While not all groups share the same foibles and sins, we find that the leadership of these groups are often inclined to take advantage of their positions to control and hoard finances and through their power to sexually exploit the flock, either through adultery with the married and unmarried women or through adopting polygyny where they take on many wives. Usually only the elite men are able to engage in polygyny as the younger competition is exiled and sent away. We also see how the children of these groups often suffer immensely by either being subject to molestation or through not receiving a proper Biblical education (especially in polygyny) because the mothers are so taxed raising toddlers they have little left for teaching. As the children get a little older, they are often made to work adult jobs to fill the time and the group's coffers. The final indignity is that when any member leaves, he or she does so flat broke and are often told he or she will be going to hell for leaving. Shunned, exiled and without support they have to start new lives, hoping they're not jumping from the frying pan to the fire. We are not entirely poo pooing the idea of living and moving in small groups as the time will come soon, halfway through the tribulation, where we believe God will put the solitary in families who will be protected of God in the "wilderness" according to Revelation 12, but we conclude the broadcast with the red flags to look for when joining any group, to be able to know that who you're involved with isn't one controlled by Satan's wolves in sheep's clothing.
As I researched cults and saw the polygyny represented in many of them a pattern became apparent where the older wives were often farmed off to dilapidated, mold filled, smallish dwellings where they themselves had to work to support their children and received very little from the husband who was more attentive to the families he had with the younger wives. (PODCAST INSTRUCTION: Play Video of Dilapadatedd Living Conditions)
I also saw children, even in their single digits, working full time jobs in the many companies of the "orders" in which they were a part. Their educations often stifled in lieu of their jobs because the mothers had so many children in a row it became untenable for them to homeschool as well. The situation for the children was brutal and seemed they were indeed suffering the "hard knock life" represented in "Annie," the musical (Play Video of FLDS boy describing upbringing and work).
So while I can indeed reinforce that in these last days that feminism and the Jezebel spirit have turned God's order on its head, where women have been given power over men to an extent that the women are masculinized and the men emasculated, and that most men have lost all authority in the home and in society due in large part to the corrupt family courts, men and women both are still capable of sin, and without the real Jesus Christ/Yeshua Hamaschiach, there's no way to avoid it. With people who don't know Christ, it seems a dog eat dog world where the one who strikes first wins.
As for men's abuse of women, there is no more obvious place for this than in polgynous cults.
Of course it's a very small percentage of men who are members in these cults and even smaller number within the cults who reap the "benefits" as only the select few of the top of the heap reach the pinnacle of having so many wives. In fact their own sons who grow up in these communities are often kicked out and exiled shortly after puberty so they won't be competition for the older men in power and control. They are called the "Lost Boys," who lose everything, their families, friends and entire way of life in which they were completely insulated from the outside world, a world they were taught to loathe and fear, only to be dispatched to it in single moment.
But as far as women go, in the cults they aren't only put in their proper place as far as the family heirarchy goes, as many Christian men would rightly want to see, but the pendulum is swung so far in the other direction as to cross the line from correcting matters to punishing women for just being women, especially when normal husbanding duties become spread so thin among multiple wives and dozens of kids that any normal intimate relationship cannot be had even if the man behaves perfectly But one man, if the smartest and most gifted among us, can only handle so much.
The first wife's suffering begins as soon as her husband seeks to court and bring an additional wife on board. She must watch the man she loves be flirted with and him flirt back. She must watch the man she loves give the same affection to another woman as he does to her. What I can't understand about this if the shoe was on the other foot no man could or should put up with this scenario. How can a polgynst watch his wife go through that pain as if she can't or shouldn't experience grief in this situation just because she's a woman? Isn't that kind of hurt part of the human condition whether male or female? I can't process it.
And let's not discount the children's experience: they pine for their fathers love and attention because there's only so much of him to go around, especially when most of these polygynous dads are so involved in the orders and seem to be workaholics for the cults' many businesses that it appears like they are avoiding their families except when the call to make another baby arises. Even the children who have escaped polygyny and suffer the indignity of being completely discarded and shunned, still seem to love and desire to please their fathers who were and are being so evil to them. Aside: Why is it the evil are so loved and those who are good (because of Jesus) so hated? We all know the answer: Satan.
