For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. - Matthew 24: 24 (ESV)

It is possible. The elect are being led astray every day in this country. It isn't even casual anymore. It seems the church today pursues being led astray. It chases after what is clearly not of God in the name of God. It is born out of biblical illiteracy and spiritual apathy. We have become ignorant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seemingly do not care to learn it. To be sincere about it. To study to find ourselves approved. To become more noble as the Bereans once did. No. We would prefer to chase the next big emotional experience and pretend it was a move of the Holy Ghost. We would prefer to have a false prophet or apostle speak a word over our life instead of opening the Word of God to hear what sayeth the Lord over our life. Because while the Word from God may shake our little religious bubble, we know the false prophet never will. So we chase. We chase the next big show. The next big event. We actively pursue false signs and lying wonders to fill our Christianity void that we are supposed to fill with the Word of God. This week's example I present for your discernment comes from one of the foremost headquarters of false doctrine in this country. Bethel Church in California and their heretical pastor, Bill Johnson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPkOR4Lwj0

This disturbing video is what passed for a sermon one Sunday for Bill Johnson. He was commenting on the appearance of what he referred to as a "glory cloud." at his church the previous Friday evening during service. He even had video to make everyone go ooh and ahh at the right time. He kept referring to these and other nonsensical manifestations as "signs that make you wonder." If you know your Bible however there is no wondering necessary. 

Before he gets to the cloud however he recounts how other false signs and lying wonders had infiltrated his church for the past 15 years. He referred several times to a manifestation of feathers falling from the sky. This is a common farce perpetrated by this crowd to claim that angel feathers were supernaturally falling because of some vague reference to an "anointing." As he chuckles, Johnson explains to those who would doubt that the Bible does say He will cover you with His feathers and that there is healing in his wings. I recount this here so one can start to discern properly for themselves. This has to be one of the most ridiculous uses of these Scriptures I have ever heard. Here is what the Bible says:

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. - Psalm 91: 3-4 (NIV)

"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. - Malachi 4: 1-3 (ESV)

What is wrong with this picture? Well first of all, the Psalmist is painting a picture by using a metaphor. God is not a bird beloved. Therefore the wings in this verse are not actual wings with actual feathers. To cite this verse as justification for feathers falling on your head indicating a supernatural sign or wonder is to simply not understand the Bible at all. Unfortunately for Mr. Johnson, the story gets worse when you consider that in the Malachi verses the term "wings" actually refers to the rays of the sun. Just go read nearly every commentary on the matter. Is there healing in God? Absolutely! Can that be considered a sign or wonder? Absolutely! Does it have anything to do with feathers? Absolutely not! Also, for the "angel feathers" crowd - the Bible gives no indication that angels have wings, let alone feathers. The confusion stems from human artwork depicting angels having wings but the Bible does not say that is so. 

Johnson then goes on to state that there were times when gold dust just appeared on people's hands or started falling down during worship. Wow! What a sign and...wait a minute. Why? Why in the world would this be considered a sign or a wonder? Is there any example in the Bible of gold dust magically appearing or feathers for that matter? Did Jesus say that the signs that would accompany them would be gold dust, gemstones, and random feathers? The answer of course is no. In fact there is only one mention of gold dust in the entire Bible:

If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, then the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver. - Job 22: 23-25 (ESV)

This verse is from the chapter where Eliphaz incorrectly blames Job for his problems. In this small section he implies that Job needs to change where his treasure is. To bring the riches of this world, such as gold, down to an even level with dust. Thus, these verses do not even have anything to do with gold dust at all. The larger point however is it certainly does not set a Biblical precedent for why God would suddenly decide to start sending a gold dust manifestation to Bethel Church. Usually at this point the truly deceived become indignant that anyone would question the veracity of anything supernatural. Here is an argument taken from a website promoting the gold dust phenomenon as a move of God:

Some people think it is strange that God would reveal his majesty in this way, but we should try to let God out of the box. He has every right to display his glory and reveal himself in whatever way he sees fit! Nothing is too difficult for God!

The old "you place God in a box" argument. I am not kidding. I hear this all the time from people who like their leaven more than their Word. The truth is that God provided us with the Word and it has no limits. Its only design flaw is that one must actually READ IT. This argument is patently silly. Can God have dropped feathers on Bethel Church? Of course but again the question would be - why in the world would He? Why would God, who is not the author of confusion, manifest His presence in an extra-biblical manner? The answer of course is He wouldn't. Later in the video, Johnson claims that because the presence of God is so thick on him that people would randomly fall out when brushing past him. Another example he gave is that when he walked into a store someone started laughing uncontrollably and ran out of the store only to peer at him through the store window while still laughing. Where is that in the Bible? Who gets the glory in that situation? God or Bill Johnson? 

So we come to the "glory cloud." Johnson explains that during worship, a layer of "the smoke of His presence" began billowing out above everyone filled with little flakes of Gold. Wow. Talk about a sign and...wait a minute. Does the Bible mention glory clouds anywhere? The answer is no. The closest excuse they use to justify this manifestation is this:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. - Isaiah 6: 1-4 (ESV)

Does this one episode in Scripture justify what we see on that video of Bill Johnson? Go watch the video again and pay attention to the reactions of those in attendance. Are they falling down in reverent awe of the glory of God or are they taking their phones out to take pictures of it? When Moses saw the glory of God he turned white. When the Apostle John saw it he fell down as if dead. Even Isaiah right after these verses exclaims - woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips! When the glory of God fills the temple we do not stop to take selfies with it! 

Beloved you must understand that this brazen disregard of the reverence of God is a staple of Bill Johnson's ministry. He runs a School of the Supernatural, where he thinks he can teach people the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is no wonder to me then when a man who shows no respect to the Holy Spirit has equal disdain for God as well. It is what he preaches and teaches. You see it in his adherents, such as the equally heretical Jesus Culture, which comes from Bethel. The main worship leader for Jesus Culture claims waking visitations from Jesus and even visiting the throne room where she met Father God face to face. This despite God saying in His Word that if any man see Him they would die. The Word doesn't matter to these people. Only chasing the false signs and lying wonders do. 

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, - 2Thessalonians 2: 9 (KJV)

We need to stop being spiritual babes. We need to stop chasing things that are simply not in His Word. The key verse makes it quite clear. Performing signs and wonders does not mean the move is from God because false christs and prophets have arisen to lead us astray. The only anchor we have to hold us steady is the Word of God. 

Because here is the sobering reality beloved. We are in a spiritual war. We are fighting against dark powers and spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. The cold hard truth about the manifestations you see at Bethel or in many other places is that there are only two plausible explanations. Either it is the work of Satan or it is purposeful deception by the pastor. Neither option is acceptable. We must always remember that the enemy is prowling around looking for someone to devour:

And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. - 2Corinthians 11: 12-15 (ESV)(

Bill Johnson boasts his work is on the same terms as those who truly labor in the kingdom for the glory of God alone. That work however, when held up to the light of God's Holy Word is eviscerated by the truth. As such he is as false as his false signs and lying wonders. 

Here is what the deceived fail to realize. The same argument they use to excuse the falseness - that God could have done it - works the other way too. What better way for Satan to deceive the hearts of the naive than to drop feathers, manipulate gold dust, or billow smoke through a church? To get the people of God excited about something that is not from God. To get the church to run around chasing what is false. The true signs and wonders are the lives forever changed by the uncompromised Gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh that we would chase after that as we do feathers and gold dust! Oh that we would pursue righteousness as fervently as we pursued fake glory clouds! The end draws near. Satan steps up his efforts. We must wake up. 

Reverend Anthony Wade - May 21, 2014