Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7/15-16)
Jimmy Evans of Daystar infamy continues to spew false teaching despite being exposed and humiliated as a spiritual abuser.1 Evans should have repented and stepped down after this disgraceful debacle, but false teachers do not give up easily. His false teaching on remarriage has probably led many into adulterous marriages, not to mention his blasphemous attempt to sanctify the adulterous marriage of Joni Lamb! Evans is now channeling the entirety of his dubious skills into the pretrib rapture and newspaper eisegesis.
The Restrainer
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).
Evans: "He who now restrains, capital H as in God.. Now the 'he' is the Holy Spirit and the church.." The Bible does not identify "the Holy Spirit and the church" as 'he who now restrains'. (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The identity of "the restrainer" i.e. one who holds back the full manifestation of lawlessness, has been widely debated with interpretations ranging from the Holy Spirit, the church, Satan, human government etc. The prewrath view that Michael the Archangel is the restrainer is compelling. Alan Kurschner: " In the April 2000 volume of The Journal of Theological Studies, Colin R. Nicholl published a seminal article, 'Michael, The Restrainer Removed (2 Thess. 2:6-7),' demonstrating that Michael is the Restrainer, which would prove to put an end to the 'Who is the Restrainer' debate given the cogent and convincing argumentation."2
1. Contemporary Jewish literature 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 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), 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
The Assyrian
Evans' idea that the Antichrist will be "the Assyrian" and that he may be Islamic is based on the poor exegesis of Joel Richardson which has been thoroughly debunked by Chris White.* The Assyrian is mentioned in Isaiah 7:17-20,8:3-7,10:5-19, and Micah 5:5. The prophecy in Isaiah was fulfilled with the defeat of the Assyrians when God protected Jerusalem by sending an angel to destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers surrounding the city. The person referred to as "the Assyrian" was the Assyrian king Sennacherib who was killed by his own sons. (Isaiah 37:36-38 cf. 2 Kings 19:35; Ezekiel 31: 3–17). There is no indication in the scriptures that this prophecy has a double fulfilment. Micah 5:5 is a hyperthetical clause within a millennial passage and refers to the Assyrians rather than to an individual. This passage cannot possibly refer to the Antichrist since he will be in the lake of fire during the millennium. (Revelation 19:20,20:10). The Hebrew conjunction "ki" is a versatile particle used to express causation, condition, time, and emphasis and can be translated in a number of different ways i.e. for, because, when, if, surely, indeed, that. The Net Bible says:Should (ki)the Assyrians try to invade our land and attempt to set foot in our fortresses.. (Micah 5:5). Any assumptions built on Richardson's faulty assertions about the Antichrist are undone by close scrutiny and will result in an erroneous picture of eschatology. (1 John 4:1).
The pretrib camp teaches the doctrine of "imminence," i.e. no prophesied event can happen before the rapture. As such, in their view, the rapture must happen before the 70th week of Daniel, i.e. before the first seal of Revelation is broken. It appears that Evans has forgotten the core pretrib doctrine of imminence because in this video he asserts that famine will precede the rapture. In the Book of Revelation, shortages occur during the third seal and famine occurs during the fourth seal.
And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:5-8).
I was unable to verify the precise meaning of Evans' statement "Prepare for famine before the rapture" because the video was cut short. If viewers want to hear the rest of Evans' substandard teaching on this subject, they will have to join hissubscribers for "exclusive content". The unethical practice of giving paying viewers"special privileges" for "exclusive content" is extremely problematic. (Matthew 10:8; James 2:2-4). The class system created by teachers offering access to extra information for money is another one of Evans' noxious practices. Not only does Evans teach false doctrines, he expects people to pay for them!
And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:3).
GPA: "Do you suffer from food allergies, gut problems or issues with food? Join the prophets for a mighty hour of deliverance as we cast demons out of food. Deep dive into scripture, and move with the Holy Spirit in healing as we listen to what God is saying today."
Emma Stark is one of the bottom feeders of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) cesspit. She takes a prize for one of the worst false "prophets" imaginable due to her abundance of low hanging rotten fruit. Incredibly, she has 66.9K subscribers who apparently do not know their right hand from their left. (Jonah 4:11).
