"Christian" Mystic Bill Subritzky Dies in New Zealand

Subritzky was certainly a deceiver who did much harm in NZ (and in the UK via Ellel Grange deliverance centre which he was a co-founder of along with Peter Horrobin, who, with no valid scriptural grounds,(such as unrepentant adultery on her part) divorced his Christian wife and married another woman.

From his ecumenism to his promotion of Toronto to the clairvoyance he called revelation, to his promotion of the pseudo Christian witchdoctor TB Joshua, Subritzky now knows it was all a big lie that he swallowed and then regurgitated for the consumption of others. I did actually know Bill Subritsky (and his son Paul) through Barry Smith. Truth Watch, Moriel, and Philip Powell all warned him,(or tried to) but no one could ever tell such a man anything. If he would not listen to The Word of God, there was no one he would listen to. He was the commensurate mystic, conned into thinking he was hearing from The Holy Ghost. He deceived many, but in the end he now knows that he chiefly deceived himself. Ethical issues of finance were another dimension of the Bill Subritszky debacle.

We all have horror stories. I recall a young Kiwi believer named Colin who after being saved for only 7 weeks was taken by a friend to a Subritzky meeting in Palmerston North. Subritzky claimed a 'word of knowledge' that Colin's father was a homosexual pedophile who molested him as a baby and that Subritzky needed to cast 7 demons out of Colin. In actual fact, when Colin was a baby his dad was in a body cast and physically and sexually non-functional. The damage such counterfeit spirituality could do to a new believer, including destroying his relationship with his father, is stupendous. The damage done to so many young believers by Subritzky must be incalculable except to God.

Jacob Prasch

CORRECTION & APOLOGETIC REGRETS

MORIEL ISRAEL·WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015

Some months ago an incorrect statement was made by Jacob Prasch on the April 2015 Prophecy Update on Moriel's Face Book page.

Following an itinerary in the UK by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, whose ministry Ariel  Moriel & Jacob Prasch strongly endorse, the phraseology used by  Arnold on one of his teachings led to a misunderstanding among several  people that Arnold had altered his position on the timing of the Rapture.  This however was not the case and what was reported by us was a  mistake for which we expressed our apologetic regrets both to Arnold and  to our readers.

Arnold's view is indeed  unusual and unlike most pretrib brethren known to us, he holds that  the Great Tribulation, and not necessarily the Rapture, cannot take  place until the church knows the identity of the Antichrist. He does not believe the Rapture cannot take place until the Antichrist is  revealed , and this is what led to the confusion in the UK, as most British  Pretrib advocates equate the identification of the Antichrist with the  onset of the Great Tribulation; as do many in the USA and elsewhere.  Thus, a variation of the belief in imminency is held by Arnold who is Pretribulational, although his particular position on the Antichrist needing to be identified before the Great Tribulation lent itself to  being misconstrued. His position as explained in his book is in fact  clearer.

Jacob instructed that the clip be  removed once we were made aware of the error by the Ariel office in  Texas. Unfortunately, somehow the former team member suffering from  multiple sclerosis took ill and had to be replaced for medical reasons  when she was hospitalized. Her replacement, not familiar with the  situation, may have rebooted the entire page inadvertently reposting it.  As it stood, without  anyone realizing it - the corrected version ("A  House Divided") was removed, and the original clip containing the error  was re-posted! It has only come to our attention today and will be  corrected again immediately.

We once again can only yet again express our apologetic regrets for this embarrassing mishap.
Moriel  & Jacob  continue our  endorsement of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's  ministry and we suggest our  readers visit his Ariel website as a  recommended link. His books are indeed well worth reading, most  especially 'Israelology'. While Arnold's rather unique perspective on  the timing of the Rapture appears to be found somewhere between what  most Pretribulationists believe and our own Intra-Seal position, he  does nonetheless remain in the Prettribulational camp and we regret any misunderstandings to the contrary. It was an error and the  responsibility for the error is primarily ours although we were unaware  of it. We were sure it was redressed in April of 2015, not knowing it  became re-posted in the change of personnel.

Jacob has been on  medical leave since September, only able to do short spurts of work and  had no idea of  the error as neither did the new Facebook maintainer.

An updated version of "A HOUSE DIVIDED" will be re-filmed in the near future.
Sincerely in Christ,

Moriel

War is Declared

In a strange parallel to the departure of peace from Europe and the US; it has now also gone from the Premillennial and pro-Israel community as well. Few can be unaware by now, that the disagreement over timing of the Rapture went nuclear at the recent Berean Call Conference. Dr Paul Wilkinson of Prophetic Word Ministries International dropped the "H-Bomb" during his rebuttal of the Left Behind or Led Astray DVD, stating that those who do not agree with his Pretribulational Rapture position are holding to "terrible heresy". I know Jacob and others have addressed some of the points raised by Dr Wilkinson, but no one as yet seems to have covered this one, so I thought it good to include it in this bulletin.

It is not wrong to state one's position with passion, but laying aside the personal accusations made there, which are a separate issue; I am not sure that Dr Wilkinson, (who stands by and will not withdraw his heresy accusation) truly understands biblically what the term heresy means, or its implications, or he would not have used it in such an uninformed and offhand manner.

1. What actually is Heresy anyway?

Heresy has been defined in three main ways:

Denial of the fundamentals of the faith as laid down in the the Creeds. The wording of the historic Creeds is very specific, they were formulated as a standard of orthodoxy in response to heresy. Such a definition, however, is inadequate, as it only holds good in the areas covered by the Creeds, and because some later confessions of faith such as the Westminster Confession contain calvinistic elements that many would regard as defective or seriously erroneous at best and the logical implications of which are even blasphemous, as they impugn God's holy character.

Denial of prevailing orthodoxy. This is how most dictionaries would define it, but such a definition only holds good as long as the Church is in good shape doctrinally. Particularly in the Dark Ages and the Inquisition, the prevailing orthodoxy was actually anti-Scriptural, as Christianity had became Christendom and drifted away from any biblical moorings. After all, what kind of orthodoxy bans you from translating or reading the Bible on pain of death?

Denial of what is explicitly taught in Scripture. Of the three definitions, of course this is the most important. Scripture is our ultimate and final authority and the basis for any and all doctrine.

2. Heresy Doesn't Happen By Accident.

Heresy is not a difference of opinion on some subject or even merely possessing erroneous ideas about something: all of us have had at one time or another some wonky notions, particularly when we were young in the Lord, thankfully most of these are ironed out as we mature in our knowledge of the Scriptures and of the faith; however, heresy is not these. Heresy involves the will and is about a choice:--it involves demonstrably false doctrine, wilfully and persistently held to, in defiance and rejection of admonition from the clear teaching of the Scriptures. Consequently, heresy is not something that happens to a Christian by accident; it is a way that one has chosen to follow, therefore, someone who is teaching heresy, is by definition a heretic; thus, by his employment of the term heresy, Dr Wilkinson has implicated all who do not hold to his Secret Pretribulational Rapture Theory as heretics.

Scripture teaches us to shun heretics and keep our distance, because they are uncorrectable.

"A man that is an heretic (or factious) after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

Heresy is the stock-in-trade of false teachers, who no longer love the Lord Jesus and whose end is destruction.

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

In actual fact Dr Wilkinson is not the first in the Pretribulational Rapture Theorist Camp to make this kind of accusation, he is merely imitating, in a more emotionally-charged manner, what Tim LaHaye, the guru of Leftbehindism stated in his 1999 book Revelation Unveiled:

This promise, however is to the church of Philadelphia: she will be raptured before the Tribulation begins. It seems difficult to understand why some false teachers suggest that the Church must go through the Tribulation in view of this clear-cut statement of our Lord.

