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Tuesday, June 11, 2019

AFRICAN MIGRANT FLEEING EBOLA DETAILS 11-COUNTRY JOURNEY TO THE U.S.~REPORTER EJECTED FROM CITY BUILDING CONTAINING MIGRANTS~CALIFORNIA OFFERS FREE HEALTHCARE TO MIGRANTS BY FINING CITIZENS

African Migrant Fleeing Ebola Details 11-Country Journey To The U.S.
AFRICAN MIGRANT FLEEING EBOLA DETAILS 
11-COUNTRY JOURNEY TO THE U.S.

San Antonio Texas has migrants from Congo with potential ebola virus

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

Thousands of illegal aliens from the Ebola-ridden African nation of the Congo are being housed at a migrant facility in San Antonio, Texas, raising concerns the deadly virus could be spread to the American public.



Infowars’ Rob Dew went to San Antonio for further investigation.







Also, watch the aftermath of a waitress throwing chopsticks at an Infowars cameraman while Shroyer and crew were attempting to cover the Ebola crisis.








Stream 2:








Stream 1:













Full report below:















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Video: Reporters Thrown Out After Covering Potential Ebola Carriers In Texas



VIDEO: REPORTERS THROWN OUT AFTER COVERING POTENTIAL EBOLA CARRIERS IN TEXAS



Why is there a news blackout over this, and why are reporters being kicked out for doing their job?



BY OWEN SHROYER




republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:



Border Patrol is worried as Africans are fleeing Ebola-stricken areas to come to the U.S. by the thousands.



Given that Ebola is difficult to detect, why is nobody stopping these people from entering the country?



This is clearly a full-fledged crisis considering the severity of the disease, but there is currently a mainstream media blackout on this massive story.







Infowars’ Owen Shroyer reports live as illegal immigrants from Congo and other countries are dropped in San Antonio, Texas off via bus.



The Infowars crew was also forcibly kicked out of a city building.



Also, watch the aftermath of a waitress throwing chopsticks at an Infowars cameraman while Shroyer and crew were attempting to cover the Ebola crisis.








Stream 2:








Stream 1:





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SEE ALSO:


California to Offer Illegals Free Health Care 


by Fining Residents


https://www.infowars.com/california-to-offer-illegals-free-health-care-by-


fining-residents/
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SUPREME COURT REJECTS CHALLENGES TO LAW RESTRICTING SILENCERS, SUPPRESSORS

Supreme Court Rejects Challenges to Law Restricting Silencers, Suppressors
SUPREME COURT REJECTS CHALLENGES TO LAW RESTRICTING SILENCERS, SUPPRESSORS

Lawyers say existing federal law violates clients’ Second Amendment rights

BY BEN WARREN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

The Supreme Court has rejected challenges against a federal law that restricts the ownership of silencers and suppressors.



Without comment or recorded dissent, the court declined the appeals of Kansas army surplus store owner Shane Cox and customer Jeremy Kettler who were both convicted for being in violation of the National Firearms Act for possessing “unregistered” gun silencers.



Their lawyers argue the 1934 act, that requires a background check and payment of a fee to purchase a silencer, violates their clients’ Second Amendment rights.



“Kettler’s attorneys argued he believed the ‘purchase, possession, and use of such a suppressor was entirely lawful,’” reports the Washington Examiner. “Lawyers for Cox told the Supreme Court in filings he never would have made or sold the suppressors had he not thought it was legal to do so under a Kansas gun law passed in 2013.”



Kettler, who purchased a silencer from Cox’s store in 2014, was interviewed by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) after he posted himself using the new gun accessory on Facebook.



“[I did] nothing wrong,” said Kettler to ATF agents, according to his lawyers.



Kettler was convicted with “possession of an unregistered firearm” and Cox was convicted of five counts of “transferring an unregistered silencer,” both activities a crime according to the National Firearms Act.



An appeals court had ruled that silencers are not protected by the Second Amendment because they’re not “bearable arms,” distinguishing that “firearm accessories” are not a “weapon in itself.”