In the New Testament, demons aka unclean spirits inhabited people. (Matthew 10:1,12:43; Luke 6:18,8:29,11:24; Mark 1:26,3:11,5:2,7-8,25,9:25; Luke 4:33; Acts 5:16,16:16-18; Revelation 16:13. The only exception is where they settled for a herd of pigs as an alternative to being sent to the abyss. (Luke 8:31). There is nothing whatsoever in the bible about anyone ingesting a demon! Demon possession appears to occur when someone habitually opens themselves up to evil and eventually gives themselves over to it entirely. This was the case with Judas Iscariot who had a callous heart and loved money. (John 12:6). Satan entered into Judas when he eventually betrayed Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 27:14-16; John 13:27). Demon possession is also related to occult practice and idol worship. (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20). In the Old Testament, King Saul was troubled by an evil spirit after he rebelled against the Lord. (1 Samuel 16:14-15,18:10-11,19:9-10).
Emma Stark's claim that she ate a Jezebel sandwich is beyond ridiculous.
Emma Stark: "I was sitting with my friends in New Jersey.. They presented to us a sandwich. I've never seen anything like it, it was like a two-metre-long python snake in size.. As soon as I put it in my mouth I felt immediately sick. It hadn't even been chewed, it wasn't like an hour later. It was like 'this is poison'. And so I said to the Lord, 'What on earth is going on?' and my prophet heckles were up.. but I thought 'I have actually chewed on Jezebel..' I knew that it was a Jezebel demon. Why did I know that? Because Jezebel finds your price and Jezebel seduces whole industries either for..sex, but Jezebel seducing for maximum profit.." (41:40 mark)
In the New Testament food is spiritually neutral. Specifically, Paul referred to food sacrificed to idols as neutral, although if an immature believer, i.e. someone with a weak conscience, considers such food to be unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. (Romans 14:14 cf. Acts 10:15; 1 Corinthians 1:8-13; Mark 7:18-19).
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. (1 Corinthians 1:8).
What Emma Stark describes as "Jubilee economics" is based on Leviticus 25. The observance of the Sabbath years given to Moses on Mount Sinai required the rest of the land of Israel every seven years. (Leviticus 25:1-6; 26:33-35). The Jews disobeyed this command and as a result they were taken into exile to Babylon for seventy years. (2 Chronicles 36:21; Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-14). Leviticus 25 also describes the year of Jubilee every fiftieth year. When Emma Stark says: "..food has not been put through a biblical mindset of Leviticus 25" she is in danger of reverting to legalism. While there are good principles in the Mosaic Law regarding fallowing, for instance, New Testament believers should not revert to strict legalism. It goes without saying that bad practices within the food industry can cause illness, however, this is not the "Jezebel spirit", it is the sinful practice ofpeople in business who put profit above good practice. Emma Stark's "deliverance" is a reductio ad absurdum.
Emma Stark: "I speak to every demon that has caused digestive and food issues, and I say you come up and you come out in the breath right now in Jesus name. Anything of diverticulitis of celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, of food intolerances, you get off these people in Jesus' mighty name. So wherever you are, wherever you're watching, you take a big deep breath and we say it comes out on the breath in Jesus name.. In the name of Jesus that food issue, that digestive issue, that fear of eating, that IBS, it is removed from you and God now comes as your liberator, and any demonic force that is part of it is removed in Jesus mighty name you are healed.. it is up and out of the breath in Jesus name.." she reverts to gibberish. (51:40 mark)
Unsurprisingly, this video attracted negative comments which were immediately removed by Stark's subordinates.
Emma Stark's tall stories are unbiblical and unrealistic in every possible sense and should be rejected. I urge those who have fallen under the NAR curse to test the spirits and to mark and avoid this woman. (1 John 1:4).
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Romans 16:17-18).
Fibster Joni Lamb plays "the Lord spoke to me" card yet again! "..a prophetic voice of a man that has been used for a long time prophetically sent me. And the Lord said 'Get the people to say this prayer with you', so I am going to say it and just repeat after me.." (1 Timothy 1:10).
This "prayer" was copied word for word from real estate investor and business consultant Taylor A Welsh.1 Welsh is the founder of "The Wealthy Consultant", an education group that licenses business development, sales, and management training. Welsh has some unsound, (possibly NAR), ideas about theology and prayer that I do not endorse. However, he does not claim to be a "prophet" and denies sending this "prayer" to Daystar or that he even knows Joni Lamb!
