|
Religious Psychics
& The Charismatic New Wave
by
Joseph Chambers
-----------------------------------------------
Many
different manifestations previously known almost exclusively to the
occult are sweeping the church world. Is it the Holy Spirit or is it
"psychic activity"? You will eventually have to answer that
question for yourself, hopefully after you finish this chapter. Sharp
division between the real and the false will soon be a requirement for
Christian living and church attendance, if not already. For too long
the church has drifted like a ship without a rudder. In many
congregations Biblical truth has been treated lightly while social and
emotional matters have demanded attention. This closing hour does not
allow for such carelessness neither does it allow a light treatment of
the "spirit of discernment." Those who do not have a firm
and conscious hold on Biblical values and Biblical truth will not be
able to survive.
A few proof texts of Scripture
are not enough for this unprecedented hour. Jesus said, "For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many." (Matthew 24:5, KJV). Because someone says all the
right things about Jesus does not prove they are speaking the truth.
Even if the teacher, pastor, evangelist, or so-called prophet can
prove that some of his prophecies have come to pass, that does not
prove anything about his standing before God. Psychics, like Jeanne
Dixon and Edgar Cayce, have prophesied certain events that came to
pass, but their lives and beliefs attest to the absence of the Lord
Jesus and His Spirit in their lives.
Over and over the Holy Scripture
warns us of these last days. Apostle Paul, speaking specifically about
the Antichrist, said the following. "Even him, whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, KJV).
Years ago when I read the
Biblical statement made by Jesus, "For 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." (Matthew 24:24, KJV), it made no sense to me.
Deceive the very elect if possible? I thought, how could that be? The
great Christians that I served the Lord Jesus beside were as solid as
a rock. The real church world did not tolerate false doctrines or
questionable activity that passed the points of acceptable order. That
day is gone.
Calling "Psychic
Activity" The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit
When I first wrote that the mass
psychic activities that were sweeping New Wave churches was an altered
state of consciousness, I trembled that maybe that was too harsh or
far-fetched. Little did I know that the so-called Kansas City Prophets
and now the defenders of the "Toronto Blessing" were already
saying that all of the New Wave activity was a kind of psychic
phenomenon, except they said it in a positive vein. In a book
entitled, Some Said It Thundered (1991) by David Pytches
(foreword by Dr. John White and afterword by Jamie Buckingham),
dealing with the "Kansas City Prophets" this kind of
thinking was clearly believed and fully expressed.
Here are several clear
statements reported from those interviewed, along with some of their
rationale for this idea.
"Our first
question was: How do prophets receive their revelations? Is it
through the 'psyche' (soul) or the 'pneuma' (spirit)? This was
important for us to clarify. For the average Christian the word
'psychic' is tainted by its association with the occult, but in fact
the Greek word 'psyche' is a wholesome New Testament word translated
'soul'. Such a good biblical word clearly needs redeeming today. The
psychic center in each of us seems to have a vital role to play in
the area of revelation from God."
"Then if
occultists get limited communication from the powers of darkness on
to the psyche, which some claim to be the case (though obviously
such revelations, even when true, have an evil origin for evil
objectives), then such a counterfeit must be matched by a genuine
experience from God almighty."
"They seemed to
have no problem in accepting the term psychic in this pure sense to
describe one part of the process of divine revelation to human
beings."
"The human
spirit is a channel that picks up spiritual transmissions from God
or from the powers of darkness, and these are reflected on to the
screen of the psyche, the soul. The same TV channel can carry
beastly cruelty, pornography, or breathtaking beauty. The
responsibility for the subject matter lies not in the channel itself
but in the source of the transmission or the choice of the person
tuning into the program." (Some Said It Thundered, David
Pytches, pp. 106-107, 1991.)
Never in church
history or my Biblical studies have I heard such thinking defended.
The Word Study Dictionary says, "The soul belongs to
the lower region of man's (immaterial) being..." (The Word
Study Dictionary, page 1494.) The soul cannot be confused with our
spirit, which is God breathed or the breath of God. This breath from
God exists in us as our spirit. The Spirit is our spiritual connection
to God. Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the
true worshippers shall worship the Father in "spirit" and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (John
4:23).
