Note: This article, originally posted in September 2013, remains one of the most frequently accessed on the blog. It re-appears here following a re-edit due to a problem of illustrations failing to load.
The 'Pioneer' network of churches, founded by Gerald Coates, has four adherents here in South Wales, one of which is called 'The Gap' in Cardiff. On their website www.thegapcardiff.co.uk there are just 4 links on their 'Community' page at the time of writing, one of which is to 'The Company of Burning Hearts, Cardiff.' This takes you to the blog of Justin and Rachel Abraham, who use this "ministry" name; COBH for short.
To most people here in Wales, if COBH means anything at all, it is just the name of a town in Ireland. But it is actually also the acronym of something much closer to home, and much more sinister: the Cardiff-based 'Company Of Burning Hearts.'
The 'Pioneer' network of churches, founded by Gerald Coates, has four adherents here in South Wales, one of which is called 'The Gap' in Cardiff. On their website www.thegapcardiff.co.uk there are just 4 links on their 'Community' page at the time of writing, one of which is to 'The Company of Burning Hearts, Cardiff.' This takes you to the blog of Justin and Rachel Abraham, who use this "ministry" name; COBH for short.
It's all occultism, occultism, occultism, presented in a pseudo-Christian sweet-wrapper! Any born-again believer with the tiniest pinch of discernment could see it immediately for what it is, yet here is a supposedly legitimate fellowship of Christians sporting a direct link to COBH and so obviously endorsing it! The Pioneer movement has always been questionable for its 'Restorationist' and 'Kingdom Now' theology, but one of their churches having a direct link to an occult group which communes with familiar spirits is something else again! A VERY eye-opening COBH blog entry for August 13, 2013 referenced their "visitation from the three national angelic beings over the Nation!"
(This reference to the "three national angelic beings" put me immediately in mind of Daniel's reference to the prince of Persia, the demonic being who withstood the angel who had been sent to him. Could this reported "visitation" be a confirmation that Wales has three such "territorial spirits'"assigned to it by the Enemy, to meddle in Welsh affairs and resist the work of God here?)
In any event, COBH people have no hesitation in falsely using the Name of Jesus to "authenticate" their most UN-Christian activities. It speaks volumes that two of their senior leadership team have a history of involvement with greatly deceptive "Christian" set-ups: Jane Schroeder, their 'lead intercessor' (and "an emerging prophetic voice in her own right") has a background in the apostate John Wimber's Vineyard movement. COBH boast of her that "she is a 'seer' and engages with the unseen world of angels and heaven, signs and wonders..." Enough said! Janine John spent nearly six months in Kansas City (false) Prophet, Mike Bickle's International House of Prayer (IHOP). COBH brag of her, "Janine carries the IHOP DNA with a Welsh Twist." Yes, 'twisted' is about right! IHOP is absolutely soaked in apostasy, error and demonic deception!
On September 7, 2013, COBH held their local monthly 'Engaging Heaven' meeting. What follows is Bro. Steve's very revealing first-hand report of his experience of this meeting:
Hi Rob.
Hi Rob.
I had wondered for a while what exactly these "Mystic" meetings were like that were being run by the likes of Justin Abraham and David Vaughan, so I went to their recent gathering at the Beacon Centre in St.Mellons on the 7th September:
When I arrived, the "worship" band were playing (or tuning up) while around 20 or so other people sat about in the seats or chatted while having a coffee. Already, I could see that some people (especially and most notably the women) were here for an experience, and not God's Word. There was a stange atmosphere in the room, and at times it felt quite uncomfortable, despite being normally a very relaxed and down to earth individual. It was quite un-nerving.
At 7:30pm Justin took to the front and welcomed everyone. He began to ramble about God's "squidgy" presence and talked about how he was planning on taking us "deeper" and "stretching us" spiritually with the message he had later on. It felt almost "cult-like" as he would talk to the crowd as if they needed to follow him in their spiritual journey, as he (from how he phrased things) had revelation, and insight that they did not have.
Shortly after, the band began to play "worship". However, all it sounded like was a mantra. Justin had said that the worship would be "without words" and for the most part I guess that was true. A constant, continual beat and music played while the two worship leaders at the front sang or should I say repeated a select few words over and over for upto 10mins at a time. Some of the words these singers were chanting included: "right in" "holy" "there is so much to see and experience in heaven" "spirit and truth" "I want to walk in revelation from on high" ...
By this time, many of the worshippers were swaying and jerking, with one woman in particular waving her hands in front of her as fast as she could (similar to if you were trying to cool yourself when you are hot)...This continued for 45 mins until Justin took to the stage and began his message.
