What is going on in there? With real concern for The Third Wave, Word-of-Faith, Signs & Wonders, Laughing Charismatics! Satan's goal is for the process of deception, the leaven of apostasy, and the destruction of God's work! Are the devils laughing the hardest of all?

Jesus is the TRUTH personified and the Devil is the LIE personified (John 14:6 / John 8:44). Are you following the TRUTH or the LIE?

"Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven...the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees" (Mat. 16:6,12). "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" (1 Cor. 5:6).

Should we identify with the Charismatic and Ecumenical movements? Are the great changes sweeping through churches in the twentieth century in keeping with God's Word?

Many honest Charismatic Christians believe the sign-gifts are valid for today. We don't fault their motives or their efforts to follow the Scriptures. These precious brothers and sisters are just trying to be faithful to God. They often demonstrate a desire to please the Lord by fervency in prayer, efforts to bring God praise, a strong evangelistic outreach, an expository pulpit message, and a stand for justification by grace through faith. Who doesn't have a Charismatic friend with an impressive Christian life? Some Charismatic pastors are very concerned about apostasy and the bizarre phenomenas appearing in churches.

Other Charismatics follow experiences that most obviously oppose Scripture. Once this standard is abandoned, the depraved imagination of man and devil arises to the occasion. LYING leaders are deplorable anywhere! They become both cheap politicians and corrupt preachers.

What Kind of Leaders?

The television audience, flicking past the Soaps and the Muppets, often pause at the Trinity Broadcasting Network to wonder at the incredible display of shallowness, extravagance, and New Age brand of Christianity. Long-haired male role-models adorn the "glory" of the woman, ignorant about the worldwide standard of manliness, "nature," or their "shame" (1 Cor. 11:1-19). Jan Crouch replaced Tammy Faye as the Queen-of-the-painted-ladies and the fairy-god-mother of religious fantasy. What in the world did TBN supporters learn out of the whole PTL mess? What Christian trying to witness has not been mocked in the wake of the Bakker and Swaggart scandals! The founder of TBN, Paul Crouch boasts, "I am a little god! Critics be gone!" :"(Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity in Crisis, [Eugene: Harvest House, 1993], p. 112).)":

The Apostle Peter warned about religious leaders who are lustful, experts in greed, who capture converts and exploit the weak (2 Pet. 2:14-19). Meanwhile the ads of the cults on television look like good wholesome New Testament Christianity!

Kenneth Hagin, is known as the father of the Word-Faith movement. He actually plagiarized E.W. Kenyon "whose life and ministry were enormously impacted by such cults as Science of the Mind, the Unity School of Christianity, Christian Science, and New Thought metaphysics." :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 32.)": Kenyon was an occultist! :"(G. Richard Fisher, A Look at Spiritual Pandemonium, Personal Freedom Outreach Journal, Oct.-Dec. 1994, p. 16.)":

Avanzini, Capps, Cerullo, Cho, Copeland, Crouch, Hickey, Howard-Browne, Price, Savelle, and Tilton all follow these same doctrines of devils (1 Tim. 4:1). Now Kenneth Copeland whines, "I was shocked when I found out who the biggest failure in the Bible actually is...The biggest one in the whole Bible is God." :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 125.)":

Rodney Howard-Browne believes Jesus left His deity in Heaven. What a serious error! Jesus charged the Jews, "if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:24,58). :"(Fisher, ibid., p. 15,16.)":

Marilyn Hickey tells others to just create what you need, speaking it into being, "Speak to your billfold. Say, 'You big, thick billfold full of money...You're just jammed full of money" :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 351.)": The wealthiest Word-Faith preachers have the biggest mailing lists. Confession works in one direction, from the suckers in the audience to the Faith preacher.

What Kind of Signs and Wonders?

John Wimber of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, holds "Signs and Wonders Seminars" throughout the world, claiming healing is promised in the atonement. A sign of the movement's confusion is evident. Wimber is sick with cancer!

Miracles do not prove God's favor. In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, God "proveth" or tests the love of His people by seeing if they will go after a "prophet" who has "a sign or a wonder" (vs. 3,1). He wants His own to "fear" Him enough to "put the evil away from the midst of thee" (vs. 4,5). The "prophet or a dreamer of dreams" will lead people to the a little "g" god (vs. 1,2)! Kenneth Copeland's blasphemes, "You don't have a god in you, you are one!" :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 110.)": Under the Law, God commanded the ultimate censuring of such heretics for the sake of purity; death (vs. 5)! God's counsel, to either choose between false teachers who approach His people or else obedience to His Word, is as strong today. God measures the love people claim. Here is the barometer, if you really love Him, then you will obey Him (John 14:21)!

