Voice of Healing Movement: Liars & Theatrics Foundation

Another very good article by Chadwick from here. He has some good other posts too!

“Both Jim Jones and Todd Bentley were influenced by the Latter Rain Movement which sprung forth from the Voice of Healing revival that took place in the 1940’s. The leaders of this Voice of Healing revival were William Branham, A.A. Allen, Jack Coe, Oral Roberts. There were other leaders like O.L. Jaggers who as mentioned before laid hands upon and pronounced over Jim Jones a very special prophetic ministry. However, the four listed above are the most prominent of the movement.

In Branham (whose mantle and angel Bentley claims), we find very dangerous doctrines like a denial of the Trinity, the teaching that Eve had sex with the serpent and from that union Cain was conceived, further taught that God gave man 3 books (Zodiac, pyramid, and Bible), believed that he was Elijah returned, also the latter day angel to the church of Laoidecea, and prophesied that by 1977 the rapture would take place. Branham was notorious for his ability to discern the details of people’s lives. He would call out these details as they came up on stage and he prayed for them. We know that years later Jim Jones had creative ways of learning info about people before services so that he could use the same tactics. I’m not sure if the same was true of Branham. We have seen in recent history in teleevangelist Peter Popoff exposed for having a mic in his ear to assist with his “words of knowledge.” After Branham’s death in a car accident in 1965, his followers waited by his gravesite for one week convinced that he would rise from the dead. However, it never happened. Yet, today there is a cult built around William Branham called the Branhamites who believe that “He was the greatest prophet that ever lived.”

While Branham was known for words of knowledge, Jack Coe was known for picking people up out of wheelchairs to try to convince them they were healed. If they fell, he would say that it was because they did not have enough faith. Coe warned there was a coming a day that anyone who went to see a physician would have to take the mark of the beast. However, when he himself came down deathly sick he would take the mark of the beast and consult a doctor. He died of bolbar polio at 38 years old. When he died, O.L. Jaggers (who would later lay hands on Jim Jones) tried to convince his wife Juanita that he could raise Jack from the dead. Juanita declined to accept Jaggers’ offer. Jaggers offered this because he claimed that God had revealed to him the formula for how to attain physical immortality in this world.

A.A. Allen was known as “God’s man of faith and healing power.” Allen’s healing services looked more like a sideshow. He was most known for his “ability” to build the faith of the crowd in order to see someone healed. I watched this personally on the God’s Generals video series compiled by Roberts Liardon. Allen taught that God had given him the ability to turn $1 bills into $20 bills. He was of one the first ministers to promise financial blessing to those who gave to his ministry. In 1955, Allen was arrested for drunk driving in Tennessee. After the arrest, he was stripped of his credentials with the Assemblies of God (AoG). After being stripped of his credentials, Allen would play the role of martyr claiming that he was knocked unconscious and framed by men who poured alcohol down his throat. Many followers bought Allen’s alibi, and his ministry continued. However he died in 1969 with cirrhosis of the liver, and was found to be drinking yet again on the night that he died as he had a high level of blood alcohol content.

I have yet to watch a video on Jack Coe. However, I have seen the videos on William Branham and A.A. Allen. Allen’s video especially appears to be more of a theatrical sideshow than anything else. I am convinced that that is what he was was nothing than a theatrical sideshow. The video I watched looked too staged for me to believe that it was real. Branham on video appeared humble, but he himself claimed some outrageous stories like a tree talking to him to confirm his calling. I’m not saying that that is impossible, but we must test things in light of scripture. We know that Branham taught dangerous doctrines and therefore we must call into question the claims of his supernatural enccounters. If he did indeed have supernatural encounters, the bad fruit of false doctrine which spread from his ministry must make us question the source of those encounters.

I’m not disputing that some people did get healed in the meetings of the above men. However, healing does not validate a ministry as being from God. Jesus verifies that in Matthew 7:22-23 when he says “There are many who will say to me on that day ‘Lord, Lord did we not drive out demons in your name and in your name perform many miracles’ and I will say to them ‘Away from me, you evildoers, I never knew you.’

