18 DANGERS OF THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT

by Dr. Ken Matto

(Acts 2:1-4 KJV) {1} And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. {3} And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

There is probably no greater church demolition movement in the world than the invasion of the Charismatic movement into the church. All one needs to do to see how evil this movement is, is to look at the TV ministries such as TBN or Inspiration Network and then listen for a few moments to the lies and false teachings being spewed with impunity. If you listen to a Charismatic preacher and compare their teachings to the Bible, you will see how subtle this movement is. The following verse was used by Satan to tempt and deceive Eve:

(Gen 3:1 KJV) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Notice the statement that Satan uses, "Yea, hath God said." Satan was placing doubt into the mind of Eve about what God had really said to her. He was placing a confusing statement before her so he could draw her into a dialogue in which she would lose and eventually plunge the whole human race into sin and damnation. I want to apply the same principle to the teachings of the Charismatic movement.

Yea, hath God said that He wants everyone healed of disease?
Yea, hath God said that He wants everyone wealthy?
Yea, hath God said that we can command angels?
Yea, hath God said that we will receive visions?
Yea, hath God said that we must speak in tongues?
Yea, hath God said that He has never closed the canon?
Yea, hath God said that we will receive prophecies from Him outside the Bible?
Yea, hath God said that we will be able to see and cast out demons?

If you have or will search the Scriptures, you will find none of the above questions answered in the affirmative. We are never to expect more from God than He is willing to give us. This includes health, material goods, even spiritual illumination. God gives to us according to His will. He may choose to give one believer a million dollars while another may not even be able to make it from paycheck to paycheck. He may allow one believer to have excellent health while another one may be in chronic pain for years. He may choose to grant massive material goods to one believer while another may live in a small studio apartment. No matter what the situation is, the Charismatic teachers tell you that you can have more. They build false hope and when their false prophecies do not come to pass, then people become depressed and blame God that He is not true to his word while all along they have been horribly deceived by the "Pentecostal Prognosticator." When you experience no healing or wealth, they say that you didn’t have enough faith. The danger is that they deceive people and then blame them for their lies, and their hearers accept it.
I am still waiting for someone in the Charismatic Movement to explain to me how it is that their pastor gets a six figure salary and drives around in a Mercedes and the ones in the pews can hardly make it financially and drive a 10 year old car. How does this great inequity of finances equate to the teaching that God wants everybody wealthy and healthy? The only ones getting wealthy are the pastors and TV evangelists while the pew warmers sit there and give their last amount of money for the pastor’s next Mercedes or summer home? Can’t you see you are being duped? Can’t you see the only one making money is the pastor? How come you are still in poverty after being in a Charismatic church for 20 years? Sounds to me like the only one getting financially blessed is the pastor and you have been his chump for 20 years. He has a million dollar home and you have a small apartment. He has a Mercedes and you have a 10 year old car. So where is your blessings? They keep harping week after week that God wants to bless you yet you are no better off today than you were 20 years ago. It sounds like the theology of prosperity is a total lie except for the pastor. Think about it!The word "Charismatic" comes from caris (charis) which means "a gift." It also is the underlying word for "grace." There is also another word related to "Charismatic" and that is "Charisma"carisma which means gift, grace or favor. So the basic meaning of "Charismatic" is one who is endowed with gifts. This word describes every Christian since every Christian has been given a legitimate spiritual gift or gifts. Charisma is not a dedicated word for those in the signs and wonders gospel, in fact, they are exuding false gifts which does not fit the true meaning of charismatic in relation to the Christian, it is like the Sodomites stealing the word "gay" or the Roman church stealing the word "catholic."

It is a worldwide movement

If there is one major tenet of this movement, it is the fact that this movement is world wide in scope. You can go to any country and find more signs & wonders churches than normal churches. They normally are the churches with attendance in the thousands. This judgment of God on the church is well-entrenched all over the world and signals the fact we are very close to the end.

 

Every church is affected by its teaching

There is no church in the world which is not affected by this judgment. Even the Roman church with all its present heresies has added another one with the Catholic Charismatic movement. All churches and denominations have been touched with this movement. There is not one church which has not addressed the issue of tongues, whether by discussion, acceptance, or refusal.

 

Every Christian is drawn into the conflict - pro or con

Every Christian on earth has been drawn into the battle since tongues are a worldwide phenomenon. I do not know one Christian who has not faced the scourge of tongues in some fashion. It seems years ago we went to church to worship God and learn of Him but presently we go with battle lines drawn and our defenses ready for the assault. The end result is that some will be drawn in and deceived and others will stand up and probably be put out.

