The Charismatic Strange Fire

One of the most subtle actions of the Antichrist spirit has been the rise of the Charismatic movement. Only a few very discerning saints of God understood the "Charismatic renewal." as they called it at its beginning. It appeared so harmless, even exciting, that the old line ministers and many Catholics were receiving the infilling of the Holy Ghost and revival was coming to multitudes of people. Being a Pentecostal since 1952, I attended some of their first Full Gospel BusinessmenÂ’s meetings. I wanted to be a part of anything God was doing. Never, not one time, did I sense a true move of God, but left every meeting where they claimed God was moving confused and troubled. The Spirit of God in me constantly witnessed that something was wrong, but I certainly did not understand what was wrong at that time.

I was at the Charlotte Rescue Mission for a breakfast with the Full Gospel group of our city the first time I saw the entire crowd invited to sing in tongues together. When they started, I moved out of the room because it was exactly what I had witnessed when pagan gurus were worshipped. The very idea that someone can sing in tongues at will and in concert with a large crowd breaks every rule of Biblical teaching about the gifts of the Holy Ghost. I had already learned that one of the primary teachings of the Charismatics was that the gifts of the Spirit can be manifest at will. To see people using the Holy Spirit as they would a radio was utterly over the top. I remember Juanita and me being in a Charismatic church in Washington, D.C., and witnessing the same thing.

On another occasion, I attended a breakfast where the speaker was a jewelry store owner. As he told about his jewelry business and the great blessing of selling tens of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry giving all the credit to his baptism in the Holy Ghost, I was sickened beyond description. How we can bring GodÂ’s Spirit down into the realm of merchandising something as unnecessary as gold and silver was beyond me. All of this brought the crowd to their feet, while outside the room was a multitude of crippled, broken, and suffering individuals waiting for the God of real miracles. That was my last prayer breakfast.

On another occasion, I met with local ministers just for fellowship and the joy of friends. At this luncheon, again my last, a local Charismatic personality decided to lead everyone in a dance. IÂ’m not sure how it all ended because dancing with a bunch of preachers did not seem very Godly to me, much less enjoyable.

I will never forget the first time I went to hear Pat Robertson of Christian network television fame. He was speaking at a local arena and I was a bit excited about his coming to Charlotte. The fanfare was too much, and his two bodyguards really disturbed me, but his ideas were the real problem. Not long into his presentation, he began to promote his post-millennium doctrines. He stated that soon all members of our Supreme Court would be Spirit-filled believers. His theology was some kind of mixture of what sounded like replacement theology. He certainly was not a Bible fundamentalist. Later, I read a review of his book named The Millennium that stated, "If you believe in the Rapture, you will not be interested in this book." He has clearly shown his Catholic leaning.

My experiences with the Charismatic world have been enough to prove to me the bankrupt foundations of this movement. The majority of the Pentecostal churches have been destroyed by this Antichrist movement within our midst. It apparently started with individuals like Kathryn Kuhlman. Our article entitled "Kathryn Kuhlman And Her Spirit Guide" proves beyond measure her foul influence. She was pro-Catholic to the core and started the slide within Pentecostal ranks in the direction of Rome. She was a guiding star to the compromises that later came to full bloom in Charismatic circles.

This strange fire cannot be understood unless you are a strict Bible believer. The Father destroyed two of the precious sons of Aaron because they offered "Strange fire which God had not commanded." (Leviticus 10:1-7) Anything that someone labels as the fire of the Holy Ghost that is contrary to the Bible is false, and God calls it "strange fire." The Charismatic world is totally dominated by unbiblical concepts. Let me name a few of them: holy laughter, oils appearing supernaturally, gold dust, angel feathers, fortune telling, prosperity concepts, etc. These are only a few. Ministers claiming the power to impart the anointing, people falling out in the Spirit en mass, all kinds of strange hysteria, the Spirit slamming people against walls, or any kind of emotion that borders on drunkenness, etc., cannot be supported by Holy Scripture. Why would this Divine Spirit of my Father and the Son of God act within or upon people to behave like pagans in a voodoo ceremony?

I watched Kenneth Hagin walk around the great crowds, hissing like a snake, his tongue sticking out and the crowd going insane with emotions, but when he came to the section of crippled people, he turned and walked in another direction. Do not accuse my God of promoting insane emotions as His fire, but turning away from the worshippers that needed a physical miracle. The fire of God saves, heals, renews the spirits and souls of the worshippers, and makes all things new. In fact, He commands us, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:15b-18) This false emotionalism is "strange fire," but the real fire is still changing lives, healing the sick, transforming the oppressed, and exalting Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

Do not misunderstand me. I believe in everything that happened in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Everything recorded in the four Gospels and the Epistles is commanded of God to us. But the Charismatic world is full of strange fire that God has not commanded. It passes from one to another like some kind of poison while the wonderful miracles of God are utterly absent. The Word of God is the final discernment of the false and the true.

Now the final truth is out. The Charismatic world almost as a whole is in the process of returning to the Catholic fold of Rome. From Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson, the Pentecostal denominations are all moving swiftly toward Rome and fellowship with the Beast. "Strange fire" was judged quickly in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the action is awaiting the fulfillment of all things, and then it will be complete judgment; not as swiftly, but completely. The Charismatic world is American style Voodoo.

Joseph R. Chambers