLY that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:12-14)."
The Apostle Mel Bond, who is a co-pastor with his wife Donna of the Agape Church in Wentzville, MO, invited people to make a special effort to come. The reason given was "According to God's Word, God is waiting on the ministry of the Signs and Wonders to bring in the masses throughout the world and then the Rapture will take place. In this one week of schooling, I will teach and demonstrate (I Cor. 2:4-5) in the classroom how to see in the spirit world, how to feel God's anointing into physical bodies for instant miracles, and how to release God's last days anointing for Signs and Wonders. At the end of our week together, you will have learned to do the same." The appeal added, "Those who graduate will have the opportunity to go with me to third world countries, working with me, demonstrating God's Miracle Power."
Prospective students desiring to come to the School of Signs and Wonders had to fill out an application. One question asked was the date when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
When this reporter arrived at the Agape Church, some were walking around the sanctuary holding up their arms and chanting or "praying." Others were running and dancing in step with the big beat music being played over the loudspeakers.
Mel informed everyone that some of the students came from a number of states in the USA, but others were from Africa, England and other countries in the Middle East. The school began on Monday evening and had two daily two-hour sessions. It concluded Friday evening with "graduation and certificates of ordination" given to all who attended this new School of Signs and Wonders.
Mel taught repeatedly that when Christians die "they become angels." He added, "My dad who died is now one of my guardian angels. My dad as an angel has helped me accomplish three times more than I ever could without his help. Every Christian has a cloak he or she wears, and like our fingerprints each of them is different. The spirit world is much more real than the physical one."
At times when he was teaching, he would suddenly stop, close his eyes and then say someone right in that meeting had a growth and he was going to remove it as he prayed. Other times it would be a student's foot, hand, back, spleen or it could be someone having difficulty with their stomach. He would always say his spirit informed him of these afflictions or problems and he identified demons as the cause.
He did not touch very many because he wants others to do the "touching." But at one evening service he declared, "Tonight my hands will be Jesus' hands to be put on any of you who want me to do so."
At another service he kept his eyes closed to put on a demonstration of what he could do. A student would step up and be about 5 feet away from him. Mel would then tell how "in the Spirit" this person was an eagle, or another was an alligator, perhaps a rose and he would explain what this meant about the students' goals in life and how they could become more involved in the Signs and Wonders Ministry. At one time he said he saw a demon right over the head of a man and Mel commanded that demon to leave immediately. "There are both angels and demons in this room," he said.
Mel Bond defined an apostle as one "called of God to work signs and wonders." This apostle took a long time telling of the time in 1984 when he went to heaven. While there he felt led to go to a certain house and residing there was a friend of his who had died some years before. This man, whose name was Bill, came to him and they embraced. Mel told Bill how he was trying to erect a church building but heavy rain interfered with the construction. He asked Bill why his prayers were not answered.
Bill responded by saying that rain was not the real problem, it was because Almighty God had a project for Mel to tell all Christians around the world as to what their greatest problem was. Bill went on to inform Mel that "God told him to tell Mel to let Christians everywhere know that they must stop trying to get God to do something because of legalistic terms." However, Mel said he did not care to learn about that because his concern was when the rain would stop. Bill proceeded to tell Mel, "Do not worry about the rain. You are here to be taught what the Christians' greatest problem is and that is trying to do things by legalistic ways."
Mel told everyone Bill repeated that three times. However, Bill finally did add it would stop raining the next day. But the next day it continued to rain and this was a Sunday. While he was preaching, he stopped in the middle of his message and told the congregation he had made a trip to Heaven the night before and an angel told him it was going to stop raining! He admitted some of the people present were ready to get up and to walk out of that church service.
After the service ended, one man, who usually gave Apostle Mel a hard time, came to him and said, "See it is still raining!" But just as that man, who enjoyed being the pastor's critic, stepped out of the door it instantly stopped raining and the sun came out. He added that "It did not ever rain again until we finished the building project!" Mel Bond called this "A supernatural confirmation that God wants Christians to stop being legalistic!"
