Doctrines of Demons: The Coming of the Glory
This eleven-part series by Tricia Tillin is an urgent appeal to reject current teachings on the overshadowing and anointing of the supposed Glory of God in the endtimes. It looks at teachings from the old Latter Rain movement and shows how those teachings and many others have led to a belief that there will be a sealing or anointing for those who have prepared themselves for transformation.
The topics of the ten major sections, together with the appendix, and PDF version for download, are found on the CONTENTS page. Alternatively, each section is briefly linked below:
| Part One - The Sealing & Overshadowing Part Two - The Sealing & Overshadowing (2) Part TwoA - Resisting the Overshadowing Part Three - The Descent of the Glory Part Four - Transformation Part Five - The Sword of Judgement |
Part Six - New Church, New Apostles Part Seven - The Sound of Seduction Part Eight - The Global Network Part Nine - The Lighthouses Movement Part Ten - Appendix A Part Eleven - Appendix B |
|---|
CONTENTS
- The True Seal of God
- More information on the Mark
- Overshadowing as Impregnation
- Overshadowing as Union with the Spirit Realm
- Overshadowing as Receiving the Mind of Christ
- The Seal of God as the Mind of Christ
- Appendix: Constantine and his use of the X Cross
- (copyright information)
IN PART ONE I dealt with the possibility of a physical or spiritual sealing upon the Remnant Christians or "overcomers". Before I move on, I am going to finalise that section with a few more facts, and also look at the scriptures that speak of the true seal of God.
- Although we are dealing with heresies here, we cannot simply dismiss them. They represent actual events that will take place on this earth, affecting all of us.
- Although the sonship doctrines are unbiblical, they do represent events of the Endtime, events that will literally take place shortly before the Return of Jesus Christ.
Oftentimes, in the quotes you will read here, the events have been spiritualised or changed beyond all recognition yet they are not mere fantasies. This is the problem. Satan is covering his tracks with lies, preparing Christians to accept the coming events as part of God's Plan for Restoration! We need to be wise enough to perceive what is being spoken of, and thus to avoid what is coming.
So, with the seal of God upon the foreheads, we must work out what it means in everyday life for us as Christians. We must also understand what it means biblically.
THE TRUE SEAL OF GOD
Christians are ALREADY sealed! This seems to have escaped the notice of the revival movement. The Bible fully describes our sealing by and with the Holy Spirit, and explains its meaning. Unless we understand God's present-day seal upon us, we won't understand why the coming future "seal of God" is so terribly wrong, so please read the following carefully:
- Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Cor 1:21-22
- In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:12-14
- And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Eph 4:30
I don't see any hint in these scriptures of a FUTURE sealing for born-again Christians, do you?
When we accepted Jesus Christ, and made Him our Lord, we became his servants or slaves. We entered his household and belong to Him.
It was customary, when a person purchased goods of any kind, for him to mark his property with his seal in order to distinguish it from the goods of another; it was also customary to set a seal upon what was dedicated to God, or what was to be offered to him in sacrifice.
Just like the householder of old, God - having bought us - placed his seal upon us to mark us out as HIS PROPERTY. In that way, he knows "those who are his own". The seal is the equivalent of the brand that some owners burnt upon their slaves and animals, denoting ownership.
If you have committed your life to Christ, you have the SEAL OF HIS OWNERSHIP upon you, and that seal we are told is the Holy Spirit that we received when we were born again, making us partakers (fellowshippers) of his nature.
Importance of the Seal of God
The seal of the Father also acts as a promise of inheritance, a divine guarantee that we will one day share the inheritance with the Son, Jesus, because it is a GIFT of something precious and full of meaning.
A signet ring in olden days carried the personal mark or insignia of the owner with which he authenticated documents and other objects, impressing his ring into the hot wax of the seal. Thus, to hold the signet ring of the king meant that you would be able to act in his name, as his authentic agent in his realm.
To give a signet ring on a permanent basis to a servant or member of the family was akin to our modern-day custom of giving the "keys of the house" in a ceremony for those who have come of age. It means you have the right to the inheritance in due time. When God, therefore, gave us the Holy Spirit (his seal) as a guarantee, it was his own personal assurance that we would inherit as a son of the house! He also gave us the authority to act "in his Name" as his ambassadors. This puts us in a highly privileged (and responsible) position in God's household, a position we should never abuse.
Now, knowing that we already have this promise and guarantee, do we have any need for another sealing in the future? NO. We are already under God's wing of protection, members of his House. We belong to Him.
What then does the seal of God on the forehead in the book of Revelation mean?
"Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed..." Rev 7:2-8
I see no reason to disagree with the scriptures - it says here that certain of the tribes of ISRAEL were sealed to protect them from the coming disastrous events on earth. Not all the Jews were sealed, but certain ones known only to the angels and to God - these are the foreordained and predestined of Israel, the Remnant, who would ultimately be saved. However, at the time of the sealing they have not come to Jesus and so would need this sealing in advance of their salvation to be kept from harm.
The Danger of Receiving Another
Knowing then the meaning of the seal, isn't the danger of receiving an alternative, counterfeit, seal now obvious?
-
Since we belong to God, and since the seal of ownership and our guarantee of redemption is the Holy Spirit, doesn't it mean that a counterfeit seal in the churches would mean a change of ownership and the receiving of another spirit?
-
Doesn't it mean we would be willingly 'casting away our crown' and laying down our future inheritance in the heavenlies in order to take up the consolation prize of earthly rulership?
The way we have come in these last years has been a continual realignment according to our choices, whether we would serve God or not. Just as in the wilderness, God is testing us to see if our hearts are for Him. At first these tests were easy, but now we have almost reached the ultimate test, and a new dividing line is appearing along the fault-lines of a new deception. Will we remain loyal to our first sealing or abandon it in favour of another?
Oh, but you argue, does the reception of a counterfeit seal really mean that we have to abandon the true seal of God? Well, I HOPE not, but hope is not much to go on. The Bible teaches that we cannot belong to two masters at the same time. We cannot have two brands of ownership upon us at once. We cannot serve two masters! (Matt 6:24) Are you willing to take the risk?
Intolerable Pressures To Accept The Seal
God has been warning the wary to leave revival churches where they are being fed the poisonous new doctrines. It has been dangerous to hang around, soaking up the atmosphere and lazily submitting to the teaching, even for those who said they did not entirely agree with what was going on.
Now we see why. The "sealing" and other doctrines will be taught in the same atmosphere of mesmerism and hype, with believers held in thrall to the leadership. It will be presented using scriptural teaching that is apparently indisputable. AND, it will be urged in an atmosphere of fear and threat that will be almost irresistible.
For anyone deeply involved in the current revival, when this teaching comes along it will take a super-human effort to resist, because of the pressures brought to bear on the mind, emotions, will and spiritual situation of the believer.
