Richard Foster Exposed

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

Wait, WHAT, WHO are Christ’s disciples to celebrate?

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14

A Biblically based commentary on current issues that impact you

Richard Foster—Celebration of Deception

by Bob DeWaay

Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism’s recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.¹ The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: “The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster’s bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber’s Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity.”²

The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: “From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines.”³ So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still growing 30-plus years later.

The irony about this particular CIC regarding Foster’s 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.

In this article I will show that Foster’s “journey inward” is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls “means of grace” are no means of grace at all—but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception.

The Journey Inward

The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of the occult and, therefore, forbidden. We have discussed this in many articles and have produced DVD seminars on the topic. But the concept of sola scriptura is totally lost on mystics such as Richard Foster. They, like the enthusiasts that Calvin and Luther warned against, believe they can gain valid and useful knowledge of spiritual things through direct, personal inspiration.

Foster describes the idea of the disciplines that are the topic of his book: “The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm.”⁴ So Foster has conceptually repudiated sola scriptura on page one to replace it with a journey inward to explore the realm of spirits. Something must have been seriously amiss in evangelicalism already in 1978 to render this book a bestseller! It ought to have been repudiated on the spot. In a footnote to that statement Foster writes, “In one form or another all of the devotional masters have affirmed the necessity of the Disciplines” (Foster: 1). The devotional “masters,” by the way, are mostly Roman Catholics who never were committed to the principle of sola scriptura. It is not surprising that they looked for spirituality through experimentation. But as an “inner light” Quaker, Foster never was committed to sola scriptura either.

Forgetting that the Bible forbids divination, Foster explains what he is after:

[W]e must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings, all of the masters of meditation strive to awaken us to the fact that the universe is much larger than we know, that there are vast unexplored inner regions that are just as real as the physical world we know so well. . . . They call us to the adventure, to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. (Foster: 13)

Realizing that his readers would likely take this as an endorsement of Eastern religions, he makes a disclaimer that it is not Transcendental Meditation (TM) or something of that ilk: “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it” (Foster: 15). But what Foster wishes us to fill our minds with are personal revelations from the spirit realm that we naively are to think are the voice of God. This sort of meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it is divination.

What we learn about the spirit realm either is revealed by God (once for all in Scripture) or gleaned by man-made techniques. That distinction is the difference between Christianity and paganism. Only Bible believers know what God has said about Himself and what He wishes to reveal about the unseen spirit world. Foster’s material continues to be popular because we live in an age where being spiritual pioneers on a journey into the unseen realm of the spirits is the essence of popular piety. It is the spirituality of secular talk shows.

To fully understand the degree of Foster’s deception, he even calls these techniques to the inner journey “means of grace”: “They [the Disciplines] are God’s means of grace” (Foster: 6). As with all who teach spiritual disciplines, there are no boundaries to these false “means.” For example, consider this recommended practice: “After you have gained some proficiency in centering down, add a five- to ten-minute meditation on some aspect of the creation. Choose something in the created order: tree, plant, bird, leaf, cloud, and each day ponder it carefully and prayerfully” (Foster 25). This after he had just taught breathing exercises (a means of “centering down”). Then he makes a startling claim: “We should not bypass this means of God’s grace” (Foster: 25). And there we have it: meditating of a leaf can be a means of grace!

Foster’s journey inward is to discover a spirit world that is available for any who search for it: “How then do we come to believe in a world of the spirit? Is it by blind faith? Not at all. The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all who are willing to search for it” (Foster: 18). He claims that this spiritual search is analogous to scientific experimentation. Never mind that every pagan culture that has existed has believed in the “spiritual world.”

Spirituality of the Imagination

The Bible does not have anything good so say about the imagination. For example: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord'” (Jeremiah 23:16). A search of the KJV for “imagination” yields 14 verses, and in each case it is a bad thing. According to the Bible, the imagination is where people go when they do not want to listen to God.

However, for Foster the imagination is central: “The inner world of meditation is most easily entered through the door of the imagination. We fail today to appreciate its tremendous power. The imagination is stronger than conceptual thought and stronger than the will” (Foster: 22). Some of the authorities he cites on this point are C. G. Jung, Ignatius of Loyola, and Morton Kelsey. Jung is famous for his concept of the collective unconscious, and Kelsey was an Episcopal priest committed to Jungian principles. Kelsey wrote many books promoting mysticism. The advice Foster gleans from these teachers is that we must learn to think in images and take our dreams to be a possible doorway into the spirit world. Foster claims that dreams are something we already have and can help us develop the use of the imagination. He says, “Keeping a journal of our dreams is a way of taking them seriously” (Foster: 23).

