Category: theology

Posted in theology

God is not talking to you

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Many professing Christian ladies these days claim that God talks to them, some even say they write down what ‘he’ says and turn them into books or ‘Bible’ lessons or devotionals. The Spirit is not giving additional scripture. Therefore these women are either lying or spiritually deceived. Since either one is certainly the case, actual Christian ladies should avoid this kind of material.

It is getting kind of hard to avoid it. William Young’s The Shack was delivered to the author by a spirit, so was Beth Moore’s When Godly People do Ungodly Things, Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling, Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God, Helen Schucman and her book A Course in Miracles, and many others masquerading as Christian(ish) material.

“God told me” and ‘automatic writing’ are ancient issues, they’re not new, but they both were revived and revamped in modern times. In the 1930s Lutheran preacher Dr. Frank Buchman (1878–1961) formed the Oxford Group and one of his teachings involved a “spiritual solution” of automatic writing. He called it “guidance” and taught how to wait with pen in hand for the spirit(s) to endow the devotee’s mind with words they then automatically (like an automaton) wrote down.

Here is a warning from author J. C. Brown from his book The Oxford Group Movement: is it of God or of Satan?, rebutting the Oxford Group’s notion that we can receive dictation from spirits.

“He teaches his votaries to wait upon God with paper and pencil in hand each morning in this relaxed and inert condition, and to write down whatever guidance they get. This, however, is just the very condition required by Spiritist mediums to enable them to receive impressions from evil spin and it is a path which, by abandoning the Scripture-instructed judgment (which God always demands) for the purely occult and the psychic, has again and again led over the precipice. The soul that reduces itself to an automaton may at any moment be set spinning by a Demon.”

Indeed! Any person who opens herself up to this kind of activity is by definition opening herself up to malevolent spirits to rush in.

This ‘God told me’ practice was again remarked upon rebutted by J.C. Brown in his book The Oxford Group Movement: is it of God or of Satan?

“One more word about Dr. Buchman. It is said by those who know him (and I, too, have had the same experience when corresponding with him), that most of those who come into contact with him feel a definite magnetic influence. This is often indicative of demon-possession, though the demon may be transformed like his master Satan into an angel of light.”

Th above is how cult leaders become popular. You’ve often heard people remark that he or she ‘is so charismatic!’ Or he or she ‘is so magnetic! I couldn’t stop listening! I couldn’t take my eyes off him!’ Brown continues with comparing a a demon-possessed man with a true man of God-

“A true man of God, who is filled with the Spirit, exhibits a power over the world, the flesh, and the Devil, but not over the person with whom he comes into contact. One feels in his presence the very atmosphere of Heaven, and the heart is drawn out in love and desire not so much to the man as to the Lord Jesus Christ, his Heavenly Saviour and Lord, Whose he is and Whom he serves.” ~JC Brown

A demon-possessed or oppressed spiritist will draw you to himself. A true man of God will draw you to God. In this way, we know that NO person who ever said in modern times “God told me!” is actually drawing you to God. Too many women reject such warnings by saying that they were drawn to God. But if they examined themselves clear-eyed, they would find that were really drawn to the person ‘teaching’ these practices, not to the Redeemer. To the deceived person, it’s hard to untangle, but the best clue is when a teacher starts saying “GOD TOLD ME!” No, He didn’t. Avoid such people.

You may be wondering then, is God involved in our lives? To what extent? And how will we know, or have assurance, that He is? Phil Johnson explains in his great sermon, Providence IS Remarkable:

When the Lord wants to reassure the Apostles that Almighty God is directly and personally and lovingly involved in their experience, and not only in their triumphs and successes, but also in their trials and sufferings.  Jesus doesn’t point them to the miracles.  He doesn’t talk about dreams and visions, or other mystical phenomena.  He doesn’t tell them to listen for a still small voice inside their own heads, and He certainly doesn’t tell them that their words have creative power, so, you know, when you encounter opposition, just go ahead and make a positive confession.

Instead, Jesus teaches them a truth we know as the doctrine of providence.  He stresses the fact that God is intimately involved in all the details of our lives, even when we can’t consciously sense His presence, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing or why He’s doing it. ~Phil Johnson

Here is another resource for you. I have not read this book but it’s on my way to my mailbox now. It’s called:

Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church by Holly Pivec  (Author), R. Douglas Geivett  (Author).

The blurb describes it:

Is there a new reformation happening in the church? It depends on who you ask. The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders, and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets. But is this biblical Christianity?

In Counterfeit Kingdom, apologists and NAR experts Holly Pivec and Douglas Geivett show how the NAR’s key tenets distort the gospel, twist the Scriptures, are influenced by New Age practices, and lead faithful Christians to shipwreck their faith. They also offer practical suggestions for readers who are already influenced by the NAR, curious about it, or concerned about loved ones who have been swept up in the movement. What used to be on the fringes of the church is now mainstream, and many are being influenced by it unaware. This book is a wake-up call.

If you are a true believer, sister, be assured, God is involved in your life. The Spirit indwells you. Jesus intercedes for you. No matter the circumstances, He is. It’s where faith comes in. You just have to trust that He is.

Further Resources

Doren Virtue & Jenn Nizza discuss automatic writing/channeling. https://youtu.be/6ReM8OxwXJ0

Posted in theology

If God is omnipresent, does that mean he is also in hell?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The question in my title was a discussion on Facebook.

“If God is omnipresent, does that mean he is also in hell?”

Hmmm, interesting!

First, let’s make sure we understand the word omnipresent. Omni means all. Present means present. It means God is present in all His creation. There is nowhere God isn’t.

