August 2023

I’ve seen countless men who, after having lived a life of secular debauchery suddenly claim to have turned over a new leaf and now want to teach or lead a religious congregation. Many of these occupy the fuzzy fringes of formal, established religions. They branch off into the newer groups like Hebrew Roots and Messianic, or form their own splinter groups of existing religions. Any place where there is not a formal hierarchy structure to hold them accountable and they can be a one-man show. I suspect it is because they no longer have any traction in the secular world and are looking for an easier schtick where all they have to do is run their gums, and the money and/or attention flow in. There is no quantifiable measure of success, so they can claim it no matter what they do. There is also no quantifiable measure of expertise, so they can just make stuff up as they go. There are always droves of sheep willing to listen and follow. However, these false leaders don’t just preach. They also try to exert “biblical authority” over your life. Hey poser, you’re not a Levite, so quit pretending you are.

Please note, I am not speaking about earnest teachers and pastors who strive to educate others and help them walk closer with God. I am speaking about people who used this appearance as a façade to try to control how you live your life, how you parent, your finances, your relationships and even your day-to-day activities. These are toxic, false leaders.

Biblical Authority

Power grabs by self-proclaimed religious leaders are nothing new, but these men will rarely come right out and say, “I am your biblical authority.” Rather, they will teach and preach to let you draw that conclusion on your own, thereby solidifying it in your head as your own belief, rather than one forced upon you. Part of this teaching and preaching includes strongly condemning anyone who comes against them and their personal doctrines as “coming against God.” A common ploy that I have seen many times is …

Korah’s Rebellion

I have seen religious leaders reference Korah’s rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16) when their authority or leadership are questioned. If they do this, then they should also abide by the rest of what is stated in Numbers. They can only claim priestly leadership if they are both Levites and from the line of Aaron. I highly doubt even the first one is true, much less both, or that they could even prove it if it was. These false leaders invoke cherry-picked, misrepresented bible verses and then ignore the rest. They have no credentials under Leviticus, Numbers or Deuteronomy, and thus have no authority. Therefore, speaking out against them is not rebellion. It is disagreement.

The lesson gleaned from Korah is not that the leader of your congregation has authority over you and your life. Rather, it is the consequences of rejecting God’s redemption. God had just redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt. Moses was God’s mediator. God had shown this to Israel with many signs and even told them with His own voice. They were the only large group of people to ever hear God speak directly to them. Korah had seen and heard this, yet still rejected it and thus rejected God. He and his family paid for it with their lives. There have only been two mediators for God, Moses and Yeshua (Jesus). It is highly doubtful that there would be need for another mediator after Yeshua.

For God is one, and there is but one Mediator between God and humanity, Yeshua the Messiah.

1 Timothy 2:5

Has God shown your congregation tangible signs (not ones made up by your leader) that your congregation leader is His mediator? A pillar of fire over the meeting place would be a good indicator. Has your congregation heard God’s voice proclaiming your congregation leader to be His mediator? I can confidently assert that the answer to both of these questions is no. Your congregation leader is not God’s mediator and thus does not have the authority of Moses or Yeshua over you. He is at best a teacher, and it is up to you to decide whether he is a good one, bad one, or even a false one. If he is trying to claim to be in Moses’ place, then he is also claiming to be in Yeshua’s place. They have a name for someone who does that. The name is anti-Christ.

Below are some other ways these pretenders will try to grab power and authority that is not theirs.

Fruits of the Spirit

Some teach that you can recognize someone God has appointed by the fruits of their spirit. This has some biblical validity for good pastors and teachers, but it is not a sign of biblical authority over others. They will then either spin what these fruits are into something they claim to possess, or spin something they claim to possess into a fruit of the spirit.  An easy and common attribute to spin is kindness or mercy. The leader will perform acts of kindness for others so that they can be seen by the congregation. Giving money to those in need. Ministering to those who recently lost a loved one. Arranging for child care. Providing a place for them to live temporarily. Don’t fall for it. There are many kind and moral atheists who do the same things. Even psychopaths use kindness as one of their tricks to snare people. It is often used to indebt you to them later through the strong human desire to reciprocate. This is a con well known to salesmen, narcissists and psychopaths.

The Prophet

They or someone close to them has dreams or visions from God. They might even claim to speak to God directly. How convenient that this cannot be verified. You just have to take their word for it. I have never seen a single dream or vision come to pass in my lifetime, nor has anyone else whom I trust to be reputable.

