The name of Rick Joyner is a rage in the New Wave movement. His writings take on a prophetic style and must be considered in this book on religious megatrends. His ideas are certainly extremely influential, but are they Biblical?

The doctrines of Biblical truth have always been the love and joy of godly men and women. When the soul of man is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, it is regeneration unto righteousness or rightness to God and His will. The joy of such individuals is to discover truth and with great delight live that truth. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit by which the believer is pruned and prepared unto righteousness. Righteousness is our willing surrender to right conduct according to the Word and will of God. Holiness is His work of imputation and impartation. We act in obedience toward righteousness, but He makes us holy by the divine work of redemption.

Biblical truth and doctrine are absolutely imperative for true righteousness and holiness. It is impossible to bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing. The root and foundation must first be purified and established. If the doctrines are not pure, then the fruit cannot be pure. "For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches." (Romans 11:16).

The Holy Spirit in Proverbs said, "The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit." (Proverbs 12:12). Again, He said, "A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved." (Proverbs 12:3). The Book of Job gives an eternal principle. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." (Job 14:4).

The impure doctrines of our present church systems have muddied the waters of religion until it hardly favors the Holy Bible and the true church. Revival is impossible until we return to "the love of the truth." (II Thessalonians 2:10). The love of the truth is the saving power of God.

Rick Joyner: Babble, Random Talk and Saying Nothing
The Apostle Paul gave Timothy a charge that applies to all ministers of the Word. Notice the carefulness he charged to us who would be teachers, "As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust." (1Timothy 1:3-11).

This is the foundation we must build if the true church is to be in our midst. Fables and endless genealogies are "human rational and old unbiblical traditions." The faith unfeigned is "pure doctrines and fundamental Biblical truth" that represents our very foundation. Notice that he said, "From which some having swerved have turned aside unto "vain jangling." Vain jangling is an excellent description of self-appointed teachers that babble, talk at random and actually say nothing of real value.

Does Rick Joyner Fit This Mold?
The first time I picked up material written by Rick Joyner I immediately sensed the spirit of the New Wave. Reading his material was similar to reading New Age materials. His approach is to take anything in Scripture and make it mean anything that suits his theological aims. There is no faithfulness to established facts of interpretation. It's a smorgasbord of ideas loosely connected with the generous use of out-of-text Scripture to prove his point.

Look at his basic premise for the book, There Were Two Trees In The Garden. His identification of the forbidden tree lays a false foundation for the entire book.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a powerful Biblical model of the Law. As the Apostle Paul declared "The power of sin is the law" (I Corinthians 15:56). This is because it is through the Law that we must derive our knowledge of good and evil. We may wonder how this knowledge brings death until we see the fruit. The knowledge of good and evil kills us by distracting us from the One who is the source of life; the Tree of Life -- Jesus. The Tree of Knowledge causes us to focus our attention upon ourselves. Sin is empowered by the law; not just because the evil is revealed but the good as well. It drives us either to corruption or self-righteousness, both of which lead to death." (There Were Two Trees In The Garden, Rick Joyner, pp. 9-10.)

To suggest that this forbidden tree was the Laws of God as given to Moses or any other Bible writer is certainly questionable. The "Ten Commandments" are the foundational truths and principles of all of God's revelation. This attack on "God's Laws" shows the direction of major deception in religious circles, especially the New Wave. Satan cannot present himself as God or present his Antichrist as the "Christ" without first separating Divine revelation or the Holy Truth from experiences in the religious realm. Throughout Joyner's writing there is an attack on individuals that call for doctrinal purity.

Please note this statement by Joyner, "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a powerful Biblical model of the Law." (Ibid., p 10.) There is absolutely no fact in this statement. Only the devil and his evil spirits would dare say such a thing. The eating from "the Tree of Knowledge" was not receiving the law or living by the law, it was disobedience against God's law. It was rejection of the plain commandment of God for a life of one's own experience and control.

The Opposite of Truth, Satan's Lie
As all New Agers teach, this reflects the opposite of truth. Satan is the master imitator. Instead of judging human experiences by the Word of God, this false idea suggests that we judge the Word of God by human experiences. When we base interpretation of truth on our experiences we totally lose the basis of truth. Man is taught throughout Scripture to never trust himself. Yes, this is the opposite of the psychological base of humanistic teaching, but God's Word has always stood opposite the ideas of flesh and human rationale.

The Psalmist said, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12). Apostle Paul said, "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3). A man never reaches the spiritual height this side of our future glorification that he dare leave the constant dependency of Holy Scripture. We must weigh every experience by the clear truth of God's book.

Read again what Joyner said about the law of God being the tree of knowledge of good and evil and then read the following truths:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20).

"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (Romans 7:12).

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24).

"I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love." (Psalm 119:113).

