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By Mishel
Todd Bentley was born January 10, 1976 and born again between Christmas 1993 and January 1994. He was raised in Gibson, British Columbia on the Canadian West Coast. His parents divorced and by Bentley’s own admission he was a deeply troubled youth. The abused son of an alcoholic, his past included Satanic worship, drugs, alcohol, criminal burglary, abuse of his deaf mother, assault, involvement in a sexual assault ring, and several stints in youth prison.
There are conflicting stories as to what age Bentley was saved however most seem to agree on the age of 18. Bentley was apparently set free from every addiction while he was high in his drug dealer’s trailer. In 2001, Report News magazine ran a profile on Bentley in which they stated that his past had included more than one instance of sexual molestation. In the ensuing controversy Bentley admitted to Charisma magazine that the article was in substance correct. . “There were sexual crimes,” Bentley admits. “I was involved in a sexual-assault ring. I turned around and did what had happened to me. I was assaulted too.…. I don’t like to talk about it publicly because it would hurt [my ministry].”The Report News magazine, 04-30-2001 by Rick Hiebert
In describing his conversion, Bentley says that God found him in his drug dealer's trailer and spoke to him in an audible voice. "I was instantly delivered from drug and alcohol addiction, I never had one craving, not one withdrawal symptom, I was transformed from that man to the man that I am today." This is an amazing testimony by anyone’s standards, yet nowhere does Bentley describe repentance or the acceptance and confession of Jesus as his savior.
In the first couple of months after his conversion Bentley went to the Monday Mass at the local Catholic Church. He called this, “The hottest meeting in town.” Subsequently he involved himself in a home group associated with the same Catholic Church. At one of these home group meetings, he claims that God told him to tell a member of the group that he (Bentley) had a demon. He claims that he was so possessed by this demon spirit that he started speaking in another voice and thrashing and writhing on the floor like a snake. Not only does he describe having 25 demons cast out of him, he also claims that as he is cursing, writhing, thrashing and speaking with a voice that is not his, he is simultaneously saying “I love Jesus." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtSK9TyduR4
Reportedly, Bentley’s ministry began in 1998, just four years after being saved. The Fresh Fire Ministry Group asked Bentley to give his testimony at one of their weekly meetings. Soon after, Bentley, at the tender age of 22 took over the leadership of the group, which became a revival movement. Subsequently, Bentley was commissioned into full time ministry by fellow Canadian Pat Coking / Cocking (AKA Patricia King) after hearing an audible voice from the Lord. In giving first hand testimony of the event, he states that “One another occasion, just before the night I was called into the ministry, the Lord himself came to me. I didn't see him in physical form, but the concentrated presence of a person came to me and spoke to me clearly for almost four hours. He said: "Tonight you're going to go to Mission, B.C. Pat Coking has asked you to share a 10-minute testimony. In fact, Todd, tonight I'm going to tell her to take an offering up, to ordain you into the ministry and to tell you to quit your job. She's going to lay her hands on you and you're going to the nations from this day forward. The Lord continued to give all kinds of revelation, speaking to me in a clear audible voice. I went to the meeting that night in mission and everything the Lord said happened. Here I am now traveling all over the world.” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
Why is the fact that Patricia King “ordained” or commissioned Todd Bentley alarming? Patricia King admits to being in both the occult and New Age prior to coming to Christ. Her teachings are blatantly New Age and she openly refers to herself as a “New Mystic.” Her most recent dalliance into neo-paganism comes with her promotion of “Ekstasis,” a form of trance dancing. Her itinerant pastor who doubles as a travelling DJ calls the show “Club Mysterio” http://www.deceptionbytes.com/PatriciaKing-Ekstasis
However, to fully delve into the heretical and mystical New Age teaching of Patricia King is a task too extensive for my undertaking at this time. Suffice it to say that Bentley’s connection to and discipleship by Patricia King is enough all by itself to call his credibility into question.