 

Big money - Media ministries either adapt or face financial ruin

The true gospel is funded with nickels and dimes while the tongues gospels are funded with billions of dollars. If you notice on the major networks, you will not find any or near none non-tongues ministries which are teaching truth. The big media ministries must continue to push a palatable gospel so the money continues to flow in. If a ministry teaches the true gospel, they will normally not be supported by enough listeners to keep them on the air.

 

It is linked to end time prophecy

In the final days of earth’s existence, the church should not be looking to Israel as the hot bed of prophecy, they should be looking at the church. The apostasy of the church is the key to end time prophecy and where we are on the prophetic clock. One of the major passages that the tongues people use is 1 Corinthians 14 as their proof that tongues are for today. Yet there are 2 verses in there which give us a time frame (not a date) on the prophetic clock and they are verses 21 & 22.

(1 Cor 14:21-22 KJV) In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. {22} Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
These verses are from Isaiah 28 where God prophesies that Judah will be going into captivity by those who do not speak their language. In other words, a foreign power is going to take them into captivity. Why did this happen? God had continually sent prophets of their own people to the nations of Israel and Judah, nevertheless, they did not heed the warnings which the prophets gave them and continued in their apostasy and the end result was captivity.
What does this have to do with the church today? Since the late 1800’s, the church has continually been accepting false theories, doctrines, Bible versions, etc., which has caused the shipwreck of the church in the 20th century right into the 21st century. Since the church has chosen to remain apostate, God is sending a foreign power to conquer the church. Now let us ask the question, what would be a foreign power to the Kingdom of God? The answer is obvious, the Kingdom of Satan. Therefore God is going to allow Satan to come into the churches and neutralize the true gospel to its own judgment. In 1 Cor. 14:22, God tells us that prophesying are for those who believe. In other words, a true Christian will be satisfied and fed with the true word of God when they hear it being preached. Those who are unsaved, will not be satisfied with the teaching and preaching of the true word of God, rather they want to see a sign like a tongue, which God says is for unbelievers. The great falling away is well on its way.

Brief History of the Charismatic Movement

The tongues (which means legitimate languages) began on Pentecost and continued through the end of the first century. When the book of Revelation was complete, all verbal and visual revelation from God had ceased and the way we now hear from God is through His Word which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit to our understanding.

In the second century AD, there was a church father named Montanus who believed that tongues did not cease and therefore passed this belief on to his followers. However, even though the belief existed, it remained subdued because God did not yet plan to use it to judge the church. In fact, it was restrained until the early part of the 20th century. There were isolated incidences of tongues in New England as far back as 1854, in 1879 an Arkansas Holiness Preacher named W. Jethro Walthal, in 1890 Daniel Awrey in Delaware, Ohio, in 1899 a preacher named C.M. Hanson of Dalton, Minnesota, in 1901 there was a tongues phenomenon at Bethel Bible College.
Then in 1906-09 Satan made his move at a place called the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, California. The result of this heavy tongue speaking began to spread widely across America and the world. Preachers and people came from all over America and carried the poison back to their churches and neighborhoods. In 1914 Satan made his second move in organizing this apostasy which resulted in the formation of the Assemblies of God. In 1916 they produced their four distinctions and tongues and baptism in the Holy Spirit were two of them. In fact in their Statement of Fundamental Truth, number 7, they claim that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was the normal experience of all in the early church. Where is their biblical proof for this? They are not speaking of the believer being baptized in the Holy Spirit upon salvation, they are speaking of tongues.
Even though tongues was spreading across the USA in the early part of the 20th century, it was not yet accepted in the mainline churches and therefore their audiences were still rather small in comparison to the Christian population. Then in the 1960’s which was the decade of moral, spiritual and political decadence, the tongues movement began to escalate and spread like wildfire and even the mainline churches were now accepting tongues as a legitimate Christian experience given by God.
Then with the evolution of ministries such as Oral Roberts, E.W. Kenyon, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim & Tammy Baker, Pat Robertson, Kenneth Hagin, and Ken Copeland gave the tongues movement international exposure and that was all that was needed for the gullible nature of the natural man to take over. It was from the teachings of these false preachers that gave rise to many more tongues churches and denominations, to the point that almost every church that is formed today is a tongues church.