Neither the noun “omnipresence” nor adj. “omnipresent” occurs in Scripture, but the idea that God is everywhere present is throughout presupposed and sometimes explicitly formulated. God’s omnipresence is closely related to His omnipotence and omniscience: that He is everywhere enables Him to act everywhere and to know all things, and, conversely, through omnipotent action and omniscient knowledge He has access to all places and all secrets (cf Ps 139). The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

These are two verses among many addressing declaring God’s presence everywhere: Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 139:7.

So yes He is in hell. He is omnipresent. That means everywhere. Even in hell/sheol/the Lake of Fire to come. As for the question asking whether God (or Jesus) is in hell, there is this verse to consider.

Revelation 14:9-10 says “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb“.

A women came into the discussion asking:

“Why would a holy God be in hell? Through Christ’s salvation we are made holy so as not to go to hell.”

I replied, “True! But He is also a God of wrath who punishes sin, as is stated in Revelation 14:9-10. He glorifies Himself through his redemption of saints – and also through his punishment of sinners. God is not ONLY love but also justice.

Then I received the “whatabouts”

What about 2 Thessalonians 1:9 verse?…

(which says-)

These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND FROM THE GLORY OF HIS MIGHT,

I replied: Yes the Revelation 14 and 2 Thessalonians verses do seem to say the opposite of each other. In Thessalonians, that the people in hell are out of the presence of the Lord, and Revelation 14 the people in hell endure the wrath in His presence. But we know the Lord is not the author of confusion, and He does not contradict Himself. So what can this mean? Bottom line is, it means we need to study it more, because the scriptures are perspicacious (clear) and the Spirit will illuminate any confused understandings we may have- if we ask. (James 1:5).

As Michael Horton explained, about the apparent contradiction,

“These verses are best reconciled, in my view, by recognizing that judgment consists in being excluded from God’s presence as the source of all blessedness, but not from God’s omnipresent lordship.”

Further, we see that Matthew 10:28 warns of the presence of God in hell, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Jesus is the One who dispenses the wrath. Who else would it be? Horton said hell is torment not just because of the fiery punishment, but BECAUSE of the presence of the Lord.

“Hell is horrible because of God’s presence, not his absence.“

Michael Horton

God is omnipresent. Omni means all. He is everywhere at all times, but not everyone everywhere is experiencing Him in the same way. Saved Christians experience His presence in glory with blessings, unrepentant sinners in hell experiencing the wrath due them for sin.

On Hell:

‘The torments themselves will be universal. It will not be merely one or two torments but all torments united. Hell is the place of torment itself (Luke 16.28). It is the centre of all punishments, sorrow and pain, wrath and vengeance, fire and darkness’. ~Ralph Venning, The Sinfulness of Sin

Posted in theology

Jackie Hill Perry renounces Enneagram

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Jackie Hill Perry (JHP) is a spoken word artist who converted to Christianity in 2008 after years of drug use, promiscuity, and lesbianism. She became heterosexual, attributing the change in herself to God, saying that God can transform anyone’s life and further, that He helps a person resist temptation afterward. She is now married to Preston Perry and they have 4 children.

After conversion, she performed her poetry at conferences and became famous on the ‘circuit’ in interviews, podcasts, and TV shows giving her testimony. She is a quick study, grasping doctrinal nuances, and so she began to not only perform her own works but to teach and sadly, to preach.

JHP preaching at the Passion conference in 2022.

In 2022 JHP ‘came out’ as a prophet, explaining that she had sort of been Charismatic all along but was reluctant to say so publicly. But in 2022, JHP explained that she hears God and He comes to her in dreams and speaks. He tells her to intercede for this person or that person, or gives other instructions.

Along the way, Justin Peters noted that JHP has partnered with and endorsed some of the rankest heretics going.

Last year she also publicly renounced her participation in the American Gospel video, a documentary that teaches solidly doctrinal things featuring solid theologians.

Perhaps because she was used so quickly as a trophy of God’s grace and hadn’t had time to develop discernment, or perhaps because she is a false convert herself, as some claim, but these issues certainly are problematic. Hearing from God, taking certain actions because of instructions received in a dream, endorsing obvious heretics, not to mention preaching, are doctrinal boundaries she’s crossed that spark concern about JHP’s walk.

When Enneagram became popular, JHP began playing with it, openly promoting it, and undiscerningly endorsing it. Enneagram is a “personality test” with origins from the demonic side. More information on the Enneagram below.

Though it is sad when a convert is hurtling to the false side of things, it’s sadder because rarely do they retreat from it even an inch. But this week JHP may have done just that. She said she was prompted by the Lord to examine the origins of the occult personality test, and was shocked and dismayed at what she found. In an Instagram story, now gone, (but captured on Twitter by a follower of hers from Instagram). JHP said the following, here is the transcription-

‘I’mma’ say thus and I’mma out y’all way. I was really skeptical and have been for some years when people were saying that the Enneagram was demonic. Cuz I do feel like sometimes people can be way too deep. But the Lord prompted me to study that thing- for a good 2 days. Evil. /laughs nervously/

It ain’t even funny. Literally, doctrines of demons. Divination. Witchcraft. I had no idea. No idea. OK so one of the dudes who is originator of the contemporary understanding of Enneagram as we know it, he said that he got his information about it from an angelic visitation from a spirit or divine being named Metatron. Which we know is a demon. And then the other guy who created the types he said on YouTube he got his understanding of the wisdom of types through automatic writing. Which is a form of channeling spirits. Where a demon basically guides your hand or guides your mind to help you write down certain ideas.

