ONE CHURCH LEICESTER: DAVID HIND PROPHESIES TO A BUILDING!

 One Church Together | 30th August 2026, 11.30am

Prophesying to a building? David Hind: "We prophesy to this building to be built in the name of Jesus.. I believe that we are living in the middle of a miracle.. God has spoken to us about many things.. it is just a matter of time." Scripture does not present prophesying to inanimate objects as a normative or authorized prophetic practice. When biblical figures address non‑living things, the speech is judgment‑declaration to people through the object, not communication with the object itself. Believers are encouraged to make all kinds of petitions and requests to God. (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1), but "name and claim" declarations are not of the Spirit. (1 Timothy 4:1).If someone prophesies to an inanimate object it is a clear sign that there is something very wrong.  

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”11And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11).

It is telling that verses 8–10 were omitted. Those verses supply the central point of the miracle: its evangelistic purpose—to catch men. "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” That line throws decisive light on the entire narrative and requires us to read it as Christ’s deliberate instruction in the work to which these men were being appointed.

The habit of commandeering Jesus’ miracles as personal life‑applications is a familiar marker of false teachers. Hind’s handling of the phrase “push out a little from the shore” reduces the text to a pretext for self‑congratulation and completely bypasses the passage’s actual meaning.

Hind’s altar call at the beginning of his "sermon"—devoid of the gospel—collapsed into the usual emotional prompts: “If you want Jesus in your boat, come to the front,” When no one responded, he tried again later with the standard miracle rhetoric. He implied that some were on the cusp of a miracle and urged those seeking healing, family salvation, prodigals restored, career breakthroughs, a child, a marriage, or any other “miracle”, to step forward and “be released.” The miraculous catch of fish was invoked as proof that expectations would be exceeded, and he called on the musicians to “sing something over you" and those who responded were urged to “receive something". Hinds encouragement "to keep expectant that it is just a matter of time" is very dangerous. He inserts himself into the very thing people most desperately hope for, and that misplaced hope can eclipse their hope in Christ Himself.

I have attended many such meetings where false prophets prey on people's vulnerabilities. The emotional intensity is predictable, but the pattern is the same: verses taken out of context, inflated promises, manufactured hope, and the inevitable collapse into confusion and disappointment—often damaging faith. Praying for healing, salvation, and restoration is biblical, but when the anticipated “miracle” does not materialize, the only faithful conclusion remains: “Your will be done." Repeating the mantra "we are in the middle of a miracle" does not make it so.

Hind’s relentless self‑promotion—especially the vaunted merger of two openly apostate NAR assemblies five years ago—is repulsive in its essence. This is not God‑honouring speech. It is the textbook case of “glorying in their shame”, minds locked onto earthly metrics. The catalogue of red flags already documented in previous posts makes their true allegiance unmistakable. Scripture is clear: legitimate boasting is confined to the Lord alone. Self‑commendation is worthless; only the Lord’s verdict stands. (2 Corinthians 10:17–18).

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23).

If further confirmation were needed, Hind even inserts a clip from The Chosen. His comment—“It’s wrong in one point because Jesus was in the boat”—barely scratches the surface. The series is fundamentally unsound and should not be promoted. It is riddled with inaccurate quotations and distorted portrayals of Jesus and the disciples, including a wholly fabricated depiction of Judas Iscariot. Angel Studios, the producing company, is Mormon‑founded and carries clear LDS associations. The CEO and the Executive Producer of The Chosen are Mormons. The danger is obvious: Christians are being led to grow attached to unbiblical dramatizations and as a result their discernment is eroded. Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus, is a Roman Catholic; baptized originally in the Greek Orthodox Church, he later entered Roman Catholicism and is publicly active in Catholic ministry. From his own lips, Roumie admits that he is a Freemason and a Nights Templar. Need I say more?

NAR leaders routinely assert a superior “anointing” that allegedly elevates them above ordinary believers and grants their teaching special authority. David Hind’s self‑assigned status as an “apostolic leader of leaders” is a textbook example of narcissistic inflation—grandiose claims of spiritual rank where no such anointing exists.

