PART 6: Great Awakening or Great Deception

If you haven't read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 of this article series, I recommend doing so before proceeding with this article. I am composing this series of articles and the aim is to assist individuals in understanding the current political and spiritual climate in America. The target audience I am trying to educate is those within the Evangelical community. A primary focus of my ministry is to aid believers in "contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3), which is also the central goal of this series of articles.

I don't like covering the topics that I felt I needed to cover in this series of articles and I understand I may have cut across the grain of political opinions. I departed from the Republican party following January 6, 2021, and currently I am politically unaffiliated. I will explore my political views and what I believe a Christian perspective should be when I discuss having a solid ecclesiology. I created this series of articles because I felt compelled to address our present political and spiritual environment for two reasons.

Number 1: As a believer in Christ, I felt it was crucial to address the political climate in contemporary America, as it impacts us all spiritually. We are all in this together as Americans. In this series of articles, I've offered an alternative viewpoint to help you see through my eyes. You might not agree with all my opinions, but diverse perspectives are what have made America great. The church is not a political party and people of faith can have different political views and still be faithful followers of Christ.

Number 2: We all have gifts and one of my gifts is to be a teacher. I'm writing this because I have a responsibility to use my gift to help others. Now as a teacher of the Bible I want to make sure that I do my best to present myself "to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:19). In the previous articles, I offered you opinions and perspectives on the spiritual influences affecting our nation. In the upcoming articles, I wish to share with you a viewpoint from the eternal word of God. Ultimately, in the context of eternity, what truly matters is the opinion of the Creator of all things, the Word made flesh.

Living In The Land Of Illusion?

The year 2025 began with an announcement of a Golden Age celebrated by the highest levels of the United States government. The far-right political talking heads are forecasting a Great Awakening to a new social order as they disseminate their daily podcasts. Prophets in the New Apostolic Reformation are announcing a Great Awakening of spirituality in the nation like we have never seen before surpassing all American Awakenings. It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of the moment and be carried away by emotional fervor, only to later realize you were involved in something more illusory than real. History is filled with similar examples, and it would be wise for us to move forward carefully and with full awareness.

A crucial lesson I've gained from participating in fanatical movements is the need to use critical thinking skills. Did you know that the Bible never mentions a Great Awakening? The Bible does not even discuss revival. Now some will point to Josiah's reforms in 2 Kings chapter 22 and 23 as an example where the discovery of the Mosaic Law resulted in a time of spiritual renewal. I do think that is a valid argument. I started this series of articles talking about what has been called the First Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakenings in America.

The Second Great Awakening was from the 1790's to the 1840's preceding the Civil War. Due to the growing population centers in the United States and various movements, the Second 'Great Awakening' was not a single movement. It was a period marked by the Advent Movement, Holiness Movement, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Restoration Movements, Social Gospel Movements, Temperance Movements, and Abolitionists of slavery Movements. It was primarily rooted in historical Christian faith based solely on the Bible. However, the Second Great Awakening saw the mixing of differing ideologies and emphases, with some actually departing from the historic faith established by the apostolic fathers in the New Testament.

An honest historian would admit that the Second Great Awakening was spiritually tumultuous. It led to the formation of the Methodist Denomination, yet it was also rife with confusion and some overtly heretical ideas like the Mormons, the Shakers' and the Unitarian's. It sparked spiritual revival and social change, but it definitely wasn't the kingdom of God on earth. The historical account reveals a mixed picture. I recommend watching this short video as it offers a quick historical overview of this period of social reform and spiritual awakening.

The Second Great Awakening

The reason history is important to understand is because as Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "There is nothing new under the sun." Mark Twain once said, "history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." In the emotional atmosphere of revivalism, there is a risk of disengaging your critical thinking skills and starting to attribute everything to the supernatural work of the Spirit. You start to believe that you are experiencing a unique movement of the Spirit that has never occurred before, making it easy to get caught up in an emotional whirlwind. It primes you to believe things you otherwise might not have believed. Deception dates back to the serpent in the garden, which is why we must consistently test, prove, and examine spiritual matters.

I was freed from drug addiction and found salvation at an Assemblies of God church in 1989. I identify as a Continuist and Charismatic. I speak in tongues and engage in spiritual gifts, but I don't want to base what I believe on mythology. Mythology consists of folklore or a collection of stories from a particular religious tradition.

