By Lance Goodall
PART 2 – (For Part 1 – see CETF # 56)
Hillsong United have released a new studio album – called Aftermath – 15 Feb 2011
When I read this title, I was disturbed, and questioned the name with a great deal of unease.
Definition: “Aftermath”
The meaning of the word “aftermath” is linked to the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event) e.g. "in the aftermath of war"; “in the wake of the accident no one knew how many had been injured.” A consequence, especially of a disaster or misfortune e.g. “famine as an aftermath of drought.”
Interestingly “aftermath” is not a Bible word. Back in 2001 Youth Aliveproduced an album called – Elevate, which also is not found in the Bible. It is a term linked to evolution and the ascendancy of man, and is found in Masonic literature.
Let me say it loud and clear. The cross of Christ and His choosing to go there has nothing to do with Greek or Roman tragedy, calamity, or some sort of cosmic fallout. Christ, on the cross declared, “It is finished!” He was the Christ, but not in the way Mary Magdalene and the disciples thought of Him. To them, His death was a tragedy. All their hopes and dreams lay silent with the Lord in the tomb. But He, the Son of God, rose up that Sunday morning, conquering the grave, just as scripture predicted:
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption - Psalm 16:10.
The Lord Jesus did not experience decay or ruin.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it - Colossians 2:15.
Christ rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of God. He has defeated death, sin and the devil. Let me repeat this so I make myself clear – there is no “aftermath” with God, and there are no surprises. He makes all things new –Hallelujah!!
The unusual name of the Album, and single, are even more pronounced by their association with other songs of the same title.
Other Songs entitled – Aftermath
Adam Lambert, (listed above), this modern Elvis look-a-like, had photos surface showing him romantically kissing another man while he was competing on the eighth season of American Idol. Lambert confirmed that the photos were of him, stating he had nothing to hide and has always been open about his life. Mainstream media speculation centred on Lambert's sexuality; presuming he was gay, he would be the first gay American Idol.
He recently appeared on Australian Idol as a guest singer.
Lambert released his album For Your Entertainment in Nov 2009, but The Aftermath Remix single was released in March of this year. The timing, with Hillsong United’s release date of February 2011 for their album, raises some speculation that it was more than a coincidence.
Research the above list and you’ll find that most of the groups are rock, hard rock, metal, or heavy metal.
Origin (see reference above) is a Technical death metal band!!
How can a seemingly innocent title of a song stir up so much questionable connection and controversy? There must be more to the name than meets the eye.
Aftermath –Feb 2011 (abridged lyrics)
In a moment of glorious surrender
You were broken for all the world to see
Lifted out of the ashes
I am found in the aftermath
The above lyrics are taken from the single AFTERMATH by Hillsong United and were apparently intended to be metaphorical. However there must be concern with the reference to Christ’s death as an “aftermath”. His death can in no way be considered a disaster, or some human tragedy.
Christ’s death was a propitiation for our sins—to deal with God’s righteous justice against our sin and rebellion. His death was part of the overall plan of salvation. Christ the victor gives us life through His life. In no way do we come forth anew, raised out from Christ’s death, or from Christ’s ashes? Such an analogy smacks of a modern day take on reincarnation.
We are buried with Christ, and we are raised again with Him cf. Romans 6: 4 – 11
Verse 4
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
To be” lifted out of the ashes” is a weighted reference to the Phoenix, a bird, which symbolizes rebirth, especially of the sun, and has variants in European, Central American, Egyptian and Asian cultures. In the 19th century, Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875) wrote a story about the phoenix. Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) features a phoenix in one of her children's stories, The Phoenix and the Carpet, as does J.K. Rowling (1965- ) in the Harry Potter series. In one volume of Harry Potter, the phoenix does its resurrecting routine. JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix in 2003
Manly P. Hall, in his book entitled, The Secret Destiny of America, 1958, p. 176-177 wrote:
All symbols have their origin in something tangible, and the Phoenix is one sign of the secret orders of the ancient world, and of the initiate of those orders, for it was common to refer to one who had been accepted into temples as a man twice-born, or reborn. Wisdom confers a new life, and those who become wise are born again.
A former witch had this to say regarding the occult belief in the Phoenix.
The Phoenix... is believed to be a divine bird going back to Egypt... This Phoenix destroys itself in flames and then rises from the ashes. Most occultists believe that the Phoenix is a symbol of Lucifer who was cast down in flames and who they think will one day rise triumphant. This, of course, also relates to the rising Hiram Abiff, the Masonic 'Christ.' [Source: Dr. C. Burns, Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated, p. 123]
Thus what we have here is a bird, the occult Phoenix that has its root in Ancient mythology. It actually symbolizes the New Age concept of being born-again. It is definitely NOT Christian. Rather it is linked to the rising of a New World Order as illustrated in detail, on the back of the United States One dollar bill. The eagle replaced the Phoenix in 1841 as the national bird. But the Phoenix has been a Brotherhood symbol since ancient Egypt. The Phoenix was adopted by the Founding Fathers (Freemasons) for use on the reverse of the first official seal of the United States after a design proposed by Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress. The Great Seal played a prominent role in the January 14, 1784 (Ratification Day) ratification of the Treaty of Paris.
