Ichabod: Has The Glory Departed?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ;

Greetings in the most precious and wonderful Name of our Lord from the beautiful land 'Down Under.'

I know at this time of the year people expect to see a Christmas message of some sort, but I can only share with you that which the Holy Spirit has put upon my spirit. My heart has been tremendously burdened and grieved of late concerning this message and what I see taking place in the name of Jesus in the church. There is a strange and unholy fire sweeping across the nations and being made manifest in our Father's house.

The Word of the Lord has much to say about those who shepherd the 'flock' and their responsibility to see that they are fed the proper food at the proper time. The Holy Spirit has clearly revealed to all that we are living in the last days. What then is the proper food for this time; for the Spirit and the Word always agree with one another? The Word of God warns us that in these days many will abandon the true faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1.) Time and space do not permit me to share with you in one article all of the false and demonic doctrines that have pervaded the church of today but I can assure you they are numerous; with the infection spreading like a cancer, more and more consuming and even shipwrecking the faith of all too many.

I will, however, share a few of them with you, just to give you some idea of the heresy and nonsense being preached and, unfortunately, believed. These things should cause each and every true saint of God to cry out with a broken heart before the throne of the Living and Almighty God. The first and probably most damaging of these false and demonic doctrines I will mention comes out of the 'Word of Faith' movement and is known as the Doctrine of Divine Prosperity or, in some circles, the 'name it and claim it' doctrine. The basic premise of this doctrine is that if you want it, you only have to claim it and it will be yours. (This description is very basic for there is much more to it, none of it being genuinely scriptural, rather it involves the scriptures being twisted and turned and taken out of context in every way possible.) Then there is a movement which has been started and which involves the adults of the church coming to services wearing diapers in which they defecate and urinate.  

The scripture they base this disgusting doctrine on is out of Matthew 18:2-4 in which Jesus admonishes the disciples to 'become like little children' in reference to humility. Again here is a case where the Word of God has been grossly misused and taken out of context. There are churches where public nudity and 'free' love are openly encouraged and practiced, but I can assure you there is nothing free about this kind of love. In fact the price tag on this one is quite high; an eternity in Hell.

The other night Kathy and I were watching a documentary on an occult service being held by a particular sect in Africa, complete with a time of worship giving homage to the particular demons they held in reverence as gods. Had they not mentioned that this was going on in Africa, I would have been convinced it was being broadcast out of the United States, for the manifestation of the spirits and the method by which the witch doctors worshipped these evil spirits are the exact same things we have seen coming out of Pensacola, Florida and Brownsville, Texas, right down to the outbursts of supposed 'holy laughter' and frantic dancing and leaping about; for they have made a covenant with the Evil one. The witch doctors holding the service strove to bring forth a fear of their authority upon their congregation, demanding that an offering be made to them to appease the 'head spirit.' The worship service, the leaping about and other manifestations were exactly the same as that which you might see coming out of most Pentecostal churches today. The witch doctors were evil; controlling and manipulative, filled with all manner of deception and lust, wanting everything for themselves and bringing a curse upon all those who would not join in with them.

You have only to listen to the words of people like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Paul and Jan Crouch, and those who are the leaders of the Pensacola, Brownsville, and Toronto movement to hear the same manipulative persuasion, which is tantamount to threats. For do they not state time after time that "God will bring a curse" upon all those who dare to come against them or attempt to expose their false doctrines and their sinful way of living?

Each day the number of greedy, ungodly men and women behind the pulpits of the church that bears the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Christianity) seems to grow. At a meeting held recently involving Kenneth Copeland and a few of his cronies, one of the leaders got up and stated the following, "The Word says that unto him that has even more will be given, but he who does not have, even the little he has will be taken away." (This is a loose translation of Matthew 13:12.) Again scripture has been horribly mangled for his or her own purposes, for he then stated that "you should go and find the most prosperous pastor you can and follow him, giving him all your money." As he is saying this the people who were at the meeting were tripping over each other to get to him to stuff money into his pockets. He then proceeded to tell the congregation how he owns an 8000 square foot house but is planning on moving into a bigger and better one. He went on to say he had just purchased a dog for $15,000.00 and then showed them a ring he had purchased on a recent trip to Jamaica for some $32,000.00. He wraps all this up by stating that "when people drive by my newly built mansion and see my new Rolls Royce in the driveway they will definitely know there is a God in Heaven." With that the congregation went into a frenzy of applause while running up to stuff more money into his pockets until they were literally bulging with bills.

Is this really the gospel message that Jesus would have us bring to the poor and destitute in Mexico, Africa, Thailand, or a thousand other such places, (some maybe not so very far from where you live,) who are without hope and without Christ? Will this doctrine and this type of showmanship preaching feed the hungry, clothe the naked or comfort those who are sick or in prison? Do we tell them not to feel too bad when the hunger pangs start or when they watch their children die for lack of $25.00 worth of medical care, because some fat cat preacher in the United States has $15,000 to spend on a dog and if they would just 'believe and receive' they too could have all this?

