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The Lion of Judah - Jesus Christ

House of Deborah: With Eagle's Wings

Submission – like justice – has been perverted

 

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says “Oh No! She’s up.”

HOUSE OF DEBORAH – HOME OF EVE

Prophets the world over are hearing God say that He’s up to something with His daughters – something grand and secretive. Something no-one will see coming – least of all satan. Those who stand against Eve exploding into ministry will stand against God.

 

IN THIS SECTION

• “For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth – a woman will encompass [woo, win, protect] a man” (Jer. 31:22 – Amplified version).
• “The Lord gives the command, the women who proclaim the good tidings are a mighty army. Kings of armies flee, they flee” (Ps. 68:11,12 – NASB).
• “Male and female created He them” (Gen. 1:27). Fully functioning self-determining man + fully functioning self-determining woman = the image of God!

“Never has the axiom ‘divide and conquer’ rendered higher dividends than when satan applied it to the gender gap” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ Ed Silvoso, p 46).

THE DEBORAHS

Early in 2008 I was having a discussion with my God. I was not a happy bunny. He had told me out of the blue “They are abusing My sisters” (‘they’ being the people who promote the submission of women and headship of men). A few days later I was grumpily discussing this with Him and suddenly my spirit began to sing 3 times “the Deborahs are coming, the Deborahs are coming, the Deborahs are coming”. I’d never heard of the phrase before and had never paid much attention to Deborah, the Old Testament Judge and Prophet. However, within 2 hours I opened an email that had an attachment of prophecies from Cindy Jacobs (internationally recognized prophet) and one said that the “Deborahs were arising in the land”. That night I responded to an invitation to a prophetic worship meeting and as I spoke to the organizer (an itinerant prophetic minister) without any prompting from me she began to talk about the coming of the Deborahs and said that God was raising an army of women across the globe. Obviously God was confirming by 2 witnesses what He put in my heart earlier in the day. After that I kept hearing the phrase, finding the same message in books and occasionally via speakers – including the scripture from Ps. 68:11 that God’s women will be a mighty army. The word in the Psalm “tsaba” implies women mobilizing under God for a battle campaign. It’s already begun in the US due to an increasing number of churches there taking such a harsh stance on female submission that they have created actual doctrines on both sexual submission and submission to violence (see web-links under Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission). The result is that women are gathering – not in worldly protest – but under the banner of scripture.

So the Deborahs are rising and there’s a growing awareness that God is up to something concerning His daughters. He once told me that women were His “secret weapon” and said it was because “no-one will see it coming”. A year or so later I discovered Ed Silvoso’s book called “Women, God’s Secret Weapon” which also talks about God’s strategy for “surprise attacks”. God confirms what God reveals. I believe women will play a big role in the coming Bride-Church. Rick Joyner recorded seeing women covering the thrones of heaven in his wonderful book ‘The Final Quest’ which documents his vision of heaven and end-times battles. Silvoso believes satan fears women more than men (hence keeping them oppressed in churches) because Gen. 3:15 gives women the mandate to take satan down. When God gives the Ps. 68:11 command (and the preparation has begun), women will hit the ground running.

ON YOUR MARKS – GET SET

A Prophetic Moment: On 8 March 2008 God was telling me that He was about to shake the Church, the men, and the proud – a message which is becoming more common as God gets His people ready. Then I had a vision: I saw horses at the barriers before the start of a race, champing at the bit, tossing their heads and stamping their feet, their eyes wild and bulging as they strained at the starting gates waiting for them to fly open when they would leap like lightening into the race. I knew the horses were the Deborahs. I heard God say “Be ready.” Be ready for the surprise attacks against satan’s kingdom on earth and in the heavenlies by an army of women that no-one but God and prophets will see coming.

Ed Silvoso states that the final battle will have women in a key role against satan and they will “more than even the score”. He says “[satan] has worked hard to keep women down, oppressed and humiliated. He has twisted our understanding of the scriptures so that women will not be released into ministry. But God is using all of this to lure satan into a false, and eventually lethal, sense of security. Because of God’s threat [Gen. 3:15] and the promised female enmity, there are few things the devil fears more than women moving in the power of the Holy Spirit … it is about time women realise that they are God’s secret weapon for the final battle … to torment the devil with divinely sanctioned anger in order to keep him down, eating the dust of defeat.” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’, p 22).

With the changes coming to the Church (see also The Changing Church, Emerging Worship, Melchizedek, and Recommended Resources) and the gospel being taken outside the 4 walls by the “phenomenon of church leavers” seeking to serve God without hindrance from the structure, the Bride is changing shape so radically she’ll be unrecognizable. The new wine God is pouring out can’t be poured into the current old wine structure, and in the new Bride God’s daughters will be used greatly to generate a more encompassing environment, closer to the early Church in Acts. It’s male and female operating together that make up the image of God. That image has been one-sided for 1900 years – not even able to give a full and proper picture of Who God is. It’s been out of balance and a false balance is an abomination (Pr. 11:1). God is restoring fullness. In the introduction to James Rutz’s book ‘Megashift’, Wolfgang Simpson says “God is catching us all by surprise, doing things around the world without asking anybody’s permission! Churches are growing in places and styles we think should be forbidden because it upsets the status quo. The Lord is bypassing some of our most cherished heroes and using housewives, teenagers, and faceless nobodies to prophetically guide the Church.” (I have to point out that Paul was so good at upsetting the status quo he was accused of turning the world upside down as he followed his Master, Jesus.) People and relationships are at the heart of God’s purpose, and programmes and structures will be removed from the Church. The Bride will not be a Sunday spectator in classroom-style rows but a daily worker for His Kingdom in all we do, outworking our callings and gifts hand-in-hand with Him directly.

THE JOSEPHS

An increasing number of biblical men are gathering with the Deborahs. Men like Loren Cunningham, Frank Viola, George Barna, James Rutz, Shane Claiborne, and Pete Grieg, are teaching against the doctrine of female submission. Mike Bickle (founder of Kansas International House of Prayer) has called it a doctrine of demons – which it is because the covering mandate was given to Lucifer. These men who are rising in support of women and against church dogma have been called “the Josephs”. Joseph supported Mary even before he knew that she was truly pregnant by the Holy Spirit, while he still thought she had been unfaithful and immoral. Because he was a good man, he stood with her against the law of Israel so that she would not be stoned to death. He was a God-fearing Jew, yet in mercy he protected her. This grace on his part showed the hand of God in giving Jesus, the King of Grace, a gracious step-father. Joseph ignored the law and followed the goodness in his own heart – only to discover Mary was indeed pregnant with the Messiah of Grace, and deserved his allegiance. The Josephs arising in the Church right now have the same spirit – their eyes are open and they’re prepared to take the flack to support their sisters against legalism and spiritual death.

THE MALE HEADSHIP MYTH

The myth of male headship comes from the “covering doctrine” which says all women must be ‘covered’ by (ie, in submission to) a man’s authority because they are easily deceived because Eve was deceived in Eden. Of course, the fact that while Eve was deceived, Adam sinned deliberately and then passed the buck – is never recognized. Never. Something else never recognized is that Adam was with Eve when the fruit was picked and eaten. For 30 years under the covering doctrine the “teachers” have implied and sometimes stated outright that Eve was all by herself on that fateful day and then sought out Adam and caused his downfall. Gen. 3:6 clearly shows that Adam was “with her” – right there, shoulder to shoulder. Read it – it couldn’t be clearer. The dogma’s general implication is that Adam came crashing through the bush screaming “noooo!” Scripture shows the exact opposite to the churches’ portrayal which founds this wicked deceptive dogma. There is a reason the bible claims that sin belongs to Adam – but the boffins have never tried to study that. It’s the ‘deception’ card that causes the structure to prevent women from teaching (as explained below under Timothy: Dealing With Usurped Interpretations.) Some headship devotees stop at saying the husband covers the wife and others go on to say single women must also be covered by their father or elder/pastor or other male. But even in the husband/wife scenario, in practice the dogma includes all women. That’s why women in leadership are rare in the Church despite Paul overturning the sanctions. (See 1 Corinthians: Dealing with the Covering Myth.) The teaching claims that the man is head of the house and head of the woman. Yet 1 Kings 17:17 shows that the widow was the mistress of her own house even with Elijah and a whole household there. 1 Cor. 1:11 also refers to the people in Chloe’s house (not the house of Chloe’s brother, father, or husband) who were a group of Christians meeting under Chloe’s oversight. She was their ‘shepherd’ otherwise the group would have been called by a man’s name regardless of where they met. Paul identified them as “Chloe’s people” and responded to her message that some in Corinth were creating division. This, and other glaringly obvious biblical statements that show women in positions of Church leadership, are detailed below. As for headship, the word is ‘kephale’ which means source, not authority (see 1 Corinthians: Dealing With False Headship) and while men were likely to be the source of a house in those days, they are not anymore.

Unbiblical Dogma: The current unbiblical dogma grew out of the shepherding/discipleship movement in the 1970s when submission to man brought a halt to the Jesus Freak Charismatic revival. Cindy Jacobs was prophetically told that what God wanted to do in that revival was ‘aborted’ by the man-made traditions of submission theology (see Other End Times Prophecies). It was satan’s backlash against the move of God and he used the ‘appearance of obedience’ to cause people to submit to men and not to God, which is idolatry (see Current Leadership & Submission Theology and, for a picture of true obedience, see Obedience vs Harmony.) It was, in fact, the letter of the law killing the Spirit and it birthed the hierarchies that have led to Pope Protestant and the claim that everyone needs to be under or over someone else – except of course, the guy at the top. Although this dogma is only 30 years old it’s preached as if it was one of the 10 Commandments. Those not submitting to a man are accused of rebellion-which-is-witchcraft (1 Sam. 15:23), and if a woman has her own strength she’s accused of having a Jezebel demon. Again – the fact that Jezebel is a spirit of control which goes for power and is therefore behind hierarchies (which Jesus despises, Rev. 2:6), has not yet occurred to the accusers, who fiercely protect their power structures while they follow the path of the accuser.

Gross Error: I’ve heard it taught that God only deals with leaders (not everyone) and that those leaders must be men. Yet scripture says that God “does not show partiality” (Acts 10:34) and shows He constantly deals with the weak and the least. In fact we’re told “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I would consider it proud to claim that God deals with a few elite and no-one else. I’d also consider it gross error in the light of every lesson the Bible gives us on the subject. Yet some leadership teams and submission theorists preach this very thing. Hierarchy is simply unscriptural, see Restored To God’s Pattern Not Man’s and Mt. 23:8-12 NASB.

JESUS AND WOMEN

• When God announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, He told her directly and did not go through a man who had authority over her. Either there was no such man OR there’s a vague possibility that the traditions of men could be wrong and God could be right. Mary had a father, a priest, and a betrothed husband, but God did not call on them for the most important occasion in human history – He went directly to the young girl and left it up to her to convince the others – eventually telling Joseph directly some time later.
• The first person Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah to was not Peter as people assume, it was the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn. 4:7).
• Jesus allowed a gentile woman to change His mind. After saying He was sent only to the Jews, He saw that her faith was great and so healed her daughter (Mt. 15:27).
• Those that stayed with Him at the Cross were the women disciples and John. All the men except John, ran and hid.
• Apostle to the Apostles: The first person to see Him resurrected was Mary Magdalene, who threw her arms around Him. When she told the men that Jesus had risen they didn’t believe her. But Jesus, who controls everything, arranged to give Mary the privilege of being the first to have the resurrection message. If He’d wanted it to be Peter, it would’ve been Peter! But He chose Mary. Charles Trombley in ‘Who Said Women Can’t Teach?’ (p 266) points out that for this reason some Church fathers called her the Apostle to the Apostles. She was, after all the first ‘sent one’ to carry the message. The word used in the Greek is “apostelliem” the feminine of “apostolous” – ie, scripture calls her an apostle. Mary was the first apostle.

