Over the Passover (Easter) weekend I had an interesting conversation with my sister-in-law. She is a Pentecostal, which I have some disagreements with, but it was her comments about the “Toronto Blessing” which got my attention.
Up until this weekend I had no idea that she had been to any of the meetings at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, during the time when Rodney Howard Brown was leading the “revival” meetings there.
Our conversation started with a discussion about the pagan nature of the name “Easter”, and eventually got around to the “Toronto Blessing”. Her statement, which I found incredible, was that “it was a movement of the Holy Spirit” and “You had to be there”!
The bible, on the other hand, does not tell us to fool around with spirits, but to test them;
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. I John 4:1
The people who have been involved with this movement, Toronto Airport Vineyard, Brownsville, Lakeland, Holy Trinity Brompton, etc., are all relying on an experience. Like my sister-in-law they have experienced something that feels really good, and therefore they believe that it must be from God.
When I had a print-shop in the 1990s, I had a client who also did some work for me, who was an avid New Ager, and an opponent of the Christian Church. He was heavily into altered mental states through the repetition of mantras. He was adamant that he never used drugs, and that this would somehow make his experiences true. Of course Yoga has been called “the drugless drug”, and is an essential component of Hinduism.
He described an experience he had, where he was alone in his room, and an “asian woman” came in through the closed door, and he felt such “peace and love” that he “knew” it was a genuine experience. No doubt this is the same feeling my sister-in-law felt at the Toronto Blessing, and like hers it is a subjective feeling that Satan is quite capable of giving people. Just because something feels good, it does not mean that it is from God, but if it is from God, it could just as easily be a curse and a spirit of sleep He sends on those who reject His Son!
There is no difference between Hinduism, Yoga and the experiences of these so-called “Christian” revivals. In fact the manifestations of the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church are identical to those experienced by the practitioners of Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini is also known as “Serpent Power”!
The constant repetition of words, phrases, breath prayers, and songs is designed to induce an altered state of consciousness, where one can interact with the spirit world. The problem is that while you can indeed summon up demonic spirits through these practices, God and His angels will NEVER allow themselves to be summoned up in this way! NEVER! God’s reaction to people who think they can summon up Him by these practices is one of anger! He won’t come, but He will allow one of Satan’s angels to come instead!
Don’t forget that Satan loves to counterfeit angels of light;
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 1 Corinthians 11:13-15
So what of the claim that this is an experience like the early Church in Acts 2? First of all, the apostles and early brethren, were not “drunk in the spirit” but rather the people around them thought they were drunk, because they all heard them speak, and yet they all understood what was being said, even though they did not have a common language.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. Acts 2:6
This was not the experience, or accusation of the whole crowd, but only from those who were predisposed not to believe, but to look for natural explanations.
It appears that the miracle of Acts 2 was not only in the mouths of the apostles, but also in the ears of the hearers! And, the purpose of this miracle was that the gospel of Jesus Christ would be spread to the nations where the hearers were from.
The animal noises, and the drunkenness are not present at all in the Acts account, nor anywhere else in the New Testament, but they are present in another place in Scripture;
37 And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant. 38 They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions’ whelps. 39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 51:37-39
And again in verse 57;
And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
When I confronted my sister-in-law about this passage her first response was “what is the context of the passage?” That’s a good response, but as I told her, the context is End Times Babylon. There are numerous places in the passage which are referenced in the book of Revelation. Here are a couple of examples;
O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. Jeremiah 51:13
Compare this with Revelation 17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
This is the same great religious whore who sits upon many waters. Not only is the reference to “waters” a reference to the gentile nations, but it is also a reference to the fact that this false Church will cover the whole earth. This is the End Times religious Harlot of Babylon.
My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. Jeremiah 51:45
Now compare this with Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
There can be no doubt that the spirit of the Toronto Blessing is a judgment from God against the unbelief of people who insist on experience over the written Word of God!
Is the Holy Spirit involved in these phenomena? I think so. This is the outworking of His displeasure with these people. This is the beginning of His wrath upon people who have bibles, but prefer experiences rather than the Word of God! He is allowing Satan to deceive these people, because they love darkness rather than light!
Those who fool around with the deceptions of this End Times Harlot will suffer the wrath of God during the Tribulation period! It matters not that they proclaim their loyalty to Jesus, their Jesus is a creation of their own mind, and their “Holy Spirit” is a demon! God will actually use the Antichrist, and the ten world kings to destroy this false Church! (Revelation 17:15-16)
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. II Corinthians 11:4
Nicky Gumbel a pastor from Holy Trinity Brompton, came to Toronto, and brought back these phenomena to England with him. After this his church became a center for this type of ecstatic phenomena in Europe. Later on they developed the Alpha Course, which has been a method of spreading this phenomenon throughout the world, under the guise of evangelism. Most of the churches of my hometown, Barrie, Ontario, have been using the Alpha course in their evangelistic outreach, but rather than building the Church of Jesus Christ, they are busy building the Harlot of Babylon!
Dan Knezacek
https://mkayla.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/spiritual-drunkenness/
housetops 
Great article! Thanks for the link!!!
Reblogged this on m'kayla's korner and commented:
A great write on the Toronto Blessing and beyond.
WoW !!!! these are pretty serious comments and assertions.
Last year I was at a church, when I was invited into the “Pastors Lounge” after the service for coffee with the Pastors of the church. I didn’t know anyone there really, but for some reason been invited (immediately after the service).
I was standing around – looking to strike up a conversation with someone when a gentleman came over to me and introduced himself using his Christian name. I responded with MY Christian name. He was very humble, gracious and unassuming.
He asked me where I was from and I told him I was from Australia. Apparently he’d been to Australia before and so we discussed places in Australia and were at it for a while. Then someone else joined our conversation and the discussions broadened to issues of “World Banking” and “Mark of the Beast” and “One World Government” and “End Time Prophecies”. Everyone was immediately on the same page, and some had more information than others to contribute. A very intelligent and articulate conversation.
I had very similar views about the subject matter of this Post, (as the author outlined), about the Toronto Blessing (and Toronto Airport Vineyard Church) matter.
