When I was told about the Florida Revival, I watched in eager anticipation- I thought for sure that God was doing something amazing and I wanted to witness it. However after watching for a few nights my initial exuberance turned to grief and despair. God does not ever violate or add to His scripture and I knew that what I was witnessing was a deception of epic proportions.
There are several reasons why this “revival” can not be God. Todd Bentley admits that he has an angel named Emma who appears as a beautiful woman who wears a dress like Katherine Kuhlman and floats off the ground when she walks. In fact he also claims to have the angel of William Branham and John G. Lake. He regularly talks about seeing angels, and having them talk to him, minister to him and even perform surgery on him.
Although angels are biblical and without question do exist, there is NO BIBLICAL PRECIDENT for this type of interaction with them. There is also no biblical precedent for female angels. Although, angels are neither male nor female, they without exception appear as men in every biblical example. In every scriptural case of a human having contact with an angel the angel always says, “Fear Not”. There was a reason for this- in our mortal bodies seeing an angel would terrify the very bravest among us. The solders who were guarding the tomb of Jesus fainted when they saw the angel. However Todd Bentley and others like him would have us believe that angels appear to them daily and engage them in normal everyday conversation.
May I submit to you that Todd Bentley is not conversing with a HOLY angel but rather a demon, spirit of deception, or spirit guide? Interestingly enough, EMMA O is another name for Satan and is mentioned in the Satanic Bible. I am sure this fact is not lost on those who have come out of the occult.
“Do not let anyone disqualify you by making you humiliate yourself and worship angels. Such people enter into visions, which fill them with foolish pride because of their human way of thinking. They do not hold tightly to Christ, the head. It is from him that all the parts of the body are cared for and held together. So it grows in the way God wants it to grow.” -- Colossians 2:18-19, NCV.
BUT... BUT you are saying..wait.. What about the healing..What about all the good stuff? Let me tell you something. If you were thirsty and I brought you a pitcher of cool clean water, placed it on the table, brought a tall glass with ice, and asked you to drink some - you would. Now if I took the same pitcher and added just one small drop of arsenic- would you still drink it? Why NOT???? 99.99999 is water and that’s good right?? Yeah you say but it is that one drop that would kill me! Yeah – my point precisely. If you study scripture you will see that God is not too thrilled with a “mixture” in fact He hates it. I know you are still not convinced - I mean after all what about the great signs and wonders??
"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)
Remember the magicians were able to replicate almost every miracle that Moses performed before Pharaoh Think about it.
2Cr 11:13 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 I have seen the vision by Paul Cain several times. In fact it is indiscriminately posted all over the internet. It does not matter to me so much what Paul Cain says. I could say that I am Jesus Christ but it does not make it so. Please judge what Paul has to say in the light of scripture. This "Joel's Army" that he refers to actually gets destroyed by God. Have you read your Bible? The man is prophesying his own destruction. Joel's army is NOT a good thing- they bring destruction to the land. The scripture says that before them the land is like the Garden of Eden but after they pass by the land is desolate. Does this sound like a big end time revival to you? Please check and test.Mat 24:24 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.
Right on! Thanks for posting!
Trash
Not sure who you are calling Trash? If it was the author of the article then thank you, and you are right- I am trash. If it was Todd, then I would have to say that he is truely deceived and needs our love and prayers.
I found your opinion interesting.
You wrote:
"They do not hold tightly to Christ"
Have you met Todd Bentley? He does hold so very tightly to Christ. I have met him. Have you personally been to the Lakeland Outpouring? It's one thing to watch on TV or Internet. It's another to be there in person. I've done both. Not once, not twice, but at least ten days I've been there in person. In the beginning I went to see for myself if this is of God or not. To find out, who is this Todd Bentley? I had only heard his name before this. I admit, I was skeptical. He is a man of radical faith. He has a boldness that I've not seen in some years. But of Satan? No. Operating in deception? No.
I agree that we have to be cautious. That we should never accept something based on what someone says or does or because they look good, or because they move our emotions.
This Outpouring in Florida is real. Preparation for it has been made for no less than five years. I can say this first hand from my own experience. Not from what I've been told or what I've read from others. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course.
