A "Charismatic" or a "Pentecostal" is someone who claims to be a Christian and emphasizes spiritual gifts, like the so-called "speaking in tongues." However, what most people today know as "speaking in tongues" is actually Satanic gibberish (or jibberish) which was born from charismatics who seek the power of miracles more than they seek the Lord Jesus Christ.
gibberish (n): rapid and inarticulate talk; unintelligible language; unmeaning words
(See 'gibberish', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 5, 2017 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
-Acts 8:20-23
(See "Johnson's Notes on the Book of Acts: Chapter 8" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
Let's first go over 1 Corinthians 14 and gain understanding of it, then we'll look at examples from charismatic "ministries" to see the difference between the Word of God and false doctrine:
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
-1 Corinthians 14:1
Prophesying is more commonly known as foretelling the future, or having visions and dreams, but that is only one definition that's used in Scripture, and that's NOT the definition that Paul is using in this verse. If it was, then many people should be having dreams and visions and foretelling the future, AND they should all be coming true, but what we have instead is a large number of Charismatics giving prophetic visions, but most all of them are vague and/or false.
(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details. In that article, I give examples of such false and vague messages that are presented by Charismatics.)
prophesy (v): to preach; to instruct in religious doctrines; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to exhort
(See 'prophesy', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 5, 2017 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
Paul is not saying it's wrong to desire spiritual gifts, but it is better to desire understanding and proper teaching of God's Word. However, the reason he's addressing them on this point is because the church at Corinth was obsessing over having the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, which the early Christians received from the Holy Spirit as a sign to the Jews.
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
-1 Corinthians 14:2
When a baby makes noises like "goo goo gah gah," in the baby's mind, he is conveying a message of his feelings in a way that he believes makes sense in his innocent ignorance. That's why we think it's cute when babies decide they want to talk, knowing that they are trying their best, but they have no understanding of how to talk. However, babies are not speaking an "unknown tongue" when they are making noises because a "tongue" is a full-fledged language, not random, unintelligible sounds. Babies are just speaking gibberish, and likewise, when a full-grown adult attempts to do the same thing, speaking gibberish in random sounds instead of an intelligible language, that is neither "speaking in tongues," nor is it "speaking in an unknown tongue."
So let's make sure we understand the definitions:
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By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.
-Genesis 10:5
For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
-Isaiah 66:18
Also, we need to understand that just because a man claims to speak to God in an unknown tongue, that doesn't make it good. Most who speak in an unknown tongue utter lies to God. Likewise, speaking with Charismatic gibberish is not good, and we'll see more evidence of that later.
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
-1 Corinthians 14:3
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
-1 Corinthians 14:4
edify (v): to build; to instruct and improve with knowledge, faith, and righteous action
(See 'edify', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 6, 2017 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Prayer" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
-Matthew 6:5-6
I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
-1 Corinthians 14:5
Those that speak in tongues is not on the same level of importance as those who prophesy the truth and righteousness of the Word of God Paul adds in the words "except he interpret" because if a man is interpreting a language for all others to hear, and what is being interpreted is the truth, then that is edifying to the church because then it is prophesying. The interpretation is what provides understanding. However, if what is being interpreted is not the truth, then it's not edifying, which leads us to consider: What is the point in speaking in an unknown tongue?
Why not just speak in a language all can understand? Paul goes on to question the same thing I'm questioning:
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
-1 Corinthians 14:6-7
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
-1 Corinthians 14:8-9
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
-1 Corinthians 14:10-12
Paul points out their zealous drive to have the gifts of the Spirit of God, but exhorts them to edify the church first and foremost. It is better to edify the church through prophesying than speak in tongues.
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
-1 Corinthians 14:13
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
-1 Corinthians 14:14
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
-1 Corinthians 14:15
(Read "What's Wrong With Christian Rock?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
If you sing, sing with understanding, meaning that you should sing with truth and knowledge of the Word of God. If you pray, pray with understanding. Thus, when Charismatics start blabbering gibberish in song, they are acting like children in their understanding, as Paul will point out in verse 20.
Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
-1 Corinthians 14:16-17
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
-1 Corinthians 14:18-19
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
-1 Corinthians 14:20
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
-Matthew 13:20-21
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.
-1 Corinthians 14:21
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.
-1 Corinthians 14:22
More importantly, the Charismatics speak their gibberish among themselves in their synagogues, but the Bible is saying that this was a sign for the unbelievers, not those in the synagogues. I'm not saying Charismatics are Christians, don't misunderstand; I'm looking at their perspective and comparing it to Scripture. If they truly believed what they were doing with the gibberish was correct, then they would speak it on the streets to unbelievers, and not do it among one another in their synagogues. So even if what they claimed about "speaking in tongues" was true, they're still not following Scripture; they're doing the exact opposite.