Personally I hope these 'prosperity propagators' enjoy their time here on earth for all too soon (for them), everything will all come crashing down around them and they shall stand before the Living and Almighty God at the Judgment seat and give account for 'using Godliness as a means to financial gain,' (1 Timothy 6:3-5,especially vs. 5.) As they stand before Him unto whom they must give account, they will find out just how much their mansions, dogs, and rings are worth before God, and they will be without excuse. For they shall then hear those words that shall ring in their ears for all eternity, "Away from Me, I never knew you," you workers of iniquity and evildoers for My temple should have been a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.

I would put this question to you: what difference is there between these people and the ones whose tables Jesus overturned in the temple area? And unto those of you who could not wait to stuff more and more money into their ungodly schemes for fleecing the sheep (of whom you are supposed to be part of,) what of you? Do you think you will escape the wrath of God? What will you say when you look into those eyes of fire and Truth and Jesus says unto you, "did I not command you to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness and unrighteousness? Did I not warn you about false doctrines, to stay away from them and guard your life and doctrine closely? Did I not warn you to hold to sound doctrine? Not only did you not expose these workers of iniquity but also you joined with them in their evil schemes, while My sheep were torn apart and scattered. You sat and said nothing as the shepherds took from the flock just to feed themselves?" Do you think you will escape those awful words "Away from Me, I never knew you?" Think again. Better yet, do a good Bible study on the subject and see if there is any real Truth still able to penetrate your greedy and idolatrous hearts. You are without excuse for again and again in His Word, the Lord warns us against these workers of iniquity and against those who look only to their own personal gain, and commands you to have nothing to do with them.

As for the shepherds, you shall be the fulfillment of Ezekiel 34, for you have persecuted the righteous with false accusations and lies, with malicious rumors and acts of treachery against them. You have robbed widows and orphans while maintaining your ostentatious lifestyles. You control and manipulate your flock by fear and witchcraft for you have allowed women to usurp the authority of the men and stand in flagrant rebellion to the Word of God. You have brought people in and made them twice as much the sons of hell as yourselves. Do you really think you will escape God's vengeance?

I am grieved that God cannot find many who will stand in the gap, for even as John the Baptist stood on the hillside and condemned Herod for his evil deeds, should not the true men and women of God be grieved and outraged to the very depths of their souls? Should they not stand as did John the Baptist, the Apostles, and Jesus Himself and expose these people? Should they not stand against those shepherds who can no longer remember (if they ever knew to begin with,) that Jesus Christ is our example and we are to follow Him only? Truly the hour has come to stand and proclaim in a loud and clear voice; Ichabod, Ichabod; for surely the Glory of the Lord has departed from the church of today.

I have some difficulty understanding who is the more treacherous and evil; those who preach these false and demonic doctrines, or those who listen to them and fill their coffers with more and more money. Brothers and sisters, I urge all of you to check your TV listings for this month. CNN has an upcoming special of which they, in their own words have said, "Even the critics of Benny Hinn will be amazed at what we have uncovered." One of Benny Hinn's top officials has been busted for heroin already and this is just one of the charges they have against Hinn. Some have to do with the procurement and distribution of heroin and there will be much more which will make his wife's shoplifting charges seem like a day in the park. I would not be surprised if he spent the next 20 years (should the Lord tarry) in a Federal Penitentiary. He has been thrown out of more countries than I have been in.

Please, for those of you who are already gasping and saying, "you can't say these things about a brother in the Lord," let me just say this: In the first place, I find nothing in his life that meets the scriptural definition of a 'brother' but because he claims to be one, does not the scripture tell us that we are to judge those inside the church? And the same goes for anyone else I have mentioned in this article. Next, for all of you who are even now accusing me of not having any 'love'; if you accuse me you must also accuse Jesus and the Apostles. Now, to those of you who are sitting in judgment of me for making accusations against the 'anointed' of God, let me say this; rather than waste your time making accusations against me or sending me nasty e-mail, open your Bible and do a study on just who the 'anointed' of God are. Anointed refers to just two things; the Body of Christ, the true church, the Bride, and the Anointed One, who is no other save Jesus Christ alone. There are those upon whom God will pour forth an anointing as they preach HIS Word, for it is the anointing that breaks the yoke, but there is no one person that is the Anointed One. That title is reserved for Christ and Him only.

There are none so blind as those who will not see, nor are there as many village idiots as there are those who call themselves 'Christians' and follow the doctrines of demons. For even as the media continues to catch and expose these 'so-called' anointed evangelists before the entire world, there are millions who still follow them like lambs to the slaughter, supporting their lavish lifestyles and never seeming to understand that THEY are the sheep that are being fleeced. How many of you who financially support these people are living the same kind of lifestyles?

