This article is linked from an OPEN REBUKE to the prophet(s) involved. The Rebuke was completed in July 1999 and published after it was sent to them. No answer from them yet. "Trouble in Prophet Land" is an ancillary 'reporter' style documentary in support of one of the subjects mentioned in this rebuke.
TROUBLE IN PROPHET LAND
A brief tracing of the infiltration of King Arthur's legend, the Merlin spirit, Knighthood and the like into sections of U.S. 'Prophetic' Christianity.
First draft posted: late March, 1999, article then updated with additional or ancillary information up until Sept, year 2000, some of which were incorporated into article. The article was again updated March, year 2001, to include minor relevant information such as that regarding the missing Morningstar Bullentins which were once on Morningstar's website before this article was written.
Addendums include: proof
of the occult world's current interest and practice in the King Arthur
Legend, as well as various internet URL's of interest.
Other important updates:
February
4,2000 (reports of the results of Merlin/Arthur mysticism mixed into
'prophetic' conferences surface on two prophetic e-mail lists. Names of
ministers at these conferences not given) and on April
25, 2000, in which a letter reproduced on this site to Rick Joyner
from Guy Stair Sainty, who is the official Almoner and Historiographer,
The Priory in the United States, The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital
of Saint John of Jerusalem. Finally, developments spanning Sept. 2000-
July 2001,in Rick Joyner and Charisma Magazine
, with links to the April, 2001 edition article in Charisma magazine and
Joyner's subsequent attack on Charisma's journalistic integrity, which
he posted on his website.
This article is a result of a prayer request. My husband and I live in North Carolina and so were asked about a development taking shape in the United States. Prior to this, we did not know of the development and could only report the passing statements we had heard at a couple of conferences. However, we promised to pray about it.
Two years prior to this, the Lord already alerted us (prophetically/word of wisdom/discernment) to something that would seek to occur regarding the prophetic community of the U.S. Therefore we were already 'called' to be on the alert. We did not presume any particular timing to what the Lord showed us, or any particular ministry. However, if successful, it was made clear to us that this 'trouble' would presume to influence the next generation of prophetically gifted people. If successful, the Body of Christ here in the U.S. as a whole would suffer greatly, due to an unfortunate 'stereotyping' of what 'prophets' were all about.
Except for the URL's at the end, most of the quotes and other information obtained in this article did not come via active investigative techniques. As I have said, this article came into being because of prayer. Once handed the relevant information, the rest has been a matter of simple deduction and reporting.
I want to remind everyone that no ministry, group, or person is above or beyond any tactic from the enemy of our faith. To remember that "there but for the grace of God, go I" will keep us in humble obedience to our Lord and Scriptures. I myself have been personally confronted with the fact that we are all vulnerable to failure. If we think we are not, or if we have adopted any other kind of spiritual pride, then we are in the correct position to fall. (Pride cometh before a fall--Proverbs)
Yet, we are also all responsible for discernment and
steadfast adherence to the purity of the Gospel, both individually and
corporately. This includes the prophetic community here in America, who
also have the mantle of Eph. 4:11 ministry. I repeat: the ministry of identifying
and opposing deception is not only for pastors and teachers, but for all
others of the 'four-fold' ministry. If you doubt me, believe the Bible!:
Eph. 4:14. There is no excuse for apathy amongst the prophetic community.
We need to be appropriately concerned for those deceived, but also oppose
unScriptural 'prophecy', conduct, and teachings that may occur, --making
clear that these things are not appropriate for 'the prophetic'. Indeed,to
stand by in pious silence would mean to nod our agreement to it.
May the Body of Christ discern (1 Corinth. 12:10) and pray.
The Prophecy:
In October, 1996, during a MorningStar Conference, my husband and I witnessed Rick Joyner began to sharing some prophecies for the Body of Christ. One of these prophecies was a brief announcement that ‘now is the time’ for the Knights of the Round Table to come together. He described these knights as being committed to the King (Jesus—not a head of an organization), called to do ‘exploits’, sworn to ‘slay dragons’ (referring to fighting the enemy), and committed to ‘finding the Holy Grail’. It was not explained how the ‘Holy Grail’ would have to do with anything of the Lord or Scripture, or what ‘Knights of the Round Table’ meant. It was given as a prophecy without explanation.
Later, during the "Light The Nations" May 1998 conference in Texas, I witnessed Rick Joyner state that he has annual ‘round table meetings’ at MorningStar with ‘prominent leaders'. Again, he gave no details or explanation. He seemed to mention it in passing, as if all understood what he meant.