Imprecatory prayers are found in the book of Psalms. To imprecate is to speak a curse or invoke evil against someone or something. King David, is associated with imprecatory prayers in Psalm 55:15,69:28; Psalm 109:8. He used phrases like, “Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!” (Psalm 35:6) and “O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!” (Psalm 58:6).
Got Questions: "Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, and 139 were written by David to ask God to bring judgment upon his enemies. (The other two imprecatory psalms, 79 and 137, were written by Asaph and an unknown psalmist.) These prayers were written not so much to exact revenge upon one’s enemies, but rather to emphasize God’s abhorrence of evil, His sovereignty over all mankind, and His divine protection of His chosen people. Many of these prayers were prophetic and could be seen taking place later in the New Testament in actual historical events."
Comparable words were uttered by the apostle Paul when he cursed false teachers. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2 Peter 2:1-3 etc.).
If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22). But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9 cf. Galatians 5:12; 2 Timothy 4:14; Revelation 6:9-10).
It goes without saying that Joni Lamb is in a bad place before God and has no authority to pronounce "biblical" curses upon others. Joni Lamb is in an adulterous marriage, she promotes the false prosperity gospel, and she has done many wicked things against the body of Christ. Joni Lamb's imprecation is fairly typical of NAR "prophets" who claim authority they do not have. False teacher Benny Hinn did a similar thing about ten years ago.3 Joni Lamb has put herself in a very dangerous place by speaking curses upon believers, and has no doubt exacerbated her already precarious position before the Lord. (Psalm 7:16).
My take on imprecatory prayer is to bear in mind Jesus' command to love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14,20-21; 1 Peter 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:15 etc.) At the same time, it is necessary to contend for the faith. (Jude 1:3). False teachers/prophets pose a grave threat to the spiritual welfare of the church. As such, I often pray that the Lord will bring down false teachers/ministries and that they will be exposed and stand down for the protection of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 1:4; 1 John 4:1-3).
Joni Lamb desperately needs to repent before it is too late. (Revelation 2:21; 2 Peter 3:9). The alternative does not bear thinking about. ( 2 Peter 2:1-17; Jude 1:12-13).
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3).
In the above video Tom Hughes and Olivier Melnick discuss Zephaniah 2:4 as it relates to Gaza.
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. (Zephaniah 2:4 cf. Isaiah 11).
The connecting word "for" appears to refer to the exhortation to "seek the Lord" in Zephaniah 2:3 ..perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. This prophecy is identified by many expositors as concerning the day of the Lord, i.e. God's eschatological wrath which will begin after the 3.5 year tribulation (cut short) and the rapture of the church. (Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 6:12-17). I have discussed the timing of the rapture extensively in previous posts and I will not repeat the prewrath argument here. How far current events play into the eschatological picture is unclear.
Below I will elucidate why Hughes' and Melnick's understanding of the sheep and goat judgment in Matthew 25 is unfeasible.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ (Matthew 25:31-46).
Melnick: "It splits into two halves; those who helped the Jews during the tribulation and those who did not. And those who did not go into the lake of fire and brimstone; and those who did enter into the millennial kingdom.. It's the group of people who get saved during the tribulation and they help the Jews out of the kindness of their heartbecause they know it's the right thing to do as believers, as Christians, as followers of the Messiah.. We apply it today to make a difference in Israel.."
Only the beast (the Antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire before the millennium. (Revelation 19:20). Unbelievers will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the millennium. (Revelation 20:11-15).
Hughes' and Melnick's application of the sheep and goat judgement in Matthew 25 specifically to believers who help the Jewish people during the great tribulation is perplexing. Jeremiah 30:7 describes "Jacob's trouble" or "Jacob's distress" i.e. the persecution of the Jews by the Antichrist after he takes his seat in the Jerusalem temple. (2 Thessalonians 2:4). It seems highly unlikely that many Gentiles will be saved after the abomination of desolation event due to the extreme consequences of refusing the mark of the beast. i.e. no one can buy or sell etc. (Revelation 13:7-8). Extreme persecution will come upon both unsaved Jews and Gentilebelievers at this time.(Revelation 12:17,13:7). This scenario indicates that it will not be possible for Gentile believers to help Israel during the great tribulation. The scriptures indicate that the Jewish people will be isolated during the siege of Jerusalem and that God alone will defend them. (Zechariah 12:1-4). 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 cf. Romans 11:26). These events follow Israel’s acceptance of the evil shepherd predicted in Zechariah 11:15-17.
