Vineyard Movement, A Serious Path to Apostasy, Heresy and New Age (In Progress or Not)
© 2011-2012
SHELEM Ministries: Offering of Peace
Discipleship Collection
Miami, Florida, September, 2011 – July, 2012.
Es un texto redactado y editado:
SHELEM – Offering of Peace
All quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
What’s NEW AGE?
Trying to define “new age” could be a hazardous task, mostly because this “movement” is totally shapeless, odorless, tasteless, and invisible to the untrained eye, or spirit. There’s not a precise group, faith declaration, dominant organization, holy text, or exclusive concept. They are “free-flowing spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat similar beliefs and practices, which they add on to whichever formal religion that they follow” (1). New Age is the projects(2) of every major and not so religion, beliefs and superstitions, philosophy, and spiritual and paranormal practices since beginning of times, but without compromise. It’s science, mysticism and occultism blended together until boundaries disappear, dissecting meaning from results and practice from commitment.
Methods are focused on empowering us to conquer our dreams, break free from our limitations, and reach enlightenment, elevating humanity to a common shared conscience intertwined with the planet’s very own.
New Age is traced back as far as the XVII century, with names like Swedenborg, Mesmer, Blavatsky, among many others in their midst. That’s just the human side of the story.
The other “side”
New Age has been around for too long to be considered “new”, or a particular group scheme. Mesmer and Blavatsky are gone, but it’s obvious that something else is still here, energizing its structure.
The doctrinal chaos they suggest at a first glance does not correspond to the reality of our well balanced and calculated planet and ecosystem; instead, many manifestly conflicting practices coexist in pleasant balance. Evidently, its enthusiasts don’t share ideas, don’t discuss and agree on principles, and don’t participate of the same creed, but they all still share the same level of enthusiasm to create a common path for all the philosophies involved.
Their focus in a common objective to a level of organization that’s beyond human understanding force us to at least consider skepticism as our first reaction, offering only one possible logical explanation, and that is that all of them are under the effects of the same source of inspiration.
And by source we meant the organized conspiracy of the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
To conclude, New Age is an exceedingly well structured spiritual campaign to bury the truth, whatever that may be, under the collective epitaph of ecumenism, syncretism, occultism, superstition, sports and science.
How toxic this system is?
Humanity is a hundred percent flesh, with a very volatile level of inspiration. As individuals, we are very inclined to pursue divine balance with the objective of satisfying our souls and finding a meaning for our lives.
New Age is focused on obtaining spiritual results by almost an automatic, mindless and heartless process, without providing for our inner selves, and silently teaching us that all the roads will lead us to Rome… eventually. In other words, the greed for results is more crucial than the purity of its values.
Basically, New Age is a sales speech aimed to stimulate our pride, self-esteem and arrogance. It offers a weak spiritual morality, exclusively based on obscure aspects of science, superstition and divination, covering up our actual problems, and focusing on individuality. Consequently, it cannot offer humanity anything beneficial and praiseworthy, since all its goods are contaminated with the anti-biblical influences of spirits of confusion, also known as demons.
In a league of their own…
There are two religious systems that can’t and won’t fit the New Age layout. Their procedures are absolutely based not in what we do, but in extremely clear history that shows what God did for us, and is still doing. Those two faiths, very easy to identify, are Judaism and Christianity, being the last one a development of the first, and based on the acceptance of Jesus Son of David as the long promised and expected Messiah, or Christ.
It’s impossible to separate Judaism from God, and turn it into a human empowering mechanism. It’s impossible to separate Jesus Christ from Christianity, and make the legendary “turn the other cheek” worthwhile. It’s impossible because both of those systems, beliefs or religions are based on faith in an almighty God as our main purpose, and won’t fit the requirements of chaos and confusion of the New Age, where everything is an instrument to accomplish egocentric desires.
Judaism without God and Christianity without Christ just don’t make any sense.
Rough guide to enchantment
There are no common points of interest between New Age and Judaism or Christianity, which are very tight religious organisms. Both of them will resist any apparently fresh practices, always expecting deception, because the Bible offers plenty of warnings.
That somehow explains why, while New Age culture is absorbing other religious systems and doctrines, and disassembling them for its own benefits, this phenomenon is actually being reversed by synagogues and churches, where some confused leaders are adopting lethal practices.
The first sign is an unconsciously rejection of the Law and the Bible, considering them so mysteriously challenging that their interpretation is only available to a very few and enlightened chosen ones. Members then are inculcated a respect bordering in panic toward the Scriptures. In the best case scenario, the warnings of the prophets and apostles disappear overwhelmed by layers upon layers of ignorance.
We cannot offer any insights on how Judaism is failing for the bait more than what we read on magazines like the Detroit Jewish News. Little by little, New Age practitioners and principles made their way into the publication at the end of the past decade, advertising the system as totally harmless and only focused on personal enhancement.
The seduction of Christianity
From Yoga to collective hypnotism, from chanting and martial arts to declaration of faith and worshipping the death, angels and the stars, horoscope, auto suggestion, foretelling, the celebration of Christmas and the corrupted adoption of Jewish festivities, Christianity has been being captivated into apostasy again and again by the mystifying songs of the sirens of this world. Undoubtedly, a time bomb without any visible timer and our eternal soul hangs in the balance.
The organization publicly known as church has the biggest crowd of unbelievers in its leadership that any religious system ever saw. From teachers who don’t trust in the Bible as being inspired by God, but firmly support the idea of contamination, and avoid teaching its doctrines, to the ones who openly oppose the Gospel and propose a new perspective, inspiration or enlighten for this Twenty First Century, Christianity has it all. They are rectifying the original doctrines with a new perspective.
Their foundation is the plain disregard of the Scriptures.
Into the Vineyard
The Vineyard movement is an organizations that pretends to stand above the crowd “from other movements, other churches, other denominations”, by calling themselves “unique”, a “association” or “community of churches”, and stimulating the idea of “every Vineyard is autonomous and self-governing” (2); and “an association of autonomous churches” (4).
According to their own website, “The first Vineyards were planted in 1975. By 1982, there were at least seven ‘Vineyards’ in a loose-knit fellowship of churches” (5). Still, a close look at their 37 seven years and more of 1,500 worldwide congregations later “5 Core Values” and “Statement of Faith”, offer us a very ambiguous, confusing and immature perspective of what Christianity really is, while the Second and Fourth of those values are not defined yet (6).
