with comments by the "Old Paradigm" Reverend Greg Robertson
Mr. Otis' wrote The God They Never Knew in 1978, but as can be seen from the quotes below, the leaven of his theological system is still present, although hidden from the awareness of the reader who is not aware of what Otis believes.
"The Church of Jesus Christ is God's primary instrument of revelation on earth today. And while we may occasionally find this fact intimidating, our mandate leaves no room for passive or reactionary tendencies. As the people of God we are meant to lead the parade of history. The question is, do we know where we are meant to go?" p. 34 [If we are walking with the Lord as His disciples we shouldn't be intimidated. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and those who follow Him do not walk in darkness. His already established Word is a lamp unto our feet. It seems all this contemporary emphasis on "new revelation" brings us under the umbrella of human, fallible authority, instead of pointing us to the "old revelation" and making us the disciples of Christ. Perhaps the gist of it is that Mr. Otis wants us to become his disciples. Instead of letting God teach us about Otis with the Word, we must now let Otis teach us about God without the Word.]
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"It is the Word which changes and touches hearts; revelations, however, puff people up and make them arrogant . . . . God speaks to us through Scripture and through the man who teaches Scripture. He who hears these is not deceived. But we are to flee from special revelations concerning the faith, for they are satanic impostures." What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, compiled by Ewald M. Plass, Concordia Publishing House, 1959, p. 1463. |
"First, Satan and his minions have been accomplished practitioners of the art of spiritual warfare from before the foundations of the earth -- in other words, long before any of us were even familiar with the term." p. 39 [This would seem to imply that we should stay clear of "new revelations" and stick with the old -- doubly so since we know that in the last days there will be deception like never before in history. If Otis is coming up with new spiritual warfare principles, how does he know that they are not from Satan instead of from God? Perhaps Satan receives the Otis'-style warfare emphasis as praise to his own deceiving and destructive power! Is there a problem with the principles God gave us in the "old revelation"? If these new warfare principles really work, why has Otis had to twist the facts to support them in his latest emphasis?]
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See Transformations or Deception? See Cali Transformation update 2001 at this website. See Sacrifice for another example of Otis's belief system that he admits he used his "imagination" to create. This page also contains bloody pictures of actual sacrifice taking place in Indonesia. |
"One of God's ways is obedience [sic! Obedience to us, or what?], and even though we may be armed with an accurate understanding of the times and our current field of conflict, we cannot afford to march into battle on our own orders." p. 40 [This statement doesn't make much sense to the person who hears God's voice clearly in the Scriptures, which incidentally, is the case for everyone who has God's true Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Hasn't God given us sufficiently clear "marching orders" in His Word? To understand the kind of voices the saints of the "new paradigm" are listening to, see Is That Really You, God?]
"Fortunately, while the Bible reveals that knowledge will increase in the last days, it nowhere suggests that this knowledge will be the exclusive domain of unbelievers. In fact, Joel 2 affirms God's intent to release unique understanding and power to, and through, His people during this time." p. 41 [Read The Biblical Basis for Modern Science by Dr. Henry Morris (Baker, 1984) and it will become clear that much of modern science is based on and grew out of the "old" revelation of Scripture. Many of the best modern inventions came through believers who held a biblical view of the universe and both believers and non-believers benefit from their inventions. Believers also benefit from and are partakers of the new knowledge gained by unbelievers.]
[The only part of Joel 2 that talks about new knowledge is in verses 28-32 and Peter spoke about it in Acts chapter two, making reference to the events of the day of Pentecost. We are still in the last days and there are still reports of dreams and visions which have caused people to become Christians, have delivered people from martyrdom, etc.; but it is very high-risk territory to begin obtaining "new spiritual truths" during a time when new cults and sects are springing into existence every day as people willingly follow the seers, dreamers, visionaries and receivers of the latest revelations "from God." We have almost 2000 years of church history with millions of people becoming Christians through the preaching of the Word. Is it possible that during the last of the last days, for which God promised apostasy, that instead He would give to a select group of teachers a new revelation to help them win the world?]
