compiled by Jason Guenther

http://www.velocity.net/~edju/JoelsArmy1.htm

Part 1: Joel's Army
by Jewel van der Merwe
Written 1991

JOEL'S ARMY ERROR!

There is another gospel being taught, today which is in total conflict with the Gospel of Christ. Leaders in this movement allegorize the truth away, place their revelations on par with Scripture, emphasize their thoughts and ideas above Scriptures, and claim that Israel is now and "outcast" who has been replaced by the church in endtime prophecy.

In this booklet, read about:

* The New Breed

* The Overcomers

* The Phineas Priesthood

* The Latter Rain Error

* Manifested Sons Of God 

Once again, Jewel van der Merwe has done an excellent job of outlining a growing endtime error.

JOEL'S ARMY

There are many "new" revelations and "new" winds of doctrine sweeping the Church today. Sensationalism seems to be the "guiding light" leading souls into extremes that are very far from the TRUTH that is laid out clearly in the WORD OF GOD. JOEL'S Army is one term among many that is being used to describe the same teaching. We hear much about the "New Breed", "New Wave" etc. However, all of this is basically the same teaching. Where does it come from? Where is it going? The two booklets, THE NEW ORDER and JOEL'S ARMY attempts to lay out a basis for which you cam further your study.

If you are not willing to have your "pet" teaching questioned, is it because it will not stand in the LIGHT of God's Word? BEWARE! The purpose of my writing is to warn the church to be prepared at all times to give a reason for the HOPE that is within you! If your name is quoted in connection with a statement, be willing to stand straight and tall and say, "But, IT IS WRITTEN'". In other words, be in a position to back up your stand with Scripture. God has given us HIS WORD for the FINAL AUTHORITY. His WORD is RELEVANT for TODAY.

Joel's Army

New Breed

Overcomers

First-Fruits

Elijah Company

The Bride

Manifested Sons of God

Phineas Priesthood

New Wineskin

New Wave

Latter Rain 

BLOW THE TRUMPET! Hear the noise of the chariots! The chariots are leaping across the mountains! The ARMY OF THE LORD is approaching! 'The earth will quake before them; the heavens shall tremble....A GREAT PEOPLE and a strange; there hath not been ever the like." UTTERLY AWESOME! This Army is mentioned in Joel. This is the Army that teachers and prophets are declaring that God is raising up in these days. The END-TIME ARMY. Do you want to be a part of it? Just think, you will be able to climb the wall like men of war. Even when you fall on the sword you will not be wounded. Crowds clap and cheer as they visualize the wondrous teats they will be able to perform in the Name of the Lord! No one wants to miss God and not be a part of what He is doing! It all has such a "spiritual" ring. The tears well in the eyes of hungry seekers as they wait for a new experience. Perhaps, even tonight the heavens will open and that "anointing" will be poured out. There is always that expectancy that perhaps this is the time "it" will happen.

The imminence of such a supernatural manifestation was recently shared with Charismatics overseas. "Latter Rain" prophets from the "Vineyard Ministries International" visited England as part of their world outreach. Their "prophetic" message was that God is raising an ARMY in these last days to execute judgment and dominion throughout the earth. They declare that the time is at hand for God to pour out His Spirit (the Latter Rain) on an unprecedented scale on the Church in fulfillment of Joel 2:28, marking the beginning of the great and "new thing" God is doing on the earth.

Vineyard Ministries are holding conferences overseas and throughout the U.S.A. Churches and denominations are being proselytized and preyed on with a "gospel" they claim is ordained to bring forth:

(1) the greatest revival the church has ever known;

(2) the greatest baptism of the Spirit the Church has ever experienced;

(3) the greatest Army (Joel's Army) distinguished by invincibility, immortality and divinity;

(4) the greatest purging (inquisition) in the history of the Church;

(5) the greatest ministry - the Prize of all Ages; and

(6) the greatest miracles, supernatural signs and wonders far exceeding that of the Apostles and Prophets of old. 

Their "gospel" shows no regard to:

(1) Israel as an everlasting chosen nation of God and their national repentance and restoration both physically and spiritually in one day at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (their Messiah). Gen. 17:7,13,19; Is. 66:7-8; Jer. 31:35-37; Zech. 12-14; Born. 11:1-2,25-27;

(2) The great outpouring of the Spirit on Israel (the Jewish nation and on all flesh), Jesus Christ returns from heaven with His saints (The Church) at the end of the tribulation period. Zech. 12:10-13; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:16-21;

(3) The Rapture (the catching away of both the dead and the living saints to meet the Lord in the air) I Th.. 4:23-18;;; Th. 2:1;John 14:11-3;; Cor. 15:51-56;

(4) The Judgment Seat of Christ - II Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10-12;

(5) The Seven-year tribulation - Dan. 9:24-27; Matt. 24:21,22; Jer. 30:4-7; Dan. 12:1; Rev. 6-19; and

(6) The descent of Christ from heaven with His saints (HIS TRUE ARMY) at the Battle of Armageddon. Zech 14:5; Jude 14; Rev. 29:14. 

According to their "gospel", the great out-pouring of the Spirit mentioned in Joel 2:28,29 is to have it's complete fulfillment in these days (this generation), when God will pour out His Spirit in full measure on an unprecedented scale even exceeding that of the Disciples and Apostles on the Day of Pentecost. In fact, they believe that this baptism will empower a "New Breed" of people (JOEL'S ARMY) with supernatural qualities. Their entire "Last Days" views contradict orthodox dispensational views. However, even more serious, this view undermines the gospel of the Deity of Christ. Anything that even remotely undermines the Deity of Christ or ascribes deity to man, let alone an ARMY - is Antichrist.

References in the Book of Joel pertaining to "Israel" and the "Day of the Lord" are spiritualized to apply to the Church. Literal Israel becomes "the Church" and the "Day of the Lord" is seen as the manifestation or "incarnation of God" in Joel's Army, as opposed to the dispensational view; which is that the Day of the Lord refers to the literal Second Coming of Christ with His saints. The proponents of "Joel's Army" are notorious for reading between the lines and spiritualizing Scripture. Now they are even spiritualizing global events to parallel their outlandish prophetic views. lt seems to give them a deep feeling of being spiritually perceptive. In researching their materials, we see this time and again. To all accounts it is "gnosticism" to the core.

In the NEW WAVE theology, we find that whatever God says or promises Israel is dogmatically applied to the Church, and in some cases, to such extremes that the church is deified. The danger of spiritualizing God's Word in this way can result in idolatry and fanaticism. Because of the old gnostic 2nd century allegorical method of interpreting the Scriptures, the modern "prophets" have come to believe that the Church is the exclusive beneficiary of ALL God has promised to Israel. The Latter Rain "prophets and teachers" are so bent on spiritualizing Scripture that even the "sun turning dark", the "moon turning to blood" and the "earthquakes" in Joel are spiritualized to apply to the Church. Sometimes it is absurd, if not blasphemous the way they spiritualize God's Word. This gnostic approach to the Bible diffuses and loses the literal meaning of Scripture completely.

SYMBOLISM FREELY USED

The following quote from a message on JOEL'S ARMY was delivered at a Vineyard conference in Anaheim, California recently. It clearly illustrates how absurd spiritualizing the literal meaning can be:

". . . And here's what I think that the sun and the moon mean on a symbolic level. I think this is a horrible thing He's talking about in verse 31 when He says The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. . . . because in the Old Testament, the sun frequently stands for the Lord or for the Son, S-O-N. See, it's a perfect symbol for Him, because it brings light to the whole world and it has light of its own that radiates out from its being. . . . it's a more powerful source of light than anything in the world. The sun frequently stands for the Lord Himself and what I think He's saying here is that the Lord Himself will cover Himself with darkness during this time. Psalm 18:11 says that It says that the Lord can and at times will hide Himself with darkness. And so I think that what the Lord is saying is that there's coming a time during the last day ministry when the Son of God will hide Himself from the earth and especially from the rebellious. So there'll be a time when the rebellious will call out and they'll want to come to the Lord, but they won't see Him. They won't be able to come to Him." (Jack Deere--Vineyard Ministry international Audio Cassette 1990)

Question: Is there ever a time that the Lord quits knocking at the door? Where is "Whosever cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."? The above quote is implying a time when salvation will not be offered. Then why is there a LAST DAY ministry? What is the purpose of this ministry? To what then are they called? Answers to these questions will become clear to you as you read on.

"The second thing He says is that the moon will be turned to blood. Now, the moon, I believe, is a symbol of occult power.. the powers of evil. . The moon is first of all the light of the night.... and there is revelation in the darkness. There is light in the powers of darkness. The powers of darkness, occult powers, do have revelation or do have light, but only it's a light that is characterized by darkness and used for evil and it's ultimately deceptive. The moon is only a reflector It has no light in and of itself. Satan has no light in him at all. . the moon makes a perfect symbol of occult powers. And the moon is also beautiful. And there is a beautiful side of the darkness and the evil and that's why it's so alluring. So, He speaks of the Lord as the sun and He says, 'there's coming a time when I will not be easily found, when I will cloak myself with darkness, but there's also coming a time when the occult powers, the moon - when they'll be turned to blood. Now this could mean two things. It could mean when it says the moon is turned to blood, it could mean the occult powers are put to death, because blood is the sign of two things in the Bible, death or it's a sign of grace and life. And I think He means here the moon is going to be turned into a sign of grace or life. It's the ultimate deception, so that people on the earth will turn to the occult power and they'll look upon it as a source of grace and life just like the blood of Jesus. It will be a counterfeit " (Jack Deere - VMI - Joel's Army Audio Cassette, 1990) 

The application is most confusing too say the least. What does the "moon" really mean - life or death? And, is God turning His back on us, so all is lost? These are serious and irresponsible statements. Has Joel's Army now become our salvation?

We are told that we should just accept the differences in theology, but not use these differences as an excuse for breaking fellowship. However, strange enough, it is not us who have broken fellowship. Rather, the testimony I receive over and over is that when someone questions the "new teaching" - they are called divisive and asked to leave the church - sometimes even thrown out physically.

END-TIME WITNESSES?