It appears from all evidence thus far that the practices and phrases mentioned by Rick Joyner at the conferences were inspired by a prophecy from Bob Jones.
Rick Joyner has written an article explaining his full embrace of Bob Jones' into MorningStar ministries. This article, called "God's Ultimate Plan", is found in The Morning Star Journal, Vol. 5 No. 4, and is reproduced here: http://www.harvestnet.org/lookback/GUP.htm
To put the timing of this article into perspective, it was written some time before Oct. 1996. This can be deduced from the writing called "A Note From Rick" on the inside cover on the front of the Journal in question. Here, Joyner states that he anticipated the release of this particular journal to be in the beginning of Oct. (1996) As a matter of coincidence, this particular journal also contained "The Hordes Of Hell Are Marching--Part III" on page 70. (Note: This was prior to the release of his book, "The Final Quest". Joyner states that the visions or revelations written about in The Final Quest were given in 1995, as it says in the introduction of the book. Parts of "The Final Quest", were released via the MorningStar Journal before being published in book form approximately a year later.)
So, it is easy to deduce that Rick Joyner prophesied
that 'now is the time' for The Round Table to come together, at about the
same time as the release of the MorningStar Journal that included "God's
Ultimate Plan" and "The Hordes of Hell III" . This not only puts the public
acceptance of Jones's ministry in perspective as compared to the announcement
given on stage at the conference, but also re-emphasizes the King Arthur
prophecy later told about in a 1998 tape from MorningStar:
"Bob would fall into a trance as soon as he crossed the S. Carolina border, and an incredible prophetic anointing would come upon him. And we're flying along, Bob's talking, and all of the sudden the anointing comes on the airplane and Bob goes, and he's in it and he starts prophesying and believe me when he hits that anointing it is a high level..."
"Bob told me many, many years ago -- he said "You're gonna be in London on the first of Spring." and I'm just gonna share briefly what he said. But he said the Lord told him that I was Arthur [and he spelled it out] and also an author [and he spelled it out again]. This is years ago -- I believe Bob got this before we ever met. He said "You're gonna be in London on the first of Spring and God's gonna show you where a sword is stuck in the rock and you're supposed to pull this sword out of a rock." And he said "And then you're gonna start the 'Round Table'." Anyway, I'd forgotten that years ago.
"Three years ago, January, when Bob was here for our New Year's Eve meeting -- we were sitting in our kitchen. He said "When ya going to London?" and I started thinking and I said "I'm going this year." He said "Yep. Probably about the first of Spring." I started thinking and I said "Bob -- I'm gonna be there on the very first of Spring." He said "Yep." -- you know how he does -- says "Yep, yep." He says "How long has it been since I gave you that prophecy?" I said "Five years." And I went back and counted -- I said five years since he told me I was gonna be in there. He had told me about the sword and all that -- I don't remember exactly - but when he told me I would be there on the first of Spring I believe it had been about five years. I said "Bob, I think it's been about five years." He said "How many kids ya got now?" I said "Five." [He] said "How many times did the Lord lay hands on you?" And I had a visitation when the Lord literally came and laid hands on me five times. I thought He had killed me five times. But that happened. He said "How many times did the Lord lay hands on you?" I said "Five." "How old is Amber now?" He said "Five." You know, five -- all these fives are lining up. He said "Yep. You'll be there on the first of Spring and that will be the time of your commission." And I was there sitting in my hotel room and I had an extraordinary visitation of the Lord. I was carried places by the Lord -- given things -- I was given five things by the Lord in that visitation. I was just one of those deals. You know, I think it was in a lot of ways a commission..."
"...Then Bob comes up again - you know - the other day and he goes "You're gonna be in London again on the first of Spring." I'm thinking back - "I do go to London this year. It's the first of Spring!" "How old is Amber?" All these eights start lining up, you know. It's an important trip to London. I will be in London again on the first of Spring. And it's eight. And it's gonna be a major beginning. A major beginning for me personally and for us - you know - as a ministry…"
(the above taken from the tape, "Words for the Coming
Times #3," by Rick Joyner, which we have both listened to and transcribed
the relevant text, ourselves)
This describes the content of the tape. It was not a teaching tape, nor did it seem to be really a 'prophecy' tape for the Body at large, but was largely a discussion of MorningStar Ministries and Rick's account of how he accepted Bob Jones's prophecy/direction for MorningStar.