Equally alarming is the fact that Bentley calls aberrant Kansas City prophet, Bob Jones his spiritual father. This is the same Bob Jones that had young women disrobe to receive their prophecy naked before the Lord. Bob Jones believes he can go to the third heaven at will, openly practices astral- projection, and believes that the anointing of God resides in the Kidneys. On the April 11th telecast of the Lakeland revival Bentley claims the following. “Bob Jones told me one time, he said, the anointing works in the kidneys - the fat, the kidneys, the adrenaline - it works through the kidneys. He said Kidneys are connected to the anointing. If you wanna see someone preserve an anointing, pray for their kidneys. People are praying from my kidneys, and I get full - it’s instant. There’s something about eating the fat of the kidneys in the Bible. The anointing is in the kidney - it’s in the fat.”
Todd Bentley, Lakeland Revival, April 11, 2008
Interestingly enough, Bob Jones is suffering from renal failure. One is left to wonder why his spiritual son, who claims to raise more people from the dead than any man in history, including Jesus, can not bring God’s healing to this man’s kidneys where he believes God’s anointing resides.
Bentley, a staunch believer in Latter Rain theology, also claims to have William Branham’s angel helping him. William Branham, who was essentially one of the founders of Latter Rain theology denied the trinity, believed in UFO’s, believed that Mary had sex with the Holy Spirit, and believed that he was one of the two witnesses found in the Book of Revelation. Branham, when asked if the Holy Spirit was responsible for the signs and wonders in his meetings admitted that it was not the Holy Spirit but an angel. (Please see http://www.deceptionbytes.com/Latter-Rain-Lie )
On April 2, 2008, Bentley arrived at Stephen Strader’s, Ignited Church, Lakeland, Florida, to lead a one-week series of meetings. These meetings mushroomed to the point that a stadium was needed to hold the throngs of people attending from all over the world. Bentley was held over indefinitely and his meetings attracted up to 10,000 attendees nightly. Attendees did not seem to mind being immersed in New Age teachings, nor did they seem to mind, or even notice that what he was speaking was contrary to scripture. They pointed to the purported miracles and said it must be God.
However, before one can make an assumption based on a sign or wonder one must examine the source. Let us examine some of the teachings and beliefs of Todd Bentley through his own words and writings.
ENCOURAGING US TO LOOK THROUGH OUR THIRD EYE
The third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a metaphysical and esoteric concept referring in part to the Ajna(brow) chakra in certain Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. In New Age spirituality, the third eye may alternately symbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply-personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often associated with visions, clairvoyance, precognition, and out-of-body experiences, and people who have allegedly developed the capacity to use their third eyes are sometimes known as seers. Listen as Todd Bentley encourages us to use this mystical third eye.
“If we want to see in the spirit, we must use the powerful key of sanctified imagination to unlock visions and dreams. What do you think about when preachers say I saw in the spirit? Often, we automatically think they saw with their natural eyes. I have helped bring so many people into the heavenly realm by teaching them to look with their spiritual eye and to stop asking, where is it? Where is the angel? Where? I don’t see him where? We have to begin to see with our third eye, the eye on the inside, in our imagination. I showed you this eye in Ephesians 1 it is called the eyes of your understanding. You don’t see spiritual things with natural eyes; you see them with the eyes of your heart, your spiritual eyes! I believe that 90 percent or more of all visions and revelations happen in the eye of our hearts, in our imagination.” STIRRING UP THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION Todd Bentley Nov 20, 2003
Further in the article Todd claims that he can help us “activate” the third eye. “So as you begin to get revelation and start to see, as I help you activate that prophetic eye today, you need to understand that with every revelation needs to come interpretation and correct delivery.” STIRRING UP THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION Todd Bentley Nov 20, 2003
In another article Bentley similarly states that he is “going to give you one last key that will help open your spiritual eyes. Some of you cannot see because you're trying to look through the wrong eye.” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
MYSTICAL TRIPS TO THE THIRD HEAVEN
Not only does Todd Bentley want us to develop our “Third Eye” but he also believes and teaches that we can learn to enter the Third Heaven at will. Consider the following statement. “As you ponder this question, let me lay a foundation by teaching about the difference between all the levels of revelation. Now I've been to the third heaven, which is the highest level. Whether or not I was in my body, I don't know. I’ve spoken to many men and women who have been there. Some people call this place the throne zone. When you hit that level, it’s very obvious.”LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
Listen to Bentley describe his first trip to heaven where he claimed that the grass talked to him. “During my first third heaven experience, I was in my living room with a group of intercessors and one of my pastors. We had a time of worship and an atmosphere came into the room. I felt the glory. Although I’d had many revelatory experiences before, I'd never been in a third heaven experience. This may sound very unusual, but I'm just going to be honest with you here. I was in the living room when I started to enter this revelation. All of a sudden I shouted out, "The grass! Can you see the grass?" I could feel it coming up through my toes. When I looked at the grass it moved and it had life the glory came off it. It was greener grass than you've ever seen before. As I stepped on it, I could feel it under my feet. It was as if the grass itself was alive and had personality. I'd look at it and it would say things to me even though there was no actual conversation. There was life in that grass; it was as if God himself was in it.