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
-1 Corinthians 14:23
If unbelievers hear a bunch of people whooping, hollering, and speaking a bunch of gibberish nonsense, would they not call them crazy? That's exactly what happens today, and that's exactly what the charismatics are ignoring. Even on the Day of Pentecost, some accused them of being drunkards, but when they heard the intelligible language in their native tongue being spoken unto them, they had no excuse because it was understandable. (Acts 2:11-13)
I read some comments on a science article talking about the charismatic gibberish they call "speaking in tongues." One woman who grew up around people who spoke the gibberish commented and called them "crazy," but another man who spoke the charismatic gibberish pleaded, "
(See Dave, "Speaking in Tongues -- The Real Story," Skeptical Science, July 25, 2010, retrieved Sept 6, 2017, [skeptical-science.com/religion/speaking-in-tongues-the-real-story])
The following video is a compilation of various clips recorded by Charismatics and Pentecostals:
But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
-1 Corinthians 14:24-25
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
-1 Corinthians 14:26
If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
-1 Corinthians 14:27
EDGAR MAYER: "For those of you who are maybe here for the first time, there's a spiritual gift called speaking in tongues, and you may have heard it in worship before. GIRL: "Yes God, yes." MAYER: "Yes God, yes. So it's simple, but it's actually quite meaningful... when she prayed in tongues, GIRL: "Knew inside of me; I knew what it meant." MAYER: "So |
Just like the Mormons teach; she had a feeling in the bosom that it was true, and that's not good at all. First and foremost I want to point out that in Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, the men who spoke by the fiery tongue of the Holy Ghost, spoke as the Spirit of God moved them, but other people heard them speak in their native tongue and understood them. These men were aware of what they spoke; there was no indication that they couldn't understand the things they were saying by the Holy Spirit, but the Charismatic cult would rather only consider how they FEEL, rather than consider what the Bible says. The main point I'm making is that the gibberish-speaking cults compare what they're doing to the Day of Pentecost, but on the Day of Pentecost, no interpreter was needed; this is also supporting evidence that the interpretation of tongues is referring to intelligible languages, not gibberish.
Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 14 that speaking in tongues must be done with understanding and knowledge to the edifying of the church. Yet, this pastor openly admitted to everyone that they have no idea what they're saying; they're simply speaking gibberish, and that's of the devil, not of God.
When I first watched this video, and I heard the pastor ask the girl if she heard the words or she felt the words; I knew she would answer that she FELT like that's what was said. It's not clear whether the girl is even at an age of accountability yet, let alone being able to interpret complex sentence, and thus, just like a child, she gives a very simple "interpretation" of "Yes God, yes."
As Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 14, the languages spoken must bring revelation, knowledge, prophesying, and doctrine if they are spoken, but none of these things were brought with "Yes God, yes." The problem is that message is still under the positivity, feel-good speech that is given by the Charismatics, but the prophesying of Scripture is mostly rebuke and correction unto righteousness. If the girl had gotten on stage and said the words the woman spoke were rebuke of sin, they would have said she was confused, or not allowed her on stage in the first place.
Those of you who have been in these Charismatic and Pentecostal church buildings know firsthand that they do not set interpreters over all those who are speaking gibberish. That's because no one knows what anyone is saying; again, it's just gibberish. The interpreters only tell people what they FELT like someone said, and that's because they've learned the false message that their personal feelings are equivalent to the Holy Spirit of God.
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
-1 Corinthians 14:28
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
-1 Corinthians 14:29
If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
-1 Corinthians 14:30-31
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
-1 Corinthians 14:32
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
-1 Corinthians 14:33
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 Corinthians 14:34
(Read "Can Women Be Pastors?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
-1 Corinthians 14:35
What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
-1 Corinthians 14:36-37
But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
-1 Corinthians 14:38
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
-1 Corinthians 14:39
Let all things be done decently and in order.
-1 Corinthians 14:40
The following video is a short collection of various YouTube videos that have people speaking in tongues and interpreting:
Before I continue, I wanted to quote what the first woman said in the video. Under the false presupposition that 1 Corinthians 14 applies to Charismatic gibberish, she was violating 1 Corinthians 14 as a woman prophesying unto the so-called "church," and violating it a second time by having no interpreter. She also repeated gibberish sounds back-to-back and interpreted those same sounds in different ways, which shows us that she's a liar. Then she said:
"The reason he [Jesus] came to die is because he knows it all, and he knows that the sin, and the stuff that we go through that's bad, that washes in with the good, that none of it was ever as good as what can be holiness or righteousness. That's why Jesus came to die."
To this day, I still cannot make sense of what she's trying to say. It also seems like that the "sin" she's referring to is not really committed by people, but rather, it's the "bad stuff we go through." Such definitions and descriptions are not found in the Bible concerning these topics, and though she does mention atonement later, she never says what the atonement was for.