The Vineyard “movement”, “association”, “community of churches”, or whatever they pretend to be, are as “shapeless”, “odorless”, “tasteless” as New Age actually is.
The Toronto Blessing is Vineyard
The charismatically-focused Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (now known as “Catch the Fire”) in Canada, was the source of the infamous and so-called “blessing” revival in January 20th, 1994, and also a member of the Vineyard group at the time. John and Carol Arnott were its founding pastors.
This manifestation was identified as the “Toronto Blessing”, the “Father’s Blessing”, the “Holy Laughter”, the “Laughing”, or the “Anointing” Revival, and it was characterized by an extraordinary focus on soaking, feeling and receiving the presence of God, followed by uncontrollable “holy” laughter, vigorous quivering, crawling, rolling, howling, making all kind of animal noises, and resting or waiting “in the Spirit” or “in God’s love”, also manifested as being stuck in “Holy Ghost glue” to the floor, or “slain in the Spirit”, induced by the idea that God is almighty, and He can do whatever He pleases to gives a physical and empowering personal experience. This instruction was accompanied by blind faith(7) in God doing something totally “new”, above and beyond His own set of rules in the Holy Bible, and, of course, hypnotic music.
Some witnesses noted later that praying was not allowed during the meetings, but were warned to not judge the events, as opposing the “blessing” was opposing God Himself.
Evidently, all these manifestations are closer to collective hypnosis, the Kundalini awakening experience in Yoga or the channeling of Chi in martial arts, that to anything described in any part of our Bibles, Old or New Testament, where the Holy Spirit is defined as a Spirit of “sound mind”, “self-control”, “discipline”, “self-discipline”, “sound judgment”, “wise discretion”, “sobriety” or “soberness”, depending on the version (8).
The “blessing” traveled very fast across the nations, even reaching communist countries with locked borders like Cuba during the summer of the same year, and creating great levels of confusion.
Vineyard extremely late reaction
Berten A. Waggoner, current National Director, declared in 2011 that “every Vineyard is autonomous and self-governing, we have no authority from the National or Regional office to intervene in matters of controversy in the local church” (3). But the Vineyard movement in America unexpectedly severed ties with the Toronto’s group in December 1995.
John Wimber, the founder and also International Director at the time, “cited his earlier teachings that Vineyard churches must focus on ‘the main and plain things in Scripture’”. Still, it took them almost two years to realize that the their Toronto Connection had gone too far, and was running havoc in apostasy, breaking all the Old and New Testament rules that they could get hold of, and originating one of the biggest religious scandals of the decade. Two years!
Apparently, as the story unfolds, the Airport Vineyard Fellowship was astonished by the decision of the American fellowship of dissolving all relations. They complained that the Americans failed on properly communicating their intentions, which was later admitted by Todd Hunter, the American Vineyard National Coordinator (1995). But he insisted that they “had made it clear that board members wanted the renewal in Toronto to move toward greater scriptural emphasis”.
Obviously, “move toward greater scriptural emphasis” and “must focus on ‘the main and plain things in Scripture’” are points you can advise an usher to follow. It may be too late if the advice is for an entire congregation. Still, Vineyard position was that they “believe that there has been an authentic visitation of the Spirit there”, as John Wimber declared in an interview. But their abundant public fruits speak otherwise, classifying it with an anti-biblical scam tag of epic proportions.
The separation was rumored not to be definitive. Time has disagreed so far, and the “Catch the Fire” movement, totally independent now, does not need the support or the sympathy of the Vineyard anymore.
Back to the future
We saw the same focus centered on the revival experience and its physical manifestation at the Vineyard Church we visited during the months of October and November of 2011. We found there the same very characteristic behavior of the “blessing”: people rocking back and forth on the floor; others “resting in the Spirit”; and one of the Youth Pastors announcing that God told him to laugh to his enemies, and laughing in a bizarre manner while inciting other to follow his example, which didn’t happen, by the way.
Just to the left to where we were sitting and between the benches, a woman on her back screamed repeatedly and with a very deep and unnatural voice, “Do not be afraid!”, while shaking violently.
The climax of the practices was during “The Furnace” service, a prayer meeting celebrated once a month (9), where and for space of more than two hours, the worship leader insisted in singing the same words with the same accords and tone (“I’m free!”, “We’re free!”, and “We come into your presence!”) to the point of turning annoying, but evidently with the purpose of reaching a state of trance. The other relevant point of this meeting was the pastor’s expectance of God doing something really special, because of the odd date (11/11/11), as he declared during the previous services.
To illustrate how music helps to create a hypnotic atmosphere, we’ll quote Sir James George Frazer, a famous Scottish social anthropologist from the last Century, expert in myth and religion:
“The greatest festival of the year at Hierapolis fell at the beginning of spring, when multitudes thronged to the sanctuary from Syria and the regions round about. While the flutes played, the drums beat, and the eunuch priests slashed themselves with knives, the religious excitement gradually spread like a wave among the crowd of onlookers, and many a one did that which he little thought to do when he came as a holiday spectator to the festival. For man after man, his veins throbbing with the music, his eyes fascinated by the sight of the streaming blood, flung his garments from him, leaped forth with a shout, and seizing one of the swords which stood ready for the purpose, castrated himself on the spot. […] When the tumult of emotion had subsided, and the man had come to himself again, the irrevocable sacrifice must often have been followed by passionate sorrow and lifelong regret.” (10)
Happily, we may add, there were not eunuchs, streaming blood and swords at this particular event at Vineyard. But the Toronto Blessing spirit is still in their midst, as leaven.
The sound of a New Age
Music helps us to relax, sleep, but also may energize our most boring tasks. Some people use music to create a nice environment for studying or resting, while others listen to the right tunes to motivate their workout, or other attention demanding activities. Music can even produce a reaction very similar to alcohol intoxication.
New Age practitioners give a lot of attention to the influence of music and sound, using it for meditation, for healing, to enhance the life’s “flow”, and to obtain the right state of mind and spirit for a specific task.
