After Hours Ministries Apologetics

Someone might ask, why in the world did I write an article on Hindu Nadia Lines concerning fire tunnels?

Answer: Deception can happen to anyone in his or her zeal to experience a true move of God. Knowing this, because I wrote on such a topic does not mean I am against every ministry or person who has used or practices this sort of thing.

Zeal without knowledge is not good. That principle found in Romans 9:2 is valid for such things as this. God knows our frame, we are all made of dust. I have made mistakes myself following after signs and wonders taught by other error prone individuals. In this I learned great lessons not to get caught up in the latest fads, especially when there is more honor given to ministers and leaders than for Jesus Christ.

I had to publicly correct my own errors after learning privately to self-correct what I once thought was okay. This came by actually digging into the scripture through multiplied years of Greek and Hebrew word studies. By this, the Holy Sprit taught me that is why He is our teacher.

Occult practices

What I experienced in my old upper division college social work class was for a reason. Well over 24 years later, seeing it practiced in churches – well shocked me. It appears no one questions or even test if this is practice is even bible approved. Best I can do is simply send out a warning, so folks can ponder this on his or her own and come to his or her own conclusions.

It is not my style to judge ministers and who use this as well as other practices that came about by misguided zeal to move deeper into the things of God. They will have to answer to God on this matter, not me. Zeal without knowledge is not good.

Fire tunnels are occultic and their purpose is too mix the occult into the church to get Christians off track and into error knowing God’s wrath will be stirred up against them blocking every true move of God. God’s first stage of wrath involves turning folks over to their own councils and way. In this, the devil ensnares with a set up by abusing this truth about God (Psalms 81:11-12).

Over the years, I heard and been fooled myself with all the processes of 5 steps to abundance, 10 principles to a better you, and all those 21 phases to greater anointings or whatever. What I discovered is this: The Lord God Almighty of the Bible is sovereign. He tests the human heart. He knows how to deliver the godly out of the snare of the fouler. He knows our frame.

How do we know the real from the false?

So how can we tell the difference from to ways of God verses the ways of the evil one?

Answer is found in Jeremiah 6:16-17: “Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' 17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.” NKJV

The ways and methods of the devil always, in some form, justify leaving the ancient paths where the good way is in exchange for the new by suggesting things like this:

“The church has done an excellent job of focusing on the message of the cross. However, if we just remain there at the cross, we end up relating to God based on our failures instead if his mercy.”

“The church has done a great job teaching the on the resurrection of Jesus and our co-resurrection as heaven bound to the point of dullness and boredom. God has more for you!  It’s all about you, baby!”

The bait and switch 'is' made so that the occult masquerades as angels of light by using bible verses to justify such practices. This is done because much of the modern urban educated church world has taken the supernatural out of the bible midst a world where the supernatural does happen.

The snares of the evil ones

The devil has reduced doctrine to simpleton formulas such as the cross only means this much and the resurrection only pertains to this and that and no more. Only thing we have is the use of reason to get people saved by mere human persuasion alone.

Spiritual warfare only involves this or that. Grace is greasy. When you go to college and learn of ancient Sumerian religions there is no need to arm you with truth as these false gods are harmless myths. No wonder kids raised in Christian homes fall away!

This paves the way for the slow disdain of the cross and resurrection of Jesus in exchange for the new because the occult works. It gets you spiritually high and you can go into higher and higher levels as one would playing a video game. Guess that is the new marketing method for church grow to attract the younger crowd.

Look

Look, I am a Book of Acts kind of guy who knows personally that the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit still are in operation. God still gives open visions, dreams, and deep insights. We still indeed cast out devils and engage in a real spiritual war.  God still heals and does the miraculous today.

I am not bragging or trying to elevate myself before any of you. I have seen an amputated toe grow back, deaf ears healed, demons cast out of the demonized, my own healing as well. I have been at this since 1981 and did street witnessing seeing a broken arm healed – doctor verified.