So when we say I’m type 1, type 2, type 3, whatever, we are literally applying to our identity the ‘wisdom’ of demons. It’s literally that deep.

And I had…yah. /looks down sadly/

And I was telling Preston [husband] part of this is … I’ve talked about Enneagram on several occasions and so part of me feels a responsibility to renounce it publicly and to bring attention to the demonic nature of it.

—end JHP transcription—-

It takes a dose of humility to openly say you were wrong, and for that I applaud JHP. I am proud that she looked it up and I’m proud that she publicly renounced it and proud that she warned the sisters about it.

In a previous article I wrote about JHP coming out as a prophet, I’d asked for prayer for her that the Lord would deliver discernment to her. If this is an answer to prayer then it is a praise to the Lord. This is point #1- a praise that JHP is renouncing the Enneagram.

But point #2 is a warning. Too often people lack discernment themselves, and after a one-inch retreat of a favored person, decide that the person is good to go, can or should be followed, and their material be absorbed. Whoa. Hold your horses there pardner. JHP still preaches, still claims direct revelation, still partners with heretics. She hasn’t renounced any of those sins. In fact, when she came out as a prophet, she got a lot of flak for it. Instead of prayerfully considering the facts of the concern stated to her, she made a second video about the issue where she dismissed the concerns, derided discernment talk from bloggers, whom she said were non-credible.

Jackie Hill Perry rejects discernment talk about her false prophesying

So praise the Lord for the good work of a social media influencer publicly renouncing a damaging and demonic activity. JHP has more than a million followers combined over her social media accounts, so it’s good she is rejecting the Enneagram. This is influence in the right direction

But friends, Matthew 10:16 says “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Therefore, wait a bit before jumping back on JHP’s bandwagon. Watch if the Lord will clear up JHP’s other issues. Meanwhile, avoid the Enneagram!

Further Reading

GotQuestions: Does the Enneagram contradict the Bible?

The End Time: JHP Discernment review

Sheologians did an hour on the origins of and the demonic nature of the Enneagram, here.

The women at A Word Fitly Spoken examined it too, here.

Allie Beth Stuckey, podcast “Relatable” Ep 737 | Jackie Hill Perry Renounces the Enneagram
Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey, (28:23) Jackie Hill Perry’s Enneagram story

Posted in theology

The Proverbs 31 woman is held as an example of married woman, but what if you’re not married?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The Proverbs woman is often held up as THE example of a worthy woman. Indeed, the NASB calls her that as it launches into the description from verse 10-31:

“Description of a Worthy Woman”.

This woman is tireless in her pursuit of the good of her husband and the well-being of her family. The description of her activities seems almost unattainable, but for the fact that we have the Spirit’s wings to spur wives and moms onward.

But what if you’re not a married woman? Whose example do we follow? The Bible does not feature many single women. Lydia was perhaps single. She ran a business (purple dyeing) and had a large house with servants, but a husband is not mentioned. Maybe she was a widow. But we can’t know for sure. Susannah followed Jesus, she gave out of her own purse, so she had freedom to roam with itinerant Jesus and her own money. A husband is not mentioned, but we can’t be sure. Ruth & Naomi…but Naomi was bitter and Ruth remarried…

A lot of ink is spent on featuring married women, most with children. But where are the singles? There’s the unmarried Mary and Martha, living with their brother Lazarus. We see the two sides of a coin in devoted and spiritual Mary and the tireless busy-ness of hostess Martha. Perhaps combined they would be a good biblical role model.

So, who?

If single women want to see a biblical role model of a single woman, we do have Anna.

Luke 2:36-38 offers us a brief biography of this woman. Her bio is sandwiched between other glimpses of the nativity story. She doesn’t receive as many verses as the Proverbs 31 wife, just three, but her life was one well worth studying nonetheless.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. 38And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

In those verses we learn her father’s name and her tribe (Asher was a ‘lost tribe’). Anna married young and was married for a short time before she became a widow.

Because the Jewish culture emphasized marriage and procreation, and because women were a vulnerable demographic, widows (especially young ones) usually remarried. Anna didn’t. We do not know why. Perhaps her husband had been a man of means and she was financially secure. Perhaps she had loved him so much she felt it would be a betrayal to remarry, it just wasn’t in her heart. We don’t know.

Anna likely married at around age 15. When we pick up her life story she is nearly a hundred. We do know she remained unmarried. So for about 6 decades, she lived in or near the Temple and did not leave it night or day. Some believe that sh was given a small apartment or ‘cell’ to live in inside the Temple. They had some there-

Pulpit Commentary: Which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Probably, in virtue of her reputation as a prophetess, some small chamber in the temple was assigned to her. This seems to have been the case with Huldah (2 Chronicles 34:22).

What was she doing all that time? She served in the temple night and day. Anna was prayerful. She was thankful. She was focused on the coming Savior. She “prophesied,” which could mean she foretold future events, but that is less likely than the other meaning of prophesied, which is simply proclaiming the divine message.

Anna’s focus was proclaiming the Savior’s coming. It was the top item in her mind, the focus of her prophesying, it’s what she said and taught and prayed. Using her example, women who are single could focus on His coming, incarnation, and/or return. Think of how much more we New Testament believers know than Anna did! Yet Anna found enough treasure in the scriptures available to her to prophesy constantly.

Did Paul have Anna in mind when he sent this letter to Timothy?

3Honor widows who are widows indeed,… 5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day. (1 Timothy 5:3,5).

