MIKE BICKLE: NAR FALSE TEACHER AND ALLEGED SERIAL ABUSER OF WOMEN

Mike Bickle, founder of the NAR cult known as the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women spanning several decades. Allegedly the leaders of IHOP have attempted to discuss the allegations with Bickle directly "in the spirit of Matthew 18:15-17" but were rebuffed. It is also alleged that Bickle attempted to intimidate, isolate, manipulate, and discredit his victims.1  Since Bickle's alleged misconduct has spanned "several decades" it is difficult to understand how it has suddenly come to light without the prior knowledge of IHOP leaders? A common practice is for abusive leaders and their cronies to close ranks and intimidate victims into silence for the sake of their reputation. However, after the previous scandals with Ravi Zacharias, Hillsong, Hybels, etc. this tactic is no longer an option, and church elders need to be seen to be doing the right thing. These accusations echo the disgraceful scandal of Ravi Zacharias (RZIM) who abused women for decades while operating under the guise of a high-profile and much-respected Christian teacher. 

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is an insidious global cult with tentacles infiltrating many denominations worldwide. It is widely known as a theological movement and is not an official organization with formal membership. This ambiguity has given various leaders within the movement a convenient loophole in which to engage in damage control and deny their association with it. The smoke and mirrors employed by those associated with the NAR is widely recognized. Many evangelical and charismatic leaders are entitled narcissists who are under the delusion that they are unaccountable. Leaders like Michael Brown, Bill Johnson, and Mike Bickle have even denied the existence of the NAR, claiming that it is a myth. However, they have been hard-pressed to uphold these denials. Bickle has been reticent about referring to himself as an "Apostle" and yet he is widely known as such. 

The NAR was originally identified as such by false teacher C. Peter Wagner (deceased), who was the "Presiding Apostle" of the International Coalition of Apostles. A basic tenet of the NAR is restorationism i.e. the dubious claim that the offices of apostle and prophet were lost in the early church and must be restored. NAR deceivers allege that God’s intended form of church governance is via apostles and prophets who have authority over evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

The NAR is promoted by Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar Television, GOD TV, Charisma magazine, IHOP and Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The leaders associated with the NAR include false teachers Bill Johnson (Bethel Church, Redding, CA), Che Ahn, Mike Bickle, Randy Clark, Todd Bentley, Lou Engle and Bill Hamon. 

King David anointing!

Bickle has always been a false teacher. He was previously the charismatic leader of the aberrant group known as the "Kansas City Prophets" in the 1980s and 1990s. The list of "prophets" included various questionable characters like Bob Jones, Paul Cain, Bill Hamon, Larry Randolph, James Goll, Jill Austin, and John Paul Jackson. John Wimber provided some oversight from the Vineyard Movement during the first few years.2 Bickle claims that IHOP was formed as a direct fulfillment of a "prophecy" he received from disgraced sexual abuser and false prophet Bob Jones in 1983.3  Jones prophesied that God would raise up a Kansas City prayer and worship movement “in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David” that would be made up of thousands of Christian young adults. 

Bickle's eschatology is as skewed as the rest of his blather. He is under the common NAR delusion that there will be an end-time harvest of one billion souls, and he envisages a conquering church during an “eschatological revolution” resulting in the salvation of Israel and the largest mission in history. The billion soul harvest "prophecy" also originated with false prophet Bob Jones. Bickle claims that he is preparing an elite end-time army of Christians who will triumph during the Antichrist’s global rule during the great tribulation.  These dangerous ideas are in direct contradiction to the teaching of Jesus Christ who prophesied that Christians will be persecuted and martyred during this pivotal time in history. (Revelation 22:18-19). 

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. (Revelation 12:17 cf. Revelation 14:12).

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. (Revelation 13:7).

Like many other NAR leaders, Bickle claims to have had various visions of heaven and prophetic encounters, including hearing the audible voice of God. He designates the end-time church the "David generation" and claims that he and his fellow charismatic leaders will form the "tabernacle of David"  .."God will raise up the tabernacle of David based on Amos 9:11."4

Bickle referred to his "first prophetic encounter" in 1976 in which he compared himself to King David, and alleged that the Lord showed him that Psalm 18 "would be a very important part of my life and messaging..  my 'greatness' would be related to receiving God's gentleness and responding to my adversaries in gentleness."4

Bickle's demonic black horse of accusation

In 1984 Bickle claims to have been kicked by a demonic "black horse" whilst allegedly communicating with Michael the Archangel. "Michael the Archangel said that 'when I went to the east', I would be attacked with demonic rage by the black horse." 4  Bickle associates the metaphor of the black horse with "a demonic attack of accusation" from within the church. This narrative has the effect of deterring accusations of any kind whether genuine or not and is a cultish self-preservation tactic. There are credible reports that anyone who makes an accusation against Bickle or any leader at IHOP is labelled "demonic" and is persecuted. In a recent sermon on October 20th, it appears that Bickle anticipated that these recent accusations would come against him, and he repeated the metaphor of the "black horse" in conjunction with Revelation 12:10. In effect Bickle has put his own slant on the much-abused term used by false teachers "touch not mine anointed" in order to deflect accusations. (1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15).

Bickle: "Satan’s most effective weapon in the end times is accusation and he turns whispered innuendoes into hostile accusations that destroy lives and relationships.. the church is approaching the most glorious and challenging hour in history with the dragon (black horse) breathing on many to accuse and betray each other.”4

It is necessary that accusations against elders are addressed biblically in order to avoid the kind of cultish environment and abuse we have seen in many so-called "churches". We should dismiss hearsay or careless accusations against elders that are not corroborated, but the scriptures are clear, where there are two or three witnesses, accusations should be properly addressed. A leader who refuses to submit to the Matthew 18:15-17 process should be rejected as a credible minister of the gospel. 

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. (1 Timothy 5:19).

If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17 cf. Deuteronomy 19:15-19).

Bickle's practice of not defending himself against accusations based on 1 Samuel 24:5 is erroneous and is taken out of context. David refused to physically harm Saul, but he did in fact defend himself verbally against Saul's accusations. (1 Samuel 24:9-15). The apostle Paul defended himself against the accusations of the Jews (Acts 26:2), and he gave a sustained defense of his apostleship in 2 Corinthians 11:1–12:13.  Paul did not take the passive attitude "God will defend me" by ignoring various accusations against him, although he undoubtedly did trust the Lord. Wisdom is needed for every situation we come up against and we should not take a "one size fits all"  approach, but I guess if "God" told Bickle not to defend himself that settles it!  People within IHOP and beyond need to begin to consider whether Bickle's narrative is biblical. (1 John 4:1; Colossians 2:18-19).   