And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 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 12:13-17).
In the Olivet discourse, Jesus addresses His followers, i.e. Christians; He warns specifically that worldwide persecution will overtake them.
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:9-22; cf. Daniel 12:1).
When Jesus refers to "the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked and the prisoner", He refers to suffering believers, i.e. members of His body. (1 Corinthians 12:2; Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:12-16; Colossians 1:18 etc.) When we serve one another we are actually serving Him. ..I was hungry etc. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me. See also James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:17.
Bengel's Gnomen: "Matthew 25:35. Ἐδώκατέ, κ.τ.λ., ye have given, etc.[1100]) Of all good and bad actions, those will be especially mentioned which have been performed to the saints, which presuppose faith and love towards Jesus Christ and His brethren, and involve confession of His name, which are most frequent, and remarkable, and conspicuous; and then, from the manifest glory of the Lord, the dignity of His brethren, and the character of good and evil actions towards them, will be manifest; cf. ch. Matthew 10:40-41."1
Barnes: "I was an hungered - The union between Christ and his people is the most tender and endearing of all connections. It is represented by the closest unions of which we have knowledge, John 15:4-6; Ephesians 5:23-32; 1 Corinthians 6:15. This is a union - not physical, but moral; a union of feelings, interests, plans, destiny; or, in other words, he and his people have similar feelings, love the same objects, share the same trials, and inherit the same blessedness, John 14:19; Revelation 3:5, Revelation 3:21; Romans 8:17. Hence, he considers favors shown to his people as shown to himself, and will reward them accordingly, Matthew 10:40, Matthew 10:42. They show attachment to him, and love to his cause. By showing kindness to the poor, the needy, and the sick, they show that they possess his spirit, for he did it when on earth; they evince attachment to him, for he was poor and needy; and they show that they have the proper spirit to outfit them for heaven, 1 John 3:14, 1 John 3:17; James 2:1-5; Mark 9:41."2
Typically pretrib teachers do not respond to exegetical problems associated with their view. However, it would be interesting to see a response from Hughes and Melnick on this occasion?
This video comprises two solid hours of Spencer Smith's misogynistic teaching. Not only is he biblically inaccurate, he obviously has a major attitude problem and a lack of respect and Christian love for women.
Smith weighs straight in by pulling up a comment by one of his viewers:
Smith: "Has God called women to be the centre of attention and articulate general theology to the masses? Maybe we could call that preaching.. I think the answer to that is no, God has not called women to do anything like that." Another viewer chimed in, "it is narcissism".
After plugging his teaching 'Rise of the Divine Feminine', Smith continues: "I think women are being used by Satan today to cause a lot of chaos and a lot of problems in the local church."
To clarify, I am not egalitarian and I have no desire whatsoever to be a pastor or an elder in any church. Furthermore, I would not attend a church with a woman pastor or women elders.
The Bible gives no directions about women's freedom (or not) to discuss faith and theology outside the church. Spencer Smith has taken it upon himself to add to the scriptures and go beyond what is written. As far as I can determine, it is permissible for women to hold opinions and to voice them, especially if the scriptures back them up!
I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, 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 cf. Proverbs 30:5-6).
Ironically, those who go beyond what is written are described in the scriptures as arrogant and divisive! Those who engage in this kind of rhetoric do immense damage to the body of Christ and stunt the growth of believers.
If Smith can bear to humble himself for a little while, then he should listen to Mike Winger's series: Women Leaders in the New Testament. Part 4 is particularly relevant to the present discussion: Women Leaders in the New Testament: Women in Ministry part 4 Winger: "We will examine claims that there were women apostles, women elders, women deacons and various other hints that some say offer us evidence of women in very significant leadership positions in the New Testament. We will also get into the 1 Timothy and Titus and the requirements that Paul gives for elders and deacons." Winger has inserted subheadings and I think that many will find the following sections very helpful:
13. 1:53:16 1 Tim. 3, deacons’ wives or deaconesses?
Phoebe and women in the early church
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant* of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron (προστάτις) of many and of myself as well. (Romans 16:1-2).
* a deaconess
In the Greek, διάκονος is servant, minister, deacon.