Widows remarrying is perfectly fine, but some choose to remain in the state of widowhood, and as such, what do they do with their time, since it is not devoted to family? Being single as an unmarried or being single through widowhood “is good”. It is not second class. Anna devoted her time to God’s family. Paul wrote,

But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. (1 Corinthians 7:8).

He also said that undistracted devotion to the Lord is possible and desirable if one is single or a widow.

But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. 33But one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, 34and his interests have been divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit. But one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. 35Now this I say for your own benefit, not to put a restraint upon you, but [†]to promote propriety and undistracted devotion to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35).

Anna certainly is an example of a woman who fulfilled Paul’s exhortation. She is also not only an example to the single women, but aged women, as well. A person is never too old to serve the Lord in some way. There really is no retirement from ministry. Ministry service to our Savior may shift as life circumstances change, but not service itself. Romans 12:1 says–

Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Anna is an example of a single woman in service to the Lord. She is an example of an aged woman in service to the Lord. She also an example of a remnant in service to the Lord. The days just prior to the Lord’s coming were days of apostasy. Real faith was rare. The religious leaders (Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes) were hyper-authoritarian Scripture twisters. True faith was rare to find.

These days we are living in can be called days of apostasy. Not The Great Apostasy prophesied to come, perhaps, but these are days where real shepherds, real faithful, real churches are hard to find. Revelation was written a mere 60 years after Jesus’ ascension, and we read in those days that of the 7 churches of Asia, only 2 received compliments and no criticisms. That’s only 28%. What do we think the percentage of wayward churches would be 2000 years after ascension? It’s been a downward slide, with a few upticks, then more down again, this whole period.

Therefore single women can and should be an Anna-type remnant. Devoting time and energy to service in the Lord. We can have a prayer closet. We can teach the younger as Titus 2 says. We can write letters of encouragement. We can keep a blog. We can cook meals for busy mothers. We can do whatever the Lord presses onto our heart, and do it “night and day”.

As with the Proverbs 31 wife, an Anna-like life may seem unattainable…impossible. But, well, Anna did it. We don’t have to literally live and breathe Jesus, but we kind of do. Let’s just say that with the Proverbs 31 wife, her main orientation of life and all her activities are focused around her family. She had a deep focus and a laser-like goal. The single woman can structure her life around her church family and with a laser-like goal, she can (and should) devote herself to service.

One caution. Martha. We can become SO busy that we overlook Jesus in our midst. We can be about the Father’s business so hard that we lose focus of the Father.

If you are single, think of ways that you can fill more time in your days with acceptable service to Jesus. He is worth it!

Photo by Thomas Schütze on Unsplash

Further Reading

Anna: The Lord’s Precious Widow

Posted in theology

The John MacArthur cult?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Recently, it was shared that Pastor-Teacher John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA became short of breath while ascending to the pulpit during a Sunday sermon, and appeared for several moments to struggle for breath. He later asked the elders if he could rest instead of preach the second service, and these two facts sparked a worldwide concern and prayers for the 83 year old.

Grace Community Church (GCC) elder Tom Patton said at the second service: “Just so you know, Pastor John had a bug this week and preached our first hour but asked if he might be able to take a break for the second hour. So Mike Riccardi is going to be answering the call.“

Since the Pastor usually preaches 2 services and is quite active elsewhere and everywhere, and since MacArthur said he plans to preach and not retire, and is committed to preaching if at all possible, the news that he requested absence from the pulpit that morning sent shock waves around the world.

The incident was reported by news organizations from Fox News, Black Christian news, Christian Post, and many others. The news was tweeted and retweeted, shared on Facebook, and posted on many other social media outlets. It was a big deal.

Why?

GCC sanctuary worship in 2007. Photo By Lukasinla at English Wikipedia – Own work by the original uploader, Public Domain

Most of the commotion was centered on the fact that MacArthur, or JMac as he is affectionately known, is beloved and/or respected. He has preached through the entire New Testament verse by verse, a feat only completed by John Gill in the 1700s. He has led GCC as its main pastor-teacher faithfully since 1969 – 54 years! He has stood firm on the scriptures without wavering or compromise for 5 decades. He has had a global impact with his study Bibles, his complete New Testament commentary, and ~4000 sermons. His material has been absorbed from north of the Faroes at the Arctic Circle, to rural Nigeria, to the south at Patagonia, and from China in the east to Europe in the west.

His other main commitment after preaching, is to raise up men to preach, and in this, he has led The Master’s Seminary for decades. These are just a few of his accomplishments, ones he’d be the first to attribute to the Holy Spirit’s feeding and sustenance.

In other words, many see him as the Spurgeon of this century and the last, and rightfully so. His positive impact for the kingdom has been tremendous.

Thus the deep concern and prayers for this faithful elder statesman of the faith when people heard he was ill. Fortunately the Grace Church Elders issued a statement to their church members:

Dear Grace Church, Many of you are praying for Pastor John’s health as he felt lightheaded on Sunday morning in the pulpit. We are pleased to report that he is doing well. He was under the weather last week but after seeing a doctor on Sunday and getting much needed rest from a busy holiday week, he is now much improved and feeling fine. We are grateful for your continued prayers for our pastor. The Grace Church Elders.

And another statement was posted for the general public. A great sigh of relief went up along with more prayers in thanks to the Lord for gifting us this solid pastor a while longer.