The victim blaming culture at IHOP

While the leaders of IHOP congratulate themselves on putting procedures into place, it appears that there is some skepticism within the IHOP congregation regarding a fair outcome. Various allegations of past mishandling of sexual abuse cases have come to light according to the Roys Report.5  The so-called "honor culture" existent within certain churches facilitates abuses of power and exploitative environments where victims of either spiritual and/or sexual abuse are afraid to speak out publicly.

Ministry Safe (Responding to an Allegation): "In any allegation response, adopting a ‘victim-centric’ approach is fundamental.. False allegations are rare; academic studies indicate 92% to 98% of outcries are real and factual. Your church should assume the allegation received is likely factual, and multiple (unknown) victims might exist, whether the alleged victim is male or female."6

 

Should Christians trust an ecumenical leader?  

Should Chistians trust a leader who promotes contemplative prayer? 

Bickle quotes:

“The Protestant wing of the western church, which is a tiny percentage of the Body of Christ…, is nearly completely (98%) unaware that the Holy Spirit is restoring contemplative prayer—center stage—to the church… The Holy Spirit is restoring this precious jewel (contemplative prayer) to the body of Christ. This is the God ordained means of attaining the fullness of God.”

“Every one in the Body Of Christ is called to live lives of contemplative prayer…” 

“Everybody is called to live in the contemplative lifestyle. Everyone! Everyone! Everyone! That’s one of the great strongholds we have to overcome (resistance to contemplative prayer)." 7

My advice to any true believer associated with IHOP is to run! We are instructed in no uncertain terms to mark and avoid false teachers! (Romans 16:17).

1. Mike Bickle accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women | Church & Ministries News (christianpost.com)2. Apostolic-Prophetic Movement - Wikipedia
3. Bob Jones University Told Sex Abuse Victims It Was Their Fault: Report | HuffPost College
4. Notes Bickle Sermon.pdf(Review) - Adobe cloud storage
5. IHOPKC Announces Investigation, But Victims Remain Wary (julieroys.com)
6. ARTICLE-6-Responding-Well-6.15.20.pdf (ministrysafe.com)
7. The Dangers of Centering / Contemplative Prayer and Mind Control - Christian Observer

Further Links

The False Teachings of Mike Bickle and IHOP - THE NARROW PATH
HIM Conference exposes Bill Johnson’s NAR ties & Michael Brown’s lies? (churchwatchcentral.com)
(83) EP 109 | The Truth About the NAR w/ Holly Pivec and Doug Geivett | Redeeming Truth - YouTube
Culture of Honor | bewatchful.org
Timeline of events and resources on Mike Bickle scandal and the evangelical leadership culture of ‘cover-up’. (churchwatchcentral.com)
Petition · STAND WITH US: Open Letter to the IHOPKC Leadership · Change.org

CHRIS ROSEBROUGH''S STAGGERING SELF-CONTRADICTIONS! EZEKIEL 37-38

(54) F4F | A Biblical Perspective on Israel and Prophecy - YouTube

Chris Rosebrough's staggering self-contradictions! 

In the above video, Lutheran teacher and broadcaster Chris Rosebrough gives his take on Ezekiel 37-38 and Israel in bible prophecy. Rosebrough often asks what false teachers are talking about.. but we might ask him the same question.

Rosebrough (2023): "Ezekiel 37 is not a prophecy of the restoration of the nation-state of Israel.. This is a prophecy regarding the resurrection of the dead, not a resurrection of the nation-state of Israel in 1948. It is a misappropriation of the text to make it be anything other than that." (1:17 mark)

Rosebrough (2013): "The immediate fulfillment of this prophecy was not that the exiles were raised from the dead, but that the house of Israel was raised from the dead and brought out of exile into the land of Israel and was reestablished as a nation. ..This text is really a prophecy about God resurrecting the dead nation of Israel that ceased to exist as a nation because they were now in exile. That's what this is about. If you make it about something else.. then you are missing the whole point of the text.. (See note) (56) Louie Giglio Twists Ezekiel 37 at Passion 2013 - YouTube (11:00 mark)

Note: I have assumed that Rosebrough was not referring to 538 BC when the Jews in Babylon were allowed to return to the land of Judah due to Cyrus' decree. (Ezra 2:1-2). If this is what he was referring to then it is ill-founded. Ezekiel 37 identifies the land of Israel as a whole i.e. Judah and Ephraim (Ezekiel 37:15-29). Judah became the Persian province of Yehud Medinata following the return from Babylonian captivity. The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (Hebrew: הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948. 

Rosebrough describes Jesus' stinging condemnation of the Oral Torah/Law as taught by the Pharisees from approximately 200 BC. The Oral Torah is given predominance by rabbinic Orthodox Jews of today making them guilty of adding to the statutes and ordinances given to Moses on Mount Sinai. (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Matthew 23:1-36). 

Rosebrough observed that the modern state of Israel is in rank rebellion and idolatry, and he drew attention to the Buddha statue at the "Supernova Sukkot Gathering", the site of the Hamas massacre on the 7th of October. The "Supernova Sukkot Gathering" is the open-air psychedelic trance music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot near the Re'im kibbutz. Videos show the chilling spectacle of young Israelis dancing to trance music under a giant Buddha statue and prayer flags. 1 

Rosebrough makes a distinction between the genetic descendants of Abraham and those who have the same faith as Abraham, i.e. Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ. (52:00 mark). He quotes from Romans 9: For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.. (Romans 9:6-8 cf. Galatians 3:27-29).

Rosebrough: "The genetic people of Israel who do not believe, who do not worship according to scripture and deny Jesus as the Messiah - they are not part of true Israel - at all. They may be genetically related to Israel, but true Israel are those who have the same faith as Abraham, the Yahwehists, not the Pharisaical Jews or the Hasidic Jews.."  (59:00 mark)  

Rosebrough acknowledges that true Israel was founded upon the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and he says that he rejects replacement theology (supersessionism). Nevertheless, he fails to acknowledge specific future promises concerning ethnic Israel ~ as such, he is a supersessionist by definition. Supersessionist theology is the belief that God does not have specific plans for the nation of Israel and that Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus Christ have replaced ethnic Israel as the people of God.

Below are various promises given to ethnic Israel.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25).  

