TAKING SPIRITUAL DOMINION OVER
DARK ANGELS
DARK ANGELS
By Gaylene Goodroad
and The Discernment Research Group*
and The Discernment Research Group*
Only the most naïve would imagine that an aggressive assault on the kingdom of satan would be met with anything but a desperate fight. That is why satan and any of his principalities or powers attempting to stop the spread of the Gospel must be bound…Binding and loosing, therefore are extremely important weapons which must be found in the arsenal of all those who desire to win the lost for Jesus Christ.[1]
~ C. Peter Wagner, NAR
To partner with Jesus in fulfilling the Great Commission,… the church must renounce fear and fatalism and recover the prevailing faith behind Paul’s frontal attack against the forces of darkness… [Christ’s] church must learn to contend, to wrestle with and throw down its spiritual adversaries…. The church, functioning as the house of prayer, the governmental ekklesia, is the correct context for Jesus’ teaching on binding and loosing…[it] is a council of war at the highest level. With Christ as our Head, we are bringing heaven down to earth and barring hell’s invasion.[2]
~ Lou Engle, TheCall/IHOP
The Bible subsequently reveals that it is the believer’s responsibility to “ask” before God will respond, to bind and release on earth for heaven to do the same, and that part and parcel of the Great Commission is the duty of the church to cast out demons and to tread over the power of the enemy. Apparently when we do, we send shock waves through the heavenlies![3]
~ Tom (and Nita) Horn, Christian author/publisher/speaker
THE GODS WHO WALK AMONG US
Prayer Warfare methodologies conceived and borne out of the Latter Rain Movement and nurtured under the New Apostolic Reformation are going mainstream. Twenty years ago, Chief NAR apostle, C. Peter Wagner, applied his Church Growth teachings to the spirit realm in what he termed Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare (SLSW). The plan calls for identifying “territorial spirits” (demons) of a geographic locality, then devising practices (such as militant intercession and fasting)[4] and techniques to defeat these unseen foes so that cities, nations, and beyond will respond to the Gospel.[5]
Sadly, this heresy is creeping into conservative Christian forums unawares through various prophetic ministries concerned about the eschatological implications of transhumanism and loosely related subjects. While attending a conservative Bible and prophecy conference several months ago, I noticed that one of the speakers introduced the audience to a new book by Christian authors Tom and Nita Horn, called: Forbidden Gates: How Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, And Human Enhancement [GRIN] Herald the Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare [bold added]. Intrigued by this title, I bought the book to learn more about this new thing called “Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare.”
I didn’t get beyond the book’s Preface before my curious anticipation turned to alarm:
Facing godlike machines and man’s willingness to cross over species and extradimensional barriers put in place by God, traditional methods of spiritual warfare—which Christian institutions have relied on for the last century—will soon be monumentally impacted in nontraditional ways and insufficient when approaching this threshold.[6] [bold, underscore added]
“Traditional” methods of spiritual warfare such as simple reliance upon God, His Word, and the indwelling Spirit will soon be insufficient? When did God change His plan? Clearly this new insight did not come from the Scriptures. I kept reading for clarification.
Forbidden Gates begins with a section called, “Spiritual Warfare 101.” The first paragraphs caution readers of spiritual warfare “authorities” who “become unbalanced and antithetical to New Testament instructions, even opening doors into the imagination for mental and spiritual danger.” Yet only a few sentences later there is a ghastly, vivid, and graphic description of intense hand-to-hand combat between Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho and an “agathodemon” that Cho purportedly saw in a powerful vision. In the narrative, Cho defeated the grotesque creature by “imagining,” “whispering,” and then “shouting” the name Jesus.[7] The Horns comment favorably on the result of this brand of spiritual warfare:
With very few exceptions, the entire community converted to Christianity within forty-eight hours. Today, Cho pastors the largest evangelical church in the world, with nearly a million members. It all started in a city delivered from demonic siege.[8] [bold added]
This chilling six-page-long account of “demonic deliverance” leading to the supposed Christian conversion of an entire village did not once mention a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ involving personal repentance of sin and a belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Instead, it focused on a sensational exercise of occult visualization techniques. Defying the Bible, Yonggi Cho’s “God” told him that man can gain dominion over the earthly realm through such “visions,” “dreams,” and “imaginations” that come from a spiritual “fourth dimension.”[9] This is Gnosticism, not biblical Christianity. One observer has rightly concluded:
…The religious disposition of the Koreans is both harnessed and exploited by the “Christianity” of Paul [David] Yonggi Cho in his blatant mix of sorcery, mind-over-matter, self-interest, Sinkyo, Japanese Buddhism and Christianity. But to mix pagan ideas and practices with the pure religion of Christ is condemned in Scripture as the heinous sin of idolatry. It is a marriage of Christianity and the occult, and is forbidden by God….[10]
It is telling that NAR “apostle” Cindy Jacobs cites Cho’s church growth success in her book Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, in a chapter dealing with identificational repentance and spiritual warfare over geographic principalities.[11] Likewise, C. Peter Wagner, in a book he co-edited called Wrestling with Dark Angels, lists Cho among those who have successfully implemented his plans for defeating “territorial spirits.”[12]
An August 1990 issue of the Discernment Newsletter exposed these unbiblical ideas that have since taken root and are spreading into more conservative camps of believers.[13] Addressing the topic of the new forms of spiritual warfare against demonic powers being touted by the Third Wave movement, which preceded the New Apostolic Reformation, Traverse and Jewel van der Merwe explained that
