Having watched these documentary programs on TV recently, I decided to upload them to my channel on YouTube. (Please see below). You might find them interesting.
The Pope’s Revolution was first televised on the news program ‘Panorama’ on BBC1, 2nd April 2014. ‘Jane Corbin examines Pope Francis’ shake-up of the Catholic Church.’
Please see the second program below. It’s been uploaded in four parts.
Secrets of The Vatican, was first televised by CH4, on Tues 25th March 2014 at 11pm. This was Series 1, Episode 1. Please watch the coming episodes on the below link!
“Crime, corruption and cover-up: this is the epic story of the collapse of the Benedict papacy. Can Pope Francis defeat the forces that overwhelmed his predecessor?
In March 2013, Pope Francis inherited a Church shocked by the resignation of his predecessor Benedict: the first resignation of a Pope in 600 years.
Secrets of the Vatican tells the epic story of the collapse of the Benedict papacy and illuminates the extraordinary challenges facing Pope Francis as he tries to root out corruption and chart a new course for the troubled Catholic Church and its 1.2 billion followers.
It tells a story of crime, corruption and cover-up at the heart of the Catholic Church, with political intrigue, allegations of financial corruption and sexual hypocrisy laid bare through first-hand testimony from those who were close to the scandals, or who are helping Pope Francis reform the Church.
The Church was already mired in the child sex abuse scandal when Benedict became Pope; a scandal that would dominate his papacy.
More scandal was to come from other quarters, involving allegations of money-laundering through the Vatican bank, and corruption inside Vatican departments.
As the aging Pope’s health deteriorated he was hit by a string of damaging news stories, including the release of undercover footage of gay sex parties in Rome attended by priests.
The final straw came when his butler leaked thousands of private documents to the press, exposing the inner workings of the Church and revealing power struggles within the Vatican itself.
In his first year as Pope, Francis dramatically changed the message coming from Rome. But can he defeat the forces that overwhelmed his predecessor?”
In the coming weeks, you can watch the next episodes on this link to CH4.
Two years ago, on a special show on Revelation TV, myself, Doug & Michael spoke of the Last Days Luciferian Initiation or The Great Invocation, as The Lucis Trust, (formerly known as Lucifer Publishing Company), sometimes calls it.
We shared that on tv, as we felt the Holy Spirit prompt us to, simply as it seems the right time to warn people to be cautious.
As we said on the show, this will be subtle.
Society will not be blatantly asked to follow Lucifer or Satan. Obviously, if you were asked, you’d refuse!
But the Luciferian Initiation is still taking place, by many means, whether through ‘mild’ New Age practises and media, or more blatant Occult or cult activities.
I saw online that some churches Son Of God postcards as Outreach Tools, to share the Gospel message with their community, not realising the film portrays a false Jesus!
My dear online friend Pennie kindly gave me permission to share her article. She is a former Lightworker, Medium and Occultist of 26 years.
She is therefore, highly qualified to speak on this topic. Please read it, before you consider going to see this film!
All About the “Son of God” Movie by Pennie De Witt, former Lightworker and occultist of 26 years.
“This is a compilation of all my posts on the Son of God movie, in sequential order.
The image on the left is Sananda. He is frequently channeled by new agers and he is a real spirit. He is the Jesus that the Lightworkers are promoting.
The production company that made the “Son of God” movie is called Lightworkers Media. If you pray to receive the Lightworkers’ Jesus at the end of “Son of God,” this is the guy who will answer your prayer.
The link below is to just one chapter in “The New Scriptures,” written by him through one of many mediums who channel him. As you can see, he adds to scripture, promotes the love of Self (with a capital S) before the love of God or others, and derides “all the major religions.” He says, “It is time to put an end to the self-loathing and despair which has been taught by all the major religions in some form.” This is what he will lead you to believe if you accept him into your heart.
He says, “There is no vengeance, no punishment nor any threat of disapproval or any other dark judgment in God’s Love. This is the mythology of the past, and it is a misunderstanding of what God feels toward his/her children.” He strips God of His holiness and even attempts to prime us for goddess worship.
He states, “I AM Love because I am God, just as you are.” Never mind what Jesus said in John 8:23. “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.”
He urges us to use our own “God” power. “All can manifest the Dream of their Hearts if they only have Faith in their own power.”
He teaches reincarnation, “This is what you have lived and died for in many past lifetimes, Dear Ones,” using references from the Bible. “You are indeed at the threshold of the Promised Land.”
He then reveals, clearly, his teaching that you are God. “It is in turn fueled by the Love of your Higher Self, God.” (This is a teaching directly from satan. Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.)
I channeled Sananda when I was a Lightworker. And he was one of the spirits who tried to torture me after I renounced occultism and turned to Jesus.
This is the Jesus Lightworkers believe in. And this is the Jesus they want YOU to believe in. You can be sure that a movie about Jesus is going to contain subtle depictions of Sananda.
Sananda is not Jesus. He is a demon. And the movie, “Son of God” was produced by people who serve that demon.
Can God use a movie like this to spread the gospel? Of course He can. He can use psychics too. He used me to encourage my clients to read the Bible before I closed my business and gave my life to Him.
But this doesn’t mean we should start promoting psychics or that I should go back into business. Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
The enemy is defeated by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. Not by movies made by people who hate Christianity.
The producer of the “Son of God” movie is a new age occultist and an idolator. This is her on the cover of OM Times magazine. According to Wikipedia, OM is “placed at the beginning of most Hindu texts as a sacred incantation to be intoned at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or prior to any prayer or mantra. It is used at the end of the invocation to the god being sacrificed to (anuvakya) as an invitation to and for the latter to partake of.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om
Regarding the OM, the Concise Encyclopedia on Merriam-Webster.com states:
“In Hinduism and other Indian religions, a sacred syllable considered the greatest of all mantras. The syllable om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in the Sanskrit language, the vowels a and u join to become o), which represent three important triads: earth, atmosphere, and heaven; the major Hindu gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; and the sacred Vedic scriptures, Rig, Yajur, and Sama (see Vedic religion). Thus om mystically embodies the essence of the universe. It is uttered at the beginning and end of Hindu prayers, chants, and meditation and is also freely used in Buddhist and Jain rituals. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/om
Those who know a little about the OM know that it is a sound that is commonly used in meditation in order to alter one’s state of consciousness, to reach enlightenment. This is not biblical. It is pagan and an abomination in the sight of God. Jesus did not come so we could practice paganism. He came to set us free FROM sin, and that includes the sin of spiritual adultery against God.
Roma Downey’s psychic connection:
A book by the famed TV psychic John Edwards. Includes a free meditation CD by Roma Downey, producer of the “Son of God” movie.
Why would a Christian partner in a book by a psychic? It’s one thing to eat with sinners and prostitutes. It’s another thing to partner with them in their work.
How much more evidence do people need? It’s stacking up and I’m sure there will be more. Let’s not forget what Jesus said: Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Seriously, folks, if you, as a Christian can endorse this movie, then why can’t I go back into business as a psychic? Not that I want to, because I know the truth about these things, but if you’re going to endorse new age teachings, don’t claim to be a Christian. That’s hypocrisy.
To understand what’s wrong with the “Son of God” movie, it helps to understand the purpose, mission, and intent of Lightworkers, since the movie was made by Lightworkers Media.
The crux of it is in this statement from the Lightworkers.org website (link at bottom of article): “As Lightworkers, we are creating a vision more suited to humanities evolving divine nature.” What that means is they believe humans are actually God and that we as humans are in the process of becoming aware of that.
When they refer to “divine spirit,” they mean the collective consciousness, which, according to their teachings, is the whole of humanity as God. This is what is meant by the term cosmic humanism, a belief system also known as the new age, or theosophy, because they believe that humanity is the cosmic Christ. This is a teaching that stems from hermetic magick.
The intent of the Lightworkers is “to facilitate an awakening for all humanity.” What they want us to awaken to – this is where the problem lies, because it is a philosophy of…lies.
They speak of “co-creating,” which means creating “with God.” They speak of working with guides and “higher selves,” and they regularly unite with Gaia. These are entities from the realm of familiar spirits, i.e., demons.
They equate magic with blessings and they claim you (we) are the source of them. “For all magic, all blessings pass through the one who directs them. And that is you.”
Their global meditations are scheduled to take place during Equinoxes, Solstices and new and full moons. That’s because these are considered by many traditions of magick and witchcraft to be auspicious times for spiritual workings.
They don’t hide the fact that they are using magick. They even say, regarding one of their rituals, “This is a form of high group magic.”
As you can see from reading through their About page (at the link below), they intend to increase their numbers. What better way than to make a movie seemingly based on the biblical accounts of Jesus?
They believe it is their responsibility and power to create a new heaven and a new earth. And THIS is what they refer to as The New Age. See, just as God has a plan, so does the devil. A counterfeit one.
If you watch the video on this page (also at the link below), you will hear it speak of a time when we as humanity “surrendered our divinity.” It’s really about “inner power” for them. And the so-called divine plan that they refer to is the plan laid out and also referenced in “The Great Invocation” by Alice Bailey, founder of Lucis Trust (formerly known as Lucifer Publishing Company). Incidentally, when I was a Lightworker, my friends and I memorized and often recited “The Great Invocation.”
Note the last word in the video: “Unite.” It is the clarion call of the Lightworker movement and will be used, with scripture in tow, to shame anyone who resists their programming. And of course, anyone who knows about Alice Bailey knows that the purpose of that “unity” is the one world religion.
This, my friends, is the ultimate goal of the Lightworker movement and all its tools, including the “Son of God” movie. No biblical Christian joins such a thing willingly; only through deception, and this is the beginning of that deception.
Know your Bible, know the true Son of God, the one who IS God and who tells us, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John 8:23)
Don’t be deceived by drama, pretty faces, and special effects orchestrated by the enemy of God. Time is running short.
The third item is the church that gave Della her ordination, The Universal Foundation for Better Living. They call themselves a “New Thought Christian church.” If you look under their UFBL Beliefs tab and select “Principles” you will see that they believe in “The Omnipresence of God” (including the belief that there can be no evil in reality, which could be one reason the devil was cut from the “Son of God” movie), “The Divinity of Humankind,” “The Value and Power of Thought,” and “Practicing the Presence.” All of these are occult practices.
Also, The Concise Encyclopedia on Merriam-Webster.com states, regarding New Thought:
“Mind-healing movement that originated in the U.S. in the 19th century. Its earliest proponent, Phineas P. Quimby (1802–66), was a mesmerist who taught that illness is mental. New Thought was influenced by philosophers ranging from Plato to Emanuel Swedenborg, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Ralph Waldo Emerson and in turn influenced Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science. The International New Thought Alliance (formed 1914) asserts that sin and illness stem from incorrect thinking. New Thought groups emphasize Jesus as a teacher and healer and proclaim his kingdom as being within each person.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/new%20thought
The sixth item is an article about Roma Downey in which she is quoted: ‘My kids go to school about a 40-minute drive away. I’m open to the group’s opinion about what we listen to on the way there. On the way back, I get my own selections — books on tape by Eckhart Tolle, Tony Robbins…My husband says I’m so self-realized I’m practically levitating.’ http://becksmithhollywood.com/2009/04/roma-downey-happy-out-of-spotlight/
As well, here is a quote about Mr. Tolle’s teachings, direct from his own website:
“Eckhart’s profound yet simple teachings have already helped countless people throughout the world find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness.” http://www.eckharttolle.com/about/eckhart/
You can be sure that, with all these connections to common Lightworker beliefs, Ms. Downey knows exactly what a Lightworker is, and her use of the word in naming her production company Lightworkers Media – is deliberate.
Roma Downey has actually drawn from channeled Lightworker teachings for inspiration for her “Son of God” movie.
Here, in chapter 8 of “The New Scriptures,” as given by Jesus/Sananda, it states, “My beloved wife Mary Magdalene taught The True Way at my side, in harmony with the ideas I had come to offer the world.” http://www.whoneedslight.net/page/482490350
This is a common belief among Lightworkers. It was something I, myself believed, when I was a Lightworker. Most Lightworkers who have been around for any length of time know who Sananda is and have learned the teachings that are contained in the “New Scriptures.”
Let’s not forget that channeled entities are unclean spirits. Demons. Demons told this story about Jesus and Mary Magdalene and now they are transmitting it to Christians via the big screen.
Luke 21:8
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Here is evidence that Roma Downey has studied Lightworker teachings.
In 2010, Roma Downey received her degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. That can be verified here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_Downey
On page 9 of that brochure is an endorsement by Dr. Jean Houston. Though they misspelled her name there, her books are listed below her endorsement, so you can see that it is indeed the new age author.
Those are just a few similarities between the teachings that Roma Downey has absorbed and the teachings that are dear to those in the Lightworker movement. And many of these teachings can be found on many other Lightworker websites.
As a Christian, if it’s not clear to you by now that Roma Downey is part of the spiritual Lightworker movement, then you are in grave danger and need to pray for the Lord to open your eyes.
Some reasons people don’t want to hear the truth about the “Son of God” movie:
1. It’s downright scary. No one wants to think that luciferian occultists are spoon-feeding the Christian population their doctrine or that demons are at the root of something that evokes such pleasant emotions or that we could so easily be deceived by something we hold so dear – the image of Jesus.
2. The majority of the Christian population are completely ignorant of Lightworkers, the Lightworker movement, and the teachings that are being presented by them.
3. I acknowledge that demons exist today and are active in the world around us and that scares people. Usually when people hear about someone acknowledging demons, it’s in a news story about some mentally deranged person who committed a heinous crime.
4. A lot of people don’t read their Bibles and don’t know how real its truths are, much less believe what they would like to think they believe.
5. People are very attached to their entertainment. It’s already a difficult enough prospect for Christians to find wholesome entertainment. Now someone comes along telling them their latest Jesus movie is bad too? So then, what CAN they watch? I don’t have the answer to that.
6. Some people really were hoping for a place for Jesus in mainstream entertainment, and want this movie to succeed so others like it will be financed and accepted in Hollywood.
7. Many people think they need evangelism tools because they don’t have a real testimony and they love their lives and this world more than they realize.
8. The Lightworker movement has been infiltrating churches and the rest of society for several decades and many Christians are desensitized to their views, if not already indoctrinated by them. Especially into the false teaching that to acknowledge evil gives it power.
The “Son of God” movie is the fruit of a corrupt tree.
Roma Downey is a student of new age cult leader John-Roger, a known Lightworker. He is the founder of the University of Santa Monica, from which Ms. Downey received her degree in spiritual psychology.
USM is a non-accredited private school that offers only two degrees. According to a benchmark analysis, 100% of USM’S faculty are graduates of USM, which is very unlike other, real universities. That benchmark analysis states:
“In fact, USM’s mission statement spells out its mission to proselytize its beliefs, saying that it is dedicated to ‘communicating the principles and practices of Spiritual Psychology worldwide through the process of Soul-Centered Education’. In other words, it is training students in the process of Soul-Centered Education so they can teach the principles and practices of USM’s ideology, Spiritual Psychology, worldwide.”
John-Roger’s cult is called Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, MSIA for short, pronouced “messiah.” MSIA teaches people how to experience “their own Divinity.”
Lucifer said in Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
ApologeticIndex.org states, “MSIA’s teachings and practices reject or otherwise militate against the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.
The Bible’s teachings regarding Jesus Christ are completely incompatible with MSIA’s claim that he is a ‘Mystical Traveler.’ In fact, the teachings of the Bible do not in any way support any of MSIA’s teachings on how to obtain a relationship or ‘oneness’ with God.”
Christian Research Institute states the following:
“MSIA says there are no absolute truths; the Bible teaches that God has spoken specific truths which will stand as true throughout history (Ps. 119:89; Matt. 5:17-18; 24:35; etc.). MSIA says that there are no rights or wrongs, no absolute good or bad; the Bible declares that certain things are right or wrong, good or bad, and condemns those who reject these standards (Is.5:20; Rom. 1:28-32; etc.). MSIA teaches its followers that they are ‘fine just the way you are’ and that they are ‘already perfect’; the Bible commands all to repent and turn from their wickedness, and states that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of the spirit (John 3:3-8; Acts 17:30-31; etc.). MSIA teaches that Jesus was one of many ‘Travelers,’ the latest of whom is John-Roger; the bible teaches that Jesus was the unique incarnation of God in human form (John 1:1-18; Phil. 2:6-8; Col. 1:15-18; etc.). MSIA says that every human being has a Divine Nature; the Bible regards this claim as the lie foisted upon Eve by Satan in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-5).”
