Beware of false prophets, which come
to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15).
That we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)
CULTS are nothing new under the sun. Having existed for centuries, they have one common
denominator—they follow a false Christ, false prophet or false teacher.
Merriam-Webster
defines the word cult as “A small
religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and
that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous.”
I
also like thefreedictionary.com’s definition: “A religion or religious sect generally
considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an
unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic
leader.”
Since DECEPTION is on the rise, cults
continue to spring up all around the globe.
Satan knows that his time is short; therefore, he continues to raise up
false christs, false prophets, false teachers and false religions, to
accomplish his mission and will:
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives
the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him (Revelation 12:9).
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid
to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians
4:3-4). [Emphasis Added]
The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy: I [Jesus Christ] am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly (John 10:10). [Emphasis Added]
I prefer
to avoid glorifying the works of the devil, but people (especially the uneducated,
gullible and easily-manipulated) need to be WARNED about the DANGERS
of getting involved in a cult. Satan,
after all, is NOT playing games! A person’s social, economic or educational standing
does not matter to Satan who is constantly on the prowl seeking victims to
devour (1
Peter 5:8)!
I
need to pause long enough to share that humans are no match for Satan, nor can
they fight him physically because he is a spirit being. Even Spirit-filled Christians that know and
exercise their authority in Jesus Christ should never attempt to do battle with
Satan or his high-ranking demons. God’s
Archangel Michael and other warring angels deal directly with them. God only permits believers to engage in
spiritual warfare with low-ranking demons and only then when walking in holiness
and obedience, by invoking the Name and Blood of Jesus Christ, and by wielding
the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God! (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). Holy living and Obedience are key essentials for
a believer to be successful in spiritual warfare:
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your
hearts, you double minded (James 4:7-8).
Although
Satan is NOT omnipresent, omniscient
and omnipotent like God, he does rule over a vast, multi-dominion,
multi-dimensional kingdom that functions like a well-oiled machine. His army, which never rests or sleeps, is
well-trained, well-equipped, efficient, organized, loyal and obedient. From his highest-ranking generals (seraphim,
cherubim, thrones, powers, dominions, principalities, archangels and demons), to
the lowest mischievous imp, Satan’s army is at his beck and call around the
clock.
For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
Satan
knows what your weaknesses are, just as he knows mine. No, he cannot be everywhere at the same time,
but he knows things because he assigns demons to follow and observe us, just as
God assigns angels to minister to us (Hebrews 1:14).
A
demon on assignment will hang around and look for chinks in your spiritual
armor, to measure your strengths and weaknesses. A chink represents a weak point, a breach in your
spiritual armor, and a potential point of entry for a weapon. For example, if you are committing a willful
sin like adultery and know better, your spiritual armor has been breached and
compromised. You are also DECEIVED and until you confess your sin
and repent, you will not be able to engage in successful spiritual
warfare. Why? Because willful sin gives demons free and
legal license to wreck havoc in your life!
A
demon will also hang around to listen to the words that you speak (Proverbs
18:21). Your words and
demeanor tell a demon everything it seeks to know. By your words and behavior, a demon will know
if your faith is Word-based (strong), or fear-based (weak). It will also know if you, as a Spirit-led
Christian, are a threat to Satan’s kingdom, or a carnal, worldly Christian who’s
playing games with God! On the flip
side, God’s angels on assignment listen for the Word of God to come out of your
mouth because they ACT only on the Word of God.
A
demon will also attack your mind with a fiery dart (Ephesians 6:16) which is an
evil thought or a vain imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God (2
Corinthians 10:5). Then the
demon will wait to see if you ACT on it.
If you do, you will reveal your weakness and the demon will know what strategy
and weapon Satan can use against you. This
is why you should know what your weaknesses are and meditate on Scriptures that
will renew your mind (Romans 12:2) and change those weaknesses into
strengths!
In
short, Satan’s spies provide all of the information that he needs to plan and
strategize attacks against you. As
stated before, his mission is to kill, steal and destroy, so you would be wise
to divulge as little information about yourself as possible. To keep your enemy guessing, do not act on
bad thoughts and be careful what you say!
Personally, the only thing that I want Satan to know about me is my shoe
size because my daily goal is to keep him under my feet!
I
have taken time to explain Satan’s strategies and assignments because God’s
people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Armed with insight, knowledge and wisdom, someone
you may know will be less likely to be deceived and led astray by a false Christ,
false prophet, or false teacher.