The Monday SCOTUS order comes on the heels of President Trump saying he would “seriously look at” a ban on silencers and suppressors during his recent visit to the U.K.







Alex Jones Warns Trump: 1776 Will Commence Again If You Take Our Guns







After banning bump stocks, President Trump signals he may ban silencers which are rarely used in crimes.
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UK: MUSLIM PRISON GANGS BEATING PRISONERS WHO WON'T CONVERT TO ISLAM

UK: MUSLIM PRISON GANGS BEATING PRISONERS 
WHO WON'T CONVERT TO ISLAM
BY CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

The spread of the jihad doctrine in Western prisons has been feeding prison radicalization. This burgeoning problem has inevitably escalated. The Ministry of Justice — with researchers at the University of Birmingham — has issued a report which states:



“Muslim gangs in British prisons are forcing other inmates to convert to Islam or face violence.” These gangs, often led by jihadists “who are serving sentences for terrorism, are recruiting violent prisoners to be their ‘foot soldiers’, the report reveals.”



Prison radicalization is proliferating; all attempts to deradicalize jihadist inmates have failed, and the citizenry is exposed to extreme danger once these prisoners are released. They are sure to find Salafi mosques once free; in such a kindred environment they will integrate well, to the further detriment of peaceful Western citizens.



Adding to this problem: European Union’s counter-terrorism co-ordinator Gilles de Kerchove singled out the UK as having more radicalised muslims than any other country in Europe.



And here’s a glimpse of how these Muslim prison gangs are being dealt with:



“Christian prison pastor Paul Song recently spoke out about Muslim extremists in prisons after he was dismissed from Brixton Prison in London.  Song was kicked out by a Muslim imam who had taken over as head chaplain and disapproved of the pastor’s Christian courses.”







“Extremist Muslim gangs are ‘beating prisoners’ who won’t convert to Islam,” by Sophie Bordland, Daily Mail, June 7, 2019:





Extremist Muslim gangs in British prisons are forcing other inmates to convert to Islam or face violence, a Government report has warned.



The gangs, often led by fanatics who are serving sentences for terrorism, are recruiting violent prisoners to be their ‘foot soldiers’, the report reveals.



Inmates who refuse to convert to Islam and join their ranks are being ostracised or attacked.



The report, which examined three unnamed high security prisons in England, also describes how the gangs are instilling fear in staff.



They are particularly keen to target offenders who are already in street gangs and therefore have a ‘propensity for violence’, it adds.



Experts have previously warned that UK prisons have become a breeding ground for extremists to spread their behaviours and ideas.



Two years ago three men who had met in the high security Belmarsh prison in south-east London were convicted of plotting a terror attack.



The trio, who dubbed themselves the Three Musketeers, had planned to use a meat cleaver and pipe bomb on police and military targets.



This latest report was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice with researchers at the University of Birmingham to better understand the nature of these gangs…..
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CHRISTIAN SCHOOL HIT WITH SWAT-STYLE RAID

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL HIT WITH SWAT-STYLE RAID
BY ANDREA MORRIS
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

CA Demands They Allow Sexual Exploration or Be Shut Down



A Christian school in California is facing a huge battle with the state.



Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is representing River View Christian Academy in northern California. The school was raided earlier in the year, SWAT style, by the state.



According to PJI, the raid was carried out by 16 armed law enforcement from California Highway Patrol, two canine units and 17 social workers. Students and staff were horrified by the sudden and unexpected attack.



The state was misled into thinking that the school was harboring illegal drugs, amassing ammunition, and preparing for doomsday.



RVCA works under the ministry Teen Rescue, which has offered programs for struggling teenagers in need of full-time supervision and redirection since 1989. Students are taught to focus on their education, change destructive behavior and strive for success.



Even though results from the raid did not uncover any apocalyptic, end-times type of scenario, the state has not stopped and is fining the school daily with claims of improper licensing.



