BBC REPORT: THE EMERGING HORROR OF THE JESUS ARMY SEX SCANDAL

Jesus Army sex scandal: The dark secrets of life in a commune
By Jon Ironmonger BBC News
19th July 2019

Noel Stanton, founder of the sect, preached about sins of the flesh

Hundreds of former members of the Jesus Army are seeking damages for alleged abuse inside the religious sect.

Ex-members have told the BBC how children suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse on a "prolific scale", with most claims relating to incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Baptist sect is to close but is the subject of a renewed police inquiry.

The Jesus Army has apologised to anyone "who experienced harm in the past" and urged victims to contact police.

Ten people from the Jesus Fellowship Church - later known as the Jesus Army - have been convicted for various sex offences.

'Beaten with rods'

Launched in the manse of a small chapel in Northamptonshire in 1969, the Jesus Army grew quickly in wealth and number.

At its peak the JFC had more than 2,000 members, hundreds of whom lived together in close-knit communal houses throughout central England.

It offered homeless or vulnerable people and god-fearing families the promise of "new creation" through a devout, all-encompassing way of life.

Residents submitted to an intense regime of work and worship. All of their income was given to a common purse and everything was shared - from underwear to parenting.

Children could be disciplined by any adult, while youngsters and newcomers were assigned to a male "shepherd" to oversee their spiritual development. 

 

Image copyright British Museum Image caption The Jesus Army's brightly coloured buses took members to find new recruits

By the age of 12 or 13, children were often separated from their parents.

Ex-members say it was typical for adults to enter their bedrooms while they undressed, or watch them take a bath.

The BBC has heard that children as young as three who misbehaved could be stripped from the waist, told to bend over and hold their ankles, and beaten with a rod.

Rape, bullying, brainwashing

Community members lived under the unchallenged authority of the movement's creator, Noel Stanton.

He was a firebrand who preached daily about sins of the flesh, and cursed wayward members as "backsliders" who were going to hell.

Mr Stanton founded the JFC on a huge enterprise of shops, businesses and two large farms, generating millions of pounds in annual turnover.

After his death in 2009, the church handed allegations of sexual offences against Stanton and others to Northamptonshire Police.

The BBC can now reveal that 43 people who were active in the church have been linked to reports of historic sexual and physical abuse.

It is understood further claims have come to light such as rapes, bullying, brainwashing, forced labour, financial bondage and "barbaric beatings" of young boys by groups of men.

Jesus Army closes after child sex abuse claims

Detectives have launched a new "comprehensive" inquiry into historic abuse by the church and evidence of a cover-up by five former leaders.

However, a survivors' group has raised concerns about the level of compensation being proposed by the church. It is now preparing group legal action involving hundreds of claimants.

A spokesman for the JFC insisted a formal redress scheme was being developed "to provide money and counselling" to "those who had suffered poor treatment in the past".

It said the scheme had been set up with external stakeholders to ensure everyone was dealt with in a "transparent and even-handed way" 

Rose's story 

 

Image caption New Creation Hall in Northamptonshire was the birthplace of the JFC

"I don't remember ever feeling safe as a child, I think people thought God would protect their children," says Rose, which is not her real name.

She is one of a number of alleged victims who have told the BBC about their experiences inside the Jesus Army.

Rose was a baby when her family moved to a commune in the 1980s.

She says the intense regime made it a frightening place to grow up, with "loud and scary exorcisms" taking place at every meeting.

"I remember very strongly as a child a man manifesting next to me, shouting, screaming, retching and being sick on the floor," she says.

Fervent sessions of worship were held in the evenings with songs, prayer and speaking in tongues, while most weekends were spent on recruitment drives in towns and cities. Followers donned military-style uniforms and drove rainbow-coloured buses.

Rose explained that one of the main teachings was "there is nothing good in you as a person".

"Everything in you was the result of sin, and I developed a complete self-loathing because of that message," she says.

Rose said children were regularly "disciplined" by adults, including homeless people and drug addicts picked up off the streets.

"There was something about public discipline... being whacked in front of a whole congregation of people, that was very humiliating."

Rose says that when she was 12 years old an older man in her commune began to groom and molest her "every weekend".

She says he used to touch her leg under the dinner table or fondle her breasts while handing her money to get an ice cream. 

 

Image caption The Jesus Centre, former home of the group, in Northampton

"At the time, I didn't know what was going on," she says. "I hadn't thought or talked about my body and he used that to molest me and continued to do it every weekend."

She knew the situation was "weird and uncomfortable" but felt "he must have had a reason for doing it".

When she was 15 years old, she says another prominent figure in the church led her behind a building and forced her to perform a sex act on him.

"I knew something had happened that was wrong and felt a lot of shame," Rose says, but added that "women were there to serve. We were always subordinate."

It was typical for women to be seen as temptresses who corrupted male members, former members said.

So when her abuser told the church what had happened, Rose says she was blamed for it.

She is now hoping to receive compensation from the church's redress scheme, and is considering going to the police about her alleged abusers.

Ben's story 

 

Image caption Ben says he was sexually assaulted at the age of six

Ben, whose name we have changed, was born into the community in the 1980s.

When he was six years old he says he found himself alone in the grounds of his commune with a male worshipper who undressed and sexually assaulted him.

"My dad's mum used to say how happy and smiley I was, but [after he was abused] I don't remember anyone ever saying that again," he says.

"The memories afterwards are all isolation. I withdrew into myself as a child and I had no friends in particular."

