Gold Dust Manifestations Are Not Glitters Of God

For a few years now (even prior to 2001) there have been reported several varied "signs and wonder" type manifestations happening among those churches involved in what has been termed, "The Revival", among other terms. One of the most common one is the appearance of gold dust or gold flakes that fall from the sky, or appear on people or objects. Those involved in this sometimes call it "glory dust", believing that the manifestation of this has to be God originated and is a sign of his "presence" . The photo here is from a video taken at Bethel Church in Redding, CA and is supposed to be gold dust falling from the ceiling during a service.

But if this and others are not contrived, are these signs and wonders of the God of the Bible, or could it be that the origination of the manifestation of gold dust has another god as it's source? We are told in the last days that the coming of the anti-Christ would be marked with his signs and wonders he uses to deceive people.

So, God's Word warns us, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of the antichrist... 1 John 4:1-3

Is There Reference In The Word?
One cannot find any reference in the word of God to compare or validate the manifestations of falling gold dust or flakes as having their source from God in a positive way. Nor is his glory ever referred to being manifested in the sense of gold dust. There is a reference to gold dust being used to chastise the children of Israel for making the golden calf. In this example in Exodus 32, Moses had just come down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments. It says ;

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. Exodus 32:19-20

In this instance in the word of God, this dust represented false worship of a false god and the folly of it. Gold dust is symbolic of a destroyed god. Bible Commentator R Alen Cole made this assessment of Exodus 32, comparing it to Josiah's reforms in Kings 23 and the curse for being unfaithful in Numbers 5. He said,

" (Burnt it with fire and ground it to powder) We may compare Josiah ’s treatment of the altar (and bull?) of Bethel (2 Kgs 23:15). Such treatment of the golden bull is symbolic, repudiating its claim (stated by its followers, Exod. 52:4) to be the one who had led Israel out of Egypt. In addition, it is the treatment of Canaanitc gods demanded by the covenant terms (Exod. 23:24). Finally, the gold dust sprinkled on the water of the wady, flowing down from the mountain, the water that Israel must drink, reminds us of the ‘water of bitterness’ to be drunk by the wife suspected of unfaithfulness (Num. 5:18-22). As Israel has in fact been unfaithful to YHWH, her heavenly ‘husband’, so the curse will indeed fall upon her (verse 35; cf. Num. 5:27). Tyndale House Old Testament Commentaries, Exodus, R. Alan Cole, Tyndale House, Intervarsity Press, pg 228

So in this respect, gold dust is symbolic of being unfaithful to God and is part of the curse of unfaithfulness.

While many of these false teachers justify these extra-biblical things by saying, "You cannot put God in a box", God put the things of him in a box called his Word so we would be able to discern what is of him and is not.

Jesus did have something to say about "signs". A scribe said to Jesus, "Master, we would see a sign from thee. But He answered and said unto them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign... Matt 12:38-39.

And again Jesus disappointedly said, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." John 4:48

Now, is this a time at which people are seeking signs and wonders? Yes. The gold dust and other manifestations are reasons people are traveling far distances to places where they happen. They are an attraction, and people are seeking them. As noted above, one of the more recent apparitions in past years has been occurring at Bethel Church in Redding, CA. Bethel is a source of a number of different strange spiritual phenomena that people are seeking after. Bethel and it's pastors are associated with the scripture opposing "New Apostolic Reformation" (NAR) and its false prophets and apostles. They are also the originating source for the popular bands, Jesus Culture and Bethel Music, among others. All of them are caught up in signs and wonders.

So we have to ask a question. If Jesus said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after signs, why would he place these manifestations out there that cause people to seek after them? Some may say, "Well what about the prophesies; what about the "signs" that "followed" the apostle's teachings of the Word?

Two things here. First, the prophesies concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit and the signs that would accompany them started almost 2,000 years ago. Yet they are suggested today by some as just being an end time thing before the return of Christ. Second, the signs and wonders after Pentecost had some meaning; they verified the spoken Word that was taught. They were not manifestations without substance, i.e., Word verifying. But can the same be said about this appearing gold dust? No; It does not verify the Word, and more important, nor does the Word verify it.

A New Thing?
To excuse the absence of these type manifestations in God's Word, some of those involved in promoting it wrongly refer to Isaiah 43:18 which says,

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."