This [spiritual warfare against demons] is portraying a mystical form of warfare that also characterizes Greek mythology (human gods doing battle against spirit beings) and Shamanism (controlling or defeating the spirits) as a solution to physical, worldly and spiritual problems…. Today, we are [told we are] not dealing with just a demon or two, but different tiers of demonic activity. Lo and behold—even a hierarchy. We are [supposedly] so advanced that we can identify characteristics that are assigned to specific geographical locations and geopolitical institutions. We can even give them names according to their regions.[14]
These themes and ideas permeate the writings of Tom Horn. In The Gods Who Walk Among Us, Horn laid a similar foundation based on these “territorial spirits,” “principalities,” and “demonic beings.” He moves on to connect these entities to other extra/multi-dimensional beings (UFOs/ETs), the Apocryphal “Watchers” and their children, the “Nephilim.”[15]
…[B]ehind the empty idols were the living dynamics of idolatry, and spiritual objects of heathen adoration, the daimonia (demons) of the Bible. Since the Bible clearly defines idolatry as the worship of demons, and since demons are eternal personalities that desire the worship of men, it is fair to conclude the characterization of such deities as “Zeus,” “Amun-Ra,” “Demeter,” and “Isis,” were simply the classical names attributed to specific fallen spirits. In other words, Apollo was a real personality; Osiris was a genuine underworld fiend; Hecate actually lived, and still does!…the same spirits of antiquity, including Zeus, Athene, Dionysus, and others, continue to express themselves within modern paganism….[16] [bold added]
In a 2009 NewsWithViews.com article entitled, “The Coming Gods of the New World Order,” Horn adds:
… [R]eaders will benefit from understanding the mythos behind these deities. In the mythological records, trace-nuances, which communicate specific traits having to do with the nature of the entity, can be found….[17] [bold added]
Based upon his belief that ancient pagan deities “live” and exist today, and that we can learn how to defend against them by discovering more about their personal nature, Horn’s books are saturated with mythological genealogies like this passage from Nephilim Stargates: The Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers:
Years later, Zeus made Cronus regurgitate his brothers and sisters. A fierce ten-year war ensued, and the younger, more powerful Olympians overthrew the elder Titans and cast them down into Tartarus (a place in the underworld, even lower than Hades) where they (except for Hecate) were to remain fettered forever. Eventually Zeus reconciled with the Titans and proclaimed Cronus the ruler of the Golden Age. Meanwhile he summoned his brothers, Hades and Poseidon, and decreed that the universe should thereafter be divided among them. The sky became the dominion of Zeus; Poseidon was chosen to rule over the sea; and the inner earth, or underworld, was declared the haunt of Hades. The surface of the earth was determined neutral grounds—a place where sky, sea, and underworld joined and where all deities could merge…. [18]
Horn concludes this narrative:
The concept that sky, sea, and underworld are inhabited by “gods” who use the earth as a mutual gathering ground, door, or path between dimensional realities is important and is repeated in the mythos and holy books of cultures around the world, including, as we shall see later, the Bible.[19]
This teaching is itself a myth! It is extra-biblical surmising. The Bible does not teach these things. Rather, Scripture warns us to “neither give heed to fables,” to “refuse” and not follow myths. (See I Tim. 1:4, 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Titus 1:14 and 2 Peter 1:16.) Nonetheless, Horn offers “biblical proof” of these mythological fantasies in both Forbidden Gates and Nephilim Stargates:
In Matthew, Jesus Christ said that he would build his church, “… and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (King James Version, Mt. 16.18). Putting the word “hell” in context here is important because while the later meaning of the Greek word transliterated “Hades” was confused with death and the grave (Thanatos [also see Rev. 1.18]), at the time Jesus chose to use this word, he was referring to the person of Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions, and Orcus, the nether world and realm of the dead. This brings up a very important question. Why would Jesus mention a Greek deity, as if Hades were a personal, sentient combatant if there were nothing more to this story than myth? In my opinion it was because He knew the true story behind the mythological gods. He knew their real Identity and the measure of their power.[20] [bold, underscore added]
Jesus was identifying the pagan god Hades?! Horn further twists Matthew 16 in his prescription for battling these entities. But first let’s look at other Scriptures used to validate these erroneously dark doctrines. On page 18 of Forbidden Gates, the Horns refer to these pagan deities as “the divine council,” a “pantheon of divine beings or angels who administer the affairs of heaven and earth,” based on his interpretation of Psalm 82. Elsewhere, Horn further elaborates on this concept:
Scholars such as Michael Heiser, Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Languages provide details on the study of the Divine Council—the pantheon of divine beings or angels who currently administer the affairs of heaven and earth. Experts in this field of biblical studies typically agree that, beginning at the Tower of Babel, the world and its inhabitants were disinherited by the sovereign God of Israel and placed under the authority of lesser divine beings that became corrupt and disloyal to God in their administration of those nations (Psalm 82)… [21] [bold added, italics in original]
But is Psalm 82 speaking of “lesser divine beings”? In John 10:34, Jesus quoted Psalm 82 when speaking to the Jewish leaders. He said, “I said, you are gods.” Did Jesus mean that these men were literal gods? Indeed, this verse is often used to defend the New Age idea that man can ascend to personal godhood. Quoting Edwin A. Blum, from The Bible Knowledge Commentary, the late Christian apologist William Alnor records this assessment in his classic book UFOs in the New Age:
Psalm 82 speaks of God as the true Judge (Ps. 82:1, 8) and of men, appointed as judges, who were failing to provide true judgment for God (Ps. 82:2-7). “Gods” in Psalm 82:1,6 refers to these human judges. In this sense, God said to the Jews, You are gods. In no way does this speak of a divine nature in man..[22] [emphasis in original]
In Pastor Larry DeBruyn’s careful exegesis of Psalm 82, “Did Jesus Teach the Deity of Humanity,” he reaches these conclusions:
From Jesus’ statement to the Jewish judges (“I said, ‘You are gods’”), a couple of themes stand out. First, those judges possessed authority from God. Second, those same judges, as the rest of humanity, were/are accountable to God. Therefore, it evidences a “leap into the dark” when mystic religion “spins” a statement Jesus meant to affirm the authority and accountability of the Jews to God, turns Jesus’ words on their head, and announces the divinity of humanity. By quoting Psalm 82 Jesus was not telling the Jews they were deities, but that from the perspective of the Law, He was reminding them of their accountability to Almighty God![23]
Christ’s own teaching in referring to Psalm 82 should settle the matter, but Horn, and others such as Dr. Michael Heiser, disagree. In a 2006 Horn publication called Official Disclosure[24] (dealing with the subject of extraterrestrial life)[25], author Eric Scot Porter quotes Deuteronomy 32:8 from the English Standard Version (ESV) to promote the idea of a “divine council”:
’…When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage…’ When God destroyed the Tower [of Babel], He divided the nations among the sons of God, who are identified throughout the Old Testament as divine beings…[26] [bold, underscore added]
Here is Porter’s additional assessment of this verse, which adds in the idea of dominionism:
In understanding that the sons of God (or in this case, fallen angels) were given dominion over God’s divvied nations, one can sympathize with why God chose a nation and a people—it was necessary in order to preserve the line leading to the Messiah through His people.[27] [bold, underscore added]
Did God give dominion of the divided nations over to the realm of fallen angels, aka the “divine council,” or to “lesser divine beings” or “territorial spirits” (including extraterrestrial life forms/UFOs, Watchers, and their “demigod” children, the Nephilim)?[28] Note the rendering of this verse in other standard translations of the Bible:
Then the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of man [Adam], He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. [New American Standard Bible (NASB)][29] [bold, underscore added]
When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. [King James Version (KJV)][30] [bold, underscore added]
When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. [New King James Version (NKJV)][31] [bold, underscore added]
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. [New International Version (NIV)][32] [bold, underscore added]
Contrary to surrendering the dominion of the nations over to a divine pantheon of spirits (gods), God simply distinguished mankind from His chosen nation, Israel. The sovereign God Most High continues to rule and reign:
32:8, 9 Most High: This designation for God’s supremacy is unique to Deuteronomy. He is the sovereign God over all, even the boundaries of the nations. The LORD’S portion: While it is the Lords’ will for many nations to exist, He has favored Israel with His special grace, promises, and covenant.[33] [bold in original]
It is interesting to note that leading NAR “apostles” C. Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs also use Deut. 32:8 to validate their teachings on “territorial spirits.” Wagner says:
The Pentateuch provides us with one of the key texts for understanding the territoriality of spirit beings. It is part of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:8. Unfortunately, its meaning is hidden in most English versions translated from the Hebrew of the Masoretic text….[34]
In Hornesque fashion, Wagner (quoted in Eric Scot Porter’s article) also finds credibility in ancient mythological gods and goddesses:
We have already seen that in the Old Testament the names of the principalities ruling over territories were known. We also recognize names of Greek and Roman principalities such as Jupiter, Aphrodites, Diana, Poseidon, Bacchus and Venus. Our most frequent categorization of these names is “mythology,” by which we usually mean that they must have been figments of the imagination of prescientific people. If nothing else, the rise in popularity of the New Age Movement is now forcing many of us to reexamine these points of view.[35] [bold added]
These pagan mythological beliefs lay the groundwork for both Wagner’s Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare (Warfare Prayer) and Horn’s “Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare” (Militant Prayer).
MILITANT PRAYER:
PRAYING THROUGH THE “GASKET HEAVEN”
In matters of spiritual warfare, we need a concept of God based on Exodus 15:3, where we read, ‘The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name.’ Truly, God is militant, and we need to perceive Him as such…. For a believer to have an effective, militant prayer life, we must perceive God as a ‘man of war.” If the United States will see her cities delivered from spiritual bondage, we must understand and join the battle-ready side of God… We, too, can be sufficiently equipped as vessels of power and authority, fully capable of turning back Satan’s invading forces.
~ Tom Horn, Spiritual Warfare: The Invisible Invasion, p. 116-7 [bold added]
In Spiritual Warfare: The Invisible Invasion—in a chapter subtitled: “Invading Satan’s Headquarters through Militant Prayer”—Tom Horn writes:
Between the first heaven where the birds fly and the third heaven “where dwells the throne room of God” was a war zone called the second heaven. This was the kosmos—the Hebrew equivalent of the Persian Arhiman-abad—the place where Satan abides as the prince of the power of the “air” (aer, the lower air, circumambient), a sort of gasket heaven, the domain of Satan encompassing the surface of the earth. From here kosmokrators could overshadow cities, intrude upon, and attempt to influence the affairs and governments of men. It was believed that the kosmos not only influenced earth’s governments and puppeted human counterparts, but that Satan’s minions sought to close the heavens above the city so that God’s blessing could not flow into it. Later, it was believed that when saints bent their knees in prayer, they had to pray through walls of opposition contained within this gasket heaven. The level of spiritual opposition to the saints’ prayers depended on how far the city had fallen under Satan’s control. This continues today. When our prayers leave our lips they go upward through the devil’s domain to the throne of God. If Satan considers the prayers significant, he rises up to oppose them, both going to and coming from the throne of God. Therefore, the second heaven is considered a war zone for our prayer life and the residence of the power of the air.[36] [bold, underscore added]
Satan (and by extension, the demonic realm) has the power to prevent prayer? If this were true, then Satan would have to be omnipresent, omniscient—and omnipotent! He is NOT. Giving the devil what belongs to God alone is blasphemy. The Lord God hears His children always (Prov. 15:29; Jn. 9:31; Ps. 34:15-18; 66:16-20; 145:18-19; Jas. 5:16; Matt. 6:8-9).