Dramatisation of the Sealing
Imagine for a moment that you are a young Christian in one of the revival meetings. After the usual warming up of intense praise and worship, accompanied by the sense of the "presence" and all the excitement and tension of the meeting, the prophets begin to shout and call out in terms of the utmost urgency of God's judgement soon to fall upon all his enemies. It is prophesied with such tangible power that the whole room falls into a hushed and awed silence, struck by the knowledge that a dreadful destruction is about to befall the entire world.
No-one doubts the words of the prophets, such is the intensity of their pronouncement. In the aftermath, the ministers step forward to testify that they, too, have received a word from God of impending destruction and persecution. They use many scriptures to back up their statements.
Then, they speak of the obedient few who will escape, those who have prepared themselves in holiness and the fear of God, those who have been wise enough to receive the anointing oil so that their lamps do not dry out in the coming darkness.
In the churches - they say - only the rebellious, the "religious", the pharisees, the jezebels, the blasphemers of the Spirit will come under judgement while the remnant-company will be protected from God's wrath. Those who reject the River of God's blessing are hindering the emergence of the kingdom of God on earth. Now, the time has come to "remove all that offends" so that the glorious gospel may go out without restriction and the world might be saved.
As he speaks, there is a cloud appearing in the meeting place, becoming thicker and thicker until all can see and feel it. Then the minister, with massive anointing and manifestations, calls out that the angels of God have come to support his message to them, and they hold in their hands the "writer's inkhorn" to record in God's book of remembrance who is willing to be on the Lord's side.
The angels have a mission from God to mark those who sigh and cry over the abominations of the earth, and thus anyone who is the Lord's, and who wants to be under his wing of protection during the Tribulation, must submit to their ministry. Submission is the key. Believers can do nothing of themselves to secure their own safety, but if they submit to what God wants to do and simply receive, they will be truly his.
The minister cries out - the angels have touched him! LOOK - on his forehead there is golden dust! And, wait, is it taking the shape of a cross? And it's appearing on the other elders, too! The people gasp and fall down under the weight of this revelation. They cry out for the angels to mark them, too... give us the gold that we might be marked for God!
(Or this could be presented in a variety of different ways, but you get the idea...)
Either In or OUT forever
All the while you - the young believer, remember - have been watching and listening. You know yourself to be the Lord's. You desperately want to obey Him. Of course you want to avoid the coming judgement. You are not one of the blasphemers, one of those harsh, unloving, judgemental, anti-spirit people, of course not. So why not take the sealing of the angels?
Those scriptures - the blood on the lintels, the Ezekiel passage about the angel with the inkhorn, the verses in Revelation --- how can you argue with all that? It's undeniable. You've been told to check out everything with the Bible, but this is biblical, isn't it? And it's happening - it must be from God...
And all around you, every one of your friends is blissfully receiving - you think to yourself, what will happen to me if I leave this building unprotected from God's wrath? I can't endure under tribulation, I want to escape it... and furthermore, if I refuse to side with the Remnant I can NEVER come back to this church again.
If I refuse to submit to this, I will be on the other side for ever, a rebel, an outcast. I can never see my friends again, or even my family. I will be alone, doomed, rejected, and probably lose my salvation ----- because I rebelled, I had doubts, I questioned the move of God, I haven't got what it takes - and I haven't got the sealing of God in my forehead and mind.
In a situation like that, ONLY the man and
woman whose heart is TOTALLY dedicated
to God will walk away
and leave their church behind.
This sacrifice is too much for the double-minded. This is make or break time. Either you belong to the sealed Remnant, or you are part of the "woman" who is due for purging and purification from now on. Which would YOU choose?
"God desires to seal his servants on their foreheads. One either has the mark of the Beast system (worldly thought structures) or the mark or seal of Christs' kingdom: (the mind of Christ). People have to learn to put on the mind of Christ." [Forehead Seal of God vs. Forehead Mark of Beast]
I pray you will never let yourself be put in that situation, which is why I urge you to make up your minds NOW, before that time comes. If you are in any doubt about your ability to make the right choice, and refuse this "angelic touch" then don't go to the meetings!!
Things may not work out exactly as I have said - this is only an imagination of mine. It may happen under very different circumstances. I have also said I am not sure whether there will be a visible element to the sealing. But are you willing to take the chance?
Before moving on, I would like to offer a few more comments about the cross as being a possibility for a counterfeit mark or seal of God. If you recall, I examined the reasons for this in Part One of the series.
The cross on which Jesus died, however much we revere it as symbolic of our redemption, should not become an object of idolatry or adoration. We must remember that is is JESUS who is the Saviour, not the Cross on which he died.
Some religious people have made the cross into a talisman, an object of worship and a magic charm. They make the sign of the cross upon themselves as if doing that will in some way protect or sanctify them, whereas we know all grace and protection comes from God, not the cross.
Gold Teeth Marked with Cross
Some who have received gold teeth say that they are marked with the sign of the cross. That is interesting, since God does not usually sign his handiwork with a divine logo. Nor is the cross mark in itself a sign of holiness. (I will be examining the connections between the gold miracles and the new doctrines later in the series. There are some startling claims being made, and you should know about them. The gold miracles can ONLY be explained satisfactorily as part of the endtimes "manifestation of the sons of god".)
The cross, in fact, had existed for centuries before the time of Christ as a powerful symbol of interaction between man and the gods, the spiritual and earthly. That Jesus was nailed to such a symbol is only another indication of the "coincidences" surrounding his death. It was meaningful to those around him, and the equivalent today would perhaps be nailing the Lord to a swastika or satanic five-pointed star. Surely we would not then worship and revere that symbol, however sanctified it had become in our minds?
When the Apostle Paul said that he gloried in the cross of Jesus Christ, he was not talking about a physical object or charm, but the CRUCIFIXION and thus the central doctrine of the death of Jesus for our salvation. The Bible never talks about the cross in any other terms.
The cross was known by the Babylonians and Egyptians and,
if Tertullian is to be believed, the sign of the tau cross
was made on the foreheads of those initiated into the Mysteries
of pagan esoteric religion. Surmounted by the disc of the sun,
the tau cross formed the ANKH, the sign of life in Egypt. The
Egyptian goddess Isis was shown with a cross on her forehead
according to archeologists. The cross is found on the altar
of a ninth century BC Mexican "Temple of the Cross"
in Palenque. And so on.
As this illustration shows, the cross was the sign on the forehead of Bacchus, Greek god of wine and mystic frenzies. His worshippers fell into ecstatic trances in which they united with their god in a spiritual marriage. As Dionysus and Tammuz, he was the god beloved by women mentioned in Daniel ( Dan 11:37)
There are other intriguing reasons for pinpointing the transverse cross "X" as a counterfeit seal or mark of God. Please see the appendix at the end of this article.