There is no clear distinction in
the secular or occultic world between the soul and the spirit as is
clearly seen in Holy Scripture.
While both belong to the
immaterial, the soul represents the lower region of this immaterial
aspect of man while the spirit represents the higher. The soul is the
seat of the depraved nature, while the spirit, though dead in the
unregenerate man, is from the Lord. It is said that God made "the
soul (of Jesus) an offering for sin." (Isaiah 53:10). But at the
event of Calvary when the soul was being made an offering for sin
Jesus said as His two closing statements, "It is
finished." And, "Father, into They hands I commend my
spirit."
Except for the three hours that
the Father hid His face, Jesus Christ by His Spirit was in perfect
fellowship with God His Father. To suggest that our relationships to
the Holy Spirit are patterned after His relationship and then to call
such a relationship a psychic activity is to accuse Jesus of being a
psychic. It is totally contrary to the orthodox interpretation of
Scripture and certainly the very history of the church. This is the
false idea that arises from the concept of Jesus as a paranormal
person that had to go into hell and be born again.
We do not nor cannot commune
with Jehovah God through our soul. We can communicate with fallen
spirits or Satan (if we are willing to pay the price Satan requires)
by the soul, but not the Heavenly Father. The Scripture clearly
forbids any communication with fallen angels or evil spirits because
they now serve the enemy of God, Satan. God taught the children of
Israel, "And the 'soul' that turneth after such as have
familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I
will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from
among his people." (Leviticus 20:6, KJV). That is an
irrefutable commandment coupled with a dire warning.
The New Wave Emotions, Called
"Altered States Of Consciousness"
One book that defends the
many emotions of the New Wave revival suggested that we consider
autosuggestion, hysteria, and crown phenomena as affecting our minds
and bodies. The author asserts that prayer, fasting, and speaking in
tongues, can affect our conscious state and subsequently our spiritual
awareness. He further states that such "altered states of
consciousness" are a part of the "normal" Christian
experience and Charismatic faith.
*****
The author distinguishes
"altered states of consciousness" as separate from our
normal waking and sleeping states and says that, in everyday language,
we might refer to ASCs as a trance, hypnosis, dream or ecstasy. He
considers them as the "key to making sense of Christian
experience, particularly what is happening in many churches
today." (Ibid., pp. 259 - 260.)
*****
Saying that "One could
argue that ASCs, in the context of faith in Christ and prayerful
obedience, are the basis of dynamic, personal, relevant, living
faith," the author lists six characteristics of an Altered
State of Consciousness (Signs Of Revival, Dr. Patrick Dixon,
MA, MBBS, p. 260.):
1. "Alterations in
thinking."
2. "Altered sense of time."
3.
"Loss of control."
4. "Changes in emotional
expression."
5. "Body image changes."
6.
"Perceptual changes or hallucinations."
(Ibid., p. 261-263.)
Those who are grounded in God's
Holy Word will realize that these characteristics most certainly do
not describe the marvelous activities of the Holy Spirit in the temple
of Godly saints. The Holy Spirit does nothing in our bodies and
vessels that He does not reflect or do in His own personality or
character. He is in Himself whatever He is in any one of the children
of God and nothing more or less.
The Big Picture
These psychic activities are not
isolated phenomenon. The seed of occultic deception has been growing
in the church world for a number of years. There is clear integration
between what is happening in the New Age cults and what is happening
in the church. The direction of these ideas is identical.
The Kansas City Prophets
One fellowship in Kansas City
under Pastor Mike Bickle has exhibited clear psychic signs. The book, Some
Said It Thundered, defends the whole story of this church. The
author of the foreword, Dr. John White, refers to "baby prophets
and their difficulties distinguishing the words of the Holy Spirit
from ones generated by their own hearts and/or evil sources." He
says, "At first, they make many mistakes. We know they hear
from God because of the reality of the true words they speak."
(Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. xiv.) I have never
heard of a "baby prophet" before. I have always believed God
moved through people when they were spiritually prepared. One problem
I perceive is that when you are listening to what you think is God by
psychic intuition, you cannot be sure to whom you are listening. No
wonder they become confused as to their source.
The entire story appears to
connect John White and the Kansas City Prophets back to the Latter
Rain Movement of the forties and fifties. In fact one of the ministers
of that period, Paul Cain, is intimately tied to this particular
church and ministry. The Latter Rain Movement was riddled with
confusion, false doctrines, and was utterly rejected by the mainline
Pentecostal churches. Read carefully the chapter (chapter 13) on the
Latter Reign Movement’s major doctrines. Here is a quote from one of
Cain's sermons at the Kansas City Fellowship:
"You know this
message is 35 years old and I'm just preaching it again. Thank God
I've found somebody to preach it to. I told you about the vision,
what I've had. This recurring vision of standing at the crossroads
of life and the angel of the Lord said, 'You are standing at the
crossroads of life. What do you see?' And I saw a brilliantly lit
billboard, which reads JOEL'S ARMY NOW IN TRAINING . . . See I've
been wanting to share this for so long and find somebody. How would
you like to have something on the back burner for 35 years and
nobody had any . . . boy this is, I mean this isn't leftovers. I
mean this has been hot with me all these years, but everywhere I
tried to preach it, they cooked my goose. Don't you boo me. This
kind of fiery preaching is a lost art today except in a very mild
degree." (Joel's Army, cassette from Kansas City
Prophets.)
Paul Cain,
according to details in the book and other sources, has exhibited
psychic characteristics from his childhood. The author of Some Said
It Thundered included this story about Mike Bickle and Paul Cain.
"On one occasion
after Mike Bickle had been complaining to his wife that he had 'a
bit of a sniffle' or a slight cold -- something he rarely had -- the
phone rang. Bickle picked up the receiver and heard Paul on the
line. He had heard about Paul's gift so he said by way of a joke,
'Hi, Paul! You're all right today! How am I?' Immediately Paul
answered him, 'Why, Mike, you've got a bit of a sniffle and you are
all wet. Your hair is standing up on the left side of your head.'
"Bickle called
his wife Diane to look at him. 'Sweetheart, Paul says I have a
'sniffle,' I am all wet and my hair is standing up on one side. Am I
all wet?'
"'Yes,' she
said. 'You've just come out of the shower.'
"'And is my hair
standing up on one side?'
"'Yes,' she
replied, 'on the left side!'" (Some Said It Thundered, David
Pytches, p. 30.).
Here is another
story repeated in the book.
"On his (Paul
Cain) first visit to Anaheim (to visit John Wimber) in February 1988
Paul saw powerful lights across the room and a strong sense of the
presence of God was accompanied by revelations in the word of
knowledge. On that occasion an expensive video camera was
short-circuited. This was battery operated and not plugged into any
outlet. The next night the telephone system was blown out though no
one was on the phone at the time." (Some Said It Thundered,
David Pytches, p. 52.).
Is there any
precedence for this kind of paranormal or psychic power in the Holy
Scripture being identified as the work of the Holy Spirit? Such
unbiblical thinking dominates almost every detail of these prophets,
and the entire New Wave religion.
The writer of this book stated,
"The responsibility for the subject matter lies not in the
channel itself but in the source of the transmission or the choice of
the person tuning into the program." That statement would imply
that the whole matter is like tuning a radio, either to heavenly
voices or hellish voices, and all without any similitude of spiritual
maturity.
In the scope of the author's
interview with these so-called Kansas City individuals the following
conversation was reported:
"John Paul
shared how the Lord had dealt with him over a problem he had with
occasionally confused visions that came to him as flashbacks
resulting from watching TV too much. He said that for the prophetic
ministry that God had given him, the more television he watched the
fewer true visions from God that he could experience.
"Bob Jones
agreed that the Lord would not let him watch much TV either. 'I
can't get into that fantasy realm -- it cuts off my visions!'
"They advised
watching carefully against counterfeit visions of any kind. Someone
mentioned alcohol as creating confusion, since when taken in excess
people can begin to 'see' things."