There were those in the Bible who believed Jesus Himself to "be mad", to "have a demon". He shook things up everywhere he went. Jesus healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, cast out devils, and raised the dead, saved them that were lost. I believe we need to use caution in using Scripture, using it in context, not have a verse or two excerpted to prove our point.
If you haven't been there in person, I encourage you to go. Go for at least two nightly meetings. Then see what you think.
Best to you.
Witches can heal without saying Jesus's name. The difference is a that it is a different spirit other then the Holy Spirit. Hearing a testimony from an ex-witch, who is now a christian, the difference between a satanic healing and healing from God is that satanic healings are partial and can not heal terminal illness such as AIDS, CANCER, etc. Only God can heal termaninal illness. Satan can not cast out satan however, he can create a partial miracle to counterfeit a real one, in order to deceive. If we do not look up close and examine to see if the healings are from God or not, we stand a chance of being fooled. Question that needs to be answered in this revival: ARE there any documented terminal medical
sickness such as AIDS and TERMINAL CANCER BEING HEALED. I have seen only a line for hands to be laid upon TO HEAL...BUT NEVER SEE THESE FOLKS COME BACK.I have been watching for nearly over 2.5 months and so far, nothing. Another question I have why would God put in a gold tooth, wouldn't he put in a white tooth the one he designed for us to have at birth? What about the guy with the glass eye, and two missing limbs? Why would God just heal his eye to see and not heal the missing limbs? Jesus made people whole. This sound like a partial healing to me.
Are we so hungry for the move of God and revival that we would accept anything or anybody without testing and questioning the spirits?
Hi Morgan, am sure you are genuine in your thoughts/opinions on Todd Bentley, but can we all never ever compare him with our Lord Jesus? Todd Bentley is but a man,and I too have suspicions about him and his signs & wonders. But let us never ever compare him or anyone with Jesus as none of us are worthy to be put in the same category as our Saviour...especially not Todd Bentley.
Biblical teachings about revival: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/viewcat.php?cid=123
Just discovered this site, wonderful!!!
Todd Bentley is SO OBVIOUSLY HERETICAL,how can anyone in their right mind fall for this?Shame on Pat Robertson for putting his stamp of approval on this blasphemous garbage.
People are being deceived.
People are not discipled, mature, and grounded in the Word.
Once they're exposed to the mass acceptance, the praise and worship, and socalled leaders who say this is of God, they give in.
Then it's like they've been brainwashed and they have all kinds of excuses why this is of God, even in the face of Biblical admonitions/commands to break fellowship with people like Todd.
As if Pat Robertson is any beacon of light or source of intelligence. The way he he unashamedly laps up the B.S. the Bush administration has been excreting since the office was occupied. How can a true Christian man in his position offer an ounce of public support for a man responsible for the patriot act, senate bill 1959, the death of 4000 American soldiers and countless Iraqis? Shame on Pat Robertson for alot of things!
Thanks for that post. A great analogy with the pitcher of water and one drop of arsenic. That is my answer to all who say "Come and experience Lakeland before you judge it." Do I have to go and experience arsenic before I can judge it also? I have also been posting on Todd Bentley here: http://viewfromthewall.blogspot.com/ I'm sharing sections from the book "The Beautiful Side of Evil" in a post entitled "Can the Devil Heal" which should be enlightening to anyone who believes the devil can't produce healings. We need to remember that satan can do whatever God allows him to do, and God has promised to send strong delusion on those who do not love the truth. One of the marks of antichrist is that he will be able to work miracles by the power of satan. We need to be grounded in Scripture and test all spirits, no matter what the manifestations are. God bless you.
Note from Mishel: Comment removed- exact comment was placed under four different articles- you are free to post in the forum but the purpose of the comment section is to comment or discuss the article at hand.
Satan cannot cast out satan. period.
Can Satan voluntarily leave? Can he have a conversation with himself and schedule a vacation?
Be careful quoting the author of the "Beautiful Side of Evil". The author has endorsed Laura Stratford and Mike Warnke and defended them even though they have been proven to be frauds and hoaxters, much like Todd Bentley himself. This would not provide the best basis for the information you would like to present, as the author herself is suspect because of her associations and endorsements.
