The Devil comes in many disguises. Quite often, he comes dressed up as
a minister of the Gospel. Sometimes it is difficult to spot him. He
masquerades as a Pastor, looks so holy, so prosperous, so loving, so
helpful. The Devil is sometimes good at using colorful
Christian-sounding lingo, hollering out "Praise Jesus!" a few times to
his congregation. Words like "Alleluia!" may slide off his tongue like
silk.
The Devil knows how to speak in other tongues, too, and he does it
often. The Hindu gurus over in India regularly speak in other tongues,
as do some witches, and it's been known to happen in Mormon Churches
and in Voodoo trance-rituals. But the Devil seems to be most acclaimed
and gets the most mileage when he wears the garb of a Charismatic,
"spirit-filled" pastor and lets his babbling tongue fly in front of a
huge bunch of dancing, jumping up and down, tongue-speaking Charismatic
church-goers.
Isaiah 56: 10-12
Now understand, I am not doubting for a moment that the Holy Ghost can
speak in tongues through a Christian believer. We know that from the
scriptures. And, no doubt, that's why the Devil does it, too, to mock,
imitate and counterfeit.
The Church from Hell
On page 3 of this newsletter is the tragic, true story (reprinted from
Newsweek magazine, June 6, 2005) of one Pastor in Louisiana who was
filled with the Devil and the horrors that befell his church.
This pastor literally turned his church into a hell-house in which
members raped and sexually abused as many as 24 children in satanic
rituals and devil worship. Neighbors said at night they sometimes heard
strange noises coming from the church. Newsweek called it, "The Devil's
Handiwork."
Such incidents-and they are happening more and more now-boggle the
mind. But as sick and monstrous as they are, I believe the Devil is
accomplishing much, much more through ministries like that of Rick
Warren, Joel Osteen, and Billy Graham than he is through Pastors like
the one in Louisiana.
Hell is Being Enlarged
You see, the Louisiana Pastor only tainted and brought hell to a very
small group of people. What a piker! Slick ministers like Warren,
Osteen, and Graham are able to persuade tens of millions of victims to
give up Jesus Christ. As a consequence, as the Bible says in Isaiah
5:14 and Habakkuk 2:5, Hell is ever being enlarged, and more and more
unsaved souls are plunging into its depths every day.
Rick Warren, Pastor for the "Me" Generation
Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest,
California, is the hip and trendy, twenty-first century model of Dr.
Robert Schuller. In fact, Schuller just happens to be his mentor.
Warren's bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life, is vintage New
Ageism. The selfish "me" generation loves it, because they are always
trying to figure out their "purpose" in life. The Bible, of course,
tells us our purpose: Our purpose is to deny ourselves, take up the
cross, and follow Jesus. But no one today would buy a book that says
that. Today's narcissistic, "party, party, party" generation isn't
gonna deny itself. It's looking for a way to affirm self and to deny
God.
Jimi Hendrix and "Purple Haze"
What is Rick Warren "driven" to do in his life? In front of a gigantic
crowd of some 30,000 people in Los Angeles' baseball stadium, "Pastor
Rick" came out in a psychedelic-colored T-shirt and kicked off a rally
recently by singing an impersonation of a 60s, hippie-era, Jimi
Hendrix' hit song, "Purple Haze." The enthusiastic crowd went wild with
laughter. Purpose-driven Pastor Rick told them, "I've always wanted to
do that in this stadium."
Think about it. Jimi Hendrix, a heavy metal guitarist and singer, died
of a drug overdose. He was a crackhead and a heroin addict. He would
violently smash his guitar, make a fire out of the splinters, and go
into a drugged-out voodoo trance. Hendrix said that's when he did his
"best" music, when the spirits entered him amidst the "Purple Haze."
Now we have America's Pastor, Rick Warren, soaking up the applause as
he goes back to lap up the dead Jimi Hendrix' vomit.
New Age books by lukewarm pastors like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen are
all the rage today.