"When asked why he had left Christianity for Islam, the iman (who is black) replied: 'Islam offers a way for emasculated men to become something. Christianity, on the other hand, is a welfare religion -- Jesus paid it all -- and my people don't need that." [a quote by Otis from a conversation he had with Dr. Ray Bakke] p. 77 [This "not so subtle" slam about Jesus paying for our sins supposedly came from Dr. Ray Bakke, and it probably did, but it is very unusual that this "iman" has the same theology as Otis, and then he gets coincidentally quoted by Otis in his book. See Otis in The God They Never Knew.]
"This is not to say the Church has no enemies. Indeed, her enemies are many, and they are ruthless. But as they are not born of flesh and blood, they may be discerned and engaged only by those who have learned the language and secrets of the spiritual dimension." p. 80 [This stuff about "language and secrets of the spiritual dimension" sounds very gnostic! . . . if we were to "spiritually map" it! Perhaps this new language best fits in a world where there are teenage mutant ninja turtles, power rangers, dungeons and dragons (complete with "gatekeepers" by the way), computer games, and This Present Darkness.]
"This new way of seeing I have labeled spiritual mapping." [emphasis by original author] p. 85
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A report about spiritual mapping, from a God-fearing saint in Jakarta
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"In some instances, no outward clues at all can account for our inner restlessness. While some individuals elect to shrug off these negative feelings as subjective mood swings, more and more Christians are coming to the realization that what they are experiencing is related directly to the presence and influence of unseen territorial spirits." p. 87 [Is this really the kind of thing Christians should be looking into? The day that the church goes in this direction is the day that Satan will be empowered like never before! It would be something that could only happen during the end of the last days when even the elect could almost be deceived.]
"According to Fuller Seminary professor C. Peter Wagner, the reason so little is known about this widespread and ancient phenomenon is simply that 'spiritual territoriality has not been a prominent issue for theologians and biblical scholars through the years.' Obviously hoping to reverse this trend, Wagner has written a book on the subject suggesting that Satan delegates high-ranking evil spirits to control nations, regions, cities, tribes, people groups, neighborhoods and other significant social networks. The major assignment of these demonic powers, Wagner believes, 'is to prevent God from being glorified in their territory.'" p. 87 [Perhaps the reason that "spiritual territoriality" has not been a subject for "theologians and biblical scholars," who usually try to stick with the subjects of the Bible, is that it is a new revelation for a new paradigm. Previous generations hadn't had the revelation yet.]
"Because all human peoples belong to God initially by right of fatherhood, Satan has no automatic control over them. Unless individuals give themselves over to the rulership of Satan willingly, they will remain under the tender influence of the Holy Spirit." p. 88 [Really!!?? To understand, i.e., spiritually map Mr. Otis' statement here, one must realize that he does not believe there is a sinful nature, except by force of "habit." See the notes extracted from his book The God They Never Knew ]
| "Since the Fall, no man can believe in the 'fatherhood' of God except he believe in the eternal Son of God, who became man and reconciled us to God by His vicarious satisfaction, 1 John 2:23; John 14:6. Hence we warn against Unitarianism, which in our country has to a great extent impenetrated the sects and is being spread particularly also through the influence of the lodges." A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod, Concordia Publishing House, 1932. |
"And as real and meaningful as these systems appear to men, Satan knows they are no more authentic than that conjured by the Wizard of Oz. His sole intent -- achieved through deceptive, behind-the-scenes manipulation -- is to make the fantasy credible. Thus, when the ancient Greeks sought wisdom through the Oracles of Delphi, he accommodated them. When the Germans began dreaming of the Third Reich, he dazzled them through 'anointed' speeches of Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler. As millions of Africans, Tibetans, Arabs and Haitians searched for supernatural power to help them cope with life's problems, he provided it in a potent array of shamans, marabouts and gurus." p. 88 [This appears to be a slip of the tongue. Otis uses the same word to describe Goebbels and Hitler that the "third wave" people use to describe their leaders: the new Apostles and Prophets are called "anointed." To spiritually map Otis's statement here is very revealing. The statement could as well apply to the spiritual mapping enterprise!]
