The “Pentecostal” and Other Movements
By R. C. Porter
Under the above heading the editor of the Overcomer, January, 1910, gives the following illustration of counterfeit religious exercises:— In confirmation of our statement that evil spirits can and do find entry to the bodies or minds of true children of God, and that the door has been peculiarly opened to them through the medium of “tongues,” we give the following extract from an article in a German paper. The writer says:— “It still remains a burning question as to whether the speaking in tongues that we know today is Scriptural or not. In my opinion we have sinned in that we have neglected the simple command of the Lord, to ‘try the spirits whether they are of God.’ . . . The Lord led me, in Baak and other places, into contact with the ‘spirits’ which are manifested in the so-called ‘tongue movement.’ . . . And now that I have come into contact with the spirits, I must say a word of warning against this demoniacal power which has gained an influence over so many of the children of God. To this end I will give a short account of my experience among them:— “This year we had our tent in A——. Our brother —— [the leader in A——] had been present at the tongues conference in England and Amsterdam, and later in Muelheim and Ruhr. He himself did not speak with tongues, but he was in favor of the movement. Many of the members of the gemeinschaft (community) in which this brother is a minister, received the gift of tongues by that laying on of hands of brethren who took part in the conference at Muelheim. Different things that he observed made him doubtful, and eventually skeptical, in the matter. He resolved to investigate, that is, to ‘try the spirits,’ and came to the conclusion that it was with demons that they had to reckon. During this trying of the spirits, which as far as I can judge was Scriptural, among much else, the following occurred: One spirit announced through a child of God, in tongues, ‘Cursed be Jesus Christ.’ Another brother who spoke in tongues, and whose spirit was tried, said, ‘Worship me.’ The spirit in this man demanded direct worship, which the Holy Spirit does not do. (John 16: 13-15.) “In the early part of September I came into personal contact with one of the spirits. . . . A sister who had received the gift of tongues by the laying on of hands at the conference at Muelheim, when it had been proved that the spirit by which she spoke was a demon, wished to be set free. For several hours we prayed with and for her. The spirit, which had previously spoken of Golgotha and the blood, of glory and of revival, now began to abuse us in tongues in the most fearful manner. When we commanded him to depart in the name of Jesus, he told us simply we need take no further trouble, he did not intend to go, we had better depart. Then the spirit began threatening the sister in tongues. “He was furious with her that she had betrayed him, and he threatened to destroy her. The more we prayed, the more he raged, and cursed, and swore, and threatened us. I am not at all an emotional man, but I had the impression that the room was full of demons. The spirit flung the sister about the room, tore and bit her body in a fearful way. . . . We ourselves heard the spirit cursing and swearing in tongues. The words used were so awful that I cannot write them down. I understood a good deal without the sister’s interpretation, for at times the spirit spoke in Latin, Italian, and sometimes French. Unfortunately I could understand only fragments without interpretation, as the spirit spoke very rapidly. It is awful to think that these demons, raging, swearing, and threatening to murder us, up to this time had spoken to the children of God, of Golgotha and revivals, and other spiritual matters, and had been believed. What is to become of the people of God if they believe such demons?” “These speakers with tongues act in the same way as Spiritualists and their mediums.” The following extracts are from an article under the above heading, which appeared in the Overcomer of June, 1910. The questions are outlined by Mr. Evan Roberts, the leader of the remarkable revival movement in Wales, in order that Christian workers might be set praying and seeking light so that they might know the workings of God and the counterfeiting workings of the enemy. The following are some of the questions and answers:— Do you know it possible for a Christian to be deceived, even when true and faithful? Yes. The believer can be deceived through lack of knowledge. Ignorance opens the way for evil spirits to work. They can counterfeit the workings of God to the soul, so that he believes that the “light” which comes to him is from God. As he accepts any false light from deceiving spirits, he is deceived. Do you know it possible for a soul to surrender itself to evil spirits, believing it to be surrendering to the Holy Spirit? Yes. The believer, having believed the lie, now yields himself up to the “light” he thinks has come from God. The evil spirit thus gains possession upon the ground of the lie. The more wholehearted the devotion, the deeper the surrender, and hence the deeper the deception. This is how I was deceived. I was whole-hearted for God, obedient to the light God had given; knew the Lord as my Saviour and sanctifier, but evil spirits deceived me. They came to me with what looked like some new truth from God which had the apparent support of Scripture, and was something I thought would make me more useful in God’s service. I longed to have God’s highest and best, and the deceiving spirits worked upon that. I believed their lies, and was deceived. I believed that the experience they gave me was from God; sometimes I had misgivings which brought unrest, but the deceiving spirits were careful to tell me that “unbelief” came from Satan, and, fearing to disobey God, I continued in my bondage. They would not allow me to question the experience I had received, and this was one subtle way they kept me deceived. Do you know of any doctrines of demons? Enumerate the ones you know of. Yes. “Doctrines of demons” may be under the guise of holiness and sanctification, and so subtle are these demons in their deceptive teaching, that it is only the man of deep experience who can detect them; for they will float a ton of truth to launch one lie, and carefully keep the lie covered until they gain possession. The times are perilous. The last days have been reached. Deceptions abound. The Bible says, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8: 20. False manifestations are evidence of true manifestations. There is to be a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter days, more powerful than Pentecost in apostolic times. Joel 2: 1, 23-32. The last days of this prophecy include the last day of human history. It began to be fulfilled moderately in apostolic days. It will reach its climax in the very last days. Joel 2: 23. Satan runs ahead, doing great things with the counterfeit; but the Lord follows in due time, doing great things through the genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel 2: 20, 21. Commenting on the gospel commission, and its accompanying power, H. L. Hastings says:— Better “all authority,” as in the American Revised Version. The word is not dunamis, power, but exousia, authority, including ability, place, rulership, right to exercise power. The word dunamis is used in Acts 1: 8. “All power is given unto me.” Did you ever think how much power there is on earth? There is the power of the wind. Do you know of anybody who can control that? There is the power of the waves. Do you know of anybody who can master them? There are the powers of nature—the heaving of the tides, the swelling of the seeds in the earth, the mighty upspringing that clothes the field with grass. There is the power of the clouds. There is the power of heat, in which the strongest iron that ever was forged will melt. There is the power that pours down floods from on high. . . . Think of the millions of glowing orbs that flame through the skies. Think of this world rolling in its mighty orbit. Think of the sun sweeping on in its eternal pathway. Think of the power that moves these things. Some people do not understand how the sun could be made to stand still. Well, if you will tell me what keeps it going, I will tell you how it was made to stand still. All power in the universe; . . . all power over men; all power over devils; all power over everything—“all power”! You have no power over10winds, but he spoke to the winds, and they obeyed him. You have no power over the waves, but he said, “Peace, be still,” and there was a great calm. You have no power over “all manner of diseases,” but he spoke to the sick, and healed them. You have no power over evil spirits, but he cast out devils with his word. You have no power over the dead, but he called them from the silence of the tomb, and bade them live. Such is the power of the Word of God that it speaks to hearts today with transforming power, and they are changed from a state of hopeless, helpless despair into the character and hope represented in the life of Christ. Its miracles of divine grace are abundant. We have not passed the age of miracles. Every man who ever tested the call of Christ to a transformed life as revealed in the Word by the touch of faith, is a witness to its efficacy and power. And the word of his power ever has been, now is, and ever will be a miracle-working power.
R. C. PORTER.