One of the most dangerous things you can do as a Christian is determine your theology by your experience. R.C. Sproul

“For those in ministry who are experiencing spiritual attacks and witchcraft, I want to tell you that one reason this is happening is because you have disturbed the enemy’s structure. You have disturbed the web with the authentic presence of God. You have not been moved by fear despite the warning of that red hourglass by the enemy. You have endangered the plots and schemes lurking in the egg sac, plans designed with intention against the bride of Christ.“

In May 2017, a blog post was written describing a prophetic vision of a black widow spider and its perceived association with Jezebel, spiritual warfare, and rebellious witchcraft against leaders in the church. It was one of those enthralling posts focusing on a personal mystical experience and centered upon a venomous arachnid while seeming to confirm what others had been spiritually sensing. This vision was shared by other Charismatic media outlets, one of which resulted in hundreds of social media shares and countless views as the post elaborated on the abode and habits of the black widow spider and implying power on the part of the believer to disturb this creature and her egg sac. The post ended with the call to “Declare over your home and the corporate body of Christ that the breath of God will not be stifled. When we choose to operate in the authority given to us by Christ, the result is a web left in disrepair.” Reading this now leaves me frustrated and saddened, yet emboldened to speak out against such nonsense. That blog post should never have been written.

There are some who will surely disagree and may even take issue with me calling this article and ones like it into question. But after reading through it and testing it against Scripture, it is now clear that the writer did not hear from God. This “prophet” was testifying from vain imaginations and sighting God as the author of this personal experience and revelation. When reading the post in its entirety, there are some glaring issues which should throw red flags onto the theological field. The saying goes we are our own worst critics, and I can say such things because I wrote that blog post. No one is immune to correction, myself included, and the professing prophet then needs to be corrected now. This is not a pleasant exercise. Frankly, it is uncomfortable and humbling to admit past error. However, I hope others will learn from my error and begin testing all things in accordance with Scripture. I also testify to the infinite grace and mercy of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to grant me repentance from such conduct and to use the error of my ways for His glory.

A Few Shoe Pebbles for the “Prophet”

If I could talk to the “prophet” fours years ago who wrote this, I would present some questions regarding the contents of this blog post in hopes of placing some pebbles in her shoe. I borrowed that from Greg Koukl. I would talk to her about what theology is and what it is not. I would ask how she knew the internal vision of a black widow spider was truly from God rather than a vain imagination. I would ask her to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to me in accordance with Scripture and to help me understand how time spent researching this spider and the infrastructure of its web helped her in understanding the Word of God more. I would open the Bible with her and present the gospel to her, pointing her to Jesus Christ as well as engaging in a discussion about authentic Biblical prophetic ministry.

I have read this blog post several times, taking notes and asking myself tough questions I had not considered when writing this years ago. These things are quite clear. Scripture was misappropriated. The spider became the subject of interest rather than Jesus Christ. It occurred to me while reading it that His name had been used to justify my words rather than talking about justification by faith in Christ. Instead of proclaiming the gospel and pointing people to the Word of God, I pointed people to my personal revelation and experience, my own thoughts. This became the foundation of truth. Where was Christ in all of this? He certainly was not the central focus. Prophecy testifies of Christ. This had nothing to do with Him, and it saddens me thinking about how misguided I was while wanting to love the Lord. My theology was significantly lacking. You cannot escape religion as a Christian. Doctrine and theology are part of a proper relationship and fellowship with Christ. To divorce this truth and to only want relationship is a romance novel on human terms, leading to another Christ who cannot save.

I spoke of a silly spider web mimicking the Trinity. I would like to ask myself from four years ago to explain this based upon Scripture. There was an emphasis on self. At one point, I stated, “I want to tell you that one reason this (attack) is happening is because YOU have disturbed the enemy’s structure. YOU have disturbed the web with the authentic presence of God. YOU have not been moved by fear despite the warning of that red hourglass by the enemy. YOU have endangered the plots and schemes lurking in the egg sac, plans designed with intention against the bride of Christ.” It occurred to me upon reading these statements I had written, who is God here? Who is the victor? Is it not Jesus Christ? He overcame the enemy, not us. I realize we overcome, but we overcome because of Jesus Christ. In and of ourselves, we are not good, and we are never going to be saviors.

The label of witchcraft within the church has been haphazardly created in certain circles of belief, and this is typically based upon eisegesis of a handful of pet Bible verses essentially used to create false doctrine and to manipulate people into submission. I want to say to this woman, stop it and to realize this very rhetoric and tactic will be used against you a few years later. But God will rescue you. I want to tell her the time she spent researching the black widow spider should have been spent studying the Word of God and understanding His ways and His nature as opposed to the nature or an arachnid. I mean, for all the talk about numbers and their significance, why not talk about the number eight and how the eight legs of the spider mimics new beginnings God wants to give us? Do you see how anything can be made to sound prophetic or profound? It is an illusion, it is mythology. We do not need to know the spiritual pseudo profundities surrounding a spider. But we do need correct theology when it comes to God Almighty so that we will reject these distractions leading only to deception and spiritual ignorance.

Why am I calling attention to this four year old blog post and to these types of practices? I am greatly concerned that many are being led astray by such practices without ever testing them and questioning personal revelations in fear of being labeled religious or influenced by any other spirit than the Spirit of God. Critical thinking has been demonized. There are more private mystical revelations available today and less desire for the Word of God rightly divided and taught. People have falsely believed that personal experiences equal more profound theology, and this is simply not true. When we believe that God is more concerned about giving us insight about a poisonous spider and her egg sac while creating suspicion among professing believers in Christ than He is about His gospel going forth to save souls, to reconcile individuals to God the Father and to conform us to His image by His Spirit, we have bad theology.

The best way for us to understand God is to dig into His holy Word and to be students of His Word. It is there we learn of His ways and His attributes. It is there we understand what it means for God to be holy and for Him to call us to holiness. The Word helps lead us into all truth concerning the Lord, and the Holy Spirit testifies of this truth. How can we ever love and obey the Lord if we do not know His ways found in Scripture?

If I had spoken to the “prophet” who wrote this old blog post four years ago, I would ask her one final question, “Are you willing to give your life for this revelation you are proclaiming? The disciples of Christ gave their lives for the gospel, the revelation of the Kingdom of God for those who would believe in Jesus Christ to save them and to give them eternal life. Is your vision carrying that same weight and certain truth?” I would have said with emboldened love in the Lord, “Repent! Christ is not in this nor is the gospel being proclaimed. Consider all that I have shown you and the questions I have posed. Strongly consider you are in error. Return to the Word of God.” And I would end with the best source of truth, “Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourself.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) This is a lesson for us all. Thank God for ears to hear and eyes to see the truth. Soli Deo Gloria.