And so to the main subject of this second article, the overshadowing. What is an overshadowing, you may ask. There are many definitions, but all of them have this in common: overshadowing is the interaction and union of the spirit world with the natural world bringing a lasting change or transformation.
I intend to look a the concept of overshadowing from a number of aspects, all of which are in common use by one group or another. These aspects are as follows:
- OVERSHADOWING AS CONCEPTION AND BIRTHING
- OVERSHADOWING AS EXTERNAL MANIPULATION BY A SPIRIT BEING
- OVERSHADOWING AS RECEIVING THE MIND OF CHRIST OR SEALING
- OVERSHADOWING AS THE GLORY CLOUD INDWELLING THE CHURCH
- OVERSHADOWING AS THE GOLD COVERING OF THE DIVINE NATURE
- OVERSHADOWING AS THE TRANSFIGURATION OR RAPTURE
1) Overshadowing as Impregnation with the New Christ
The following is Todd Dawson's firsthand account of the meeting held on December 7th 1997, at Immanuel's Church, (Silver Spring, Md.) at which Tommy Tenney ministered:
[Tommy Tenney] said we are in the year of Jubilee, and that God isn't going to let a generation go by without letting them see his glory at least once. Hence the outpouring of his Spirit at this time. He said that when Gabriel was giving Mary the news about the birth of the Christ, he had no words to describe it--he just said "some...*thing* is going to come....And that's what he (Tommy) believes is happening right now.. .some *thing* is going to come.... That God wants to draw us under his wings...so he can "overshadow" us.
There are a number of verses in scripture that the teachers refer to and allegorise when teaching about the overshadowing. One of the most useful is found in Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
This act of divine creation which resulted in the birth of God in human form is, they say, about to recur on a global scale. It was a pattern of the way God would bring his Christ to fulness in the earth.
The Church is now a corporate "mary" and when the glory-cloud overshadows her in spiritual intimacy, with the passion of a bridegroom, she will bring forth the Christ that is to rule the world with a rod of iron, her manchild. This holy child will be both god and man just like Jesus, a union of the human and divine, but it will be composed of certain special "headship" believers.
In this instance, therefore, the overshadowing refers to an act of spiritual marriage and union (consummation) where Christians and the Glory merge so closely that Tommy Tenney's "something" is born of their union.
"Three nines represent the nine fruit of the Spirit, the nine gifts of the Spirit and the nine months of birth for the apostolic order... The scriptures declare that Mary believed the Word that was spoken to her and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her in an illuminated cloud imparting the Word within her. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This same sequence will occur among the apostolic order that will be soon emerging." [Bob Jones; Shepherd's Rod for 1999]
"Secure this thought in your mind: when the Spirit of Christ comes into the physical world, He must enter through a physical body...When Christ first entered our world as a child, it was Mary whom God chose to give Christ birth. Mary's life symbolised the qualities the Church must possess to walk in the fullness of Christ...[God is preparing us] as He did Mary to give birth to the ministry of His Son. Even now, in the spiritual womb of the virgin Church, the holy purpose of Christ is growing, awaiting maturity; ready to be born in power in the timing of God...the virgin Church is "in labour and in pain to give birth" (Rev 12:1-2)...even now, hell trembles and the heavens watch in awe, for I say to you, once again, the virgin is with child. Before Jesus Himself returns, the last virgin Church shall become pregnant with the promise of God. Out of her travail, the Body of Christ shall come forth, raised to the full statute of its Head, the Lord Jesus. Corporately manifested in holiness, power and love, the Bride of Christ shall arise." (Francis Frangipane: "In The Presence of God" New Wine Press 1994)
This kind of teaching - about the Church as "mary" or a womb, and the word as a seed implanted within her, bringing forth the manchild - has been around for centuries! But only in this day has it been applied on such a global scale, with all the impetus and authority to make something happen as a result.
Way back in the 17th century, a mystic called Jane Leade of an apostolic group called the Philadelphians wrote about the birthing of the Manchild through the womb of the Church. She received her doctrine by the same process of "divine illumination" as is common with today's leadership (i.e., the teachings are imparted by voices, visions, dreams and prophecies direct from the spirit realm).
To Jane Leade was revealed not only the birth of the endtimes corporate christ child but the METHOD by which he would be birthed:
"Hearken, O Daughter of Sion, Behold thy Bridegroom cometh no more a Servant, but to be served by all Flesh; The Word that was manifest in flesh reigns in Spirit, to prepare for Christ’s Kingdom to come into a visible dominion here upon the earth, by signs and miracles, wrought by the Spirit in forms of flesh to confirm Christ the Lord is coming to appear in his saints, to set them over the earth. For to the Daughter of Sion the dominion shall be restored through Marriage Union with the Lamb of God. [Jane Leade, The Enochian Walk With God ]
And it was given me to see, how this Church would be gathered.... And as it was thus typified out by a Virgin-Woman that brought forth CHRIST after the figure of an Human Body... So likewise, according to John's prophecy, a Virgin Woman is designed of a pure Spirit, and of a bright sun-like body, all impregnated with the Holy Ghost, that shall travail to bring forth the First-born, that will multiply and propagate into such a Body, as shall be filled with the Spirit, Power, and Temple Glory of the Lamb of God.
This is the Church that shall be called The Lord our Righteousness; Because God himself will tabernacle there, and Sign them with the Mark of his own Name, and adorn them with Miraculous Gifts and Powers, beyond what-ever yet hath been. Whereby all Nations shall be brought in, so that the Increase of this Priestly Kingdom will be very great...
"O how strange and amazing will this Lordly Birth be! Who will it live to see? This provoked the Virgin Spirit in me to send forth groans and cries yet more ardently. For that must be the way, as it is shewn to me, that must unlock this long shut-up Womb; that so the mere and pure Acting Ghost may appear and go forth to do greater works than in the Day of Pentecost." [Jane Leade: A message to the Phildelphian Society 1696].
Notice that Jane Leade is shown that "groans and cries" as in the act of "travailing" or bringing a baby to the birth is the method of opening the 'long-shut womb' and manifesting the manchild.
Unless you have been living on a desert island for the past five years, you'll know that the revival participants specialise in this groaning and crying, even so far as adopting the squatting position of giving birth. Now you know why!
Although talk of impregnation, womb, divine seed and birthing may seem strange to us, the concept is all over the Internet and the Revival sites as an accepted fact.
