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.