Although the date of the tape was at New Year Eve, 1997, simple computation will retrace the approximate date of the prophecy accepted by Joyner. According to Joyner's account, the prophecy was given to Joyner '3 years ago' (making it about 1995), telling him "you're gonna start the Round Table" right after his trip to London on the Spring of that year. There was a prophecy prior to this about 'Author-King Arthur'. This was dated as being spoken to Joyner about 5 years ago (about 1993). According to this taped account, Jones reminds Joyner of the specifics, prior to the actual trip, as an apparent signal or proof that he was to start the Round-Table.
In spite of Joyner's expressed doubts (at least, on this tape) over whether his experience in London was indeed a 'commissioning' as Jones had said it would be, Joyner does accept the prophecy as valid. His acceptance of the prophecy is clearly related to his estimation of Jones's 'trances' and high 'anointing'. Later, Joyner seems to deny more firmly that he was ever commissioned at all, when he responds on a Morning Star Q & A the following to the question of whether he considers himself to be an apostle?: "I do not consider myself to be one. I did have a personal visitation from the Lord twelve years ago in which I was given a calling, but I do not consider myself to yet be commissioned." (published on the MS website at the URL: http://www.morningstarministries.org/Articles/MSPB/qabyrickj.htm, as of March, 2001)
Nevertheless, the pattern of Joyner accepting Jones's guidance based on his high esteem of Jones' ministry is not unusual for the time period of this report and research. In the tapes we have listened to, all accounts of Jones's latest guidance or revelation were precipitated and/or followed by a build up of Jones by Joyner. Sometimes, Joyner and Jones both told of their own 'success' in prophecy. This practice of building up prophecies, and especially Jones prophecies, has been a recurrent theme with MorningStar as far as we have observed.
The admiration of Jones's ministry was also noted in Joyner's article, "God's Ultimate Plan", referred to above. As such, it is quite clear that Jones holds a great deal of authority regarding MorningStar and its direction. Perhaps this is in part why the picture of the 'knight' in armor on the book jacket and even the name "The Final Quest" of the book.
Regardless, Joyner has made the 'vision' of the Round Table come to pass. In addition, MorningStar may have incorporated a material object to represent the 'sword in the rock', referred to in the tape:
The Sword:
It has been reported that recently, a sword has been incorporated into the worship services at MorningStar in Charlotte. This practice is said to have occurred upon the addition of Don Potter as worship leader. We do not have this report confirmed, and so we only offer it as an indication to the approximate timing of the appearance of the sword in worship services at Morningstar.
However, the sword is visible in a set of 4 videos from the Worship and Warfare II conference, held at Jacksonville, Fl. The title of these videos is Songs From The Heart of David, Video Album 2. (ISBN: 1-878-327-78-X. Dated June 1997.)
The sword is visible during all the videos, and was to Don Potter's right on the stage as he sat in a chair playing guitar. The sword handle was at the height of his head, since the sword was upright. There was no way the viewer could see what it was stuck into because it was behind some plants on the stage. In it's position in front of some speakers, it also would not have been all that obvious to anyone in the audience of the conference. Those who sat only a few rows back may not have been able to see it at all.
A brief close-up of the sword showed that it was of ordinary size, and can be identified as as a Scottish Claymore sword, visible as number 563 on this URL:
http://www.swords-n-stuff.com/562.html
The picture from the web site has been reproduced in this report.
The handle is topped with what appears to be a globe or ball within a holder. It has 2 fleur de lis (lys) on the handle. Here is a good site that tells what it means if anyone is interested:
http://www.heraldica.org/topics/fdl.htm
The symbol in between the 2 fleur de lis on the brown handle, and the symbol or significance of the globe on the top of it is as yet of unknown origin.
The tapes and writings we have reviewed from MorningStar do not discuss the Sword of the Lord, or any other sword, or any Scriptural context regarding this fascination with King Arthur and the like. (At least in these tapes, Scripture was largely absent or nonexistent, as was the name of Jesus or the glorification of God) Also, we are not aware of any explanation for the use of this 'prop' during worship. As we have said though, we have at least been able to verify the sword was taken with the worship team to the Jacksonville, Fla. conference.
ROUND TABLE MEETINGS.
The following section will include quotes from the MorningStar web site. This is because it is our observation that MorningStar web site content and/or URL's change, sometimes frequently. There is no search engine and so is difficult to maneuver through. Content is sometimes removed, probably in favor of more recent news or updates:
The "Round Table" meeting in a lodge to go over MorningStar’s prophecies, according to Joyner, March, 1999:
"The remodeled log cabin is now about 15,000 square feet, containing nine bedrooms, two large dens and numerous sitting areas. This office building has a large conference room that has been perfect for our Roundtable Leadership meetings.... Even though the facilities are far more extravagant than we would have ever built for ourselves, they have turned out to be almost perfect for our needs in every way."