But back to first wives watching their husbands court. I heard a testimony of a wife recalling when she had to watch her husband do so. Her pain was palpable and it was hard not to feel for her as she explained how traumatic it was to watch that happen. To think that polgynysts seem to think that she has a demon spirit of jealousy that needs to be cast out, as if she's wrong to experience that pain, is beyond the scope of the love of God in my view and is downright evil.
This occurrence to polygynous men in cults has been many of their wake up calls. When they see the sincere look of horror and pain on the face of a wife he loves when he leaves her for a couple of days to go court or be with another wife. I heard testimonies of men that left their "order" due to realizing this hypocrisy. Again, how would a man like to watch his wife leave him for another man and for it to be legalized and taught you should just take it? We call that cuckolding and pure simpery in modern vernacular. I know, I know, men and women are different and many say men can do this and women can't and women just have to accept that's how it is. I just can't understand how we expect women to not to experience hurt when their husbands essentially cheat on them right in front of their face.
One argument you will hear is that this competition created by multiple marriages keeps women in line, knowing that if one wife mistreats her husband he will just go spend time with another. The competition that ensues therefore makes the man's life so much better because the women then concentrate their competitive energies on each other instead of him.
"Red Pill" channels are constantly promoting this idea in the dating and marriage world: that women should be loyal but men have a right to cheat and should be expected to do so.
In this ministry I have seen many women in this Jezebel age abuse men, cheat and steal from them, kidnap their children, slander and falsely accuse them in open court, and do things that lead their men to self-delete, as well as many other horrific behaviors, in so much that it is clear that I hate the results of feminism and the Jezebel spirit, but to take women and put them in polgynous situations just to keep them in line by causing them pain and grief, this seems abusive as well and swinging the pendulum too far the other way.
I know, I know: God's word allows for polygyny. No one can argue that. But I can also see in most presentations in the Bible of polygynous marriages there was real TROUBLE.
Start with Abraham taking on Hagar at Sarah's request. This DID NOT TURN OUT WELL. Hagar and their son Ishmael were literally kicked out of the camp at the behest of Sarah who was the one who asked Abraham to take Hagar so they could have a child to begin with (Genesis 16)!
Two of Jacob's four wives, Rachel and Leah, fought constantly. In fact, Jacob was tricked in to polygyny with them by his father-in-law Laban and didn't want it to begin with. He only wanted Rachel (Genesis 29), but after being tricked began decades of problems with the two going back in forth in a bitter battle to see who could get the most favor from Jacob and produce the most offspring. As I write I realize the point I made earlier, that if the women are battling each other, then Jacob was spared, but I argue not so. He was miffed with them on many occasions, none more so than this one:
"And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb" (Genesis 30:1-2)?
Hannah, the prophet Samuel's mother, was one of two wives (1 Samuel 1). She had been barren and her "sister wife" was constantly teasing and belittling her for this fact to the point where Hannah was heartbroken and weeping in the temple before the high priest prayed for her and finally she was able to become pregnant with Samuel.
David was polygynous and not being satisfied enough with that he ended up taking another man's wife in the lady Bathsheba and allowed actual adultery to enter in to his marriages (2 Samuel 11). He also took back Michel as his wife after she had been another man's wife (2 Samuel 3) which possibly could have been an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 24:3-4). Of course we know how that worked out when Michal chided him for dancing before the Lord and The Ark of the Covenant. They never consummated the relationship again (2 Samuel 6) which in my view seals the invalidity of him taking her back after she married another.
David's son Solomon died an idolater with 300 wives and 700 concubines (1 Kings 11). I cannot see him even inheriting eternal life when Revelation says no idolater enters in (Revelation 21:8).
