GLORIOUS LIGHT June 2008
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Pardon the long absence from the website. I have continued to be busy in ministry, both at home, and traveling.
This has been a season of PAUSE for me. I have so many conflicting thoughts and pulls about this season for ministry, myself and family, the Church, and the nation.
I have been given a prayer watch which I have tried to fight to get away from, but cannot. I know chaos will be our nation's portion without the absolute mercy of God. I know the Church is divided. I know the Prince of Persia is on the move.
Jeopardy is the word I hear over this nation in conjunction with Habakkuk 2: 4-11. Pay day may be coming for the bestial, self-serving impulses that have ruled this nation and the Church.
In the midst of this, I am in a very different place.
The reality that I can not push myself as I once did has come home to me. I am battling physical exhaustion. I have always traveled and ministered as the Lord has opened doors. Now I feel I am being "detained by the Lord".
I am becoming a very conservative man, perhaps boring for the appetites of many in the Charismatic/non-denominational movement. I am watching winds of doctrine trickle through our movement--AGAIN--with no apparent stand on the Word from men and women of renown: I wonder how much longer we can remain relevant in Biblical Christianity without such a stand.
Our lust for the "river to flow" and the "fire to burn" may give us the polluted streams of spiritual water witches and the strange flames of firestarters. Once again we must reverse back, out of the dead alley of a Crossless Christianity to the source, the King's Highway, in the words of Paul,
"I would know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified...".
I wonder if the Body of Christ is like King Ahauerus in the Book of Esther. His name means "king". He abandoned Vashti, "beautiful woman", because she would not obey his drunken commands. God allowed this to preserve the Jews, but Vashti was righteous, according to Oriental court etiquette and the behavior of woman, especially a queen, in that she refused to be paraded in an all male drunken bacchanal.
Some commentators believe she was ordered to appear naked.
Enter Jewish Hadassah "myrtle", a fragrant tree, renamed Esther "star". Even though she excelled in every way, she nearly lost her life and the life of the Jewish people because King Ahauerus did not know his own heart and listened to those who appealed to his pride, his pomp, and his ego.
The problem with us Spirit-filled folk, is perhaps we don't know the difference between our authority as believers, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We think we are king. Perhaps we listen to what appeals to our flesh and our ability to "be in control".
Do we know our own heart?
The appeal to our flesh also opens a door for deception.
I would encourage pastors to post the Apostle's Creed in a visible place in your sanctuaries, and teach the basic doctrines of the Bible. It will probably cause some to leave, but it will enable the sheep to stand.
I was once a part of a Church in which we had a mini-revival with about 30 brand new Christians coming to Jesus who had never been in the religious arena before. Our pastor began to teach on the basics of the faith, feeding the lambs who could not yet feed themselves. Several of our "shoulda been" mature members came to him with this declaration,
"Pastor, we're not being fed. We already know this. We need the meat of the Word. We're leaving so we can be fed."
He pleaded with these older saints to take this opportunity to assist him with their anchor in Jesus to pastor and disciple the new babes in our body. They left and departed for the "greener" pastures of some great hub of never-ending campmeeting.
I would beg Christians to remember we are saved individually to a corporate purpose--it is time to build and grow. This is the season to take a stand--we are surely wiser in Jesus than beavers, ants, bees, and other animals which instinctually create and supply communally.
We are more than able to do it in the power of His might and by His manifold wisdom which is resident in the Body.
Realize that in these days, a large percentage of Christians don't know why they believe what they believe and are sitting ducks for any spiritual manifestation, regardless of the source. I have been watching the studies and polls for years--across the board, there is an all-time high in hunger and thirst for spiritual things and an all-time low in Scriptural knowledge.
Thus the masses don't know, and for lack of knowledge, don't care whether the Spirit and the Word agree. They just want a spirit--any spirit.
The setting is ripe for dark seed to be planted.
Stand against the spirit of anti-Christ, false light spirits, false visions and demonic interpretation of Scriptures.
Stand against necromancy. Necromancy is the supposed commnunication with the dead. In actuality, it is trafficking with familiar spirits who appear as and mimic the dead. The enemy is clever, crazy like a fox. These spirits can appear as anyone or anything who suits Satan's purpose, both inside and outside the Church.
Demons can appear as family members, angels, even as Jesus!
We are in the Last Days of deceiving spirits and doctrines of devils, with the drive for results joining with ominous forces fueled by the soul cries of itching ears.