Last known URL was: http://www.morningstarministries.org/msjv3n2.htm (no longer available)
"The dream, the revelations and most of the interpretations came by what we consider to be clear and specific revelation. Some of the interpretations did not come on as high a level so we prefaced those with "we believe" to indicate this. We did submit the entire revelation to a roundtable meeting of 24 leaders who have national or international influence in the church to seek their judgment of the word, and their input was of great value. We now offer this word to the general body of Christ with great confidence in the source and content of the message, but still submit it like all prophetic statements, as one that must be judged."
Last known URL was: http://www.morningstarministries.org/mspbjan93.htm (no longer available)
"Our vision for MFM has never been to be big, but to be a force for the kingdom. We are not looking for great numbers as much as we are looking for individual knights who will do exploits in the name of the King--who will defend the oppressed and stand together, refusing to retreat before the enemies of the cross. Such men and women are beginning to gather."
Last known URL was: http://www.morningstarministries.org/mspbapr97.htm
(no longer available)
NOT JUST A CURIOSITY
Most Christians are alert to the possibility that symbols, images, or material artifacts of any religion or culture have spiritual significance. Many Christians would be very alarmed at anything completely foreign to Biblical precedent or language. Others would be very alarmed at something that could be construed as an 'idol', or any act or language of idolatry. To some, references to and open practices of King Arthur and his Round Table may seem mere oddities. Actual swords with unknown symbols carried into 'battle' by the worship team may just be there for inspiration, right?
During the year of 1998, as we continued to pray regarding MorningStar and our state of North Carolina, a Christian sister (who did not know us and who was unaware of our prayers) spontaneously sent me an e-mail about our state. This e-mail identified Merlin as a principality over North Carolina. The first draft of this article quoted only part of her report, then she gave us permission to quote all of it, and then over a year after the April 2001 Charisma magazine article, she was concerned over the type of mail and questions she was still getting over this one e-mail to us, and she asked whether it was necessary to keep her contribution up in full. We then edited our posting of her e-mail to be absent of her full name/ministry, but the content of it is still posted here on our website due to its valuable information.
Since this discernment was received while praying for
the Charlotte, N.C. and surrounding areas,
this lady did send this same description to Rick Joyner
among others. This was prior to her knowledge of any interest Mr. Joyner
had regarding knighthood. Although we are not direct witnesses to
the sources she quotes from for her accompanying research, anyone
can research these subjects if they wish to do so, with a little time and
effort. We have received mail from those who have, and who verified the
accuracy of her research.
The Bible does state that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against "principalities" in "high places" (Eph. 6:12). To some, embracing a legend in which witchcraft and magic was glorified may seem completely harmless. However, it would seem wise for complacent Christians to take heed (2 Peter 3:14): this legend has been used for occult practices as late as 1987, according to the information provided by Kathie Walters above. Additionally, it has been shown (as of Aug 10, 1999) that there is a current practice of calling "forth the spirit of Merlin from King Arthur's Court." by New Agers/occultists.
Mere Words?
Words and language, just as symbols and legends, are not without merit or significance. If one were to claim that, then they must also claim that Scripture itself is also powerless, insignificant, and of no spiritual bearing. After all, the Bible is a book with 'words'. Likewise, since Christians do not view the Bible as a mere 'legend', we cannot expect those who engage in the occult to think of legends -- especially legends such as that of the powerful wizard Merlin and his ally King Arthur -- as meaningless.
A spiritual people uses the language, symbols, and 'legends' of those with like spirituality. If nothing else, these words and symbols are a strong source of identification, providing a sense of 'belonging', or psychological/emotional bonding, for those who are like-minded. Most of the time, their word choice or identification choice is purposeful, an act of their will. If not, they can hopefully be made aware of the importance of their choices, that they have made those choices somewhere along the way, and that those choices have a spiritual impact or effect on themselves and others.
We all must be stewards of our language (James 3:4), hearts, and minds (James 4:4-8). Therefore, it is wise to pay attention to the language that one speaks when referring to or discussing anything Christian.
Since psychics and other New Agers are the known modern occult 'prophets', then we must take note of anything that is portrayed as being 'prophetic' in any Christian sense, and what language or symbols are used therein.