John-Roger has been doing this for many decades and was exposed for it long ago by cult expert David Lane, whose home was ransacked and robbed after confronting John-Roger regarding allegations of plagiarism and sexual abuse.
“But Roma Downey is a born-again Christian,” you say. Where have we heard that before?
John-Roger’s Lightworker involvement is documented in this video from his YouTube channel:
And here, on his MSIA website it says, “Five light workers met at Bellevue Downtown Park in Bellevue WA on a sunny 70 degree day.
We called in the light, planted light columns and sent peace to all citizens of the world. And we wished our beloved John Roger a happy birthday!”
John-Roger wrote, produced, and directed a feature film called “The Wayshower.” This testimonial on the MSIA website shows that the film is about John-Roger, himself:
“The Wayshower is a compelling, multi-layered and complex spiritual journey about a guilt-ridden man searching to understand his connection to his guru J-R. Followers of the real-life guru, John-Roger, as well as a segment of new-thought seekers, will resonate with the messages and life lessons shared throughout.” – Arielle Ford, author of The Soulmate Secret http://www.msia.org/wayshower
The Angel News Network website shows that a wayshower is a type of Lightworker:
“Way Showers are light workers who choose to bring their talents and gifts into the world in a larger way. They use their leadership skills to help light workers contribute their skills to create a new world of community, harmony and equality.” http://www.theangelnewsnetwork.com/light-worker-oath.html
Realistically, it’s just not very conceivable that a celebrity could attend a school founded by John-Roger without ever learning the meaning of the word Lightworker. And if the point of USM is to teach the ideologies that have been set forth by the school’s founder, the “Son of God” movie is the perfect application of Roma Downey’s education.
Roma Downey needs our prayers, and so do all the people who have seen the “Son of God” movie or who might be inclined to do so. It is rife with inaccuracies that are consistent with Lightworker teachings, as I have shown in previous posts.
Luke 6:43
For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
What kind of fruit do you want?
The fact that Lightworkers are Luciferian is clear upon looking at some of the channeled Lightworker texts, as are answers to the several of the questions people have had about the “Son of God” movie.
From “Lucifer’s Story, in his own Words.” (Remember, Sananda according to the Lightworkers, is Jesus.) And I encourage you to pray for protection before reading this:
“The coming of Sananda created an enormous wave of Light, and the promise of a new beginning. I was drawn to his side, and he embraced me as a long-lost brother. He told me of the Council’s wish to relieve me of the burden of being alone, and encouraged me to join with him in teaching the part of his message that was completely consistent with his own – the need to look inside for the essence of goodness in us all. I was to continue my project, but I was not alone. I walked by his side in great humility and Love.
When the Romans made the final decision to prosecute him, they were supported by powerful and wealthy forces in the Jewish community and many others who resented his message of absolute Love and service to others. Because of our deep bond, and because he knew of my own sacrifice, he chose me to be the one who would reveal where he was to the authorities. The pain I felt cannot ever be put into words. When my brother suffered on the cross, I suffered with him.
The others knew of my great love, and did not blame me, but I could not bear to remain with them. In my despair, I took my own life, in the overwhelming desire to return with him, to our Home. But as I faced the moment when I could at last follow the Light back Home, I knew I could not leave my mission in this way, and I returned again to Mother Earth to carry on, but the knowledge that I had succumbed to my own weakness and had taken my own life weighed on me unbearably. My incarnated name, Judas, was slandered to represent the symbol of betrayal, and the ability to trust one’s fellow man was further undermined by the Dark Ones.
As a final coup, they created the image of the Devil and attributed it to me, Lucifer. Thus, fear was spread across the entire world in the form of a hideous Being whose evil threatened the survival and afterlife of everyone on Earth, in my name. They had sensed my power and my Light and had to find a way to defeat me, and to suppress the message of the Christ consciousness at the same time.
A new religion was born in my name – the worship of all things which opposed the Light and Love of God. Stories were told of Fallen Angels, rebellion against God, and the cult of Satan spread across the planet. It was taught that any temptation, any error in judgment was the work of Satan, the cause of all evil, and my teachings about integrity, self-reliance and inner strength were swamped by the wave of fear which tore people from their connection to themselves and to God. It was the most clever rouse of all, deflecting the blame for all evil on the planet away from themselves and onto a grotesque caricature of my teachings and my Love, and by association, diminishing the message of Christ’s power which is of the Light.”
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More evidence that Lightworker teachings are luciferian – from chapter 8 of “The New Scriptures,” as given by Sananda:
“As you all may know, Lucifer has returned Home, to the welcoming arms of his Mother/Father God, his twin flame Archangel Gabrielle, and his adoring brothers and sisters. He was given a hero’s welcome, much to his surprise, for he thought his long journey to Earth has failed to bring more light and higher vibration to the planet, which was his plan.
The intentionally-created Dark Energy form which was “Satan” has been captured and taken to the Light. The Dark Entities have now heard the story, and are in disarray and confusion because they had been manipulated into thinking that Lucifer was the Devil, the representative of all evil, and their powerful leader. They are now stunned to discover that the one named Lucifer is in fact the essence of Light and Love, and they are beginning to come out of their dark hiding places, fearful, confused, disillusioned and desperate.”
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In case you were wondering why Jesus had to “make” Judas betray him in “Son of God,” the movie…
From the introduction of “The New Scriptures” as given by Sananda:
“I called my beloved family together – I did not call them disciples; they were my close friends and fellow travelers, my trusted companions. None was more loyal or devoted than my dearest Brother, Judas as you call him. I called him to my side to talk with him about the impending confrontation with the Roman soldiers. I asked him to go to them, to tell them of my whereabouts in order to avoid a search-and-seizure melee which would have put my entire family in danger.”
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Why didn’t the “Son of God” movie convey the message that Jesus died for our sins?
From chapter 10 of “The New Scriptures” by Sananda – this is what Lightworkers believe:
“I did not come to our beloved Planet Earth to die for anyone’s sins. That is a nonsensical idea, since we are all individually responsible for our own actions and beliefs. I came to teach Love, simply that. I wanted to express my own Love for the Creator, and to show others that they too could find solace, inspiration and deep connection with those in spirit form who oversee and assist in our lives.”
It has been said that sin is not even addressed in the “Son of God” movie…
From chapter 20 of “The New Scriptures,” as given by Sananda:
“Ironically, the idea of “sin” was created by the Reptilians, who wished to instill fear in the hearts of all humanity in order to gain control over people’s feelings. Once a person is living in fear, they are easy to manipulate.”
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And last but not least, why did Roma Downey name her production company Lightworkers Media? Compare this quote from her to what Sananda says in “The New Scriptures.”
In this article (linked below), Roma Downey says, “Tired of cursing the darkness, my husband Mark and I wanted to shine a light. To do this, we set up a production company called LightWorkers Media.”
Source: http://www.religionnews.com/2014/02/20/roma-downey-cut-satan-son-god/
In Chapter 16 of “The New Scriptures,” Sananda (the new age Christ) says, “Rather than curse the Dark, as they say, remember to light your candle, and to move into the places of darkness where others are in despair and cast a great beacon of LoveLight for others to see by. This is the meaning of being a Lightworker.”
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On one of her recent Facebook posts, Pennie wrote, “Yes, God can use the “Son of God” movie. He can use anything. He can use a donkey. But that doesn’t mean we should cast an idol of a golden donkey and start dancing around it. Nor does it mean we should all go buy donkeys and bring our unsaved friends to sit waiting for them to say something. When was the last time you heard God speak through a donkey? Let’s not forget, when God uses a donkey, it’s a miracle.”
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The above article is by my dear friend and guest blogger Pennie De Witt, former Lightworker, Medium and Occultist of 26 years.
These were the headlines on the front page of a free Scottish secular tabloid, 14th – 27th March, ‘ROW OVER PUPILS AT PAGAN SHRINE.’
Front page of SouthSide & Govan Press.
And on page three, the heading reads, ‘SOUTHSIDE PARK IS PAGAN HAVEN.’
The opening sentence on the front cover states :
‘Council chiefs have had to apologise to children, parents and staff at a Catholic school after pupils were involved in ‘decorating’ a tree circle used for pagan ceremonies …’
30,000 copies of each edition of The SouthSide Press and Govan Press are published twice a month, for the South of Glasgow and its suburbs. Please see The South Side Press website.
To read the articles, about Rouken Glen Park, in Giffnock, the south side of Glasgow, please see below images.
The second last paragraph concludes with, ‘Not even rain and storms can keep Druids away from Rouken Glen Park, which has now been described as ‘the pagan capital of Scotland.’ (Page three).
Rouken Glen Country Park, Giffnock.
I’m not sharing this post to bash Catholics or Druids, all people groups are dearly beloved of God and need our prayers.
What comes to my mind is this. Surely, some of the Catholic parents or teachers had already questioned this activity before it took place? Or could it be that they were not aware of the potential spiritual implications of joining in with this event? Maybe the Catholic individuals didn’t realise the activity of supernatural forces/spirits that are present at Druid ceremonies.
Yes, you may argue they were only ‘decorating a tree circle’, but it does remind me of the syncretism that can occur within Catholicism, not just in Scotland, but around the world, where precious Catholic people, mix their Catholicism along with elements of other religions, New Age or even Occultic activity.
For example, in Brazil, ” … where Roman Catholicism has blended with numerous Afro-Brazilian cults. Syncretism occurred partly because of religious persecution and partly because of the compatibility of the different belief systems … Catholics blend practise ” … with Kardecian Spiritualism (see Glossary), Umbanda or forms of black magic.
If you do an online search, you will find other forms of syncretism within Catholicism, which is very concerning. We need to pray, even more in these last days, as more deception spreads within our nations.
In recent years and months I’ve had a heavy heart as I’ve witnessed this more and more, even in the country I live in.
A leader who has been my friend and mentor for about 5 years discussed this topic with me recently.
She also has sadly witnessed this more and more. She wrote, “There are no BIG people and little people in God’s family, in His household of Faith. We’re all His family – the elder (more experienced) are supposed to help the younger and see them grow into fullness, just like you’ve done with your son. Leaders are meant to be mothers and fathers, not dictators. Paul said ‘follow me AS I follow Christ’. Otherwise, they are NOT following Christ as servant-leaders. He washed His disciples feet just before Calvary – that is the kind of leadership we follow.”
She very kindly sent me the following article.
End the Celebrity Syndrome in the Church!
“There is a disease sweeping through the body of Christ. It’s an infectious sickness I call “the man of God syndrome” or “the celebrity syndrome.” It rears its ugly head in the form of self-adulation and self-promotion. Thankfully, the Bible offers the antidote.
In our politically minded, vote-conscious world, we think we are in control of who gets raised up. But the Bible says the opposite: “Exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another” (Ps. 75:6-7, NKJV).
In Daniel 2:21 we read, “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings.” God is plainly telling us we are not in charge!
What does this have to do with the man-of-God syndrome? Everything.
A “syndrome” is a group of symptoms that characterize a particular abnormality. The man-of-God syndrome describes people who “think more highly than they ought” of their positions in the body of Christ.
These arrogant individuals are enamored by their perceived value. Unlike Jesus who made Himself of no reputation, they spend their lives making sure everyone knows their reputation.
This deadly disease affects the body of Christ worldwide. It’s in every congregation, denomination and church movement around the planet. Leaders are stuck on themselves.
Here’s a word of caution to my fellow clergy. If you’re a minister who’s rising in prominence and you begin to feel as if you’re somebody, get on your face before the Lord. Weep tears of repentance and say to the Lord: “Naked I came into this world and naked I will return. Anything I have or have accomplished is because You have given me breath” (see Job 1:21).
Remember Herod’s fate when he began believing the praise of the crowd? He died and was eaten by worms (see Acts 12:20-23). I’d rather be a worm than be eaten by them.
You see, it’s not by heredity. It’s not by the orders of men. It’s not by politics and elections. It’s not by natural succession. Nor is it by conquest and war that we get elevated in life. It’s by God.
Celebrity Mind-Set
When individuals infected with the deadly celebrity syndrome enter a room, they expect others to recognize their presence and pay homage. They desire front-row or platform seats and are visibly disturbed when not given the red-carpet treatment they desire.
They feel they must speak even when not called upon simply because they believe everyone present will live in the dark without their superior knowledge. These individuals have risen above doing menial tasks around the church such as cleaning toilets, picking up garbage and tending infants in the nursery. They no longer stoop that low because now they are “somebody.”
They even find it beneath themselves to spend time with a church member who is not at their socio-economic or spiritual level. The sad truth is, they avoid the very people who have elevated them to their position in the ministry.
Leaders who have been infected with this disease no longer associate with common, ordinary people. They claim: “Time just doesn’t permit me to spend time with you. I’m so busy.” But they seem to have plenty of time to rub shoulders, play golf and sip tea with a more prestigious crowd.
Ministers with this syndrome no longer spend time in the foyer shaking hands with congregants. They claim the church has gotten too large. Yet they have time to shake hands and dine with the elite. I call these people “white-collar clergy.”
I’m not attempting to sway the mass of ministers who, in their own minds, have risen to such high levels. They would attack me with Scripture and vilify me for speaking against their “well-deserved” positions. I’d rather spend my time preventing the present generation from going down that path.
Young men and women who desire to enter the ministry are witnessing a warped concept of true ministry. And many outside the church have become repulsed by today’s Christian leaders.
Stuck on Self
The world is waiting for men and women of God who are more concerned about how they appear to Christ than how they appear to the crowd. People are longing to find leaders who are stuck on helping sinners rather than stuck on helping self. They are fed up with our slick self-promotion; glitzy, eye-popping Internet, TV and radio spots; and high-gloss, self-exalting magazine, newspaper and poster ads that elevate man rather than exalt Jesus.
Some leaders have gone so far as to hire Hollywood ad agencies and secular image consultants so they’ll appear one notch above other ministers. Of course there’s nothing wrong with advertising an evangelistic meeting, a ministry or a church. But many have gone too far.
The church of Jesus Christ needs to send this self-promotion back to where it was birthed—in the cesspool of hell. Wasn’t Lucifer the first being who became full of himself and decided he should be promoted?
The next generation of believers needs shepherds who have a “servant syndrome” not a “serve-me syndrome.”
I’m not speaking only of clergy. If you serve in the church in any way—as a Sunday school teacher, deacon, choir member or children’s worker—then this message should speak volumes to you.
Why? Because the same self-promoting spirit that grips those in ministry can put a stranglehold on good, God-fearing churchgoers. The same idolizing, self-adulating spirit that has invaded the lives of so many who make ministry their career can find its way into your life too.
What can you do to avoid this deception? Here’s what Jesus had to say on the subject.
The higher you rise in popularity, the greater your position as a servant. We’re all familiar with the story found in Mark 9:35-37: “And He [Jesus] sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’ Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.'”
Before Jesus humbly blessed this child, He had already performed incredible miracles. He healed the woman with the issue of blood, experienced the transfiguration, raised Lazarus from the dead and fed the 5,000. Yet after all that, what did He tell His disciples? “If you want to be first, you’ve got to be last. You must be a servant of all.”
The higher you rise in popularity, the greater your position as a servant. That concept is hard to grasp in our Western culture because we’re known for climbing the ladder of success. Secular bookstores are flooded with manuals on how to rise above the person in front of you, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught.
Jesus’ prescription for this deadly syndrome is, “Whatever great things you do, always remember you’re a servant.” Let’s keep in mind that one of the last acts of this miracle worker was washing the disciples’ feet. The higher He rose in popularity, the greater His position as a servant.
A person who wants to be involved in the lives of men must first become intimate with God. We do that by spending time in our prayer closets repenting of our sins and getting to know Him.
Psalm 51 shows us the way. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.
“Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (vv. 7-12).
Hyssop was a plant used for medicinal purposes and for cleansing. Here’s the clincher. After you get right with God and are cleansed, after you become intimate with the Lord, something happens:
“Then I will teach transgressors Your ways; and sinners shall be converted to You” (v. 13). This is so clear. But too often people get the cart before the horse. If you want to be positioned in the ministry, if you want to be useful on earth, let me tell you how: Get in a place of intimacy with God.
Jesus, in the middle of His glorious, crowd-mesmerizing ministry, maintained intimacy with God.
What does this have to do with church life? Everything. Church members, singers, musicians, altar workers, children’s workers, future staff members—whatever you’re after, this is the road you must travel.