The megachurch collapse 

My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers. (Matthew 21:13).

Hind's megachurch model is fast going out of fashion. 

Paula White now cannot fill a hundred seats on a Sunday morning:🚨PAULA WHITE‼️The Fall of a MegaChurch EMPIRE

The fall of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church: The Fall of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church: What Really Happened?  

Greg Locke's Global Vision Bible Church falls from 3,000 members to under 300: Greg Locke‼️The True Story Behind Global Vision Bible Church 90% Collapse

There are many other examples.. Gateway Church, Hillsong, Willow Creek, Mars Hill, Saddleback Church: Megachurches Are Losing Members at an Alarming Rate

It has taken a long time and there are many casualties, but the pattern has finally broken. Believers are no longer submitting to the wolves that lead false churches. They are walking away from abusive, money‑driven pastors and the corrupt systems that sustain them.

The dark history of Pentecostalism: Best Kept Secret: The Hidden Catalyst Behind Pentecostalism’s Second Wave | Hyde Park Cult

MONDO GONZALES: THE DAY OF THE LORD AND THE RAPTURE CONFUSION

Are We in the Final Jubilee Before the Rapture? | Prophecy Answer Man | Ep. 3

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Mondo Gonzales points out that the word "day" does not appear in the Greek text in 1 Thessalonians 2:3. (35:00 mark)

This passage is a clear prewrath rapture indicator. In essence, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 in Greek communicates a caution against deception, clarifies the sequence of end-time events, and identifies the man of sin as a central figure whose revelation signals the approach of the day of the Lord. The Greek vocabulary underscores rebellion (ἀποστασία), lawlessness (ἁμαρτία), and ultimate destruction (ἀπωλεία), providing a linguistic and theological framework for understanding the verse. 

μή τις ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσῃ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον καὶ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας.

Let no man deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness-the son of destruction-is revealed.

ὅτι..because - conjunction -  because (it will not be)1

The passage indicates that before the day of the Lord begins, two events must happen; the apostasy and the revelation of the man of lawlessness. 

Gonzales: "The first event of the day of the Lord is the rapture and the man of sin showing up.. That's exactly what we believe". 

Gonzales treats the rapture and the day of the Lord as concurrent events, which (more or less) aligns with the prewrath framework. However, he misidentifies the day of the Lord. The difficulty is straightforward: the day of the Lord is not the moment the Antichrist appears. Pretribulation teachers merge two distinct categories: thlipsis (tribulation) and orgē (the day‑of‑the‑Lord - wrath). This conflation is the core error. The man of sin is revealed at the mid point of the 70th week of Daniel. (Daniel 9:27). The day of the Lord—defined as God’s judicial wrath—does not begin until the seventh seal is opened. The church is exempt from the day of the Lord. When scripture differentiates between thlipsis and orgē, responsible research should preserve that distinction. 

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slaved and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath (orgē) has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-16).

“For then there will be great tribulation (thlipsis), such as has not been from the beginning…” — The “great tribulation”; human-directed suffering. (Matthew 24:21).

1. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Interlinear: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

The Greek GRAMMAR in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Supports Prewrath - Ep. 147 | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner

LEE BRAINARD'S THREE QUESTIONABLE ARGUMENTS FOR A PRETRIB RAPTURE

Will Christians See the Seven Seals? | Lee Brainard

In this post I will debunk Lee Brainard’s three proposed reasons for the rapture before the first seal of Revelation. 

Brainard's first reason: 24 elders are the redeemed church in heaven

The twenty‑four elders appear as enthroned figures clothed in white and crowned with gold. (Revelation 4:4). Although pre‑tribulation commentators assert that the elders represent the redeemed community, the claim is exegetically weak. It relies on inference rather than demonstrable textual evidence, and therefore cannot be treated as a provable conclusion. Revelation offers no explicit identification of the elders as the church. Their identity is left undefined, and any assertion equating them with the church is relies on eisegesis. 