DANGEROUS TEACHINGS OF THE CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT

Speak in tongues or you are not saved - It is evidence of the Holy Spirit!

One of the chief tenets of the tongues movement is that you must speak in tongues because it gives evidence of the Holy Spirit. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is their living for Christ. If a Christian lives for Christ and begins to love the world less, that is evidence that God is alive in their life. A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit is a person who is not filled with the world. (Eph 5:18 KJV) "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

Speak in tongues or you do not have the Holy Spirit

The fact of the matter is that if a person does not have the Holy Spirit, then they are unsaved. (Rom 8:9 KJV) "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his". A person is baptized in the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation which means their sins are washed away, it does not mean you speak in unintelligible garble.

Agreement in Prayer

(Mat 18:19 KJV) Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Here is another misinterpretation of the Bible. The above verse has to do with church discipline and has nothing to do with agreement in prayer. The charismatics believe that if you and someone else agree on something in prayer, then it will be done. Prayer becomes the command of man to God. God answers prayer according to His will and not ours. (James 4:15 KJV) For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Physical Healing

(Isa 53:5 KJV) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Here is probably the second most important teaching of the tongues movement. It is the belief that God will heal according to the promises in Scripture. All one has to do is have enough faith and God will do it. Isaiah 53:5 is normally used as the source text for this belief. However, when we search the Scriptures we find that physical healing is not part of the gospel.

(1 Pet 2:24 KJV) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In 1 Peter 2:24 what is the context concerning healing? It is not physical healing in view but rather the healing is spiritual in nature. Notice it says "we, being dead to sins." That is the type of healing the Lord has in view. We have been healed from Spiritual death and resurrected to newness of life. There is no doubt in my mind that God can heal any and all disease if he chooses to. He has chosen not to. Some people become sick and die, others become sick and get well again. Even unbelievers who have no one praying for them, will become healed if it is God’s will to do so.

If physical healing was part of the atonement then every cemetery speaks of the failure of Christ to attain that part of the atonement. The sign of physical healing was already waning in the time of Paul.

(Phil 2:25-27 KJV) Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. {26} For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. {27} For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

If physical healing was part of the atonement, then why couldn’t Paul just command the sickness to leave the body of Epaphroditus and heal him? Why did Paul have to wait on God for whether Epaphroditus would live or die? The answer is simple, because physical healing was never part of the gospel. So why then did God allow physical healing to occur?

(Mark 16:20 KJV) And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

The Lord was confirming the initial push of the gospel with signs and wonders and as the Word began to spread the signs began to diminish. I have never read anywhere that in the 2nd century anyone could heal en masse like Paul and Peter did. The true miracles ended in the first century and only one miracle remains today and that is the miracle of salvation, that a dead sinner can be raised to newness of life and serve the living God.

Certain people are "anointed"

I have heard many times the term "anointed" when referring to a Charismatic preacher or some message which was preached. Every true believer is anointed by the Lord to bring the true gospel

(2 Cor 1:21 KJV) Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

The word "anointed" in this verse carries with it the meaning of "to appoint with the idea of assigning a task." God gives us the tasks we are to do. (Eph 2:10 KJV) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." There is nothing mysterious about this passage as it states that "the anointed" are the ones who have tasks to do. That task is sending forth the true gospel.

(1 John 2:27 KJV) But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The words "anointing" here are the same words "chrisma" which carries with it the meaning that the believers receive knowledge via the teaching of the Holy Spirit who will teach them all things:

(John 16:13-14 KJV) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. {14} He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

These promises apply to all true believers and not just a certain few as God has determined that the church universal will send forth the gospel and not just a few mouthpieces. All Christians are commanded to be part of the Great Commission and woe unto them who relegate the task unto others.

God is still giving verbal messages

There are many Christians who believe that the canon is still open and that God is continuing to give messages. However, this is not true and there is sufficient evidence in Scripture to show that the canon is closed.

(Deu 4:2 KJV) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Every time someone speaks in tongues or receives a so-called prophecy, they are adding to God’s Word. They will tell you they are not but ask them a simple question. Where is their prophecy or revelation coming from? Before the Bible was complete, God used visions, prophecies and tongues to convey His Word. Many of the visions are listed in Scripture such as Joseph’s vision, Jacob’s vision of the ladder, and others. If a person receives a vision today and it is not from God, then it must be from Satan.

