It is named after the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in Toronto, Canada, where the movement first hit the headlines in January 1994.If you have never heard of this movement I will go over of some of their beliefs and views.
If we look at what actually happens when people receive the blessing the immediate observable effects, we see the following:
Often those affected are seized by a spirit of uncontrollable laughter. This laughter can last literally for days. On The Coming Revival video, Rodney Howard-Browne reports a man who (to use his language) got drunk on the Holy Spirit and laughed uncontrollably for 3 days. This particular phenomenon is referred to as "holy laughter," and it has been so widespread in the Toronto Blessing is that it has sometimes been called "the laughing revival."
Often, but by no means always, when the blessing is imparted in a meeting, some will respond by making noises and bodily movements like various animals. In the early days of the Toronto Blessing, the most common of these animal manifestations was "roaring like a lion." However, this is in fact only one of many animal manifestations which have been observed. I myself have witnessed people gibbering like monkeys, barking like dogs, howling like wolves, and screeching like cats. Here is a description by a person who is in favor of the Toronto Blessing:
Many Christians who have become involved with Toronto have as
sumed that it "must be of God" because it often results in `inner
healing' or other spiritual experiences. However, such occur
rences are certainly not proof that this movement is of God. In
fact, the devil specializes in providing virtually identical ex
periences in occult and New Age groups right around the world.
And as is well-known, "inner healing" has always been one of the
very major emphases of today's New Age movement (while it cannot
be found in the Bible). Such experiences are obviously something
that Satan finds it very easy to manufacture, especially when he
is given the opportunity on such a grand scale. As the Bible
clearly states, the devil will gladly disguise himself as an "an
gel of light" in order to deceive Christians (2 Cor 11:14).
One of the very obvious things on the Toronto Blessing is that they claim that `switching off your mind', getting your mind "out
Of the way", yielding yourself unthinkingly to the spirit that is
Operating, etc.
My friends I tell you all these that happened in the Toronto Blessing was and is happening all over the world in New Age gatherings and all kinds of cultic gatherings. But one thing we know by reading the Bible and looking at the Christian Churches history you can never find a phenomenon in this manner in the Christian faith. It is a lie of the enemy recycled In Christianity and the sad part is that Christian all over the world are buying into this lie. The problem is that Christians are not satisfied with the Word of God and that is why they start searching for supernatural experiences and fall in the traps of the cultists and false teachers.
It is well-known throughout Christendom that the Bible speaks of
the `last days' as being a time of great deception and apostasy,and it is obvious from the Scriptures that much of this willarise from WITHIN THE CHURCH, so as to deceive the Christians.(See Mt 24, etc). The Apostle Paul wrote that, "in the last days PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME. For men shall be lovers of their own selves... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Tim 3:1-4). And, "the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to SEDUCING SPIRITS, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim 4:1). Surely, as we have seen, we are indeed living today in such `perilous times'.