A Challenge For Calvary Chapel Pastors to Take a Stand Against Apostasy

The Bible teaches that a one-world religion will be a characteristic of the Last Days. While Jesus Christ is preparing His bride, Satan, God’s adversary, is preparing the crowning of the harlot.                             

This counterfeit harlot “bride” is being set up to prepare the way for the counterfeit “Christ.” This anti-Christ church will come in the name of the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the scenario that the Bible defines.

We are seeing this happening right before our eyes, yet so few see it. Is this largely due to Christian leaders who are blinded by their pride (Obadiah 1:3); and, hiding behind their accomplishments, they are driven by this pride, refusing to listen to those who are trying to warn them? Do these shepherds really know they are pulling the wool over the eyes of the very sheep they are supposed to be protecting?

This short commentary is another effort to warn those whom we know and love who are being seduced by Satan’s plan. Satan is a world schemer, and he has done this through the ages. There are many ways and means that Satan uses to seduce those who have believed and those who have never believed.

When Does a Shepherd Warn?

A true shepherd always warns his flock when danger is near. Imagine what happens when the shepherd falls asleep. Like a shepherd, pastors are to warn their sheep. Not only do they feed them, but they never let wolves come into their midst. Wolves can look harmless if they are wearing sheep’s clothing. The Bible warns that this is one of the ways that Satan works. Let us not forget that he comes as an “angel of light,” and his ministers come as “ministers of righteousness” as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11.
Just like shepherds need to be alert to protect their flocks of sheep, so too pastors need to protect their “flocks” of believers. However, this doesn’t always happen - especially when many pastors look to a single pastor who, in essence, has replaced Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ should be our “good shepherd.” When we put a man between Jesus and ourselves we are only asking for trouble.

 

If there was ever a time for Christian pastors to be discerning about the invasion of false doctrine, it’s now. In previous commentaries, we have been warning about this very problem. Apostasy doesn’t happen overnight. It sneaks up, one compromising step after the next, and it is a symptom that something has gone very wrong. When many pastors are caught up in following one man and the decisions he makes, this can be the recipe for disaster and the beginning of a cult. Humans are humans, and God is God. Once more, check out history, men are fallible and can easily be misled. Pride is a snare that any one of us can fall prey to, and it is a dangerous trap that we should resist and flee from.

Elders are to be part of local church government, keeping pastors true to the Word of God. When elders are forced to be puppets, they are nothing more than objects of manipulation. God’s design for true biblical leadership is abandoned for the “Moses model.” Remember, Moses disobeyed God, and as a result, he never made it into the Promised Land.

How Is Calvary Chapel Being Led Down the Road to Rome?

The evidence is growing that Calvary Chapel discernment is fading away. Some wonder if this has something to do with the lack of discernment in the formative years of Calvary Chapel. If an organization starts out with no discernment and doesn’t correct that, doesn’t it make sense that it will not have discernment in the future? As we pointed out in an earlier commentary bad roots produce unhealthy fruit.

While many sheep are still blindly following what they believe is biblical Christianity, the influence of Rome on Calvary Chapel is becoming clearer every day to those who have “eyes to see.” Those who do see what is happening are disheartened to watch the warning signs appear almost daily, and yet still there is silence from those who could speak up and make a difference. If you count up all the senior Calvary Chapel pastors, all the associate and assistant Calvary Chapel pastors, and all the Calvary Chapel youth pastors throughout the world, you are probably looking at nearly four thousand men. Yet, to our knowledge, not one Calvary Chapel pastor is publicly challenging the organization to whom they have placed their trust, their affiliation, and their commitment. We are not talking about private conversations going on behind the scenes – we are talking about public denouncement of deliberate apostasy. The silence of these nearly four thousand men is deafening, and the results of this silence is that many sheep are confused and being led astray with a false sense of security that everything is ok because their pastors say nothing.

Yesterday, in a discussion with a retired Calvary Chapel pastor, I was told that Understand The Times is confusing the sheep by presenting the evidence that apostasy is happening around them. Does this mean that we should ignore the facts and cover up apostasy by becoming silent as the others are doing?

When God showed Nathan sin, he went to David and told him. I am sure it was not easy for Nathan. Has biblical truth changed? Are we to cover our eyes and walk away and say, “all is well”? If that is the case, then we invite skeptics to show us the chapter and verse.