You can research this at Cornerstone Magazine...
Topic: "The End Is Near" http://hiswaynetwork.org/smf/index.php/topic,50.0.html
doublemind
Newbie
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"The End Is Near"
« on: Today at 09:14:47 AM »
Well, now that the Florida Outpouring is apparently coming to a close in an incremental fashion, I like many others, are wondering what is going on. This is my own speculation as to what might be possibly the reason for the declaration of the end of this amazing event at Lakeland. I think the main reason is, is that the controversy has gotten so intense the leaders (and perhaps God himself) are becoming stressed out and unable or unwilling to carry the revival much longer. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's my opinion. It may be the same spirit that caused the children of Israel to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. Their journey was riddled by unbelief, complaining, bickering and insubordination so God could not deliver on His promises right away. That situation is exactly like the body of Christ today. It is in a very serious schism which must be resolved by prayer, humility and peaceful discussion, not the blaming, finger-pointing and accusation that we are seeing. The world does not need to see yet another civil war. Jesus' prayer to His Father in John 17 must and will be answered or the church has nothing to say to the world. The church has the free will to help or to hinder, depending on how much they want to see God glorified how much they want people to be saved. Every point of controversy must be addressed and an agreement reached by all factions with a strong desire for purity and God's will to come forth in the church-at-large. Are there apostles and prophets today? Examine the Word and inspect the fruit. Allow for honest criticism (heresy hunting). If your criticism is deemed overly harsh or unfounded, then stop and look at it and your motives for having it. Desire to please God first even if you have to modify your own views. Will there be a "rapture" in the context that it is presented? That's really unknown and should be a non-issue so why elaborate on it? All we know is what we see are signs of Christ's soon return and that is sufficient. So what if God did tell Todd Bentley to get tattooed. He told Peter, a Jew, to eat unclean animals didn't He? Hey, and it was even through an A N G E L. Wowwwww! What has God said to you lately? Are you listening? His "sheep" know His voice or they had better learn it fast and stop pretending. The world knows if you do or not and more importantly, God knows. Everybody who names the name of Christ should not only depart from iniquity, but should lay their egos on the altar as well. I know I need revival and I think we all do. I remain double minded to a large extent over the present day claims of revival activity and will continue to wait before joining either side, but on a personal level, I am more aware of God within me than last month. My postings will certainly not be the same as then when my attitude was more worldly, but some of the same confusion might still be present. Markwalter, you can ban me if you want to or remove the not-so-good stuff. It's alright I love you just the same. So long and shalom.
"It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops." (Matthew 10:25-27) NKJV
Submitted by Ben C on Fri, 08/01/2008 - 23:51.
'Can Satan voluntarily leave? Can he have a conversation with himself and schedule a vacation?'
lol..what nonsense. Praise God neither you or anyone like minded can prevent what God is doing. Happy days.
I wouldn't dream of stopping God from what He is doing, I just want to recognize it for what it is.
2Th 2:7-12 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Bentley MAY actually be healing the sick and casting out demons but that also is not the point if he is UNRIGHTEOUS and doesn't really know the Lord (and his own testimony leads me to believe that).
Mat 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Did you notice the iniquity part? That means that our ways are not God's ways. (Like bragging about kicking elderly women in the face.) To do things God's way we (and I) need to die daily to our own wants and desires. Bragging alone is a clear indicator of a person seeking glory for the very nature that should already be dead and subsumed in Christ. Why not let the works speak for themselves? Why the self-promotion and hype? Is that what Jesus did?
Good post Ben. I have a verse that keeps running through my mind everytime I encounter this whole Todd Bentley scenario, Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." The indwelling of the Holy Spirit produces these virtues in a believers life.
I think one of the things that keeps coming to me whenever I see anything on Todd Bentley is, do I see the fruits of the Spirit in him? I haven't seen a lot of kindness, patience, gentleness or self control. He is not believable to many Christians, not merely through the scriptures (that we all can find to discount what he's doing), but also in his demeanor. If he was sitting in on a witness stand, could we convict him of being a Christian?