But there’s an obvious contradiction in the use of music in church with the intention of creating a “divine” atmosphere. The correct tools for the Christians are constant prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, meditation in the Scriptures, fasting, and communion with other Christians. It’s impossible to quote a single event in the Bible where an intimacy with God was reached by playing the same tune over and over, and chanting the same phrase for hours (11).
Unfortunately, Vineyard movement has a different interpretation of what worshipping God is, consecrating an extraordinary attention to the repetition of the same notes and lyrics with the intention of reaching that “right state of mind and spirit”. As they defined it themselves: “Worship Focus – not singing, but worship. Not entertainment of people, but the entertaining of the Presence!” (12).
Vineyard, and the extra twist
The intentions of using praise songs, or to be exact, just a microscopic part of them, usually a couple of words turned into an annoying repetition that last for a very long time, are a common practice at this church Sunday services.
It’s evident that this repetition was originated by a deep conviction that faith, prayer and Scriptures were simply not enough, as we confirmed for almost three months. But the episode that really made us realize the deep roots of the New Age in the Vineyard was during one of the scheduled activities (13).
The introduction by the leader was very simple, but shocking: “everybody that comes to church expects us to use the Bible, but that’s not what we are going to do tonight”. She even elaborated how her teachings were very successful among both circles, religious and secular, because her care in avoiding mentioning Jesus Christ or the Bible as source to please everybody. That, and the personal endorsement of this performance from both pastors of this church, including the declaration that the all the church leadership had participated from it, made us frown and consider a parade of letters m.
David’s psalm 56, verse 4 and 10, declares: “I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD [YHWH] for what he has promised.” Some versions used “word” as a valid translation for “promises”, or “In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word” (Psalm 56:10, KJV). But that leader deliberately established a challenging wall between God, Jesus Christ, Their words and promises, and all of us sitting in that room with her personal promise of a “deeper life”.
Musical facts
The leader continued by explaining how we can find freedom through the power of forgiveness, and move to a new level in our lives by practicing it (14). The whole exercise included testimonies of many of the visitors of how hard was for them to forgive, and how well they felt after dealing with the issue in a more intimate level.
The end: a very soft melody played for space of around fifteen minutes, with the instruction of silently waiting for the names or the faces of the people we needed to forget to come into our minds. Again, Vineyard used the music to achieve the right mindset.
Needleless to say, this practice could be recommended and authorized by the pastor and the whole leader team of the Vineyard movement, but it’s not endorsed by God or the Bible, and certainly never practiced or advised by Jesus Christ or any of His disciples.
The only possible origin for this idea is spiritual contamination and compromise.
The ugly, and some desperate more
It’s easy to understand how this behavior and heresy could find a warm place in church, if we come to the knowledge of the noticeable detachment from them and the Bible’s truth. As we wrote earlier: “it’s impossible to separate Jesus Christ from Christianity”, and “Christianity without Christ just doesn’t make any sense”. Unless, of course, Christ was never there to begin with.
And that plenty justifies the tendency of the Vineyard of obtaining a “revival” with all their strength, trusting only on the appearances and the results of their methods, and neglecting the value of the Scriptures. That ignorance has grown even to the point of endangering faith and salvation.
Vineyard has also showed an exacerbated interest in the future and prophecy as an empowering mechanism. During every service and right after one hour of listening to highly repetitive praise and worship music by the Worship Team, there was always a time for prophecy. This included visions, singing in tongues, and the reading of passages from the Bible.
There’s nothing wrong with those, except the very interesting note that speaking in tongues was usually followed by many contradictory interpretations and messages (15).
Foretelling and pastoral ministry
But prophecy in the Bible is not about predicting the future; it’s not about guessing the meaning of our lives, or forecasting our personal affairs. All these practices are condemned by God and the Bible (16).
Yet, Vineyard’s elite seems to like it and approve it, since its highest leadership practices it.
We personally observed this during a encounter with one of the pastors in command of this church. There was no witnessing for Jesus Christ, Bible interpretations or prayer time in the name of Jesus, but a constant intent of “reading” into our lives and “guessing” the future of the three of us for approximately an hour. This pastor, with 20 years in the ministry, according to his own declarations, even affirmed that could “see” the spiritual aura of people, and tried to reach out and speculate about family members that were not present.
His techniques were not flawless, for most of the information he pretended to tell us as “prophecy” was provided in previous conversations by ourselves, or during this particular one.
“And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD [YHWY]” (Deuteronomy 18:10b-12a)
Needlessly to say, all his predictions were lies (17), which made us realize once again the spiritual compromise of the movement, mainly because God is “who inspires his prophets” (Revelation 22:6b), and “the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.’” (Revelation 19:10b). And there’s no higher authority than this in Christianity.
The spirits of the dead
To define more clearly the inspirational source of the transactions at the Vineyard, beyond the psychic reading, the rejection of Christ as the source for His own teachings on forgiveness, and the use of soft music and repetitive lyrics for motivation of their members, this movement participates on others ceremonies, including the celebration of Passover Seder every year. This festivity was not and still is not intended for Gentiles and Christianity (18) according to the Bible, not mattering how many thousands of Bible “believing” Christians celebrate it each year. Paul and other Bible’s authors specifically condemned this deceptive behavior several times in the New Testament (19).
But Christian or Messianic Passover is not such an innocent celebration as it may look like. There are two layers of the Passover followed nowadays: one is God’s instructions easily found in all of our Bibles, covered by a heavier layer of the ordinance of men, highly influence by many centuries of oral folklore and practical observance.
The Gospels show that Jesus Christ manifestly censured the preference of human traditions over the commandments of God (20). And those traditions had introduced the Elijah’s cup and the feminist Miriam’s cup rituals (21), plus the invocation of the “spirits” of both of them.