(Prov 30:6 KJV) Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Those who add to God’s word will be found out to be a liar. On any given Sunday, there are thousands of Charismatic churches meeting and in every one of them there is always time given to hear prophecies. If we were able to catalog the hundreds of thousands of prophecies given at all these churches, we would find that 100% of them would be erroneous unless somebody makes a good guess. But the problem is, that if every prophecy, which is supposed to come from God, does not come to pass, then they are all lies and deceit. It is obvious then, that there are millions of lies being told in these churches every week which means that Satan is ruling in that congregation. (Rev 21:8 KJV) "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

(Rev 22:18-19 KJV) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: {19} And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Here is the definite proof that the canon is closed and those that add to the Scriptures with their visions, prophecies and tongues are subject to the plagues in the Bible. This means that if someone is still subject to the judgment of God, then they are unsaved. When God closed the book of Revelation, that ended any further revelation from Him as we now go the completed Bible for our guidance. Tongues and such widens the authority to fit the one who is hearing or speaking. It goes from the Bible alone to the Bible plus. If God is still giving messages, then every time I need wisdom or guidance on a subject or situation, I must seek out the person still receiving the messages from God. This is exactly what the nations of Judah and Israel did. When they needed direction, they called for the prophets of God and God spoke through them. Therefore, if God is still giving messages the same way, then I must seek those people out.

Some say that tongues is only speaking Scripture back to God and that is not revelation: Let's test it:

A. Romans 3:10 comes from Psalm 14:1-3

B. Romans 3:11-12 comes from Psalm 53:1-3

C. Acts 2:16-21 comes from Joel 2:28-32

Conclusion: Repeated Scripture is Divine Revelation because New Testament books were new revelation from God. If one reads the New Testament, one will find many quotes from the Old Testament.

Prosperity

God wants you rich - Jerry Savelle, "It is part of our salvation" 7/2/95 - If material riches are a part of our salvation, then why are so many Christians all over the world struggling to make a living. This doctrine that God wants everybody rich is a doctrine of demons because it causes a person to keep their eyes on the physical things of the world and they never look beyond their lust for material gain. It also reeks with the works salvation plan. If I give so much, then God will give so much. It involves a work initiated by man and if Jerry Savelle is right that riches are a part of our salvation, then his gospel is a works based salvation and therefore he is still in his sins.

Dreams, signs and visions are accepted without hesitation

If there is one thing which no one questions in that movement, it is the dreams and visions which are taught. This is especially true when the person proclaiming their vision is on national TV on one of the ministries. The problem is that with visions and dreams the Word of God takes second place and all eyes are on the individual with their claim. One such a person is Jesse Duplantis who on the Ken Copeland Ministry stated he was in heaven 5 hours. This man no doubt received many oohs and aahs along with a hundred invitations to speak in churches. Let me tell you why this man is a liar and deceiver. First of all, when John was in heaven, he fell as dead before the Lord Jesus Christ, did Jesse? Secondly, Satan has the ability to give massive visions for deception. Does anyone remember Fatima? Thirdly, Paul was not allowed to discuss his journey into the third heaven, who gave Jesse permission to reveal his? How about the following passage of Scripture:

(Luke 4:5 KJV) And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Here is the Lord Jesus Christ in His temptations being shown a vision of all the kingdoms of the world. Are we forgetting that Satan was trying to deceive God Himself? What makes us think he will not try to deceive us. This also applies to those who think they went to hell and those who believe they had out of body experiences including UFO abductions and floating above your body in an operating room. Satan is giving many visions today and the place where he has the most success is the Charismatic movement since no one in that movement checks anything out in Scripture. All they know is Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, and the rest of the Scripture lies fallow.

Overstresses the power of Satan

Another teaching of the charismatic movement is the overstressing of the power of Satan. I was in a conference center once having just dropped in to pick up some materials of upcoming events and I looked inside the auditorium and there was a meeting of Women Aglow Fellowship and I heard the woman repeating over and over, "I bind you Satan." If this woman knew her Bible, she would know that Satan was bound at the cross and has no authority over the believer. Unfortunately too many ignorant tongues speakers think that demons can indwell a believer. This is literally to say that Satan has more power than the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells the true believer and since the Holy Spirit is eternal God, no one or nothing can remove Him from His children and He doesn’t share an apartment either.

(Mark 3:27 KJV) No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

This verse teaches that the strong man must be bound and then his house can be plundered. When Christ went to the cross, He bound Satan in the manner that he cannot prevent any of God’s elect from becoming saved. This is the binding that has taken place. Satan is helpless against God’s salvation plan. God has spoiled the house of Satan as He takes His elect from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom.