Ben became distanced from his family and left the church when he was 17 years old.

Recently he discovered his siblings had suffered similar experiences, including one of his brothers who he says was raped during much of his teenage life.

"I believe that at least five of us have been abused in one way or another," he says.

"I have anger for the church. I have anger because of what they did to my family. Whether they chose to ignore it, or give it to God, they're still culpable for letting it happen."

"There are still some beautiful people in the church with the best intentions," Ben adds. "But everything's been overshadowed by what happened in the houses."

Ben has been speaking to police about pursuing a criminal investigation against his abuser, but says so far there has been little progress.

Philippa's story

Philippa Muller, far right, during her time in the Jesus Army

Philippa Muller's family moved from Surrey to the birthplace of the JFC community, New Creation Hall, in Northamptonshire, when she was seven years old.

Her father worked in the local tax office and handed over every penny of his earnings to the church's communal purse.

Philippa's mother, like most of the other women, was a "servant" and spent her time cooking and cleaning to ensure the men of the house could do their "godly work".

Image caption Philippa began living with the Jesus Army when she was seven

Women were encouraged to claim benefits and give them to the church.

"I grew up with a very negative imprint as to what it was to be a woman," Philippa says.

Young people were urged to recant their sins - real or imagined. They were taught about demonic manifestations and were present during exorcisms.

Philippa became increasingly isolated. "You couldn't just go to have a coffee with someone, or go to the cinema. That was all forbidden.

"We weren't allowed to socialise. We didn't have TVs. Things were censored... bits from the papers were cut out."

One of Philippa's close friends fled the church after she was assaulted by a male elder.

Philippa became a key witness in the court case - in which the elder was convicted - but says she was "persecuted" by the church community which treated her as a traitor and liar.

She left the church shortly afterwards.

Now on the brink of closure, the Jesus Army is understood to have accrued assets worth £50m. But it leaves a harrowing legacy - and an unsettled future for Philippa and its many other victims. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48447066

Further Link:

The Closure of Jesus Fellowship Church
https://jesus.org.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmtDpBRAQEiwAC6lm46P2xJJLkyt3u5RyMXT_PCcp3WQKGDNgj6WevBxIfijY4WxME2SZIxoCbSEQAvD_BwE

MARCO QUINTANA PARROTS JACOB PRASCH'S FAULTY VIEW OF THE RESTRAINER

As expected, Marco Quintana (DevoreTruth) parrots Jacob Prasch's faulty view of the Restrainer of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8. The error comes at the end of Quintana's rather tedious teaching, during the final ten minutes or so.

The view that identifies the Holy Spirit as the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 originated with John Nelson Darby and is predominantly a pre-tribulation rapture assertion. Prior to Darby, this view was completely unknown. Paul does not specifically identify the Restrainer due to the fact that he had previously identified him to the Thessalonian church.

The Restrainer is referred to both in the neuter (what verse 6) and masculine gender (he verse 7). Colin Nicholl's ground breaking research and journal article "Michael, The Restrainer Removed (2 Thess. 2:6-7)" {2000} is a vital resource on this subject:

Alan Kurschner: "Nicholl believes the best explanation is recognizing the Greek can use the neuter gender to refer to a person while the emphasis is on an exceptional quality of the individual (e.g., 1 Cor 11:5; 1 Cor 1:27–28; Gal 3:22; John 3:6; 17:24; 1 John 5:1–4; Matt 12:6). Thus, the neuter in verse 6 refers to Michael with a focus on his restraining ministry, while the masculine in verse 7 refers to Michael himself." {1} 

THE PROBLEM

The view of Jacob Prasch and his parrot Marco Quintana is completely illogical. According to Prasch, lawlessness is restrained during the entirety of 70th week of Daniel.

The passage in 2 Thessalonians 2 indicates that certain things must happen before the Restrainer ceases to restrain. The rebellion (apostasy) must occur first, and then the Antichrist will take his seat in the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God. This happens at the mid point of the week. The man who is destined to become the Antichrist will be preparing to fulfil his vile destiny prior to the mid point of the 70th week, but not until the then will he become possessed by Satan, set up the abomination of desolation and be revealed. (Daniel 7:25; 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Hence it is the mid point of the 70th week that the Restrainer is taken out of the way.. not during the entire 70th week as Prasch teaches! {2} This leaves us with a proverbial "elephant in the room" that Prasch has never bothered to address.

Quintana also parrots Prasch's now infamous Intra-Seal "Pentecost is reversed" argument. John 14 gives us the reason for Jesus departure: I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2-4). The scriptures do not indicate that Jesus' return necessitates a reversal of Pentecost and the departure of the Holy Spirit. Intra-Seal is pseudo theology; Prasch's own heinous concoction that is easily and completely debunked by the scriptures. 

A more likely answer to the question of the Restrainer lies in the book of Daniel, in a parallel verse to Matthew 24:15-22; Daniel 12:1; Zechariah 13. Although I would not be dogmatic about his identity, it appears that Michael stops restraining half way through the 70th week when the abomination of desolation occurs: Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:7-10, 12-14; Jude 1:9.

Alan Kurschner (Eschatos Ministries) submits six reasons why he believes that Michael is the likely candidate for the Restrainer:

1. Contemporary Jewish literature during Paul’s time viewed the characteristics of Michael having eschatological pre-eminence as the chief opponent of Satan and Restrainer of God’s people.

2. Michael is viewed as a celestial restrainer of God’s people in Daniel 10–12, the passage serving as the source for Paul’s exposition in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–8.

