Many people seek healing, financial success, spiritual experiences, prophetic knowledge and sensual entertainment. Bentley puts on quite a show! Known for his heavenly visions, angelic "partners," mystical tattoos, and irreverent "teaching," he makes them laugh. One of his many Youtube performances includes this outrageous dialogue with an unbiblical "God":"The woman was standing in the back of the room when the faith of God hit the meeting, and her tumour exploded out of her right leg, slid down her leg onto the floor! ... [God] said, '...I want you to grab that lady's crippled legs and bang them up-and-down on the platform like a baseball bat.' [loud laughter] I walked up and I grabbed her legs, and I started going, BAM! BAM! ...banging them.... She got healed!...
"And there is this older lady worshipping right in front of the platform. And the Holy Spirit spoke to me; the gift of faith came on me. He said, 'Kick her in the face with your biker-boot.' ... I went like this [kicks and shouts] BAM! And just as my boot made contact with her nose, she fell under the power of God."
Jesus said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16) But the genuine "fruit of the Spirit" (God's love, goodness, gentleness...) was missing from this brutal show.
Counterfeit angels and demonic visions
Bentley is no stranger to demonic forces. "...twenty-five demons were cast out of me," he said in one of the many videos that document his teachings. "
He claims to have met a dazzling "angel" named Emma. Bentley described their first encounter in his article "Angelic Hosts":
"In the middle of the service... in walks Emma. As I stared at the angels with open eyes, the Lord said, 'Here's Emma.' I'm not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor... emitting brilliant light and colours. 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.'"
The "god" behind this "angel" is not our Lord! But with the rising popularity of fascinating female "angels", Emma would hardly be hindering Bentley's world-wide popularity. As he wrote in his Personal Message:
"Thousands of leaders and pastors have received impartation. And the fire is spreading throughout the GLOBE! ... This anointing is very contagious and hundreds of churches and ministries are now hosting overflow rooms..."
The Bible warned us that this sort of thing would happen:
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
The crowds who attend Bentley's performances are being tricked! Satanic agents often masquerade as "angels of light," and Satan uses feel-good experiences to deepen the deception. Through these unbiblical meetings, many are "fellowshipping" with demons and this will eventually bring them into indescribable depression and despair in the long run. The enchanting moments of light will prove fleeting, at best, while fear and confusion will darken their days. They will continue to suffer under that cruel master unless God sets them free.
Bentley's tools are occultic. Like a tribal shaman (and like his own former world of "satanic music"), he uses loud rhythmic sounds (drums, etc.), then adds repetitious words and hypnotic music. Pastor Gary Osborne described it in his article, Bentley's "Revival" in Lakeland, Florida:
"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.'... People were swaying and dancing.... There was a very sensual spirit... People seemed to be in a trance all around me. If the worship leader said, 'raise your hands' everyone did so immediately. If he said, 'drop to your knees' they did.... The music had the people mesmerized....
"At about 8:30 PM... 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...."
"This manipulative process started up again the next evening. Finally, with the crowd thoroughly conditioned to "break out of the box" of Biblical order, Bentley took control. Wearing a t-shirt with the words, "Jesus Gave Me My Tattoos," he announced the presence of "great authority" in the building. "I speak creation," he declared. "I speak new hearts, new livers into existence tonight....""
Doesn't he know God's view of such arrogance? Has he no fear of God's judgments on those who serve the purpose of the master deceiver?
"Signs", "wonders" and mystical "healings"
"The glory of God is intense," wrote Bentley in a "Personal Message", "...miracles continue - tumours disappearing nightly, cancers and deaf ears being healed. It has been reported that more than 55 people in wheelchairs are receiving their healing. Another remarkable turn of events - 13 reported resurrections!"
He claims that a male "angel" named "Healing Revival" worked with him in many past healings:
"When he comes I get... the ability to diagnose people's sicknesses with my left hand.... I get very accurate details from God.... And whenever this angel shows up the miracles go off the charts."
Four angels supposedly operated on him during one of his heavenly visions. He saw "a Pillar of fire" rise up through the roof of a church. When "God" told him to "get into the Pillar," he complied -- and landed on an operating table in heaven. The angels tied him down and began surgery:
"[T]hey pick this thing up... and they stuck it in me right here on my neck and it didn’t hurt.... they went right down to my lowards and all of a sudden ... everything inside of me popped out onto the table, my heart, my liver -- like everything.... . [T]he angels start taking these white boxes… and they start stuffing these things inside of me... and I heard the verse 'I desire truth in the inward parts.'”
Bentley's reference to Psalm 51:6 illustrates his blatant Scripture twisting -- a timeless demonic tool. And his "surgery" reminds me of the mystical reports about "alien abductions."
We shouldn't be surprised. Long ago, missionaries to distant tribal cultures described both the source and the effect of shamanic magic. It's not a new phenomenon!
The Bible says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11)
Exposing the darkness can be costly. Church leaders who seek unity, popularity and unbounded fellowship are quick to label us intolerant and judgmental. But the cost is nothing compared to the genuine joy of serving the Lord!
No comments:
Post a Comment