Horn uses his false teaching on this “gasket heaven” to promote “militant prayer”:
Finally, there is militant prayer, which concerns itself not only with interdiction [intercession], but actually initiates the aggression…Born of a repentant heart, this is the kind of exercise in spiritual authority that will turn back archons and liberate communities held captive by spiritual powers.[37] [bold added]
Horn then explains the success of “militant prayer” in liberating Third World nations from demonic peril:
Currently, many Third World countries are experiencing the greatest revival in their respective histories. In each of these nations, we find that the liberating factor includes militant prayer. Ed Silvoso, a native of Argentina, founder of Harvest Evangelism, and an integral part of the present Argentinian revival, writes, “All kinds of prayers are offered in Argentina, but the most unique prayer is in the context of spiritual warfare. Christians seem to have two focuses in their prayers: God, to whom they address all honor and praise; and Satan, whom they boldly and aggressively rebuke.” Ed Silvoso goes on to describe how believers in Argentina believe that militant prayer plays a vital, active role in God’s plan of redemption, and that, without the Church’s prayers, God will not reclaim territories invaded by Satan.[38] [bold added]
It is very troubling that Horn gives a hearty endorsement of Ed Silvoso—a marketplace dominionist and member of C. Peter Wagner’s International Coalition of Apostles—a NAR “apostle” who believes that entire countries, cultures, and cities can be redeemed collectively.[39] Herescope posts in March and October of 2006, document Silvoso’s purported “Apostolic Transformation” of Argentina and Africa by utilizing these “territorial warfare” techniques.[40]
C. Peter Wagner gives his first-hand account of the Argentinian “revival” led by Ed Silvoso:
In 1989, Silvoso had initiated a three-year Plan Resistencia… aimed at significant, measurable evangelism. He based it not only on state-of-the-art church growth techniques, but even more importantly, on the spiritual warfare he had been learning about…Arriving in Resistencia, Cindy [Jacobs], Doris [Wagner], Marfa [Silvoso], Ed, and the others found that the names of the spirits ruling over that city had been known by the people for generations. San la muerte, the spirit of death, was perhaps the most powerful…Other spirits of almost equal rank turned out to be pombero, a spirit of division who brought terror… curupi, a spirit of sexual perversion and incest whose image was characterized by a ridiculously long male organ; the queen of heaven, a religious spirit who had perverted the true character of traditional Church; and the spirit of freemasonry…. After Cindy taught a day-long seminar on warfare prayer to pastors, intercessors, the Harvest Evangelism team, and others, a group of around 70 felt led to go to the plaza and engage in frontline warfare. After collectively praying, repenting, and confessing the sins represented by these evil principalities and powers, they engaged the spirits in five hours of spiritual battle. Only then did God give them assurance in their spirits that they had broken through….[41] [bold added]
In a 9-part article series exposing these types of “Doctrines of Demons” we find quotes from Victor Lorenzo who wrote a chapter in Wagner’s book, Breaking Strongholds in Your City called “Evangelizing a City Dedicated to Darkness.” Lorenzo explains Silvoso’s war strategy:
Peter Wagner says, ‘The most sophisticated strategy for evangelizing a city we have at the present time is Edgardo Silvoso’s Harvest Evangelism.’ To see how spiritual mapping fits into the whole evangelistic design, allow me to summarize Ed Silvoso’s six steps to taking a city….[Step] 4. Infiltrate Satan’s perimeter. Launch the ‘air attack’ of specific and strategic intercessory prayer through hundreds of thousands of prayer houses (prayer cells), having the objective of weakening Satan’s control over the unsaved, claiming instead a favorable disposition to the gospel….[Step] 5. Attack and destroy Satan’s perimeter. Begin the ‘frontal assault.’ Launch the spiritual takeover of the city, confronting, binding and casting down the spiritual powers ruling over the region…[42] [bold, underscore added]
Returning to Horn’s passage on “militant prayer,” note his similar inclusion of “power evangelism” and its perceived connection with fulfilling the Great Commission. Horn writes:
Ed Silvoso goes on to describe how believers in Argentina believe that militant prayer plays a vital, active role in God’s plan of redemption, and that, without the Church’s prayers, God will not reclaim territories invaded by Satan. Omar Cabrera, considered by some to be the dean of power evangelism in Argentina, has made a habit of secluding himself in a hotel room for days of militant prayer before ministering in a new city. He prays, binding the demon who controls the air or heaven above the city. Afterward, he goes public announcing to the people that they are now free to come to Christ…. Every verse in the Bible dealing with spiritual warfare indicates that the action must begin on earth…. It is the believer’s responsibility to ask before God will respond. We must bind and release on earth for heaven to do the same. Part and parcel to the great commission is the Church’s responsibility to cast out demons, and to tread over the power of the enemy.[43] [bold added]
Casting out demons is not “part and parcel” of the Great Commission. Preaching the Gospel is (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15). Both Ed Silvoso and Omar Cabrera taught workshops at the Lausanne II Conference in Manila in 1989 on territorial spirits and strategic-level spiritual warfare.[44] “Power evangelism” is a term coined by the late “signs and wonders” deliverance minister, John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Movement. He was a close friend and colleague of C. Peter. Wagner.[45]
BINDING AND LOOSING DARK ANGELS
What exactly is “binding and loosing” as exercised in militant prayer? On page 36 of Forbidden Gates (citing biblical precedent from Matt. 16:17-19), the Horns state, “For people not familiar with the terms ‘binding and loosing,’ these staple words in spiritual warfare imply that certain influences can and should be ‘bound’—i.e., binding demons so that they cannot affect our minds, bodies, or homes—while beneficial influences like good angels ought to be “loosed”….[bold, italics added] The Horns expand this teaching in the accompanying Forbidden Gates Study Guide, Lesson #2:
TEACHER’S NOTES: On Page 37 of Forbidden Gates, the authors claim that Jesus actually tied the work of the ministry to “binding” and “loosing” supernatural agents. Discuss this with the class and ask them how this is true; i.e. in what way does taking authority over spiritual entities enable the work of the ministry. This could include “deliverance” ministry within the church for individuals as well as breaking down geographical strongholds through prayer…. Ask the class if the preaching of the gospel and people’s willingness to receive the transforming work of the Word of God can be hindered or empowered by “binding” the influences of lying spirits in a church, community, or even in media such as Christian television and radio….[46] [bold added]
C. Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs both utilize these false “binding and loosing” strategies to supposedly take dominion over “territorial spirits.” Jacobs likens the activity to a rodeo:
Using the illustration of the cowboy, we take our rope, which is the Word of God, and ride the vehicle of prayer out to stop the works of Satan…we release our rope by speaking the Word of God; “Satan, I bind (or tie) you in the name of Jesus! The Word of God says that whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven…. Some situations require more than one person to do the binding, and the weapon of binding needs to be coupled with the weapon of the prayer of agreement…Each person who prays throws a rope until the prayers stop the wild bull, or the attack of Satan…[47] [bold added]
Lou Engle, TheCall’s chief prayer warrior, also employs these techniques. In an article called “Blueprint for War,” he also uses Matthew 16:15 to underscore the efficacy of “binding and loosing,” so that the Church can gain dominion over both the heavenly and earthly realm:
The implications of this conversation [Matt. 16:15] are mind-bending, shattering all conceptual limits to the measure of authority, power and influence Jesus has given His church. Not even the gates of Hades can surpass the church in strength. If this is true, the church can overcome every spiritual power… [bold added]
So does the “battle” belong to us—or to the Lord? Do we have the responsibility of “hog-tying” the hoards of hell, or did Jesus mean something else? The late Dr. Opal Reddin, explained the true meaning of “binding and loosing” in the September/October 1999 issue of the Discernment Newsletter:
So what did Jesus mean by “bind” and “loose” in these Scriptures? It should be obvious He was establishing principles that would make His Church victorious at all times in all places. In Matthew 16 he was assuring Peter and the other disciples that in order to extend His Church to all the world, they would be led to act in line with what had already been decreed in heaven. The verbs “will be bound” and “will be loosed” (16:19) are in the future perfect tense, passive voice: will have been bound” (Gr. Estai dedemenon) and “will have been loosed” (Gr. Estai lelumenon)…. We do no violence to Jesus’ words if we paraphrase: “Peter, as long as you continue to follow what is revealed to you by the Holy Spirit, as you just did in your statement regarding My Deity, as long as what you do on earth is synchronized with what has already been established in heaven, you will be effective and successful. As long as you are led by the Holy Spirit, all the power of heaven will validate what you do, and by this foreordained plan, I will build My Church….” Never do we hear the Early Church “binding and loosing” demons, but they bound repentant souls to the Kingdom. They loosed the Word of God to the multitudes, and by it they set captives free. What had been ordained in heaven became actualized on earth.[48] [bold added, italics in original]
Nonetheless, the Horns’ false and unbiblical teachings form the backdrop of Forbidden Gates. Militant prayer warfare ideologies lie behind Horn’s grim analysis of the extreme, yet ominous implications of GRIN technology (genetic, robotic, artificial intelligence & nanotechnology). These scientific technologies highlight the ultimate hermetic endeavors of transhumanism; mankind’s quest to become immortal (godlike; divine).[49] Note the embedded militant prayer warfare theology in these excerpts from Horn’s book Forbidden Gates:
While Forbidden Gates…includes fresh insights for traditional, tried-and-true methods of overcoming darkness, it also unveils for the first time how breakthrough advances in science, technology, and philosophy… will combine to create mind-boggling game-changes to everything you have ever known about spiritual warfare. [Forbidden Gates, Preface, pg. xv]
…[Y]ou will get to know the forces behind what will soon be happening all around you. This book will arm you with practical and highly effective tools to counter every move these forces make. Victory can be yours once decide to understand the issues and commit to conquer them. [Forbidden Gates, pg. 6.]
Thus if “evil angels” or the spirits of Nephilim are at work behind transhumanism, as we believe they are, unfallen and more powerful ones can assist in our counter-mission as emissaries of God. We have supernatural “secret agents” on our side who can go where we cannot and “whisper” ideas and suggestions into the ears of policy makers and legislators at the highest levels of geopolitical influence. [Forbidden Gates, pg 277]
…God has given the church what the U.S. government refused to give MacArthur during the Korean War: the power to move beyond the protective bridges of our enemy’s stronghold. God allows the contrite believer to invade the opponent’s headquarters through the power of prayer, to identify and bind the ruling prince through the authority of Jesus’ name, and to permanently destroy the fortress walls of nefarious warlords; or, as the military would say, “to offer them no quarter.” [Forbidden Gates, pg. 288]
To help believers get ready for what is unfolding, we are providing… teach[ing] about the armor,… how to fast and pray, how to engage pagan deities in spiritual warfare, and numerous related subjects. [Forbidden Gates, pg 293].[50]
In light of these things, and given Horn’s other strange and disturbing teachings (further documented in the prior Herescope article titled “Doomsday Datesetters 2012”),[51] his term “techno-dimensional spiritual warfare” takes on an alarming new dimension. On page 192 of Forbidden Gates, Horn writes:
…[I]t centers around Nimrod, the original character who later was mythologized as the god Apollo prophesied by the apostle Paul in the New Testament (and by the occult elite on the Great Seal of the United States as detailed in Apollyon Rising 2012) as the ancient spirit that will return to earth to rule the novus ordo seclorum. The story of Nimrod in the book of Genesis may illustrate how this could happen through genetic engineering or a retrovirus of demonic design that integrates with a host’s genome and rewrites the living specimen’s DNA, thus making it a “fit extension” or host for infection by the entity….[bold added]
For those lacking the intestinal fortitude to read Horn’s book Apollyon Rising 2012, let me briefly recap. Horn purports that ancient Nimrod is not only “mythologized as the god Apollo,” but is also the pagan god Osiris/Horus…who will “rise” in 2012 (according to Mayan prophecies and Freemasonic ciphers hidden in the Great Seal) as a “resurrected” Nephilim—a half man, half demon (god) child of the fallen angels (Watchers). He will also be a “Masonic messiah”—the Antichrist![52] Horn misuses Paul’s words in 2 Thess. 2:3 to validate “Apollo’s” identity and calls it a New Testament prophecy (i.e., son of destruction– Gr. apoleia).