All of you clowns who have failed at prophecy need to just shut up and assume a less glamorous role like the other 99.99% of people who follow God. It has been proven that God does not speak to you. I would wager that most of you failed prophets have known that all along and were fakes from the beginning. How do you mistake God speaking to you without either being delusional or a liar?

People, you need to stop elevating these posers and giving them credibility. One failure is all it takes and they are not a prophet (see Deuteronomy 18:22). That’s it. No second chances. Stop giving them multiple do-overs along with your money and attention. They are phonies who are not fit to lead a congregation, or even teach. If they don’t step down after a failed prophecy attempt, then they are violating God’s commandments and do not serve God. Don’t fall for vague prophecies, shifting time lines, saying that God “postponed” it, or that the congregation didn’t have enough “faith” for it to happen. Real prophets don’t work that way. They speak what God tells them and it happens in exactly that way at exactly that time.

The Scholar

The leader claims authority through superior knowledge or credentials. Make sure you see the credentials and follow up to ensure they are not forgeries or fabrications from a fictitious seminary. You would be surprised at how many of these guys list non-existent seminaries or bible schools on their credentials. A person can lead a religious congregation with less of a background check than renting an apartment. Even if the credentials are valid, that still does not impart Moses’s or Yeshua’s authority upon them. It qualifies them to teach, not rule over you.

The Righteous One

This one juxtaposes The Scholar above. It claims that the leader has his position by virtue of being more righteous than the rest of the congregation.  That way, a person with no credentials can still claim authority. It is a bit tricky to pull off without looking arrogant, so the would-be leader often pretends to be humble in conjunction with it. Its success often just boils down to charisma. How do you test for righteousness? How about starting at the bottom with the most menial position, and cheerfully doing that job without complaint. Again, righteousness does not automatically impart biblical authority.

The Called One

They will say God called them to do this. “It’s not something I sought,” he will claim with false humility, “but God made me do it.”  How convenient that nobody can check with God to make sure this is true. If they are called, then let them be called to scrub the toilets in service to the congregation for a few years. Watch how fast they are called elsewhere, or you are thrown out of the congregation for suggesting it. Unless God called them audibly from a pillar of fire in front of the congregation, they have no biblical authority.

The Levitical Priesthood

The Levites were chosen out of 12 tribes to serve God. Out of the Levites, only a tiny portion actually served as priests, the line of Aaron. The rest were guards, musicians, workers, etc. A priest could also be disqualified for messing up just once. Some of these exclusionary sins included, drinking while serving God in the tabernacle, getting any kind of physical defect, marrying a woman who was not a virgin, shaving their head or edges of their beard, cutting themselves, tearing their clothes, uncovering their head, or going near a corpse (Leviticus 21).

If some of these conditions occurred, just once, that was it. Game over. This man would never serve as a priest again.

The New Testament also states (Titus 1) the priest should be blameless, the husband of one wife, have faithful children not accused of insubordination, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent or greedy, sober-minded, and self-controlled. 1 Timothy 3 reiterates these and adds ability to teach, gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, rules his house well, having his children in submission with all reverence, and not being a novice. Many of these men and women are novices, never having held less glamorous positions prior to hanging out their shingle as a leader of God’s people.

Are these self-proclaimed leaders ever vetted? Are there background checks for criminality or financial issues? Have they been arrested for fraud, drunkenness or violent crimes? Multiple times? Do they have a background of not paying their debts or of taking people to court for petty civil matters? Have they declared bankruptcy? How many times have they been married? Any of those would disqualify under the New Testament criteria. They are automatically disqualified under Old Testament criteria for not being from the line of Aaron.

If you have messed up like this, even once, you are no longer fit to lead God’s people. Just accept it. You are required to lead your family, but that’s it. If you really had a heart for God and willingness to serve Him, you would accept a less glamourous role and be satisfied with it. So, in essence, it is you who are being like Korah. He was a Levite not satisfied with a less glamourous role of service to God. That is you.

You’re like a middle-aged man joining the Army and immediately wanting to be a general. Not only is that position reserved for the highest qualified fraction of 1%, you have also started far too late in life and missed the window. If you have truly repented of your past and are following God, that is great. Now prove it by accepting a position serving God that is commensurate with your status.

Authority Without Responsibility

Numbers 18:1 states:

Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood.”

Is your so-called biblical authority assuming responsibility for the congregation’s iniquities? Is he doing so in a tangible, visible manner, instead of just talking about it? The first is doubtful. The second is highly doubtful. Once again, he wants the authority without the responsibility.

Six verses later, in Numbers 18:7, God states:

Therefore, you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

If your leader claims biblical authority, yet cannot prove that he is both a Levite and of the Aaronic line, then God states he must die. Let me be clear, I am not advocating for any violence against these people. However, God’s words are both quite clear and very serious. Be sure of who you let lead you.