Moses spoke against kings multiplying wives when he said, "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away..." (Deuteronomy 17:17). The word multiply there means to acquire many and technically does not mean a king cannot have more than one wife, but implies that having many wives is the problem. Obviously Solomon's body count qualifies him as having "multiplied" wives to himself. That same scripture portion in Deuteronomy also warns against kings gathering silver and gold to himself but we can save that for another discussion.
Even Moses is thought by some to have had two wives due to the reference of the Ethiopian woman Aaron and Miriam ridiculed him for having married in Numbers 12. I always thought that the Ethiopian woman reference meant that Zipporah, his wife who was daughter to Jethro, priest of Midian, was of Ethiopian heritage, but as you read the Numbers 12 passage you realize that it is possible it could have meant he had married a second wife who was Ethiopian. Neither Zipporah nor this potential second Ethiopian wife were mentioned again in the Torah so there's not much else to go on for proof however.
Nevertheless, if the law for kings was not to multiply wives, and if we as Believers are all kings and priests, as the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ says twice (Revelation 1:6, 5:10), how then should we go against this law as applies to kings? How many wives are too much?
Another question arises: I've long wondered if that from the beginning, men having multiple wives was not so, that is to say that God only made Adam one wife in the person of Eve rather than many. So why didn't God go ahead and make a preponderance of wives for him if this indeed was the best scenario, or as the Mormons and Muslims believe men will inherit in eternity? Could it be, that like divorce, the idea of multiple wives stemmed from the hardness of men's and women's hearts as reflected in men wanting sex with multiple women, and women wanting the most desired, powerful and wealthy men, and that this was not as God intended? Honestly, deep in my heart this is what I believe.
When people have to do things to keep others in line such as bring in competition rather than just being able to trust that two can be one flesh, well, for me, there is something wrong with that. It's allowed by the Word, but like divorce, it's not what God originally intended.
But I may have a better argument against polygyny than even this, at least for the time we are in. Ecclesiastes 3 points out that is there is a time and season for everything, and such being the case is this the right time for encouraging polygyny or even marriage at all?
If we are truly in the end times, as most of these cult leaders teach, and Jesus said of this time, "...woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" (Matthew 24:19), how on earth should we be promoting multiple marriages for men who would be creating progeny thirty, forty, fifty children deep?
Wouldn't it seem that this would be something to only consider upon Jesus' return after that great war at the Valley of Megiddo where due to huge losses of military men there may be more women than men populating the earth? Maybe that would be the right situation for the fulfillment of the Isaiah 4:1 prophecy that says seven women would seek one husband? Surely, at the precipice of a tribulation for which if it were not for the elect, no flesh would be saved, now is not that time.
I would say the time is now to preach the gospel and help reap the last days harvest since the harvest is great and the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37)! Why not make spiritual offspring for the Kingdom of Heaven rather than your own? You can wait out the tribulation and make as many offspring as you want then. Until then, can't you show some self-control, deny yourself and take up your cross, plus the implements of the last days' harvest of God?
But cult leaders won't wait because they live in service to their flesh and pleasure. And being in sin it only stands to reason that those under their influence would suffer abuse. The whole setup is satanic. In this blog we will discuss that and much more, but I want to also address how the idea of "community," where Believers come to live together on, for lack of a better word, campuses, often under the watchful eyes of their leaders and controlled to extreme levels, is perhaps going to attract many real Believers into situations where they have cult leaders and not fellow brethren. We will discuss the warning signs that will help you know whether a group is really of God or if they have leaders who are wolves in sheep's clothing.
Let's briefly address the idea of the extreme levels control that so many cult leaders exhibit. Decisions that are normally meant for a person to make for himself (with outside influence of course, family, friends and spiritual counselors included) are often completely given over to the cult leaders. One of those closely guarded areas of their control is in that of who the member courts and marries. Warren Jeffs, the cult leader of the FLDS, imposes so much control that since he has gone to prison (yes, he's in prison for marrying underaged girls, but there are many other heinous accusations against him) he has instructed his married followers to not touch one another and the unmarried to remain single and celibate while he remains locked up. If Warren can't get any, ain't nobody gonna if you know what I mean. This has led to even his own sons jumping ship to just get at having one family each when Warren had allowed himself as many as 80. (Podcast instruction: play video of son jumping ship.)