Anyway, when all was done, the gentleman [who had originally introduced himself to me], excused himself and went off to join his wife (an attractive blonde lady) and they then left the Pastors lounge together. He showed his wife much respect and dignity. A gentleman.
The following day I attended a church service. I noticed the same man that I had met in the Pastor’s Lounge the previous day (and his wife) on the stage during the Praise and Worship segment. Thereafter he was introduced as Rodney Howard-Browne to the congregation.
He delivered an outstanding message. One that really moved my heart. This man is truely anointed and blessed, without any doubt.
All I want to say is, before we criticise anyone, take the opportunity to hear them preach the Good News, try to meet them in person and then be careful how you describe them to the public, because Jesus hears and records everything.
Rodney Howard-Browne certainly made a lasting wonderful impression on me on BOTH DAYS. A true man after God’s own heart.
I’ve come to understand one thing in my walk with Jesus. If you can’t say something good about a brother in Christ – be very careful WHAT you say, even if you don’t directly implicate them.
I’m sure I make mistakes everyday. I’m sure others have good reason to criticize me regularly, but I strive daily to walk in the righteousness of Christ and turn away from Sin as a Lifestyle, rather than constantly ask the Father for forgiveness.
Rodney Howard-Browne, you certainly understand the Joy of the Lord, even if I don’t understand it. I feel truly blessed to have met you, especially so early in my walk with the Lord. I am Ro Timms (for the record).
Rodney Howard Browne is a false teacher. No doubt he comes close to the truth, but this is the exact definition of a counterfeit. A counterfeit dollar looks a lot like the real thing, but is actually worthless. The Toronto Blessing is worse than worthless, because it puts people to sleep, and because it destroys, and attacks discernment.
Go through the videos I have posted. Andrew Strom is also a Pentecostal but even he has enough discernment to see that this stuff is not of God! Be careful that you too are not a part of Babylon the Harlot, or you too will suffer the wrath of God!
Dan
This is a good example of teaching by RHB with Kenneth Copeland – if you don’t have a clue what the bible warns about false teachers entering in or even from within the church :https://youtu.be/EqfYp8zoy5I
Yeah! I agree – these filthy false preachers etc, are nothing but stupid damn morons! Liars and what not?
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t call them “morons”. They are deceived, and deceiving others, and getting rich in the process. Unfortunately they are not rich toward God!
Brother Dan, I read your comment and I love them because they are simple and straight to point and they are also real and helpful. I would love to have you on facebook. My facebook name is Nsikak Ita Richie. God bless you. Amen.
Nsikak,
Thanks for the kind words. I had a look at your facebook page, and I must admit I am disturbed by a couple of things I saw there;
The association with Word of Faith is a problem for me. Jesus told us that we must be willing to forsake all that we have if we are to be His disciple. He never promised us wealth.
6 Verses later He said;
These verses still stand.
The other thing I saw was your posting a link from T.D.Jakes. Mr. Jakes denies the Trinity, and thus he can’t be a Christian.
Matthew 3:16-17 tells us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate persons, not modes of one person, as Jakes teaches.
I don’t want to be harsh to you, but I want you to realize that Word of Faith, and T.D.Jakes are dangerous associations. I personally believe the Word of Faith will ultimately join with the Roman Catholic Church in affirming the Antichrist.
Still, I thank you for your kind words, and I hope you come back again.
Dan
These false prosperity pimps that preach another gospel etc and Not to mention that horrible twisted doctrine of the “Toronto blessing”??? Don’t want anything to do with Churches anymore I’ve had enough!!!! This world is beyond SICK!!!! No one is listening to me or has anyone or anybody helped me out whatsoever, so I will Not bother with any hostile comments or remarks, because I’m so fed up with everything – I need only the Lord Jesus to come down from heaven and explain the unexplained things in this world and why I don’t seem to have miricaled happening to me?? – Eve made TERRRIBLE GRAVE MISTAKE! When she disobeyed the Almighty God(Lord) of Hosts – And now we have nothing but PAIN, Suffering; and misery all the time – Thanks for Nothing!!!! I also blame Satan too!! For his Stuff ups!! A (Fallen Angel)Cherubim that fell from heaven!
What matters is that every word from the mouth of every man lines up clearly with the word of God. It doesn’t matter if they are nice. It doesn’t matter if they are articulate. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 2 Paul made it clear that he came in weakness and fear and in much trembling so that his message would depend on God not his personality. And what was Paul’s message? Jesus Christ and him crucified. Most of these men are greedy deceivers weaving new age and occultic practices into churches. Paul lived that the Bereans tested everything he said with the word. These men hate it. We should accept their teaching because they proclaim to be apostles. Only the word can prove it and with Mr. Brown, it condemns him. As Paul says in Romans 14, blessed is the man who is not condemned by what he approves. I suggest you tread carefully, only approving that which lines up clearly with the scriptures. We were warned, as I noted in my other comment with an article laying out what Paul and Jesus said about false teachers. Please read it – not because of what I said in it – but because of the scriptures.
That is an excellent, excellent article, backed up by the word of God, which is the only standard for truth.
I also wrote a scripture-heavy writing laying out all of the verses I could find laying out the warnings of Jesus and Paul regarding false prophets and teachers:
http://followingjesuschrist3.com/2014/09/18/false-prophets-and-teachers/
Rodney Howard Browne is a false teacher! I’m sure he’s a very nice man, respects his wife and talks a good game, but I fear that on judgement day, he will be one of those saying but Lord! Look at all these things I did in Your name! To which Jesus will say depart from me. I never knew you. No one is attacking him personally. It’s his false teaching that’s to be called out. If his doctrine had been attacked by the poster who met him, he would have been escorted to the door, welcome mat pulled out and door slammed. They won’t tolerate any discussion that’s negative. Don’t defend the false teachers by saying how nice they are. Their niceness won’t gain them entrance to heaven. And their teaching is beyond bizarre. I’m pretty sure it’s a different jesus they serve.
Yeah Karen! They should be very ashamed of themselves for Not truly preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ!! They appear to be nice?, but are wolves in sheep’s clothing!?
Thats for sure!! And these are the very people who are Not good at all!! To me they are nothing but EVIL!!! I call them “Devils” as a figure of speech!