Brainard argues that  the elders must be human because the text refers to those purchased by the blood of Christ. (Revelation 5:9). However, the elders do not place themselves within the redeemed group by using any first‑person pronoun. There is no “we” or “us” in their statement, which indicates that they are not identifying themselves as part of those redeemed by the blood of Christ. Brainard misinterprets the verse by rendering it as “you have redeemed us to God by your blood”, a translation unsupported by reliable versions. The Codex Sinaiticus text of Revelation 5:9-10: καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες· Ἄξιος εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον καὶ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους. καὶ ἐποίησας αὐτοὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν βασιλείαν καὶ ἱερεῖς, καὶ βασιλεύουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Forensic translation: And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and you purchased for God with your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And you made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they reign upon the earth.'"

note: αὐτοὺς (them)— third‑person plural, not first‑person (“us”)

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV).

 This translation is taken from the later Byzantine tradition

Brainard: "Go right to the apparatus in the UBS text. Go right to the apparatus in the Nestle-Aland text and you're going to quickly determine if you know how to use the apparatus that the best attested reading by far is the US reading of the King James Bible and the New King James Bible. It should read, 'For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood.'" 

For academic study, textual criticism, and reconstruction of earliest attainable readings, the Alexandrian text is preferred. The later Byzantine text is useful for devotional reading and for understanding the history of transmission, but it is not typically used as the primary base for critical reconstruction.

Logos: "The Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Graece (28th ed.) and the United Bible Society, Greek New Testament (5th ed.) are often considered the best for scholars due to their comprehensive textual apparatus and editors' confidence in their decisions. For pastors and students, the United Bible Society, Greek New Testament (5th ed.) is recommended for its smaller apparatus and helpful letter grades. The Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament is a textbook example of reasoned eclecticism and is edited by Michael W. Holmes. The Theological Greek New Testament (THGNT) is a modern edition that represents a departure from many modern printing conventions and focuses on the textual traditions of the first five centuries.. The editors purposefully limited their manuscript base, leaving the vast majority of what are generally considered later, Byzantine-text manuscripts out of the apparatus."1 

The earliest manuscript evidence keeps the elders distinct from the redeemed. In Revelation 5:9–10 the decisive variant—αὐτούς versus ἡμᾶς—is settled by the oldest witnesses, The textual weight lies entirely with the early Alexandrian manuscripts, not the later Byzantine expansion.

Sinaiticus: them / they reign
Alexandrinus: them / they reign
Vaticanus: does not contain Revelation
Byzantine tradition: us / we shall reign (a later development)
UBS5 / NA28: follow Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus2   

Brainard's second argument about the twenty four elders: "They must be resurrected because they are rewarded". 

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns (στεφάνους) on their heads. (Revelation 4:4).

Brainard’s constricted reading is yet another instance of the same pattern—interpretations shaped less by the text itself than by his own distorted framework.

White is the typical colour associated with angelic beings in scripture and can simply signify purity. The white garments of the twenty‑four elders therefore do not automatically correspond to the white robes given to the saints. In Revelation 6:11 the saints receive white robes yet are instructed to wait; they are not depicted as already enthroned or crowned. The resurrected saints do not appear in their white robes until Revelation 7:9–14, when "the great multitude" is finally seen before the throne.

Stephanos (στέφανος) has a broader semantic range than simply denoting a crown of reward. It can denote any wreath‑type crown, including one used for honour, festivity, suffering, or mock coronation, depending on context:

Bible Hub: "a. properly, as a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank (such passages in the Sept. as 2 Samuel 12:30; 1 Chronicles 20:2; Psalm 20:4 (); Ezekiel 21:26; Zechariah 6:11, 14 (yet cf. 2 Samuel 1:10 Complutensian, Lagarde LXX), perhaps justify the doubt whether the distinction between στέφανος and διάδημα (which see) was strictly observed in Hellenistic Greek): Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5; Revelation 4:4, 10; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 9:7; Revelation 14:14; with a genitive of the material, ἀστέρων δώδεκα, Revelation 12:1; the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in the public games (cf. BB. DD. under the word ): 1 Corinthians 9:25, cf. 2 Timothy 2:5.
b. metaphorically, α. the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος, the crown (wreath) which is the reward of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4:8;"3

At best, this reflects sloppy research on Brainard’s part; at worst, it is another instance of disingenuous handling of the text. In reality, the identity of the twenty‑four elders is not disclosed, and any attempt to specify who they are rests on speculation rather than evidence.

