Todd Bentley’s ‘Emma’: Angel or Demon?

Source – Slice of Laodicea

The mega-”revival” going on in Lakeland, Florida that is being carried on God-TV every night features the latest hot property in the charismatic realm,Todd Bentley. Some Christians believe he is bringing down the power of the Holy Spirit as all kinds of manifestations are taking place at these events. Healings are being claimed and even the media is getting in on the act as a network affiliate anchorwoman claimed to be healed of a migraine by Todd. Here is a quote from one of Todd’s articles on his angelic visitations. The Bob Jones referred to is one of the Kansas City Prophets who claimed to be specially visited by an angel to start the modern prophetic movement.

EMMA, ANGEL OF THE PROPHETIC

“Now let me talk about an angelic experience with Emma. Twice Bob Jones asked me about this angel that was in Kansas City in 1980: “Todd, have you ever seen the angel by the name of Emma?” He asked me as if he expected that this angel was appearing to me. Surprised, I said, “Bob, who is Emma?” He told me that Emma was the angel that helped birth and start the whole prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. She was a mothering-type angel that helped nurture the prophetic as it broke out. Within a few weeks of Bob asking me about Emma, I was in a service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the service I was in conversation with Ivan and another person when in walks Emma. As I stared at the angel with open eyes, the Lord said, “Here’s Emma.” I’m not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor. It was almost like Kathryn Khulman in those old videos when she wore a white dress and looked like she was gliding across the platform. Emma appeared beautiful and young-about 22 years old-but she was old at the same time. She seemed to carry the wisdom, virtue and grace of Proverbs 31 on her life.

She glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors. Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then, as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began putting gold dust on people. “God, what is happening?” I asked. The Lord answered: “She is releasing the gold, which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church. I want you to prophecy that Emma showed up in this service-the same angel that appeared in Kansas city-as a sign that I am endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church.” See, when angels come, they always come for a reason; we need to actually ask God what the purpose is. Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry. Thousands of dollars! Thousands! Even though the entire community consisted of only three thousand people, weeks after I left the church the pastor testified that the church offerings had either doubled or tripled.

During this visitation the pastor’s wife (it was an AOG church) got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost- she began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her. Also, as this prophetic anointing came on her, she started getting phone numbers of complete strangers and calling them up on the telephone and prophesying over them. She would tell them that God gave her their telephone number and then would give them words of knowledge. Complete strangers. Then angels started showing up in the church.”

Entire Article Here

“Squawking like a chicken” and “barking like a dog” are attributed to the Holy Spirit by Todd Bentley. This is blasphemy. His “angel” Emma is the described in the same way by Johanna Michaelson, author of The Beautiful Side of Evil, in which demonic forces portrayed themselves to her as being full of goodness and light. It was only later that they revealed their true faces to her. These counterfeit angels are bringing further confusion on the church and promoting doctrines of demons, namely the idea that we need to see into the supernatural realm and that we need the intercessory help of angels. Hebrews 11 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen! But that won’t draw a crowd like these “manifestations”.

Bentley’s entire body of angel teachings detract from the glory of Jesus Christ and have Christians seeking after “angelic” experiences rather than the Lord himself. These people will have “angelic” experiences all right, but how quickly we forget that there are dark angels as well as angels of heaven. Satan is a master counterfeiter. His very name, Lucifer, means “light bearer”. As Warren Smith describes in his book, “The Light that Was Dark”, it is plain that even what seems so good and true and lovely can be a counterfeit. As the deception is deepening, more and more we need to ask the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to mind to discern every idea, every prophet who comes in Christ’s name. The Lord told us that many things will be done in Christ’s name. Not all is of the true Christ. “Here is Christ, there is Christ”, the Lord told us they will say. “Believe it not.” Christ told us “for many will come in my name”. That time is now and the deception is as close as God TV tonight that is airing this Florida “revival”.