Articles
Of Growth
And Strength

Who are the Samaritans?
Part 1

John 4:3-27 And He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Three days ago (in late November 2005) as I awoke, the Lord spoke to me in clear words drawing my attention to something in this passage that quite frankly I have never heard preached or taught before from this text, or for that fact from any other text in the bible.

What the Lord said to me was: “The Samaritans, who are they?”

Normally I would have been inclined to answer the question of: Who are the Samaritans? With the Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, and / or some of the other non-believing denomination that are Christian In Name Only.  

But when The Lord asked the question, He made me at that same instant to understand that it was not the Catholic’s, the Lutherans or the other blind denominations, What He said to me was that the Mormons are the Samaritans of this hour, The Jehovah’s witnesses are the Samaritans of this hour and the Muslims are the Samaritans of this hour.

While many will have some initial disagreement with this I will attempt in this study to demonstrate with the scripture that God opened up to me on the Samaritans as to who the Samaritans were at the time of Christ and trace through scripture how they came to be the reviled people that they in that day.

I have had quite some difficulty in writing this article. The core of this article took me several weeks to put together and as I finished the last few pages I knew that the composition of what I had written was all wrong, and failed to adequately communicate what I had been shown. Originally I was going to post the article “as is” with an apology for my lack of ability to be able to express what I had heard from the Lord, but that morning when I awake the Lord spoke to me and showed me how to reorder this article so it would read as He intended it to read. So this article will begin with what the Lord hard originally shown me first before he spoke to me about who the Samaritans are.

Several weeks prior to all of this I was led to a website that contained literally hundreds of old Newspaper articles from 1795 to the 1830’s meticulously tracing the origins of Joseph Smith and his conspirators and early days of Mormonism.

http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/miscNYSg.htm

I was searching for something else when this was more or less thrown into my lap. It occurs to me now that the Lord sometimes gives us something without speaking, or without prompting us as to what it is or what it is for as He did with Adam in the Garden; to see what we shall say.

There was so much to read on this website that one could easily spend months, if not years poring over these reading and drawing analysis from the thousands of newspaper articles, and the hundreds of documents containing the writings the early Mormons, and their Leaders.  I do not want to give the impression that I have any inclination to spend a whole lot of time and attention to something like this, at the expense of my time in prayer and studying the word of God, I am just trying to describe the vastness of what this website contains.  

Through the blessed guidance of the Spirit I was led immediately without index or a key word search directly to what the Lord wanted me to read. It took me two days, approximately 12-16 hours to get through all of it. 

Let me now confess up front that initially while I read this stuff I became so upset, and horrified over the initial meaning of what I read I had to push it away. And I did not want to look at it or even think about it.

I immediately went to prayer and took to Him all that I had seen and heard from these pages, and my concerns from my initial read. A few weeks passed, and the Lord gradually brought me back to look some more at these pages and re-read other parts over to be sure I understood the story that was told through hundreds of reporters and eye witnesses completely independent of each other.

In my article on communion I spoke of an experience where the Lord opened up a passage in 1 Corinthians and the following day when I went back the passage disappeared and became completely invisible both to me and my Pharisee of Pharisees that was with me and try as we might we could not find the verse I described using our scriptural knowledge, online concordances, and Strong’s exhaustive concordance as well. In that the Lord demonstrated so powerfully “Seeing they see not and hearing they hear not.” 

This has occurred time and again in relation to these articles and it happened here again once the Lord had opened my eyes to the significance of all this a month or so later. When I began to write this, many of the things that I had initially read and had so shocked and disturbed me had faded back into the sea of writing in this mega-website. And this caused me to spend another week searching in vain for specific articles. – Then all at one in the Lords time in one evening he brought the bulk of them back so I could see them once more. And this was in the exact Newspapers and dates I had pored over time and again for a week but could not find a single one of them. 


In the 1970’s and 1980’s I had read a number of cult books on Mormonism, “Chaos of the Cults.” “Every Wind of Doctrine.” To name a few, I had a 3” three ring binder filled with articles on this subject and I had attended a semester of “Cults Class” in bible school nothing from these prepared me for what I read and saw in these articles.

Concerning those books and articles the information that was published in them was generally all the same – because no doubt the authors all read the same books, all read the same notes, and probably all went from the same evangelical and fundamentalist bible schools. Probably none of them had ever attended a single Mormon meeting or any of the other so called cults that they were opposed to (for fear of that a demon, or a spirit of deception from these contaminated people would take them over. – Time and again over the last three decades I have heard this kind of talk with my own ears.) None of these supposed scholars ever went through the trouble to read source materials early writings of Mormons or the writings of those who witnessed their acts in the early days (For fear of those writings getting into their mind and thoughts and making them unclean.) And none of these experts have read any of the modern exposes’ by unsaved reporters and those who escaped Mormonism’s clutches and then become a “Saved hireling” who travels to and fro profiteering on their testimony and the Gospel. (Because the unsaved are “unclean” and therefore their words have no value to those who hold so lofty a perch above such. So we arrogantly stick our heads in the sand and ignore all that these witnesses have to say to our own detriment and the detriment of our flocks and when these Mormon’s come knocking we instead of being able to talk to them intelligently and bring some to the Lord, we cross ourselves and pray for protection and hope that they will simply go away.)

One of the dirty little secrets (This information comes directly from my Pharisee of Pharisees that is now attending his second year in a 4 year Baptist bible school) is that Baptists in particular are terrified of Mormonism. And He tells me it was reported to the students of that school in Okalahoma that 80% of the Mormon’s new converts back at the time of its founding were bible believing, bible reading, church attending Baptists. And he further stated that this trend has persisted for almost 175 years, so that in this day 80% of the converts of Mormonism are bible believing, bible reading, Church attending Baptists.  My friend told me that the Baptists are afraid that this will bring an end to the independent Baptist churches all together.

For 175 years they have tried everything to inoculate their followers against Mormonism and for 100 years they have thrown everything they had against Pentecostals hating and treating both the same way. And in so doing they have drawn lines through verse after verse and chapter after chapter in the bible saying that this verse is not true, or this was all done away with in the past, that God can no longer heal, God can no longer speak, God can no longer visit men either by himself or send an angel. When any one with a third grade education reading from Genesis to Revelation can see all these things clearly demonstrated as God’s will and desire over and over and at times even in the lives of corrupt and vile individuals. What these men and churches are really preaching is their own spiritual lack, they are preaching their own backslidden and blind condition, there are preaching their own faithlessness and corruption, as the Pharisees did so do they. So they attempt to lock up the key of knowledge – that is revelation by the Holy Spirit that is promised to all believers. And then with all their soul might and strength these same preachers of darkness attempt to prevent all their sheep from going in unto the Lord and receiving of His hand.

In the days of Christ the Pharisees could not prevent believers from coming to Christ and so to today these cold dead Calvanistic Pharisees can not prevent their starving and sickly flocks from seeking spiritual sustenance. Where there is no green grass the sheep will eat garbage in order to survive. So much so that when anyone waves around a bible and says: You too can hear from God, you too can be healed, you too can prophesy, and bammo! These sheep are out the door cult or true, and it is highly likely that they will never return to such preaching.

     

This identical thing is going on with Islam. Over in Europe Islam is literally eating up the denominational churches before our eyes, for the last two years article after article has stated that the churches of Europe are empty and the young and old are going over in droves to Islam. Why because the old time denominations of Europe preach humanism instead of Christ, they preach exclusiveness instead of community, they preach submission to a host of elders, preachers, and denominations as opposed to the priesthood of all believers. They do not teach faith, consecration to God, they do not teach healing, or deliverance except by world means ie doctors and psychiatrists – and on the other hand here you have a group of people that unflinchingly believe every word in their “Holy Books”  And they believe in a devotion to Allah unto death. –  And so these starving sheep true or cult are beating a path to these people’s door.  All these sheep know is that where they go to church or where their parents went to church is cold, dry, and empty, and where these others go that is where all the action is. And so they pick what is most likely to feed them and take care of them. 

This is also the identical thing that happened in the second and third century with the Gnostic Church they too wrote their own bible and shrouded themselves in revival and the manifestations of the Spirit that the early church had by enlarge lost by that time. And the apostolic fathers came to deny the very manifestations and the gifts of the spirit that they themselves had been founded upon in their battle to push back Gnosticism.  I believe that they utterly failed in that. For when I look at some of the cultic notions of Gnosticism I find some of these same things in the Roman catholic Church regarding the worship of Mary, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the mystical things that their wannabe Levites do to absolve themselves and their hearers of sin..  But that is a separate issue and I do not want to cloud what already will appear to be very murky to some.