Paul in 2 Timothy 4:2-4 told us to "be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." It's a warning I've learned to heed because over the years I've encountered many Pentecostal myths and folklore.

Again I consider myself a Continuist and Charismatic. I hold a Master's Degree from a Pentecostal institution and have studied numerous historical accounts from Pentecostalism. What I've realized is that while many of these stories may contain elements of truth, they have largely evolved into mythology rather than history.

The Charismatic movement has experienced three recent revivals. In 1995, there were the Brownsville Pensacola Revival and the Toronto Airport Church revival's. Later, in 2008, the Lakeland Revival took place, all within the same Charismatic community. I lived in Toronto from 1994 to 1997, so I spent some time at that revival. It was a mix of positive and negative experiences.

I witnessed people touched by the Spirit, observed mentally ill individuals behaving erratically, and saw people influenced by evil spirits. The most significant issue I noticed was unsound teaching and a lack of discernment, which can lead to delusion. No one corrected the behavior, because they said they didn't want to quench the Spirit. In my experience the Charismatic movement is often characterized by illusion and delusion, largely due to Charismatic mythology stemming from biased historical narratives promoted within the movement. Charismatics have been primed to believe false prophets because a lot of the founding has been rooted in pretenders and frauds.

One lesson I've gathered about history is that it largely hinges on the author of the narrative. The account you receive is frequently influenced by the observer's biases and perspective. Allow me to provide you with an example. Kenneth Copeland Ministries publishes a book about John G. Lake who was one of the early Pentecostal faith healers. If you listen to Bill Johnson here in this interview with Che Ahn and read Bill's books he believes the myths written about John G. Lake.

Bill Johnson, a prominent leader in the contemporary Charismatic church, places significant trust in the accounts of John G. Lake, which shape his belief system. The Charismatic Movement perceives both John G. Lake and William Branham as example's of manifest son's of God who exhibited extraordinary powers. The men are literally lifted up as demi-god's and people who should be taken as an example to follow.

Now I read the book about John G. Lake over 30 years ago in my late 20's. It's mind blowing stories, one after the other of miracles and healings on par with the gospel accounts of Christ. I believed this was a genuine history book that could be relied upon like the Bible, but I must confess that I was misled. You can't historically validate anything in this book published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries. To call this an historical narrative of John G. Lake's life is grossly inaccurate.

I'm not saying Kenneth Copeland made things up about John G. Lake because he just put into print stories written by Gordon Lindsey who founded Christ for the Nations Bible institute in Dallas, TX. Did you know Gordon Lindsey has direct ties to John Alexander Dowie and William Branham. It is historically proven and without a doubt John Alexander Dowie and William Branham were frauds from the beginning of their ministries. I think we should all be able to agree that a person who intentionally lies is a fraud.

I have no problem calling them wolves and false prophets. John Alexander Dowie was a complete conman, fraud and cult leader. William Branham too was clearly a fraud, conman and cult leader when you look at the evidence. He has direct ties to the Ku Klux Klan and homosexuality was recorded in his ministry, highlighting just a few of the disqualifying character traits of the individual. To create a narrative of these two men as being men of God is to create a false illusion. It's Charismatic mythology and there seems to be a lot of mythology in the Charismatic movement. One could say it's been built on a lot of illusion.

Now to me Gordon Lindsey is a mixed bag. He was born in John Alexander Dowie's cult city of Zion, Illinois. I'm posting a video below documenting his life. He lived in an alternate illusion of religious confusion from the beginning of his life so I am somewhat sympathetic to him. Gordon Lindsey established the missionary school Christ For The Nations in Dallas, TX. The video below is eye opening if you have ever read the book God's Generals. It should cause you to question a lot of the history or quite frankly most of the mythology of Pentecostalism.

The life story of Gordon Lindsay

I've been to services at Christ For The Nations and I had a great Aunt that worked as a cook at this school for years. I know several people personally who have graduated from this school. I believe many individuals have benefited from this school, while others have been negatively affected. I don't share all the theological views of Christ For The Nations. It is deeply involved in the prophetic branch of the New Apostolic Reformation, but I wouldn't label it as a cult or non-Christian. I view many of their practices as Charismatic Gnosticism and suggest that you test, evaluate, discern, and apply the critical thinking abilities that God has provided you.