Contorting Genesis 6:2-4 and Matt. 24: 37-39 out of all biblical proportion, Horn sums up the coming “holy war” between his mythical posthuman-dark angel hybrids and earthly humans:
Thus the gauntlet is thrown down and a holy war declared by the new and ungodly apostles of a transhuman faith! We who were created in His image will either adapt and be assimilated to posthuman, or be replaced by Nephilim 2.0 and the revival of their ancient mystery religion. This solidifies how, the more one probes into the ramifications of merging unnatural creations and nonbiological inventions according to the transhumanist scheme of seamlessly recalibrating humanity, a deeper malaise emerges, one that suggest those startling “parallels” between modern technology and ancient Watchers activity may be no coincidence at all—that, in fact, a dark conspiracy is truly unfolding as it did “in the days of Noah…but if indeed Satan has initiated an extraordinary conspiracy to revive species-altering supernaturalism as existed in Noah’s day, and assuming there is a gap between that sign and when God removes His own from this planet, the church as the body of Christ and God’s representation on earth could play a unique role as the instrument through which the Almighty, on behalf of His creation, will engage this evil. [Forbidden Gates, pp. 257, 260]
This is not far from the end-times “battle plan” of IHOP’s Mike Bickle and his “Forerunner Eschatology”:
Bickle believes God has anointed him to call forth and train these end-time Christian forerunners…. He is praying for thousands of last-days “forerunner Christians” to be raised up within this generation as special prophetic voices that will emerge in the spirit and power of Elijah and defeat the Antichrist’s soon-coming one-world government and religion by praying the “battle plan” of the Book of Revelation…. He claims that Jesus’ statement [in Matt. 16:18-19] refers to the end-time church’s possession of the keys of the kingdom through prayer that will drive hell off the planet during the Great Tribulation. The church will exercise binding and loosing end-time authority over God’s judgments assuring that the gates of hell—the Antichrist’s evil empire—will not prevail….[53] [bold added]
The Truth:
What is the truth? The Bible does teach us about spiritual warfare, but not as Wagner, Jacobs, Engle, Silvoso, Bickle and Horn do. They base many of their false doctrines on their fanciful interpretations of Ephesians 6:10-17. Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This passage does teach about how to war with Satan and his demons, but it pertains to our ongoing battle against the temptations to sin. This passage does not instruct Christians in “strategic-level” or “techno-dimensional” warfare; it teaches us to rely upon the Lord in our daily walk with Him.
“The armor of God” in verses 13-17 is a picture of God’s Word lived out. We are able to “put on/take up the full armor (given by God)” and to “stand firm” in “resisting the devil’s schemes” in God’s strength and might, not our own (vs. 10-14). The sword is not primarily an offensive weapon. The sword (in both the natural and spiritual) is primarily a defensive weapon. Watch people who fence. They spend 95% of their time parrying or deflecting the blows of the opponent and only the occasional lunge is an attack. Notice at how Jesus used the Word against Satan during His temptation in the wilderness. Jesus never went over to the attack. He simply defended the Truth by saying “it is written.” The Bible is only used in an “offensive” way to preach the Gospel and the Truth, which is primarily a defensive, an apologetic act.
The entire weapon system of the believer described in Ephesians 6 is defensive. This goes to the heart of the issue. We are not equipped to take the battle to the devil. But he will bring the battle to us. Three times in this passage it is emphasized that we need the weapons in order to STAND – not to attack, retreat or pursue, but to stand (verses 11, 13, 14). A fourth time Paul uses the word “withstand” (vs. 13). It is abundantly clear that Ephesians 6 teaches us to stand on the victory already gained and completed at the cross (Col. 2:15: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He [Jesus Christ] made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”). The battle is not about gaining new ground, and we are not taught to go in pursuit of the devil. We have the victory—it was gained by Jesus at the cross. Satan wants to rob and kill and destroy us (John 10:10). But all we have to do is take on the whole armor and stand.
A careful examination of 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, which is also frequently cited to justify this hyper-spiritual warfare, will reveal that “strongholds” (fortresses) are “speculations” and “thoughts” that come against God’s Truth and which lead us into disobedience and sin. We “destroy” these by knowing God’s Word, and obeying it through the power of the indwelling Spirit of God, not by exercising authority over demons. This “taking on the devil” mentality via Strategic Level (warfare prayer) and Techo-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare (militant prayer) negates the Lord’s sovereignty. Furthermore, when Satan and his emissaries are blamed for all ills plaguing a fallen world and mankind—“the devil/demons made me do it”—there is a profound diminishing of the Gospel message of Salvation.
Pastor Bill Randles, in his excellent book refuting spiritual warfare techniques, Making War in the Heavenlies, wrote a section entitled “True Warfare” in which he observed that Paul’s Gospel presentation in Acts 17:1-3; 16-18 consisted of “reasoning, debating, opening and alleging.”
…[W]hen Paul’s spirit was stirred up in Athens, because of the gross idolatry, he didn’t wage spiritual warfare against Zeus or Apollo. In fact, he didn’t name any spirit, tear down any principalities or any such thing. Paul waged spiritual warfare by ‘disputing in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily, with them that met with him.’ (Verse 17)
The warfare intensified when “certain philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics encountered him“ (Acts 17:18). Now here we have spiritual warfare! Out in the marketplace of ideas, Paul was promoting the doctrine of Christ, setting Christ forth in the face of Epicureanism, Stoicism, Platonism, and all the philosophies of the day which Satan was using to darken men’s minds. It is patterns of thinking that need to be directly confronted, philosophies that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God!