The new order will one day rise up out of the ashes (aftermath) of the old regime.
These symbols of rebirth, and the “phoenix” alluded to in Hillsong United’s “Aftermath” is totally misguided, linking Christian thought with new age mythology and symbolism. And just to make sure I wasn’t reading anything into this song, I looked deeper and found these additional lyrics....
And in that moment You opened up the heavensTo the broken the beggar and the thief
Lifted out of the wreckage
I find hope in the aftermath
It is this merging of two ideas or philosophies into a homogenised heterodoxy. They are quickly departing from the faith, and maybe don’t even know it!
It is ironic that at the time of the writing of this article, Hillsong United were having their most successful concerts in the United States ever! They were selling tickets, by selling out Jesus, and the message of the gospel.
The reality is that the whole world lies in the lap of the evil one. Condemned in darkness, and spiritual blindness, the devil has blinded the eyes of unbelievers. We are born part of this world system, dead in trespasses and sin, cut off from God, hostile and wayward in our response to Him.
Without God’s intervention we are eternally lost, set on a course for Hell and destruction. Without God, we are without hope in the world. Yet the majority of the church wants to use the methods of the world to bring about the new birth. Who do they fool? They massage the message, and manipulate the multitudes, using natural means like rock music in the vain hope to bring about spiritual results. There can be no new birth, no new creation, no sanctification apart from the life and activity of the Holy Spirit. This use of worldly concepts brings about false conversions, dare I say, “still-births”.
Church growth over the last three decades has been nothing more than the work of man on the back of a philistine cart. With the church in decline, someone decided to keep the ark from falling, by the introduction of marketing, and a man centred gospel, but they touched the Holy. Though this has swept the world, there has been no change, no repentance, no fleeing from the wrath to come—just come to Jesus, and pray a simple prayer. The Holy Spirit’s influence has more or less ceased and is replaced by the world’s music, theatre and other forms of entertainment to attract people. This is nothing more than appealing to the carnal.
The Homosexual community tapped into this idea years ago, with their annual Mardi gras. Give the people what they want—fun, and entertainment—and we will make them believe our lifestyle is acceptable. The church is using the same worldly methods without blushing.
Today true salvation is rarely understood. We have gone down the slippery slope of offering the masses a repackaged modern day version of Roman Catholicism. Atonement is now defined as a “forgiving of yourself.” A Romish reformation of form and flattery is emerging. God’s wonderful plan for our lives, according to scripture, is death to self, denying the flesh, taking the path of suffering—the cross, with its shame.
Instead we feed the prodigals the husk of health, wealth, and prosperity, cheap grace, your best life now, while still leaving them wallowing in their pigpen. We have preached the message of a “Golden Ticket”, a Christ purchased salvation, so we can live as we please, our best life here, and our best life there.
We are fulfilling Christ’s words again in our generation, going across seas to make proselytes twice the sons of hell we are. Robert Schuller, and his band of reformers have blazed a trail that is bringing in a new dawn of apostasy. Grieved men who put no trust in the flesh cannot stand by and watch this storm of deception roll in.
We have given in to the culture of celebrity. We have fallen into the error of Lucifer who became proud of his place and position, within God’s hierarchy. How many men of God have allowed power, and position in their ministry to corrupt God’s purposes? And this is the whole reason we have the decay and this “crowds by any means” mania in the first place. This world is all about money, fame and fortune, and all its vices. How can the church take that which is tainted by the world, and use it for the kingdom of God, except we have fallen backwards.
Yet again with all the brash sacrilege it could muster, Hillsong-Brisbane put on an end of year musical production of “Someone has stolen the Star”, this last December, based on the theme of Christmas. They included Mr Incredible, Gingerbread Man, Tooth fairy, Batman and Superman along with Santa Claus to present to us the meaning and message of Christmas - that Jesus was God's present to us? What a travesty!
Have I missed something? Oh yes, there was also the story of Cinderella thrown in. But isn’t that a story of romance? And there you have it. Love and romance are the drawcard—no longer the nativity scene, with its serenity, reverence, and wonder over the Son of God coming to earth. No – we’re over that! That’s been done. Give us something different, something new! Let’s make it all about a girl who’s down on her luck, a mere afterthought, until the prince comes to bring her hope. You know, a good old tale of rags to riches. This was a production that American musical comedy-drama television series Glee would be proud of. To the casual observer it was all about the entertainment. Oh, by the way there were some carols thrown in. It was billed as a church service, but tickets were sold, so it was all about the money, really.
By their fruit you shall know them.