Such practices are absolutely against God’s instructions of not worshipping the dead (22), but still adopted by modern Christianity. Nevertheless, they promise that this ritual “will enrich your Christian life and give you a deeper understanding into the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. You will gain powerful insights into the Gospel and the History of Salvation told in the Old and New Testaments – as well as the significance of the earthly ministry of Jesus.” (23)
Practical details
The following introduction and finish are from the senior leader of a Vineyard Church during a Passover Seder celebration, in 2011:
“God is the master teacher, and He came up with the perfect method of remembrance. He commanded the annual reenactment of that first Passover night. It’s a ceremony that will appeal through the senses to each person of every generation. You’re going to experience all the elements of a Passover Seder, the story of redemption. And as even as we teach little children today through object lessons, Yahweh took every day acts of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, and made them His allies in teaching holy truths to His people. God commanded the annual memorial of the Passover observance so that His people might reflect regularly upon all that He has done for them. […]
What God did for the Jewish people at Passover is recounted in this meal, which is called the Seder. The Haggadah (24) tells us what to do at the Passover Seder or meal (25), and this is what you have at each table. […]”
“Miriam is present, Elijah is future; Miriam is place, Elijah is time. Elijah is the mountain, Miriam the sea. And the water of Miriam rises from the earth, and the fire of Elijah descends from the sky. And so, to finish, we mix a little bit of the water with the wine and we drink together as we… we… we mix in… We’re mixing the spirit of Elijah with the spirit of… of Miriam. The spirit of Miriam is… of the renewal, and the… the… the water, the blessing. And… that’s it! Amen?”
He didn’t finish reading, but the rest continues more or less like this: “Together they are the circle of sunlight and rain, not separate or dissimilar, for both are needed for growth. We must have consciousness of both in order to be free (26). To conclude the ritual, mix a little of the water with the wine and a little of the wine with the water, to mix the spirits of Elijah and Miriam” (27).
The Shank Bone Conspiracy
Judaism does not take “Messianic” or “Christian” Passover Seder lightly, as it’s considered a fraud and a deception to seduce Jews into idolatry. They recognize that Christianity is deliberately manipulating the concept why the bare shank bone of lamb is present in every Seder plate, and distorting it without caring about the facts (28). The original Passover festivity is described in several books of the Pentateuch, or Torah, and does not correspond to what is followed nowadays. The real Passover required an animal sacrifice and blood: “Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed” (Luke 22:7)
The following text is an extract of a link offered as information about the meaning of Passover in the Vineyard’s website:
“In every Jewish home, on every seder plate, is a bare shankbone of a lamb. In the book of Exodus, Jewish firstborns were spared from the Angel of Death by applying the blood of a spotless, innocent lamb applied to the doorpost of their homes as God brought the people from slavery into freedom. Today, we believe Jesus is that perfect Passover Lamb, and when we apply His blood to the doorposts of our heart, we too go from death into life, from slavery to sin into the freedom of being a redeemed child of God. As John the Baptist said when he saw Jesus coming towards him, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29)” (29).
This is obviously a lie, since all Jewish people, not mattering if the accepted Jesus Christ or not as the Son of God and promised Messiah, do not sacrifice, cook and eat lamb during the Passover, using the bare bone as a symbol. This is confirmed by the same web reference:
“A place setting remains empty for Elijah the prophet, the honored guest at every Passover table. The Jewish people expect Elijah to come at Passover and announce the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5). So a place is set, a cup is filled with wine, and hearts are expectant for Elijah to come and announce the Good News. At the end of the seder meal, a child is sent to the door to open it and see if Elijah is there. Every year, the child returns, disappointed, and the wine is poured out without being touched. My people wait and hope for Messiah – they do not realize that Messiah has already come.” (29)
Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the sacrifice of a lamb and then marking the doorpost of the homes with its blood was instructed to protect the Israelites firstborn son and firstborn male animal from the tenth of the plagues, the last one and also the worst. The declaration of “we believe Jesus is that perfect Passover Lamb, and when we apply His blood to the doorposts of our heart, we too go from death into life, from slavery to sin into the freedom of being a redeemed child of God” is very poetic, but does not correspond to the real meaning of the celebration, because the blood was intended as a sign for God, and didn’t make anybody “go from death into life” (30).
A Deeper Step Into Damnation
Vineyard Movement has been accused many times of shifting the weight of the Gospel from the acknowledging of Jesus as the Messiah and His message of salvation, to experience God’s blessing, and enjoy and feel His presence, which never was instructed in the Bible, because God is not an amusement park where we regularly go to enjoy the entertainment and marvel at the spectacle.
The expressed desire of Todd Hunter in 1995 of moving “toward greater scriptural emphasis” has never found materialization, as the accusations had turn out to be true. The focus in using the music over the Word of God, the interest for prophecy without caring for the source, the seduction for signs and wonders over the obedience of Jesus’ commands, to the point of removing the Bible as the highest authority in Christianity, neglecting its reading, and contaminating its interpretations has definitely turned Vineyard into a New Age of apostasy and heresies.
Practical Examples of the Wrong Inspiration
The following statements were spoken or written by the pastors of the Vineyard church as part of “a teaching, based on the Bible”, according to their own church program, during a Sunday service. Those declarations show that the spirit of confusion from the Toronto Revival is still in Vineyard, and that a tight demonic contract is in effect, since the discrepancies with the Scriptures and even with themselves.
I
“Let’s read in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 1: ‘A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.’ This by the way is not the Virgin Mary. We’ll explain in a moment what this symbol is, but ‘She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.’” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 1:45 – 2:15)
First interpretation: the woman is not the Virgin Mary.
“And I’ll give you a hint: the woman is representative… is a picture of the people of God, the people of God in the Old Testament and the people of God in the New Testament, so she’s representative of us too.” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 2:16 – 2:30)
Second interpretation: the woman is a figure of the people of God, Jewish and Christians.
“Then ‘The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth’. Now, again, this is in a literal sense Mary, but also Mary is representative of the people of God, because Jesus is born from the lineage of Judah, from the Tribe of Judah.” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 32:09-32:28)
Third interpretation: the woman is Mary, and also the Jewish people.
“Look what it says in chapter 12 verse 13 and 17: ‘When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child’, and ‘The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle’, this again, remember, this is… the woman is representative of the people of God.” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 45:23-45:45)
Fourth interpretation: the woman represents the people of God in general.
II
“The people of God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament had been made one in Jesus Christ; Israel and the Church has been joined together, there’s just one body in Messiah, no two bodies” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 2:31–2:45)
First interpretation: Israel and the Church are one in Christ.
“And this is something that the Holy Spirit is doing in this day and age, is removing barrier between Jew and Gentile (32)” (Passover Seder, 2011)
Second interpretation: The Holy Spirit is joining Israel and the Church today.