The amount of anointing you possess should never dictate how approachable you are. I’ve chosen not to model my life on the lives of modern-day pastors or evangelists. Although there have been great men and women of God in the past and there are many alive today, it is safer for us to pattern ourselves after Jesus. Jesus was mightily anointed, yet He allowed everyone to approach Him: children, people who had questions, people who had given up hope, people who made emotional pleas for help, people who wanted to follow Him. And He didn’t send His thugs to get rid of them.
You know the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10. He wanted a touch from God and screamed out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” What did Jesus do? Did He say: “Get rid of him. Get him out of here”? No! He said, “Call him here.” My friend, that’s how Jesus operated. With His great anointing He was still approachable.
A person who is positioned in the ministry by God will be persecuted by others. You might as well accept it. If you’re positioned by God, you will go through persecution. In fact, if you’re not being persecuted, something is wrong.
Throughout the Word you will see this pattern. The Bible says they will revile or defame you. They’ll speak evil of you, hate you and persecute you for righteousness’ sake. Perhaps the reason we are not persecuted today is because we’re not preaching the Word.
Are you standing for truth? Jesus sent His disciples into homes and said, “If they reject My Word, leave and wipe the dust from your feet” (see Matt. 10:14).
Ministers today go into the homes of millions through television. Rather than being rejected they are received. Rather than removing the dust from their feet, they are raking in donations from their followings.
I wonder what would happen if our words carried a little more weight! The Bible says all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (see 2 Tim. 3:12).
A person who is popular with the crowd should never pollute his message. This is another antidote to the celebrity syndrome. You never compromise the message, no matter how large the crowd.
Jesus was popular with the crowd. But when He told them to eat His flesh and drink His blood, many said, “This is too difficult for us,” and they turned and walked away (see John 6).
What was Jesus’ response? He didn’t flinch, change His message or run after the offended crowd. Instead, He turned to His disciples and said, “How about you, boys?” They responded, “You have the words of eternal life.”
So He told them: “All right. If you’re with Me, you’re with Me. Now follow Me.” Jesus is not going to change His message for anybody. We must live—and preach—to please God rather than man.
According to Jesus, a person who wants a ministry of mighty things must be willing to do menial things. Menial things are insignificant things that are done in secret when no one is shining a spotlight on you. You’re just busy doing something for the Lord.
Jesus spent His life serving. He washed His disciples’ feet. He cooked them breakfast after the resurrection. Jesus served.
If you want to achieve success and climb to a place of great elevation in the Lord, then look down. Don’t pass up the insignificant tasks, especially those that nobody but God can see.
There’s a new generation coming up, and I’m going after them. I want to raise up men and women who will get their model for life and ministry from the Word of God and the life of Jesus.
Their modus operandi will be to serve rather than be served, and their lives and ministries will be characterized by holiness, humility and a heartfelt love for people. I pray that God uses them in greater ways than He has used any other minister who has graced this planet—and that He preserves them from the deadly man-of-God syndrome.”
End the Celebrity Syndrome in the Church by the late Steve Hill, Evangelist and author.
Former New Age Spiritualist,Lauragraduated from Strathclyde University, Scotland, earning a BA Honours degree in Psychology.
Many thanks for taking time to read and share the above post. For similar posts and more about Laura, please visit her blog Our Spiritual Quest.
DISCLAIMER:
Laura Maxwelldoes not necessarily agree with all the information and conclusions presented by friends, guest articles on her blog, TV or radio interviews or her own radio show.
Laura is not paid for writing in books, magazines or appearing on TV, radio or at events. All of her work is of a voluntary nature.
Click on this LINK to see some of her TV interviews.
Pastor Michael Cummins, asked me to mention his special show on ‘Freedom From Controlling Leaders,’ tomorrow Thursday on Revelation TV, Voice In The Wilderness, at midnight, London Time.
Have you have been affected by controlling Pastors or heavy shepherding? Or spiritually, emotionally and psychologically abused by controlling church leaders, false apostles or false prophets? If so, perhaps this would be useful to watch and pray along with Michael.
In his 20 yrs experience of deliverance ministry, the Lord has taught Michael some things he will share tonight.
You can phone or email the live program & he will pray for you on the show.
Are you seeking the Lord for inner healing from the bondage of control?
If you’ve been struggling to get free from control, or recovering from the serious effects of the abuse of control, manipulation or bullying tactics by church leaders or ministries, this program may help.
You can watch it on http://www.revelationtv.com or SKY TV : Channel 581, FREESAT : Channel 692 and ROKU BOX in the USA : on Revelation TV.
We will be praying for you. Please join with us tonight and pray for the viewers, for their complete healing and freedom in Christ.
Over the next few programs, each Thursday at midnight, Michael will continue teaching about control and he will pray for those affected or abused by it.
Thanks very much & God bless you.
Laura Maxwell, on behalf of Michael Cummins.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets :
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
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Stanley Frodsham’s Prophetic Warning – 1965.
This prophecy was given at the Elim Bible Institute USA, in 1965 by the late Stanley Frodsham. Brother Frodsham was one of those who received his Baptism in the Holy Ghost at Sunderland in 1908 where the Pentecostal movement in Britain had its beginnings. He was a recognized prophet and teacher in the Body of Christ whose life and ministry spanned the Pentecostal Revival, the great Healing Revival and the early days of the Charismatic Movement. He also authored the well-known book, “Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith”. It is written: “Despise not prophesying. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good” (I Thessalonians 5.-20,21). The following is a prophetic word given to one who was under a heavy anointing. We believe all who read these solemn prophetic warnings should take diligent heed to them. “Believe in the Lord your God, so ye shall be established,- believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper” (II Chronicles 20.-20).
“With great judgments will I plead with the population of this country. Great darkness is coming upon the countries that have heard my gospel but no longer walk in it. My wrath shall come upon them. The darkness shall be so great, and the anguish so sore that men will cry out for death and shall not find it. There shall be a lingering death, famine, and great catastrophes.
My wrath shall be manifested against all ungodliness. It shall come with great intensity. You have known My love but have not known My wrath, My severity. My judgments are literal and not a thing to be lightly passed over. Realize the severity of My judgments and My intense anger against the sin in My household. My judgments shall begin in My house. For I will cleanse My house that it be not partaker of My wrath against the iniquities of the cities. Before I visit the nations in judgement I will begin at My house. When I do cause My wrath to come upon the cities of the world My people shall be separate. I desire a people without spot or wrinkle, and such shall be preserved by Me in the time of My wrath coming upon all iniquity and unrighteousness.
I am going to prepare you for the coming days by a hard path that will cause you to cry out continually unto Me. For when the going is easy, men do not seek Me, but rejoice in a temporary blessing. And when that blessing is removed they so often turn this way and that way but do not come to Me. I am showing you these things that you may seek Me continually and with great diligence. As you seek Me, I will open up truths to you that you have not seen before; and these very truths will be that which will enable you to stand in these last days. As you are persecuted, reviled and rejected by your brethren then you will turn unto Me with all your heart and seek Me for that spiritual life you have need of. And when tribulation comes you will have that which will enable you to stand. For many shall be tossed to and fro. Men’s hearts shall fail them because of trouble on every hand. For these days shall be very terrible, the like of which has never been seen before.
When I visit My people in mighty revival power, it is to prepare them for the darkness ahead. With the glory shall come great darkness, for the glory is to prepare My people for the darkness. I will enable My people to go through because of the visitation of My Spirit. Take heed to yourselves lest you be puffed up and think that you have arrived. Many shall be puffed up as in the olden days, for many then received My message but they continued not in it. Did I not anoint Jehu? Yet the things I desired were not accomplished in his life. Listen to the messengers, but do not hold men’s persons in admiration. For many whom I shall anoint mightily, with signs and miracles, shall become lifted up and shall fall by the wayside. I do not this willingly; I have made provision that they might stand. I call many into this ministry, and equip them; but remember that many shall fall. They shall be like bright lights, and the people shall delight in them. But they shall be taken over by deceiving spirits and shall lead many of My people astray.
Hearken diligently concerning these things, for in the last days shall come seducing spirits that shall turn many of My anointed ones away. Many shall fall through divers lusts, and because of sin abounding. But if you will seek Me diligently I will put My Spirit within you. When one shall turn to the right hand or to the left you shall not turn with them, but keep your eyes wholly on the Lord. The coming days are the most dangerous, difficult and dark, but there shall be a mighty outpouring of My Spirit upon many cities, and many shall be destroyed. My people must be diligently warned concerning the days that are ahead. Many shall turn after seducing spirits; many are already seducing My people. It is those who DO righteousness that are righteous. Many cover their sins by great theological words. But I warn you of seducing spirits who instruct My people in an evil way. Many of these I shall anoint, that they may purify and sift My people; for I would have a holy people.
Many shall come with seducing spirits and hold out lustful enticements. You will find that after I have visited My people again, the way shall become more and more narrow, and fewer shall walk there in. But be not deceived, the ways of righteousness are My ways. For though Satan come as an angel of light hearken not to him; for those who perform miracles and speak not righteousness are not of Me. I warn you with great intensity that I am going to judge My house and have a church without spot or wrinkle when I come. I desire to open your eyes and give you spiritual understanding, that you may not be deceived but may walk with uprightness of heart before Me, loving righteousness and hating every evil way. Look unto Me and I will make you to perceive with the eyes of the Spirit the things that lurk in darkness, that are not visible to the human eye. Let me lead you in this way that you may perceive the powers of darkness and battle against them. It is not a battle against flesh and blood; for if you battle in that way you accomplish nothing. But if you let Me take over and battle against the powers of darkness then they are defeated, and then liberation is brought to My people.
I warn you to search the Scriptures diligently these last days. For the things that are written shall indeed be made manifest. There shall come deceivers among My people in increasing numbers, who shall speak forth the truth and shall gain the favor of the people. For the people shall examine the Scriptures and say, “What these men say is true.” Then when they have gained the hearts of the people, then and THEN ONLY shall they bring out these wrong doctrines. Therefore, I say that you should not give your hearts to men, nor hold people’s persons in admiration. For by these very persons shall Satan enter into My people. WATCH FOR SEDUCERS. Do you think a seducer will brandish a new heresy and flaunt it before the people? He will speak the words of righteousness and truth, and will appear as a minister of light, declaring the Word. The people’s hearts shall be won. Then, when the hearts are won, they will bring out their doctrines, and the people shall be deceived. The people shall say, “Did he not speak thus and thus? And did we not examine it from the Word? Therefore he is a minister of righteousness.
This that he has now spoken we do not see in the Word, but it must be right, for the other things he spoke were true.”
Be not deceived. For the deceiver will first work to gain the hearts of many, and then shall bring forth his insidious doctrines. You cannot discern those who are of Me and those who are not of Me when they start to preach. But seek Me constantly, and then when these doctrines are brought out you shall have a witness in your heart that these are not of Me. Fear not, for I have warned you. Many will be deceived. But if you walk in holiness and uprightness before the Lord, your eyes shall be open and the Lord will protect you. If you will constantly look unto the Lord you will know when the doctrine changes, and will not be brought into it. If your heart is right I will keep you; and if you will look constantly to Me I will uphold you.
The minister of righteousness shall be on this wise — his life shall agree with the Word, and his lips shall give forth that which is wholly true, and it will be no mixture. When the mixture appears then you will know he is not a minister of righteousness. The deceivers speak first the truth and then error, to cover their own sins which they love. Therefore I exhort and command you to study the Scriptures relative to seducing spirits, for this is one of the great dangers of these last days.
I desire you to be firmly established in My Word and not in the personalities of men, that you will not be moved as so many shall be moved. I would keep you in the paths of righteousness. Take heed to yourselves and follow not the seducing spirits that are already manifesting themselves. Diligently inquire of Me when you hear something that you have not seen in the Word, and do not hold people’s persons in admiration, for it is by this very method that Satan will hold many of My people.
I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly, that you may triumph where I triumphed. On the cross I triumphed over all the power of Satan; and I have called you to walk in the same path. It is when your life is on the cross that you shall know the victory I have experienced. As you are on the cross, and seated in Me, then you shall know the power of the resurrection. When I come in My glory, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places shall be utterly broken. Fear not, for I have given you power whereby you may tread down the powers of darkness, and come forth victorious through every trial. As you are on the cross then you are victorious. It was on the cross that I triumphed over all the powers of the enemy. My life shall flow through you as you enter into these precious truths. Look unto Me, and appropriate My life. As your eyes and desires are toward Me, and you know what it is to be crucified with Me, then you shall live, and your anointing shall increase. It was not in My life that I walked upon the earth, but it was in My life when I was upon the cross that I openly spoiled principalities and powers.
I am showing you truths that shall cause you to overcome, to have power over the wicked one, truth that will liberate you and those round about you. You shall know also the fellowship of My sufferings. There is no other way whereby you may partake of this heavenly glory and reign with Me. “If we suffer with Him we shall reign with Him.” I desire to make those truths real within you. As you keep them before you, you will liberate many who are in bondage. You will have revelation of those who are in darkness and will have the keys to liberate the captives. Many seek to liberate, but they have not the keys. Upon the cross continually you will know the power of My resurrection that you may also partake of My glory. As you are willing to walk with Me and rejoice in your sufferings, you shall partake of My glory. Look unto Me for you have need of power to overcome the wicked one, and the bondages in other lives.
If you will indeed judge yourself you shall not be judged. As you seek My face and desire to be cleansed by Me in all truth and sincerity of heart I will judge you in the secret place, and the things that are in the secret place of your heart shall not be made manifest to others. I will do it in the secret place and no man shall know it. And the shame that shall be seen on many faces shall not be seen on your face. Therefore in love and mercy I am instructing you. And therefore I have said that if a man judge himself he shall not be judged. It is not My good pleasure that the shame of My people be seen by all. How can I judge the world if I judge not first My own house? Hearken unto these things I am telling you. If you will not hearken unto Me thy shame shall be evident to all.
I would have you consider My life on earth — the anointing upon Me was great and yet the temptations were great on every side; in one form and then in another, offering Me first the glory of the kingdoms of the earth and then reviling and persecuting Me. There will be great glory given to My people, and yet the temptations shall be intensified from every side. Think not that with the glory there shall be no temptations or persecutions. The glory of My church shall be great, and so shall be the temptations from the enemy to turn My people from My paths. I am warning you that when the glory shall be manifested, the temptations shall be great, until very few that start shall finish. First there shall be offered them great worldly possessions, and then great revilings and unbelief.
Consider your Lord, that as He walked so it shall be for you. There shall be need of great intensity of purpose. At times everyone shall rise up against you, simply to turn you from the course that I would put you in. It is written of Me that I set My face as a flint to go to the direction My Father had prescribed for Me. If you will finish the course the Lord has laid down for you, you will have to set your face as a flint. With great determination you must walk in the course laid down for you. Many of your loved ones and those who follow with you shall persuade you and try to turn you from the course. With many words that seem right in the natural will they speak to you. Did not Christ rebuke Peter who would turn Him from the course God had prescribed?
Understand these two things and meditate upon them solemnly — the persecution and the darkness shall be as great as the glory in order to try to turn the elect and the anointed ones from the path the Lord has laid down for them. Many shall start but few shall be able to finish because of the greatness of grace that shall be needed to be able to endure unto the end. The temptations and the persecution of your Lord was continuous. He was tempted by Satan in many forms throughout His entire life and even to the cross when the ungodly cried out, “If thou be the Christ come down from the cross.” Think not that there shall be a time of no persecution, for it shall be from the time of your anointing until the end. Difficulties, and great persecution to the end. The Lord must prepare you to be an overcomer in all things, that you may be able to finish the course. The persecution shall increase even as the anointing shall increase.
In paths of judgement and righteousness shall the Lord God lead His people and bring them into that place which He has chosen for them. For the Lord has chosen a place for His people, a place of righteousness and holiness where He shall encamp round about them. And all who will be led of the Lord shall be brought into this holy place. For the Lord delights to dwell in His people and to manifest Himself through His people. The holiness of the Lord shall be manifested through His people. Let the Lord lead you and He will lead you in difficult places. He led His people of old through a place where no man dwelt, where no man had passed through, in a place of great danger and in the shadow of death. The Lord will indeed again lead His people through such places, and yet He will bring them out into a place of great glory. Understand that the way toward the glory is fraught with great danger and many shall fall to the right or to the left, many shall camp on lesser ground. But the Lord has a place of holiness and no unclean thing shall dwell among His people.
Put your trust in Him and He will bring you into a place of holiness. He desires to bring His people into great glory — the like of which has never been seen for what the Lord will do for those who put their trust in Him. It is a place of darkness and great danger that separates His people into the place He would have them walk in. He will protect them from the voices that would turn them from His path. He will bring them through the dark places, and through the treacherous paths, out into the light of His glory. He will rejoice greatly over His beloved and cause you to be filled with joy unspeakable. He seeks to lead His people into a new place of grace and glory where He will indeed encamp among them. Put your trust in Him and He will surely bring you into this new place.