"As Jill [Austin] was preaching on the glory and the cross, the atmosphere in the room changed. It began to feel like the whole room was 'pregnant' with God and became a womb.... The intensity was heightened and a depth of God was evident as the atmosphere literally became alive and thick with the presence of the Lord. It was as if Jesus was almost visible and walking throughout the room. The anointing was a living, breathing, vibrant, deep, and tangible entity. Suddenly people began receiving gold teeth and fillings as well as physical healings!" [Rivermail Bulletin Board report]
The glory, the overshadowing and the impregnation are ALL linked to the GOLD (I hope to show just how in due course). The birthing is by necessity linked to the overshadowing work of the Holy Spirit, because without that there would be no insemination. Here is one of many such quotes on the divine conception, by Mark Chironna, Pastor of Higher Call Christian Centre in North Carolina:
"Two women are described in the Book of Revelation. One is a harlot and the other is a Bride. One is called Babylon and the other is the City of God... she is married to One who has overshadowed her with His Glory and has placed a royal diadem on her head - she has been endowed in her mind with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God. This woman, the true church, is pregnant. Her lover will produce in her His Seed. This Woman is dressed in readiness for she knows that the Bridegroom has come forth out of his chambers to be joined to her, the power of the Most High overshadowing her - this virgin is in travail and labour, and is about to give birth, for the holy seed within her is the [corporate] Son of God - her seed is destined to rule the nations, and when this seed is brought forth, all powers must bow down and worship him. [Article in "Destiny Image" magazine, Sept/Oct 1994]
And some even more graphic ones from a book called "The Pattern" by J. du Cille.
"In order to be filled with the divine nature, we must be overshadowed by the divine.... The Song of Solomon speaks of the love between Christ and the church, and the final act of planting the seed of life within the soul, the womb of the church. This is God's divine order of bringing forth life...
"It takes male and female to bring forth life. Christ the male and the church the female are necessary for the bringing forth of seed. God is bringing forth seed in the earth like Jesus Christ Himself. To carry out the whole analogy, the man must marry the woman, which is the relationship between us and Christ, and the fruit of such a marriage will be the perfect man which must come forth as the sons of God. The wedding feast, therefore, is the new thing which God is doing in the earth at this time, in which He, the Spirit of God, is overshadowing the elect and INSEMINATING their souls with His own DIVINE NATURE... [block emphasis in original]
"God's smile, His good will, and His permissive will are all that the church seems to have been enjoying until now. But now is the time of the overshadowing, when the manchild church is being brought forth within the woman church. We are moving into a time when nothing but the perfect will of God will be acceptable. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." (Revelation 12:1) This is not Mary, the mother of Jesus. This chapter was written of the future and not of the past. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and brought forth Jesus Christ, the son of God. The church is being overshadowed by the Holy Ghost again to bring forth the Christ in us..."
I don't think it could get any clearer than that. The scriptures are made into allegories and patterns in which the birth of Christ is replayed on a global scale.
This has very serious implications. Not only does it require the Church to seek impartations of power to "birth" a new order of divine rulers on earth, but it endows those rulers (the apostles and prophets and other leaders of the Church) with Christ-like authority to command, control and judge. Believing themselves to be Christ on earth, they will stop at nothing to establish their government over all the earth.
The next aspect of the overshadowing focusses on the union of God and man. This has been the primary understanding of the term in the occult world. Consider this explanation of the term "overshadowing" from a new-age glossary:
Overshadowing: A voluntary co-operative process in which a Master's consciousness temporarily enters and works through the physical, emotional and mental bodies of a disciple.
Clearly this is a description of demonic possession! Notice the word "temporarily". In my article on this website about the demonisation of believers, I said that we misunderstand the work of the demonic world when we assume that anyone who comes under the influence of a demon is thereafter permanently "possessed". That is by no means the case.(2)
Please see my notes at the end of this article. I know that a lot of people will be confused and perhaps angered by my beliefs on this subject, but I stand by them as being the biblical truth. (Whatever your position, please don't let it cloud your understanding of this article.)
Here is another, lengthier, description of the overshadowing in the run-up to the New Age:
When the hour has come, many cases of overshadowing will be seen and will demonstrate in a threefold manner....
First. An impression upon the physical brain of the man or woman, of thoughts, plans for work, ideals and intentions which (emanating from the Avatar) will yet be unrecognized by him as being other than his own; he will proceed to put them into action, unconsciously helped by the force flowing in. This is literally a form of higher mental telepathy working out on physical levels.
Second. The overshadowing of the chela [disciple] during his work (such as lecturing, writing, or teaching), and his illumination for service. He will be conscious of this, though perhaps unable to explain it
Third. The conscious co-operation of the chela is necessitated in the third method of overshadowing. In this case he will (with full knowledge of the laws of his being and nature) surrender himself and step out of his physical body, handing it over for the use of the Great Lord or one of His Masters.
These methods of overshadowing will be largely the ones used by the Great Lord and His Masters at the end of the century...Naturally, the first group will be the largest... The second group will be less numerous, and the last group will involve only a handful, or two or three in certain countries. [Alice Bailey: Treatise on Cosmic Fire; Thought Elementals and Fire Elementals.]
Thus the particular overshadowing envisaged by the occult side of the Plan is either through (a) simple influence of the mind, (b) inspiration by remote writing, prophecies, visions, channeling and so forth or (c) complete possession. In each case the "avatar" is taking over some function of the personality he wants to use rather than allowing that person to make a fully-functional and freewill choice in educating himself towards the goal in question.
But while this is to be expected when dealing with a non-Christian belief-system, the same ideas are being presented in biblical language for the Church.
The aim in many meetings is not so much to worship God but to create "an open heaven" - spiritual communication between the earth and the spiritual realm in which manifestations of angels, revelations, prophecies and all manner of influences can come about in the meeting, and ultimately the return of God himself in the form of the Glory.
Worship is often just an attempt to punch holes in the heavenlies in order to create direct communication.
"On Tuesday night, as we began worship, it seemed that the waters were rough - sort of like we kept trying to poke a hole in the brassy heavens, but weren't able to get through. After three of four songs, I began to pray and come against any hindering or blocking spirits. I sensed that others were praying along these same lines -- 'God, we just want to break through into your presence...' Soon, there came this great sense of God's presence, and the worship leader stopped all of the music, and we all began to pray quietly...some singing softly...some singing in the spirit...the tangible thickness of the Holy Spirit seemed almost physically touchable." [New Wine list - Jan 1999 Bill & Barbara Cassada, Altoona PA]
"According to Tommy Tenney's newsletter: 'The purpose of these meetings is to encounter God - to pursue His Presence. We are going to pray for an open Heaven ... while modeling what we think it takes to create and maintain a repentant, open-hearted atmostphere that invites and makes welcome the Presence of a Holy God . . . We are anticipating a great season of worship and with a limited agenda from man. None of us really care whether or not we speak or when. We want to be sensitive and open to the Holy Spirit. As such, there will be no announced speaker, as to particular time slots . . .'