Please pray for the Calvary Chapel movement that the leaders would be like David and“see,” repent, and speak up before it’s too late. 

 

Another spirit or the Holy Spirit?

The Bible teaches there is another spirit, another gospel and another Jesus?[1]  If God is God, why would such deception exist? The answer is very simple. Satan, the father of lies, is the great deceiver who wants to be God.[2]  His plan is to deceive the world in the name of the Savior, Jesus Christ. [3]  Therefore, if the Spirit of God leads the lost to the Son of God, could it be that that “another spirit” is how the devil leads the whole world to the antichrist? These are questions that every Christian should think about, especially in the Last Days when deception is on the increase.

For some time now, I have been thinking about these things. How does Satan deceive, and should a Christian be aware of how Satan works? The Bible is full of references that warn believers to wake up and to expose darkness. 
 

 Further, the concept of checking out the roots of a tree has been constantly on my mind. What does it means to check out the roots of a tree with reference to Christianity? Some time ago, a friend of mine gave me an illustration he believed had an important spiritual implication. The illustration was that of a simple drawing of a tree that was filled with ravens sitting on the branches. While some branches represented biblical truths, other branches represented teachings that had infiltrated the body of Christ and were clearly devious plans of Satan. As for the roots of the tree, some of the roots were embedded in healthy soil and thus provided essential nutrients to the tree, while other roots were embedded in soil that was polluted with poison, and of course, did much harm to the tree. Further, the illustration showed that this tree was a hiding place for the ravens.
 

I will never forget this illustration as this is what is happening to fellowships and entire denominations within the Christian church today. Bad roots eventually produce bad fruit. While this should be obvious to those who say they believe the Bible, that’s not always the case. The human beings, who make up the tree, cannot see because they are part of the tree, and they have become blinded. It would be easy to recover from this blindness if they would only turn to the Word of God to gain understanding and discernment.

Christianity is full of examples of tree-like denominations full of ravens because Satan is the master deceiver, and he knows that men follow men instead of Jesus. While the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the Mother of All Churches we know this is not true. Jesus said His church would be built upon the true cornerstone. And He is that cornerstone. [4]. When we follow men instead of Jesus Christ, we have the ingredients for a spiritual disaster. Such is the case that we will try to analyze in the rest of this commentary.

A Counterfeit spirit is not the Holy Spirit?

Wouldn’t it make sense that if the Holy Spirit points the lost to the truth, then a counterfeit spirit called “another spirit” points those who are lost toward deception? This is the devil’s plan as recorded in the Bible. In our research, we have discovered this is one of Satan’s favorite strategies. How many have believed they have been led by the Spirit of God when later it becomes obvious that they had been seduced by a spirit of deception? This is why it is so important to have discernment, which only comes from knowing God’s Word and allowing His Spirit to lead us. [5]

For example, I have known people who believed they were being blessed by the Spirit of God because they laughed hysterically, barked like a dog, slithered on the floor like a snake, or even clucked like a chicken. At first, they said they were not sure if it was God that was causing them to behave that way. Their line of thought went like this: if it was God, they did not want to miss out on what God was doing; thus they were willing to take the risk.

As you can see this line of reasoning is not reasonable. What if it was not God that was causing them to behave in these unusual ways? Would that mean they had been deceived by Satan? This is a serious situation

History shows the danger there is in following a man or woman who claims to be a Christian because he or she has an ability of making people “feel” like they are being influenced by the Holy Spirit. 

On a number of occasions, I have heard testimonies from people who were first-hand witnesses of the “Jesus Movement.” They give testimony that one of the leaders had the ability to make them feel like the “spirit” was “flowing all over them.” The person who is speaking in the following clip states there would never have been a Calvary Chapel movement or a Vineyard Movement without Lonnie Frisbee who acted very strangely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E9vRXoxlwE&feature=related 

Here is another example of a testimony from a person who claims that Lonnie Frisbee had an “anointing” called a mantle. Today, there are those who believe there is about to be another Jesus movement and that this so-called anointing that Frisbee had is about to be released.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iUOx7jkQ7o&NR=1 
 

Now, here are the facts. Feelings can be very deceptive. Feelings or emotions should never be relied upon for determining truth and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Believing that one can receive a transferable anointing from a man or an object is nothing more than witchcraft. Following a man under the influence of drugs is not following Jesus and His Word.