The state is now saying that, due to recent legislation, it is no longer possible for a private boarding school to operate without a considerable amount of licensing and oversight by the Department of Social Services.



With the increase in licensing, the Christian school would have to abandon their biblical values. The state requires that licensed facilities allow students to have the right to engage in spiritual and sexual exploration, which contradicts the standards set by RVCA and the morals of many parents, the Pacific Justice Institute said.



PJI attorney Kevin Snider says the school is being targeted because it’s part of a ministry for at-risk youth.



He wrote, “In 25 years of practice, I have never seen this level of aggressive, militant, and ideologically-driven conduct by a state agency against a religious institution.”



In April, a federal judge dismissed part of the case saying that it must go through the state’s administrative process. Fines continue to collect for RVCA and PJI has begun pursuing an administrative appeal.




(Publisher’s comment: The first problem here is the fact that corporations, even non-for-profit religious corporations have no First Amendment guarantees. When organizations such as RVCA organizes as a state entity for benefits such as tax exemption and the not for profit gift, they give up their First Amendment guarantees. There was a time that States gave them a pass, but a new king has risen, which knew not Joseph [Ex 1:8]. This new group of office holders who have been secularized in their Colleges know not the Lord Jesus or the Constitution and have no regard for either. They are interested in equality and diversity above everything, if it means total state tyranny.)
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IF WE ACT AS IF FREE SPEECH IS OVER, IT WILL BE

IF WE ACT AS IF FREE SPEECH IS OVER, IT WILL BE 

Self-censorship is the worst censorship

BY BOSCH FAWSTIN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

What kind of world would it be if no one drew Mohammad? A world without Free Speech, like the Islamic world. I never want to live in that world, and drawing Mohammad is how I personally keep that world at bay. Unfortunately, almost no one is drawing Mohammad cartoons today. The horrible fact is that terrorism has worked. The violent response to criticism of Islam and of Mohammad cartoons has made those of us who continue to criticize Islam and draw Mohammad a very small minority, making us easier to pick off by leftists who want to character assassinate us, in order to ban us from mainstream society, and Muslims who want to literally assassinate us. (The word assassin is of Arabic origin).

Whatever reason that those who can draw and who claim to support Free Speech don’t draw Mohammad –and I’ve heard it all, from them claiming that they have no “interest” in doing so, to it’s just not their “thing”- the simple reason is that the murders and death threats have shut them up and shut down their alleged support for freedom. Islam’s got their tongues and their pens, and they’re ashamed to admit it. People ask me why I draw Mohammad, since I get death threats, and the reason I draw Mohammad is because of the death threats. The way I see it, death threats are not a reason to NOT draw Mohammad, but TO draw Mohammad. I never set out to draw Mohammad, and even being raised Muslim, I didn’t know of the Islamic prohibition of drawing him, but when Danish cartoonists were threatened with death over drawing Mohammad, I did what’s natural for someone who loves freedom, especially when it’s threatened, and I began drawing Mohammad, and I haven’t stopped since.



My winning Mohammad cartoon explicitly spells out why I draw Mohammad in the first place, and that’s in defiance of the Islamic prohibition, which leads Muslims to threaten to murder over cartoons. Though Mohammad cartoons are blamed for inciting Islamic violence, in truth, it’s Islamic violence that incites Mohammad cartoons. 



Mark Steyn wrote the following about my winning Mohammad cartoon, in his article “Stay Silent And You’ll Be Okay” :   



“It's less about Mohammed than about the prohibition against drawing Mohammed—and the willingness of a small number of Muslims to murder those who do, and a far larger number of Muslims both enthusiastic and quiescent to support those who kill. Mr.Fawstin understands the remorseless logic of one-way multiculturalism—that it leads to the de facto universal acceptance of Islamic law.”     