3. Daniel’s use of the Hebrew term ʿmd comports with the ceasing activity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.

4. The Greek term parerchomai in Daniel 12:1 of the Septuagint (LXX) means, 'to pass by,' which corresponds with the ceasing of restraint in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.

5. Early Rabbinic interpretation of Daniel 12:1 perceived Michael as 'passing aside' or 'withdrawing' just after Antichrist’s establishment near or at the temple mount (Dan 11:45), and just before the eschatological unequaled tribulation against God’s people (Dan 12:1).

6. Revelation 12:7–17 supports viewing Michael as the Restrainer because it links the cessation of Michael’s war against the dragon with the unprecedented persecution of God’s people, which is consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 and Daniel 11:45–12:1. {3}

Although I favour the pre-wrath view that Michael is the Restrainer, I believe that any attempt to identify the Restrainer unequivocally is purely speculative and goes beyond what is written.

..that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. (1 Corinthians 4:6)

1. https://www.alankurschner.com/2015/05/20/archangel-michael-the-restrainer-removed-2-thessalonians-26-7-part-2-of-2-ep-35/
2. https://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com/2016/07/busted-jacob-praschs-presumptous.html
3. https://www.alankurschner.com/2017/03/24/6-reasons-why-michael-is-the-restrainer/


Further Links

https://readingacts.com/2012/12/03/what-who-is-the-restrainer-in-2-thessalonians-2/
https://www.tmin.org/pdfs/The%20Restrainer.pdf

JACOB PRASCH'S SHILL MARCO QUINTANA ON ADOPTIONISM

Marco Quintana of Devore Truth takes a faulty shot at defining Adoptionism.

Marco Quintana: "Some people try to say again, the Sonship, Adoptionism - that Jesus just became the Son at his birth, or Jesus became the Son at the incarnation, or Jesus became the Son at baptismal. Baptismal Sonship Incarnational Sonship, same error. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He has always been with the Father, He has revealed to us the Father.. Jesus is not the Son of God only at the incarnation .. Jesus is the eternal Son of God.." (from 23:00)

We cannot reasonably slap the label "adoptionist" onto those who believe in the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ as the Word before the incarnation. (John 1:1,14). The Temporal Sonship/Incarnational Sonship view is based on the premise that the Eternal Word became the Son of God at His birth.

Marco Quintana has ventured into something of a grey area that has been debated by Christians since the early church. Adoptionism is the heretical doctrine that before his "adoption" Jesus was a mere man. The adoptionist heresy was re-hatched by Elipandus, Archbishop of Toledo, in Spain late in the eighth century and Felix, bishop of Urgel (Seo de Urgel). They asserted that at the time of his birth Jesus was purely human and only became the divine Son of God by adoption when he was baptized. Spanish advocates predicated the term adoptivus of Christ only in respect to his humanity; once the divine Son "emptied himself" of divinity and "took the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7), Christ's human nature was "adopted" as divine. Problematically, Elipando's assertion appears to suggest that Christ's human nature existed separately from His divine personhood. In the twelfth century, Peter Abelard, in France, taught another variation of the heresy ~ Neo-adoptionism. {1}

The case against eternal Sonship by Walter Martin:

(a) “The doctrine of ‘eternal generation’ or the eternal Sonship of Christ which springs from the Roman Catholic doctrine first conceived by Origen in A.D. 230, is a theory which opened the door theologically to the Arian and Sabellian heresies which today still plague the Christian Church in the realms of Christology.

(b) The Scripture nowhere calls Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God, and He is never called Son at all prior to the incarnation, except in prophetic passages in the Old Testament.

(c) The term ‘Son’ itself is a functional term, as is the term ‘Father’ and has no meaning apart from time. The term ‘Father’ incidentally never carries the descriptive adjective ‘eternal’ in Scripture; as a matter of fact, only the Spirit is called eternal (‘the eternal Spirit’—Hebrews 9:14), emphasizing the fact that the words Father and Son are purely functional as previously stated.

(d) Many heresies have seized upon the confusion created by the illogical ‘eternal Sonship’ or ‘eternal generation’ theory of Roman Catholic theology, unfortunately carried over to some aspects of Protestant theology.

(e) Finally, there cannot be any such thing as eternal Sonship, for there is a logical contradiction of terminology due to the fact that the word ‘Son’ predicates time and the involvement of creativity. Christ, the Scripture tells us as the Logos, is timeless, ‘. . . the Word was in the beginning’ not the Son!” (p. 103 My page reference is to the fifteenth printing, January 1974 edition. The same material can be found in the current edition (October 2003) on page 139.)

The case for eternal Sonship by D.A. Carson:

“It is not that this eternal Word became the Son by means of the incarnation, so that it is appropriate to speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit only after the incarnation, whereas before the incarnation it would be more appropriate to speak of the Father, the Word, and the Sprit. No, for as we have seen in Hebrews, the Son is the one by whom God made the universe. In John 3:17, we are told, ‘God did not send his Son into the word to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ It is fanciful to suppose this means that God sent into the world someone who became the Son after he arrived. ‘The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. . . . He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. . . . For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him’; indeed, ‘all things have been created through him and for him’ (Col. 1:15-19), making him not only God’s agent in creation but creation’s master and goal. In these and numerous other passages (e.g., Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 14:9; 17:1-8; 1 John 5:20), Jesus is not the Son of God by virtue of being the ultimate Israel, nor is he the Son of God by virtue of being the Messiah, the ultimate Davidic king, nor is he the Son of God by virtue of being a perfect human being. Rather, he is the Son of God from eternity, simultaneously distinguishable from his heavenly Father yet one with him, the perfect Revealer of the living God.” {2} 

Augustine of Hippo vigorously advocated the theory of Eternal Sonship. Augustine's view gradually met universal acceptance in the West and the doctrine was subsequently incorporated into the Nicene Creed in 325 AD. 