Not
all religious cults make headline news like the one pictured above. Due to space limitations, this blog will not represent
an exhaustive study or commentary about cults.
Instead, I will reference three notable cult leaders and their followers
whose lives tragically ended in mass suicide.
Many readers, especially those of my generation, will remember and
relive the horror and shock when these tragedies were reported in the
news. Years after, people are still
asking the perplexing and troubling question, “How could those poor people have gotten themselves involved in
something like that?” I urge you to not
judge them harshly. The power of DECEPTION is that victims do not
realize they are deceived! As for the
above question, the answer is still not readily or easily known because many pieces
to a highly complex puzzle are still missing.
Only God and Satan know ALL of the dynamics that were in place and
functioning at the time these tragedies occurred. Still, many dynamics are known and will be
referenced at the end of this blog. From
a Biblical standpoint, DECEPTION is at
the root of these tragedies and Satan, his demons, and his deceived human
puppeteers are responsible!
For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:4-5);
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed
to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2);
For the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews
4:12).
The
space between your ears, the mind, is Satan’s battlefield, which lends truth to
the old adage that “an idle mind is Satan’s playground!” This is why it is imperative that believers READ, STUDY, MEMORIZE
and MEDITATE
the Word of God! Why? Because at least three times a day and perhaps
more, you feed your physical body to keep it strong. Your inner man (comprised of spirit and soul)
has an appetite, too. It is sustained
and fortified by the Word of God. A mind
that is void or empty of God’s Word is open and receptive to DECEPTION and cannot withstand fiery
darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16).
PORTRAIT OF A CULT LEADER
Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).
Now the Spirit speaks 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; (1 Timothy
4:1-2)
How
does one recognize a cult leader? … Certainly not by the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7).
Listed
below are twenty personality traits that stand out as a FIRST WARNING to anyone who might
associate with a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). Please understand that this is NOT an
exhaustive list, nor is it the final authoritative word on the subject. If you know a church or cult leader that is
presenting many of these traits, the chances are good that this person is
abusing members of his church or group emotionally, psychologically,
physically, financially, spiritually and possibly sexually:
BELIEVES and CLAIMS
that he is a deity or a chosen representative of a deity;
BELIEVES that he possesses answers and solutions to
every problem;
BELIEVES that he is destined for greatness or that he
will be martyred;
CONSIDERS AS HIS ENEMY, anyone who criticizes or challenges
his authority;
DEMANDS blind, unchallenged allegiance and
obedience;
ESTABLISHES and ENFORCES rigid rules and endless, mindless
tasks or routine;
EXPLOITS members financially and sexually;
FEELS NO GUILT OR REMORSE and never apologizes;
FORBIDS MEMBERS from leaving, traveling, or pursuing life,
liberty and happiness;
HAS A GRANDIOSE VIEW OF HIMSELF and what he can achieve;
IS CHARISMATIC and CHARMING, but
superficially;
IS EGOTISTICAL and NARCISSISTIC
(the word “I” dominates his conversations);
ISOLATES MEMBERS from having contact with family,
friends or the outside world;
ISOLATES THE GROUP physically, to avoid being observed;
MONITORS or RESTRICTS member contact with family, friends
or the outside world;
PEOPLE are TREATED as OBJECTS and mean
nothing to him. They are simply a means
to an end;
PUBLICLY and PRIVATELY ridicules, criticizes, humiliates
and devalues members;
USES BRAINWASHING and mind-control techniques;
USES ENFORCERS to insure compliance and obedience.
USES FOR PERSONAL GAIN, domination, intimidation,
manipulation, exploitation and control;
For a more complete list of characteristics, visit:
NOTABLE CULT LEADER #1
JAMES WARREN “JIM” JONES
(May
13, 1931 – November 18, 1978)
Who can ever forget the greatest
single loss of American civilian life until September 11, 2001 happened?
Jim Jones, leader of Peoples Temple,
was born in Indiana. His father, an
alcoholic who associated with the Ku Klux Klan, fought during World War I. His mother allegedly believed that she had
birthed a messiah. As a child, Jones studied
Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler, noting their
strengths and weaknesses. He also
developed an intense interest in religion, allegedly because he found making
friends difficult and being treated as a social outcast. Later in life, childhood acquaintances
described Jones as a “really weird kid” who was “obsessed with religion … obsessed
with death.” It was alleged that he
stabbed a cat to death.