To add insult to injury, however, the Church is being told that some of these literal signs do occur in the LAST DAYS, such as: the sun turning dark, the moon turning to blood and earthquakes but that they do not come as a result of a sovereign act of God's wrath towards wicked men at the end of the tribulation known as the cataclysmic phase of the DAY OF THE LORD (The Second Advent of Christ). On the contrary, we are led to believe that these cataclysmic events are caused by the LAST DAY PROPHETS, two of whom are thought to be END-TIME WITNESSES namely: Prophet Paul Cain and Prophet Bob Jones. We are told that these prophets will manifest these supernatural signs and much more, by their incarnate powers. Their powers will be so great that they will call forth JOEL'S ARMY by their prophetic word.

Jack Deere brings it out aptly in his Joel's Army message:

"You see, everybody every scholar I know, every commentator I know, knows that these passages in Ezekiel 37; 38, and 39 are all talking about the LAST DAY ministry. They all know it's the LAST DAY move of the Holy Spirit and how is it going to be? What's going to happen to this lifeless church? How is it going to start? Well God could just speak a word from heaven. He could just cause a revival to start among us. He could just put the conviction of sin in our heart supernaturally by His Spirit, but that's not how He's going to do it. He's going to raise up the prophetic. What brings the bones to life here? It is the prophetic word inspired by God. 'Prophesy son of man; and then it happens. At each stage of the way prophecy and then life comes. And then what's the result of that prophetic? A VAST ARMY."

Jack Deere continues by proclaiming the prophets now on the scene:

"You see, that really is how He's going to end the last day ministry. You see why we're excited about someone like Paul Cain or Bob Jones coming on the scene? Or others that we've met. We're excited because that's how He's going to end. . it's a signal that the LAST DAYS are very close at hand and this is New Testament also. Revelation 11:3 you know those two powerful witnesses in Revelation? You know what - they are first and foremost? They are prophets. He said they will prophesy for 1,260 days. He's going to end the last days just before His Son returns with a prophetic movement that will sweep the entire face of the earth and will eclipse anything we have ever seen before. . . . the significance of these signs and wonders. They just happen on the earth. But they don't just happen on the earth. They come because they are prayed for and they are predicted by God's people."

SIGNS

"Prophets will predict it. It's already happening. It's like the first time Paul Cain came here. Remember? John told us this story. I was talking to Paul Cain on the phone and I said, 'Paul, when are coming to visit John? We've been talking about it for two months.' And Paul said, 'I don't know, but the Lord told me on the day I come, there'll be an earthquake. . . . you know at 3:38 in the morning, the morning of the day he arrived here on Saturday morning, that earthquake came centered in Pasadena and then the day after he left, that earthquake came in Armenia that took all of those thousands of lives. You see, that's not unusual anymore. That's going to be normal for prophetic people that God wants to endorse. He's done that through Bob Jones four or five times, given cosmic signs in the heavens that could not be contradicted. He's done that through Bob Jones. he will do that regularly now. . ." (Jack Deere, VMI, Joel's Army, 1990).

Question: Can we build on these signs? Do they prove the authenticity of the prophets? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. (Matt. 16:4).

Why do thousands of devotees flock yearly to a small poor Yugoslavian village? The apparitions of Medjugorje give the pilgrims the sense of their "own" miracles. The pilgrims are enthralled that they can look directly into the sun for several minutes without being blinded. Others say they see the sun pulsating. Some even report physical healing. A seminiarian said he saw a red glow emanating from the sun and saw it start to beat. He asked, "What does that mean?" and he heard the words, "Jesus in the Eucharist and spreading his peace around the earth."

What did this "sign" do for him? It caused him to go out to try and increase devotion to the Eucharist. Needless to say, at the heart of the Eucharist is the doctrine of transubstantiation (the belief that the communion is the actual body and actual blood of the Lord).

Malachi Martin, a Catholic priest who has authored many books including THE JESUITS and THE KEYS OF THIS BLOOD, in a radio interview recently said that the Pope had a special revelation telling him that within his lifetime [the Pope's] he would be authenticated as a moral and religious leader by a sign in the heaven. This sign would be such a clear happening that all men (from New York, Denver, Tasmanian Jungle, Singapore and Bejing) would know he had this role!

Signs and wonders are not limited to the Vineyard prophets". The whole world indeed is seeking after a sign. "But there shall be no sign given them than that which was given by the prophet Jonas!"

SUPERNATURAL BEINGS

The DAY OF THE LORD is interpreted by the "prophets" to mean that Christ will come to His Church and INCARNATE [God in flesh] an ARMY of believers thus giving them SUPERNATURAL qualities to execute judgment on the Church. THE DAY OF THE LORD is also construed to mean a time of judgment starting at the Church. The key text they love to quote is I Peter 4:17: "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God." The common orthodox interpretation of the text that God will punish the righteous when they sin and punish the ungodly at the coming judgment is quite adequate and clear. Ever since the inception of the Church, the Holy Spirit has been in the business of judging and purging the Church. God's sovereign judgment will continue to chasten, cleanse and purge the Church until the judgment seat of Christ when the saints will receive their rewards and the records of service set straight.

The DAY OF THE LORD as seen through the eyes of the NEW WAVE "prophets" will be a time when JOEL'S ARMY led by the "prophets" will pour out God's wrath on the church. Then for the first time in two thousand years the "pure church" will come forth. In other words, the "blood of Christ" did not avail, nor will it in the LAST DAYS because JOEL'S ARMY and the "prophets" will do what the blood could not, i.e., cleanse the Church. If indeed it takes JOEL'S ARMY to purify the Church, then all the preaching of the Cross from the early Church to the present was in vain. And rather than the "cross" being God's final answer to "walking in newness of life" . . . . we do well to look for another. The JOEL'S ARMY doctrine as it applies to the Church and the world is not only in total conflict with the "Gospel of Christ", but is a radical new rendition of the doctrine of redemption and purification. By all analysis, it is "another gospel" and poses a real threat to unstable churches in that it is yet another great deception beguiling the Church.

CLEANSING ACTION

The following is a further account of Jack Deere's "bloody slaughter on the church by Joel's Army" that will turn the scene of the church to blood and darkness before perfection.

"The Scripture never encourages us to warn the unbeliever of the wrath that is to come. When the prophets speak to God's people, they warn God's people about what's to come. And then he says to God's people, not to the unbelievers, but he says to God's people, let the land, those who live in the land of Palestine, let them tremble' now how could that be? Our Lord Jesus is coming back, we all believe that, but why should God's people tremble?. . He's going to come TO the Church. He's going to come TO the Church before He comes FOR the Church. I Peter 4:17 says that judgment is near and that it's going to begin with the House of God. . . The Lord Jesus before He comes and visits judgment upon the earth, He's going to come and VISIT IT UPON HIS CHURCH. And no one, no one, in His Church is going to escape that judgment.....

"You really want the DAY OF THE LORD TO COME? Woe to you, woe to you who long for the DAY OF THE LORD. THAT DA Y will be darkness, not light.... He's coming in judgment. He's coming to PURIFY HIS CHURCH. He will not come back for that BRIDE. He will come to PURIFY THAT CHURCH and make it HIS BRIDE and that's why judgment is going to come......

"How is God going to bring judgment upon His Church and then judgment upon the land after His Church? He's going to do it with a LARGE AND MIGHTY ARMY. Now what is this ARMY like? He says, first off in verse 3, well first of all He said that this ARMY is totally unique. This ARMY, there's never been one like it and there never will be one like it in ages to come. . . When this ARMY comes, He says it's large and it's mighty. It's so mighty that there's never been anything like it before. .. 'begin the slaughter and begin it in the temple and begin it with the elders, the leaders of my people'. And they walk through the land and they start and they begin to slaughter and you know God has already started that? He has already started with the biggest names in His household? He has already started the slaughter . .and it is coming now among the Church. He'll start with the leaders, but He'll move out into the Church. That's why when He says in verse 2, "It's a day not of rejoicing and happiness, it's a day of darkness and gloom. It's a day of clouds and blackness, like dawn spreading across the mountains.... You really want the Day of the Lord to come? Woe to you, woe to you who long for the DAY OF THE LORD. That Day will be darkness, not light." (Jack Deere, VMI, Joel's Army, 1990). (IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES!)

Reading and listening to the kind of war JOEL'S ARMY will wage against the Church in the last days is not only totally unscriptural, but reflects an ominous spirit. Far from being redemptive, it is destructive and even sadistic. It is a spirit that denies Jesus Christ is come in the flesh and that the Church was purchased with His precious blood, "that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

The JOEL'S ARMY "prophets" manifest a bigoted, belligerent and vindictive spirit. "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of". (Luke 9:54, 55) This spirit is identified in the following statement:

"The dismantling of organizations and disbanding of some works will be a positive and exhilarating experience for the Lord's faithful servants a great company of prophets, teachers, pastors and apostles will be raised up with the spirit of Phineas.... " (THE HARVEST, Rick Joyner)

Repeated and regular reference is made to the death Ananias and Sapphira suffered as a result of lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5). Christians are reminded that if they resist or rebel against what God is doing through the "prophets and apostles" they too could suffer the same fate. The Church is being told that the ministry that judged Ananias and Sapphira is being revived and restored to the Church by the "prophets". Fear of this happening is growing widely. Members are afraid to speak out against the errors and abuse. Out of fear, many submit to the "prophets". Not only is this a very dangerous position, but is tantamount to sinning against the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. We dare not substitute the ministry of the Holy Spirit - God forbid! Would to God these "prophets" would resist the "so-called" spirit of Phineas, the "so-called" spirit of Elijah, etc., and settle for the Spirit of Jesus Christ - full of GRACE AND TRUTH.

JOEL'S ARMY/LATTER RAIN

JOEL'S ARMY shares the same mind-set of the Latter Rain Movement and they are indeed "birds of a feather". Their bizarre claims of new revelation and deep insight conspicuously lacks substance other than subjective feelings (passive or emotional). The ingredients that holds their religious beliefs together are: (1) personal experiences; (2) mysticism - understood only by the elite; (3) allegorizing Scriptures; and (4) subjective preaching (subjecting listeners to their intuition, feelings or perception as the criteria of truth). These ingredients appeal to Christians who are unstable in the Word of God.