Again, we've already learned that there was supposed to be another person interpreting, and also other teachers there who could judge what was interpreted. However, the Charismatics and Pentecostals don't do this, and they all claim to be of the Holy Spirit, even though they ignore the commandments of the Holy Spirit. (i.e. We read earlier where Paul said specifically in 1Co 14:37 that these were the commandments of God concerning this matter.)
To see more evidence of the Satanic agenda behind the "speaking in tongues" of the Charismatics, I would refer readers to our article called, "Pope Francis's Deceptive John 17 Movement." In the article, we have videos you can watch in which Charismatic and prosperity false preacher Kenneth Copeland joins hands with the Roman Catholic Pope in an unholy abomination of devils, and they pray to their lord and master Satan in their Charismatic gibberish to have the Devil bless their wicked union.
Copeland (i.e. Copeland's ministry, since Copeland himself probably did not write this, but I will say "Copeland" because he has put his name and approval on the words) has a section on his website answering the question, "What is speaking in tongues?" Let's walk through his answer to see how much he chops up the Word of God to justify himself:" -Kenneth Copeland Ministries, "What is speaking in tongues?" retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [kcm.org/read/questions/what-speaking-tongues] |
Wrong. The Lord Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit, which He called "the Comforter," to testify of Himself to the world, and we saw that earlier when we read Paul say that the gift of tongues was a sign to unbelievers, not to believers.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
-John 15:26
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
-1 Corinthians 14:4
(Read "Why I Use The King James Bible" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
Copeland is also claiming that the "unknown tongue" applies to him, when we've already learned that the Charismatics are not speaking in an "unknown tongue." They're speaking pure gibberish, which has no meaning, and that also means that 1Co 14 does not apply to them because they're operating outside the Word of God.
"Before Jesus went to the cross, He gave an invaluable promise to His disciples: 'And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.'(John 14:16) ."
-Kenneth Copeland Ministries, "What is speaking in tongues?" retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [kcm.org/read/questions/what-speaking-tongues]
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
-John 14:16
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
-John 14:15-16
"At Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled for those early Christians and all who would follow when 'everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and beganspeaking in other languages , as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability' (Acts 2:4)."
-Kenneth Copeland Ministries, "What is speaking in tongues?" retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [kcm.org/read/questions/what-speaking-tongues]
Copeland said it himself: "other languages." That doesn't mean baby gibberish is a language, and it also doesn't mean that gibberish comes from the Holy Spirit.
"Your empowering for ministry comes by receiving what's commonly called the 'Baptism in the Holy Spirit.' When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, an extraordinary thing happens: You areable to speak in another language . The Holy Spirit gives the utterance, but you do the speaking. The Holy Spirit will supply the words—words that are unknown to you —but you have to supply the sound. When you pray in tongues, you are praying 'in the spirit.' Just as your language is the voice of your mind,praying in tongues is the voice of your spirit . It is your spirit speaking mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2)."
-Kenneth Copeland Ministries, "What is speaking in tongues?" retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [kcm.org/read/questions/what-speaking-tongues]
Copeland admitted exactly what another preacher admitted in an earlier video; that the gibberish they speak has no meaning, or in other words, no one can understand it, not even the speaker. This is not what happened on the Day of Pentecost; all those who heard the words of the men speaking in tongues UNDERSTOOD what was being said in his own language:
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language... And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
-Acts 2:4-8
Also notice that Copeland first says "
Of course, they would argue that they are filled with the Holy Spirit, so therefore, they would say that their spirit and the Holy Spirit are coming from the same source, but at that point, they would have to claim to be God. These are the kind of mental gymnastics a Charismatic has to perform to justify the wicked traditions of their cult, namely, the gibberish they call "speaking in tongues."
Charismatic false preacher Todd Bentley does the same thing as Copeland, although he just ignores Scripture. He points out 1Co 14:14, and says:"'For if I pray in an unknown tongue, -Todd Bentley, "True Benefits of Speaking in Tongues," retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=88baf0e9be36c5e53e4192c3b&id=a4f0ea16e4&e=996c534118] |
First of all, Bentley is willfully ignorant of the fact that the "unknown tongue" is a language that others don't understand; it's not talking about baby gibberish that comes out of his mouth. Notice also that he focuses in on the "spirit prayeth" part, but ignores the "understanding is unfruitful" part because to acknowledge that would have to mean he would have to stop trying to impress people with his Satanic babbling. Bentley constently prays without any Biblical understanding of what he's saying.