Slightly off topic.. but Easter the word. I find it somewhat humourous when people suggest that Easter is a feast based on the name of a goddess. So lets put this right because it you may find it useful when someone makes that challenge. The following is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Easter
The festival that early Christians celebrated was called in Greek Πάσχα (Pascha), a transliteration of the Aramaic word פסחא, cognate to Hebrew פֶּסַח (Pesach). The word originally designated the Passover feast of Exodus 12.[21] Paul writes from Ephesus that “Christ our Pascha (Passover) has been sacrificed for us”, doubtless not the first interpretation of Exodus 12 as referring to the crucifixion of Jesus.[22] In the Roman province of Asia, second-century Christians known as Quartodecimans continued to celebrate this feast in coincidence with the Jewish feast, but by then Christians elsewhere celebrated it on the following Sunday, the day on which in every week the resurrection of Christ was celebrated.
Latin adopted the Greek term for the feast, and in most European languages, notable exceptions being English, German and the Slavic languages, the feast is today called Pascha or words derived from it
NOTE: IN MOST EUROPEAN LANGUAGES, NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS BEING ENGLISH, GERMAN SLAVIC…
So when someone tells you that of the pagan nature of the word “Easter” it is good to know that if you were polish (thats me), spanish, portugese, italian, arabic, danish, dutch etc etc ( see http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter7.htm) then you would never even think that a pagan associated word is used.
Hope that helps someone!
That same Wikipedia entry you noted also says;
Since English is the international language of the End Times, it appears that Satan is making a special effort to corrupt this language. A few years ago I heard a linguist on CBC Radio state that “English is a whore of a language”. The subject wasn’t even theology, it is just a fact that modern English is to language what a whore is to sexuality.
Interestingly, the KJV translators only used the word Easter in the context of a pagan celebration; “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Acts 12:3-4
Since it was the days of unleavened bread, it was already after the Passover, and yet Herod was waiting until after “Pascha”. As you noted, Pascha can also be used to refer to Easter, and whether they knew it or not the KJV translators got it in the right context; a pagan celebration. Other times when this word is used they have translated it as Passover, but this time it didn’t fit!
Thanks for writing,
Dan
Dan!, as far as I’m concerned I believe that “Easter” is a heathen and pagan holiday or teaching etc – it has nothing to do with the true God of the Holy Bible, and we celebrate it every year of the month of April – I really disdain this practice, that this world follows! God help us!?
Hi Dan
I have been struggling to understand one of your points, so I must be missing something. Would appreciate your views.
I guess for me it is not that Pascha can also be used to refer to Easter but the other way round as the greek in Acts 12:4 does state pascha.Pascha was the original word – which is used in many languages as I said earlier. I therefore do not follow why you believe that the KJV translators got it right to say that Luke was referring to a pagan festival.
Two points Passover (Pascha) and Feast of Unleavened Bread as you stated are two separate things. There is nothing in scripture to suggest that Herod who undoubtedly was heathen was actually following some form of heather celebration. But we do know that the Jewish people in general were celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now I am no biblical scholar but reading up on the topic,the feast of unleavened bread was one of the three feast when the men had to come to Jerusalem.
Deu 16:6-8 but at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt. (7) And you shall cook it and eat it at the place that the LORD your God will choose. And in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents. (8) For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it.
For me it is clear that the reference in Acts 12:4 does not refer to anything else but the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Of course the first and last day of the festival were special, and for us as Christians the 1st day following Passover was resurrection day which has enormous relevance for us.
I do not agree therefore, with the use of the word Easter in this context referring to a pagan celebration of an Anglo-Saxon goddess. Could he have been taking part in some form of celebration to one of the middle eastern goddesses? Quite possibly there were a number of deities around, although there is nothing in scripture that tells us that Herod was following any of these.
Interestingly enough, I was listening to the Gospel of Luke today on the way home from work. Luke of course is seen as the author both of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. I listened to the following words:
Luk 22:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.
Just thought that was interesting..
Hi Kaz,
I went through all of the New Testament references to “Passover” and not one of them refers to the days of unleavened bread. Each one specifically refers to the Passover feast, by itself. The authors of the New Testament were the ones who were there, and who lived in that context. I think they would have mentioned it if the term “Passover” meant more than the main feast.
God, who is the real Author would have made sure that we knew the whole 8 days were collectively called the “Passover”. Considering that the Passover is, and always has been, about Jesus, something this important would not have been left to chance.
I too saw Luke 22:7, but I noticed that this refers to one day only, the day on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed, and not to the week following.
You should realize that there were no deities specific to only one culture. Paganism is the same wherever it is practised, and its gods and goddesses are the same, although known by different names.
The goddess Ishtar was also known as Diana, Demeter, Oestre, Isis, and many other names, including the original Semiramis.
The western Easter celebration is not caculated the same way as the Hebrew Passover. I have no problem believing that Easter is more pagan than Christian, and I have no problem believing that Herod was celebrating some sort of pagan spring festival that happened to coincide with Passover.
No one has ever proven a serious error in the KJV, but all you have to do is pick up a NIV or NKJV and you see errors on every page. (The Message is complete error)
I have come to the conclusion that every bible produced since 1881 has been an attack on the gospel. They are not reliable. And, I did buy a bunch of them, but I gave up, and only use the KJV.
If we don’t have a bible we can count on, then we are left drifting about tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.
No, the KJV translators had very good reasons to leave Easter there in that one place, and it certainly casts doubt on the Easter celebration as a whole. Better to use Passover, or Pascha.
Dan
Dan, I’m sorry, but you don’t know much about the KJV. Try googling “KJV errors” and you’ll see what I mean. The KJV translators were all Church of England clergy, who were commanded by King James to bias the translation in favour of a monarchy and a church governed by nishops (to counter the Geneva Bible which was more republican and congregationalist). They did an excellent job for their time, but since then we have a lot more ancient manuscripts to go on, and know a lot more about the original languages than we did 400 years ago.
To suggest that the NIV translators are engaged in an “attack on the gospel” is deeply offensive to these people. They are some of the world’s leading evangelical theologians who have devoted their lives to studying the Bible at the highest level. I’d love to see some examples of the “errors on every page” that you refer to. And, by the way, what are your qualifications relating to theology and Bible translation?
