Types of Rapture (~9.1 MB) - Moriel Ministries

ister” Bob Jones told Bentley he believed
the angel‘s name was Winds of Change
– the same angel, Jones said, that visited
healing evangelist William Branham in the
1940s. (Paul Steven Ghiringhelli, Lakeland,
Fla., Asst News Editor, Charisma,
HYPERLINK “http://www.charismamag.
com/news/archives/042208d.html” http://
www.charismamag.com/news/archives/
042208d.html)
”…the second night of the Lakeland
meetings…he said he saw an angel he described
as carrying the Winds of Change.”
Asking him to describe this angel, Bentley
replied that those familiar with the life
of William Branham would recognize the
angel from being a relevant factor in his
healing ministry. He felt that this angel‘s
appearance signaled a “shift in the atmosphere”
for the meetings and felt that an
openness for revival had been ushered in.
(Teresa Neumann, “Reports of Revival
Breaking Out in Lakeland, Florida,” HY-
PERLINK “http://www.freshfire.ca/index.
phpAct=read&status=revival&Id=132&
pid=954&bid=93” http://www.freshfire.
ca/index.phpAct=read&status=revival&I
d=132&pid=954&bid=93)
“He has prepared you for such a time
as this ... there is a Branham anointing on
you and a double portion of it! (Che Ahn to
Todd Bentley, Lakeland Revival, April 24,
2008, God TV)
Bentley is well read on Branham. In an
article entitled, “Living in the Supernatural,”
Bentley describes in detail how Branham
conducted his services: “When people
would come on the platform to receive
healing and Branham entered that realm,
he would go into visions and tell everyone
many details of their life. He did this only as
a sign that the Lord would heal them. People
would wait in healing lines for hours.
They would have to get a card with a number
to get into the healing line to even get
prayer. He would wait for an angel to come
and stand behind him on his left side. He
would do nothing until the angel arrived.”
The beginning of the prophetic movement
goes back to the 1940s where there
began what certain Pentecostals call the
“Healing Revival.” It continued from 1947
to 1957, led by Oral Roberts, T.L. Osborn,
Jack Coe, A.A. Allen, and O.L. Jaggers. Gordon
Lindsay’s Voice of Healing magazine
recorded many of their astonishing stories.
And there was also William Branham who
stood out among them all as “the healer and
prophet.” The Pentecostal Healing Movement
was transformed by a number of new
teachings he introduced. It was called the
Latter-Rain, which began in Canada from
Branham who laid hands on the leaders.
From the beginning Branham had unusual
manifestations which he attributed to
Mike Oppenheimer
his angel. “The power invested me by my
commission given by Almighty God and
ministered to me by an Angel, a Pillar of
Light” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals
p.112-113). Branham admits the angel is a
pillar of light (this will become important
as we look at Todd Bentley’s experiences
with angels and light). The angel that William
Branham had was actually a powerful
angel of light – a demonic entity that masqueraded
as the angel of the Lord and the
Holy Spirit of God. This entity appeared
throughout Branham’s life from early
childhood and eventually led him into all
kinds of serious error. It is crucial to understand
what Bentley is claiming, by renewing
the call of William Branham. Bentley’s
acknowledgement of his angel as Branham’s
angel via Bob Jones (notwithstanding
the many other angels that constantly
visit him) puts his imprimatur on Branham
being used of God. This is not that unusual;
many charismatics endorse Branham.
The difference is that he is saying this angel
is an influence or power in his ministry.
If one examines the beliefs of William
Branham that were taught by this angel
there is no other conclusion but it being
heresy. Branham was guided by this angel
his whole life, he claimed the angel
was with him night and day. He stated
that he was unable to minister unless the
angel was at his side (Kurt Koch, Occult
Bondage and Deliverance, pp. 49-50).
“I’m convinced that it’s the Angel of the
Lord.…I’m convinced that, right now,
that this is what I’m looking at, this circle
of light before me, I’m convinced that’s
the Holy Spirit! (“Convinced than Concerned,”
June 10, 1962). Ironically, Bentley
is also “Convinced than Concerned.”
The healings and prophecies purportedly
came through an angel that was
always with Branham on stage and continually
gave him counsel and revelations
(Kathie Adler, William Branham: His
Life and Teachings, Narrow Way Ministries,
Holbrook, N.Y., 1986; pp. 3-5).
Branham claimed that he was the angel
in Rev 3:14 and 10:7. From a supernatural
experience he believed that he
was Elijah, who would precede Christ’s
second coming. Branham taught that the
angels to the seven churches in the Book
of Revelation were men who appeared at
various times throughout Church history
bringing new revelation, and that he was
the messenger of the last Church age, Laodicea.
From his alleged angelic influence,
he denied the Trinity and called it a satanic
doctrine: “Thus saith the Lord, ‘trinitarianism
is of the Devil’” (Footprints, p. 606).
Branham taught the oneness doctrine
of the godhead: “Christ, and the Holy
Spirit is the self same person, only in a
Point of Interest
different form. It’s three manifestations of
the same Person, or you might call it three
offices....” (The Revelation of the Seven
Seals, pp.156-157) He at times denied that
the Son of God is the eternal God. In referring
to John.1 he said, “Now, in the beginning
was the word. A word is thought expressed.
In the beginning He wasn‘t even
God” (The Mighty God Unveiled Before
Us, p.11). Branham taught numerous other
strange and heretical doctrines: that God in
all ages had skin on him, even before the
incarnation; that Eve’s sin in the Garden
of Eden (Genesis 3) was sexual sin with
the serpent and that Cain was the offspring
(known as the serpent seed doctrine). Branham
believed in two authorities besides
the Scriptures: the Zodiac and the Egyptian
pyramids were other revelations of
God. He taught that denominations were
abominations; belonging to any denomination
meant you had taken “the mark
of the beast.” There are many others too
numerous to list here. Those who endorse
Branham as genuine only implicate themselves
as being ignorant and immature in
the Word of God. (see Branham).
From the Latter Rain of this time period
we hear the same: “the next great outpouring
is going to be marked by all these
other truths plus such a demonstration of
the nine gifts of the Spirit as the world, not
even the Apostolic world, has ever witnessed
before. This revival will be short
and will be the last before the Rapture of the
Church” (Richard Riss, Latter Rain, Honeycomb
Visual Productions, pg. 56-57).
Today we hear: “On New Year’s Eve,
for 2008, God told Bob Jones that ‘the third
wave was coming.’ Todd asked Bob what
the third wave was. He said that Toronto
was wave #1, Pensacola was wave #2, and
the third wave is the ‘Winds of Change’
– this move of God. This move will be a
global move, traveling with signs and wonders
all over the world! The third wave is
here!” http://www.openheaven.com/
The “third wave” is a cliché
coined by Peter Wagner who heads
up the apostle/ prophet movement
where many of the Kansas city prophets
have come under his leadership.
From what I have read and watched in
video, when you go to one of these meetings
your senses will be assaulted by the enthusiasm
of the crowd and Todd Bentley’s supermarket
of supernatural ideas and revelation
experiences that exceed those of any
biblical apostle. As he tells his stories he
acts out his induction by psychological and
spiritual manipulation in an entertaining
package. A servant of God does not speak
or act in this manner. Bentley can manifest
the “anointing” by shaking his head
back and forth, with his body physically
June 2008 • Moriel Quarterly 19