You might ask, are there biblical scriptures that would provide grounds for forming such groups that these cult leaders lean on? When I began this research I was looking to show how cults are easily formed on the basis of a passage in Acts, a book placed in the Bible that has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese (Paul's Damascus road story, for example, is told three times with contradictory facts in each), by which cult leaders bring together their adherants in super strict environments where the word of the leader is not only paramount, but amounts to the voice of God on earth.
Without this passage, there is no where else in the Bible (unless where Israel is traveling as a people in the desert) where God's people are forced into tiny communities to break bread/eat every meal together and have all things in common. Most of these activities were done within their families who, from my reading, lead normal lives as far as interacting with others. This is not to say that the people didn't come together as one for the feasts and weekly Sabbath synagogue attendance, but as far as the First Testament goes, I see little evidence of the promotion of living in tight knit communes.
This is not to say that in the near future Believers won't come together in types of "on-the-move" communities in response to the war made on us as foretold in Revelation 11-13. I believe we are at the threshold of just such a time when midway through the tribulation war is made against the saints and we are, as Israel of old, required to flee into the wilderness for the time, times and half a time (Revelation 12). This will surely come to pass, and we should be ready for this occurrence, and realize many of us will be in the wilderness (of different types) all over the face of the earth and working together in our groups to make it and to share in the love of God together.
So I want to make clear that this blog/podcast is not meant to entirely poo poo the idea of tight knit groups of Believers, who by necessity operate as one Body, but what it is meant to do is to show the red flags of the assholes, and I do mean to say ASSHOLES who come as WOLVES wearing sheep's clothing to take advantage of the flock who are suffering under just such circumstances. These wolves make merchandise of their victims for their own personal gain, but worst of all, they do SATANIC RITUAL SEXUAL ABUSE upon them by putting extremes controls for sex on everyone else but not limiting themselves in any way, not even to Biblical law. These men are indeed Satanists, and as their megalomania and sin is rewarded by the veneration of their supplicants, their sin takes them to places and abuses that perhaps they themselves may not have even dreamed they could reach.
(Play video: Be sweet, pray...)
For example, Warren Jeffs, the leader, even from prison, of the FLDS Mormon breakout group that promotes polygamy, has been accused, indicted and convicted of raping underaged girls who he made part of his harem which was 80 wives deep, but he was also accused and sued for anally raping young boys! Also included in the claims is that the wives were made to sexually stimulate each other (lesbianism) in front of the men who then would have sex with the women. These sister wives thought, and many of them still think, in spite of Jeffs now serving a life sentence, that these men such as Jeffs are prophets of God. And yet these "prophets" were engaging them in orgies that exactly mirror the "Eyes Wide Shut" type conduct of the Satanic "elite."
And why wouldn't these cults operate in the same way as Satanic covens? These cults are indeed Satanic, and almost always have A MASONIC foundation, as does Mormonism, whose earliest leader Joseph Smith initiated the rules of polygamy that while the mainstream Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints has publicly renounced, has still sprouted into these breakoff cults such as FLDS, AUB, and "The Order," three of the more prominent polygamous offshoots from Mormonism, as a result of the ban.
(Play video: Exhiled mother still honoring the jailed prophet and working hard to get back...)
But these abominations are not limited to Mormonism. Take for example the "Overcomer Ministry" of R.G. Stair, a now dead wolf who called himself "the last days' prophet of God" as if he were the only one. What makes him the most troubling is he believed and promoted truths with regard to the Sabbath, the evils of the pagan demonic feasts of the apostate Church such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Day of the Sun Sabbath, and he taught many other truths that this ministry (Without Spot or Blemish Ministry) believes as well. If not for his compulsion to present himself essentially as God's only prophet which easily revealed his megalomania (though many of his adherants could not see it), and also through a prepodernance of false prophecies that never came to pass, many of us would have been bamboozled by this demon filled tramp. Yet, if you looked hard enough, you might see the signs of Masonry on his church. While it seems benign, look at the design of the front of his church.