Firstly, he was very quick to explain to the people there and stress many times that he had some kind of almost divine revelation that needed to be shared but was unsure if everyone there was ready to be "taken deeper" (whatever that means). It sounded totally un-Biblical and to me at least, almost "cult-ish" in its nature (that everyone should follow or believe what he said because he has had special revelation that others have not).
I tried to make notes as I went along (and in the process work through my Bible to compare what was being said to scripture). After only a few minutes I realised this was going to be a futile task as his was message was very incoherent in it's structure, lacking any real progression from one point to the next. At best it sounded like a huge mix of different thoughts, bizarre "divine" messages from "God", appeals for financial contributions (why people finance this individual is frankly beyond me), "supernatural" stories of other believers (which stem from occult practices), conversations with Biblical characters that had physically returned to earth, readings from un-Biblical sources (Book of Enoch), and surreal on-the-spot conversations with "God"...
Anyway...as I was saying...It became so incredibly difficult to even try and structure my notes comparing what was being said to scripture that within a few minutes I gave up due to the tsunami of utter nonsense being spouted. It really defied belief. As a result I will bullet point the bizarre quotes and statements he made in as much order as possible and you can see for yourself how far removed from the Gospel it actually is (you will see it is more occult than anything else):
JA: "People will be able to see through walls. One girl in Wales was able to see through a church wall"
(as a side note, when I went to Glastonbury for research purposes on the occult, a man came up to me and said he could "see through me". The whole town is totally surreal with countless occult-like shops...so this here is already a sign of things to come from the meeting with JA)
Glastonbury: New Age capital of Britain!
JA: "I can change people's DNA with my voice"
JA: "Jesus is the prototype of this...he raised the dead, he was a mystic and could disappear."
JA went on to talk about how God planned to spread his "glory" to Mars and other planets.
JA also spoke about spending time with Enoch here on earth. He said he talked with him about the things of God (unbelievably he said this with a straight face!)
JA also said that "death is optional" as Enoch didn't die. He went on to state, and I quote "YOU DO REALISE THAT YOU ARE NOT HUMAN?!" (meaning those who are "Christians")...Implying that those who are saved don't have to die (physically).
JA said that "Jesus quoted the book of Enoch 25 times!" and then went on to read more from that than he did the Bible!
JA then went on to mis-use the verse where it talks about "a day unto the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day" (I paraphrased that-sorry) by saying that means some people in the beginning "only lived for one day" (meaning some kind of Adamic race)
Then....he began talking to "Jesus" like a spirit-medium would (check out "Most Haunted" and you will know what I mean)...
JA then suggested that "we won't die but will live all the way until the Millennium!!!"
He then re-iterated that "we are not human anymore"...
At this time he mentioned a friend of his called Ian Clayton who is another Mystic...you can find him on their blog and on Youtube. Apparently...according to JA, Ian Clayton can "travel through time" and regularly does so "to the USA where he spends time with a 250 yr old man". He has also "been hurt while time travelling to Iraq and helping a family over a wall escaping from a bomb"...and even more worryingly..."is able to change his shape (this is called shape-shifting) and recently time travelled to China where people didn't know he was British (as he had changed to a Chinese person)...
At this point, I got up and left. More worryingly I spoke to a guy outside who was involved in this movement and he even said that a lot of these people are regular church-goers who go to traditional churches. They are, according to him...regular "church people".
As I drove home...I prayed for the Lord to protect me from the things I heard. Bro. Rob...it was pure occultic teaching from start to finish. It worries me seemingly "normal" church goers are actually buying into all of this. The whole night was geared to things of the devil and many people are amazingly taking all of this nonsense in. Interestingly, and I cannot remember if I mentioned this...at the front while all of this was going on...a woman was painting something. I immediately noticed what it was...she was painting some Jewish scrolls and a candlestick like that found in Jewish times and feasts....but she was also painting a bird. I asked what the bird was because I recognised it. It was a phoenix. Straight out of the occult! She didn't even know what kind of bird it was but when I went home I googled it and I was right.
Please, please feel free to quote me on anything in this (Bro. Steve would be fine!)...use anything I have said and get this message out there brother! :)
Hope you are well and I'll speak to you soon.
God Bless,
Steve
"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 of Hiram Abiff, the Masonic 'christ'." [Bill Schnoebelen, quoted by Dr. Cathy Burns, 'Masonic and Occult Symbols Illustrated,' page 123).
I am indebted to Brother Steve for his full permission to publish his most insightful and relevant report of this gathering of the Company Of Burning Hearts. Of particular concern is the comment made to him that a lot of COBH's supporters are "regular church people!" Can these "Christians" really not see past the mask? And lest you should think that in the wider world COBH would have little or no influence, you couldn't be more wrong: 3,000+ people 'like' them on Facebook! That's a rather large number of people in anyone's (Face)book!
"Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."
(Jeremiah 14:14)