In 1949, Jones married nurse
Marceline Baldwin and moved to Indiana where he attended the University in
Bloomington. He was a self-professed agnostic
and atheist.
In 1951, Jones began attending Communist
Party meetings and rallies in Indianapolis.
Frustrated and provoked by ostracism of open communists in America, Jones
asked himself, “how can I demonstrate my Marxism? The [fiery dart] thought was, infiltrate the
church.” [Emphasis Mine]
In 1962, Jones traveled with his
family to Brazil with the idea of setting up a new Temple location. On his way to Brazil, Jones made his first
trip to Guyana, then still a British colony.
In 1965, when he returned from
Brazil, he told his Indiana congregation that the world would be engulfed in a
nuclear war on July 15, 1967 that would then create a new socialist Eden on
earth. He moved his Temple to
California, presumably for safety.
While Jones always spoke of the
social gospel’s virtues, before the late 1960s he chose to conceal that his
gospel was actually Communism. He perverted
the Gospel of Jesus Christ by preaching that, “If you’re born in capitalist
America, racist America, fascist America, then you’re born in sin. But if you’re born in socialism, you’re not
born in sin.”
By the early 1970s, Jones thought of
Christianity as a “fly away religion.” Having
rejected the Bible, he authored a booklet titled “The Letter Killeth,” criticizing
the King James Bible. He also denounced The
Bible’s “Sky God” as being no God at all.
Jones believed that he was the reincarnation of Mahatma Gandhi (murdered
in 1948) and Father Divine (died in 1965), as well as Jesus of Nazareth, Gotama
Buddha and Vladimir Lenin.
In 1973, Jones was arrested and
charged with soliciting a man for sex in a movie theater bathroom known for homosexual
activity. The man was an undercover Los
Angeles Police Department vice officer.
At least one account exists of his sexual abuse of a male member of his
congregation in front of the followers, to prove the man’s own homosexual
tendencies.
In a 1977 New York Times interview,
his wife Marceline admitted that Jones was trying to promote Marxism in the
United States. She stated that Jones had
slammed the Bible on the table yelling, “I’ve got to destroy this paper
idol!” That same year, Jones and several
hundred Temple members abruptly decided to move to the Temple’s compound in Guyana
when allegations by former Temple members that they were physically,
emotionally and sexually abused, were to be imminently published.
Religious scholar Mary McCormick
Maaga argues that Jones’ authority decreased after he moved to the isolated
commune, because he was not needed for recruitment and he could not hide his drug
addiction from rank and file members.
In November 1978, California
Congressman Leo Ryan led a fact-finding mission to Jonestown Guyana, to
investigate allegations of human rights abuses against Jones. The delegation included relatives of Temple
members, an NBC camera crew and reporters for various newspapers. After being transported to the Jonestown
encampment, Congressman Ryan was attacked with a knife, but the attack was
thwarted, bringing the visit to an abrupt end.
When the delegation left Jonestown, fifteen People’s Temple members who
had expressed a wish to leave, accompanied them.
At the airstrip, as members of Ryan’s
delegation boarded two planes, Jones’ “Red Brigade” armed guards arrived on the
scene and began shooting. The five who
were killed were Congressman Ryan; Don Harris, a reporter from NBC; Bob Brown,
a cameraman from NBC; San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson; and
Temple member Patricia Parks.
Back at Jonestown, Jones talked 910
inhabitants, 303 of which were children, into committing mass-suicide by drinking
cyanide-laced grape-flavored Kool-Aid.
Jones was found in a deck chair dead of an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound to the head. His wife,
Marceline, who had taken reporters on a tour of Jonestown earlier that day, was
found poisoned at the pavilion.
Source: Wikipedia
NOTABLE CULT LEADER #2
MARSHALL HERFF APPLEWHITE, JR.
(May
17, 1931 – March 1997)
Sadly, the journey of the “Heaven’s Gate”
religious group began on the road of DECEPTION
and ended in Hell instead of their preferred destination of a “higher evolutionary
level.” Unfortunately, the only fame
that Marshall Applewhite, their delusional, grandiose leader, received was that
the cult’s organized demise still stands as the largest mass suicide to occur
inside the United States!