The quotation below is a good example of how the Scriptures are allegorized, taken out of context and applied in a typical cultish manner. Note how the term JOEL'S ARMY is presumptuously and conveniently applied to the Church with no regard to : (1) the literal interpretation or meaning; (2) the context; and (3) the fundamental principles of hermeneutics (science f interpretation). Throughout the quote an allegorical and mystical meaning is in evidence.

Paul Cain brought this teaching in through his Latter Rain roots. This comes out very clearly in his "Joel's Army" message:

"This army is also in the New Testament. It's referred to as the MANCHILD. I know some of you are going to disagree with this. Don't you even stop to disagree. Revelation 12:25...if you disagree, just file it in miscellaneous and check it out. And don't bother with it. When we get to heaven we'll check it out and you'll find out I'm right. Here it is, this great army in the New Testament is the MANCHILD. Revelation 12:5, the OVERCOMERS, Revelation 2 &3, THE 144,000 servants, Revelation 7:3, the BRIDE or the LAMB'S WIFE, Revelation 19:7 and 21:9, and the WHITE HORSE, Revelation 6:2, the FIRSTFRUITS, Revelation 14:4, the PRECIOUS FRUITS, James 5:7, the WISE VIRGINS, Matthew 25:1-13, the MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD, Romans 8:19-23 and it's certainly a remarkable fact that none of these names are expressions applied to the saints of God or at any other time in history. But all of them are in their context and promises showing undeniably that THEY BELONG TO THE END OF THE TIME....TO THIS PRESENT GENERATION, Matthew 24:34. You know, it's always today. Of course today the Lord says today, today, today...And God wants us to realize once again in closing that there's going to be a great COMPANY OF OVERCOMERS prepared for this mighty ministry which I call the PRIZE OF ALL AGES. And again,_God's offering to the believers of this generation a greater privilege than was ever offered to any people of any generation at any time from Adam clear down through the end of the millennium." (Paul Cain, JOEL'S ARMY, KCF's Southside Meeting). 

MANIFEST SONS OF GOD

That they disregard dispensational truth and claim that JOEL'S ARMY is God's Word incarnated makes them MANIFEST SONS OF GOD. Essentially, that is gnosticism. As Charismatics they owe their "beginnings" to the "Latter Rain" movement - the mother of present day MANIFEST SONS OF GOD teaching. History recalls that this mysterious NEW AGE ARMY concept with all its spiritual trimmings found its way into the classic pentecostal sphere through the Latter Rain movement in 1948. At the time, the Assemblies of God as well as others, noted the unsavory nature of it and its potential adverse effect on sound biblical truth. No time was wasted on the part of the Assemblies of God and others to confront it head on. Since that time, relative stability and great progress has been enjoyed. But, once again the STRANGE FIRE has flared up - history repeating itself.

The gnostic aspect of the "Manifest Sons" can readily be identified in four ways:

1. The claim to perfection through progressive revelations beyond the Scriptures;

2. The written Word of God is held in low esteem and experiential knowledge very high;

3. The Word of God is perceived as a symbolic book;

4. The claim that the "god-man" dwells in every member and is waiting to be discovered and manifest by the believers. 

There are very strong traces of these characteristics in JOEL'S ARMY and MANIFEST SONS OF GOD teaching.

An analysis done in the 1970's on Sam Fife defines the same teaching coming forth today.

The first premise that is held is that both the Old and the New Testaments have first a letter (or literal) meaning and then a spirit (or spiritual) meaning. This bring's us to progressive revelation of the Scriptures as they don't claim to have all the spirit mysteries of the Word yet revealed but it is being revealed precept upon precept.

The next point concerning the Scriptures is that the Bible cannot be the final authority for truth, so that they would be subject to the Book; rather the spirit is their final authority followed by the witness of the corporate ministry, so that the Book is subject to them.

Just to illustrate this point Sam has said that in these last days that whatever the corporate spirit in them leads them to do, whether or not they have scripture to stand on or not, that is what they will do. In a private conversation, I asked him if he felt the spirit leading him to kill someone, would he do it? His answer was in the affirmative." (Raymond Yankana, June 12,1978).

A lady called me gasping in horror. A noted evangelist had just come on a Christian television program, held up his Bible and said that he held it in no more esteem than the READER'S DIGEST. This is being done more and more as the "new" revelations take precedence over the written Word of God. Are you gasping in horror, or are you cooing out the soothing words, "touch thou not the anointed". As the Church apathetically sits by, the pastors stand in line at "The Old Country Buffet" or "McDonalds", the teaching on JOEL'S ARMY is taking root in one form or another in many ministries. Here are a few quotes from other ministries in which the same teaching is emerging loud and clear. 

Part 2: Joel's Army
by Jewel van der Merwe
Written 1991

MORRIS CERULLO

Morris Cerullo is also a self-proclaimed "prophet." He had a program recently (early 1991) entitled, MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD. He couldn't have been more blatant! However, the teachings were indeed more blatant than even the title could have possibly suggested. Yet, the hearers looked very sincere as they chanted out blasphemy on his command.

"Jesus, being the brightness of all that God has and is. He was the reflection, image and manifestation visibly of all that God has and is. What is God's purpose and plan and objectivity? Sons and daughters who will manifest all that God has and is. Can you imagine the power in your being when you face the devil? You represent all that God is and all that God has!"

"Stretch out your hands and say - 'GOD IS GOING TO HAVE A PEOPLE. I'M A PART OF GOD'S END-TIME PLAN.'"

". . . the disciples were able to see the literal glory radiating . . . change taking place. They saw Jesus as He really is. . . Jesus was the visible expression of God. Jesus was the Son of the Living God. Now, WHO ARE YOU? SONS OF GOD... everyone say it. What is working inside of us is the manifestation. When you look at me, you are looking at Jesus."

"To see Jesus WAS to see God To see me IS to see Jesus"

"Jesus knew who He was. Don't you think it is about time we know who we are?" 

At this juncture Morris Cerullo questioned three ministers as to what God is doing on the earth. Their replies were exuberant and followed the same trend.

(1) God is duplicating Himself in the earth;

(2) God is releasing His life through the Body; and

(3) the whole of creation is waiting for the Manifestation of the Sons of God". 

The excitement manifest by the people lets you know that indeed it is JOEL'S ARMY that has finally arrived. Morris Cerullo continues:

"Today I am a Son of the all powerful almighty God of the Universe. His life flows through me. God has birthed the life of Christ. The fullness of the Godhead dwells. I am a partaker of the DIVINE NATURE. I am a joint heir with Jesus. I have inherited all things. ... everything Christ has belongs to me. . Jesus didn't come to teach you how to defend yourself. He came to lead you in an attack. Jesus went into Satan 's territory. The strategy of Christ was not to wait until the enemy came. He taught us how to march out, go into his territory... we are not on the defensive. We DECLARE WAR. . . 'I and the Father are ONE.' How's that for taking the offensive!"

BENNY HINN

Have we become so used to cartoon characters that do such unusual things that we don't even notice the same type of deception abounding in the church? Children wake up on Saturday morning to see turtles that have had a "magic potion" or "ooze" thrown over them that transforms them into TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Benny Hinn blows on his audience and supposedly it is the breath of God that transforms them into "Super-beings". Benny Hinn on October 20, 1990 aired a sermon on TBN titled "God's Super Being." Here's an excerpt:

"When you were born again God gave you this brand new being, this brand new being was created before the foundation of the....... Your spirit, ladies and gentleman, is God-like, he's God-like in every way... Say after me, within me is a God-man. . . Say it again, within me is a God-man. Now let's say even better than that, let's say, I am a God-man. When you say I am a God-man, you're not talking about your flesh or your soul, you're talking about your spirit-man. . . This spirit-man within me is a God-man. Say after me, he's born of heaven, he's a super being... Say I'm born of heaven - God-man. I'm a God-man. I'm a sample of Jesus. I'm a super being. Say it! Say it! Who's a super being? I walk in the realm of the supernatural. Say it! Who walks in the realm of the supernatural?. .get the spirit-man renewed. . . when he's strong, he'll hold off sickness. . . you want to prosper? Money will be falling on you from left right and center. God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness.. Say after me, I hold my destiny. . . The reason many of us ask and never get is because our spirit-man isn't strong enough to give it to us,. Say after me, everything I want is in me already."

JELLO THEOLOGY

So many of the "prophets" and "teachers" today get very upset when told they are teaching "Manifest Sons of God" doctrine. They deny it vehemently. Yet, they go on teaching it! Yes, if you hear someone teaching that God is raising up "Joel's Army" or "Super Beings" coming on the scene, you are hearing "Manifest Sons of God" teaching in its purest form. The theology behind "Manifest Sons of God" is rather like jello. It just changes its shape depending on the mold you put it into - yet it is still jello. It comes as "Dominion Theology", or "Kingdom Now" and even can be called "The Bride". Next time, it may not be Joel's Army, but may be the Phineas Priesthood (those who executed judgment in the name of the Lord -Numbers 25).

JOEL'S ARMY CALL-UP

The recent visitation of the JOEL'S ARMY "prophets' in England was initiated with the following prophecy purported to be of God: "Revival will break out, and then spread through the whole of England and into Europe." This prophecy was also used to advertise the importance of the prophetic conference, thereby raising the level of expectancy to a high pitch. However, Barry Killick (PROPHECY TODAY with reference to the prophets in England last October (1990)) reports:

"Vineyard Ministries international came to Britain. People were blessed, but the promised October revival did not take place."

"He [John Wimber) testified to God having spoken to him concerning 'the Church.' The word came, 'tell them I have need of it.' The issue, he said, is proprietorship or ownership. We don't own the church, Jesus does, and He wants it back. [When did He lose it?] As Jesus went into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, so he will return on the back of a victorious church. One in the eye for any dispensationalists among us!" [Here we have a typical example of allegorical preaching as opposed to the truth.

"John Winber had brought his four children to the conference, believing that something very significant was going to happen and he didn't want them to miss it. If outpouring had equalled expectation, the promised revival would have swept over us, but I think it fair to say that nothing outwardly remarkable happened during the four days of the Docklands meetings."