This is also very confusing and somewhat humorous that he focuses on the spirit praying because in the previous paragraph, he states "when a believer exercises the gift of tongues,
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
-Ecclesiastes 12:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
-Genesis 2:7
Bentley then changes the word "edify," which means to build up by proper instruction in truth, faith, and righteousness, and changes the meaning to "charge up" like a battery:
"First Corinthians 14:4 says, 'He that speaketh in an unknown tongueedifieth (Charges) himself . . . .' Therefore, speaking in tongues is a means of spiritual edification or building up. In other words, when a person prays in the Holy Spirit, he charges himself up. He builds himself uplike a battery that is charged or built up ."
-Todd Bentley, "True Benefits of Speaking in Tongues," retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=88baf0e9be36c5e53e4192c3b&id=a4f0ea16e4&e=996c534118]
He's taking a lot of liberty to define Scripture how he pleases, which is common with those who feign to be born again. The other problem we can see by once again reading 1Co 14 in verse 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.
-1 Corinthians 14:22
Bentley then goes on to really show off his ignorance of the Word:
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans thatwords cannot express . And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will . (Romans 8:26-27)"
-Todd Bentley, "True Benefits of Speaking in Tongues," retrieved Sept 13, 2017, [us9.campaign-archive1.com/?u=88baf0e9be36c5e53e4192c3b&id=a4f0ea16e4&e=996c534118]
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
-Romans 8:26-27
utter (v): to speak; to pronounce; to express in words
(See 'utter', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 13, 2017 [webstersdictionary1828.com])
However, those things for which the Spirit makes intercession for us CANNOT BE UTTERED, meaning that they can't be spoken, pronounced, or expressed in words! Bentley even said it himself, that words cannot express it, but willingly defies the Word of God by his actions. All these Charismatics that are so-called "speaking in tongues" these so-called "prayers" they claim "come from the Holy Spirit" in gibberish—they're all liars because these are things that cannot be uttered in verbal language.
I speak these things in clear English, and the Charismatics and Pentecostals cannot hear and refuse to understand my words. This is just as Christ explained to the scribes and Pharisees (like the Copelands and Bentleys of that day):
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
-John 8:43-45
(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
After Charles Finney (who was not a Christian, as I demonstrated in our teaching on that subject) started the revivalism movement in the early 19th century, he inspired a lot of cult followers; among those was a Scottish-born man named John Alexander Dowie (portrayed on left), who founded a town in Illinois at the turn of the 20th century which he called "Zion," (named after Mount Zion in Israel) which has a population of over 20,000 today. In this town, he founded a church building which he called the "Christian Catholic Apostolic Church," which is more commonly known today as "Christ Community Church." |
In his early teenage years, Dowie's family traveled to Australia where he was exposed to the teachings of Edward Irving, a Charismatic who founded the "Catholic Apostolic Church," and was also the man responsible for bringing in the false prophecy of "Pre-Tribulation Rapture" in the mid-19th century. I won't be going into great detail on Finney or Irving because we have covered them in previous teachings on our website.
(Read "The Beginner's Guide to Tribulation and Rapture - The History of Pre-Trib" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
In short, John Dowie was another so-called "faith healer," like the wicked televagelists we see today. Pentecostal and Charismatic followers tend to paint Dowie in some sort of "holy" light, as if he was a messenger from God who healed thousands of people around the world, but the reality is that he had no "healing power," and his own daughter died due to his misplaced faith in his so-called "faith healings:"
"Dowie's own daughter, Esther, did not survive terrible burns she suffered when her nightgown accidentally caught fire from a burning alcohol lamp. She was burned over three-fourths of her body and was in a semi-coma for days. Because of his belief in faith healing, Dowie refused to allow any treatment for Esther's burns except Vaseline applications and saltwater washes. His critically burned daughter suffered for weeks before succumbing at the age of 21 to infection caused by the burns. "
-Kathyln Gay, American Dissidents: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Subversives, and Prisoners of Conscience, ABC-CLIO, Vol. 1, 2012, p. 204, ISBN: 9781598847642
Not only could Dowie not heal his own daughter, for which the town of Zion, Illinois suffered a wave of doubt in Dowie's "faith healing" teachings, but he also lost his church hundreds of thousands of dollars by investing in "faith healing revivals" around the country. In addition, just four years after founding the town and church building in Illinois, Dowie suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed and required others to care for him at his bedside. Though simple reasoning would tell us that people would move on, realizing this man is a false prophet, the Word of God has given us understanding that all people (including cultists) must be converted through repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing against God) and faith, and that cultists don't just give up; they simply wait for the next guru to take charge, and follow him/her instead.