We’ve failed to avenge 9/11, and we’re allowing a very defeatable enemy to remained undefeated, nearly 18 years later, as it continues to mass murder across the world. We’ve failed to defend Free Speech after the Danish Mohammad Cartoons and the Charlie Hebdo massacre, with almost no Western publication publishing the Mohammad cartoons. We all know, but rarely admit, that the vast majority of Western politicians who are charged to protect us can live with the deaths of Westerners at the hands of Muslims, (though they can’t live with criticism of Islam) and that bottomless corruption has spilled over into the West at large, poisoning the majority of us who can now live with the deaths of our fellow Westerners, with very little protest.



We still have freedom of speech, yet far too many of us operate as if it’s long gone. And to those who think that we shouldn’t criticize Islam until government guarantees our safety, as some have told me over the years: Freedom isn’t won and maintained by keeping our mouths shut. That’s how tyranny wins. I have never waited for government protection to speak out against Islam and draw Mohammad, and those who claim to be waiting for this government protection that doesn’t exist, were never going to speak out against Islam or draw Mohammad anyway. It’s their ultimate excuse to remain silent in the face of evil. “But it’s not my duty!”, some cry. It’s about self-respect, it’s about being honest, it’s about not allowing evil to have its way in the world. It’s about exercising your right to speak while you still have it.



We’ve been warned about government censorship, we were worried about the FCC, but in this post-9/11 world, we’re censoring ourselves, and the government wouldn’t have it any other way. We, the people, are doing their dirty work for them, and government bureaucrats are sitting back and laughing their asses off. We’re censoring ourselves daily, from powerful leftist-run social media and tech companies punishing us for challenging their anti-Western, pro-Islam agenda, to leftists across our culture crusading against speech that they hate, which they call “hate speech”, to conservatives placing “respect” for religion above necessary criticism of Islam, to the worst censorship of all, self-censorship. So long as we have Free Speech, we must exercise it, because without it, Freedom is over.



Those who are waiting for the coast to be clear in order to speak the truth about Islam and to draw Mohammad, are parasites who are relying on others to clear the coast.



Truth-tellers don’t wait for guaranteed government protection before speaking the truth- as they’re honest enough to know that there’s no such thing- and they continue telling the truth about Islam and to draw Mohammad, even in the face of threats. Those who say what must be said will hopefully lead to those in power finally doing what must be done.  



If we act as if Free Speech is over, it will be.

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Pastor David Lynn: Exercise your right to free speech before it's too late
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NERVOUS NANCY PELOSI TRASHES TRUMP AGAIN

NERVOUS NANCY PELOSI TRASHES TRUMP AGAIN 
REPORT BY DOUGLAS DUCOTE, VETERAN

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U.S. ANNOUNCED PLAN TO SEND OVER $2 BILLION IN ARMS TO TAIWAN


U.S. ANNOUNCED PLAN TO SEND OVER $2 BILLION 
IN ARMS TO TAIWAN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

The U.S. Departments of Defense and Justice have issued a joint statement of intent to Congress informing lawmakers that the two agencies are considering sending $2 billion of military aid to Taiwan that includes some of the U.S. Army’s most advanced technology, according to insiders who spoke to Time magazine.



It what was a surprise to no one, China instantly protested against the anticipated U.S. military aid package to Taiwan.



“We are severely concerned about the U.S.’s move,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing on Thursday, as reported by Time. 



“We are firmly against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. We urge the U.S. to see the high sensitivity and severe harm of arms sales to Taiwan,” Geng Shuang added, in case it wasn’t clear where his government stood on the transfer of military materiel to Taiwan from the United States.



President Trump’s administration picked a particularly questionable time to announce the anticipated sale of war-making equipment to Taiwan, given China’s displeasure with the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs on its exports to the United States.



With the Pentagon’s announcement that it intends to provide Taiwan with highly sought after war fighting machines, the cold war with China has another front: military aid.







The story printed in Time provided the following inventory of military equipment likely headed for Taiwan:



The package includes 108 of the tanks built by General Dynamics Corp., as well as 1,240 TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles, 409 shoulder-launched “fire-and-forget” Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles made famous by Afghan “freedom fighters” in their war against the Soviet Union.