Ian,
I have been studying the KJV dabate for 20 years. Before that I used the NIV. I have read numerous books on the subject.
I used the NIV, but there were always nagging doubts. It turns out that this is the object behind the new translations. The goal of the new translations appears to be to “say it in as different a way as possible, when compared to the original”, and “always make your translations in a way which will cast doubt on the Word of God”.
When you compare the Westcott/Hort text to the AV, it is actually quite easy to see that whenever Sinaiticus agreed with the KJV, and the Vaticanus did not, they always went with the non-KJV interpretation. In the exact same way, when Vaticanus agreed with the KJV, but Sinaiticus did not, they went with Sinaiticus.
They did the exact same thing with all the texts they used.
Westcott and Hort, were members of the “Ghostly Guild”, an association dedicated to the study of the paranormal. In their private correspondence they referred to the Textus Receptus as “That vile Textus Receptus”. The TR is the main text that underlies the KJV, and all the old bibles, including my Czech Kralicka. Do you think that such men were qualified to put together the bible’s text?
Their open hostility to the Word of God disqualifies Westcott and Hort from having anything to do with any translation of the bible. So what if they were college professors? Still disqualified!
Just because you may have academic standing does not qualify you for work with the Word of God.
I come from a family of teachers, lawyers, doctors, and accountants, and I can tell you that university educated people are just as screwed-up as everybody else, and in some cases even more so.
Charles Darwin’s only academic credential was a theological degree. And yet, many people consider him to be some sort of scientist. Truly he did make some accurate scientific observations, but his interpretations of those observations were 100% dead wrong! His interpretations were based on his a-priori assumptions, and he will be known for ever as a father of error!
So what are my qualificatons?
I have worked with livestock. Some of the books of the bible were written by herdsmen.
I take comfort in the qualifications of the Apostles;
Acts 4:13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
I too have had the experience that the Lord has been leading me in my studies. In this age when the “learned” men are abandoning faith in the Word of God, I will stand with the Lord. You can count me foolish if you want, that won’t change the fact that I am correct!
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. I Corinthians 1:25-29
I am foolish. I am base. I am weak. And yet somehow the Lord has seen fit to show me things that he has not shown the “wise men” of this age. And He keeps on doing it!
Dan
Hi Dan
Many thanks for your reply. A couple of points if you dont mind.
I do agree that Passover was just one day which is why the text in Acts 12:3-4 is confusing. I agree that there is one day only of Passover and Luke 22:7 refers back to that. But Acts 12:3 refers to the DAYS of unleavened bread which for me refers to the 7 days following Passover but v4 refers to “Pascha” which is the day of Passover so I can not marry the two up unless of course pascha could be taken to mean the full 8 days
Yes you are right in stating that Easter and Passover are not on the same day – esp since when the whole feast of Passover is seen as a period of 8 days. I found that they are meant to coincide though and that the Jewish calendar can have 13 months! Just to add to the discussion the orthodox and western churches have different days (found a good explanation of this on http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/godsreligion/a/aa040200.htm.But then I guess you know all that.
back to the term Easter. The reason I have difficulty with is that I was not rbought up in an english speaking home, for us we used the word pascha or Wielkanoc (Great Night). The term Easter I would suggest is only a problem for english speaking people. So for me to say that Easter ( or more correctly the word Easter) can only refer to a pagan festival is incorrect – even though undoubtedly there is a connection between the word Easter and a celtic (or other ) goddess. In the english language Easter refers to Ressurection Sunday, that is now historical and cant be changed. I think that is the point I was trying (maybe not very well) to make.
Similarly the comments about the KJV, big debate around this, but again the KJV is an argument made for engish speaking people
Oh rushing off to work now.. but just skimmed through a very interesting article which has some interesting points on the “Easter” dabate http://www.kjvtoday.com/home/easter-or-passover-in-acts-124
Interesting
Hi Kaz,
I have been on that website a few times, and its name is deceptive, for a start. I view it as an attack on the word of God. But that’s my opinion.
Their statement regarding the word Easter is interesting;
It is evident that the KJV translators viewed Easter as a Christian holiday. If the KJV translators considered Easter to be a Christian holiday, it is doubtful that they used it to mean a pagan holiday at Acts 12:4.
If you think logically about the implications of what they are saying it is that “Herod was waiting for the end of the Christian celebration of Easter, out of respect for it, before bringing Peter before the people in order to kill this Christian”.
I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t make any sense to me.
It is possible that the bible’s author was saying that the whole eight days was considered to be the Passover, but that would make this the only place in the bible where this is the case. This would be out of character for them. This is what modern translators think, and I think they are nuts.
By a process of elimination, it only leaves one interpretation that fits the facts and logic; Herod was waiting for his own pagan celebration to be over, before he would be bothered to kill this Christian. Right or wrong I think this is what the JKV translators were saying by including this word.
Had they believed it was a Christian word in its origins they do doubt would have used it in other places, like maybe “Christ our Easter is sacrificed for us”.
Interesting your use of “Wielkanoc” (Great Night). I believe the same thing in Czech would be something like “Velky Noc”. No doubt but that at some point our ancestors were brothers.
As for the KJV, here is my view; The KJV translators did, in reality, what Westcott and Hort fraudulently claimed to do. They pieced together the original bible using an eclectic mix of manuscripts, by reference to the Holy Spirit.
What Westcott and Hort did when coolating their “Codex Criticus” is they compiled a bible text which included all the accumulated errors to ever make their way into a bible document. The spirit they consulted was none other than Satan himself. This is why I reject any bible based on their work of fraud.
Is the KJV perfect? Well, if you mean, like infallible, “totally truthful” then yes it is. Does that mean that there might have been other clearer words they could have used? I think so, but I wouldn’t reject their work just because of a handful of unfortunate word choices.
I think they made a mistake in Isaiah 14, for instance. But considering the way modern translators have translated “heylel” they could have done worse. The truth is there if you study the complete passage. Read my take on it here
Thanks again for writing,
Dan
The KJV debate is important because English is the international language of the End Times.