There is, Foster warns, a danger to this process: “At the same time [that we ask for dreams to be God speaking to us], it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as profitable” (Foster: 23). I would say that is asking God to protect us as we use various techniques to go where He does not want us to go (into the world of the spirits to gain information). The danger he warns of is far greater than Foster imagines. Those who take the journey inward will be deceived—every time! We are not equipped to gain spiritual information from that realm. That is why God speaks to us through His ordained mediators (the inspired Biblical writers); otherwise we would be fishing in the dark in a medium we are not suited for.

Foster teaches his readers to use their imaginations to experience Biblical stories with the five physical senses. Here is what he claims will happen:

As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the Eternal Now and is not bound by time, this event in the past is a living present-tense experience for Him. Hence, you can actually encounter the living Christ in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power. It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come to you. (Foster: 26)

Showing that Foster’s ideas are still influential in our day, Greg Boyd cites some of Foster’s words here to support what he calls “cataphatic prayer” which uses the imagination and images as a means to contact God and gain spiritual information.⁵ Those who endorse this practice assume they are not being deceived by spirits, but I cannot see on what grounds.

Foster prescribes a practice using one’s imagination that mimics astral projection to the degree that he actually includes a footnote disclaimer stating that it is not astral projection (Foster 28). It begins by telling his readers to imagine themselves going out into nature into a beautiful place (Boyd describes how he practices this, as well as its results⁶). After enjoying the sights and smells (in your imagination) these are the next steps:

In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. . . Go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly, anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart. (Foster: 27, 28)

I must ask how one knows whether “True Spirit” is not a deceiving one? Mysticism’s fatal flaw is that it naively assumes that Christians having subjective religious experiences must therefore be having Christian experiences that are truly from God—even if the experiences were provoked through unbiblical practices similar to those used by pagans.

Mental Alchemy

Foster’s approach to prayer is laced with mysticism as well. He claims that prayer needs to be learned from people who have the right experiences and are “masters” who know what they are doing. Foster does not teach ordinary prayer, whereby we bring our needs and requests to the Lord and know that He hears us (because He promised that He does). Here is why he thinks such prayer fails:

Often people will pray and pray with all the faith in the world, but nothing happens. Naturally, they were not contacting the channel. We begin praying for others by first centering down and listening to the quiet thunder of the Lord of hosts. Attuning ourselves to divine breathings is spiritual work, but without it our praying is vain repetition (Mt. 6:7). Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession. (Foster: 34)

Of course this means we have to become mystics if we want to pray.

He teaches that we first must hear personal revelations from God, using meditation techniques such as he teaches, before we pray. He says: “The beginning point, then, in learning to pray for others is to listen for guidance . . . This inner “yes” is the divine authorization for you to pray for the person or situation” (Foster: 35). No! Foster is wrong! The only authorization we need to pray is the Biblical command to pray—not personal revelations.

For Foster, meditation (mystical style) is necessary but not sufficient. He also brings the imagination into the process: “As with meditation, the imagination is a powerful tool in the work of prayer” (Foster: 36). He credits Agnes Sanford⁷ for helping him see the value of using the imagination in praying. Foster writes, “Imagination opens the door to faith. If we can ‘see’ in our mind’s eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to believing it will be so” (Foster: 36). Sanford got her ideas from Theosophy, New Thought, Jung, and Emmet Fox. These ideas, echoed by Foster, come from the unbiblical “mind over matter” thinking of that era. That kind of thinking uses creative visualization to change reality or channel spiritual power. Foster suggests, “Imagine the light of Christ flowing through your hands and healing every emotional trauma and hurt feeling your child experienced that day” (Foster: 39).

In his 1985 book, The Seduction of Christianity, Dave Hunt labeled creative visualization such as what Foster promotes, “mental alchemy.”⁸ Hunt warned the church that Foster promoted such mental alchemy in Celebration of Discipline, and as we have shown, he, in fact, does. So how is it that 24 years after Hunt’s warning Foster is more popular than ever with Evangelicals? The answer is end times deception. Now, a huge movement that claims to be a reformation promoting Foster, Willard and their versions of mysticism does exist (i.e., The Emergent Church). Things have gotten so very much worse.