Eternal existence as against eternal generation does have some scriptures in its favour.

The angel Gabriel said of Mary's miraculously conceived child: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.. (Luke 1:32, 35).

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? (Hebrews 1:5). Begotten is suggestive of a beginning. Clearly Jesus Christ has no beginning and is not a created being like the angels.

I do not label anyone a heretic who questions the doctrine of eternal generation in favour of eternal existence. The scriptures are not conclusive either way and it would be a mistake to rely on the arguments of dubious individuals like Origen and Augustine. (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Anton Bosch was targeted by Jacob Prasch for this alleged error.

Anton Bosch's Statement of Faith below does not deny the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ:

We Believe:
God
• That there is but one God, a personal conscious Being, Creator of all things seen and unseen, eternal (without beginning or end) as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
• That the Word became flesh, and was born of the virgin Mary, He is the only begotten Son of God, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Who lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and rose again. We hold that Jesus will return soon to establish His kingdom.{3}

Anton Bosch: "I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is eternal (co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit). He is without beginning and end. 'Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' (John 8:58) I reject the idea that Jesus was 'begotten', was 'generated' or 'came forth' in eternity past since it diminishes the fact of his eternality and therefore His deity and is born out of Arianism." {4}

Anton Bosch: "Just to be clear, the majority today seem to prefer the eternal sonship view (that Jesus always was the Son and the Father always was the Father). I hold to "Incarnational Sonship" (He only became the Son at Bethlehem). Neither view denies His deity nor His eternal co-existence with the Father and Spirit and is not even remotely a basis for division. (video 10/20/18 afternoon)" {5}

Marco Quintana's video is, in my view, a veiled attack on Prasch's previous victims, Amir Tsarfati being the latest - for an error that he corrected two years ago. {6} I do not endorse the ministry of Amir Tsarfati, mainly due to his pre-tribulation rapture position and his questionable associations. However, I do believe he has been targeted unfairly on this occasion.

There are those who would cause unnecessary divisions within the Body of Christ, albeit under the pretext of upholding "truth". Prasch and his little band of accusers are very quick to label anyone "heretic" on a mere whim, with the covert intention of slandering them. (2 Timothy 3:3; Jude 1:19; Revelation 12:10). Marco Quintana's argument might have been delivered by Prasch himself, it has his fingerprints all over it.

1. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01150a.htm
2. https://bbhchurchconnection.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/walter-martin-vs-d-a-carson-on-the-eternal-sonship-of-jesus/
3. http://antonbosch.org/statement-of-faith
4. https://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com/2019/01/moriel-update-jacob-prasch-is.html

5. http://lifestylec.com/the-trinity-has-been-under-attack-not-just-by-cults-but-within-evangelical-christianity-by-sandy-simpson/ 

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJbohKoQLPs&feature=youtu.be

Further Links:

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1359-was-jesus-the-son-of-god-eternally
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJbohKoQLPs&t=1690s
https://vimeo.com/341659274

INCLUSIVE GENDER POLICY ISSUE AT SCOTTISH HIGH SCHOOL

An unidentified 17-year old Scottish student was thrown out of a social education lesson by his teacher recently for voicing his opinion that there are only two genders. The student has now been suspended from his secondary school in Aberdeenshire for three weeks. The teenager claims that he spoke out in protest at the "dangerous" views being forced onto pupils.

The young man was ordered to leave his classroom after arguing that only two genders exist – male and female – a position that his teacher claimed was "against policy" and "not inclusive". A secretly filmed video clip of him being reprimanded by his teacher has gone viral on YouTube.

The definition of an "inclusive school" apparently means that only one opinion is “acceptable in the school”.

"British Christians who believe in (and dare to articulate) the natural order of ‘male and female’ are going to have a tough time over the coming years. Oppression may begin with a student being excluded from class; it will soon progress to an official state orthodoxy and mandatory compliance on pain of dismissal from one’s job, or summary arrest and trial for transgressing the laws of ‘hate’. Who would have thought that the matter of male and female, the nature of marriage, and the truth about the human person would become the foundation of Christian persecution? https://archbishopcranmer.com/teacher-throws-student-out-of-class-for-insisting-there-are-two-sexes/

Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. (Genesis 5:2 cf. Matthew 19:4). 

BREAKING NEWS: NORTHAMPTON'S JESUS ARMY VOTES TO DISBAND IN WAKE OF HISTORIC ABUSE CLAIMS

By Paul Lynch

Northampton Chronicle & Echo

Leaders of the Jesus Army - the Northampton-based religious sect variously described as a 'cult' since its launch 50 years ago - have voted to disband the church in the wake of an abuse scandal.

The news comes five years since the launch of Operation Lifeboat, a police operation looking into historical sex abuse at the 1969-formed Baptist movement.

The Jesus Army - which runs the large Jesus Centre church in Northampton town centre - has voted to disband in the wake of multiple historic abuse claims.

In 2017, The Chronicle & Echo revealed there had been some 150 reports made of either sexual physical, religious or financial abuse at the church and that at least 40 people were pursuing legal action against it.