Brainard’s interpretation provides no account of “the great multitude” (Revelation 7:9-17), yet Revelation presents a multitude that appears abruptly after the sixth seal is broken. John had not observed them earlier; they emerge suddenly, and the angel identifies them as those who have come out of the great tribulation. By contrast, the twenty‑four elders remain a distinct group positioned around the throne, aligned with the angelic host and the four living creatures. This structural separation carries far greater exegetical weight and yields a more defensible interpretation than collapsing the elders into the multitude.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:9-17).

Brainard's second reason: The Antichrist is the preeminent sign that the world has entered the Day of the Lord.

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

Brainard fails to acknowledge that "the Day of the Lord " is the day of God’s wrath, not the tribulation. I have addressed this distinction extensively in earlier posts. When scripture differentiates between thlipsis (tribulation) and orgē (wrath), responsible research should preserve that distinction.

Brainard's third reason: The great delusion of the Antichrist is sent by God as a judgement.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

Brainard removes these verses from their context in an effort to argue that the rapture occurs before the Antichrist’s persecution. The fact that the great delusion is a judgement against unbelief does nothing to exclude the presence of believers during the Antichrist’s period; the text simply does not support his conclusion. The New Testament maintains a rigid distinction between satanic tribulation and divine wrath, consistently placing the Antichrist’s persecution before the Day of the Lord. Jesus and Paul frame the final crisis as a period of human and demonic hostility against the saints. Believers are promised exemption from wrath but never from tribulation; 1 Thessalonians 5:9 guarantees deliverance from divine wrath, while the broader New Testament witness affirms the church’s experience of tribulation (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Revelation 7:14). The recurring call for believers to “overcome” in Revelation presupposes endurance through the tribulation associated with the Antichrist. The Day of the Lord begins only after the cosmic disturbances that signal the arrival of divine wrath. (Revelation 6:12–17; Matthew 24:29). The sequence is clear: Antichrist’s oppression comes first, followed by the Day of the Lord’s judgment.

Matthew 24:15–18 presupposes that believers are still present on earth when the abomination of desolation occurs. This directly excludes any model that places the rapture before that event.

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Matthew 24:15-28).

Brainard claims that his aim is “truth”, but that claim is open to serious challenge. His pretribulational readings repeatedly compromise the integrity of the text through eisegetical manoeuvres that cannot be sustained by the Greek or by responsible exegesis. His selective interpretation of Revelation 5:10 shows us that he is desperate to define the twenty-four elders as the church. One wonders whether he has considered the consequences scripture assigns to those who alter the book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:18–19). Mistranslating scripture—and also misrepresenting the writings of the church fathers—is a dangerous pattern in his work. It reflects a consistent willingness to distort sources rather than submit to them. 

1. The Greek New Testament: 3 Most Common Editions & Which You Should Use
2. Revelation 5:10 Greek Text Analysis
3. Strong's Greek: 4735. στέφανος (stephanos) -- Crown

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

Prewrath - Early Church Fathers

DANIEL LONG AND STEVE KOZAR "DISCERNERS" WITHOUT DISCERNMENT

Long & Kozar love & appreciate the Ruslan KD podcast?

These two self‑styled “discerners” appear to have abandoned all sense of humility and proportion. Steve Kozar, in his characteristic arrogance, now suggests that he and Daniel Long represent the initial “snowball” of resistance to NAR and charismatic deception, and that their influence is prompting charismatics to follow suit. This claim is baseless. The fact that many believers have discerned and exposed false teachers without any reference to Long or Kozar is attributable solely to the sanctifying work of God in their lives; the example of those two figures has no theological relevance to that outcome. (Galatians 6:3; 1 Corinthians 8:2; Proverbs 3:7).