Spiritual Directors

Once mysticism and the supposed need to gain personal revelations from God are embraced, there arises a need for new “masters” who are better at navigating the spirit world. Pagan societies have always had such persons. They are called “shamans.” Eastern religion calls them “gurus.” Deceived Christians call them “spiritual directors.” Foster explains, “In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey without the help of a spiritual director” (Foster: 159). The problem, according to Foster, is that the churches (in 1978) lacked “living masters”:

No doubt part of the surge of interest in Eastern meditation is because the churches have abrogated the field. How depressing for a university student, seeking to know the Christian teaching on meditation, to discover that there are so few living masters of contemplative prayer and that nearly all of the serious writings on the subject are seven or more centuries old. No wonder he or she turns to Zen, Yoga, or TM. (Foster: 14)

Foster’s dream has come true. Today people can even practice Yoga in a Christian church. We have Christian TM; it is called contemplative prayer. Yes, Eastern religion has come right into the church, and Foster has helped usher it in.

But what about “living masters” or spiritual directors? In 1972 Morton Kelsey lamented their lack: “Indeed I would suggest that everyone who is serious about relating to the spiritual realm find himself a spiritual director, if there were more men trained and experienced in this way.”⁹ That “problem” has been solved in a huge way. Evangelical theology schools are now offering masters degrees in “spiritual formation” in order to equip people to be “spiritual directors.” Here is what Biola University says about its program: “This degree is designed to equip men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction, discipleship, formation and soul care in the local church and for further academic training in spiritual formation.”¹⁰ Spiritual Directors International will help you find a spiritual director regardless of your religion.¹¹ Richard Foster’s own Renovare, which purports to “encourage renewal in the Christian church,” has a list of spiritual direction programs.¹²

Foster explains the purpose of the spiritual director: “He is the means of God to open the path to the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit” (Foster: 160). Apparently, in a full-blown rejection of sola scriptura where the Holy Spirit’s teaching is mediated to the church through the Biblical writers only, we need mediators for personal revelations beyond scripture.

Foster explains how spiritual directors lead: “He leads only by the force of his own personal holiness” (Foster: 160). In Roman Catholicism the Pope is called “his holiness” and in Tibetan Buddhism the Dalai Lama is called “his holiness” but now evangelicals are developing a class of people who evidently deserve the title. How exactly are we to judge when someone has gained “personal holiness” sufficient to be a spiritual director and mediate spirituality to others? Foster says, “Though the director has obviously advanced further into the inner depths, the two [master and disciple] are together learning and growing in the realm of the Spirit” (Foster: 160). Foster cites Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton about how this works: “The spiritual director was something of a ‘spiritual father who begot the perfect life in the soul of his disciple by his instructions first of all, but also by his prayer, his sanctity and his example. He was . . . a kind of ‘sacrament’ of the Lord’s presence in the ecclesiastical community” (Foster: 161).

End Times Delusion

When it comes to end times deception, Foster is on the cutting edge of embracing it. Consider what he wrote: “In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people. . . . Individuals can be found here and there whose hearts burn with divine fire” (Foster: 150). Such inclinations have led to massive deception. They smack of the Latter Rain deception, now embodied in such false teachers as Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle. They are elitist. They are in line with the beliefs of the Emergent Church as well. He also says: “Our century has yet to see the breaking forth of the apostolic church of the Spirit” (Foster: 150). Now we have the New Apostolic Reformation claiming to be just that. Foster’s ideas now embody the massive apostasy and end times deception that characterize our age.

Foster’s teachings have taken the church as far away from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura as the Roman Catholic Church ever was. The only thing left is for them to bring us all the way back to Rome. Christianity Today praises Foster for pointing us in that direction.

In early 2008 I wrote a CIC article about how abandoning the principle of sola scriptura would lead evangelicals back to Rome.¹³ It was partly a response to the CT article praising mysticism. The response I received was rather unexpected. I was contacted by former evangelicals who had rejected sola scriptura and had gone back to Rome! They wanted to debate me about sola scriptura. Sadly, my point was proven. As a response to their misguided challenge our church hosted a seminar on sola scriptura, called Faith at Risk 4.¹⁴ In the seminar Gary Gilley and I defended the scriptures as the sole authority for the church.

The aforementioned CT article discusses a new monasticism, former evangelical leaders converting to Roman Catholicism, and mystical practices like lectio divina—and they call all of it a good and hopeful thing. Chris Armstrong, the author of the article, concluded, “That they [evangelicals] are receiving good guidance on this road from wise teachers [Foster and Willard] is reason to believe that Christ is guiding the process. And that they are meeting and learning from fellow Christians in the other two great confessions, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, is reason to rejoice in the power of love.”¹⁵

Who is left to defend the principles of the Reformation? One would think Reformed theologians are, but they aren’t doing their job. In the last CIC article we mentioned Reformed theologian Donald Whitney who wrote: “Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has been the most popular book on the subject of the Spiritual Disciplines in the last half of the twentieth century. The great contribution of this work is the reminder that the Spiritual Disciplines, which many see as restrictive and binding, are actually means to spiritual freedom.”¹⁶ That from a teacher in a Reformed seminary?

