An Evaluation of the "Florida Healing Outpouring" -- Dr. David Reagan (MUST READ!!!)

[Chris]

You guys have got to read this, it is very good and shows the foolishness of the Todd Bentley nonsense. :ohno

An Evaluation of the "Florida Healing Outpouring"
by Dr. David R. Reagan
http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles.php

[funmudder]

That was excellently written :thumb

[BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF]

Dave does such a great job of touching on all points. :yeah

[ByHisGrace]

That was great!!

I didn't know David Reagan believed in the gifts of the Spirit, very good!
That was a very well said, well thought out article.
Thanks for posting it!

[Buzzardhut]

This is a "revival" with very little teaching and preaching. In fact, Todd Bentley seldom brings a Bible to the pulpit with him. The services begin with an intense and lengthy period of worship. One pastor described the worship as "hypnotic music" that utilizes "rhythmic sound" with "repetitious words."3 I checked this description by going to the Fresh Fire Ministries website and watching a service. I found the description to be accurate. Nearly all the songs consist of chants of short phrases that are repeated over and over and over — phrases like, "Lord set us free," "Fire fall down on me," and "It's raining; it's pouring; Your rivers are flowing." The music seemed designed to whip the audience into a frenzy. Here's how a Florida pastor named Gary Osborne described a service he attended:4

The phrase, "stir yourselves up" was used repeatedly... A woman led in prayer for the service and... told the people to "roar like a lion!"... People everywhere shouted at the top of their lungs... This same lady was jerking and twitching... There was also much talk of "birthing" and "signs and wonders." There was a very sensual spirit... People seemed to be in a trance all around me... The music had the people mesmerized...

At about 8:30 p.m... the music leader says, "I'm feeling drunk." He then tells the people to say to God, "Intoxicate me, Lord!"... Now the people are getting truly wild, and the leader says, "Scream!" and the people let out a yell... Finally the worship leader falls to the floor himself...

The most troubling angel Bentley describes in his teachings is a female one named Emma. (Keep in mind that the Bible never mentions female angels!) Amazingly, he states that he was introduced to this very special angel by none other than Bob Jones, one of the infamous "prophets" of the Kansas City Movement in the 1980s. I say, "amazingly," because Bob Jones has been thoroughly discredited, not only because of numerous false prophecies he has made, but also for serious moral failures which he has publicly admitted.

Bentley says Jones asked him if he had ever met the angel called Emma. Bentley said he had not and then asked who she was. Jones explained she was the one who empowered him and the other leaders of the Kansas City prophetic movement in the 1980s. He described her as a "mothering-type"angel.19

Bentley states that within a few weeks of this encounter with Jones, Emma suddenly appeared to him during a service in North Dakota. He says she floated into the room a couple of inches off the floor.20 You must read what happened in Bentley's own words lest you think I am exaggerating:

She [Emma] glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors. Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began putting gold dust on people. "God, what is happening?" I asked. The Lord answered, "She is releasing the gold which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church... Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry. Thousands of dollars! Thousands!

During this visitation the pastor's wife got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost — she began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her. Also, as this prophetic anointing came on her, she started getting phone numbers of complete strangers and calling them on the telephone and prophesying over them.

In my opinion, this sort of stuff borders on insanity. You have to read it with your own eyes to even believe that someone would say it.

If Bentley saw such a creature at all, it was clearly a demonic apparition. There are no female angels in the Bible. And when angels appear in biblical stories, they appear as normal human beings, not as spirits floating around pell-mell.
Another Bentley Obsession

Bentley speaks very seldom of Jesus or the Holy Spirit. He talks mostly about "the Glory" which he identifies as the Shekinah Glory of God. He says God is manifesting His Shekinah Glory today like a river and is calling Christians to jump in to receive healing, finances, and new revelations.21