Bible Hub: "Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, a 'diakonos' was typically a servant or attendant who performed various duties. In the early Christian church, the term took on a more specific connotation, referring to those who served the community in both practical and spiritual matters. The role of a deacon, as outlined in the New Testament, was one of service and support, assisting the elders and apostles in the ministry of the church."1
In Philippians 1:1 Paul greets the deacons in a specific sense.
In 1 Timothy 3:8,12 refers to the offices of deacon and overseer.
In other instances διάκονος refers to servant in a generic sense.
Bible Hub: "The term 'prostatis' refers to a woman who acts as a leader, protector, or benefactor. In the context of the early Christian church, it denotes a woman who provided support, whether through financial means, hospitality, or leadership, to the community or individuals within it."2
Their wives (γυναῖκας) likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. (1 Timothy 3:11).
Paul acknowledges that women pray and prophesy in the church, indicating their active participation in worship. (1 Corinthians 11:5 cf. Acts 21:9).
Ruby Franke/Jodi Hildebrant
Smith goes into a lengthy discussion about two Mormon women, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrant who ran a vlog in 2023. Wikipedia: "Ruby Franke (née Griffiths; born January 18, 1982) is an American convicted child abuser and former family vlogger who ran the now defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers. On August 30, 2023, Franke and Jodi Hildebrant were arrested in Washington County, Utah, and charged with six counts of felony aggravated child abuse of two of Franke's children. Franke ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts and was sentenced to 4-30 years in prison on February 20, 2024." 3
Why does Spencer Smith judge unbelieversand why does he find it necessary to say that these women are representative of all women, even Christian women?
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (1 Corinthians 5:12).
When someone commented "Not all women are like this", Smith's responded: "There are obvious exceptions." In other words, 'the majority of women are like this'. Smith has now made two videos about these Mormon women, but frankly, this subject is irrelevant and has nothing to do with the body of Christ. Smith condemns the way these women presented themselves on social media: "My wife doesn't post pictures like that.." He goes on to second guess their motives as narcissistic and suggests that the pictures give out the message: 'Just look at me, hey look at my face, I'm a cutie, please give me that validation..' Obviously I do not endorse these women, but the pictures are not offensive or indecent and they are not flaunting themselves sexually. Christian women don't need any extra rules from Smith about how to present themselves! My best guess is that it suited Smith's purpose to make an example of these unsaved Mormon women to lash out against all women.
Smith has absolutely no authority to dictate to Christian women in a general sense. If he subjugates women within his own limited sphere of influence, and they are willing to put up with it, that is tragic. (2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:3; Proverbs 18:2).
..For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” (Revelation 6:17).
Mark Hitchcock: "It is Jesus, the Lamb who is opening all of those seals.. these are all the wrath of God."
The pretrib rapture view was promoted by cult leader John Nelson Darby in the 18th century from false ideas he usurped from the Irvingites. Pretribulationism was popularized during the 1900s by Cyrus Scofield via the Scofield Reference Bible. This view was further popularized by the "Left Behind" novels written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins during the 1990s. Contrary to various dishonest pretrib claims, it has been demonstrated decisively that no evidence exists that the pretrib rapture was taught before the 18th century.1
The pretrib view depends on the assumption that the rapture of the church occurs before the 70th week of Daniel (pretrib teachers wrongly refer to the 70th week as the "tribulation"). The pretrib camp makes the further assumption that the eschatological wrath of God begins when the first seal of Revelation is broken based on 1 Thessalonians 5:9. This post provides scriptural evidence that the rapture occurs after the 3.5-year great tribulation between the sixth and seventh seal of Revelation and that the eschatological wrath begins at the seventh seal. (Revelation 8:1-6).
The explicit wording "the great day of their wrath has come" (orgé) (Revelation 6:17) occurs after the sixth seal is broken. The verb has come / ἦλθεν is aorist indicative active. Many pretrib teachers wrongly interpret this to mean the wrath of God began when the first seal was broken. However, the aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.The context of Revelation 6 necessitates that the wrath of God becomes imminent following the rapture of the church when the sixth seal is broken i.e. the wrath is about to happen.
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” (Revelation 6:12-17).
The phrase "the great day of their wrath" refers explicitly to God's eschatological wrath. This phrase is often associated with the "Day of the Lord" in biblical prophecy. The "great day" signifies a time of unprecedented divine intervention in human history when God's wrath is revealed. This phrase aligns with Old Testament prophecies such as Joel 2:31 and Zephaniah 1:14-18, which describe a day of darkness and destruction. Significantly, Joel 2 specifically states that the celestial disturbances will occur "before" the day of the Lord: The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:31).