Though many people were influenced by John Dowie, and many cult leaders came out of Zion, Illinois, the key figure in the modern "speaking-in-tongues" (i.e. Satanic gibberish) movement was a man named Charles Fox Parham (portrayed on right), who preached in Zion, Illinois for a short time after he started his "speaking-in-tongues" ministry. Parham believed in the same "faith healing" movement and in the Pre-Trib false prophecy that Dowie believed in, and he started the "speaking-in-tongues" movement in 1901, the same year that Dowie founded Zion, Illinois; the combination of these movements has led to the fusion of the "faith-healing," "revivalism," and "speaking-in-tongues" movements all into one, which is why you'll see all the wicked church buildings and denominations among them do the same things. |
According to Parham's account, in December of 1900, in his Bible School at Topeka, Kansas (Bethel Bible School, which closed a few months after), a woman named Agnes Ozman (portrayed on left; later married name LaBerge) allegedly started "speaking in tongues" during a late-night prayer session. This prayer session was based on the assumption that all Christians should be speaking in tongues like they did at the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2; even though that miracle was only given to those in that day as a sign for the Jews, the Pentecostal cultists ignored that and proceeded to pray for the power of the fiery tongue of the Holy Spirit. Parham claimed that a halo formed around Ozman's head, that she began speaking in the Chinese language, and that she was unable to speak English for three days. |
Before continuing, I want to remind readers that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who pointed out that those who seek after signs and miracles are wicked in their hearts. The Pharisees and Sadducees also wanted signs from God, but Christ told them:
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
-Matthew 16:4
In the following days Ozman's gibberish, many others in Parham's Bible college claimed to "speak in tongues," and Parham himself also claimed to do the same shortly thereafter. Before I continue further to show that these claims were never verified outside of Pentecostal movement (i.e. they were never verified outside of those who claimed to perform the miracles), I would like to point out that Parham and his followers were claiming to speak known languages, not just baby gibberish noises like the Pentecostals do today; thus, to keep any Chinese-speaking person from exposing them for falsely claiming to speak a language like Chinese, they instead claim they speak a "holy" langauge given to them from heaven, or in other words, it's a scam that can't be proven true.
Pentecostal authors can be incredibly deceptive because they often spin tall tales instead of giving all the facts. For example, one author I read, who considered Charles Parham to be one of "God's Generals," claimed that the whole world was informed of the "miracle" of "speaking in tongues" by Parham's following at a place called Stone's Folly (which took place a week after Agnes Ozman's first "speaking in tongues" enounter), and that newspapers everywhere were "besieged" with reports, and newsboys shouting "
(See Roberts Liardon, God's Generals: Charles F. Parham, Whitaker House, 2000, ISBN: 9781603745833)
The only news record on Stone's Folly anyone has found so far came from the Topeka State Journal and Topeka Daily Capital, and since the above Pentecostal author has claimed that the "truth" of their movement was reported by the newspapers, let's look at the report from January 9th and see for ourselves:
"Religious excitement still prevails at Bethel college, in spite of |
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Recently the class as been studying in the Acts and the twelfth chapter is devoted to a list of things, the doing of which are accredited to the 'Apostles.' Among the things mentioned is the power of discernment, the gift of tongues, and the gift of prophecy. It has been the desire of the students that they be given the gift of tongues so that they might be thus enabled to go as missionaries to foreign countries without first having to pass a term in some school to learn the language of the natives of the country to which they wished to go. Accordingly they went to their Lord in prayer and asked that this gift of tongues might be bestowed upon them."
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
I need to pause this news article because there are few details that need to be discussed, the first being S. J. Riggins. Riggins was one of the founding members of Bethel Bible School, but he left after they started their so-called "speaking in tongues" because he said it was nothing more than gibberish.
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This came from a Topeka Daily Capital newspaper article from three days prior (Jan 6), and so I will quote from that interview as well because there are quite a few bits of interesting information in it:"Mr. Parham, it will be remembered, was a student at the Apostolic school at Shiloh... which gained so much prominence lately when -The Topeka Daily Capital, "A Queer Faith, Strange Actions of the Apostolic Believers, Are Inspired From God, The Believers Speak a Strange Language and Write a Peculiar Hand—S. J. Riggins' Extraordinary Statement," Jan 6, 1901, p. 2 |
That's a bit of information we don't see coming from the Pentecostal and Charismatics; how many people have had fits of insanity while being in their schools. I listened to a couple of friends of mine after I was first saved (who, at the time, I thought were Christians), talk about their experiences in a Pentecostal college, and the absurdity of things they had to go through in it, and I thought readers would be interested to know that they both claim to be atheists today.
(Read "Everything You Need to Know About Atheism" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
"The 'congregation' at present numbers thirty-five persons and they certainly form a strange religious body. Most of the thirty-five members are from Kansas City—coming here with Mr. Parham [from Maine]—but a few are from Topeka. It seems that under the Apostolic faith its adherents are prevented from asking for money contributions except through God himself. They believe that the Lord answers prayer and they pray incessantly for what they want, giving little heed to the present, practical need of making a living.Most of the members took all their earthly possessions to the 'mansion' with them and these possessions are being slowly absorbed for living expesnes. According to Mr. Riggins, a man named Stanley, a convert to the faith, as well as his family, bought over $100 worth of furniture when the mansion was rented. Mr. Stanley owns a farm southwest of town and, according to Mr. Riggins, he is about to sacrifice this to keep the 'school' going."