 

I want to return to Mormonism and give you a brief run down of how this cult came into being.  First at the time there were great revivals and stirrings of the Spirit with many manifestations and this can not be discounted.  Historically this period is called the second great awakening. So here we have an illiterate child named Joseph Smith born in Vermont and as while he is a young child His family moves to upstate New York, His father is caught up in treasure seeking craze of the time. The son has some interest in his father’s dream of finding the big one and apparently becomes disillusioned with the hard work of digging and he then separates himself from his father’s endeavors. His father plies his trade with a “seeing stone” with which he tries unsuccessfully to locate treasures. So it is from his father that young Joseph Smith becomes acquainted with seeing stones and their use,  the papers indicate that the Joseph Smith spent some time searching the woods until he found his own seeing stone. Once he had the stone be began a con which is described in court documents in detail he would place the stone over one eye and literally “Pull the wool of his hat over his eyes” and begin prognosticating by “Talking through his hat” to his highly suggestible audience of treasure seekers. -- it appears evident that young Smith could not keep a straight face and hide his glee while he was doing his act so he used this hat to cover his complete face before beginning his act. 

Somewhere during this time smith acquires a second seeing stone that it was reported that he stole from two neighbor’s children – the author of the website notes that this charge greatly upset the Mormon elders. and they paid a great expense to investigate and “clear up the matter” – whatever that might mean. But they absolved Smith of stealing the second seeing stone. So when the got two seeing stones he had them mounted in a heavy silver frame like a pair of old time spectacles. It is important to note that this occurred years before the became the Prophet Joseph Smith – So here we have clear testimony from court proceedings of Smith using his seeing stones to falsely prophesy the location of earthly treasure to paying soft brained customers and we also see in the testimony that he had mounted these stones together as a set of spectacles – and both of these were done long before he began to do the same exact at as the Prophet of the fictitious angel Moroni. 

Also during this time period the Author of the website notes that the Mother in her memoirs writes that that young Joseph Smith would stand and recite for hours at a time for entertainment to her and their guests of an imagined society of Indians how they dressed, what their buildings looked like their laws their offerings and the intricacies of their daily lives in that society – according to the mother’s memoirs this was not an isolated incident this was a regular event that she and their guests loved to hear as he would add new tales and nuances to this act of his. -- So here we have a clear admission that the Indian society of Smith’s Childhood pretends and tall tales became the core of the Book of Mormon and the lies and tall tales he later told when he identified these Indians as the lost ten tribes of Israel

Anyway the kid was so good at his act that he became known far and wide for his “gift” and he had hundreds lining up to pay him cash to tell them where a treasure could be dug up. News articles even mention some notorious gangs of treasure seekers that sought out Smith’s aide and he almost ends up being killed by them.  

So the kid eventually runs afoul of the law and is arrested for stealing, lying and committing fraud. In court under sworn testimony it comes out about his use of seeing stones and their origin, and their being mounted in a frame like a pair of spectacles and perhaps the most damning is sworn testimony is given by Smith’s best friend who the kid confided in and told him that could see nothing with these seeing stones, he only was saying that he was seeing things so that he could make a living.

Anyway in court Joseph Smith the evidence against Smith is overwhelming and he is found guilty of lying, committing perjury, multiple counts of stealing, and multiple counts of fraud and the kid is to be sentenced to go to the big house for the thousands he has bilked from people for a hundred or more mile radius around his hometown.  But inexplicably the judge decides to have mercy on this lad and because of “the tenderness of his youth” and because of this, this youthful and hardened incorrigible criminal is excused from any jail time and released out into society where he can again prey upon the highly suggestible..

Busted and having become a byword, and a joke on the lips of everyone that ever heard of him Smith was laughed at “For pulling the wool over peoples eyes.” Smith was laughed at “For talking through his hat” and Smith was laughed at for viewing things “Through his now infamous rose colored glasses”  – Joseph Smith having now become a laughing stock, was no longer ply his trade. And within him he was seething over this and wanted nothing better than to find some way to prove all those who mocked him wrong.

This is where the story takes a sharp turn for two years or three years later two men come and seek Joseph Smith’s aid.  A former Judge Solomon Spaulding who also is a Lawyer, and Oliver Cowdery a prolific writer and newspaper editor of a half-dozen upstate New York  Newspapers.  The presence of these two men alone who shortly there after become Joseph Smith’s two witnesses, and his two prophets alone should raise one’s eyebrows.

Judge Spaulding a lawyer appears to be the mastermind of the entire scam, and had spent quite some thine combing federal and state law to see how for he could go with a religious con without he or his prophet being able to be arrested.  And Cowdery was not only the scribe that was needed to pen the book of Mormon but this man was a publicist. he was the Madison Avenue machine of his day to see to it that 1) their prophet got all the good press he could get with his connections. 2) he was also the man that dreamed up many of Smith’s early photo-ops

What does a prophet of God need with a lawyer and a publicist?  

These men were seeking to create a huge con and Judge Spaulding apparently privy to all the court documents that were recoded in Smith’s childhood trial, was completely taken by the power of Joseph Smith a mere child and that by himself had deceived hundreds into handing their money over to him.  Oliver Cowdery as it turns out lived near Smith’s home town in Vermont and after the Smith family left Vermont there arose in the area a false prophet, a Canadian named Isaac Bullard who had 600 -800 hundreds of followers called “The Pilgrims” Their leader was also called by his followers, the Prophet Elijah. This prophet then called for his followers to go on a journey with him, and all of his followers sold all they had and they went on this southern trek sharing all their had in common with the prophet presumably holding the bag. – This man and his followers actually stopped in upstate New York   

And preached in the town that Joseph Smith resided in before heading south. Where the prophet promptly died

Of these Pilgrims it was written:

"They profess to be the only true followers of Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and are in a special manner called of God to go forth into the world to do, and that continually, his will: for which purpose they have forsaken their houses and lands, relatives and friends, and all this world's enjoyments, and after the manner of the apostles, are traveling from place to place, doing good to the children of men.”
The Salem Register –Salem Mass, September 15, 1817

LINK TO ARTICLE ON THE_PILGRIMS

Mormonism that Judge Spaulding initially envisioned was a scam to ensnare and fleece the Prophet-less “Pilgrims” that no longer had a prophet.  But when Spaulding and Cowdery sit down with the kid that has “the gift” they find he has a bunch of baggage so much so that Smith insists that he has to find a Golden Bible – with he alone as part of his con could translate. And he not only tells them that but then hw outlines his imaginary Indian culture and tells them that is to be a large part of the book. 

With the sudden death of the prophet and his disciples up for grabs and presumably the purse with all the money from these peoples houses and lands still intact Judge Solomon Spaulding is forced to act immediately for the timing to beable to cash in on this is now of the essence. Because if they take too long the Pilgrims an their money would disburse. This goes a long way to explaining why Spaulding would put up Joseph Smith’s childish demands that he would not play the part of Spaulding’s prophet unless the Judge allowed Smith to discover a Golden Bible in order that Smith receive some vindication in front of his former treasure hunting peers. Having no time to look for another would be prophet the judge knuckled under to the child that he would later have to do again and again until his puppet had wrestled away all power from  Judge Spaulding and Oliver Cowdery had no time to look for any other and so they had to pay off the child’s demands by shelling out the time and money to pay to make Smith’s petty demands of his finding the Golden Bible and then in creating the entire book itself.   And let me reiterate here that Smith had further demanded that the book contain a compilation of his fantasy of a lost race of white skinned Indians that were the lost tribes of Israel that he had recited for several years before his mother and close friends.  The idea Smith pitched was that this golden bible would seem to be torn out of the pages of the newspapers of their day.  Parts of the book would be based on the most recent science and archeological digs. And in this Judge Spaulding then advanced the idea that the could also use materials from and unpublished Romance novel (Adventure Novel)  on a lost civilization that had been written by a dead preacher that was a relative of Judge Spaulding.

So from the writings it appears that they go into overdrive first producing two sample gold plates with the symbols on it that were found in a book that no man could read in another recent dig – they select a wealthy farmer with a soft brain who believes in anything and everything – like the Art bell fans today and upon here smith ‘s story and these plates he instantly believes and agrees to fund the publishing of the book and he apparently insists that they are to take the plates to the man in New York City that  authenticated the other book. And Smith presumably agreed to all of this.