Then suddenly, the walls of my apartment seemed to disappear. When I looked out, I saw a forest and trees that went further than my eyes could see. It became so real and vivid that, as I looked towards where my kitchen would have been, I saw water an inch deep come pouring in out of the kitchen and come across my carpet. The carpet actually looked wet I thought my wife had left the bathtub or the dishwasher on. I screamed, "The River just came into my living room!"
Nobody else knew what to do. Then the pastor jumped off the couch and threw himself onto the floor in this revelatory river. I saw it rise a couple of feet and start flowing across his back. And there was grass and trees a full-on interactive prophetic experience. The more I shared the vision and the more they'd engage themselves and allow themselves to be taken into what I saw, the more it grew. …After seeing this tree, I yelled out, "The tree of life!" When I said that, the guy lying on the ground was acting as if he was eating fruit. But he hadn't seen the tree. ….. Next, I began to think, "The sound of the Lord God walking in the garden". Eventually, I realized I was in the Garden of Eden, in Paradise. We were hiding from the presence of the Lord and he was looking for us. We just lived this thing out Living under and Open Heaven Sept 19, 2003[for more on Bentley’s heretical teachings on the Tree of Life see the following articlehttp://www.deceptionbytes.com/Todd-Bentleys-Fire-of-Kundalini]
There is so much wrong with this phantasmagorical testimony from a theological perspective that to fully dissect it would take an entire book. However, if this was a legitimate experience, as he claims, why was he hiding from the presence of God?
Listen as Bentley describes another such experience.“I had another dramatic third heaven experience. I was in prayer and I felt the sensation of being sucked out of my body and being flung into space. I could feel the G-force, the kind of feeling you get on a roller coaster. My body began vibrating and I could even feel the force on my face -my face was physically contorting. But I was in my living room. Here I was going through stars and I wasn’t even in a spaceship! Then I entered into another dimension where my whole being was filled with a brilliant white light. Suddenly I felt the sensation of landing. Next I was on a mountain, the wind was blowing and I could feel it. I began to freak out. This had never happened before. Even though I was lying on my carpet I felt a cold wind on my face. My senses felt the emotions of what I saw but I could still feel the carpet under me. This was only my second third heaven experience. I eventually came before the King, the Lord of glory, the Lord of hosts.” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
Further on in the same article Bentley claims that as he is on his way up to the third heaven he bumps into a cross legged Tibetan monk who breaks into his trance! “Quite often I have to go through the second heaven to get to the third heaven. I remember one occasion when I was on my way up and I could feel the sensation of ascending into a third heaven experience. Suddenly, I came up against something in the second heaven and this had never happened to me before. Literally, like glass shattering, the spiritual being broke into my trance. It confronted me in the form of a Tibetan monk that was meditating with his legs crossed. I don't know where he came from. There was a false peace that came off this thing and when I looked at it I wondered, "Is this a vision from God or is this an Intrusion?" I sensed that perhaps I was accessing that realm so much that the demons started to take notice and began to fight against what I was doing. When I went to Bob Jones and Keith Davis with this experience, they knew what it was. In fact, Bob had even had a similar being come to him in a second heaven experience. He confirmed to me that I’d encountered a spirit of deception, something trying to prevent you from going into the third heaven.” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
BELIEVES ABILITY TO GO TO THIRD HEAVEN IS “TRANSFERABLE”
Bentley believes that the ability to go to the Third Heaven can be transferred from one person to another and describes an incident where he took some friends along for the ride. “In all this, the Lord has shown me that because of what Jesus did, now we can ascend too. We can follow Him into the Heavenly realm where He went before us and prepared the way. Now we can touch Jesus when he is ascending. I remember several different occasions when I've been with Bob Jones and he's prayed with me and with several others. He would say to us, "I'm going to take you into the heavens with me". Then he would just grab us and somehow, in the anointing, a transfer would take place. We would be taken up into the spirit realm with him. Recently I wanted to confirm again that this ability to go into the spiritual realm could be transferred. I said, "Let's see if this thing works!" After praying for Jill (Austin) and a couple of my team members, I grabbed them, released the anointing and said, "Let’s ascend". All of a sudden the visions started rolling quickly for them.”