Reuters added a few items to the weapons wishlist likely to be approved by Congress and sent to Taiwan.



The Reuters story reports: “Taiwan has been interested in refreshing its existing U.S.-made battle tank inventory, which includes M60 Patton tanks.”



Taiwan’s government is giddy at the prospect of taking deliverance of this shipment of seriously potent U.S.-made war machines. Again, as reported by Reuters:



Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said in March Washington was responding positively to Taipei’s requests for new arms sales to bolster its defenses in the face of pressure from China. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help provide it with the means to defend itself.



As for Beijing, the Communist regime that rules China has never recognized the independence of the island nation. In fact, China considers Taiwan a province in perpetual rebellion and China insists that it retains the “right” to force Taiwan back into the territory of China, using armed force if necessary.



While Taiwan should certainly be grateful for the likely haul of heavy machinery, missiles, ammunition, and other deadly American weaponry, that country isn’t not alone on the Trump administration’s combat Christmas list.



Again, from Reuters:



The Pentagon announced last week it would sell 34 ScanEagle drones, made by Boeing Co, to the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam for $47 million.



The drones would afford greater intelligence-gathering capabilities, potentially curbing Chinese activity in the region.



Notice, though, that each of the nations on track to take possession of powerful American war-making machines are in Asia and could prove tactically useful to the United States should the U.S. ever want to conduct “joint military exercises” with the military of one or more of the countries whose soldiers need training on their new tech.



Sensing, though, the threat that such a substantial import of weaponry might pose to China, Taiwanese officials don’t mind what their neighbors are getting, so long as Taiwan gets the guns, planes, missiles, technology, and other military equipment the Pentagon has proposed.



“Going forward our government will continue to deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States,” the Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters.



Good thing for Taiwan that George Washington isn’t president. 



Our first president and the man modestly described as “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” was not keen on committing the new American confederation to participating in any foreign conflicts.



In a letter he wrote to Patrick Henry on October 9, 1795, Washington explained his position on American contribution to foreign combat: “My ardent desire is, and my aim has been, to comply strictly with all our engagements, foreign and domestic; but to keep the United States free from political connections with every other country, to see them independent of all and under the influence of none.”



Less than a year later, Washington wrote to Charles C. Pinckney that, “It is a fact too notorious to be denied that the greatest embarrassments under which the administration of this government labors proceed from the counter-action of people among ourselves, who are more disposed to promote the views of another nation than to establish a national character of their own.”



As soon as the 30-day review period has expired, Congress is expected to approve the arms sale to Taiwan.
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NEGLECTING TO TEST THE SPIRITS-A TRAGEDY OF ENORMOUS PROPORTION

NEGLECTING TO TEST THE SPIRITS-
A TRAGEDY OF ENORMOUS PROPORTION 
SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2019/newsletter20190610.htm; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

If there is one thing we don’t hear much about from today’s Christian leaders and pastors, it is the importance of testing the spirits. The idea comes from the Bible in 1 John 4:1, which states:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
This can relate both to the experiential and the doctrinal. With either, we need to remember that not every experience and not every doctrine is “of God” because indeed there are “many false prophets” in the world and in the “church” today, and there are many “voices” that are not from God.

“The Voice of Love”—Is There a Need to Test the Spirits?

