The pastor sweats before the riotous congregation. He swipes at his face with a colorful hankie, or a black silk handkerchief, as he grins and grimaces, oddly pauses his speech, contradicts himself, and blinks in confusion. He might even go into an odd "rooster strut" as he marches back and forth across the stage -- posterior jutting out, head cranked forward and to the side, elbows up and back, or he might even climb up on the church pews and walk across the backs of the seats -- but he's not showing off, no, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that is making him walk like this, sweat like this, yell like this, moan and groan like this. And when he breathes on the people or presses their foreheads with his sweaty palms, they fall over -- but he's not pushing them, no way, he's not forcing them backward in any way.
It is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Don't you believe it.
This is not the power of the Holy Spirit. These pranksters and hucksters, liars and cheaters, swindlers and lemon salesmen are much more in line with a certain character in the Bible that hung out with the Apostles for a time, Simon, a deceiving showman who sincerely desired the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of "laying on of hands" -- he desired it so much he even attempted to purchase that power from the Apostles. He believed, and sincerely coveted the power, to be able to lay his hands on people and "give them" the Holy Spirit. But the Apostle Peter pretty much called Simon a lame-brain, a dude not quite in keeping with the Spirit of God.
Today's charlatans -- Rod Parsely, Creflo Dollar, Jessie Duplantis, Larry Huch, Benny Hinn, Kenneths Copeland and Hagin -- would have sold Simon "the power" (perhaps a minor "seed" offering of love, so that Simon could become wealthy when God blessed him with incredible riches) in a heartbeat, because they apparently know a lot more about the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the ways of the Spirit than did the Bible writers, the Apostles, the Disciples, and the early Church. Maybe even more than Jesus Himself.
Don't you believe it.
The snake-oil salesmen of today, the rainmakers, the televangela yogis, gurus and shamans -- the Rod Parsleys and Creflo Dollars and Joyce Meyers and Paul Crouchs and Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagins and Frederick Prices and Marilyn Hickeys and Kenneth Copelands -- THEY HAVE SOMETHING special. Just watch any of the aforementioned ringmasters on their perpetual TV loops, and within five minutes you will hear them speak of themselves, claiming a power and an authority for themselves, something that makes (marks) them special, but something they can give to you as well, for a price. They are special, and YOU can be special, with their help. That's right, they can give you what they have, and for a minimal price . . . please have your credit card numbers handy.
They have the anointing. That's a little too flat. No, they have "The Anointing!" They are the "anointed." They do whole sermons on "the anointing," and how all Christians should be "anointed," and aren't really Christians at all unless they receive this "anointing." The "anointing" makes you rich, fixes your mistakes, slims your body, heals your illness, and maybe, just maybe, if you get good enough at "manipulating the power of the Holy Spirit," you will be able to clap your hands and the "anointing" will turn off your TV when you're ready to go to bed.
These are not true followers of Christ, but they are playing their roles in the final drama of which Jesus prophesied. Yes, Jesus actually spoke about these modern-day Bible thumpers, so, in a fashion, Rod Parsley is a Bible character, isn't that amazing? Creflo Dollar is fulfilling prophecy every time the word "anointed" passes his lips. Oral and Robert Roberts are doing their part to ensure that every prophecy concerning the end times really do come true. Joyce Meyers is fulfilling prophecy! Jesus actually predicted the words of Benny Hinn!
Here is the amazing prophecy being fulfilled, even now as you read these words:
For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:5
You've probably read this scripture before, or at least heard it quoted in a sermon. And the general take on this verse is that deceivers are going to come saying "Yo! Hey everybody, guess what? I'm Jesus!" Right? Have you heard that before? That crazy people or cult leaders or mentally ill people would claim to be Jesus, Himself? Read the scripture again. "I am Christ," will be the banner. Many will come in the name of Jesus -- this is another way of saying "Christian." Many Christians will claim: "I am Christ." Not "I am Jesus." Many Christians will come claiming to be Christ. Wouldn't that be audacious? Arrogant? Blasphemous?
But isn't "Christ" just Jesus' last name? Jesus Christ. Or as Carman raps: "JC!" As in when people miss their parking space and explode: "Jesus Christ!" Is the last name of Jesus, Christ? Jesus Christ. No, "Christ" is not a name, not a last name, not a surname. It is a declaration, Christ, a Greek word (cristos) translated from the Hebrew word "Messiah," which means, you probably guessed it, "ANOINTED." Christ means anointed.
So, in modern language, Matthew 24:5 declares: "Many Christians will claim to be anointed, and will deceive many."