For instance, Rick Joyner did not use the word ‘prophecy’ or any similar word to discuss prophecies by Jones in a tape of the same tape series ("Words for the Coming Times"). Rather, he used the words like "transmit". Here is a relevant quote from him:
"We've been chosen to live in these times. And I believe our children...are in the forefront. They are that generation...they are a chosen generation. We have been very poor on being able to transmit the Words that the Lord has given us ... as far as getting them out in a general way, we haven't done a very good job of that and that was God's grace. That really was His grace because had they gone out with power and authority behind them and the accountability would've been so much greater and the judgment therefore so much greater. But God is going to start establishing His Words with greater power and great accountability..."
Words such as 'transmit' and 'predict' (heard often,
earlier in this tape, from Jones) are often used in modern New Age or occult
writings and meetings for at least 30 years here in America. With the advent
of broad media coverage and other forms of communication in the last decade,
the common use of these words by the occult practitioners is no secret.
Indeed, my husband and I have never heard these words used in a context
of Biblical or Spirit-led prophecy in any 'Christian' setting of any kind
-- until now, in this tape from MorningStar.
As Christians, we must be aware and alert (2 Peter
5:8). This is not just about ourselves and our own spiritual purity or
compromise. We must also remember the lost. If an occult person hears these
tapes, or walks into these meetings, or visits these web sites, and recognizes
their own language, symbols, legends, and manner of speaking, what would
they understand? If we, as Christians, accept and promote these mere words
and symbols as the 'latest and greatest' — the very stuff of our spiritual
'heights', then what is the result? How many 'converts' will we have? Converts
from what — or to what?
HOW FAR HAS IT GONE?
No one knows how far the acceptance and promotion of Chivalry, the Celtic orders, and in specific, the practice of the 'Round Table' has spread. However, the term "Knights of The Round Table" is definitely beyond MorningStar. For instance, at the following URL, the phrase is used casually as reference to 'apostolic' in the West (dated 1994-This is hailing from the former Metro Vineyard, where Bob Jones used to be):
"My Knights of the Round Table, the apostolic generals of the Lord, will receive fresh revelation, prophetic time tables, and knowledge of underground espionage, as we fight together in the Lamb's war."
(Found at: http://www.masterpotter.com/articles/article.asp?id=3 (formerly at http://www.jillaustin.org/gisum94.htm))
There has also been a report of those who 'passed swords' in a ceremonial fashion in the Seattle area, with Knights of the Round Table being mentioned. This report can be found at these sites: http://watch.pair.com/priory.html and http://watch.pair.com/priory2.html. This site highlights a number of dubious 'connections' they believe they have made between various denominations, etc. There are only a couple of quotes (not re: MorningStar) coming from 'renewal' sources. As far as we can tell they are not taken out of context from the originals.
For his part, Joyner defends the order of St. John (Popularly known as "The Knights of Malta") as being completely benign. He defends the Masons somewhat, and also denies that the Knights of Malta are connected to the Masons, in the at the bottom of his MS Prophetic Bulletin, 1998, entitled, The New Age and The Kingdom Of God, by Rick Joyner. (We obtained our copy from the www.morningstarministries.org/mspbapr98.htm posting on-line which is no longer available since the publication of this article. The discussion of Masons and Knights of Templar is near the end of the original document, at the Answers to Frequently Asked Questions section which we have reproduced/quoted at the link here) He claims that "There have also been a host of splinter groups and outright impostors which claim to be the Knights of Malta, and have no connection to the Sovereign Order or the Catholic Order." He also includes his definition of what a cult is just before his defense of the Masons.
The reader may be interested in this article: "Why would a Pastor Condone, or Defend Freemasonry?" at http://www.ephesians5-11.org/ex_masons_for_jesus/pastors.htm
In addition, here is MorningStar’s description of Joyner's
recent book, "Courage That Changed The World":
"As the second book in the "Hall of Fame Series," Rick highlights the Knights of the Order of St. John, a group of men who through their courage and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds, greatly impacted the course of history. Soft cover - 64 pages ISBN 1-878327-67-4.""Courage that Changed the World" is a very short book (only 58 pages long). It may indeed be a defensive book--In other words, a public answer or explanation to what he has gotten involved in.
On page 4 and 5, the book states, "Though the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual, there are great and timely lessons in the amazing history of the Order of St. John" and "If we are to prevail, our fight will require no less courage, endurance and focused vision than the Knights of St John..." He states "Because of their unity, focused vision, and determination never to retreat before the enemies of the cross, they changed forever what had appeared to be the inevitable course of history." (pg 52--referring to their stopping Islam from infiltrating Europe).
He tells how, in 1798, "The statutes of the Order were then reconstructed to meet the requirements of the times, allowing those who were worthy from other denominational backgrounds to be invested as knights. This was done so Russian noblemen who were generally of the Russian Orthodox tradition, could be included ..." He also notes the "Pope's acknowledgment of the legitmacy of the Order's new ecumenical direction." (pg 55).