"What we are really after is a God encounter - not a crusade, not a conference, not a camp meeting ... just an encounter with the Manifest Presence of God. [New Wine list: Tommy Tenney in the San Francisco Bay Area. God is once again sending beloved brother Tommy Tenney (along with Joseph Garlington, Marc Dupont, and Dr. Kingsley Fletcher) to Shiloh Christian Fellowship, Oakland, California.]"God chaser Tommy Tenney said, 'His presence just keeps getting deeper and deeper, He just keeps coming in. Open the door to His presence, by entertaining His presence. We are holding the door open for Him, be a living door stop. Angels are going in and out to minister in the city.' Someone has brought in a real door as a symbol of what was happening in the Spirit. The people go forward and go through the opened door, some laughing, crying, dancing, crawling. Some go lay upon the altar while others put an offering upon the altar. [Report of Baltimore services with Tommy Tenney]
Those who do not have "an open heaven" are said to be falling behind in their dedication and will not be able to participate in the next move! From a revival prophecy entitled "Glory or Terror" we read:
"Prepare! For the day is coming when those who have not already established an open heaven above them will not be able to do so. ... But know that for those who call themselves by My name, yet have not established an open heaven, the spiritual darkness shall be so great they shall not be able to pierce it. ... And what, you ask, is an "open heaven"? An open heaven is the spiritual atmosphere produced when the veil of your flesh that separates the natural realm from the spiritual realm, is rent in two thus allowing free interchange between the spiritual realm and the natural realm. Those walking with an "open heaven" shall be able to receive supernatural provision for the whole man - body, soul and spirit. Whereas those whose heavens are brassed over will not..."
There is a fear that the Shekinah Glory will not come and create the Manchild rulers if they cannot open the gates between heaven and earth to create this "free interchange" between the spiritual and natural realms::
God has put such an urgency in my heart; we need to be in-line by the end of this summer or we could really miss what is about to happen. At best, individuals will be stumbled and miss out on what He is about to do. At worst, there won't be enough of us praying in unity, (that critical mass), for an open heaven and lasting victory. [Rivermail Posts: A word through Deborah Kerekes, June 30, 1999]
(NB: "critical mass" used to be a new-age term meaning if you can get a high enough percentage of people to agree with one concept, you can affect the Global Consciousness of mankind and change the course of world history and evolution. NOW, it seems Christians are being taught the same thing!)
Unity is Paramount
Unity is of paramount importance to both the new-age movement and the churches. To have ONE MIND and ONE THOUGHT is vital to the Plan. And the way to achieve it is by placing the same spiritual mindset into each willing recipient:
"The only way that a company of diverse people could be of 'one mind' is if they all learn to take upon themselves the mind of Christ.... The only way that a company of believers can be unified is by taking on Christ's mind over their own wisdom, discernment and will. [Forehead Seal of God vs. Forehead Mark of Beast]
How interesting that when we turn to the scriptures about the state of the world just before the judgement of God on Babel we see the very same unity of thought and mind being promoted by Lucifer, bringing all men into harmony so that they could overthrow God's rule and do as they pleased:
"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. ... And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do". [Gen 11:1-9]
This same unity of thought will again be achieved under the reign of the False Christ at the other end of time. Another tower to glorify man's achievements is being constructed!
A recent development in harmonising all humanity is presented in a pseudo-christian book called "Healing Codes for the Biological Apocalypse" It purports to give "healing tones" found in the Bible that actually reverse the disintigration of mankind at Babel.
"Speech, tones, sounds, music, the vibratory essence of Spirit, and its mathematics and frequency are all the most vital areas of growing knowledge during this revolutionary "End Times" era of religious history and human/spiritual evolution. That is the Divine focus of the book! Delivering this critical knowledge to the Spiritually mature masses, then them acting on this knowledge, holds the power to rectify the primary problem that has plagued humanity since the "Tower of Babel," since socially cultured men fell victim to the manipulations of a few who successfully divided people from each other, and from God, by dispensing foreign DIALECTS. [their emphasis] Thus, humanity no longer spoke Spiritually uplifting syllables, and were thus immediately cut off from the free flow/love of God and each other."
Clearly, a major part of satan's plan is to reunite mankind in "one mind" and "one thought" and this is the importance of the overshadowing with the "mind of christ".
"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb...". [Rev 17:12-14]
The mind of Christ needful for unity is said to be "received" direct from heaven rather than developed by walking with God day by day in the biblical manner. This "just-add-water" concept of spirituality where all we need is dropped down from heaven instantaneously is becoming the hallmark of the Revival churches.
Instead of an intelligent, prayerful, studied, rational and conscious participation in the work of God we are presented with teaching that is more or less channeled straight from God in gasps and shouts, by teachers who feel it is more spiritual to roll on the ground, laugh, scream, double up, or run around "under the influence" in order to deliver a word to their congregation. Or, as in the meetings above, all attempt at teaching is abandoned in order to seek a tangible divine "presence" and communication with the spirit world.
Nothing is deemed worthy of attention these days unless it is attended by signs of a powerful spiritual "anointing" because studying the word of God is "old manna" and knowing something about biblical theology makes you a dry old book-person, whereas shooting off some trite soundbite direct from heaven, in an awestruck voice that is hardly audible for shaking, is considered a true sign of the overshadowing of the Spirit!
The difference may not seem great in practise, but it is a CRUCIAL CHANGE from a biblical system of active co-operation with the Holy Spirit in mental and spiritual growth, to one of passive submission to a spiritual overshadowing which is supposed to bring instant results. And when the Church is overshadowed by the glory, the mind of christ will be imparted so that teaching will be divine wisdom and spiritual revelation:
"From within the Church one out of a thousand will emerge in maturity as the Lord's temple, gifted with discernment and with understanding. These will be given insight with understanding manifesting divine wisdom from the sevenfold Spirit of God... The discernment from these consecrated ones will be according to the Spirit; not natural human discernment that has its root in suspicion. These will not judge by what their eyes see nor by what their ears hear, but according to what the Spirit reveals. The Lord stated "What was stolen from us must be restored to us". The true anointed revelation of visions and dreams with proper interpretation and application giving insight to the body of Christ must be totally restored." [Bob Jones Shepherd's Rod for 1999]
We can't consider the subject of overshadowing while staying coy and living in denial on the subject of Christians coming under the influence of demons. If I understand things correctly, and I believe I do, demons (seen as angels in the churches) will be more active than ever before as a result of these teachings, bringing revelations of new doctrines, giving powers, and causing signs and wonders that will astound everyone.
Those who steadfastly believe that no Christian can be demonised or manifest demonic activity in a Christian meeting are at a disadvantage because they will misunderstand what is going on. They should realise that such things have accompanied every major spiritual renewal since the time of the early church. The witnesses of historic revivals have been honest in their testimony of demonic activity in and through Christians whenever there is a resurgence of spiritual activity in the Church. We must not, in our turn, deny the truths that are so apparent to the discerning eye.