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! ..I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:11-12, 25-29 cf. Isaiah 59:20).  

"And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 59:20).

By "all Israel" Paul is referring to one-third of the Jewish people who will cry out to God in repentance during the great tribulation, the time known as "Jacobs Trouble" following the midpoint of the 70th week of Daniel. (Matthew 24:21). Although they are in unbelief at the present time, a remnant of ethnic Jews will be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Romans 11:24). 

I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:7-8).

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:1-4 cf. Isaiah 11:59-62;  ).

Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of hosts is his name: “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10).

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:30-31).

..Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” (Ezekiel 37:21-28).

In my view, Ezekiel 38 is the eschatological battle at the end of the millennium cross-referenced in Revelation 20. The reason I hold this view is that Ezekiel 38 describes Israel dwelling securely. Many pre-tribulation rapture speculators claim that the Gog/Magog battle will happen in the near future. However, since it is highly unlikely that Israel will be at peace prior to the return of Jesus Christ this view is implausible. 

This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates— in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’ (Ezekiel 38:10-12).

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore. And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10).

This is an appropriate time to point out that Lutheran theology is amillennial. 2 Problematically Lutheran theology is based on a non-literal interpretation of Revelation 20:1-7 regarding a literal thousand-year period following the second coming of Jesus Christ. The amillennial position views the millennium as “realized” i.e. the 1,000 years allegedly occurs during the church age. Amillennialists believe that the second advent of Jesus Christ will be followed by the last judgement and the eternal state. The amillennial view was established in the 5th century by Augustine of Hippo, and was the primary view of most of the reformers in the 16th century. It should be noted that the dominant view of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, including Irenaeus, Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian and Hippolytus was historic premillennialism. Historic premillennialism (known in the early church as chiliasm) is the literal futuristic view that the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur prior to the thousand-year reign subsequent to the great apostasy. 

A critical concern about Lutheran doctrine that has major implications regarding salvation by grace through faith is their belief in baptismal regeneration which is an unbiblical throwback to Roman Catholicism. (Ephesians 2:8). It was a very bad day when Chris Rosebrough became a Lutheran. False doctrines inevitably come back to bite us! They are even more egregious when they are propagated by those who claim to be "watchmen" who call out false teachers in the church! (Matthew 7:5).

1. Re'im music festival massacre - Wikipedia
2. The Augsburg Confession - Evangelical Lutheran Synod (els.org)

Further Links:

(68) About Replacement Theology: Romans 11:25-32 - YouTube

(66) Premillennialism Answering Amillennialism - Dr. Alan Kurschner - YouTube

JOE SCHIMMEL: MUSLIM ANTICHRIST DEBUNKED

(58) The Coming Muslim Antichrist & the False Prophet? - YouTube

Very sadly Joe Schimmel has joined the speculators and has not taken the time to do his due diligence regarding the subject of the Antichrist. Many so-called "prophecy experts" have had a knee-jerk reaction to the recent tragic events in Israel and are engaging in sloppy exegesis. Schimmel's eschatology has always been problematic and he has mistaught the book of Revelation for years. In general terms, Schimmel's teaching has deteriorated, and his badly prepared sermons are delivered at warp speed in an almost crazed manner. The reason given for his failure to deliver clear concise teaching is that he is working against the clock. However, it seems the more likely cause of his poor presentation technique is due to a lack of discipline and preparation.  

The people of the prince who is to come 

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 Arab auxiliaries mentioned by both Tacitus and Josephus were about 6,000 in number, compared to the 60,000 Roman soldiers who came against Jerusalem in 70AD. Chris White points out that only about 10% of the soldiers in 70AD could have been considered non-Roman. 

Chris White: "It should be noted here that the reason people joined the auxiliaries was so they could be awarded Roman citizenship at the end of their term of service. The other 54,000 men were all Roman citizens from the 3rd, 5th, 10th, 12th , 15th , and 18th Legions. Since it was required that a soldier must be a Roman citizen to be in the legionnaires, we can be pretty sure that these 54,000 men were, in fact, Roman citizens.." 

David Reagan: “A good example of [this kind of] tortuous logic can be found in [an] attempt to explain away the meaning of Daniel 9:26.. This is really grasping at straws in the wind! It doesn’t matter whether or not the legions were composed of Australian Aborigines, it was the Roman government that decided to destroy Jerusalem, it was the Roman government that gave the orders, and it was Roman generals who carried out the destruction. Rome was the rod of God’s judgment and it is from the Roman people that the Antichrist will arise.” 1  

Daniel 11:40-45

Schimmel fails to even mention Daniel 11:40-45. In this critcal passage, the Antichrist turns against the Muslim enemies of Israel and he destroys Egypt, Libya, and an Arab coalition including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, and others. Furthermore, when the Antichrist invades Israel to take his throne, his primary targets are the Islamic nations surrounding Israel.

At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. (Daniel 11:40-45).

We arrive at sound eschatology from the scriptures, not by making false comparisons with the Quran!

I recommend Chris White's comprehensive critique of this view:

Islamic_Antichrist_Debunked_Chris_White.pdf (bibleprophecytalk.com)

1. Daniel 9:26 and a Muslim Antichrist - The Christian Thinker (christianworldviewpress.com)

FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS: SOME PRIVATE ENORMITIES OF THE INQUISITION LAID OPEN, BY A VERY SINGULAR OCCURENCE

When the crown of Spain was contested for in the beginning of the present century, by two princes, who equally pretended to the sovereignty, France espoused the cause of one competitor, and England of the other.

The duke of Berwick, a natural son of James II who abdicated England, commanded the Spanish and French forces, and defeated the English at the celebrated battle of Almanza. The army was then divided into two parts; the one consisting of Spaniards and French, headed by the duke of Berwick, advanced towards Catalonia; the other body, consisting of French troops only, commanded by the duke of Orleans, proceeded to the conquest of Arragon.
As the troops drew near to the city of Arragon, the magistrates came to offer the keys to the duke of Orleans; but he told them haughtily that they were rebels, and that he would not accept the keys, for he had orders to enter the city through a breach.
He accordingly made a breach in the walls with his cannon, and then entered the city through it, together with his whole army. When he had made every necessary regulation here, he departed to subdue other places, leaving a strong garrison at once to overawe and defend, under the command of his lieutenant-general M. de Legal. This gentleman, though brought up a Roman Catholic, was totally free from superstition; he united great talents with great bravery; and was the skilful officer, and accomplished gentleman.
The duke, before his departure, had ordered that heavy contributions should be levied upon the city in the following manner:

\\1. That the magistrates and principal inhabitants should pay a thousand crowns per month for the duke's table.
\\2. That every house should pay one pistole, which would monthly amount to 18,000 pistoles.
\\3. That every convent and monastery should pay a donative, proportionable to its riches and rents.