At the conclusion of the same article, Bentley tells his readers that he wants to activate this ability to ascend to Heaven in them. ”I want to activate something for you in this dimension just like Bob Jones did with my wife a while back. He took her by the hand and said, "Let’s go. Can you feel yourself? Up, up!" Then she felt like an eagle. My wife started flying in the spirit and then the visions, trances and revelation wouldn't stop. I was in bed with my wife at night and woke up at four o'clock in the morning her eyes were as big as saucers. I said, "What's going on? Why is the bed vibrating?" Then she said, "I'm having trances." LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
BENTLEY PRAYS TO THE “SPRIT OF WISDOM”
In the article, Stirring up the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, Bentley prays to the Spirit of Wisdom. “Let’s begin to pray: Lord, I love her! Lord, I seek her! Father I love her! I want to embrace the Spirit of Wisdom. I want to honor her! I’m looking for the Spirit of Wisdom. Here I am wisdom! Wisdom cries out in the streets. Here I am Wisdom! I love you! I need you! I honor you! I want to embrace you! Oh Spirit of Wisdom come and fill this place. I exalt you! I want to be wise! Fill me, Spirit of Wisdom, more than treasure and more than gold! More than rubies! I’m seeking! I’m searching for the Spirit of Wisdom! Holy Spirit come! (Now let’s pray Isaiah 11:2) Seven Spirits of God, come spirit of the Lord, rest on me like you rested on Jesus. Flow through me spirit of counsel, spirit of understanding, spirit of wisdom, spirit of revelation, spirit of knowledge and the spirit of the Fear of the Lord! STIRRING UP THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION Todd Bentley
ENCOURAGES ASTRAL PROJECTION
Todd Bentley not only believes that born again believers can leave their natural bodies and “walk around” but that while out of body they are capable of receiving extraordinary revelation and words of knowledge. “That night, the Lord gave me other incredible revelation starting with the visitation of an angel. John Paul Jackson came to pray for me and as he laid his hands on me, I came out of my body and walked around the tent. I began to visit people where they were sitting; I could actually see what was wrong with their bodies. Then I came back and got in my body. That's never happened to me before. It was weird being out of my body. I saw myself lying on the floor as John Paul was praying for me. I thought, "Aaaaaah! My inner man, the real me is out of my natural tent. What's going on?" Many were healed that night as a result of those words of knowledge I received while out of my body.
In the same article Bentley describes meeting an angel called Healing Revival who he claims “prepared” him for a translation experience. “A few years ago I had a translation experience that took me to Scotland. However, the Lord prepared me for this experience through an angelic visitation I had a month earlier at a meeting in Albany, Oregon. There an angel by the name of Healing Revival appeared to me in the building. People who came near this angel would fall under the power without anybody laying hands on them. If you didn't see it, you could sure feel it. Children also started having angelic encounters and visions. When I stood in the pulpit, a hole in heaven opened up and a shaft of light came down. People couldn't even come within a 30 ft. range it was like an invisible pool of glory. They would just fall down. But in the spirit realm I saw the angel standing there it was 14 ft. tall and went by the name of Healing Revival. This same angel comes frequently in my meetings today. The Lord told me that this angel was involved in a revival in Scotland with John Knox.
