Cedric Fisher: "earnestly contending for the faith."

False Asbury Revival

Satan has made the spiritual landscape in Christianity so barren, so hopeless, and churches so compromised that fake “revivals” appear real. That is what I am witnessing concerning the Asbury College “revival.” The “revival” supposedly began when many students met for a church service. Some students remained after the meeting ended. They continued worshipping and singing as other students joined them.

It amazed people that Christians practiced a fundamental component of Christianity in a Christian college. Imagine attending a church meeting where the majority brought bibles. Would that make the national news? If it did, why? Leonard Ravenhill said something to the effect, “We are so subnormal; if we became normal, people would think we were abnormal.”

Nonetheless, a stream of heretics, hirelings, false prophets, and other religious scalawags are heading to Wilmore, Kentucky, to get involved. Perhaps it is in the hope their association with the “revival” will wash some of the stains from their sheep’s clothing.” False prophets hope it will validate their false prophecy of a great end-times revival. They are flocking to the revival like pigs to a corn convention. Would they race to a true revival? No.

I have studied the history of revivals for decades. As an evangelist in the 1980s, I preached approximately 150 revival meetings, most of them weeklong, some open-air camp meetings, and several that went on for five weeks. I witnessed evangelistic ministry dry up, and churches became cold and compromised. Now people are crying out for a great revival as if that will repair everything. A true revival cannot occur until there is great repentance and full surrender to God. That will not happen with Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Praying. There will not be a real mass revival in the last days. The NAR prophets prophesied it, but God’s Word does not. Instead, there will be a great apostasy and deception so clever and powerful that, if possible, it would deceive the very elect.

The Asbury “revival” is a product of social media. It was not a revival until someone posted a video of the gathering on TikTok. It was labeled a revival, and the video went viral. The footage reveals young people swaying, as if in a trance, while the music played. There are interludes during the worship when students repented and testified. When compared with genuine revivals, the Asbury gathering comes up well short of being a genuine revival. I will explain, but I must provide some information.

Asbury College includes Spiritual Formation in its curriculum. We, therefore, can sum up Spiritual Formation as the pagan way to “do” Christianity, the religion. A Lighthouse Trails article provides this explanation.

“Spiritual Formation is contemplative spirituality, and it is sweeping quickly throughout Christianity today. If a college, a seminary, a church, or an organization (like Focus on the Family) wants spiritual Formation, may they keep in mind, they will get eastern meditation and the occultic realms that accompany it.” (Many Just Now Learning About the Dangers of Spiritual Formation, March 14, 2018, by Lighthouse Trails Editors)

Contemplative Praying is a pagan practice that came into Protestantism via the Roman Catholic Church. RCC mystic, Thomas Merton, recognized the church was void of spirituality. His search for spirituality led him to associate with a Buddhist colony where he discovered Contemplative Praying. The Buddhists received it from desert-dwelling Sufi Muslims. Richard Foster spread Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Prayer throughout Christianity via his book, “Celebration of Discipline.” Tilden Edwards, founder of the New Age “Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation,” said, “This mystical stream contemplative prayer is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality.” One cannot get more New Age than Spiritual Formation and Contemplative Praying.

That leads to why so many students “gathered” in the large room on February 8, 2003, to pray and worship. Another section of the Spiritual Formation Team page reveals that reason.

“SLCs partner with Residence Life staff to coordinate opportunities for the entire Residence Hall to come together throughout the year to focus on the hall theme, listen to student testimonies, or hear from guest speakers.”

“The SLAs lead a weekly connection time called GATHER, where each student has the opportunity to connect with God and one another. GATHER is a time for encouragement, prayer, and reflecting on the Word together.” (caps mine)

They provided an explanation about who the SLCs and SLAs are and what they do.

“Known around campus as Spiritual Life Coordinators (SLCs) and Spiritual Life Assistants (SLAs), these valuable team members are committed to creating an environment for all students to experience the fullness of God’s love and grow spiritually.”

The crowd of students was so large because the SLCs and SLAs compelled them to come. It is becoming larger because it has grown into something special, a phenomenon made so by publicity.