The two last contributions to be appropriated to the maintenance of the army.
The money levied upon the magistrates and principal inhabitants, and upon every house, was paid as soon as demanded; but when the persons applied to the heads of convents and monasteries, they found that the ecclesiastics were not so willing, as other people, to part with their cash.
Of the donatives to be raised by the clergy:
The College of Jesuits to pay - 2000 pistoles.
Carmelites, - 1000
Augustins, - 1000
Dominicans, - 1000

M. de Legal sent to the Jesuits a peremptory order to pay the money immediately. The superior of the Jesuits returned for answer that for the clergy to pay money for the army was against all ecclesiastical immunities; and that he knew of no argument which could authorize such a procedure. M. de Legal then sent four companies of dragoons to quarter themselves in the college, with this sarcastic message. "To convince you of the necessity of paying the money, I have sent four substantial arguments to your college, drawn from the system of military logic; and, therefore, hope you will not need any further admonition to direct your conduct."
These proceedings greatly perplexed the Jesuits, who despatched an express to court to the king's confessor, who was of their order; but the dragoons were much more expeditious in plundering and doing mischief, than the courier in his journey: so that the Jesuits, seeing everything going to wreck and ruin, thought proper to adjust the matter amicably, and paid the money before the return of their messenger. The Augustins and Carmelites, taking warning by what had happened to the Jesuits, prudently went and paid the money, and by that means escaped the study of military arguments, and of being taught logic by dragoons.
But the Dominicans, who were all familiars of, or agents dependent on, the Inquisition, imagined that that very circumstance would be their protection; but they were mistaken, for M. de Legal neither feared nor respected the Inquisition. The chief of the Dominicans sent word to the military commander that his order was poor, and had not any money whatever to pay the donative; for, says he, "The whole wealth of the Dominicans consists only in the silver images of the apostles and saints, as large as life, which are placed in our church, and which it would be sacrilege to remove."
This insinuation was meant to terrify the French commander, whom the inquisitors imagined would not dare to be so profane as to wish for the possession of the precious idols.
He, however, sent word that the silver images would make admirable substitutes for money, and would be more in character in his possession, than in that of the Dominicans themselves, "For [said he] while you possess them in the manner you do at present, they stand up in niches, useless and motionless, without being of the least benefit to mankind in general, or even to yourselves; but, when they come into my possession, they shall be useful; I will put them in motion; for I intend to have them coined, when they may travel like the apostles, be beneficial in various places, and circulate for the universal service of mankind."
The inquisitors were astonished at this treatment, which they never expected to receive, even from crowned heads; they therefore determined to deliver their precious images in a solemn procession, that they might excite the people to an insurrection. The Dominican friars were accordingly ordered to march to de Legal's house, with the silver apostles and saints, in a mournful manner, having lighted tapers with them and bitterly crying all the way, "heresy, heresy."
M. de Legal, hearing these proceedings, ordered four companies of grenadiers to line the street which led to his house; each grenadier was ordered to have his loaded fuzee in one hand, and a lighted taper in the other; so that the troops might either repel force with force, or do honor to the farcical solemnity.
The friars did all they could to raise the tumult, but the common people were too much afraid of the troops under arms to obey them; the silver images were, therefore, of necessity delivered up to M. de Legal, who sent them to the mint, and ordered them to be coined immediately.
The project of raising an insurrection having failed, the inquisitors determined to excommunicate M. de Legal, unless he would release their precious silver saints from imprisonment in the mint, before they were melted down, or otherwise mutilated. The French commander absolutely refused to release the images, but said they should certainly travel and do good; upon which the inquisitors drew up the form of excommunication, and ordered their secretary to go and read it to M. de Legal.
The secretary punctually performed his commission, and read the excommunication deliberately and distinctly. The French commander heard it with great patience, and politely told the secretary that he would answer it the next day.
When the secretary of the Inquisition was gone, M. de Legal ordered his own secretary to prepare a form of excommunication, exactly like that sent by the Inquisition; but to make this alteration, instead of his name to put in those of the inquisitors.
The next morning he ordered four regiments under arms, and commanded them to accompany his secretary, and act as he directed.
The secretary went to the Inquisition, and insisted upon admittance, which, after a great deal of altercation, was granted. As soon as he entered, he read, in an audible voice, the excommunication sent by M. de Legal against the inquisitors. The inquisitors were all present, and heard it with astonishment, never having before met with any individual who dared to behave so boldly. They loudly cried out against de Legal, as a heretic; and said, "This was a most daring insult against the Catholic faith." But to surprise them still more, the French secretary told them that they must remove from their present lodgings; for the French commander wanted to quarter the troops in the Inquisition, as it was the most commodious place in the whole city.
The inquisitors exclaimed loudly upon this occasion, when the secretary put them under a strong guard, and sent them to a place appointed by M. de Legal to receive them. The inquisitors, finding how things went, begged that they might be permitted to take their private property, which was granted; and they immediately set out for Madrid, where they made the most bitter complaints to the king; but the monarch told them that he could not grant them any redress, as the injuries they had received were from his grandfather, the king of France's troops, by whose assistance alone he could be firmly established in his kingdom. "Had it been my own troops, [said he] I would have punished them; but as it is, I cannot pretend to exert any authority."
In the mean time, M. de Legal's secretary set open all the doors of the Inquisition, and released the prisoners, who amounted in the whole to four hundred; and among these were sixty beautiful young women, who appeared to form a seraglio for the three principal inquisitors.
This discovery, which laid the enormity of the inquisitors so open, greatly alarmed the archbishop, who desired M. de Legal to send the women to his palace, and he would take proper care of them; and at the same time he published an ecclesiastical censure against all such as should ridicule, or blame, the holy office of the Inquisition.
The French commander sent word to the archbishop, that the prisoners had either run away, or were so securely concealed by their friends, or even by his own officers, that it was impossible for him to send them back again; and, therefore, the Inquisition having committed such atrocious actions, must now put up with their exposure.
Some may suggest, that it is strange crowned heads and eminent nobles did not attempt to crush the power of the Inquisition, and reduce the authority of those ecclesiastical tyrants, from whose merciless fangs neither their families nor themselves were secure.
But astonishing as it is, superstition hath, in this case, always overcome common sense, and custom operated against reason. One prince, indeed, intended to abolish the Inquisition, but he lost his life before he became king, and consequently before he had the power so to do; for the very intimation of his design procured his destruction.
This was that amiable prince Don Carlos, son of Philip the Second, king of Spain, and grandson of the celebrated emperor Charles V. Don Carlos possessed all the good qualities of his grandfather, without any of the bad ones of his father; and was a prince of great vivacity, admirable learning, and the most amiable disposition. He had sense enough to see into the errors of popery, and abhorred the very name of the Inquisition. He inveighed publicly against the institution, ridiculed the affected piety of the inquisitors, did all he could to expose their atrocious deeds, and even declared, that if he ever came to the crown, he would abolish the Inquisition, and exterminate its agents.
These things were sufficient to irritate the inquisitors against the prince: they, accordingly, bent their minds to vengeance, and determined on his destruction.
The inquisitors now employed all their agents and emissaries to spread abroad the most artful insinuations against the prince; and, at length raised such a spirit of discontent among the people that the king was under the necessity of removing Don Carlos from court. Not content with this, they pursued even his friends, and obliged the king likewise to banish Don John, duke of Austria, his own brother, and consequently uncle to the prince; together with the prince of Parma, nephew to the king, and cousin to the prince, because they well knew that both the duke of Austria, and the prince of Parma, had a most sincere and inviolable attachment to Don Carlos.
Some few years after, the prince having shown great lenity and favor to the Protestants in the Netherlands, the Inquisition loudly exclaimed against him, declaring, that as the persons in question were heretics, the prince himself must necessarily be one, since he gave them countenance. In short, they gained so great an ascendency over the mind of the king, who was absolutely a slave to superstition, that, shocking to relate, he sacrificed the feelings of nature to the force of bigotry, and, for fear of incurring the anger of the Inquisition, gave up his only son, passing the sentence of death on him himself.
The prince, indeed, had what was termed an indulgence; that is, he was permitted to choose the manner of his death. Roman-like, the unfortunate young hero chose bleeding and the hot bath; when the veins of his arms and legs were opened, he expired gradually, falling a martyr to the malice of the inquisitors, and the stupid bigotry of his father.