Yet I’d said at the top that most of the commotion was centered on concern for his health due to this positive contributions to the faith. But not ALL the attention stemmed from that. There are JMac detractors. Vocal ones. Vicious ones. They too flooded social media with their unified scornful chorus: “John MacArthur leads a cult!” “Just look at all the idolatry!” These folks believe that the folks who love JMac are deluded idol worshipers, and they say so at every opportunity. They seized on his absence from the pulpit and subsequent concern, flocked to social media to callously push an agenda so obviously laid upon a foundation of hate.

Due to JMac’s age, one is always concerned that an illness might be the last illness and the man may depart from the earth. Of the detractors, their attitude betrayed a barely veiled glee that this might indeed be the case. They charged his pastorate as a cult, claimed the elders were making up lies, and accused the people praying for him and the church as deceived cultists.

Indeed when the elders did publish the “He’s OK!” post later in the day, they refused to believe it, publicly calling them liars.

During the hubbub, I was asked by a reader if I believed the people spewing such venom against a godly pastor were saved or not. I said probably not, but I can’t be sure of course. Here is why I believe it. Let’s unpack this.

The lesson here when interacting with people who hold a view that seems angry or ‘off somehow’ is to ask one’s self some questions. Listen not only to their words but look at the way they behave- and whether their behavior contradicts their profession of faith.

If they say the church is a cult, and in fact it is NOT a cult, then they are speaking against the Spirit who raised up the church and the man leading it. Would a person with the Spirit in them speak against the Spirit’s work?

  • Cults usually tend to isolate their members from society by employing polarizing views, such as ‘us vs them, and become myopic, looking inward,
  • Cults tend to have a leader who lies and manipulates so as to attract and retain members,
  • Questioning and doubt is punished,
  • The group claims exalted status for itself,
  • The leader is not accountable to anyone.
  • More here on The Characteristics of a Cult.

I was also asked, “Is it a cult of personality?“

Answer: No. The outpouring of love & respect for JMac is what double honor looks like-1 Timothy 5:17.

The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching the word and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17).

“The honour due to those who were not idle, but laborious in this work; they were worthy of double honour, esteem, and maintenance.” Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2357). Hendrickson.

Double honor exists in many churches, of course, not solely GCC. But not many churches have such a public presence as GCC. So we see it more there. Was Paul nurturing a cult of personality when he prepared to leave Ephesus? Look at the scene when he left and they knew they would likely never see Paul again:

Paul was beloved this way: Acts 20:36-38 “When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again.”

Cults of personality is defined as “the result of an effort which is made to create an idealized and heroic image of a leader by a government, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.”

Shepherds are supposed to be humble, teachable, and respond to constructive criticism in a godly way. Cult leaders do not. Are you able to speak with your pastor or deacon or elder genuinely and naturally? Or do you have to pick your words and couch everything in a flattering manner? Is doubt or criticism punished?

Cults do happen in religion, even ones that start out as a normal church or para-church organization. The Pharisees were a cult. They twisted the word, forced people out of the synagogue, made people afraid, punished criticism, centered around one man (Annas), and their views caused them to become twice the sons of hell they themselves were.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Cults of personality occurred too. The Church at Thyatira hosted a woman who prophesied falsely, taught deception, and lured the church members into sexual immorality, and she was tolerated! She must have been a powerful personality to have formed such a cult around her that the church in cowardly manner tolerated all her sins. So ask, is the person being honored luring people into dark sin, or is his/her teaching bringing people to the light of the true Gospel?

People who claim to be Christian yet chortle with glee at a brethren’s potential demise, or who discredit a good church and its people, who call brethren liars in the face of facts, are fighting against the Spirit of Christ. No, these people are aligned with the spirit of the age, and thus most likely, are not saved. Their words betray the darkness of their heart. Anyone who chooses to publicly deride an aged Christian in ill health and wish for their death, instead of praying for their good, betrays the evilness of their heart. If they truly believed GCC was a cult and were truly Christians, would they not instead pray for their deliverance? That is the difference between a heart of light and a sinful heart.

Further Reading

Below are some links to true cults and their leaders. These men were very dangerous. If you believe you are in a cult, please refer to these articles:

“Qualities and Characteristics Associated with Cults“, and

“How to Leave a Cult“.

Focus on the Family has an article aimed at family members who have joined a cult: “My Child Has Joined a Cult“

Recent Cults: (Personally, I’ll never forget the shock at the first images emerging on the news from Guyana of the 909 dead in the Peoples’ Temple. They drank cyanide laced Kool-Aid, parents gave it to their children. Heartbreaking. It’s where we get the phrase ‘Don’t drink the Kool-Aid’)

Jim Jones Peoples’ Temple cult (909 died in mass suicide)

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians (ended in FBI siege, suicides, and fire)

Charles Manson and the Manson Family (ended in murder, law enforcement capture, and jail)

Bonnie Nettles and Heaven’s Gate (ended in mass suicide)

Posted in theology

Someday the fog will be lifted

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Driving to school in the morning I encountered heavy fog. To a New Englander, fog is an old friend. Its constant presence, threat of presence, or dissipating presence is part and parcel of the daily life of a Yankee who lives near the sea.

Those horizon level coils of wiry dark, looking like far off barbed wire wrapped in a pillow soft and damp, rolls in and rolls out. Its silent stealth can envelop you as you’re mowing, as you’re driving, as you’re sailing.

We encountered fog numerous times while sailing. Seeing the fog bank up ahead causes you to jump down to the navigation table with alacrity, take a few more positional calculations, check the soundings, and then, blink, you’re enveloped. Like a misty blanket, the fog surrounds you ever more presently until you cannot see the end of your own bowsprit.

You peer ahead for any landmark, anything solid. The mushiness of seeing through fog is disorienting. Suddenly you don’t know up from down.