However Spaulding and Cowdery know the plates will be seen as complete forgeries and their presence constitutes their complete undoing so they copy down on a sheet of paper a bunch of these symbols and them claim the plates are now spiritual and they have disappeared and will only reappear for smith to translate. So they get the farmer to send instead of the plates a copy of some writing that was on them.  And upon their arrival in New York the university professor does not authenticate the piece of paper, as the Judge wants. The articles in the website indicate that this man refused to do so apparently suspecting a scam. So that the symbols that were written down did not read like they should have because they were either randomly written or they were a direct copy of what the man had seen before. But the Judge of himself to keep the scam going declares the writings to have been authenticated. So that when he returns with the news the farmer gives them the green light to print this new great revelation  

And within weeks of this they hastily publish this book of Mormon that is to be their GOLDEN BIBLE from which they will claim to have received their power and authority. 

 

Smith now armed with his false visions and false angel and the tales published far and wide of his finding a Golden Bible now sits in the hot seat having to ply his “gift” to gain enough token followers and in so doing adjust and refine his tale enough so that they can deceive this Pilgrims to follow Smith and hand over to him Spaulding and Cowdery their dead prophet’s purse filled with gold.

This is where this tale takes another massive twist. Almost immediately Smith starts having converts, not from among his “Lost” treasure hunting peers, but as unlikely as it would from among evangelicals and fundamentalists. I would suggest that the first to come over where not the best and the brightest but they didn’t need to be it only meant that Spaulding and Cowdery had built a far better mouse trap then they suspected.  See between the three Judge Spaulding, Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith none of them had an expertise in Fundamentalist Evangelicalism or Pentecostalism  Even though Joseph Smith was their Priest/Prophet wearing their GOLDEN EPHOD they needed a real Priest and Levite a man of letters and Doctrine to really be able to make this things fly – and lo and behold along with the first few reprobates that they “Converted” almost immediately Smith somehow nailed a few preachers like Parley Pratt and the 11 other original Apostles of Smith. And of these men I want to suggest that no sooner than they would have spoke with Joseph Smith they would have realized he was almost illiterate and completely ignorant of scripture and doctrine – so these preachers had to have been Ravening Wolves as much as Smith, Spaulding, and Cowdery.   And these false priests and false Levites for a share in the con lent their expertise help Smith, Spaulding and Cowdery to hone and refine his message so that it become better tailored to their prey.  

ORLEANS  AMERICAN.

Vol. II.                                   Albion, December 25, 1833.                                  No. 10.

 

Mormonism Exploded -- The Book of Mormon it has been ascertained by Doctor Hurlbert, of Kirtland, Ohio, was written some thirty years since, by a respectable clergyman, now deceased, designed to be published as a romance. The religious character of the work is supposed to have been superadded by the notorious Rigdon. – this is rumor about Rigdon is proved false – it was Spaulding and Cowdery that wrote the different books that comprise the book of Mormon. 

 

Of the three original players in this con of all cons neither the kid Joseph Smith, Nor Judge Spaulding the apparent mastermind of this whole thing, nor Oliver Cowdery the publicist and writer none of them possessed any level of expertise in the area of religion. Not at least to past muster with the faithful. –  As soon as anyone was able to speak to the prophet and ask him about a scripture or doctrinal point the game would be over. They needed someone who understood the followers of this the prophet of the Pilgrims, who understood what these people yearned to hear that they were currently not hearing. They knew there were many evangelicals and fundamentalists that yearned and were actively seeking a full restoration of the gifts and operations of the Spirit and a restoration of the five-fold ministry.

And so they crafted a message that was irresistible, a cohesive doctrine that was wholly scriptural – I am not talking about the writing of the Book of Mormon. I am talk about their denomination’s doctrine that was preached to gain bible believing, truth seeking converts.

Parley Pratt was a man of extremely low education due in large part to economic circumstances, but he was of a quick mind and when he spoke he appeared far more educated than he was. Parley became a member of the Reformed Baptist Society a Campbellite through the preaching of Sidney Rigdon. Pratt soon decided to take up the Cambellite ministry as a profession, and sold his property and sought to build a church. While traveling on the Erie Canal in western New York, Parley came in contact with a Baptist deacon named Hamblin and was shown a copy of the book of Mormon and was converted.  Parley Pratt became one of Joseph Smith’s original twelve Apostles,

Sidney Rigdon the Pastor of 1st Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. A man of some renown, a student of Pentecostal revivals of the era mid 1700’s – 1830’s and the man was a Campbellite to boot.  This is the man that put together a blend of teachings and doctrines based on Isaac Bullard’s Pilgrims, the French prophets, the Cainridge and Kentucky revivals and “Restoration Teachings.”  Upon his conversion he became one of Smith’s presidential men. It appears that he was one of the movement’s scholars       

LINK TO A SERMON BY ORSON HYDE

 

LINK TO A TRACT WRITTEN BY PARLEY PRATT

While the con was only supposed to net a few hundred the pilgrims the mouse trap that these reprobates preachers designed and built worked so well that in 5 years they reportedly had over 200,000 converts and 600 Mormon preachers. – This was avarice beyond any of their wildest dreams.  For all their converts like The Dead Prophet Issac Bullards sold all and deposited the money at Smith’s feet.

And as I stated in the beginning: One of the dirty little secrets (This information comes directly from my Pharisee of Pharisees that is now attending his second year in a 4 year Baptist bible school) is that the Baptists in particular are terrified of Mormonism and it was reported to the students of that school in Okalahoma that 80% of Mormonisms new converts back at the time of its founding were bible believing, bible reading church attending Baptists. And I was further told that this trend has persisted, that in this day 80% of the converts of Mormonism are bible believing, bible reading church attending Baptists. I was told that they are afraid that this will bring an end to the independent Baptist churches all together.

But there was more that happened in that all these converts were joining the one church that professed – though it was utter lies that this was one church where one could now meet with God in visitation, get saved filled with the spirit and speak in tongues prophesy heal the sick raise the dead and cast out devils 

I want to state here very clearly: Despite Joseph Smith, despite Solomon Spaulding, despite Oliver Cowdery, despite Parley Pratt and his fellow 11 other Apostles, Sidney Rigdon and their array of paid for lying witnesses, God came and met the sincere that sought him with their whole heart, as is promised in Scripture and he was found of them and He manifested the tokens of His gifts and operations among these people. Despite that they had had been deceived into placing themselves in the pit called the Mormon Church.

We have had a funny view that a church or denominations corruption – make it so that God can not meet any of the individuals in it. That God can not speak to them as long as they are in that church or denomination, Or that God can not save them or deliver them while they are in that group or denomination. How then did God call Abram out of Ur of Chaldees? Did he not have to speak to Abram while he was amidst the sin and corruption of that people when God first spoke to him. And did there not have to be some growth and fellowship that Abram would have risen up from among his nation and people to follow after the Lord? 

How then did God call unto the child Samuel while he was in the corrupt house of Eli? The truth is that God’s visitations do not in and of themselves connote spiritual purity or righteousness as is currently preached. The visitations of God are the Lord striving with men – so that some might indeed be saved and follow after him. This is why the Charismatic outpouring in the Roman Catholic place is possible. This is why God’s spirit falling upon King Saul is possible. This is why God speaking to Balaam is possible. Not because these men were walking in some state of perfection but because the Lord visits men in order to strive with men and in that striving, He reproves of sin, He chastises and He brings men to repentance.

In this He calls out to many -- but few hear and few experience true conversion of heart. And while most of the Church would not agree whole heartedly with the statement that God rains upon the just and the unjust meaning that he reaches out and strives with all men so that some might be saved in regards to the Samaritan Mormons, Samaritan Jehovah witnesses and especially Samaritan Muslims. – When speak of their own churches or denominations they boldly state that not only are all their “Brethren” saved as but that they all are walking in the “full Gospel” They all are walking in the Light as he is in the light. But in truth this is not at all the case for these men and these churches walk as the twelve Apostles before they were converted that is that their light is darkness, they walk as did the Pharisees and Priests at the time of Christ in utter contempt of the Christ and the Gospel. – And yet what did the Lord say to Nicodemus – depart from me ye cursed or Ye must be born again. To the Samaritan woman Jesus said salvation is of the Jews But to Nicodemus and the twelve Apostles this salvation was not automatic. There was not a point of time during Christ’s three and a half years of ministry that any of these men could claim there were saved and eternally secure.  Both Nicodemous  and the Twelve Apostles had to follow on and continue to talk in the ways of the Lord – and those like the un-named number of disciples that in John 6:66 says they departed from the Lord and no longer walked with Him – these all were not eternally secure. Even though they had sat where he sat for a time they followed and they heard His preaching and teaching. None of these were saved by any of those acts and all of them are burning in hell to night awaiting their final judgment of being cast into the eternal lake of fire.