One of those who had been caught and exposed was Peter Popoff. He was caught with a listening device in his ear while his wife fed him previously gathered information about people so it would appear that Popoff was actually hearing from God. He was exposed on the Johnny Carson show and the tapes were played for the entire world to hear. One tape clearly details Popoff's wife telling him "we got a hot one" which turned out to be some poor woman who had lumps discovered in her breasts and was earnestly seeking prayer for this, for it could well have been cancer. Popoff's wife and some other women in the secret transmitting booth could be heard laughing at this woman while Popoff was telling her to do all sorts of ridiculous things. Somehow I just don't see in scripture where Jesus ever made fun of the calamities of others. Yet, Peter Popoff is back in business, doing the same thing with a monthly budget of over 500 thousand dollars. Come on people, don't you find this a grievous thing? Or has your heart grown so cold and hard you no longer feel compassion or outrage at these things? Even Robert Tilton, possibly the sleaziest one of the bunch, who was caught taking the money out of all the prayer requests sent to him and throwing the requests in the trash, unread; even this disgusting excuse for a human being is back to his old tricks. Believe it or not he has even found a whole new group of people to rip off; another mailing list of greedy, gullible idiots who can't wait to pour more money into his unholy, demonic schemes. How the heart of God must grieve.

If you are getting the impression I am angry, you're right! Scripture says, "Be ye angry and sin not". All those who truly serve the Lord should be angry when we see these things happening in the Name and in the House of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He who gave His precious life for us that we may be redeemed from a Christless eternity in Hell has now become the laughingstock of the world thanks to the likes of Popoff, Tilton, Hinn, Copeland and the like. There is some good news in all of this. The FCC is about to level charges against Paul Crouch and TBN for owning more TV stations and satellites than he has acknowledged. He has managed to evade that particular Federal law by putting them in his wife and kid's names, etc. Nonetheless it is a Federal crime to defraud the FCC in the USA.

And here in Australia there are far more people behind the pulpit that have no right to be there than there are those who have truly been called by God and do have the right to be there. For the pulpits of Australia are filled with men and women who are involved in all manner of immorality and perversity; those who are involved in adultery, those who have been in prison for fraud and embezzlement, those who defraud their congregations, stealing money from their own church for their own personal gain, those who are preaching false and demonic doctrines, those who lord it over their congregations, manipulating and controlling them by fear, and the list goes on and on. As I said before, if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, this should both grieve and outrage you. But it is allowed to go on because too many have remained silent for too long.

Jesus, being our example, as well as the Apostles, never held back when it came to exposing these workers of iniquity and false doctrine, even to the point of persecution, imprisonment and even death. Scripture says, "All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Why do you think this is? It's because to follow Christ's example we must not only offer His love and salvation to the nations, (person by person if necessary,) but also because we are commanded by God to expose these demonic, false, and damaging doctrines and those who preach them. Are you doing your part to carry this burden? Yes, you will offend people; the cross of Christ does that. Yes, you will be persecuted; some people just cannot or will not deal with the truth, and yes, you will for the largest part go unheard. But if just one person gets set free from this bondage, you will have made a difference. It's long past time for true Christians to make a stand for Jesus and for Truth. Does He not say in His Word," If you acknowledge Me before men I will acknowledge you before My Father in Heaven, but if you are ashamed of Me before men, I will be ashamed of you before My Father in Heaven." Fear of man goes a long way in keeping people silent when they should be speaking out, but if this is what is keeping you from speaking out then you are being very effectively used by the Devil, for God does not give us a spirit of fear.

In all honesty, most so-called 'Christians' have never fulfilled the scriptures in this area. Most don't want to offend anyone, but by your silence you offend Christ. Others think it might be judging, but does not scripture tell us we are to judge those inside the church? Some want to keep one foot on either side of the line, yet the Word of the Lord says, (speaking of Jesus,) "he who is not for Me is against Me and he who is not gathering is scattering." Some will say, "but I still have friends in that church." Would a friend really let another friend sit under false doctrine and say nothing to them? If you are attending a church where what is done and what is preached does not coincide with the Bible, then you are in the wrong church. And it's seriously hypocritical to attend such a church because they are having some function you want to attend. NO, brothers and sisters, try as you might, you will find no scriptural justification for setting foot inside the doors of any church that is not following the Word of God. Do not be fooled, there are definite scriptural guidelines and a wonderful gift from the Lord called discernment that will tell you who is a true believer in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is a very definite difference between being religious and being a true disciple of Christ our Lord and Savior.

Where do you stand and what words will you hear when you stand before the Living and Almighty God; "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord;" or "Away from Me, I never knew you?" 

THINK ABOUT IT!
It's an eternal question; make sure you know you have the right answer.

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