The question of whether or not we need to test the spirits gets various answers depending on whom you are talking to and listening to. According to the Catholic mystic Basil Pennington in his classic book Centering Prayer (who, along with Thomas Keating and Thomas Merton, introduced “centering prayer” to the layperson), there is no need to test the spirits when in the state of “silence” induced by practicing contemplative meditation or centering prayer. Pennington stated:
Isn’t there a danger, if we leave off thinking and judging and just be quiet, that we might be opening not to God and his activity but to the activity of the evil spirits? St. John of the Cross brings out in his teaching that when we enter into contemplative prayer, we need have no fear of the deceptions of the Evil One, because he cannot touch us at that level of our being. . . . He cannot himself penetrate into our spiritual being. There is danger, a need for discernment, in active prayer, in which we are using our imagination and feelings, for he can influence these. But in Centering Prayer we ignore these faculties and simply let images and feelings float away. They do not affect our prayer, so the Evil One cannot touch it. We are engaged at a level that the Lord has made his own through grace and baptism. We are out of the Devil’s reach. Only God can penetrate this level of our being. So we are completely safe in contemplative prayer. (emphasis added, Centering Prayer, p. 227, Kindle edition)
So, in other words, according to Pennington, the enemy can get to us in regular prayer where our minds are actively engaged, but when we enter into the contemplative “sacred space” (i.e., stopping all thought and putting our minds into neutral by repeating a word or phrase or focusing on the breath), we have no danger of being influenced or touched by Satan. What Pennington is proposing is very scary because the objective, according to contemplative leaders, is to hear God’s voice (Keating says, “God’s first language is silence,” Intimacy With God, p. 153; and Brennan Manning calls it “the Voice of Love” The Signature of Jesus, p. 215). If we go by Pennington’s advice, we do not need to question this voice of love we hear during contemplative meditation (i.e., it will always be good and always from God).

Sarah Young’s Jesus—The Voice of God?

We know that Sarah Young is an advocate of contemplative prayer, so does she believe that these “messages” from “Jesus” in her best-selling book Jesus Calling do not need to be tested and are absolutely, without a doubt, from God (as Pennington believes)? Young never says that they do need to be tested. And from what we have observed for several years from church leaders and pastors, they don’t believe her messages from “Jesus” need to be tested either. Take a look at this list of endorsers of her book* (many names of which you will definitely know), and do you recall any of them saying to test the spirit that is in Jesus Calling?
Warren B. Smith discusses testing the spirits in his book, “Another Jesus” Calling:
There is no evidence that the spirits are being tested to see if Sarah Young’s best-selling messages are from the true Jesus Christ.
Given that Sarah Young’s “Jesus” is delivering messages that are being read around the world, it is imperative for readers to know if she is really hearing from the true Jesus Christ.
Scripture’s warning to believers to “try the spirits” (1 John 4:1) is nowhere to be found in Jesus Calling. To the contrary, when Sarah Young’s “Jesus” is quoted in Jesus Calling as saying, “You must learn to discern what is My voice and what is not,”1 he gives her some very dangerous counsel. With no mention of 1 Timothy 4:1’s warning about “seducing spirits,” he says, “Ask My Spirit to give you this discernment.”2 But if the “Jesus” that Sarah Young is listening to is not the true Jesus Christ, then this false “Christ” is instructing her to ask his spirit to tell her what is true and what is not. Consequently, instead of testing the spirit, she is asking and trusting the spirit that she should be testing. This can only lead to greater deception and confusion. This counsel by Sarah Young’s “Jesus” cleverly works to prevent the detection of a counterfeit “Jesus,” which obviously plays right into the hands of our spiritual Adversary. (pp. 53-54, “Another Jesus” Calling, 2nd ed.)

What is the Test?

