Days of Deception

In the last two issues of The
Omega Times we presented a 2 part expose on "Apostasy in
the Church" which uncovered some of the charlatans,
Pharisees, antichrists and pompous fools who litter Christian TV
and the media with their pathetic anti-Bible foolishness.

It should be apparent to all who
at least spend a little time in the Word of God that this is
nothing less than a confirmation that we are really living in the
very last days and this is an End Times phenomenon which will not
go away. As a Pastor, my heart goes out to the sheep who are
being led in a direction that grieves the Lord, for they have
placed their trust in leaders who they see as God’s
representatives, but these same leaders have broken their trust
of Godly leadership and have willingly led their flock along a
path that was never ordained or allowed of the Lord.

Paul wrote to Timothy, recorded in
1 Timothy 4:1-2, a warning which is something every believer
should be praying and asking the Lord about for personal
revelation and understanding. It says – "Now the Spirit expressly
says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving
heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies
in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot
iron,…" NKJV

I believe we are under attack
today with an array of demonic strategies which are designed to
bring the Church to its knees, and if it were possible, to
utterly destroy it. This onslaught is far more powerful than many
understand, with perhaps the exception of those who with
prophetic gift, are trying to warn the Church the attack is even
at the doors. It is fuelled by a mixture of powerful demonic
spirits called deception, apathy, lukewarmness, pride, witchcraft
and rebellion.

How else could we explain what is
happening before our very eyes. As a keen observer of the affairs
and the well-being of the Church, and having a great love for it,
I stand as a Watchman, feeling vulnerable and powerless as I see
good men and women caught up in doing things which are
counter-productive and harmful to the Church. Let me list a few
of my experiences in the last 2-3 weeks to show you what I
mean.

• I sent a strong warning to
a pastor friend about the Todd Bentley fiasco in Lakeland. The
latest disgraceful story from there has Bentley laughing as he
tells people how the Holy Spirit told him to kick this old lady
in the face to heal her. Yes, there was a spirit operating here
all right, just not the "Holy" one! In spite of my
warning, and the express forbidding by his denominational
apostolic oversight to go there, he ignored the advice and went.
He flew out to "bring back the anointing and pray for his
Church members to receive it." Transference of the anointing
is unbiblical. That’s necromancy! Only the Gifts of the
Spirit (which are lacking in Church) are imparted by the laying
on of hands, shown when Paul says "I long to impart some
gift to you."

• No sooner had that happened
than I heard of another local Pastor who travelled to Lakeland
and received from the Lord(?) a word that revival would break out
in his Church on July 2^nd. He rang home from overseas
to authorise works to begin to tear down walls in his Church and
expand it in readiness. The scary thing here is that some growth
could easily be triggered by the excitement of the herd
mentality, where his congregation go out and invite hundreds to
come and witness this. The bigger crowd which arrives in
anticipation, fuels and "confirms" or self-fulfils the
prophecy. What a shame Christians aren’t excited by the
Gospel to the extent that they would do the same thing without a
prophecy, and continually invite people to come simply because it
is an opportunity to see someone else rescued from the fire.

• I had a Youth Pastor and
his family visit my Church. They recently moved to, and live in a
country town 2 hours away from us. He was telling me a story I am
hearing so often. Although he is credentialed in the biggest
Pentecostal stream of Churches in Australia, he said that he
cannot find a Church in reasonable travelling distance which
teaches on End Times and opens the Bible to teach from the
Scriptures. Think about that for a moment. Is this really where
we are in our Christian life and fellowship, that the best we can
hope to get is a serving up a menu of psychology and success
motivation rather than Gospel-based Bible teaching? How has the
Church descended to this level so quickly?

• Another Pastor friend has
invited Paul Cain to come and stand in his pulpit. Cain is one of
the 3 discredited "Prophets" (the others are Bob Jones
and Rick Joyner) who are backing Todd Bentley, and saying that
the Todd Bentley phenomenon is the 3^rd wave they have
been prophesying and waiting for, following the so-called first
two waves of revival at Toronto Airport and Pensecola. Yet Cain
has been discredited as a practising homosexual, having been
caught in his own office in fragrante dilecto! Why would
a Pastor ignore an abomination in character just because someone
prophesies?

• On phoning a friend who has
had an international ministry for decades, I was informed that
her daughter is suffering from cancer, with 3 different areas in
her body being attacked. She told me the Church her daughter is
attending has refused to pray for her, and the leaders told the
congregation also not to pray, because they do not believe in
Divine Healing – yet they call themselves Pentecostal!

• In a major city in this
nation there is acrimony between Churches that has now escalated
to the point where one Church is taking another to Court in
litigation, to resolve by legal means something which never
should find its solution in a secular court. 1 Corinthians 6:1-6
says - "Dare any of you, having
a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and
not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge
the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we
shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this
life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to
this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the
church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there
is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to
judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against
brother, and that before unbelievers! NKJV

This is just another example of
how unbiblical the Church has become. As Paul says, if we are to
judge angels, we should be well able to deal with issues between
brethren without resorting to secular Courts and unsaved
Judges.

• A friend who ministers as
an itinerant ministry specialising in health and healing issues,
has written many books, with some of those specifically aimed at
teaching and encouraging people in how to face disease and walk
in faith. Recently, while ministering at a Church here in
Australia, he was told to immediately remove a book from his
bookstall, as they considered the book was offensive. The book in
question was a series of testimonies which has sold in great
volume, and given hope to many who were facing a battle with
disease. The books title – "Cancer, the Defeated
Foe."

We truly are living in times which
are so far removed from the glory days of the 1970’s and
80’s where Pentecost flourished and Church life was a joy
and a blessing. We have descended into dark days, and the sorrow
of it is, the darkest ones have not yet arrived. Satan has
unleashed on the Church the most powerful attack we have seen in
our lifetime, to bring if possible, the entire Christian Church
to its knees and crush the very life out of it.

God has always had His remnant
Church. Right now, we are seeing signs that a great dividing is
taking place where the true, God-fearing Church is being
separated from a carnal, raucous, disobedient goat Church, who
may in the short term prosper, but if they do not come to their
senses in godly sorrow and repentance, then their eventual
humiliation and destruction is certain.