Losing the Promised Land

When Israel was about to enter the promised land, 12 leaders went out to reconnoiter the land (Numbers 13). Ten of them refused to trust God’s promise to deliver the land to them. They inflamed the populace against the God’s plan and the entire nation paid the price. Forty more years in the wilderness until they were all dead. Only 10 bad leaders out of 3 million Israelites were all it took to prevent an entire generation from entering the Promised Land. What kind of leader are you supporting and enabling? What impact may this have upon you seeing the promised land?

Conclusion

If a leader has to tell you he speaks for God, he probably does not. Neither Moses nor Yeshua needed to blow their own trumpets. Their actions, characters, and God Himself spoke for them. Watch for the fruit, not the words. Real fruit as defined by the Bible, not false fruit fabricated or misquoted by the leader. Judging by how many of you I see following “leaders” who display little or no fruit, you could use some serious lessons in discernment.

The only reason these false leaders get away with this is because you, the congregation members, keep enabling and supporting them. You defer to them, you obey them, you kowtow to them, and hang on their every word. Stop it! A real leader doesn’t demand obedience by calling anyone who disagrees with him a rebel. A real leader inspires loyalty through compassion, understanding and, if necessary, letting the person go their own way. Stop giving these posers blank checks.

Is the person calling out the leader looking to take his place? If not, then it isn’t rebellion either, it is asking the leader to prove himself. If he won’t do so, the challenger can just leave. What will all the rest of you do, who watch this and remain?

Conduct a background check and ask for credentials. Have they studied under a qualified religious teacher or leader?  You will be surprise at how angrily many so-called religious leaders will react to this. They expect you to accept them at their word, with less due diligence required than for employment as a pizza delivery driver. They may even enlist their congregants to attack you, shouting things like, “Where are your credentials?” Oblivious to the fact that you don’t need credentials to attend a congregation, while the leader most certainly should have credentials to lead one. You are simply and rightly asking the leader for his. In such situations, just leave and don’t look behind you. It is a toxic group led by a false leader. It won’t change.

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Men Going Their Own Way. A general philosophy (not a movement) of men focusing on themselves, rather than playing the rigged Western game of engaging with women and losing their assets and children to them through a legal system biased against men. As with all philosophies, there are some elements that are more radical.

Judging, elevating or favorably treating others by physical characteristics, or traits. Replaces racism due to the fact that there is only one race, human.

The overriding view that women are strong and independent, don’t need men, and are more competent and wiser than men. Men are to realize and admit that they are both inferior and toxic.

Giving too much attention and affection, whether through gifts, compliments, or acts of service as a way of seeking validation from someone else.

Instead of accepting responsibility and facing the uncomfortable situation head-on, the deflectors will try to move the focus from themselves, usually by passing the blame onto someone or something else.

Individuals are confronted with two choices, both of which have negative results. The choices are framed to produce an emotional response in the person, forcing them to choose or look bad. The individual will fail, no matter what choice they make. The abuser will use this as leverage to further manipulate the victim by depicting them as weak, flawed or ineffective.

The manipulative process by which individual or collective freedom of choice and action is compromised by agents or agencies that modify or distort perception, motivation, affect, cognition and/or behavioral outcomes. The person being mind controlled is not aware of the influence process, nor of the changes occurring within themselves. They believe they are acting according to their own choices.

A declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, etc. to frighten and emotionally force a person to do something.

The intentional manipulation of another person’s emotions to induce feelings of guilt. It is a form of emotional blackmail that is often designed to manipulate other people by preying on their emotions and making them feel responsible for something they are not.

Using sarcasm and put-downs to increase fear and self-doubt in the victim. Manipulators use this tactic to make others feel unworthy and therefore defer to them. Manipulators can make one feel ashamed for even daring to challenge them or say no.

Attempting to establish a perceived close bond with someone very quickly to overcome their natural caution and use them for money, resources or work. This is often involves a quick push for friendship or intimacy.

A manipulative tactic where someone portrays themselves as a victim to gain sympathy, attention, or caregiving. The goal is to make the person eliciting pity seem like a victim, which can make it easier to get what they want without being seen as a bad guy. This is because people are naturally inclined to help those they pity.

A woman is simultaneously a victim and empowered, until something happens. Then she chooses which state benefits her the most.

A woman is simultaneously a victim and empowered, until something happens. Then she chooses which state benefits her the most.

