I would like to share an experience that I had years ago which I wrote about in my manuscript in which God showed me something that sheds light on the televangelist situation which has been raised of late on the Doves. God used this subject as a means of demonstrating to me that He wrote things in His word that pin-point the day in which I live. He wasn't necessarily giving me any judgement on the issue when He shared this with me but rather was just wanting to show me that my day is in scripture because He wanted to show me that my own thinking was off in which I had just assumed that the Bible was mostly either very old history or yet future prophecy but nothing of my own day was happening in there really. So He wanted to show me that this was not so and here is the story:

 

“Go Get Your Bible, I Want To Show You Something…”

 

Another time when God showed me something like this, right out of His word, I didn't even ask for it, He just started teaching me this. This would have been maybe around 1988 or so, I was just minding my own business one day when God said to me,

“Go get your Bible, I want to show you something…” I obeyed, and as I was getting my Bible He said,

“I want to show you that I wrote in the Bible about things that are happening in your day just as I did about ancient days, because you think I only wrote about ancient days, and days that are yet future, but nothing about your own day…” And I remember thinking, as I was getting my Bible out,

“Wow, you’re right, I do think that way, don’t I… “So, you are going to show me something that is written about my day? Cool! Ok, let’s do it… What do you want me to read?”

“Turn to 2 Peter, chapter 2, and read the whole chapter…” He told me. So I did, and here’s what I read:

 

2 Peter 2: 1.  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.

 2.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

 3.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

 4.  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

 5.  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

 6.  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

 7.  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

 8.  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

 9.  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

 10.  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

 11.  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

 12.  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

 13.  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

 14.  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

 15.  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

 16.  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

 17.  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

 18.  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

 19.  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 20.  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 21.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 22.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

 

So, that’s what I read, and it meant nothing to me. I could sense the disappointment in God as He saw that I was not impressed at all. And all I could say was,

“Ok, Lord, I don’t see anything about our day here…” He said,

“You don’t see it?”

“I’m sorry, but no…”

“Read it again.” He said. So I read it a second time, and still got nothing… I don’t remember how many times He had me read it but it was a few before He finally said to me,

“Ok, read it one more time, and this time, as you’re reading it, ask yourself what current event does this sound like, that has happened recently in your world,? Think about what has been in the news, what people, specifically, does this sound like it is describing, because this is referring to someone and something very specific right in your day.” He was being very patient with me and I felt so slow, like I wasn't going to get this unless He came right out and told me what it was. But He likes to lead you to something and let you discover it to some extent, rather than just telling you everything right out. So, I said,

“Wow, ok Lord, now when you put it that way, maybe I’ll see it this time…” It was then that I realized that I was not really thinking that there could be someone that I have heard of, being described in here. I only thought of it as a general description of false teachers, doing their thing. But He was telling me that there is a specific fulfillment of a very specific prophecy, of exact details, that anyone with an open mind, and an honest heart, should be able to recognize. And so, off I went, to read it again, only this time, I was specifically looking for who in our day this might be describing.

I then noticed how Peter is describing a false prophet problem that happened in his own time, or a time previous from his point of view, and comparing that to the time of the reader, as though the reader is in some future time, removed by some distance of time spanning between the two:

 

1.  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you…

 

This got me excited, but it wasn't until I got all the way to the final verse that it finally struck me that this was describing, not one individual, but a couple. A man and a woman, husband and wife team, who are known about by everyone, and who have been brought down in shame after doing all those corrupt things described, but having done them from a standpoint of being a Christian ministry.  …the dog (Male), is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow (Female), that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

 

It suddenly became obvious to me that this was describing, to a tee, the goings on of the Jim and Tammy Baker scandal. My hair stood on end when it hit me,

“Oh my gosh, Lord, this is about Jim and Tammy Bakker, isn’t it!” I exclaimed.

“You got it!” He said, “Now read it again from the beginning with that understanding and see how accurate it is.” This time as I read it I about came out of my shoes. It was spot on in so many details. For example:   

1. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, This describes them both, for they both taught from the Bible. They came from among us true Christians. …who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, Their teaching on prosperity, is a damnable heresy, as even Jim himself would later write about this as being wrong, in his book called “I Was Wrong”. …even denying the Lord that bought them… Denying the Lord that bought them, because they acted as if they were entitled to their position, rather than being bought with a price and worthy of nothing. We stand only by grace. …and bring upon themselves swift destruction. I can think of no better description of their downfall than that. That’s all just in verse one. Shall we continue?

 

Verse 2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; Oh my gosh, is this accurate! The PTL ministry had the third or fourth largest amusement park in the country at one point and had a weekly donation income of $1,000,000. That qualifies for many following their pernicious ways.

…by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. The talk shows and late night TV comedians had a field day, making fun of the gospel for the longest time with this situation. The way of truth became evil spoken of, as it became the butt of so many jokes and the gospel was smeared all over the place during this whole time. So, that is a solid hit also. There is no way that this is not what is being described here. There is no other example that fits ever, any other time in history.

Verse 3. …And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you… Who can forget the way that they would ask for money, of their viewing audience, using the kind of speech that is described here in this verse, and the following verse?