Bond acknowledged well-known TV evangelists and apostles would not ever tell people "that legalism is just doing religious things in order to obtain blessing from God." He proceeded to refer to his friend Dr. Kenneth Hagin of RHEMA Bible Church in Broken Arrow, OK, who did not come out of his house for three days. Finally, someone thought they ought to check on him. Mel then told everyone what Brother Hagin, another Signs and Wonders leader, had been doing. Mel said, "Brother Hagin had been sitting in a chair for three days and three nights. He was fasting and praying but not trying to get something FROM God. Rather, Dr. Hagin wanted to be used in a greater fashion FOR God. And he learned not to be legalistic with God as many Pentecostals were doing."
At each service Mel Bond would give several startling statements. At one he confessed, "I have performed the greatest miracles when I have sin in my life. You see most Christians would not know the Holy Spirit if He came right into their room dressed in a red jacket." One time he acknowledged he even had beaten a couple men almost to death when he lived on an Indian reservation!
At another meeting he told how he had been holding a Miracle Crusade in Nicaragua with more that 4,000 attending. Giving more details Mel went on to say, "Two ladies received their sight after I prayed over them. This caused a young mother to bring her little daughter up to the platform. The little girl had no eyes. She was born with sort of a white substance which filled her eye sockets. After I prayed, God recreated two perfect eyes in that little girl's head and the color of her eyes was brown."
He recounted another great miracle that took place in another country. A well-dressed lady who was blind came forward. Mel shared, "I prayed over her and right there she was given physical sight. It was the Queen of that country!" The next day Mel said he was on television recounting how God had used him to give the queen sight. He taught, "If you perform such miracles, you will find the press will hunt you up to interview you."
Later in the week he told that one night he heard footsteps in the middle of the night in their home. It was the devil himself who walked into the room. Mel was paralyzed and the devil was ugly. With descriptive terms he said, "The devil is a full-grown maggot."
But then he continued, "Just then Jesus walked into my room and He said, 'You are my child based on what I have done. Now you have my blessings.'" But just two weeks later the devil appeared again and this time Mel strongly rebuked him.
He seldom referred to the Old Testament during the hours and hours of lecturing. In fact he once said, "I am not saying the Old Testament is a bunch of junk but read the New Testament first and then you will understand what God wants."
Telling his life's story, Mel said he started preaching at the age of seven. Some years later he was filled with the Holy Ghost and for the first time spoke in tongues.
Ridiculing education he said, "People who go to school only get dumber. A Ph.D. really means a Post Hole Digger." Continuing on with the class that day he said, "I want every one of you to know that I am staying here until the Rapture so I can laugh at the devil. I have had heart problems but once I learned it was a demon I was not any longer concerned."
He said in another one of his Miracle Services there was a wife who had been praying that God would give them a baby. "But the demon in her told her she could not. So I saw an angel wrestle with the devil and she had her baby."
He shared another "miracle" when he was a soldier at Fort Riley. He had a car and tried to drive it up on a ramp to change the oil. But he drove over the edge of the ramp and could not move the car either forward or backward. "I got out of the car and lifted the entire car all by myself and this was like Samson carrying the gates of an enemy's city."
In explaining how you can be sure what you are preaching is true, "All that you need are three verses in the Bible and on them you can then build an entire doctrine. For example just ask for money but not from God," he said. "You demand money from the devil for he is the withholder."
These stories continued as he told how God sent a dove right over his head the day he entered the military. That was the Holy Spirit as it was at Christ's baptism. Assuring everyone present that what he taught was true, he said that up until the present time he has preached in 28 countries and more than 900,000 have been saved in his meetings.. He added that he was sure, "If the apostle Paul could trade places with me, Paul would do it immediately!"
The next day was set aside for everyone to learn how to do miracles. Step number one was that if you do not have love, God is not in it. Step number two was to always keep it simple. His third one was amazing for he taught, "There is no such thing as the wrath of God. Nowhere in the Bible, if it is translated correctly, does it say the wrath of God. It is always the wrath of the devil. Well-known evangelists are afraid this truth might come to be known by people so they keep it a secret!"
Proceeding to prove that God is only a God of love and not of wrath, he asserted that when it says in Genesis 19:24, "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven," it was not God who did that. Instead it was the devil. "You see children were burned up and God never would do such a horrible thing. It was the devil. In the Old Testament 'wrath' is used of the devil at least 600 times."
It was interesting when one of the students in response read John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Mel immediately responded that, "You must understand that this was what John the Baptist said ABOUT GOD, BUT GOD DID NOT SAY THAT ABOUT HIMSELF. We must always understand that is what somebody else said, but God Himself said He is a God of love, not wrath, and everything in the Bible shows that to be true."