THE GAP THEORY REFUTED: TOM HORN AND DONNA HOWELL

(12) THE EARTH IS BOTH OLD AND YOUNG WITH A PRE GENESIS BATTLE? Tohu, Bohu, and the Chaos Dragon? - YouTube 

SkyWatch TV: "Today, most Christians maintain that the book of Genesis says the Earth is 6,000-10,000 years old at the most. Scientists on the other hand, teach that it is BILLIONS of years old. This discrepancy has not only drawn a line in the sand between faith and science, but has also created a wall between Christian believers. But what if we told you a different explanation that combines Old Earth Evidence, Young Earth Evidence, Scientific Evidence together into ONE harmonious conclusion? How can the Earth be old and young at the same time, and what does this have to do with Lucifer?"

The Gap Theory: Harmonise or Compromise?

The above video promotes a new book written by Donna Howell and Thomas Horn Before Genesis which the authors anticipate will cause a theological war. It appears that this book has been released at this time as a deliberate provocation to the widely held beliefs of traditional Christians. 

The gap theory (also known as gap creationism, ruin-restoration creationism, or restoration creationism) are speculative ideas originally introduced by Thomas Chalmers in 1814. Chalmers hatched the novel idea that there is a gap of unknown but lengthy duration between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Gap theorists argue that God judged this earlier creation due to Lucifer's rebellion. The gap theory claims to harmonize the conflict between the scriptures and the alleged long geologic ages, particularly with regard to the fossil records. 

The most notable proponent of the gap theory was GH Pember who was affiliated with the Plymouth Brethren and author of Earth's Earliest Ages (first published in 1876). Pember incorrectly identified the six days of Genesis 1 as "six days of restoration" rather than six days of creation. These ideas were also developed by Arthur C Custance and Donald Gray Barnhouse in 1970. 

The gap theory was included in the Scofield Reference Bible which popularized dispensationalism and became influential during the 20th century. Scofield's annotations alongside Bible verses have been widely challenged.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).  

(alleged gap of millions/billions of years)

Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)Donna Howell: "Why do so many people act as if science and theology are two separate things.. Why is that even a question?"  She goes on to misquote the Herbert Spencer principle: "There is a principle which is a bar against all information which is proof against all argument and which cannot fail to keep man in everlasting ignorance, that principle is church tradition before the open mind." The Herbert Spencer Principle in fact reads: "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”2 Donna's misquote immediately places tension between "church tradition" and "the open mind". Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was, in fact, a philosopher who developed an all-embracing conception of evolution. Wikipedia: "The basis for Spencer's appeal to many of his generation was that he appeared to offer a ready-made system of belief which could substitute for conventional religious faith at a time when orthodox creeds were crumbling under the advances of modern science. Spencer's philosophical system seemed to demonstrate that it was possible to believe in the ultimate perfection of humanity on the basis of advanced scientific conceptions such as the fist law of thermodynamics and biological evolution."3 

The answer to Donna Howell's question: The inerrant and infallible scriptures cannot be compared with knowledge attained by human agencies. Human knowledge or science should be approached with caution, especially when it introduces novel ideas that challenge our understanding of the scriptures. The scriptures themselves warn us of the danger of relying on human knowledge: O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” (1 Timothy 6:20). Strong's: "..knowledge/science From ginosko; knowing (the act), i.e. (by implication) knowledge -- knowledge, science." 4

There is a mountain of evidence that casts serious doubt upon the reliability of various forms of scientific fossil dating: 

Science Daily: "Radiocarbon dating is a key tool archaeologists use to determine the age of plants and objects made with organic material. But new research shows that commonly accepted radiocarbon dating standards can miss the mark -- calling into question historical timelines."5 

Donna Howell obviously knows that carbon dating is very suspect and she goes on to rattle off other specialist areas of research: "...paleomagnetism, river sediments, biostratigraphy.." (19:30 mark)    

The following articles cast doubt on these further specialties:

(PDF) Is paleomagnetic data reliable?: A critical analysis of paleomagnetism (researchgate.net)
(PDF) Biostratigraphy: What have we learnt? (researchgate.net)
Understanding the complexity of sediment residence time in rivers: Application of Fallout Radionuclides (FRNs) - ScienceDirect

j20_1_72-78.pdf (creation.com)

Reports of an agenda amongst academic institutions regarding fossil dating are very troubling. Tas Walker of Creation Ministries International explains that academics are penalized if they publish papers identifying a worldwide flood as the cause of the existence of fossils. The eighty whale fossils found at Cerro Ballena In Chile's Atacama desert in 2010 are a case in point. Tas Walker: "The people who do the research on this, the geologists, they can't say Noah's flood.. or they are cancelled, they lose their accreditation.. You would never get a paper published in that case and if you said that at your university or your research establishment, you would lose funding.."9   

Theological problems with the gap theory

Instead of questioning geological old earth theories, Pember and others inserted highly speculative and problematic ideas into the scriptures.

