I hadn't planned to write anything today but as it's my birthday and as this subject is weighing very heavily on my heart, I thought I would discourse on the little-spoken sin of logomancy which is sweeping through evangelical Christianity and Messianism.

If you believe that by repeating certain words that you are going to accrue spiritual blessings or somehow gain access to Elohim (God) - or if you believe that mispronouncing certain words you are going to bring curses down on you, then you are a logomancer. You become guilty of the sin of using words for the purpose of divination. You are dabbling in witchcraft.

Some of the most common forms of logomancy amongst Christians and Messianics are speaking in unknown tongues, employing Kabbalism in worship or insisting that the Name of Elohim (God) be pronounced 100% correctly in order to be saved, or believe you will be receive a heavenly anointing by repeating 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus' over and over again, then you are guilty of the sin of logomancy - you have entered into the world of witchcraft.

Mormonism believes in logomancy. In their secret neo-masonic temple ceremonies they believe that by learning certain signs or tokens and words it will gain them access to the LDS 'heaven'. And it will come as no surprise to you to learn that Mormonism is heavely influenced by Kabbalism which was taught the Mormon 'prophet', Joseph Smith, by a man called 'Joshua the Jew' in Nauvoo. Kabbalistic Jews acknowledge kabbalistic kinship with the Mormon leader:

"According to Smith’s theology, the God who controls our world was once a human like us. He had a spouse and the two of them had corporeal bodies of flesh and blood. God is a model for men on earth in that every Mormon is also capable of becoming a deity of his own star along with his wife. This, of course, implies that there are many gods who rule over many stars.

"Smith held that his doctrine was the recounting of the esoteric knowledge revealed to the first human, Adam, by the deity of our star. From Adam, God’s wisdom was passed down through the generations, passing through Noah, Abraham, Moses and the ancient Hebrew priests and finally, was revealed to Smith's followers. The purpose of the doctrine is to facilitate the realization of human potential by transforming men into gods...

"Where did Smith derive his inspiration? He was undoubtedly an exceptional person, with a vivid imagination and enormous creativity. But every creative spirit needs raw material. Smith found his in the esoteric literature of his era, which led him to the kabbala.

"As a curious teenager, Joseph Smith was able to read a fair share of Western esoteric literature at his neighbor's homes or in different public libraries. The esoteric literature of the period included the legacy of the Renaissance, Hermetism, the kabbala, Neoplatonism, alchemy, astrology and Magianism..." [1]

One occultist points out:

"Logomancy is a school of magick that derives from the power of words and language. In keeping with the idea that magick arises from the non-standard use of standard things, the logomancer is someone who has come to recognize words for what they are in and of themselves, independent of the meanings we attach to them. Logomancers use language in ways that transcend the everyday communication that the uninitiated engage in" [2]

The speaking in unknown tongues is common practice amongst Pentecostals, Charismatics and others. Even Ellen White, the founder of Seventh-Day Adventism, was a tongues-speaker. Joseph Smith and his early followers were too. Both the LDS and SDA would come to abandon this kind of charismata. The meaning of the words is not important to tongues-speakers but the sense of power that accompanies them, even though in formal meetings 'interpreters' will often be present. As we demonstrate in numerous articles on our Tongues website, the translation or interpretation of nearly all of this glossolalia, so-called, is bogus, and not infrequently it has been demonstrated by professional linguists that the source is demons cursing those assembled. It's power and hold over charismatics, like anything unclean, is its magical, supernatural hold over its practitioners. But it's still logomancy.

Logomancy is cleverly packaged these days and is commonly administered by and amongst New Agers, who combine occultism with psychology, as 'affirmation rituals':

"Affirmation rituals are multi-sensory trance states designed to build a bridge between your conscious and subconscious. Because your subconscious is the source of creativity and all inner secrets, learning how to negotiate a free exchange between your subconscious and conscious allows greater understanding of yourself and your creative talents" [3].

When not appealing to a deity, logomancy is an appeal to worship yourself. That you claim to worship the Christian/Messianic Elohim (God) as well is of no concern to Satan. So long as you are worshipping yourself and getting a kick out of his dark power, he has you in bondage. As a deliverance minister I have worked with all kinds of people, including those from Pentecostal and Charismatic backgrounds who are convinced that speaking in tongues is the evidence of being baptised in the Holy Ghost (what greater bondage can there be in believing a psychic, demonic power is the Ruach haQodesh?!). One man I worked with was into the Vineyard Church movement who was oppressed by demons and freely admitted it but could not find the source. Though he was reluctant, I invited him to test his tongue-speaking which resulted in his experiencing great pain in his head, like a steel band tightening around it. But he was too scared to allow Yah'shua (Jesus) to remove this because it would have required him to totally reevaluate his involvement with charismatic 'Christianity'. He went away undelivered still clutching his idol.

Satanists commonly speak in tongues because they, as occultists, believe in the power of words and symbols. That's 'magick' for them. And it works so they are mesmerised by it, even though it progressively destroys them. Tongue-speaking has been an open door for demonic spirits to infest the Body of Messiah for a long time now, for a whole century. Is there true tongue-spealing? Yes, of course, the Bible says so, but it is not psychic babbling and creative though imaginary (and therefore deceptive) 'translation'.