EVE’S GOD-GIVEN AUTHORITY

Scripture says clearly that there is to be no gender division in God. On 25 August 09, Radio Rhema – in a dramatically uncharacteristic move – aired an interview in which Scott Brown, a Messianic Jew from Celebrate Messiah, showed from the Genesis Hebrew that women and men are utterly equal in authority. The announcer was surprised enough to be speechless – falling silent on air, then recovering to confess it was because he was “flabbergasted”. Brown showed that Adam and Eve were given the same governance on earth (which is clear even in English) and also explained that the word “ezer” (Heb. for ‘helper’) is used in only 2 contexts – for Eve and for God. This is also detailed below in 1 Corinthians: Dealing with False Authority.

As the announcer’s reaction showed (and as he said), this truth is extremely rare in churches’ teaching. It’s proof positive that the submission theorists follow the traditions of men and not the truth of scripture. Much of this truth has been hidden by the hierarchy boffins but the sad reality is that it’s kept half of Christ’s Body in chains and unable to function. How can He run with one leg tied up? How can He swim with one arm missing? How can His Body not stumble with one eye blinded by the other eye? It’s both ludicrous and tragic – tragic for God’s daughters and tragic for the full functioning of the Body of Christ which will never happen until the Fat Controllers either step off, or are pushed off, their pedestals – a work which God has already begun.

The functioning Body needs ALL the gifts from EACH person in order to edify and build itself. But for years, even centuries, the Church has spent much effort banning women from godly service within the Church. Scripture says, in Acts 2:3 and 1 Cor. 12:4-11 that the Holy Spirit alights on whom He pleases and gives gifts to each one as He sees fit. Yet the church structure has rarely allowed women to lead as teachers, pastors, or prophets in their own right, regardless of whether God gifts them for it. This is why it’s said that many of God’s leaders are not in the church structure and many in the structure are not of God (see False Leaders and Current Leadership & Submission Theology). Women gifted for spiritual warfare are also seen as suspect because they deal with demons more than muffins. Scripture tells us not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19) – yet this is exactly what happens when rules are made not on God’s choice but on man’s bias. Obviously, those men who have hindered God’s own plans will be questioned about it by Him on the Day!

The devil is the one who hinders and wants the Body of Christ tied in knots. The book ‘When Women Worship’ (Amie Dockery, Mary Alessi, 2007, p 12) says that “satan has a diabolical plan to keep women from being fruitful.” God “put enmity between the serpent and the woman” (Gen. 3:15) thus anti-woman dogma logically springs from the serpent – satan hates women because God arranged for their seed – the Redeemer – to be satan’s downfall. Yet submission preaching continues despite the clear opposition of Genesis, Acts, and Gal. 3:28 as well as what the Greek reveals in 1 Cor. 11 and elsewhere, which any scholar should be aware of. The other obvious point in Gen. 3:15 is that enmity between the serpent and women means that women have a God-given role to bring satan down. Revivalist and God-chaser Tommy Tenney, in endorsing Ed Silvoso’s book ‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ writes “we have seemingly lifted our collective voices against prejudice in every area but one – gender bias. Perhaps satan fights hardest what he fears the most.” Silvoso also claims that satan is terrified of women due to Gen. 3:15 because he knows women are mandated to take down his dark kingdom in the final battle. The enmity is between women and satan, not men and satan – it is God-given, and women are satan’s arch-enemy. So far, he has done a good job of holding back his nemesis – but those days are ending.

Mary the Elder: Dr Charles Trombley says it was ordinary practice to meet in the home of the presiding elder. He writes “Luke the historian mentioned the first house church. Peter went straight to the house of Mary” (John Mark’s mother). “Mark's father isn't mentioned nor is any other male worker. If a man was the leader, why didn't Luke mention him?" ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, p 217.)

HUPOTASSO (MUTUAL SUBMISSION) IN MARRIAGE

‘Hupotasso’ means mutual submission. It’s revealed from Genesis to the Body of Christ – a symbiosis of co-existence just like the Trinity, so entwined they are One. The calling of the Bride of Christ is the same, and this hupotasso ordinance of God is seen throughout creation. Rom. 1 says creation reveals God and symbiosis is everywhere showing the principle of mutual submission. (See God’s Attributes are Seen in Creation, and for the deeper meaning and use of hupotasso, Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission - Hupotasso.)

Tommy Tenney says his biggest gift from God is his desire for God. He is used to generate outpourings of the Holy Spirit through nothing else but his intense love for God. “By their fruits you will know them” (Mt. 7:16-20)! This man of God teaches that hupotasso/mutual submission is the bedrock of a good marriage. Most teachers on marriage still preach one-way submission but not many are as close to God as Tenney is. Without hupotasso, life dies – whether spiritual life, married life, or plant life. The Rom. 1 revelation of symbiosis in creation shows that one-way submission is a killer – without the oxygen from plants, we’d die, and then they’d die without our carbon dioxide. Mutuality is a God-ordained principle! St Francis, a man of many miracles, understood this and addressed all creation as a brother or a sister – including “sister death” when she came for him.

Submitting to Yourself or a Millipede?: One of the ways Paul addressed hupotasso in marriage and gender was to point out that while woman came from man, ever since then man has been coming through woman (1 Cor. 11:12). This addresses the ongoing argument today that Adam has primacy because he was made before Eve. Not only did Paul deal with this, but the argument falls flat when we consider that the “creeping things” were made before Adam! By their own logic men should be in submission to a millipede. One wonders at the incredible lack of reason that goes into these ‘doctrines’. Still – there are none so blind as those who will not see!

When I looked at submission in marriage and the current teaching on male headship I couldn’t help but wonder which one of a man’s knees is subject to the other. If 2 people become one flesh when they are married, how can one possibly be in submission and one not? Paul told men to love their wives because no one hates his own flesh. He likened the union to being one person and then compared that picture to a single man nurturing himself. So I have to note that based on the current teaching on marriage – driven primarily by Focus on the Family and similar groups – what we have is a doctrine of each individual piously ensuring that their nose is submitting to their elbow or their hand has headship over their ear. If 2 become one flesh – and Paul says they do – where’s the distinction? How can one be submitted to itself without mutual submission? It’s illogical nonsense. (See also, Restored To God’s Pattern Not Man’s.)

On the subject of logic I also note that the ‘biblical literalists’ who push female subservience use psychology teachings on gender division, namely that men are the hunter (and thus the provider and head of the house). Yet the ‘hunter/gatherer’ notion springs directly from teachings on evolution. The same ideas say that men are less communicative because they spent time silently stalking dinosaurs, while women developed these skills back at the cave discussing the best recipes for T-Rex steak and developing better peripheral vision so the kids didn’t get picked off by a Pteranodon. (The same study claims that inferior peripheral vision is why men can’t find their socks.) Those who use the hunter/gatherer/provider argument for men being ‘head’ while calling themselves biblical literalists need to pick a side. Scripture says God actually made Adam a gardener, not a hunter. Or is that too logical?

SPIRITUAL ABUSE

Pr. 11:1 says “a false balance is an abomination to the Lord.” Yet church leadership has been unbalanced since the early Church was taken over by (pagan) Roman hierarchy. Verses on women teaching are now deleted from the minds and vocabularies of almost all preachers and the structure makes up its own rules on the subject. However, many scriptures show that this is not God’s way and Jesus certainly had a different mind on the subject (see Jesus and Women). Boaz also submitted to Ruth when he said “all that you say I will do” (God’s plan for the genealogy of Jesus required Boaz to submit to Ruth). Yet the traditions of men have recently been pushed so strongly that ‘churchmen’ are now beating women for ‘insubmission’. It has created the need for a new genre of counseling for ‘spiritual abuse’. At least one spiritual abuse counselor is registered with ACC (NZ Government’s injury insurance) and the abuse has become an “epidemic” in some US Evangelical churches due to the covering and submission poison from satan that church leaders are gulping down. The dogma of wifely submission has even sunk to the level of sexual submission, with the ‘best selling submission manual’ also teaching that women must accept physical abuse, despite its opposition in plain scripture, original languages, God’s attributes in creation, and common decency. These doctrines are unquestionably satanic (see web-links under Ephesians: Dealing With False Submission).

In ‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ (pp 52-53) Ed Silvoso writes that “spiritual abuse” is “rampant”. He says “Such violations usually happen in pious settings, often with inspiring music in the background and bible thumping in the foreground. It looks so right that to denounce it sounds like blasphemy. As a result it remains largely unchallenged in the Church. Why are women abused? Why are they violated, not just sexually but also spiritually? Why are so many battered wives told by ‘spiritual’ counselors to blindly submit to abusive husbands – advice that too often has disastrous consequences? Why are the spiritual gifts that are entrusted to women so often openly disqualified as coming from the flesh or the devil? … Repeatedly women are disqualified solely because of their gender. Whereas victims of sexual abuse draw immediate sympathy and help, women victimized by spiritual abuse are seen as rebellious, ambitious and non-feminine – they are too often accused of having a Jezebel spirit. The accusations leveled against women are often neatly packaged in bible verses. It is like being killed by a gun with a silencer. There is hardly any noise but the bullet is definitely lethal. After 2000 years of free-flowing grace, why are women in the Church still held back?… Why do they have to constantly prove that God has entrusted them with spiritual gifts?” Silvoso continues that whether a preacher is a young aspiring minister or Ann Graham Lotz who inherited the evangelism mantle of her father Billy Graham, women “constantly need to prove their legitimacy” and “are automatically questioned, usually by men. When asked for a reason, often the answer is “She is a woman. She is not supposed to be doing that. It sounds as if a case of AIDS is being discussed: the carrier has to be quarantined and the virus destroyed. All of this constitutes spiritual abuse.”

Those “neatly packaged bible verses” are what satan used against Jesus. Jesus saw through it and so can anyone with righteous sight. The bullet Silvoso says is lethal is not only lethal to women but lethal to the Body of Christ which will only function fully when women function fully. Those who twist scripture to hold women down are holding back the full functioning of Christ on earth. Will He not judge this? Of course He will. Many scriptures say so! Sadly, however, Silvoso is not entirely correct in saying that victims of sexual abuse receive sympathy. I have heard the well-respected AW Tozer on tape teach an audience that a spate of local rapes was due to women dressing like Lana Turner. If God will judge us all for every idle word we speak – how much more when people use His faith and grace to support hate crimes! The mindless debates over women’s clothing still rage, including not uncommonly on our Christian radio Rhema and other most “pious settings” as Silvoso says. But as God told me “Purity is not piety!” (See End-times Prophecies, Scroll 1.) Pious settings encourage such dogma solely because they are ego-based and self-righteous. What a pointless side-issue to the real point – which is spiritual abuse!

Silvoso states this reality clearly and blatantly. Many women (including myself) are no strangers to the exact abuse he describes as coming from so-called godly churchmen – those who hide behind scripture and use it for their own prejudice, just as the Ku Klux Klan do, just as satan did. I know full well that Jesus is about to judge those who propagate this dogma – not only did He tell me directly many times, but He then confirmed it via many prophecies and messages to show me that He was saying the same things across the globe to anyone who would hear. Women who have endlessly tried to find peace with their brothers in churches have given up and are taking up arms. The Deborahs are on the move. Sick of the stalemate and realizing it will not end, they are mobilizing to fulfill God’s call as prophesied in Ps. 68:11. God is also bringing this to light through well known prophets such as Jill Austin, Cindy Jacobs, and many others, and through teachers and witnesses such as Ed Silvoso, Shane Claiborne, Loren Cunningham, James Rutz, Charles Trombley, Tommy Tenney, etc. The scriptural mobilization (“tsaba”) is being rallied by the hand of God Who is about to give His command and send forth His daughters. It will take satan by surprise, as planned, but sadly it will also take many of their brothers by surprise and they will learn some humbling lessons. The pattern has become obvious – the move has become global, noticeable, and the scriptural base for it has been brought to light. Those who fight it fight God, and there’s a word for those who fight God, and that word is ‘losers’.

