Deceived!

Wayne Bent, a.k.a. Michael Travesser, leader of the Strong City Lord, our Righteousness Church in New Mexico, is a winsome man, gentle in demeanor. He speaks thoughtfully, is outwardly loving towards the small group he leads, and claims to be the Messiah returned to earth, Divinity embodied! Over the last fifteen years, this former pastor in the 7th Day Adventist church, became increasingly bizarre to observers outside the cult sect he leads. He is obsessed with prophecy, setting dates for Christ's return, and using the symbolism of apocalyptic texts to support his own ends. He insists that his followers live in close communal relationships, giving up privacy, possessions, and even personal relationships to him. In 2000, he declared himself Messiah and asked those in the church to marry him. He took seven wives, including his own son's wife! He is now jailed on charges that allege inappropriate sexual contact with minors.

Is he insane, deluded, or just a self-serving manipulator of people? According to a secular journalist who produced a National Geographic documentary, Inside a Cult, Bent is all of the above! Bent's son, age 44, a former police officer, continues to defend the validity his father's visions, despite any and all evidence or argument to the contrary.

Believer, accounts like this must sober us. It is no laughing matter that deeply devout people, who are earnestly seeking to know and serve God can be led into such error. The root of this kind of deception is a misplaced focus from Christ Jesus to man. It flourishes when a person separates himself or herself from the larger Body of the Church, claims 'inside' information or private revelation, and asserts that his 'truth' supersedes that of the Scripture and the Church! The moment you hear any church leader say, "God revealed to me..." great caution is in order. Yes, I do believe that the Spirit speaks to us. He leads us, shows us His ways, and guides us; but not outside of the boundaries of the Scripture, nor as a singular voice, without accountability to His greater church.

Devotion and longing for spiritual assurance in the turbulent times in which we live must never relieve us of the need to discern, to critically consider the truthfulness and the source of revelation offered by anyone claiming to speak in God's Name.

Jesus left this warning for all of us. "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them." (Luke 21:8, NIV) Any prophet (someone who speaks for God or claiming God's authority) that uses that role to attract privilege, wealth, or attention to himself must be spurned. Even if the error is not so obvious as the one referenced above where the prophet now asserts that he is the messiah, Believers must be discerning to avoid being drawn into an ultimately destructive 'spiritual' experience.

The Word of God is not gentle nor kind to those who falsely claim to speak in God's name. Consider these words today and become a wise, Spirit-filled, discerning Believer, secured by Truth and Spirit against error.

"They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. They prove the truth of this proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud." (2 Peter 2:18-22, NLT)

Amen!