The gap theory is inconsistent with the doctrine that God created heaven and earth creato ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) approximately six to ten thousand years ago. 

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 20;11a). 

By situating death, disease and suffering prior to the fall, the gap theory throws the entire creation sequence out of sinc. The scriptures state that sin came into the world through one man. The apostle Paul describes Adam's fall as the circumstance necessitating the gospel. If sin and death did not enter the world through Adam, then Christ's sacrifice makes no sense. 

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Hebrew 9:22)

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— (Romans 5:12).

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22).

Ken Ham: "The basis of the Gospel message is that God brought in death and bloodshed because of sin” and “[i]f death and bloodshed of animals (or man) existed before Adam sinned, then the whole basis of atonement — the basis of redemption — is destroyed.”6 

CMI: "Müller points out that this issue is not just vital for the Gospel (see also p. 16). It also directly reinforces the authority of Scripture; with the corollary that old-earth compromise undermines Scripture. It also points to the goodness of God, who did not create a world with death and disease."7

The gap theory is logically inconsistent with uniformitarian geology and its alleged "long ages". According to gap theorists, the fossils were produced rapidly by a massive worldwide Luciferian flood. This contradicts the idea that the fossils were produced over millions or even billions of years. 

The proposal that the Noahic flood was either a local or a "tranquil" event that left no deposits whatsoever severely compromises the biblical narrative in Genesis 6-9. Noah's flood is described as a global event that was violent and destructive. (Genesis 6:13). 

The whole point of the Noahic flood was to cleanse the world of unprecedented evil and provide a new beginning for humanity via Noah and his family. (Genesis 6:5,9). In my view, we cannot realistically accept Tom Horn's suggestion that Lucifer fell in a previous garden if that is what he is suggesting (?)  A proposed pre-Adamic Luciferian flood was concerned, not with the sin of humanity, but with the fall of Lucifer. However, Lucifer was not judged and continued to operate in sin following this alleged event. In other words, nothing was accomplished by an alleged Luciferian flood. Satan will be destroyed at the end of the age. (Revelation 20:10). 

Tom Horn: "Why was the nachash.. the fallen Luciferian angel, Satan, why was he in the garden when Adam and Eve were created.?" (8:00 mark)  "Lucifer was already in the garden when Adam and Eve got there. When did that happen? We know he was kicked out of heaven. Jesus even said 'I beheld Satan like lightning fall from the heavens.' When did that all happen? It didn't happen in the Garden of Eden, it was already past. (28:00 mark)

And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18).

Jamieson: "..the imperfect tense in the original, it should be brought out in the translation: "I was beholding Satan as lightning falling from heaven."

There are various interpretations of Luke 10:18. The context of this verse is the return of the 72 disciples whom Jesus had sent out ahead of him. (Luke 10:1). On their return, they reported: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17).

Some bible scholars take Jesus' words in Luke 10:18 as a partial fulfillment of Satan's ultimate fall, since he still has limited access to heaven at the present time. (Job 1:6-12). Satan will not be finally defeated until he is thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. (Revelation 20:10 cf. Isaiah 14:1;). Although Satan is technically a defeated foe, there are further stages yet to be fulfilled from a finite perspective. (John 12:31-32; Revelation 20:1-3; Revelation 20:10). 

Pulpit Commentary: "Verse 18. - And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. The Lord's words here were prophetic rather than descriptive of what had taken, or was then taking place."8

like lightning from heaven.. could simply be allegorical i.e. Satan (and the fallen angels) were rendered impotent against the message the 72 were authorized to deliver (?)

Ezekiel 28:13-19 is a continuation of the lament over the King of Tyre. These verses appear to compare the human King of Tyre to the anointed guardian cherub in Eden - on the holy mountain of God. Many scholars believe that these verses apply to the fall of Lucifer/Satan which occurred in Eden. If this is the case, then Genesis 2:8 presents a difficulty for gap theorists. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:8). Adam was created outside the garden which was situated on the eastern side of Eden where he was subsequently placed. Eden and the garden within Eden did not exist prior to day three of creation. Gap theorists claim that there was a previous Eden and a prior creation, but the scriptures supply no evidence that this is the case. It therefore appears that Satan's fall occurred within Eden at some point following the third day of creation. 

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.” (Ezekiel 28:13-19).

Barnes: This paragraph describes the planting of the Garden of Eden, and determines its situation. It goes back, therefore, as we conceive, to the third day, and runs parallel with the preceding passage.9

The gap theory is endorsed by various dubious characters including Benny Hinn, Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. It is also endorsed by Timothy Alberino, Gary Stearman (Prophecy Watchers), Derek Gilbert and Ryan Pitterson amongst others. In 2015, Gloria Copeland and her guest Billye Brim took these ideas to a new level with the claim that God made the earth perfect in an alleged "pre-Adamic civilization".9 

A pre-Adamic race? Tom Horn  "..a pre-Adamic race, human like individuals that lived on the earth possibly millions of years ago, during the age when the dinosaurs would have roamed the earth." (26:00 mark)  According to gap theorists, the so-called pre-Adamic civilization could not be corrupted since they did not have souls or fall within the parameters of salvation. This dubious theory is a very convenient way to explain away the presence of human and animal fossils.

The translation of Genesis 1:1-2

The gap theory rests on the case that a full stop appears between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The familiar translation: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void..." (Genesis 1:1-2). is better translated "When God began to create the heavens and earth being formless and void.." In this more accurate translation, God doesn't create out of nothing, he is working with something that already exists i.e. He begins to bring order out of an already existing chaotic situation.