EXAMPLES OF CURRENT SUBMISSION ABUSE: THE MADNESS CONTINUES

The points below are examples of the current teachings in NZ and internationally, taken from recent literature (though it sounds like the 1950s). Further examples are given within this section next to related scriptural and scholarly investigations and rebuttals.

• “Satanists often get into ‘teaching’ the Sunday School for children because in most churches there is usually a shortage of available and competent people for such roles. Anyone who appears sincere and at least partly capable is often given the task.” … “Local covens are infiltrating churches in order to do battle in the spiritual realms against them. To do this they are sending in witches, usually as single women, who are experts in the bible.” (‘The Bride Has Made Herself Ready’ Jubilee Resources Int. 2006, pp 30, 31.) (Emphasis, mine.) Note: In the early 1980s I was accused of witchcraft simply for being a single woman in church. Obviously this belief continues today. Also, as Sunday School teachers are usually female, this dogma is designed to incite distrust against them.
• “When God puts you in subjection to a man whom he knows is going to cause you to suffer it is with the understanding that you are obeying God by enduring the wrongful suffering.” (Extract from the ‘submission manual’ Created to Be His Help Meet in an article on the growth of domestic violence in churches.)
• “Feminists [ie any woman not under submission to a husband or pastor] have been responsible for much of the ecological movement – which is nature worship. … Some feminists believe that the patriarchal system that they are fighting dominates both animals and women. They see themselves in the same category as animals in society and so they believe that by fighting for animal rights that are fighting for their own rights. However, they take this fight to the extreme. Many feminists refuse to eat meat of any kind because they see the animals equal with themselves. … However, the feminist agenda is not really a true love of animals. It is all about their struggle to be free from the domination of men. It is not simply an appreciation for what God has created.” (‘Queen of Heaven’ Jubilee Resources Int. 2003, p 39.) (Emphasis, mine.)

Note: The ecological movement is in line with God’s Genesis command to care for creation. To claim it is feministic nature worship is bizarre. This author seems to be in need of psychiatric services and that Jubilee Resources Int. published it can only mean they agree (an observation supported by their other material). This book also claims that feminism is ruled by the demon Jezebel and claims her as the Queen of Heaven principality citing Rev. 19, while Rev. 19 says no such thing. The whole dogma is entirely invented by the hierarchy structure and founded on non-existent scripture! My understanding of feminism is that it allowed me, for the first time, to have a bank account, to own my own house, to avoid being a sex object, to vote, and to get legal protection from male beatings and marital rape. Nothing more – nothing less. The phrase “rule of thumb” came from an English law stating a man could only beat his wife with something no wider than his thumb – so a whip was allowed. Proponents of this satanic dogma, such as the authors of the submission manual above, openly approve of physical violence against women being tolerated. I have to wonder if the female co-author of the submission manual, or the female author who claims feminists are nature-worshipping ecologists, vote. I suppose they do and if so they stand against their own arguments. Voting for women was hard-won by the suffragettes – the original ‘feminists’!

• In a feature on Billy Graham’s daughter, Ann Graham Lotz, and how she also runs stadium revivals, Time Magazine reported that at a 1988 pastor’s conference “many in Lotz’ audience turned their chairs around so as not to face a preaching woman.” (Time Magazine May 1 2000, pp 56-57.)
• Ed Silvoso runs seminars on reaching cities. He says ”One of the key sessions deals extensively with Paul’s exhortation [in Eph 6:11] to restore every broken relationship in order to be able to confront the forces of evil. …Time and again I see men in a pool of tears embracing the feet of others seeking absolution, who suddenly stiffen their backs when told to ask forgiveness of women in the audience. They adopt a defiant posture as if to say ‘What do you mean when you say that we need to repent before women?’ The fact that the gender gap exists and needs to be bridged eludes them completely. This reaction becomes even more bellicose when I suggest that repentance should also be directed to women in ministry. ‘Women in ministry?’ The thought is handled with the indignation reserved for a blasphemous act. …. The notion that public acknowledgement and repentance might be called for is as disgusting as bringing a dirty family secret out into the open.” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’, pp 57-58). Well – maybe, but God will bring every secret out into the open!

LUCIFER'S COVERING MANDATE: It’s worth noting that the original ‘covering authority’ was given to satan. We know that Egypt is an archetype of the world and its ruler Pharoah is an archetype of satan. Likewise, in Ez. 28:11-19 the prophet moves back and forth between the state of Tyre and its physical king, and the spiritual influence behind Tyre and its spiritual ruler, and settles in this passage on the spiritual influence behind the throne. The king of Tyre was obviously not in Eden nor a cherub, and Ezekiel in condemning Tyre says of the spiritual power behind that throne “you are the anointed cherub who covers” (v 14) and “I have destroyed you O covering cherub (v 16). The mandate for ‘covering’ was given to Lucifer who used it to deceive and the doctrine is still a deception to this day, now deceiving all those who preach it and follow it.

 

 

“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mt. 20:25-28)

‘Whoever’ includes churchmen and husbands. Men and women alike – if anyone wants to lead they must become the slave of the one they want to lead. This entirely does away with the ‘leadership’ and ‘authority’ models in the churches.

Barbara Wentroble (author and international church speaker) states that “whenever [people] walk contrary to the grace of God [they] will always desire preeminence and will always have the desire to rule.” (‘Rise to Your Destiny, Woman of God’, Barbara Wentroble, 2006, p 69.) (Emphasis, mine.)

Below are scholarly details from a variety of authors – mainly Loren Cunningham (International Director of YWAM) and David Hamilton – which delve into the original scriptures and reveal how Paul follows his own inspired teaching from Gal. 3:28 on all being one in Christ, and how he “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) because the apostles’ preaching created sweeping changes in the status quo of society. Given the status of women in all 3 main cultures, Roman, Greek, and Jewish, was powerless, Paul must have altered that drastically in order to turn the world upside down. And he did alter the balance of power – in spades. God’s daughters were restored to the authority of Eve, just as everyone was restored to the pre-fall status in Christ. Genesis shows that Adam and Eve were given equal authority as co-stewards of creation and co-heirs of heaven. The hierarchy of men over women is a lie. It’s part of the curse, not part of the redemption, or the restoration, or God’s original plan. Those who insist on female submission are insisting on, and chasing after, the curse of sin! (See also Chasing the Curse and Hupotasso in Reproducing Disciples.)

Is. 60:4 shows the nations assembling to God and says the sons will come from afar but the daughters will be carried in the arms. Which arms? “The everlasting arms”. Some versions say God’s daughters will be carried on the hip but all versions show the daughters supported in His embrace. He has a special place in His heart for the marginalized and His daughters have been given the Gen. 3:15 mandate to bring down the dark kingdom. Get ready, get set ….

1 CORINTHIANS: DEALING WITH THE COVERING MYTH

Corinth – Sex Capital: Corinth was the Phat Pong, Bangkok of Paul’s day, the sex capital of the world. The phrase “a girl of Corinth” meant a prostitute. In religion, women were relegated to worship-frenzy or temple sex. The Jews also relegated women to a domestic role and excluded them from spiritual life. In all Greek, Roman, and Jewish cultures women were uneducated. But Corinth won the prize for immorality and in his letter to the Corinthians Paul deals with these gender issues. He stepped in and gave women equality in ministry, in the household, ensured they would be taught the scriptures, and he taught mutual submission – all unheard of. Hence, he was accused of turning the world upside-down. Restoring female authority was Paul’s God-driven answer to both sexual abuse and homosexuality. Throughout history women without authority have become the objects of both sex and violence – as is now happening with Evangelical churches demanding sexual submission from wives and tolerance to physical abuse due to Focus on the Family’s push for female submission. History shows that where women are seen as inferior, homosexuality also rises.

Dr Charles Trombley points out that the covering/submission of women is a recent heresy. In his best selling book ‘Who Said Women Can’t Teach?’ (Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, p 160) he says “In recent years a new theory on the covering has surfaced: namely, that a covering represents a chain of command. Christ is the Church’s covering. The Church is man’s covering, while man is the woman’s covering. If a woman is single, an elder must be provided or appointed as her covering. Each person must submit to someone over him in the hierarchy of Church authority. ‘Who is your covering?’ is a frequently asked question among subscribers to this theory.” (Emphasis, mine.)

It’s a question I’ve often heard addressed both to myself and others. James Rutz comments on that very question in the book ‘Megashift’ (p 133) and points out that one who asks it is not concerned about your prayer support but wants to know you are under a ‘chain of command’ again citing the same military phrase as Trombley because it’s the phrase commonly used in the churches by those who seek to dominate by force (which is the spirit of witchcraft). Rutz says the proper answer to the question is ‘Jesus’ but that the answer is likely to ensure you are viewed as a loose cannon. It’s how the Pharisees saw Jesus too. The path of truth will never be popular with legalists – they are terrified of liberty.

False Teaching: “Explain to your congregation the line of defense God has given every Christian. First is the pastor’s covering then headship covering (usually father or husband), then the personal shield of faith.” (‘The Bride Has Made Herself Ready’, Jubilee Resources Int, 2006, p 34.) Note: This ‘teaching’ is the most commonly understood version of the “covering doctrine”.

The Reality: This author puts the all important faith shield (the only scriptural requirement) at the bottom of his list below pastor, husband, or father. Apparently these men are stronger than God. That the father is mentioned shows that these covering devotees spread their leaven to include all women, even though the scripture only ever mentions wives – which they deliberately mistranslate, as these passages show. The covering hierarchy is not mentioned at all in the bible. In fact, the “Blood of Jesus” is the only line of defense – no pastor can stand between me and hell. There is current awareness that God is judging His pastors, unveiling sins of sexual misconduct, harsh authoritarian leadership, and other corruptions in order to cleanse the Church. Ezekiel states that God will require His flock at the shepherds’ hands (Ez. 34:10). ‘Covering’ preachers use this verse to say “you’d better obey me or I’ll get into trouble at the Judgement” (I’ve had it said to me). Actually, the verse means they’ll get into trouble if they’re not good to the sheep! It’s opposite to what they claim.

This ‘protection hierarchy’ relies on human works. Jesus’ death was a perfect work and relying on men for spiritual protection makes void His Blood. The gospel’s power is the Cross, foolishness to humanistic thinking. The Eph. 6 weapons are not described as gender-based, nor do they mention ‘covering or authority’. “Trust in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!

1 CORINTHIANS: DEALING WITH FALSE HEADSHIP

Misused Scripture: The head/authority of the wife/woman is the husband/man.

The Reality: The word Paul uses for head is ‘kephale’. Liddell and Scott list 48 English meanings for this in their dictionary and not one of them means leader. … The Septuagint translates kephale as ruler or leader only 5% of the time. Normally it was used for ‘source’. If Paul had meant ‘ruler’ it would have been an extremely rare usage. (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, YWAM Publishing, Seattle, WA, 2000, pp 162,163.)

It would also have opposed his own teachings on the equality and mutual submission of all in Christ, which he emphasized in order to reinstate our pre-fall condition as the point of Christ’s sacrifice, in a culture which restricted God’s daughters to subservience and their spiritual use to eg, temple sex.

Misused Scripture: The head/authority of every man is Christ.