A man who sets himself up as some elite messenger of God, hearing directly from God, can say anything with which to manipulate his followers, and this is one of the major red flags of joining a cult. This "ability" to hear from God (as his followers see it though he is really hearing from demons), creates a vast gulf between the leadership and the adherants, one which allows for levels of control by the leadership that are beyond the idea of positive "do as I do" leadership but rather devolve into the realm of total control which means "do as I say and not as I do."
And this inevitably leads to sexual manipulation for the pleasure of the prophet as well and a promotion of polygyny (for his own gain) that is beyond just doing what the Hebrew faith allowed for in having multiple wives, but to the point where it becomes the main staple of the faith, a literal "foundation truth" of the group's beliefs that they preach and promote with great frequency.
The men who qualify (not all do) are to be "rewarded" with as many wives as possible. Indeed in the Mormon offshoots it is said that in order to achieve the highest realm of the after life one must have at least three wives, otherwise they would fall short. In these cases, polygny is so codified in their faith that the basis of the level of your eternal salvation depends on it.
And, by the way, for mormons the after life involves inheriting a planet for yourself where you will be blessed with multiple virgin wives yet again. Meanwhile, Jesus already told us that the eternal world to come we would neither marry nor give in marriage, but be as the angels of heaven in that regard (Matthew 22:30). (Is it any wonder God is doing away with sex in the world to come, as well as the sun and the moon, when these were the objects of pagan worship and the resulting abominations in this corrupted world?)
But as you venture outside of Mormonism, and look at R.G. Stairs Overcomer Ministry, you see a similar type of sexual "reward" seeking in this life. And not only from the of-age women, but also from the underaged.
Stairs' widowed wife has also admitted to her husband's sexual infidelities while on this earth, but claims he only did so with women who volunteered, and that before he died he repented for his earthly wrongs. She seems to have still believed in him. How can this be when he also was a prolific predictor of the future events and hundreds of his "prophecies" were proven wrong over and over again, yet still, people believed. See: False Prophecies of RG STAIR
Nevertheless, again, this was a man who taught against all the pagan elements of the modern Church. His ministry also honored the feasts and the proper day for the Sabbath. This, however, was the hook, to get honest Believers into his fold. It could be possible he was what you might call a "plant," a man sent in to take the truths that will set the captives free, and then completely demolish their validity through such megalomaniacal claims of his prophethood and through his sexual adulteries and perversions so that those who observe say, "This man was crazy, and therefore his doctrines must have been crazy," and thereby destroy the truths he did teach from having the opportunity to reach their way to Believers who need to repent. Controlled opposition, they call it, like an Alex Jones in the Church. Get inside and destroy from within. Just like Saul of Tarsus did.
You can see a similar communal living model in a faction called Hebrew Israelites, a black run sect in America who believe that they are the true offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. An evidence of this, for them, is their enslavement not only in America, but many other countries as well, and that this enslavement is a fulfilled prophecy that shows who they are. As for their true blood line I am indifferent as I believe a) this is impossible to prove, but even if what they are saying is true, BLOODLINE MATTERS NOT ONE IOTA because even the offspring of Israel must REPENT, receive what Jesus/Yeshua did in shedding His blood for us, and be saved. All of humanity, no matter the bloodline, finds themselves in the same exact position: that of needing a Savior and to repent and obey the commandments. Worrying about bloodline becomes a point of pride in any group who claims one (the Illuminati and "royal" families do so, too) and this always leads to spiritual pride, arrogance and causes Believers to be so focused on self and the merits of their lineage that they miss the mark of truly repenting and sharing the gospel. Perhaps this is how polygyny (even if it's the wrong time) can become a thing at one such Hebrew Israelite group called Straightway Truth. They believe that they and their anscestors went through a type of hell on earth due to their own sins as prophecied in the Word, but now that they have repented and recommitted to God's Word they are now eligible for all the blessings and are going to make up for the terrible past. Perhaps they see polygyny as one such reward? Timing I say, timing. The tribulation is not the right time for polygyny.