While Christians are waging phony war against Jezebel, lust and other ‘strongmen,’ [the doctrines of] humanism, psychology, selfism, and so on are going unchallenged, and are even being promoted in our churches! When Paul waged war in Athens, his spiritual warfare consisted of the ideas of men being confronted by the Gospel of God! (pp. 25-26) [bold added]
Only the Gospel, through the power of God’s Spirit, will set sinners free from the bondage of the flesh, the world—and the devil—one person at a time.
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
~ Revelation 5:13
[1] C. Peter Wagner, Warfare Prayer, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., Shippensburg, PA, 1992, 2001 (Spiritual Warfare), 2009, pg. 232.
[2] Lou Engle, “Blueprint for War”; http://www.ministriestoday.com/index.php/features/19194-blueprint-for-war.
[3] Tom and Nita Horn, Forbidden Gates, How Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, and Human Enhancement Herald the Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare, Defender Publishing, Crane, MO, 2010, pg. 284. Bold added.
[4] The term “militant intercession” is used by Cindy Jacobs; See: Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, Chosen Books (Div. of Baker Books), Grand Rapids, MI, 1991, 1994, pg. 23. Many advocates of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare engage in extreme fasting disciplines taught by the late Franklin Hall. His book, Atomic Power with God Through Fasting and Prayer, was published in 1946; http://www.shiloahbooks.com/download/Atomic.pdf. In Spiritual Warfare: The Invisible Invasion (Huntington House Publishers, Lafayette, LA, 1998, pp. 162-186), Tom Horn promotes fasting as a discipline of spiritual warfare.
[5] Dr. Orrel Steinkamp, “The Technology of Spiritual Warfare Evangelism,” The Plumbline, Vol. 7, No. 1, Jan./Feb. 2002; http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/orrel9.html.
[6] Tom and Nita Horn, Forbidden Gates: How Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, and Human Enhancement Herald the Dawn of Techno-Dimensional Spiritual Warfare, Defender Publishing, Crane, MO 2010; http://forbiddengate.com, pg. xvii.
[7] Ibid, pp. 11-17.
[8] Ibid, pg. 17; See also: The Invisible Invasion, pp. 71-76.
[9] Peter Masters, Test All Things, “Paul (David) Yonggi Cho”; http://testallthings.com/2007/07/14/paul-david-yonggi-cho/; Cho is senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Korea. In 1973, he started Osanri Prayer Mountain near Seoul; See: Lou Engle, “Blueprint for War.”
[10] Ibid.
[11] Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, pg 194.
[12] C. Peter Wagner & F. Douglas Pennoyer, Ed., Wresting with Dark Angels, Regal Books (Div. Gospel Light), Ventura, CA, 1990, pg. 81.
[13] Tom Horn was a featured speaker at the Steeling of the Mind Conference in Denver Sept. 17; http://www.compass.org/conferences/Steeling-Denver-2011; Also, Horn organized/presented at Future Congress 2011 which was held in Branson, MO in July.
[14] The Discernment Newsletter, “Spiritual Warfare – Fact or Fantasy?,” Vol. 1, Nu. 4, Aug. 1990; http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Newsletters/NL1990Aug.pdf. Bold added.
[15] This idea is not original with Horn, Gordon Lindsay wrote on this subject in 1954, The Mystery of the Flying Saucers in the Light of the Bible; http://bibeltemplet.net/bibletemple/pioneer_christian_writings_on_ufos.html.
[16] Thomas R. Horn and Donald C. Jones, Ph.D., The Gods Who Walk Among Us, Huntington House Publishers, Lafayette, LA, 1999, pg. 133.
[17] Thomas R. Horn, “The Coming Gods of the New World Order,” NewWithViews.com, July 28, 2009; http://www.newswithviews.com/Horn/thomas115.htm.
[18] Thomas R. Horn, Nephilim Stargates: The Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers, Anomalos Publishing House, Crane, MO, 2007, pp. 9-10. Bold added.
[19] Ibid, pg. 10.
[20] Nephilim Stargates, pg. 8; Forbidden Gates, pg. 37.
[21] Ibid, “The Coming Gods of the New World Order.”
[22] William M. Alnor, UFOs in the New Age: Extraterrestrial Messages & the Truth of Scripture, Baker Book House Company, 1992, pg. 157.
[23] Pastor Larry DeBruyn, “Did Jesus Teach the Deity of Humanity,” Guarding His Flock Ministries; http://guardinghisflock.com/2010/08/03/did-jesus-teach-the-divinity-of-humanity/.
[24] Heiser has a featured article in Official Disclosure, “ Christian Theology and the ET Reality”; he has also written a paranormal thriller, The Façade, which involves ET life & UFO phenomenon; See: “On the Road to Roswell 2007: A Discussion with Dr. Mike Heiser”, American Chronicle; http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/29990.
[25] Tom Horn bases his teaching on UFOs/ETs from personal experience, not from Scripture. His sister and niece both claim to have been abducted by “aliens,” and his friend and colleague, Gary Stearman claims to have had an alien encounter while piloting an aircraft in the 1960s. Horn just published Stearman’s book, Time Travelers of the Bible; Stearman was a speaker at Future Congress. See: “Interview with Thomas Horn, Controversial Author of The Ahriman Gate,” Raiders of the Lost Truth; http://raidersnewsupdate.blogspot.com/2005/09/interview-with-thomas-horn.html; and also, “The Story I’ve Never Told,” Prophecy in the News; http://prophecyinthenews.com/the-story-ive-never-told/.