The Reality: “If you translate ‘head/kephale’ in [1 Cor. 11] verse 3 as ‘authority/leader’ you inherit some very messy questions. Also it seems inaccurate to say that Christ is presently the ‘authority/leader’ of every man.” On the other hand if we look at kephale meaning ‘source/origin’ everything falls into place … Jesus is the source of everyone and everything, but He is not yet the authority of everyone. The man is the source of woman (Eve was taken from his rib and Paul was emphasizing that men and women were of the same flesh to address Greek beliefs that women were from a sow or donkey and had an entirely different creation-source of ‘lesser flesh’. This is why he spoke of men and women being of the same flesh). He concluded, God is the source of Christ. The authors add “The church fathers agreed with this interpretation. Cyril of Alexandria in the 5th century AD said, ‘Thus we say that the kephale of every man is Christ, because he was made through Him and brought forward to birth … And the kephale of women is man, because she was taken from his flesh and has him as her source. Likewise the kephale, of Christ is God, because He is from Him according to nature’.” (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 166-169.)

Later Paul points out that there can be no hierarchy between genders because as Eve came ‘from’ Adam originally, so men have been coming ‘through’ women ever since.

Misused Scripture: The head/authority of Christ is God.

The Reality: “The phrase, ‘the head of Christ is God’ cannot mean that there is inequality between the Son and the Father. Jesus is ‘very God of very God’ fully equal to the Father in every respect. There is no hierarchy within the Trinity. This is why Athenasius, a 4th century church father, said regarding 1 Cor. 11:3 that ‘head’ must be understood as ‘source’ rather than ‘boss’ lest one arrive at a faulty understanding of the Trinity.” (‘Why Not Women?’, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, p 170.) (Emphasis, mine.)

That faulty understanding has now come out of some US churches and has hit NZ teaching. I’ve heard it preached by submission devotees that Christ is in submission to the Father because He said, eg “Not My will but Thine be done.” But we know He “emptied Himself” of glory for us and then returned to it (Jn. 17) and Jn. 1:1-3,14 tells us that He is both God and Creator. The famous list of His names in Is. 9:6 calls Him “Everlasting Father” so the idea that Jesus has a hierarchical relationship in the Trinity is utterly warped and shows how far this submission deception has gone. Chasing hierarchy has cost them their understanding of God – they have indeed lost the Truth of the Trinity as Athenasius warned 1700 years ago. The hierarchy of gods belonged to paganism and these churches are giving the Trinity a pagan model simply to uphold their own dogma on male authority under Lucifer’s covering mandate. Blasphemy? (See also Restored To God’s Pattern Not Man’s.)

If Paul meant hierarchy in this passage his normally ordered writing put this hierarchy in an odd order – with Christ and God at the bottom. Using kephale as ‘source’ shows that he was actually giving a timeline in 1 Cor. 11:3. From Christ (the Creator) comes every man – from the man comes a woman (Adam and Eve) – and from God comes Christ (the Redeemer). (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, pp 167-169.)

1 CORINTHIANS: DEALING WITH FALSE AUTHORITY

Is authority male only, or mutual?

Misused scripture: “For this reason … a woman ought to have a sign of authority over her head. In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.”

The Reality - Exousia Epi : The original for ‘authority on/over’ is exousia epi. “The NIV translation is unacceptable, it adds the phrase ‘sign of ’ which does not appear in the original Greek. The phrase translated ‘authority over’ is exousia epi [it] occurs 15 times in the New Testament and in every instance it is an active description of authority possessed by someone over someone else or over something. The word exousia means ‘the right, authority, freedom, and decision-making ability’.” (‘Why Not Women?’, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 172.) (Emphasis, mine.)

Paul was clearly meaning that the woman has authority over herself and her environment – again emphasizing his message that men and women were from the same flesh, and that the Christian faith was not to be lived within the framework of their past cultural or pagan beliefs, all of which gave men dominance over women. This invariably led to sexual immorality which bruised women and cursed the men who perpetrated it. Greek and Roman cultures also had prevalent homosexuality as a direct result of women being seen as inferior. Paul addresses the authority of women with exousia epi. He then uses the word “but” or “however”. He was saying “a woman is her own authority BUT she is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman” in order to reinforce his message that the Church is to have equal authority BUT mutual submission. To translate this as meaning that a woman is under a man’s authority BUT is not independent of him, simply doesn’t make sense.

“Paul was reminding men in 1 Cor. 11:9 that Adam stood in need of an ‘ezer k ^eneged ’ a strong partner. God designed Eve for full partnership with Adam because Adam couldn’t do the job without her help. Paul showed male believers in Corinth their need for women to be ministering alongside them.” (‘Why Not Women?’, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 172.)

‘Ezer’ – help from God & Eve: In her book, ‘Rise to your Destiny, Woman of God’ Barbara Wentroble, international preacher, explains on pp 58-59 that God’s will since creation has been for men and women to stand, work, and serve together and says “He is removing the cultural burkas.” However, men must allow this or they will move out of God’s will. Barbara also points out on p 65, that the word “helper” (orig. ezer) means “to protect, aid, succour” and adds “this is the same word that is used many times in scripture to describe God as our helper.”

Ed Silvoso points out that it was Eve’s creation that enabled both of them to rule over all creation since the command was not given until after she was created. In Gen. 1:28 the Hebrew word commanding Adam and Eve to rule over the creation is plural – it is a command given to both. (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’, Ed Silvoso, Regal Books, Ventura, CA, 2001, p 117.) (Emphasis, mine.)

False Teaching: “Women are to submit to their husband’s authority” (‘The Bride Has Made Herself Ready’, Jubilee Resources Int, 2006, p 18.)

Many submission devotees claim that women who are anything other than docile are deceived and under the influence of the Jezebel spirit. However, that spirit has always been drawn to, and influences, those who seek false authority, ie those pushing submission to their own hierarchy.

The Reality – To Timothy: “It’s worth mentioning that Paul didn’t say anything anywhere in his letters to Timothy about a man having authority over a woman. In fact, among the redeemed, no one is to exercise authority in an authoritarian way over another person of either gender. Paul made it clear that the false teachers were the ones trying to control people.” (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 222.) (Emphasis, mine.)

"Paul's exhortation [to submit] includes all believers, male and female, husbands and wives. There isn't one kind of submission for those in the church and another kind for wives. As Spirit-filled believers, as fellow disciples, husbands submit to their wives as well as to other believers: ‘And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ’." … "This was the heart of Paul's teaching, in opposition to the Judaizers, who still dominated their women. They were the ones arguing for the silencing of women in Corinth (1 Cor. 14:34-35)”. ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', Dr Charles Trombley, Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, pp 172, 173). (See The Omitted Word, below, regarding 1 Cor. 14:35,36 and also Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission – Hupotasso.)

Misinterpreted and misused scripture: “Women should not speak in church.”

The Reality: Paul addressed the orderliness of services to bring reverence and to counteract the loud frenzy of the new believers’ idol worship backgrounds. There are 4 things going on in this passage, including the word often omitted from our English bibles.

In 1 Cor. 14:28 Paul instructs those praying in tongues to “keep silent” if there is no interpreter there. This is totally ignored in our churches.

He then moves on to preachers, saying in v 30 that speakers must give way to each other, and that if one is speaking and another receives a revelation then the first speaker must “keep silent”. This is also totally ignored in our churches and as James Rutz points out in his book ‘Megashift’ (p 121) if anyone tried to interrupt a pastor these days they’d be removed “before you can say nicolaitanism” – and I’ve seen it happen.

Paul then goes on to say in v 34 that women should “keep silent” rather than harangue with questions (the word for “speak” means “harangue”). He recognized that women had not been taught the scriptures and so needed to ask the questions but said rather than interrupt they should ask their husbands afterwards. His focus was that while meetings should be orderly and reverent, women must be taught the scriptures and brought up to speed. This had never been done and for the first time men were being instructed to teach women the scriptures. However, unlike the other instructions for “keeping silent” the silencing of women was not ignored in our churches but went into overdrive and is still used to stop women from teaching and pastoring. Modern churches sometimes allow women to teach so long as the woman is married to the senior pastor or, in rare cases, a recognized itinerant. However, the restriction is against the teachings of both Jesus who hates hierarchy (Rev. 2:6), and Paul who was obviously saying anyone can speak (v 30). That v 30 is genderless shows that for Paul, if a man was speaking and a woman received a word, the man would have to give way (yield, submit) and give the pulpit to the woman. If not, orderly, thorough Paul and the Spirit would’ve said so.

The Omitted Word – : “Christian scholars have struggled to determine exactly where Paul was quoting others’ words. An important indication that he was quoting another’s opinions was his use of a tiny word . Paul used this small Greek word 49 times in 1 Corinthians … to express disapproval of existing situations. It’s called an ‘expletive of disassociation’ by Greek scholars. The closest equivalent to in English would be ‘What?’ or ‘Nonsense!’ or ‘No way!’ “(Emphasis, mine.) (See ‘Why Not Women?’ ch 14.)

David Hamilton explains that here Paul is quoting pagan beliefs and decrying them. He gives examples (pp 190-191) of how the word was used by Paul – here are a few:

“ (No way!) Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:13) "
" (What?) Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2)
“Or (Nonsense!) is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?” (1 Cor. 9:6)
“ (No way!) Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?” (1 Cor. 9:7)
“Or (What?) do you despise the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? (1 Cor. 11:22)
“ (Nonsense!) Did the word of God originate with you – or (What?) are you the only people it has reached?” (1 Cor. 14:36)

Hamilton continues “Notice how Paul used this expletive of disassociation twice in rapid succession in 1 Cor. 14:36 … Paul didn’t agree with them when they said ‘For it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church’.” So while he teaches that meetings should be reverent, he then uses the expletive to declare that the idea in v 35b that it is “improper” for a women to speak is “nonsense” and in v 36 points out that it was not the Corinthians who first received the word of God, and they need to learn from those to whom the instructions were given.

Deliberate Mistranslations: The error over the Corinthian chapters is not only the misinterpretation of the Greek, but the overt willingness of most church leaders to prohibit women from teaching or leading. They endlessly discuss the dogma, while at the same time completely ignore the preceding verses which also specify situations in which preachers and pray-ers must keep silent. Do they not know it is blatant hypocrisy and clear prejudice? Do they not know that anti-semites and the Ku Klux Klan also base their prejudice on scriptures they have twisted to their own ends? Do they not know that God sees all and that we’ll all be judged for every idle word (Mt. 12:36) – how much more for abusing His Word? They enforce one verse while the surrounding verses and an abundance of scholarship are ignored so they can keep their traditions and, like dogs, jealously mark their territories with their lower natures. In 2 Pt. 3:15-17 Peter warns that some things that Paul wrote were “hard to understand which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked”. The wicked distortions against women have led not only to the physical violence epidemic in many modern churches (see web-links under Ephesians: Dealing With False Submission), but has kept Christ’s Body in a strait jacket. While “teachers” opine on how we can “hasten the coming of the Lord” and what that means, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that it would help if they stopped constraining His Body! Evidence such as I’ve used on this website is freely available and scripture says “study to show yourself approved” (2 Tim. 2:15). Mt. 5:18-19 says whoever ignores the least of His commands and teaches others the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus called such men whitewashed tombs – appearing righteous but filled with death and Peter calls them “wicked”. In Phil. 3:2 Paul called legalists “dogs”. Proponents of one-way headship and submission are certainly killing by suffocation the female half of the Body of Christ, and therefore constraining Christ Himself. They are standing against God’s own Genesis mandate and the purpose of the redemption of the Cross, and that’s a very dark place to be. Seems to me that’s the job of the devil – and he’s got churchmen doing it for him! If not, let them defend this hard word with scholarship rather than their usual emotional, fear-based accusations around a deliberately twisted use of Jezebel. “Let not the light that is in you be darkness”! (Lk. 11:35, Mt. 6:23 on seeing with “grace and truth”, something the whitewashed tombs need to learn. See also, The Dark Light.) Ed Silvoso wrote “Like Eve in the Garden, women have been lied to by the devil. Like Adam on that fateful day, men continue to conspire with their silence and judgemental pronouncements.” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’, p 47). Bigots beware – we are judged by the same measure we judge by (Mt. 7:1,2)!