But I must report that I have also seen the potential for Masonic sigils/symbols on the logo found on Straightway's website of one such group called Straightway. The swords make the exact downward and upward pointing triangles so prevalent in masonry, and below the logo you see a reflected emblem (as in water) that also communicates the "as above so below" symbolism that is so frequently proffered by masonry and also forms the square and compass.
On the same website you can see a newsletter with the all-seeing eye emblem. Why do that?
So perhaps Straightway are masonic plants? But even if they are not, the risk for such groups that think they are part of a special blood line is that this self veneration leads to pride in oneself and also allows for overmuch veneration of the leadership. So instead of a leadership that shows humility, you find a "I am a KING" mentality that occurs which allows for and leads to creating these vast gulfs between leadership and adherents mentioned above. While the leaders claim to be servants as Jesus said we would be, in function you find in these tight-knit all things in common communities a George Orwell's "Animal Farm" type environment. Leaders are put in place to keep the "ship running smoothly," so everyone will be provided for and "happy," while the leaders firmly dictate the terms of that existence." Inequities can soon mount, especially when it comes to the managing of the money.
It's no surprise that when you control the wealth you control the people. It's one thing if those in control are completely benevolent, but more often than not, dare I say 99.9% of the time, these communal situations devolve into one man or a group of men having under their control 100% of the assets. As they say, this absolute power corrupts absolutely and you get, well, Animal Farm.
The leaders, more than likely, will never repent or change their minds in order to leave the organization. Why would they? They have the wealth are in total control, reaping all the benefits while those under them are the worker bees building the hive over which they sit as fattened, sexed up king bees.
Those worker bees who do leave do so with only the "shirts on their backs," nothing to show for years (in many cases) of hard work for the group, work that has produced absolutely nothing extra for themselves. Add to that the fact that lots of these communities shun departing members from ever again having contact with family and friends who remain in the group, they are summarily exiled, told that because they are leaving the group that they are going to hell, and now you have what amounts to the same thing masonic, mafia and gang members suffer if they try to leave their criminal organizations. They've all made "for-life" covenants with these groups with vows of self-deletion if they leave. They also have to overcome the fear that was generated in these groups that outsiders will hurt them if they leave, and that no outsider may be trusted. Many who do leave suffer terrible panic attacks and symptoms of ptsd for years after their departure.
Satan doesn't let go so easy and wants those escapees to do something to harm themselves, like get on drugs to cope or to self-delete, but praise be to God He delivers ALL WHO REPENT AND LEAVE SATAN'S KINGDOM and can and will deliver them, too.
Everyone thinks the Mennonites are a tame group because they have awesome businesses and storefronts that sell to the world, but look what even happens to them when leaving their "community."
Overmuch Control Can Lead to Sexual Sin
This control that these men exert, which they glean through overmuch authority over others, inevitably leads to them sinning sexually. They believe THEY DESERVE not just one wife, but multiple. And it rarely stops there. In some of these cults they lift up certain of the men to the level of "seed bearers." Considered to have the strongest seed they are also given authority to sleep with the wives of OTHER MEN in the group, while their husbands WATCH! This was a doctrine in Warren Jeffs' community, which even the documentaries forget (or are too horrified) to mention.
We shouldn't be surprised when sexual sin goes to unexpected levels, this is because sin ALWAYS takes you farther than you want to go and makes you stay longer than you want to stay. How often do we even hear of child molestations and indeed forced sodomy of boys in these groups?
Jeffs had dozens and dozens of wives and he still had to anal rape young boys??? Do you see??? This is all Satanic ritual abuse.