Did Jesus come to fulfill the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" as Joyner has suggested. Is Joyner calling the tree of knowledge holy, for that is what Paul the apostle called the laws of God? Is he calling it "our schoolmaster" as Apostle Paul spoke to the Galatians? David, a man after God's own heart, spoke of God's law and said he loved them. Was David loving "the tree of knowledge" that has brought utter destruction of the human family? We know the answer if we love the truth, but New Wave teachers, such as Rick Joyner, do not interpret Scripture by Scripture, but by sudden inspiration.

The Antichrist Who Shall Appear
Mr. Joyner cleverly explains away the coming Antichrist. He is no longer the man of sin that the Scripture reveals to come, but is some kind of religious fundamentalist. We certainly do not need to look very deep to identify the source of this idea.

Mr. Joyner says, "'Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six' (Revelation 13:18). The number 666 is not taken arbitrarily. Because man was created on the sixth day, the number six is often used symbolically in the Scriptures as the number of man. This number is further identification of the spirit of the beast, which is the spirit of fallen man. In verse 11, we see that this beast "comes up out of the earth." This beast is the result of the seed of Cain having been a "tiller of the ground" or earthly-minded. The beast is the embodiment of religion that originates in the mind of man. It comes up out of the earth in contrast to Christ who comes down out of heaven." (Ibid., pp. 17-18.)

Jesus made it absolutely clear that the Antichrist is a man that will establish his powers in the world and set up his image called "The Abomination of Desolation" in Jerusalem. (Matthew 24:157). Mr. Joyner says this Antichrist is rather a religious spirit that "is the mature fruit of the tree of knowledge." Again, we have a complete confusion of the truth. If the tree of knowledge of good and evil is the laws of God, then the mature fruit would be the Bible-believing Christians that obey the Word of God. It appears that the Bible-believers are Mr. Joyner's Antichrist.

Deciphering what Rick Joyner teaches is no easy task as is true with all New Age books. In the chapter where he deals with the Antichrist he also deals with his so-called born again experience. This born again experience appears to take man beyond living by the laws of God to an esoteric level of initiation. It is clear to me that Mr. Joyner is actually teaching the "New Paradigm" or "New World View" that prepares men for the "New World Religion" of the false prophet and Antichrist.

Look now at this entire paragraph where he calls the "man of sin" the mature fruit of the "tree of knowledge" and then talks about a place beyond the law (which he identified as the tree of knowledge of good and evil) where men meet a Christ. "This man of sin is the personification of the sin of man. This is our basic nature until we are changed in Christ. This is the mature fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. The root and power of the man of sin is the serpent; the beast had to be fully revealed in man -- whatever is sown must also be reaped. In this beast we see ourselves without Christ. By this revelation we begin to perceive the depth of the unfathomable grace and mercy of God and our profound need to be reborn in Christ." (Ibid., pp. 16-17.)

A little further in this same paragraph he says that the evil in this world is from the same root as the good in this world. Notice: "The evil nature of man is manifested in these last days with increasing intensity, but so is the 'good' of man which is rooted in the same tree. Just as the evil is becoming more blatant, the good is becoming more subtle and deceptive." (Ibid., p. 18.)

Those who have not had Mr. Joyner's version of being born again are either the bad or the good that he says are becoming more subtle and deceptive. We are witnessing in this man's writings some of the most blatant "false teachings" ever to invade the church to my knowledge. He is preparing the way for any person who clings to the doctrines of the Bible to be identified as the real enemy.

Communion and the New Elite
Even the Lord's Supper does not escape his pen knife. No longer does the flesh and blood represent His bleeding and broken body, now it represents the church. Here is his expression, "When the Lord referred to the eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood, of course He was not talking of his physical flesh and blood, but of what they symbolically represented -- His life and His body, the church (we are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh)." (Ibid., p. 164.) Please notice that communion, according to Mr. Joyner, does not represent death and resurrection, but some kind of life and the church, apparently the new elite church that has been initiated.

This is a very dangerous concept concerning the Lord's Supper. The Scripture teaches that we receive communion to show forth His death until He comes. Just as Mr. Joyner calls "The Tree of Knowledge" the law so he calls "The Tree of Life" the Lord Jesus. As is true with all the religious leaders that have experienced "The New Paradigm" they use familiar language to say new things that leave you wondering what side they are on. Confusing? It was meant to be.

The New Agers have learned that the "New Paradigm" cannot be experienced until the old fundamental truths are destroyed. Every idea of Scripture has got to be seen in a new light. Everything must change. All great doctrines must be understood by a new revelation. That's what a new "paradigm" means. The same Jesus, the same Bible, the same experiences, but all seen with a new "world view." These teachers can teach for hours saying all the familiar words, but introducing you to a totally new Jesus or Christ that is false and from the Devil himself.

1995 On Joyner's Calendar
Rick Joyner's Prophetic Bulletin for 1995 was a perfect picture of Babel. It is a joke to any church that is anchored in the Bible, but to a church world already separated from Scripture it becomes a revelation itself. He called 1995 the year when there will be an outpouring of "a word of wisdom." There is no Biblical basis for his prophecy except his own conjured ideas. But again, when your sources are the "demons preparing the world for Antichrist and the false prophets," it is a perfect picture.