Despite the darken order and church of darkness that Nicodemus belonged to namel the Pharisees – Christ did not demand that Nicodemus immediately leave his church or the order to which he belonged.  But we would demand such and state this Nicodemus could not be saved unless he forsook all of this. We preach you can’t be saved and be a Catholic, You can’t be saved and be a Mormon. If everyone bails as is preached, who then is going to let their lights shine in the darkness of these places? Who is going to work within these hell-holes that others might be saved?

One of the things in these articles that I found most disturbing was the notion that the Mormons had had any kind of revival in their midst. This is what upset me the lost because the implications at least to me were greatly disturbing. For I saw in the minds eye of Baptists fundamentalists and evangelicals that all who speak in tongues and move in the gifts of the spirit are Mormons.  That all revivals with any of these manifestations are in their mind’s eye all of the devil. And that was very disturbing and stung deeply in my sprit, on the other hand it disturbed my sensibilities that my experience in God could at all have been experienced by any of these corrupt and sinful Samaritans.  So what I am saying is that when God spoke these things to me -- the truth cut both ways and I felt extremely uncomfortable, I felt a stab of fear in my spirit as I came to realize what these things meant. But it ripped open and laid bare my own smugness and unrighteousness in how I thought of these people in relation to what I thought about my self and “those who believe lie me.”  So in writing what I am writing here as in my other articles as well there is no room for any boasting here. No special privilege and no special revelation because I had reached some higher realm. And incidentally my first thought when I pushed away the computer screen from me and shut down the computer was that I could just walk away from this and never make mention of it to anyone.  – In this case I will say that this is one of the RARE cases that I believe that though was injected into my mind by the devil or one of his minions – but as I went into prayer I told the Lord I could not walk away from this and ignore it  -- that if it was the truth I would have to proclaim it despite who it might offend or cause to disfellowship me. And from that point the Lord opened up in conformation to this the lengthy bible study portion of this article.  

LINK to articles on speaking in tongues and other mainfestations in early Mormon meetings  

So we see that the Mormon con became “The Mormon Revival” despite the worst that man could do. For it appears that despite the efforts of Joseph Smith, Solomon Spaulding and Oliver Cowdery the Lord came in visitation to the have-nots of this world that love Him.  We have more or less the identical situation happening today with the healing evangelists that exploit the poorest and weakest elements of the church. Men and women from whom the Spirit of God has departed yet by virtue of the fact that they lay their hands and pray for so great a number of believers – someone despite the corruption and unbelief of the evangelist, maybe its only one in a thousand or one in ten thousand is able to reach out and touch the Lord – and when that occurs the corrupt evangelist chalks up another healing to the power of their ministry.

One of these articles I read was about a fundamentalist preacher going to a Mormon meeting and after hearing a Mormon preacher speak about the restoration of the gifts of the Spirit he requested that this Mormon would come and pray for a crippled woman that she might be healed – I was fascinated that the Mormon Preachers response he went into a speech that it was not his faith but the faith of those that he prayed for that determines whether they shall be healed or not. (This is the blame and abuse the sheep for all failures approach that is used in the church at large) So the fundamentalist agrees with this corrupt notion and they go and pray and nothing happens and the Mormon actually gets angry and raises sand about the sheep’s unbelief. And boldly declares it is the sheep’s fault that no healings are taking place. It is their faulty faith not mine!

I am astonished to find that in these writings it was the Mormons that declared the gift of tongues is the evidence of the baptism of the Spirit first Not the Pentecostals.

I am astonished to read also that the bread and butter doctrine of the entire faith healing movement that it is the sheep’s lack of faith and not my lack of faith that blocks the blessings of God healing deliverance and what have you was not a Hagan doctrine, it was not a Wigglesworth or Bosworth doctrine, it was not a Dowie doctrine. This doctrine was declared first by the powerless and corrupt preachers of the Mormon Church in order to turn their followers gaze from their powerless priests and prophets and on the laity. So that the Mormon Church became like the churches of today filled with the “faithless” poor, the “faithless” afflicted, the “faithless” sick, and the “faithless” elderly who have nobody to blame themselves for their condition but themselves because they just won’t believe hard enough or deeply enough.

Link to Articles on early Mormon deaths and sickness

Mark 6:4-6 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

The reason Christ could do no mighty works is not because he possessed not the faith or the power – for he then went and laid his hands on some of these same people that were filled with unbelief and healed them instantly.

The reason he could do no mighty works is they would not believe that God was doing these works through him – they would have ascribed the works to the devil or having been done by some mystic power – Their unbelief was in God as being the source of these mighty works. It is not that God needed simple minds so he could power up His magic faith ring and save the day.  It is not that Christ needed or need the faith of little Johnny and little Suzy to empower Him like in small children’s cartoons.

Jesus said: “All power has been given unto me.” Jesus also said: “Cast not your pearls before swine.” And mighty works are pearls not to be wasted on people that will not despite what they see and hear give the glory to God alone.

A prime example of this is Pharaoh in Egypt with Moses and Aaron. The man was filled with unbelief. Does Scripture say Moses could do no mighty works because of Pharaoh’s unbelief? Or Moses was powerless because of Pharaoh’s wizards’ unbelief? No God through Moses and that little stick in his hand was going to make a believer out of Pharoah And Scripture speaks of not only the Israelites coming out of Egypt but a vast number called the mixt multitude – those were Egyptians and others that saw and believed and wanted to serve this God of Israel. Pharaoh could have joined them, but as we know he did not.  

Another example is Elijah the Prophet in 1 Kings 18.  When Elijah set up the altar did  king Ahab believe and empower Elijah to call down fire from heaven? – No. Did the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the groves faith empower Elijah to call down fire from heaven? – No. Did all of Israel being there filled with sin iniquity and unbelief affect in one way or another what God was about to do? No!

I Kings 18:36-39 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. (These commands Elijah received came not from the written word, they came from the word that proceedeth from the mouth of the Father as they did also with Christ.)
Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

Luke 1:16-17 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
The Lord has spoken to my Spirit on this passage. For decades I have had dreams about this passage, which I shall not speak of at this time. Suffice to say before the Lord comes again Elijah shall once more appear and shall turn the hearts of the children to their fathers once more. And in that day it shall come to pass and all the false priests and prophets that are in the church shall gathered together and shall be forced to destruction. John the Baptist baptized with water and this one that shall come in the Spirit of Elijah shall baptize with fire,  And from his ministry shall come forth the 144,000 that shall not love their lives unto death but shall all be as sheep before the slaughter and these shall indeed preach the gospel of Christ unto every nation an tongue. And they shall be reviled of men, they shall be cursed beat burned with fire tortured and torn asunder. But these shall give forth the testimony of Jesus Christ. And before the last of their number shall fail from the earth Christ shall return.

Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

This is faith in action! – This is not the faith that was taught by the Mormons, carried on by John Alexander Dowie, carried on by the Pentecostals, carried on by the Latter Rain revivalists, and carried on now by Kenneth Hagan and his Word of Faith People. Who I declare before the God of Heaven know not the Lord and have not His truth in them.

I am also aware and have heard all about false anointings false healings and all that and in times past I have preached some of those words myself  -- Yet Christ said can the devil cast out devils by the power of the devil – if so his house would be divided and could not stand – and to be quite frank that scripture always bothered me when those things were being preached and said.  Because you have Christ clearly saying these things are not so, and then men in their preaching say these things are so. So who are we to believe Christ or our pastor or our evangelist?  