Be that as it may, we can see from the book of Acts that this does not refer to someone who has merely preached something a bit "off" once in a while, or whose understanding or grasp of something is immature.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the scriptures.  This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John: and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately. 

Apollos hadn't got everything perfectly right, so Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and straightened things up. They didn't label him a a false teacher or heretic because his understanding of the Gospel was incomplete. A real false teacher or heretic on the other hand, is someone who is persistently promulgating demonstrably unbiblical and destructive false doctrine, and who refuses to be corrected. It is someone who has gone "off the rails" altogether; which is why Paul counsels Titus to reject (shun or avoid) such people after they have refused two admonitions. This effectively means disfellowshipping or excommunication.

Scripture also defines false teachers as wolves:

Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood.  I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;  and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.  

In the Old Testament, when used of people, wolves depicts those who mercilessly exploit or plunder others for their own gain or advantage. It is used particularly in two excoriating condemnatory addresses against Israel's national and religious leadership (Eze. 22:23-31 & Zep. 3:1-4.).

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.  By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

When we take heresy in its biblical definition; Dr Wilkinson, by his declaration of all eschatological views other than his own to be terrible heresy; has in actual fact labelled all who do not teach the Pretribulational Rapture Theory as heretics, false teachers and wolves, exploiters of the Body, workers of iniquity, who await only the Lord's judgement and destruction, fit only to be shunned and avoided by other believers.

Heresy is not something about which believers can ever remain neutral, Scripture commands us to separate from heresy, and shun those who wilfully propagate false teaching: thus, biblically speaking, Dr Wilkinson's heresy charge, if taken seriously, is also a call to Pretribulational Rapturists to excommunicate those who do not endorse their eschatological theory.

3. Is Non-Pretrib Actually Heresy?

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate that Post-tribulationism or Prewrath contradict any of the historic creeds, Apostolic, Athanasian, Nicene? Absolutely not.

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate that Pretribulationism was ever part of the orthodoxy of the Church, particularly the immediate Post-Apostolic Church? I am sure like other Pretribulation Rapture theorists he would love to be able to do that, but he is confronted by a deeply embarrassing silence for the first 1800 years of Church history in regards to anything that could be taken as as serious evidence of a Pretribulation Rapture. They proclaim Pretrib as a "lost" doctrine rediscovered by John Nelson Darby, but for something to be rediscovered, it has to be proved to have previously existed as part of the Apostolic deposit of faith once delivered to the saints, which they can not do. Without Scofield's (a convicted felon and con-man) insertion of Darby's errors into the very pages of Scripture itself, Pretrib would have remained the crank teaching of a tiny self-excommunicating cult-group. So the "rediscovery" claim is, on their part, wishful thinking at best, and downright deceit at worst, because they have no basis for such a pronouncement. Pretribulational teachers that are claiming definitive Pretrib support from Early Church history or that it is an orthodox doctrine that was "lost" are selling their listeners timeshares on Mars.

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate by sound exegetical process that Pretribulationism is clearly and unambiguously taught in Scripture? The fact that he could not do so in either his video or written rebuttal is very telling indeed.

The grounds of his accusation of "terrible heresy" are that non-Pretrib eschatologies place the Church in the Seventieth Week of Daniel, because the Seventieth Week is decreed for Israel and the city of Jerusalem, but his reasoning here is a non-sequitor. Yes, indeed, the Seventieth Week is decreed upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people, but it does not follow that it does not affect the Church, for a great number of very important reasons, just one of which I will list below.

Dr Wilkinson's position makes the assumption that God can not deal with Israel and the Church at the same time.

Firstly this concept is nowhere found in Scripture; it is one of those vaporous presuppositions upon which Pretribulational Rapture theorists build their castles in the air. Secondly God was dealing with Israel after the New Covenant was inaugurated and after Pentecost, (which is assumed by dispensationalist to be the birthday of the Church) and even more so now after 1948, Israel is a nation once more and the Church is still here. Thirdly it could even be argued that God has never stopped dealing with Israel, that the very fact of their judicial hardening and exile among the nations and the preservation of the Jewish Remnant is evidence of that.

Things decreed or ordained explicitly for Israel actually have massive relevance for the Church.

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

Nowhere will you find in Scripture that the New Covenant was made with the nations or the "Church". It is made specifically with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. According to Dr Wilkinson's rigid and over-realised demarcation, the New Covenant should have no relevance to the Church because it is "Jewish" and appointed to the nation of Israel. The fact is however, Scripture records that the Gentiles are graciously included in this promise given to the Jewish people.

Secondly the Apostle Paul makes it quite clear in Ephesians that Gentile believers now occupy the following position:

Joined with the Jewish Messiah,

Of the commonwealth of Israel,

Partakers in the covenants of the promise, sharing in the hope of Israel.

Made nigh in the blood of the Messiah.

Part of the one new man created from Jew and Gentile.

Reconciled along with Jewish believers unto God.

Sharing a common access [with Jewish believers) through the Spirit to the Father

No more strangers and sojourners,¹ but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

Built upon the foundation of the [Jewish] apostles and prophets,

Fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

Dr Wilkinson's eschatology is wrong, because his ecclesiology is wrong. Though it is beyond the scope of this article to enter into great details on the doctrine of the Church, very briefly it could be said thus: that the "Church" is really nothing other than an expansion and development of the saved remnant of Israel. Paul makes it absolutely clear that when a Gentile comes to faith he is plugged into the wonderful promises and destiny that God has intended for Israel; he comes to share in what Paul calls the commonwealth of Israel, thus as part of the remnant he shares in its relationship to the nation of Israel as a whole. So, like the remnant which he has now joined, he is distinct from unbelieving Israel, but not separated from it, he shares the same connection with it as does the rest of the Remnant. He does not become a Jew, or cease to be a Gentile, but he is now of the seed of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:29). If then, a Gentile believer is part and parcel of the commonwealth of Israel, of Abraham's seed, a fellow-heir of the promise, and of one body with the Remnant of Israel and part of the nation that would render the vineyard's fruit in its season, then it stands to reason that he must also share in what befalls that Remnant also, for example in Revelation 12:

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

So then we see on all three counts, the Ancient Creeds, Historic Orthodoxy and faithfulness to Biblical Truth, Dr Wilkinson's charge of heresy is all flurry and fluff, without substance, an ill-advised and emotional venting, which while it played to the pretribulational gallery at Berean Call, does not correspond to any biblical definition of the term heresy at all.

4. Dr Wilkinson's Controversial Remarks on the Trinity.

I am making no accusations and have no desire to; if however, Dr Wilkinson had pointed the finger at himself instead of accusing others, he might have found more grounds for his accusations, because he is certainly encroaching on the areas covered by two of the definitions.

In regards to Historic Orthodoxy; his castigation of the Post-Apostolic and Ante-Nicene Fathers for their faults in order to discredit their eschatological testimony, was in itself, a tacit admission of the fact that they were post-tribulational to a man, and that a post-tribulational eschatology was actually stated to be part of Christian orthodoxy in that period; and Dr Wilkinson brought forth no evidence to demonstrate Pretribulational Rapturism was ever widely accepted among Evangelical Orthodoxy until very recently (and even that mostly geographically isolated to the USA). Rest assured, could he have done so, he most certainly would have.

In regards to Biblical Support, the most important category of all; in place of an exegetical argument, Dr Wilkinson presented us with this:

Well yes, I would agree that there is not one verse of Scripture to prove the Pretrib Rapture Theory", as he put it, . . . doctrine. Erm . . . I don’t believe he should have said that, had no need to say that. It's a none argument. Are you going to give me one verse of Scripture that proves that God the Father, that the Father is God and the Son of God and the Spirit is God, is that what we are about, proof-texting like the Jehovah's Witnesses? No we have the full counsel of God the progressive revealed Word of God to our hearts and so when you are talking about like the Rapture or the Trinity or whatever it is, you pull in lots of Scriptures.

