Matthew 4:8-11 ... Again, the devil taketh HIM (Jesus) up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth HIM all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto HIM, All these things will I give THEE, if THOU wilt fall down and worship me.
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and HIM ONLY shalt thou serve.
Then the devil leaveth HIM, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto HIM.
*****
January
10, 1980, I was asleep in the night when I was awakened by a strong,
trumpet-like voice sounding in my ear saying the following 3 words:
"Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"
KWJS was a radio station and within 5 days I was broadcasting on that station, presenting exhortations to the church.
The radio work spread rapidly and within a few months I was on stations from NYC (Hartford area) to Seattle, with several cities in-between.
Bob Tilton (my pastor at that time) told me about his advertising agent, Michael Ellison, and said I needed to sign with this agency.
Bob said, "They can really do you a lot of good."
(At that time they were representing several big-name ministers including Kenneth Copeland, Jimmy Swaggart, and Marilyn Hickey.)
I did sign with this agency.
*****
They had a large staff of agents and assigned one agent to me. He came to Dallas to meet with me and make "suggestions."
They were very sophisticated people and low keyed and subtle.
As we met, the agent said, "Just one thing ... We would like you to add the following to all your envelopes and writings: 'SEND ME YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS' ."
I was horrified at this idea!
I said to him: "I don't want to do that! "
He was shocked and said: "You don't?"
I said, "NO ... They should pray directly to GOD through JESUS."
There was a pause filled with silence.
Then he said, "Well ... you're missing a good bet ... for when they send a prayer request they usually slip some money into the envelope."
It was a fund raising gimmick.
I never did this.
I never did this.
*****
The agency told me they gave Kenneth Copeland and his wife their choice of cars and when I got bigger they would do the same for me.
I never got bigger for they threw me out after about 4 months.
One of their requirements was that I never offend any one on my broadcasts.
(I'm a prophet!)
Certainly Robert Tilton said you should never tell anyone you are a
prophet for it was not popular ...
Yet Tilton himself was one of the people who said I am a prophet and he said this from the pulpit about me.
Yet Tilton himself was one of the people who said I am a prophet and he said this from the pulpit about me.
The agency told me they could fill Soldiers and Sailors Auditorium for my meetings in Pittsburgh, all I had to do was to be sure I never offended anyone. They said they would go into the city a week or so before my meetings and recruit pastors to get these pastors to send their congregations to my meeting.
I had no doubt they were able to do this as they said.
*****
Another "requirement" they had for me was before I would send out any written material, I would have to send it to the agency for them to approve the material.
When I told them I could not do this, they released me.
I was devastated, thinking I had failed.
God brought Matthew 4:8 to my attention showing me the truth from HIS eyes:
I had not failed but had passed a test in the sight of serving God, refusing to obey man even when great rewards were in view.
It was a difficult period of time for me.
Today, I see it as a very narrow escape and I rejoice that I continued faithful to God in spite of loss of glory and fame of man.
It is critical for us to cling to what is right in the sight of God and suffer the loss.
The apostle Paul said of himself:
Philippians 3:3-10 ... For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: FOR WHOM I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And
be found in HIM, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith: That I may know HIM, and the power of HIS resurrection, and the fellowship of HIS sufferings, being made conformable unto HIS death;
*****
Looking back on these things, there is such a thin line between salvation from the glory of man and eternal damnation.
Cling to that which God has shown you, the HOLY Word of God.
That is our life line to salvation from our own flesh and from devils.
*****
I Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, WHO will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it.
*****
Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made HIMSELF of no reputation, and took upon HIM the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, HE humbled HIMSELF, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted HIM, and given HIM a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
*****
In 1982, God spoke the following words to me over and over:
The time is
come that judgment must begin at the house of God ... The time is come
that judgment must begin at the house of God ... The time is come that
judgment must begin at the house of God ...
*****
Then God showed me sins in various ministries.
Big time ministers often surround
themselves with "body guards" to keep the church people away from them.
They also filter their mail so getting a message to them by mail is
very difficult, if not impossible.
I was relatively well known in ministry at that time but I couldn't get a message to them.
I was persuaded, I believe by God, to
give the messages on my radio broadcasts (and in some cases at my
meetings), telling of the wrong doing and naming the ministers by name
on radio.
When I did this, hate mail poured in and radio stations began putting me off the air.
A defining moment for me happened in Seattle.
Prior to my meeting, the radio station manager was waiting for me outside the door of my meeting room. He said to me,
"Joan ... you have many good messages
... just speak those messages ... If you continue to speak these
'judgment messages' I don't know what is going to happen to you ... We
may have to put you off the air."
*****
Without any thought whatsoever, out of my mouth came the following words which I believe were from the Holy Spirit.
"George ... If
I don't speak the message I believe to be from God, then I don't have a
message, and I may-as-well be off the air."
*****
It may matter greatly at the time they
do things to you, but when you are following God, looking back on these
things, you rejoice that God freed you from these various glories of
man.
*****
There is one "restraint" we have against antichrist and that "restraint" holding antichrist back is the Word of God ... the Holy Scriptures.
If we remove any portion of scripture from
our lives, the restraint against antichrist is removed and he will move
into our lives.
(Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit of lawlessness who moves into the heart of church people as they remove scriptures from themselves.)
Explaining away scripture, any portion of a scripture, is like a person opening his front door, leaving it opened, and going out of town. What he returns to will likely be quiet different from what he left.
Here is what Paul explained about antichrist, who would come through the churches in the form of many people.
II Thessalonians 2 ... (NASB)
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed
*****
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
A meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil
defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the
speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was
coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that
was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the
instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison that would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face
and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But
then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to
feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me
too.
*****