On Sunday, with the reputation of the Jesus Army 'badly damaged' and membership declining rapidly, its leadership voted to revoke the church's constitution.

In a statement released this morning, its spokesman Laurence Cooper, said: "The NLT (National Leadership Team) and the members of the JFC (Jesus Fellowship Church) recognise that, over a sustained period of time, there have been faults and failures in the Church that have had a profound impact on many people’s lives.

"We are deeply sorry for, and appalled by the abuse that has taken place within Jesus Fellowship Church and the New Creation Christian Community (NCCC) and offer our heartfelt sympathy and unreserved apology to all those affected."

Several of the abuse claims related to a summer school that was run in Cornhill Manor, on the edge of Pattishall.

"Children and vulnerable people were entitled to expect full protection from harm. We acknowledge the pain many of those people continue to feel. As things have become clearer to us, we are grieved and deeply troubled."

The Jesus Army was formed in Bugbrooke in 1969 by firebrand Baptist minister Noel Stanton.

Over the decades it swelled to some 3,500 members - a proportion of whom were encouraged to live in communal houses, such as the New Creation Farm in Nether Heyford.

Several of the abuse claims stemmed from people who had lived, worked and ploughed personal finances into the communes, where members had to adhere to a strict set of rules. Children were often beaten for 'minor transgressions', a former member told the Chron. 

Many of the abuse claims related to the church founder Noel Stanton, who died in 2009.

In 2004, the church took over the former art deco theatre in the Upper Mounts, renaming it the Jesus Centre.

But in 2017, the church's de-facto leader Mick Haines conceded that his predecessor Noel Stanton had a 'flawed character'. The Chron later revealed that many of the abuse claims related to Mr Stanton himself - who died in 2009.

Congregations that were part of the JFC will now become 'fully independent', according to today's statement.

"They will not be affiliated to a national church organisation and will be led by people who are appointed by their own members," said Mr Cooper.

New Creation Farm, a working farm in Nether Heyford, also housed a number of communal houses.

"Some have already appointed interim leadership teams, comprising women and men who are part of the congregation. These local congregations will be responsible for every aspect of their function including finance, staffing, and safeguarding."

In 2013, the JFC invited people to make disclosures about their experiences of the church - with many coming forward to reveal they had been a victim of "pastoral abuse and bullying as well as financial, physical and sexual abuse," Mr Cooper continued.

"This information was passed to the police, who launched Operation Lifeboat, examining non-recent abuse in the JFC. As a result, a number of criminal cases were successfully prosecuted through the courts.

"The reputation of the Church has been badly damaged and the confidence of members of the Church was profoundly shaken. Alongside this, declining membership and the consequent slowdown in giving means that the national Church no longer has the resources to continue as it was.

"Following the disclosures process, the current National Leadership Team decided that they did not have the capacity or the desire to continue leading the JFC.

"Taking into account the scope of the problems they were facing, they did not believe anyone else could, or should, try and lead the organisation. The National Leadership Team, therefore, recommended to the members that the national JFC be dissolved - and that has now been approved by the members.

The church has now formed a redress scheme for those affected by the abuse under the Jesus Fellowship Community Trust.

Mr Cooper continued: "While the trustees have a legal obligation to provide for the welfare of current members of the Community Trust, they want to provide help and compensation for those who suffered abuse or poor treatment in the past. They are seeking to provide resources to help former and current members towards closure from the mistakes and painful experiences of the past.

"A working party - including victims and their representatives - is leading the development of this redress scheme. While we cannot undo the harm done, we hope that this can be of some help to those who feel they can engage with the scheme.

"We are committed to working with the Police and Social Services to ensure that all allegations of abuse that come to our attention are dealt with appropriately and encourage anyone with concerns to report them."

Anyone with safeguarding issues or concerns, whether non-recent or current, should report them to the Jesus Fellowship Safeguarding Department: safeguarding@jesus.org.uk.

If you do not feel comfortable approaching someone from the Jesus Fellowship Church then you can contact the police directly or the Safeguarding Helpline run by a support organisation independent of the church and the community trust on 0303 003 11 11.

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/

JACOB PRASCH: MILLENNIAL VIEWS TAINTED BY DISPENSATIONALISM

The much debated passage in Revelation 20:1-10 has produced a number of interpretations concerning the thousand years. It is not my purpose to discuss the postmillennial or amillennial positions here. I am writing from the perspective of premillennialism, which was summarised by George Elton Ladd as follows: "Premillennialism is the view that Rev. 20 is altogether eschatological. The coming of Christ will be followed by a binding of Satan and the resurrection of the saints who will join him in a temporal kingdom when he reigns over the earth. This millennial kingdom will end with a final rebellion and the last judgment." {1}

A deviant form of premillennialism, dispensationalism, was formulated during the 1820s and 1830s by John Nelson Darby, a former minister in the Anglican Church of Ireland. Darby divided history into seven fictitious dispensations or eras according to his own presuppositions. Prior to Darby, there was nothing unusual about dividing history into periods. However, Darby's system was extreme in that that he insisted on strict literalism and the rigid separation of Israel and the church into two distinct peoples of God: The church and its glory in Christ (the heavenly people), and the Jews and their glory as a redeemed nation in Christ (the earthly people). {2} According to Darby, these two distinct spheres will remain separate throughout eternity: "Though the church and Israel be, in connection with Christ, the centres respectively of the heavenly and the earthly glory, mutually enhancing the blessing and joy of each other, yet each has its respective sphere, all things in the heavens being subordinate and the scene of the glory—angels, principalities, and powers in the one; the nations of the earth in the other." {2}

Darby on the separate destiny of the church and the Jews. “The Church is in relationship with the Father, and the Jews with Jehovah…. The Jewish nation is never to enter the Church…. The Church is … a kind of heavenly economy, during the rejection of the earthly people” {3}

Darby: "The Jews, then, are the people by whom, and in whom, God sustains His name of Jehovah, and His character of judgment and righteousness. The church are the people in whom, as in His family, the Father reveals His character of goodness and love." {4}

Darby's deviant views became the basis of the widely circulated Scofield Reference Bible during the early part of the 20th century. In many congregations today, the only acknowledged form of premillennialism is dispensationalism.