The doctrine of the Trinity, so fundamental to biblical Christianity, cannot be proved by quoting a single verse of Scripture! Joe Schimmel is making a non-argument. We are not Jehovah’s Witnesses hanging our theology on proof-texts, but Evangelical Christians seeking to show ourselves approved by studying the whole counsel of God, from Genesis to Revelation. As we do so, we discover that many of the precious truths of the Christian faith, including the doctrine of the Trinity and the Rapture of the Church, are progressively revealed.

I am convinced that Dr Wilkinson was not paying any attention to what was said on the Left Behind or Led Astray video he was rebutting. Pastor Joe Schimmel was not asking for merely one isolated proof-verse to support Pretrib. It was clear throughout the presentation that what was required was more broadly defined:

We had offered 10,000 USD to anyone who could show just one clear teaching proving that Jesus returns in a Pretrib Rapture . . . . Can you show us one scripture that clearly teaches Jesus Christ comes before the Tribulation to rapture the Church? It was not just average believers who could not give us clear Scripture teaching the Pretrib Theory . . . . to ask Colin LeNoury if there was one clear verse or passage of Scripture that taught the Pretrib Rapture . . . . When we asked Colin for one verse or passage . . . .

Dr Wilkinson is trying to eat his cake and have it here. He rails on proof-texting, but then actually uses parts of Daniel as proof-texts for his claim that those who teach that the Church is present on earth during the Tribulation are teaching "terrible heresy"! The fact is, that there is nothing wrong with a proof-text, providing it is in context. He also seems to misunderstand the term "progressively revealed," as being akin to non-contextual, or inferential, something which it absolutely does not mean.

And this is really what lies at the heart of this matter of the Trinity and why Dr Wilkinson is so in error to equate the doctrine of the Trinity with that of the Pretribulational Rapture Theory. The doctrine of the Trinity rests on passages of Scripture which in context either explicitly state or unavoidably imply, to any honest mind, one or more of the propositions underlying the doctrine.

For example, Jesus explicitly states his divinity on a number of occasions in John's Gospel and it is clear from the response of the Jewish authorities that he was making such a claim. He is worshipped as God, seen as co-equal with the Father and one with the Father, the Father, Son and Spirit share the same one name, the Holy Spirit is revealed to be divine and personal not a mere force, etc. There is no need to read presuppositions into these texts to make them say this; these passages, in context, speak for themselves. We could fill a small book with them to exegetically demonstrate the undergirdings of this precious truth of Scripture.

Pretribulationism on the other hand can offer nothing like this, as was so vividly illustrated by Pretrib gurus own admissions in "Left Behind or Led Astray," and their constant scrabbling for pretexts, be they ever so slim, on which to hang their theory, a pastime which frequently involves outrageous historical revisionism (to try and read Pretrib into Early Church history) and the adoption of a thoroughly dishonest hermeneutical methodology that is completely at variance with any and all of their claim to "literal interpretation".

5. Something More Than a Spat.

Consequently Dr Wilkinson's response to Left Behind or Led Astray's reporting of these Pretrib Leader's admissions (that the Scriptures do not, as such, teach Pretrib, and that it is a doctrine derived solely from inference); --was not to present us with clear biblical teaching for the Pretribulational Rapture Theory, but instead to hermeneutically downgrade the precious doctrine of the Trinity; to claim it has the same wretched basis and paucity of scriptural support as their beloved theory; and thus effectively to debase the Trinity doctrine, as Jacob puts it,--to the status of mere opinion. This is why this issue is no mere "strife about words" or a spat between preachers, but an extremely serious one. Dr Wilkinson's remarks about the Trinity are so dangerous, not because he himself actually denies the doctrine, (it is clear from his written rebuttal that he does not) but because they are a wide open door to those who do and will; because to put the Trinity on the same basis as Pretrib, is to, in effect, assert that the Scriptures do not actually teach it, thus undermining it altogether.

The same downgrading is being applied to the scriptural and historic testimony of the Body to other doctrines as well, as leading Pretribulational Rapture theorists labour to degrade hermeneutical standards to make their theory sound acceptable. We may remember the reckless remarks of Thomas Ice who on the December 2014 Berean Call Radio Show, not only said the same thing; (and was endorsed in it by T.A. MacMahon) but also threw in some historically inaccurate and wildly irresponsible utterances about Justification by Faith and the Atonement as well², all while plugging the lethal "Apostasy equals Rapture" doctrine with which certain Pretrib Rapture theorists are currently intoxicated, and which, sadly, Dr Wilkinson includes in his book "Understanding Christian Zionism".

The Rebuttal Fiasco, the Berean Call endorsement of the Trinity Doctrine Downgrade, Apostasy Equals Rapture, undermining of other core doctrines, etc. all these are unsettling individually, but taken together they are an alarming indicator of the underlying rot and putrefaction within Pretrib.

6. The Core of the Matter

Dr Wilkinson's claims about the doctrine of the Trinity, have exposed very publicly the real contention between the Pretrib Camp and the Post-Trib or Prewrath teachings, which is actually not about the timing of the Rapture at all, but is everything to do with the tortuous and unsound hermeneutical methods by which Pretrib theorists arrive at their position. Though by no means perfect, the Post-Trib, Intra-Trib and Pre-Wrath, are at least attempts to work out an eschatology based on clear and in context or explicit statements of Scripture. Leaders from these three camps would stress that there is much that we "see through a glass darkly;" but the basic premise that the Church will go through the Tribulation is based on a literal exegesis, backed up also by nearly 2000 years of Church history. The Pretrib doctrine on the other hand, has to resort to a handling of the Scriptures kith and kin with cult-groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, including denial of what Paul and Jesus explicitly state. Small wonder that one of the commentators in Left Behind or Led Astray described Pretrib as a doctrine "characterised by deceit". These kind of violations of the Scripture text and the manifest errors it engenders, are what the early opponents of Darby, like B. W. Newton, S. P. Tregelles and others raised their cry against, and they, in an interesting parallel to our own times, were also castigated as heretics, and relentlessly hounded and demonised by Darby for standing up to his unbiblical novelties; but they stuck to the Word, as one of their number, the famous George Muller put it:

"My brother, I am a constant reader of my Bible, and I soon found that what I was taught to believe did not always agree with what my Bible said. I came to see that I must either part company with John Darby, or my precious Bible, and I chose to cling to my Bible and part from Mr. Darby." 

Sadly, recent events show us, that within the Pretrib Camp, some are, at present, making the opposite choice.

1 The phrase strangers and sojourners corresponds to the O.T. Hebrew words "gerim" and "toshavim," non-Jews who while dwelling among the children of Israel, were not permitted to eat the Passover or partake of the holy things or enter the inner Temple courts. Paul is basically saying that Gentile believers do not have second-class standing, but are on an equal basis with a full pass into all the benefits and privileges promised to Israel.

2 See "Theological Propanganda" in Mar. 2015 Moriel Bulletin or go to http://morielisrael.blogspot.co.il/2015/03/theological-propaganda-introduction-to.html

Stormy Weather and Car Repairs.

Appropriately enough for the beginning of the rainy season, September was a tempestuous month, few can have failed to observe the storm that blew in from the outer Left Behind regions after the recent release of the DVD "Left Behind or Led Astray" in which Jacob featured. This harsh weather looks set to abound rather than abate, and as it has been occupying a good deal of my own thought recently, and as Moriel supporters (who generally lean towards a non-Pretribulational eschatological viewpoint) may in their local fellowships find their views the subject of controversy, I thought it best to address one of the issues in this bulletin.

The Dangers of Acquiring Second-Hand Goods.