So I was driving along to school in the wee, dark hours. I marveled that a loose conglomeration of mist droplets could seem so solid. It was astonishing how the fog, heavy as it was to subdue my headlights’ beams to mere slivers, yet seemed to enhance the Christmas lights on the houses I passed by into a glistening glow.

Everything I viewed along the ride was murky, distorted, at the same time beautiful and terrifying. I didn’t know what to be scared of and what to feel secure in. Was that a cluster of leaves blowing in front of the car, or an animal? Why are the white lights glowing so golden?

Then as I neared my school in a blink I was out of the bank. I popped out quicker than a grasshopper in front of a combine. Suddenly everything was sharp and clear. Though a fog bank is indistinct, it is evident. Though it is unformulated, it is palpable. And then it was gone. Or at least, behind me.

It made me think of life here on earth and life in heaven. The verse ‘through a glass darkly’ came to mind. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, we will see Jesus, as He is, his heaven, which is the REAL place to dwell. No more veil. No more sin-nature obscuring our vision and darkening our heart.

The blind will SEE! We see now, to be sure, but only through a fog of unreality and sin. When the fog lifts, we will see everything clearly. It will happen. It will happen abruptly, unexpectedly, but it will happen. We will see Jesus clearly in person, and what a sight that will be. When the indistinctness of life here in the dim dark clears to display diamond glittering brilliance of God’s glory, we may well indeed shout, Praise to the Father of Lights!

Posted in theology

Ten (or More) Spiritual Things You Didn’t know About Me

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Thank you to the newcomers to the blog! A new year brings lists, and if I’m on a list then people come over here and check the blog out. For that, I thank you for taking the time. Here is some information about The End Time and its Administrator and sole author: Elizabeth Prata (me!)

Photo by Paico Oficial on Unsplash

The end of the year often comes with reflection, and lists, and resolutions. It’s human nature to ponder. We like stark demarcations like borders, end of year reflections, anniversaries, things that help us say ‘this is this and that is that’.

Growing up, I never had much exposure to church. We were Methodist for a while, then Unitarian. Then nothing. Church education and attendance was spotty at best. My parents shall we say, did not practice godly living. (It was the 60s and 70s after all).

I was saved later in life at about age 43. I don’t have an exact date but a time frame, sometime in December 2003/January 2004.

Being a loner and having no understanding of what the Church is all about, for 18 months or so, I resisted attending church (even though deep down I knew I should).

I thought that watching Joel Osteen on TV every week was good enough.

Now that I was in Christendom, I thought that I was finally ‘safe’ and nothing bad would ever happen again. I was wrong! Christianity is full of strife and trouble, (but so worth it!)

When I finally got a Bible and compared Osteen’s words to it, by the Spirit’s grace, I knew that this kind of worship wasn’t proper.

I felt gypped, lied, to and upset at the notion that a pastor could be false and waste my spiritual time by hindering my walk, but I soon learned this is more frequent in Christendom than people think. But the Romans 8:28 ‘good’ that came out was that the feeling of loss and worthless worship at experiencing a false teacher now propels me into discernment. It is my desire that this does not happen to anyone else.

My first series I listened to under John MacArthur, whom I found as another graceful doing of the Spirit, was “Battle for the Beginning“. I love beginnings and endings, that’s why Genesis and Revelation are my favorite books of the Bible.

I am a faithful member of a Reformed church led by 4 elders who preach verse-by-verse with occasional topical short series.

I enjoy taking classes through The Masters’ Seminary Institute for Church Leadership (ICL), and through Ligonier Connect. ICL offers classes to individuals. You do not need to apply through the seminary, but the courses are offered by the same men. They are not expensive, and several times a year they offer one for free or half price. They also offer certificate tracks. At ICL, I’ve especially enjoyed Brad Klassen’s course on Prayer so much, and at Ligonier, Derek Thomas’ course on Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.

I’ve kept this blog for 14 years (as of this January 9), with a blog published every day, sometimes two blogs in a day. I’ve written over 6,000 blogs with few repeats (thanks to the sustaining of the Holy Spirit).

My early years on the blog was full of breathless newspaper eisegesis, but I make no apology, because finally I was beginning to have answers to questions that plagued me so! With a sudden change in worldview, now, everything made sense! I’ll never forget that euphoria at having the big questions settled. Why are people so evil? Why is Israel always hated? Why are there earthquakes and other disasters? My worldview had shifted rapidly and I blogged in order to sort it all out. Shifting from a secular world view to a biblical one gave me answers and I was thrilled! Thankfully that focus died down and I began writing about doctrine more.

I was raised in the north and was unfamiliar with Southern Gospel music but once I heard it I loved it! I especially love Southern Gospel quartets.

My heart is for discernment, that women would think critically and biblically about their savior and their walk. It’s also for missions, and being a good student of the word, and encouraging women to live a lifestyle that exalts Jesus, no matter what stage of life they are in.

Speaking of lifestyle, I was divorced prior to salvation and have been single ever since. My idols prior to salvation were marriage and husband, but being unsaved I didn’t enter into it for the right reasons or manage it properly, since, of course, it was an idol and not part of Godly living. After conversion the Lord gave me a contentment in singleness, and I use the time and space He affords me to continue this writing ministry. (1 Corinthians 7:34).

I recently had a birthday, turning 62- officially entering a retirement age/stage of life. Let me tell you, life IS a vapor! More on that in another blog essay.