Scofield's Reference Notes - Romans 11:1: "The Christian is of the heavenly seed of Abraham (Gen. 15.5,6; Gal. 3.29), and partakes of the spiritual blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15.18, note); but Israel as a nation always has its own place, and is yet to have its greatest exaltation as the earthly people of God." {5}

A controversial feature of dispensational theology was (and is) the pretribulational rapture doctrine. The pre-trib rapture was a completely alien concept and flew in the face of the traditional view, held for almost two thousand years, that the rapture coincides with the second coming of Jesus Christ. According to Darby, the current dispensation, allegedly the dispensation of Grace, began at the crucifixion and will come to an end at the rapture. Following the rapture, Darby proposed a seven year tribulation, during which time he speculated that the Antichrist will rule the earth (Daniels 70th week). Darby's eschatology is inconsistent with the scriptures and is completely unreliable. Darby (and later dispensationalists) rejected the view that God will deal concurrently with both Israel and the church during the 70th week of Daniel. However apart from the invented pre-trib rapture, this view is unavoidable.

BW Newton opposed Darby's eschatology in the strongest possible terms, and stated that he regarded Darby's millennial idea as a "full fledged heresy". Newton's rebuttal has been re-emphasised in our own time by modern theologian Bernard Ramm: "The sharp division of the church and Israel, each going its own unique course through history into eternity is a remarkable piece of theological heresy." {6}

Until 2018, Jacob Prasch's views on the millennium came under the radar as far as I was concerned. The subject came into sharp focus at the end of 2018, due to the acrimonious split between Jacob Prasch and David Nathan, and Frank Rogers subsequent video.{7}

Neither Jacob Prasch or David Nathan teach the false pre-trib rapture doctrine. Prasch's invented Intra-Seal theory and his insistence, in common with Darby, that the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 is the Holy Spirit puts him firmly in the category of an eisegete. Prasch also vacillates between a seven year and a three and a half year tribulation. {8} In addition to his false teaching, many troubling issues surround the ministry of Jacob Prasch, not least his false claim to Jewish ancestry and questions about financial impropriety place him outside the realm of a credible Christian witness. {9} As far as I am aware, David Nathan holds the pre-wrath rapture view. The pre-wrath view places the rapture after the opening of sixth seal in the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 6:16,17).

In October 2016 both Prasch and Nathan assertively promoted their millennial views at Community Church Devore in Southern California. {7} At this meeting, Jacob Prasch, David Nathan and Marco Quintana were all in complete agreement: After the rapture of the church, the age of grace comes to an end. Alarmingly, their views on the millennium are not dissimilar to the Israel-Church dichotomy invented by Darby. The assumption that the grace of God is somehow limited to a particular age and comes to an end during the millennium is, in my view, an attack on the very gospel itself.

Jacob Prasch: "Once the harpazo transpires, the Lord will refocus His primary intentions on the salvation of Israel, although not salvation in the sense that we understand it, not by grace, it will ?? revert back to the Old Testament way of dealing with man and the nations."

David Nathan re-emphasises Prasch's point: "After the rapture, the age of dispensation of grace as we know it, the church age is over. From that moment until the end of the millennium, everything reverts back under law. There is no salvation in the sense of being adopted, being part of the family of God. The Jews and those in the millennium will become the people of God and not the family of God. Everything reverts back under old covenant. So when Jesus comes, that's it, salvation, as we understand it, by grace is over. That is why the parables of the marriage feast in Matthew 22 and in 25 says that when the door is shut, no one else can come in. If you don't have a wedding garment on, in other words, garments made of white by the blood of the Lamb ?? any other garment, you are going to get kicked out. So when the Lord returns, He comes for his bride, there are not two weddings. There is one wedding for one bride at one time in history. You are either in it or you are not. After that, everything goes back under Law."

Jacob Prasch nods at various points and is in full agreement with everything David Nathan says.

Jacob Prasch: "The wedding is the same as the door being shut in Noah's ark." 

David Nathan: Eschatology 2017 - Part 11 - The Millennium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjpuqbnc9kc

"The question we must ask then, is, if Jesus Christ is Lord over all and King of Kings and he died to save us, why is there a temple? Lets ask the question, because aren't we saved by a new and better covenant? That's right WE are. When the Lord returns for his bride, at the time of the rapture, as I have said over and over and over again, once the rapture takes place, no one for all eternity will ever be saved as we are. He comes for His bride. Jesus is not a Mormon, He is not coming for brides. He is coming for a bride, a one time ceremony, a one time betrothal, and she will rule at His side for ever and ever. When the doors are shut they are shut, that's why I have been very careful to reiterate week after week after week after week, that according to scripture, there is no second chance for salvation as we know it.." (from approximately 29:00).