Alan Kurschner: "..there is a comparison between the seals and the Olivet Discourse. This illustrates a consistent sequence of events leading up to the sixth seal: beginning of birth pangs, great tribulation, celestial disturbances. Accordingly, in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, he teaches everything that happens before the celestial disturbances relates to the world’s depravity and Antichrist’s great tribulation."3
In Revelation 6, the four living creatures orchestrate events on God's behalf beginning with the summons to the four horsemen: "Come" (ἔρχου). (Revelation 6:1,3,5,7 cf. Revelation 4:6-9,5:6-14,14:3,15:7,19:4).
The four living creatures are found in Revelation 4:6-9,5:6-14,6:1-8,14:3,15:7,19:4. Got Questions: "The texts that describe these creatures do not indicate that they are figurative—they are real, actual beings. The four living creatures (literally 'beings') are a special, exalted order of angelic beings or cherubim. This is clear by their close proximity to the throne of God. Ezekiel 1:12–20 suggests that they are in constant motion around the throne."4
The first seal: So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer. (Revelation 1:2).
The second seal: Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword. (Revelation 6:4).
The third seal: Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.” Revelation 6:5-6). A "voice" among the four living creatures determines economic hardship and scarcity of necessities. However, the oil and the wine are not to be harmed.
The fourth seal: Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:8).
The pivotal message of the three angels (probably during the fourth seal) constitutes God's final ultimatum to humanity: 1. The eternal gospel is proclaimed to the inhabitants of the earth. (Revelation 14:6-7); 2. the fall of Babylon is announced. (Revelation 14:8); 3. the full strength of God's wrath will be the fate of those who worship the beast and its image or receive the mark of the beast. (Revelation 14:9-11). This final warning immediately precedes the rapture (the harvest of the earth). (Revelation 14:14-16). This information confirms that the direct wrath of God follows the rapture after the sixth seal is broken. (Revelation 6:12-17).
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strengthinto the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:9-11).
The fifth seal: And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, jst as they had been killed.(Revelation 6:9-11). The martyrs do not have resurrected bodies and are referred to as "souls". They are each given a white robe in anticipation of God's wrath and are told to "rest a little while longer.." The description of the martyrs during the fifth seal period is an obvious indication that the rapture has not yet occurred.
The sixth seal: A critical shift occurs when the sixth seal is broken. The first four seals and the summoning of the four horsemen refer to earthly judgements during the Antichrist's tenure. When the sixth seal is broken the focus shifts from the tribulation to direct intervention from heaven beginning with fearful cosmic disturbances.
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. (Revelation 6:12-14).
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). Note the unmistakable parallels between Revelation 6 and Matthew 24. There can be little doubt that the cosmic disturbances and the rapture happen in rapid succession after the sixth seal is broken.
The seventh seal: After the seventh seal is broken the seven angels prepare to blow the trumpets for the commencement of the trumpet judgements. (Revelation 8-9). The bowl judgements (the third woe) follow the trumpet judgements chronologically. The four living creatures direct angels to inflict the wrath of God upon the earth via the seven plagues.
And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:7-8).
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
It has recently come to my attention that Revelation TV no longer uses its Spanish-based studio for its RMornings programme. The new daily format of RMornings is now broadcast from Revelation TV's London studio. Howard and Leslie Conder recently announced that Nikki Mills and Yemi Balogun turned down an opportunity to move back to the London studio, and due to Spanish law, they had to be made redundant. So far, viewer concerns and queries about the purpose-built office studio complex in Southern Spain funded by the donations of its viewers have been met with a wall of silence.
It became apparent last February on The Late Show that RTV's Spanish operation was running into difficulties and was not all they hoped it would be. During this programme, it emerged that the main RTV office had relocated to the UK due to staffing problems, issues with Brexit, COVID-19, and technical problems. Gordon Pettie: "We're struggling a little bit.. We've got this fantastic building that the Lord has given us. We acknowledge quite clearly that it was God directed to do that, but now we're saying, 'What really is the purpose of that building?'.. we are beginning to see an increase of programmes in the UK and we have got a dilemma.." (28:00 mark) Pettie made these remarks with a straight face, apparently unwilling to consider the possibility that the Lord had not spoken to Conder about starting Revelation TV.Even in the face of abject failure, their delusion continues without a thought for those who gave sacrificially to enable the purchase of the Spanish white elephant on the strength of Conder's alleged "vision". Various suggestions were made by viewers, including selling the building in Spain and fundraising for a new London studio! It now appears that the ambitious Spanish project relentlessly touted by RTV presenters was a complete waste of everyone's time, money, and effort. Essentially RTV is back to square one and needs to finance a new London studio!