Many who were under such an influence felt all kinds of things. They even saw things that were in their minds as the result of LSD. How much confidence would you put in a person who said he was a convert of Jesus Christ who was stoned Saturday night and then preached Sunday morning? Is it possible that “another Jesus” was often represented during this former Jesus movement?

Can Bad Roots Produce Bad Fruit?

While God saves sinners from all sin, does this mean that sin can be covered up by ignoring that sin never happened? Further, there is another piece of evidence that needs to be considered. It is possible to start out right and to end up wrong, isn’t it? What if a group becomes so proud of themselves they refuse to be corrected. Remember, pride comes before a fall.

Now that we are living in a time of great deception predicted by the Bible as the Last Days, is it possible that the ravens are coming home to roost in the dead branches of the trees? Could those branches have died because the roots absorbed poison by certain false doctrines that crept in unawares? Would the dead branches be the perfect nesting place for the enemies of God who are out to destroy all those who truly follow Jesus Christ?

Some time ago, after doing some research and gathering of the facts, I became suspicious because of some of the testimonies that I heard about the roots of the Jesus Movement. Here is one example that you can listen to and watch and see for yourself:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wBvnJ8RsOc

Furthermore, let us consider the connection of Kathryn Kuhlman with the Jesus Movement. She was a promoter of the Protestant Charismatic movement and in ecumenical unity with Rome.  Does that sound an alarm? How can someone who has partnered with Rome be part of a true Jesus Movement?

Anyone who has done their research knows that the Jesuit plan is to bring the separated brethren back to the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Jesus is the Eucharistic Jesus and must be worshiped in a container called a monstrance. (See Another Jesus? The Eucharistic Christ and the New Evangelization by Oakland with Tetlow).

A number of things do not line up. Would those who have discernment please stand up? Please watch the following video clip of Lonnie Frisbee and Kathyrn Kuhlman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCvH9NOTSzw 

While I am not saying that no one was saved during that time, I am saying that godly discernment was not used by the leaders of the Jesus Movement just as godly discernment is not being used by today’s Christian leaders either.

How devious is Satan?

Have you ever considered what spiritual deception is? We should never underestimate Satan’s ability to dupe the world or the church. In fact, the Bible teaches that a counterfeit church will be prepared for a counterfeit “Christ” in the last days. This means that pastors and church leaders who once were strong Bible believers and teachers will be seduced and become pawns of the deceiver. This is what is called the Great Falling Away.

So, the question is this: are we living in the very days that the Bible predicts this will happen? Could it be that another spirit is preparing the way for another Christ, and another gospel is masquerading to prepare the way for the harlot?

This is a time to check your faith and test all that you believe with the Scriptures. Finally, remember the tree with the ravens in the branches. Bad roots can produce branches that are unproductive that may even be the nesting place for false teachers that come home to roost. Check out the roots of the tree that your faith is based upon.

One final thing! Please watch the following video clip of Skip Heitzig’s 2010 production called Riptide. Skip promotes Lonnie Frisbee and Kathyrn Kuhlman as if they were heroes of the faith. It also promotes “another Jesus movement.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT5zKXRbYeQ 

Is it possible that this proposed new Jesus Movement that is being created will partner with the Second Pentecost that is being promoted by the Roman Catholic Charismatic Movement?  That would mean that this proposed another Jesus movement would be the equivalent of “Another Jesus” movement also called the Eucharistic Reign of Jesus.

Time will tell, won’t it?

1   2 Corinthians 11:4
2   Isaiah 14:14
3   Revelation  12:9
4   Ephesians 2:20
5 For one example in Scripture, see John 16:13

Another Hole in the Wall

Chapter eight of the book of Ezekiel is a very revealing portion of the Bible when it comes to exposing the sins of spiritual leaders of Ezekiel’s day. The leaders were going about their ministries as usual believing their sins were hidden from the very sheep they were supposed to be leading and protecting. However, God sees all sin and showed the prophet Ezekiel through a vision their hidden sins. As we shall see, the unveiling of those sins, as recorded in the Word of God, were very revealing.  God  sees the true heart of man.