I agree Jim,
Why can’t we call it Pascha, or the Passover? Why do English “Christians” insist on using this pagan name? Rabbits and Easter eggs are ancient pagan fertility symbols, and have no place in the celebration of the Lamb of God. I’m afraid that by the time of the Rapture most of the World’s “Christians” will be lost. Actually, I believe that is already the situation.
Jesus’ statement that “narrow is the way, and few there are who find it” is still true today. Most “Christians” are still on the Broad Way, and are deceiving themselves that they are following Jesus.
These Churches who teach an End Times revival are teaching heresy. The bible teaches an End Times Apostasy, which is exactly what we see today, and Rodney Howard-Browne, and the entire New Apostolic Reformation, is a part of it.
Unfortunately, a lot more “Christians” who are not as wacky as RHB are still a long way from the Lord!
God help us, indeed!
So Dan, what are we going to do?? I have repented of my sins ok, but I still fee guilty of hidden sin I may have etc – it tells me that people or individuals are doomed for the second death?? – that’s why I wrote “God help us”. Anyways
PS – And now I’m in a state of PANIC!!
Jim,
The primary meaning of the word “repentance” is a change of mind. We don’t just repent of our sins, but we also repent toward God, in Jesus Christ.
Actually it means more like we “repent of our own righteousness”, and accept His righteousness as a free gift!
To be honest, I am aghast that my own worst sins were committed after I had prayed to receive Christ!
I came to the point where I realized that I had asked Jesus to save me, and that He is greater than all of my sins, and I just have to trust Him.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
Repentance means that we stop trusting ourselves, and trust Him. We all fall, from time to time, and when we do the Devil tries to tell us that we are not saved! If you are truly saved, he can’t get you unsaved, but he can snatch your peace and victory in Christ.
My victory is in Christ, not in myself!
Paul the most influential Christian in history, tells us “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24
Let me ask you, does this sound like a man who was always victorious over sin? If the greatest Christian of all time can say this, then I too can rest in Christ. I can trust that my sins are washed away, and God will only see the things I have done for Him.
Is it OK to sin? No, but Christ gives us unlimited opportunities to continue on repenting, and to keep on trusting in Him.
We feel guilty when our eyes are on ourselves. Don’t look at yourself, but keep on looking at Him!
Read your bible, and believe what you read. If you don’t understand it, pray, and then keep on reading. He will meet you where your need is the greatest. (If you don’t have a KJV, I would recommend that you get one. Even though it is 400 years old, it is actually the clearest English bible you can find. The modern bibles leave the reader with doubts, but the KJV is clear and authoritative. A good dictionary is also a good idea, or you can get a “Defined King James Bible“)
You don’t have to confess your sins to me, but you do have to confess them to God. So confess them, and move on. You don’t have to change yourself, just yield to Him as He changes you.
In Christ,
Dan
Dan,
I do have Holy Bible(KJV) okay! I’ve had it for years on. Anyways God bless you
Dear Dan,
The article below is one I wrote a number of years ago following my own involvement with Toronto here in the UK where it has had a large and lasting impact, leaving behind a legacy of continued deception.
I believe this article to be relevant still.
POSTSCRIPT TO MY INVOLVEMENT WITH, AND DELIVERANCE FROM, THE ‘TORONTO EXPERIENCE’
Dear Friends,
They say what goes around comes around, and that is certainly true of the so-called Florida Revival under Todd Bentley. Having watched the shenanigans on the ‘Godless’ channel, I am painfully and sharply reminded of my own experiences whilst embroiled in ‘Toronto’, and can only thank my Lord afresh for opening my eyes to this gross deception, and, in His grace and His mercy, leading me out and putting me back on the path of His choosing for me once again. The enemy had sought to draw me off that path and onto a path which would have ultimately led to death and destruction; I thank God so much that he did not succeed.
There are many parallels and links between that and what is currently happening in Florida. People are being deceived yet again. The flames of the false anointing of Toronto died down, but now the enemy of our souls has fanned them, and they are flaming once more. This is nothing less than false fire.
Truly, truly, my friends, we are living in the Last Days. The Bible warns us of these things in Matthew 24: 11 & 12, and in verse 24. Oh, how important it is that we do what our Lord advises us in verse 13!
Amos 5:10 is certainly true for those of us who oppose these things and who stand for truth – at best we experience defensiveness, and at worst, downright hostility. Nevertheless, we need to continue to stand for that truth and to keep our eyes fixed on Him, the Leader and the Source of our faith, allowing nothing and no-one to distract us.
As I see this false revival gaining momentum, I am reminded once again of our Lord’s admonitions in the following passages: Matthew 7: 15 – 23 2 Corinthians 11: 3 & 4, 13 – 15.
In His love and service,
Sally
MY INVOLVEMENT WITH, AND DELIVERANCE FROM, THE ‘TORONTO EXPERIENCE’ (First published March 1996, updated June 2006) by SALLY RICHARDSON
My involvement with Toronto first started in July 1994. At that time, I was in a paid position of leadership in the Anglican church I attended, and on the church Staff Team.
In July 1994, the leadership of many churches in west London received an invitation to attend a meeting at a certain church in Acton, West London, which was a Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) church plant. The purpose of this meeting, the invitation letter explained, was for people to hear about and experience for themselves what was described as the ‘new move’ of the Holy Spirit happening at the Airport Vineyard Church, Toronto and being known to some as the Toronto Blessing. The letter stated that various members of HTB had recently returned from Toronto and wanted to share all they had learnt there and then pass it on in ministry afterwards.
Several of us in leadership in my church, including myself, attended. I remember at the time feeling very excited because, if this was, as was being claimed, a new move of the Holy Spirit, then I wanted to be part of it and to experience everything that was on offer. Others in our party were a lot more careful and cautious in their approach.
We arrived at the church where the meeting was to be held to find it full – there were no spare chairs. Someone hastened to find some for us, and meanwhile, the meeting started. There was a great sense of excited anticipation in the air; so tangible was it, that it was almost electric in effect.
At that point, our chairs were brought to us, but owing to lack of space in the church, the members of our party could not sit together. We were therefore separated and given chairs in various locations round the church. I remember I was sitting in the aisle, at the end of a row, and very near the front.