Summoning Angels
Today, demonic activity is not only acceptable but actively sought by those involved in the revival! They believe this is the ministry of angels. As I ferret round the web, I see many statements encouraging and expecting the ministry of angels, and even summoning them to work alongside ministers in the work of the kingdom, for instance this report from the School of the Prophets Conference (Jan. 28th-31st 1999) held in Colorado Springs (speakers included: Paul Cain, Bill Hamon, Mike Bickle, Rick Joyner, Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs, C.Peter Wagner, etc. There were between 2500 and 3000 people there. The second night offering for the World Prayer Center was $400,000.)
"[speaking of Freemasonry]... The angels will be used to war with us to remove this idolatry and abomination from our country. A number of the prophets saw and called upon the angels to assist as 'ministers to the heirs of salvation'. Michael was specifically summoned. There were many dreams and vision about the role of arch-angels and angels in the administration of salvation attributes."
This interaction with angels is a dangerous game, and can only lead to demonic encounters and manifestations. Let me say at once that I DO believe in the ministry of angels and have even in my own life encountered one or two (many Christians can say the same thing) but this was not by my summoning them, nor by working with them, nor anything other than the merciful hand of God intervening in my life at a moment of danger.
We are nowhere instructed to summon angels, converse with them, or get guidance from them! Nor do we see anywhere in scripture where we will work alongside angels in the work of the ministry. Angels, commanded by God, do minister to believers, usually unseen and unacknowledged. However, that is a far cry from our calling upon and summoning them, and commanding them to minister!
Here is another report from the same meeting (above) which confirms the revival leadership's unbiblical practice of seeking guidance from angels:
Cindy (Jacobs) led and saw angels out over the borders of our country. She had Bill Hamon call them forth into our midst to give us the battle plans. They were unable to give us the plans because of the pollution in the prophetic stream.... The other thing I've heard is that this is the year when God will be dispatching his angels to mark the foreheads of those who weep and mourn for the abominations in the nation. It's in Ezekiel. [Eyewitness account by Kit Hackett.]
And here is what happens when you let angels take over your worship. This is taken from an anguished letter I received from a worship leader in a Restoration church in the UK:
"The music got louder and louder that day until my keyboard was suddenly taken over. It started to vibrate, then it revved up like a motor bike. It changed its sound and many sounds of wailing voices, screaming, different instruments and noises came out! That day we had five singers, two keyboards and one guitar, but on the tape it didn't sound like it. Everyone ended up on the floor in a heap and they all said,'the angels visited us!' In 1994, the tape was sent round the world after our "angelic visitation". This tape then became quite famous. I don't know to this day what it was but it was extremely powerful. It broke my keyboard and afterwards it had to be mended. I have just found the tape and am sending it for you. See what you think. Is it a mixture, or deception? False or true? This tape went to America, Australia, Sweden - everywhere, all over England, saying it was angels. You will hear that J--- is leading the singing. I am on keyboard with my son on violin, one other keyboard and guitar. It takes a while to get going. J--- says after a few minutes "we have an open heaven" - please listen carefully after this. This is when my keyboard was taken over!!! It's also strange, as it all ends after ten or twenty minutes. Is it Jesus or not? As you will see, some of the sounds are like the eerie noises you get in films about aliens..."
Angels sealing men and women on the forehead will come as no surprise to those prepared to accept the summoning of angels into Christian meetings.
Marc Dupont, a senior leader in the revival, actually offered the seal of God to several of those who attended a meeting led by Wes Campbell. He went on record as saying that angels would come to seal men and women with the cross:
"Talk about paradigm shifts, many people are losing their paradigms and that's what needs to happen...I believe God wants to put his mark on many of you, even right now...he wants to put a mark on you...we're going to, uh, I see in the Spirit the angel, an angel, I don't know if it's the angel of the Lord, but angels are going to come and the Holy Spirit is going to put a cross on some of you..."
This next quote shows where the teaching leads, and introduces the idea that the "mind of christ" is received by spiritual impartation in the glory cloud.
"In a parable, Jesus suggests that angels are not in any way prohibited from contact with man's "soul" (Lk. 16:22). And even fallen angels are allowed by God to alter the activities of men (and necessarily, of their minds; Read II Chron. 18:18-22). The very brainwaves of man are controlled by the angels, at the behest of God. The brain, after all, is simply a collection of brain-cells; thoughts (the scientists tell us) are simply electrical currents passing through synapses. It would appear that man's brain is controlled by the different kinds of angels, depending on the basic orientation of that man. If your life is dedicated to Christ and His Kingdom, the heavenly host of God, the "Spirit-Cloud," ministers to you and advances your sanctification." ["Demonic Delusion vs. Angelic Synapses." Vine & Fig Tree 12314 Palm Dr. #107 Desert Hot Springs, CA92240]
John G. Lake is a hero of the revival, being one early example of a minister who (according to his biographer Keith Davis) demonstrated all the attributes of a latter-rain apostle. Davis writes that "Lake taught that it was the tendency of the average Christian to stop at the redemption of their spirit. He believed that it was equally as important for the believer to allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify the soul and the body in order for the individual to become the habitation of God. The sanctification of the soul literally involves the impartation of the mind of Christ."
George Warnock, the grandfather of the sonship doctrines, also wrote of a drastic and radical change of mind, a transformation of mind, brought about by an impartation. He pictures it as a "precious jewel" placed "on the forehead of the bride". This transformed mind is not just the renewal brought about in the ordinary Christian life by feeding on the word of God. It is a change out of the human mind into the VERY MIND OF GOD:
"It is not merely in the mind being activated to enjoy an intellectual concept of Truth, and to appreciate from a rational standpoint the facts of redemption. It is rather in the mind being 'renewed' and renovated so completely and so drastically that it verily [in truth and reality] becomes 'the mind of Christ.' There is a complete TRANSFORMATION (his emphasis), a complete change, out of the natural and into the spiritual, out of the soulish and into the realm of the Spirit of God." [George Warnock: "Evening and Morning"]
But we do not receive a ready-made "mind of christ" as a kind of brain-implant from outside by being overshadowed by a forcefield, but by growing in the knowledge and understanding of the things of God.
The real "mind of christ" is not a spiritual impartation, but right thinking brought about by right belief. It is found by forsaking worldly thinking and living out the words and nature of God by the Holy Spirit - a day by day, gradual and lifelong process for every believer.
In the new doctrine, however, both the sealing of God and the overshadowing are described as receiving the mind of Christ. And this concept is not limited to the churches, but is found also in occult circles. Here a New Pentecost is promised:
"By mentally overshadowing all mankind simultaneously, He will come into telepathic rapport with all humanity everywhere, and we shall hear his words silently entering our minds, in our own language. .... Thus will be repeated, only now on a world scale, what happened at Pentecost; and in celebration of this event, Pentecost will become one of the major festivals of the new world religion which the Christ will eventually inaugurate. Our response to his call will determine the future of the world." [Description of the overshadowing of the Maitreya.]