Further, this hole in the wall revelation is useful for understanding what is presently happening in the church. Considering the Bible teaches that history repeats itself, the Ezekiel revelation is very important in understanding how religious leaders covertly cover up sin. If the religious leaders of Israel covered their sins in the past and thought no one could see, what about the spiritual leaders now? Is it possible we will be able to uncover some parallels? The purpose of this commentary will be to show there is nothing new under the sun. Whatever has happened before, has, and will happen again.  

With regard to the present, many facts prove the same sins of the past are being committed today. This shows that many so-called men of God, while respected by men, may have no fear of God. However, this does not fool God who sees all things. As in the past, God will expose the sins of the religious leaders in a public way today as He did in the past. If God revealed to Ezekiel what the religious leaders were doing then, it should be no great surprise that He would do the same for our generation. 
 

Idol of Jealousy

The first clue to the sin scenario is the idol of jealousy that God revealed to Ezekiel in his vision. The idol of jealousy was located near the door of the inner gate that opened towards the north. This idol of jealousy is far more significant than you can imagine. While few spiritual leaders today would admit it, jealousy controls many of their ministries. They are driven by a desire to be someone great and respected. If someone crosses their path, they often see it as a threat to the building of their own kingdom. Those who may appear as a threat of being in competition with them have to be eliminated in some way. Leadership driven by jealousy is nt ministry at all; rather it is carnal and of the flesh, not of the Spirit. Often this type of leader has a way of demanding obedience, and as a result, cult mentality develops as a “follow me” leadership style of ministry is promoted. A ministry driven by jealousy and selfish ambition is accompanied by every evil thing according to James 3:14-15. This, of course, is not what God desires. Satan has cleverly deceived men into following after men, their methods and their movements.  This follow-the-leader mentality has led many sheep astray.

In my personal experience over the past three decades, I have observed first-hand how the body of Christ can be misled. When a spiritual leader demands attention and respect for the organization he has birthed, it is possible for him to be looked up to as a god that should never be questioned. This is dangerous as he can become a wolf while the sheep think that he is a great shepherd. What is even worse and more devious is that a man who loves power and possession appear to be loving and full of joy when he is expressing himself to an audience, but in private, this person can be obsessed with demanding respect with the desire to be idolized. Thus the idol of jealousy that Ezekiel saw is the key that opens the hole in the wall that we are now going to look through.

Abominations

While the idol of jealousy was bad enough, God wanted Ezekiel to observe even more. The spiritual leaders of Israel considered themselves righteous before the people, but behind closed doors their sins were horrible. These abominations were uncovered by the vision that God gave Ezekiel. Here is how this scenario is recorded in the Word of God:

And he brought me to the door of the court; Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.  So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.[1]

Imagine the shock that Ezekiel experienced. Those righteous pious religious leaders who demanded respect from those who followed them were absolutely corrupt. Idolatry, one of the very things God had commanded man not do as recorded in the Law of God, was being embraced. They were worshipping “creeping things” and “abominable beasts” just like the pagans who were rooted in the worship of the creation at the Tower of Babel.  The Bible makes it clear that idolatry will not go unpunished. These religious leaders were purposely rebelling against God and they knew it. For some reason, they had been deluded into believing that they could get away with it as they hid in the dark.

The hole in the wall through which Ezekiel saw must have given him great insight that was a shock to his soul. What do you suppose Ezekiel was thinking? Was he supposed to ignore what he saw and walk away and do nothing? It did not take Ezekiel long to determine the answer. God had already spoken to him about what he was to do as recorded in the book of Ezekiel chapter three. God said:

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.[2]

It Gets Even Worse

While the Bible does not classify sin as if one sin is worse than another, it seems that God wanted Ezekiel to know that the secret sin he was about to show him, if there were a scale of one to ten, was at least a nine. These religious leaders who were supposed to be leading people to the true God had been sidetracked into worshipping the Queen of Heaven, a goddess that Jeremiah warned about in Jeremiah chapters seven and forty-four. 

Jeremiah had pleaded with his people warning that God was going to judge them because of their sin. [3] They refused to listen and faced the judgment as the Assyrians captured them and took them to Babylon. This Queen of Heaven, as we will see, shows up later in history as the “Mary” of the Roman Catholic faith. 