In the Old Testament, God was acutely aware of the dangers inherent in human kingdoms, and for this very reason labored to persuade the Israelites to forgo an earthly king in favor of His direct supernatural leadership. At the heart of His concern was the knowledge that man-inspired initiatives turn quickly into manmade substitutes -- idolatrous doorways through which demonic agents access societies and inflict spiritual bondage. Oblivious to these infiltrations, modern man has become prey to the dark side of his own house: the capitalist to his materialism, the Communist to his totalitarianism and the Muslim to either fundamentalism or spiritism." p. 89 [Otis has a promise from the Lord -- He will use your own words to judge you! In spite of the terrible damage you have done to the cause of Christ, it is not too late to repent.]
"At some time, in one fashion or another, human beings welcomed evil spirits to dwell among them." p. 89 [Some people believe the messages from such spirits are the voice of God. Evil spirits seldom look evil. More common are the angels of light and the false apostles who transform themselves into the apostles of Christ!]
"In most of these enemy strongholds, the scope and intensity of demonic control seem to exist in direct proportion to the explicitness of the original welcome, and to the care taken to sustain the spiritual allegiance through various festivals, rites and pilgrimages." p. 89 [Perhaps this is a key to the "Reconciliation Walks" and various festivals, rites and pilgrimages that Christians are now taking part in all over the world. They believe they are inviting Jesus back into control where others have invited the Devil.]
"The trick is determining precisely where this real power is concentrated. For Christians the focal point is nothing less than satanic command and control centers: evil principalities that are responsible for deploying demonic legions throughout the world. In scriptural parlance, the act of pinpointing -- and then neutralizing -- these strategic enemy command posts is known as 'binding the strongman.'" p. 93 [I thought Christians had a "focal point" on Christ Jesus, the Creator of the universe, the One who gave His life as a payment for our sins! It is quite clear in Scripture!]
[After listing "Captive Strongholds" and "Frontier Strongholds"] "From here it is up to each of us to research and establish our own assignments. By doing our homework, not only do we acknowledge the incomparable power of prayer to demolish strongholds, but we also avoid wasting valuable spiritual ammunition on inconsequential or phantom targets." p.95
"Eden, which means 'Delight,' was the site where God first set up camp on this earth. It was, in many respects, His Garden of Dreams -- a magical place, devoid of sin, where He walked with man and shared His heart and ways. Here God handed out man's first mandate, or commission: to be representatives of His Kingdom order in the earth [emphasis by original author]. Out of this place called Delight, through Adam and Eve and their offspring, the knowledge and blessing of God was to flow into all the earth." p. 99 [For more mapping of this kind of thought, see Tricia Tillin's revealing online book The New Thing (Global Revival as the Key Element of Deception in Twentieth Century Pentecostalism)]
"And while Adam and Eve's moral breakdown led to their banishment from Eden, there is no indication in Scripture that the serpent went with them." p. 99 [Does this mean that Satan still walks with God in the cool of the evening and has an open WAY to the tree of life?]
"At the same time, as we proceed to examine more closely the historical and operational intricacies of this stronghold, readers should bear in mind that while God expects us to be vigilant and sober-minded about such things, He does not want us to be fearful or unduly impressed. While the Bible does not whitewash the fact that there is evil in the world, neither does it speak of it in triumphal terms. In the end, all malign spiritual forces will be subject to the awesome power and righteous judgment of the Almighty. Even now, as we shall discover in chapter 7, the victorious strategies of God are unfolding apace in and around the seat of Satan." p. 100 [This statement clearly reveals the antichrist nature of this new occult movement! The "victorious strategy" of God was completed almost 2000 years ago and its success was confirmed by the words of Christ from the cross -- "It is finished!" Not to mention a resurrection from the grave. Even the casual "mapper" of the spirit of this new movement will see abundant references from the Old and New Testaments which are clearly speaking of Christ -- The Anointed One -- being replaced with the "Church." By one definition, antichrist is a term meaning replacement -- this new movement is attempting to take over the throne of God, replacing The Anointed One with "the anointed ones," and replacing the "spotless bride of Christ which is wearing the robes of His righteousness" with their own superficial attempts at holiness and threats that they are going to "cleanse the church" of the lesser saints, so Jesus can return for a "spotless bride, without wrinkle." This all happened before under the Donatists and then again under the Radical Reformation of the 16th century, when the apostles and prophets were supposedly restored to the church. At that time also they were taking over cities and regions for God. In fact, they did a better job of taking over at that time, and nobody even had the spiritual-mapping revelation yet.]