The earth was (hāyâ) without form and void, (tohu and bohu) and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Keil and Delizsch: "And the earth was (not became) waste and void." The alliterative nouns tohu vabohu, the etymology of which is lost, signify waste and empty (barren), but not laying waste and desolating. Whenever they are used together in other places (Isaiah 34:11; Jeremiah 4:23), they are taken from this passage; but tohu alone is frequently employed as synonymous with איך, non-existence, and הבל, nothingness (Isaiah 40:17, Isaiah 40:23; Isaiah 49:4). The coming earth was at first waste and desolate, a formless, lifeless mass, rudis indigestaque moles, ὕληἄμορφος (Wis. 11:17) or χάος.10

tohu = formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
bohu = emptiness     

Genesis 1:2 simply informs us that the earth was formless and empty, not that it became desolate and empty. Pember adopted the word "chaos" as a further descriptive noun in order to make the comparison with "the ancient and widespread doctrine of chaos in the time of our Lord."11 There is no indication in the text that indicates that the world was chaotic. These additional descriptive nouns are superfluous and go beyond the meaning of tohu and bohu . In order to facilitate their presupossitions, various proponents of the gap theory have illegitimately changed the interpretation of hāyâ to became/had become. 

Although hāyâ can be interpreted as become, there are grammatical reasons why this interpretation is invalid in this instance. Charles C Ryrie: "In the present case the verb normally serves as a linking verb ('to be' not 'to become') as in Genesis 1:25 and 3:1 where it could not be understood as 'to become'..  the disjunctive use of the waw seems required because the author apparently is calling the readers attention to something about the earth - now as to the earth it was..  More so while contextual situation may require the translation of hayetah as 'become' such a rendition occurs only 22 of its 1,522 appearances in the Pentateuch.."12   A detailed linguistic and theological assessment of the gap theory with particular reference to Genesis 1:1-2b can be found on the following link: (PDF) A Linguistic and Theological Assessment of the Gap Theory with Particular Reference to Genesis 1:1-2b (researchgate.net)

Further passages with to·hu va·vo·hu

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty (to·hu), he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18). This indicates God's process in creation which was subsequently brought into form and order without a gap of millions or even billions of years.

I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void (to·hu va·vo·hu); and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. (Jeremiah 4:23-27).  The context of this passage indicates a future prophecy of judgement against Judah; it does not revert back literally to Genesis 1:2, but is rather an allusion to it. It is bad hermeneutics to simply find the same wording (tohu va-bohu) and apply it carte blanche according to our own presuppositions.

Unfortunately, Tom Horn, Donna Howell, Derek Gilbert and Timothy Alberino have appeared a number of times on the Jim Bakker Show. Bakker is of course infamous for a number of reasons and is disqualified from the ministry. In 1987 Bakker was accused of sexual misconduct which led to his resignation. In addition, Bakker's illegal misuse of ministry funds eventually led to his imprisonment.13 In 2021 there was further scandal over Bakker's sale of silver solution as an alleged cure for COVID.14 Bakker's latest scheme is peddling emergency doomsday food buckets, hence his nickname "Bucket Jim". (2 Timothy 3:13).15 It is insupportable for any bona fide bible teacher to be associated with Jim Bakker! (1 Corinthians 5:11.) "Reverend" Donna Howell claims to be a "prophet" and is an admirer of Kathryn Khulman which speaks for itself! The constant merchandising of books and videos by Prophecy Watchers and Skywatch TV is another reason to be wary! (2 Peter 2:3). For the most part, the gap theory is relegated to compromised substandard outlets. 

Tom Horn and Donna Howell have released this book under the pretext of evangelization. It is proposed that unbelievers will more readily accept a pre-Adamic Luciferian flood as against the biblical account of the Genesis flood. The church is not called upon to make alterations or adjustments to the scriptures in order to make the gospel more acceptable. (Proverbs 3:5). 

A Luciferian flood is extra-biblical and is not recorded anywhere in the scriptures. To their shame, it appears that gap theorists would rather promote a speculative Luciferian flood as against the scriptural record of Noah's flood in the book of Genesis. In my view, no genuine bible teacher should buy into this defective theory.

1.  Correcting @_magnify & @CosmicSkeptic on Genesis 1:1 (with Two Bible Scholars)

2. William Paley - Wikiquote
3. Herbert Spencer - Wikipedia
4. Strong's Greek: 1108. γνῶσις (gnósis) -- a knowing, knowledge (biblehub.com)
5. Inaccuracies in radiocarbon dating | ScienceDaily

6. Do Old Earth Creation Views Compromise Scripture and Destroy the Gospel Message? | Facts and Faith

7. Young Earth and Flood: Why they matter (creation.com)

8. Luke 10:18 Commentaries: And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. (biblehub.com)

9. Whale Fossils in the Desert - Evidence for a Worldwide Flood?

10. Genesis 2:8 Commentaries: Tshe LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. (biblehub.com

. (7) The Pre-Adamic Civilization - YouTube
11. Genesis 1:2 Commentaries: The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (biblehub.com)
12. (12) The Alberino Analysis Earth's Earliest Ages Episode 1 - YouTube
13. The Gap Theory in Light of Grammar - Genesis 1:2 Word Study - The Disjunctive Conjunction Part Two (gaptheorygrammardcparttwo.blogspot.com)
14. Jim Bakker - Wikipedia
15. Jim Bakker to Pay $156K Over COVID-19 Cure Claim...... | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
16. (27) Pastor Jim Bakker Helps You Stay Alive During the Apocalypse - YouTube

Further Links

Closing the Gap - Listen to Answers in Genesis with Ken Ham - Radio Ministry Sermons (oneplace.com)
The Global Flood of Noah's Day | The Institute for Creation Research (icr.org)
(23) Was Eden on a Mountain? - YouTube
The Gap & Ruin-Reconstruction Theories | Answers in Genesis
Gap Theory Interpretation | Evidence Unseen

CRAZED CULT LEADER JD FARAG PREDICTS THE RAPTURE BEFORE 25TH SEPTEMBER 2023

 (12) “RAPTURE BEFORE Sep 25, 2023?” PASTOR JD Farag - “Rapture before Sep 25, 2023?” - YouTube

Farag: "We may very well be raptured before Monday, September 25th..  It seems to me that they are making a pretty big deal about 2030, and 2030 minus seven is 2023.. By faith I am not going to be available on Monday September 25th, and you won't be either for real. I truly believe with all my heart that the rapture can happen before Monday September 25th."   

This is just the latest in a long line of rants and false prophesies from Farag regarding the timing of the rapture. Farag is behaving more and more like a crazed cult leader and should be avoided by genuine believers. (Romans 16:17).