Right then he stopped speaking and looked at one of the students for several minutes. "The Lord has told me you are having problems with your spleen - no, it is your liver because I can see right inside you."
In fact at one of his overseas recent meetings, a man came forward who had one leg which was several inches shorter. After Mel prayed and as everyone watched, the leg increased in length. Rehearsing something that happened several years before, he also did this for a six-month-old baby that had one leg a few inches shorter than the other one. The people just watched it actually happen and at the same meeting he also cured a man who had a hair lip. People saw new skin appearing on the man's face! He explained it is because Jesus said in John 14:12 that today's apostles will do greater miracles than even Jesus did!
Some of the "revelations" he shared at the School of Signs and Wonders went like this: "At the Red Sea, Moses had the water rolled back and it was 1700 feet high on both sides as the children of Israel marched across on dry ground...Think of how the children of Israel saw the whales and the sharks right in that wall of water."
"They have now found Pharaoh's chariot, which was made of gold and that is why it lasted 6,000 years, and also found the bones of 2 million Egyptians there in the bottom of the Red Sea!"
"You cannot build a church without miracles. God can give you and me a revelation to even be like Joshua and to make the sun stand still and just think how the press would desire to interview us if such a thing happened."
"If we neglect Signs and Wonders, it will be another 2000 years until Jesus comes again."
Again there were a few other things shared with the group: "When sickness comes on me I preach myself well."
"We must minister to the spirit by inspiration-to the intellect by organization-to the flesh by miracles."
"Hebrews 2:3 asks 'How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?' The word 'escape' means 'Rapture'"
"Remember Jesus said that when the Holy Ghost comes He will guide you into all truth. But you must also have the evidence of speaking in tongues and then you will be guided into the truths of God's Word."
Personal Observations by this Reporter:
At the final service, the apostle gave the students time to give a testimony of what they experienced. WHAT A SESSION THIS WAS! One lady, who had spent more time than anyone else lying on the carpet and shaking while shouting at the same time, told of a prophecy she had received about Mel and Donna Bond. She learned that Mel's vision he shared earlier in the week was going to be a reality. Yes, he would have 40,000 people in their church in a few years. One man related a dream he had while at this week's meeting which took him to Heaven, and when he came back to earth a ball of fire followed him. He said it was the glory of God and it made old things new - a junked car became a new one instantly and a burned out building was erected. And it looked brand new. Even a barren tree that he saw was suddenly filled with fruit as the ball of fire enveloped each one. All of this occurred right before this man's eyes. He told it certainly was the glory of God wrapped up in a ball of fire.
The oft repeated words at this meeting were "This is of the Holy Spirit!" But statements were made that were completely contrary to Scriptures. For example, Mel taught that when a Christian dies he/she immediately becomes an angel, or that God is only a God of love and not of wrath. Such teaching only gives credence that it is a false spirit. The Holy Spirit never goes contrary to the Bible!
Leaders such as Mel Bond or C. Peter Wagner, a Presiding Apostle who taught at Fuller Seminary, are among a number of individuals who have identified themselves as Apostles. Others identified with the Modern Charismatic Movement call themselves God's Generals. Paul in the New Testament rightfully called himself an apostle, for he had seen the risen Christ (I Cor 9:1). However, these Third Wave Ministers have no rightful claim to any such self-serving titles. It raises them high above pastors, evangelists or missionaries, as well as other faithful believers. Please note that this is done in sharp contrast to Paul's testimony in Acts 20:19 that he served the Lord "with all humility of mind and with many tears."
This new School of Signs and Wonders was almost completely based on EMOTION and EXPERIENCE. When everyone was asked to turn to such and such a chapter or verse in the Bible, it was usually taken completely out of its context. It is important to understand that when a verse is taken out of its context it is only a pretext and heretical teaching follows. A perusal of Charisma or Spread the Fire produced by the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, reveal many, many such conferences scheduled where those who attend are urged to "Soak in God's Glory" or "Catch the Wave!"
Those who follow such erroneous teaching are on the increase and we must beware of anyone who tests the Bible by their experience instead of testing their experience by the Bible. We must NEVER, NEVER put experience over and above the Word of God! We do not ADD to the Bible nor do we TAKE AWAY ANYTHING from God's holy, inspired. inerrant and authoritative Word.
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).
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