If a book that teaches Christian TM, Christian astral projection and mental alchemy by means of the imagination is a “great contribution,” then something is seriously wrong here. The delusion is so widespread that I see no other explanation for it than the end time deception predicted by Paul: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Timothy 4:1). Another passage warns: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2Timothy 4:3, 4).

That time now is here. We are accountable to God for what we believe and practice. Those who wish to persevere in the faith in this age of delusion must base their beliefs and practices only on the truths found in Scripture. Foster’s journey into the world of the spirits will deceive all who enter it.

Issue 112 – May / June 2009

End Notes

1. Chris Armstrong, “The Future lies in the Past” in Christianity Today, February 2008.
2. Ibid. 24.
3. Ibid. 29.
4. Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1978) 1. All subsequent citations from this book will be bracketed within the text in this fashion: (Foster: 1).
5. Greg Boyd, Seeing is Believing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). Boyd cites Foster to prove that the Lord will actually come to us through our use of “imaginative meditation.” I deal with this issue more fully in CIC issue 83 July/August, 2003: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE83.HTM
6. Ibid. 111-125.
7. I write about Sanford’s inner healing theories in CIC Issue 96: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE96.HTM
8. Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 1985) 138.
9. Morton Kelsey, Encounter With God, (Bethany Fellowship: Minneapolis, 1972) 179.
10. http://www.biola.edu/spiritualformation/programs/ SEE PDF
11. HTTP://WWW.SDIWORLD.ORG
12. HTTP://WWW.RENOVARE.ORG/JOURNEY_TRAINING_DIRECTION.HTM
13. CIC Issue 105; March/April 2008: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE105.HTM
14. Watch this seminar HERE
15. Armstrong, Future
16. DONALD S. WHITNEY, SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (COLORADO SPRINGS: NAVPRESS, 1991) 23.

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Name Cult Warning: Beware of the Yahweh, Yahushua, Yahuah Cults!

WARNING: Satan and his human agents are trying to steal the name of Jesus Christ outside of which no soul can be saved (Acts 4:12).

Yahweh Only? Yahushua? Yahuah?

Fake Jewish name cult devils busted.

“Yahweh” was a Canaanite moon god from what I’ve discovered. That is NOT the God of the Hebrews! NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. False churches have been promoting Yahweh since 2019, but it that name is nowhere in the Bible. The Masons are trying to normalize and equate him with the God of the Bible.” Rozy Uziel

When unsaved men, the world over, take the name of the LORD in vain, which name is that? The name of Jesus Christ. Why? Because Satan, the father of all lost souls, hates his sworn enemy – Jesus Christ.

BEWARE OF THE YAH CULT DEVILS. “YHWH” appears not even one time in the Bible, the King James Bible. Jehovah appears 4 times and JESUS CHRIST and JESUS and Christ appear hundreds of times. Case closed. SATAN is the one who wants to steal glory of JESUS CHRIST, the name above all names outside of which NO ONE can be saved (Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11) The name of JESUS which appears 983 times in the King James Bible.

EVERY knee will bow to the name of Jesus. EVERY tongue confess the name of Jesus Christ.

BEWARE of the jewish-cult, judaizing heretics promoting lies such as denying the name of JESUS which appears 983 times in the King James Bible. Block them Titus 3:10-11.

WHEN YOU SEE ANYONE who is using the yahweh, yahuah, etc names for God, supposedly for God…. you are dealing with an antichrist, 100% of the time. Be not deceived saints. And these are some of the nastiest of devils. They were only deceived to begin with due to not truly loving the truth of God and now they have been sent by God Himself “strong delusion.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

“Jesus Christ … Neither is there salvation in any other: for THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10, 12

All the divine power is in Heaven and earth is specifically invested in the name of Jesus Christ. JESUS CHRIST is the name of the LORD to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that HE is LORD.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

There are many who act like they are Jews today. Yet there is only one body of Christ, one “Israel of God”:

“And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” Galatians 6:16

“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Revelation 3:9

“JESUS IS THE NEW COVENANT NAME JUST AS GOD GAVE A NAME TO ABRAHAM (GOD ALMIGHTY) and a different one to Moses.. ELOHIM …..Exodus 6:2 EACH COVENANT HAS A NEW NAME! … AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED JESUS…FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS (Matthew 1:21)…JESUS CHRIST IS THE NEW COVENANT NAME OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE!” Russel

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:8-11

Shannon Cook writes:

“It’s the same people that believe if we don’t refer to Him as Yah, Yahuah (and many other Jewish names) that He hears us not. Another lie of Satan. The Name Jesus is simply a translation:

The proper name Jesus /ˈdʒiːzəs/ used in the English language originates from the Latin form of the Greek name Ἰησοῦς (“Iēsous”), a rendition of the Hebrew Yeshua (ישוע‎), also having the variants Joshua or Jeshua. In a religious context the name refers to Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.”