MARSHALL APPLEWHITE
(aka Do, Bo, Tiddly, Nincom, Guinea),
was a native of Texas, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and very religious
as a child. As a young man, he served in
the United States Army and attended several universities. In 1952, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy
and enrolled in a Seminary school to study theology, hoping to become a
minister. At about this time, he also
married and fathered two children.
Marshall
Applewhite was a baritone singer and earned a master’s degree in music. For a brief time after failing to launch a
professional singing career in New York, he taught at the University of
Alabama, where he lost his position after pursuing a homosexual relationship with
a male student. When his wife learned of
the affair in 1965, they separated and divorced three years later. Applewhite was described as mentally jumbled,
disorganized, and a master manipulator that suffered from emotional
problems.
In
1971, Applewhite’s father died which took a significant emotional toll on him,
causing severe depression. In addition,
his debts mounted, forcing him to borrow money from friends.
In
1972, Applewhite met Bonnie Nettles, a nurse who shared his interest in mysticism. Their discussions led them to believe that
they were called as divine messengers.
Applewhite, who believed in reincarnation, was convinced that they had
met in a past life. Nettles told him
that their meeting had been foretold to her by extraterrestrials, which
persuaded him that he had a divine assignment.
By this time, Applewhite had begun to delve into astrology and have
visions, including one in which he was told that he was chosen for a role like
that of Jesus. In fact, he described in
a pamphlet that Jesus’ reincarnation was as a Texan, implying himself.
Applewhite
and Nettles also believed that they were chosen to be the two witnesses
described in the Book of Revelation (Revelation
11:3-13), and were thus fulfilling biblical prophecies. They believed that they would be killed,
restored to life, and transported onto a spaceship in full view of others. Applewhite’s view of the Bible was materialistic,
seeing it as a record of extraterrestrial contact with humanity.
In
1974, Applewhite was arrested for failing to return a rental car and jailed for
six months. While imprisoned, he
discussed the topics of extraterrestrials and evolution. Upon release, Applewhite and Nettles became resolved
to contact extraterrestrials, seeking and recruiting like-minded
followers. Applewhite also believed in
the ancient astronaut hypothesis that claimed extraterrestrials had visited and
populated earth in the past and would return to collect a select few.
In
1975, Applewhite and Nettles were invited to California to speak to New Age devotees
and managed to persuade about half of the 50 attendees to follow them. They also focused on college campuses. Most of their disciples were young and
interested in occultism or lived outside of mainstream society. Their followers came from a variety of
religious backgrounds, including Eastern religions and Scientology. Most were easy converts because they were
well-versed in New Age teachings.
Applewhite
and Nettles believed that they represented beings from another planet, the Next
Level, who sought participants for an experiment. They stated that those who agreed to take
part in the experiment would be brought to a higher evolutionary level. They believed that a prerequisite of
ascension to the Next Level was complete separation from earthly desires. Members were instructed to forsake friends,
family, media, drugs, alcohol, jewelry, facial hair, and sexuality. Concerning the latter requirement, Applewhite
and seven others opted for surgical castration which was performed in
Mexico. Leaders also had little contact
with their followers who were dispersed because Applewhite wanted to prevent
close friendships, fearing that this could lead to insubordination. Applewhite instructed his disciples to submit
themselves like children or pets with their sole responsibility being to obey
their leaders. Members became totally
dependent on Applewhite, were desperate for his approval, and he used this to
control them. He encouraged his
followers to see him as Christ because he (Applewhite) was the only way to
salvation.
In
June 1976, Applewhite and Nettles gathered their remaining followers in
Wyoming, promising a UFO visit. Nettles
later announced that the visit had been cancelled.
In
1983, one of Nettles’ eyes was surgically removed due to cancer. She would live two more years before dying in
1985. Applewhite told their followers
that she had traveled to the Next Level.
After Nettles’ death, Applewhite became increasingly paranoid, fearing a
conspiracy against his group. He
allegedly avoided new converts, worrying that they were infiltrators.
THE COMET HALE-BOPP
In
October 1996, the “Heaven’s Gate” group rented a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe,
California, where two video messages were recorded that offered viewers “the
only way to evacuate this Earth.”
Applewhite also learned of the approach of the Comet Hale-Bopp, believed
that Nettles was on board a spaceship trailing the comet, and that she planned
to rendezvous with them.
In
March 1997, the group (between the ages of 26 and 72) isolated themselves and
recorded farewell statements before committing suicide. Fifteen members died on March 24; fifteen
died on March 25, and nine died the next day.