A Chad is a stereotypical alpha male. He is depicted as attractive, successful, muscular, cocky and very popular among women. He has a tendency to play the field and will not commit to any woman.

An enabler of a highly narcissistic person or someone with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). A flying monkey is an agent who acts on their behalf.

Projection involves taking an unacceptable part of oneself, disowning it, and placing it onto someone else. The manipulator describes the victim and paints them in a light that more accurately portrays the attacker himself.

Toxic amnesia is a tactic where the perpetrator pretends to not remember abuse, betrayals, lies, and other hurtful and dysfunctional behaviors they've engaged in. Its a form of gaslighting. Its purpose is to make you doubt your perceptions and memories.

Narcissistic rage can be triggered by various situations, such as criticism, perceived rejection, or being ignored. The reaction is often extreme and disproportionate to the event or comment, as the narcissist's fragile ego struggles to cope with the perceived attack on their self-image.

Triangulation is when a toxic or manipulative person, often a person with strong narcissistic traits, brings a third person into their relationship in order to remain in control. There will be limited or no communication between the two triangulated individuals except through the manipulator. It may appear in different forms, but all are about divide and conquer, or playing people against each other.

The action or practice of lavishing someone with attention or affection, especially in order to influence or manipulate them.

Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance.

To gaslight someone means to manipulate another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences or understanding of events. ~ American Psychological Association

Because their sense of self is determined by what others think of them, narcissists use relationships for self-enhancement. Everyone must feed them. In addition, they seek validation and attention in their public and professional life. Other people are used as objects in order to provide their supply. For example, they may need constant compliments or applause, more status and money, or may check their appearance in the mirror several times a day. ~ Psychology Today

Fraud that targets people belonging to a particular community or group, typically that in which someone pretends to be a member of the group in order to gain the trust of others.

Second Attack
Second Attack
First Attack
First Attack
Initial Dispositions
Initial Dispositions
ZSU 23-4
ZSU 23-4 Anti-Aircraft Gun
TOW Missile
TOW Anti-Tank Missile
T55 Tank
T55 Tank
SA7
SA7 Surface to Air Missile
M113
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC)
M48 Tank
M48 Tank
Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter Jet
BTR-50
BTR-50 Armored Personnel Carrier
BM21 Stalin Organ
BM21 Stalin Organ
Howitzer
Howitzer
AT7 Anti-Tank Missile
AT7 Anti-Tank Missile
AT3 Sagger Anti-Tank Missile
AT3 Sagger Anti-Tank Missile
120mm Mortar
120mm Mortar
AT4 Anti-Tank Missile
AT4 Anti-Tank Missile

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

A religious leader uses valid verses or concepts from the Bible about following and obeying God to generate enthusiasm in people, then misdirects that obedience to himself as a representative of God. The group believes they are following and obeying God, but in reality are obeying the leader.

A fictional, exaggerated version of an opposing viewpoint, especially one that is intentionally created to be easy to dismiss or argue against and to make one's own argument seem stronger. Straw man arguments can be made unintentionally, but most are made on purpose to make the other side seem evil, incompetent, or extremist.

The religious leader distracts members from mentally registering what he is doing.  Screaming praise to God when something he proclaimed does not come to pass.  Acting like a bad thing is really a good thing.  Just keep talking and talking and talking, while ignoring that nothing is happening. It is the same thing politicians have done successfully for years.

The leader calls members flattering adjectives or nouns, like righteous, holy, or saint.  These are often vague and difficult to define, so the member feels the leader’s superior knowledge has recognized something good in them.  Conversely, if the leader later withdraws this praise, the member is eager to toe the line to recover it.

Manipulation of a person or group's emotions in order to make them believe something is factual (or false) in the absence of any evidence. The manipulator tries to draw on the recipient's inward feelings such as fear, pity, or joy with the goal of convincing them that the statements being presented are true or false.

Essentially a black-and-white worldview with the leader as the ultimate moral arbiter. This creates an atmosphere of guilt and shame, where punishment and humiliation are expected. It also sets up an environment wherein members spy and report on one another. Through submission to the guilt-inducing and impossible demand for purity, members lose their moral bearing.

The use of jargon internal to (and only understandable by) the group. Constricting language constricts the person. Capacities for thinking and feeling are significantly reduced. Imagination is no longer a part of life experiences, and the mind atrophies from disuse.

The process whereby the group becomes the ultimate arbiter and all nonbelievers become so-called evil or non-people. If these non-people cannot be recruited, then they can be punished or even killed. This process creates an us-versus-them mentality that breeds fear in followers who learn that life depends on a willingness to obey. This is when individuals merge with the group’s belief.