David Nathan obviously placed extreme importance on this teaching in 2017. His language is emphatic and he had strenuously reiterated this teaching in previous sessions: "again and again.. week after week.." The statement "The Blood of Jesus will profit no one during the Millennium", has been edited out of Nathan's video/s. His sermons have been so heavily edited at this point that it is impossible to verify the context accurately. Nathan seems to have partially retracted/revised his views, and yet at the same time he still maintains his original position. Vain speculations about Israel, are, in my view, tantamount to provoking to the Lord to anger, and this may explain Nathan's problems to some extent. It is very unfortunate that Nathan's videos concerning the millennium remain online. (1 Corinthians 10:22).

I have made a few observations on the Prasch/Nathan millennial view in a previous post.{10} The phrase "the door is shut", as in Noah's ark and the wedding feast is inconsistent in the context of the millennium. This phrase is not applicable, nor does it address any other people or time frame outside the context of the return of Christ and the Church Age. i.e. between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27; Romans 11).

In the case of Noah's ark, when "the door is shut", those outside perish utterly:

Then the LORD shut him in.. And every living thing on the face of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah remained, and those with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:16, 23). Similarly, In Luke 13, the door is shut to those "workers of evil", i.e. the false teachers are cast out. (Luke 13:24-28).

The same thing applies in Luke 13. Once the door is shut, those outside are utterly rejected and without hope:

Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out." (Luke 13: 24-28). 

David Nathan separates "the people of God" from "the family of God" during the millennium. The nature of NT believers is described by the same predicates originally applied to those under the Law in the OT. (1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:5-6). According to David Nathan, millennial believers' relationship with God is somehow reduced because they come under Law, but I see no evidence of this in the scriptures. (Revelation 21:7). The phrase "the people of God", encompasses a number of different aspects of the unique relationship between God and his people.

For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. (Isaiah 63:16 cf. Ephesians 1:2; Romans 1:7).

There are many verses that refer to both OT Israelites and NT Christians as "the people of God".

Old Testament: Exodus 3:7, 10; 6:7; Leviticus 26:12; Ruth 1:16; 2 Chronicles 6:5-6; Jeremiah 31:31-33

New Testament: Luke 22:19-20; see Hebrews 7:22; 8:6-13; 9:15-22; 10:10-31; 11:25; 12:24; 13:20-21; John 1:12-13; 10:7-9, 14-16; Acts 10-11, 15; Romans 9-11; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 1 John 5:11-13

There is a parallel between 2 Corinthians 6:16 and Exodus 37:27: I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The statement that millennial Jews and Gentiles will not be saved under grace because the marriage feast is over is extremely problematic. Critically, Israel are regarded corporately as God's wife during the millennium. (Isaiah 54:5; 62:5; Hosea 2:16).

BW Newton might have been speaking directly into the dangerous millennial views of Prasch and Nathan. His refutation is a perfect response to this false teaching. Below are some excerpts from BW Newton's Book - Israel's Prospects in the Millennium.
https://www.brethrenarchive.org/media/360530/israel_s_prospects_in_the_millennium.pdf 
It is my hope that those who have had this false teaching foisted upon them will consider BW Newton's writings and the ramifications associated with salvation by grace ending upon Christ's return.

"..It has been supposed by some, that because  'the Church of the first-born' enter upon the Church’s corporate standing of glory in the Heavenly City at the commencement of the millennium, therefore, no others can IN THE MILLENNIUM. 23 subsequently be admitted. They have reasoned on the supposition, that when once a corporate position has been formally taken, it is impossible that any individuals should afterward be admitted into that position or its privileges. But is it so? Take Israel for an example. Do they not, at the commencement of the millennium, assume their corporate standing in the earth P Are they not at that time regarded as the earthly Bride, married unto the Lord their God? 'Thy Maker is thy Husband,' [15. liv. 5. See also Is. lxii. 5.] 'Thou shalt call me Ishi,' zle. my husband, [Hosea 'I will betroth thee unto me for ever, [Hosea ii.] Such is the corporate relation of Israel to their God at the commencement of the millennium. But millions of individuals will be added to Israel and be made partakers of their privileges as the millennium proceeds. It is, therefore, untrue that the possession of a corporate standing necessarily forbids the addition of individuals. Abundant examples of the reverse may be found both in the arrangements of men and of God. In the personal glory of 'the Church of the first-born,' the millennial saints will see an example and pledge of their own personal glory: in the collective glory of the Heavenly City, they will see an example and pledge of that collective glory which they will finally inherit in the new heavens and new earth. After the Scripture has described the introduction of the Heavenly City into the new earth, revelation ceases. Beyond that period we cannot go, for Scripture is silent.  Of the New Heavens and New Earth however we can confidently say that they will be perfect according to the perfectness of Christ and of God. Nothing that is of the likeness of the first Adam will be found there. 24 rsnsnL’s rnosrnc'rs This present earth was formed in adaptation to the first Adam who was taken from it; but the new Earth will be made in adaptation to the glory of Him who is the Lord from Heaven. Nothing in the new earth will be unworthy of the heavenly glory of Christ nor of the heavenly glory of the redeemed. Nothing in it will be unsuited to the unearthly glory and holiness of the Heavenly City. It will be as much adapted to the existence of spiritual and glorified bodies, as this earth is adapted to the existence of earthly bodies. Yet this is not the only sphere of the glory of the redeemed. They will have other glories, other mansions in their Father’s house, above the heavens.  'The name of their God, and the name of the City of their God,' and the new name of Christ, their Saviour, will alike be written on them. In other words, they shall have title of access not only to the Heavenly City and new earth, but also into that circle of glory which pertains to God as God, and into that circle of glory which pertains to Christ as the Son of man risen and glorified and made the Head over all things. The prayer of the Lord Jesus as recorded in the seventeenth of John embodies the same truth. True heavenly unity—true heavenly glory is there declared to be the final portion of all who should believe. The words 'bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh,' involve the same truth. Indeed He who has Christ has all things. And is not Christ the portion of all the redeemed? We must fail in a proper apprehension of revealed Truth if we err respecting the final condition of the redeemed. Hence the importance of seeing that the millennium is not the final sphere. The millennial earth is not the place where the redeemed family of IN THE MILLENNIUM. 25 God are to be knit into their final unity of blessing. It is not the place where the flesh will cease to be. It is not the place where the glory of the Bride of the Lamb is to be displayed. It is not “'the dispensation of the fulness of times' for (619) which, says the Apostle, God 'hath headed up for Himself all things in Christ.' The joy of the millennium, like the wine at the marriage-feast of Cana, will fail, for black apostasy will mark its close. What if there were no one able to say, 'Behold, I make all things new'? What if the Son of Man were not also the living God? But He is; and therefore there will again spring light out of darkness —joy out of sorrow—life out of death. All will then be ready to say, 'Thou hast kept the good wine until now.' It will be joy greater than all former joys— joy too that will never pass away or be in any wise impaired, for the creature will no longer think, or act, or feel, apart from the might and all-sufficiency of the great I AM. God will be 'all in all.'