“YHWH is Satan. The true name of Satan, the Kabalists say, is YAHWEH (GOD) reversed: for Satan is not a black god, but a negation of God … the Kabala imagined Him to be a most occult light.” Morals and Dogma. P. 102

Ever notice all the Yahweh, Yeshua, Yahushua, Yahuah, etc., name cult people lately? Does it seem like this movement is growing? People like this usually have other strange, cultish beliefs and are usually contentious, not even born again. In fact, I had an intense, hour or two long conversation with a man about this. He was well versed in why the name Jesus Christ was not sufficient. He displayed no fruit of the Holy Spirit and so finally, I asked him if he was born again. He had never heard that phrase that came right out of the Messiah’s mouth as a “must” – mandatory for salvation (John 3:3, 7). That man was being beguiled by wolves. I was privileged to preach the convicting Law and Gospel to him (Galatians 3:24; 1 Timothy 1:7-10).

Sinful men are always looking for a way to one-up or trump others instead of bowing down low in humility to serve them and simply reading and obeying God’s Word. This is what is at the root of the whole name cult, Hebrew Root (HR), judaizing devils. This sin is called in the Bible “emulations” which means striving to excel at the expense of others.

The devil wants the name of JESUS CHRIST to be replaced, not upheld and so now we have a dozen or more names for “God”, supposedly. Those who peddle such are not upholding the Head, Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:18-19). Oh and have you noticed that these names keep on multiplying?

The name cult dupes are everywhere these days! I usually tell them that I have personally cast out devils in the Name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names and devils, and ask if they wish to argue with that!!! I also ask them if they’ve ever cast out a devil in the name of Yahweh, Yahushua, etc. The look on their faces is priceless. The devil knows THAT name – the name of Jesus Christ!!!! Jesus Christ is the English rendering of the Hebrew Joshua Messiah …. Jesus means Jehovah is Salvation.

“Yahweh” is a fake “bible” rendering. The word appears no where in the King James Bible. Jehovah does though.

Exodus 6 KJB

“Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD (Heb. Jehovah): 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Also, in verse 2 “LORD” here from the Hebrew definition:

יְהֹוָה
yehôvâh
yeh-ho-vaw’
From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: – Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.

The Sacred Name Hebrew Roots Cult

Leona Legg writes:

“I wonder how many have been successful casting devils out with Yeshua, Yeshuah, Yahshua, Yahshuah (none can even agree on one name)?”

In order to take the emphasis and worship away from the LORD Himself, the false teachers of this movement puts emphasis on how the actual name is pronounced. They teach that God won’t hear or move on the behalf of someone who calls upon His name in sincerity of heart because they don’t pronounce correctly His name in a language foreign to them. Nonsense!

Let’s stick with the English rendering of Jesus Christ. All of Heaven’s power and authority are invested therein (Matthew 28:18-20). It’s before this Almighty King of Heaven that “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess…”

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Scared Name Devils Busted!

FEEDBACK:

“Most of this confusion is purposely caused for the benefit of Israel. What the Hebrew Roots movement is basically doing is winning converts to Zionism. A person who says ‘Yahushua’ and constantly says Torah, Torah, Torah, is usually about as pro-Zion as they come, and doesn’t have any problem with changing, ignoring, and even lying about what the Scriptures say. Additionally, more often than not a Hebrew Roots follower came to it by way of charismatic Pentecostalism, in that they usually don’t have a good grasp of the Bible to begin with. I remember following this movement briefly, praying that one day I would actually hear Jonathan Cahn, or Mark Biltz, or Joel Richardson actually preach from the New Testament. Never happened. They aren’t interested in the Good News, but in about winning to Judaism for Israel’s benefit.” unknown

“All I know is that when I called upon the name of the LORD to save and deliver me almost 30 years ago, it was the name of Jesus! When I called upon the powerful name of JESUS, I was saved, delivered, and baptized by the Holy Spirit. My life was radically and forever changed! So, how is it now that some claim He will only respond to His Hebrew name, and then, only if it is pronounced and spelled correctly? When will man ever cease from trying to contain God into a box and make Him into who their small minds and hearts conceive Him to be???? With all their Torah knowledge and adherence to Jewish customs and laws, Jesus Christ, in the flesh, was anything but men’s preconceived notions of the Messiah. The more stubborn we become in our ways to be the only ‘right’ ones in our knowledge of God, the more susceptible we become to religious spirits who block His true glory and nature. Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father! And we don’t deny that God does refer to Himself as YHWH. That is the preincarnate name of the Living God. I believe that we should reverence and adore that Holy Name. And there certainly is nothing wrong in referring to Jesus in His Hebrew name, Yeshuah. But when it places limits on God Himself and who can worship Him and call upon Him, and makes a religion of it in and of itself, literally placing more significance on a spelling and pronunciation on a name over the persons of God Himself, that is ridiculous and dangerous.” Rebecca S.