I started out with a small street revival where we had, for about two and half years, filled up the smoking section of a local down town restaurant with mixed up hurting teenagers and seen more inner healing work of the Holy Spirit than I can count.

I was in charge of a church intercessor group. Ran a successful jail/prison ministry for ten years teaching faithfully every Sunday 45 to 48 weeks per year and won awards and commendation for reducing the recidivism rate of inmates. I understand the difference of being in the Spirit and not being. I was raised from the dead and actually seen heaven as well too.

I continually learn to look through the Jesus’ eyes of grace and endure what I see. I have been to the Lord’s woodshed so many times that I know he loves me and that he knows me and I know him too.

The Point is

I say this because I know what I am talking about – the devil has brought the occult into the Pergamos and Thyatiran style churches today. He has emasculated the Sardis types of Churches and made smug much of the Ephesus type of Christians. He has made tepid pond water out of the Laodiceans and split churches into factions.

Midst this are those who are martyred and suffer extreme persecution. Now I ask, what good is the modern prosperity gospel do for them? The modern self-help Jesus – what good does that do to those being beheaded by ISIS and being persecuted China - sent to camps – right now?

Midst this are those who know the score and fight the foe instead of play church. I get all this. So, all I can suggest is take a good look at fire tunnels, hypnotic worship music that never alters the beat for an entire event. Test all things.

God indeed gives visions and anoints people. Prophesizing is not learned by a class room exercise where it is forbidden to say anything negative but only say positive things. That has more to do with the gift of edification than real prophesizing.

I can’t image Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah, Nathan, Samuel only saying nice things to all because the cross has made people feel bad about themselves and needs changed.  

Yes, the Lord desires his people to see breakthroughs and move higher into his or her callings. I been teaching this since the mid 1980’s and training and equipping people in this. Yes, The Lord God Almighty of the bible would like all of us to live life in greater reality.

Midst this is a real enemy that seeks to embed the occult into the church and folks you need to be aware of this. Self-correct on your own and move on with a two-edged sword in your hand and the high praises of God in your mouth! And never leave the ancient path where the good way is.   

"Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway,” Jer 18:15, NKJV

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Hope you all enjoyed looking over the reference page, for the Thoughts for the Week page, where I listed the first 10 Hebrew letters along with their numeric values and meanings. I will post the meanings of all 22 letters/numbers from the Hebrew on this blog soon. But before I do, let me give you some of my background and how I came to understand the proper use of numeric meanings for numbers used in the bible.

I was Born Again saved 1980 summer. All throughout my Christian journey, the subject of number meanings came up. Like many, I grew to understand that certain numbers had tried and true meanings which simply added depth of meaning for bible text that in no way detracted from the context at all. 

Here is example: John 5:1-45 tells of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. In these verses, the meanings of proper names add to the story along with a short lesson on how numeric meanings add depth to the bible when it mentions specific numbers:

John 4:1-6, “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees (Pious Ones) had heard that Jesus (Yahweh Saves) was making and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 [although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were], 3 He left Judea (Land of Praise) and went away again into Galilee (Land of turning, revolution). 4 And He had to pass through Samaria (Watch Mountain). 5 So He came to a city of Samaria (Watch Mountain), called Sychar (Drunken, falsehoods, town of drunks), near the parcel of ground that Jacob (Heal grabber/supplanter) gave to his son Joseph (Increaser); 6 and Jacob's well was there. So, Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”  NASB (with Meanings of key words added by me)

Six is the number used to denote man. The Hebrew letter represents a peg or tent stake, thus, the idea is to attach one’s self too, to tie yourself with. Thus, the numeric meaning contains the idea of what we attach ourselves too: sin, world, the devil, or God.

Jesus was at the well, knowing whom would be there.  It was the sixth hour – Jesus knew the time had come to see to whom and what folks attach themselves too. God see’s the heart.