Another thought, satan schemes don't involve complete lies, they involve half-truths. I agree that you may see some things from Todd that look Christian-like, but you must look at the whole picture. Does everything that you see and hear from him, line up with God's Word and God's nature? If you look at Apostle Paul's life, people knew that he was the real deal, because his nature had changed so completely that you could not see Saul anymore. Do we see that same thing here?
I realize that Todd's past life was not a good one (again I compare him to Paul here), but has he so changed by his repentence and conversion that he is a new person? Or, has he just added the Christian claim to what was already there.
None of us can truly know a person's heart, but we can inspect the fruit of a person's life. We can look at the things they do and see if they line up with scripture. If not, boy we had better be careful.
Angels do not have a gender, because they are spirits, not souls.
It's only the soul which gives the s pirit a sexual orientation for the role of copulation in a physical body. A human spirit takes on a soul for the purpose of an earthly life. Angels have no need for procreation, therefore they are purely spiritual.
Dude, you may have the truth on your lips about Todd, (Joseph Smith, Moroni and the Mormons spring to mind) but if you are going to try to make people see your point you are required to do it in love, and not frustration and sarcasm. How many people will you actually get thru to if you first provoke them to thinking something negative of you? Think about it, brother.
Continue winning souls for Christ, and always remember that love conquers all.
Personally, I think that if Todd is deceived by a demon, it doesn't matter TOO much, why? Because remember in Philipians Paul was talking about those who were teaching about Jesus in order to discredit him (Paul), and to make money, or some other wrong motive, but Paul wasn't concerned - he said, "it doesn't matter - as long as Jesus is preached."
If you look at the FRUIT of Todd, you could say he exhibits the fruit of the Spirit, and he preaches Jesus as God... Praise God!
Let us be careful not to bring judgement on ourselves by bringing this man down - THE GOSPEL IS SPREAING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD THRU TV AND THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING! :) Let us pray for those that hear thru Todd that they may be saved and that one day we may all meet each other and be united on the New Earth FOREVER! Can anyone tell me anything more exciting?!?!?! Never.
God bless you, brothers and sisters.
A word for the wise: Don't listen to everything that ANY man says - read and know the Bible - it explains EVERYTHING you need to know, perfectly. One thing that has helped me: Listening to the audio bible while doing mundane work - it's incredible how much is actually talked about in the epistles when listened to through from Acts to Jude! The Word of God is truly inspired by God! 2 Timothy 3:16
You make some valid points, friend. But Todd was not really preaching that much of the real Jesus of the Gospels but another Jesus mixed with all sorts of occult beliefs and practices. Most of the people tuning in or going to Lakeland were already "christian" to some degree and just looking for a sign or a miracle or to get on the next "wave" of charismatic/pentecostal "gotta have a feeling and a vision" experience. The next "christian" acid trip. Sorry if this sounds harsh.
I believe it's good thing you are doing, listening to the word all the time. That is something I also have determined to do, but must make the purchase first because I don't have the audio bible.
Be Blessed.
I don't mean to sound harsh to you, Ruperta, but I think you should study God's Word about angels, testing spirits,etc. God is able to do anything of course, but He will not violate His own Word. It sounds to me that your "angels" are familiar and deceiving spirits.
Of course God is cool! but He's not cool with His people playing with the occult and demonic spirits. He warns us to test them even if they come "preaching another Jesus" and appearing as an angel of light. I bet if you tested these "angels" they would leave or reveal their true nature. Be careful, friend. God certainly is rigid when it comes to telling us how to protect ourselves from deception. Read the Bible. Also, consider reading the book "The Beautiful Side of Evil" by Johanna Michaelsen.
Peace and Blessings to you
Oh if I had a dime for everytime I have heard this stuff. Wow...God is not rigid? You need to tell that to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, or to any other number of people he destroyed for disobedience. Either you believe the Bible is the word of God or you don't- pretty simple really. Trust me- the angels you are "entertaining" are demonic spirits... they are good to you now because you are behaving as they want you to. Start to resist them and they will turn on you and you will see them for who they really are. You have opened yourself up to something that can destroy you both body and soul. There is a reason Jesus said that the end times would be marked with deception.