After learning to drive, in my now distant youth, the first two cars I acquired were second-hand. The first was the inherited family car, (with synchromesh so awful I learnt how to double de-clutch), and the second a Citroen 2CV, the first car I bought myself, and my most beloved car ever (as my wife says I never stop telling everyone). Both cars gave me good service, but there were problems: I had to fix or replace a number of things, and I always took a full tool kit with me on any long journey, (and was sometimes glad I did). For each car I bought the workshop manual, and I learnt a lot about fault diagnosis, repair and maintenance. Truth is, when you get something second-hand it needs checking over and possibly some rectification.

Even so with theology and doctrine. When we are new believers, we are bequeathed something. For the most part the doctrinal "car" might be basically roadworthy, but after we have been driving it a while, we may perceive things that are less than perfect and need to be fixed, to restore it to factory condition.

I rapidly learnt how to fix things by the roadside and do repairs away from home by myself, when there was no one around to help. I also discovered, however, after I acquired the workshop manual, that my Dad, who did know something about cars, sometimes had faulty advice which caused problems if followed. Yes, I discovered that even though he knew quite a bit about engineering, he didn't know everything and he wasn't infallible. Sometimes I had to choose between listening to my Dad or following the manual, and occasionally this caused friction, but in the end I was now an adult, it was now my car and I was responsible for it.

When we are new in the Lord, we lack the discernment and knowledge of the workshop manual (the Bible) to ascertain whether the body of doctrine we are being taught by our pastor or in the books we read is actually wholly biblical. We have not established enough of a working knowledge yet of biblical doctrine, or even how to skilfully and rightly handle the Word of Truth for ourselves. Such things as understanding context, the importance of grammar, skills of observation, inductive study and critical thinking, might be new and foreign to us. But it should not stay that way for ever. We absolutely must grow in our understanding and grasp of the Word, and how to interpret it properly and fully grasp the teachings contained within it, Though not everyone is called to be a teacher of the Word or a pastor, every pastor should be encouraging his flock to develop these skills, and to test and evaluate even what he himself is teaching in the light of the Word. In fact, any pastor who advocates or expects that his flock accept everything he says carte blanche, is not worthy of the name; and members of the flock who uncritically accept everything that proceeds from their pastor's mouth are failing not only in their own duty to "test everything", for the sake of their own safety and spiritual well-being, but also in their duty of care towards their pastor as well. We are biblically obligated to flag up or approach him with something that just doesn't seem quite right, or line up with Scripture.

This does not mean that there should be a weekly "bash the pastor" session or, that there should be constant interruptions during the sermon or disruptive behaviour of dissenting members; these things can be done in good order with humility, love and respect: but any congregation where there is no atmosphere of openness, no humble willingness to discuss doctrinal matters or that does not equip its members in how to interpret the Word and discern between truth and error; or where the pastor is not open to correction is extremely vulnerable (even with the best intentions of its leadership), to becoming what is in effect, a cult.

Another thing that we can acquire second-hand is Christian-Jargon. Of course all specialist fields have their technical terminology and theology is no different. The specialist theological meaning of terms such as justification, imputation, redemption etc. are very different to how these terms are used in the secular world, but on the whole the meaning of these terms is well established, and I don't really mean those. By jargon, I mean those kind of terms and expressions that we hear at a popular level and often absorb unthinkingly almost by osmosis. I remember many years ago, reading of a pastor who had just finished a meeting at some town or other, and was set to travel on. The congregation offered to pray for his safe journey: "Preacher, do you want us to cover your car with the blood?" they asked. "Actually" he said, "I would much rather that you washed it. for me." The congregation, though well-intentioned, had unthinkingly adopted an understanding of the blood of Jesus, via this jargon, that was disconnected from any biblical reality. This kind of phenomenon is absolutely rife in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, where believers accrue the "Christianese" of their peer-group assuming it to be true and scriptural without further investigation, and use such jargon with almost mantra-like repetitiveness. Sadly this is not restricted to the lunatic fringe it can even affect otherwise sound believers and well-known preachers.

This usage of terminology divorced from biblical meaning or context was amply illustrated in Dr Paul Wilkinson's emotionally charged and excoriating tirade (with which most Moriel supporters will most likely now be familiar) delivered at the recent Berean Call Conference against those who would dare to disagree with the Secret Pretribulational Rapture Theory. Dr Wilkinson's eyebrow-raising speech and his later written paper expressing similar sentiments, have indeed created some waves and also attracted a certain amount of notoriety, which he may later come to regret. However, their tone and manner is not my concern here, but rather the scriptural issues which his "rebuttals" raise, and for the purposes of this bulletin, one in particular:

. . . . it's destructive it's damaging, and it's thoroughly dishonest. . . . the Post-Tribulation belief that Joe Schimmel espouses, Joel Richardson, the Pre-Wrath view that Jacob Prasch espouses, these are heretical views. To teach that the Church is going to go through any part of the Tribulation period is an abominable thing to teach. because it robs believers of the blessedness of the Blessed Hope. It doesn't fill believers with joy and expectancy and longing , it fills them with fear, it fills them with a kind of militancy that they have to stand against the Antichrist, they have to face the Mark of the Beast. I have spoken at Churches in England where people have been in fear how they are going to get through the Tribulation, how their children are going to get through the Tribulation. Will they be strong enough to resist the Mark of the Beast when it comes. Praise God the Lord uses many of us to bring freedom and release from that kind of teaching.

Throughout his message the term "blessed hope" was repeated as something being under attack by non-Pretrib proponents, and from this it soon became impossible to escape the impression, that Dr Wilkinson, (who is a dear brother in Christ; we must never forget that!) and it grieves me to say it, does not actually comprehend what the "Blessed Hope" is,--from Scripture; that his understanding of the term as referring to a secret Pretribulational Rapture, is merely something received from others; that he has never investigated the meaning of it for himself, and is merely parroting second-hand theology and religious jargon, and this can be demonstrated by a simple text, context and co-text study of the term.

What then is the "Blessed Hope"?

The term "blessed hope" only occurs in one place in Scripture, namely Titus 2:13:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and [or even, Gr. καὶ] the glorious appearing [lit. the appearing of the glory] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

In order to ascertain what the term "blessed hope" means; we need to look at what information we are provided in the context. For the pretribulationist to honestly (an important distinction) equate "the blessed hope of the appearing of the glory," with their theorised Secret Pretribulational Rapture, then the following is needed:

• A clear chronological reference that places the event before the Tribulation.
• A clear indicator that the event is "in secret", that is to say the unsaved world as a whole does not perceive the Lord's return for his Church, as Pretribulational Rapture Theorists would put it.

In the letter to Titus, the fact is that both these indicators are lacking. There is nothing, in its context in Titus, to even remotely suggest that it refers to a secret or Pretribulation Rapture. There are no direct chronological indicators or other such explicit information, therefore another approach is needed. We need first of all to observe how Paul defines the term "blessed hope" in context in the passage and then look for the same concept in related co-texts.

In the A.V. the "blessed hope" is defined as "the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour," but the Greek would be better rendered as "the appearing of the glory," and the Greek word behind "appearing" is ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia).

The Greek word καὶ: translated in some versions as "and" can also mean even, which essentially means that the "blessed hope" and the "appearing of the glory" are not separate items but that the "blessed hope" is the "appearing of the glory," and this is the way also most Christians understand this verse anyway. Indeed, Dr Wilkinson's own translation of choice, the Revised Standard Version, renders it:

. . . awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,

We should note that this theme of "appearing" is also mentioned a few verses previously.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

This grace that appeared to all men (not the Church only) is described as a completed act, something that has already happened, and surely must refer to Jesus' First Coming. It should be noticed that this is not described as a secret appearing but open and manifest to all, this hints that Paul may be using the first to inform us to some extent about the second; namely that both comings share this characteristic, and indeed, Paul uses ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaaea) to also describe Jesus' first coming in 2 Tim. 1:10.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Now, the Greek noun ἐπιφάνεια behind the English word "appearing" is also translated as either manifestation, appearing, or in one place in the A.V. brightness. It appears in but a few places in the NT, and all of them are in Paul's letters, (namely: 2 Thess. 2:8, 1 Tim 6:14, 2 Tim 1:10, 2 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim. 4:8, Titus 2:13) this also gives us a hint that it is a term that Paul uses to describe something specific.