APPENDIX C

Some have said that millennial Israel cannot reign with Christ, because they do not suffer with Him. It is true, indeed, that they will not share in the millennial reign of Christ: but what text is there that makes the living in a dispensation of sufi'ering, or the enduring any particular kind or amount of sufi‘ering, necessary to the sharing in that final and everlasting glory which in the fifth of the Romans is expressed by the words, 'reigning in life' P The Apostles who wrote in and
for a dispensation in which suffering for Christ is the appointed lot, and also the distinctive mark of Christ’s true people, often, when referring to the sufferings, refer also to the glory which is to follow those sufi'erings. But why? First, in the way of consolation, as when St. Paul says to Timothy, 'If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him' —that is, though we suffer
yet let us not be dismayed: let us not merely think of the sufferings, but also of the glory that is to follow. Secondly, the Apostles speak of sufferings for Christ as a necessary badge of true saintship in this dispensation, when multitudes who profess His name refuse to take up their cross, and prefer to serve the world and sin. Thus when the Apostle says, 'If so be we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together,' no contrast is intended with the saints of another dispensation. The contrast is only with those who in this dispensation refuse to suffer the reproach of Truth.
But although there is no text which makes any suffering except that of the great Substitute necessary to the final inheritance of glory, (else how could infants who die in infancy be glorified?) and although it is 38 APPENDIX c. true that millennial Israel will not suffer as we now do, yet it must be remembered that millennial Israel also will know what it is to be hated for Christ’s sake. Their first typical deliverance was when all the hosts of Egypt were seeking to swallow them up—their last deliverance will be when Satan, loosed for a little season will have summoned all nation of the earth against them—'the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.' Rev. xx. 8. Israel will not indeed become their prey : but will not their hearts mourn at the sight of so great an evil? They will not, therefore, be unexercised about others’ sin. And though sin will never be allowed to have dominion over their hearts and ways, yet it will still be in them. They will still have to say, 'In me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing'— they will still have to 'crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts.' They will still be required to deny themselves. Their cup, therefore, is not unmingled, nor will be, until they shall be able experimentally to say, 'All former things have passed away.

1.   https://www.toughquestionsanswered.org/2017/10/02/what-are-the-three-different-views-on-the-millennium-in-revelation-20/
2.   http://www.plymouthbrethren.org/article/11505
3.   https://www.stempublishing.com/authors/darby/PROPHET/02011E.html
4.   https://bibletruthpublishers.com/israel-apos-the-manner-of-its-accomplishment/john-nelson-darby-jnd/collected-writings-of-j-n-darby-prophetic-1/la62227
5.   https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/srn/romans-11.html
6.   http://regal-network.com/dispensationalism/files/pdfs/Seven-Age%20Dispensationalism.pdf
7.   https://youtu.be/UPNqKXRC8c0
8.   https://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com/2018/07/jacob-prasch-make-up-your-mind-how-long.html
9.   https://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com/2019/04/is-jacob-prasch-fake-jew.html
10. https://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com/2019/04/jacob-prasch-david-nathan-marco.html

Further Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq5pI9dmQoM&list=PLAskcQf_UiNahXQPghynI8Y28TH-Hajvf&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zxVlGaSoVo&list=PLAskcQf_UiNahXQPghynI8Y28TH-Hajvf&index=4
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/dispensational-premillennialism-the-dispensationalist-era
http://www.messianicgoodnews.org/a-biblical-critique-of-the-two-fold-theory-of-dispensationalism-the-distinction-between-israel-and-the-church/

NAR APOSTLE TODD WHITE REGARDING SOZO: INNER HEALING IS NOT NECESSARY

New Apostolic Reformation Apostle and false teacher Todd White speaks out against Sozo and says something right for a change.

Bethel Sozo claims to be an inner healing and deliverance ministry. Bethel define Sozo as “a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry in which the main aim is to get to the root of those things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” {1}





1. https://www.bethelsozo.org.uk/sozo