Carlton Pearson's demise into apostasy is screaming testimony of the power of such a deceiving spirit appearing to be Jesus, coming to an educated, decorated, dedicated man of global repute, preaching another Gospel than Paul preached. He swallowed it whole because it was a real experience.
He now preaches that all paths lead to God because of the "higher" revelation he received, the "New Gospel of the Kingdom". The same man, Carlton Pearson, preached and wrote copiously against such deception before his demise.
A man of letters, spiritual son of Oral Roberts, could not discern and curse an "angel preaching another gospel"!
Beware you who think you stand, lest you fall!
When it comes to spiritual manifestations and visions IN THIS CRITICAL HOUR, the Word of God, untwisted, undiluted, and unchanged, must be our only criteria and plumb line.
Any thing else is delusional and demonic.
An old and wise prophet had been walking with the Lord for many years--he told me,
"I have many experiences which I must hold to the Word. I don't share most of them--people are prone to excess and deception as it is. Don't major on the minors. Give people the Word--that is what will cause them to stand, not your personal experiences. They need to be taught how to get saved, stay saved, fight the devil, and stand on the Word. That is what will take them through."
I was part of a ministry in my early walk with the Lord which emphasized fasting and spiritual experiences. I went on several long fasts. Althouth the ministry was very Jesus-centered, the unspoken expectation was if you were spiritual you would have "deep" and "mystical" experiences with the Lord.
I believe anyone who seeks the Lord will find Him.
One night in the first few months of my salvation, during one of these fasts, I was awakened by an audible voice telling me to go into the bathroom.
A little dazed, I obeyed to encounter a large being of shining, shimmering, radiant light, nearly blinding--he spoke with a man's voice, and stood floor to ceiling. He said,
"Bow down and worship me!"
I did. I was astounded and amazed and afraid.
This awesome being said,
"I have called you. You are mine. You will not live long, for I have called you to be a martyr for me.
You will go to Russia and preach the Gospel for me, and will give your life for me.
As a sign, go the library tomorrow morning. Go to the 4th floor, row 9 and turn right."
I stayed there on the floor for a few more minutes gazing at this radiant vision. Then I went back to bed and fell into a deep sleep. Of course, I got up to go to the library the next day!
I went to the 4th floor, to the 9th row, turned right to gaze upon all the Russian lanquage books in the large college library. My immediate reaction was,
"Oh my God! I'm going to Russia and get killed for preaching!"
This was the 70's and the Cold War very much a part of life.
I was deeply troubled, but determined to obey what I believed was a Divine visitation of the highest order, that Jesus Himself had appeared to me. I was called to be martyr for Him in Russia!
What a fearful honor! How spiritual and other-worldly I felt at the same time!
I made an appointment with one of the older prophets in our ministry, a dear man named Joe.
He listened to my story intently and never took his eyes off me. He prayed quietly for a few moments and then spoke simple, kind, wise, and profound words,
"Vaughn, you are very sensitive spiritually, not only to the Lord, but the enemy would seek an advantage over you. You may very well be a martyr one day, but now it is time for you to grow and learn.
If this being had been Jesus, He would have identified Himself and not been mysterious. No angel from God would have told you to worship him.
This experience was demonic.
This was real, but not from the Lord. You did nothing wrong. From now on, be sure to tell me about any more such visitations. Let's pray. I want you to learn how to test spirits."
That was not my last experience!
Thank God and Joe for the wonderful counsel that kept me from being led and controlled by a false light spirit. This creature was sent by Satan to take advantage of not only my zeal, but ALSO MY INIQUITY FOR SEEKING THE REALM OF THE SPIRIT WITHOUT SEEKING JESUS.
Even Satan can appear as an angel of light.
This is the essence of mystery religion. Remember the impact of the following Scripture,
"Let no one defraud you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the Body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase which is from God."--Colossians 2: 18-19
There is no new revelation or teaching--there is nothing new under the sun!
BEWARE of extra-Scriptural revelations and teachings/visions claiming or assuming or appearing to have a higher authority than, or ignoring/displacing the Word of God. Such enticement and "higher spirituality" is the source of EVERY great delusion, deception, sect, cult, and false religion on the planet.
"New revelation" becomes more real than the written Word of God.
This sort of "new hyper-revelation" is mystery religion, actually old deception whose roots can be found in Babylon and in the apostolic battles for the Truth in the First Century Church.