The next quote confirms and amplifies this teaching. Although the new-age Maitreya is not (in my belief at least) the antichrist, these people are receiving information from demons - the doctrine of demons - that prepare them for what is to happen in the last days. Both the new-age and the Church expect a powerful spiritual overshadowing that will change men's minds. Although the details differ, the delusion is exactly the same.
"Let me make the facts somewhat clearer and enlarge somewhat upon these three modes of His appearing, of His coming, His advent and of His physical recognition by humanity:
1. By His overshadowing of all initiates and disciples ...This overshadowing or influencing will be His primary work upon the mental plane. This will constitute one of His most effective methods in His proposed spiritual interference in world affairs.
2. By the pouring out of the Christ life or consciousness upon the masses everywhere and in every nation. This spiritual inflow will bring about the reorienting of human desire and will evoke the emotional reaction to His Presence. ...The masses everywhere will be responsive to the work and the message of the Christ, as it is implemented from the mental plane by the disciples and initiates, overshadowed by the mind of Christ....
3. His physical appearance among men... [From "The Day Of Declaration" on a site promoting the Maitreya]
On a site called "The Latter Rain" we find a strange mixture of Christian, gnostic, apostolic and occult teaching which sees the implanted 'mind of christ' as the collective consciousness of man:
"The prophetic collective will reveal the Manifest Sons of God ... Jesus won't come back until we unite ourselves to His body and attune our minds to His, not the mind of man. ....We as a church will not be all we can be until we are able to harness the psychic energy of the historical collective consciousness of the mind of Christ."
The same ideas about overshadowing, the impartation of a new mind, and the bringing forth of a new order of christ-men on earth (the Manifest Sons) are found in so many religions that we must conclude the Plan for the antichrist rule has been planted in minds and hearts the world over, even in the Christian churches.
Under the cover of spiritual allegory and scriptural patterns and types, new doctrines - the doctrines of demons - have been sown in the Church.
Demonic manipulation of mankind is called "overshadowing by the Spirit"; implanting demonic doctrines into men's minds is called "receiving the mind of christ"; the worldwide reign of the antichrist and his thuggish followers is called "the kingdom reign of God"; and the terrible persecution of the saints is "the purification of the Bride" and is conducted not by the Beast and his fallen angels, but by "the manchild" and his angelic helpers!
This "mind of christ" they are receiving is unfortunately making them incapable of seeing the truth even when it's in front of their noses. This new mind changes the scriptures out of all recognition and alters the meaning of everything. It turns black into white, and white into black. It turns error into truth and truth into error. It portrays God's obedient and discerning remnant as heretics fit only for the fires of hell, and it elevates blind, aggressive, scripture-twisting false prophets into divine "sons of god".
The Seal of God on the forehead as the Mind of Christ
One aspect of the coming seal of God is the impartation of the mind of Christ. One writer says:
"The fact that certain judgements were prophesied to come on those that 'have not the seal of God in their foreheads' (Rev 9:4) clearly indicates that there is a seal that God places on those who are His own. I believe that this seal is the 'mind of Christ'. The forehead represents the mind." [Forehead Seal of God vs. Forehead Mark of Beast]
Warnock also said, as many modern writers do, that the seal of God on the forehead, received by the overcomers, the Remnant, or the 144 thousand firstfruits unto God is the impartation of the mind of Christ:
"The Overcomers: Let us consider briefly the character of these overcoming ones. Sealed with the seal of God in their foreheads. It's about time we lift our foreheads to God to receive His seal, instead of talking so much about the mark of the Beast! The mark of the Lamb of God will make us totally immune to the mark of the Dragon! The mark and seal of the Lamb of God is the mind of Christ.... In union with the Son they have partaken of the Father' nature. Therefore the Father's Name is in their foreheads... not blasphemously spelled out in some earthly language, nor visible to the eyes of men among whom they walk... but spelled out in the language of the Spirit, by the imprint of the Father's nature and character in their lives. " [Warnock: From Tent to Temple]
Notice that these overcomers, or chosen Remnant, by the overshadowing of the glory cloud have partaken of the divine nature of God and have received the mind of Christ, which is the same as receiving the sealing on the forehead.
A new-ager would agree, for the "third eye" of spiritual understanding is located in the centre of the forehead, and anyone who has known the overshadowing of the Avatar has become enlightened in his third, spiritual, or inward eye!
"The world disciples are beginning to be governed and controlled by the throat and heart centres, and are also beginning to transfer the forces which have thus been raised to the heart and throat, to the ajna centre between the eyebrows, in the middle of the forehead. When this has been done, the man is then an integrated personality. [Alice Bailey, "Seven Rays" Vol2, Chap2]
Christians, because of such doctrines, are beginning to expect an anointing, an overshadowing from above, that will place within their minds a NEW MIND, symbolised by the seal of God in the centre of the forehead.
But it's much more than this! The event will not only alter the physical structure of the brain, it will alter the physical body so that it resembles the resurrection body of Jesus. This event (variously called the "adoption of the sons of God", or the "redemption of the body" or even the "rapture") is also the seal of God being placed on the foreheads of the chosen:
"This 'sealing' is nothing else but the placement of adoption spoken of in Romans - 'And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." [Bill and Elaine Cook: Shofar Letters]
"And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. ...And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead... (Exodus 28). The High Priest's mitre is one of the last parts of the priest's garments to be put on and it signifies the sealing with the mind of Christ, by our High Priest. This company of overcomers will receive authority and a commission to act in that authority at the sealing (with the mind of Christ). They shall experience the redemption of the body, spoken of in Romans 8.... ". [Larry and Betty Hodges, Shofar Letters, PO Box 728 Linwood, NC 27299]
Now we see how so many different aspects (sealing, the mind of Christ, the overshadowing, the transfiguration, the glory cloud, angelic ministry, an open heaven...) intertwine and tell the same story. In the quote above, we see how the GOLD is the plate upon the forehead bearing the engraved sign dedicating the person to God, and this is of course no less than the seal of God upon the forehead of the Remnant. So the gold also plays a part in this story.
But all, ALL, is a web of deception and the doctrine of demons. The two doctrines (Bible and new revelations) are being combined and introduced as a MIXTURE, here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept until the whole sinks in and infects everyone. I have presented here the raw doctrine, but you will never find in the churches these doctrines presented openly and fully. They are introduced slowly and carefully, one here and one there, but slowly the minds of Christians are changing to accept them. Hear what the Lord says about it:
"But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. (Isa 28:7-13)
Read the additional section: PART 2A (How to resist the Overshadowing)
(This study of Overshadowing continues in Part Three )
- Overshadowing by the Glory Cloud
- The Ark and the Temple
- The Transfiguration of Believers
- Why is the 'Rapture' now to take place on earth?