It irks me when men misuse scripture to their own ends – example, I heard a preacher of the faith doctrine say the reason Paul had a thorn in his flesh was because he didn’t have enough faith, while the very verse that talks of Paul’s thorn says it was given to him to keep him humble because of the multitude of his revelations! (2 Cor. 12:7.) I never returned to that church. It irks me doubly when those same men who twist scripture so openly and so blindly then refuse to let women teach ‘lest they be deceived’. Such deadly hypocrisy! Beware the leaven of the Pharisees!

The book ‘Why Not Women?’ by Loren Cunningham (YWAM’s international director) and David Hamilton, is extremely scholarly and one of the best on this subject that I’ve come across. Dr Charles Trombley’s book ‘Who Said Women Can’t teach?’ is also highly scholastic. As an editor I love to dig into the original languages, cultures of the day, and Jewish mindsets that were used in the writing and phrases. For those who, like me, love the linguistics and scholastic details of scripture, I highly recommend both these books. See Recommended Resources on the home page for details.

BIBLICAL WOMEN LEADERS

False Teachings: Women are only in church leadership due to the usurping Jezebel (feminist) spirit which also keeps men out by destroying their strength. (‘Releasing Heaven on Earth’ seminar and DVD, 12/1/08. That speaker has a book of the same title and also teaches that intercessors can break the power of sin.) All women must be in submission to a man’s authority whether her husband or another man. (‘The Bride Has Made Herself Ready’, Jubilee Resources Int, 2006, p 34.)

The Reality: The book of Acts shows many women Church leaders: Phoebe (who Paul commended more highly than anyone else), Priscilla (who taught Apollos and is credited with possibly writing Hebrews. (‘Why Not Women?, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, pp 146-151.) Also, Chloe (a pastor under Paul), Junia (an apostle), Stephana (who Paul told others to submit to – a crushing blow to headship theology), etc. Various scholars show Junia and Stephana to be women, though translators have occasionally masculinized the names. (See Junia below, and also ‘Rise to Your Destiny’, Woman of God, Barbara Wentroble, 2006, p 62; and ‘Why Not Women?’ 2000, p 148. Also Euodia, Syntyche, Mary, Persis, Tryphena, Tryphosa, p 149.)

Quoting FF Bruce: “[Paul] seems to make no distinction between men and women among his fellow workers. Men … and women receive praise for the collaboration with him in the gospel ministry, without any suggestion that there is a subtle distinction between the one and the other in respect of status or function.” (‘Why Not Women?’ 2000, p 149.)

PRISCILLA: In the culture of the day the husband’s name was always placed before the wife’s name. John Chrysostom, a church father writing in 400 AD on Acts 18:24-25 states: “Paul has placed Priscilla before her husband … He seems to acknowledge a greater godliness for her than for her husband … [Priscilla] took Apollos, an eloquent man and powerful in the scriptures, but knowing only the baptism of John, and she instructed [taught] him in the way of the Lord and made him a teacher brought to completion. … If Paul actually did teach against women ministers how can we account for [Luke] reporting Priscilla’s contribution in such a matter-of-fact way? For Luke, there was nothing unusual about the fact that Priscilla was teaching.” The text then refers to the arguments that Priscilla may have written the book of Hebrews. (‘Why Not Women?’ 2000, pp 145-146.)

PHOEBE: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe”. In Greek ‘commend’ means literally ‘to stand with’. Paul unreservedly endorsed her (and told the Roman church to do likewise). The Corinthians were obsessed with status so Paul’s endorsement was extremely significant. He rebuked those who commend themselves – he would not seek letters of commendation for himself which were coveted by would-be spiritual leaders. He said the Corinthians should have commended him and didn’t – and he made sure this did not happen to Phoebe. This was a clear sign of Paul recognizing Phoebe’s spiritual authority. Paul described her as “prostatis” which most closely described the leadership model of Jesus as servant of all. Ancient literature uses prostatis of the noblest, most gracious, and beneficial rulers – the word was used for emperors, kings, governors, authority figures. It was used for only one person in the New Testament – Phoebe. (‘Why Not Women?’, 2000, pp 149-151.)

JUNIA: “In Rom. 16:6-8 Paul mentioned Junia an outstanding apostle and fellow prisoner. … John Chrysostom (337-407) bishop of Constantinople, wasn't partial to women. He said some negative things about women but spoke positively of Junia. ‘Oh how great is the devotion of this woman that she should be counted worthy of the appellation of apostle!’ Nor was he the only church father to believe Junia was a women. Origen of Alexandria (c. 185-253) said the name was a variant of Julia (Rom. 16:15) as does Thayer's Lexicon. Leonard Swidler cited Jerome (340-419), Hatto of Vercelli (924-961), Theophylack (1050-1108), and Peter Abelard (1079-1142) as believing Junia to be a woman. Dr Swidler stated, 'To the best of my knowledge no commentator on the text until Aegidus of Rome (1245-1316) took the name to be masculine’.” ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', Dr Charles Trombley, Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, p 219.)

EUODIA AND SYNTYCHE: “Paul commended Euodia and Syntyche for struggling with him in the ministry. He used the verb 'sunethlesan', a combative term used of athletics. ... They were in the centre ring with Paul.” ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', p 217.)

DEBORAH: “Under Deborah’s leadership, Israel experienced 40 years of peace, the longest period of peace for the nation under any of the judges (Judges 4-5)” and “Barak refused to go to war without her” and “of all of Israel’s judges, Deborah is the only one besides Samuel who held the respected position of prophet.” (‘Rise to Your Destiny, Woman of God’, pp 67,68.)

JAEL: God told Deborah to send Barak to lead Israel’s army against King Jabin who oppressed them, and promised them victory. Jabin’s powerful army, led by Sisera, was routed and Sisera fled to the tent of Jael, assuming he’d be safe there because her husband was a traitor and on side with Jabin. Jael fed him handsomely then while he slept, she hammered a tent peg through his head. She did not ask her husband for permission to kill his friend. Jael, like Mary, is called “blessed among women” (Judges 5:24). As prophesied by Deborah, the victory of God went to a woman, Jael, instead of Barak. Jabin’s name means “intellect” and Jael pierced his commander’s head. Intellect minus heart becomes oppressive legalism (eg Nazism). God used Jael to deal with the spiritual force behind the oppression. Many of our current churches have become overly intellectualized with the over-emphasis on teaching ‘facts’ only, (many misinterpreted), and not behaviour – the Tree of Knowledge and not the Tree of Life! Scripture says “By their fruits you will know them” and prejudice is clearly seen.

HULDAH: When Israel was backslidden and King Josiah found the scrolls of God’s Word in the Temple, he sent for Huldah to interpret them (2 Kings 22:14). “Huldah had her own seminary and understood God’s Word … She prophesied and moved in spiritual authority.” (‘Rise to Your Destiny, Woman of God’, Barbara Wentroble, p 67.)

MIRIAM: Miriam served as a leader in partnership with Moses and Aaron. She was considered an elder in her nation (Micah 6:4).

MINISTRY: “Paul said ‘Every man … and every woman who prays and prophesies’… to pray and prophesy summarized the full scope of the Jewish concept of priestly ministry. To pray is to speak to God on behalf of God’s people. To prophesy is to speak to God’s people on behalf of God. … Women prophesying alongside men was to be a feature of the Church according to the prophet Joel … ‘your sons and your daughters will prophesy’.” (‘Why Not Women?’, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, pp 178-179.) At Pentecost the Holy Spirit alighted in flames of fire on “about 120” men and women alike, giving gifts without discrimination. (Acts 2:1-21, 1 Cor. 12:7-11; 14:31.)

There are many more examples of God fulfilling His plans through women – including Rahab the prostitute – God “does not show partiality” (Acts 10:34). He sees all as equal and gifts, calls, and uses all as He chooses – also without partiality as these biblical women leaders show. (See also The Deborahs, for Ps. 68:11 and the word ‘tsaba’.)

In his book ‘The Harvest’ (p 55), Rick Joyner says “The Lord will not continue to tolerate ministries or churches that do not properly equip their people. Every believer is called to ministry and every single one is needed.” Rick’s word is coming true and many prophets are now saying the judgement has begun and God is tearing down the structures of men that hinder Him. These structures are mainly around the Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic (EPC) churches that have focused so strongly on leadership and control.

PAUL’S FINAL DIRECTIVE TO CORINTH

“If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice – nor do the churches of God. … Paul was talking about the practice of men and women praying and prophesying in public, ministering as coworkers in Christ. He was defending this practice, giving women rights [ie freedom to serve God] that Corinthian culture had denied them. The practice the Church of God upheld was men and women sharing in the ministry of the Church as equal before God and yet completely interdependent. This is the practice we are to embrace without contention, for the gospel of Jesus Christ calls men and women to minister side by side.” (Emphasis mine.) (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 184.) Just as God intended in His creation (Gen. 1:28).

RESTORED TO GOD’S PATTERN NOT MAN’S

The pattern of the Trinity is equal authority and complete interdependence, for God is One. When Israel was given the Sh’ma and told “The Lord your God, the Lord is One” the word for “one” is “echod”. It’s plural. It means ‘one bunch’ like a bunch of grapes, a cluster, Three In One! How often scripture says God is One. Jesus said “I and My Father are One” and John and Paul say that Jesus is the Creator. Paul says when people marry they become one and that we, the brethren of Christ’s Body are one. The focus from God has always been our oneness – interdependence, mutual submission, mutual authority – His own pattern after His own likeness! That’s what it means to be created in His image!

Hierarchy is Pagan: The pagans, however, always had a hierarchy of gods, Lucifer wanted to create a hierarchy, and the pagan culture Paul overturned was full of hierarchy which he strongly opposed (Gal. 3:28) and Jesus despises (Rev. 2:6). It originated from satan and now springs from the sin-nature. I can’t imagine why churchmen are so hot to follow a sinful pagan practice that God loathes! The Greek pagan hierarchy had Zeus at the top (the Roman equivalent was Jupiter), and then the trickle down effect with all the same political games in the god-structure as took place in a Roman Senate. The world still fights-to-the-death over political hierarchies – and satan is the ruler of this world. It’s a pagan spirit to give a hierarchy to God’s ways or to God Himself (though US churches are teaching a Trinity hierarchy despite Jesus being the Creator (Jn. 1:1-3,14) and His name being “Everlasting Father” (Is. 9:6). This deception is growing in the churches and will become one of the foundational pillars of the apostate church. Headship as meaning authority (rather than source) is entirely pagan. The Lord is One (echod). To learn to “esteem others more highly than ourselves” as scripture teaches (but our pulpits are silent on – Phil. 2:3) is the antidote to the gospel of hierarchy.

Restored Through the Cross: Surely we ought to be restored to the pattern of God, not of human culture? If we deny this we move against the Cross – for Christ died to re-establish us in God’s design. Hierarchy dogma brings a dangerous false understanding of the Trinity – they have lost the Truth of God. (See especially 1 Corinthians: Dealing with False Headship and also God’s Attributes are Seen in His Creation.)

EPHESIANS: DEALING WITH FALSE SUBMISSION

Chasing the Curse: Is submission female only, or mutual? Rulership of women by men was part of the Genesis curse! As the “curse redeemed” the Church should be running from it, not upholding it! If the Church upholds male rulership, she must also hope and pray for thorns to spring from the ground, and that she will sweat and toil – which is also part of the curse! Yet very often the Church promotes a prosperity gospel saying “we are redeemed and have power to gain all blessings” while still clinging to the “curse” of male rulership which is the direct result of sin and supposedly nailed to the Cross. Submission theology is gross blindness.