I am grateful for every reader who comes to The End Time blog. Why ‘the end time’? Because we are IN the end of time, the time between Jesus’ ascension and return. Time is short. You are never closer to your eternal destination than you are each day that passes. Make the most of the time He has given us.

Knowledge that all this will come to an end suddenly and unexpectedly should give us a fervor for right living, for proclaiming His gospel, and for speaking His excellencies wherever and whenever we can. This is my goal, and Lord willing, I’ll keep doing it in 2023.

Posted in theology

Rick Warren’s view of his flock’s problems, and a tale about how Google suppresses content

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

A clip of former pastor of Saddleback Church Rick Warren made the rounds on Twitter the other day. It was Warren on camera explaining to an off-camera person Warren’s philosophy of ministry. He led the cameraman through his massive library to what he called his “Bucket of Ministry” containing tools and implements. Warren said when people ask him ‘What does a minister do?’ he refers them to his bucket. The staff represents he is a shepherd, the fruit picker reminds him that people grow fruit in their lives, the pitchfork stands for a minister’s cultivation of people, the sword stands for battle; and so on. He lifted the shovel last and said:

EPrata transcription of Warren’s statement, applied to screen shot of video

Despite having in his Bucket of Ministry a staff, a pitchfork, a sickle, a fruit picker, a fishing rod, a sword, and a tennis racket representing all the different aspects of a pastor’s work, Warren focused on the shovel as the tool representing 90% of his work. And saying straight to the camera without any sense of embarrassment, that the shovel represents his own people’s issues and concerns as excrement.

I thought this was a devastating moment, revealing the heart of this man who is in fact a wolf. Many times, people don’t accept that this man or that woman is a wolf, because they envision the wolf as an ugly, snarling, drooling, feral animal, which it is. But the wolf doesn’t appear as that, he appears as a nice, helpful, kind, soft spoken sheep. The two don’t jibe with the person’s view so they discount the wolf aspect because all they see is smiles and seeming helpfulness. But the mouth reveals all things, which pour from the heart. (Luke 6:45). We must listen, and look deeper when assessing a person claiming to be Christian, especially one who teaches.

I think not enough people understand this is an urgent verse:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).

As for Pastor Rick as he is known, it would do him well in my opinion, to heed this verse:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21).

A true, godly, Spirit-raised shepherd is supposed to care for his flock, because the shepherd knows the Lord purchased his people with His own blood. His people are only temporarily given to the shepherd, they are in truth the Great High Priest’s people. Jesus as THE Great Shepherd did not consider his people’s concerns to be excrement. He healed the blind with compassion, He touched lepers, He counseled Martha in kindness, He gently spoke to Nicodemus, addressing his concerns and questions with love. Jesus did not put on one public face to His people, then retire to Capernaum for the night and complain about having to shovel their poop.

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28).

If you have a good pastor, who crafts his own sermons, who shepherds his monies for the betterment of the kingdom and not to accumulate and boast, who loves you with a Gospel love, you have a good pastor. Pray for him.

HOWEVER, I trust little online these days. I always want to verify. Maybe the clip went on with him saying, ‘Just kidding!’ but it was cut off so as to manipulate our view of him. Maybe it wasn’t all it seemed, and his words were cut and edited somehow.

I searched for the whole context and shortly found that it was from a January 2022 hour and 45 minute interview from Carey Nieuwhof of Warren on Youtube, called Rick Warren on Finishing Well, Why Megachurch Pastors Fail, and Lessons Learned Over 42 Years at Saddleback.

It looked like the same one. Warren was in his massive library leading an off-camera person through it, pausing to stop and explain certain objects.

I slid the slider back and forth looking for that part about the Bucket of Ministry and did not see it. Hmmm. Maybe it was edited out. I went back and asked the original tweeter where she got it from, but received no answer after

I decided to search further on my own. Here is what I discovered. Ultimately, I still did not discover the original video containing the context around he aforementioned clip, but I found a blog article about it from people I know to be resourceful. And here’s what else I found.

Google suppresses results.

The Chrome browser using Google to search for +”rick warren” +poop” results are zero. See screenshot below.

It yielded nothing. The interview was just 11 months ago, and I saw the clip of Warren saying it, so why are there NO results? I tried various search terms, but still nothing. Hmmm, let me search on Dissenter browser, which uses DuckDuckGo for its searches, not Google.

Immediately there was a result! It is an article on Disntr, It’s not affiliated with the browser named Dissenter, it’s simply a blog that used to be called Reformation Charlotte renamed Disntr.

So isn’t that interesting, NO results at all on Google but immediately a top result came up using DuckDuckGo.

Rick Warren Brags About Massive Library Larger Than Your House, Yet He Still Has Terrible Theology

I decided to google that. I asked Google “Does Google suppress results?” and I received lots of high-minded explanations from Google explaining sincerely that if there are too many results, they limit the number, or if there is potential for identity theft, they limit results. Sounds helpful, eh? Well not so much.

If you ask the same question on DuckDuckGo using Dissenter browser, you get an article at the top of the results from Business Insider, “Google reportedly manipulates search results to hide controversial subjects and favor big business.” With what we now know for certain about Twitter thanks to Elon Musk, its new CEO unveiling the dirty acts of the Twitter execs, then, yes, of course it stands to reason Google does the same.

Don’t be evil, Google, don’t be evil.

Even searching using that exact title on google failed to lead me to the article. It was referenced here and there, but not the blog itself. Below is that article, and a reminder to my dear readers that Google is not the be-all or end-all of searching. As time progresses and the world hates Christianity more and more, hates anything even smacking of conservatism, this kind of thing will occur as a matter of course, until the day when even posting a simple Bible verse will be suppressed.