On March 26th, after receiving an anonymous tip, the sheriff’s
department was led to search the mansion.
Inside, they found 39 bodies lying neatly in their bunk beds, faces and
torsos covered by a square, purple cloth.
Everyone was dressed identically in Nike Decades athletic shoes, black
shirts and sweat pants and armband patches reading “Heaven’s Gate Away
Team.” Beside most bodies was a bag that
contained a few dollars and a form of identification. Most of the members had taken phenobarbital
mixed with pineapple and washed down with vodka before securing plastic bags
around their heads to induce asphyxiation.
Applewhite’s body was found seated on the bed in the master
bedroom. Two female assistants had
helped him commit suicide before killing themselves. Only one of the cult’s members did not kill
himself. Weeks before, he had left the
group to ensure future dissemination of the cult’s videos and literature. However, two former members later committed
suicide in a similar manner.
The
mass death of the “Heaven’s Gate” group was widely publicized in the media as
an example of cult suicide. On April 7th,
Applewhite’s wild-eyed face was featured on the covers of Time and Newsweek. His final video message was widely broadcast,
giving the public yet another chilling example of cult-related MASS DECEPTION and SUICIDE.
Source: Wikipedia
NOTABLE CULT LEADER #3
DAVID KORESH
(born
VERNON WAYNE HOWELL)
(August
17, 1959 – April 19, 1993)
The tragedy in Waco, Texas was cited
by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols as motivation for the Oklahoma City
bombing terrorist attack they carried out on April 19, 1995.
DAVID
KORESH (born Vernon Wayne Howell) was the Leader of the Branch Davidians
religious sect and believed himself to be the group’s final prophet.
Born
in 1959 in Texas, Koresh’s mother was a 15-year-old single mother, impregnated
by a 20-year-old man, who abandoned mother and unborn baby when he met another
teenage girl. Koresh never met his
father and his mother began cohabiting with a violent alcoholic after David’s
father left.
In
1963, she placed her 4-year-old son in the care of his maternal grandmother and
returned when he was seven.
Koresh
described his early childhood as lonely and at age 8, he was allegedly gang-raped
by older boys. Due to poor study skills
and dyslexia, he was enrolled in special education classes and nicknamed “Mister
Retardo” by fellow students. Koresh dropped
out of high school in his junior year.
At
age 22, Koresh had an affair with and impregnated a 15-year-old girl. He claimed that he became a born-again
Christian in the Southern Baptist Church and joined his mother’s church, the Seventh-day
Adventist Church.
In
1982, he moved to Waco, Texas, where he joined the Branch Davidians, a
religious group that originated from a schism in 1955 from the Shepherd’s Rod,
themselves disfellowshipped members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in
1929.
In
1983, Koresh claimed the gift of prophecy.
The voice of speculation claims that he had a sexual relationship with
Lois Roden, 77-year-old prophetess and leader of the sect, claiming that God
had chosen Koresh to father a child with her, who would be the Chosen One. The same year, Roden allowed Koresh to teach
his own message, which invoked controversy and jealousy. George Roden, the intended next leader of the
group, considered Koresh an interloper.
In the ensuing power struggle, Roden who claimed to have the group’s
majority support, forced Koresh and his group off the property at gunpoint.
In
1985, Koresh and approximately 25 followers camped at Palestine, Texas, 90
miles from Waco. That same year, Koresh
traveled to Israel where he claimed he had a vision that he was the modern day
Cyrus.
After
being exiled to the Palestine, Texas camp, Koresh and his followers eked out a
primitive existence, living in buses and tents for two years. Upon Lois Roden’s death in 1986, the exiled
Branch Davidians wondered if they would ever return to Mount Carmel
Center.
In
1987, a power confrontation between George Roden and Koresh led to a gunfight
that left Roden wounded, and Koresh and his followers charged with attempted
murder. Koresh’s followers were
acquitted and Koresh was granted a mistrial.
In
1989, George Roden murdered Wayman Dale Adair with an axe blow to the skull
after Adair expressed his belief that he (Adair) was the true messiah. Roden, convicted of murder, was imprisoned in
a mental hospital at Big Spring, Texas.
On
May 15, 1990, Vernon Wayne Howell legally changed his name to DAVID KORESH for publicity and business
purposes. The last name Koresh was
chosen because it is the Persian name of Cyrus the Great, a Persian king who is
named a Messiah for freeing Jews during the Babylonian Captivity. By choosing David for a first name, Koresh
was professing to be the spiritual descendant of the biblical King David.