In the "last days...evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:1,13). The Lord Jesus warned that "many" prophets doing these wonders in His name will be damned to hell (Mat. 7:21-23)! You wouldn't want to be identified with evil, would you? "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas" (Mat. 12:39). The point is, the resurrection of the Son of God ought to be sufficient to bring joy into your life! Rodney Howard-Browne admits to elevating an experience with the devil above the TRUTH, "But I'd rather be in a church where the devil and the flesh are manifesting than in a church where nothing is happening because people are too afraid to manifest anything." :"(Fisher, ibid., p. 13.)":

Charismatics prophesy a worldwide revival for the end times. They are wrong! Wide-spread turning to Christ is not predicted until the tribulation preaching of the 144,000! Scripture predicts false teachers, false prophets, LYING signs and wonders, and a great falling away from the TRUTH to follow seducing spirits! Prophecy points to an ever-increasing worldwide apostasy with many false prophets deceiving many, not a revival (Mat. 24:3-5, 11)! "False prophets... shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Mat. 24:24)! "Satan" is working toward "all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thes. 2:7-9)! He is the master of "great wonders," and "miracles" (Rev. 13:13-14)! Christian, be wary of the demonic deception of the "Signs and Wonders" movement of the last days.

The New Age Religion also received the signs and wonders by the laying on of hands. Humanity is headed for a one-world religion, open to deception in the name of Jesus. The New Age produces a unity with diversity that is without judgment. :"(Albert James Dager, "Rodney Howard-Browne and the Toronto Blessing,"
(Media Spotlight, 1995), pp. 13,15.)": Some Charismatics even present the Holy Spirit as a spirit guide. :"(T. Tillin, "Is It Revival?" Banner Ministries, [Summer 1994].)": Incredible! Satan cleverly turns multitudes to false teachers while making a mockery of Christianity! Many who follow a feel-good religion are not ready to hear the hard sayings of Christ (John 6:60). The only disciples the Lord Jesus commends "continue" in the Word of TRUTH (John 8:31-32)! Test all experiences by Scripture and follow the Lord!

What Kind of Prophesy?

We know Joseph Smith, Ellen G. White, and the Watchtower are false prophets. How about the Charis-matics who declare, "Thus saith the Lord..." and "God's message for you is..."? Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets ... Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Mat. 7:15,16). The "fruit" of a false prophet is a false prophecy!

By definition, a false prophet is described in Deuteronomy 18:20-22. (The Scripture is underlined). "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word (just one) in my name (Like "The Lord told me..."), which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. (Censuring false prophets protects people from being deeply hurt and losing confidence in God's Word. Do we read: "Let that prophet readjust his figures"? "Forget the past"? "Give him a second chance"? "We all make mistakes"? "He may be just 'kind-of-a-prophet'"? "Wait and see what harm was done first"?). And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Good question!) When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, (False charismatic prophesy is common! God spoke through the prophets when? In times PAST! - Hebrews 1:1), but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: (Stick with the more sure Word of prophecy, Scripture! 2 Peter 1:19) thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Don't let the scare tactics rattle you. Mature Christians look for Jesus to come, but do not set dates or follow those who do!)

Anyone who goes after false prophets after all the warnings from God is very, very foolish! The Charismatic prophets miserably fail the test of a true prophet. They claim to be 10 to 65% accurate! C. Peter Wagner said in Indianapolis, "Many of your churches also are now becoming involved in prophetic movement. And I'm talking about serious prophecy; I'm talking about Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah kind of prophecy, where God speaks to the churches." :"(David W. Cloud, "Charismatic Confusion in Indianapolis," O TIMOTHY, Special Issue, p. 30.)": Such boasting is common from false prophets. The Watchtower said a group was to speak as a "prophet...as was done toward Ezekiel" known as "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses" :"(Watchtower, March 15, 1972, p.189-190.)": Definitely not! TRUE prophets are zealous against sin and error (Jer. 14:14; 23:16-32; 27:15; Zech. 13:2-5)!