III
“And if you are here today and you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you never given your life to Him, don’t let him deceive you. Say ‘yes’ to Jesus today; come to Jesus. Say: ‘Lord, I give my life to You; reveal Your glory to me’. And you know what, He will. And as a believer, this is also a prayer that we need to pray: ‘Jesus, show me more of Your glory’. Because he’s also at work in the mind of unbelieving believers, to try to blind us to the glory of the Gospel of Christ, who’s the image of God. His energy is dedicated within…, you know, against the believer to keep you from Jesus, to keep you from seeing more of His glory. You know, I sense this, this war. Do you sense it? Do you sense it in your own devotional life, in your prayer time? When I get down to pray, there’s a war, there’s battle, there’s just… there’s barriers, because he doesn’t want you to get more of His glory. Because he knows how much God loves you; because he knows how much of His glory He wants to give you” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 41:24-42:35)
IV
“And the Bible says that when Satan comes against us, and we cry out to God, He’s able to take us to the wilderness to be with Him. He’s able to nourish us, He’s able to bless us, He’s able to give us peace. And so we turn to Him. He’s the accuser, and he comes and he attacks God’s people” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 46:43-47:02)
V
“You have a great God. We have a great God. So, he tries to kill Jesus, he fails to destroy Jesus, and then we’re told that he turns his attention elsewhere. And guess where he turns his attention? He turns his attention to those who belong to Jesus, to you and to me, because we’re His dear and prized possession.” (“A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth” (31), May 7th, 2006. 35:18-35:41)
VI
“Remember the Emmaus disciples? Cleophas and possible his wife that was with him, another woman named Mary, some suspect. When Jesus, all of the sudden, walking along side with them, they don’t recognize Him right away. Even much later, He appears to the disciples in Galilee, you know, some days after that, and we’re told in Matthew 28:17 that some still doubt it, you see, because it was something slightly different about Jesus. It was Jesus, but He was different.” (“Resurrection Sunday – The Seven Proofs of the Resurrection, Part 1” (33), January 4th, 2006. 22:55-23:26)
The Bible:
“But God kept them from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:16)
“As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!” (Luke 24:30-31, NLT)
VII
“The critics of the New Testament, and those who said the New Testament documents are not reliable I’ll say, well, they are not because the traditions were written down, you know, about two-three decades afterwards, and you’ll find a lot of, you know, pop literature nowadays in Borders, and Barnes and Noble’s, you know, causing, you know, bringing doubt to the whole thing of the reliability of the New Testament.” (“The Resurrection – Breaking News” (34), April 8th, 2007. 00:45-01:08)
First statement: The New Testament is not reliable.
“Don’t believe any of that stuff for a moment. There’s some really wild theories out there by so called scholars. We know that what we have is reliable. And there’s just… There’s science also behind that; and there’s fact behind that; and there’s the blood of the martyrs behind that too.” (“The Resurrection – Breaking News” (34), April 8th, 2007. 01:08-01:27)
Second statement: The New Testament is reliable, and it’s confirmed by science, facts and blood.
VIII
“Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, dry bones, hear the word of the LORD… hear the word of the LORD’’. Jesus said… On the Sermon of the Mountain, He said: ‘Man does not live by…’ What? (Crowd murmuring: ‘bread alone’) ‘bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God’, and so we preach, and we preach” (“How Revival Comes, Part Two” (35), February 18th, 2007. 25:04-25:37)
The Bible:
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mountain: Matthew 5:1-48, 6:1-34, 7:1-29, 8:1.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”: Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4.
IX
“This coming year (2011), I am releasing “joy unspeakable” over the earth. The state of the world will continue to deteriorate, yet My joy will abound greatly! Joy will become a great weapon for My people! It will be impossible for one to say that they know me and not be filled and overflowing with joy and happiness (36). […] This is the year that I activate and release joyful prophets. My Word will not change, but the vessels I use will exhibit a joy and happiness that will testify of my love and mercy. Many Words will come from many mouths, so use the evidence of true joy and true happiness as a factor in discerning who truly abides in Me and who is speaking from My heart (37).” (“Joy Unspeakable: Danny Galasso” (38), April 27, 2011)
New Vineyard Age
As we already saw, New Age is a harmonized chaos of unlike concepts, practices and religions, stripped down of their philosophy and turned into an apparently superficial mechanism sweetened with the promise of spiritual freedom, power and enlightenment. Or in other words, the adaptation of very old lies to a modern world of scientific discoveries.
Vineyard is reluctant to fall behind in this race for progress, and adopting practices based in emotions and personal experiences against the Holy Word of God.
“Many of the manifestations found in things such as the laughter phenomena (the shaking, stiffening of the limbs, howling, roaring, screeching etc.) have no biblical component or warrant from Scripture, but can be found in India, Haiti, Africa and other places of pagan worship and voodoo, (which is a bizarre mix of paganism, Catholicism, with the conscious decision to actively involve the supplicant in demon possession). New Age/Occultism would be the most current definition of the phenomena. The infusion of this demonic deception was not challenged by the leaders of the church and has contributed to the current status of decline.
[…] the phenomenon experienced by attendees of Vineyard seminars and services do not need to be validated by Scripture, and could, according to Wimber [Vineyard Movement founder], contradict God’s Word and still be ‘from the Lord’. […]
The next ‘quantum leap’ of the New Age evolution is the illumination of the soul, in the other ‘dimensions’, to personal godhood. This step ties in very nicely with the Vineyard concept of self authenticating experiences” (39)
Only time could tell if the Vineyard Movement is right or not, and it did: “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.” (Isaiah 8:20).
“A voice said, ‘Shout!’ I asked, ‘What should I shout?’ ‘Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.’” (Isaiah 40:6-8).
The beginning of all
Our Bible describes in Genesis chapter 3 how Eve first, and then Adam, listened and obeyed to a voice other than God’s. The fruit of the tree looked delicious, and they both desired its wisdom and power more than obedience. And they hid from God afterwards, ashamed of their own fault and nakedness.
Later on, they chose to reject their responsibility, lie, and play the blaming game, first Adam on Eve and God Himself, and then Eve on the serpent. And this is at a glance, how the first sin grasped their hearts with guilt, condemning the entire human race to the first death.