Allegations
of child abuse and sexual abuse have been widely circulated by the press. Koresh’s doctrine did lead to spiritual
marriages with both married and single women in the group, which involved at
least one underage girl, whom Koresh took as a spiritual wife when she was 13
years old. Koresh, who was in violation
of state law, could have been prosecuted for statutory rape in Texas. A second allegation involved an underage girl
who testified in the 1995 Congressional hearings that from the time she was ten
years old, Koresh had forced her to perform sexual acts. Although there were allegations of child
abuse reported by detractors and ex-members, the evidence is less compelling. However, there is no question that Koresh had
multiple children by different women in the group. His doctrine, based on a purported revelation,
involved the reproduction of 24 children by chosen women. These 24 children were to serve as the ruling
elders over the millennium after the return of Christ. Koresh acknowledged on a videotape sent out
of the compound during the standoff that he had fathered more than 12 children
by several “wives.”
On
February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raided
Mount Carmel Center, resulting in the deaths of four agents and six Branch Davidians. Shortly after, the FBI HRT (Hostage Rescue
Team) took command of the federal operation.
Over the next 51 days, communication included telephone exchanges with
various FBI negotiators. As the standoff
continued, Koresh was seriously injured by a gunshot wound.
The
51-day siege ended on April 19th when U.S. Attorney General Janet
Reno approved recommendations of veteran FBI officials to proceed with a final
assault to remove the Branch Davidians from their building by force. During the assault, the church building
caught on fire under circumstances that are still disputed. Barricaded inside the building, 75 Branch
Davidians, including David Koresh, did not survive the fire; seventeen victims
were children under the age of 17.
Source: Wikipedia
SCRIPTURES THAT REFERENCE THE
DEMONIC DYNAMICS PRESENTED
BY
THESE THREE CULT LEADERS
Satan is responsible for the Peoples Temple,
Heaven’s Gate and Branch Davidians tragedies and the following demonic dynamics
were present, changing, energizing and controlling these Cult leaders:
Abandonment
When my father
and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up (Psalms 27:10).
The rod and
reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to
shame (Proverbs
29:15).
And about the
ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?
that is to say, My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46)
Abuse (animal, child, physical, sexual, verbal)
Animal—A righteous man regards the
life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel (Proverbs
12:10);
Child—And, you fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4);
Physical—What? know you not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and
you are not your own? For you are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's (1
Corinthians 6:19-20);
Sexual—You have heard that it was said by
them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That
whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already
in his heart (Matthew
5:27-28; 1 Corinthians 7:1);
Verbal—There is a generation, whose teeth are as
swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the
earth, and the needy from among men (Proverbs 30:14; James 3:6-8);
Addiction (alcohol, drugs, etc.)
Alcohol—Who has woe? who has sorrow? who has
contentions? who has babbling? who has wounds without cause? who has redness of
eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look
not upon the wine when it is red, when it gives his color in the cup, when
it moves itself aright. At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an
adder (Proverbs
23:29-31).
Drugs—And that they may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his
will (2
Timothy 2:26);
Know you not,
that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to
whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
Agnostic (one who holds the view that God is unknown and
probably unknowable)
Draw nigh to
God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you
double-minded (James
4:8);
But you have an
unction from the Holy One, and you know all things (1 John 2:20);
And you shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
Approval of Man vs. Approval of God
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please
men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ (Galatians
1:10);
And whatsoever you do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord,
and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23).
Atheist
The fool has
said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable
works, there is none that does good (Psalms 14:1);
Because that
which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it
unto them: For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans
1:19-20);
Belittlement & Mocking
And he [Elisha]
went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came
forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go
up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head (2 Kings 2:23). [Emphasis Added]
And the men
that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him (Luke 22:63).
Confusion & Double-Mindedness
For God is not the
author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints (1 Corinthians
14:33);
A double-minded
man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8);
Draw nigh to
God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8).
Control, Domination, Intimidation & Manipulation (the practice
of witchcraft)
For you suffer,
if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of
you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face (2 Corinthians
11:20).
Know you not,
that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to
whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
But I fear,
lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your
minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians
11:3);
You shall not
suffer a witch to live (Exodus 22:18).