-The Topeka Daily Capital, "A Queer Faith, Strange Actions of the Apostolic Believers, Are Inspired From God, The Believers Speak a Strange Language and Write a Peculiar Hand—S. J. Riggins' Extraordinary Statement," Jan 6, 1901, p. 2
Earlier, I very briefly mentioned that this "Bible College" Parham started didn't even last a year, and that's because God was not providing for their cause like they led people to believe; as if they expected manna (food) to fall from heaven like He did for the Hebrews. They were slowly selling the possessions of their followers and using that money to try and last as long as they could.
"Last Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock the members of the congregation started on a long session of prayer. They kept it up without ceasing until Saturday morning at 3:30 and then,according to Mr. Riggins' story, there were about twelve of them jabbering a strange gibberish at once , which they said was the voice of God through them.'I believe the whole of them are crazy,' said Mr. Riggins to a Capital reporter. 'I never saw anything like it. They were racing about the room talking and gesticulating [using gestures]and using this strange and senseless language which they claim is the word from the Most High.' "
-The Topeka Daily Capital, "A Queer Faith, Strange Actions of the Apostolic Believers, Are Inspired From God, The Believers Speak a Strange Language and Write a Peculiar Hand—S. J. Riggins' Extraordinary Statement," Jan 6, 1901, p. 2
There was no understanding given with this gibberish. On the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, many people of various languages were represented in the same place, and all of them understood what was being said with one tongue, but in Parham's cult, no one understood anything being said or written, and thus, their attempts to replicate the Day of Pentecost failed, but they continued to do it.
Riggins went on to say that he was going to continue to study and practice the faith taught in Scripture, and work to be a humble Christian, but he absolutely would not subscribe to the insanity he saw at Stone's Folly. Neither Riggins, nor the reporters, could confirm any of the languages being spoken were real, nor did they make sense upon further investigation, which brings us back to the first newspaper article.
Continuing in the Jan 9th article from the Topeka State Journal:
"The students were in read earnest in their pleadings [fervent prayers] in this direction and the first intimation they had thattheir prayers were to be answered was when Miss Ozman, one of the students who came here from Kansas City went off into what was apparently a trance and began to utter strange words , the like of which had never been heard by her listeners before.
She afterward gave the following explanation: 'The Lord inspired me with the words and I did not know at the time I was talking, what the next word I uttered would be. I do not know what language I was talking nor what I was saying only as the Lord would inspire me.' Rev. Mr. Parham said: 'The matter went on for nearly a week before the gift was bestowed upon others. All the while the students were praying to their utmost that the gift could be theirs. Finally several of the others were favored with the gift and now there are about 15 to 20 of the students who sit around and occasionally burst out talkinga lot of sentences unintelligible to those who hear it and not understand by those who speak it until told the meaning by inspiration by God.'"
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
This is key because that is exactly what the Pentecostals and Charismatics do to this day. They are speaking complete nonsense, meaning that no one can make sesne of anything that's being spoken, which is not reflective of any speaking in tongues mentioned in the Bible. Worse still, the "interpretation," as anyone knows who has been in the Pentecostal and Charismatic church buildings, is always made by how someone "feels" about it, or they "feel like" one of their member's gibberish had a meaning, and the person who spoke the gibberish didn't understand it either, so they just accept the interpretation as legitimate without any way to verify otherwise. (Again, this was NOT how things were supposed to operate in the church according to 1 Corinthians 14.)
"When a [Topeka] State Journal reporter called at the building to see the founder and leader of the school, Mr. Parham, he was shown into what was appearntly a common sitting room on the first floor. Several men were in the room, each reading a Bible. Miss Ozman sat at a desk writing some letters which were to be posted that morning. Shortly after finishing the letters she sat down to write again and immediately announced that her hands utterly refused to write the characters of the English language. And that her hands unconsciously formed the characters of some langauge, but she was not able to state which. She did not interpret the marks.In writing the characters, the muscles of Miss Ozman's hands seem to contract and she made the marks in a spasmodic fashion, her hand rather jerking back and forth to make the scrawls. "
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
I would like to remind Christians that this process is quite similar to demonic channeling. In the Bible, God allowed the author's hand to move, but He gave the author the words to write down. In demonic channeling, the author goes into a trance and his hands work involuntariily, as if possessed, and this is exactly how Satanic music, like Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven, were written.