In David Dombrowski’s article/booklet, Dear Pastor and Christian Leader: Have You Grown Careless About the Gospel?, he states:
Sometimes we are asked, what is the criteria for deciding whether or not a doctrine or practice is biblical or validates criticism? . . .
There is but one test that we have used consistently from the inception of Lighthouse Trails. The Book of Proverbs says: “A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight (Proverbs 11:1).
And again from Proverbs: “Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good  (Proverbs 20:23).
It is interesting that Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, placed such emphasis on accurate scales. It is even more amazing that God would call false scales an abomination—amazing only until we realize that God is speaking of the spiritual—not just physical scales here.
So what we are looking for is a spiritual balancing scale—something that will reappear throughout the Bible—through the Old and New Testaments. There is such a scale, a consistent theme, which John refers to in his first epistle:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 John 4:1-3)
Some Bible commentators have believed that John was referring here to a particular sect who denied that Jesus Christ actually came in a human body. If that is all John meant, then this passage is of little relevance to us today, because you will scarcely find anyone who does not believe that Jesus as a historical figure was a man who walked the Earth. But the name Jesus Christ in this passage is not a historical term; it is a name loaded with meaning —referring to Jesus as the Messiah, God come in the flesh, our Savior and Redeemer, who atoned for our sins. If we look at the context of 1 John 4, we can verify that this is what John is talking about because in it he says, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14). In other words, John is saying here, I am referring to the Jesus I wrote about in my gospel— the Word made flesh who in the beginning was with God and was God (see John chapter 1).
This is the balancing scale we have been looking for. Just as all human history and our blessed hope hinges on what Jesus did on the Cross, so too we can weigh a doctrine or practice by whether or not it agrees with the fact that we are justified by faith alone through the atoning, redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. The question then is, does a particular doctrine or teaching agree with the Gospel the apostles all preached?
With this discerning tool in hand, if you stop to measure all of the world’s religions and systems, you will find that all of these are opposed to the Gospel. The natural man will not acknowledge the need for a Savior, consequently all of the world’s belief systems (except biblical Christianity) are works based—believing it is possible to earn our way into Heaven [or to become “Christ-like” through mysticism and “spiritual disciplines” which is is the foundation and thrust of Spiritual Formation/contemplative prayer]. But the Gospel says it is not possible. John knew all too well the contrariness of the natural man and the world’s belief systems. That is why in the same chapter of his epistle, he offers another test:
“[H]e that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6)
In other words, John is saying that when the world rejects you for sharing the Gospel, it is because the Spirit of truth is not in them.
Whichever way you look at it, the Gospel is the fulcrum of our balance in discerning truth from error. When Lighthouse Trails Publishing began, this became, and has always been, our standard of truth and also the deciding factor as to whether something is significant enough to bring to the attention of our readers. We are careful not to get involved in issues in the church where the Gospel is not attacked or compromised; but when it is, we are compelled to speak up—because as believers in Christ, we are called to defend the Gospel.

A Moment of Truth With a Moment of Terror

It is definitely worth noting that contemplative pioneer, Richard Foster, had something very interesting to say about demons and contemplative prayer. In a roundabout way, it was a moment of truth for him because we have only heard him say it once. And it seems like a contradiction to Pennington’s advice (even though Foster got it wrong too as Roger Oakland explains below):
Proponents of contemplative prayer say the purpose of contemplative prayer is to tune in with God and hear His voice. However, Richard Foster claims that practitioners must use caution. He admits that in contemplative prayer “we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm” and that sometimes it is not the realm of God even though it is “supernatural.” He admits there are spiritual beings and that a prayer of protection should be said beforehand something to the effect of “All dark and evil spirits must now leave.” Where in Scripture do we find such a prayer? Where in witchcraft?
I wonder if all these Christians who now practice contemplative prayer are following Foster’s advice. Whether they are or not, they have put themselves in spiritual harm’s way. Nowhere in Scripture are we required to pray a prayer of protection before we pray. The fact that Foster recognizes contemplative prayer is dangerous and opens the door to the fallen spirit world is very revealing. What is this—praying to the God of the Bible but instead reaching demons? Maybe contemplative prayer should be renamed contemplative terror.
While Foster has said repeatedly that contemplative prayer is for everyone, he contradicts himself when he says it is only for a select group and not for the “novice.” He says not everyone is ready and equipped to listen to God’s voice through the “all embracing silence.”
This is amazing. Foster admits that contemplative prayer is dangerous and will possibly take the participant into demonic realms, but he gives a disclaimer saying not everyone is ready for it. My question is, who is ready, and how will they know they are ready? What about all the young people in the emerging church movement? Are they ready? Or are they going into demonic altered states of consciousness completely unaware? Given Foster’s admission of the danger, he does great damage when he [contradicts himself and] says: “We should all, without shame, enroll in the school of contemplative prayer.”
Foster’s implication that some contemplative prayer is safe is terribly mistaken. No contemplative prayer is biblical or safe—even the most mature of the Christian mystical leaders proved susceptible to its demonic pull. Thomas Merton at the end of his life said he wanted to be the best Buddhist he could be. Henri Nouwen at the end of his life said all paths lead to God. This was the spiritual “fruit” of their lives after years of practicing mystical prayer.
[In relation to mysticism and contemplative prayer], the real question is whether or not the realm of the silence is God’s realm or Satan’s (i.e., light or darkness). The Bible tells us that Satan is very deceptive, and what can often look good is not good at all:
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) (Taken from Roger Oakland’s booklet, Richard Foster’s Contemplative Prayer or Contemplative Terror?)
Mike Oppenheimer has this to say about Foster’s prayer of protection:
Asking God to protect us as we enter into a place He does not ever tell us to go is testing God. Not a good position to put oneself in considering the ramifications. (source)
Oppenheimer makes a good point. And sad to say, given the fact that much of today’s Christianity is becoming immersed in that place Richard Foster calls them to, in essence, the church is testing God but not testing the spirits. Again, scary—as well as tragic.