"Such paroxysms of anger and violence, while undeniably destructive, are also demonstrations of satanic futility. They are the cheap shots inflicted by a frustrated player in the waning moments of a lost contest, the gratuitous massacre ordered from the fuerher-bunker [emphasis by original author] as the Allies close in on Berlin. The truth is, as Satan scans intelligence reports on his battlefield operations, he has plenty of cause for concern." p. 143 [These "anointed ones" have set up a no-lose system. If things get better, they point out that it is because they are winning the battle in "high places." But if things get worse, they point out that the "rulers of darkness" are running scared and making their last attempt to destroy as much as possible. This same kind of no-lose system has already been set up by Romanism in the past -- see Luther's essay. As has been said, "Those who forget the past, are condemned to repeat it!"]
[A very significant point about this statement is that the demonic "channeling" that is going on in the New Age movement should reflect the "cause for concern" that the evil powers are experiencing. However, just the opposite is taking place. The channelers are bringing forth the same message as the George Otis types -- they are looking forward to a brand new age where everything will be better and the Christ will appear!]
"Up until this point, from a satanic perspective, things had not gone altogether badly. Occasional disappointments such as the Reformation and the arrival of the Gospel in the Americas were to be expected. The important thing was that, from the standpoint of global geography and momentum, Christianity was still fairly contained." p. 144 [Satan's occasional disappointments can also be found among the spiritual mappers. From time to time the Gospel is preached and people become Christians. But Satan's overall plan to get Christians tuned in to his voice has had astounding success. In the long run he stands to gain more souls than he has lost along the way. See Hearing the Voice.]
"In Islamic Indonesia, the percentage of Christians is so high the government will not print the statistics -- which is probably nearing 25 percent of the population." p. 146 [Quoted from A. D. 2000 and Beyond, Vol. 1, No. 5, November-December 1990. This is clearly an argument from silence, not to mention that it defies logic. If a Muslim government was experiencing massive losses to Christianity, it would likely inflate the numbers to more quickly bring a crack-down. By September 2001, about 10,000 Christians have been murdered in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The Islamic jihad in that area has been taking over by force. The Christians had been there a long time and used to be the majority population. See Ambon's Silent Scream.]
"Among the more striking of these signs [of "a time of final harvest before the onset of winter darkness"] are several that we have alluded to earlier: 1) a dramatic realignment of spiritual and political forces in the earth; 2) an unprecedented mobilization of missionary plans and personnel; and 3) a noteworthy increase in supernatural signs and wonders." p. 161 ["Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matthew 7:21-23. Signs and wonders do not tell us anything about truth. Truth claims must be evaluated by what God has established as His infallible Word! Unfortunately, many of the contemporary missionary movements have been infiltrated with spiritual mapping, prayer channeling, and numerous false doctrines.]
"That God would in the end lead His Church full-circle back to Eden is more than just poetic; it is also logical. For it is from this site that Satan's original lie has resonated throughout the earth for thousands of years. Having usurped the paradise originally intended for mankind, it makes sense that the serpent will eventually be defeated on that selfsame soil by the offspring of God's banished children -- back to fulfill, in inverse fashion, their original mandate to extend God's Kingdom throughout the earth." p. 161 [Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." The only way past the flaming swords to the tree of life is through Christ. It makes absolutely no sense at all for us to try and defeat Satan in Otis's Garden of Eden, since Christ has already achieved Satan's complete defeat. "Ye shall be as gods!" was also a "garden variety" experience. That is the experience that Otis seems to be more aligned with.]
"Another development that has undoubtedly caused great alarm in Satan's camp of late relates to the recent dramatic rise in supernatural power encounters among Muslims. . . .39" p. 156 [Recent accounts show that the effects of this new evangelism allows Muslims to remain Muslims, but they now give more attention to Jesus. Historically, Muslims have never rejected a Gnostic Christ. They believe that He was born of a virgin and that he ascended into heaven. But when we teach them about the Christ of Scripture and history, they must reject their false christs and bow before the real One. Otherwise, to call them His disciples is highly misleading. In many ways, the beliefs of George Otis Jr. are more closely in line with Islam, than they are with biblical Christianity. Paul called the Judaizers preachers of a different gospel.]