On the College’s “FLEX Credits across Campus – Spring 2023” page, they include this statement:

“Jan. 17 – Pause: Silence, Reflection & Contemplative Prayer – 11 a.m., Bennett-Bernard”

On a page entitled “Faith in a Snapchat Culture: The Power of Pause” (Wednesday, October 19, 2016 — Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee), there is the following:

“Take time to power off and assess your life with devotion and contemplative prayer.”

The Spring 2023 Chapel Schedule includes: “April, W/5 Contemplative Worship.”

Therefore, the so-called “revival” began as another “Gather” event. As before, Spiritual Life Coordinators and Assistants encouraged all students to attend the meeting; thus, it was a large group. They came together to listen to speakers, hear testimonies, meditate, and get involved in corporate Contemplative Prayer and worship. It is something that has frequently been happening for a significant period. If they appear to be in a trance is that they likely are in a trance.

At some point, someone posted a video on TikTok and other media; it went viral. Of course, after it went viral, the claim that a great youth revival was occurring at the college exploded all over the Internet and News Media. Then the organizations and heretics jumped in. Heretical religious TV networks got involved. Off-campus students and friends started attending. Like a rumor, when a feather is sent around town, it becomes a large goose. Professing Christians without discernment who are weak or have no connection with the Holy Spirit hotly defended it. They pilloried people attempting to warn them. Will they feel foolish and repent? Probably not. We are in a very dark and deceptive period.

Christ warned us prophetically that there would be a great deception in the last days.

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” — Matthew 24:24

The factor that makes “possible” in that statement impossible is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Don’t allow it to be possible for you to be deceived. Pray until you can hear and follow the Holy Spirit. Then pray some more!

Another statement Christ made is even more ominous.

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” — Matthew 24:5

An apparent fake revival can deceive people, and they cannot even receive the Holy Spirit’s warning or discernment; how far are they from accepting the false Christs?”

A great evil storm has come into this world, and the time to prepare is running out. Sadly, for some people, it may have run out.

 

 

23 Comments

  1. ken hall

    Spot on. The devil of hell has just a short time left. The diabolical content and craftiness of his ways is fooling way, way too many who profess to be Christian. Luke 18:8…….SO SAD to see

    • C.H. Fisher

      Yes, Ken. The great apostasy have given him much space and unwitting professing Christians to work trough.

  2. Jessica

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts. People who have gone to the event have said you can “feel” the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t make sense to me. If the Holy Spirit is in you all day everyday, why would you feel Him more in a specific location? It makes me wonder if they are actually feeling a deceiving spirit, which pains me to say.

    • C.H. Fisher

      Good point. They feel excitement.

      • Marvin Wenger

        Yes, there is a difference. I would not be surprised if some demons are operating in the kindulina spirit.

    • Gwendolyn Wehage

      Yes, deceiving spirits are coming continually these days in a culture that values hype and emotion over truth.

    • Lillian Wallis

      Jessica, you and I are on the “same page”!
      I was in process of writing about the Gift of the Holy Spirit and the indwelling thereof, when I stopped, went on Facebook and found this Truthkeepers article about Asbury being a False Revival! This article spoke to me since I have been concerned about how so much Pagan backed practices have filtered into our churches through “Traditions of men”! I had never heard of Contemplative Prayer, so, I am doing my own pagan background research on this!

    • Cheryl Flynn

      The spirit world is a tricky thing. This “revival” is creating a spiritual/emotional “high”. Much like drugs, that emotional high makes it difficult to discern good from evil. The enemy is banking on that.
      The deception is serious. The moment I heard about this “revival” I felt the Spirit say “wait” “watch” “be discerning”.
      The circus of this event has led me to discern that it is a performance meant to bring *emotional* responses, but….if God can work through a demon possessed woman and deliver her, then God can do something with this performance.

    • Angela

      The working up of emotions and emotionalism is very deceiving to the human mind and body. Like feelings, very deceiving without knowledge and discernment. The Holy Spirit is not a feeling, and He will never contradict the word of God.

    • dave ciaouter

      CIA testing a crowd control weapon that makes the victims feel good.

  3. Debbie Machesky

    Thank you for your post. It was well done and accurate.

  4. Robert Tuttle

    Let’s not forget that when the students “felt led by the Spirit” to stay and continue praying and playing “worship” music, the university president sent emails all over the campus calling for students to converge on Hughes Auditorium for the revival. And isn’t is amazing that God maintains Asbury’s February revival schedule! They have had 8 revivals, in 1905, 1908, 1921, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1992, and 2006; and all but two have occurred in February. The two that didn’t both happened in March. Maybe those February’s had bad weather and the revivals had to be postponed!