First, this verse was directed to the nation of Israel, and not some prophesy of coming signs or wonders that cannot be seen or confirmed by the Word. Second, falling gold dust is not a "new thing". It was written about long before the time of Christ; but not under Godly circumstances. Some examples are seen below.

Gold dust type manifestations and references may not be found in the Word, but are found in the writings of other religions. The story of the god Zeus and his mortal "wife" Danae is one instance. The picture to the left is of a 4th century BC piece of pottery. It is a picture of of Danae presented as nude, lying on her bed, with the window open. Zeus deceptively comes in in the form of a golden shower to seduce her. The small form at the bottom is her demonic looking maid. It is thought she is either helping her or advising her. Obviously 4th Century BC is not "new".

Zeus was also known as Bel or Nebo, the Babylonian gods. It is interesting that God speaks of Babylon as the "head of gold" in the string of kingdoms noted in the book of Daniel. It was also the image of Zeus that Antiochus IV Epiphanes placed in God's temple that was called the "abomination". This is the forerunner to the anti-Christ as seen in Daniel 11. Zeus is one Greek version of the Egyptian god Ammon. One of his symbols is the bull.

Gold Dust In Hinduism
The following is a teaching from the Hindu religion that also invokes the concept of gold dust in paganism.

"The Vedas teach us of "gods" or Devathas in various forms. Vedas often do not teach of prayers and rituals to the Formless Brahman directly, but often through one or more of the various "Devathas" representing the stars, planets, natural forces and energy created by God to perform the various actions of nature.

Vedic rituals are performed with prayers for Fire, Water, Sun, Earth, Agni, Indra, Varuna, Vayu and several manifestations of the deities and Celestial beings (Devas) that we pray.

One of the earliest verses of the Rigveda is a prayer to the god of Fire: "O' Agni (Fire), warm golden dust of the Gods, Life and Light of Existence; ...Infinite Energy of Consciousness, Destroyer and Preserver!!"; "Agni (as Daksa) entered into Adithi (the Sun) to produce Adhithya; ...and they gave Light to the world !!"; "All things on Earth are, therefore, the handy-work of Agni, ...and the climax of them all is reached in life!!"
Source: Cosmic Internet Academy - C.I.A. LIBRARY - M.A.P.S. - Religious Agendas
www.selfempowermentacademy.com.au

Golden dust is also mentioned in a yoga exercise. After taking the practitioner through the occult relaxation techniques via channeling, they are instructed to,

"Send out energy to keep your fields strong. [the] agripemi; invokes the infinite spinning golden dust of the Vijana state beyond mind into the channel. [the] aginpren; the golden rain that transforms cells. Source: gaiafriends.org/gaia18.txt.html

So, in the realm of Hindusim, gold dust can be invoked, and has a power along with it.

The Occult Alchemy Of The Sorcerer Of Camelot
SUPREME SPLENDOUR THE RADIANCE OF OH-OM
Excerpt from "Our Camelot - teh Game of Divine Alchemy" with Jasmuheen and Merlin...

"The small Child stood quietly upon the hand of OH-OM, the only parent it had ever known. The Child was neither boy nor girl as it was still unformed, yet perfect in its form. It was like a porcelain doll that needed still to be painted with eyes and lips and rosy cheeks that glowed with life. It needed still to adopt a tangible body though tangible could not hold form for long within The Presence of OH-OM.

OH-OM raised the hand that held the child up close to the bridge of Its nose. Huge eyes filled with overwhelming love and compassion which expanded the Child's sense of awe and wonder. Its parent was magnificent, a glorious being of luminous splendor as fine as gold dust that magically appeared to also sing like celestial choirs.

The Child loved to be in The Presence. Magic happened all around The Presence. It happened all of its own accord. A series of synchronistic patternings that merged in synergy, like waves form and break and withdraw within an ocean. An infinite dam, a limitless ocean, a Singularity - all representing a myriad of possibility called life. And so it was within The Presence.

The Presence is the energy body of OH-OM - said Merlin - Its fields are too fine for many to see, as physical eyes are set to a different frequency pattern. Physicality cannot see non-physicality. Yet you can feel it."

Again, we have gold dust appearing in the presences of an occult god only referred to as OH-OM, or "The Presence". I find it interesting that one of the goals of Bethel Church and other associated persons and organizations are promoting is, "The Presence" in what they say are "encounters" with God or The Presence. The gold dust manifestations are supposed to be one form of the manifestation of The Presence. In fact they have an 8 week course they call "Hosting The Presence" to go along with Bill Johnson's (Bethel Sr Pastor) book of the same name.