At pages 56-58, Joyner relates that "A number of the hereditary knights came to the new world and in 1908 founded an American Grand Priory which received Legal Charter in 1911." He introduces the reader to the present Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of St John, H.E. Count Joseph Freund Cumbo. He ends with a description of the "Courageous Knights in the Last-Day Church":
"Like the nation of Israel, the Order of St John the Baptist seems to have been uniquely preserved to play a part in the final battle between light and darkness. The church, and even Western civilization, is no less in jeopardy today than it was in the time of Suleiman. Conflicts within the church have weakened her to the point that she is more vulnerable to the enemy than ever. Even so, the Lord is not constrained to deliver by many or by few. He still has those who are true noblemen, who are establishing noble families throughout the earth. They are bound together by a common faith that transcends denominational differences. They, too, have vowed not to retreat before the enemies of the cross, nor yield a single acre of ground to the enemy of our faith.The Lord is again calling together true knights of the Spirit. They will stand unified in spite of all the petty divisions and spiritual wars that go on around them. They know who the real enemy is, and they, too, will stand without wavering against the greatest darkness of their times, and they will push the darkness back. Some of these are in the modern Order of St John. Some of them may be in your church. One of them may even be you." (pg 58, end of author's text)
A picture of the present Grand Master with his various titles covers page 59 of the book.
Although the first page of "Courage That Changed The World" states "all Scriptures are taken from the NASB", the book contains no scriptural quotes or references.
Joyner has a vested interest in telling his own
historical version of the Knights. Reportedly, He is now a Malta knight:
"So, these things happen strategically. Anyway, we went on and a bunch of us got knighted by these Knights of Malta. Okay, I did first. And I wasn't even going to do it. I thought it was a great honor and all. But, I just don't join things like that . . . "
The above quote from the following URL: http://www.pawcreek.org/new%20world%20order.htm
(The quote is said to be from an undated
MorningStar tape)
With this release of the Pawcreek article (by Joe Chambers), Joyner's book, "Courage That Changed The World" took on greater meaning. It was now wondered if "Courage That Changed The World" was written to please the Grand Master, and/or as a defensive answer to what he has gotten involved in. Furthermore, Joyner's version of the history of the Malta's/Templar, was questioned by many Europeans: Lars Widerberg <lw.pray@swipnet.se> of the European Prophetic College for one, as well as others who have been appalled by Rick Joyner's 'whitewash' depiction of history in his book.
This article was written by the European Prophetic College:
The spirit of Camelot - a denial of holiness
The reports and research of approximately 9 months then culminated in the first production of this article, published on the web at approximately March, 1999, as a supportive article to what is formerly called "Prophetic Mandate -- Levels OF Integrity, Truthfulness, And Responsibility" and what is commonly known as an Open Rebuke to Rick Joyner and Morningstar, also published on this website. This was sent in full to Joyner and Morningstar more than once upon its publication (this detailed at the end of rebuke), with no response from Joyner or Morningstar. By late August or so of that year, Morningstar website soon went down for renovation. All the links were broken to the previous publications we linked to for both of these articles (fortunately, we had copies to most and so reproduced some of the important ones as we had time).
As of Aug 7, 1999, we noted a quote from Joyner taken from the June 1999 Morningstar Prophetic Bulletin which was located at: http://www.morningstarministries.org/mspbjun99.htm, taken down, and was later relocated at http://www.morningstarministries.org/Articles/MSPB/Columbine.html. This Morningstar Prophetic Bulletin is entitled, Columbine & the End of Time, and originally had a MorningStar Ministries General Update at the end of it. That Update no longer exists on the current (as of March, 2001) posting of their old June MPB. The Update had included a subtitle, "Why we seldom respond to false accusations", which we quoted from below in August of 1999. We have 'highlighted' a particular sentence of this quote with color to make it stand out, for later comment in this article:
"For example (and I will use this space to address one of the false accusations), one thing that is now being spread is that I am a high ranking member of the Masons. I have never been a member of the Masons, have never considered it, or been to a Masonic meeting, nor have I ever been a member of any such secret organization.I was knighted by an European Order of Chivalry a few years ago who are popularly called "The Knights of Malta" or "the Order of St. John." I have also read many slanderous things about this Order, mostly from the Internet, but it is time for Christians to wise up to the fact that because something is on the Internet that does not make it true. The Order of St. John that I was knighted by is a Christian Order devoted to defending the faith, preserving Christian unity, and serving the poor and the oppressed. This Order is widely recognized as a true order of chivalry, and a registry of nobility. It has no connection whatsoever to the Roman Catholic Church, although there is now a Roman Catholic Order that is also called The Order of St. John.