A month later when I was translated to Scotland, I went to a man's grave where I saw a gravestone. It was John Knox’s grave. However, in the natural I didn’t know there was a man called John Knox. I was just a new Christian. So here I am in Scotland in a trance even though my body’s in Portland. As I walked up and down the street in this experience, I ended up visiting three locations. When I came back I didn't know how long I'd been gone. After this experience I asked the pastor, "Have you heard of a guy by the name of John Knox? I was just at his grave in Scotland." They said, "Yeah, He's buried in Scotland". Two days later a prophetess friend of mine e-mailed me to ask, "Todd, do you want to come to Scotland?" I thought, "This could be God!"
After getting the invitation to Scotland, I got on a plane in the natural and flew there. My last night in Scotland I asked the pastor, "Is there a guy called John Knox who's buried here in your city?" He said, "Yes". So I said: "Good. I'm going to tell you what the three geographical locations around his grave look like and then you'll take me there. I began to describe what I saw in the invisible realm and then I went and saw and visited those places and touched them in the natural realm. .” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
In the same article Bentley says that God has provided a spiritual creation for us and he wants us to travel to different places within this spiritual world. “He’s given us natural senses to touch, taste, smell, hear and feel the things of the natural realm and He’s given us the ability to go places. In the same way, God has provided a spiritual creation for us, the spiritual senses to experience it and the ability to travel to different places within this spiritual world.” LIVING UNDER AN OPEN HEAVEN, Sept 19, 2003
MORAL FAILURES
While Bentley aberrant beliefs are blatant, his less obvious moral failures have only recently come to light. As of August 12, 2008, there has been a statement from the Board of Directors on the FreshFire.ca website that states that Todd had an “emotional” affair with a female staff member. “We wish to acknowledge, however, that since our last statement from the Fresh Fire Board of Directors, we have discovered new information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff. In light of this new information and in consultation with his leaders and advisors, Todd Bentley has agreed to step down from his position on the Board of Directors and to refrain from all public ministry for a season to receive counsel in his personal life. http://www.freshfire.ca
However benign an “emotional” relationship may sound, there are some close to the situation who would suggest that this was much more than an “emotional” dalliance.
“…..according to what we have heard from several sources, this is much more than just an emotional relationship. According to staff and former staff members, they claim that Todd is a pathological liar. The board privately has said that Todd has been lying to them all along. We are praying for those around Todd to demand for him to get the help he needs before thrusting him back into ministry like they did 2.5 years ago when he had an affair with a different staff member. We are praying for Todd, his family, along with others that have been impacted through this.” Scott 77 http://northwestmusings.wordpress.com/?p=290&preview=true
In my estimation, it would appear to me that all those who rallied around Bentley and supported and commissioned him have thrown him under the proverbial bus and ran to avoid getting hit with the splatter. However much I disagree with the teachings of Bentley I feel that what these men and women of the apostolic and prophetic movement have done to him during this time of intense heat and negative press is somehow worse. It was these men and women who shamelessly promoted and elevated him. They knew what he taught. He had been travelling in these circles for years. He had spoken at their conferences and stayed in some of their homes. They did not condemn him for what he taught- for indeed they teach and believe the same things! So are we to believe that they were ignorant to his affairs? This is not the first such affair. Are we to believe these prophetic men and women who believe their words steer the direction of today’s church lacked enough discernment to know that something was wrong? Are these not the same men who also turned a blind eye to Paul Cain a self proclaimed alcoholic who shamelessly engaged in homosexual activity? Peter Wagner stood on the Lakeland stage and openly endorsed Todd Bentley. Now Wagner claims that Bentley was never aligned with him directly but was actually aligned with Bill Johnson and Che Ahn. In fact Wagner is now claiming that he barely knew Bentley. That is convenient to say the least. That argument is not only juvenile but openly idiotic. If Bentley were as Wagner claimed, being aligned to Che Ahn and Bill Johnson at the ceremony would this not also mean that he was being aligned with Wagner? After all, Che Ahn and Bill Johnson are aligned under Wagner and his International Coalition of Apostles. However, we would expect no less from Wagner than lies at this point. After all, he must protect the bigger agenda and quite frankly Bentley has become an embarrassment to them.