Fear not the days to come, but fear this only — that you shall walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord. In this time I am ordering and setting up My church and it shall indeed be pure, without spot or wrinkle. I will do work in My beloved that has not been seen since the foundation of the world. I have shown you these things that you may seek the Lord diligently with all your heart, and that you may be a preserver of His people.
Run not to this one nor to that one, for the Lord has so ordained that salvation is in Him and in Him alone. You shall not turn to this shepherd or to that one, for there shall be a great scattering upon the earth. Therefore look unto Him for He will indeed make these things clear to you. You shall not look here nor there, for the wells that once had water shall be no more. But as you diligently seek Him He shall increase your strength and your faith, that He may be able to prepare you for this time that is coming.
The truths that I have revealed to you must become a part of you — not just an experience, but a part of your very nature. Is it not written that I demand truth in the inward parts? It is the truth of the Lord expressed in your very being that shall hold you. Many shall experience the truth, but the truth must become a part of you, your very life. As men and women look upon you they will hear not only the voice but see the expression of the truth. Many shall be overcome because they are not constant in My ways, and because they have not permitted the truths to become part of them. I am showing you these things that you may be prepared, and having done all, to stand.”
Doug Harris interviews Laura Maxwell & Michael Cummins, Revelation TV.
Below this video link, is a written transcript of our TV interview, on Simply The Truth, March 2012.
God’s timing is perfect! Recently, three different people unknown to each other, approached me, very kindly offering to transcribe it into English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese!
I’m so grateful to the Lord, and to these dear ladies for this new open door; this new opportunity to bring more souls to Jesus.
It’s very exciting that now people in other countries, who maybe haven’t saw this video on TV or YouTube before, will soon be able to watch it on YouTube in these languages! Please, join me, in praying that more people will come to Jesus through this video.
If any of you, can translate this into another language, I’d love to hear from you! I’d especially love it to be transcribed into French, for the French speaking people in France and also in Africa. I’d also love it to be transcribed into Italian, God willing.
In this interview, I was so delighted to talk with Doug and Michael on this specific topic, as it’s one of those closest to my heart. Of all the interviews, or articles I’ve been honoured to write, I believe this is simply the most significant topic I’ve ever spoken on. If I was ever to speak on one topic only, this would be it!
When I asked Doug and Michael, if we could cover this topic, Doug asked me to go ahead and research it all. That’s why I have a pile of notes with me. I was so blessed that he trusted me, to ask me to script this show, including the questions that he was to give to Michael and I. It was the first time I had done that. Sadly, at the time, we didn’t realise it was the last time we’d meet. Doug went to be with the Lord in May 2013 and we miss him greatly.
The Occult – Luciferianism within Spiritualism and the New Age : Michael Cummins and Laura Maxwell interviewed by Doug Harris, Simply The Truth, Revelation TV, March 2012.
DOUG HARRIS :
Good evening! This is Simply The Truth with me, Doug Harris. Thank you for joining us, because you are just as important, as those of us here in the studio. With Simply the Truth, we do as the title says, take a subject and share the truth about it, as simply as possible. The subject we are dealing with tonight, is one we get all sorts of emails and questions over. It’s always something that people want to know more about. It’s the whole area of the Occult. Tonight I have got two guests, not just one. Firstly, I want to welcome Laura Maxwell. Thank you for joining us Laura. As soon as you talk, they will know that you are not from this part of the world.
LAURA MAXWELL : That’s right, (she laughs).
DOUG HARRIS : You have been before and you have given your testimony before. You have obviously come out of Spiritualism and so you are really qualified to deal with quite a bit of what we are going to talk about tonight, so thank you for joining us – and also my old mate Michael Cummins. Many of you will know Michael from various times we have had him on here, in the past, so great to have you with us Michael – very much involved in the deliverance ministry. So never been involved in the Occult myself, but really understanding it and understanding what people go through.
MICHAEL CUMMINS : Thank you Doug, thanks very much.
DOUG HARRIS : I guess one of the first questions I really would like to ask tonight is, the whole modern Occult phenomena, it comes at you from all sides and in all different ways. How concerned are you Laura, that people are responding more to it’s message these days because of the way it is presented?
LAURA MAXWELL : Definitely quite concerned and not with just people from any religion, or no faith, but even Christians themselves – as the bible says My people perish through lack of knowledge and even the elect will be deceived. There is certainly more through media, internet and even the actual New Age agenda itself, is definitely geared to reach all of society globally, with the occult message which is now blending as you know, more with ancient gods and ancient religion. So you have got a mix of not only the Occult being acceptable, but it is mixing with things like the Egyptian God Horace, Krishna, the Hindu god, Buddha and these so called ‘previous saviours’. They don’t think that Jesus isn’t the saviour, they think that he is just a reincarnation of these ancient, so called saviours. You see it a lot more in society, a lot more now.
DOUG HARRIS : What Laura just said there is interesting, that even the elect, even Christians who have been on the road for quite some time can be deceived. I think we feel sometimes, that Satan will always come as it were, with the pitch fork and the horns and we recognise him so easily, but that is not the way that the Occult is presented today is it?
MICHAEL CUMMINS : No, the biggest deception Satan has brought to the world, is the deception that people look at him as an evil force. We know that he is an evil force coming delivering evil. The problem with the Occult is, that it has been, shall we say, ‘cleaned up’ these days. If you look at a lot of sites on the internet, there’s no threat in them. It is geared to help people. Many people in the London area, if you get local or regional papers, you see pages of adverts. People say have you got problems passing your exams? Or have you marriage or immigration problems? You will see a certain Sheik, or certain Shaman there advertising his services. For people who don’t know Jesus, who don’t know the Lord, they can be drawn towards that, because we all have a need. Us in Christianity look to the Lord to meet our needs, but people who don’t know the Lord will look in other areas, and that is where they can get deceived and lured into the Occult.
DOUG HARRIS : We are going to deal with that area. As we get to the end, we are going to look at ways that people may have got involved. Please, no condemnation! If people have got involved, we are not condemning people for doing that, but we certainly would like to help to move you out from that, into something of reality in your lives.
Laura, you were in Spiritualism and many people will look at Spiritualism as being something quite harmless. And they think, ‘It’s alright if people want to go that way.’ But you shared something very interesting with me, that you felt the basis of spiritualism was Luciferianism. We have to define, what do you mean by Luciferianism? Because Lucifer obviously in the Bible is the one who became Satan. Is that really what it is? Is Luciferianism all about Satanism and the basis of this?
LAURA : I obviously think that there are different kind of branches of it. Satanists would take it more literally than that and realise that he is evil. But the kind of thing I was taught, as a Spiritualist and a New Ager, was the Luciferianism, (where the people don’t have a malice in believing this), but they feel that Lucifer is still an angel of light and that the Bible is wrong to say that he fell and became Satan. They feel Lucifer was the one that made the ultimate sacrifice, not Jesus! That Lucifer descended willingly from the planet Venus and he came to teach us and to show us light and to awaken us to our inner divinity. And that Lucifer would be the one, to bring society in the last days into ‘light’. He would pave the way for the New World Order and that he would do this through spirit guides, spirits and different Occult and New Age avenues. And they felt that Jesus wasn’t the Saviour, but that Lucifer is the light.
DOUG : We will come back to Spiritualism . So, are there people who really believe that and practice what you have just said, now, in Britain and around the world?
LAURA : Yeah absolutely – and going back to how it was relevant to Spiritualism – as Spiritualists, we knew a lot of folks would be scared by it, or would find it controversial, but in the 1870’s a very, very famous medium Madame Helena Blavatsky; she was one of the first mediums to publicly admit Lucifer is God. And Mediums have taught that since then, from her. She received these teachings from her so called ‘Spirit Guides’, who claimed to be ‘Ascended Masters’. You can check this out online. It’s not just propaganda from me! Her books are still available, where she basically says that Lucifer is God. And they taught it to Spiritualists and Mediums, although it wasn’t mentioned a lot to us in the Spiritualist Church, but we were aware of it. The Mediums might not call themselves ‘Luciferians’, but they do agree with a lot of the Luciferian doctrine.
DOUG : Now you were in Spiritualism and praise God you got out of Spiritualism and God delivered you. It wasn’t always that easy, as viewers who saw your testimony will know. But if you had known the root of Spiritualism was Luciferianism, this belief that Lucifer was actually God, because many Spiritualists today would not know that. I mean some of them believe in Jesus Christ, etc. Would that have made a difference to you getting into Spiritualism?
LAURA : Well it sounds funny, but it shows how easily you can be deceived, because when I was told that, I just believed the Mediums who taught us that. And certainly this Madame Blavatsky, the famous Medium, ‘Mother of the New Age movement’. When I heard she believed that and because it was ‘spirits’ that told her and because our so called ‘spirit guides’ told us the same information, I thought “Well, these spirits are showing up, telling us this, well it must be true, then the Bible must be false!” So, in actual fact, I just tended to believe it.
DOUG : I guess there are many like that today, that in actual fact they are preaching a totally different Gospel. So, if you go and as nice as people are, and of course people in this realm are nice. As nice as people are, if they are in this realm they are preaching a different Gospel and they are preaching a different God really aren’t they?
LAURA : Yeah definitely.
DOUG : Michael from your perspective and you have been involved in this for quite some time, in the whole are of Deliverance Ministry – do you think some of these things have got far more rooted, in our population, in people today? And so, it is far harder for people to get out? And far harder for people, not to be drawn into it, than it was in years past?
MICHAEL : Oh yes, as we said, Satan turning up with a pitch fork! People of my age were brought up to believe that, that Satan would bring evil. He was your adversary. I was brought up even although I wasn’t a Christian, as a young man that is what I believed. The trouble is today, as we said earlier, there is so much information around. There is so much self-help out there, saying ‘do this, do that’. It is funny, we are talking about Luciferianism bringing light. I can remember a young man, many years ago, I took through deliverance. I remember, he said he became demonised because of the practice of ‘giving light’. He said, he actively, when he met people, he used to pass light on to them. Physically he would give them a candle, or a light, and the spiritual implications behind it. He believed he was doing good, ‘I am giving you this light, so that your whole psyche, your whole being will be energised by this light. You will see far beyond the natural and you will look into the spiritual and the supernatural.’
Even in the higher auspices of Masonic worship, Lucifer is seen as the good God, and Adoni is seen as the wicked god, in that sort of teaching! Now intelligent people believe this. One of my favourite scriptures is, ‘Lean not on your own understanding,’ from Proverbs, because when we lean on our own understanding, we can make sense out of this stuff, we can make it fit into our personal needs and our personal aspirations! We can forget the Bible! Deuteronomy 18, as we know, makes it absolutely clear that these practices are an abomination. God warned His people not to get involved in these practices, when they went into the land of Canaan. Now ‘the land of Canaan’ has spread all over the world and now these practices are practiced in every nation! Because people have no understanding of demons and what demons do, because they still see Satan with the pitch fork, and demons as little goblins that come and prod you with fire and things like that! Then to the intelligent mind, the Occult doesn’t seem far out, it seems very acceptable. That’s why I say, ‘Lean not on your own understanding’, because if you lean on your own understanding, you will be drawn into this stuff and you will be deceived.
DOUG : I guess some people, (maybe not all, because some people would be quite happy to say God doesn’t exist and the Bible is not true) – some people will actually be dabbling. Maybe more than dabbling in some of these believe systems, in Spiritualism, in Luciferianism, in ‘giving light’, whatever, in the New Age terminology, or Occult terminology. They’ll be in it, but feeling they are still ok with scripture, they are still ok with God in the wider sense! But they need to know they are not, don’t they?
MICHAEL : Yes. A lady I spoke to recently, was in that position. She had been 54 years in the Occult. She had been a Tarot Card reader. She had read palms. She had done various other things; used a Ouija board. She believed that the ‘gifts’ she had … And she said to me immediately ‘Michael pray for those ‘gifts’ to go, that I have attained through the Occult’. She believed that when somebody came to her and she gave them a word about what was happening, that she was actually doing God’s will. At first, she saw no distinction between what she was doing and between the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now we know when we read Acts, about the woman, the damsel slave girl, who had the spirit of divination. She never spoke against God, she never spoke against Paul and the followers! She actually said, ‘Follow these men, they know the ways of God.’ But it was Paul, through the discernment he had from the Holy Spirit, he was able to recognise that she actually had a spirit of divination. There are people out there, who have these spirits. They are not going to speak evil about anybody, because they believe these ‘gifts’ are godly gifts. They feel it is actually us, in the church, that have stifled those ‘gifts’ through the spreading of the Gospel!
DOUG : Do you think there is more danger in mixture? In other words, people have got the essence that Satan is wrong and God is right – good and evil. But what we are getting today, is a mixture, aren’t we? What was originally termed the New Age, which wasn’t always called that! Which has developed from the New Age, is very much a mixture of some things, that are fairly good, humanly speaking and some things that are not. There is a lot of danger in that, isn’t there?
LAURA : Yeah. It reminds me of the fact that there are some Luciferians who feel Lucifer is total light, but there are also some Luciferians that think he is a mixture of light and dark. It’s similar to the claim they can use magic, for either good or dark purposes. Whereas, there is a scripture in the Bible that does say, ‘God is light and there is no darkness in Him’. So there is not a mixture of light and darkness in God!
DOUG : Michael is this something that you are seeing? Because there will be certain people watching tonight that believe in God, maybe made a commitment, but they are involved in some of these other things as well. It’s not up to us to condemn them, but how do we begin to communicate, that there is a mixture there and that mixture has got to be dealt with? We have got to sort it out and know what ‘stream’ it is coming from. Where do you begin with that?
MICHAEL : The Bible says in Romans, ‘There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.’ The first thing we have to examine is, what is it to be in Christ Jesus? And we have got to give up the ways of the flesh, give up the older things because they will pass away and we become new creations. One of the first things we do, as Romans 12:2 says, ‘Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Our mind is always the battleground. It is always the place that is attacked first. Habit forming things like looking at horoscopes, exactly the same as alcoholism, exactly the same as drugs. They are habit forming. We become to rely on them. So they have become our ‘gods’. So when times are good, we can look at the Gospel and say, ‘Isn’t God marvellous!’ But when we come up against those times, when we don’t have answers and we are struggling a bit, that’s the time when many people, who unfortunately have one foot in darkness – and the Bible does tell us, that if we have one foot in darkness, then darkness will eventually take all the light away and we will be in total darkness. That’s when people get tempted to look into some of these things. I have known Christians who have been to a Medium – I told you the story before and I will say it again, if I may – about a lady whose son committed a murder. She was broken hearted because he committed suicide shortly after he committed murder. She wanted to know where his final resting place was. So she actually told me that she went to a ‘Christian Medium’. She was sent to them by a local pastor! She was told, ‘Go and see this woman. She will put your mind at rest!’ The lady came to me and said “It’s ok Michael, the Medium saw him walking through the gates to heaven.” Now it was very difficult for me to say anything. I tried to comfort her, but as I got to know her, I did tell her, “I think you have been deceived. Look what the Bible says. It is easy for me because God’s word is the ultimate word. If I sin, I am responsible for the sins I have committed, because I have sinned against God’s word.
When you have that confusion in your life and these people are very, very confused. They don’t think they are doing evil, they don’t wish to do evil. They leave themselves open to total manipulation by the forces of darkness and that is what it is. It is subtle. It’s the same manipulation that Satan said in the garden, “Did God really say that?”
Doug : It’s so subtle isn’t it ? Laura, there is I suppose, what many people would say today, is the ‘acceptable face’. We are using this broad term, ‘The Occult’. To us, it covers a whole range of things and many people would agree, that as you get down to the far end of those things, we shouldn’t have anything to do with them, Satan, etc. But at this mild end, it’s not quite as bad. What would you say to people that are willing to accept that message today? In other words, they accept the message that there is some light given by Lucifer and we can follow that way – people that are thinking of going down that road, what would you say to them?