"Another problem
they shared was the danger of confusion over revelations where the
person receiving them had particularly strong opinions, prejudices,
or unresolved bitterness in certain areas. It was easy to distort
such revelations and color their own interpretations." (Some
Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 108.).
It’s
interesting to note that drinking "excessive" alcohol is
considered a possible deterrent to giving good prophecies. Please note
that Bob Jones, one of the Kansas City prophets at that time, called
prophetic revelations getting into the fantasy realm. (See chapter
eight, "Witchcraft In The Church", for more discussion about
psychic activities.)
Kansas City And A Paradigm
Shift
The author of Some Said It
Thundered clearly identified his experiences with the "Kansas
City Prophets" as a paradigm shift, which we discussed in chapter
one. Capable and skilled writers do not lightly use this New Age term.
The meaning is dynamic to anyone that knows this age and the spirit of
the Antichrist. Every New Ager is calling for a "paradigm
shift." Writer David Pytches said,
"We felt
we were experiencing a paradigm shift -- we were beginning to see
another way of looking at the foundational things we held dear,
without having in any way to discard them. Perhaps that is what the
Bible meant when it spoke about scales falling from Paul's
eyes." (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p. 140.).
Barbara Hubbard
(noted New Ager) writes in her books:
"Teachings from
the Inner Christ, how the human race will soon experience a day of
'Planetary Pentecost.' Hubbard, claiming to be in contact with
'Christ,' writes 'the Planetary Smile is another name for the
Planetary Pentecost. When enough of us share a common thought
[paradigm shift] of our oneness with God, Spirit will be poured out
on all flesh paying attention.' (p. 79). In her book, The
Revelation, Hubbard says, 'Christ, in describing the planetary
smile, said: "an uncontrollable joy will ripple through the
thinking layer of the earth." "...This massive sudden
empathic alignment will cause a shift in the consciousness [paradigm
shift] of Earth' (p. 234-235). Writing in Happy Birth Day Planet
Earth, Hubbard repeats what she heard from 'Christ.' He said, 'as
the planetary smile ripples through the nervous systems of earth,
... separation is overcome, and I appear to all of you at once (p.
10-11)." (The words "paradigm shift" added at
appropriate places.) (SCP Newsletter, Volume 19:2, p. 13. Published
by Spiritual Counterfeits Project, P. O. Box 4308, Berkeley, CA
94704.).
New Wave leaders
and their subjects are having the same paradigm shift. They are
learning a complete new way of looking at things, plus, they are using
new "enlightened" words to still claim and describe the old
discarded truth. All of this is identical to what is happening to the
leading New Agers. The Planetary Pentecost described by Hubbard is
identical to the different phenomenon going on in present day New Wave
churches. All of this shows the psychic nature of these strange
activities.
Psychic Powers And Warnings
Of Destruction
The printed materials of these
writers are filled with constant pronouncements and warnings of
judgment to all resisters. They say that anyone who resists this
"new move of God" is an enemy to the Lord.
Notice how one well-known
speaker warns his audience and readers with fear of judgment, "One
of these days, you may just be talking to someone, asking them how
things went at church last Sunday, and they may say, Oh it was great!
The glory of God was strong it healed ten cripples, opened the ears of
thirty deaf people, cured seven cases of cancer and killed Brother
Bigmouth and Sister Strife."
("Voice of Victory" October, 94).
Christians have a
vital choice to make this speaker stated, "When
the fire of God begins to burn and the rivers of the Spirit start to
flow, he'll have to do one of two things: he'll either have to yield
to the Spirit and let go of that sin by repenting, or he'll have to
resist the flood of God's Spirit and be swept away." (Mainstream,
Winter 1994, p. 3. Published by Banner Ministries, Box 23, Belper,
Derbys DE56 1QR, UK.)