"There is evidence that God has moved in a supernatural fashion among Muslims for many centuries. The point being stressed here is simply that, in recent years, this activity has apparently surged." [footnote 39, p. 165] [That would obviously be the natural result of Christians concentrating their efforts on preaching the Gospel in the Muslim worlds.]
"The fact that Gog is identified as the chief prince of a specific region and also appears as a warlike mobilizer in different eras leads us to another intriguing theory: Neither man nor symbol, Gog is rather a territorial strongman [emphasis in original] that rules over the lands and peoples of Magog, Meshech and Tubal -- a geographical belt that presently encompasses portions of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and the Soviet Union. If this theory is correct, then the spirit of Gog -- totalitarianism -- has incarnated various human vessels in the region over the course of many centuries." p. 212 [Why are you playing "footsie" with theories and incarnated spirits? Get back to the work of the Lord!]
"If our spiritual ambitions and institutions are to survive the raging storms of the future, we must first toss overboard all notions of inevitability. If we are going to sink, then there is no reason even to start our engines, let alone try to replace our navigational instruments. Inevitability removes incentive, which, in turn, erodes motivation. If people are convinced their actions will not make a real difference, they simply will not bother -- even for God." p. 225 [Why would we want to replace our dependable "navigational instruments"? The Word of God has been sufficient for thousands of years, why must it be thrown overboard in these final days of history? If Otis here means that the prophecies in the Word of God will not inevitably come to pass, he is in the camp of the New Agers who say that the purpose of predictive prophecy is not to tell the future, but to warn so that a bad future can be avoided. This concept is commonly used to defend those who make prophecies that don't come to pass -- i.e., false prophets! The reader should not forget that Otis does not believe that God knows the future. That is the essence of what he is saying here. But he is subtly introducing his teaching by couching it in terms that the naive reader will not notice.]
"No matter how big or venerable they are, denominations, mission agencies and local churches that fail to adjust to the sweeping changes ushered in by the 1980s will, quite simply, fail to thrive in the 1990s. [The nineties are over and we are now in the 2000s. After recent events at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, it seems the old paradigm churches are beginning to fill again. The old paradigm churches are the ones that refused to get on the most recent bandwagon.]
"Recognizing this fact, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for one, made a major course adjustment in their missions strategy in 1988 by deciding to significantly upgrade their witness to Muslims. One of the chief drafters of the new policy, Dr. Mark Thomsen, declared: 'If you can't adapt, you might as well stay home. A static church without the capacity to adapt is incapable of significant participation in the mission of God.'" [Quoted from The Lutheran, Nov. 23, 1988] p.225 [Mr. Otis should also point out that the ELCA denomination denies the inerrancy of Scripture and is adapting quite well to homosexually and lesbianism. It reminds me of what one ELCA member told me in 1992, when I related to him some of the abuses going on in the more conservative Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: "Why don’t you come to our church?" he said, "In our church people can believe whatever they want. We no longer believe it is so important to teach the virgin birth, the resurrection and deity of Christ and all that stuff!" It is commonly reported that the ELCA seminaries will no longer graduate a person who believes in the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. So it is not really true that they have placed divisive doctrine aside and now live in Christian freedom. They have simply switched what they will allow to be divisive and what they will allow to be an object of Christian freedom.]
"Today's 'bad reports' are released not by atheists or moral derelicts but by well-meaning Christian relatives, pastors and youth leaders, Bible school professors and various mission boards and committees." p. 264 [This idea of "not bringing bad reports" like the unbelieving spies did when they came back from the promised land, has been at the foundation of numerous misrepresentations and fabrications by zealous, idealistic mission organizations! Maybe that is the concept behind the Transformations videos. It is really not so complicated. Is it better to tell the truth, or lie? Is it possible to tell the truth and still have a bad report?]
"God's strategy in reclaiming His fallen creation is decidedly aggressive: Rather than wait for captive souls to petition for liberation, He dispatches His servants instead on extensive search-and-rescue missions." p. 264 [It is not possible to get more aggressive in saving man than to send the Only Begotten Son into the world to suffer for our sin and be raised again!]
"It seems to me, after seriously studying and trying to understand these new movements coming into the church today, that what is really happening is that they are seeking to replace the Jesus of Scripture with themselves." Greg Robertson, March 2001