Moving on to our next occurrence of ἐπιφάνεια, we see Paul use it in his exhortation to Timothy:

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;¹ Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Tim 6:14)

Once again, the context is absent of any implication that this "appearing" is before the Tribulation, or that this "appearing" is only to the Church.

Next we read in Paul's second letter to Timothy:

. . . God . . Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. . . .

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) and his kingdom;  . . watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (ἐπιφάνεια). 

There are many themes in common between the letters to Timothy and Titus. Paul exhorts both to a godly and dedicated life, in light of the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) and to teach the same to others. It is self-evident that the appearing in chapter 1.v. 10 is that of the Lord's first coming. It is superfluous to add once again, that this first appearing was in now way secret or done in a corner.

In v. 18 Paul introduces another element, namely "that day".

In chapter four, Paul adds some extra information about this "appearing" that is to come:

the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

To the time of the appearing Paul adds the idea of kingdom and that Jesus shall judge the living and the dead.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

In v. 8 Paul reiterates the judgement theme again and this verse makes it clear that the time of judgement, at least includes all believers, for Paul specifies the reward which he will receive. Secondly v. 8 reveals the connecting information, that, that day, the time of judgement of living and dead, the appearing and the kingdom are all at the same time.

Thus far then, we have the following information connected with this term ἐπιφάνεια "appearing":

• It is the appearing of the glory of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• It is linked with the idea of Jesus revealing that He indeed King of kings and Lord of lords and the time of the kingdom.
• It is a judgement of living and dead, and therefore includes a resurrection.
• It is a time of giving rewards to believers: "rest".
• It is also referred to as "that day".

While these passages inform us of events associated with it, none of them directly tell us when the time of this appearing is, but certainly none of them even remotely suggest in their context that this appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) is either secret or Pretribulational. There is however, one final passage in which this word appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) occurs, that pulls nearly all the above motifs together and also provides us with an unambiguous chronological reference.

 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;  so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;  which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:  if so be that it is righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you,  and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation [Gr. ἀποκάλυψις (apocalupsis)] of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire,  rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus:  who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power;  that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the Coming [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand [is come as most modern versions render it];   let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be], except the falling away [Gr. ἀποστασία Apostasy] come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,  he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?  And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.  For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.  And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,  and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:  that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

What do we see in this entire passage?

Firstly in chapter 1:7-10 there is a glorious, and highly visible to all, revelation of the Lord Jesus, from heaven with his angels, because He punishes (i.e. judges) the wicked as well as gives rest to His saints. Paul also calls this event that day:

"when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all who have believed, . . ." (RSV)

This is most clearly occurs after the Tribulation and is obviously a reference to Matt. 24:

"they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, . . . . but of that day and hour knoweth no man"

Now in chapter 2:8-12 we clearly see the same event as in chapter 1:7 etc., because once again Paul reveals that at this time unbelievers are judged. It is abundantly clear that these verses refer to the same event as chapter 2:8-12:

And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] even he , whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Thus the Coming (Parousia) of chapter two is referring back to the "revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, . . . when he shall come to be glorified in his saints" in chapter one. In this highly informative passage, the Apostle links the Epiphaneia chronologically with the destruction of the Antichrist; which all would agree occurs at the end of the Tribulation period.

And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)].

So now we have the following information about the ἐπιφάνεια -the Appearing:

• It is the appearing of the glory of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• It is linked with the idea of Jesus revealing that He indeed King of kings and Lord of lords and the time of the kingdom.
• It is a time of judgement of living and dead, and therefore includes a resurrection.
• It is a time of giving rewards to believers, "rest".
• It is also referred to as "that day".
• It occurs at the end of the Tribulation period when the Antichrist is destroyed, and it is connected with the Lord's coming (Parousia) in glory.
• The fact that three things the Parousia, the ἐπιφάνεια-Appearing and the destruction of the Man of Sin occur on or around the same time is very helpful, because it now gives us a time frame for another prophesied event:

Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the Coming [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto him . . .

Paul now adds to the visible glorious, angelically-accompanied Parousia event, another linked concept: namely the "gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto Him."

There are no chapter divisions in the Greek; not only so, but chapter two contains no contextual information that indicates Paul has now changed subjects to speak of a Santa-like secret coming and rapture separate from that of the first chapter. Neither is there ought to suggest a disconnection or seven-year gap between the Parousia event and the "gathering together;" there is no hint that one is invisible and the other not; nor is there anything from which we can honestly infer that the Episunagoge is anything other than a part or component of the Parousia event itself. When we are establishing doctrinal truths, we must never, ever, look for, insert into, or infer from a biblical text, what it does not explicitly state or can clearly and unambiguously be drawn from it. In Second Thessalonians, Paul intimately connects the Episunagoge (which all with one consent know to be the Rapture) event with the Parousia, and later in the passage he connects the Parousia with the ἐπιφάνεια-Appearing by the phrase "Epiphaneia of His Parousia," that is to say, Jesus' manifest coming in glory.

And of course, in reality, Paul, in his eschatological teachings is really just faithfully presenting the teachings of Jesus Himself from Matt. 24 and other places,, where we see the same elements, with the same chronology, and this is of course only to be expected (Matt. 28:20).

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together (ἐπισυνάγω [episunago]) his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

In an interesting note of irony, W. E. Vine, whom Dr Wilkinson mentions as helping to understand the fulness of meaning of biblical words, and who was himself a pretribulationist, refers thus in his very useful Expository Dictionary to Titus 2:13:

" . . . the shining forth of the glory of the Lord Jesus "as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west," Matt. 24:27, immediately consequent on the unveiling, apokalupsis, of His Parousia in the air with His saints, 2Thess. 2:8; Titus 2:13."²

The fact that Vine, who had every motive to interpret the "blessed hope" as a pretrib rapture if he could have, but did not, is very telling. Dr Wilkinson should take note.

It was the purpose of this article only to deal specifically with one issue, the biblical definition of the "blessed hope" of Titus 2:13 and to expose the error and hermeneutical bankruptcy of the assertion that it refers to a pretribulational rapture. Exegetically, from the text in question and related co-texts, we can only draw the sure and certain conclusion, that the "Blessed Hope," or more correctly "the blessed hope of the appearing, -the Epiphaneia of the glory," is connected with a visible appearing in glory of Jesus to gather his saints, destroy the Antichrist and set up His kingdom after the Tribulation; no other information is provided to assume otherwise. We must therefore conclude that Dr Wilkinson's definition of the "Blessed Hope" is in actual fact a serious misrepresentation of this precious scriptural concept, and one which robs it of its blessedness, because he is in fact presenting his audiences with a lie, even though we would believe there is no deliberate intent to deceive on his part. We would remonstrate with our good brother Dr Wilkinson; that surely, brother Paul, in the interests of remaining true to the Scriptures and to the God who is their Author, and also to yourself and to those whom you minister; that you desist from using the term "blessed hope" or "appearing" in your current misleading and damaging manner, that you should discontinue this unhelpful and destructive labelling as "heretics" those who are actually trying to understand this term in its biblical context; and finally, that you as a matter of urgency, stop listening to those voices that are giving you faulty information, pull out your workshop manual, do some fault-finding, and please, please, fix your second-hand car, because some things are seriously out of alignment.

Elon Moreh.