I confess that I am still amazed by the things that some Christians get carried away with, and how easily some believe the worst about others. It is time for us to mature, and wake up to the fact that those who spread slander about other Christians are far more dangerous than the Masons. As it is stated in II Peter 3:14-18:" (end quote)
We were alerted, but not by Joyner or the staff
at Morningstar who has never answered us, that this now-missing update
was possibly a public response to our report. This quote was from the
bottom
of a June 1999 Bulletin as we said above, and our report here was first
posted in March, 1999, before the first improvements and before more
widespread
release. I suppose it is always possible that Joyner may have meant us,
but we have never claimed Joyner is a "high ranking member of the
Masons." We have only journalized the development of his focus on King
Arthur, knights,
and such as that, as we have come to know of it.
Nevertheless, a report soon came to us that Joyner's Order was NOT an Order "widely recognized as a true order of chivalry, and a registry of nobility," but was instead, one of the "splinter groups and outright impostors which claim to be the Knights of Malta, and have no connection to the Sovereign Order or the Catholic Order." (Ironically, Joyner complained of these "splinter groups" in the FAQ section of his April, 1998, Morningstar Bulletin)
This report was eventually substantiated by a copy of a letter sent to Joyner from Guy Stair Sainty, who is the official Almoner and Historiographer, The Priory in the United States, The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. He is also the author of
"The self-styled Orders of Saint John" at
http://www.chivalricorders.org/orders/self-styled/selfsty1.htm
and believes (as surmised by his letter) that Joyner
is one of the many Americans who have fallen prey to a misunderstanding
of legitimacy perpetuated by certain 'pretend' Orders. We can only speculate
that this may be the reason or one of the reasons that Morning Star pulled
the General Update off of their June 1999 Prophetic Bulletin, before republishing
it on their site. Presently, (March, 2001), Prophetic Bulletins may be
ordered by calling 1(800)542-0278, and is "available on a donation
only basis." We do not, of course, know if one will get the original Bulletin
as first published on their website back when it was released, including
the Updates or FAQ's, if they were to order it now from Morning Star.
MYSTERY, VALIDATION, AND SPECIFICS:
Joyner complained of what he called "false accusations" at the end of his June 1999 Bulletin, stating also in the Update section of the old version, "...we feel that those who listen to the accusing ministries and journalists are the kind of people that we do not want around anyway. We do not let paranoid people dictate what we do..." He then further dismisses these 'false accusations' and 'slander' as not being worth his time. He says, "we do intend to answer some of them at the right time and place. Usually they are just not high enough on our priority list. We are too busy building to take much time for this."
However, the fact is that after over at least a year of rumors, questionings to the ministry, and denials, Joyner emerges to say he has been knighted a "few years ago," whenever that was. And even after this announcement, his book "Courage That Changed the World," a controversial one for the Europeans from the beginning, is finally challenged for its historical varacity by an authority from the 'real' Order of St. John.
Joyner has access to a number of avenues to be open about his activities. He has written a book about the Order, and he has access to his own Morningstar Journals, read by subscribers all over the world. Yet, in spite of his access to public avenues, information has not been very forthcoming from Morningstar. It has indeed been difficult to find any specific statements at all about his being knighted other than vague disclaimers, until the June 1999 admission already quoted.
However, even that is not a specific statement, and Joyner still skirts stating which Order he was knighted with. Without real information and validation regarding the organization Joyner has been knighted with, we are left with only the hard fact that Joyner did not get his facts right in his book regarding the self-styled “Order of Saint John” he promotes, headed by “Marquess/Count” Cumbo. It is only a natural supposition that this Order he shamelessly promotes is one in the same as the Order he is knighted with.
For a few years now, Joyner has mentioned and practiced the 'round table,' with references to the 'holy grail' without specifics. His 'national and international leaders' at these meetings have remained steadfastly unnamed well over a year after this writing and its updates began. He has instead made vague announcements and denials in regards to the rumors he has been knighted, and then stated he was knighted, while at the same time protesting the Christian outcry and concern as 'paranoid' and not worth his time. Guy Stair Sainty found it worth his time to correct Joyner's book, "Courage That Changed The World," because it was a priority to him.