While my intention in this article is to bring light to some of the more aberrant teachings of a man who by biblical definition is a false teacher, I do not lack compassion for Bentley. It is my sincere desire that he come to the knowledge of the truth of the word of God, embrace the true Jesus of the Bible and be cleansed and made whole. While it is our duty to expose error it is also our duty to pray for those who espouse such error. Let us pray not only for the people who have been exposed to these false teachings but for Todd Bentley himself.
That is very sad. I suppose the leadership of this "revival" can always just yank some other babe in Christ up beyond the limits of their character to front the thing. I'll be praying for Todd that God will really get a hold on Todd now that he has gotten away from the fawning crowds.
I have to wonder about all of those people who insisted that they received an "annointing" from Todd while he was in this compromised condition. I guess maybe they weren't as discerning as they thought. The same would hold true only more so for all of those "Godly" men with "gifts of discernment" who wheeled Todd out like some kind of circus show freak. So much for their claims to "apostleship".
Peter was a true apostle and this is what happened when someone lied in his presence:
Act 5:1-5 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, (2) And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? (4) While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (5) And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
How is it that according to their own words "According to staff and former staff members, they claim that Todd is a pathological liar." When exactly did that come to light? Maybe when he was bragging about kicking elderly women in the face? They can say whatever they want now (stating how awful Todd is) but they are inevitably tarred with their own brushes.
Reading the Fresh Fire site is disturbing. How can they state what they have and in the same post go on to say that they will continue on with the "ministry"? No time of fasting, reflection, prayer, soul-searching or brokenness? I guess it's just part of the price of doing business. You have to appreciate that kind of hireling attitude. I wonder if I can still get into "Todd's School"?
From the Fresh Fire site:
"In the meantime, we encourage you to continue to participate in current Outpourings, whether the Florida Outpouring or one in your area and region, …or to become one if there are none nearby. As a ministry, we continue to encourage and facilitate these growing Global Outpourings, providing Fresh Fire Associate ministries, resources, and input wherever needed."
and
"With all of this in mind, we ask each of you to continue to pray with us, both for Todd and Shonnah and for this ministry, as we continue to bring the saving, healing, and delivering power of God to a dry and thirsty world, desperate for an encounter with the endless love of the living God."
GAG ME!
I'm wondering where all of the vociferous assertions that we should not question Todd Bentley since he is a "man of God" are now?? Hey, where did you all go??
Explain that even David had his failings and was still used by God. Tell how the revival is still going strong and that the next fruitcake "man of God" will be the real deal. You didn't need much discernment to see this one coming, and yet all of those people on his "Board of Directors" couldn't see it. Gee, I wonder why??
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You know what that rapid/instantaneous Damascus Road conversion story and Immediate Ministry sounds like to me?
A Celebrity Convert who instead of being properly catechized and given time to work through and grow, gets fast-tracked into Big Name Ministry as The Latest Christian Celebrity until he burns out and crashes in flames. Uncatechized but pushed up onstage and run into the ground as A CELEBRITY -- Just like in Hollywood Babylon, except CHRISTIAN (TM)!
Ben,I am as anti what is happening at Lakeland as anyone else, but I feel that goading, mocking and belittling like this is small-minded and counter-productive.
Michael
I understand what you are saying Michael. However, the Fresh Fire website is still hawking "Developing Your Seer Ability" right on the same page as their little letter about "please pray for Todd". I think that Todd was used at Lakeland and I honestly am saddened by what has happened to him and his family. However the things (mostly a lot of dollars) that brought him to that place of prominence are still in place and the people who benefited from this "lack of discernment" are still in place. The lamb (in this case Todd) is slain but the moneychangers have plenty more where he came from.
The fact that the claims of the adjoining ministries are still going forward apparently unphased and significantly unrepentant (over Todd) makes me very angry. If there was something rotten BEFORE his fall there is even more wrong with the way they are trying to sweep it under the rug and just make it all go away (so they can get back in business). For "apostles" who want to give me an impartation of the spirit they certainly are blind.
1Ki 18:22-28 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. (23) Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: (24) And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. (25) And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. (26) And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. (27) And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. (28) And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
Mat 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, (13) And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Sometimes picking up the rug and exposing the rat is all it takes to appear to be mocking. Selling "Seer" DVD's on the same page as you are bemoaning a breakdown in discernment is a little too rich of a target for me to pass on (oh oh sign me up!).