We need more of the Holy Spirit, not more money. It is because they have no Holy Spirit, that they always need more money. When will they wake up? Making the gospel a vehicle of enterprise! Do they no longer read their Bibles? Will Jesus not come again, take up the whip, and throw over the tables of merchandise, and marketing? It’s only a matter of time – see 2 Peter 2: 1 – 3.
Brian and Bobbie Houston at one time had this vision.
I see a Church whose heartfelt praise and worship touches heaven and changes earth. With worship that exalts Jesus Christ through powerful songs of faith and hope. I see a Church whose altars are constantly filled with repentant sinners responding to His call to salvation. Yes, the Church that I see is so dependent on the Holy Spirit that nothing will stop it, nor stand against it. A Church, whose people are unified, praying, and full of Spirit-filled believers.
We can now say that they have produced nothing close to repentant sinners, dependent on the Holy Spirit, praying, Spirit-filled believers, mentioned by Brian and Bobbie Houston, but instead a brood of twilight Christians, living half in the world and half in Christ. Dancing with the devil in the name of Christ, divided in the twilight of commitment and conviction, nightclubs, and disco halls, Usher, King of R&B, and Hillsong United. We have Christians facing both ways, halted between two opinions, enjoying Christ and the world. They become enemies of God, but that no longer seems to matter, the warning falling on deaf ears. They cry God will not reject His people? – cf. 1 Sam 12:14 -25
When I was still part of Hillsong Brisbane, previously Garden City Christian Church for some 9 years, I would hear the leaders talk about the upcoming Encounter weekend. This was where over 140 young people would get together to meet God. You know, to set aside the weekend, to seek God, and be filled with His Holy Spirit! But not as you would anticipate. A YouTube clip of the weekend (Oct 2010) http://cetf.co/nPW8Lw, leaves you dismayed and heartbroken.
Note the room is pitch black; the coloured lights flash; the green strobe laser lights, the crowded room, the youth pumping; the noise, the beat and licentious sound. We have made entertainment the new god. Like Xbox, Wii, and every other form of self-gratification, we have replaced the true God, with a god we are comfortable with. We do not know what has become of this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt—“make for us gods that we can worship, after the gods of Egypt” cf. Exodus 32:1.
Like the children of Israel, who danced around their golden calf in the wilderness of sin, we have Christianized our idolatry, and sanctified our blasphemy. We do not know what has become of this Moses (type of Jesus). We cannot see Him, or touch Him, so the cry is “make for us gods we can worship, the gods we know, that we are familiar with.” They bow to the gods of this world and rock with the best of them, and get away with as much as is socially acceptable. If it’s not actually condemned in the Bible then we should be fine. Everything else goes, and the values that Christ scorned, are being used to attract people to the gospel today.
It’s one thing for the world to go headlong into Hell, but for the church to follow suit is complete madness. We are close to losing our evangelical birthright if we have not already lost it.
Worship in these churches, like Hillsong has become nothing more than a nightclub, without the booze and ecstasy. In fact it can no longer be called worship, but strange fire in the nostrils of an angry God. The sanctuary has become so denigrated that the gods of Molech and Dagon are at home. The church has become a synagogue of Satan. God created us to be worshippers of Him, but we have corrupted the music, and turned it into entertainment, about us, and for us.
Hillsong in particular has churned out song after song, love ditties, lyrics that are nothing more than what you would hear on secular radio, the product of a Christless Christianity. The standard is so low that American hard rock band Van Halen, or reformed alcoholic country singer Keith Urban could be Christian. You are hard pressed now to find “Jesus” at all mentioned in any of the new “worship” songs. It’s “You”. We have a lot of biblical language, but almost nothing that is truly biblical.
The new worship songs could as easily be sung to a girlfriend/boyfriend as to Jesus. Over the last decade this style of lyric has become part of the ever-expanding “Jesus Is My Girlfriend/Boyfriend” genre.
Take out the line “I’ve got a Saviour and He’s living in me” and “What The World Will Never Take” from the album Look to You (2005) and it’s just one of those songs. It’s supposed to be about Jesus, but it’s not. It’s an insult to Christ, to God, the Church and the whole idea of worship.
True worship requires the humbling and prostrating of self before a Holy God, who dwells in unapproachable light, and that’s missing. One of the most obvious signs that there is no worship in the Church is that Isaiah’s vision of a Holy God is missing. Worship today is nothing more than a “Pentecostal X Factor.” The Pentecostals and Evangelicals of this current dark hour have become the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Judas Iscariots, worrying only about the poor, and the moneybags. True worship has been relegated to a non-essential for the average modern Christian. Many are so confused they mistake religious rock concerts for worship. We now have the worship team run by session musicians and an assorted group of Dixie chicks.
NEXT – Part 3 – The Worship of Entertainment – Your Own Personal Jesus
Lance Goodall and his wife Norilyn left the Australian church growth movement in 2009. They both have a concern for the knowledge of God and His glory. They carry in their heart, a love for God’s honour, for His Word, and for the salvation of the lost. Lance can be contacted via email lancegoodall21@gmail.com