Conclusion

In his book, A Time of Departing, Ray Yungen shows clearly that the silence reached during contemplative meditation is the same as that state reached during New Age or occultic meditation. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence Yungen presents is a quote by Richard Kirby, author of The Mission of Mysticism (Kirby is an occultist) where Kirby states:
The meditation of advanced occultists [New Agers] is identical with the prayer of advanced mystics [contemplatives]: it is no accident that both traditions use the same word for the highest reaches of their respective activities—contemplation. (p. 7)
Yungen provides us with another powerful example. He recounts:
In a dialogue with a Sufi leader, Merton asked about the Muslim concept of salvation. The master wrote back stating:
“Islam inculcates individual responsibility for one’s actions and does not subscribe to the doctrine of atonement or the theory of redemption.” (emphasis added)
To Merton, of course, this meant little because he believed that fana [the esoteric state reached during Sufi meditation] and contemplation were the same thing. Merton responded:
“Personally, in matters where dogmatic beliefs differ, I think that controversy [atonement and redemption] is of little value because it takes us away from the spiritual realities into the realm of words and ideas . . . in words there are apt to be infinite complexities and subtleties which are beyond resolution. . . . But much more important is the sharing of the experience of divine light [God in all] . . . It is here that the area of fruitful dialogue exists between Christianity and Islam. (emphasis mine, A Time of Departing, pp. 59-60)
The names we have mentioned in this article have all been given a welcoming pass into today’s evangelical church with virtually no testing or challenging. And whether it is Basil Pennington’s statement that we are completely safe in the meditative state, Sarah Young’s untested “messages” from “Jesus,” Richard Foster’s advice to pray for protection against demons while doing contemplative prayer, Henri Nouwen’s “Voice of Love,” or Thomas Merton’s belief that meditation can unite us all because it will help us to dismiss doctrines such as the atonement, it becomes evident that the church has been duped into thinking all is well, and there is no need to test the spirits. It is our belief that this negligence is disobedience to God when we consider that entering the esoteric realm is forbidden in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), forbidden by Jesus (Matthew 6:7-9), and forbidden by our test in 1 John chapter 4, where the Gospel has been ignored, forsaken, and ultimately trampled upon. And that is truly a tragedy of enormous proportions.
*Sometime in late 2018 or early 2019, the endorsement page on the Jesus Calling website was removed. Lighthouse Trails editors e-mailed HarperCollins and asked what happened to the endorsement page. We were told it was down temporarily for re-designing but would be put back up. To date, that page is still missing, but we have heard of no Christian leader from the endorsement page who has spoken up warning about Jesus Calling or retracting his or her endorsement. The link we provided above is an archived link from December 2018.
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