LAURA : Basically what I would say is, if Lucifer is light, why would he disappear at the name of Jesus? When he has appeared, even masquerading in the form as if an angel of light, Christians challenge him at the name of Jesus and he flees! If he was light, he wouldn’t flee at the name of Jesus! I think it’s important to remind Christians of that, now that the New Age is so wide spread. A famous Medium Alice Bailey, took on the work of Madam Blavatsky. She formed the Lucis Trust in the 1920’s, which was originally called the Lucifer Publishing House! But they changed the name of that. It still goes as The Lucis Trust. They have got Theosophy websites. They have got radio stations, books and they have been promoting teachings through education, through movies, through the media. They won’t mention Lucifer a lot, but that is where the teachings are from. Basically as I say, these ancient religions and these different gods – a mix of that and the Occult. But Lucifer wouldn’t disappear at the name of Jesus, if he was light! And there is another, quite a telling quote – David Spangler is a top Medium just now and in his New Age book Reflections on the Christ, he wrote, ‘Lucifer is neither good nor bad in his true essence. He comes to give us the final gift of wholeness … this is the Luciferian Initiation. It is one that many people now and in the days ahead will be facing, for it is an initiation into the New Age.’ And like Spangler, many top Mediums just now, admit society will face this choice to accept Lucifer! And they feel that Christians are blocking Lucifer’s New World agenda and that Christians will be raptured by either spirit guides, or held by aliens because we are holding back the One World Religion and the One World Government, that Lucifer is aiming to set up soon. So, how is that light?! ( Laura laughs).
DOUG : There is no answer to that! ( he laughs). It is important isn’t it, that we actually consider what we believe? In other words, if we are reading some of Alice Bailey’s literature – personally I find it so difficult to read – some people do – we have got to know what we are reading. We have got to know and we have got to decide what is truth and what isn’t truth! Because there is so much in there, that is so opposite, to the one Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the light, etc.” Now either, therefore Jesus is a liar, which I also find difficult, when you begin to think of some claims that He is a reincarnation of these other good people. He is not. The whole thing becomes a mess! How do you start working out of this what is real and what is not real? What is truth and what is not truth?
LAURA : Well as I say, that’s how it’s very important that you do know the Bible and particularly read the passages in the Bible that do talk about deceptions. And in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he was the telling the Christians watch out for false teachings that can come into the church! Being aware of that and I think also folks maybe say, “Well I don’t believe in the Bible.” Well, even listen to testimonies then, of ex-Occultists and how they discovered their ‘Spirit Guide’, or their angel, or whatever disappeared at the name of Jesus – that kind of speaks for itself!
DOUG : Did that happen to you? Is that something that happened to you?
LAURA : It happened to me, it happened to my mother as well. I can tell you briefly about what happened to my mother. We were trying to get out of Spiritualism by now, because our so called ‘spirit guides’ and so called ‘dead relatives’ were beginning to attack us.
DOUG : Up until then, they had been very much for you, with you, helping. Then they turned on you!
LAURA : Yeah, then they turned on us. So as we were trying to leave, it got worse and one night my mother said it was the worse night in her life. She was attacked for hours one night. She called out for help. She called for higher ‘Ascended Masters’, better ‘Spirit Guides’, more evolved spirits to come and help her. Then she saw a huge eye on the wall. So she thought that was a good sign. She thought that’s the all seeing eye coming to help her! But it turned evil and she suddenly realised Horace was not a good god! She also saw a figure that looked like an angel. She believed that was Lucifer and he looked kind and was shining brightly. But as he became closer to her she realised he was really evil. She sensed he was evil. She sensed he was trying to kill her. And she realised he wasn’t Lucifer, he was truly Satan after all. And that was the first time she called out on Jesus Christ and then the apparitions vanished.
DOUG : What we have got to realise, is that these apparitions aren’t real in the sense of humans. They are spiritual beings. We read of them in places like Ephesians six, where we have all of these various demonic realms. We have to be aware that they are trying to show us that they are good, when in actual fact, when we don’t want to go their way, they will then seek to harm us in that way.
Michael I think we dealt with this. You mentioned something earlier, about things being easier now. The way I looked at it, in days gone by, if you wanted to get into Spiritualism, you had to go into the darkened room. There was a sense of fear, there was a sense of something that was going to stop you going in. Today you can read all about it on the internet, you can go to theatres and watch these people work. It’s a ‘do it yourself’ thing, very much these days and you have used that phrase before. Is there a greater danger, that people are getting into things they don’t understand? They don’t know how to handle and it’s more likely to harm them than help them?
MICHAEL : Yes. The thing about Lucifer and the bringing of ‘light’, we know Jesus as the light of the world. So if Lucifer is bringing light, he would worship Jesus and he would work with Jesus, wouldn’t he?! If he has really come to bring light and come to do good, he would worship with Jesus. He wouldn’t have opposed Jesus on the Mount of Temptation! He wouldn’t have asked Jesus to worship him! So we know that Lucifer is Satan. When the Gospel of Luke when the 7 return with joy and said ‘Lord, even the spirits submit to us in thy name .’ Jesus makes it very clear, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven”. So Jesus has himself witnessed Satan fall to the earth. So let’s not muck about. Lucifer is Satan! There is no argument about that, we cannot be deceived by that. The TV, the media … There are two things that people can be deceived by, they can be deceived by the charlatan’s – there have been programmes on the TV, where some Mediums have made it all up. There was a famous Medium caught on the Most Haunted programme, by making something that it wasn’t and they called him out and he was exposed. So, people can be deceived that way by charlatan’s. They can also be deceived into believing that they are going into a source of power that will take them deep into the realms of knowledge and wisdom and there will be nothing to pay for learning that knowledge. But as we know, the devil will always come back and he will always want his ‘pound of flesh’. He is the shylock of the spiritual world. So he will come back and he will want it. So when people go into these things, they should understand that it may be bread and jam for a couple of weeks but the nasty tasting stuff is going to come sooner or later. And that is going to come in the form of nightmares, it’s going to come in the form of insomnia, certain sicknesses, certain diseases, fear and anxiety and maybe even mental illness. And these things will come! For 15 years now I have dealt with people who have been in the Occult, in one form or another. And that is the payback that they get – extreme sickness, extreme mental instability, fear, marital breakdown, real, real terrible stuff will happen to them. And I would urge anyone watching, don’t go there – don’t be tempted to go there.
DOUG : In other words, Satan doesn’t play games! You can think that you are in control of him, but really he is in control of you! Is that always the way?
MICHAEL : The thing is with Satan, he is very subtle and he is very clever and he will give you the understanding, that you are in charge of a situation! A Christian man once told me, “Oh I don’t have to worry about Satan”, I said “Why is that?” He said “I know all about his plots and plans, I can deal with Him!” And I actually said to this man, “Well you are more cleverer than I, because I am learning every day about Satan,” because as the tender mercies of God are new every morning, so is the subtleness of Satan. He reinvents himself all the time. When you think years ago, the Occult was Witchcraft – it was ‘black’ or it was ‘white’ – now the Occult is grey, turning a little bit white in colour. These days boundary lines have gone now – things like Reiki. I have a horror story to tell you about a lady who had Reiki Healing, who believed that was a gift from God! She believed she saw heaven, saw the Holy Spirit descend upon her during a Reiki Healing. And when she got home she realised within 48 hours, that she was now demon possessed and that came from Reiki healing. Now they say Reiki healing is great, it’s massage. I tell you one thing we have to be careful of and I would like to say this – if we have come out of the Occult, in one form or another, we need to have a time where we are reflecting on the Lord and we are learning and we are studying. For argument sake, someone who has been a Reiki Healer cannot come out of Reiki, be born again and then practice massage – there are dangers.
DOUG : I guess the point, which I wanted to bring out, which you brought out very clearly in that illustration, is that it is the spirit behind the thing. In other words, any human laying their hands on another human is fine. But it is the spirit that is being transferred by that. And if the spirit in the past, has been one that has not been of God, you can’t suddenly switch it! There has to be a time of waiting; of dealing with the past, to come into the future.
MICHAEL : Absolutely true. When we come to the Lord, if we come from the Occult, we need a time of reflection and we need to know who Jesus is. And we need to serve Him in truth and we need to be humble towards the Lord. We need to surrender everything to him. We need to lay everything at the foot of the cross and cover it with the blood. We mustn’t come out of one practice and believe that skills that we received in the Occult can be re-harnessed for the sake of the Gospel. And can be used, if you like for healing, or deliverance or anything else like that!
DOUG : The important thing here, is the source of the power and whereas God is all powerful and all supreme, Satan is greater than man by himself. I do want to underline that. In other words, Satan is greater than just man, he is not greater than Christ in us, Hallelujah! So therefore, it is the source of that power.
Now Laura, one of the things that I have heard over the years, as I have talked to people in this realm, is that they feel that, for instance, Medium-ship is the gift of the Holy Spirit; that Spiritualism is Christ healing. In other words, they see absolutely no distinction in their Spiritualism and their Christianity. The two things to them, are the same. I remember once, being in Glastonbury, of course it’s a very famous New Age area there. And we were doing some interviews and I was actually asking people. Most of them were church goers interestingly! I was asking them time and time again, “Is there any difference, in what you see here in Glastonbury and what you see in your church on a Sunday morning?” And 99.9 % said, ‘No, there is no difference whatsoever, it was spiritually the same, there was healing, there was something happening, they felt the spirit, whatever it was.’ How do you begin to deal with that? Because we are saying there is a different spirit there. They are saying “but the end result is the same!” How do we begin to cope with that, when we are talking to people?
LAURA : Well as you say, it’s the source. If as a Christian, you have come to believe in Christ and you have received the Holy Spirit, someone perhaps prays for you – you receive the gift of tongues. Someone perhaps then prays for you, you receive the gift of healing, or the gift of prophecy, or discernment of spirits, or deliverance. If that needed to be a Christian to lay hands on you to receive tongues and to receive those gifts, then how can you say, that before you were a Christian you had the gift of healing?! The Holy Spirit gives you that gift after you have got born again! So, if you have had a ‘gift’ before, then it was a counterfeit gift and its source wasn’t the Holy Spirit! And as Michael says, you can’t just transfer it over! More often I have heard of people that have had psychic abilities and after they got saved, they did need deliverance from those abilities, to be cut. And at a later date, they received the gift of healing or whatever, from the Holy Spirit, so there is a definite distinction!
DOUG : Some people don’t want to lay it down, do they? They’ve had the power; the power of healing; the power of prophetic words, speaking to someone and telling them something that is going to happen. And they don’t want to lay that down. Where do you begin? Somebody comes like that to you – says they want to become a Christian, but it is obvious to you they don’t want to lay these things down. Where do you start with them?
LAURA : Well I think first and foremost it’s important as Michael said, to explain that in following Christ there are sacrifices to be made. There is obedience. There is a life of holiness. So you wouldn’t want to mix these unclean spirits, in with your new Christian life. And also the fact, that this is a demonic power at work! So, do you really want that demonic power around you, about your presence? So it is quite important to have that dealt with. Perhaps, even the story of Simon the Sorcerer, in the book of Acts. He wanted to buy the gifts of the spirit off the apostles, because he was a sorcerer. He wanted to buy more magic powers, but clearly he wasn’t really wanting Jesus, he just wanted the powers and the gifts! And so it is knowing, do you want Christ in your life, or not, basically?
DOUG : What is interesting about that story, is that he is seeing the apostles healing, delivering and whatever else they were doing. He is seeing all that and he is not seeing that as being anything wrong! He wants that, so in other words, he wasn’t against Christ, but he just wanted the powers that were there! And is that a problem? I mean when people even as Christians and non-Christians, when we are just looking for power and not looking for giving ourselves to Christ and allowing him to do what He wants to do with us. That becomes a stumbling block and a problem doesn’t it?
LAURA : I think it does and I think perhaps it is a learning curve for people. And they maybe take on a little bit at a time and they are still processing it all. Because there was a year or so ago, a guy on the internet who was a Shaman – I think he stayed in India, but he said he toured the whole world doing Shamanic healing. He came across my testimony, sent me a message, and actually said “Would I like to join him and go around the world healing people?” And I was like, “No!!!” (Laura laughs). I tried to explain. When he had listened to me on TV, he had only heard the good things I had said about the healings and the miracles that we have saw Christ do. And he was quite impressed with that, but he didn’t understand that the Shamanic healing and the healing from Christ are two different sources and can’t be compatible. So, who knows where he is at now, but at that time, that is the way his thought processes were!
DOUG : I guess we are getting to the Cross aren’t we? And the cross of Christ is a stumbling block to some people because they think ‘It brings the end to me’. Because if I had been famous, or if I had powers and helped people and people had appreciated me because of that … They don’t want to hear the Cross. It brings an end to that! We have got to start with a new life. Has this been a stumbling block? Have you found Michael, people that have not allowed, or not willing to allow the Cross of Jesus Christ, in all its reality, to touch their lives and change them?
MICHAEL : Well if I can go back – you mentioned Glastonbury. Glastonbury is a classic example of a cross over, because Glastonbury was once a place where holiness was preached. There was once a monastery there and was renowned in that part of the country. The New Agers are the people who go there now and a lot of them are really hippies aren’t they? Very 70s and similar to the stuff that went on in San Francisco in the late 60s, flowers in your hair and listen to Scot McKenzie and that sort of stuff! It is the gifts the people want. The gifts, without the responsibility! There is a responsibility with the gifts and you could say “Yes.” God may not pour these gifts upon you. You may become a Christian, you may love Jesus, you may serve Jesus. Jesus may give you a gift that you are able to talk to people – calm them down, give them kind words and that is your anointing from the Lord. ‘But I don’t want that – I want to be able to heal – I want to be able to lay hands on them!’ And people have to realise that with these gifts, there is great, great responsibility. We know that within the modern church, many men of God have fallen, because the gifts and responsibility of those gifts where too great for them. The world lured them back into it. So, with any gift from God, there is great responsibility. Glastonbury and places like that, they practice what they call ‘gifts’, but there is really no responsibility. There is no moral responsibility. Are they actually preaching morals? Are they actually lifting up marriage? Are they lifting up holiness in any way? No! It seems to be a feeling of being happy, if we feel good then it must be good! We must be doing good because everyone is happy with it! That is a real, real deception because everywhere we look -we can go out on a bright sunny day and there is evil all around us. Although the sun is shining – we can go and sit on the beach and it’s lovely, the sea is lapping against the sands, but there is evil all around us. So, even through that light, we have to have discernment, so that we can see what is behind that light and the force behind that ‘light’.
DOUG : We are coming towards the end of the programme and I do want to deal with this whole area of how we can help people. And there seems to me, to be two areas that can be a problem, what’s in the past and what you feel is in the future. Maybe we could deal with the past, with you. Have you met people, Michael, whose problem isn’t actually their problem, but it was in a previous generation? And if that’s the case (and I think that sometimes you can use that as an excuse), but if that genuinely is the case, what do you do about that?
MICHAEL : Well, if we take certain people that are in the Occult, they not only say it over themselves, but they say it over their children and sometimes their children’s children. They make offerings, they make sacrifices. These things are binding, so if they are not broken, the devil will hold to it. So, what we have to do, we have to explain to people the consequences of what has been said over them; what has been said in proxy for them and they have to know that it can affect their lives spiritually. And we have to break, if you like, (I know the word’s not always popular), but we have to break the soul tie. Whether it be an Occultic soul tie to a person, a soul tie to Spiritualism, whatever it maybe. We have to break those soul ties, so these people can move on and be free in their own lives. Now, it could be, that when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, the Lord is gracious enough to do it for them and we hope it is. I look forward to a day when we go to church, or when we talk at meetings like this, that all we will be doing is praising the Lord, but at the moment we are not quite there. So, we have to help those that still have these things attached to them. But the word ancestral curses, generational curses, lots of people say it is misquoting the Bible and misquoting what is says in Deuteronomy. But the fact is, when things have been said over you, when things have been done over you, especially blood sacrifices … Many people I know, have had blood sacrifices and offerings made on their behalf. And it needed to be broken, so they could be free, otherwise it is always going to be a hindrance and stumbling block. The word of the Lord says, ‘… casting down imaginations and tearing down strongholds’, and these are the things attached to these people. And we do it lovingly and we do it spiritually.
DOUG : In other words, it’s not automatic, because there may be somebody who was involved in the Occult in your background, doesn’t automatically cause a problem. But as you say, if there has been some serious words, some serious curses put over, then that can be binding and that does need to be dealt with. But the message and lets just make it clear here, from what you have said. The message is this, Jesus Christ can set you free from those things. They do not have to be binding any longer, once you allow Christ to deal with them, once you give your life to Him.
MICHAEL : Absolutely – mankind has lost many battles over the years, but God has never lost a battle and you know Jesus Christ doesn’t yield to Satan at all. He defeated Satan on the cross. He has defeated Satan at Calvary, and when he said “It is finished,” in principle it is finished. People have to know it is finished and when they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour the devil is defeated in their life. That’s why he attacks them! If he has been used to holding them into captivity, he doesn’t like it, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! He wants to come back at you, to try and convince you that he doesn’t leave – but that is when we stand firm in what Christ has done.