Just before Jesus made this statement, that Christians would claim to be anointed, he gave a command to the Disciples, but especially to us, today, living in this day when this prophecy is actually coming to full fruition. It is very important that you take these words of Jesus, and hide them in your heart:
And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matthew 24:4
These "anointed ones" with their circus gimmicks and hypnotist tricks, they are coming in the name of the Lord, and any Sunday morning you can hear them crying: "Lordy! Lordy! Lordy!" But does that mean they are true in their message, that they are sincere in serving the Lord? Jesus had something to say about this as well:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23
Sound familiar? It is almost a direct prophecy about the rise of such people as Benny Hinn and Rod Parsley. Are these tricksters in any way performing the will of God? When Jesus performed his miraculous feats of healings, did he have the disciples work the crowd into a frenzy? Did he send out parchement flyers: "Come to the Jesus Show! See Mighty Miracles! Receive Your Anointing!" Did he put his successful healings up on a pedestal and have every one say how wonderful He was? Did Jesus run back and forth in front of the screaming multitudes shouting: "The Holy Ghost is gonna MESS YOU UP!" (??)
What did Jesus tell people after he healed them?
And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him,
saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his
leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him,
See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself
to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses
commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Matthew 8:3-4
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto
him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway
his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue
was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged
them that they should tell no man: but the more he
charged them, so much the more a great deal they
published it; And were beyond measure astonished,
saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both
the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Mark 7:34-37
And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art
the Christ. And he charged them that they should tell
no man of him.
Mark 8:29-30
WHY is Jesus being this way, forbidding everyone to spread His fame? What, was He a spoilsport? Didn't He understand the benefit of word-of-mouth advertising? The reason is simple, as presented in the following verses:
And he charged him to tell no man: but go,
and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for
thy cleansing, according as Moses
commanded, for a testimony unto them.
Luke 5:14
As before, Jesus heals and then forbids the lucky individual from spreading the fame of Jesus, but look what happens when the happy people just can't help but share the news of their blessings with others:
But so much the more went there a fame
abroad of him: and great multitudes came
together to hear, and to be healed by him
of their infirmities.
Luke 5:15
Jesus is swamped by admirers and those seeking healing for themselves. His ministry is hampered -- He even has a hard time just getting through the streets to go one block from one house to another. In these cases, when the crowds got too thick, what did Jesus do?
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness,
and prayed.
Luke 5:16
Today's glory hounds (of course, they claim they give all that glory right back to God, but watch Rod Parsely sometime when he's doing his "rooster strut" -- claiming that the Holy Spirit is puppeting him and making him speak in circular speeches without any reason, logic, overview or Biblical message -- his general message is: "The Holy Ghost gonna mess you up!) should take note of Jesus, and the manner in which he healed. Why don't the charlatans of today care about what the Bible says and what Jesus did? Precisely because of that, they are charlatans. They very well might "come in Jesus' name" and claim to be "anointed," but the actuality is, they are workers of iniquity.
Jesus did not go around claiming to be "anointed." The fact was, JESUS WAS THE ANOINTED. He was, and IS, the Anointed One. Jesus, deserving of all glory, did not go around seeking His own glory. Listen to Creflo Dollar (his real name) sometime, and discern if the same humble spirit is in operation. To hear the "Anointed Dollar" speak, you'd think that "the anointing" was a new Hoover vacuum cleaner that could do all kinds of tricks. What a difference between "Anointed Dollar" and the true "Anointed One." Actually, "Anointed Dollar" is a pretty good calling card, as he has become very, very wealthy -- money given him by God? Don't think so. Many, many poor people have sent in their "seed" money to Creflo Dollar -- while the "Anointed Dollar" grows richer, do you think those poor people grow poorer? You better believe it. But Dollar and Parsley and Roberts and Crouch and Hinn all justify this because God takes from the wicked and gives to the righteous, a Cosmic Robin Hood.
And if you know anyone who has been seduced by these workers of iniquity, listen to them sometime. They'll say things like: "You simply MUST come see this guy, he's sooooo anointed!" or "Benny Hinn is coming to town, and you can see him over at the big ole auditorium, and he's really going to make the Holy Spirit work tonight! Wait till you see all the great miracles this man can do! Sure, his hair is kind of weird, but come see him, he's just soooooo anointed!" Sound eerily familiar? Almost a direct quote straight out of the Bible:
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo,
here is Christ (anointed), or there; believe
it not. For there shall arise false Christs
(anointeds), and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders; insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.
Matthew 24:23-25
And what is the advice of Jesus? After stressing time and time again that there will be false anointeds and many false prophets, what does Jesus say we should do when we're invited to come out somewhere to see ole Benny, or Rod, or Oral, or Creflo? They will tell you that "the spirit is moving in this church!" or that "the ghost is really invading this church!"
Wherefore if they shall say unto you,
Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth:
behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not.
Matthew 24:26
Go not forth. Believe it not. Believe it not. Don't go. Jesus says they are deceivers, false prophets, false anointeds. One thing you can bet on, someone who is really gifted from God doesn't rn around telling everyone just how wonderful they are. They won't CLAIM to be "anointed."