The theatrics seen in the Voice of Healing Revival Movement impressed a young 24 year old pastor, Jim Jones, who later used the same theatrics in order to build his following at the People’s Temple which as I have mentioned eventually led to the death of 918 people in the greatest mass cult suicide in history. Years later, we see Todd Bentley using the same theatrics and taking them even further than we could have ever imagined. I am hoping the day never comes that he says, “God told me we must all drink koolaid laced with cyanide if we want revival to break out.” But given the extent to which he has already gone with his violent ministry claims, it is sadly not that unlikely that he would indeed go that far- and people would still believe him.

The Voice of Healing Movement is also where Oral Roberts got his start in ministry in the 1940’s. I do not have much information on his involvement other than the fact that it did launch him to success in ministry. Oral Roberts is a prosperity preacher and one of the main figures in the Word of Faith Movement which sprung forth out of the Voice of Healing Movement. Roberts is notorious for his claim in 1987 that he needed to raise $8 million in three months are God was going to bring an end to his life. I remember watching that as an 8 year old little boy.

As noted, the Word of Faith Movement sprung forth from the Voice of Healing Movement. Most of the preachers on TBN are a part of that movement. The Word of Faith Movement did not seem to miss a beat even in the midst of the controversy of the Voice of Healing leaders. It has dominated our television screens for years. On the other hand, the Latter Rain Movement which also was a product of the Voice of Healing Movement all but vanished for a couple of decades before being revived in the 1980’s.

.. I will now detail in specific the dangerous doctrines of both the Latter Rain Movement and the Word of Faith Movement as I trace their history from the 1940’s to the present. I will also provide a list of ministers currently on your tv screen that hold to the teachings of these movements.

In addition to the fact that the Voice of Healing Revival provided a theatrical means for Jim Jones to build his following in the People’s Temple, it also produced two very dangerous heretical movements which are infiltrating Christianity to this day. These two movements are the Latter Rain Movement and the Word of Faith Movement. Bentley, like Jim Jones has quite obviously been influenced by the theatrical show of the movement- thus taking it to an entirely new level. He has also been influenced by both movements as clearly seen when looking into his preaching!

The Word of Faith Movement gained its popularity through the ministry of Oral Roberts- who had his ministry launched to success through the Voice of Healing Movement in the 1940’s. The basic heretical teaching of the movement is that faith is a force which is put into motion by our words. God himself is bound by the force of our words. For example, if I were to say I am a millionaire- God would be bound by the my words to make me a millionaire.

While most churches that would have to be termed Word of Faith do not claim such, their teachings reflect it. One thing the Word of Faith Movement has done effectively is have a statement of faith consistent with church history on the essentials so that they can make it look like they are within the realm of Orthodox Christianity. From an examination of the teachings taught from the actual pulpit- it is apparent that such a statement of faith is nothing more than a means of window-dressing. 2 Peter 2:1 we are warned that there will be false prophets among us that will secretly  introduce destructive heresies. Whereas most cults will tell you straight up what they believe in a statement of faith, the Word of Faith Movement sugarcoats it by giving it to you in bits and pieces. Most of the controversial and heretical statements are spoken from the pulpit. Statements like the following: “Satan conquered Jesus on the cross.” “Jesus had to pay a ransom to Satan in order to purchase our atonement.” “We are little gods.” “The Trinity is composed of nine persons.” Word of Faith teachers include teleevangelists like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin (whose movement Bentley is a part of), Robert Tilton, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Morrus Cerillo, Creflo Dollar, Paul and Jan Crouch, Jesse Duplantis, Eddie Long, Richard and Oral Roberts, Marilyn Hickey, and David Yonggi Cho among many others too numerous to name. Most of them can be seen on TBN or the Inspiration Network.