Messianics who include Kabbalism and True Nameism are no less guilty, they're just into another kind of logomancy. Kabbalists believes there is power in Hebrew words and Joseph Smith incorporated this into his temple rituals such as in Mormonism's 'true order of prayer'. Now as you know I believe the true Names of the Father and the Son are important to know, not because of the words that are spelled out when you write them, or the sound you make when you speak them, but because of their meaning. When we exercise emunah (faith) in Yahweh through His Son Yah'shua (Jesus) we are trusting in their CHARACTER - who they are, what they are, what they have done, are doing and will do - their Essential Being. We don't vainly repeat them (which is in any case disrespectful) in order to get power but are making an appeal to their existential reality. We are exercising emunah (faith) in who they are.

One Messianic writer makes this observation:

"Some years ago, a movie presented the idea that the devil was trying to learn the Name of the Creator in order to pronounce it backwards. By doing so, it was thought that creation could be undone! This new book (Ed. The Power of I Am) is not teaching us to exalt the Name (Ed. Yahweh) and the Word (Ed. Yah'shua and Torah) but to manipulate 'forces' much like witchcraft endeavours to do, performing divination using words.

"Our words do not have creative power, and our words cannot bless our future. This at least is blasphemous, if more so, than the words spoken by the fallen angel who wants to lift himself into the highest heights...

"Through Yahushua's power we live, and it is not through our own efforts or man's knowledge (Gnosticism).

"Kabbalah is the pursuit of fulfilment through secret knowledge, and this book is leading people into greater darkness" [4].

It doesn't take much to realise that the idea of "name it and claim it" is just a form of is just a form or logomancy too. Don't do it! Just make your requests known to Yahweh in payer and leave them with Him. But had you considered that the "Once Saved, Always Saved" notion might also be a form of logomancy?! If you believe that repeating a salvation formula will get you eternally saved even if you never pursue a life of discipleship and just carry on habitually sinning, or even abandon your faith altogether, is that not also a form of logomancy?

When Paul says, "When you are assembled in the name of our Master Yah'shua (Jesus) and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Master Yah'shua (Jesus) is present..." (1 Cor.5:4, NIV), this has nothing to do with logomancy. He's not saying that Messiah is present in their assemblies because they're repeating the name 'Jesus' over and over again, or 'naming and claiming' this or that blessing as though Yahweh were a heavenly vending machine dispensing whatever their brattish carnal desires might demand because they have been 'given' the 'Holy Ghost' because they 'speak in tongues', as they suppose. The power of the Messiah in present when we fully trust in Him, surrendering all self-sovereignty to Him and learn obedience in ahavah (love)!

I believe that exposing logomancy in the Christian churches and Messianic assemblies is one of the most urgent tasks ahead of us because this devilish practice is only going to get worse. What makes it beguiling to so many is that is is accompanied by an undoubted supernatural power but not the one supposed or hoped for. And it is a power which loathes the Torah. Yah'shua (Jesus) is the Word is the Torah so this form of thinking and behaviour is Anti-Messiah, Antichrist, and I make no bones in saying that. And because this devilish spirit is so entrenched in the Body - a reason it is being judged now and why the Remnant is being separated from it because the churches and messianic assemblies as a whole will NOT repent of it. It has become their identity. And they love the spirit of Satan whilst professing to worship Christ because they have allowed themselves to be deceived by their lawlessness.

Now I am not making a banket condemnation of all the various groups of people who practice logomancy. There are plenty of believers who don't practice logomancy who are carrying around just as serious sins though they be in entirely different categories. This is not a declaration of war against all charismatic believers because I know and recognise all too well that sin is not the domain of just one denomination or group of denominations united around a particular sin issue. I know plenty of non-charismatics who are spiritually dead for an entirely different set of reasons. So I am not here tooting the non-charismatic horn and saying we are 'holier than thou' simply because we're not logomancers. Besides, logomancy is not confined to charismatics, as we've seen.

Yahweh uses all kinds of believers, including Pentecostals. The issue - His contention - is not with 'Christianity' or with 'Messianism' but with 'Christianity-Plus' and 'Messianism-Plus' - all those things we have added to the Besorah (Gospel) which weren't there when the apostles preached and evangelised and which must be removed entirely before Yahweh will fully endow the Remnant. And, to be balanced, He also has a contention with 'Christianity-Minus' and 'Messianism-Minus'...all that believers have taken out of the Besorah (Gospel), like the bulk of Torah. The Restoration and Reformation - the adding back of what has been removed, and the removal of what has been wrongly added - must now be speedily accomplished. All witchcraft must be uncompromisingly banished or the Remnant will be severely battered.

I hope that this will give you much to prayerfully consider. It is, at any rate, my birthday gift to you today!

Endnotes

[1] Tomer Persico, How Kabbala Shaped Mormon Faith
[2] Matthew R. Norwood, Logomancy
[3} Whittier, Affirmation Rituals
[4] Lew White, A New Form of Witchcraft: Logomancy - Divination Using Words