The meeting started with praise and worship before the various people who had been to Toronto were brought to the front, and introduced, the notable exception being Sandy Millar, Leading Minister at HTB. Every person at the front was exhibiting various unusual manifestations such as jumping up and down like pogo sticks, jerking, laughing, convulsing, etc. As you can imagine, it was very difficult for these people to speak, and so the testimonies they gave were somewhat disjointed, to say the least!
Each person said that it was a ‘new thing’ that God was doing, that it was a new move of the Holy Spirit, and that it was an empowering and anointing for ministry. We were then told that the time for ministry had come, and so, having invited the Holy Spirit to come, the various members of HTB and its associated churches began to move amongst the congregation, laying hands on all they could reach.
As I had a prominent position in the aisle, I was one of the first to have hands laid on me. Immediately, I went down on the floor, seemingly with some considerable force, and began to roll around on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. I seemed to be filled with an exceedingly great joy, which I felt I could hardly contain.
After some considerable time, during which I had been unable to stop rolling around on the floor laughing uncontrollably, I tried to get up and return to my seat. However, I felt very groggy and unsteady and could only manage to clamber halfway into my seat. As I did so, someone came up to me, laid hands on me and said, ‘Give her more, Lord, give her more!’ I went down onto the floor once again, and the whole process of rolling around and laughing uncontrollably started once again. Altogether, this experience happened seven times in total – each time I tried to get up from the floor, someone would come along, lay hands on me, utter the now familiar words, ‘Give her more, Lord!’, and off I would go again.
Two particular occasions stand out in my mind as I remember that night and this particular meeting. On the first occasion, I had just had hands laid on me for the third or fourth time and had fallen on the floor. As I lay there, I was aware that my skirt had ridden up, and was somewhere around my waist, exposing my person in somewhat indecent fashion. However, in comparison to what was happening, this seemed so very trivial that I could not be bothered to put my skirt down. All I did was lie there, laughing uncontollably. Then someone came along and tugged at my skirt to pull it down and make me decent. At this point, I glanced up and saw that the person pulling my skirt down was none other than Sandy Millar. For some reason, I found this uproariously funny, and laughed the harder and the louder. I remember seeing, at the same time that Sandy Millar pulled my skirt down, that various people in the congregation were either lying down shaking and laughing, or staggering around, holding onto articles of furniture to stop them from falling as they went.
On the second occasion, I remember having clambered onto a pew, where I lay laughing and shaking uncontrollably. Once again, someone came up to me and repeated the now very familiar words, ‘Give her more, Lord, give her more!’ Whereupon, I fell off the pew and onto the floor, where I lay uncomfortably wedged between my own pew and the one in front, having uncontollable hysterics yet again.
Eventually, it seemed, the meeting ended. By this time, my vicar and the local Baptist minister had come over to me and were quite literally pulling me up off the floor. I could hardly stand, and was falling, staggering and flopping about like someone who had had too much to drink. It was very obvious to my vicar and the Baptist minister that there was no way that I could walk unaided, and so of one accord, they took one arm each, and supporting me on either side, half led and half carried me out of the church. I was laughing uncontrollably still, but as we left the church, I glanced round to see what was happening. Some people were still lying on the floor laughing and shaking, and others were staggering drunkenly about. Yet others stood with vacant or bemused expressions on their faces as though wondering what to make of it all.
Meanwhile, we were going out through the church doors and into the car-park. Still, the two leaders were half carrying me, and when we got to my vicar’s car, they had to open the back door and deposit me like a sack of potatoes on the seat. None of the others, I noticed, had been touched in the way I had. I remember thinking, ‘Poor things – they HAVE missed out!’
When we got back to the block of flats where we live, I was helped out of the car and to the main entrance. I remember I could not open the door, and our next door neighbour’s son, who happened to be standing just inside, saw me and opened it for me.
He made an exclamation of astonishment and said I had obviously had too much to drink! I remember at this point thinking how grateful I was that our flat was on the ground floor, otherwise I would never have got up the stairs – our block of flats has five floors, and the local council has not seen fit to install a lift!
I staggered into our flat and into the sitting-room, where my husband was sitting watching television. He looked up at me as I entered, a look of amazement and astonishment dawning on his face. ‘Are you drunk?’ he asked. ‘I thought you had been to a church meeting!’ For some reason, I found this remark highly amusing, and collapsed on the settee, laughing uncontrollably. My poor husband! He just did not know what to make of it all, and was very perturbed. Eventually, not being able to get any sense out of me, he went to bed, leaving me to it. I remember, during one bout of hysterical laughter, glancing at the wall-clock and seeing it said 2am. I must have fallen asleep sometime after that because I awoke, around 5am in the morning, in a stiff and awkward position on the settee. I still felt groggy, as though it was the morning after the night before. Before I became a Christian, I had had a drink problem, and used to get drunk almost every night of the week on a bottle of wine or several strong beers. This experience seemed no different, except of course, that I had had no alcohol!
After that initial meeting, it was as though I could not get enough of Toronto. Toronto was like a drug to me, and I needed my ‘fix’. The more I had, the more I wanted. I couldn’t do without it. It was like being on a permanent ‘high’. When I had been to a Toronto meeting and had been forward for yet another anointing, the effects on me were similar to when I had dabbled with drugs, especially cannabis, in the years before I had come to know the Lord. Cannabis had given me a light, floaty, dissociated feeling, and this was the same, except I didn’t have to pay for it!
One particular meeting, out of all the Toronto meetings I attended, stands out in my mind. This was the Times of Refreshing Conference at HTB in 1995, and at which Nicky Gumbel was taking one session. I remember, I was sitting with my friend Mandy just in front of the recording desk, when I began to jerk and shake and jump up and down from my chair. I didn’t seem able to stop myself, despite holding tightly to the back of the chair in front of me. The next thing I knew, I was jumping higher and higher each time. One or two others, I noticed, were doing the same.