Let’s fast forward the Bible now to Matthew chapter 4, when Jesus prepared Himself for the greatest event of human history by fasting and praying 40 days in the wilderness. And what was the final test of His spiritual workout about? It was about overcoming the same old promises that destroyed our communion with God in the beginning: those of unlimited power to conquer our dreams, to break free from our restrictions; the promise to reach “enlightenment”; the promise to have a “deeper life”; the promise to “achieve another level of spirituality”; the promise to gain “powerful insights”…
Jesus Christ won the battle by trusting, confessing and obeying the Word of God.
If we learned anything by this, we should have noticed that what He did had not a single point of contact with what the modern churches like Vineyard practice: Jesus Christ fasted, while Vineyard listens to powerful music to create the right environment and mindset; Jesus Christ prayed, while Vineyard “soaks” itself in the “spirit” by performing “slaying” rituals; Jesus Christ declared the Word of God, and trusted that God was faithful to it, while Vineyard seeks new experiences beyond God’s self-imposed bounds to deal with humanity as they’re described in the Bible.
Our first witnesses
“The churches affected by the ‘Toronto Blessing’ and the ‘Pensacola Outpouring’ are affected by strange phenomena: shaking, jerking, uncontrollable laughter, barking, roaring, crying, acting as if drunk, and so forth. It should be noted that the Vineyard fellowship separated from the Toronto Vineyard. However, the Assemblies of God have endorsed the ‘Pensacola Revival’ which has a different flavor than ‘Toronto Blessing’. Nevertheless, these phenomena can be seen in Vineyards and Assemblies across the nation. Activity which a few years ago would be questioned as possible demonic activity, is now embraced as the move of the Holy Spirit. We are told there is a lot of good fruit because of these experiences. However, is it because of it or in spite of it? I also regularly review e-mails from people who have been hurt terribly by these experiences.
Alan Morrison writes ‘After having counseled many hundreds of people who have been affected by this psycho religious experience…within the churches which propagate the ‘Toronto Experience’ we find a great many traits which characterize cults: 1) extra-biblical revelation, 2) a false basis for salvation, 3) arrogant personal claims of the leaders, 4) doctrinal double-talk, 5) defective Christology, 6) defective pneumatology, 7) unjustified scriptural proof-texting; vicious and threatening denunciation of those who disagree 9) syncretistic practices and associations.’ (Letter in Evangelical Times as quoted in Strange Fire by Eric E. Wright, p.47). Wright further notes that miracles are not normative in life or in the Old and New Testaments, ‘Repeated dependence on miracles calls into question the infinite wisdom of God, and devalues his intimate involvement in all the affairs of life and history’. (ibid., p. 244)
They treat the Holy Spirit as if it were a commodity that could be dished out, dispensed or caught by someone passing by. Both Hannegraf in his book, Counterfeit Revival and Wright in Strange Fire, make similar observations. Wright sees seven negative features in Toronto and the Vineyards:
1. ‘Lack of spontaneity;
2. Physical phenomena that correspond almost exactly with the results of hypnotism
3. Dependence on people coming to the meetings with an expectation of what will happen;
4. Dependence upon suggestive techniques to generate openness to what happens
5. Dependence upon a powerfully charged atmosphere produced in a carefully choreographed and lengthy meeting;
6. Similarities to what takes place in brainwashing;
7. Treatment of the Holy Spirit as a commodity to be dispensed by supposedly ‘anointed’ men.
He continues, ‘In my opinion, the movement does not manifest the marks of a Holy Spirit revival. it reflects more a powerful appeal to the psychological urges of mankind dressed in a communications package that speaks to the desires and needs of modern man. It speaks to mankind’s deep longing for community and desire to escape from the drudgery and troubles of life. It engages the emotions rather than the intellect. It uses upbeat music, stories that entertain and a relaxed atmosphere, all wrapped up in a very exciting programme. The present movement also reflects the development in the Vineyard of a theology of signs and wonders that generates intense expectation and excitement. (ibid., p. 221) Later, Wright, a Canadian pastor who personally attended the Toronto Vineyard numerous times wonders how they ‘fail to see that hypnotists and practitioners of alien religions routinely perform healings similar to those performed in Vineyard circles.’ (ibid., p.238)” (41)
“There are certain aspects of the Vineyard Movement’s teachings that are suspect, if not entirely non-biblical. Members of the Vineyard Movement often rely on “experience with God” rather than following the Bible as the standard for faith and practice. Because of this, they teach that if what they do “works” pragmatically, then it must be from God. Additionally, the Vineyard Movement promotes various practices that have more in common with the occult and the New Age movement than with biblical Christianity. Some Vineyard Movement churches have been known to include ‘inner healings,’ contact with familiar spirits, aura readings, and psychological programs.
[…] Yet the Vineyard Movement promotes exactly these things [certain spiritual gifts], encouraging Christians to think of themselves as greater than others by virtue of the sign gifts they believe they possess.” (42)
The following declaration is by a former Vineyard Pastor:
“Since leaving the Vineyard churches I have read a fair bit of analysis from the critics. Some make out that the Toronto Blessing was one huge conspiracy to lead the body of Christ into heresy. Heresy and apostasy I suspect may well be the result, but none of these destinations were intentional. I am honestly convinced that the leaders in the Vineyard churches are genuine born-again Christians who love the Lord, but have fallen into deception. They have not loved the Lord enough to keep His commandments. They have failed to obey the scriptures and have been led astray by our longing for something bigger and brighter and more exciting and dynamic. I am guilty of this sin also.
[…]
To finish I just want to say sorry for the damage, that I have personally done by teaching things that are not correct biblically. I repent before men as I already have before God. I will not excuse my falling into deception (43). I did not bother to test things when the scriptures commanded us to do so. Everyone who was there when this thing started knows that what I write is true, they would just come to different conclusions especially if they are still promoting the ‘river!’
To those in the river I would say swim out, there are things living in the water that will bite you real good! I love the people of TACF and the Vineyard movement but I think that we have much to answer for and may the Lord open your eyes sooner rather than later.” (44)
A multitude of witnesses
The Holy Spirit, the teaching of Jesus, the sound doctrine of the Scriptures, the voice of the true prophets of the Living and True God, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Himself, in the gentle whisper. They all agreed.