Rodney Howard-Browne pre-dicted an outpouring of the Spirit in which, "Eyeballs will form, legs and arms will grow out..." He said God will very soon begin to miraculously transport people from place to place. He has the same source as Benny Hinn who said, Adam, "with one thought he would be on the moon." :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 119.)": Astral projection is of the occult, connected with voodoo and the black arts. :"(Fisher, ibid., p. 14.)":

Charismatic leaders LIED about Bob Jones's prophetic dating of a drought (not the one of Bob Jones University). Paul Cain, "the most anointed prophet that's in the world today," gushingly predicted, "So that that glorious Church might be revealed in the last days because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a Church that has reached the full maturity of the God-man!" Maturity? It's just more Corinthian carnality and heresy (1 Cor. 3:3)! Cain messed up on the timing of an earthquake; but Wimber claimed it came true! :"(Cloud, ibid., p. 31,34-35.)": Don't put up with "ignorant" people who think they are prophets and care less for decency and order (1 Cor. 14:37-40)!

What Kind of Revelation?

John Hinkle heard a voice saying that on June 9, 1994, "I will rip all evil from the earth" etc. Lacking common sense and respect for biblical TRUTH, the Trinity Broadcasting Network was sucked in and became the vehicle for the LYING spirit! :"(Tillin, ibid.)": "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1)!

Gullible crowds embraced Peter Popoff as he claimed God spoke directly to him while he really had his wife speaking to him by an electronic ear device. Like Lea and Popoff, Robert Tilton had to be exposed by the secular world before this religious movement would censure him. Where is this "spirit of discernment"?

Under revelation knowledge, Benny Hinn claimed each Person of the Trinity is triune so "there's nine of them" and "Jesus was born again!" :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., pp. 123, 173.)": Study the Bible and sit under the preaching of a faithful man of God and you won't get sucked into these extra-biblical teachings!

James Ryle, a Wimber associate, said, "The Lord spoke to me and said, 'What you saw in the Beatles--the gifting and sound that they had--was from Me.'" ‚   :"(M.H. Reynolds, "False Prophets...Pseudo Apostles, and A New Gospel,"  Fundamental Evangelistic Association, Vol. XII, Issue 1.)": ‚   Hold the applause; the Beatles were completely antichrist! (Send for a Beatles paper). Ryle's vision from some god was nothing more than a Satanic delusion.

Oral Robert's god held him hostage until people gave him more money! He also made a mistake on the cost of the faith-healer's hospital. Clearly, this god does not know the future! Rodney Howard-Browne does! He reports occurrences of knowing "what's going to happen one year, two years, three years in the future." :"(Fisher, ibid., p. 15.)": Folks, God does not give us omniscience. The fortune-teller tech-nique opens up to all kinds of delusion. John Wimber said Christ could come at any time; but a while later he said little unborn children would live to see the coming of the Lord. :"(Reynolds, ibid.)": ‚  " ” Just blab whatever sounds good at the time!

What Kind of Evangelism?

Dr. Jack Deere, is one of the top theological leaders of the Vineyard Power Evangelism movement along with C. Peter Wagner. He says that the gospel is not about Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was buried and raised on the third day. When probed at length for an answer to explain the gospel, he was asked, "Could you perhaps tell me informally what you believe to be the gospel?" All Deere could say was, "I'm not sure." :"(Reynolds, ibid.)":

The word "power" tickles the ears of this crowd; so they claim to have "power evangelism!" Larry Lea, "The Apostle of Prayer" for this century, took authority over San Francisco to drive out all of the homosexuals! (What an embarrassment as he bellowed across the airwaves daily about his spiritual warfare!) Get this; the homosexuals are still there -- laughing! The Charismatic world applauded Lea, a self-condemned LIAR. It took secular television to pull back the fleece! "Power Evangelism" is nothing more than a powerful sound-system -- blasting to the sheep and goats lost in a wilderness of confusion!

These pip-squeaks bind the devil while Michael, God's POWER-FUL angel said, "The Lord rebuke thee." John Wimber commands the Holy Spirit to help and Satan to leave! :"(Reynolds, ibid.)":

What Kind of Healing?