Long and Kozar behave like superiors patronizing their inferiors. Long: "We do listen to these guys, we take what they say, we appreciate them." Do they realise how patronizing they sound? More concerning is their demonstrated lack of discernment in endorsing Ruslan KD and Mike Winger, both central figures in the so‑called “Evangelical swamp” aka the “Christian YouTube Establishment”. Kozar’s nodding and tacit approval places him at the same level. I hold no regard for either of these Lutherans, given their commitment to baptismal regeneration — a substantive deviation from sound soteriology.

Ruslan’s pursuit of “F.U. money” and his stated intent to monetize Christians should not receive approval from anyone. This pattern of conduct aligns precisely with the forms of ungodliness scripture warns against. (Matthew 6:21,24; Proverbs 23:4-5; 1 John 2:15-17). 

Ruslan quotes:

"How do I monetize these people?"
"How do I build a business?"
"What is my bank account going to look like in the next two to three years?"
"I have to make more than six figures.. I need seven figures."
"You will grow your audience, and then you've got to find a unique way to monetize them."
"I am not doing anything for less than $500 an hour."

"I love TD Jakes."

"I would love to be in a position someday where I have F.U. money."

Only blatant deceivers and narcissists would consider charging people for “meet and greet” access to so‑called "celebrity preachers". The pricing for Ruslan’s March 2026 Bless God Summit — including a $75 meet‑and‑greet ticket — speaks for itself. The broader pattern is even more egregious offering an additional $450 for a celebrity meet‑and‑greet, and children being charged $422 to meet a “celebrity preacher.” This commercialisation of alleged religious figures is indefensible.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Paul's example for believers to imitate. 

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12).

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Timothy 6:10; Matthew 6:24; Hebrews 13:5).

Ruslan's questionable list of speakers at his ecumenical summit included Mike Winger, Gavin Ortlund, Sean McDowell, Wes Huff, Michael Knowles, Lila Rose (Roman Catholic) and other dubious characters.

Although Winger has exposed various NAR figures and elements of its "cover-up culture", he nevertheless fails to address the dangers of ecumenism or the overtly worldly values embraced by Ruslan and his "Bless God Summit". His endorsement of Ruslan, his alignment with TPUSA, and his claim that false prophets can be rehabilitated into ministry are all fundamentally incompatible with any serious reading of scripture.

Ruslan refers to "Our respective streams of Christianity.. I love my Eastern Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters.. We (Protestants) believe that you have a valid church and a valid communion."1  

The sobering reality is that while Ruslan and his associates elevate themselves, generate substantial revenue, and engage in ecumenical theatrics at an upscale resort, their conduct ultimately undermines the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 7:20).

1. The Real Reason I Won't Convert to Orthodox or Catholic Christianity

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: BLESS GOD SUMMIT> RUSLAN / MIKE WINGER / MICHAEL GRANT

ROBERT VAN KAMPEN: WARNINGS IN THE OLIVET DISCOURSE

The Olivet Discourse – The Sign (Robert Van Kampen) | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner

Robert Van Kampen was the principal systematiser of the prewrath rapture model, though its structure was already present in scripture long before the term existed. Here he addresses the Olivet Discourse.

And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” (Luke 21:7-9 cf. Matthew 24;3-8).

 ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. (Luke 21:8).

Van Kampen was convinced that this phrase was added in Luke's gospel as a warning for pretrib believers. He makes an interesting comparison with the Thessalonians who were confused about the Parousia and apparently had received false information that they were in the Day of the Lord and had missed the rapture. 

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

The appearance of "false christs" (pseudo messiahs) who will lead many astray (Matthew 24:5). is the first sign recorded in the Olivet Discourse. As John observed, numerous false christs have emerged from the earliest period of the church. (1 John 2:18). Van Kampen anticipates a dramatic escalation of false christs and wars and rumours of wars from the outset of Daniel’s 70th week. (Matthew (24:5-7). This is underscored by the stark declaration that peace will be removed from the earth when the second seal is broken. (Revelation 6:3–4). As a result of these events, Van Kampen anticipates dramatic destabilization within the church from the beginning of the 70th week. His observation—“When we get in that seven‑year period there is going to be chaos within Christianity”—accurately captures the confusion that will engulf those who allegorize or misread eschatology, including pretribulationists, amillennialists, postmillennialists, and preterists.  

