The Problem with “Sanctified Imaginations”
(Kim Clement, The Elijah List, 10/12/12)
(Barbara Breathitt, TheElijahList, 12/2/12)
is the ability of the human mind to create mental images and sensations that do
not come from the the five senses.
Consequently It is not surprising that self proclaimed prophets claim visions and dreams that have their source in their
vivid and well trained human imaginations. Currently The Elijah List on the Internet presents thousands
upon thousands of these mental pictures,
suggesting that these pictures have their origin in God. But these imaginary
words and pictures on Elijah List have a very short shelf life. They are posted
and soon forgotten as new more appealing prophetic images replace them. In fact
many of these prophesies can easily be demonstrated as contradictory. Here is an example of an Elijah List article titled “Creative Imagination and the Ingenious Truth”:
Nothing exists in the natural realm until we are able to connect through observation, and the words we speak paint a positive or a negative picture in the mind’s eye. “The mind’s eye can be defined as: the human ability for visual perception, imagination, visualization, and memory. In other words, the mind’s eye is one’s ability to see things with the mind. Because many dreams are symbolic mysteries, God’s guidance is necessary to uncover their hidden meanings. God intended that we get to know Him better through this process of discovering the meaning of our dreams. Our image center is a vehicle that the Holy Spirit can access if we are open to Him. The Holy Spirit will give us dreams in the night or streams of thought during the day to bring revelation and direction to our lives.”…
When positive verbal seeds are planted in a soul, they grow the fruit of productive images in the imagination….
…Spoken words produce our future. When a constructive future is presented, agree with it. Liberate your inspired imagination to take it to a higher level. Observe the powerful picture as it is formed. When the vision is complete, allow it to imprint on your heart. Once it is imprinted on your heart, it becomes part of your spiritual DNA. This visual roadmap will lead you to destiny. (Barbara Breathitt, TheElijahList, 12/2/12)
Prior
to the fall of Jerusalem (587 BC) the true biblical prophet Jeremiah complained
that the false prophets of his day uttered false prophecies that he identifies
as products of the human imagination. “They [false prophets] speak visions
of their own minds, not from the
mouth of the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:16, ESV). Jeremiah further states: “Behold, I
am against these who prophesy lying dreams declares the Lord and who
tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness , when
I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all,
declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23: 32, ESV).
is intoxicating. It is seductive. It can easily become addictive. It can also
easily be tied to idolatry. This is one reason why God’s word warns that there
is such a thing as “the imagination of an evil heart” that can lead one astray. (Jeremiah 18:12).
You imagine what you desire. You will what you imagine, and at last you create
what you will.
Well do I remember visiting the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake
City 50 years ago. The tour guide
presented his pitch for Mormonism. His total point was that God did not stop
giving revelation with the first century apostles. This tour guide suggested
that in the Latter Days God further revealed himself to Joseph Smith. It was a
plea for “continuing revelation.” Just a
few weeks ago I had a conversation with two Mormon missionaries. Their planned
appeal was still the same. Their question to me was “has God ever spoken to
you?” If I had said yes their retort would have been simply that God also spoke
to Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith’s account of his original vision is that of God
the Father and Jesus the Son simultaneously appearing in human flesh with a
further revelation for Latter Day
Saints. Surely this was an imaginary experience, pure and simple.
It turns out
that it is imagination that is the engine of false revelation. Imagination
becomes the stage for continuing revelation.
It is not surprising that prophetic imagination is alive and well today. In
fact without doubt there are many
more false imagination prophecies today than existed in Jeremiah’s time. Todd Bentley, who himself practices false prophecy, actually admitted recently that
imagination is the key to prophecy when he stated that: “90% or more of all
visions and revelations happen in the eye of our hearts, in our imagination.” (Lakeland Revival Blogspot). Bentley
also stated: “The first thing you must do is sanctify your imagination”
(Identity Network, “Open Heavens,” Todd
Bentley)
So I decided to pursue the
term “sanctified imagination” in a Google search. I found that “sanctified imagination” has
become a specific in-house term used repeatedly on the Internet by imaginary prophets today. Craig Kinsley,
writing on The Elijah List states: “When we set our sanctified imagination on
God, his will is made known to us and the imagination is the place where God
most often speaks to us. We often call that our ‘sanctified imagination’…
The place we often begin to see in the
realm of the spirit is our imagination. The place where we day dream.” (“Sanctifying the Imagination,” May 7, 2006)
Johnson, Bill Johnson’s wife from Bethel Church, Redding CA, apparently has a
vivid imagination with which she claims to see angels frolicking on a hillside.
Bentley and seer prophet Bob Jones of Kansas City Prophets fame are well known
for their many purported trips to the
third heaven. Bentley states: “If we want to see in the spirit, we must use the
powerful key of sanctified imagination to unlock visions and dreams…. I have
helped bring so many people into the heavenly realm by teaching them to look
with their spiritual eye and stop asking, ‘Where is it? Where is the angel?