The mystic ascent to "higher dimension spirituality" is the necrotic vomit of some ancient demonic pit.
Satan has reserved this vent for this tumultuous moment--God has allowed this underworld breaking forth because of idolatry and departure from the Faith.
People are getting what they want, a one-size-fits-all-Jesus, and instant access and dominion into the realm of the Spirit.
I have been preaching on End-Time Deception and the spirit of anti-Christ for the last couple of years. I have contacted a couple of churches and asked them for the tapes so I can review them. I have marveled that the Presence of the Holy Spirit has been so strained in the American mindset that sorcerers like Chris Angel of "Mindfreak" fame can now levitate on prime-time television.
This is the same kind of occultic manifestation which induced the apostasy of many eschelons of British nobiity, exposed to and seduced by Hindu and Moslem mysticism.
I have wondered what the response of the Church would be if Chris Angel put a Bible under his arm and proclaimed Jesus? What crowds would he gather if he levitated and proclaimed a new move of God?
God's Presence is not with us nationally as He was then--Jesus is publicly despised, hated, vilified. The Gospel has been retired for a message of self-fufillment.
A few years ago, this kind of occultic entertainment and amazement could never have manifested on prime-time and would never have been tolerated!
Our spiritual borders are just as open as our national borders!
Remember, this is the era that Oprah Winfrey has declared a "healing the planet" movement with "no cross, no sin, no need for redemption". She has shown her ability to marshall millions of people worldwide for unified meditation.
Near the turn of the 20th Century, a group of American and British plutocrats tried to import one of the leading gurus of India to the United States, to introduce this messianic leader with his powerful sorceries to the populace. This mystic was unable to leave the ship, docked in New York, because of the "negative energy" he felt.
Of course this was the Presence of God holding back the demon in him.
I went to Bible school with a woman who had been a personal slave to a guru in India. She slept at his feet for seven years. He was so "holy"--she said he was anything but--she had to prepare his food and hand feed him. He was too "close to god" for his hands to feed himself. She told me thousands of people would gather, he would assume the lotus position, go into a trance and levitate between 4 and 5 feet off the ground.
Ashes would begin to fall from the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.
Whoever ate these ashes would be healed of whatever affliciton they had.
I wonder what kind of crowds I would draw in my meetings if I could levitate and have ashes fall from my body that healed whoever ate them? I could hire a couple of girls from the srip club to wear white dresses and dance gracefully holding Crosses.
I could stand and declare,
"God is here!"
I would never have to preach. Police would handle the traffic.
What stir would I cause in the Charismatic Church?
What is the limit?
The restraint of the Holy Spirit has been removed to a degree. Hopefully the Lord is allowing some shots over our spiritual bow to awaken the slumbering Church.
Perhaps He will have mercy on us and restore the Canopy!
A demonic entity called "The Tibetian" is pummeling America--this is the same sort of invasion which polluted Germany. I have consistently heard reports that there were missonaries in Tibet in the early 1930's who were visiting a religious site where the monks would invoke demonic deities: they called them gods. These "gods" would possess the monks and devotees with many manifestations.
On this particular day in 1933, the missionaries arrived at this site to find all the monks and people in an uproar. They made inquiry as to the cause of the commotion. One of the elder monks told the missionaries all their "gods" had left that morning. The man ask where they went--they were told, "Germany".
This is a whole other subject, but the day these deities departed for Germany was the day Adolph Hitler was elected, January 30th, 1933.
The occultic roots of the Nazi party are well documented.
With this sort of mystic, occultic "wisdom"--always remember there is real not-of-God wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and demonic--there is no truth, no good, no evil, just whatever suits the purposes of man and state. Life becomes cheap. The only virtue is tolerance.
The only intolerance is Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life and without Whom no man can come to the Father. The only intolerance is Truth.
At the same time, the principles of the End-Time Harvest, the Tares and the Wheat, even the Dragnet are in operation. The Holy Spirit is being poured out on all flesh, our sons and daughters, our young men and old, will prophesy, dream dreams, have visions. The Light is manifesting the darkness; the Glory of God is covering the earth--gross darkness is covering the people:
CHRIST IS FORCING ANTI-CHRIST INTO THE OPEN.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will endure forever.
Always remember the Scripture asks,
"Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth when he returns?"