"Many would view revival as meaning thousands of conversions with the Spirit of conviction sweeping among the people in meeting-places, streets and houses. We didn't see that?.. There were healings, deliverances, words of knowledge, prophetic predictions, but no apparent sign of revival. One of the organizers observed that 'revival' is a very subjective thing"' [what does that mean?]. . .

"Following wimber's last sermon, there was silence, almost as if he had allocated time for a significant outpouring. Instead, there were a few utterances from the congregation which no one could hear, and the meeting was closed half an hour earlier than expected. Whether anything more happened than at an average Spring Harvest gathering, only time will tell" (PROPHECY TODAY, Vol. 7, No. 1, John Wimber at Docklands).

PARADIGM SHIFT

That the Church is experiencing a paradigm shift, there is no doubt. The gospel we are hearing coming from the lips of the new popular ministries certainly is not the pure Gospel of Christ nor does it even closely resemble the old time orthodox gospel. The unchanging Gospel of Christ was clearly distinguished and defined by the Apostles of Christ. By their definition, the current prophetic gospel of JOEL'S ARMY with its admixture of error and truth is not only unholy and deceptive, but is accursed, in that it is "another gospel."

The Church is both the heir and guardian of God's precious Word - the Defender of the Faith. Therefore it is not ashamed to say, "Thus saith the Word of the Lord". The true Church believes the Word of God is "Yea and Amen", absolute, pre-eminent and final! Any beliefs to the contrary cannot represent the true Church - be careful! Biblical truth is the staple diet the Church subsists on, anything else will cause death! The fundamental doctrines of the Bible are in the foundation of the Church and are the basis on which the orthodox faith rests. Whatever therefore threatens Bible doctrine, the faithful will resist, resent and expose. At least several basic orthodox doctrines determine whether or not a movement or an individual is a true witness to the Gospel of Christ. These doctrines are: (1) The Deity of Christ; (2) Redemption through the Cross of Christ; (3) Salvation by faith according to grace; (4) The resurrection and ascension of Christ; (5) The Rapture (the catching away of the saints out of the earth); and (6) The Second Advent of Christ with His saints.

Over and against these orthodox beliefs, a new gospel with definite "New Age" overtones is emerging within the Church, which to all intents and purposes is in direct conflict with Scripture and orthodox views - hence the vociferous outcry within the Church. Some of the erroneous teachings of the "new gospel" are as follows: (1) the deification of man - denying the exclusive Deity of the Son of Man (Christ); (2) The perfection, immortality and glorification of the elect (JOEL'S ARMY, Manifest Sons, etc.) in the absence of the literal presence of Christ - denying the Rapture of the saints' (3) Scripture is not the only source of redemptive truth denying the "Written Word"' (4) Doctrine does not really matter as to the unity of the Church - denying the foundation of the Apostles' doctrine; (5) The new ministries, that of the "prophets" and "apostles" are not to be judged according to the Scriptures, but rather subjectively and according to the fruit of their lives - denying the criterion of the Word of God, Here we have a "seed-bed" for a hybrid mixture of truth and error.

"Does God ever approve the mixture of truth and error? Is it alright to mix truth and error if one is sincere, or if this mixing is done to accomplish Scriptural goals? Of course not! God's Word always demands the separation of truth and error and believers who disregard God's commands in this respect will eventually pay a terrible price even though such a violation of Scriptural principles might at first appear to produce beneficial results, (FOUNDATION,, November/December, 1990. Vol. Xl, Issue 6, Fundamental Evangelistic Asso. P. 0. Box 6278, Los Osos, CA 93412).

DOMINION/KINGDOM NOW TIES

If you do not believe in a literal "catching away" or "rapture", a literal anti-Christ, a literal tribulation, a literal Armageddon, etc., then you will get caught up in the words of today's prophets who are telling you a very different Gospel that has come from allegorizing and spiritualizing the Word of God. Their agenda is political, with a view to take over the earth. Naturally, to take it over for Jesus. Those recently attending the Docklands conference in England were promised by John Wimber, "There is something higher than being Baptist and that is to be in this END TIME ARMY and involved in THIS GREATER PRIZE of bringing EVERYTHING ON THE EARTH AND ABOVE THE EARTH AND BELOW THE EARTH tot he FEET OF JESUS." Clifford Hill in his publication summed it up:

"The opportunity of joining the 'new breed,' an elite group of believers endowed with supernatural power that would enable them to be part of the army of 'dread warriors' that God was said to be raising up in our generation. According to John Wimber this is a type of Joel's Army' who will overcome all opposition to the gospel and eventually subdue the nations. This teaching is part of what is known as 'dominion theology' which teaches that an elite army of 'overcomers will either destroy or subdue all the enemies of Christ until they eventually gain power and authority throughout the world. The government of the nations will be upon their shoulders and when all the secular authorities, governments, princes and kings have finally submitted to them, Christ will return and they will present the kingdom to him." (PROPHECY TODAY, Volume 7, Number I, England).

EARL PAULK

Earl Paulk has been teaching along these lines for some time. In THE WOUNDED BODY OF CHRIST he says:

"We have been foreordained of God to become that people who will be so glorified that we can bring Christ back to the earth. This glorified Church must make the earth God's footstool before Jesus can come again . . . Let me describe the glorified Church. The glorified Church will be approved of the Father. . . it may be only a nucleus of people, a firstfruit. Somewhere on the face of this earth, God will find a people - how large or small numerically I do not know. But those people will adequately become a witness of God to the nations of the earth."

"The glorified Church will be a mature Church. She will be a Church that is no longer splintered....a Church unified in faith -not in doctrine, mode, practice or organization. She will represent the Spirit of unity in Christ. . . . the Holy Spirit will gather people from around the earth whom the Spirit of God will unite to become the Bride of Christ. They will be mature and able to transcend all doctrinal or organizational differences."

"....In the light of that, we must understand that the Church must gain such unity of faith that it will have a profound impact on the world. The Church must speak so that the whole world will listen...When the Pope speaks, Catholics listen in the parts of the world where Catholics are predominant. Before Christ can come again, the Church must take such a strong stand that the whole world will say, 'That is the voice of God speaking to us.'"

"...The last enemy to be conquered is death. Who will conquer it? A mature Church will come forth with the kind of authority and power that will be able to stand in the very face of Satan [JOEL'S ARMY]. When the Church reaches that state of maturity, God will be able to say, 'This generation of the Church does not need to die. She has reached a place of maturity. I will translate her because her maturity pleases me.' What was the testimony about Enoch? He pleased God. When the Church becomes so mature that as a Body we achieve the unity of faith, God will find her pleasing and say, 'She is mature enough now. She doesn't have to die...'" [MANIFEST SONS OF GOD].

"...The greatest test of the spirit of the anti-christ is its attitude toward the church. The attitude isn't directed toward Jesus. Jesus is not personally a threat to any community unless there is a living, thriving church functioning in that community. Therefore, the spirit of the antichrist refuses to recognize that GOD IS HERE IN THE FLESH." 

Does that hit you? Now, the true church is being called the spirit of the antichrist! The ones who do not have their eyes opened now to see that the church is GOD HERE IN THE FLESH NOW! MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD! Are you willing to accept that "we are to look for another?" Do you accept that the Church now coming forth and being manifest is the coming of Christ we've been looking forward to since He ascended into heaven and "two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this SAME JESUS WHICH IS TAKEN UP FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN, SHALL SO COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YE HAVE SEEN HIM GO INTO HEAVEN."

BILL HAMON

Bill Hamon has been teaching along these lines for an even longer time. In THE ETERNAL CHURCH he states:

"Each restorational advancement of the Army of the Lord has established denominational forts that are given responsibility to maintain the purity and power of that truth. . . New recruits are now being drafted and trained and older soldiers and generals are being put through intensified training for the next advancement of the Church Army. They are being purified by the Baptism of Fire. . . Are you Ready? Where do you start? What will you do? A new government must be established, a new way of life for those millions of people. You are now ready to rule and reign on your overcomer's throne!"

So, what is ahead? The MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD. Bill Hamon on page 385 of the same book lays it out.

"The Earth and all of creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, the time when they will come into their maturity and immortalization.... When the Church receives its full inheritance and redemption then creation will be redeemed from its cursed condition of decay, change and death....the Church has a responsibility and ministry to the rest of creation. Earth and its natural creation is anxiously waiting for the Church to reach full maturity and come to full sonship. When the Church realizes its full sonship, its bodily redemption will cause a redemptive chain reaction throughout all of creation." [Paradigm Shift.]

Again, who is glorified? The Church, the Manifested Sons of God! Oh how wonderful to recognize my full Potential to KNOW WHO I AM! The cry of our hearts should be THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS, BEING MADE CONFORMABLE UNTO HIS DEATH.

So many of the terms that are being twisted are so scriptural. Hence, the deception. This teaching is also heavily promoted in the video called THE BRIDE. On viewing this video my seventeen-year-old son was distressed at the distortion of Scripture. The video is full of inaccuracies and completely based on the Kingdom Now/Dominion viewpoint. Pastors must be warned to not allow this video to be shown to their congregation unless they are showing it with disclaimers to teach their congregants how to discern false doctrine. The line-up of commentary in their advertising tells the story:

". . . a message of hope and victory for today's broken and wounded Church." - Vinson Synan

"For too long the Church has been crippled by an escapist mentality. [The Rapture]. The Bride confronts us with the fact that, through His people, Christ is presently overthrowing the powers of darkness and establishing His kingdom on earth." - Malcolm Smith

The Church of Jesus Christ is not feeble! By saying this, the Cross of Christ is made of none effect! God does have a people. He has those who will not bow their knee to Baal! The Church is alive and well. The blood of Christ has never lost its power!

THE GOSPEL BEING CHANGED

Have we been hearing a distortion of Scripture for so long that we do not recognize error any longer? Is the church going to sit complacently by and allow the written Word of God to be corrupted? The "Christ" that is being preached today is a "bloodless" Christ. In fact the basic Gospel is continually and subtly being changed. Jack Deere's theology has also become "jello" for he says, "The Scripture never encourages us to warn the unbeliever of the wrath that is to come. When the prophets speak to God's people, they warn God's people about what's to come. (Joel's Army, Jack Deere, VINEYARD, 1990).

