Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who is less than two years old in the Lord; so still a babe in many ways. We were talking about the Word and end times prophecy, and he made some statements that raised some red flags.
These were ideas he was sharing as Truth, but that I knew not to be Biblical in any way. I had already learned that he was listening to Arnold Murray of Shepherd's Chapel, a false teacher that I was first made aware of over 20 years ago.
So when my friend starting spouting out some things that just didn't match established Biblical interpretation, I asked him outright where he got that, and he assured me that the Holy Spirit had revealed it to him.
Again I pressed him about where he got that understanding of that particular passage of scripture (Ezekial 13:20, referring to the "fly away" as being a reference to the rapture of Believers.) What?
I pressed him again, "where did you get that?" Again he assured me that the Holy Spirit has shown it to him. He was adamant.
Finally, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt, yet with no proof at that time, I said, "You got that from Arnold Murray." He denied it.I refused to argue, but then as now, the concern for my Christian brother is a mixture of concern for his soul and anger that people are still falling for the lies of this false prophet. I was compelled to warn him rather strongly that he needed to repent of listening to false teachings. "You need to stop watching that guy! He twists the meaning and applies his own interpretation!"
I even sent him links to some quality, Godly Biblical teachings available on the Gateway Church's website, suggesting that he needed to listen to Biblically sound teaching and stop listening to that wolf in sheep's clothing.
Unfortunately, I rather doubt that he's even done it, mainly because after sending him the links I later sent him another message that literally called him out on the lie about where he got his understanding of Ezekial 13:20.
You see after getting off the phone, I went online and began to do some intense research into Arnold Murray and his teachings; I don't call him by his preferred designation as "Dr. Murray" because there is no proof, and in fact this as been proven to be a lie, that he ever received a doctorate for any education.
The more I read about what this man teaches as being truth, I was reminded of where I first became aware of him. It was back in 1999 in the mountains of New Mexico. We'd (my then-husband) met a couple and they were all about this preacher they were listening to on the radio. They even gave my husband a brand new Bible and a book (or pamphlet) of this man's teachings.
I remember that as I began to read the booklet that the hair on the back of my neck raised (or it felt like it), my stomach (Holy Spirit in me) began churning, and it felt like I was hearing "Warning! Danger!". (I got the same result when I began reading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren; couldn't finish that either). I put down that Arnold Murray propaganda, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was NOT Biblical and was a lie straight from the pit.
So yesterday as I researched his false teachings I came across something: "Ezekiel is used by Murray as a main argument against the rapture (flying away), but I fail to see anything in it about flying away as a denial of the church being raised up to Christ in 1 Thess.4.Ezekiel 13:20: “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, Here I am against your cushions, with which you are hunting down the souls as though they were flying things, and I will rip them from off your arms and let go the souls that you are hunting down, souls as though they were flying things.”"
There it was! Confirmation of what I'd been shown by the Holy Spirit while talking to my friend.
I'm sickened in my spirit by the victims that are caught up in this cultic teaching by Arnold Murray. Unfortunately, I've run across other victims and find they all have the same aggressive attitude that their understanding is correct and that anyone who doesn't agree is mislead and just not enlightened. Unfortunately, they are convinced that the only one who is speaking truth is the very one leading astray.
If someone you know is caught up in this whole Shepherd's Chapel and Arnold Murray cult, I urge you to begin doing spiritual warfare on their behalf. They are in extreme danger if they contain ingesting that poison!
http://www.letusreason.org/Poptea4.htm
http://www.mikeschristiancorner.com/murray.html
http://ivarfjeld.com/2012/10/26/false-teacher-exposed-arnold-murray/
Update 4/20/18 - And I stand by what I've written, and reiterate the aggressiveness with which these so-called "Christian" followers of this man will respond with and post comments. I don't approve them, because I'm not going to give them a venue in which to continue to spew the false doctrine perpetrated by Shepherd's Chapel. As far as I'm concerned, if they want to support the guy, they can start their own blog.