The title of this article says it all. This back tracking by Wagner, Johnson, Fresh fire Ministries, God TV and the PR marketing machine is just plain old damage limitation. God will expose everything that is hidden. All of this was not about God but about the money. These backers of this revival could not give a toss about Todd or the people who have been damaged by this all. How many families have been divided by this revival? What about the damage to the church body? Do they think they can wipe their hands clean,walk away and nobody notices? Johnson subtly blames those critics who caused this mess. Can't believe he is trying to cause more division in the church to try to clear his name that has been tainted. God sees and knows all things. No one is going to get away with anything unless they repent...repent...repent. I have been damaged by this personally not realising that I opened the door to demonic attacks in my life. It was too late before I realised what I was getting myself into. I feel for those who went there seeking to be closer to God, or to look for a healing only to turn around to have to face not only the truth but to have to face some battles from the enemy. Please pray for them.
Except for the blogs such as this one, Pat Holiday and Andrew Strom and some local church leaders...not one of these mega church leaders, who we look up to, took a stand and spoke out against this so called deception. They failed to do the one fundamental thing and that was to protect the flock from the wolves. For me personally, I learned to stop relying on man and start relying on God and my bible. If there is one lesson we need to take away from this all is teach the body how to discern what is from God and what is not from God.
Somehow I knew when I was writing my own reply that you were going to use the Elijah example. Call it 'developing my seer ability'.
Elijah is mocking the prophets of Baal. You were goading all of those ordinary people, ordinary believers, who spoke up for TB, who were 'vociferous'. You asked 'Where are you?' In doing so, you are belittling the many sincere people who were genuinely taken in by Lakeland. We have all been taken in by things at some stage in our lives. Mishel, who started this site, was deceived and taken in by charismatic ministries. I was taken in by a ministry for ten years. Thank God, when my eyes were opened, I didn't have to suffer mocking taunts from those who had seen the light before me, but genuine understanding. Direct your fire by all means against those shepherds who have done the deceiving, but not against the deceived sheep.
Michael
Anonymous, stay in the Word, and when confronted with anything pretaining to God --- you will instantly know who is and isn't of Him. The ones of Him won't be bringing Him down to a green monetary bill that they are promising you if you send them some money.
You have to listen closely, as they are masters of manipulation when it comes to distorting the Word.
Always protect yourself Spiritually. If it doesn't line up with the Word, if it has been stretched, pulled, changed or whatever in a way to get you more money and them yours --- run!
I listen to NO ONE who asks for my money. The way I feel, if they are listening to God and seeking His face, He will hand them a bill when they need it.
Okay, how exactly were these sheep who were warning me to "touch not the Lord's annointed" decieved?
The Lord's sheep know His voice and the voice of another they will not answer. Unless of course the sheep know the voice of Baal (the other Lord) and are answering him instead.
*Newsflash* you aren't supposed to be "taken in" if you really are a sheep. Ask yourself how they could have been beleivers in the first place.
Furthermore, we are touching back on the issue of the clergy/laity split. We aren't supposed to be using an intermediary like Todd Bentley in the first place, no God filters for me thank you. What I'm saying is that those people who warned me about "attacking" a "man of God" are supposed to be priests (as believers). So yes, they are decieved, but they are also blindly perpetuating the deception (as I imagine all of the wonderful prophets of Baal must have felt justified in service to their "Lord")
There are many many sincere people bound for outer darkness (in the broad way). I guess we should be complimenting them for serving a "god" who so closely resembles our own?
Also, I've seen this "business a usual" approach over and over again. The folks that have chastened us for picking on TB are willfully deceived (and not just blind followers) and a little mocking might be in order to get a bit of introspection out of them. I don't plan on whipping out swords and having them all put to death a la Elijah. :p
In the Elijah example: 1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Yes the people were deceived and "halting" between two positions, and yet Elijah LAID THE CHARGE at the feet of the people, not the prophets of Baal. In other words God was holding the PEOPLE responsible. They were the ones who supported the 450 prophets of BAAL in first place.
I know none of us are walking in sinless perfection (so we all err) but God does work even all of those times together for good if we love Him. Romans 8:28.