I named this blog The End Time because we are IN the time of the end. This means the prophecies about Jesus’ return could be fulfilled at any moment, His appearing during this long era has always been imminent. So with that truth in the forefront of our minds, we as believers should be about His business sharing the Gospel and glorifying Him daily and with fervor. Right now it’s easy and free to share edifying content. It may not always be so.

https://disntr.com/2022/12/30/rick-warren-brags-about-massive-library-larger-than-your-house-yet-he-still-has-terrible-theology/
Posted in theology

What Bible Reading Plan did I choose?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I dithered about which Bible reading plan to follow, until yesterday. Talk about cutting it close. It’s not a question that I follow a plan. It affords me structure and a goal for what is a must to do each day.

For 2 years I did my seminary friend’s personally constructed plan which followed the chronological writing of the Bible, i.e. reading which books were written first all the way to last. That one started with Job, traditionally seen as the oldest book, and ended with Revelation, known to be the last written.

I did Grant Horner’s for two years, and M’Cheyne‘s for a year. I loved them all, they are good.

Justin Peters is reading what appears to be M’Cheyne’s plan, (the link is to Jan 1 reading, https://youtu.be/ewqy6JKOhAM – go to his landing page to subscribe to get the recordings that come out each day.)

Last year I did the MacArthur Daily Bible. I liked that one too.

So I’ve read thru based on chronological, on order written, and several plans that combine OT, NT with Psalms and Proverbs interspersed. What plan should I turn to next? From what angle can I absorb the treasures of Christ?

In the end I chose the one my elder recommended, the G3 plan. It’s called 5 Day Bible Narratives Reading Plan, a 52-week Bible reading plan that focuses only on the narratives of Scripture, along with all of the psalms and proverbs. About this plan:

–Read through all of the major narratives of Scripture, plus Psalm and Proverbs, in a year.
–Read only 5 days per week, catch up on the weekends.
–Perfect especially for children, families, or individuals who wish to focus a year’s reading only on the Bible’s narratives

The site offers free downloads, or a packet for purchase containing all the goodies. ($12.99 includes a chronological reading plan along with a 52-week catechism, memory passage for each week, and hymn of the week. Finally, it contains a guide for each day of readings that includes study notes, a brief description, and questions for personal or group reflection. I bought the packet.

Free Downloads

So what Bible reading plan if any, did you choose?

Posted in theology

Last week I turned 62

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

EPrata photo. Taken in Prata, Italy, “Door with cane”

Last week I turned 62. I’m OK with the advancing age. That isn’t what this essay is about. I was rather tickled to think I’ve now entered into the official Social Security senior citizen era.

My bemusement comes from the fact that once again, the Bible is right. Life is a vapor. It really does emerge, happen, and extinguish in what feels like mere moments.

My first memory occurred 8 weeks after I turned 3. That means I have 59 years of memories. Fifty-nine years of experiences. Fifty-nine years of the good, the bad, the inconsequential. It’s a heavy load to carry that many memories, and I suspect it gets heavier as time goes on. If the Lord continues my life 10, 20, even 30 more years, that’s a lot more emotional gear attached to my heart.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. (James 4:14)

But more than that obvious statement about age and memories and baggage etc., which is nothing new under the sun, is the notion that it all happened in the blink of an eye. You know this, older people have been telling you ‘It goes so fast!’ all their life. You understand this as a fact, because in addition to hearing it from older relatives, the Bible advises on the brevity of life over and over.

But once you experience it, man, it gets real.

How quickly does the steam disappear over the teacup? How far out from our mouth does thee cold frozen air extend? How high does the haze from the hot pavement rise?

You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah (Psalm 39:5)

When I turned 30 I quit my teaching job and sailed off to the Bahamas with a blue eyed handsome man. When I was 40 I started a newspaper, using it to ‘clean up this town’. When I was 50 I returned to education as a career. At 61 I was just working as a teacher’s aide and not looking ahead too much. But I got COVID, and was out of work for 2 and a half weeks. I was deathly ill. A nurse friend wanted me to go to the hospital, but I refused. I spent 9 days with a fever of 102 or higher, and my oxygen levels dipped low. My brain felt good and fried by the end but I made it. It took me a long time to recover and I’m still not the same as I was before I had that awful flu. That event caused me to really think hard about life and death. Only two times before in all my life was I that ill.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. (Psalm 144:4)

That’s been my pattern – big life changes at each decade.

I clearly remember my 30s. It truly feels like yesterday. I think of something that happened “last year” and it was in fact ten years ago. Because we are warned about the brevity of life, because we are told how fast it all goes, (even if he is gracious to give us 70 or 80 years), then what manner of life shall I live for God? How shall we live? Are we glorifying God to the best of our ability? Even to half our ability? Do we think of Him more than we think of family, work, personal needs and wants? If the chief end of man as the Westminster Catechism says, is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, are we enjoying Him?

For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. (Psalm 102:3)

Putting off till tomorrow is easy to do. Then suddenly you’re 62 and realize that all the days of tomorrows have piled into years. Why will we cry in heaven and He has to wipe away tears? Will it be because we realize then how much time He gave us and how much of it we squandered?

I’ll add my voice to the chorus, young ladies, life does traverse the streams of time quickly. It might feel like a gentle meander in a raft down a lazy river, but you are truly riding a speedboat in the rapids. Use your time well, each and every day. Love your husband, raise your children, hug them!! Or if you are single, all the more to live for Him- and enjoy Him.

EPrata photo