[26] Eric Scot Porter, “Kingdom of the Gods: the Once and Future Failure of Babel,” Official Disclosure Magazine, Thomas R. Horn, Ed., Anomalos Publishing, Greshem, OR, 2006, pg. 7; http://dc379.4shared.com/doc/eUDwtSO-/preview.html. See also: http://www.officialdisclosure.com.
[27] Ibid.
[28] For a biblical examination of the “Nephilim” teaching, See: Pastor Anton Bosch, “Nephilim,” Discernment Newsletter, July/Aug. 2011, pp. 4-7; http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Newsletters/NL2011JulAug.pdf; and also: Pastor Larry DeBruyn, “Demons, Daughters and DNA,” Guarding His Flock Ministries; http://guardinghisflock.com/2011/06/22/demons-daughters-and-dna/.
[29] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission, pg. 343.
[30] The Holy Bible, King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1989, pg. 192.
[31] The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1982, pg. 307.
[32] The Holy Bible, New International Version, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 1973, 1978, 1984, pg. 154.
[33] Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary, Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D., Gen. Ed., Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN, 1991, pg. 266.
[34] Warfare Prayer, pg. 86; See also Possessing the Gates, pg. 229.
[35] Wrestling with Dark Angels, pg. 85. Note: This statement would be very similar to the views of the psychologist Carl Jung, an occultist who relied upon ancient mythology as a source of psycho-spiritual enhancement to create god-like capacity in modern man. For further reading on this point, see the 3-part series “Resurrecting Pagan Rites,” by Lynn and Sarah Leslie, posted at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Articles/ResurrectingPaganRites.pdf
[36] The Invisible Invasion, pg. 141; See also Nephilim Stargates, pp. 17-18.
[37] The Invisible Invasion, pg. 138. Another related heresy is the teaching that there are “gateways,” or “portals” that can be opened to intercessors by cleansing geographic principalities using specific localities. This is called “geomancy,” and using occultic “ley lines.” An egregious example of this can be found in Nephilim Stargates (pp. 74-91) and Apollyon Rising 2012 (pp. 320-325), where Horn mystically attempts to connect the 1947 Roswell UFO crash with end of world in 2012 using latitude and longitude lines (along with the Mayan calendar and other extra-biblical sources); See:”New Doctrines of the Land,” Herescope, https://herescope.net/2006/02/new-doctrines-of-land.html and “Geographical Heresies of the New Apostolic Reformation,” Herescope, https://herescope.net/2006/02/geographical-heresies-of-new-apostolic.html.
[38] Ibid., pg. 139. Note that Scripture tells us that even Michael the archangel dared not to rebuke the devil, leaving that authority to the Lord, to whom it belongs (Jude 9).
[39] Sarah H. Leslie, “Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism,” Conscience Press, Ravenna, OH, 2005, pg. 13, http://www.discernment-ministries.org/ChristianImperialism.htm
[40] See: “The Apostolic Transformation Worldview,” Herescope, March 20, 2006; https://herescope.net/2006/03/apostolic-transformation-worldview.html; also, “Ed Silvoso & Transformation Africa,” Herescope, October 25, 2006; https://herescope.net/2006/10/ed-silvoso-transformation-africa.html.
[41] Warfare Prayer, pp. 30-31.
[42] Tricia Tillin, “Doctrines of Demons”; http://www.birthpangs.org/articles/latterrain/DoD.pdf; See pp. 17-18.
[43] The Invisible Invasion, pp. 139-140.
[44] Warfare Prayer, pg. 43.
[45] Wrestling with Dark Angels, pp. 13-42; See also, Warfare Prayer, pg. 36.
[46] Thomas and Nita Horn, Forbidden Gates 13-Week Study Guide, “Open Sesame!”, Defender Publishing LLC, pg. 18; http://raidersnewsupdate.com/FGTeach.pdf.
[47] Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, pg. 106.
[48] Dr. Opal Reddin, “Generational Curses, Strongholds, Binding and Loosing, Deliverance Ministry,” Discernment Newsletter, Issue #10, Sept.-Oct. 1999; http://discernment-ministries.org/Newsletters/NL1999SepOct.pdf; See also, “Spiritual Warfare,” Let Us Reason (Mike Oppenheimer); http://www.letusreason.org/pent13.htm; and Bob DeWaay, “Binding and Loosing,” Critical Issues Commentary (CIC), Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1992; http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue1.pdf.
[49] See: Herescope, “The Brave New Breed: Creatures in Pursuit of Autonomous Perfection,” Feb. 10, 2006; https://herescope.net/2006/02/brave-new-breed-creatures-in-pursuit.html.
[50] On pg. 266 of Forbidden Gates, Horn alerts readers to a “World Congress on Emerging Threats and Challenges” set to take place in 2011 to address the subjects presented in his book. Future Congress 2011 took place in July in Branson, MO; http://futurecongress.com (this is examined in “Doomsday Datesetters 2012”; see below).
[51] Gaylene Goodroad, “Doomsday Datesetters 2012,” Herescope, June 10, 2011; https://herescope.net/2011/06/doomsday-datesetters-2012.html.
[52] Thomas Horn, Apollyon Rising 2012: The Lost Symbol Found and the Final Mystery of the Great Seal Revealed, Defender Publishing, Crane, MO, 2009, pp. 138-139, 269-277, 301-305.
[53] Andrew Jackson, “Forerunner Eschatology,” Christian Research Journal; http://journal.equip.org/articles/forerunner-eschatology; See also, Mike Bickle, IHOPU – The Book of Revelation, pg. 8; http://www.mikebickle.org.edgesuite.net/MikeBickleVOD/2008/20080830-T-Overview_of_the_Book_of_Revelation_BOR01.pdf.
*Note: A special thanks to Pastor Anton Bosch, Kim Treweek, Sue Conway, Sarah Leslie and other members of the Discernment Research Group for contributing significant insights and their research assistance in the writing of this article.