In the book
entitled, Epic Battles Of The Last Days, two themes appear. One
is a call to battle and another is the constant warning of judgment to
scare anyone who resists. He states, "Criticism
is one of the ultimate manifestations of pride because, whenever we
criticize someone else we are by that assuming that we are superior to
them. Pride brings that which any rational human being should fear the
most -- God's resistance. We would be better off having all of
the demons in hell resisting us than God!" (Epic Battles
Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner, p. 23.)
Almost any
subject this author discussed, he used it to warn people about
judgment or resistance against what his book represents. When he
discussed witchcraft, Jezebel or Antichrist, he applied it to
resisters. Of Jezebel he said, "Jezebel,
who is one of the archetypes of witchcraft in scripture, used her
power to control her husband who was the authority over Israel. She
was also able to bring such depression upon Elijah that he sought
death over life, even after his greatest spiritual victory. There is
great power in this evil; those who are ignorant of it, or who
presumptuously disregard its potential to affect them, are very often
brought down by it, usually without even knowing what hit them."
(Ibid., p. 78.)
He did not ever
touch what Jezebel really represented. His book can best be described
as propaganda for the new theology and self-styled theologians that
are sweeping churches. I get the feeling he is the New Breed's rear
guard to scare anyone who dares to resist or tell the truth about his
new wave teachings.
Another author does the same
kind of use of judgment in his materials. In his booklet, entitled The
Jezebel Spirit, he writes, "Jezebel's
worst enemies are the prophets; her worst fear is that the people will
embrace repentance. Jezebel hates repentance. Though this spirit will
infiltrate the church, masking its desire for control with true
Christian doctrines, it will hide from true repentance...Jezebel hates
the prophets, for the prophets speak out against her. The prophets are
her worst enemies. When she wars, it is to stir people against the
message of the prophetic church. More than she hates the prophets, she
hates the word they speak." (The Jezebel Spirit,
Francis Frangipane, p. 6.)
The Fourth Dimension
Probably no one helped prepare
the church world for this deception better than those who teach the
idea of the Fourth Dimension do. Tricia Tillin describes one author
and his ideas in an excellent publication from the United Kingdom.
"Paul (David) Yonggi Cho
teaches the same thing. In The Fourth Dimension he tells of
his frustration that Buddhist monks and yogic healers could perform
miracles. Then the Holy Spirit supposedly revealed to him that the
fourth dimension, the spirit realm, is available to all whether
Christian or not, for it contains both good and evil powers. 'So
men, by exploring their spiritual sphere of the fourth dimension of
visions and dreams in their imaginations, can brood over and
incubate the third dimension (the material world) influencing it and
changing it.' This applies to all men alike. Because God gave
man dominion over the earth, says Cho, unbelievers can 'develop
their inner spiritual being' and change the material world. Thus
Christians also have the responsibility to 'realize their inner
potential' and manipulate the fourth dimension for good." (Mainstream,
Winter 1994, p. 11. Published by Banner Ministries, Box 23, Belper,
Derbys DE56 1QR, UK.)
Anyone who teaches this idea of a
fourth dimension is dealing with psychic activities and the depraved
soul, not the Holy Spirit. While there are some temporary results to
these kinds of activities, they are totally evil and will eventually
turn on the person's head.
"Psychic Warfare",
"Territorial Spirits" and "Dominion Theology"
Behind much of the present
deception and/or confusion is the new prophetic view of Jesus Christ
and His coming. Only a few short years have passed since the dominant
message in the Evangelical World was the "imminent Rapture before
the Great Tribulation." Even those who held to a mid- or
post-tribulation view were very close in spiritual kinship to the
pre-trib view and its proponents.
A deep bitterness now exists
toward the traditional view of prophecy. This new breed of prophets
and spokespersons is preparing for all out war to take the kingdom by
these psychic powers. Paul Cain says that there will be an army,
called Joel's Army, and that God will equip them to perform His
judgments. In the book, Some Said It Thundered, the Kansas City
Fellowship is identified as the location for training this army.
"By the time
Paul Cain arrived in Kansas City the fellowship was well settled
into their new meeting place at the Grandview Worship Center. Paul
immediately recognized the location from the crossroads outside as
the place which the Lord had showed him many times (possibly twenty,
over as many years) as a spiritual training center for the soldiers
of Joel's army that God was raising up for the coming revival.