Verse 18. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, Remember how Tammy used to speak that way? Saying something like, “Oooh, the Loooord just wants to bleeeessss yoooouuu sooooo muuuuuchhh, doesn’t he, Jeeiuum…. If you will just send us a love gift, we will send you this worthless little trinket, that is sure to bleeeessss yoooou…”

…they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Verse 19. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 

I think you get the idea. As if that wasn’t enough, God then said there were other verses, written elsewhere, that were a companion to these scriptures, that He wanted to show me also. So I said, “Show me…” And He directed me to:

 

2 Timothy 3: 6. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

 7.  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 8.  Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

 9.  But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

 10.  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,

 11.  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

 12.  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

 13.  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

 

Does the name Jessica Hahn ring a bell, anyone? I’d say she was a silly woman. She was the one that exposed the whole scandal, saying basically that Jim Bakker led her captive for sexual purposes. You cannot speak of Jim Bakker without her name coming up at some point. And as we have already pointed out, the folly of the PTL situation was definitely manifested to all men, and they proceeded no further.

 

Well, I was very excited about this situation and I wanted to share it with anyone who would listen, but beyond Scott, my roommate there wasn’t a whole lot of people to share it with. So, I just thanked God for showing it to me and I kept it to myself.

Then I went to attend a Wednesday night Bible study in a local church that was conducted by the senior pastor there. As he was closing, he invited anyone who wanted to, to come to his office and pay him a visit during the week or whenever, and share with him some neat things that God was doing in their lives. I decided I wanted to do that, and I wanted to tell him about this little Bible study that God led me through. But rather than wait for some other time, I decided to go tell him right now, after the study was over, and people were just fellow-shipping.

As I approached the pastor, he was happy to talk to me, and I was very excited to be able to share this with him. I expected him to become as excited about it as I was. I told him that I had this wonderful discovery that God had showed me in the Bible. I told him how it started with God telling me to get my Bible, because He wanted to show me that He had written in there, describing events in our day, specifically… I told him the whole story, and then I opened my Bible and started reading where I just showed you.

But you know what he did when I told him that this referred to Jim and Tammy Bakker? He was immediately very angry and offended. He didn’t believe me, that I had gotten this from God at all. He felt that I had just made this up on my own and was reading Jim and Tammy into it. His anger only increased the more he corrected me, until he nearly manhandled me and threw me out of his church. I thought he was going to hit me or something. He started yelling at me and said,

“Who do you think you are? How dare you come in here and try to tell me that you think that this is referring to Jim and Tammy Bakker! This is not anything like that, it’s just a general description of false prophets, which I happen to know that Jim and Tammy are not that. I know that they are good people, I can’t believe how you think you can use this scripture to point a finger at them… You better just watch yourself, boy, don’t you come in here with that kind of malarkey… Why don’t you just get the heck out of here right now with than nonsense…” On he went, all going off on me, shouting and spitting, and gritting his teeth, like a crazy man. I was scared to death that he was going to physically take me by force and remove me off the premises, or who knows what. I didn’t say another word to him but backed away carefully and went out with my Bible under my arm and my tail between my legs. I never went back to that church again.

All I could think at that point, was that one of us was seriously messed up, about what we believe those passages are about. I then sort of looked up at God, and kind of jokingly said, “Does that mean that I wasn’t supposed to try and share this with him?”

There have been times when I have felt like there was something wrong with me, for being the strange one who gets into these situations. Why is God telling me this, but not telling that pastor? I didn’t even ask for this one, but I still believe that it is from God. I honestly thought that this man was going to be as excited as I was about this discovery. I never, in a million years, would have expected the kind of response that I got. I guess I’m just naïve. I have learned since then, not to be so quick to share these kinds of things with just anyone. I do find it highly significant that in the very same passage where Paul is describing these false teachers, he contrasts them with the persecutions that will be the mark of a genuine godly person. It’s "either/or" is what Paul was saying. You can’t really have it both ways. Either Paul is the nutcase here, or those false teachers are. Paul suffered persecutions and he said that all who would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

I once tried posting this same information on a Christian web site only to have a few responses from Christians about what nice people Jim and Tammy really are, etc. I never said they weren’t nice. I never said anything about them, myself. I merely told what God told me, that’s all. As if I want to start debating them about whether Jim and Tammy are nice or not… Who cares? Is it possible that God is going to surprise a lot of Christians when He reveals how He feels about some of these things? It’s like those two who withstood Moses, named above, by Paul, to Timothy, Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses… I wonder how the people who knew them felt about these two; were they nice people? To some, Moses might have seemed like the mean guy, only doing what God wanted, instead of taking a vote once in a while and letting the nice people have a say about some things… Nice, schmice!… I don’t need nice, I need God’s will, not man’s ways that are corrupt, thank you…

Even you, who may be reading this book, probably fall into one of two categories. One, you believe as I do and have had these experiences too, or two, you believe as that pastor did, and are convinced by now that I’m off my nut. Let me just ask you this, those of you who want to stick up for the likes of those kinds of ministries. Do you really think that God is pleased with what went on in those situations? Do you think that when they get caught and brought down, as the scripture says they will, that they can just say that they are sorry and all is forgiven? They represented God to the world, and gave God a very bad name. How do you feel toward someone who does that same thing to you, even a little bit? If they smear your good name all over the landscape and after you bring them to justice, and they say, oh, sorry about that… Do you just say, oh well, I guess as long as you are nice, it doesn’t really matter. Absalom was a nice guy, too, to the people who wanted to make him king, instead of David… There are a lot of people who think Lucifer is a nice guy, and that he should be in charge, instead of God, over this creation, or at least this planet. Should we forgive Jim and Tammy, and did God forgive them? I don’t know, it’s between them and God. People are easily fooled but God, not so easily. The tribulation is coming when Jesus will spew out of His mouth a lot of folks who think they are doing the “works of the Lord…” And He will say to them, I know you not, depart from me ye that work iniquity. I would much rather be yelled at by some pastor who is friendly with those whom the Bible condemns, than be among the spewed out ones in that day.