Moriel Israel

1 The sentence, "the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." is an interesting one. Though of course, it could not be pressed exegetically from this text that Paul is referring to Rev. 19, (which was written considerably later) the thematic connection however, is certainly obvious, because Revelation 19 does reveal exactly to us which are the times in which the Lord Jesus Christ will shew who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

2 I am also aware of the fact that Vine presented in his dictionary epiphaneia also "the coming of the Lord Jesus into the air to the meeting with His saints, 1Tim. 6:14; 2Tim. 4:1,8" as if it were a separate event, (i.e. a Pretrib Rapture) however there is no contextual or exegetical reason for doing so. Vine at that point was simply reading his presuppositions into the text.   

The Obama Deal And Something Worse

The Iranian Nuclear Threat, Something To Remember.

It has been rather a strange time since the last bulletin. On the one hand quiet and uneventful here in town, but on the other, there are hints of things to come. More than ever before we are seeing low-flying jet fighters nearly every day now, and something we have never seen before: huge military transport aircraft have flown past the town a number of times. There have been a number of Home Front Command exercises, and there is even planning for a full-scale evacuation of the North if a land-war should break out here that reaches inside our borders. Because of our close proximity to the Lebanese border, we are in the "immediate" warning zone for a missile attack. Immediate in this context means that only after the first missiles have landed will the sirens go off, so it's too late to worry about it. People are talking about refreshing the supplies in their "safety rooms" and shelters, gas camping stoves, bottled water, some basic dried foods, tea, coffee etc. Of course all this has been overshadowed by something that no reinforced room can protect us from: the threat of a nuclear warhead.

The Obama sell-out of the West, and particularly us, to Iran has grave ramifications, not only for Israel, but for all of the world. If not already, then in a few years every nation will be in the reach of nuclear terrorism. On the one hand, the possible scenarios are too awful too contemplate, but yesterday, as I was thinking about this, there are certain things that gave me peace.

It's hard to know exactly how the scenario will play itself out in detail, but we do know that Israel as a nation will survive. Knowing some of the future events that must occur before Lord returns tells us this, as they presuppose our national existence and presence in the Land before the beginning of the Tribulation, therefore whatever happens will not wipe us off the map, and of course we have direct promises of comfort too:

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. (Jer. 31:35-37)

Whatever happens, even with all the weapons at their disposal the LORD has a way of annulling evil designs against us. We may remember how when Jerusalem was surrounded by overwhelmingly superior Assyrian forces, the LORD not only sent a plague to destroy them, but sent a "blast upon him [the king of Assyria], and he shall hear a rumour and shall return to his own land: and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land" (2Kgs. 19:7). Truly this was an example of:

The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psa. 33:10-12)

So, even though modern day Israel is a sinful nation and ripe for judgement, yet still the LORD has chosen her for himself, therefore, though she may suffer, she will remain. Nothing can prevent that, and though the nations may rage, and the rulers take secret counsel together, his counsel will stand. How he chooses to fulfil his promise and deal with the Iranians, we do not know, but deal with it he will, and he will work out his purposes and not allow them to be thwarted. Of this we can be utterly confident.

A Greater Threat.

Actually Israel's greatest enemies have never been the surrounding nations and their armies. When Israel was obedient and walking with the LORD, no enemy was too strong, no fortified city unassailable. The LORD fought for Israel and put their foes to confusion. In those cases, Israel could be confident in the LORD's protection and that He would give the victory.

However when Israel was unfaithful it was a different story. We may remember the story of Balaam, how Balak hired him to curse Israel, and Balaam could not. However, later on (Num. 31:1-20) Balaam showed Balak how to lure Israel into sensuality, sexual immorality and spiritual adultery, and thus bring down God's judgement on her. What Balaam did (see Num. 25) was to seduce Israel into forbidden unions with the daughters of Moab, which then enticed them into idolatry; they began to behave like the nations around them.

Even so, the greatest enemy of the Church is not from without but from within. False doctrines, compromise and spiritual deceit have done far more damage than persecution and opposition of human governments ever have. We see this illustrated in the attitudes to the Supreme Court decision on homosexual "marriages". John Haller in his Prophetic Update (5th July "Convergence Again") showed the alarming statistical shift towards acceptance of biblically forbidden same-sex unions by those calling themselves "evangelical" over only the last 10 years. What were previously considered hallowed and inviolable, ancient God-ordained boundaries, have been rooted up and cast aside. What this tells us is that mainstream evangelical opinion has become plastic and malleable, it has become like the world.

While the acceptance of homosexual marriages by evangelicals is not really a problem here in Israel, there are other forms of spiritual seduction that are making inroads. In the last bulletin I mentioned Wayne Hilsden, Empower 21 and the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation). Since then I have been researching more, and would like to bring attention to just one more very dangerous aspect of the NAR over here,—forbidden unions.

The New Apostles And The 2nd Jerusalem Council

The second major NAR grouping in Israel is that of the Tikkun (Hebrew for "Restoration") Ministries International of "apostle" Dan Juster, described as:

"an apostolic network made up of an association of congregations (Tikkun America) and international ministries led by an apostolic team of five fold senior leaders. . . . . "

Over here in Israel, "connected relationally and organisationally" to Tikkun is the Tents of Mercy organisation headed by  Eitan Shishkoff and its network of churches and ministries.

Daniel Juster is on the "Apostolic Council" of the ICA,—the International Coalition of Apostles¹, a major grouping of false teachers and self-proclaimed NAR Apostles. Eitan Shishkoff, is also on the board of Tikkun, as is Asher Intrater "founder and apostolic leader" of Revive Israel. Tikkun is a partner ministry with the heretical IHOP Kansas City.² These things alone are alarming, but even worse is Tikkun's connection with something called TJCII ("Towards Jerusalem Council 2"). TJCII is described as "an initiative of repentance and reconciliation between the Jewish and Gentile segments of the Church." This all sounds very wholesome, but the leadership list of TJCII tells a different story.³

Daniel Juster; Benjamin Berger (Leads the Congregation of the Lamb on Mt. Zion "has a big heart for unity in the Body of Christ and has been involved in the Roman Catholic/Messianic Jewish international dialogue for the past 6 years."); Wayne Wilks, Jr. (President of the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute (MJBI); Avi Mizrachi (Mizrachi is an alumnus of the Branhamite Christ for the Nations Institute, Executive Director of Dugit Messianic Outreach Center and also Pastor of the NAR Adonai Roi congregation); Orthodox priest Fr. Dr. Prof. Vasile Mihoc; John Dawson (President of YWAM) is described as "a well-loved leader in the international church who helps to give oversight to several key networks." (Incidentally, YWAM has been involved in ecumenical cooperation with Catholics since the late 70's.); Johannes Fichtenbauer head deacon in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna; Father Peter Hocken (described as "active in the charismatic movement since 1971 and part of the Theology Commission for the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal."); Martin Bühlmann, (described as "involved in the dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Protestant Expressions of the church."); The Reverend Canon Brian Cox, (described as "a trained professional in conflict resolution.") Cox's "faith-based approach to reconciliation" is based on eight fundamentals, which include "Social Justice", "Pluralism" & "Inclusion", (interestingly enough these are also the darling buzzwords of the homosexual lobbyists).

Tikkun and its affiliates, Tents of Mercy, Revive Israel etc. are quite open about their agenda, where they are heading, and what their plans are for the Israeli Body of believers. Tikkun's vision is that the ecumenical "Toward Jerusalem Council II has to take place in every city."⁴ What does this mean?—Well TJCII leader Canon Cox's web site reveals that one of the purposes of his "faith-based reconciliation" is "transformation of consciousness," "transformation of individuals and societies". So what we are looking at here is a deliberate strategy to "transform the consciousness" of believers and congregations in every city so that our "convictions can be brought closer and closer" to Rome and whatever lies beyond it.