While TBN and INSP showcase many Word of Faith teachers, GodTV highlights teachers of the Latter Rain Movement like Rodney Howard-Browne, Patricia King, Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle, Bob Jones etc. Much like the Word of Faith Movement, you will very rarely find a church that actually claims to be Latter Rain. Most churches like Morningstar Ministries in Rock Hill, S.C. have a statement of faith as a means of window-dressing but is contradicted or expanded upon if you take the time to listen to the actual preaching and teaching.

The Latter Rain Movement is not much different than other cult that has existed throughout history. Its teachers claim that the church has been in an apostate state for years and that they are called to restore the church to perfect truth by means of their prophecies and revelations in order to pave the way for the return of Christ who will come once the church is perfected. Though the teaching appears new, like most heresies it actually has its origins in the first few centuries of the church when a heretical teacher named Montanus proclaimed himself as the prophet sent for the End to restore the church to all truth.

The primary heretical teachings of the Latter Rain Movement are the tangible anointing, the Restoration of the Tabernacle of David, and the Manifest Sons of God doctrine. The idea that the anointing is tangible is the driving force behind the success of revivals like the Pensacola Outpouring, the Toronto Blessing, and currently the Florida Healing Outpouring. That is why people feel that they have to go to these places in order to receive a special touch from God. In truth I John 2:20 tells us that the anointing of the Holy Spirit abides withus from the beginning of our salvation and therefore is not something that can be touched or transferred.

The Restoration of the Tabernacle of David teaches that there is a perfect form of worship which will lead us into perfection. In places like Morningstar, Mike Bickle’s International House of Prayer, and the Florida Healing revival- this form of worship is used with much repetition of the choruses. In actuality, it is more like a chant than anything else- thus imitating the worship of Eastern/New Age Religions. That is not such a surprise these days since we see someone like Bentley claiming New Age practices under the banner of the Christian faith. The New Age invasion of Christianity has long been attempted but never has it been so successful as with Bentley. In the same way that he Socialist message in America was attempted long before Jim Jones, but was never used to gain such a huge following in the way that he did before he led 918 people to drink koolaid laced with cyanide in the greatest mass cult suicide in history.

Finally, the Latter Rain Movement teaches that instead of Christ returning in glory- he is actually waiting for the church to become perfect so that he can literally incarnate his body in the form of the corporate church. This is the manifest Sons of God doctrine. None of these teachings come out directly in a statement of faith but there is clear evidence of them in the reading of the leaders’ books and bulletins. In The Final Quest, Rick Joyner for instance states that the whole Christian community is about to be consumed by a bloody Civil War. He uses such a statement to validate that there will be a no way of worship and ministry to replace the old. While methods change throughout history, God’s word must remain as supreme authority. In the teachings and practices of the Latter Rain Movement- it clearly has not. As an example to show how Joyner often departs from his window-dressed statement of faith there are a couple of quotes he has made in which he says that Jesus was not a man, but rather a spirit. Such a teaching was the basis of the cult of Gnosticism from which the writings of Nag Hammadi (including the Gospel of Thomas emerged).

Recently in defense of Bentley’s frequent experiences with angels, Rick Joyner posted a Q & A bulletin in which he stated “The Bible talks about angels far more than anyone. Having encounters with angels is more normal than not having them. Some people I think are concerned because they are not having encounters themselves. Biblically the lack of encounters with angels should be more of a concern than having encounters with them.” In other words according to Joyner, if you are not having encounters with angels- there must be something spiritually wrong with you. I am currently looking into the teachings of Gnosticism as I think that idea is consistent with the teachings of Gnosticism. I will verify as soon as I have more information.

Both of the above movements are a very dangerous shift away from historical Christianity. Looking at them now, I get a good chuckle. I am reminded of a time when I myself had to come out of some of the darkness I have written about here. It is very dangerous. This ideology threatens Christianity’s foundation in the same way that Communism/Socialism did 50 years ago. Now a leader like Todd Bentley who holds to the beliefs of these two movements has gained popularity and notoriety with many followers who would die for his cause. In much the same way that many followers were willing to die for the cause of Jim Jones. That is why we must beware and we must warn everyone about this dark and deadly deception.”