(Read "What's Wrong With Christian Rock?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
The image above was published in the news article, and it is Ozman's involuntary scribblings. Notice there is no pattern of intelligent language on this page. It is what you would expect from somone who is convulsing while they have a pen to paper: A bunch of random, meaningless scribbles, and according to the news article, no one in Parham's cult, nor Riggins, was able to interpret it.
It's important to emphasize that they started doing all this with the intention of preaching the gospel in missions, to bring the Word of God to people in other countries of other languages, but no one in any other language could figure out nonsensical scribbles like this. This means that even if it was some "heavenly language," they would STILL need an interpreter in their native language to understood what is being said, which means the original purpose of being able to communicate with people of foreign languages was completely nullified by their gibberish, and Pentecostals and Charismatics today just ignore this in their willful ignorance.
"Mr. Parham has had the gift of tongues also. He says he is inspired to speak in the German language. Soon after the reporter began talking to him he was constrained to utter a few sentences in German. Soon afterward Mr. Parham again started to talk and this time it seemed to be in the Swedish language. Samuel Higgins entered the school about two weeks ago and has been given 'the gift.' He avers [states] that he speaks the Zulu language.He said: 'I do not know many of the words yet, but they are coming to me.' He spoke a few words which he said were of that langauge. "
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
I want to remind readers that the reporter is only repeating to readers what he was told; there is nowhere in this article where it was verified that they were speaking these languages. The only people who claimed that they were other languages were the people in Parham's cult, and they already admitted that they didn't understand any of it. If they didn't understand it, how do they know for sure it was another language? No person who spoke any of the languages they claimed to speak came in to verify what they were saying, and that's why, later, they shifted to claiming they spoke a "heavenly" or "angelic" language; so that no one had a way to verify their fraudulent claims.
"Mr. Parham called Miss Lillian Thistlethrate into the room and asked her if she could talk some. She at first answered that the Lord had not inspired her to say anything but soonbegan to utter strange words which sounded like this: Euossa, Euossa use, rela sema calah mala kanah leulla sage nalan. Ligle logle lazle logle. Ene mine mo, sah rah el me sah rah me.' These sentences were translated as meaning 'Jesus is mighty to save,' 'Jesus is ready to hear,' and 'God is love.' "
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
You can easily see how she is making the first noises that come to her brain. The Lord God, at the tower of Babel, created all the fundamentals of the various languages in the world today, and you won't find phrases like "ligle logle lazle logle." That's called baby nonsense. She also used the phrase "ene mine mo," which comes from the childhood rhyme "ene meene mine mo," she just left the "meene" part out.
If you watch any videos of Pentecostals and Charismatics today, you will see these same type of patterns repeated. You can notice how they repeat certain "phrases" of sounds over and over, and then claim an "interpretation" of those same sounds in a wide variety of so-called "meanings."
"A student known as 'Brother' Howard was called in and asked to speak in his language. He let loose a flood of oratory. He spoke in the language of East Indians, the Hindoos, it was explained.His speech seemed in the nature of a sermon and was accompanied with gestures and motions of the arms and head. "
-The Topeka State Journal, "Hindoo and Zulu, Both Are Represented at Bethel School, 'Gift of Tongues' Continues at the Faith College, Strange Things Seen, Students Suddenly Bein Talking in Strange Languages, They Can Not Even Understand Themselves," Jan 9, 1901, p. 6
This kind of behavior, with head nods and gestures, can easily be replicated by just about anyone. This acting, in addition to false teaching, new-age fluffy feel-good messages, and vague/false fortune-telling which they call "prophesying," it's a tradition that was started by the Devil, and continues to produce the Devil's fruit.