The end of the matter (40)
The Vineyard Movement, as many other denominations out there, is spiritually designed to make Christians lose sight of their goal, and to keep them walking in parallel to the real will of God, without ever reaching it. According to these demonic movements, God is always doing something “new”, that we’ll totally miss if we only stick to what the Bible says. We should then perform rituals, obey “new” prophecies and pursue “new” powers, teachings and blessings in order to reach a more mature and intimate “relationship” with God. And we can even be convinced that we’re pleasing God by performing all of that. But the reality may be entirely different.
Anybody who is really seeking God and trusting Jesus Christ as Savior, those who thirst for the freedom and the anointing that only God’s Holy Spirit can deliver, and hunger for the Kingdom of Heaven, for doing things right, must we aware by now that by following the man-made theology of those ministers and their lies, they have made pacts with the kingdom of darkness and had rejected Jesus Christ, pitted against the works of the Holy Spirit.
You may have been hurt, or may have hurt others; you may have been controlled, or tried to control others; you may have been rejected or have rejected others; you may have taught, or have been taught false doctrines. However this may be, you must pray in the name of Jesus Christ, confess all of these evil practices to God, and repent from them.
You must concentrate on reading the Bible, asking God in the name of Jesus Christ for inspiration, and trust that only God’s grace in Jesus Christ’s humble sacrifice on the cross could justify you, cleanse you of your sins, give you a right conscience, and save you from the incoming second death.
“Who may climb the mountain of the LORD [YHWY]? Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.” (45)
May Our God bless you and protect you, and may He smile on you and be gracious to you, and encircle you with His mercy, and give you absolute peace in Jesus Christ’s Name, Our Lord.
NOTES:
(1) http://www.religioustolerance.org/newage.htm
(2) Projects: Usually a group of dirty buildings made for really poor/homeless people to live in. Projects are dangerous,very dirty,filled with gangsters,drug dealers,pimps,hookers and such. The first set of projects made(Starret City,made in 1963) where made for Blacks to live in, but over the years people of all races started to live in projects. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Projects)
(3) Email signed by Berten A. Waggoner, National Director, Vineyard USA, January 17th, 2012.
(4) Letter signed by Berten A. Waggoner, National Director, 2006. (http://stoptheblight.com/OurStoryTheLetter.html [http://www.scribd.com/doc/50028349/6/Section-3-The-Toronto-Blessing, Page 28])
(5) http://www.vineyardusa.org/site/about/vineyard-history
(6) “Articles on the 5 Core Values:
#1 The Theology and Practice of the Kingdom of God
#2 Experiencing God (coming soon)
#3 Culturally Relevant Mission
#4 Reconciling Community (coming soon)
#5 Compassionate Ministry” (http://www.vineyardusa.org/site/about/vineyard-values)
(7) Contrary to what anybody may think, Christian faith is not blind. It’s strictly based on the teachings of Jesus Christ about the Kingdom of God, and supported by the Canon. But that belongs to another tale.
(8) 2 Timothy 1:7
(9) “The Furnace”, Friday, November 11th, 2011. This service is held the 2nd Friday of each month, at 7:30 P.M.
(10) Frazer, Sir James George, The Golden Bough: A study of magic and religion, (1922). Chapter 34. The Myth and Ritual of Attis.
(11) “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Matthew 6:7)
(12) “DVCF Mission and Vision”, http://www.doralvineyard.com/who-we-arewhat-we-do/purpose/
(13) “Deeper Life”, Thursday, November 3rd, 2011.
(14) Jesus Christ educated His followers about forgiveness not as a way to reach freedom and move to a new and deeper level, but as a extremely important way of pleasing and fulfilling the will of God in our lives, and as the Golden Rule of “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” declared in Matthew 7:12:
“[Jesus said:] Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:9-15)
“[Jesus said:] So watch yourselves! If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” (Luke 17:3-4)
“[Jesus said:] Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
“[Jesus said:] So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
(15) “No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28)
(16) “And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD [YHWH]. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the LORD [YHWH] your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the LORD [YHWH] your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the LORD [YHWH] your God forbids you to do such things.” (Deuteronomy 18:10b-14); “Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft” (Leviticus 19:26b); “Men and women among you who act as mediums or who consult the spirits of the dead must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense.” (Leviticus 20:27); “Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD [YHWH] your God.” (Leviticus 19:31); “Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.” (Ecclesiastes 10:13-14).
(17)“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—do not listen to them. The LORD [YHWH] your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the LORD [YHWH] your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the LORD [YHWH] your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the LORD [YHWH] your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5)
(18) “Then the LORD [YHWH] said to Moses and Aaron, ‘These are the instructions for the festival of Passover. No outsiders are allowed to eat the Passover meal. If there are foreigners living among you who want to celebrate the LORD’s [YHWH’s] Passover, let all their males be circumcised. Only then may they celebrate the Passover with you like any native-born Israelite. But no uncircumcised male may ever eat the Passover meal. This instruction applies to everyone, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner living among you.’” (Exodus 12:43, 48-49). Please note, Jesus Christ (Luke 2:21, 3:23-38; Matthew 5:17-18) and Paul (Philippians 3:5-6) were both pure-blooded Jews, and it was legal for them to celebrate Passover and other Jewish holidays.
(19) Acts 15:19-21; Acts 15:28-29; Galatians 2:4-5, 14-16; Galatians 3:10; Colossians 2:16-19.
(20) “Jesus replied, ‘You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.’ Then he said, ‘You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.” (Mark 7:6-9, 13-14).
(21) The prophet Elijah is considered the protector of the Jewish people, and the guardian of newborn boys, which is a partial contradiction with the reason for Passover; prophetess Miriam’s reference in Passover is a lot newer, and traced back to 1989, was meant to honor women. The Bible says: “Suppose someone secretly entices you—even your brother, your son or daughter, your beloved wife, or your closest friend—and says, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known. They might suggest that you worship the gods of peoples who live nearby or who come from the ends of the earth. But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them. You must put them to death! Strike the first blow yourself, and then all the people must join in. Stone the guilty ones to death because they have tried to draw you away from the LORD [YHWH] your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery. Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and no one will act so wickedly again.” (Deuteronomy 13:6-11)
(22) “Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.” (Psalm 146:3-4). “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). “[…] should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” (Isaiah 8:19b).