At this point, Nicky Gumbel stopped speaking and said, ‘There are people here that God wants to anoint for a ministry of evangelism!’ He beckoned for us to come forward, which we did, I being the first to reach the front. Nicky Gumbel laid hands on me and prayed for me, whereupon I collapsed in a heap on the floor. Later, at that same conference, John and Eleanor Mumford from the sw London Vineyard Church led a session. There was no preaching or teaching – instead it was mostly Eleanor Mumford sharing her testimony of how she had brought the Toronto Experience over from the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church (as it was known then).
It was following this that Sandy Millar stepped forward and asked all present (over 1,000) to take their chairs, and stack them up against the walls so that ministry could begin. This having been done, he then invited the Holy Spirit to come. Immediately, order flew out of the window and complete and utter pandemonium reigned – people began falling like ninepins, including myself, laughing, screaming and making various animal noises as they went. Various anointings for various ministries were announced as the meeting progressed, and there was total chaos as people tried to make their way to the places where the various anointings were taking place, pushing their way through the sea of bodies lying prostrate on the floor jerking, convulsing, rolling and shaking. It was at this point that I experienced some stirrings of doubt and misgiving, but I quickly pushed them away and went off to receive my anointing or yet another ministry.
A few days after the Times of Refreshing Conference, I received a letter from a lady whose ministry I supported. She was writing in response to a word of knowledge I had had for her, and was sharing how that word had been pertinent to her circumstances at that time. She had enclosed with her letter various news and prayer letters from several ministries, including her own and those of Prophetic Word Ministries and Moriel. All, without exception, were about the Toronto experience, saying it was not a blessing at all, but a deception and a delusion and an alien spirit.
When I look back, I cannot think of any reason as to why this lady saw fit to send these news and prayer letters except that the Lord had laid it on her heart to do so. Much as I admired the ministries of those who had sent them, I had great difficulty in accepting what they said about Toronto. The lady whose ministry I supported recommended a tape by David Noakes, so I wrote to him requesting a copy. Meanwhile, I was determined to know the truth of the matter, so I took a day off work and went for a walk by the river in Putney. Here, I found a quiet spot to prostrate myself before the Lord and to ask Him to show me whether these people were right or wrong in what they were saying about Toronto. I didn’t want them to be right, but at the same time I knew I needed to come into truth – Biblical truth – about the matter. I never thought to look at the Scripture references these ministers gave and check them for myself.
The following day, I had the day off work anyway, and decided I would go to Clapham Junction to do some shopping. I was going down Lavender Hill, when I noticed a Christian bookshop called Cornerstone.
I went in and immediately noticed a section of books on Toronto – unusually, books WARNING against it, not promoting it! One particular booklet, entitled ‘No Laughing Matter’ by Stanley Jebb, particularly caught my eye. I picked it up, and began to look through it.
At that point, the proprietress of the bookshop came over and asked if she could help me. I asked her about the booklet, and she said she could really recommend it, as it went into great detail, with relevant Scripture references provided, to point out the dangers of the Toronto Experience.
I told the proprietress that I had been heavily involved in Toronto, and that I was trying to discover the truth of the matter as it seemed it might be different from what I had been led to believe. As difficult as it might be, I told this lady, I was duty-bound to find GOD’S truth on the issue. The proprietress urged me to take away the booklet and to look up the Scripture references therein for myself. Meanwhile, she told me, she would pray for me, and ask the Lord to bring me into truth.
The next day was the day my church’s Intercession Group met. The four of us in the group met as usual, and began to bring our church, its leaders, ongoing issues etc. before the Lord, and to seek His face.
After a break in prayer, the Pastoral Worker at the church said that the leadership of the church were considering sending our vicar to Toronto, and were going to bring it up at the next meeting of the PCC. The PCC meeting was a few days later.
I could not keep quiet, and told the others that I was having second thoughts about Toronto, and that perhaps we should therefore reconsider the decision to send our vicar to Toronto. I then showed the other members of the group the materials I had been sent.
With one exception, my suggestion was met with derision and scorn. ‘Who DID these people think they were?’ they said. ‘How DARE they criticise a mighty move of God!’ And I was just as bad for even CONSIDERING that they could be right!
We continued to pray, but I found it very difficult, as I no longer felt I was of one mind with the others in the group, and that we were praying at cross-purposes. Nevertheless, I soldiered on. It was then that the Lord gave me a picture of a broken down stone wall of the sort that are common in Derbyshire and the Peak District.
I brought this picture before the group and we asked the Lord what it meant. However, He seemed to be saying that He would show us later, so we left it there and continued to pray.
Upon returning home, I found that the postman had been and that I had received David Noakes’ tape. David had been to Toronto in October 1994 to experience what was happening there and to report his findings, and this was the tape recording what he had found there. I settled down to listen to it.
As David shared, I began to realise, through a witness in my spirit, that this was indeed the truth of the matter, and that Toronto was indeed a delusion and a deception. As David gave Scriptural references to back up what he was saying, I checked them for myself and found them to be true. (Up until this point, I had never checked the Toronto experience with the Word – rather, I had just yielded myself up to it and had chased one new experience after another).
Then a phrase that David used caught my attention. ‘The walls of scripture are being broken down’, he said.* Immediately, the picture of the broken down stone wall came back to my mind, and I knew instantly that this was that to which it referred. The Toronto proponents were taking Scripture out of context and were making it fit the phenomena, instead of rightly testing it against the Word.
David went on to say that, in his experience, anyone caught up in Toronto inevitably needed ministry because of the strong, very dark spirits behind it. I was very perturbed, and after praying, I wrote to David Noakes explaining the fact that I had been heavily involved in Toronto, but now come out of it, and asking him to pray for me.
Meanwhile, I had returned to Cornerstone, the Christian bookshop in Clapham Junction, where Ulrike, the proprietess, suggested I have ministry to cut me free from the Toronto spirit. I told her that I had written to David Noakes, whom she knew, asking him if he might minister to me and that I was awaiting his reply. She told me that she knew someone who would minister to me if I did not want to wait to see David.
As the days went by, I became increasingly friendly with Ulrike and her husband Brian, who owned and ran ‘Cornerstone’. Ulrike took me under her wing, and, like a mother of Israel, began to lead me in the way of truth concerning not only Toronto, but other false teachings as well. She also introduced me to ‘Intercessors for Britain’, under whose auspices at the time that I began to attend the Ladies’ Prayer and Bible Days which were then at Westminster Chapel and led by Pat Hughes, Patricia Gordon and Gay Hyde.