A Major Difference Between The First Jerusalem Council And TJC2.

The First Jerusalem Council, was a synod of truly born-again believers and genuine apostles, those who had true apostolic authority "to bind and loose", that is to apply the teachings of Jesus in accordance with His intent, guided by the Spirit. This Second Jerusalem Council is a humanly-sanctioned committee half composed of representatives from an apostate, idolatrous and heretical body that absolutely denies the Gospel as delivered to the Apostles, denies the sufficiency of the Cross, espouses re-sacrificing the Messiah every Sunday and then consuming him in act of ritual cannibalism, or that replaces him as sole mediator between God and man with Mary, a merely human (albeit godly) woman who confessed she needed saving as much as we do,— yet the TJCII initiative would have us accept this as "an expression of the Church".

The New Apostles And Church Government

Most of us see modern day apostles, simply as "sent ones" with a ministry in church planting. The Tikkun version of apostolic ministry though, is more a kind of rulership.

The embracing of apostolic ministry is one key to spiritual fruitfulness, as the blessings of God are released when communities align under biblical leadership order. . . . . . . . we order our congregations under apostolic leaders who are chosen by God today and supernaturally confirmed as the servant-overseers of congregations. This is an issue of God’s government. According to New Covenant Scriptures, local congregations are not to be independent. As the congregations multiplied, they were connected to one eldership of the city with many thousands of members. The congregations were also overseen by apostles, . . . . the function of apostles in government and in fostering growth and Kingdom extension beyond the local congregation is crucial. The congregations therefore participate in his training programs, conferences and mission opportunities. His vision brings forth direction to multiple congregations linked together (Dan Juster Apostolic Order, Revive Israel Web Site).

. . . the unity of Yeshua’s followers is a key to the redemption of the world. In our own congregations, we are to pray for unity and to come against the attacking spirits of evil that bring division, gossip, and more . . . we are to support the vision and direction of leaders where it is in line with Scripture. Beyond the local congregation, this unity will be expressed in praying for the unity of the leaders and congregations in our cities, counties, and regions. This means that congregational leaders will be drawn together for prayer and cooperative ministry. In addition, it means that we will pray for a recognized leadership to be called of God to lead the unity of the congregation of the city. They will have a governmental role. . . . An apostolic stream of congregations has even more power. When congregations in an area are in unity, they have the power to bind the princes of darkness over a territory. In this unity great power will be released for salvation in each region⁵. . . . . Five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11-16) is a key to this unity, especially the recognition of apostolic and prophetic authority and leadership. . . . I believe that only a mighty revival will bring this unity, which will include new orientations in doctrine so that we can come together. The idea of a sloppy unity where there is a watering down of convictions is not biblical. The Spirit of God can bring us closer and closer in our convictions . . . (Dan Juster A Quest For Unity, from the Revive Israel web site.)

We believe that God will restore all truth and right practice that has been lost to the Body of Believers. Various ages of the Church have seen advances and declines . . . Some advances in recent time parallel the restoration of Israel. . . . the Latter Rain revival [note: yes, that revival from which the Latter Rain & Manifested Sons movements sprang in the 1940's] happened in parallel to the independence of the nation of Israel and its recognition; the charismatic renewal in the late sixties came at the same time as Israel coming into government over the original, Old City section of Jerusalem. . . . On the other hand, there are dimensions of truth that seem less established today than in past years. The enforcement of congregational discipline [italics mine] was greater one hundred years ago than in today’s Western world . . . .

Nowhere in the Bible does it say congregations (unified or not) have the power to "bind the princes of darkness over a territory," or that we are even to undertake such a task. This is silly hyper-Charismatic nonsense arrived at only by perverting the Scriptures.

As one who observed "apostolic government" and "enforcement of congregational discipline" in action in the UK Restoration Movement, I have seen this all before. Once these "apostles" have taken over the leadership of a local church and assimilated it into their network, concerns about their direction (in his case Romeward) and dissent or refusal to take part in their programs will be considered as being due to "spirits of evil," the governing apostles of each city will dictate their (in this case NAR-ecumenical) agenda, and the "covenant relationships" which include "right attitudes toward [apostolic of course!] authority and order," that Intrater speaks of on the Revive Israel web site, become the tools of monitoring that ensure compliance to it. Most of the younger generation of Israeli believers who have grown up knowing nothing other than the NAR mixture,—the "Ahab generation," (see previous bulletin) will not know any different, they will think that this is normative Christianity. Those who do know and express misgivings about the "new orientations in doctrine," or have reservations about the kind of training programs and conferences they are being expected to attend, will be dealt with: either commanded to stay silent and not to speak to others of their misgivings, or shown the door.

The Roots Of Tikkun

While not necessarily espousing all their doctrinal extremes, Daniel Juster openly acknowledges that its roots are in the Latter Rain/Manifested Sons movements and their counterfeit revival of the 1940's, from which the UK Restoration movement also sprang.

The Spirit Behind Tikkun

Tikkun and its associates are openly pro-Toronto/Pensecola: Juster mentions Toronto, Pensecola etc. as being "outpourings of the Spirit" and at one meeting it is recorded that, "Asher [Intrater] roared like a lion and knocked over a row of chairs". So it is no surprise then to find that there is a "beautiful and loving unity between the pastors and partners at Tikkun International, Ahavat Yeshua, Tiferet Yeshua [that is the Branhamite MAOZ congregations formerly led by the Sorko Rams who introduced the Toronto Experience to Israel], Tents of Mercy, Revive Israel, Gateways Beyond, Paul Wilbur ministries and other friends," or that Asher Intrater is an associate of Francis Frangipane, a prominent teacher of the "transferable anointing" doctrine which blasphemously reduces the Holy Spirit to a mere commodity or substance that may be transferred at human will.

The NAR And Israeli Youth

In addition to spreading its influence through the growth of its Tikkun "apostolic" network, since 2007, the NAR has, been heavily involved in securing the minds of the next generation through a series of youth conferences called "Elav" (meaning "to him" in Hebrew). Youth conferences can be a good thing, but as these are organised by an IHOP affiliate ("Succat Hallel" run by Rick and Patti Riddings) and feature ministry from IHOP Kansas City, thus they are essentially a vehicle to recruit youth into the NAR and its doctrines.

Parallels

There is an interesting parallel here with the homosexual issue. At the same time that biblical doctrine and the supremacy of Scripture is being marginalised, western society has been permeated with homosexual propaganda via various means for nearly a generation now; evangelical Christian youth have grown up in a society where they are bombarded with the message that homosexuality is not only normal, but even perhaps preferable, and that same sex marriage,—̶which God calls an abomination is OK, and opposition to it is bigotry or intolerance. No wonder then, that in spite of clear biblical injunctions against it, acceptance of same-sex relationships has grown tremendously among evangelical youth.

In exactly the same way, the up and coming generation of Israeli evangelical youth have, and are being, exposed to the NAR message of exciting (though false) prophecies, signs, wonders and (counterfeit) "anointings," acceptance of NAR prophetic and apostolic authority, and ultimately of reconciliation and [ecumenical] unity. All these seem "preferable" to stuffy old adherence to Scripture and sound hermeneutics. This will inevitably affect our young people's resistance to spiritual error and their level of discernment. This is exactly what has happened with the homosexual issue, and what is happening with the NAR as well; certain sectors of Israeli believing youth are having their consciousness transformed.

Disappearing Borders

Once deception is embraced, doctrine and convictions become plastic and malleable; we have seem from the homosexual issue, that what appears to be an immoveable boundary in one generation may disappear in the next,—̶particularly if enough signs, wonders, "anointings" and supernatural experiences are thrown in. So, just as the idea of homosexual, transvestite or transsexual Christianity (I use the term loosely) would once have been considered absurd and unbelievable among evangelicals: even so would union between Rome and Israeli evangelicals. If the Israeli NAR can throw away the distinction between the true Gospel of Christ and the damnable counterfeit of the Roman Catholic Church,—̶something once equally unthinkable,—̶what is the next stage? Where is the "transformation of consciousness" and the "quest for unity" going to take them next?