Hebrew Hogwash!

MORE FEEDBACK:

“Hallelujah for spiritual sanity. These people are deluded and have no concept of history or even languages. I told them there are languages round the world which have no “sh” sound (modern Greek) or no “y” sound (many Spanish-speakers have trouble with a word starting with the “y” sound). I asked “do you think Jesus doesn’t hear Greeks, Chinese, Russians etc when they pronounce His name in their language?” But not once has anyone responded who CARES what Christians outside their narrow, Anglophone Judaizing circle say or do. And that says it all… I saw a post where they couldn’t even agree if it was “Yah-shua” or “Yashua” or “Yeshua”. They failed to realize it would be an Latin alphabet and English phonetic transcription of the Hebrew alphabet anyway. And all of it demonstrates their pride and CARNALITY. It’s like God is separating the wheat from the tares now…so we know who we can rely on as the spiritual battles get tougher. I can count these phonies (the ones who dig their heels in and refuse to listen to rebuke) out” Eileen H.

“When I meet new people on here then see they are getting hung up on calling my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “Yah” or “yahwuah” or whatever kind of off the wall thing they’ve come up with I instantly sigh then click delete or just remove myself from that group. Some even have large followings. If you can’t call the Messiah by His name it’s an instant let down and I just move on. Arguing is impossible. What name do they try to cast the devils out with? We’re under a constant attack basic now.

There is POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

POWER, POWER, WONDER WORKING POWER…IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.

JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORD.

BY NO OTHER NAME CAN MAN BE SAVED….” Darla

The Sacred Name Hebrew Roots Cult [video]

Messianic pawns always seem to have this unwarranted air of superiority. They have no New Testament clue – because they refuse Christ for their laughable “law-keeping” idolatry – blinded to the biblical reality that Jesus Christ alone is salvation and the law is obsolete for righteousness! (Romans 3:28; 8:2-4; 10:4; Galatians 2:16) This message will knock that evil, arrogant smirk right off those self-righteous faces. SOON as I see the Yahua and/or saturn-day worshipping wording/emphasis, I know to delete and avoid such people. Foolishness. These pawns always seem to be pretending to be warriors for truth, exposing things, while they […]

Beware of the Hebrew Roots Judaizing Snakes! [podcast]

BEWARE of the Judaizing snakes of the Hebrew Roots (HR) movement. Are YOU a law-keeper/Torah-keeper OR a Christ-keeper? (Colossians 2:14-19) Some speak of sabbath, shalom, law-keeping, Torah, obedience to Moses’ law, etc above Christ. RUN! God’s people are “justified by faith” in Jesus, not law (Romans 5:1, etc.). The problem is not with the types and shadows given us in Scripture of the Messiah who was to come. No, the issue here is with those who would bring you back under the law. LOTS of Judaizers in our midst saints…. vainly believing that Jesus was not enough to save and […]

The Gospel of Saving Grace in Christ vs the Law [podcast]

Our Glorious Inheritance in Christ vs Messianic Antichrists [podcast] “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10 So, if you have ever, even 1 time, lied, you are guilty of breaking the whole law and going to hell. This goes for stealing, using God’s name in vain, having other gods before Him, coveting, etc. | Making Peace with God “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the […]

Abiding

Be Not Moved Away from the Hope of the Gospel [podcast]

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

“IF ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” Colossians 1:23

OSAS is a lie from hell. OSAS/eternal security was Satan’s first lie and so it’s blasphemy to teach this doctrine of devils (Gen 2:17; 3:4; 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Jude 4, etc.).

The concept of an un-conditional eternal security is not established in Scripture …. except for it being Satan’s first teaching, his first lie – the “ye shall NOT surely die” lie (Genesis 2:17, 3:4).