(23) “Passover”, April 12, 2012, Events Calendar, http://www.doralvineyard.org./
(24) The Passover “Haggadah”, Hebrew for “telling”, is a book read every Passover at the Seder table. It describes the Jewish slavery in Egypt, and how God freed them from Pharaoh, the story of the Book of Exodus. It’s fairly obvious that the inclusion of Elijah and Miriam are posterior to the original texts.
(25) “Seder” means “order”, in Hebrew. It regulates how the ritual of Passover should be done.
(26) Freedom is totally different according to our Bibles: “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32). “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36). “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
(27) Ritual for Miriam’s Cup and Elijah’s Cup, http://telshemesh.org/nisan/ritual_for_miriams_cup_and_elijahs_cup.html
(28) The real reason why Jewish don’t sacrifice a lamb for Passover anymore is because this should be done at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem: “Rather, you must seek the LORD [YHWH] your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored. There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.” (Deuteronomy 12:5-6). That Temple was destroyed in the year 70, during the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. No Temple, no sacrifices, that simple. No sacrifices, no Passover!
(29) “The Meaning of Passover”, Chosen People Ministries, http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/holidays-and-festivals/190-the-meaning-of-passover
(30) “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD’s [YHWH’s] Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD [YHWH]! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:11-13)
(31) “A Journey Through the Book of Revelation – The War in Heaven and Earth”, May 7, 2006; uploaded by ‘doralvineyardchurch’ on February 22nd, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg3dB7XFYZU&feature=plcp&context=C464a792VDvjVQa1PpcFMV_VujZ1OL6kBImpiDiiIwEdAtgmNjZqg=
(32) The Bible: “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” (Ephesians 2:14-18)
(33) “Resurrection Sunday – The Seven Proofs of the Resurrection, Part 1”, January 4th, 2006; uploaded by ‘doralvineyardchurch’ on February 9th, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7kmmPJTDlw
(34) “The Resurrection – Breaking News”, April 8th, 2007; uploaded by ‘doralvineyardchurch’ on February 24th, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILSchoFSbRE
(35) “How Revival Comes, Part Two”, February 18th, 2007; uploaded by ‘doralvineyardchurch’ on February 24th, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViarSNIq_Uw
(36) “Overflowing with joy and happiness” is not a sign of knowing God: “Indian Guru Bhagvhan Shree Rajneesh was affectionately known by his followers as the ‘divine drunkard’ because he was reputed to have drunk so deeply from the well of the ‘Divine.’ As a former follower of Rajneesh I met hundreds of Sannyasins who had flown to India ‘to drink’ from ‘Bhagwan’s wine.’ When followers were physically touched by Rajneesh, or even if they were merely in his presence, they would often experience feelings of great exhilaration and joy. Disciples of Swami Baba Muktananda would often manifest uncontrollable laughter after receiving Shaktipat (physical contact) from the guru.”(“ HOLY LAUGHTER”, http://www.demonbuster.com/holylaug.html) Now, the Bible declares: “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.’” (John 8:31) “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”( John 13:34-35) “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2) “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39) “The LORD [YHWH] says, ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.’” (Psalm 91:14). “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.” (1 John 4:1-3, 5-6)
(37) “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.” (Matthew 24:24-25) “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the LORD [YHWH]?’ If the prophet speaks in the LORD’s [YHWH’s] name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD [YHWH] did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22) “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.” (Isaiah 8:20) “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.” (1 Corinthians 14:3-4) “Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, ‘No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.’” (Revelation 19:10)
(38) “Joy Unspeakable: Danny Galasso”, Posted on April 27, 2011. http://doralvineyard.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/joy-unspeakable-danny-galasso-2/
(39) “Testing The Fruit Of The Vineyard”, by John Goodwin, Pastor, Solid Rock Christian Fellowship, http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/KJCVINEY.HTM
(40) “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
(41) “Recognizing Deception and Apostasy”, “Chapter 7 Signs and Wonders”, http://www.the-tribulation-network.com/denemcgriff/Apostasy/recognizing_deception_and_apostasy_chapter_7.htm
(42) “What is the Vineyard Movement?”, http://www.gotquestions.org/Vineyard-Movement.html
(43) “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.” (Proverbs 28:13-14)
(44) “THE TORONTO DECEPTION by a Former Vineyard Pastor”, Blog Archives, Posted by discernmentministriesinternational, (http://discernmentministriesinternational.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/the-toronto-deception-by-a-former-vineyard-pastor/)
(45) Psalm 24:3-5.
Sources:
http://www.ukapologetics.net/1toronto.html
http://stoptheblight.com/OnVineyardAndTheRenewal.html (http://www.scribd.com/doc/50028349/6/Section-3-The-Toronto-Blessing)
http://www.wayoflife.org/database/wimber.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/jwimber.html
http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/19-charismatics/31-the-vineyard-movement-part-1
http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/19-charismatics/32-the-vineyard-movement-part-2
http://www.svchapel.org/resources/articles/19-charismatics/4-fresh-fire-or-false-flames
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/vine/vinemove.htm
http://doralvineyard.wordpress.com/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1995/may15/5t6051.html
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1996/january8/6t1066.html
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1996/january8/6t1066.html?start=2
http://www.vineyardusa.org/site/
http://stoptheblight.com/default.html (http://www.scribd.com/doc/50028349/6/Section-3-The-Toronto-Blessing)
http://bibleresources.bible.com/
petbones 
Hello
Thanjs for the article on Apostasy in Christs church. There is one issue however that I see with your post, something, unfortunately which isnt rare.
Could you please refrain from using the terminology “Chtistian and Jews”. As you suppose that Jews cannot become belivers in Yeshua. Jews DO NOT stop being Jews when they come to faith in Christ. Infact scripturally, they become whole as Jews.
Your language to a untrained eye pressuposses followers of Christ as antisemitic. Something which non believing Jews also pre suppose.
Orthodox non belivers Jews would be a more accurate statement, as would Believing Messianic Jews.
The Church, body of Christ is both Jew and gentile, there is no distinction. One Church, One body.
Thankyou