Where? I don’t see him – where?’ We have to begin to see with our ‘third eye’ –
the eye on the inside, in our imagination.” (Manna, “Living Under An Open Heaven,” Todd Bentley, bold added)
Mark
Batterson, seeker-sensitive pastor, has apparently also discovered the imagination. He states: “I
think He [God] wants us to live ‘out of imagination.’ I am convinced that our
potential lies in a ‘sanctified imagination.’” (“Sanctified Imaginations,” May 5,
2005, bold in original)
the prophetic movement today the professionals have designated certain
imaginary prophets as “seer” prophets. These seer prophets attest to seeing
things and the things they see in their imagination is played out upon the
stage of their trained imaginations.
These imaginations become better trained with repeated imaginary episodes. Seer prophet Bob Jones boasts of many imaginary trips into the heavenlies every
night. Apparently Jones’ ability to see with his imagination failed him when he
counseled a woman in Kansas City some years ago and asked her to disrobe to
enable him to receive special revelation for her. He was sidelined to a
backstage ministry for a time before being quickly restored. Currently he
retains his lofty status as a seer prophet. Recently I viewed him on the the
Internet (YouTube) as he attended the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry graduation at the
Bethel church in Redding CA. Graduating students lined up to have a prophetic
encounter with Jones ,the seer prophet of
renown, and bowed before him to honor him
and perchance receive words of prophecy. Jones, and the myriads of others
claiming these imaginary revelations, are totally dependent on their human
imaginations, self generated in their human brains.
mental images become highly sought after as revelations from God. For those who
are addicted to these imaginary
revelations, these imaginations become for them and their followers supposed
revelations directly from God. These imaginary revelations of course fit well
into the current postmodern worldview so prevalent in modern culture. As Pastor Ken Silva has warned, “The whole Word Faith idea of positive confession aka ‘name it and claim it’ is rooted in the idea that the material world is largely illusion and that our spoken words actually have creative spiritual power over it.” (“Joel Osteen Declares Human Words Have Creative Power,” 9/18/12, Apprising.org)
In
the occult world, this type of imagination is sometimes known as “The Third
Eye,” as illustrated by the graphic image at the top of this page. Note
what it says on Wikipedia:
The
third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric
concept referring to a speculative invisible eye which provides
perception beyond ordinary sight. In certain dharmic spiritual
traditions such as Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna, or brow,
chakra. In Theosophy it is related to the pineal gland. The third eye
refers to the gate that leads to inner realms and spaces of higher
consciousness. In New Age spirituality, the third eye often symbolizes a
state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply
personal spiritual or psychological significance. The third eye is often
associated with religious visions,clairvoyance, the ability to observe
chakras and auras, precognition, and out-of-body experiences. People who
are claimed to have the capacity to utilize their third eyes are
sometimes known as seers.
All of
this is further enhanced as Hollywood produces a continual stream of fantasy
movies. This only enhances an increasing appetite for fantasy and myth. And our
youth are devouring it. Current fantasy movies are the hot the topic
of conversation among our youth today. Just take the time to overhear their
conversations and you will agree. Our Christian youth get totally animated rehearsing the plots of the latest
fantasy movies. It is something they pursue with reckless
abandon. Hollywood knows this only too
well. The Hollywood producers appeal to
the youth because they know they have a waiting audience. Our youth workers
chime in attempting to take these imaginary fantasies and tie them loosely to
biblical concepts. But then it is that these fantasies and imaginations become a sort of surrogate world
view for thousands of our Christian
young people. Our Christian young people then are set up for the latest
imaginary prophets and what they are claiming. This becomes familiar normal
operating procedure. The Scripture then
becomes sublimated to fantasy. Without planning it, their faith becomes in part
an imaginary world view. The imaginary prophets have a ready-made waiting
audience already predisposed to the imaginary realm.
“They all serve a set of strategic social and spiritual goals: They entertain. They shift a person’s attention from the real world to a more titillating realm created by those who write the myths and steer the imagination. They tempt Christian fans to re-imagine both God and themselves in the new context – thus bending the old realities to fit the new myths. They desensitize their fans to mystical images and symbols of evil. And they stir a craving for more intense excitement of the same kind.
“Eventually the real world of nature, families, work and Biblical truth becomes too boring to be enjoyed. Who cares about truth and facts when myths and fantasies seem far more exiting?” (Cited by Herescope)
The Christian, more so than other individual, is called upon by Scripture to have a restrained imagination. The Bible calls this being “sober minded.” (Titus 2:6) In fact, being “sober” is directly connected to being on “watch” in the last days, the end times as described in the Bible alone without any fantasy or mythology added to it:
- Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thess 5:6)
- But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)
- Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:13)
- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8)
Given these verses, it seems even more important for Christians who have an interest in the last days to be well-grounded in reality, in the truth of Scripture, and to be “sober minded,” and not to live in a fantasy world made up of a mixture of myths. Yet we live in an era when mystical imageries, imaginations and fantasies are coming into the church like a flood.