Conder: "The prophecies that I got in the beginning.. were so encouraging that gave me a reason for actually going ahead with starting a Christian channel here in the UK.."
The alleged prophecies that Conder received during the 1990s were from false NAR "Apostles" and "Prophets".
In 1994 Conder received a "prophecy" from proven false NAR "Apostle" Jonathan David at an ecumenical meeting!
NAR "Prophet" Sharon Stone prophesied over Conder in 1999. This is where Conder got the ridiculous idea that he was going to be a modern-day “Elijah”. Ironically, Elijah came against the prophets of Baal, he was not partners with them! (Ephesians 5:7).
NAR "Apostle" Noel Woodroffe's prophecy in 1994 mentions Howard Conder re: God starting Christian TV in the UK.
No doubt the above "prophecies" played into Conder's narcissism during the 1990s and beyond. However, many believers are now becoming more aware that the New Apostolic Reformation is a fake movement consisting of false "Apostles" and "Prophets".
Pettie: "When we wrote the book 'Broadcasting Christ' we said in it 'Howard, you have had more prophecies that its right, back in 2009/10, to go to Spain and to start the work in Spain.' And it's trying to balance that up with what we can see with our eyes about the situation with Brexit and all the things that are happening at this moment of time.."
Some Background
In 2008 RTV moved its head office to Spain. In 2012 RTV had a permanent television studio base in Spain, but these facilities were deemed unfit for purpose. In 2014 Conder had the "vision" for the Spanish building project. From around early 2015, fundraising commenced for the purchase of land and the building of a new purpose-built television studio complex for the channel in Spain. Following an intense and prolonged period of fundraising, the new Revelation TV studio's "Grand Opening" took place from Friday 21st to Monday 24th of April 2023.1 The new studio 'The Revelation International Centre' was hailed as "A future for the next generation".2
Howard Conder has repeatedly attacked his detractors for their "false accusations", yet there have been many genuine concerns that RTV has refused to acknowledge. RTV's early compromise with Roman Catholicism and Word-Faith prosperity teachers such as Benny Hinn, Jesse Duplantis, John Hagee, Joyce Meyer, hyper-grace teacher Joseph Prince, ecumenist Hugh Osgood, the 700 Club, and Seventh Day Adventists etc. was not compatible with a man allegedly called by God. Many discerning Christians therefore rejected Conder's claims on the basis that RTV was no better than apostate channels such as Daystar, God TV, and TBN.
Rob Thomas 'Watchman4Wales' May 2015: "It has long been noted that Revelation TV is a very heavily compromised channel, having no qualms about broadcasting the programmes of some of the most grievous wolves in sheep's clothing on the face of the planet. I wrote myself to Revelation TV some while ago concerning their broadcasting of false teachers, an example at that time being their airing of the notorious charlatan Benny Hinn's 'This Is Your Day.' (I had no response whatsoever). Their current schedule includes the likes of Jesse Duplantis and Joyce Meyer, who similarly present "another Jesus... another spirit... another gospel." (2 Corinthians 11:4). It is quite obvious that the channel has learned nothing about unacceptable compromise since Jacob Prasch's departure back in 2011, and the Justin Peters incident the previous year when a live interview with him was taken off air when he dared to "name and shame." They have continued relentlessly along their spiritually reckless way, with wilful disregard as to how their collusion with deadly deceivers brings not only disgrace to the Body of Christ but completely undermines the preaching of the True Gospel, exposing millions of viewers to spiritual mauling and mutilation by hungry wolves who feed off the flock!"3
These days, RTV focuses mainly on political issues, inane chat shows, and regular Bible studies with ecumenist Tim Vince, Anglican John Campbell, and egalitarian Derek Walker (Oxford Bible Church).
Realistically Conder cannot keep up the delusion that God called him to start Revelation TV. The "God spoke to me" card is wearing very thin with many believers these days!
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1).