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 cf. Jeremiah 23:16).

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15).

LEE BRAINARD'S PRE-TRIB WORD GAMES

 (94) The Didache — Explosive Pretrib Information - YouTube

Lee Brainard continues his bogus claim that the early Church Fathers taught a pre-tribulation rapture. On this occasion Brainard's word games have extended to The Didache: The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations. The general consensus is that the Didache is an ancient document written during the first century AD.

The Didache. Chapter 16. Watchfulness; the Coming of the Lord. Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ready, for you know not the hour in which our Lord will come. But come together often, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if you are not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increases, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but those who endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth: first, the sign of an outspreading in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet. And third, the resurrection of the dead -- yet not of all, but as it is said: "The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him." Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. 1 

Imminence

Brainard: "We have no idea whether we have days, months or even a few years left before the rapture". (6:00 mark) Brainard's statement that the rapture could occur within "days and months" is incorrect. Jesus Himself states that the rapture will occur when the tribulation is cut short. (Mathew 24:22). There is a very short window of time in which the rapture will occur after the sixth seal is broken following the tribulation, before the outpouring of God's wrath. (Revelation 6:12-17). 

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. (Matthew 24:36).

Jesus' statement above follows His description of various preceding signs concerning the end of the age in Matthew 24:3-14. Jesus specifically states that the rapture (i.e. the gathering of the elect) will follow the tribulation. Although that specific day and hour is unknown, certain fearful events in the heavens will immediately precede it. This critical information demolishes the pre-trib concept of imminence i.e. the argument that no event must precede the rapture.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31).

Brainard's spurious claim that τελειόω (perfect) and doxazó (glory) are synonyms

Didache 16: But come together often, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if you are not made perfect (τελειόω) in the last time.

Brainard: "In last days contexts, this verb (τελειόω (teleioó) is more or less equivalent to glorified, and it constitutes a reference to the rapture/resurrection." (6:30 mark) Brainard's so-called "legitimate paraphrase" is an absurd attempt to crowbar the rapture into this sentence. It makes no logical sense to say: "for the whole time of your faith will profit you nothing if you are not glorified in the rapture in the last time." In context, this sentence is an exhortation to meet together often and is relevant to "the whole time of your faith". 

The Greek word for glory is δοξάζω (doxazó) = To glorify, honor, bestow glory on. From doxa; to render glorious. 2

Christians are in the process of being made perfect (τετελείωκεν) during this lifetime i.e. they are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14). When the rapture occurs our bodies will be transformed to be like His glorious body i.e. into conformity with the body of His glory. (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:51 cf. 1 John 3:2). 

The Greek word for perfect is τελειόω =  To bring to an end, to complete, perfect

Usage: (a) as a course, a race, or the like: I complete, finish (b) as of time or prediction: I accomplish, (c) I make perfect; pass: I am perfected.

Cognate: 5048 teleióō – to consummate, reaching the end-stage, i.e. working through the entire process (stages) to reach the final phase (conclusion). See 5056 (telos). 3 

Examples of teleióō

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly (τετελειωμένοι) one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:23).

By this is love perfected (τετελείωται) with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (1 John 4:7).

The scriptures are our primary source, not scraps of information mistranslated out of context from the scriptures, the Didache or any other early church document as is Brainard's habit. 

Brainard refers to Theodoret of Cyrus' commentary of Hebrews 11:40. (11:30 mark) 

Theodoret: "God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.. all of these therefore distinguished in godliness, shall be the first to enjoy the resurrection." 

..since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect (τελειῶθωσιν). (Hebrews 11:40). 

Paul confirms the unity and joint perfection (consummation) of Old Testament and New Testament saints at the event we know as the rapture. (1 Thessalonians 4:15). ..the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This information demolishes the pre-trib argument that the rapture of the OT saints will occur separately at Armageddon. 

Matthew Poole: "That they without us should not be made perfect; the final cause of this gracious providence was, that the former and later believers might be completed together; they shall not reach that perfect state of grace and glory by a re-union of their bodies and souls until the general resurrection, when they shall not prevent us, nor we them; but as soon as the trumpet alarms the dead to rise, in the same moment, and twinkling of an eye, shall the living be changed, and all be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall be ever with the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. The ground of which perfection of all believers in all ages being in the last time, is from his choosing them all to be but one body of Christ, and him their Head; so as one member cannot be perfected but in the perfection of the whole, Matthew 8:11 Ephesians 4:4. In which perfection of it, God is resolved to be all in all; not in one, or in some, but when Christ hath subdued all his enemies, and gathered all his members, then shall his body and kingdom be perfected, and God be all in all, 1 Corinthians 15:28."  4 

Partial resurrection at the second coming?

Didache 16: "And third, the resurrection of the dead -- yet not of all." Brainard: "'Yet not of all' refers to the Old Testament saints and the tribulation martyrs that are going to be raised at the second coming. The church is already raised, and when the Lord returns at the second coming, the church is coming with Him." (11:40 mark) The correct (traditional) view is that the Old Testament saints will be resurrected along with the church at the rapture.

..in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Brainard also quotes Eusebius - Fragments in Luke, Migne, vol. 24, p. 561 and Origen - Contra Celsum, 4:29. In all three of these short excerpts from the Church Fathers, the pre-trib rapture is entirely absent. All three agree that "perfection" occurs simultaneously with the rapture at the end of the age. However, none of these Fathers use the word "glorification" as a synonym for "perfection". This spurious assertion is Brainard's own invention.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1). 

Brainard claims that his mission is: "Truth, truth at any cost, truth above any other consideration." I do not regard Brainard merely as an abysmal bible expositor, although that is not in doubt. His teaching is blatantly at odds with the scriptures and equates to false prophecy! The scriptures specifically admonish us not to be deceived regarding end-time events. (Matthew 24:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). Brainard may have achieved some notoriety among naive believers within the pre-trib camp, however, he and his associates are in danger of reaping severe eternal consequences for the offensive pre-trib outrage. (Matthew 24:11).

 

1. Didache. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (translation Roberts-Donaldson). (earlychristianwritings.com)
2. Strong's Greek: 1392. δοξάζω (doxazó) -- 62 Occurrences (biblehub.com)
3. Strong's Greek: 5048. τελειόω (teleioó) -- to bring to an end, to complete, perfect (biblehub.com)
4. Hebrews 11 Matthew Poole's Commentary (biblehub.com)