When you remember that the new idea coming down theological circles is the worship of Sophia, the goddess of wisdom, this fits the overall prophetic picture. John, in the Book of Revelation, makes it clear that the religious world will be dominated by a harlot woman who teaches the world to commit fornication (spiritual fornication). "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Revelation 17:3-6).

The most spectacular event of 1993 was the Re-emerging Conference, sponsored by several mainline churches. The center of attention was their worship of Sophia, the goddess of wisdom. A major Pentecostal denomination recently conducted a World Congress in Korea (October 1994) in which "earth worship" was a primary function. Listen to the word of Paul Yonggi Cho, a major New Wave leader and the host and chairman of this event.

"Through our prayer, we will ask for God's mercy and the Holy Spirit, who dramatically changed people of the early church, will lift fallen man again and also give renewed life to our earth that is dying because of the terrible pollution and environmental problems. . . . Unusual changes in weather patterns are occurring all over the world and the ecological system is being severely demolished day by day as a result of people's sins and crimes. If we refuse to act now, the earth will be totally destroyed sooner or later.

"First, we are going to ask God in unison: 'May Your divine healing power of the Holy Spirit come upon our earth as well as upon those people who have become corrupted and heal them.'

". . . Press on as never before for world evangelization. Be a good steward of the holy responsibility to bring wholeness to our earth until the day of Christ's coming again." (The Inkhorn, Vol. 6, No. 2, April 1995, p. 34.)

The following words were also printed in the "Grand Prayer Rally Prospectus" statement as it was published for the program.

"The world is facing the crisis of self-destruction. When people gradually lose their dignity as a human being they disrupt the order of nature. We prefer the provocation of war to maintaining peace. We prefer the environmental disruption to preserving the environment. As a result, the earth is dying from a variety of pollutions and contamination everyday. Unless this deterioration is stopped, there is no guarantee for the future of human beings. Furthermore, it is a tragedy of our age that we cannot work out the permanent solution of all of these problems.

"Therefore, the urgency confronting all the churches is to release the Holy Spirit throughout the world in every direction to bring spiritual renewal to the whole mankind through prayer. And churches must solve the environmental crisis of the earth by restoring harmonious relationship among God, human beings and nature.

"In view of this, we hold the 'Grand Prayer Rally' on Yoido Plaza under the auspices of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. Via satellite, thirty million members of the World Assemblies of God will join this soul-searching prayer rally. When we pray in unison, God will hear us and heal our land through releasing the mighty work of the Holy Spirit." (Ibid., pp. 34-35.)

Mr. Joyner Defends Holy Laughter and Mimicking Animals
Mr. Joyner as a New Wave leader defends the current pandemonium of "holy laughter" with the following statement:

"One of the disconcerting aspects of this movement has been the animal sounds and mimics that some have felt compelled to make. There are 'signs and wonders,' and almost everyone is wondering about this sign. Some of it is demonic. Some of it is mere human foolishness. Some of it is really inspired by the Holy Spirit. There will always be tares in the wheat, but this is something that the Holy Spirit is doing, and it is important.

"As John Amos Comenius paraphrased the apostle Paul, 'Nature is God's second book.' The December 1994 issue of National Geographic carried an insightful article titled 'Animals at Play.' The author of this article had been commissioned by Texas Governor John Connally to do a psychological study on mass murderers after the tragic murder of sixteen people on a Texas campus. The one common denominator that this author found in the character of mass murderers was that 'they never learned to play.' . . . The conclusion was essentially that learning to play is necessary for the healthy development, and possibly the survival, of almost every creature." (The Morning Star, Prophetic Bulletin, January 1995, p. 8.)

Conclusion
Mr. Joyner condemns those in the church who refuse to allow any departure from the Holy Scripture. He believes it is time to "lighten up" and quit being so serious. Here we are on the verge of the darkest time of human history when millions will be destroyed and condemned to eternal hell and it's time in Joyner's theology to "lighten up." Here is another paragraph from his prophetic vision for 1995. Please note that we who are involved in exposing this "New Wave Babel" in churches are called "Spiritual Mass Murderers." The enemy has become the "Bible believers," who refuse the false message of men like Rick Joyner. Here are his words:

"If we studied the 'spiritual mass murderers,' who spread slander and seek to spiritually assassinate other Christians, it would almost certainly be found that they are so bound by the religious spirit that they cannot stand any form of religious levity. The Lord is trying to get His people to simply "lighten up." It is a serious delusion for us to take ourselves, or our work, too seriously, because that is usually an indication that we are still moving in our own human energy. The Lord really does sit in the heavens and laugh, and when we are truly seated with Him, seeing from His perspective, we too will begin to laugh at many of the things that we are so uptight about now." (Ibid.)

There is a long list of other doctrines taught by Rick Joyner, but space does not allow for a complete analysis. All the quotes in this article by Rev. Joyner are directly from his writings and carefully reviewed in context. He is certainly a megatrend setter for today's New Wave revival.