"'Many years
ago,' said Paul, 'I came to the crossroads of life and I saw a
vision of an illuminated billboard on which was written:
"Joel's army in training." It was on these crossroads with
an arrow pointing to this spot -- though there was no building on it
then! I believe God has shown me that here he is going to raise up
an army. This army is not a destructive army but a deliverance
army...'" (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p.
132.).
His idea of
deliverance is not the traditional loving idea. It's "bow or
burn" that these men are talking about.
Roger Forster wrote in a
foreword to the book, Territorial Spirits,
"These
structures [territorial principalities] will be refurbished
with a whole new personnel. The final overthrow of Satan’s
rebellious colonial government by the central government of God is
preceded by the faith-sons of Abraham bringing blessing to all the
families of the earth. This demands territorial claims and advance
through the earth." (Emphasis added.) "Eventually,
this resistance movement can provide sufficient numbers of trained
personnel to take over the authority and administration of the
colony from Satan and his angels, giving the least amount of
disturbance to the heavenly structural powers ... until such a
network of resistance against Satan is found all over the earth, the
second coming of our Lord is held up and his total reign
restrained." (Mainstream, Spring 1994, p. 10.)
The following
statements show how widely this view of this dominion theology has
become.
Cindy Jacobs: "Today's
praying church is rising up in militant force to possess the promised
land of our nations."
John Dawson: "There
is not one reason why we, the Church, should concede one square inch
of this planet to the government of territorial spirits. This is our
planet."
Francis Frangipane: "All
spiritual warfare is waged over one essential question: who will
control reality on earth - heaven or hell? ... We must see that our
prayers, attitudes and agreement with God are an integral part of
establishing the reality of the kingdom of God on earth!"
(Mainstream, Spring 1994, p. 10.)
Rick Joyner, probably one of the
cleverest writers of this new breed, says the following,
"The church is
at war. This war will not end because we do not like it, or we do
not want to fight. Fortresses of darkness are being raised up in all
directions -- in government, schools, business, entertainment, in
our neighborhoods -- they are even being raised up in the church!
... Even so, as improbable as it may seem at this time -- we have
the enemy surrounded! The church is about to win her greatest
victory. This is her finest hour -- the retreat is over and the
advance is about to begin." "... This generation has been
called to carry the banner of the Lord into the greatest epic battle
of all time. The last day church has been given one of the greatest
privileges that has ever been bestowed by God upon men -- to be on
the field of battle for the ultimate confrontation between light and
darkness." (Epic Battles Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner,
p. 13.)
"The Lord has
already defeated our enemies. He could have banished them to hell on
the day of His resurrection, but He left them here for us because He
wants His bride to share the honor! In these last days she will
surely be, 'As awesome as an army with banners' (Song of Solomon
6:10)."
"The Lord has
called His bride to rule and reign with Him as joint heir. He let
this conflict continue for over 2,000 years so that His bride could
prove herself, and grow in the faithfulness and grace that is needed
for her great position."
"The whole
creation, including the principalities and powers, is watching to
see what the church is really made of. Will we love the Lord, truth,
and righteousness, more than we love this present world? Only those
who love not their own lives unto death are fit for the great throne
that has been prepared for the bride of Christ."
"This book is
but one trumpet call among many that are now calling the saints to
battle." (Epic Battles Of The Last Days, Rick Joyner, p.
14.)
This manner of
theology is certainly contrary to Biblical truth. These writers mix a
little bit of truth that applies to the future Millennium after Jesus
returns to establish His kingdom with Kingdom Dominion Theology. No
error is ever so powerful as that error that is filled with a mixture.
Psychic powers are certainly
real and have been used for centuries dating back at least to Nimrod
and his great tower of Babel. This present New Wave generation seems
to have mastered these techniques and are experiencing great success.
One of the results is incredible emotional activities. One such
activity is "holy laughter." This is a mass megatrend in the
New Wave revival. Let’s look at past phenomenon and some true
manifestations as we explore the "laughter" movement.
|
Page