Van Kampen presents a chilling portrayal of the end of the age, in which many will fall away from the faith. He underscores the necessity of perseverance and steadfast commitment to the truth until the end.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14).

Because of the preceding pressures and the activity of false christs and false prophets arising from within the church, the love of many—for Christ, for his doctrine, and for one another—will grow cold. The apostasy is extensive—τῶν πολλῶν, of the many i.e. of the majority. 

MICHAEL GRANT: EPHESANS 1:4-5 AND CALVINISM

The Most Common Assumption People Make w/ ELECTION & PREDESTINATION

I found Michael Grant’s recent video on election and predestination profoundly disturbing. Can it really be that God does not want us to clearly understand soteriology? The comments on this video are disabled, which is unsurprising given that it likely attracted substantial criticism.

Michael Grant routinely critiques what he calls the compromised “Evangelical swamp” or the “Christian YouTube Establishment”—figures such as Mike Winger, Wesley Huff, Melissa Dougherty, Ruslan KD, Sean McDowell, and Allen Parr. Yet he appears unaware that he replicates the same pattern in his treatment of John MacArthur and RC Sproul. By affirming, platforming, and refusing to confront their Calvinism, he grants them the same uncritical legitimacy he condemns in others. Functionally, he is participating in the very dynamic he claims to oppose.

MacArthur’s exchange is a textbook example of rhetorical self‑contradiction. He affirms unconditional election, irresistible drawing, sovereign preservation, and a fully predestined soteriology—“all sovereign, all established”—and then immediately affirms universal invitation, divine displeasure at judgment, Christ’s grief over impenitence, and full human responsibility. When pressed to reconcile these mutually exclusive claims, he concedes that he cannot: “You are asking too much of me; I am not God."

Michael Grant presents this as if it were clarifying, yet it functions as epistemic destabilisation. Believers are left with the conclusion that, on his account, we cannot meaningfully know anything about salvation. MacArthur’s bifurcated presentation is not harmless; it is doctrinally disorienting. I have heard him preach full blown Calvinism, and the inconsistency here is not incidental but in my assessment deliberate.

It is vital to note that the claim that "regeneration precedes faith" places a person on the edge of serious doctrinal error. It introduces a soteriological model that is not merely problematic but ventures into heresy. The question of how we are saved is foundational: scripture presents salvation by grace, through faith—not by regeneration imposed prior to faith. (Ephesians 2:8). Both RC Sproul and John MacArthur explicitly taught that regeneration precedes faith. Given that commitment, it is difficult to see why anyone would treat them as reliable guides for sound soteriology. I have observed that Michael Grant frequently speaks inconsistently (as demonstrated in his comments about Charlie Kirk). This underscores the need for clarity in doctrine rather than reliance on sources that are theologically unstable and have no place in sound teaching.

Ephesians 1:4 is one of the most cited “proof texts” in Calvinist (Reformed) theology, but it is also a central point of contention with non-Calvinist interpreters. While Ephesians 1:4 does not mention “foreknowledge", Romans 8:29 and 1 Peter 1:20 show that God’s knowledge of individuals and His redemptive plan existed before creation.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6).

Calvinists, following John Calvin and later Reformed theologians, read “he chose us in him” as an assertion that God eternally selected specific individuals for salvation before creation, without reference to any foreseen faith, conduct, or human response. In this framework, “in Him” designates Christ as the ground or medium of the decree, while the election itself remains an unconditional, individual, pre‑temporal act. This interpretation functions within their broader system of unconditional election and, for some, including MacArthur and Sproul, double predestination.