One of my concerns for groups that condone polygyny who aren't part of these mormon sects, and even though the Bible allows for it, is that these men will get so focused on feeding their flesh and building their earthly kingdoms, that pride and expectations of others serving them will lead to this kind of sin in those sects as well. In the Straightway group, there have been accusations of such an occurrence of a man molesting his young step-daughters. Groups are still mini-societies, and these evils go on in society, but one has to wonder if it is the culture of polygyny that leads to such outcomes? What can happen, though, is when these horrible atrocities do occur, they can be denied or swept under the rug. This story from an S.I. article about Straightway illustrates this possibility there. Before presenting the excerpts I want to point out that what's reported by S.I. is still heresy and there is no physical evidence (that I know of) for what's being claimed. But if the claims are true, they serve to prove my point about polygynous communes creating opportunities for sexual sin.
Honorifics and titles go against what Jesus' teachings when he said, "“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:8-12)
Where is the humility that John the Baptist showed when he refused to even admit he was a prophet (John 1:23) and while Jesus said John was the greatest prophet who had ever lived (Matthew 11:11)? It's not in these communes, and this is your number one red flag to look out for when considering community for yourself. If the leadership is humble and act as if those in leadership are also brethren and servants, not giving themselves fancy titles that separate them from the group, you may stand a better chance of avoiding a cult and what many of the adherents of these cults have suffered.
Cults of Personality
While I don't necessarily enjoy siting a secular song from the late 80's to make a point, these lyrics are way too accurate in describing what we are talking about:
"I exploit you, still you love me. I tell you one and one makes three. I'm the cult of personality."
"You gave me fortune, you gave me fame. You gave me power in your God's name. I am the cult of personality."
These two lines say everything about the wolves in sheep's clothing among us.
While many are born into these situations with lifetimes of brainwashing to overcome and thus bear much less culpability for not recognizing their plight sooner, many of us have been drawn into the webs of cult leaders because they were able to proffer some really strong truths from the Bible which the rest of the Church ignore or disdain to their own peril, and based on those truths we believed anything else they said or did was also truth or representative of Godly behavior.
In effect, as with narcissists and Jezebels, they mirrored what we wanted to hear in the love bombing stage as a form of bait, then when the switch came many of us were so reeled in it became difficult to get away, ever seeking after getting back to what was presented to us in the love bombing phase, not realizing the hook was tearing our insides apart.
Tribulation Coming
This subject is so important right now because the tribulation is at the door and the ground is literally being shaken beneath us, so many groups are popping up who seem to offer "safe harbor," which are NOT of the Lord though they present themselves to be. Rather, they are these cults of personality where egregious abuses can and will go on.
We want to leave you with the signs of a false prophet and/or commune as we end this blog. You'll know other Believers by their fruit Jesus taught, not by their words. How will you know the wolf in sheep's clothing?
1. Any amount of veneration for the leader(s), instead of Jesus, is not only allowed, but promoted.
2. Adherants are constantly praising the leader(s) and believe EVERYTHING he has said as if it is more gospel than the words of Jesus.
3. License is taken with God's Word to loosen and release the leadership from God's plain commandments. For example, the leaders may say to those they seduce sexually that it is God's will for the victim to so. The members may be well aware of what's going on and exhibiting various levels of justifying, excusing, overlooking or just tolerating. All others who are honest tend to have left the group at this point.
4. The leadership shows favoritism and halos certain people who bring in money or sexual favors, while other carry the bulk of the load and live in substandard conditions.
5. The leadership has an unequal amount of what is supposed to be equal distribution of the assets.
5. All your money is expected when you enter and all your income while you're there, and you take nothing on the way out.
6. If you leave, you are considered damned and destined for hell, and are to be shunned and exiled.
7. The leadership exceeds the norm of biblical married sexuality, seeks and promotes multiple wives or any kind of sexual activities outside the bonds of marriage.
So there you have it. Acts chapters 2 and 4 provide the basis for these communes to flourish, to rob, kill and destroy God's people. Don't be a part of any group that exhibits any of these characteristics. Here are some other red flags to look for:
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