Joel Osteen: Forget About Sin, Judgment and False Religion
Then along comes smiley boy Joel Osteen. He's got a book that's
rocketed up to #1 on The New York Times bestseller list. He's filling
up auditoriums. His happy times prosperity gospel church has even
bought up a 60,000 seat stadium for Osteen to do his preaching at.
And what does he preach? Well, Osteen, on CNN's The Larry King Show,
said he doesn't get into controversial subjects like sin and judgment.
False religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism don't concern him.
He doesn't really know who's going to hell and who isn't, says smiley
boy Joel.
"God is a good god," he repeats over and over, so Osteen is not into
condemnation, hell, fire, and brimstone. If you're a Mormon, a
Buddhist, a Mason, a Moslem it's all the same to God. God just wants
you to have your "best life, now."
Your Best Life, Now
That's it. That's the Osteen Gospel: The Best Life for Earth's six
billion inhabitants, with or without Jesus. Indeed, with his book they
can have it right now, this minute, by thinking positive and staying
away from all those unwholesome, negative, Bible believers.
Fornicator-General of the Planet
The twenty-first century ministries of Warren, Osteen, and others of
today's up and coming preacher corps dovetail quite nicely with the
outgoing crew of Schuller and Graham. At his so-called "final crusade"
in Queens, New York, Billy Graham talked about singer Madonna. Then he
invited into the pulpit a man who is best described as the
"Fornicator-General of the Planet." I'm talking about former President
Bill Clinton, the big liar who declared, "I did not have sex with that
woman, Ms. Lewinsky."
Graham purred and puffed, and praised his pal Bill Clinton, telling the
audience in New York and around the world via TV that Clinton was a
fine man who should become a Christian evangelist and preach crusades.
And as for Hillary-yes, she was there in person, too, invited by
Graham-Billy Graham said that while Bill Clinton was out on the road
preaching, Hillary should be back at the White House running the
country!
Billy Graham Says,"I'm a Lifelong Democrat"
That same week, Billy Graham let everybody know that his pro-Clinton
comments were no accident. Interviewed by Katey Couric on NBC's Today
show, Graham assured the perky little liberal that he has always been a
life-long member of the Democrat Party.
Gasp, snort. Billy Graham a Democrat? You mean, Graham is a supporter
of that political party that's rabidly pro-abortion, pro-homosexual,
pro-globalist, pro-United Nations, pro-Communist? Yep, exactly. Graham
says he's always been one of those kind of political partisans, always
will be.
"Shocked, Shocked"
Anyone who's read Dr. Cathy Burns' documented expos=E9 book of Graham
entitled Billy Graham and His Friends could have told you. Yet,
thousands of Christian evangelicals now say they are "shocked, shocked"
to find out Graham is a big, goofy, loopy supporter of Bill and Hillary
Clinton and the entire Democrat Party. (Reminds ya of that famous line
in the classic Humphrey Bogart movie, Casablanca, where the lying,
crooked police commissioner protested he was "shocked, shocked," to see
gambling going on at a night club in Casablanca.)
Slumbering Dogs, Greedy Dogs
All these things and more I examine in my brand-new audiotape exposing
the popular new generation of "Christian" leaders. On it, I call them
what they are: Slumbering Dogs, Greedy Dogs. The Bible uses those
words, and I cannot possibly improve on them.
Yes, Pastor Rick and Pastor Joel are, indeed, loved and admired by the
world. Everyone loves a nice little dog, especially if it's one of
those cute, little lap dogs that have no bark and no bite.
Sadly, that's what the Christian establishment is full of these days:
Lazy dogs that eat, consume, luxuriate, sleep, not understanding,
believing that this day is prosperous and tomorrow will be even more
abundant.
But these men are wrong. By the time these slumbering dogs, greedy dogs
and their millions of dumbed-down followers wake up, it will be all
over but the shouting and the wailing. And that is why Texe Marrs, and
a few like me who subscribe to this newsletter, when we see the ruin
caused by apostates like Warren, Osteen, and others, are compelled to
drop to our knees and cry out with bitter tears, "Lord Jesus, please,
come quickly."
.
|