Critics of the Calvinist reading argue that the text does not teach an eternal, individual choice apart from faith: They note the phrase “chosen in Him” means that God chose those who are in Christ — i.e., believers — before the foundation of the world. According to this view, the “us” in verse 4 is the same “us” in verse 19: “you who have believed” (Ephesians 1:19). The choice is corporate and conditional on being in Christ, which itself comes through hearing and believing the gospel (Ephesians 1:13). Thus, the verse describes God’s eternal plan to bless believers, not a pre‑temporal selection of a hidden “elect” group apart from faith.

Scripture is unequivocal: regeneration is the sovereign act of God in which He imparts His own life and nature to the believing sinner. (John 1:12–13; Titus 3:5). The surrounding debate typically centres on the TULIP framework—total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. A key point of contention is the order of salvation: does faith precede regeneration, or does regeneration precede faith? Closely related is the question of repentance—whether it must occur prior to salvation. These are precisely the areas in which Calvinist theology often entangles believers, producing confusion rather than clarity. Numerous passages indicate that regeneration is inseparably linked to repentance and faith.

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:30-32).

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life. (Acts 11:18).

yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:40).

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. (John 6:53).

As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. (John 6:57).

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31).

..and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:9).

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13).

for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. Galatians 3:26

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. (John 12:36).

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.. (Ephesians 1:13).

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ..Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:2, 5-6).

But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. (2 Corinthians 3:14-16).

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16).

having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12).

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18).

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29).

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:1-2).

Many people underestimate how calculated and intellectually deceptive these individuals are.

Do not let anyone destabilize you from your secure position in Christ with clever‑sounding arguments. (Colossians 2:8 cf. Ephesians 4:14; 1 Peter 5:8). 

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: JAMES WHITE: 1 JOHN 5:1 > PERFECT TENSE MISINFORMATION

(284) Answering Calvinism (Non-Calvinist Teaching Resources) - YouTube

JOEL RICHARDSON'S SCRIPTURE TWISTING: "THE ASSYRIAN"

The Death of the Assyrian: The Antichrist Prophecies Most Christians Miss

Joel Richardson continues to distort the relevant texts in order to sustain his claim that “the Assyrian” Gog of Magog is the Antichrist. In this video, his case relies on misusing Isaiah chapters 30-31 and related passages under the manufactured category of “the coming of Yahweh texts” presented as if they were direct predictions of the Messiah’s return—a central New Testament theme he attempts to retroject into the Old Testament. 

Behold, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, with burning anger and dense smoke. His lips are full of fury, and His tongue is like a consuming fire. His breath is like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray.. (Isaiah 30:27-28).

And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones. For Assyria will be shattered at the voice of the LORD; He will strike them with His scepter. And with every stroke of the rod of punishment that the LORD brings down on them, the tambourines and lyres will sound as He battles with weapons brandished. For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze. (Isaiah 30:30-33).

These verses are not eschatological. They belong to a historical judgment oracle against Assyria within the 8th‑century crisis addressed in Isaiah 28–35. The text employs standard theophanic imagery to depict Yahweh’s intervention against a specific empire, not the future return of Christ. They contain none of Isaiah’s recognized eschatological markers found in genuine end‑time passages (Isaiah 24–27; 34; 65–66): no “in that day” formula, no universal judgment, no cosmic upheaval, no restoration sequence. Treating this Assyrian‑focused oracle as a second coming prophecy is a categorical error that collapses historical theophany into eschatology.

And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man; and a sword, not of man, shall devour him; and he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be put to forced labor. His rock shall pass away in terror, and his officers desert the standard in panic,” declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and whose furnace is in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 31:8-9).

Richardson misreads “furnace” treating it as a literal reference to the lake of fire. In Isaiah, however, Zion denotes Jerusalem, and the imagery of “fire” signals God’s presence, protection, judgment, and—within Isaiah’s own framework—purification and refinement. (Isaiah 4:4; Deuteronomy 4:24). 

Context: Isaiah 31 addresses the people of Judah during a time of political tension, around 705–701 BC, when Assyria threatened the region and Judah considered seeking military aid from Egypt. The chapter reassures that God’s plans are wise and unchangeable; He will act against the Assyrians and their allies, fulfilling His promises through divine intervention rather than human military might. (Isaiah 31:2-3, 8-9).