(John 14:30 KJV) Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

Here is a verse which teaches that Satan has no authority or anything in the Lord Jesus. Since we are redeemed children of God, Satan has no authority over us at all either. The children of God should focus on the commission that we have to send forth the gospel and not focus on Satan. We must keep in mind the biblical truth that Satan is a defeated foe. There are even some Charismatic churches which pass out buckets so people can puke out the demons. There was one close to my house which did this. How far from biblical reality has the church gone.

Their music mimics the world

If there is one characteristic that sets charismatic music apart from traditional godly music, it is the worldliness of the sound. Christian rock has evolved from the charismatic movement. Many of them sport long hair, (1 Cor. 11:14) earrings, tattoos, and look no different than the hard rock bands of the world. There is no reverence in their music as it is designed just to get their hearers jumping in the seats.

(John 4:24 KJV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Charismatic music does not minister to the spirit rather it is a sensual music which ministers to the flesh and that is not worshipping God in spirit. Godly music has a reverent tone to it. Charismatic music appeals to the emotions and causes people to lose sight of the one they are supposed to be worshipping. The majority of the time the "artist" is the one who receives the accolades.

Over emphasizes and distorts the doctrine of the Holy Spirit

(John 16:13-14 KJV) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. {14} He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

The above verse tells us that the mission of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is to teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ and illuminate the meaning of Scripture. However, the tongues movement focuses on the Holy Spirit as continually giving tongues and messages today. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer and equips us for the task of sending forth the gospel. He does not draw believers to Himself but rather guides the believers into all truth. He is called the Spirit of truth and therefore since modern tongues are fake, He is definitely not behind them.

It encourages women to usurp authority in the church

(1 Cor 14:34 KJV) Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

(1 Tim 2:11-15 KJV) Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. {12} But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. {13} For Adam was first formed, then Eve. {14} And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. {15} Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Here is another tenet of rebellion against Scripture. The tongues movement gave rise to women preachers. No woman has ever been called by God to be a minister or evangelist. He would not violate His word the way the tongues people do. The women are to be silent in the congregation. If you ever visit a charismatic congregation, you will see that the women are leading the pack in shouting and screaming. These women who are pastoring churches or passing themselves off as evangelists are in absolute rebellion to God’s word. Women like Joyce Meyer, Marilyn Hickey, Gloria Copeland, and others have called themselves to the ministry. It is obvious in Charismatic churches that the men are not heads of their households, if they were they would be controlling their wives and daughters.

Miracles are glorified and used to authenticate a special calling from God

One of the most evil nets used to draw people to this false movement is the use of false miracles. False healers like Benny Hinn and Peter Popov have used much trickery to dazzle their audiences. In fact, in Kenya, 4 people left a hospital to be healed by Benny Hinn at one of his crusades, and died as a result.

In my hearing on the 700 Club Pat Robertson claimed he raised a dead person but in an interview he stated he couldn’t remember where or when - Where is the one he supposedly raised? Let us be honest, you raise someone from the dead and then you have amnesia as to the name of the person you raised. In tongues churches they have healing services which usually results in nothing. There are those who have claimed to be healed and in the last days God has allowed some people to be healed miraculously. Why?

(2 Th 2:11-12 KJV) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God is allowing people to be healed to allow those who want to be deceived to be deceived. In Matthew 12:39-40, we read:

(Mat 12:39-40 KJV) But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: {40} For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

In the time when Jesus walked the earth, His generation sought for a sign and He called them evil. Biblical principles are constant and the same principle applies today, that when someone is looking for a sign, they are showing they are evil. The Bible states we are to live by faith and not by sight, (2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) but when we seek a tongue or a miracle we are walking by sight. Walking by sight shows our inclination to worldly things and friendship with the world is enmity against God. Those who seek signs and wonders are friends of the world because the extent of their Christianity is their flesh and its satisfaction

(1 John 2:15-16 KJV) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. {16} For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Slain in the Spirit (Backward)

One of the most exclusive charismatic events is something called Slain in the Spirit. It is when a person falls backward which is supposedly triggered by an action of the Holy Spirit. However, when we look into the Scriptures we find that when backward is mentioned, it is always in conjunction with judgment. Even the name slain in the spirit is erroneous:

(Rom 8:10 KJV) And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

The Holy Spirit gives life and does not slay anyone. The slain in the spirit theory does not exist in Scripture and is another creation of this false movement. This phenomenon gives people the false notion that when they fall backward they are somehow endued with some type of divine power from God. This is another deception of the tongues movement. Below are some Scriptures which reveal what backward in Scripture is:

(Isa 1:4 KJV) Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

(Isa 28:13 KJV) But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

(1 Sam 4:18 KJV) And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

(John 18:5-6 KJV) They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. {6} As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

As we see in these verses wherever the term backward is written, it is pointing toward a judgment. The Holy Spirit brings life to the believer and not judgment. The believer no longer faces judgment because of Calvary, therefore slain in the spirit does not fit the Christian testimony. The Christian testimony is one of life and not death as backward represents.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate event

In Charismatic thinking the Baptism in the Holy Ghost is a separate event which means that when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit, then they begin to speak in tongues giving evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their life. The whole essence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the washing away of our sins. Washing is the substance of the word baptism. A person who becomes a child of God has their sins washed away at the moment of salvation and is not a future event. The evidence that a person has the Spirit of God in their life is their spiritual walk in the faith and not speaking in gibberish as modern tongues are.

(Eph 5:18 KJV) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

(Rom 8:1-5 KJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. {2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. {3} For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: {4} That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. {5} For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

A person is filled with the Spirit upon their day of salvation. (Eph 1:3 KJV) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" As we see in this verse that we have been blessed with ALL spiritual blessings and God has withheld no part of our spiritual inheritance from us. We see in Eph 5:18 that we are to be filled with the spirit which is explained in Romans 8:1-5 where we are commanded to walk in the spirit and not the flesh. We saw that the charismatic movement ministers to the flesh and emotions and therefore falls short of walking in the spirit. The Christian is to walk by faith and not sight. When a person feels that they must speak in tongues to show evidence of the Holy Spirit in their life, then in essence they are walking by sight and flesh which is totally opposite what the Christian walk is, but then again what else do you expect from a false movement.

Always preaching joy, happiness, worldly satisfaction, the best things in life, etc.

Another tenet of the charismatic movement is their continual emphasis on the material goods and happiness. This movement is chief among the elation movements that bring people to state of euphoria and allows them to keep thinking all is well. These people in the tongues movements very rarely, if ever, speak on the realities of hell. Instead of warning their people they could be in danger of hell fire, they are more concerned with them driving a Cadillac. The music does not help focus on spiritual things as how could one focus on the things of God when you are jumping up and down like you are at a sports event. This movement avoids the realities of judgment while keeping their constituents in a constant state of deception.

 The charismatic movement is the binding link in the ecumenical movement

The Charismatic movement has strengthened the ecumenical movement. All one has to do is look at movements like Promise Keepers which does not focus on separation but rather unity at all costs. They have no problem uniting a Charismatic Catholic and a Charismatic Protestant together and tell them they are brothers. What about the Creation music festivals, which are nothing more than religious Woodstocks, where all the Charismatics come together from all kinds of churches and denominations and what is their commonality? Tongues, signs, and wonders!

The Charismatic Movement disregards the doctrine of separation which the true believer must adhere to. Any movement in any church which is unbiblical must be avoided by a true believer. Let us say that someone is in a tongues church and becomes saved, then they must leave that church because that is being obedient to the Scriptures. It is the same if a person is in a dead Protestant Church or the Roman Church and they become saved, then they must separate from those places. 2 Cor. 6:14-18

(Ezek 44:23 KJV) And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

The Charismatic movement will never be able to teach anyone the difference between holy and profane since they are profane which may also be translated worldly.

Tongues are spoken by Satanists

Another serious comparison to the modern tongue speaking must be made. It is the fact that the same chanting and babbling the tongue speakers do, is being done by witch doctors in Africa and voo doo witch doctors in the Caribbean. Missionaries have spoken more than once on the similarity of sounds between tongue speakers and these idol worshippers and voo doo practitioners. Quite frankly, that would be enough to make me question the practice of tongue speaking and its source.

Summary

This treatise was not written for those who choose to remain in this movement, it is written with the desire to warn those on the outside to stay away from this movement. It is dangerous and unbiblical and is a movement which represents the judgment of God on the church not the moving of the Holy Spirit in the last days. Tongues, signs and wonders are part of the great delusion that God is sending on the church in these final hours. If you have read this treatise and it caused you to think twice about this movement, then this work has done its job. I pray that the Lord may give you much spiritual discernment as we head toward the last day.