There is a serious problem here. This view is leading people to believe that the simple message of the gospel is inadequate. The power of the cross of Jesus Christ is being reduced. According to BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE, Vol. 111, No.4, July - August 1990, Robert Dean notes that the chorus book at the Vineyard has 83 choruses, but 82 fail to mention the cross. This lack of certainty regarding the gospel of Christ is brought out in the following conversation by Dr. Jack Deere who is considered to be John Wimber's right hand theologian and scholar. This is an interview quoted from the aforementioned publication:

"After introducing myself, I said to Dr. Jack Deere, 'I wonder if you might tell me why you felt my explanation of the gospel was defective yesterday?'" [Jesus Christ who died for our sins and was buried and raised on the third day and that it is this gospel by which we are saved.]

To which he replied, "I'm not really very prepared to talk about that."

I must admit that I was a little surprised at this initial response, considering he had just finished speaking to five and a half thousand people on false teachers. Added to this was the fact that two days earlier had informed us of the many ancient languages in which he had become proficient in order to fully understand the Bible. I wouldn't have thought someone with such credentials would need to do all that much preparation for a friendly discussion on the content of the gospel.

Given his lack of preparation, I then asked, "Well just off the top of your head, what do [you] think the gospel is?"

Jack Deere replied, :I'm not prepared to make a formal statement about that"...

My next question was, "Could you perhaps tell me in formally what you believe to be the gospel?"

Jack Deere answered, "I'm not sure."

Somewhat stunned, I said, "I find that quite surprising - that you are not sure what the gospel is."

Jack Deere then commented, "I used to be just like you.... Thinking the gospel was simply justification by faith."

I responded, "Are you saying that the gospel is more than justification by faith?"

"Yes," he said.

"What would you add to it?" I asked.

"Deliverance," he said.

Then I asked, "What do you mean by Deliverance?"

He explained, "Things like demons and healing and... .,'

Pausing for a deep breath, I said, "So let me get this straight. You would add as an essential part of the gospel things like the exorcising of demons and healing?"

He nodded.

I continued, "Sort of like what John Wimber was saying last night at the evangelistic rally that it's the 'complete package' -the word and the works of Jesus."

"Yes," he said.

"But you're not sure exactly what should be included?' I asked.

"No," he said, "not yet."

"Not sure of what to say next, I asked, " Would it be fair to say that you're in a state of flux since you joined the Wimber thing?"

He quickly responded, "We're always in a state of flux - you are...."

"But on the gospel message?" I said, "surely that's one thing we should have worked out. I can understand being in state of flux over something like remarriage and divorce but surely not over the gospel! Don't you think we can reduce The gospel to some sort of summary statement like Paul does in say l Corinthians 1 and 2 or I Corinthians 15 or I Thessalonians 4 or Romans 5 or . . ?

There was no response except a shrug of the shoulders.

I continued, "Do you think the apostle Paul had anything particular in mind when he wrote to Timothy and asked him to guard the gospel that had been entrusted to him?"

Continuing to be amazed, I said, "Are you saying that you couldn't go back into that pavilion and tell those people the gospel?"

He replied, "No - not yet. "

I responded, "When do you think you could do it?~

And he said, "maybe five years; maybe ten..,"

We must all be cautioned that the Word of God has very strong things to say abut those who do not abide in the Doctrine of Christ.

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not In the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 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 biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." II John 9-11.

Sadly enough, those who are duped by this heresy and say doctrine doesn't matter, when faced with the evidence will shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, that isn't what they meant." Another excuse will be, "You took the quotations out of context." The truth is that the quotations in their full context offer an even more frightening glimpse of what is awaiting these souls who refuse to allow their sound mind to discern according to the Word to God. They will brush aside the realities with, "Oh, you know God does weird things. He did weird things in the Bible and people just don't understand when He does weird things today." Honestly, how weird do you have to get before you wake up. Will it take the Jello melted into kool-aid in a steaming jungle to bring the church to her senses? (i.e. Jim Jones). "Both the Biblical writers and the early Church Fathers felt it vital to contend for the faith. They did not think it unspiritual or a form of pharisaical religion to stand up for fundamental Biblical truths found In scripture." (The Manifest Sons of God, Viola Larsen, Apologetics Resource Center). And I'm certain they would not maintain the attitude that: "Conversely, immediate and heavy discipline will fall on those who take it upon themselves to publicly criticize and attack others' ministries. The world will know God has sent Jesus when they see us acting in love towards one another..."(EIijah House NEWS, Jan, 1991, Paula Sanford).

It is rather love that is the motivating force to warn the Church of the errors. I know that many of the teachers are dear men of God. My own father loved the Lord with all of his heart, mind and being! Yet, I remember even he enjoying the idea of "entering immortality" when he heard it taught. It is exciting to hear a message like Mike Bickle's proclaiming, "We'll have the power to raise people from the dead, that even death won't stand before the power of the Church. We'll see those four days Lazarus kind of deals. The Lord's going to begin to give those in the days to come." (School of Prophecy, Session 7, Vineyard Ministries, 1989). 

Part 3: Joel's Army
by Jewel van der Merwe
Written 1991

FACE REALITY

As Pentecostals we love the moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst, we rejoice when the sick are healed and deliverances wrought and we pray for revival. However, we look for a revival that changes lives and brings souls to their knees in repentance before God. There are so many non-gospel ideas and heresies intermingled with the charismatic message these days that the Gospel of Christ is losing its effect. The unholy admixture is not only watering down the Gospel, it's also converting Christian thought to New Age. To enhance the effectiveness of ministries, spiritual demonstrations and experiences are being sought outside of the Gospel of Christ. As a result of this paradigm shift in the thinking of Christians, the term repentance has lost its biblical meaning and the old fashioned altar-call is fading into insignificance. Nowadays, whatever idea, novelty or gimmick attracts a following is latched onto and exploited to the full. Another ill effect on the Gospel comes when strange doctrines are ministered by popular TV, radio or conference speakers. The euphoria of their charisma and popularity seems to make whatever they say - sound doctrine.

If we have been in the Pentecostal World any time at all, we have all at one time or another expounded doctrine that was merely mimicking some "famous" evangelist. After further study, we have had to acknowledge that we were merely on a "bandwagon", swallow our pride and go on! I must admit to some pretty dumb things myself. But, I must be willing at this point to allow everything I write and say to come under the scrutiny of the Word of God. Every truth and doctrine must be judged according to the written Word of God. This is the only way that we can properly judge the visions and revelations that are pouring forth today.

DON'T BE DECEIVED BY TERMINOLOGY

Another subtle deception abounding, comes through the use of terminology to lure Christians into thinking that a very high form of godliness will earn them a distinctive place in JOEL'S ARMY as a potentate. There is a great emphasis on praying and becoming holy before the Lord. It sounds so good - so attainable. Yet when Bob Jones and Mike Bickle discuss intercession, a perfectly scriptural term, they are meaning something quite unscriptural.

Bob Jones: "Intercession releases revelation and revelation will release proclamation - so get on your knees and get what God's wisdom is and then blow the trumpet - and it'll work."

Mike Bickle: "Okay, let's get that.........INTERCESSION RELEASES REVELATION...... revelation releases the proclamation under the anointing to bring it to pass". (Visions and Revelations, KCF)

On the surface of the above quote it sounds as though Bob Jones and Mike Bickle are exhorting Christians to pray for grace, understanding and power to preach the Gospel of Christ with boldness. But, that is not what is being shared. Farthest from that, the meaning behind the terms is that Christians pray to become 'MANIFEST SONS OF GOD in 'JOEL'S ARMY' thus becoming the oracle of God and the executioner of God's wrath on those that fail to comply or conform to the NEW ORDER of the MANIFEST SONS.

George Warnock said it all already in THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES;

"By faith all things are and shall be possible. The very dispensations themselves are but weak barriers and obstacles if men of faith are enabled by the Spirit to reach out and leap beyond them. Enoch did it. So did Elijah. And so shall the Sons of God. The Word of faith shall grip their hearts, and they shall reach out and appropriate the Resurrection and the Life [MANIFEST SONS OF GOD] even now in this life. If they do not, Christ never will return to earth. For God hath said 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.' (Ps. 110:1) And the last enemy is Death."

So accordingly, JOEL'S ARMY would arise to overcome the enemies of both man and Christ. This is also brought about by a 'secret inner coming' of Christ' to some Christians which would transform them.

"Christ should visit the saints in the last great Feast and minister His life 'in secret' before He is openly manifested! Christians think it is a horrible thing that Christ's second Coming should be spoken of in this manner . . When a Christian comes to that place where he really appreciates and understands and enjoys Spiritual things, then he can truly rejoice in the fact that Christ is coming back again to be manifested within. "(ibid).

This is what is being portrayed in the teaching today when you hear Christ must come TO HIS CHURCH before He can come FOR HIS CHURCH. It has a very spiritual ring to it. The ring speaks of holiness and righteousness before God. We all long for HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and HIS HOLINESS to be manifest in our lives.

However, using Christian terminology does not make the doctrine correct. Bob Jones, a "prophet" from Kansas City says that . . . .

"the Church is in no condition for the Lord to come today.. . He's going to come for a church that is mature in righteousness... progressively going in this righteousness until you take on THE VERY DIVINE NATURE OF CHRIST HIMSELF and you begin to see Christ in the Church. Christ won't come for The Church until you see Christ in The Church. Until the Church looks like Jesus. PAPA [God] planted Jesus, He sowed Him down here in this earth to have a whole nation of brothers and sisters that looked just like Jesus and he will have it. His Son was ALPHA SON, your children are the OMEGA sons and daughters. . ." [Mike Bickle interjects here, "Jesus was the beginning, but our children and us, we're included in this... we're the end of this thing.] [MANIFEST SONS OF GOD]. "The Church is asleep, but when she gets woke up, there's not any power. . . when she gets woke up and joins together in an ARMY, there's not any power anyplace that can stop her, for she'll know nothing but victory when she joins hands and becomes one in purpose and that's to REVEAL THE KINGDOM ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH." (School for Prophecy, Session 7, Vineyard Ministries, 1989). 