DOUG : Laura one of the things, is the past but it is also the future. And many people in the Occult have an idea of either Reincarnation, or some form of ‘it is going to be alright on the night anyway’. What message do you give to people that have some sort of, what I would call an airy fairy hope, that maybe it’s going to be ok – what message do you give to them, of say You Have Got To Know It’s Going To Be Alright! And how they are going to know it is going to be alright?
LAURA : Basically, getting down to the nitty gritty, if that (Reincarnation) was true, well then you are kinda taking your chances, but if we believe what the Bible says, that there is a heaven and there is a hell, then I wouldn’t want to take that chance – that I am just going to be reincarnated and come back! And even again, to kinda emphasis, the New Age message and that whole Occult message, I have even spoke to Satanists and three ex-Satanists who say they think Mediums, New Agers, Luciferians etc, are all deluded because the Satanists know fine well, that they get their physic powers from Satan! Some Satanists do Kabbalah, they do meditation, the same as what New Agers do! And yet, they know the powers are coming from Satan! They think Mediums and others are deluded basically. So, these are guys that do know Satan and yet they are saying they know that Jesus is the answer, so they are just choosing not to follow him.
DOUG : So, we need to know, it’s no good pinning your hope on something that might happen! We need to know and I think in our experience certainly, the only way you can absolutely know, is through what Christ has done and what he is going to do for you. And there is no other way of deliverance is there? There is no other answer. You can’t work yourself out of this one?
LAURA : No, definitely not.
DOUG : We have got a few minutes left. What I’d like to do, is for both of you to pray and if we have got a bit more time, we will encourage folks a little bit more. Laura, maybe if you could look right into your camera and you could really pray for people, especially this whole area of salvation, they would really come to know Christ. And then Michael, you can pray for those that are in desperate need of deliverance, maybe they have looked, sought, tried, whatever.
LAURA : I really would like to appeal to you, if you are into the New Age, or if you are a Medium. I would like to just touch on the whole thing. I know that the Occult promises mysteries and all these kinda things but in actual fact Colossians 2:2 says if you know Christ, within Christ He contains the full mysteries of God and the treasures of wisdom. Daniel 2 says, that if you know Christ, He is the revealer of mysteries. And He will reveal His heart to you, if you come to know Him. So, we don’t need to seek things from the Occult. We can seek the answers for our life from Christ Himself! So, I would like to urge you, if this is making sense to you today, please ask Jesus into your life today! Not only will He cleanse you from sin and save you from hell, He is the person who will never leave you or forsake you. Other relationships may disappoint but Christ can never disappoint and I would urge you to do that today. So would you like to please pray this simple prayer after me?
“Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the Lord Jesus. I believe He died on the cross for my sins and rose again. I ask that Christ would come into my heart now and wash me clean with His blood and send me the precious Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord. Amen.”
MICHAEL : “Lord God, we ask you today, to take the scales from the eyes from those who are being deceived, that they will truly see. I ask for all those who have been affected by the Occult, that are frightened, that are terrified, that are anxious and so full of fear, that they went underground. They don’t see you Lord, because all they see is the fear that surrounds them. 3 John 2 says, ‘Beloved, I wish above all things, that thou may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers,’ and Lord take them today, deliver them, heal them, set them free, break all the chains, break all the fetters that hold them in bondage. We rebuke Satan now and we command him to leave your lives! We say he should go immediately and never return. The Bible says, that all demons should go to dry arid places. We bind the works of darkness – we bind the spirit of Witchcraft – we bind all Occult spirits, that are attacking you today, that are holding you captive. And we cover you all, with the precious blood of the Lamb. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! So be free today, in the name of Jesus Christ. Let the blood of the Lamb be upon them and let you be set free, forever from the snares of Satan, in Jesus Name we pray, amen.”
DOUG : And can I say, that if you have prayed that prayer, or if it stirred something up in you, that you need mor help or prayer, please make sure you contact us. You can contact us at info@revelationtv.com or you can phone the office, on +44 (0) 208 972 1400. Let us know if God’s touched your life through this program. Let us know if you need more help. We’d really love to hear from you. And I know certainly Michael and Laura as well, we don’t cut and run. They’re here for the long haul, if people need help. So, please do contact us.
DOUG : Laura, how would you encourage people? We have dealt with what is wrong. We have dealt with the problems. We have dealt with what people may be still suffering. How would you encourage people? Maybe your own life is an encouragement! But how would you encourage and what would you want to say to folks?
LAURA : That although these are days of deception, these are also days of great light. As we know, the Bible says in the last days, there will be more glory in the church, more of Christ’s presence, more of His power and we know plenty Christians around the world are prophesying that right now. Yeah, there are dark days ahead – there is more Luciferianism ahead, but Christ’s power will be stronger and brighter for those of us that know him.
DOUG : And so, everyone can come to know him? Everyone?
LAURA : Absolutely everyone. No one is exempt from that!
DOUG : Yeah things are getting darker, things are getting worse! There is more out there. It’s all terrible news, isn’t it! (Doug laughs). Encourage us, Michael!
MICHAEL : Well, be encouraged by the life of Jesus Christ. He overcame the devil on the Mount of Temptation and he overcame death and he arose on the third day! We have risen with Jesus Christ through his passion and we will go to eternal life to be with Him forever! I say to everyone in the Occult, “You have tried the rest, now try the very Best and we say that now!” (They all laugh!)
DOUG : It’s true because there is no other way out of this and I think for Christians too, I think the message is this – yes it’s dark, yes there is a lot of Occult out there! As I say to folks, cheer up, it’s only going to get worse! But Christ has not changed! He is still the same and whether you are walking through the valley of darkness, or you are on the mountain top, He is there for us and He is there with us, isn’t He!
MICHAEL : Why did God send his Son? God sent his Son, so we could be saved – so we could be saved from this sort of thing. We could have new lives and we could go to eternal life with Him. ‘For God so loved the world …’ We all know what it says. He sent His only begotten Son – so all we have to do, is believe in Him. He will do the rest!
DOUG : And you’ve proved that Laura, haven’t you? Absolutely! You’ve opened your life and He came in and changed it.
LAURA : Yes, amen!
DOUG : Bless you guys. Thank you for being with us today.
MICHAEL AND LAURA : Thank you.
DOUG : And bless you viewers, Thank you for being with us today. And may the Lord touch and change your lives and do something really special for you. See you again very soon. Bye for now!
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This interview took place in March 2012, and our beloved brother Doug Harris went to be with the Lord in May 2013. We miss him very greatly. If you would like to contact Michael or Laura, here are their details :
I would like to thank my friend Sally Simpson for very kindly transcribing this manuscript from the tv interview.
I would also like to thank my Facebook friend Jackie who has kindly offered to translate this into Spanish and also Portugese. I’d also like to thank my Facebook friend Sonja of Sunshine Publishings, who has kindly offered to translate this into Dutch.
These translations will eventually appear as subtitles on three copies of this video on my YouTube and Vimeo channels. It’s so exciting, that those who speak those languages will be able to read the interview. Praise God for this translation work!
If any of you, can translate this into another language, I’d love to hear from you! I’d especially love it to be transcribed into French, for the French speaking people in France and also in Africa. I’d also love it to be transcribed into Italian, God willing.
As always, myself and my friends do so appreciate and cherish greatly your prayers, because as you can imagine, the battle is great at times. But as it is written in, Romans 8:37 ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’.
My friend Pastor Michael Cummins, asked me to mention his special show.
Tonight on the program, he will share his God given insight on ‘Freedom From Control’ tonight Thursday on Revelation TV, Voice In The Wilderness, at midnight, London Time.
He will continue teaching a little more about the 12 most common strongmen and the one he will teach on and pray about tonight is the spirit of control.
If you have been affected by control, in any of it’s many forms, perhaps this would be useful to watch and pray along with Michael.
In his 20 yrs experience of deliverance ministry, the Lord has taught Michael some things he will share tonight.
You can phone or email the live program & he will pray for you on the show.
Are you seeking the Lord for inner healing from such bondages?
If you’ve been struggling to get free from control, or recovering from the serious effects of the abuse of control in any sphere of society, including churches or ministries, this program may help.
You can watch it on http://www.revelationtv.com
or SKY TV : Channel 581, FREESAT : Channel 692 and ROKU BOX in the USA : on Revelation TV.
Over the next few programs, each Thursday at midnight, he will continue teaching a little more about control and he will pray for those affected or abused by it.
Thanks very much & God bless you.
Laura Maxwell, on behalf of Michael Cummins.
This article has been taken from ReachOut Trust, the website ministry founded by the late Doug Harris, of Revelation TV. To see this and other articles, please click on Reachout Trust.
(For another review of The Shack, please also go to Got Questions.)
‘The Shack’ is a fictional novel which attempts to provide a response to the problem of suffering and evil in a world created and cared for by God. Authored by Wm Paul Young, it was originally written for his six children and initially only a few copies were printed. However The Shack was published in 2007 and it accelerated dramatically in its popularity, hence it quickly became the New York Times Best Seller. Over five and a half million copies are now in print.
William Paul Young presents many of his painful experiences in allegory. Mackenzie Allen Phillips is the lead character who, following a difficult and dysfunctional relationship with his father, tries to make amends with his own family. Whilst on a camping trip, his youngest daughter ‘Missy’ is kidnapped whilst Mackenzie’s attention is momentarily averted as he heroically saves the life of his son ‘Josh’ in a canoeing accident.
Following the tragic disappearance of Missy, Mack receives an unusual type written message from ‘Papa’ inviting him to meet at the Shack, peculiarly the same location where Missy’s bloodstained clothes had been discovered. Mackenzie feels confused and nauseous since‘Papa’ was the family term of endearment for God. Therefore, desperate and at his wits end, Mackenzie summons his courage and resolve to enter the Shack as he believes it may answer many of his agonizing questions and heartaches. The Shack takes centre stage throughout the narrative where Mackenzie has numerous conversations and experiences with a somewhat confusing, post modern and ambivalent personification of the Trinity.
The author himself was the son of Missionary parents. He was born in Canada though resided in Netherlands New Guinea among the Dani tribal people from an early age. Young was sexually abused by the tribesmen and then shortly afterwards he was molested again whilst at boarding school. He refers to those times as ‘the Great Sadness.’ Later Young went to seminary to prepare for the ministry though he arrived at the conclusion that the institutionalised church was causing great harm so he subsequently left.
1.2 What others are saying about The Shack
Undoubtedly The Shack is both renowned and controversial. Some pastors and churches are giving away copies and highly recommending its use to Christians and non-Christians alike. Other believers are issuing bold warnings, branding the content as heretical and to be steered clear from.
In the opening pages Eugene Peterson, who authored ‘The Message’, highly endorses Young’s work:
‘This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good!’
The above claim will be examined in the concluding section, though James Ryle who wrote ‘Hippo in the Garden’ thinks that The Shack answers the age old question of:
‘If God is all powerful and full of love, why doesn’t he do something about the pain and evil in our world?’
Ironically, again, in the opening pages, Greg Albrecht, editor of Plain Truth Magazine, formerly the Worldwide Church of God states:
‘William Young’s insights are not just captivating, they are biblically faithful and true.’
On the other hand, Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle argues that The Shack is heretical since the Father is Spirit and portraying Him as an African- American woman, or any manifestation for that matter, is wrong as God is Spirit. Furthermore Driscoll is certain that Young is espousing modalism since in Young’s account the three members of the Trinity became fully human. (p99 The Shack)
Charles Colson is sending out a clear message to stay away from The Shack as it is not based on biblical principles. Let Us Reason Ministries have also produced a detailed article where they deduce and rightly explain that The Shack is in error.
Whilst researching the content of this book a number of concerns quickly arose. Firstly, a misleading analogy between the pure and innocent daughter of a chief and the gospel was given. Secondly, the biblical description of the Father, Son and Spirit was altered in confusing and unhelpful metaphors relating to names, appearances, characters and attributes. Thirdly, a whole variety of unscriptural concepts were subtly interjected into the plot that was more akin to New Age ideas than biblical truth.
Fourthly, there was a consistent irreverence, disrespect and over familiarity between Mackenzie and the Godhead throughout. Fifthly, terms such as ‘The Great Sadness’ and ‘the dance of being, were thrown in which would clearly not be of benefit but would cause only greater confusion for readers with pagan tendencies. Finally, each chapter was preceded with a quote. Whilst some of the quotes were from faithful and well established individuals such as C.S. Lewis of A.W. Tozer, others were included who held Universalist or unorthodox Christian worldviews namely Paul Tournier, Fyodor Dovoevsky and Jacques Ellul.
2. The Great Spirit is not the Holy Spirit
Prior to the canoeing incident with Josh and the disappearance of Missy, Mackenzie stops at Multnomah Falls and recollects to Missy the legend of the beautiful Indian maid who saved the people from their terrible sickness.
The princess was the only child left to the aging chief. Before her wedding feast a great sickness had taken the lives of many men from both tribes. While the elders and chiefs met to find a remedy, the oldest medicine man mentioned that his father had prophesied of a terrible sickness.
‘an illness that could only be stopped if a pure and innocent daughter of a chief would willingly give up her life for her people. In order to fulfil the prophecy, she must voluntarily climb to a cliff above the Big River and from there jump to her death onto the rocks below.’ (p28 The Shack)
The disease spread and even the husband to be of the Indian maid succumbed to the sickness and so she did what had to be done.
‘After praying and giving herself to the Great Spirit, she fulfilled the prophecy by jumping without hesitation to her death on the rocks below…As they silently gathered around her broken body at the base of the cliff, her grief stricken father cried out to the Great Spirit, asking that her sacrifice would always be remembered. At that moment, water began to fall from the place where she had jumped, turning into a fine mist that fell at their feet, slowly forming a beautiful pool.’ (p28 The Shack)
Admittedly that story was used as an illustration, though Young writes:
‘It had all the elements of a true redemption story, not unlike the story of Jesus that she knew so well.’ (p29 The Shack)
The problem with the story is the unhelpful interpretation given alongside it, in addition to its weakness as a gospel illustration. Sin is substituted with sickness. As the sick were healed they were grateful for the sacrifice, but the reason why a sacrifice is really needed is not mentioned.
Furthermore, when Missy asks whether the story is true, Mack responds:
“It might have sweetie. Sometimes legends are built from real stories, things that really happen.” (p31 The Shack)
Then confusingly, when Missy enquires whether Jesus dying was a legend, Mack gives a seemingly affirmative, though somewhat ambivalent, response which clouds the issue instead of separating truth from fable.
“No honey, that’s a true story; and do you know what? I think the Indian princess story is probably true too.” (p31 The Shack)
On the outset this appears to be a harmless children’s story used to explain the gospel in another way. However, Mackenzie’s opinion changes, almost in the blink of an eye, from thinking the legend might have happened, to stating it probably is true. In the same conversation the gospel story is confirmed to be true, though as well as incorrectly substituting sin for sickness, truth is being presented here on a scale of relativism not absolute as the boundaries between truth and legend are blurred.
More worryingly though, Missy asks Mack:
“Is the Great Spirit another name for God-you know, Jesus’ papa?” (p31 The Shack)
Mack responds:
‘I would suppose so. It’s a good name for God because he is a Spirit and he is Great.” (p31 The Shack)
The Great Spirit is not a good name for God and here’s why. Not only is there never any mention of the Great Spirit in the Bible, but the Great Spirit is a Red Indian concept of a universal god-spiritx being. The Great Spirit is arguably more akin to Brahmin than Yahweh. The concept alluded to here is that religions are different in their cast of characters though essentially are proclaiming the same ideas.
3. Mack Encounters The Shack Trinity
3.1 Elousia
Elousia is the first member of the ungodly trinity that Mack meets. Elousia is a large, beaming African-American woman who introduces herself to Mack as God the Father. The problem is though ‘No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.’ (John 1:18)
Obviously God created male and female in the image of God, and fair enough Mack had difficulty relating to his father. Though portraying the father as Elousia, or even human form for that matter, is completely alien to the biblical description of the Father.
Elousia’s description of her/his appearance is equally disturbing as is the explanation provided:
“Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning.” (p93 The Shack)
Nonetheless pale skinned, blond haired, blue eyed depictions of Jesus are not terribly accurate either. However, if anyone were to see the Father, they would die! (Ex33:20) It is not only metaphors that are being mixed here but fact and fiction.