Eternal Security/Once Saved Always Saved is a Doctrine of Devils | 100’s of Scripture-rich Edifying Podcasts here

The Debacle, the Test of Our Allegiance [podcast]

All who are God’s are known by their hearing, holding as final authority, and obeying His words. “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47 WHERE is our faith? WHO do we truly fear? “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 The Testing of Your Faith: James 1 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing […]

The Cross vs Eternal Security [podcast]

Romans 6 Dead to Sin, Alive to God 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have […]

The Lying Vanity of "Eternal Security" [podcast]

WHY was Satan expelled from God’s presence, from Heaven? What happened the last time sin was found in Heaven? Did God coddle it or kick it out? Jesus told us: “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Luke 10:18 Oh and will we lose the ability to choose in Heaven? One man recently stated: “Even if you are in Heaven you do not have eternal security.” Interesting and apparently true…. because as I am sure you were alluding to, lucifer and a third of the angels still had choice in Heaven, they chose sin […]

Abiding

The Damning Myth of Unconditional Eternal Security! [podcast]

HELL Awaits!

SO YOU THINK YOU ARE ETERNALLY SECURE? WHO TOLD YOU THAT LIE? NOT GOD!

IT SIMPLY DOESN’T MATTER HOW POPULAR A PREACHER IS – IF HE’S TEACHING SATAN’S FIRST LIE THAT CAUSED THE FALL OF THE HUMAN RACE – OSAS/ETERNAL SECURITY – HE’S A FALSE TEACHER, AN AGENT OF SATAN (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). OF COURSE he’s popular – he’s not preaching the cross but rather excuses for sin against a Holy God! RUN from that devil!

You will be safe and eternally secure when you get to Heaven, not before.

ARE YOU enduring sound doctrine today or walking in lies? (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

There are not a few but rather “MANY adversaries” – “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are MANY adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:9) All born again believers who are presently abiding/remaining in Christ are exclusively going to be with Christ (John 15:6). All others are destined for irrevocable damnation in hell.

OSAS/eternal security is irrefutably Satan’s first lie and anyone teaching it is an agent of Satan Himself – Genesis 2:17; 3:4.

MOST Christians have been weakened in their resolve via Satan’s first lie which is peddled today under the clichés of OSAS (once saved always saved or eternal security). This unconditional security heresy removes the holy fear of God from the hearts of those who allow it and lowers their guard, always leading to sin. This is EXACTLY what happened to Adam and Eve when this doctrine of devils was introduced to them (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).

Remember that Satan is the first one to teach this eternal security lie (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). Now, who’s peddling this same lie today, other than Satan’s human agents?

More proof that false prophets teach unconditional eternal security/OSAS:

“They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace (eternal security); and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil (judgment) shall come upon you.” Jeremiah 23:17

Satan and his false leaders are the only ones teaching OSAS as is clear from God’s Word (Genesis 2:17; 3:4; Jeremiah 23:17; Jude 4).

Concerning Satan’s OSAS/eternal security heresy, one sister testifies: “This doctrine almost sent me to hell, thinking I was on my way to heaven while living in sin. It’s repulsive and damning. It feeds the ego and wicked mind of man. It props him up for a great fall. It’s a deadly and hellish deception.”

The central reason people want to believe OSAS is that they simply do not want to truly repent and die to self.

Like it or not, if you are peddling Satan’s first lie (Genesis 2:17; 3:4) – OSAS/eternal security – you are of him and not God. A false teacher is simply anyone who is teaching falsely.

IMAGINE THE TRUTH FOR JUST A MOMENT …..

The bowels of eternal damnation – hell – is chock full of eternally vanquished – irrevocably departed – consciously and forever suffering souls who once had the same opportunity you now temporarily have. There is no and will never be a release date from the incarceration of this righteous justice of the Almighty. Yet, even though many of those who now occupy hell got initially saved, they chose to deny Christ instead of self in their daily lives. They therefore ran out of fuel and like the 5 foolish virgins, had the door into the bridal chamber with Christ (the Bridegroom) shut on them! Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:1-13.

“For if AFTER they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are AGAIN entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, AFTER they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit AGAIN; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:20-22

MILLIONS now irrevocably occupy hell, horribly, consciously suffering with no end – ever. Many of these helpless tormented souls were in their earthly life saved by Christ and yet chose not to endure to the end, to abide – REMAIN – in Christ, and just as Jesus promised, were cast into the fires of eternal damnation (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; John 15:6). In fact, their sufferings are even worse than if they’d never known Christ (2 Peter 2:20-22). ANY person teaching an unconditional “eternal security” is a messenger of hell! Rebuke them sharply! (Titus 1:13) If they don’t repent, run! Expose them.

“Study to shew thyself (YOURSELF) approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

These are the foolish virgins of Jesus’ parable who chose to deny Christ for the cares and riches and pleasures of this fleeting world, to think about and coddle the false god of self …. Upon awaking in their mornings, they freely chose to read the paper, check Facebook and emails, watched the news, etc. …. They freely chose not to fill their vessels with God’s Word ….. and they will never cease to suffer consciously for it….. the lake of fire lies ahead and so it’s just going to get worst! Revelation 20:11-15 … When a billion years of earth’s time have passed, not even 1 second will have expired from eternity’s time clock!!