- Heaven and Hell redefined
STILL TO COME:
- Praise and worship to create a 'Throne' for God in the Church
- The latter-day Apostles and Prophets and their role
- Judgement and purging by the hand of the "overcomers"
- The gold miracles - what they don't want you to find out...
- And much more -------
Constantine and the Sign of the Cross
There's much misunderstanding and error associated with Constantine, for some teach that he was converted to Christianity and so introduced the Christian era of peace and relief from persecution in the fourth century after Christ. Constantine's vision or dream of a cross is well known and is often treated by historians as a genuine vision from God.
However, the facts belie this. Constantine was, and remained, a sun-worshipper to the day of his death. (Remember that the cross is, above all, a sun/fire-symbol and emblem of the sun-god in all cultures. Some commentators have stated that the prehistoric cross sign was associated with FIRE because it represented the two fire-sticks that were rubbed together to create a spark.)
The story goes that Constantine, on his approach to Rome in the attempt to assert himself as Emperor, came to the barrier of the Milvian Bridge. There he sought his gods for favour. It is reported that he saw the sign of the cross in the sky and later in a dream heard a voice saying "in this sign, conquer" and after inscribing his banners and the breastplates of his soldiers with this cross, he won his battle and became emperor of Rome.
However, evidence from the time tells us that it was not the SIGN of the cross, but the NAME of Christ in the form of the transverse symbol "X" that was marked on Constantine's banners. Lactantius, the tutor of Constantine's son, writes: "Constantine was warned in a dream to make the celestial sign of God upon his soldiers' shields, and so to join battle. He did as he was bid, and with the transverse letter X circumflecting the head of it, he marks CHRIST on their shields. Equipped with this sign, his army takes the sword." (1)
This tells us that the X is a recognised emblem of the NAME of Christ in religious circles, and according to scripture it is the NAME of Christ that is marked on the foreheads of the Remnant.
An inscription of the period referring to this incident has the "X" as the sign Constantine used. In the Roman catacombs the inscription reads:
IN HOC VINCES
X
Although Constantine is often held us as the saviour of the Church, he was in fact its destroyer. He used the Christians in the same way that American politicians rise to power on the backs of the Christian lobby, knowing that there is influence over the common people to be gained in Christian circles.
Making Christianity the state religion, he threw open the Church and the faith for an invasion of pagan worship, and created a mixture of biblical belief and sun-worship that remains to this day. Overthrowing the customs of the early Christians (many of whom were Jews) he demanded that church worship take place on the "day of the sun", Sunday.
I am saying this because the cross of Constantine still stands for a COUNTERFEIT FAITH, and satan rarely lets a good idea go to waste. In the end of time he is still promising his leaders "in this sign (X) conquer". To the fact of a replacement or alternative cross symbol, the New Agers testify:
"The cross is not, as you well know, simply a Christian symbol. It is the great symbol of light and of consciousness and signifies the vertical light and the horizontal light, the power of attraction and the power of radiation, soul life and service.(1) The actual words of Lactantius are these: "Commonitus est in quiete Constantius, ut coeleste signum Dei notaret in scutis, atque ita proelium committeret. Fecit ut jussus est et transversa X litera summo capite circumflexo, Christum scutis notat. Quo signo armatus exercitus capit ferrum."
The cross as now made in the Catholic Churches, touching the forehead, the heart and the two shoulders is the sign of matter... The cross which the [esoteric disciples'] group will make is the cross of christ and of the christ consciousness. Gradually this cross of christ (the cross of the risen christ) will supersede the cross of matter and of the Mother aspect. Its likeness to the swastika is obvious and will be one of the reasons for its disappearance". [Alice Bailey in "Glamour, a World Problem", Section 3]
(2) Demons are drawn to anyone who indulges in spiritual interaction with their realm (even if it takes the form of misdirected "christian" worship). They seek to influence and use anyone who opens up to their guidance or power. But if they are subsequently thwarted or driven away or frightened off by the power of the Holy Spirit they will once again leave a believer, no matter what his or her spiritual condition.
They will then try again to see if that person is ready for more of their activity, and if so, will once again manipulate the soul and body of the person, regardless of whether he/she is born-again in the spirit or not.
They set up a yo-yo, come and go, arrangement in which the
person is used whenever they are available. Only after a long
period of familiarity, with no real repentance on the part
of the believer does the demon consider that person his own
possession or belonging or home, into which he is welcomed
at any time.
Thereafter, the person exhibits the nature of that demon on
a more or less permanent basis, but still only when the demon
is summoned, not at other times, and only in the SPECIFIC area
that manifests the demon's nature. Thus, the believer most
likely goes to church, prays, reads the Bible, watches Christian
TV and listens to Christian music, and conducts most of his
life as a normal Christian, unchanged from his normal nature,
apart from that one area where the demon is motivating him.
(Of course, if several different demons are allowed to use
his/her human "house" the believer will exhibit more
than one manifestation of demonic behaviour.)
It is entirely possible for believers to be propositioned by demons at any time they wander into their territory, and even to be temporarily influenced, without defiling themselves permanently. So long as the sin or activity is laid down and repented of, and put under the Blood, no lasting harm ensues. The sin lies in both embracing demonic influence and refusing to repent of it, not in being propositioned in the first place! (NB: not every sin brings a demon).
IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
(c) Tricia Tillin 2001
It is not my intention to hinder anyone who has a LEGITIMATE use for this material. Indeed, this material is so important that I want it to reach everyone who needs it.
However, this article is my intellectual property and copyrighted material and therefore you are NOT to assume that you may freely use it on your web site or reprint it in your magazine, or whatever, in disregard of my provisos written here. Therefore, please abide by these conditions:
- You are permitted to download a copy or two of this material for your own research use or to show to interested friends.
- You are NOT permitted to reproduce this material without my written permission on websites, in newsletters or by any other medium. If you want to tell others about this information, please LINK to the articles from your site. Make sure you get the link correct. It is http://www.banner.org.uk/res/gatekeepers.html
- Alternatively, if you have a legitimate use for reproducing this material please e-mail me, describing your intended use and I will consider your request.
- This article and those that follow it are produced for the specific purpose of informing and supporting genuine believers in their fight against the current apostasy. This information is therefore not aimed at those already committed to the Revival, whether leaders or ordinary members of the churches involved.
© 1995-2013 Tricia Tillin of Banner Ministries. All rights reserved. Cross+Word Website: http://www.banner.org.uk/ This document is the property of its author and is not to be displayed on other websites, redistributed, sold, reprinted, or reproduced in printed in any other format without permission. Websites may link to this article, if they provide proper title and author information. One copy may be downloaded, stored and/or printed for personal research. All spelling and phraseology is UK English.
Go Here