The bottom line though is that the Biblical description of the Father and the one presented in The Shack are poles apart, not only in perceived appearance, but in character.
This ‘Papa’ who is an African-American woman also likes listening to funk, whilst cooking while the Holy Spirit collects tears as a hobby! (p90, 84) What is being offered here is post modern, God is what you want to imagine him/ her to be like, and when you think you understand him/ her, you don’t really, because that’s all part of the mystery!
While the former could be described as either silly or sacrilegious, Mack undergoes some more cunningly devised mystical experiences. Mack also meets an Asian woman who later explains that she is the Holy Spirit.
‘But strangely, he still had a difficult time focussing on her; she seemed almost to shimmer in the light and her hair blew in all directions even though there was hardly a breeze. It was almost easier to see her out of the corner of his eye than it was to look at her directly.’ (p84 The Shack)
‘Mack suddenly felt lighter than air, almost as if he were no longer touching the ground. She was hugging without hugging him, or really without even touching him.’ (p85 The Shack)
One must ask whether this is a constructive way of explaining the nature of the Trinity or how God relates and reveals Himself to men and women. If someone were to read the above excerpts without knowing who wrote it, would it be a stretch of the imagination to assume that it was written by a New Ager or someone with a fascination of the occult?
Following that, Young inserts the doctrine of Patripassianism, whereby the Father suffers in a manner similar to how the Son actually did suffer, bearing the marks of the crucifixion. For the benefit of the reader, bear in mind that with reference to the next two quotes, ‘Papa’ is an African-American woman depicted as God the Father in Young’s novel.
‘Mack noticed the scars in her wrists, like those he now assumed Jesus also had on his. She allowed him to tenderly touch the scars, outlines of a deep piercing, and he finally looked up again into her eyes. Tears were slowly making their way down to her face, little pathways through the flour that dusted her cheeks.’ (p95-96 The Shack)
Mack then questions Papa as to why she abandoned Jesus as he thought that Jesus had abandoned him, to which she responds:
“Mackenzie, I never left him, and I have never left you.” (p96 The Shack)
What is the reader inclined to determine here? Should we believe the Bible or Paul Young’s latest revelation? Is Psalm 22:1 supposed to be true but not factual? Or was Jesus speaking in confusing riddles when He spoke those same words while He was suffering on the cross?
The straw that breaks the camel’s back is when Papa explains to Mackenzie that the Father, Son and Spirit all became fully human. If up until this point you are still undecided as to whether The Shack is Biblical, consider how the following quote would receive an outcry if it were read alongside the Athanasian creed or a statement of faith. More importantly it’s just nowhere to be found in the Bible and it doesn’t even hint at the idea presented below here either:
“When we three spoke ourself into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human. We also chose to embrace all the limitations that this entailed. Even though we have always been present in this created universe, we now became flesh and blood.” (p99 The Shack)<
3.2 Mack meets Jesus
Young portrays Jesus as a Hebrew man in his thirties, from the house of Judah who seems to like cooking and gardening as much as Papa (Father) and Sarayu (The Holy Spirit).
But the description of how Jesus relates to His Father in the Bible is nothing like how Jesus and Papa converse here. Mackenzie asks Jesus:
“Am I supposed to believe that God is a big black woman with a questionable sense of humour?”
Jesus laughed. “She’s a riot! You can always count on her to throw you a curve or two. She loves surprises, and even though you might not think it, her timing is always perfect.” (p88-89 The Shack)
If that presents Jesus as over familiar or fails to honour Him, Chapter 7 is not helpful, particularly for someone who has never read the Bible. Suppose they were handed this book and read the following excerpt. Would the following convict them of sin and consider them to take God seriously?
‘Mack was shocked at the scene in front of him. It appeared that Jesus had dropped a large bowl of some sort of batter or sauce on the floor, and it was everywhere. It must have landed close to Papa because the lower portion of her skirt and bare feet were covered in the gooey mess’…He worked down to her feet and gently lifted one foot at a time, which he directed into the basin where he cleaned and massaged it.
“Ooooh, that feels soooo good!” exclaimed Papa, as she continued her tasks at the counter.’ (p104, 105 The Shack)
3.3 Mack and the Holy Spirit
In The Shack, Sarayu is a personification of the Holy Spirit, depicted as an Asian woman:
“Speaking of Sarayu, is she the Holy Spirit?”
“Yes. She is Creativity; she is Action; She is the Breathing of Life; she is much more. She is my Spirit.” ?”
“And her name, Sarayu?”
“That is a simple name from one of our human languages. It means ‘Wind’, a common wind actually. She loves that name.” (p110 The Shack)
Fair enough, Sarayu does mean ‘wind’ or ‘air’ and so do the Hebrew and Greek terms ‘ruach’ and ‘pneuma’ that we are probably more familiar with. The problem is that Sarayu is derived from the masculine derivative of the Sanskrit root and is referred to in Hindu texts such as the epic of Ramayana. As a means of explaining what the Holy Spirit is like this is just not helpful! The Holy Spirit is never given the title ‘Action’ or ‘Creativity’, and creativity is not the same as ‘Creator’ either. I maybe creative though I am certainly not the Creator!
Young’s description of Sarayu is more like a spirit guide than the Holy Spirit:
‘Light seemed to radiate through her and then reflect her presence in multiple places at once. Her nature was rather ethereal, full of dynamic shades and hues of colour and motion. “No wonder so many people are a little unnerved at relating to her.” Mack thought.’ (p128 The Shack)
Sarayu offers some original insight into the fall. Rebellion against God by eating the fruit from the tree is altered to taking the ‘ravaged path of independence’. In other words contravening God’s commandments should be avoided not because He is a holy God and must be glorified but because if we choose to ignore Him life will be more difficult for ourselves and others. Whilst the latter point is noteworthy it is not the underlying issue.
“You humans, so little in your own eyes. You are truly blind to your own place in the Creation. Having chosen the ravaged path of independence, you don’t even comprehend that you are dragging the entire Creation along with you.” (p132 The Shack)
Sin doesn’t get a mention here. Instead, people make mistakes which cause themselves and others hurt and pain.
3.4 Mack and Sophia
Enter Sophia, Young’s personification of wisdom referred to in Proverbs Chapter 8, is portrayed as a beautiful, olive skinned Hispanic woman. Sophia drops by to answer Mackenzie’s questions about God’s justice and also takes him to see Missy who is playing with his other children despite the fact that in the narrative Missy had passed away earlier.
Wisdom is not a person in Proverbs Chapter 8, though in The Shack wisdom takes on the form of a person. Jehovah’s Witness teach that Jesus is wisdom, though in this account wisdom makes an appearance as a fourth character. If wisdom was a person in reality this would cause a serious theological problem as Proverbs Chapter 8:23 states ‘I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth.’ Thus if wisdom were a person they would have to be God because wisdom was established from everlasting. Notwithstanding, as wisdom is spoken off in the feminine, an extra member of the Godhead would have to be added, and none of the above ideas are consistent with the rest of the Bible either.
Wisdom though, in this sense, is simply the application of knowledge that God possesses. Although God’s wisdom is limitless, it is not a supernatural force and it is not to be worshipped. Basically, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ desire Godly wisdom so that they can serve and please Him in their everyday lives.
Sophia leads Mackenzie to a waterfall where he can see his deceased young daughter Missy:
“Oh my God! Missy!” he yelled and tried to move forward, through the veil that held them separate. To his consternation, he ran into a power that would not allow him to get closer, as if some magnetic force increased in direct opposition to his effort, deflecting him back into the room.’ (p166 The Shack)
Whilst it is understood that The Shack is a novel, not a textbook on Systematic Theology, Deuteronomy 18:11 expressly warns against those ‘who conjure spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.’
Sophia then explains to Mackenzie what is happening and what he is seeing:
‘She knows that you are here, but she cannot see you. From her side, she is looking at the beautiful waterfall and nothing more. But she knows you are behind it.’ (p167 The Shack)
To complicate things further Sophia explains to Mack that his other children are experiencing a dream, though Missy is the only one actually there:
“They are here, but they aren’t. Only Missy is truly here.’ (p168 The Shack)
4 Other concerns about The Shack
4.1 The Shack presents a low view of Scripture.
‘In seminary he had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects.’… (p65-66) ‘Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book.’ (p66 The Shack)
If we compare those quotes with what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 1 Peter 1:21 say about the application of God’s word, then the above statement is rendered nonsensical.
‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
‘for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.’(2 Peter 1:21)
4.2 The Shack offers a confusing explanation of what faith is compared to what the Bible teaches
‘Perhaps there is suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definitions of fact or data-based logic; something that only makes sense if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in.’ (p67 The Shack)
It has been demonstrated that Young’s definition of reality relating to the Godhead is erroneous. While this statement may contain elements of truth in it, the view presented is broad allowing scope for a variety of possible interpretations. How the meaning of faith should be understood is certainly not clear here. On the contrary the Bible is explicitly clear.
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1)
4.3 The Shack introduces ideas for which there is no biblical support
Concerning the Fatherhood of God, Mack wants to know why Papa showed up as an African-American woman and why the Bible consistently mentions the Fathering not the Mothering of god.
“Let me say for now that we knew once the Creation was broken, true fathering would be much more lacking than mothering. Don’t misunderstand me, both are needed- but an emphasis on fathering is necessary because of the enormity of its absence.” (p94 The Shack)
If that statement were true then should we pray to our Father or Mother in heaven? After all, Jeremiah didn’t mince his words with those making offerings to the so called queen in heaven. (Jeremiah 44:16-26)
4.4 The Shack endorses flying dream lessons that resemble levitation
‘As odd as it sounds, Mack had learned inside his dreams to fly like this; to lift off the ground supported by nothing- no wings, no aircraft of any sort, just himself. Beginning flights were usually limited to a few inches, due mostly to fear or, more accurately, a dread of falling… In time, he learned to ascend into the clouds, cover vast distances, and land gently.’ (p116 The Shack)
It is true that Elijah, Ezekiel and Philip were transported by the Holy Spirit but they weren’t the pilots, hence they didn’t need flying hours to overcome their fears! Young’s flying lessons are just like R. Kelly’s ‘I believe I can fly’. Remember the lines, ‘If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it’. The emphasis here is in self belief and choosing your own adventure rather than obedience to God. If flying dreams are okay then why not have a go at levitation?
4.5 The Shack presents the sinner as a victim
Quite simply, The Shack is soft on sin. Papa explained to Mack:
“I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring you from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.” (p120 The Shack)
Obviously Jesus died for our sins and the Father loves the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son for us to die in our place. But a just God cannot allow sin to go unpunished! What about those who choose to repent of their sins and believe in Him and deliberately choose not to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Habakkuk 1:13 says ‘you are of purer eyes than to behold evil.’ And 2 Thessalonians 1:9 ‘These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.’ If God didn’t need to punish sin then no one would have to be concerned with their salvation!
4.6 The Shack promotes the theory that God submits Himself to us as we submit to Him<
After learning to walk on water Jesus explains to Mack how submission works in practice.
“Papa is as much submitted to me as I to him, or Sarayu to me, or Papa to her. Submission is not about authority and it is not obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect. In fact, we are submitted to you in the same way.” (p145 The Shack)
God does not need to submit to His creation. On the contrary, His followers need to submit to Him for their own protection at the very least. James 4:7 says ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’
4.7 The Shack encourages Universalism
When Mack asks Jesus what it means to be a Christian, the response is,
“Who said anything about being a Christian? I’m not a Christian”. (p182 The Shack)
Yes, Jesus was a Jew, though also the Messiah, and considering that Christian means ‘Christ like’ it wouldn’t make any sense for Him to say that He is like Himself! However Scripture emphatically encourages us to imitate Christ, to have an attitude like Christ, to follow Christ and to make disciples of Him (1 Cor 11:1; Phil 2:5; Luke 5:27; Matt 28:19) Therefore Jesus does want us to be Christ like or Christian in everything!
‘Again Jesus stopped “Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don’t vote or are not part of any religious institutions… I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.” (p182 The Shack)
This statement sounds like all roads lead to Rome, so to confirm whether that is the case, Mack poses the same question to Jesus. Though the response may appear to be reassuring, in reality it is a loose, indefinite, guarded reply.
“Not at all,” smiled Jesus as he reached for the door handle to the shop. “Most roads don’t lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.” He paused. “Mack, I’ve got some things to finish up in the shop, so I’ll catch up with you later.” (p182 The Shack)
In Chapter 2 in the opening line, Young quotes Paul Tournier who is a Universalist. If Young were not one himself, then why would he quote another, especially when the book makes reference to that issue?
4.8 The Shack Quotes Individuals with Unorthodox Beliefs
Each Chapter of The Shack is preceded with a quote.
To name just three of those in question, in Chapter 2, Paul Tournier the Swiss Mathematician and Author was actively involved in ecumenism and the World Council of Churches, hence his Universalist ideology.
In Chapter 6 Young quotes Jacques Ellul who was a Law professor, theologian, Christian anarchist and self proclaimed Universalist.
In Chapter 13 Young quotes Jean Jacques Rousseau who was a philosopher and composer of the eighteen century. He was highly controversial in his time since he repudiated the doctrine of original sin.
5 Reaching out
5.1 Discussing The Shack with non-Christians
Many Christians with well meaning intentions are giving out copies of The Shack for their non-Christian friends to read. Because of the way that The Shack is written, in a confusing, open ended manner it can easily appear to be saying something other than what the underlying agenda is actually suggesting. Here then are some helpful ways of discussing The Shack with non- believers.
The Shack is one person’s subjective interpretation about how Wm Paul Young thinks the Godhead interacts, and it is an attempt to provide comfort to those seeking an answer to their suffering. Whilst there is no doubt it is very sad that Young has suffered terrible, unimaginable abuse, and I have no doubt that his book is meant to alleviate suffering and encourage people to follow Jesus, The Shack is certainly not biblically sound. In contrast, the bible has stood the test of time. Reading through Psalms and Job would be of far more benefit than The Shack. Compare the description of God with regard to his holiness, nature and attributes and that of The Shack. Two very different accounts are provided.
There are numerous Christian biographies both old and contemporary. Many have suffered terribly and patiently endured including Hudson Taylor, Corrie Ten Boom, Jim Elliot, Joni Erickson and Brother Yun. These are true, gripping, no nonsense literal accounts and are far more faithful to the true gospel.
5.2 Discussing The Shack with other Christians
The idea here is not to win arguments or cause unnecessary ones. Here though are some solid, sobering questions to respectfully ask to fellow believers and that also demand a verdict.
1)Does The Shack convict people of their sin and cause them to repent?
2)Does The Shack present a holy, jealous God who is to be feared or a cavalier, God is my buddy, humanistic?
3)Does The Shack faithfully proclaim the gospel message?
4)In view of the numerous false religions and false trinities in those faiths, is it helpful to portray the Father as an African-American Woman, the Holy Spirit as an Asian woman and personify wisdom?
5)How would a New Ager, Universalist or post modern seeker interpret jargon such as ‘The Great Sadness’ or ‘kiss me wind’ or ‘dance of being’? If Jesus travels any road to find them (p182), do they need to look for Him?
6)For the sake of argument, if Paul Young isn’t a Universalist then what message does quoting universalists in the book endorse?
6 Conclusion
The Shack is completely at odds with earlier Christian fiction such as Pilgrim’s Progress or the Narnia Chronicles. In response to Eugene Peterson’s assertion, John Bunyan’s classic was rooted in scriptural principles and taught a clear and simple message with clarity. The Shack is crammed with ambivalent metaphors and jargon, often open to a number of interpretations. Pilgrim’s progress elevates God, whilst The Shack elevates humanity.
Because of its obscure style of writing and answering questions it has created controversy, and, not surprisingly, many respected Theologians and Pastors have issued a clear warning to avoid it. The bottom line is that in view of the unmistakeable heretical views presented, in particular with respect of the trinity, it would be wise to stay away from The Shack.
References
Danmisicktheology.com/Paul_Tournier/ Paul Tournier Universalism Masters Thesis Abstract
(For another review of The Shack, please see below article from Got Questions.)
Question: “What is GotQuestions.org’s review of The Shack by William P. Young?”
As with any book, if you read The Shack, compare what it teaches with Scripture, and reject anything that does not agree with God’s Word.
Answer: The Shack has become a publishing phenomenon, a bestseller by a first-time author that has rocketed up the sales charts with rumors of an impending movie—not bad for a book that was self-published by the author, William P. Young, and started out being sold out of a garage.