We need more than a "jello" theology that is always in a state of flux in these serious days. The deception is so widespread and has been infiltrating the Church for so long, it is most difficult to get a handle on it. The Word of God is very clear in teaching us how to avoid error.

"The most important single principle in determining the true meaning of any doctrine of our faith is that we start with the clear statements of the Scriptures that specifically apply to it and use those to interpret the parable a, allegories, and obscure passage This allows Scripture to interpret Scripture. The Dominionists frequently reverse this order, seeking to interpret the clear passages, using obscure passages, parables, and allegories.

"The second most important principle is to consistently interpret by the literal, grammatical, historical method. This means the following:

(1) Each word should be interpreted in the light of its normal ordinary usage that was accepted in the times in which it was written.

(2) Each sentence should be interpreted according to the rules of grammar and syntax normally accepted when the document was written.

(3) Each passage should also be interpreted in the light of its historical and cultural environment." 

"Most false doctrine and heresy of Church history can be traced to a failure to adhere to these principles. Church is filled with examples of disaster and wrecked lives wrought by men failing to base their doctrine, faith, and practice upon these two principles." (THE ROAD TO THE HOLOCAUST Hal Lindsey, Bantam Books).

Let us take it as simply as possible and point out the "End-Time revival" error and compare it with the truth of the Word of God.

THE FALSE JOEL'S ARMY OUTLINED

In order to have a clear understanding of how this teaching is coming forth on Joel's Army, let us go over the background of the teaching. The teaching does not have its roots in the Word of God. The roots are in "revelations" that then find Scriptures to back them up.

AN ELITE COMPANY

According to Paul Cain, when he was 19-years-old, he saw the Angel of the Lord. The Angel was standing in his majesty like a warrior and he had a bright and shining sword in his hand. With that sword he pointed up to a billboard that had a sign on it that said, JOEL'S ARMY NOW IN TRAINING. He asked the Lord what it meant and the Lord took him by the hand and walked him through the book of Joel.

Bob Jones, a "seer" from Kansas City also has "seen" this Army. In talking about the Army he says:

"They will move into things of the supernatural that no one has ever moved in before. Every miracle, sign and wonder that has ever been in the Bible - they'll move in it consistently. They'll move in the power that Christ did. Every sign and wonder that's ever been will be many times in the last days. They themselves will be that generation that's raised up to put death itself underneath their feet and to glorify Christ in every way...and the Church that is raising up in the government will be the head and the covering for them. So that that glorious church might be revealed in the last days because the Lord Jesus is worthy to be lifted up by a church that has reached the full maturity of the god-man!" (Visions & Revelations, Fall 1988).

John Wimber says this Army is,

"Those that are humble of heart and those who have entered into the apostolic suffering of the End Times... There will be a time where even as in Acts 2 suddenly, as they were gathered, in the midst of them, the Lord came and with an anointing beyond anything; that has ever been given to man before. Something so astounding, something so marvelous that God has kept it as a mystery as it were, behind His back and He is about to reveal it to the ages. He is about to reveal it. With the judgment of all mankind will come this incredible incarnational enduement of God's Spirit and we will see the Elijahs.... This END TIME ARMY will be made of the Elijahs of the Lord God and the characteristic of that ministry is the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the sons to the fathers. . getting our hearts ready that these that are being prepared by the spirit of God - they are going to receive a visitation. They are going to receive a great light and they are going to be turned to the Church. . . Soon He will build the temple....There will be a filling of the temple. That is why we are prophesying and saying to you that it is coming soon. While in the midst of our gatherings, while in the midst of our intercessions, while we are praying, while we are doing the things that Jesus talked about - these things-the Greater Things will come. Suddenly, immediately right-away a change - in a moment - without notice - the twinkling of an eye the Lord will fill His temple and the anointing of God, the power of God will come." (John Wimber, Docklands [England] October 1990). 

Jack Deere states that....

"...this army is totally unique. This army, there's never been one like it and there never will be one like it in ages to come....It's's so mighty that there's never been anything like it before. Not even Moses, not even David, not even Paul. What's going to happen now will transcend what Paul did, what David did. . what Moses did, even though Moses parted the Red Sea. . there'll be a numerous company. . . Revelation hints at this when it talks about the 144,000 that follow the Lamb wherever He goes and no one, no one can harm that 144,000. See, that's a multiple of 12. What's 12? Twelve is the number of the Apostles, 12 is Apostolic government. And when you take an important number in the Bible and you multiply it, it means you intensify it. So, 12,000 times 12,000 = 144,000. [Wrong math]. That is the ultimate in Apostolic government. Revelation talks about that. Well here Joel is talking about it now in different words, a powerful, a MIGHTY ARMY with many Pauls, many Moses', many Davids." (JOEL'S ARMY, VINEYARD MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL 1990.)

This is portraying an "elite" special group which is exactly what the Jehovah Witnesses teach. The Jehovah Witnesses claim that they are the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 16.

Mike Bickle also brings this thought across:

"There's Apostles, there's Imminent Apostles and there's MOST IMMINENT APOSTLES.... There's various levels of Apostles and the Lord was showing that..... out of This Movement there would be 35 apostles.... that will be of the highest level of apostolic ministry..... the whole government of this movement in it's highest level in all places it goes. . . . the government rests on Apostles and Prophets. . . . Though I believe there will be hundreds apostles in this movement and every movement will have its apostles and prophets, I believe God. He's merging Apostles in a number of movements now and He's going to add prophets to the prophets that are already there and He's going to bring us to higher statures." (Visions & Revelations, Kansas City Fellowship Audio Cassette).

THE TRUE ARMY

It is hard to fathom how this cheap imitation, that does not even take an expert to discern, is being mistaken for the wonderful, glorious Army that Joel is talking about. In Malachi the Word of God says, "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? . . ." There is no flesh that will be able to stand in His Presence. This Army spoken of by the Prophet Joel is the TRUE END-TIME ARMY that will return at the DAY OF THE LORD. It is when Christ returns with HIS SAINTS (His End-Time Army) at the end of the tribulation. (Joel 2:10-11; Zech. 14:5; Jude 14; Rev. 19:11-21; II Thess. 1:7-10). When OUR KING OF KINGS sets His feet on the Mount of Olives. When Israel repents and is saved as a Nation in one day. When all the forces of hell are let loose at the battle of Armageddon. Them "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him." This MARVELOUS, TERRIBLE DAY of the Lord will cause every other day in history to dim in comparison. This all happens after the Church has been RAPTURED (or "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air) out of the earth and glorified in His physical Presence (1 Theesalonians 4:16-17; Rom. 8:22-25). After the Antichrist has wrought his deadly havoc. After the remnant (144,000 of the Jewish nation) have ministered throughout the time of the tribulation and been translated as the "manchild" to heaven. (Isaiah 66:7-8; Rev. 7:3-8; 12:1-5; 14:1-5).

MESSIANIC JEWS BEING DECEIVED

It is also hard to understand how even Messianic Jews are being deceived by this teaching today. Yet, in Scripture the Anti-Christ does make a pact with Israel (Dan. 9:27), so obviously he is able to deceive the nation as a whole, so we shouldn't be too surprised at the way this deceptive teaching is taking the Messianic Jews and Church as a whole into an unprecedented apostasy.

Apostate teachings such as "Joel's Army", "New Breed", "Manifest Sons", "Latter Rain", "Elijah Company", "Son of Man Company", etc., all have three basic traits in common:

1. Discredit the Word of God.

a. Wrest the fundamental doctrines "as they do also the other Scriptures" II Pet. 3:16).

b. Allegorize the truth away.

c. Deny the literal meaning of Scripture.

d. Compare the Bible to other books and irreverence the written Word.

e. Place their revelations on a par with Scriptures.

f. Emphasize their thoughts and ideas above Scriptures.

g. Esteem the authority of the Church over the Scriptures. 

2. Deify Man.

a. "Change the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped . . . the creature more than the Creator".

b. The Church (man) is the ongoing incarnation of Jesus Christ, in other words, the Church IS Jesus Christ come in the flesh,

c. The believer is a god-man, i.e. a supernatural being.

d. The focus of the "gospel" centers on MAN - his self love, esteem, glorification and dominion. 

3. Disregard Israel (the Wife of God). Israel is an outcast and has been replaced by the Church,

a. "Ethnic Israel's" rebirth depends on the "Son of Man Company" (The END TIME prophets) and not the Messiah (Jesus Christ) at His Second Advent.

b. "Ethnic Israel's" only hope of ever being restored is contingent on the prophetic word of the prophets and being birthed into the "One New Man Company" of the CHURCH. 

Subtlety and deception has always been part of Satan's strategy in "spiritual warfare", but the latest doctrinal maneuver - the Church giving birth to Israel - is a master deception. It is postured to kill two birds with one stone. Kill the belief that Israel is an everlasting people of God and that Israel is to be saved and reborn spiritually in one day through the advent of their MESSIAH - Jesus Christ. Satan knows his time is short, that this age is drawing to a close and the advent of the Messiah is at hand. Therefore, he is wasting no time doing everything in his power to demise the nation of Israel. As in the past, he will go to all extremes to estrange and frustrate Israel's Messianic faith and hope and what better means can he use than the apostate Church. The following is an example of yet another distortion of Scripture, the Church and the Messianic message:

"The very nation [Israel] that once gave birth - now is in need to be birthed by another. Who will provide it?. . . This premise of spiritual revival still hinges upon the rising and completion of the ministry of the prophetic "Son of Man" who is to prophecy the life-giving Word of God. Today the Lord is calling forth a SON OF MAN COMPANY to corporately prophecy and speak to Israel's lifeless, hopeless white bones until the vision is completed. The church is birthing Israel [used the illustration of Ruth coming back with Naomi Ruth 4:I3] 'Who was this son? Who was this male child of whom the neighbor women said, 'a son has been born to Naomi'. How could it be that old lifeless and bitter Naomi is now given credit for the birth of this child. Boaz was not Naomi's husband, nor was it her womb that brought forth the child, yet the prophetic declaration was that the child was born to Naomi. Young and loving Ruth offered her vibrant womb so that old and wrinkled Naomi could bear a male child one last time. There is a young and loving church whom God is calling forth to lend her womb as a chamber of travail and tears to old and hopeless Israel that she might bear a son. Who is this SON? And what name did they give Him but Obed'. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

"Obed means a worker, a servant, one who perfectly does the will of Him who sent him. [Only Jesus was perfect), Indeed such shall be the virtue and quality of character which will be evident in Israelis last son [Manifest Sons of God), Israel is destined to give birth [through the Church] one last time at the end of the age. And, as that which she birthed at the first century transformed the world so shall it be in the last. Isaiah 26:1,8." (THE MYSTERY OF ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH, An Overview of End-time Between Jew and Gentile "The One New Man", by Reuven Doron.)