We Christians must, at some point, have enough of a survival instinct to be as wise, noble, and well-watered as the saints at Berea. Paul was experiencing revival and opposition in Thessalonica and Berea. Thessalonnica means "victory through conquest"; Berea means "well-watered".
The saints at Berea heard Paul preach the same thing the Thessalonicans did. Paul said the Berean saints were more noble than the saints at Thessalonica, BECAUSE they searched the Scriptures daily to hold Paul's preaching to the Word of God, to see if what he was saying was so. This can be found in Acts 17: 10-11.
The Thessalonican Church was established--I and II Thessalonians proves that, despite the persecutions of the Jews. the people, at least in the beginning, did not readily receive the Word and did not study to make sure they were not being deceived.
Why should the saints be forced to choose between breakthrough or balance?
Just recently I was preaching in a small church in the mountains. I was preaching and misquoted a Scripture and made comment based on that misquote. An older brother spoke up politely, but involuntarily, and then acted embarrassed. I looked at the Scripture and corrected myself.
At the end of the service, he apologized to me. I told him I was not offended and thanked him for holding me to the Word, and that I wished every saint was as attentive to what they heard instead of sitting there like a knot on a log. I had to rethink a "personal revelation" based on this man's willingness to love the Truth.
The Lord has afforded me quite an education down through the years. I used to preach for a man who started the first non-denominational church in his entire region shortly after WWII. At one time it was a booming ministry. He would have to be in his mid to late nineties now if he is still living.
We were fellowshipping and he confided in me,
"I couldn't tell just anyone this, but I know you will understand. I promoted and worked with Jim Jones in the beginning of his ministry."
This older brother, a veteran of over 50 years of ministry when we met, had my attention.
He continued,
"It was like the days of Heaven! Oh, the miracles! The press said they were fake, but, no, I saw them with my own eyes! I stood with him."
His old face grew tired and his voice quavered as he spoke,
"Ambulances brought people at the point of death. I saw eyes grow where there were no eyes, limbs grow where there were no limbs! It was real. When he stopped preaching the Word, a few left, but no one cared because of the miracles.
Even though I was well-educated in the Word, I thought he was above me, in another realm, because of the miracles. I thought it all had to be God, that this was something far beyond me. I was this man's friend."
He saddened even more,
"The only thing that opened my eyes was when Jim Jones took me to meet the known cult-leader, Father Divine, his mentor and counsel. I distanced myself from him then and only then.
Because of the miracles, I had to physically restrain my own family from following him when he left our area. They have never been right spiritually to this day.
People I led to the Lord died with him in Jonestown."
This old brother hung his head and then looked at me. There was really nothing I could think to say, or questions to ask.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then changed the subject.
As a guest speaker in his ministry, I could observe his family and see the spiritual damage done, still visible decades later. One of them in particular, caught my attention. When this relative spoke about the things of God, a bizarre facial expression came upon them as they spoke about "the inner light".
I personally still bear spiritual scars from some of the influences on my life in the early days of my walk with the Lord. I hope I will always learn from my experiences and go on with God. The Father of all comforts is still in the business of comforting us in our discomforts so that we can comfort others in theirs.
He never stops working on our behalf.
I have greater personal peace now than I have known in a long time, and appreciate those who have stood with me in the trials of the past few years in dealing with the deaths of my parents, and the subsequent legal, financial, and emotional issues I have had forced on me.
Hopefully this will end shortly. I have a meeting this week which will be insightful. In many ways these past several years I have been, in my own heart, like a man who has lost his way. I realize this is my own perception and the Lord says and leads otherwise.
It may be God's peace in the eye of the storm. I have seemed to live there much of my life.
This is a time of change for us, perhaps greater than I know. I say this for me--my family and I--and for the Church. I simply do not have the ability to push myself anymore without the absolute enablement of the Holy Spirit. For all practical purposes, it has been a time of some isolation for me, even seclusion, even though I continue to travel and preach.
I simply know I am somewhere in God I have never been before. Just today, I have had a "reserve of the Lord" open in my heart, and I am assured of His rest and provision. I was walking to put my hand on a gate, and He let me know I would never be so pushed or oppressed again.
I want to thank those who have followed and supported my ministry. I would covet your prayers for guidance, as well as financial support. I have a tenative trip planned to Cuba, about which I will be more specific later. I have never demanded money from any ministries when I come, only that they seek God and take offerings to provide for me.