The glowing reviews for The Shack hail it as everything from the new Pilgrim’s Progress (theologian Eugene Peterson, translator of the Bible paraphrase The Message) to “the best novel of 2007” and “one of the rare fiction books that could change your life” (various Amazon.com five-star reviewers). According to the book jacket, Young was raised by missionary parents living among a Stone Age tribe in New Guinea. He wrote the novel for his six children to explain his own journey through pain and misery to “light, love and transformation,” according to a profile in USA Today. The “shack” of the story was the ugly place inside him where everything awful was hidden away, a result of his history as a victim of sexual abuse, his own adultery and the ensuing shame and pain, all stuffed deep in his psyche, as Young explained.
This background is important because Young’s past appears to greatly color his view of both God and Christianity, resulting in a severely flawed view of both. The story begins with Mackenzie “Mack” Phillips, a father suffering great pain—a “Great Sadness,” according to the story—because of the death of his young daughter at the hands of a serial killer. Mack receives a note from “Papa” to meet him at the rundown shack in the woods where police had found evidence of his daughter’s murder six years earlier. Mack, who was raised by a hypocritical, vicious and abusive father who was also a pastor, already understands from previous experience that “Papa” is God. Mack approaches The Shack with rising anger, wanting to lash out at God for allowing his young girl to be killed. Instead of the old man with a long white beard, as Mack expects, he’s suddenly embraced by “a large beaming African-American woman” who introduces herself as Papa.
Mack is then introduced to the rest of the Trinity: Jesus, a Middle Eastern man dressed as a laborer, and the Holy Spirit, a woman of “maybe northern Chinese or Nepalese or even Mongolian ethnicity” named Sarayu. The rest of the story is a conversation among the three members of the Trinity and Mack as they work through issues of creation, fall and redemption.
Subtle and not-so-subtle heresies.
Young’s intentions are good. He wants to introduce readers to a loving God who was willing to sacrifice his own Son to save us from our sins. But all heresies begin with misconstruing the nature of God. From Jehovah’s Witnesses to Mormonism to even Islam, they all get it wrong when it comes to understanding the God of Scripture. Young joins their company. Part of the problem arises because his story is confused and inconsistent. He doesn’t set out to mislead, but he himself is misled, either by himself or others.
He wants desperately to show us the God of love as found in Scripture (1 John 4:8), but he ignores the other side, the God of utter holiness (Isaiah 6:1-5) and, ultimately, the final Judge (Revelation 20:11-15). Any presentation of God that shows only one side of His nature is wrong. In an effort to counter a false view of God as only the judging avenger of wrath, we must not go the opposite direction and present Him only as a loving, indulgent parent who never judges sin. Both extremes are false in that they present an incomplete picture of God as He shows Himself to us in Scripture.
By emphasizing only one part of God’s nature, The Shack actually leads readers astray with regard to God’s attitude towards sin. Papa tells Mack, “I don’t need to punish people for sin. Sin is its own punishment, devouring from the inside. It’s not my purpose to punish it; it’s my joy to cure it.”
To be sure, sin often carries within itself its own punishment (Romans 1:27). But sometimes the wicked prosper in this life (Jeremiah 12:1). More importantly, Scripture is full of references to God’s impending wrath against sin and unbelief (John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Romans 2:5-8, Colossians 3:6, and many others.) For The Shack to give the impression that it is not God’s purpose to punish sin is the height of bad theology and irresponsibility.
We anthropomorphize (attribute human qualities to) God the Father at our peril. He is spirit (John 4:24), and when He refers to Himself in anthropomorphic terms, it is always as a father. This is important because any attempt to make God a female inevitably leads to goddess religion and God’s becoming some sort of fertility figure, a worship of the creation instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25).
And for some reason Papa changes form later in the book to become a gray-haired, pony-tailed male. No, God does not change Himself to accommodate our flawed understanding of Him. He changes us so we can see Him as He truly is (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Papa acknowledges that Jesus is both fully human and fully God, but she adds,
[H]e has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything. He has only lived out of his relationship with me, living in the very same manner that I desire to be in relationship with every human being. He is just to do it to the uttermost—the first to absolutely trust my life within him, the first to believe in my love and my appearance without regard for appearance or consequence.
But that’s not what Scripture says. Jesus in fact was before all things and through Him all things were created and hold together (Colossians 1:16-17). The words Papa speaks are a form of the ancient heresy of subordinationism, which puts Jesus in a lower rank within the Trinity. Scripture teaches that all three persons of the Trinity are equal in essence.
Scripture also teaches that there is a hierarchy of authority and submission within the Trinity. Papa tells Mack that authority and submission are a result of sin, and the Trinity is a perfect circle of communion.
Mackenzie, we have no concept of final authority among us, only unity. We are in a circle of relationship, not a chain of command or “great chain of being” as your ancestors termed it. What you’re seeing here is relationship without any overlay of power. We don’t need power over the other because we are always looking out for the best. Hierarchy would make no sense among us.
But Scripture teaches that authority and submission are inherent to the Godhead and have existed from the beginning. Jesus was sent by the Father (John 6:57), and Jesus says it is his intention to obey the Father’s will (Luke 22:42). The Holy Spirit obeys both the Father and the Son (John 14:26, John 15:26). These are not the result of sin; they are the very nature of the Godhead in which all three persons are equal in essence but exist within a hierarchy of authority and submission.
The Shack also teaches a form of patripassionism, another ancient heresy that teaches that God the Father suffered on the cross. At one point, Mack notices “scars in [Papa’s] wrists, like those he now assumed Jesus also had on his,” and later Papa says, “When we three spoke ourself into human existence as the Son of God, we became fully human. We also chose to embrace all the limitations that this entailed. Even though we have always been present in this created universe, we now became flesh and blood.”
God the Father and God the Holy Spirit did not speak themselves into human existence; only the Son became human (John 1:14).
A low view of Scripture.
The Shack wants to make God accessible to a hurting world, but its author also has a very low view of Scripture; in fact, he mocks anyone who holds that there is such a thing as correct doctrine.
In seminary [Mack] had been taught that God had completely stopped any overt communication with moderns, preferring to have them only listen to and follow sacred Scripture, properly interpreted, of course. God’s voice had been reduced to paper, and even that paper had to be moderated and deciphered by the proper authorities and intellects. It seemed that direct communication with God was something exclusively for the ancients and uncivilized, while educated Westerners’ access to God was mediated and controlled by the intelligentsia. Nobody wanted God in a box, just in a book. Especially an expensive one bound in leather with gilt edges, or was that guilt edges.
If one is to teach error, it is important to do away with Scripture, either by adding to it (Mormonism), mistranslating it (Jehovah’s Witnesses) or simply mocking it (The Shack and some others in the ”emergent church”). But if you are going to claim to teach about God, you must stick to what He has declared to be His revelation about Himself and His will to us. In other words, correct doctrine, a point stressed numerous times in Scripture (1 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 4:3, Titus 1:9, Titus 2:1). Yes, we are not just to be hearers (and readers) of the Word; we are to live it. But we can’t live it unless we know it, believe it, and trust it. Otherwise, the God you present is merely a creation of your own imagination and not the God that everyone must stand before on that final day, either as friend or condemned sinner.
But it’s only fiction.
Some defend The Shack by saying it’s only a work of fiction. But if you’re going to have God as a character in your fiction, then you must deal with God as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. By using the Trinity as characters, The Shack is clearly indicating that it’s talking about the God of Christianity. But God has said certain things about Himself in Scripture, and much of what’s in this novel contradicts that.
More importantly, why does the author feel the need to change the character of God in this story? In a way, he’s saying that the God who reveals Himself to us in the Bible is insufficient. The author needs to “improve” the image to make it more palatable. But God never changes Himself so that we can understand Him better. He changes us so that we can see Him as he truly is. If God changed His nature, He would cease to be God.
If a friend had a cold, abusive father, don’t make the God of your story into a warm, loving female to compensate. Show your friend what a true father is like, using the example from Scripture. If your friend is hurting, don’t comfort him with soothing lies, such as The Shack’s assertion that God does not judge sin. Show him the God of all comfort found in Scripture, the God who was willing to save him from that judgment by sending his Son.
Recommended Resources: Review of The Shack from Challies.com and Logos Bible Software.
While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference their CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.
Marcia Montenegro, an online friend of mine founded Christian Answers for the New Age, and has been in full time ministry since 1998. A writer and speaker, she has served the Lord in education, outreach and radio programs.
Details about her book Spellbound, are found at the end of this article.
Marcia is a former professional astrologer of 8 years and former teacher of astrology; a former practitioner for many years of Eastern-type meditation and beliefs, and engaged in various occult practices such as having a spirit guide and doing astral travel.
CANA , her website features her testimony and many articles you may find useful.
Last year, she kindly gave me permission to share a post from her Facebook page written in April 2013. Excuse me, I forgot to share it! It’s now my honour to share it below.
Christian Answers for the New Age.
NEW AGE TERMS AND LANGUAGE by Marcia Montenegro.
Most New Age ideas are not expressed with the term “New Age,” nor do most people involved in these ideas use the term “New Age” or “New Ager” of themselves. In fact, many sympathetic to or actively involved in New Age thinking will deny they are New Age because the term is seen as pejorative. Therefore, other words are used. Also, many people who claim certain faiths also dabble in the New Age and may hold some New Age beliefs. So the person may not technically be a New Ager but is still participating in the New Age.
The terms below by themselves do not always indicate New Age beliefs. However, if they are repeated or are a theme, it is a good sign of New Age thinking. This is not an exhaustive list but lists some of the most common terms. They are listed in no special order.
‘Consciousness’
Consciousness, New consciousness, Higher consciousness, Christ consciousness, God consciousness, Higher Self, The Self, Spirit, Spiritual, Spirituality, The Universe, One, Energy, Balance, Holistic, Body-mind-spirit, Inter-spiritual, Inter-faith, Integral Spirituality, A new reality, Co-creation, co-creator, Self-realization, Planetary awakening, Planetary evolution, Conscious evolution, Evolutionary, Paradigm shift, New paradigm, Global shift, Global awakening, Global consciousness, The Shift, The Self, Divine, Sacred, The Absolute, Futurist, Visionary.
A Few Prominent New Age Philosophers/Spokespeople in Public Eye
Ken Wilber
Andrew Harvey
Andrew Cohen
Marianne Williamson
Deepak Chopra
Dr. Oz
Jean Houston
Barbara Marx Hubbard
Gary Zukav
Wayne Dyer
Louise Hay
Jack Canfield
Norm Shealy, M.D., founder of the American Holistic Medical Association
Michael Beckwith
Debbie Ford
Carolyn Myss
Christiane Northrup
Many of those involved in a new wave of New Age philosophy today are called futurists, visionaries, or “agents of conscious evolution.” Below is a statement by “futurist” Barbara Marx Hubbard. This statement is a very good example of more a recent type of New Age expression :
“Conscious Evolution is at the core a spiritually-motivated endeavor. Its precepts reside at the heart of every great faith, affirming that humans have the potential of being co-creators with Spirit, with the deeper patterns of nature and universal design. The promise of Conscious Evolution is nothing less than the emergence of a universal humanity capable of guiding its own evolution into a future of unimaginable co-creativity.” http://www.barbaramarxhubbard.com/site/node/8
Here is a list of goals for “conscious evolution.” By itself, it would not necessarily appear to be New Age, but this is from a group of New Age collaborators. It may look to be simply a politically liberal agenda; however, it is much more complex and spiritually dangerous than that. One should not make the mistake of categorizing New Agers as political or social liberals, even if their goals overlap with those of political or social liberals. Moreover, there are numerous New Agers who are not social or political liberals.
Building a global community and creating a culture of peace.
Restoring ecological balance to nourish all life, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
Engaging in social and political transformation by calling for a more conscious democracy.
Promoting health and healing by acknowledging the profound mind-body-spirit connection.
Supporting research and education that optimize human capacities.
Encouraging integrity in business and conscious media.
A “daily message” from Carolyn Myss, a medical intuitive and alternative healer:
“We can achieve a genuine sense of peace about life only by releasing our need to know why things happen in terms of human reasoning and by embracing Divine reasoning.”
It might help to think of the New Age as a network of beliefs rather than one belief system… Christ Consciousness is the term for becoming aware of your inherent inner divinity or divine nature. Supposedly, Jesus was a man who understood this and reached this state. It comes mostly from a movement called New Thought, which the New Age adapted.
A reader : ‘Marcia, do you think that New Age and New Thought will be part of the One World Religion. It seems that a lot of what’s being taught today is based on “self”?’
Marcia replied, ‘I am not sure there will be a one world religion – don’t see that in scripture specifically. I think there might be a leader who unites religious leaders or something like that, which is not quite the same thing. However, I do think the huge wave of Eastern based meditation going on is preparing people for getting into suggestible states.’
On well known people : ‘Betty J Eadie is a Mormon with a lot of New Age influence. I was not a believer when her book came out and didn’t find out about it until a few years after I was a Christian. I had a copy of the book and read through parts of it … Btw, Mormons are very open to the New Age and many are what one could call Mormon New Agers. Glenn Beck and Stephen Covey are examples. Had to add Dr. Oz to the list
Theresa : ‘Is Dr. Oz’s wife a Reiki Master?’
April 2, 2013 at 12:50am · Like
Marcia : ‘Yes, she is. From what I’ve read about her, she may be more New Age than Dr. Oz. She’s also a member of Emanuel Swedenborg’s church (and Dr. Oz admits he is a follower of Swedenborg’s teachings).
‘Could you expound a bit on how ‘encouraging integrity in business’ is a ‘symptom’ of new age involvement?’
Marcia : ‘The point of this is that New Agers use language that seems normal but the context is what counts. Look at the rest of that sentence — “conscious media.’ Please note that that whole section is from an extreme New Age website.
Laura : ‘I’ve noticed that over the past 25+ years, that New Agers use language that seems normal. We were told to do that, to encourage the public into classes, so we could then teach them NA, and expand their consciousness! Quite rude really, to aim to do that without folks informed consent!’
Marcia : ‘This is one point I’m trying to publicize so Christians can be aware – one aspect of the New Age movement is always morphing and it is morphing now into a more inter-spiritual form using more traditional Christian terms. I have something I will post today … See More
Christine : ‘Hey Marcia, what about Oprah? Do you not have her on the list because she’s more New Thought?
Marcia : ‘Hi, Christine, I thought about her but was focusing more on philosophical types and writers. She’s basically an entertainer and although she has a lot of influence, she doesn’t really fit the list.
Marcia : Hi, Ryan, I didn’t put Oprah there because 1) I was listing philosophers and writers; and 2) I wanted to post names not as well known. Oprah is an entertainer and influential, but she does not fit what I was posting about, which is a new wave of New Age philosophy based mostly on Ken Wilber’s teachings.
Richard : ‘One last thing, two names I missed were Benjamin Creme and David Spangler.’
April 6, 2013
ೋ♥Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ♥ೋღ
Spellbound by Marcia Montenegro.
Have you ever wished there was a book on the occult written from a Christian viewpoint, with suggestions on how to talk about this to your kids or teens? Well, such a book now exists, SpellBound: The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids.
This book is for:
-Parents
-Sunday School teachers
-Pastors
-Youth Pastors
-Youth Leaders and workers
-Schoolteachers
-Grandparents
….And anyone who would like to know how to recognize the occult in our culture, as well as a solid biblical view of and response to the occult
Marcia Montenegro was asked by Cook to write this book as a guide for parents and other interested adults. The book covers what exactly the occult is, how it’s being packaged and marketed in our culture, and how to talk to children and teens about the occult. It can now be pre-ordered on some book sites.
The book’s information comes from Marcia’s many years of participation in New Age, Eastern, and occult beliefs; her practice as a professional astrologer for 8 of those years, including teaching astrology; extensive reading and research of New Age and occult materials; and experiences and contacts she had in the New Age/occult community for over 15 years.
Additionally, since becoming a Christian, Marcia’s knowledge in these areas has been supplemented by her contacts, reading, and research through her ministry, CANA/Christian Answers for the New Age. Since 1994, she has written on these topics for Christian periodicals, has been interviewed on radio shows and for publications, and has lectured on these areas around the country.
**From the Foreword by Norman Geisler:
“The time for discernment is upon us. Marcia Montenegro has written a biblically based, culturally relevant, and very insightful book to help us in this discernment. Every Christian home needs it. I highly recommend SpellBound.” ~ Norman Geisler
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CANA – Christian Answers for the New Age, Marcia’s website features her testimony and many articles you may find useful.
Our Spiritual Quest 