  5. Brewster

    Your explanation and distain doesn’t include the comments of the leaders there that referred to the word “Revival” as being premature. The faithfulness of those leaders overseeing this “outpouring” is not lost to those interested (as you seem to believe).
    The acknowledgement of Jesus and the Scripture in this place is evident, as is the humility and repentance being noted by those who have decided to visit and doccument the situation, often by phone video. Your concern is noted, but the fruit in view, and as other fellowships experience similar things warrent the excitement many of us sense. Call us foolish, as we enter into prayer and repentance while the Holy Sprit guides.

    • C.H. Fisher

      I confess to not understanding most of your post. False revival can dupe individuals that have never witness or been involved in a genuine revival. I did not have to research to know what I was witnessing was not a true revival. The research only expose the demonic activity, the false Jesus, false Holy Spirit, and other elements behind the deception. My soon to be posted article about Spiritual Formation will reveal how that the Spiritual Directors are in control of these young lives and manipulate them to do whatever they wish. Of course, it’s all for the fake “Jesus.” I feel no disdain or distain for these young people––only sadness. It is no different than what one would expect to see in a NAR or even a Buddhist meeting. People will worship toward God as long as they do not have to fully surrender to Him. That does not happen when they view Him through the lens of Spiritual Formation. The majority will not escape the heretical bondage they are in. God’s grace gives me hope that some will.

    • Angela

      Repentance for what? What kind of repentance? Have you heard that homosexuals are opening leading worship there? Women “pastors” are preaching? These are in direct disobedience to God’s word, the final authority. You need to understand who the Holy Spirit is. He is God, and God does not change, nor does He contradict His word.

  6. GJ

    If they would just preach the Gospel, the hearer has a chance to be revived from death to Life.

    Matthew 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

    Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

    • Angela

      Right. Singing and prayer are not revival. Preaching of the word and obeying it are. There is no real preaching of the word going on there, just singing and praying and being worked into a frenzy of emotional deception. Pagan religions do that, too.

  7. Roy Ficek

    What do you mean by “Pray until you can hear and follow the Holy Spirit.”! Is it going to be an audible voice? How does one follow the Spirit? Could you explain what you mean. I have Mormon friends who says that I should “pray to see if what they tell me is true”. Thanks

  8. Robert McGaffey

    Even before I read this article, I was questioning the validity of the revival. Are people repenting and lives being changed? What is the “ripple effect?” The true test of a revival is in the aftermath!

  9. K. Wells

    My husband was watching a news clip on this Asbury “Revival” and a man was talking saying…”Let the “old” people “move aside” and let the young have their way…” all of a sudden my husband saw a “demon” flash on the face of that man with a smirk, and then it left!! My husband walked out of the room and then called me to come as he had been in prayer… he said, I am telling you that man was speaking by a demon…It is a false revival, spurned on by the young people and their ignorant foolish ways with no elder to lead them.

  10. Markus

    Thank you for this article. It confirms my concern that this is a false “revival” and a clever trick by our enemy.
    If I can just quickly share just one thought I have after reading through the books of Timothy:
    2 Timothy 4 v3 (Ampl.) “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold…”
    It is all about “self”. I also find the following quote from “got questions. org” very true: “the glory of Jesus Christ has been minimized in favor of self-worship. Jesus, when mentioned at all, is often presented as merely the ticket to receiving God’s blessings. In this generation of biblical illiteracy, many hearers eagerly swallow this man-made version of Christ, never challenging the twisted doctrine that conceived it…”
    Let’s be “Bereans” and be thankful for anyone who is helping us to discern the situation biblically.

  11. Therese Ryan

    Look I am not sure about this God can do a new thing There was no hype Or celebrated preacher Many salvations Much repenting It showed people are hungry for God surely in the last days He is pouring His spirit Is that such a bad thing

    • C.H. Fisher

      God did not pour out His Holy Spirit at the false Asbury “revival.” The activity that occurs was not of God but a diabolical sham. Sady, the contrived event will drive more young people away from the truth. The lack of discernment among professing Christians has departed.

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