What the Lord spoke to me concerning the tongues, the prophecy, the falling out under the power of God which are spoken of in a number of these early Mormon newspaper articles, and the Lord even spoke concerning signs and wonders which we see no evidence of having happened those in these newspaper accounts; the Lord said that all these things can be from God. But that when a vessel regardless of church affiliation or their denomination of choice uses these things to build up His ministry, His Church, or His denomination, as has been the pernicious practice of every church and denomination that have been endued with revival over my last 25 years, or what I have read of Revival  in books and articles dating back to Luther, Calvin, and Menno Simons and the birth of Protestantism as opposed to these people in revival using it to lift up and exalt Christ and the Father alone. – These tokens of God, the signs and the wonders in the case ofthese self-serving vessels then become lying signs and lying wonders and their teachers and preachers and prophets and evangelists become false because they no longer preach the truth – that is not to say that the words that they speak are not scriptural and founded in truth – and it is precisely because they use these signs and wonders in deceit, to ensnare, to rob and to destroy – they become false. Therefore whatsoever works they do whether they be gifts and operations of the Spirit, whether they be a sign a wonders or a diverse miracle – these works though they be have originated from God because they are used by men they in deceit, to ensnare, to rob and to destroy – and there for they become false and lead men away from God and into darkness.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, (My job is to prepare whosoever has ear to hear for the coming onslaught of false prophets and false apostles – and for the anti-Christ and false prophet that shall be given all manner of signs and wonders and if possible deceive even the very elect) whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, (Let us follow after a preacher, a ministry or a denomination and come under their covering) and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, (This passage promises the coming of false prophets, for the express purpose of sifting the people of God – separating wheat from chaff, separating the children of light from the children of darkness and the name of that separation is APOSTASY or the GREAT FALLING AWAY.) to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Or that you delight in the gifts miracles signs and wonders.)
Moses here is prophesying of the coming of great false prophets coming like unto him with all manner
of signs and wonders – these appeared in Israel, and in Judah and they have also appeared in the church over the centuries in certain places and at certain times. And they will have their culmination in the Antichrist and the false prophet of the book of revelation

Elsewhere Moses prophesies also of another true prophet coming like unto him –  we see this in several of the old testament prophets particularly in Elijah Isaiah and Daniel and the culmination of this in the coming of Jesus Christ  -- however we know from scripture that Elijah is to return before the great and terrible day of the Lord – in Zechariah Zerubbabel and Two olive trees are prophesied of and in Revelation the two Olive trees are identified as two prophets. And Paul the Apostle prophetically is that last apostle to come one with a plumb line in his hand and “one out of due season.” And when this one comes forth he shall be given all the signs of Apostleship he shall be given all reproof and all rebuke to turn the hearts of the children once more to their fathers (Christ and the Apostles) and there shall be a turning unto the Lord such has never been seen from the foundations of the earth – and after that shall come the sifting with the antichrist and the false prophet – and then when the full measure of sin is reached and the blood of the righteous is spilled in the streets over the whole earth Christ will come in vengeance and judgment.

Matthew 24:22-26 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, 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. (This should be translated: See I have foretold you – Christ is prophesying)  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.
What Christ is prophesying of here is prophets with all manner of lying signs and wonders, prophets, with sound scripture – such has never been seen for the express purpose to sift out all that can and will be drawn away by the lusts of their hearts And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they (That love not the Lord with all their heart with all their soul and all their strength – that is those that do not delight in the Lord) should believe a lie: That they all might be damned

1 kings 22:19-23 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
And I perceive by the Spirit that in the time of the fullness of the gentiles when the measure of sin that is in the church shall be as the sins of Israel were when they were cut off and taken away from before the Lord – In that day the Lord shall sit upon His throne and say: Who shall persuade the church that hath corrupted itself even those who have stained their garments who call themselves my elect that they might go out and follow the Antichrist and his false prophet that they might with him be cast into the eternal lake of fire – that they may ever be taken away from my presence? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all their prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade Then, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.

This is what is termed in Scripture God given them up and over. This is what is termed in Scripture as the people of God being overthrown. Or cast out from His sight – and the corrupt church of this hour is flirting with this very thing.

As I have said elsewhere there are serious matters. This is not some game we are playing, the church right now is in a fight for its very existence. The gates have been breached and lying preachers lying teachers lying prophets and lying evangelists have entered into the habitation of the Lord and they come bearing gifts of corruption and the world goodly wedges of gold, goodly Babylonish garments, all manner of idols and images and other abominations that have no place in the people of God.

The cry has rung out in the Spirit to separate yourselves from all these unclean things, wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean for the Lord cometh.

So here we have a known thief, liar, and con man, in Joseph Smith who with the aid of his mother (who I have not spoken of her involvement in all of this) and two men Judge Spaulding and the Publicist Cowdery and they create the tale of a “Golden Bible.”  And they name Smith the con with his seeing stone to act as the high priest and prophet of this unseen Golden bible for the express purpose of snagging the 500 – 800 disciples of another false prophet that had just died. These are not able to produce any signs and wonders, there appears that no one in their midst was healed of anything and no one was ever raised from the dead –  And they wannabe prophet Joseph Smith was not able to name a single sign that came to pass. So the Mormon scam does not begin to approach the words of Moses or Christ or the Prophecy of Miciah the Prophet in 1 kings 22 cited above.

What w have here is a complete con job manufactured completely of the flesh – with the doctrinal help of reprobates Baptist and Methodist Preachers like Sidney Rigdon, Parley Pratt, and Orson Hyde they build a better mouse trap, that is only second to the prosperity gospel that is preached in our day. The gospel that these men built succeeded because like the message of all of fundamentalism, the gospel of Mormonism it is done on a man’s say so in other words both Gospels are is driven on the bible and what men say it means. There is no demonstration and power of the Spirit, there is no healing or deliverance. There is no fire from heaven or signs and wonders to establish what is true or false. Both Mormonism, Fundamentalism, and Evangelicalism are is based on men’s say so as to what the scripture says and means. And Paul in 1 Corinthians tell us flat out that the natural unregenerate corrupt spirit that is in men and in the members of the Corinthian Church could not spiritually discern the deep things of God that are hid in scripture. And Paul further states that it takes an operation of the Holy Ghost something more than salvation, something more than water baptism, something more than even the laying on of hands of the Apostles and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost to be able to partake of that.  Understand also that I am NOT exempting Pentecostals and Charismatics from this empty corrupt say so of men Gospel it is just that they were not around as such in 1830.

So if we are to be really truthful at the time of Joseph Smith the fundamentalist and evangelical movement though in revival, though in the second great awakening were still ruled by sinful and corrupt men who’s words were on par with scripture. And Rigdon, Pratt and Hyde are able to in spades not only match but blow past all their peers because they promised to deliver what the Baptists Methodists and Presbyterians could not and could not – Smith and his false priests and Levites promised they could deliver into the hands of their hearers the full gospel – and the restoration of the gifts and operations of the Spirit and the five–fold ministry.

And in poker my friend a royal flush always trumps the empty poker hand of a man’s say so gospel.

See the early converts of Mormonism were bible reading and church going Baptists Methodists and Calvinists and regardless of what dispensational hoodoo they came with to try to explain away why the baptism of the Spirit and the gift of tongues, and all the other gifts were only for the Apostles – The words of Peter in Acts clearly state that this gift of the Spirit with the manifestation of tongues and Prophecy is: For them that are afar off and to as many as shall receive him.  And in the Gospel of Mark it is likewise clearly stated for all to read that: these signs shall follow them that believe – in my name they shall  . . . 

And for any true believer the words of Christ trump the words of any pastor. Teacher. or denomination. as they rightly should.

And in the case of Baptist’s having forsaken their Ana-Baptist past with tongues prophesy and signs and wonders for the staunch cold unfeeling say-so Gospel of

John Calvin and Martin Luther and most particularly their most damnable heresy that came from the lips of the Roman Catholic theologian St. Augustine namely: “Eternal Security.” – Once these people are “saved” regardless of where they are, or what they do, they can simply walk away from the Baptists into any church or fellowship or cult without fear. – For they were taught from being knee high that nothing not even they themselves can take them out of God’s hand. And for these the enticement of being able to walk in “a greater light” or “a fuller gospel” comes at no price and cost and that is exactly why the Baptists of all denominations has the place of honor as being the people of Mormon’s past and Mormon’s present that comprise 80% of this cult’s new converts.

And I repeat that what the Mormon’s preach is also a say-so gospel in that these corrupt and blind preachers are not able to produce any signs and wonders. Not now, and not in the days of their inception. In the written testimonies it also appears that no one in their midst was healed of anything, and no one was ever raised from the dead, though they repeatedly tried to do both in their own power and strength. As the powerless members of the Word of Faith Moment also attempt in this day.  And the Mormon’sr wannabe prophet Joseph Smith was also not able to name a single sign that came to pass. And we have this same dearth in the current Pentecostal Movement, in the Current Charismatic Movement and in the Current Word of Faith Movement – all of which the Lord has departed from because of sin and corruption.

At least the Pentecostals had true signs and wonders and this is attested to by hundreds if not thousands completely independent of each other around the world but that was from 1906 –1930 and at least the latter rain revival had signs and wonders that has been attested by hundreds if not thousands the world over and there is film available of some of these works but that only lasted 1948 –1954 and after that the leaders of the movement fell into grievous sin and were struck down one after another.