There is no biblical basis for this strange teaching. God is present in and among His people today through His Spirit, not His glory. His glory will not be manifested here on earth until Jesus returns to reign in glory and majesty over all the world (Isaiah 24:21-23 and Habakkuk 2:14). Nor is there any need for further revelations from God. The Bible reveals everything we need to know this side of Heaven. As one critic of Bentley has put it so well, "We have no need to grasp after new importations and anointings and visitations because God has already imparted His Spirit and the mystery of His will to His people."22

The "Glory" Bentley talks about constantly is not the Second Coming of Jesus. It is, instead, the return of Christ within men, bringing about the perfection of believers and producing perfect and immortal sons of God who are invincible. It is the old apostate "Manifest Sons of God" doctrine.23
Astral Projection

In addition to supernatural tales about angels, Bentley likes to talk about astral travel.24 He claims that he makes visits to Heaven. In one of his stories he tells about meeting the Apostle Paul and says that he looked "very Jewish with a short, trimmed white beard." He had "jolly cheeks" and was "a little pudgy." He says that Paul took him to his heavenly home and told him to climb a ladder that was in his back yard. Bentley says that as he climbed the ladder, a hole opened in the sky and a green liquid started pouring onto his eyes. He says the next thing he knew, he was standing in God's throne room.25

What nonsense! What is even more appalling to me is that there are Christians who are gullible enough to swallow this claptrap — hook, line, and sinker.

For those of you who may disagree with my analysis of Todd Bentley's ministry, please do not waste your time by writing to admonish me against "touching God's anointed." And don't send me any sermons against judging. There is nothing wrong with judging the biblical teachings of anyone. In fact, we are exhorted to do so. In 1 John 4:1 and Galatians 1:8-9 we are told to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God," and we are told to apply that test even to "an angel from heaven" who preaches a gospel contrary to that revealed in the Scriptures.

Paul complimented the brethren in Berea for testing his teachings by the Word (Acts 17:10-11). When Peter was hypocritical in his conduct toward Gentiles, Paul confronted him publicly and rebuked him (Galatians 2:11-14). And Paul also publicly warned the Church about two false teachers named Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:17-18).

When the Bible warns against judging (Matthew 7:1), it is speaking about judging motives — not words and actions. And as for not touching God's anointed, that warning in the Old Testament is applied to kings. It certainly does not apply to false prophets who have no anointing to begin with..

[Buzzardhut]

I wonder if angel Emma masquerades around town as the virgin Mary :scratch

[Sandra1701]

I wonder if angel Emma masquerades around town as the virgin Mary :scratch


She probably does!

[His Bride]

I read this yesterday and posted something but my computer messed up and it didn't get posted. Grrrr.. Anyway, the sentence in the article that caught my eye was about God being the God of order, dignity, and so on. It was the word "dignity" that caused me to pause and feel so ashamed of my fellowman. Todd Bentley and others have brought sensation and a carnival atmosphere to the people. They call themselves Christians but are probably not. They treat our God as a common man who delights in the outrageous behavior that they exhibit. They aren't alone. Even in our worship services we don't give Him the dignified reverence that He alone deserves. I am ashamed and my spirit is grieved when I picture the scene one day as the Creator and Sustainer of all life looks at all of us and we fall before Him. We need to really examine our attitude toward the character of God and how we relate to Him. It is so sad really, to see all of these people follow this charlatan and his antics. So godly, isn't it.

[scrappergirl]

Good article.
However, I remember the gold teeth people being a married couple, not two ladies. does anybody remember that clip?

On another occasion, he called up two women from Holland who claimed that as a result of the anointing they had experienced at his service the night before, they had awakened the next morning with gold teeth in their mouths! Bentley had them open their mouths, and after examining each one, he shouted, "Yes! Yes! Each lady has a big fat gold tooth!" He proclaimed this to be a "miracle."

[hatikva]

I do remember when golden teeth were popular.

I haven't heard about them anymore. Has this miracle ran out of gold?:scratch:lol2