We see a similar unborn child reference to gold dust in the writings of the late master of the occult, Aleister Crowley.

Aleister Crowley
Crowley, an early 1900's occult magician, was a member of the Hermetic order of The Golden Dawn [ritual magic society]. He was also involved in Freemasonry, and the Oriental Templar Order. He was a believer in what he called "Free Thought", and wrote a poem called "A Hymn To Lucifer". In one of his other writings Crowley said,

"There was a weird winged God that told us of his wisdom. We attained to be starry grains of gold dust in the sands of a slow river. Yea, and that river was the river of space and time also."
From the teachings of Aleister Crowley, Liber Liberi Vel Lapis Lazuli, Adumbratio Kabbalae SUB FIGHURA VII Prologue of the Unborn, V 16-18

Marian Apparition At Fatima
It would not be complete without the Catholic version of the appearance of gold dust. On April, 13th 1993 in Conyers, Georgia, a medium by the name of Nancy fowler reported that "Mary" had spoken to her saying,

"The blessed Mother told Nancy that rosaries will turn a golden color and that there would be a sprinkling of gold dust as a sign of weak faith." Source: marypages.com/conyers-georgia-(vs)-en.html

New Age Crystal Attunement Brings Being With Gold Dust
Probably one of the most enlightening and condemning examples that show that falling gold dust is of another realm than God, is the following.

"It so happened that May 20 was Ascension Day in 1993. We gathered together and stretched out flat on the floor of my office with our crowns directed toward a huge clear quartz crystal. Zahid laid other crystals on our bodies and in our hands and then began to do his work. The room filled with many beings of Light. We were encouraged to share what we were receiving when it felt appropriate to do so....

When he began to work, the lamp in my office turned itself off! When we came back from the work, someone suggested turning on the light. I reached toward the switch and it turned itself on without my touching it! During the session we shared our perceptions of a large angelic being sprinkling golden dust on our bodies....

There are many special helpers available in this realm and the next. The tools these assistants bring to us take many forms. Some examples of these tools for transformation are healing touch, crystal technologies, guided imagery or meditation, yoga, printed literature, art, dance or music therapy, flower essence remedies, handmade clothing, pottery, or jewelry, and so many more.

Opportunities for individuals and groups to demonstrate and amplify Light and Joy are abundant now. The transformational tools available may be tailored to meet any and every unique request. Source:
www.littlehumingbird

We also need to note that this example, as well as others, are from years to millenniums prior to the beginning of the manifestations of The Revival gold dust manifestations. Did God copy the signs and wonders of the false religions? How do you know that what you are seeing in a church gathering or healing room is of God or the demonic angel in the above example?

Truth Vs Lies: Tested And Found Deficient
Do you love the truth of the Word of God? Recall again what 1 John 4:1 says. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see whether they are of God". Could we see that these gold dust manifestations are of God? Lets compare using the chart below with what we have seen in the above examples.

Spiritual Sources Of Gold Dust Manifestations
God's Word As the Source	Other Spiritual Sources [gods]
Exodus 32 as the ground up gold of the false bull god	Zeus [Bel of Babylon]
	Angi [Hindu god of Fire]
	Anginpren
	Oh-Om
	Winged God
	Marian demon apparition
	Angelic Demon
God's Word As The Source = 0 (negative symbol of destroyed god)	Other Spiritual Sources = 7

Now having seen these things we need to look at another part of the Word of God that needs to be heeded.

"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, 'Let us go after other gods', which thou has not known, 'and let us serve them';

Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him..." Deut 13:1-4

Is the wonder of gold dust of God, or of other gods? Obviously other gods. Have you known the other gods listed in the comparison? But did you know that you can follow them through deception of the false prophets and apostles that use them as their attracters?

Since these things are not found in the Word, but in the doctrine of other gods, are you walking after the Lord by getting involved in these things and with these people and places that profess them, or are you walking after the gods who are the source of them?

The Lord tells us not to listen to those who facilitate signs and wonders that lead us into the realm of other gods. If you are part of this, will you, like he commands, obey his voice and not listen to those who profess it?

Unfortunately many are in the same place the mortal woman Danae was; laying naked in a open window as the ancient spiritual forces behind the god Zeus in the deception of gold dust, comes in and seduces.