Volume Ten, Issue Six
9/13/03

Dear All,

May the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, be with you all.  May He give you wisdom as you study His Word each day.

The feature article in this newsletter is The Trial Of Spirits by William Dell, printed 1666, reprinted by Benjamin Franklin and D. Hall in 1760 as one of their first booklets.  This article is a quote from this book that deals with the subject of testing the spirits.  There is nothing new under the sun.  Christianity has always been plagued with false apostles and prophets, as it was when the Apostles warned the early church, and again in the 1600s.  Today we are seeing the largest assembly of false apostles, prophets and teachers ever in the history of the Church.  How can we identify them?  From what quarter will they come?  You may be surprised to read where they came from in the 1600s, which is exactly where they are coming from today.  The question is: once you have read this article, what will you do about it?

Check out our new Book Reviews page on DITC.  It is an alphabetical directory of book, video, newsletter and course reviews by title.  This is a handy research guide of reviews by the best apologist authors.  Check the What's New! page at DITC often for new book reviews.

I have been providing a catalog of articles from hundreds of Christian authors on the subject of the Third Wave since 1997.  I have written hundreds of articles and continue to offer the thousands of hours of research I do into this issue freely to the public.  I have a few select items for sale on my site, and these are for sale simply because it costs money to manufacture the items.  Any money that comes in from the sale of those items is turned around to manufacture more.  I don't make a lot of profit from those few items.  I am also a full time missionary working with Micronesian islanders for the last 15 years, and before that my family have been doing that since 1962.  I want to thank those who have supported this ministry with donations.  To be honest, I am in desperate need of more support at this time due to the costs of running a big web site and doing the island ministry the Lord has laid before us.  If the Lord lays it on your heart to support this ministry through donations or buying materials, I would welcome any help at this time, as would any good biblical discernment ministry.  If the Lord lays it on your heart to help, you can make a donation with credit card by clicking on the PayPal logo below:

You can also send a check to:

If you want to order materials, please look those up on the Audio/Video and Book pages of the site.  Thank you again for your prayerful consideration of this matter.

	Timely! LETTERS TO THE CHURCH is a fitting manual for the Revelation Christian. All the precepts are in the seven letters in Revelation 1:9 - 3:22 to help us keep the faith, stay in sound doctrine, and reach out to those who are perishing. I hope and pray that this book will help the reader to be an “overcomer”. Go here for more details and how to order!
	Demolish Arguments! Want to be able to see your way through to clear biblical discernment? Want a set of tools that will allow you to disciple your loved ones so they will stand firm in the Faith? Want to sort out many of the false arguments and teachings that have invaded the churches? Then DISCERNMENT TOOLKIT is for you! Go here for more details and how to order!
	This Is THE Benny Hinn Video! SPIRIT OF TRUTH OR SPIRIT OF ERROR? PART 1 - BENNY HINN  features Jacob Prasch, Mike Oppenheimer & Sandy Simpson and tons of video showing the teachings and prophecies of Benny Hinn.  This is a proven tool to keep people away from heresy.  Go here for more details and how to order!

In His hands,
Sandy Simpson
Apologetics Coordination Team (ACT)

The Trial Of Spirits - Both In Teachers And Hearers
Wherein Is Held Forth The Clear Discovery, And Certain Downfall, Of The Carnal And Anti Christian Clergy Of These Nations
Testified from the Word of God, to the University in Cambridge, by William Dell, Minister of the Gospel, and Master of Gonvil and Caius College, In Cambridge, London, Printed in 1666, Philadelphia, Reprinted by Benjamin Franklin and D. Hall in 1760

This section, from the above booklet printed by Benjamin Franklin, serves as a history lesson on false prophets and false teachers that we need to heed today.  Why take to heart William Dell and his exegesis of the Word of God?  Because what he described is EXACTLY what we are seeing today being played out on TBN, CBN, the NAE, and in the New Apostolic Reformation by a whole host of false apostles, prophets and teachers.

... Wherefore we declare unto you from the Word of the Lord, touching these false prophets, who shall do so much mischief:

1. That they shall not proceed, or come forth from among the Jews, or Turks, or out of the barbarous Nations, they shall arise out of such as are called Christians.

2. Seeing amongst the Christians some are openly profane and evil, others seem to be religious and godly, the false prophets shall be found among the better sort; and therefore, saith Christ, they shall come in "sheeps clothing", as if they were of Christ's own flock: And Paul saith "They have a form of Godliness", that is, they shall be painted over gloriously, with all appearances of Truth, righteousness, honesty, goodness and all the names of godliness.

3. Seeing amongst those that seem to be the better sort of Christians, some give themselves to the ministry of the Word, and some do not; the false prophets shall be found among those Christians, who take upon themselves to be preachers, as Paul testifies (Acts 20) where having called together the elders and teachers of the church of Ephesus, he saith to them, "Ex vobis ipsis; Out of your ownselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them".

And seeing among those who are ministers, some are light, and vain, and carnal, and formal persons; and other men of great worth and reputation, and seem to be precious members of Christ, and even pillars in the Church, so that the common people think, that all religion would go down with such good men; they having some gifts and enlightenings of the spirit, and seeming more than ordinarily godly, religious, wise, holy, sober, devout; now the false prophets shall be found among these.

And as they who opposed Christ at his first coming in the flesh, seem more wise, and holy, and eminent in the Church than the rest, as the Scribes and Pharisees, who sat in Moses' chair, and had the outward letter of the Word in all exactness, and the outward form of religion in all strictness; so they, who do, and shall most oppose Christ in His coming in His Spirit, and shall contradict His Word, and resist His servants and witnesses of His Truth, do, and shall appear more wise, holy, learned, and godly, than the rest of the teachers in the Church.

And thus you see, that the false prophets of Anti-christ shall arise among Christians; and among such Christians as seem to be godly; and among such seeming godly Christians as preach the Word; and among such preachers of the Word as seem to be of greater worth and eminency than the rest: and so in all these regards it will be a hard matter to discern them.

4. Again, such persons, of such appearance and worth and holiness as these, do usually get to their side the greatest and highest persons in the kingdoms and nations, and do obtain, not only their countenance and favour, but also their power and authority for themselves.

5. By both these means (viz. their seeming holiness, and their interest with worldy powers) they exceedingly enlarge their credit and reputation with the world, and do get multitudes of people and nations to entertain them.

For Anti-christ could not decieve the world with a company of foolish, weak, ignorant, prophane, contemptable persons, but he always hath the greatest, the wisest, holiest, and most eminent in the visible church for him, and by these he seduces and subjects to himself, even the whole world. ...