Is it really worth it?

YOU are going to choose!

No one else can choose for you!

May the LORD Almighty figuratively dip your soul in the bowels of hell. May He shake you to the core of your being … before it’s too late!

RUN for your life from every so-called preacher who refuses to preach on the essential biblical doctrines of repentance, the daily cross, holiness, judgment to come, and hell – and the absolute necessity of enduring to the end after being saved (Jeremiah 23:17; Amos 9:10; Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Colossians 1:22-23; Hebrews 3:6m 12-14; 10:26-39; Revelation 2:26, etc.).

CHRIST said HIS work is finished, not yours (John 19:30). You are taking Christ’s words out of context. The ONE who died on the cross for your sins also commanded YOU to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him daily – and that’s what saving grace looks like (Luke 9:23-24).

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:” Revelation 2:26

OSAS is a scam teaching. The lascivious, “once saved always saved (OSAS)” and Calvinistic devils tell others that God requires nothing at all of them after He saves them. But that is clearly a false gospel, another gospel, and they are “accursed” for preaching it (Galatians 1:6-9). Ridiculous. In His Word the LORD gives us initial and ongoing personal responsibilities which if not met, one loses out (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; 25:1-13, etc.). Jesus commanded those He saves to “abide” – to remain in Him to the end or perish (John 15:1-6).

“If a man abide (remain) not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (hell).” John 15:6

Many do not recognize that in Scripture there is

1. initial salvation and,

2. final salvation.

False teachers will tell you that you only need to get saved initially. Yet the Bible teaches initial and final salvation. Jesus told His own that only those among them who “endure to the end” will be saved into eternal glory (final salvation).

“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matthew 24:10-13

False teachers teach that just because you’ve been initially saved, you are now judgment proof! This is exactly what the false leaders of Israel taught. They refuse to call people to true repentance and personal holiness and promise eternal life/security/peace to those living in sin (2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:25-27; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16).

Were the Gentile believers judgment proof?

“Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:20-22

Did the apostle Paul believe he was judgment proof?

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

There is no guarantee of unconditional eternal security given in God’s Word and in fact many clear truths which reveal one can “fall away” after being saved (Luke 8:13) or be “cut off” (Romans 11:20-22), or cast into the fires of hell if the believer doesn’t abide/remain in Christ (John 15:6).

“I have not yet figured out how anyone can preach the true Gospel without including the fact of hell that we are saved to escape! In this positive think world, hell has become a `negative` and thus avoided. But it is still a fact that has to be preached, to warn others not to go there.” Shirley Moose Filer

The Truth about Holiness [podcast]

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11 As we just read, divine “holiness” is “glorious.” Holiness is not what most of us think it is. Holiness in the divine economy is something of great “beauty” and utterly refreshing (Psalms 96:9). It seems that holiness is not merely a divine attribute but rather the divine nature of the Almighty. Are we ready to allow our LORD, who alone is “Holy, holy, holy,” to define what holiness truly is and how He brings it […]

Grace and Good Works [podcast]

We who are Saved by Grace through Faith are “His Workmanship” “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 The born again believer is “justified by faith,” sanctified by faith, set apart to the LORD (Psalms 4:3). God deals with the sin and the sinner. He makes us new creatures in Christ upon […]

Grace vs Holiness [podcast]

“The horrible travesty we have in America today is Christianity without holiness.” A.W. Tozer Grace and holiness come only from God. The LORD is Holy and He extends salvation by grace to repentant, believing sinners at the moment of conversion. Grave vs Holiness: WHY is one of these two so overwhelmingly overemphasized by today’s pastors and self-appointed “grace teachers,” when the other is prioritized by God as is demonstrated by the number of times it appears in Holy Scripture? Which word appears more times in the Bible?: Grace, or Holiness LET’S DO THE MATH: Comparing Grace and Holiness 170 […]

RADIO: Eternal Security Debate Todd Tomasella and Chris Bradford [podcast]

In this debate, I wish I’d have mentioned the truth and context of John 10:27-29 so that he couldn’t come in at the end and just mention v28-29 without the context, the condition of v27 😉 Todd “You’ll be eternally grateful if you listen to this debate. It’s an Eye-opener even to the “seasoned”!” Mirriam Nelani Unrepentant rebels who claim to be saved lack the discernment and ability to rightly divide the word of God because they refuse to turn their hearts over to the LORD – 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. OSAS dupes reject the mountains of Scripture that […]

More on Hell here | OSAS/Eternal Security Exposed

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