Joyner may complain of the outcry and reports that he is now part of the Masons, but it is no wonder that Christians have been alarmed. All along, Joyner's affiliations have remained mysterious, and yet he states he has joined no 'secret organization'. Even now, he doesn't give a specific name of a club or Order. He speaks of misinformation on the Internet and maintains that his Order is not Masonic, yet gives no avenue to find out about this 'nonsecret' organization. Where is their address or website? If it's not the Roman Catholic Order, then which European Order is it? Why the long delay, denials, and still no specifics?
A mysterious group would not necessarily be forthright to Joyner himself about their political or religious ties, their agenda, or their composition. Secretive groups keep secrets even from their own members, and not just to outsiders. It could easily be said that Joyner has participated in this air of mystery, has been deceived by one of these 'self-styled' Orders,and so has displayed what is symptomatic of these groups. If one displays the symptoms of an illness, then should one become offended that some people surmise there is a disease?
Are you dizzy yet from the twists and turns of confusion Joyner has brought into the Body of Christ? So are we! That is why we decided many months ago to no longer report his vague, uninformative, and accusatory, press releases. We will not be paranoid and assume they are about ourselves, nor will we read them as if they are, for we know that others have also approached him with concerns on this subject. Since Joyner says and publishes a lot without facts, without names, without footnotes, and without documentation or references, we will not speculate further as to their validity. This developing 'soap opera' has a lot of intrigue to it, but we should not get lost in the layers of mystique, or seduced by them.
CONCLUSION:
Compromise begins one step at a time, slowly, as a seduction. If it were quickly, we would be more likely to notice it and turn away. Likewise, prophecies that are of a compromised spirit will more and more reflect that spirit, as the hearer is 'desensitized' to them and as they are more and more accepted. No adulation or letters of commendation are needed or wanted by the true apostle or prophet. The spirit of boasting is not in the Spirit of God. No one should allow any distraction from the testing of spirits. The Word of the Spirit should and does support the Word of the Scripture. It does not take away from it, add to it or supercede it, adulterate it, or twist it.
Also, regarding Free Masonry and Rick's insistance regarding 'splinter groups' of this secret society, feel free to e-mail Christians who have more thoroughly investigated, who have been in FreeMasonry themselves, or who are otherwise more qualified than I. This article is not meant to be all-inclusive. It certainly cannot answer all the questions regarding Morningstar, as this would take a truthfulness or openess on their part.
Rather, this is a well-documented alert for your prayer and consideration. My purpose is to urge the reader to "Be on the alert..." (1 Peter 5:8) and to ask you to pray for the prophetic community of America, and all others who would be touched by this development.
Eph. 4:11-15:
"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors/teachers, for the equipping of the saints...As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all apsects into Him, who is the head, even Christ."
Copyright July, 1999 - Sept. 2000, and March 2001 for
incorporated updates or facts Teri Lee Earl
** Note: If quoting from this article
please do us the courtesy of linking back to it if by internet, or publishing
our main URL: http://www.harvestnet.org and/or the specific URL: http://www.harvestnet.org/lookback/troubleinprophetland.htm
along with the quote.
NOTICE: This article was published on our website in July, 1999. As of about August 17, 1999, Morningstar took it's website down for renovations. None of the Bulletins we previously linked to are up on their site. That is why the links have been broken. We eventually unlinked the broken links in this article. We had sent ourselves attachments of most of the originals. Presently as of March, 2001, Morningstar releases Prophetic Bulletins by "donation only."
Notes and commentary regarding reaction to the first release of this
article, especially as 'attacking' Joyner, can be seen
here
Final Addendum
(this is in regards to the open rebuke to Joyner and Morningstar, main document to which the above document is ancillary):
Stephen Strang exhibited a strong "wait and see" attitude regarding Joyner and whatever his response to his "critics" might be in his "Prophets And Accountability" writing in that same April 2001 Charisma edition. We believed Rick Joyner had already displayed his spiritual policy and personal agenda in both his nonresponses and public quotes prior to his public attack on Charisma, and in this quote from him in the "God's Lightning Rod" article now in dispute:
"I'm not going to listen to people I think
aren't legitimate leaders in the body of Christ"
-Rick Joyner
as quoted in Charisma magazine, April 2001
As of July 27, 2001, We have been available to answer mail regarding this for over two years. Rick Joyner has had ample time, both before and after the unforeseen public article by Charisma magazine, to respond to any of the issues raised. At any time we would have answered any response or published any response. We consider ourselves not obliged to do so, any more.
As far as we are concerned the subject is closed.
-Bob and Teri Earl
HarvestNET Ministries
http://www.harvestnet.org
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| To the 'Open Rebuke' to Joyner |