But despite the fact that they could not deliver any of the goods they promised probably their own astonishment they were able to net tens of thousands of converts from Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Even some well-known preachers of that day were sucked into Mormonism making all of this scam of theirs all the more damnable in my eyes. 


John 4:3-27 And He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

When God speaks, the voice of the Lord brings light, and revelation of Him and His purposes, His voice breaks the yolks that religious men have created to impair believers from coming into all that God has for them as individuals, His voice sets people free from darkness and bondage. And when He speaks the very Scriptures leap into place and take on new meaning that the natural man can not see nor understand regardless of the amount of time one would spend reading and studying scripture – that is not to deny or diminish the need of believers to: Study and show one’s self approved. It is to declare that there is a spiritual element to understanding the word of God that is woefully missing in the church of this hour. This lack of a spiritual understanding could be defined as a lack of hearing of the word that proceedeth from the Father, and this is ultimately why there is a lack of impartation in our day of the light and life of Christ that is demonstrated in the Gospels and the lives of the Apostles in the book of Acts.

Matthew 7:28-30 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Hearing the word that proceedeth from the mouth of the father and speaking it, gives one great spiritual authority. Reading the letter and expounding the doctrines and teachings of men as the scribes and Pharisees did make for hollow and empty teaching that carries no spiritual weight with it.  

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Paul is speaking here of the word that proceedeth from the mouth of the Father. And in the context of this passage Paul bluntly tells the Corinthians who were born again, baptized in water, baptized in the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of the Apostles, they were a church that excelled in all the gifts and operations of the Spirit, these were a people that well acquainted with the visitations of God. And Paul states that with all they had and all that they saw relative to the Gospel that they were yet carnal. In other words they have not been converted for they yet have hearts of stone and are yet a stiff-necked people  and because of this they were yet unable to hear the word that proceedeth from the Father.

And this parallels exactly with the lives of the 12 and the 70 during the life and ministry of Christ. Christ continually rebuked His disciples over their carnality.

And I might add that this is exactly the charge Christ makes in the book of Revelation to the Laodiceans – And in their case we see that this is a sin unto death as it was to the Israelites in the wilderness.
 
And we see that Christ was speaking of this very thing when He spoke these following words to the scribes, to the Pharisees, to the disciples of John and to His disciples.
John 5:38-40 And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: (but) they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

What Paul is saying to the Corinthians when he wrote: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man?  He is saying that in all their searching and meditating upon the scriptures, the Corinthians had discerned little or nothing. In hearing the preachings and teachings of even men like Paul, Peter, and Apollos they had received little or nothing. And that even when they carnally prayed and carnally waited upon the Lord the Corinthians had received precious little.  And if we can be honest with ourselves we can see ourselves being in this same boat.

Paul is saying here that revelation, understanding, and enlightenment, comes from God alone, and by His Spirit  -- Yet it has been made out since the days of John Calvin and Martin Luther that by study and the possession of doctorates and degrees that men of learning are God’s chosen vessels to disseminate truth. If you look at the Protestant denominations of today and in particular recipients of “recent revival” in particular the Methodists, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, the Latter Rain Pentecostals and even the Charismatics that ALL have forsaken the requirement of one being “Called of God” and replaced it with the requirement of people with degrees and letters as the standard for their preachers and religious hierarchy.

Even in Pinecrest back in the late 1970’s when it was called “The School of the Spirit” in Wade Taylor’s own words every year on the first day of the new school year Pinecrest had a 93% failure rate. In other words those that had come to Pinecrest, arrived deaf, blind, and naked before God as the Corinthians and that in his estimation 93% those that left Pinecrest left in the same if not worse condition, as they had learned only an empty spiritual sounding vocabulary and some empty forms of worship and prayer.

We can say the same thing of all other bible schools across the nation, that the disciple-graduates of these schools are only able to articulate the doctrines and traditions of the men and women that they devote themselves to. And in most cases they become a very degraded copy of the original.  They become a wannabe IQ Spenser, a wannabe John Wright Follette, a wannabe Walter H. Beuttler, a wannabe Kenneth E. Hagan etc. But in actuality by their training they are not able to much more than to consult and access the vast libraries of the commentaries, study notes, and writings of these dead men and dead women whom they so seek to emulate. And from all of that; that would be reading their books, listening to their tapes, using their study notes, and having attending their bible schools for 2 –4 year they end up with only an infinitesimal portion of what they believe to be these dead men and women’s mantles.

At least the Corinthians had sure teachers founded in truth and righteousness, but not one bible school in this day has a man that has come into the light and walks in the light as Paul the Apostle, Peter the Apostle, or even Apollos, and I include myself in this list as falling woefully short. Regardless of what I write as God illuminates, I am constantly aware of my blindness, my deafness, and my nakedness before the Lord   I do not feel I am the man for the job to speak any of the things that I write here, as I have attained at this late date nothing. My writing does not denote any expertise in these areas. I have to seek God and pray continually that I can enter in these very things myself.  And the more God shows me the greater my lack becomes. And this in itself is frightening and daunting but I press on to the mark of the high calling that the word that proceedeth reveals.

It is NOT my desire that you come into a “higher realm” or come into a “deeper walk ”as I now see it is not enough to go from one shade of walking in darkness to another.  It is my desire that your eyes be opened and that you see the hope of your calling in Christ and that you strive to walk in the light as He is in the light. And that means some fundamental changes are going to have to occur in your life, and my life as well. It means that we cannot continue in the sloppy carefree way we have walked in up to now. Where we can pick and choose what we want to obey and do according to what pleases our flesh.

My greatest fear is when people read these things that they will say: “heard truth equals truth conquered.” This was the maxim in Charismatic movement when I first got saved. And people ordered their lives by what we later called: “the truth of the month club. This being a hearer only lifestyle created a never-ending series of fad spiritual diet plans, each of which promised to make one into an overcomer in 4-6 weeks, four easy steps to becoming a prophet of God, How to see visions and dream dreams etc. My fear is that in hearing these things it will just become part of one’s spiritual vocabulary like the Corinthians who were rich in words and teaching but utterly poor in Spirit. If the words in the website do not drive you to Christ, and Christ alone. If they do not make you fall on your face before God and cry out to open your eyes and cleanse you until you can see real physical measurable change in your life you’re your relationship with Christ, and with those around you who are created in the image and likeness of God – then these words have done nothing for you.  And it would be better for you to never have heard or read these things.  

Christ in this passage cited above (John 5:38-40) is speaking to the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, the disciples of John, and His own disciples who at that time numbered in the hundreds.  Consider now His words to even His own: Ye have not His Word abiding in you – This was a stinging rebuke specifically to the groups of men in his day that claimed they were the guardians of truth. 

The notion by Fundamentalists and Word of Faith people; that having memorized a handful of scriptures means you have God’s word abiding in you is utterly false. It is no more true of a Hassidic Jew mumbling memorized bits of the Torah while wearing a verse on his forehead and as frontlets before his eyes, that this person has God’s word abiding in him.  The word “Abiding” is an act of God, it is the impartation and indwelling of His Spirit that the word may become flesh. That is that it may be enacted in word and deed. And if this is indeed done, it then is our becoming one with Him.

So to the religionists of His day, and to the disciples of John and even to His own disciples Christ said: Ye have not His Word abiding in you.  Now if Christ said that to his own disciples and the disciples of John who had heard the truth under “optimum conditions”  -- that is they heard the Gospel from His own lips and John the Baptist’s lips, how much more do you think He is saying the same thing if not more to the church of this hour? A church that today arrogantly boasts that they possess all truth and light.

But Christ did not stop with his rebuke there. I want you to consider that it had become “hip” to follow this young mysterious Messiah out of Galilee. We need to know that Christ would have no part of being treated as a celebrity then, and that He will not have any part of that now.  Since the mid 80’s with the rise of Christian Rock, and the entire Christian Pop- Culture believers have tried to cast of any semblance of humility and separation from the world. The Gospel that is now preached is an arrogant, in your face Gospel in which following Christ is Kewl. It is a Gospel in which believers openly call non-believers losers, and taunt non-believers and those who they deem to believe less than them. They credo has become: “God wants all of His Kidz to be Kingdom Kidz” that is that they as believers are all to be wealthy and all to be successful in all the ways of the world.. – So much so that the theory that is driving the prosperity gospel goes like this: god enriches us with the things of the world so that world would become astonished to see our “great earthly wealth” and our “great earthly success” and then they will fall on their faces before us and say I want that god that gives you all this wealth and success.  Friends, I know only one god that grants his riches and wealth to men and it is for the purpose of corrupting their souls and he is the god of this world.