The truly disturbing thing, conversely, is that today's "anointeds" are claiming to be Christ. Every time they ask you to send them $50 along with a "piece of cloth" for a "point of contact," they are claiming to be anointed, they are claiming to be Christ. Every time they tell you that the "anointing" is coming upon them, they are claiming to be Christ. Every time they say that "this verse in the Bible cannot be understood unless you have the anointing" they are claiming to be Christ. Every time they talk about the "anointed man" or "anointed teacher" that you need to find God, they are claiming to be Christ.
The best advice is from Jesus: "Don't go and see them, and don't believe them." And if you are already involved? The bad news is, it's almost impossible to break away from these teachers once they have their teeth set into it is almost impossible to break away; very effectively they proof even the most reasonable mind against the truth. The good news is, with God, it IS impossible to break away (Jim Bakker escaped, and he was absolutely one of the worst of the worst, or worse than that).
They are not "anointed ones," they are workers of iniquity. From the lips of Jesus to your ear, they are workers of iniquity prospering from poor innocents. They are not getting their riches from the wicked, like Robin Hood -- no, they are prospering by stealing from the naive righteous.
Given half a chance they will deceive even the elect of God. Give them half a chance and they will pull the rug out from under you (you can bet on it).
Prophecy is being fulfilled, right now, even as you read these words. You hear
and see it every day, but you're probably not aware of the insidious darkness...
SIMON.
Now for some time past there had been a man named Simon living there, who had been practicing magic and astonishing the Samaritans, pretending that he was more than human To him people of all classes paid attention, declaring, "This man is the Power of God, known as the great Power." His influence over them arose from their having been, for a long time, bewildered by his sorceries. But when Philip began to tell the Good News about the Kingdom of God and about the Name of Jesus Christ, and they embraced the faith, they were baptized, men and women alike. Simon himself also believed, and after being baptized remained in close attendance on Philip, and was full of amazement at seeing such signs and such great miracles performed.
Acts 8:9-13 (NLT)
SIMON. (continued)
When the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted God's Message, they sent Peter and John to visit them. They, when they came down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit: for He had not as yet fallen upon any of them. They had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then the Apostles placed their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When, however, Simon saw that it was through the laying on of the Apostles' hands that the Spirit was bestowed, he offered them money.
"Give me too," he said, "that power, so that every one on whom I place my hands will receive the Holy Spirit."
"Perish your money and yourself," replied Peter, "because you have imagined that you can obtain God's free gift with money! No part or lot have you in this matter, for your heart is not right in God's sight. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, in the hope that the purpose which is in your heart may perhaps be forgiven you. For I perceive that you have fallen into the bitterest bondage of unrighteousness."
"Pray, both of you, to the Lord for me," answered Simon, "that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
Acts 8:14-24 (NLT)
Holy Ghost Chaos?
For God is not
the author of
confusion, but
of peace, as in
all churches of
the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:33
SIMON. (concluded)
The Bible does not tell us the ultimate fate of the many-faceted Simon -- magicker, born-again Christian, greedy power-hungry hanger-on of the Apostles; but Peter did caution the wizard to turn himself around, so it was obviously not too late for the televangelist, oops, I mean "Sorceror." Simon even asked the Apostles to pray for him, requesting intercessory prayer. We can only hope that Simon did repent. The Bible says he was a believer, accepted the Gospel, and was even baptized. The tradition is, however, that Simon continued in his magical arts to eventually soujourn to Rome at the request of Caesar, who always loved a good show. It seems Simon should have stuck to Christianity, because while creating the illuson that he was flying, apparently Peter and Paul were present and prayed that Simon would not succeed in his deception, and Simon plummeted to the earth and died.
The guru/shaman/yogis of today's "anointed" Christianity should pay heed to Simon's story.
It's not too late for them, they can turn around, they can become true followers of the True Anointed One, and find their true "prosperity" in Christ, and in heaven.
Otherwise, as proven by Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and other erstwhile "anointeds," just like Simon, the fall could be just around the corner.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
The pastor sweats before the riotous congregation. He swipes at his face with a colorful hankie, or a black silk handkerchief, as he grins and grimaces, oddly pauses his speech, contradicts himself, and blinks in confusion. He might even go into an odd "rooster strut" as he marches back and forth across the stage -- posterior jutting out, head cranked forward and to the side, elbows up and back, or he might even climb up on the church pews and walk across the backs of the seats -- but he's not showing off, no, it is the power of the Holy Spirit that is making him walk like this, sweat like this, yell like this, moan and groan like this. And when he breathes on the people or presses their foreheads with his sweaty palms, they fall over -- but he's not pushing them, no way, he's not forcing them backward in any way.