While Frederick Price does not allow sickness in his home; his wife was treated for cancer! :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 237.)": Charles and Francis Hunter, holding a healing crusade, sent Francis to the doctor because of pink eye. :"(Cloud, ibid., p. 22.)":

Jamie Buckingham, editor-at-large for the Charismatic Movement's most prominent magazine, Charisma, was pronounced healed of cancer by his wife, Oral Roberts and other false prophets. Buckingham claimed, the still small voice of God told him he would live to be a hundred. He died of cancer in 1992. Think! The editor with great responsibility for the reports and articles to the Charismatic world listened to a voice; it was not God's! :"(David W. Cloud, "Charismatic Leader Dies After Being Healed," O TIMOTHY, [1992], pp. 1-8.)":

William Branham, of the Oneness-Pentecostal cult, is one of the fathers of the modern healing move-ment. He pronounced great numbers healed who died of the same problems shortly following. :"(Cloud, Special Issue, pp. 46-48.)": Branham de-nounced the trinity as coming directly from the devil; yet Hagin, Copeland, and Hinn speak highly of the cultist! :"(Hanegraaff, ibid., p. 30.)":

Various cults testify of healings and blessings from their ministries. When healings are real, that is not proof that they came from God (Deut. 13:1-5; Mat. 7:21-23).

What Kind of Testimony?

Is the "Holy" Laughter Movement Christianity? Should we call it Satananity? Is it really Sanity?

The 700 Club and TBN crowds are hungry for signs and wonders, gratifying experiences, and goose-bump feelings. They are wide open to the demonic logic of satanic counterfeits. The devils are laughing over the whole sham of these public spectacles in the name of Jesus Christ! Entertainment, emotionalism, and excitement will fill a church; but as in Hosea's day, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee... seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hosea 4:6).

What Kind of Wine?

People have a choice whether to blindly follow a popular voice in the religious world or to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15)! Joy (chara) is not interchange-able with laughter (galeo). Joy is an inner delight with God for all He has done and is doing. Joy comes from believing God's Word (Rom. 15:13; John 15:11). Joy remains in trial when the laughter is gone (2 Cor. 8:2; 1 Thes. 1:6; Jam. 1:2). Correctly interpreted, Proverbs 17:22 emphasizes a rejoicing heart, contrasted to the broken spirit.

There is no biblical gift for a spirit of laughter. Rodney Howard-Browne repeats, "Fill -- let it bubble out your belly -- Ho-ho, He-he -- Fill -- Ho-ho-ho, Ho-ha-ha." His spiritual expressions and methodology are more at home with the occult than in Christianity. :"(Fisher, ibid., 12,13.)": Never is there the slightest hint in Scripture that we are to worship God from the belly. "Living waters," in John 7:38, has nothing to do with laughter! The "living waters" symbolize the Holy Spirit who dwells in the heart or the innermost part of a Christian.

Rodney Howard-Browne's meetings are not Spirit-filled laughter or joy, but hysteria and frenzy which are clearly condemned by God! This bunch is responsible for the millions today who view the chaos and disorder as "Christian" madness (1 Cor. 14:23). Rodney Howard-Browne likes to call himself "The Holy Ghost Bartender" who dispenses "new wine" :"(Dager, ibid., p. 10.)": In Ephesians 5:18, the filling of the Holy Spirit will manifest Himself in honoring God musically, melody in our hearts, thankfulness, fear, and good marriages. Context! This verse will never justify "laughing in the spirit."

What Kind of Power?

Every Christian ought to view this "falling under the power" with grave concern! Born-again believers are not safe from satanic deceptions and experiences if they fulfill the conditions for demonic activity. The closest biblical counterparts of those who fell backwards, "slain in the spirit," include the sinning, the unbelieving, the demonized, and God's enemies! A demon-possessed son fell into the fire and the water (Mat. 17:15). Judas and his band fell backwards when Jesus identified Himself as the great "I am" (John 18:6). Saul of Tarsus and company all fell to the earth before Jesus' glory (Acts 26:13,14). The priest and the erring prophet of wine and vomit fell backwards in Isaiah 28:13. Are they different from the new wine of those "vomiting-in-the-spirit" and "slain-in-the-spirit" at a Rodney Howard-Browne meeting?

Worship is always to be biblical, orderly and reverent in manner. God's Word underscores a true spiritual response to God's power. The godly, in reverential awe, adoration and worship, fall forward in a prostrate position. There is no trace of hysterical laughter or convulsions (Gen. 17:1-3; Lev. 9:24; Joshua 5:13-15; Ez. 1:28; 43:1-5; 44:4; Mat. 17:5-6; 28:9-10; Rev. 1:17; 7:11; 11:16-17).

The phenomena is clearly explained in O TIMOTHY Magazine, Bible Baptist Church, 1219 N. Harns Road, Oak Harbor, WA 98277, Volume 11, Issue 9-10, 1994.

[Continue reading Part 2.]