Pagan Cultures: The culture of those days allowed the patriarch to put slaves or even his own children to death. He ruled supreme. (‘Why Not Women?’, p 135.)

Paul’s Answer: Paul turned the household rules on their head saying all must show mutual submission (Eph. 5:21) thus showing a lack of hierarchy in his thinking. He instructed “fathers do not provoke your children to anger” and told slaves and masters that they were equal in Christ. Although he told children and slaves to obey, he never told wives to obey. (See ‘Why Not Women, ch 10.)

False Teaching: The submission manual ‘Created to Be His Help Meet’ states that submission is so essential to God’s plan that it must be followed even to the point of allowing abuse: “When God puts you in subjection to a man whom he knows is going to cause you to suffer, it is with the understanding that you are obeying God by enduring the wrongful suffering.” (See ‘Domestic violence: An epidemic in the church’ web-link below.)

Silvoso’s Comment: 1 Pt. 3:7 says the prayers of men who don’t honour women as co-heirs of the “grace of life” will be hindered. Ed Silvoso writes “Men have no problem generously sharing the grace of God with women, but the grace of life Peter is talking about here is something else. It means that on this planet men and women are co-tenants, co-heirs, co-signers and co-stewards. The bottom line is: Women have the same rights that men have.” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ p 99.)

The Reality: In Eph. 5:33 “The wife must respect her husband” the verb is subjunctive – merely expressing a wish for wifely respect, not a command. Furthermore, the verse relies on the introduction “in order that” – thus Paul tells men to love their wives as their own bodies “in order that she will respect you” thus making it clear that respect is conditional upon the man’s behaviour. Between Eph. 5:22 and 6:9 Paul gives 40 words in Greek to describe a godly wife’s responsibilities to her husband, but then gives 150 words to describe a godly husband’s responsibilities to his wife! (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, 2000, p 134.)

Note: The present tense of the verb ‘to be’ is ‘I am’. The subjunctive tense is ‘if I were’. This is even less definite that ‘if I was’. This clearly shows the lack of a definite statement. The tense reveals that Paul’s so-called command to respect is entirely based on how much a wife is loved. This also, is the very nature of God, ‘In this is love, not that we loved Him, but that He loved us first’ (1 Jn. 4:10,19).

Many Christian marriages already believe in male-only authority and female-only submission, which Paul clearly turned on its head in order to address the culture of idolatry. (‘Why Not Women? pp 129-140.) This male dominance dogma has led to:

• Idolatry as men usurp the headship of Christ –
  (see “Submission Tyranny in Church and Society: The Belief that Begets Domestic Violence”, by Waneta Dawn, Feb 15, 2009.) http://submissiontyranny.blogspot.com/2009/02/hijacked-christianity.html
  Note: deleting the link back to blogspot.com shows the current comments on this doctrine, which leaders are upholding or decrying it, statistics on the physical violence that has erupted from it, etc. However, the full link above goes to a scholarly article on the idolatry of leaders who demand submission to their ‘authority’, as noted under Current Leadership & Submission Theology.

• Doctrines on sexual submission –
  (see “Religion Crowds into America’s Bedrooms”, by Don Monkerud, AlterNet (Feb 13, 2009) http://www.alternet.org/sex/125170/religion_crowds_into_america's_bedrooms/
  
  (see “Sex-crazed Evangelicals Talk Spanking and Anal Sex”, by Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check, Feb 24, 2009) http://www.alternet.org/sex/128674/'sex-crazed'_evangelicals_talk_spanking_and_anal_sex/
  
  Note: Both these articles are written from the secular viewpoint and I don’t agree with sex outside God’s constraints but I utterly oppose violence to women in the name of godly submission, and so-called Christian porn sites, eg “Christian Nymphos” which has blogs on sex-techniques sanctioned by the premise that good wives are permanently hot for their super-hot ‘covering’ husbands and that submission is an aphrodisiac)! Amanda Marcotte drew the line at Mark Driscoll (who hangs hunting trophies in his church to de-feminize it). Marcotte says “Minister Mark Driscoll of Seattle is positively obsessed with sex… A big proponent of wifely submission, and just generally bagging on women (Driscoll blamed Ted Haggard's wife Gayle for Ted's infidelities with male prostitutes, claiming that she had let herself go), Driscoll also offers a video series in which he answers people's questions about sex. These videos are pretty hard to take, since he's arrogant and pushy and just a little too interested in what's going on in the bedrooms of his parishioners for comfort.” Last time I looked, spiritual leaders who took an interest in the sex lives of their people were running cults.
  
  Don Monkerud cites the $1bn+ given to Focus on the Family et al to push the “hyper-sexualized [marriage] message complete with Christian pornography and bragging about having great sex” saying Evangelicals claim “soulgasms” in marriage and that “even if they aren’t interested, Christian wives are told to be available to their husbands at all times, especially for quickies.” ‘Focus’ and similar Christian political groups deliberately turned from teaching spiritual messages in a 1994 Colorado forum decision. Choosing to hit the world with married sex/submission propaganda rather than the gospel, they ignored God’s own advice on holy living – “If you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
  
  Sadly, NZ Christian media, specifically Radio Rhema, while occasionally good, has drunk this propaganda poison by the bucket and promotes it non-stop after an announced ‘format change’ in April 2007. Most telling was an interview from NZ Focus on the Family on a marriage in crisis after the wife spent extra time at work for 12 weeks, successfully saving her business, her daughter then attempting suicide and later raped – and the marriage crisis was apparently the woman’s fault because due to her ‘side-issues’ she was ignoring her husband’s sexual needs! Even secular media notes that these groups are now lost in their own sex fanaticism with the result being submission theology leading to increasing physical violence.

 

• Domestic violence: An epidemic in the church – (see “Biblical Battered Wife Syndrome: Christian Women and Domestic Violence”, by Kathryn Joyce, Religion Dispatches (Feb 2, 2009) http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/124174/biblical_battered_wife_syndrome:_
  christian_women_and_domestic_violence_/
  
  Note: This link gives a few of the ‘well-respected’ organizations involved in drawing up formal church policies on the level of violence and its frequency that must be tolerated by a wife before she can either go to the pastor or temporarily leave her husband. These manifestos of wifely submission to beatings include the statement from a well-known mega-church that “the husband must be in the habit of beating his wife regularly” before she can seek refuge. This (and eg Christian Nymphos) is the apostate church in its adolescence. See ‘Murder Attempt’ immediately below.

Sadly a woman I know who suffered from domestic abuse from a ‘Christian’ husband heard a broadcast on New Zealand’s Christian Radio Rhema in early February 2010 saying that marriage was about holiness not happiness. That’s false teaching because in 1 Cor. 7:34 Paul clearly says that the unmarried woman is holy and the married woman (and man) is concerned about the things of the world and how to please their spouse. It could not be plainer. Rhema’s teaching that marriage is for holiness above happiness opposes scripture, and that’s dangerous! Jesus also said in Mt. 19:12 that if we are able to be single then we should be single – though He does say it’s a spiritual gift and not everyone can do it. However, it is obviously the preferred choice for holiness, so to teach otherwise is false. Because my friend had been taught to submit, she felt the message meant that women who were abused by their husbands were holier than women who weren’t and was impelled to remain in the abuse. I didn’t know her when I was asked to pray about the situation, nor did I speak to her about it before praying. But I removed religious demons from the marriage and the situation was resolved in a week which shows God’s strong support of the prayers. My friend is now free! Staying in abusive marriages to ‘please God by obedience’ must break His heart but it’s statistically common for religiously-abused wives who’ve been taught that to please God they must ‘submit to men’ regardless of injustices. (Jael, “blessed among women” did not agree! See Biblical Women Leaders, above.) The teachings of these Focus on the Family-esque driven churches result in condoning male violence and maintaining female submission dogma for the sake of their traditions and egos and against clear scriptural commands. This is what the submission manual teaches (see ‘False Teaching’ above) and what is being discussed and given policies in US churches – and now also in NZ for those who follow Rhema’s and Stepford Family orientated teachings. They will be held accountable – if not on earth then in heaven (Mt. 19-12).

All the prophecies and current moves of God show He is about to judge such beliefs harshly. Rick Joyner has said God will bring “unrelenting discipline” on these belief systems that will come to be known as a “strange fire”. (See Other End Time Prophecies > A Vision of the Harvest.) In the booklet ‘He Will Tell You Things To Come’ endorsed by Derek Prince and published by DP Ministries, Lance Lambert prophesies about the growth of a Christianity without God. We know it as the apostate church. It is demonic – and it’s happening right now through such vehicles as church-condoned violence against women to uphold false submission! What next? Stake-burning?

False teaching: Wives must submit to their husbands.

Murder attempt as a result of this false dogma: I knew a conservative middle-aged lovely couple and was friends with the husband first. Both husband and wife were involved in church leadership and business. Then they housed a traveling US speaker who taught that the wife must totally submit to the husband. This so affected the lovely husband that he became a monster and eventually tried to stab her. She’d moved to her own bedroom, had locks on the door, the kids were begging her to leave, and she eventually did. I was in the UK by this time and knew nothing of this but God gave me the intercessory burden for her. I knew she was in serious danger and prayed and fasted hard! Finally I managed to get through on the phone and found that the night before he’d been trying to batter down her locked door to get at her with a dagger because she wasn’t willing to ‘submit’ to his ‘authority’. He had become fully possessed by this demon of illegal control. The biblical definition of submission is “to willingly come underneath in a safe place” (and it must be mutual). Her husband was hardly safe after succumbing to the dogma of ‘authority over’ his wife. The dogma wrecked the marriage, the kids’ security, the business, and the man himself.

As prophet Jill Austin said, the Jezebel demon that submission devotees love to accuse women of having, always goes for illegal control and is therefore behind the men that promote female and/or laity submission. This case classically proves that Jezebel is at least one of the spirits behind these men.

The web-links above show that violence has become an epidemic due to this wicked heresy.

Regarding women, Ed Silvoso writes “Nothing gives the devil more satisfaction than to see this extraordinary expression of divine creativity overlooked, or worse yet, despised. In fact, this is a key component of his strategy to keep women down. It is a crafty system of lies that satan carefully maintains to drive home his fabrication that women are an accessory to things but not a key component. Nothing could be further from the truth!” (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’, p 30).

The Reality: 1 Cor 7 shows a detailed and exact balance between the instructions Paul gives to men and women – the instructions are the same for each. In the only place in the New Testament where the word “authority” is used in relation to a marriage he tells the wife that she has authority over her husband’s body, and the husband that he has authority over his wife’s body. Mutual authority was unheard of in the culture and Paul insisted on it in the Lord. (‘Why Not Women?’, p 156.)

Hupotasso: "The verb hupotasso in its active form means to ‘put in subjection’ or ‘arrange after’ but it is only used of the believer’s relationship to God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ. They alone can demand your submission. But when referring to relationships among believers, Paul used the middle voice, which has the meaning to ‘submit our control’ or ‘yield’. It's the opposite of self-assertion, independence or aggressiveness. It's the desire to get along with one another and the 34 times it's used in the scriptures, only 4 of them deal with marital relationships. Hupotasso never means ‘obey’ not is the word ‘obedience’ used of the husband-wife role." ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', Dr Charles Trombley, Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, pp 170-171.) (Emphasis, mine.)

I’ve heard it taught that hupotasso means “to put in subjection under” and “arrange in order” as in a military style (taught by those who use the phrase “chain of command”). Here Trombley explains that grammatically hupotasso in the active voice means this, but that voice is only ever used in describing our relationship with God. Hupotasso regarding each other is the passive voice of the verb and is not arranged in a top-down order, which is the sole right of God. This is supported by all the passages on submitting to each other and is clear in Mt. 23:8-12 “Call no one teacher, for there is only One teacher and you are all brethren.” It’s said that God’s version of hierarchy is ‘God, then everyone else’. That’s certainly what Mt. 23 spells out.