Sorry, Ben, but we will have to agree to disagree here.I cannot believe for a second that because people believe error they cannot be true believers.It flies in the face of scripture and the warnings to believers not to fall into error.You are barking up the wrong tree here, I'm afraid.
There is more to this than "falling into error". This is a misidentification of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit which is more than just a rough patch of doctrine here and there. I'm sure we can disagree on many many points of doctrine and still have fellowship, but when you are worshiping another "god" we're talking apples and oranges. I don't differentiate this from Jehovah's Witnesses or LDS, not our God, just some similar trappings.
Would you say that a SINCERE LDS follower was a believer "in error"?
I see your point and I'm working out my salvation through ongoing sanctification where I keep encountering more and more error in my own life. We (as believers) are all in error and need to recieve correction in humility.
I'll try an curb the sarcasm in my commentary and apologize for the tone of my writing that caused offense. I'm also sorry for my defensive posture in the posts that followed.
Thanks, Ben. I need to apologise myself too for getting defensive and argumentative. It doesn't happen too often, thankfully, but I get a bee in my bonnet now and again and get a bit carried away. Apologies to you. I actually enjoy your posts a lot, but just on that one found myself disagreeing.
We've not heard too much of TB here in the UK, but the style and content is very familiar to me because I was involved in a very controlling church for ten years. When I look back, I really cannot believe the things I fell for. It astounds me now, but at the time it all made sense. Then, one day...revelation! I would have said that I knew a lot about scripture and was a strong believer. I was no babe and novice, but I desperately wanted to see God move having come out of a very sterile and traditional church background. Anyway, it's a long story, but now I keep discernment sharp but I suppose that I can understand why people fall for the error.
Michael
I have known mature believers whom I love and respect who were taken in by Toronto and now Lakeland. Before this rubbish happened, I would have said that these people knew The Lord as well, and probably better, than I. So why were they deceived and I wasn't? It can be ONLY through the grace and mercy of God. I told them it was demonic and they said it was of God. All of us are open to deception, and all of us can ONLY rely on God to guide us and show us His truth.
And although the rats are deserting the sinking ship at a rapid rate, they will be climbing on board the next SS TitanicDeception as soon as she sets sail. May God continue to preserve us from the enemy's lies, and keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith, Yeshua!
I can only say Amem to that.My best friends and my own husband are all into this deception and there is no way to get them out. They think I'm a legalistic person trying to pick problems when I tell them they should get out of those lies. My eyes have been opened long ago through a book by Dave Hunt called 'The Seduction of Christianity' and I only can thank God for letting me see what was really going on.
THE MODERN DAY MANIFESTATION OF SPIRIT ARE:
1. FALLING DOWN BACKWARDS( NOT BIBLICAL POSTURE-PROSTRATE! )
2. BARKING
3. LAUGHING
4. GROANING
5. REPEATED BLABBERING OF UNKNOWN WORDS
WHAT A TRAGEDY!!
My brothers both Michael and Ben ... 25 plus years ago, when I accepted Jesus Christ, The Son of God, my Lord and Savior, I had ZERO Biblical knowledge. Almost immediately I had Mormons and JW's knocking at my door. What very little knowledge of TRUTH I did have, I was able to resist them. My point is this: One MUST know the Word of God to be able to identify what is false. I immediately feel sorrow for the people falling into false teachings, as I eventually did just that. It was through the (Holy Spirit) questioning and challenging of "what" was being taught that I finally removed myself from the "Church" I first attended. The questions and challenges came as I read and absorbed (Truth of God) the Bible itself. I was frowned upon and thought of as a "trouble maker" in the flock. Praise God he gives us his written word and his Grace and Mercy as we get caught up in that "Wilderness" - that lies and distortions bring us into. "True Believers" need education and guidance and intercessory prayers.
What makes me sick about Todd Bentley is not his lies or deceptions, etc, but the fools who are praying for Todd Bentley believing that he will somehow repent. The truth of the matter is it has been over six months and Todd shows no signs of repenting because he is totally a false prophet and a reprobate.
And God doesn't need six month of prayers to make a real change in Todd's life and character unless He knows what most people don't know or don't want to know!