We are told that the devil can at times transform himself into an angel of light in order to tempt and deceive. And as satan tempted Christ offering him all the wealth and power of the kingdoms of the earth, so through the ages he has tempted the church time and again with the same offer and many have willing accepted his offers of the riches of this world and the kingdoms thereof (supposedly that they might be better able to preach the Gospel, and to be able to reach more for Christ) while others have been seduced or outright deceived. The devil revels in how cheaply he can buy out his victims.  And with what little bits of dirt he can offer to the heirs of salvation are all too willing to trade their birthright for.

The temptations of Christ in the wilderness bring up another proof against the message of the Prosperity Gospel for the bible says Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to be tempted of the devil and when He returned from this Christ came out in the power of the Spirit. If ever Christ lived in poverty, if Christ ever hungered and was thirsty, if ever he lived with one garment and one garment alone it was here  -- and from this separation, from this level of commitment, from this denial of self in every way Christ came out with the power of the Spirit.  If the Prosperity Gospel were the Gospel of Jesus Christ we would read that Christ entered into Jerusalem, he proclaimed that he was the messiah and took the throne of King David and everyone lavished him with money and gifts of houses and lands and as he rode his chariot proudly through the streets of Jerusalem having fully entered into what the Father had for him the power of the Spirit came down upon him.   

I am fortunate to be just old enough and to have been saved just long enough, and went to a large enough variety of meetings in different denominations in my youth to remember what the church was like before the first message of the Prosperity Gospel was ever preached.  I remember a day when wealth and riches were preached as sin. I remember a day when we were told that a love of the world and the things of the world would lead one to eternal death.  I remember a day when it was preached that the God of this world had created all these bright and glittery things like technology, and so called science to ensnare people and take them away from the feet of Christ. – Never have truer words been spoken.

I remember 35 years ago when many of these technological wonders were purposely kept without the church. But today, they are not only within the church, but they are spoken of in glowing terms as being vital parts of our worship and salvation.

I ask you with all sincerity when the mark of the beast comes, how many of these corrupt churches and denominations shall ask their members to take the mark in order that they might continue to receive their coveted tithes and offerings?

Let us return now to the words of Christ: where to this same audience of Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, disciples of John and His own disciples. Christ next says:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: (but) they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.

Christ is telling them flat out that the Pharisees Sadducees the Scribes and the Disciples of John and His disciples beyond the 12 and the 70, that they were all being diverted. As the prophet spoke in the last days men shall have itching ears and shall HEAP unto themselves teachers. This is the same behavior Christ denounced of their spending endless time searching the scriptures presumably to argue the pro or con of some of the  “finer” doctrinal points. Christ is categorically stating that this though cited as “commendable” behavior in the Bereans in the book of Acts, that this behavior could not and would not in and of itself produce eternal life in any of its adherents. Not in the Pharisee, not in the Sadducee, not in the Scribe, not in the Disciple of John, and not in the disciple of Christ.

From this passage we perceive that power of the Spirit cannot be gained from the dead letter of the word.  Christ was telling the his hearers of that day and unto us that salvation, the power in the Spirit, spiritual understanding, revelation, all come from Him alone and in particular our coming to Him alone comes at the price of forsaking all our rabbis, all our teachers, all our wannabe prophets and their doctrines and their traditions. All of which the Pharisees Sadducees and Disciples of John, and the even Disciples of Christ at that time had all this in spades.

 

I further perceive by the Spirit that many of Christ’s disciples (Not the 12 or the 70) but this vast un-numbered multitude of disciples were actually fad followers of Christ, and that these fair-weather followers were coming to Him and trying to impress Him with their knowledge and skill in Scripture. A practice which we know that the 12 and 70 could not do for they were unlearned men.  But the day that a gaggle of professional polished Disciples that attempted to outshine all the rest with their worldly wisdom and carnal grasp of scripture had come and infested “the church.”And in this passage we see that Jesus was not at all impressed, with their cunning craftiness with scripture and their natural ability to splice verses together. Instead He points out that these professed disciples had no right to even claim their were His disciples, For unlike the 12 and the 70 this mixt multitude of men and women that had NEVER actually come unto Him.

And what is written of this unnumbered great mass of disciples that are spoken of in John Chapters 5-6? What great works or signs and wonders did these perform?  What great deeds of faith did they perform?  What selfless acts did they perform as in selling their houses and lands and giving all to the poor? Are not the Gospels are strangely silent on these men and women? The reason in being is that there was nothing to say about them other than that they had made themselves disciples of Him and followed Him and then they quickly forsook Him, just as Christ prophesied of them in the Parable of the Sower.

For with the 12 and the 70 Christ saw qualities in these men that He desired. And God the Father himself also bore witness of these men as they went out two by two preaching the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And God bore them witness with signs, wonders, and diverse miracles. But of this unnumbered crowd of wannabe disciples Christ saw only emptiness, and vanity and the bible says Christ knew that regardless of their words and their purported deeds that THESE MEN BELIEVED NOT.

Today the church is filled with this type of hollow, dysfunctional disciples of Christ, many of which boast of their carnal knowledge of Scripture, in a transparent attempt to gain standing over their peers and exalt themselves. This is the Say-so Gospel that led to the rise of the Mormons. And in response to these words some will preach that they do not have a say-so Gospel but a know-so Gospel to which their disciples will applaud wildly. But their know-so Gospel is not more the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Apostles than the Say-so Gospel of the fundamentalists and the evangelicals because it lacks demonstration and power, it lack the Father bearing it witness with signs and wonders and diverse miracles.  The Corinthians had tongues and prophecy up to their arm pits as did the 70 elders in the wilderness but neither entered into the promise.  And among the Corinthians there was not a Joshua or a Caleb among them as it is in those who proclaim they are the spiritual vanguard of this hour that are going to lead the church the fullness of the Spirit and the full restoration of the gifts and the five fold ministry – I am not speaking about the Mormons here, but those who profess their very words and call it end time truth. These shall also die in their sins and their bones shall bleach in the wilderness as a testament against them as the bones of their fathers before them. 

 But these in fact like the “other disciples” these too do not know Him, nor believe in Him and will not come unto Him forsaking all else and regardless of their affiliation of denomination, fellowship or church the Father has not and will not bare these witness either.  

I perceive by the Spirit that these “other disciples” in fact did not sell all to follow Him. That they did not travel on foot extensively following Christ, and that they did not sleep in the rain and under the stars at night. Instead at night each one went to their own homes. While Christ said: Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the son of man hath nowhere to lay his head. And we know that the 12 and the 70 were with him day and night until the very end.

I perceive that these other disciples were camp followers. And that the real reason that they were there was if Christ was indeed the Messiah and that He did indeed take the earthly throne of David, that if they had somehow wormed their way in to became one of “His Disciples” they reasoned that they would have first dibs at all the positions that would be available in the earthly kingdom of the Messiah. Positions that the “dimwitted” 12 and 70 in their estimation fell far short of receiving. 

John 5:38-40 And ye have not His word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: (but) they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 

These verses also serve as a sound guide for us, to lead us towards sound doctrine. For from this passage we perceive that all good doctrine, like all good prophecy leads us to Christ and Christ alone, for it is He alone that has the power to heal, to save, and to redeem us.

All false doctrine like all false prophecy guides us to follow men, their doctrines, their traditions, their ministries, their churches, and their denominations.  This passage ought to send warning bells off in your spirit, for if Christ could tell His “disciples” that 1) they had not the word abiding in them 2) that their searching of scriptures to find eternal life was in vain 3) that they will not come unto Him that they have life. And His “disciples” had indeed heard the word of truth preached to them under the most optimum of conditions that is by His mouth and by demonstration with the witness of His heavenly Father – then what will He say to the corrupt church of our day who has lost its way, but boasts that we have all truth, and we have no need that Christ or the Spirit should guide us to all truth seeing a we have heaped unto ourselves earthly teachers both living and dead? 

Paul in I Corinthians 2:9-10 affirms Christ’s claim of salvation and spiritual knowledge is gained only by coming unto Him by saying:  But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit acknowledging that spiritual enlightenment comes from God alone.

But Christ did not stop with His sharp rebuke there, He continues in: John 5:42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.  I will let you meditate upon this verse on your own and see what God speaks to you concerning this in a day when we are told that Christ only speaks in love, that He never rebukes, or judges anyone., that is only the devil that judges and condemns you and the church.