But there was a
certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and
bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: (Acts 8:9);
Depression
To appoint unto
them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness … (Isaiah 61:3);
Blessed are
they that mourn: for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
And I will pray
the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you
forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells
with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16-17).
Evolution
In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1);
Who changed the
truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen (Romans 1:25).
False Christs
And then if any
man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there;
believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and
shall shows signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the
elect. But take heed: behold, I have foretold you all things (Mark 13:21-23).
Jesus said unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but
by Me (John
14:6).
False Prophets, Prophecies & Delusions
Then the LORD
said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in My name: I sent them not, neither
have I commanded them, neither spoke unto them: they prophesy unto you a false
vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart (Jeremiah
14:14);
And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (2
Thessalonians 2:11).
False Religions
(Mysticism, Astrology, New Age, Occultism, Eastern, Scientology)
As we said
before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:9).
And he caused
his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also
he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a
familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the
LORD, to provoke him to anger (2 Chronicles 33:6).
There shall not
be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of
times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar
spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are
an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your
God does drive them out from before you (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
Neither give
place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).
Fear & Paranoia
For God has not
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
For you have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:15).
Fornication (sex outside of marriage)
Marriage is
honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God
will judge (Hebrews
13:4).
Flee
fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body; but he that commits
fornication sins against his own body. What? know you not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you
are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Generational Curses (a repeating
cycle of generational sins)
The LORD is
longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by
no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation (Numbers 14:18).
The soul that sins,
it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall
the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him (Ezekiel 18:20).
And it shall
come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off your
shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed
because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27).
Grandiose & Prideful Ego
But there was a
certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and
bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one (Acts 8:9);
For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according
as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3).
Likewise, you
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject
one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resists the proud, and gives
grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).
Homosexuality
You shall not
lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (Leviticus
18:22).
For this cause
God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another;
men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient; (Romans 1:26-28)
Indebtedness
The rich rules
over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7);
Know you not,
that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to
whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
Come unto Me,
all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you
shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is
light (Matthew
11:28-30).
Infiltrators of the Church
Now I beseech
you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair
speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:17-18).
If there come
any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed: For he that bids him God speed is partaker of
his evil deeds (2
John 1:10-11).
Isolation & Loneliness
And the LORD
God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a
help meet for him (Genesis 2:18).
Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching (Hebrews
10:25).
Obsession
You shall have no
other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3);
For the weapons
of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).
Outcast (ostracized)
For I will
restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the LORD;
because they called you an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no
man seeks after (Jeremiah
30:17);
A man that has
friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks
closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).
Perverts the Gospel
I marvel that you
are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto
another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and
would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed (Galatians
1:6-8).
Philosophy
Beware lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ (Colossians 2:8).
Polygamy (multiple wives)
If any be
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of
riot or unruly (Titus
1:6).
Nevertheless, to
avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman
have her own husband (1 Corinthians 7:2).
Rape
But if a man
find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her:
then the man only that lay with her shall die: (Deuteronomy 22:25)
Reincarnation
And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He
appear the second time without sin unto salvation (Hebrews 9:27-28).
Rejecting The Gospel of Jesus Christ
In whom the god
of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them (2
Corinthians 4:4).
Schism
That there
should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the
same care one for another (1 Corinthians 12:25).
Now I beseech
you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you
be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Corinthians
1:10).
Suicide
You shall not kill (Exodus 20:13).
You have heard
that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall
kill shall be in danger of the judgment (Matthew 5:21).
Traitors
This know also,
that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and
lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever
learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy
3:1-7).
UFOology
Even
him, whose coming
is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness (2
Thessalonians 2:9-12).
Violence
You have heard
that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say
unto you, That you resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right
cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39).
Then said Jesus
unto him, Put up again your sword into his place: for all they that take the
sword shall perish with the sword (Matthew 26:52).
For we know him
that has said, Vengeance belongs unto Me, I will recompense, says the
Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people (Hebrews 10:30).
In closing, will the Peoples Temple, Heaven’s
Gate and Branch Davidians religious sects be the last ones to end under such
appalling and heartbreaking circumstances?
While we all hope so, the voice of reality based on experience dictates
that history often repeats itself. For
as long as Satan is god and ruler of this world and causes people to reject
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, it is certain that he will continue to use DECEPTION to snare millions more and
lead them down the broad road that leads to destruction. (Matthew 7:13)
Blessings!
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