On my second visit to the Ladies’ Prayer and Bible Days meeting, I was chatting to Ulrike during the lunch break when Patricia Gordon came over to us. Ulrike introduced me to Patricia, and told her about my involvement with Toronto. Patricia then asked if I had had ministry to set me free. I told Patricia that I was awaiting ministry with David Noakes, but she lovingly but very firmly assured me that there was no time like the present, and that she, Pat Hughes and Gay Hyde would minister to me after the meeting. She went on to add that David Noakes, whom she knew and regarded very highly, would not mind at all, saying that the Lord had provided the opportunity for me to have ministry and that I should therefore make the most of it.
Before ministry began, Pat and Gay asked me some very searching questions such as, what had Toronto done for me, what good had come from it and whether, as many claimed they did, I had a greater hunger for God’s word.
Their penetrating, but nevertheless very necessary, questions made me realise that in fact the very opposite was true. Instead of having a greater hunger for God’s Word, I actually found it very difficult to pray, much less open my Bible. I honestly had not been aware of this until these three dear and very Godly ladies confronted me with it, so caught up had I been in chasing various spiritual experiences.
The three ladies first of all led me in a prayer of repentance after which, my having renounced my involvement with Toronto, proceeded to cut me free from the Toronto spirit. As they did so, I can only describe what then occurred as a heaviness going, a feeling of a large and very heavy blanket being lifted and a fog dispersing. It was as though I could see clearly again!
Later on, I did see David Noakes for ministry as the Lord had showed me that for me, Toronto was just the tip of the iceberg. Previous to becoming embroiled and entangled with Toronto, I had been involved in other false teaching and deceptive practices such as Restorationism and Name It and Claim It and realised I needed ministry in order to be released from the detrimental effects of these teachings. I saw David Noakes and his prayer partner in January 1996, and in the ministry that followed, I was wonderfully and gloriously cut free from the roots of all the deceptive practices and teachings I had taken on board in the past.
Since coming into the truth concerning Toronto and my subsequent ministry, I have had such a desire to walk in truth and holiness before the Lord, and to set no unclean thing before me. Nothing less than this will do. Since then there has always a ‘check’ in my when something is not of God, even though there are occasions when I cannot find the reasons why in my Bible.
The Lord has also made it very clear to me that, having come into truth and having been set free (Gal. 5:1) that I am no longer to go to churches or associate myself with ministries where Toronto and indeed other false teachings, are promoted and accepted. This has meant that I have had to leave my previous church where I had worshipped for seven and a half years. Toronto was in evidence there, as well as other false teachings such as Replacement and Dominion theology to name but two.
I thank God that, in the midst of this, He promised me that He had ‘prepared a place for me, a place where I would continue to be nurtured and fed and where the things that were now dear to my heart were practiced and taught.’ In June 1996, he led me to this place, a little independent chapel in nw London where the teaching is sound, the ministry balanced and without excesses and where I received a warm welcome and became part of a close-knit church family. I AM used of the Lord there, but not in any of the supposed ‘anointings’ I received when I was caught up in Toronto. I got nothing from these ‘anointings’, despite all their promises of equipping for ministry. Instead, I still have the gifts I have always had since being baptised in the Holy Spirit.
Sally Richardson June 2006
11 years on, and I am still at the same independent fellowship that the Lord led me to in 1996. It is a precious little fellowship where the things of God are faithfully taught and where the truth of Scripture is paramount. I am reminded that it was at Shavuot (Pentecost) 11 years ago that I first attended a service at this little church, and it was Shavuot last weekend. I owe so very much to the Lord, and am grateful too for those dear folk who prayed for me and helped me to come out of deception. Sadly, although our church has been extremely careful to uphold Biblical practice and teaching, much of the church has not, and in the last 11 years, I have seen error and deception proliferate and multiply.
The Lord has spoken to me much out of Ezekiel 13. Read it for yourself and you will see how relevant and pertinent it is to the situation in much of the Church in these days. When I look at verse 5, which reads YOU HAVE NOT GONE INTO THE GAPS OR BREECHES, NOR BUILT UP THE WALL (FOR THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL – parantheses mine) THAT IT MIGHT STAND IN THE BATTLE OF THE DAY OF THE LORD, it reminds me of David Noakes’ warning on that tape I listened to all those years ago where he said that the walls of Scripture were being broken down.* Much of the church is in ruins because of false teaching, false prophecies and deceptive practices, and yet they seem unaware of their wretched state. People tell me that Toronto is over, but it has surely left its legacy. So too, will the latest fads and teachings that many are so taken with, the latest being Purpose Driven.
I can only pray for those caught up in false teaching and deception and especially pray that He might open their eyes and bring them out as He brought me out. Will you join me?
Sally Richardson
Thanks for your comments, Sally,
What a wonderful contribution to this article!
May God richly bless you,
Dan
Wonderful testimony Sally.. so many points very well made. One of the key ones for me was when you said “I had never checked the Toronto experience with the Word – rather, I had just yielded myself up to it and had chased one new experience after another”
That is always the bottom line. Funnily enough I had a brief conversation with someone about generational curses, I mentioned that it is important to refer back to scripture for all things. They replied “well its biblical…” I tried to explain why it is important not to take things about of context (which I believe the teaching of generational curses abuses) but was told that we can all interpret bible different ways. I said I was happy to sit down and discuss verses but they just walked off because I was interpreting things incorrectly.
I think we can not go far wrong if we take the words of Jesus when being tempted by the devil he replied three times “It is written…” I am so pleased Sally that you came across that booklet that showed you what was happening from a biblical perspective.
I know from someone who went for a couple of years to a church in the US, where they believe that extra revelation is now required and those who are “limited” to jsut the Bible are called “wordies.” No wonder people get confused and misled when teaching not only is not supported by scripture but is in opposition!
In my own personal life I am struggling with family members who are very much into deception surrounding areas of deliverance ministry, no amount of discussion helps, not that they are willing to discuss. I just place them into the Lords hands…
Once again Sally excellent article.