"Hupotasso is a Christian virtue devoid of the meaning of delegated subjugation ... It is never forced, compulsory or demanded ... Hupotasso is a Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled believer taking the 2nd seat rather than the 1st, submitting to others rather than lording it over them. It's having the mind of Christ, Phil. 2:6-7. ... Mutual submission ... is so entwined with agape love that the two can't be separated. In other words, without agape there can't be Christian hupotasso. Further, hupotasso can be understood only in terms of the coming of the Holy Spirit since it flows out of being Spirit-filled (Eph. 5:18-21). From this we may conclude that husbands and wives under the Old Covenant knew nothing about hupotasso". ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?' p 171.)

“Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any instruction for wives to submit to their husbands. This might surprise you, but a thorough search of the Hebrew Scriptures yields no command for wives to submit to their husbands.” (‘Why Not Women?’, Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, YWAM Publishing, Seattle, WA, 2000, pp 199-200.)

GALATIANS: DEALING WITH INEQUALITY OF RACE, GENDER, AND STATUS

In Corinthians Paul deals with the cultural issue of that area – gender. In Galatians he deals with the issues of Galatia – racial conflicts.

The problem: The “traditions of men” are putting back the veil that Jesus died to rip apart. To be “preoccupied with our status and privileges in hierarchy taught by our particular culture, we are acting in a non-Christian way … opposite to the gospel message.” (‘Why Not Women?’ Loren Cunningham and David Hamilton, YWAM Publishing, Seattle, WA, 2000, p 139.)

“For the letter [of the law] kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6).

The Solution: Here Paul condemns all prejudice and proclaims all are one in Christ.

The “Beraka”: Paul turned the “beraka” on its head. All devout Jewish males prayed the beraka before arising in the morning. It said: “Blessed be He who did not make me a gentile; Blessed be He who did not make me a woman; Blessed be He who did not make me an uneducated man (or a slave).” (‘Why Not Women?’, p 138.)

Paul, no doubt, prayed this many hundreds of times, yet after his conversion he counteracted this very thing by teaching “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). (See also Jn. 1:12-13, Rom. 8:14-17, and 2 Cor. 5:17.) Paul did a total u-turn in his thinking by going from thanking God that he was not made a woman (a clear detraction from Genesis, as if God had made something ‘unworthy’) to teaching that there is no difference to God between genders. It is true repentance to turn and walk in the opposite direction, and if Paul can do it so should the Church that clings so strongly to his words. But many/most are stubbornly clinging to their pagan hierarchy preference – their own version of the beraka – and using some of Paul’s words out of context as their basis, while ignoring his other clear statements. They also ignore the words and example of Jesus, of Gen. 1:27,28, and of the ‘echod’ Trinity.

Paul went to pains to overturn cultural beliefs in the subservience of women and ensure they were given full ministry opportunities, as all are one in Christ and submission must be mutual. He was dealing with pagan cultures and to continue to believe in hierarchy is pagan (see also Restored to God’s Pattern not Man’s and ‘Pagan Christianity’ by Frank Viola and George Barna (of the Barna Research Group), details are under Recommended Resources on the home page.) The hierarchy belief denies that male and female are created as one in God’s image. These hierarchy boffins have never specified from scripture where Eve bears a lesser image of God than Adam. To my knowledge no-one has asked them to – I’ve never seen literature on it – but if they were challenged, they couldn’t find the differentiation because it does not exist. Hierarchy devotees often use the excuse that women are equal in value but not in function (ie still forbidden from certain areas of God’s Church). This also, is never specified in scripture. What exactly are the functions God lays down for women? Men claim that the ‘rules’ give authority only to males (eg David Pawson’s book ‘Leadership is Male’ which does not account for Priscilla, Deborah, Joan of Arc, the English Queens Elizabeth I & II, and Victoria who consistently produced better results in governing than the Kings did, etc). The idea that leadership is male is without substance and is overturned by Gen. 1:28 and the studies on hupotasso, and exousia epi which shows a woman has full and equal authority. Again, their reasoning is unscholarly and flawed. Outside of childbirth and birthing the Redeemer, these ‘different female functions’ exist only in the minds of the prejudiced.

TIMOTHY: DEALING WITH USURPED INTERPRETATIONS

Those who are against women teachers say they ‘usurp’ the authority of men. Those same men, however, usurp Christ by claiming headship over His Church. There’s a lot of noise about this coming from the Church at the moment as satan digs in his heels because he sees his time is short. A Wellington-based but national solemn-assembly intercessors group teamed up with members of Jubilee Resources Int. to pray and fast against women in leadership (in both Church and secular roles), saying such women ‘usurp’ men’s authority and are under the influence of the Jezebel spirit. But Jezebel is about control – it’s those who seek to control (primarily the male hierarchical leadership) who are under that influence! They also deny the number of Biblical Women Leaders.

Misused Scripture: Paul does not permit a woman to teach or usurp men’s authority (1 Tim. 2:12). This verse is obviously the hinge on which hangs all the error against women teaching.

The Reality: To take this verse at face value and out of context denies Phoebe, Priscilla, etc, and Paul’s own concern over the mutuality of ministry which ensured the new faith had no room for old idol practices, and that it followed the pattern of heaven. To say Paul forbids women to teach makes no sense given Paul was writing to Timothy in Ephesus – the church which had Priscilla as a founding leader. (‘Why Not Women?’, p 207.) The original text shows that Paul is addressing a single woman. He does not name her but does name her male colleagues in error Hymenaeus, Alexander, Philetus. (‘Why Not Women?’, p 215.) The supposition is that she needed teaching which was withheld from women, therefore in 1 Tim. 1, 2 Paul handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to satan, but “a woman” over to a teacher, saying she must be taught, and in 2 Tim. 2 he said that the message of Hymenaeus and Philetus was a cancer. Arguably Alexander and “a woman” had turned from teaching heresy (Gnosticism) by then, or Paul would likely have mentioned them again, as he did Hymenaeus. Paul also said. “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10).

Division is strongly condemned by Paul, yet in this divisive prejudice against God’s daughters which weakens Christ’s Body, no-one is being warned or disfellowshipped. This muted acceptance is against God’s clear instructions. Take that to extreme levels and we see the same principles of silence at work in the pulpits of 1930s Germany which were silent as they watched Hitler move against the Jews. Our pulpits are not only silent on the prejudice against God’s daughters, but they actively and divisively promote it. According to Paul, these people are “warped, sinful, and self-condemned.”

“There is nothing in this passage to support the silencing of godly women or forbidding their teaching in church, their call to any form of Christian service”. In 1 Tim. 2:10 Paul spoke of things that were appropriate for women who profess God (as he did for men). ‘Profess’ means ‘proclaim, speak out’. He later reminded Timothy of his spiritual heritage “I have been reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice” (2 Tim. 1:5). (‘Why Not Women?’, p 220.) (See also, 1 Corinthians: The Reality – To Timothy.)

‘Usurping’ Gnostics: Dr Charles Trombley points out that the woman Paul wrote of was a Gnostic teacher. He says: “Most men won't let anyone take away their authority and leadership positions unless they willingly abdicate their control. Scanzoni and Hardesty implied women were taking over the reins of church leadership which belonged exclusively to men. It isn't possible to exercise authority over anyone unless there is first submission. In a police state, the military, or a situation where submission is enforced by jailing, death, etc., submission can be and often is enforced. However, the Christian Church didn't have this kind of delegated judicial power, therefore, if a woman usurped a man's authority, the man was either a passive participant or a wiling partner." ('Who Said Women Can't Teach?', Dr Charles Trombley, Bridge-Logos Publishing, Gainsville, FL, 2003, p 197.) See also Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission – Hupotasso.

Trombley continues: "To usurp authority is the translation of the Greek verb 'authentein'. It's so rare that it's found in only one place in the Bible, and it was not a common word in secular usage ... Why did [Paul] use a rare verb that was considered vulgar and coarse? ... the word used isn't 'exousia' but 'authentien'. Exousia is used 32 times in the New Testament and ... it always means authority. Paul could have used this common word if the issue had been women usurping men's authority. Instead he used authentein." (p 198.)

"[T]his strange word did not have the meaning of ‘to bear rule’ or ‘usurp authority’ until the third or fourth century, well after the close of the apostolic and New Testament era. Essentially the word means ‘to thrust oneself’. ... The Attic orator Antiphon used the term 'authentes' to mean 'murderer' in 4 different instances in legal briefs of murder cases, and once to mean ‘suicide’, as did Dio Cassius.” Thucydides, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Euripides, used it to mean "one who slays with his own hand”. The Jewish Philo, used it to mean "self-murderer". "In Euripides the word begins to take on a sexual tinge." (p 199.)

In his commentary on 1 Tim 5:6, church father John Chrysostom (347-407) says Paul used the term to express sexual license. Paul was talking about the practices of the Gnostics! (p 201.)

Trombley points out that the Gnostic teachers were courtesans almost without exception, that Gnostics believed in using sex to merge the spiritual and physical worlds, that teachers offered themselves after classes were over, and says “the Bible teaches that to seduce men in such a manner was indeed to lead them to slaughter and the halls of death (cf. Pr. 2:18, 5:5,27, 9:18). The verb ‘authentein’ is thus peculiarly apt to describe both the erotic and the murderous. We know Paul was dealing with Gnostics … Therefore, ‘authentein’ must be translated as ‘causing erotic or symbolic death’, not as ‘usurping authority’ since that meaning didn’t come into usage until the 3rd century” (pp 202, 203).

No wonder Paul was so stern. He was dealing with Gnostic teachers using pagan religious sexual practices. It also explains why he used the vulgar, coarse, and extremely rare (only used once in scripture) ‘authenein’ rather than the standard word for authority ‘exousia’, which covers how he could say such a thing about “a woman” in a church in which Priscilla was a co-founder. Given authentein did not mean authority at the time Paul wrote (not until 4-500 years later) we can clearly see that intercessory groups who gather to pray against women ‘usurping’ leadership in the Church and the secular world (as they did in Wellington in April 2008) are based on nothing but prejudice and bad scholarship. They are indeed in danger of producing the results Rick Joyner warned of in ‘Epic Battles of the Last Days’ (p 81) when he said “If intercession is motivated by a spirit of control or manipulation, it is witchcraft, and its power is just as real as that of black magic.”

An Elijah Moment: I discovered the intentions of the intercessory group by ‘accident’ (ie, God made sure He put me in its path). It was to be 3 days of prayer and fasting and as an intercessor who’s seen legalistic prayers become curses and had to free many people from spiritual chains put there by well-meaning but controlling Christians (see End Times Prophecies – The Scrolls), I was concerned over the group. Initially interested (until I found out more about them) I raised my concerns over intercession turning to tainted soul-power-prayer months before I found Rick Joyner’s warning. God then began to pelt me with information, dreams that came true within days, some even the next day, scriptures, visions and confirmations, etc all on the topic of the effects of legalistic intercession and illegal expectations of female submission. God’s information-blitz lasted for months – His confirmations lasted for a year. One such confirmation was buying ‘Epic Battles of the Last Days’ and reading Joyner’s own warning, above. Much of the information God threw at me is on this House of Deborah page. The intercessory burden God gave me over this was intense and persistent, much like the burden He gave me for my friend from half a world away (see Murder Attempt).

