Why Blow Your Own Trumpet, When You Can Blow A 'Silver' One For $150?

Many Israeli believers are completely unaware of the unbiblical nature of the Spiritual Warfare practices that are so rampant amongst charismatic congregations and ministries, particularly those imitating IHOP. Sadly, bad doctrine among Israeli and Israel-supporting believers also leaves them very open to being gulled by anything with an Israel  or Jewish label on it, like this example from David Silver's Out of Zion Ministries, claiming to be a “revelation of the Spirit”. . .

"We believe that God has given us a revelation that we wish to share with the Body of Messiah. We believe this will add a new dimension to your intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare. The Lord has revealed the spiritual dynamic of the use of the SHOFAR or Ram’s Horn as used by the Israelites in the Old Testament times. We liken it to the dynamic of fasting, we don’t fully understand the power of it, why or how it works – but ……IT WORKS! The Holy Spirit revealed that in the spirit realm, blowing the SHOFAR brings about the same effect. Over our meetings, over our buildings and over our cities, there is opposition in the heavenlies. We believe that blowing the SHOFAR during prayer, intercession and worship times causes disturbance and confusion to the spirit realm above us, thus dispersing the opposition and bringing about an open heaven for the glory, power and presence of God to fall. We have seen dramatic changes and fruit from the blowing of the SHOFAR during our intercession and during our worship times. . . . We are also aware of many churches around the world beginning to include the use of the SHOFAR, the Pensecola AOG being a prime example. SHOFAR sales in the USA Christian sphere have risen by 70% in the last year. We also have testimonies of people blowing the SHOFAR in their homes during prayer times, also seeing breakthrough and victory as a result. . . . ."

This is pure extra-biblical revelation; doctrine derived from a source other than the Holy Scriptures. The fact that none of this has any biblical basis whatsoever; that you won’t find it taught in Scripture; that the Apostles didn't teach or practice it; that it is pure mystical mumbo-jumbo, doesn’t seem to matter to its authors; but this kind of nonsense is normative NAR doctrine, simply because they have replaced the Bible as final authority a long time ago in favour of their new revelations and spiritual manifestations. It also looks like a shameless marketing ploy as well. After all the hype that the shofar is “a powerful catalyst to bring the glory of God,” in large bold letters shortly after is “Go to the Resources Page for Prices and Ordering”, from where you can buy a demon-busting shofar that will usher in revival and make the power and presence of God fall,--for a mere $150!

Quite frankly it’s hard to see any difference between this and the fetishistic obsession with relics and sacred objects in Roman Catholicism or the New Age Movement, or the selling of “anointed hand puppets” by con-artists of the Word of Faith Movement like Bethel Redding.

The fact that “shofar sales have risen by 70% last year,”--far from being a hallmark of divine activity, seems more likely to be an indication of the alarming lack of discernment among believers,--certainly if they are buying them to do this with, and I would hardly call Pensecola AOG, the home of lunatic Toronto Blessing style manifestations, any kind of positive endorsement. The shofars aren’t even at a particularly good price either; try Amazon instead and get one at half the  price. Caveat Emptor.