 

Ezekiel, in his vision, was also aware of the seriousness of worshiping the Queen of Heaven behind closed doors. This is what the Bible states:

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. [4]

This weeping for Tammuz was a practice associated with the worship of the Queen of Heaven as described in the book of Jeremiah. This was an abomination to God and forbidden for the Children of Israel. So why were the spiritual leaders caught up in the abomination? Once again, Ezekiel must have been terribly grieved. Even though God had warned them, they refused to listen.

Even Greater Abominations Yet

Just when you think it could not possibly get any worse, God revealed to Ezekiel the key to understanding apostasy, especially in the Last Days. Apostasy is outright rebellion to God and His Word and shows that man is following Satan rather than the Creator. God revealed to Ezekiel that the religious leaders were totally apostate and that it was his job as a watchman to warn the sheep. The Scriptures outline exactly what God had shown Ezekiel. We read:

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, [yet] will I not hear them. [5]

Imagine how Ezekiel must have felt. God had made it clear that the worship of the sun and the moon was practiced in the dark by these supposed holy men of Israel. Rather than worshipping the true God who had created all things they were worshipping the creation just like what had been done at Babylon. 

 

An Update for Today

All Scripture is inspired by God. It is profitable for teaching, correction, and reproof. [6] If history has a pattern of repeating, then we should pay attention to what God has revealed to us about the past and how the behavior of the spiritual leaders in Ezekiel’s day give us some clues about the behavior of  spiritual leaders today. Isn’t it reasonable to suggest that biblical characters of the past recorded in the Bible

And what about the sins that Ezekiel saw through the hole in the wall? Should we just ignore what God revealed and say times have changed and men of God have come a long way? Not that we should paint all spiritual leaders with one broad brush – this would not be right, of course. However, because the Scriptures clearly warn about the Last Days being days of apostasy, perhaps it is time to wake up!
 

One thing we know for sure, following men, their methods, and their movements can definitely be dangerous. Idolatry is putting anyone or anything between man and God. Without mentioning names or circumstances, I can think of hundreds of examples..

The Bible foretells what will happen in the Last Days when the harlot or the counterfeit church sets up the One-World Religion that prepares the way for the antichrist. In order for this to happen it is clear what takes place. From our research, we see the Queen of Heaven (Mary, the Roman Catholic mother of Jesus) will help unite the world religions with Rome. (Please read the book Queen of All: How Marian Apparitions Plan to United the World Religions by, Tetlow, Oakland and Meyers.) When Satan gets this false religious system in place, a man (and his system) will arise who claims to be king of the world. This will be the antichrist who is set up by the New World Order. 

 

The Queen has men who support her plan. These men are the Jesuits. The king has men who support him. These are the men who belong to the secret societies like the Knights of Malta, the Masons, and The Illuminati.


 Are Your Eyes Open or Closed?

Are you ready for reality? Ask yourself this question: Are there churches and denominations that once stood for truth now seduced by the lie? Is it possible we are living in the last days and the harlot is being prepared? If this is the case, will the real bride please stand up?

Ecumenism with Rome is revealed in the Bible. The One-World Religion for PEACE comes from Satan. You should be aware of the secret plans implemented by the Jesuits and other secret societies that have been spawned by Satan. Their members have crept in just like in in Jude’s day  [7]

When the truth is presented about how our spiritual leaders are being duped by Satan’s plan, those who are doing the warning are often treated like Ezekiel and Jeremiah. They are considered to be crazy or on the lunatic fringe. 

What Will You Do?

Are you willing to test all things, especially the spiritual leaders whom you have considered great men of God? Have you begun to notice a difference in what they stand for now? Is your pastor departing from the Scriptures to become part of a political Dominionist plan? Is he working together with leaders of Rome and other false religions? Or does he say nothing at all about these things and tell his congregation, “All is well.”

Jesus is coming soon! Why not be about your Father’s business and reach out to those who are lost with the gospel according to the Scriptures? Take the time and look through the hole in the wall just like Ezekiel did. It will be very revealing.

1   Ezekiel 8: 7-10
2   Ezekiel 3: 17-19
3   Jeremiah 11: 9-11
4   Ezekiel 8: 12-14
5   Ezekiel 8: 15-18
6   2 Timothy 3:16
7   Jude 3-4