At the end of the group’s long weekend of prayer and fasting I asked God to give me a final passage of scripture about it. He gave me Ez. 13:1-15. He told me to read it out over the area where the prayers were being held (near where I live but below me on a valley floor). I did not know the content of the passage but began to read it aloud. I know the power of intercession and knew that in this case a prayer mountain would’ve been built by soul power which satan could jump on and manipulate to the great detriment of women, likely causing violent men already on the edge to step over the edge prompted by the increase in an anti-women spirit. (See End Times Prophecies – Scroll 1, Purity and Scroll 2, Faith which both focus on soul power – see also Murder Attempt. This violence through legalism is already happening in US Evangelical churches – see web-links under Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission). It seems God had the same ‘soul-power prayer mountain’ in mind and was also concerned about it, because the passage was about false prophets building a wall of their own making not God’s, and covering it with whitewash so it looked white, but was weak and wicked.

As I read the passage, suddenly there was an almighty clap like loud thunder – but it wasn’t thunder and there was no lightning. Out of a clear sky came a roaring wind as loud as thunder, then truck-loads of hail were furiously thrown to earth. As I got to verses 13-15 I read “Therefore, thus says the Lord God. ‘I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in my fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in my anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall you have plastered with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I accomplish my wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it’.’ ”

Only when I re-read the passage did I see clearly that God had given roaring winds and great hailstones from a clear sky as I’d been reading the very words! God is outrageously spectacular! He obviously strongly disapproves of legalistic prayers against His daughters. A few days later I received an email about the event saying that the group had finished off by having a prayer walk and had just got back the moment the storm suddenly struck. They saw it as a blessing of God’s timing (and maybe He was saving them from heavy hail as well) but I also knew that He had waited until the final prayer had been prayed and then instantly broke that prayer mountain – sending His fury against the spiritual whitewashed wall. That’s God’s timing! “God is not mocked.” He still stands against legalism as Jesus did on earth (read Jn. 8 for a blistering argument with the Pharisees).

God is already shaking those who control His people from the top down (the hirelings) and who hinder His daughters’ service and thereby stop the full functioning of His Body. Ez. 34:2 and Jer. 25:34-36 prophesied it and modern prophets are saying it has begun. (See Other End Times Prophecies.) It’s been said, “God is patient but He’s not tolerant” and prophets are saying He’s running out of patience with those who build according to their own traditions and are not humble enough to follow mercy, grace, or truth. In Acts 23 Paul accused his hypocritical accuser saying "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall”! Clearly he was quoting Ez. 13. God told me in November 2008 that the time had come to pray against the ‘synagogue of satan’ and soon afterwards I received a prophecy on the subject from a Nelson church, also recorded in Other End Times Prophecies. Ross Smith, Rick Joyner, Jonathan David, Marcus Ardern, and others are all saying the same thing – that His shaking has begun and He will tear down the structures of men. If any usurping is intolerable, it is God Who is no longer tolerating controlling leaders whose pulpits are brimming with dangerous and graceless legalistic leaven, and who usurp His guidance of His Bride and His place as Head. I saw His actions against the whitewashed wall built by false prophets as I read the very words out, and I later discovered that it happened the very moment that the last prayer was prayed. He is cleansing His Church and will no longer be patient with humanistic and prejudiced traditions.

Misused Scripture: Women are easily deceived.

The Reality: Paul makes a comparison: the issue is that Eve was deceived while Adam sinned deliberately. Therefore Paul handed over the men to satan – but he handed the woman over to a teacher. Even this was a stand more in line with equality as Paul had stated elsewhere that women (who had education withheld in all main cultures) must be educated. (‘Why Not Women?’, p 218.) It is obvious that this has been understood in history as our Christian cultures have allowed education for women, while Islamic and Eastern cultures have restricted it. To educate women (eg at bible colleges) only to then restrict them seems at odds with Paul’s other teachings and the fullness of God’s Body. That Paul was dealing with Gnostic teaching also explains why he handed the men over to satan. The woman received more mercy because, as a woman, she had never been taught the true scriptures, unlike the men, so Paul made sure she was taught. 1 Tim. 2:11 is better translated as “a woman must learn…”

In his book Megashift, p 122, James Rutz writes "For Centuries bible translators have muddied the semantics of church structure. The King James version, for instance, tell us ‘If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work’ (1 Tim. 3:1). Two problems here: (1) There is no word for a church ‘office’ in the original Greek New Testament. The translators made it up. (2) ‘Bishop’ should be ‘elder’ or ‘overseer’. But in the time of King James, a bishopric was a cushy, tenured job that the Church of England wanted to enhance. A better translation would be, ‘If anyone (anthropos = man or woman) desires to be an overseer’ …”

Men & Externals: Author Barbara Wentroble is an international prophet, speaks to government leaders, and is hailed as an apostle. In her book ‘Rise to Your Destiny, Woman of God’ (pp 35, 40) she says “As Christian women, recognizing that our true identity is found only in our relationship with the very God of the universe … includes the revelation of our uniqueness” and “I had been taught that to be the right kind of Christian woman, I needed to stay home and take care of the cooking and cleaning.” She also says, along with Rick Joyner and others, that it is God alone who defines us and our callings, not husbands, pastors, or others.

My own experience of the covering/submission dogma (apart from being slapped by an ‘elder’ and accused of witchcraft for ‘teaching’ a man which led to his conversion – and other abuses) included being told, like Barbara above, that to be a “true woman of God” I had to wear ‘court shoes’. I’d never heard of them but the men informed me they are the shoes with a one-inch heel. At the bible school of international teacher Marcus Ardern, I raised this with one of the teachers and was told “well, you don’t need to wear a suit to get into heaven.” Flat shoes (my own preference) are apparently tomboyish while heels too high seemed to be associated with ‘ladies of the night’. I was also told by the leader of the intercessory group mentioned above that it was OK if I ‘sometimes’ wore trousers but wearing them too often was demonic (leading to unisex confusion). Of course, how often is ‘too often’ was not specified. I had to consider Jesus and the apostles in their long robes, Scotsmen in their kilts, pacific island men in lavalavas, and that one of Joan of Arc’s official ‘crimes’ was wearing men’s clothes. The entire focus is fabricated (pardon the pun) nonsense. These teachings have no room for grace and utterly lack the knowledge of the character and Truth of God. Much of the Church still needs to grow up and mature – Col. 2:20-23 is clear on this. Prophet and pastor Rick Joyner says in his book ‘The Harvest’ (p 61) “There will be an increasing emphasis on walking in sanctification. This is to be distinguished from the legalistic devotion to externals, the decrees the apostle warned about such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch’ (Col. 2:21).” I would add “Do not wear”! Men who focus on female clothing would see more clearly if they removed the log.

I am well versed in the legalistic dogma used against women and propagated by the submission devotees. This sort of self-righteousness is dangerous and God sees it as filthy rags compared to the robes of righteousness that only come through grace in Jesus. Nothing we do – or wear – can earn it. As Rick Joyner points out in ‘The Harvest’ p 76, Jesus said that publicans and harlots would enter the Kingdom of God before the Pharisees (Mt. 21:31,32) and says “the demonic religious spirit that worked in the prevailing religion of that day was farther from the heart of God than many of the great sinners of the land.” The same is true today and this is why God is shaking His Church so that the traditions of men fall and only the unshakable things remain. He promises to shake in Heb. 12:26-29 and shows in Jer. 25:34-36 and Ez. 34:2, as well as in many modern prophecies, that He’ll shake the false shepherds. Again, Rick Joyner says in ‘The Harvest’ p 90, “As with the golden calf, the time has come when the Lord is going to grind all of our substitutes for Him into powder.”

CALLING ALL DEBORAHS – WOMEN AND MEN

In ‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ Ed Silvoso writes “The day is fast approaching when women all over the world will hear the word ‘fight’, and fight they will. But for this to happen, men and women need to become aware of the web of subtle lies they have embraced and through which women have been held down” (p 47). Silvoso says that these lies not only incarcerate women but also men. He continues “when women are ignored or abused it is like the string and brass sections of a symphonic orchestra going mute in the midst of a performance. Worse yet, when women are abused … the instruments suffer irreparable damage” (p 48). Jesus said to me clearly “They are abusing my sisters.” Who are? The men who hold them back from serving their God in any way God sees fit, call them Jezebels if they try to do it – turn their chairs around so as not to face a preaching woman (even Billy Graham’s daughter), and thereby hamstring the Body of Christ. Thankfully the Josephs like Shane Claiborne, Pete Grieg, and many others are arising.

As Jesus and the apostles had to withstand the hostilities from the religious structures of their day, so any new move of God has also had to stand against the old. Old wine is always threatened by the new – but it’s imperative to take courage and stand. The evidence is clear that the Church has got it wrong regarding its anti-woman stance and satan is holding half of Christ’s Body in chains to ensure that the Army of God is ineffective. The men who enforce this in the body have ensured their own impotence! We must “work out our own salvation in fear and trembling” and we must trust God that His love will keep us in His hand (Jn. 10:28,29). If we want to be there, and our hearts are humble and open to Him, there’s no way He’ll let us fall because He wants it more than we do. With that trust in His love we can then step out of the boat and see with fresh eyes. Deborahs Wake Up! You have a mandate to take up the authority of God and claim your rightful place in His Body – whether as teacher, pastor, leader, prophet, spiritual warrior, pioneer/apostle – whatever desire God has birthed in your heart (which He promises to fulfill – Ps. 37:4) whether the current structure likes it or not. The religious structure of Jesus’ day did not like Him either – and our current Laodicean mold will not thank you for shaking it. But God is already shaking it and Jesus will build His Bride. We must look to God, follow Him in the trust that He’s strong enough to give good guidance and keep us in His hand – and He will honour it and open doors no one can close. We need the WHOLE Body outworking their God-given callings and gifts to edify us and show the world the face of Jesus. The Church will change – it’s already begun with the prophets prophesying change and shaking, the millions leaving to serve God outside the 4 walls (to avoid the hindrance of the over-controlling), the structure falling, and the biblical promises that it will happen.

We are merging and denominations are finding their common ground (hallelujah)! Men and women will also find their common ground. But women will drive this (Ps. 68:11, NASB) because they have a divine Gen. 3:15 mandate to bring down satan’s kingdom. The structure (which is mainly men) will protest – and is protesting loudly already. The violence (see web-links under Ephesians: Dealing with False Submission) and other damage done must be revealed (God says He will reveal every secret – Lk. 8:17, and that we must also reveal darkness – Eph. 5:11). The Church wants to protect its own and also protect God’s reputation from a skeptical world. But God won’t have it – while the Church hides the damage against God’s daughters – God Himself reveals it to the secular media. He is in charge of All Things – if He didn’t want the media to report it, they wouldn’t be reporting it. As my friend and teacher Marcus Ardern said “we are a part of something that satan simply has no power over” and the story of Job shows that the devil is subject to the will of God. Again, Ed Silvoso writes “Centuries of oppression will come to an end, and the beauty and the power of women will be on display just like the gold on the pinions of doves in flight [Ps: 68]. The issue is not if but when. (‘Women, God’s Secret Weapon’ - p 83.) (Emphasis in original.) This statement of “not if but when” reminds me of my vision of the horses. When God shoots the starting gun – when He says “fight” – women will explode into the fray full-throttle, and as He told me directly, and Silvoso likewise, no-one will see it coming!

The Deborahs are being called to take their place – quietly or loudly. Whatever their calling – whether prophets or mothers or both – they are His own daughters following His leading and His voice for themselves. Like everyone else they will seek advice when necessary, but never again will they be ‘told’ what they can and can’t be, based solely on gender. This is imperative to build His Body and become His Bride. As the Elijah moment showed, He Himself will tear down and obliterate any attempts to spiritually dominate His daughters, and as many current prophecies and books say, His patience is nearly over. He is addressing the illegal control-structures of His Church and He is saying “Seek Me while I’m still to be found.”