Onward To "Fulness"

Asher Intrater believes that God has called Tikkun to restore the "true meaning" of the Apostolic Commission that has been "hidden from the eyes of the Body for 2000 years".

The word “restoration” as it is used in Acts 3 connotes more than restoring something that was simply present before. . . .. This refers to a restoration of the world to Paradise. That all humanity would enter into Paradise is something beyond and greater than anything that has occurred in the past. The Scriptures lead us to believe that we are moving toward something greater than is usually connoted by the word restoration. We are moving toward fulness. . . . . This means that the Body of Believers will come to a place of maturity, unity, power and purity that is indicated in Ephesians 4-5 and Revelation 7 . . .

Juster and the other NAR people in Israel see "fulness" as including union with the blasphemies of Rome, and they are looking for another great outpouring, a "worldwide revival": however, what kind of outpouring can be expected on a movement that is not only energised by the spirit behind Toronto and Pensecola, but converging with Roman Catholicism? If Tikkun "apostles" were unable to recognise the spirits behind Toronto and Pensecola for what they are, and cannot recognise Romanism for what it is, can we hold out any hope that they will better discern the nature of another great "outpouring" from the same source, no matter what abominations it brings with it? What they describe as fulness we would surely describe as the maturing of horrible apostasy, and they are leading their network of "apostolic" congregations right into it.

Restoring The Apostolic Commission?

In a message entitled "Restoration of the Apostolic Commission" Intrater states:

"I believe that God is calling us to restore and to complete the original apostolic commission that was given to the Apostles in Acts chapter 1. . . . We are not being called just to restore David's kingdom, we're being called to restore everything that got messed up from the Garden of Eden out, we want to restore the whole thing. . . . let's bring a perfect universe back together, that's what we're all about. . . . . "What do we need to do to bring about the restoration of all things . . . I want to recruit you, . . . I want to call us in to co-operation . . . working together so that we can look to change the whole world. Let's change the world, . . . . let's figure out some way to get over this [our differences and problems] so that we can work together and change the whole world, bring the kingdom to be restored to Israel (Acts 1) and the restoration of all things in Acts chapter 3.

The Cart Before The Horse

The Apostles had been with Jesus for three years and heard his teachings. He had also just spent another forty days after his resurrection with them teaching them specifically about the kingdom of God (v.3).

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:6-8

After those forty days of intensive teaching, Peter was of the clear understanding that Jesus was the one who would restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus did not correct Peter's impression about who would be doing the restoring, only about the timing of the restoration. Asher Intrater is propagating an idea here that is completely foreign to what the Scriptures teach. Let's also look at Acts 3:

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:18-21)

The question in this passage is once again: who does the restoring -God or Man, the Lord or the Church? The key is in the next sentence "which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the world began." He who would look in the prophets to find anyone other than the LORD doing the restoring, will look in vain. The Lord comes in order to restore, not because the nations have been transformed and restored by the Church.

The Mixture At Work

Having read some of the Tikkun material, I can see some that is good and worthy, a passion to please the Lord, a yearning for his coming and the restoration of Israel, a zeal for purity and holiness, a desire to reach the lost, both from among the nations and the house of Israel. There are many good things here. However, once again it is the mixture at work, not all is outright error, but mixed in with truth there is a Euphratean stream of false teaching that is absolutely deadly, and these errors result in strange self-contradictions that exemplify how doctrinally adrift Tikkun is; for example, Daniel Juster states in the introduction of his book, Israel the Church and the Last Days:

"The Bible is the means by which we test what the Spirit is revealing to us doctrinally. We cannot build doctrine on what we think the Spirit is saying . . . . If you ignore author-intended meaning, you can say that the Bible is the test of doctrine all you want, but it will be meaningless, because you will be giving yourself the freedom to go to the Bible and find anything you want to find. The Bible can then say anything you want it to say."

Such an attitude to Scripture is one to which we could all say a hearty "Amen!" Thus it is extremely puzzling how Juster can say this on the one hand, and yet blithely accept Toronto, Pensecola, Spiritual Warfare ("Binding and Loosing of territorial spirits" etc) as biblical, considering the blatant decontextualisations and perversions of Scripture used to support these things,—̶things which are of course, serious enough on their own:—but when combined with this hideous ecumenical agenda, we have a monstrosity. Juster's claim to honour author-intent of the Scriptures and not to build doctrine on what he "thinks the Spirit is saying", is good in theory, but sadly, theory is all it is, as it seems that Tikkun is either spectacularly double-minded or merely paying lip-service to the maxim. The Scriptures enjoin us to flee idolatry, yet Tikkun is ecumenically embracing Romanism, one of the most blatantly idolatrous and wicked enormities ever to afflict the Body of Christ. Nothing could be more directly contrary to the Scriptures in their authorial intent than that.

Convergence And Divergence

I believe Scripture gives us no other recourse than to conclude that the claim to apostolic and prophetic office by Daniel Juster and his Tikkun and NAR associates is utterly bogus: no matter how sincere they are, or how laudable their motives appear,—̶how loving and "inclusive" they seem. Their promotion of Latter Rain errors, their propagation of the nonsensical Spiritual Warfare doctrines, their imbibing of the Toronto spirit, their willing association with some of the worst false teachers and proven false prophets of our day: any of these alone would disqualify them, but in particular their acceptance of and desire to converge with, the false "other gospel" of Roman Catholicism, renders their divergence from Scripture so great, that we can only conclude that they are in fact, "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ," those of whom the LORD said: "they prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."

All of the foregoing is not to say that these men are wicked, ill motivated or of bad character. However their blind adherence to rank heresy and desire to join with that which God forbids, will, in the end, issue in a terrible betrayal of the Gospel and probably lead Tikkun and its followers into the Harlot Babylon system. Just as Obama's sell out of Israel to her mortal enemy Iran is an irrational and self-destructive betrayal: even so is this Israeli NAR sell-out of the Gospel to its mortal enemies.

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

1The membership list of the ICA is quite extensive, however, here are a few many will recognise: Alan Vincent, Bill Hamon, Brian Simmons, Che Ahn, Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs, Colin Urquhart, Don Finto, Dutch Sheets, Ed Silvoso, Ian Andrews, Israel Kim, John Gimenez, Paul Tan, Paul D Zink, Peter Wagner, Samuel Rodriguez, Stephen Strader, Tom Hess, Tommy Tenney, Trevor Newport, Wesley Campbell. You may recognise a number of these pseudo-prophets and false teachers from the Empower 21 list I mentioned in the last bulletin.

2The International House of Prayer is an outgrowth of the Kansas City Prophets, and in turn the Kansas City Prophets embody much of the heretical, gnostic and even occultic doctrines of the Manifested Sons of God and Latter Rain heresies which came in during the revival movements of the 1940's. These doctrines were, with good reason, condemned by the AOG of the time, sadly they went underground and were surreptitiously sowed back into the fertile soil of the Charismatic Renewal of the 60's, to later blossom into the noxious overgrowth of today. Tikkun also shares this root.

3The Steering Committee of TJCII apparently originally also included Jonathan Bernis (Executive Director, Jewish Voice Ministries International), he is a board member of Wayne Hilsden's NAR organisation Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (mentioned in the last bulletin).

4Notes from Dan Justers talk at Tikkun Pre-Advance 2000.

5Whatever binding and loosing means, it certainly isn't this. In regards to its true contextual meaning, I would refer you to Jacob's sermon on the subject.