John Collins who came out of the William Branham cult has done extensive research on early Pentecostalism and the Latter Rain Movement. If you listen to this historical account it should call into question believing any of the stories that John G. Lake wrote about himself and that Gordon Lindsey published. This is a concise historical video on John G. Lake, which is thoroughly documented and challenges the authenticity of books written about him.

I would encourage you to go study John Collins historical work. I wish I had received a clear historical account of the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Latter Rain movements, rather than the Charismatic myths I was told. Now, 35 years later, I still identify as a Continuist and consider myself a Charismatic, but I refuse to dwell in a world of illusions. I'm providing this information to assist you in developing critical thinking skills, as any revival in America is likely to result in a true outpouring of the Spirit, along with an increase in extremism, frauds, eccentrics, and false prophets like never before. It will make the chaos of the Jesus Movement in the 1960s and 1970s appear trivial, which is why embracing truth is crucially important.

What Is Truth?

We live in days when they tell us that white is black and black is white.  The very core of truth is being challenged from all sides.   Disinformation and the twisting of truth is something that has become common place in America. The question that the Roman ruler Pilate asked Jesus the night before he was crucified is a question still being asked.  Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”  If I was to do a man on the street interview and walk up to people asking them this question.  “What is truth?”  The answers I would get would be as varied as the person to whom I am asking the question.  In today’s world truth like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

            In our postmodern world truth is relative.  Everyone has their own truth made in their own image so what is true to one person could be false to another person.  There are no absolutes in todays’ postmodern culture where relativism is the norm.   Remember Satan was able to convince Eve, through his subtle and cunning speech that what was forbidden by God, would be good for her.  It’s the postmodern lie of relativism which says truth is whatever you make it. 

            Satan was the first post-modernist who destroyed truth through relativism where there are no absolutes, but just the mushy grayness of man being his own god.  The father of lie’s initial sin was pride and thinking that he could be like God.  As a result of his pride, he became a deceiver, liar and twister of truth.  The main weapons of the enemy are enticing philosophies with a scriptural foundation that have been taken out of context. Every serious Bible student knows that context means everything since you can make the Bible say just about anything you want it to say if you take it out of context. The crucial question we all face is the one Pilate posed to Christ the day before His crucifixion: 'What is Truth?' With the rise of misinformation, propaganda, and AI, we are all prompted to question what truth really is, and as believers in the risen Christ, we must be firmly rooted in Him.

Embracing Simplicity Amidst Confusion

I believe there are pivotal moments in both human history and the history of nation-states, but these events are typically characterized by chaos, confusion, and distortion. The 'fog of war' occurs during periods of significant change due to uncertainty and confusion. It affects decision-making, arising from incomplete information and the intrinsic chaos of misinformation. I want to see a move of the Spirit as much as anyone, but I want the real thing.

I am not going to claim to have answers to the multiple problems facing our nation, but what I do hope to provide you with is a clear understanding of some simple truths from the word of God that will help you through confusing times. It's important that you know how to stand on your own with a solid relationship with God and not be taken captive by deception. The Bible does not talk about a Great Awakening, but it talks a lot about deception.

Jesus specifically told us to "beware of false prophets, whom come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). He said, "for false christ's and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray" (Matthew 24:24). Paul told us that our own sin can deceive us (Romans 7:11) and Jeremiah said that our hearts can be deceitful (Jer. 17:9) which both call for humility.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 says, "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough." The New Testament has 33 references to being deceived and 18 references to being led astray so I think that is something we should pay attention to. We don't need to fear, but we do need to be wise and make sure we understand the truth found in Christ.

The goal I have as a teacher is to help you study and understand the Bible for yourself. It is one of the main keys in discerning deceptive techniques of people who would lead you astray (II Timothy 2:15). If you don't engage in basic Biblical study, critical thinking, and use spiritual discernment, how can you determine whether what someone is teaching is true? Relying solely on well-known ministers and your favorite prophet can mislead you. Recent exposure within the body of Christ should have taught everyone to stop depending on people as their only source for understanding the Bible and to begin developing their own personal relationship with God.

You don't have to be a theologian, but you do have to be a disciple who digs into the word daily for yourself. What I am going to do in the next few lessons is give you some simple understanding from the word of God that will ground you in times of chaos and deception. The body of Christ must get a grasp on three main areas.

1. Sound Theology - sound doctrine

2. Sound Ecclesiology - understanding the church

3. Sound Eschatology - understanding Christ second coming

It's my goal in the next few lessons to ground you in a foundation that will help you through any confusing time.