Historically Isaiah 31 was fulfilled in 701 BC, when Assyria fell “by a sword not of man” during Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah. The chapter’s core prediction—Assyria’s destruction without human military action—matches the historical event recorded in Isaiah 37:36, where the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Some modern interpreters including Richardson attempt to relocate the fulfilment to an Antichrist scenario, but this is not supported by the chapter’s structure, grammar, or historical referents. No second eschatological fulfilment is textually indicated.   

And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. (Isaiah 37:36-38).

Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.” (Isaiah 31:5 ESV).

Richardson’s line, “Like a bird in the sky…,” is textually imprecise; whatever translation he is using, the phrase does not refer to the rapture, and the imagery is plural rather than singular.

Keil and Delitzsch "Jehovah suddenly arrests the work of punishment, and the love which the wrath enfolds within itself begins to appear. "Like fluttering birds, so will Jehovah of Hosts screen Jerusalem; screening and delivering, sparing and setting free." The prophet uses the plural, "like fluttering birds," with an object - namely, not so much to represent Jehovah Himself, as the tender care and, as it were, maternal love, into which His leonine fierceness would be changed. This is indicated by the fact, that he attaches the feminine ‛âphōth to the common gender tsippŏrı̄m. The word pâsōăch recals to mind the deliverance from Egypt (as in Isaiah 30:29) in a very significant manner. The sparing of the Israelites by the destroyer passing over their doors, from which the passover derived its name, would be repeated once more. We may see from this, that in and along with Assyria, Jehovah Himself, whose instrument of punishment Assyria was, would take the filed against Jerusalem (Isaiah 29:2-3); but His attitude towards Jerusalem is suddenly changed into one resembling the action of birds, as they soar round and above their threatened nests."1 

Daniel 8 and Daniel 2 both describe the final adversary being destroyed without human agency. These passages are eschatological and refer to the Antichrist; they do not point back to the historical destruction of Sennacherib’s forces in Isaiah as Richardson claims. 

And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; they shall shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes into our land and treads within our border. (Micah 5:4-5).

Micah 5:5–6 operates within a millennial, eschatological setting. It describes conditions during the 1,000‑year reign, not before it. Because Revelation is explicit that the Antichrist is destroyed and cast into the lake of fire before the millennium begins (Revelation 19:20, 20:10), he cannot appear within the millennial period. This makes any identification of the figure in Micah 5:5–6 with the Antichrist impossible. 

Micah 4–5 moves from historical siege language to messianic and eschatological themes—the Bethlehem ruler, the restoration of the remnant, and the final defeat of Israel’s future enemies. In Micah 5:5–6, “the Assyrian” functions as an archetypal enemy figure. It is a type of the Antichrist, but it does not imply that the Antichrist will be ethnically or historically Assyrian. It is a literary type, not a genealogical descriptor. The Bible provides no ethnic designation for the Antichrist, though the 70 AD Roman destruction of Jerusalem is often used to support a revived‑Roman‑empire inference. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. (Daniel 9:26).

The Lord has given commandment about you: “No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile.” Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off. (Nahum 1:14-15).

Nahum 1:14–15 is historical, referring to the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. Its language is later used typologically in eschatological contexts, but the passage itself does not describe the Antichrist or end‑time events. 

Richardson’s central difficulty is obvious: Scripture states explicitly in non symbolic language that the Antichrist and false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire. (Revelation 19:19–21). Richardson dismisses this as a “silly” objection and reinterprets clear language as apocalyptic metaphor, claiming the Antichrist is described both as “buried” and “thrown alive". Given his repeated mishandling of key texts, there is every reason to affirm the plain reading: the Antichrist and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire, not buried. Nothing in the passage signals metaphor. 

I have addressed Richardson’s false teaching in earlier posts, and I also recommend Chris White’s detailed rebuttal of his claims.*

*The Islamic Antichrist Theory Debunked – The Assyrian (Part 4) | Bible Prophecy Daily

1. Isaiah 31 Keil and Delitzsch OT Commentary