This has been a time of lack, and once again, I sometimes travel at my own expense, making debt to go and preach. I have never believed it suited the Lord or the best interests of His people for me to be aggresive about our finances, but have learned if a church leader is lackadaisical about taking offerings for me, then the people will respond likewise.
With so much financial hype in the Kingdom now, there are far too many voices barking at the same tree.
We, my family and I, are assisting in rebuilding our local church. We are loved, but the finances are simply not in the church to provide. My travel throughout the country, now, is increasingly in smaller churches and ministries, a new wave starting over again, like in the early days of my work and travel.
It is like a rebirth.
I have had offers to publish my writing. I am experiencing release in this realm.
Increasingly, I feel a pull West, and would like you all to pray the effectual doors of ministry the Lord, and not man, wants to open will open.
Just recently I was scheduled to preach in two cities, had my plans made, and, the night before my departure,was ordered by the Lord not to leave my wife and daughter.
I canceled the trip.
During the next few days, events emerged which required my presence. We had significant breakthroughs, dramatic in fact, with both my children, especially my daughter. My family and I have been visible targets of witchcraft, both from within and without the Church for years.
We saw our daughter's discernment into the spiritual realm open and watched a dark cloud pass away from our lives.
My son and I were able to spend an entire day together, with an openess in him I have not seen in almost ten years. His view of the Body of Christ has not been positive.
It was good beyond words to be able to talk freely with him. He is so loved by God and us, but struggles. Our time together was healing and foundational.
Financial and business issues presented themselves which my wife did not have the legal authority to satisfy.
The following may sound maudlin to many, but it is who we are. Even the beasts of the righteous are blessed.
One of our pets, an old tomcat, Sassy, weighed 25 pounds--he was one quarter bobcat. The Sunday I was scheduled to be away from home, we drove up in our yard to find the neighbor's dogs standing over him. He was too old to get away and was so badly mauled we had to put him to sleep. My wife could never have handled him, he was in so much pain, but he would listen to me, and I could comfort him in the hours it took us to find a vet.
It would have been an impossible situation without me.
This trip was postponed for two weeks.
I flew to one of the churches, basically on an emergency trip to try to restore order to a divided body. On the flight home I had a vision about a situation pertaining to my daughter. On the drive home my wife called me about that situation. Because God spoke to me on the plane, I was able to make the right call and prevent what the Lord had shown.
As I was pulling into our yard, my wife called--a four foot snake was at our back door. I do not mean to be spooky or hyper-spiritual about things, but the Lord has my attention.
I feel like I am being required to walk armed around my home, a vigilante involved in trench warfare.
I don't live like that every day and know this is a special time to preserve, protect, and guide my family to the next step God has for us, and to persevere in the work of the Lord. The only thing the Lord is consistently speaking to me is to keep on going and growing, to be stable. He tells me all the pieces will fit together, He will give me a table in the presence of my enemies, and that He will do the impossible.
I claim this for all of you as well.
My heart for all of you is to be rooted and grounded in the Lord, to find your peace and reward in your personal intimacy with Jesus, and not to be moved nor motivated by the sensational aspects of ministry, especially in this hour.
August will be a profound month of change.
You will stand on the Rock of Jesus and nothing else, more or less.
Personally, I am overwhelmed with the need to be near my wife and daughter. It is beyond desire. It is a command.
Those of you who are familiar with my ministry know that I have been a workhorse in the Kingdom. I do not know what the future holds, except I know God's plan includes my wife and daughter, and that I will not be required to be separated from them.
Whatever transition this is we are in, and where
ever it will lead us, I truly know more than ever, we are in His Hand to do with as suits Him.
Remember us in your prayers and sow as the Lord directs you, and only as He directs you.
Pray that I wil not forfeit the moment. I have wasted enough time trying to be the minister that others wanted, demanded me to be--now I need to be the man God called me to be.
Pray also that we will be extricated from every plot designed to destroy and mangle us. I am beset, both within and without. It is a sign we are close to the end when even the mercies of mankind are cruel.
Keep yourselves in this hour by realizing this is the moment Jesus will be lifted up, and that no flesh can glory in His Presence.
Ask the Lord for discernment concerning the spirit of anti-Christ in this hour. Outside the Church he is a roaring lion; inside, an angel of light--be on guard.
In Jesus,
Vaughn Clark
Read these Scriptures:
Acts 8; James 3: 13-18; Colossians 2: 18-19; 2 Peter 2; 1 John I, II, and III.
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