Soon a woman appeared in the middle of day to draw water, which indicates she was an outcast, because outcasts only came at that time to draw water as that was custom of that day. Who will she attach herself too – the world, herself, others, the devil, or God?

In John 4:16-43 we see the use of numbers when Jesus asked her a question about her husband. She answered truthfully. The woman had 5 husbands and was shacking up with another which was the 6^th.  The numbers in these verses add insights into the text and serve as a guide how to correctly derive the meaning by the context of the passages they are found.

Five’s root meaning is: Behold – judgment of Grace/favor/purpose or judgment, sentence, justice is coming. In context she had five husbands. This shows that she sought grace, favor, purpose in one failed relationship after another to escape by avoiding seeing her real state of affair and truest need. 

Notice how he number meaning for ‘6’ adds depth to the story. The sixth man in her life was not her husband – so the town had judged her and detached her so much so that she had to go get water at a time of day when other women were not around due to how religious laws treated those “shacking up” and thus made her an outcast.

The number 6 is revealed by her ‘sixth’ man. This reveals that she was attaching herself to any strong guy to find her own ideas of grace/purpose in life and escape inner shame. Sound familiar to anyone reading? 

Next, in verses 19-29, she changes the subject to religious practices and the history of the temple that her people made a copy of, so they could worship nearest home. From adding 5+6 together we get 11. Elevens basic root meaning is darkness, sin. 

The woman must have been devout enough to be religious affiliated, as are many trapped in the same sort of lifestyle. She knew about the Messiah who will tell all things about God, who is the only one who can dispense grace/forgiveness from human darkness (11), judge the world, and render to each their deeds as per Ezekiel 18:30 and Job 34:11. 

Maybe she sensing judgment and thus thought to change the subject to religion reasoning, if she was going down – then what of Sychar’s sins? Let’s see…

The number 5 is important to consider as it adds depth to the story matching the number meaning, “Behold, judgment of Grace or sentencing due to what people attaches themselves too the most.” The Lord does test what is in one’s heart, Jeremiah 17:10.

Noticed she mentions ‘God’ for a reason and the temple. Jesus answers and reveals that he is the Messiah sent to reveal all things one does (see verse 29). This ‘revealing all things done’ indicates a “Behold Judgment.”  1 Co 4:5 and Job 34:11.

The woman was spared judgment, and shown grace, as she was truthful before Jesus. In Verse 29 it mentions this, but readers often miss this point. The people in the area had same scriptures including all the prophetic words about the Messiah indicating - Would he come with a sword or grace?  The people there were looking for him. 

The woman went into the town, told the towns people, and the whole town came to Jesus – she found grace but what would they find, well, they found the true Messiah who came as savior of the world (see Verse 42) before the sword of judgment sealed forever the dark condition of the heart.

Verse 40 mentions Jesus stayed two days with the folks there. Why two days and not four or five? The meaning of the number two gives us a clue.

The root meaning of the number two is division/test to see who resides in a household and who will not. That is why. The towns people came to Jesus and choosing his household as they learned for themselves that Jesus is the true trustworthy owner of the household of God. He gave mercy when none was deserved due to the darkness of residing in a false temple made and upkept with human hands. How about you? 

Lastly, please notice in Verse 44 and 48. Here Jesus reveals two kinds of people. Those who enter God’s house by believing the His word alone as opposed to those who refuse to enter in unless they see signs/wonders first. The Sarmatians believed his word alone and entered in his household by letting him reside with them. Then there are those who will not, unless they see some sign/wonder. See the difference?

This begs the question: who has the greater faith that secures one to remain in the household of God – those that hear his word and enter in or those who will not unless the see some sign – hoopla spectacle? Which are you?

See how applying the numeric meanings correctly adds further insights into the text of bible according to context and theme they are found in? That is how it works.

Blessings to you all from

Bryan W Melvin

Author: A Land Unknown: Hell’s Dominion     

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