This message in culminated in the next chapter in the Gospel of John

John 6:63-66 It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Jesus said and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. But in order to get us to know the truth Christ has some hard things to say unto us as He STRIVES WITH FLESH in order that we might clean up our act and repent. And if when you hear His voice of chastisement and correction if you do as what is popularly taught in this hour that is to say: “Be gone!  I rebuke you devil.”  How are you ever going to repent and be changed from glory to glory into His image and His likeness? .

The central issue is, are we willing to humble ourselves and repent so that He can set us free.  Or do we want instead, to let the good times roll, and follow in the long-held sacred traditions of the fad-followers of Christ?

The measureship  (I just made that word up) of discipleship is measured by whether we follow Him to personal loss, or to personal gain.

On one hand the world and CINO’s (Christians In Name Only) are willing to follow Him only for personal gain That is: Fire insurance, earthly riches, fame, ministry etc. and only under the most extreme of circumstances; like their being faced with death or a crippling disease do they become unsure where they really stand with God. And then, and only then do they hand over their earthly riches and possessions that they held in a white knuckle grip not to the poor but to some church, ministry, or denomination, in a last second attempt to bribe God, for their salvation or their deliverance. Which an increasingly corrupt priesthood is all to willing to accept their 30 pieces of silver in the name of Christ and then keep it for themselves.

While on the other hand Christ measures His true disciples by their willingness to suffer personal loss.  This is in areas of earthly possessions; of house(s) of land(s) and all the toys we tend to amass to ourselves, the boats, the cars, the snow machines if you live in Alaska etc.  Christ also probes us in areas of our earthly livelihood, in areas of our earthly family, and in our earthly friends to see if we value these above Him.

And interestingly enough we are told by the purveyors of the Prosperity Gospel that this heaping unto ourselves of material wealth, our bejeweled earthly families, our worldly friends fawning over our wealth are all part of the American Dream and are thus to be coveted above all.  And so in the earthly and sensual church of our day this is what is palmed off to believers as our being complete in Christ, this is what is preached as the sign of our entering into true spirituality, and this is what we are to receive for our entering into the promises of God.   

So that if you can check off all or most of the above “personal gain list” we are told by the Word of Faith People that we are blessed. But if on the other hand, you can check off all or most of the above “personal loss list” These same people strongly suggest that you are not blessed by God, and therefore you must not be living right or believing right.

Who is right? How can we know which is true?  If we cannot understand Christ’s words or the Apostles words we can at least see in the Gospels and the book of Acts look at how Christ and the Apostles lived, and what their deeds were. Where do Christ and the Apostles live like kings dining on only the best? Where do Christ and the Apostles receive 100 fold earthly houses and earthly lands and heap them unto themselves? Where do Christ and the Apostles ride on chariots to get them to and from meetings. Where di Christ and the Apostles and rent out stadiums to preach the word in? Did you know that Jerusalem had a stadium at the time of Christ. It was called the Hippodrome in it they had sporting events, chariot races, and Olympic events. There were hippodromes in all the major cities that the Roman conquered when Paul is speaking of Athletes he is speaking of those who participated in events in Hippodromes –Yet neither Christ nor the Apostles nor Paul ever used these – why? Did you know that there was a forum in Jerusalem that philosophers and actors spoke and performed in. Paul refers in several places to the actors of these forums and yet neither Christ, nor the Apostles not Paul went and spoke in any of these. One might ask themselves why would it not have been “Wisdom” for them to speak from a safe neutral place rather then going to the temple or synagogues or meeting on Solomon’s porch? Consider where do we meet and preach today? In our own synagogues and in our own temples. Consider where our evangelists hold meetings today in stadiums forums and other safe places. If Christ would not and could not, If the Apostles would not and could not, and if Paul would not and could not do what we do how can we pretend it is all good and continue meeting in this way of sin and corruption?  

How then can one believe that they are indeed a disciple of Christ when their lifestyle in no way matches Christ’s lifestyle or the lifestyle of the Apostles? How is it then that you are His disciple?  Is it by your word and your word alone? Is it by your confession alone or by the “profession” of faith that you made long ago that you were His? Do you spend hours regularly at His feet delighting in fellowshipping with Him? Do you spend hours reading and delighting in His word and meditating on it? Do you desire above all that anything in your life that is unlike Him and unlike how He lived be removed from you?

Paul said that when he peers in a glass (Greek: a mirror) he sees though darkly, Christ in himself -- I confess that when I look in the mirror I do not see Christ, I see a sinner that needs to be saved by God’s grace. I see a poor disciple, with empty hands, that has nothing that he can say or boast of to Christ. 

Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

When Christ spoke these words to His disciples, not one of them was unfamiliar with the idea of crosses or crucifixions. As it turns out, crucifixions were first conducted by the Persians and then the custom was adopted by Alexander the Great’s in his conquest of Asia Minor, Israel, and Palestine. Then later when the Romans came into power they adopted the custom of crucifixion as well. Originally crucifixion was a punishment only worthy of the lowest slaves, and barbarians, but during the Roman occupation it became the strongest means of maintaining order and security with Roman governors regularly imposed this punishment on any of those who questioned Rome’s rulership.

Josephus records numerous crucifixions, one of them occurred during the Maccabean period when there arose a rebellion in thee Jewish city of Bethome, in quelling the uprising some 800 Jewish rebels were captured by the Romans and taken to Jerusalem where they were crucified in a mass execution.  The Roman public was so horrified by the humiliation, the torture, and the suffering during Crucifixion that the Roman Senate was forced to enact a law that no Roman citizen could be subjected to the cruelties of crucifixion.

The Jews according to the law of Moses were obligated to stone to death all those who committed heinous acts, and after their death they would them hang their dead corpse on a tree signifying to all who passed that this man was cursed of God. So when the Romans took over the Sanhedrin probably under pressure of Rome passed an ordinance that said that anyone who was hung on a Roman Cross was also cursed of God thereby naming all  Jews that were crucified  not as patriots or as freedom fighters but as cursed of God.  By the time of Christ the Romans in and around Jerusalem had crucified and thereby cursed thousands.

So realizing this when Christ spoke these words If any man will come after me, (be my disciple) let him deny himself, (humble themselves, make themselves of no reputation, and divest themselves of their holdings in their world) and take up his cross, (to open themselves up to being humiliated, scourged, and to even be made partakers of my bodily death) and (then you can be me disciple and) follow me. For whosoever will save his life (by not opening  themselves up to being humiliated, scourged and being made partakers in my death) shall lose it (Depart from me ye that work iniquity for I never knew you): and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (For I will also confess that I know him before the Father)

This passage of: “Whosoever will save his life” was considered so important by the Apostles that it was included in each of the four Gospels, and in the Gospel of Luke these words were repeated twice.

Luke 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

And Even Paul the Apostles repeats this message from Christ in his epistles.

Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I (now) count (as) loss for Christ.

Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Understand that Paul is telling us that once upon a time he lived “The American Dream.” He is telling us that had everything on the checklist, but when he came to Christ in order to serve him fully he had to give up all those things. And he tells us that he gladly did so. 

If Paul the Apostle lived the life you now live, what kind of Epistles if any do you suppose he might have wrote?  Paul knew he had been bought with a price. Paul knew that he was no longer his own. And so accordingly he walked away from The American Dream and traversed the Middle East and Asia Minor on foot preaching the Gospel. He slept out in the rain and the cold and under the stars of the night, for he no longer had a house of his own that he could rest his head.  And we know from the Gospel’s that this is exactly what Christ and the 12 and the 70 did. And we know from the Old Testament that by enlarge this is how Abram lived, how David lived before he became king, and how the prophets lived.


Isaiah 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Here the Prophet Isaiah declares that Preaching “good tidings” (the Gospel) to Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth is to proclaim with loud voice “Behold your God!” Not to proclaim one’s self, or one’s ministry, one’s church, one’s denomination or some company of believers that one might be led to believe that they belong to. But to boldly proclaim “Behold your God!”

Isaiah 59:15-17 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.  16And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto him; (the sheep who were made a prey) and His righteousness, it sustained him. For he (the sheep) put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

And in this light of verses 16-17 this is the passage Paul instructs believers to put on the whole armor of God – is not intended to protect us from the world, but to protect us from the wolves, the false teachers, the false shepherds, the false evangelists, the false prophets and the coming onslaught of false apostles in the church of this hour This equipping of the saints is for the express purpose that His people might no longer be a prey to preachers churches, ministries, and denominations.