A man named William Joseph Seymour became a student of Charles Parham in 1905, and the following year (1906), he started an unbiblical "revival" service in downtown Los Angeles in a building located at 312 Azusa street that is known today as the "Apostolic Faith Mission." Back then, it was called the "Azusa Street Revival," and that led to a man named Florence Crawford to start a church building there called the "Apostolic Faith Church," and that is commonly credited as being the birthplace of the modern-day Pentecostal cult movement. " -Lost Angeles Times, "Weird Babel of Tongues, New Sect of Fanatics is Breaking Loose, Wild Scene Last Night on Azusa Street, Gurgle of Wordless Talks by a Sister, April 18, 1906, p. 2" As you can see, the prophesy failed because Los Angeles is only getting more evil by the day. If you read this entire quotation from the Los Angeles Times, you'll notice that modern-day Pentecostal and Charismatic church buildings operate in the exact same way; giving false future prophesies and speaking Satanically-inspired nonsense. Earlier in the quote, it was pointed out that the preacher would only read one or two words from a verse of Scripture, then he would go on to preach in his own words and not quote the Word of God. This means that they were not preaching sermons to give people the full understanding of the Word of God in its context, but rather, they preached messages that appealed to those in the situation, at the time, in the heat of emotion, giving over their reasoning unto devils who will scratch their itching ears.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; I have had my run-ins with people who do this Pentecostal garbage in church buildings, and when I have prophesied unto them (i.e. delivered the Word of God to them in rebuke and exhortation), I've been kicked out a labeled a "rebel" against the church. They've probably done the same to some of you born again Christians, but I would like to remind readers that the same thing was done to the Old Testament prophets, the early Christian church, Christ's disciples, and to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and we have nothing to fear from people in a cult.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. |
Today, this Satanic gibberish has been given a new name:
glossolalia (n): incomprehensible speech in an imaginary language, sometimes occurring in a trance state, an episode of religious ecstasy
(See 'glossolalia', Random House Dictionary, 2017, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)
Hellywood sex icon Megan Fox starred in the 2009 movie Jennifer's Body in which she played a demonically possessed teenager that took part in sacrifices to Satan and ended up killing and eating her classmates. (This is literally what the movie is about according to the TV Tropes website.) Though Fox plays the role of devils in movies and sells her body on the big screen, she tells everyone she's "a devout Christian," which is obviously a lie. (See TV Tropes, "Film / Jennifer's Body," retrieved Sept 15, 2017, [tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/JennifersBody]; See also WENN, "Katy Perry, Megan Fox On Speaking in Tongues," Charisma News, Jan 16, 2013, retrieved Sept 15, 2017, [charismanews.com/us/35257-katy-perry-megan-fox-on-speaking-in-tongues]) |
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:20
"Transformer starMegan Fox says she has been speaking in tongues since she was a child and often has to restrain herself during trips to church . The Transformers star, who was raised as a member of the Pentecostal church, says she used to take part in glossolalia sessions--the muttering of speech-like syllables as a form of religious expression--from the age of eight . She tells Esquire magazine, 'The energy is so intense in the room that you feel like anything can happen... I have seen magical, crazy things happen. I've seen people be healed. Even now, in the church I go to, during praise and worshipI could feel that I was maybe getting ready to speak in tongues, and I'd have to shut it off because I don't know what that church would do if I started screaming out in tongues in the back .' When asked how speaking in tongues feels, she adds, 'It feels like a lot of energy coming through the top of your head--I'm going to sound like such a lunatic--and then your whole body is filled with this electric current. And you just start speaking, butyou're not thinking because you have no idea what you're saying ... The idea is that it's a language that only God understands.'"
-WENN, "Katy Perry, Megan Fox On Speaking in Tongues," Charisma News, Jan 16, 2013, retrieved Sept 15, 2017, [charismanews.com/us/35257-katy-perry-megan-fox-on-speaking-in-tongues]
I have little doubt that Fox is possessed of a devil in everyday life, not just playing a character in a movie, which is why the Satanic gibberish is so ready to come out of her mouth in these false church buildings. We've already covered how all that she is doing is strictly against God's Word and has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit. Even if they want to claim that God is speaking through them, they can't understand their gibberish (because it really has no meaning), so there's no way to provide evidence to other people to support their claims. Fox also claims she has seen healings, and there are many fake "faith healings" that take place in these Pentecostal and Charismatic church buildings, often during their "revival" sessions which are totally unbiblical.
(Read "Revivalism: The Devil's Design" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
The article continues with to mention Katy Perry, another fornicating actress and musician, who also participated in glossolalia as a child. We briefly mentioned Perry in our article exposing the wickedness of false convert Amy Grant, how she gave Satanic witchcraft performances in live shows, and told news reporters that she sold her soul to the Devil. (Read "Wolves in Costume: Amy Grant" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) "Fox is in good company with her special ability—pop star |
There are many wicked people who claim to "speak in tongues," and so shouting out some gibberish during some emotional high in a church building does not make someone of God. I've listened to testimonies from people who were former Pentecostals, who were born again and came out of it, and they testified that people actively living in sin (fornication, adultery, theft, homosexuality, etc) were claiming to be of God and "speaking in tongues" by the Holy Ghost.
They're liars. Even Satan and his devils can transform themselves to appear as angels of light:
But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
-2 Corinthians 11:12
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
-2 Corinthians 11:13-15
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: Don't Judge Me!" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,
-1 Corinthians 2:14-15
Some readers may have noticed that I rarely used the word "babble" or "babbling," and that's because babbling can have meaning, just as Babylon was named for everyone hearing babbling when the nations first had their languages divided at the tower of Babel:
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
-Genesis 11:9
If you hear someone speaking that Satanic gibberish, all you can really do is rebuke them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If they will not hear, then do as Paul said and leave them be to live in their willful ignorance:
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
-1 Corinthians 14:37-38
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
-Ecclesiastes 7:4
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:21