If history is anything to go by, it would be fair to say that should Israel fail to fulfill the so-called prophetic view of the Church giving birth to Israel, she (Israel) will again be blamed and accused of continued stubbornness and indifference. Again she becomes the "scape-goat" for reckless and irresponsible theological views.

Israel's only Hope is their Messiah. IF all the Church would accept that Israel's national salvation comes through their Messiah (Jesus Christ at His Second Advent) it would know how to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and how to preach the Gospel of Christ.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matt. 24:29).

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Man. 24:30).

".. the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels (2 Thess. 1:7)

"Behold 'the day' of the Lord cometh . .. and his feet shall stand in that day upon Mount Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. . And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee." Zech. 14:1,4,5

". . Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints." (Jude 14)

"Behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. (Rev. 1:7)

"And one shall say unto him, what are the wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, These with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Zech 13:6)

".......Prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear rough garments to deceive." (Zech. 13:4)

"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in 'that day' shall there be one Lord, and his name one." (Zech. 14:9)

"Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." (Isaiah 66:8)

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, THERE SHALL COME OUT OF ZION THE DELIVERER, AND SHALL TURN AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB" (Rom. 11:26)

"The miracle of the preservation of the Jews during the long night of their persecutions cannot be accounted for, only on the supposition that they have been preserved for a purpose. 

The secret of their endurance is twofold.

1. Their National Law.

It preserved them from disease, controlled and regulated their passions, checked the baser impulses of their nature, and secured the vigor of their offspring.

2. Their National Hope.

Amid all the vicissitudes of their history the Jewish people have been upheld by their 'National Hope,' A 'Hope' so radiant, and 'Faith' so beautiful, that the world has never seen its like. The'Hope of a

COMING MESSIAH.

The 'Hope' of the coming of this 'Messiah' has flamed like a 'Morning Star' through the darkness of Israel's long night, and has turned their thoughts toward the dawning of that day when the

SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

shall arise and dispel the gloom and usher in that bright 'Millennial Day' when Righteousness and Peace shall cover the earth as the waters cover the deep." (Dispensational Truth, Clarence Larkin.)

Jewel van der Merwe is the editor/publisher of Discernment Newsletter and other articles and booklets. If you would like more information or a list of available articles from this ministry write her at the address below. Please include a small offering to cover postage and handling. God Bless You!

(EDnote: Though pretribulaitnists/dispensationalists are quoted in this report, I do not agree with those doctrines. But, I do believe this booklet is important to keep before the Church, as an aid to discernment, the foundational teachings about Joel's Army.) 

http://www.letusreason.org/Latrain10.htm

Joels Army

Remember the song that went, "Oh when the saints, come marchin' in, oh when the saints come marchin in, Lord I want to be in that number when the Saints come marchin' in." This is not the tune you'll find Joel's army sings because they are not looking to be brought up to Jesus but waiting for Christ (the anointing) to be brought down upon them to march through the land.

The church that once looked toward being taken away to heaven (Jn.14) has been taught by some to change her focus. In about the mid-70's a triumphalist post-millennial doctrine appeared. Instead of watching for the blessed coming of the Lord the goal became to establish the Kingdom on earth. Doctrines about the rapture, tribulation, an end time apostasy with a literal personal Antichrist were taught as deceptions. Without a tribulation ahead, there is no need to be vigilant, discerning or watchful. With no apostasy, there is no need to look for deception, only blessing. The desire for heavenly things has faded out, and Restorationist Christians no longer "look up". They look around them and consider how to transform the world and rule over it. When Christ comes back they will hand over a Christian earth.

"In all revolutions there are noisy and dangerous times as THE OLD ORDER Is replaced by the now ... after the dust settles. WE CAN PROCEED TO BUILD the beautiful kingdom that the Lord has purposed from the foundations of the World" - Vinson Synan, one of the leaders of A.D. 2000 (FULNESS, Jan - Feb. 1990. Vinson Synan. p. 24.)

Many believe Israel was replaced by the Church in prophecy despite it brought back into its land and the city of Jerusalem reclaimed in 1967. The focus of attention became the earth, rather than the eternal heavenly kingdom. The blessings of God are now, instead of rewards later. The nations and all people are to be Christianized. Taking the nations for God will be accomplished by becoming an army fighting a war against spiritual hosts of wickedness and driving them out of the land. With our newly discovered powers that are taught by the new leaders (apostles and prophets)we can now bind and loose the wicked ones and punish evil.

Ern Baxter said in 1975:.We have individual salvation - but in the nation we have corporate salvation...God’s people are going to start to exercise rule and they’re going to take dominion over the power of Satan. As the rod of his strength goes out of Zion, he will change legislation, he will chase the devil off the face of God’s earth and God’s people will bring about God’s purposes and God’s reign. (MacPherson "Can The Elect Be Deceived" 1986)

Deliverance is now throughout cities and nations as well as Christians. Despite there is no example or teaching that a Christian can be so inhabited some of the best selling books are all about this.(oppression is not the same as possession) Through their teaching, demonization in Christians was also birthed and deliverance ministries through exorcism by the laying on of hands.

Not all Dominionists and Charismatics restorationists believe the same things, especially how it is to be accomplished. Few still believe in a rapture, but there are many variables. So I'm not addressing all but a certain group that has mainly been affiliated with the Vineyard and the prophet/apostle movement from Kansas City and the Latter Rain teachers.

The latter Rain is run on the rail of misinterpreted Scriptures and spiritualizing their context. Hosea 6:3 tells us the Lord will come as the Latter Rain, and James 5:7 speaks of the Latter Rain, but ties it together with the coming of the Lord. The "former and latter rain" refers to the agricultural calendar of the land of Israel although it has a spiritual truth. The latter rain was essential for bountiful crop harvest in Israel. This corresponds to the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost as Peter proclaimed this is like that of Joel but was not the ultimate fulfillment. Joel 2:23 also speaks of a harvest of abundance. But the modern interpreters have given Joel's army new significance. Joel's army will purge the earth (the cleansing) of all wickedness and rebellion and even judge the apostate Church (which is those who do not join their fraternity of miracle workers). They will overcome death itself, they will redeem all creation, and restore the earth. The Church will inherit the earth, and rule the nations all before Christ comes back. When he (Jesus) does come we are to hand the kingdom over to him and he will say job well done, enter into the kingdom. The real Joel's army in Joel 2 does NO miracles and marches strictly through the land of Israel making destruction, there is no blessing from Joel's army marching. If one reads through about Joel's army they find that they will be destroyed in the end.

Because Joels army is called God's army they think that they are his people. they may be doing Gods will but they certainly are not his Church or saints. In the same way Cyrus was called Gods shepherd Isa.44:28 he was given all the kingdoms of the earth Ezra 1:2, 2 chron.36:23, He was called Gods anointed Isa. 45:1"Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut." Sounds familiar? Nebuchadnezzar was also called Gods servant Jer. 43:10"and say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them."One must consider the actions of these mens teachings in light of what Joel is actually saying. So despite their new interpretation, the Bibles definition still stands. They may be called Gods army but they are not his people. Joel's army is the raising up of a devouring army of locusts, (destroyers) to bring judgement upon the land. Whether its Israel or the church, its not good.

Much of this is being preached from the pulpits big and small without the congregant's ever blinking. Without being able to identify phrases they don't know what they are ingesting. Many churches have turned into Latter Rain churches by default or influence, some knowingly and some not.

Benny Hinn shows his latter Rain ties with "The lord said this , this is where my people will rise up as an army and bring millions into the kingdom of God." (Benny Hinn Honolulu Blaisdale Jan.21 1999)

Jack Deere states "This army is unique…when this army comes , its large and mighty. it's so mighty that there has never been anything like it before. Not even when, Moses not even David, not even Paul . what's going to happen, now will transcend what Paul did, what David did what Moses did…

Rick Joyner teaches ""What is about to come upon the earth is not just a revival, or another awakening; it is a veritable revolution. The vision was given in order to begin to awaken those who are destined to radically change the course, and even the very definition of Christianity. The dismantling of organizations and disbanding of some works will be a positive and exhilarating experience for the Lord's faithful servants...the Lord will raise up a great company of prophets, teachers, pastors and apostles that will be of the spirit of Phinehas ... this "ministry of Phinehas" will save congregations, and at times, even whole nations. …Nations will tremble at the mention of their name..."(THE HARVEST, Rick Joyner)

Notice Its not the name of Jesus they will tremble at but THEIR NAME. All this from a vision to awaken the destined.

So if one does not involve themselves in this then they are not faithful servants. But our attention should be on the statement of changing the course and definition of Christianity. What person in all of history has ever said this? Certainly Martin Luther's contribution was to bring the Church back to its correct doctrine and purpose. Is this what Joyner and others mean? Certainly not, as we look at the following statements of explaining what they want it to be like.

"In the near future we will not be looking back at the early church with envy because of the great exploits of those days, but all will be saying that He certainly did save the best wine for last. The most glorious times in all of history have not come upon us. You, who have dreamed of one day being able to talk with Peter, John and Paul, are going to be surprised to find that they have all been waiting to talk to you." (Rick Joyner, The Harvest Morning Star, 9, 1990)

This means the apostles were not special in starting the Church and having divine miracles, we are. Think about the ramifications of this proposal. This means if the Church began with them and today's Church with its SUPER apostles and prophets will do greater things. Then the Church really begins all over again.

Nowhere does Scripture teach that the Church will do wonders like this in the end. Jesus actually WARNED that these signs and wonders at the end are to DECEIVE THE ELECT.(MT.24) Is anyone paying attention to the Scripture and the time we are living in?

Mormons are not the only ones who have false modern apostles. John a true apostle said the Church did. Rev.2:2 "And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;" Notice John says they have tested them. Paul said the Church did as well 2 Cor. 11:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ." Notice Paul says they transform themselves to look like they do. How? By their teaching, authority and could very well have had manifestations of power.

" The early church was a firstfruits offering, truly this will be a harvest! It was said of the Apostle Paul that he was turning the world upside down; it will be said of the apostles soon to be anointed that they have turned an upside down world right side up." (Rick Joyner, The Harvest, 128-129) So from what I can gather Joyner says that they are going to reverse what the Apostle Paul did.

Peter Wagner has recently written a book called the New Apostolic Churches which explains the new Apostolic Spirit that is raising international leaders. It is from these Churches that the new Christianity will go forth and be implemented throughout the world.

We are not talking about those who plant churches or are leaders of movements or denominations, but those who claim Spiritual authority JUST LIKE the Apostles, by revelations and miracles. This boasting before the facts is a constant theme throughout these men's writings.

Joseph Smith of the Mormons in May 1844 proclaimed this: "I have more to boast of than any man ever had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a church together since the days of Adam.…Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I." While the boasting may be for slightly different reasons essentially, the end result is the same. Some will do what even the apostles were unable to do.

Jack Deere explains Joel 2 in the context of Ezekiel 9: "When this army comes, He says it’s large and it’s mighty. It’s so mighty that there’s never been anything like it before…‘begin the slaughter and begin it in the temple and begin it with the elders, the leaders of my people.’ And they walk through the land and they start and they begin to slaughter and you know it’s already started with the biggest names in His household? He has already started the slaughter…and it is coming now among the Church."( It Sounds Like the Mother of All Battles, Jack Deere, VMI, Joel’s Army, 1990, "Joel’s Army")

'' ...this army is totally unique. This army, there's never been one like it and there never will be one like it in ages to come. ...Its so mighty that there's never been anything like it before. Not even Moses, not even David, not even Paul. What's going to happen now will transcend what Paul did, what David did .. what Moses did, even though Moses parted the Red Sea ... there'll be a numerous company. . , Revelation hints at this when it talks about the 144,000 that follow the Lamb wherever He goes and no one, no one can harm that 144,000. See, that's a multiple of 12. What's 12? Twelve is the number of the Apostles, 12 is Apostolic government. And when you take an important number in the Bible and you multiply if, it means you intensify it. So, 12, 000 times 12, 000 = 144, 000. That is the ultimate in Apostolic government. Revelation talks about that. Well, here Joel is talking about it now in different words, a powerful, a MIGHTY ARMY with many Paul's many Moses', many David's." ( VINEYARD MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL 1990.)

This is portraying an "elite" special group which is exactly what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim that they are the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14. Both The JW's And Deere are wrong. The bible means just what it says in this instance, they are Jews from the 12 tribes who are evangelists not an army and certainly not a destructive one as in Joel. This genuine Revival they are waiting for (as the main participants) is introduced by the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists. Those who respond to their message will literally lose their head over it.

Terry Virgo, in "Restoration in the Church" says this is about God visiting the Church! It is treated as the coming of the GLORY of Christ, in the Latter Rain visitation, not the physical coming. And "the result of that visitation is that the poor misguided flock is UNITED and transformed into a majestic war-horse - a great vehicle of power and energy, a fearsome, awe-inspiring, effective tool of WAR. The sheep become "mighty men treading down the enemy in battle" … and the flock is TRANSFORMED CORPORATELY (they become the Corporate Christ).

As Jewel van deMere so clearly puts it," The MANIFESTED SONS believe they are establishing a new and glorious Kingdom - led by a NEW BREED of men of women. The "Joel's Army" now individually manifest as Sons of God. would be revealed to the world as many "saviours" who would take dominion and execute judgment."

Jack Deere speak of an invincible army. He says, "...they won't be able to kill this army." John Wimber also stated, "those in this army will have the 'kind of anointing ... his kind of power ... anyone who wants to harm them must die".

Paul Cain says that out of this unity will come an army, Joel's Army, based on Joel 2: "I told you about ... this recurring [35 year-old] vision I had.... The angel of the Lord said, 'You're standing at the crossroads of life. What do you see?' And I saw a brilliantly lit billboard which reads, 'Joel's Army now in training.' . . . .I believe one day soon Joel's Army will be in training ... until it graduates into the stadium .... But a right understanding of the plan of God for this generation brings this tremendous inclusion.... God's offering to you, this present generation, a greater privilege than was ever offered any generation at any time from Adam clear down through the millennium."

"I had a vision of you people coming from . . . a circle of maybe a hundred miles and I saw people coming from every major city within that circumference and a great conclave was taking place, and it was the training of Joel's Army. . . . I believe that people are going to come together by the thousands and train for the Army of the Lord. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I mean, that's long overdue." (Grace Ministries tape)

Paul Cain has prophesied a day when sporting events throughout the world will be cancelled because the stadiums will be used for revival meetings. He says the Lord gave him this vision around the late fifties or early sixties ,and it his been repeated more than 100 times since then. This spectacular happening will see millions brought to Christ in a short period of time.

"I had a dream that became a recurring dream, and it was about all the stadiums - and we've told this hundreds and hundreds of time all across America, all over the world, in fact - and I saw these stadiums and football fields, soccer fields and sports arenas, all of them filled with thousands of people, sometimes over 100,000 in each place" (Christ Chapel, August 30, 1995). This is much more than what we have seen from Promise Keepers, in fact we may be only seeing the first of these gatherings .

I don't think everyone is in the same way involved but the statements seem uncannily the same. Coach McCartney wants unity and every church involved. In a Promise Keepers gathering in the Detroit Silver Dome stadium in April 1995, founder Bill McCartney, speaks of a great army like Cain and others, "We have a great army that we are assembling. They're the Christian men of this nation. However, our leadership, our clergy are not uniform. Our clergy are divided. . . . There's no unity of command. . . …We have to assume that responsibility. We have to say, 'Are we impacting our clergy in a way that's going to take them and make them all that they have to be in order to lead this army?' Because the shepherds are the ones God's chosen to lead us out of here" (Promise Keepers Meeting, April 29, 1995, Detroit Silver Dome).

The last time I read the Scripture it was Jesus who was the captain of the Lords army, and he was in charge then, as he is now in the Church. Who will be the leaders or leader of this Church army? We have no appointed Generals except self appointed ones today.God has made local church's as part of the universal Church, each is autonomous. None answer to a leadership that controls them all since they are to be called men in the pastorate listening to Gods direction for their communities as well as in the world.

'Why wouldn't you want to be a part of what God wants to do with His hand-picked leaders?' . . . I think Almighty God is going to rip open the hearts of our leaders. I think He's going to tear them open. And I think he's going to put them back together again as one. One leadership. We've got to have one leadership, one leadership only. We've got to have everybody hitting on all cylinders. There's only one race. It's the human race. There's only one culture. Its Christ before culture. Christ culture - that's all that there is." (Promise Keepers Meeting, April 29, 1995, Detroit Silver Dome).

Scripture verse for this? NONE

The bible says no such thing, it says the opposite. And it becomes a dangerous precedent when a few control the many, church or not! Jesus said the field is the world. The wheat and tares grow up together. And we had better be able to distinguish the difference in our day. This concept of unity was tried by the Catholic Church to integrate religion with the state and politics. And it became the downfall of a Church that was kept pure by persecution. We may yet see the "holy wars" like the early Holy Roman Empire revived to try and produce what only Christ can as the Prince of Peace.

Rick Joyner who seems to be a main promoter of an end time army wrote from his visions about "a bloody civil war" in the Church. (Latter Rain Revival, 1996) that the blues and the grays in his end-time war scenario in the church is that just likened to the American Civil war. He interprets this with "In dreams and visions blue often represents heavenly-mindedness – the sky is blue - and gray speaks of those who live by the power of their own minds – the brain is often called gray matter - This will be a conflict between those who may be genuine Christians, but who live mostly according to their natural minds and human wisdom, and those who follow the Holy Spirit." (Morningstar Prophetic Bulletin, 5/96 )

Spoken like a true Gnostic. First he has a dream of prophecy that is not biblical, then he himself interprets the meaning by the colors from dreams, which are from the view of his human understanding.

Joyner says, "I do not believe that this [prophecy] can now be stopped, or that the Lord wants it stopped" The main reason for the spiritual civil war is over the institution of spiritual slavery and " to drive the accuser out of the church, and for the church then to come into a unity that would otherwise be impossible." descriptions like 'this is the church's greatest victory, her finest hour, triumphantly marching, empowered for victory' are commonplace for those who want to assert Gods kingdom on earth now. But by this method the are exhibiting a master to slave relationship which operates on power. This is not the servitude that Christ said would be found in his followers.

Joyner contradicts himself by saying "Criticism is one of the ultimate manifestations of pride because, whenever we criticize someone else we are by that assuming that we are superior to them, Pride brings that which any rational human being should fear the most - God's resistance. We would be better off having all of the demons in hell resisting us than God!" (Epic Battles of The Last Days, p.23, Rick Joyner)Thats exactly what Joels army ends up to be, resisted by God and destroyed.

What I see in Joyners writings is much criticism of the Church, but it is disguised as dreams and visions from the Lord for guidance. all one has to do is read his writings and it won't be long before they see certain Christians demonized in graphic detail. To be rational one must use their mind, something of which he has already drawn a line in the sand on his own imaginary battlefield as the enemy. As he has accused the brethren of not being spiritual, even to the point of identifying the "Antichrist" as the orthodox church. (Weighed and Found Wanting, Bill Randles, p. 64.) As far as I'm concerned, criticism does not have to be severe, it can be advantageous to ones growth if it presents the truth and is done with right motive's.

May we have the full armor of God on as Joel's army begins to march and challenges the historic view of Christianity. Yes, there just may be a civil war, but it certainly would not be necessary if those who aggressively want to change the Church and the world by power would get back to the literal interpretation of the Scriptures for its guidance, and let God be God.